CASES
WHEN WE SAY WE ARE HANDS-ON, WE MEAN IT.
PLANET O
THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT
When PLANET O founder first pitched his high-tech location-based entertainment concept to NextStep Studio, it was clear he was determined to change the game in the industry.
NextStep's founder, Greg Prudhommeaux, saw great potential in this vision and served as a steward: identifying an investor, negotiating and finalizing a pre-investment agreement for acceleration, attending each strategic meeting or workshop, and advising Planet O's Founder on the critical business pitch. NextStep Studio's approach goes beyond mentorship, the team takes personal stakes in Pitch Deck Design, Public Speaking Coaching, Business Model Development, Negotiation Skills, and provides partners like Planet O with legal, IT resources. This bespoke methodology led to an important round of investment in 2018 to kick-off the construction of the first location.
URBAN THAI
A CASUAL THAI RESTAURANT CHAIN
URBAN THAI first location opened in 2011 and Greg Prudhommeaux helped to fund and developed the second location which opened in 2014. NextStep Studio's team got involved in menu engineering, events, and marketing. We especially worked on a new model to improve the delivery side of the concept. This spin-off was so successful that Urban Thai founders and NextStep Studio decided to create another company only focusing on delivery.
On the other hand, the steady operation and high brand value made lead us a strike strategic partnership with a leading hospitality group and Urban Thai became part of 15+ locations by the end of 2018. They will contribute improve the concept and open new locations in Shanghai and beyond and NextStep Studio will keep on supporting Urban Thai on future operations and new partnerships.
Core Team
ON-THE-GROUND EXPERTS
Founder & Managing Partner, F&B expert
Gregory PRUDHOMMEAUX has been living in China since 2005. Expert in F&B, Distribution, and Startups, he manages the first touch with all entrepreneurs and investors in NextStep Studio that he created first in 2007 and pivoted to a studio in 2016, coaches founders and brings his extensive network in Asia, Europe, and the USA to support the growth of our portfolio companies. Passionate about solving problems and answering needs, he is also in charge of the direction and vision of NextStep Studio and the new projects which are being created.
Prior to NextStep Studio, Greg has always been a serial entrepreneur and angel investor with a real focus on Food Tech and F&B concepts. From 2009 to 2015, as Managing Partner and country manager of a French leading consulting firm, his team of up to 25 consultants, in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, supported a few hundred projects from different countries in entering and growing in China.
He is also President of La French Tech in Shanghai, founder of the Shanghai F&B French Speaking Professionals and CCE (French Trade Advisor).
Greg is fluent in French, English, Spanish, and Chinese.
Partner & In-House Lawyer
Khalid MAZOUZ is a seasoned lawyer with investment and entrepreneur background, passionate about fintech, decentralization, and Asian markets. After graduating from EM LYON Business School and being admitted to the bar, Khalid started his career, in Paris, as a lawyer in distressed investments. He first arrived in China to join a media group as a CFO, to restructure its activity, and successfully closed his first fundraising transaction in China for USD 1,5m. Meanwhile, he launched Gatecoin in 2013, the first cryptocurrency exchange regulated in Hong Kong.
In 2016, Khalid joined a Shanghai-based law firm based as a lawyer to set up the venture capital practice dedicated to startups. To this day, Khalid has been running Scaling Ventures, an investment firm focused on decentralized solutions.
With over 30 successful fundraising transactions in Asia and the US, Khalid joined NextStep in June 2019, to open early-stage entrepreneurs access to fundraising in Asia.
Khalid is fluent in French, English, and Chinese.
In-house Performance Coach
Ana is a Certified Executive Coach who works with startup CEOs, co-founders, and executive teams. She also collaborates with large, Fortune 500, designing and delivering workshops on leadership, performance improvement, personal development, team integration, intercultural communication, innovation sprints, and change programs.
Ana accounts for more than 15 years of experience in China and Asia in recruitment, talent assessment, development and HR business partnership. She started her career as an executive search consultant and developed into the Managing Director of an international search firm. From 2014 onwards, Ana focused her efforts on developing her personal coaching and mentoring practice, working with individuals and corporations operating in China and Asia.
Ana is an ICC certified Executive Master Coach, COI, COF accredited practitioner as well as a certified SHL OPQ, DISC and HAST (Harrison Assessment Test). Since 2016, she completed her certification as LEGO® SERIOUSPLAY® trainer and Design Thinking. In 2019, she got certified from INSEAD Gender Diversity Online Executive Program.
She speaks Spanish, English, Chinese and some French and German. Ana is based in Shanghai since 2004
