MyNabes, the new mutual aid network between neighbors

We already knew Nextdoor to know everything about the last car theft, the lost cat of the neighbor or the quarrels on the heights of adjoining hedges … With MyNabes, a free application available on the Appstore and the Play store since October 16, the goal of Elodie Bottine, her creator, is quite different: it is a social network of mutual help, sharing services and objects.

The idea of ​​MyNabes came about when Elodie Bottine moved from France to Menlo Park, California: "I thought I would be welcomed like in "Desperate Housewives", but the welcome apple pie brought by the neighbor, I'm still waiting for it!she jokes. I quickly realized that I had to fend for myself, and that between the races, the activities of the children, we are constantly in his car. If I miss an egg to make a cake, I have to get out my car, so it would be so much easier to ask his neighbor to help us out."

MyNabes is organized in several categories, with the red line, the pooling of goods and services: "Life is very expensive here. On MyNabes, you can share items, exchange services, such as pet care or carpooling, call on your DIY neighbors instead of paying a pro, which saves money and saves time. and developing a social bond of proximity."

In Paris, Elodie Bottine used to visit her neighbor over 90, who had no immediate family: she took up the idea with the category "Courtesy visits" which allows to integrate the seniors in the neighborhood life. The app also makes it easy to organize playdates between children, or to offer to neighbors to see an exhibition or concert together.

The originality of MyNabes also lies in its system of remuneration for services rendered: "You can choose to pay for fruits, homemade dishes, money, or offer services in return, offer a drink, or simply say thank you."

Director of Business Development at a Paris publishing house, Elodie Bottine spent two years developing MyNabes. "This is my first entrepreneurial adventure. My move to the United States forced me out of my comfort zone, to prove to my children that I could lead a new project."

After two years working on the solo project, the creator of MyNabes has just hired her first CTO, and is recruiting "ambassadors" all over the United States. "They will initiate the application and test new features. Word of mouth has worked very well in the San Francisco area, remains to be known in the rest of the country."