Olivier Simonis arranged to meet us on rue Blockmans, in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Super-zen is located at number 5. “Technology without stress. Stressvrije technology”, we can read, in white letters, on the window. In the reception room, two seniors are talking with two young Super-zen employees. “This is where we receive our customers. Everyone is received by an attendant, explains Olivier Simonis, entrepreneur and investor behind the project. Since our opening on June 17, it hasn’t stopped!”.
The digital age benefits the strongest and sordidly crushes the weakest
Since he handed over operational management of Qualifio (a technological start-up that he founded in 2010 and which was absorbed by the Scandinavian group QNTM in 2023), Olivier Simonis has found time to lead other projects. “I continue to invest, as a business angel, and I sit on the board of directors of several Belgian start-ups (CBX Medical, Verbolia, Apptree, etc., NdlR)“. He is also one of the founders of Mollets Solidaires, a non-profit organization launched in 2022 in his commune of Chaumont-Gistoux. “We organize rides, aboard a two-seater electric bike, for elderly or less able people”.
Powerless in the face of technology
The Super-zen project is in the same vein: having an impact by helping vulnerable people. In this case, it is about contributing to digital inclusion. According to the latest barometer from the King Baudouin Foundation, 40% of Belgians aged 16 to 74 remain digitally vulnerable. If this vulnerability mainly concerns people with a low level of income and education, others are also. Olivier Simonis says he noticed it in his immediate entourage (rather well-off and educated). “Every time I go to my in-laws, they ask me to solve a series of problems they encounter with their smartphone, their computer… For seniors, in particular, digital and technology are anxiety-inducing. They often feel helpless”.
How does Super-zen differ from Digital Public Spaces (EPN), which are increasingly numerous in Wallonia and Brussels? “Super-zen is a complementary response to EPN, says Olivier Simonis. The state of mind is different. Many people tell us that they are happy and relieved to find, near their home, a friendly place, open six days a week (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), with caring, patient guides who speak the language of the users and not that of geeks”.
guillement“I see Super-zen as an impact start-up, which requires having a service offering in line with customer needs and finding a business model that allows the project to be sustainable and, why not, extend.”
Another specificity of Super-zen: the choice to make it a private structure (SRL) and not a subsidized non-profit organization. “I see Super-zen as an impact start-up, which requires having a service offering in line with customer needs and finding a business model that allows the project to be sustainable and, why not, extend”. Super-zen services therefore require payment (with different packages ranging from 25 to 79 euros per month, coffee or tea included!).
The challenge of the “business model”
After only three months of existence, Super-zen is not only experiencing high attendance (with more than 1,300 people affected to date, 500 of whom have benefited from personalized assistance in the premises on rue Blockmans), but the project has also been enriched and expanded. In addition to individual support (installation of applications, management of passwords and photos, creation of QR Code, use of Itsme, updates, etc.), which is provided by a team of students (“geeks at heart, educators and empathetic”), Super-zen organizes numerous thematic training courses and, once a month, events (digital breakfasts, introduction to ChatGPT, etc.).
“For training, we have 90% women, with an average age of 70 years, indicates Ambroise Carpentier de Changy, a young graduate of the Louvain School of Management recruited to manage Super-zen. They are much more curious, with a strong desire to learn. But, even if we focus on seniors, our services are accessible to all audiences and all ages”. Super-zen is also increasingly requested by companies and institutions (senior colleges, assisted living facilities, municipalities, etc.) to train their customers or employees in the use of digital devices and services.
Will other Super-zen stores other than the one in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre see the light of day? “We will take stock at the end of the year to see if it is possible to create others, answers Olivier Simonis. In any case, customer traction is there. Is there a business model? It’s still a little early to answer.”.
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