Parrot: the gamble taken by an inquisitive company

Parrot’s story began in 1994 with the launch of voice-recognition electronic organisers. They were not a commercial success‚ but the technology used for them was recycled into car telephones and the creation of ‘hands-free’ kits‚ quickly making Parrot an important company in this market. Henri Seydoux targeted other sectors by designing communication products for the general public. In 2010‚ he launched a toy drone which could be controlled using a Smartphone. The success of this product has today made Parrot one of the major manufacturers of civilian drones. Three important lessons should be learned from this experience, according to Henri Seydoux. Firstly, it is possible to find financing at every stage in the life-cycle of a start-up; secondly, one must constantly be coming up with new ideas because the life-cycles of high-tech products are short; and lastly, B to C (Business to Consumer) is preferable to B to B (Business to Business), as is selling products rather than technologies.