3 Gen Zers created a competition to connect young creatives with cash and careers amid the pandemic. Now, luxury giant Kering is getting involved.
- Alexandre Daillance, Harry Beard, Adam Flanagan are the cofounders of Gen Z competition Prospect 100.
- The contest seeks to connect young creatives with cash prizes and career opportunities.
- This is part of Insider's entrepreneur series Star, Rising which highlights early entrepreneurs and businesses.
Name: Alexandre Daillance, Harry Beard, Adam Flanagan
Age: 24, 21, 20
Location: Paris, France; Bedford, England; Edinburgh, Scotland
Business: A Gen-Z target competition that helps creatives find jobs and funding.
Backstory: The creative sector was hit hard during the pandemic, as art shows closed and fashion runways went dark. As a result, Gen Zers saw their prospects for economic and professional mobility hindered.
This gave Alexandre Daillance, Harry Beard, Adam Flanagan two ideas. The first was a free virtual competition called Prospect 100, which connects young creatives working in film, design, innovation, and music with career opportunities and cash prizes from powerhouses such as ViacomCBS, Vogue, and most recently, the luxury conglomerate Kering.
The second idea was for FutureLabs, a consulting firm seeking to help established brands connect with next-generation audiences. The firm serves as the parent company to Prospect 100, which allows the competition to be free for participants.
Growth: Prospect 100 has held six competitions since last May, seeing over 15,000 participants from 82 countries, Daillance said. Additionally, it has at least four more contests planned throughout the next two years, expecting to attract nearly 30,000 participants.
Past judges included Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak and Yeezy design director Steven Smith. It's partnered with Nickelodeon to offer winners masterclasses with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, and next is working with Kering on a competition promoting sustainable fashion. Retail heiress and creative director Margherita Missoni and Vogue fashion editor Rawdah Mohamed are set to judge.
Meanwhile, FutureLabs works with 12 clients and netted more than six figures from last September to today, according to documents verified by Insider.
Before Prospect 100: Daillance created fashion label Millinsky Edition and streetwear brand NASEASONS, which is sold in over 70 retailers throughout the world.
Beard previously ran a social media management company called OPEN while Flanagan worked as an investment analyst at financial firm Creators Fund.
Challenges: Initially they wanted the competition to be in-person, but the pandemic forced it online, making the trio rethinking their business strategy.
They also had to find ways to make it inclusive because not everyone has access to the same technology. "It was so important an artist from Bhutan feels they have as much a chance of winning this competition as a graffiti artist from LA," Beard said.
Business Advice: Daillance said shoot for the stars to hit the moon, while Flanagan said never be afraid to pivot the business if needed. Beard added, "you truly need to have fun to be able to go all the way."
Business mentor: They count Carmen Greco, former managing director at Goldman Sachs and current founder of the Gen Z -targeted production company Thred Media, as a mentor. They also go to Miles Young, head of New College, Oxford, and former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather.
Why is now the best time to start a business: It's especially a good time to connect with others throughout the world and find cofounders in which to help build and expand, said Daillance.
On hiring: Prospect 100 is a team of five and receives about 30 resumes a month, Daillance said. The company seeks to gain more traction in the US, where many companies are still struggling to hire talent amid labor shortages.
Managing burnout: Each clock in outdoor time. Beard is learning how to skateboard, while Daillance likes watching Formula 1 races. Flanagan, meanwhile, likes to play squash.