Start-up 420 arbres wins Talents des cités competition for its city revegetation program

Nature en ville Toma Iczkovits – –

The Montpellier start-up 420 Arbres supports local authorities and private stakeholders who wish to promote greening and urban renaturation. Winner at the end of 2024 of the Prix Banque des Territoires in the Talents des Cités competition, it combines environmental impact and local commitment, while benefiting from entrepreneurial support to develop its sustainable and social action.

At the end of 2024, a Montpellier start-up, 420 Arbres, received the Banque des territoires prize in the Talents des Cités competition. This competition is jointly organized by the State Secretariat for Citizenship and the City and Bpifrance, as part of the Entrepreneuriat Quartiers 2030 program. It rewards business creators from Priority Neighborhoods of the City Policy (QPV) or who have set up their business there. Founded in 2023 by Hicham En Nakhla, 420 arbres' mission is to encourage the return of nature to the city after decades of urbanization where it was too little present. “It all started with the creation of a newsletter, called Daily Green, where I shared my research on better integration of nature in the city by reporting everything that could be experienced around the world,” says Hicham En Nakhla. The creation of 420 arbres followed. 420 ? “This is the number of trees per inhabitant on the planet. Our goal is to increase this ratio. But planting trees is not the only answer to greening cities. This is why we offer consulting services to private and public stakeholders to implement a global and coherent strategy.” To understand the issues, we must first establish a diagnosis, he insists. Once this diagnosis has been established, it allows us to then propose different revegetation solutions. Depending on the available surface area, the answer may involve vertical planting, for example, or the development of facades but also roofs, on the central reservations in car parks, bins can also be installed, etc.,” he lists.

Hicham En Nakhla – – –

A start-up born in a QPV in Montpellier

To set up his start-up, Hicham En Nakhla was supported by the BGE. “Being supported is essential,” he confides. “It allows you to create a network and combat the isolation of the business leader. It is also a great opportunity to challenge your project and get in touch with more seasoned entrepreneurs who will be able to give valuable advice on the right entrepreneurial stance to adopt.” 420 arbres competed in Talents des cités because the start-up is located in a priority district of the city of Montpellier, located between Petit Bard and Mosson. “We try to get involved in the district by participating in monitoring actions in high schools for example or as a member of the jury like that of the association Les Déterminés which also offers entrepreneurial support in the districts and in rural areas.” To compete, Hicham En Nakhla and his two colleagues had to provide a video presenting the project in the form of a pitch. “This allowed us to go and film in the city to give examples. It was also a good opportunity to summarize the work done over the past year and a half,” he recalls. Once this first step was completed, 420 arbres answered questions from a jury composed of Bpifrance and BGE representatives, representatives of the Competition's national partners, as well as representatives of business creation stakeholders. The final of the Talents competition took place at the end of November in Paris, during a reception at the Elysée Palace in the presence of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron. “Here too, we had to be able to present our start-up in a few minutes in front of an audience of specialists,” says the manager, who remembers “a significant event in a symbolic location. This allowed us to benefit from national influence and for us it is real recognition of the action we are taking for nature in the city.”