A Frenchman, a Nantong Local
18 Years, Two Companies, Zero to $80M
It all started in 2008 with one word: complementary.
Dali arrived with a Paris MBA and a Chinese permanent residence card. Alex came back with dual Master's degrees in production management from the UK and the grit of a Nantong native. Two people, six languages, zero external funding.
They bootstrapped two companies from scratch: Eco Green Energy (solar & storage) and Ocean Treasure (frozen seafood exports). No investors. No safety net.
Over 18 years, they went from their first shipping container to 1,300+ containers, from knowing nothing to exporting to 70+ countries, from a kitchen table to USD 80 million in annual revenue. They survived 10 months of zero income. They shut down projects that didn't work.
Their biggest regret? No one told them where the traps were. If they'd had a mentor early on, they could have saved five years of painful trial and error.
That's why Breakout Lab exists.
