After working for leading multinationals and notably American financier George Soros, IT security specialist Eric Leandri chose the Côte d'Azur to launch his own business five years ago. A decision motivated partly by the city's proximity to his native Corsica but also strategically: "The existence of Sophia-Antipolis means access to an ecosystem of Europe's most skilled engineers." So in ultra-modern open-plan offices near Nice railway station, this ambitious man in his forties is honing his latest baby: Qwant Junior. Two years after launching Qwant, the search engine he hopes will become an alternative to the American giant, Leandri recently unveiled his child-friendly Qwant Junior, currently in a beta version, which delivers smart internet searching adapted for children aged three to 12. "We drew on Toulouse University's work compiling a "black list" of inappropriate internet content (violent or pornographic websites). But the really new departure is to have incorporated a "white list" of recognised institutional and educational websites." Pedagogical, safe and guaranteed free of advertising, Qwant Junior is tipped by the education ministry to replace Google in French schools.
Par Marjorie Modi - Photo : Jean-Michel Sordello
Côteweb 2021, création de site Internet sur Nice