Nathan Drai - Balagan shop

Today, in our ESCE leads to everything section, we focus on Nathan Drai, a graduate of ESCE class of 2014

Hello Nathan, can you summarize your career path after ESCE ?

After working in Market Finance and Asset Management in Paris and New York, I decided to take a break from the banking world and start a brand of t-shirts with Mediterranean influences, Balagan.

Can you tell us more about Balagan ?

Balagan is a family business, the idea was born in my mind after living in New York for almost 2 years. Balagan- means "happy mess" in Hebrew and celebrates the Mediterranean lifestyle.

All our designs are created and printed in France in a Bordeaux workshop. Moreover, all our unisex t-shirts are made of organic cotton and 100% vegan.

You can find us on http://balaganshop.com/

What did ESCE bring you in this new adventure ?

Without ESCE's comprehensive training, I would never have been able to embark on such a project and manage all the aspects of creating a company with my partner, whether it be registering a trademark, accounting, managing suppliers and invoices, etc.

Any advice for Alumni ?

"I don't have any particular advice to give to Alumni but just a remark: It's often a shame in France that the mindset is so closed when you want to change industry or sector. Having lived in the USA, the mentality is totally different on this point. I think the advantage of the French education and especially in business school is to be versatile, and I would recommend to Alumni to think about that when they are recruiting. Choosing someone who is not from the 'seraglio' and comes from another industry can bring a breath of fresh air and new ideas to your department or company."