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Where creators meet their community
Our mission is to create a safe and secure digital space where you can read and write quality content that encourages discovery, knowledge and reflection.
A revolution is underway in the creative economy
The digital revolution has transformed the cultural sector. New players are acting as intermediaries between content creators and their audiences. This is what we call the creative economy.
The problem? These entities are often monetised through advertising and users' personal data.
We've designed the kind social network we would have liked to see on the web sooner. Panodyssey stands out not just for the freedom it allows its users to experience, but also for its values of respect and transparency.
Our commitments
Developed in Europe, available to the entire world
Panodyssey is available internationally in multiple languages. All data is stored on European servers. Financial transactions are processed and secured by a European company.
A direct line between writers and readers
Readers pay and support authors without having to deal with advertisers. Each creator is free to determine how to monetise their content and live off their passion.
Protection of personal data and copyright
We do not sell our users' personal data and we protect the intellectual property of our creators.
Looking for a guiding light
The idea for Panodyssey was born from a hike through the Chablais Alps in Southeastern France. Alexandre was going through a rough patch. After 15 fantastic years in the online music sector, what did life have in store for him? The mountains held the answer.
On his trek, Alexandre crossed paths with a shepherd on his way to the mountain pastures. The nearest town was just a tiny dot on the horizon. The two got to talking about the city's hectic pace and about how the mountain’s ecosystem is threatened by global warming.
That’s when it clicked for Alexandre. He realized that the internet has been used to exploit human shortcomings to its advantage: non-stop notifications, relentless advertisements, algorithms that drive overconsumption and fuel today’s social and environmental decline.
It is this ambition to change that paradigm that led Alexandre to come up with a more ethical social network — an online breath of fresh air.
He decided to name this new space after Pan, in honour of the god of shepherds and flocks.
The dreamer must awaken
In the years that followed, Alexandre dedicated himself to the project, but people quickly made it clear that this dreamer had better wake up. Thankfully, Alexandre was able to count on support from some friends and his brother, Sébastien, who invested in the company and helped him convince the first shareholders.
All that was left to do was to gather a team to develop the first version of the platform. Alexandre first met Yann and then Marc. These two friends from engineering school had set up their own incubator. Fast forward a year and it was official: Yann, Marc and Alexandre joined forces. Joris soon joined the venture as a developer and builder.
CREA as in creatives
The project really gained momentum in 2019 following a presentation of the project before the European Commission during a debate on the copyright directive. That’s when Panodyssey caught the attention of the European Commission and of a few members of parliament.
With the support of the European Commission, Panodyssey launched a novel and ambitious European consortium: the Creative Room European Alliance (CREA). CREA aims to create a new European digital cultural ecosystem that encourages content creation while combatting disinformation. Panodyssey was the chosen platform to host this budding new ecosystem.
CREA is built around a consortium of partners who share the same values. Today, CREA brings together nine players from the media, culture, education and digital sectors from several European countries with the goal of building a community of 10 million creators and 100 million users by 2030.
The nine founding members include leading names such as the Agencia EFE press agency (Spain), BSC SME (Bulgaria), Cap Digital (France), CEIPES (Italy), Panodyssey (France), Pro Progressione (Hungary), Venetian Cluster (Italy), Voxeurop (France) and Worldcrunch (France).
The rest of our odyssey is yet to be written.
Would you like to know more about our commitments?
- Read the Panodyssey Manifesto.
- Learn more about our data protection policy.
- See our legal notices and terms and conditions.
Alexandre Leforestier
Find Alexandre on Panodyssey
Yann Rigo
Find Yann on Panodyssey
Marc Biorklund
Find Marc on Panodyssey
Joris Laforce
Find Joris on Panodyssey
Claudia Moscovici
Find Claudia on Panodyssey
We would like to extend our warmest thanks to Miguel Mulas Ruiz for his creativity and brilliant illustrations, and to the wonderful team at the Spanish press agency Agencia EFE.