Lucien Eloundou of Charbon Plus: Bridging Skincare Race Gap

Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. You want tech and tacos? Tacos and tech you know we got tacos and tech is on smash border green guacamole keeper captains counting beans Contador quentan frijoles found us trying to raise some queso la vida San Diego school of rappy rapping fire tortillas round jalapenos in these modern times a crappy and coffee my coding yoga posse fold the body origami we be surfing coronado eating tacos El gordo, the taco stand in puesto lucha libre and sombrero Got a shout out to cost angels by the ocean watch the sunset la Jolla shores Entrepreneurs trying to get funded When San Diego Startup Week is popping in the summer Oceanside, the Tijuana esti be full of hustlers from couch surfing to penthouses right on the beach Tech leaders believe stars are within reach we interview and founders who be shooting for the moon SD Tecos with your host, Neil Bloom. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started.

Welcome to the Tacos and Tech Podcast. I'm your host, Neil Bloom, and I am thrilled to have you here on the Tacos and Tech Podcast. We interview builders of technologies, of companies, of communities, and we do it weekly, so thanks for tuning in. Every Tuesday, a new interview, and on Fridays, we talk about what's new in the San Diego tech ecosystem from a news perspective. So make sure you join us there as well too. We also have a tech newsletter that comes out every other week@freshbroodtech.com you can subscribe to listen to it without further ado. Enjoy this episode and welcome back to the Tacos and Tech Podcast. I'm your host, Neil Bloom, and I am so thrilled to have on a founder who been watching Build here in the community for quite a while. He was part of the Entrepreneur Organization's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards last year and represented San Diego proudly in Chicago. We have on Lucien Alondu, the founder and CEO of Charbon Plus. Hey, Lucien, thanks for being on.

Thanks for having me, Neil. I appreciate you, man.

How'd I do on your name?

It's great. It's great. You're doing your best. I understand it's hard to pronounce, so don't worry. It's Lucien. Lucien is French and Elundu is the African name from Cameroon.

All right, we'll work on that. Let's Try it again at the end of the interview as well too.

Neil Bloom.

Easy, easy one for sure. So tell me, what is. What is Charbonne Plus?

Thanks for asking, man. So Charbon plus has been my life's work for the last two years. It's a sustainable skincare brand. It's actually handmade in Cameroon, Africa, where I'm from, and it's customized for black and brown skin. So do you want to learn more? Do I tell you more? Don't ask me a question after that.

We're going to. No, we're going to dive deep into it. Let's leave it as a tease for the audience. I want to know a bit about your background because I'm guessing, you know, there's a lot that goes into building a skincare line, especially with multiple audiences, especially for audience and communities who haven't had products built for them before too. So there isn't exactly like the playbook, but. So how'd you. How'd you get caught up in the whole entrepreneurial world? Did you grow up around fellow entrepreneurs?

Actually, my dad is an entrepreneur. He's a architect by training and he's got multiple businesses in Cameroon. He owns a small boutique hotel, restaurant and yeah, he's got his own architectural consulting firm. He also does real estate investing. So, yeah, my dad is definitely my hero and my mom is the biggest cheerleader. So my dad is like the hero, the mentor. My mom is the cheerleader and like the manager of the businesses. So I've always been learning from them, you know, growing up.

That's great. And you grew up in Cameroon?

Yeah, actually I was born in Belgium. Yeah, Brussels, Belgium. And when I was a kid, because my parents went to study in Belgium for school, that's where they met. They had full ride scholarships. My mom actually is a chemical engineer, so they met there. And then once they finished school, I was born. And then they finished school and then went back to Cameroon to start working business.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

So in Cameroon, is it pretty typical to, for a lot of people, like, own your own businesses like your dad?

Yeah, but the issue is that most people do, like, they don't think big, like, big enough. They just do small businesses. They don't think big, like, I think huge. I want to build the biggest skincare brand, the best skincare brand, the most sustainable, the most inclusive skincare brand in the world. People are going to launch their brand and be like, I want to just do it for Cameroon, but I want to do it for the world. You know what I mean? Yeah. So. So yeah, people typically have more like small, informal, small businesses.

Got it. Okay. So what brought you the to the United States? How did you end up here?

Yeah, I actually came here to study for school. I came here, I first went to community college, actually, because I didn't speak English six years ago. Can you believe this? And then I learned like seven years ago I didn't speak much. So I learned in community college how to speak English and then transferred to sdsu. Yeah.

Okay.

And then sdsu, I studied health sciences as a public health major, graduated as an epidemiologist, and then started working in sales for a couple of years. And then I went back to school to launch Bonplus to get my master's at USD.

Got it. So the idea for your startup came to you while in school, or you've had it for so long and always knew you'd be working on it, but you know, school, you had to get done first.

Yeah, I always knew I wanted to do something made in Africa because I always wanted to promote my African culture, you know, because I always wanted to change the image of Africa in the world and elevate it to world class. So I was looking for what can I create, what's a product I can create because I'm passionate about health, I'm passionate about Africa, and I'm passionate about sustainability. So I always wanted to create something that has to do with those three things, but I didn't know what it would be. So my first startup, my first real one that I actually started, you know, working on, was actually at sdsu. I was working on a blood pressure monitor for hypertensive patients. And it just so happens that the population that's most affected by it is African American community. So I, I wanted to make the product in Cameroon, but I had a hard time because it's such a complex product. To make it in Africa, it would require me to raise millions of dollars and I didn't have the network to even start, so. So that was my first startup experience. And yeah, then I pivoted it to Charbon Priest because I failed. I mean, honestly, I failed. I didn't know much. You know, it was just. I was ignorant. But that's fine because I learned. And then I went to. To work and then, yeah, I went back to school because I just always had the itch. I wouldn't think about nothing else at work, but how do I launch my startup? So that was why I went back to school in my masters.

Got it. So you and so STCU and USD both have pretty good entrepreneurship programs, right? They surround you with resources. Were you already getting to know the startup community just as a student in both programs?

Every day I've been to every event. Startup San Diego, Startup Week. I went to sdsu, Live entrepreneurship program. Actually, funny story, I was turned down from that program three times because I always had the worst ideas in the world. Because they always say like this, you're thinking too big. I mean, not like that, but like, I didn't know how to start small. Like I would just come in with this big idea, but like, I don't know how to start small. So I had to learn to be. It's okay to think big, but bring something tangible, do something about it and then bring it instead of just talking. I'm such a visionary, futuristic person. I always talk about the future all the time. And they were like, well, what did you do like today to make it happen? And I'm like, I just have the idea. So I had to, you know, go back, work, and then I want idea. And that's when I got into the Live in program. Entrepreneurial society and all that with the idea for the blood pressure monitor.

Ah, that came from your Tandem Diabetes days.

Right? Right, exactly right. Because I worked at Tandem Diabetes. I was a sales rep and yeah, that's. I was like, whoa, we need to do something, like, something different. And that's how I went to work on it.

Interesting. Okay, so you went in with diabetes tech related products. How did you come out with a skincare line?

Right, okay. So the reason why I created my skincare brand is because I've always struggled actually with skincare problems since I was in high school actually, because I get so much. I don't know about you, but like when you shave your beard, do you get a bunch of bumps like, like in the back of your neck too and stuff like that?

Definitely.

Yep, exactly. And I've never found products that work for me since we moved here in the US from Africa. Because when I was in Africa, my sister and I, my brother, we always had, you know, some natural product made in Africa that my mom would bring home and like, yo, try this. And it works. And since. But since we both, we all move here for school, we have a hard time finding those products that work for us because we have black and brown skin, which is unlike, you know, most people around here in the US So, so then we say, you know what, we are all scientists. My brother is a rocket scientist. My sister is a chemistry student. My mom is a chemical engineer. Dad is an Architect. So we love science. We said, you know, how about we combine our background in health science and our African culture to create a product for this. That's how we create our first product. Le Mas Coco.

Ah, that's so cool. Teaming up with multidisciplinary team, but also family.

Yes, yes, absolutely.

What was the first step to actually starting? Because, you know, it's one thing to say you have an idea, another thing to say you got a business, when did you feel like you were actually all in?

Yeah, yeah, well, I've always been all in because I knew I'd be looking for the that one big opportunity that I can create. Like what perm can I sol I actually care about? I knew I had something when I started having. So after creating the first product version, which was very ugly and it was a peel off mask, it was, it used to hurt people. Not too bad, but like when they peel it off, they would see their hair and freak out like, yo, what's up with your product? So, so, too strong. Yeah. So we had to rethink the formulation and we started working with coconut shells. We discovered that coconut shells are actually amazing to hydrate black and brown skin. And it's also great because it has a sustainable impact. So coconut shell, when you transform into organic charcoal, it actually absorbs CO2 from the environment. So basically, I know it's going to sound cliche, but basically every time someone purchases one of our products, they're planting a tree. So that's how, yeah, we created our first product. And once we pivoted that, we changed the formulation, improve formulation. People started buying, like my, you know, my neighbors in Cameroon, my mom's friend, like my dad's friends, everybody, my old classmates started asking for it. And then we started having pharmacies next to our house asking for it. People are asking for it. It's like, oh, we might have something here. And then I said, you know what, how about we bring it to the US Why do we just sell in Cameroon? Always wanted to bring to share my African roots with the world so people understand the be of the African culture, you know, Absolutely. To change the lens of it. So that's why I said, you know what, next time I go to Cameroon, let me bring one box of products and see if people like it here. And yeah, yeah, I, you know, started selling online. It was really hard though, man. It's really hard just to create a product itself. Took me a year, one whole year. And just to get our first thousand customers. It took a while, I mean, because I Didn't know much about marketing. I'm a scientist, dude. So here we are now.

So tell me what the product line exists right now. Like, what if someone is going and looking for your products? What are they expecting to kind of get as a product with you?

Yeah. So our best seller is called La Mas Coco. It's a coconut shell charcoal face mask. So it detox the face. The main purpose of the product, this product is to gently remove those razor bumps slash acne scars. So that's what that product does. Now I'm currently working on launching a serum and a moisturizer. Actually launched that in a few months in Black Friday. It's going to be absolutely beautiful, man. And the purpose of those is once you remove the actual, you know, bumps, right, the acne, the bumps, sometimes you have dark spots that stay on your face and then that cannot be removed by the mask. So you need something else to remove the dark spot that stays on your physical surface of your face. So I create a serum for that. And then once you solve that step. Now typically those products, they kind of dehydrate. So we try to rebuild your skin layer with hydration. So that's why I create the moisturizer so that it can stimulate so you won't be like completely overly dry. Does that make sense to you? Absolutely. I don't want to sound technical and all that, but that's basically how the products are built.

Got it. And you mentioned the sustainability aspect. On top of that, where do you find that you're relating most to other founders? Is it people who are kind of purpose driven for a specific audience like you're building, or is it more people building a similar product in skincare? Like do you connect more with others in skincare who have been some of the communities and other founders that have been helpful you and moving forward?

Yeah. First, the biggest help I've had is SDSU community because I went to the zip launch pad accident incubator. Incubator. You could say the incubator from school, you know, Kathy, Mr. Bernie, Alex, the noble, they all admit Kim, all amazing people who always supported me since the beginning. And they always told me, yo, you're a superstar. Yeah, you can do it. I was like, what am I doing? I'm completely lost here. Like, help me. They're like, just keep going. And so there's Dan. That's the zip, the live in program. There's also also went to connect all incubator in San Diego. Super helpful. And yeah. And then USD has an amazing program with Dr. Priya and Jeff, it's amazing. They're always trying to help the brink. Sbdc. Yeah. There's so many people that have been helpful through the journey.

Yeah, you've. I mean, I, you've always seen you're very much out in the community, but getting help and helping others as well too. We got to know each other a little bit through EO Entrepreneur Organization's GSEA program, which. Hold on, I'm trying to remember what it stands for. Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. So Jeff Everidge, another entrepreneur here in town, really recruited a great class of judges and students to apply. What was that experience like with working through EO and getting ready for the pitch that happened? I think what, late 20, 21, right, with the pitch competition?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was amazing working with, with Jeff. Jeff is a very gifted coach. I think it's just his gift, his, you know, God given talent. He can bring things out of you. Like what? And he knows, like, he's just amazing. You know, it's been an amazing mentor and. Well, how did it go for me? Do you remember when I pitched gse? I was actually in Cameroon. I was nervous and the WI fi.

Was acting up and it was like also like 2 in the morning for you, I think as well.

Right, right. Because. Because it's like eight hour difference with the us, with the west coast of the us the west coast, California. So I was exhausted and all that, but I just had to win, man. I just, I had to win because I just have this, I just have this passion for what we're doing. So it was definitely very stressful because I was 2am, 3am I was not used to that.

Well, you did, you did well. You won the local San Diego chapter, which means you got to go to Nationals and represent San Diego in pitching, I guess, to the world. Right. All EO chapters fielded a company. What was that like?

Yeah. Wow, that was really. That was so inspiring to see other entrepreneurs, student entrepreneurs. I mean, I mean, being a student alone is already like, you know, because if you were, you know, a scientist and all that and you want to be the best at all you do, it's like, it's so much work. Just school alone and working on your startup too at the same time. Wow, it was so stressful. So seeing others like me that are doing it is like, okay, all right, then let's do this. And they have amazing ideas. They're definitely ahead of me. I mean, but they were terms of like progress in the startups and yeah, it was amazing. I learned a lot. I met amazing people pitching there. My heart was racing. I was like, whoa, this is real. This is amazing. Wow. I love it. So. So it was. I got amazing feedback. I got to meet amazing mentors. And the most amazing thing happened a few months after that, I started actually raising capital. I was like, oh, wow. Okay, then. Well, thank you very much. It's like, so it's got to keep pitching. All you got to do is just keep pitching. It's been an amazing experience.

That's great to hear. I mean, especially from our vantage point, like, we see obviously a lot more technology companies go through pitch competitions and get funding. So even that, like, you're in a unique position to, you know, you're kind of competing against tech companies, right? To a certain regard, which are easily, much more easily scalable than, you know, selling one product at a time, which you've been doing. What's been going on in 2022 since really, like, spend. It sounds like you've been spending time in both continents, US and Africa, learning a lot about selling a product. Like, what's kind of. What's this current state today of Charbonne Plus.

So after GSE competition, I actually flew from Cameroon to Chicago. So from Yaounde, where I'm from, to Chicago to pitch. I did not win the competition, but I won something bigger. I won. You know, I had relationships with amazing people, and I started meeting with them after I got back. And actually we were. Because we were raising our first angel round. We raised half a million in safe notes. And then I started talking about it to all the people I've met and their friends and their friends and their friends. And I raised 150 grand like that in just a few months. And I was like, whoa, this how it works. Wow. And I keep getting feedback like, okay, I love what you're doing. How about you call my friend here to try to go here, this way? So now actually have the capital, and I'm working on new products. We're launching them, and then next year we're going to be hitting the. The retail stores. I got amazing mentors. I mean, it's amazing, man. After two years of pure struggle, because, you know, you don't know anything, what you're doing. You're by yourself. You do everything. You work 16 hours a day. Burnout. Because you got. I got inside the people. I mean, it's not all roses or whatever because it looks cool on TV and Shark Tank, but, yo, it's extreme hard work.

It really is. You know, you bring up a good Point. Every day is a roller coaster, ups and downs, Right?

Yeah.

Just to get through the next day, even though. And you know, you got to survive a few months or a few years because, you know, the big things you're working on, you just got to keep pushing the ball up the hill, which it sounds like you've learned to do. How does it feel? I mean, you worked, you started in healthcare. Does it feel like you're still meeting that need with consumer products? You just get to do it in a different way?

Of course. I've always been doing health. It's always, it's my passion. I mean, skin health. I mean, what is your largest organ, your skin. Right. So it needs a lot of attention. It needs, you know, a lot of attention. Yeah. That's why I always stay in health. Love everything related to health. Yeah. That's why I'm in it.

We love it. What's the future plans? Can you give us a little sneak peek on kind of where you think you'll be a year to two years from now?

Oh, okay. A year to two years. So. Well, first, as we bring on more smart money, we start having people, because now we have like out of the 500 grand, we have 200 grand committed, and then we'll bring more. I'm looking for more smart money to come in and we're going to launch more products. You'll see. A year from now, we're going to have. We're going to have five products. Five Charm Police products. We're going to be in retail store. I can't tell you which retail store yet, but it's going to be a huge, a huge chain. Yeah. I'm speaking with the top leaders in those retail companies and they're prepping us, prepping me on how to go about it because it's a huge, you know, huge opportunity that I want to do. Right. We're gonna have a team. We're gonna, we're gonna be crossing seven figures and yeah, man, that's the goal. And then you love it. Keep helping people with their, with their health, the skin health, rebuilding their self esteem, self confidence and yeah, while we do that, building sustainable products.

Yeah, I think that you've, like, really stacked a lot together here that buyers are looking for. Right. They don't necessarily want sustainable in one thing, good for the health of another. They want all of it in one product. And you've obviously tapped into something there. We're pretty excited to see who that is you come out with, so we'll keep an eye on that. You know, you've lived in a few different places, obviously, you've probably had some pretty good food in that. But San Diego's taco scene, you know, speaks for itself. Do you have a local favorite taco spot?

Yeah, yeah, that's. That is the hardest question so far. I lived in San Diego, you know, I. I used to go to TJ all the time too. So in San Diego, my favorite one definitely Don Roman by sdsu. You got to check it out. I always get all of their tacos, like, all. They have like, 10 different kind, you know, from meat, from beef to the pull pork. One is amazing. Every. I mean, just try all eight if you're a meat person. Or you could get, like, the shrimp and the fish if you don't like meat too much. Yeah, I always get all of them.

Don Roman.

Don Roman. Yeah, it's on.

What's the taco to get there? Do you have the favorite or. You have to get them all.

How do you call this one? That's red, looking like a carnitas or red is. Is pork, but is the seasoning is red, man, you gotta try that one. I'm looking it up right now as we speak, but you gotta try it. You gotta try it.

Okay.

I think you call it carnita.

Okay, that sounds right. This might be the first time Don Rahman's mentioned. So this is a great new entrant to the Tacos and Tech podcast database. Or the taco database.

Yeah. Wait, wait, I found it. I found it. It's called Adobada. Yeah, Adobada. Taco.

Ah. All right, well, to go check it out.

It's amazing, dude.

Well, Lucien, this is really great to have you on. Congrats on what you're building, and it sounds like continued success is coming towards you, which we're really excited and happy about. I'm looking forward to seeing you at Startup Week this year.

Yeah. In San Diego. Yep. Next month.

And keep up the great work. Appreciate it.

Yeah. Thank you, man, for always being there to support. You're an amazing judge at the GSE competition. Thank you for your support, man.

Of course. We'll keep building a great company and support will always come. Take care. Thanks again.

Thank you, man.

Thanks for tuning in to the Tacos and Tech podcasts. You can find all of our episodes on freshbroodtech.com as well as on Twitter at Tacos and Tech Pod. Also, follow Fresh Brewed Tech on all of our social platforms and make sure to share and give a review on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google play. Thanks again.

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