THE BLOG

Nice: Legapass innovates to preserve digital heritage

Legapass, a LegalTech startup, addresses the issue of the dematerialization of our assets by placing security, confidentiality, longevity, and transmission of digital heritage at the core of its mission.

The Legapass solution meets a growing need for securing and transmitting digital heritage, offering a secure and intuitive way to store, manage, and transmit this vital information.

Founded in late 2021, this young company based in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, within the Allianz Riviera, is redefining the codes of inheritance in the digital age.

Interview with Jean-Charles CHEMIN, Co-founder and CEO of Legapass

What is the journey of your startup Legapass?

Legapass was born from the realization with my associates, Eric Maïda and Adelina Prokhorova, of the importance of digital heritage and how much dematerialized information we accumulate throughout our lives.

This reflection allowed us to identify an essential and unaddressed need: how to bequeath one’s digital heritage in a secure and legal manner?

Thus, we created Legapass in late 2021 to meet this challenge, with the primary mission of preserving users’ confidential information and transmitting it to a designated beneficiary in case of death.

In 2022, we reached a major milestone by launching our first fundraising campaign, successfully raising 1 million euros. This allowed us to democratize what we call “inheritance 2.0.” Thanks to the support of renowned investors and the French Tech Seed fund (Bpifrance), we were able to accelerate our development, expand our team, and enrich our product.

We also introduced new features, especially for notaries, to map a person’s digital heritage.

Our commitment to security and confidentiality has always been at the heart of our approach. We have created a secure space where individuals can store their confidential information, ensuring its preservation for decades. In case of death, this information is unlocked and transmitted to the heirs or designated beneficiaries, thus ensuring the preservation and transmission of digital heritage.

In summary, our journey, from the genesis of the idea to today, has been guided by a clear mission: to ensure the security, confidentiality, and transmission of digital heritage.

What are the strengths of your solution?

Each of us has a digital heritage, whether it’s sentimental memories like photos, social media accounts, contractual documents, NFTs, or financial assets like cryptocurrencies. This also includes everyday tools like email accounts, passwords, and online purchases.

After a person’s death, this heritage can become inaccessible or lost, online accounts may be deleted due to inactivity, and access to crucial data may be blocked. Moreover, the risk of hacking increases over time. To address these issues, we created Legapass.

Security is at the core of our value proposition. One of our main strengths is our “offline digital safe” approach. Users can deposit and update their information securely, knowing that they cannot be extracted except under predetermined conditions, thus ensuring maximum protection. This is a space that can be constantly updated with write access, accessible at any time, whether from a phone or a computer.

We have adopted a dynamic approach to cybersecurity by inviting over 45,000 ethical hackers worldwide to continuously test the robustness of our platforms. By compensating those who can discover vulnerabilities, we maintain a very high level of security and anticipate potential threats.

Furthermore, data is stored in our digital safes, disconnected from the Internet, and encrypted with military-grade algorithms. This approach ensures that even within Legapass, no one can access the data. Decryption keys, kept by partner bailiffs, add an extra layer of security, ensuring that only designated beneficiaries can access the data when needed.

Finally, our recent France Connect certification attests to our commitment to providing a reliable and secure solution. We are determined to be the trusted actor for the management and transmission of digital heritage, working in collaboration with professionals such as notaries and bailiffs to ensure smooth and secure transmission.

Legapass is a comprehensive answer to the challenges posed by the management of digital heritage.

What are the advantages of your location in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis?

The Côte d’Azur, particularly the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, is renowned for its dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem. This Niçoise dynamic has played a decisive role in our trajectory.

For example, we organized our launch event, which attracted more than 250 professionals from various backgrounds. This event not only enhanced our visibility but also allowed us to establish valuable relationships, acquire our first users and clients, and attract the attention of potential investors.

The Côte d’Azur ecosystem has been a catalyst for our growth and expansion.

Nice also benefits from a strategic geographical location and enjoys remarkable visibility and attractiveness as an economic destination.

This attractiveness is also an important factor in attracting and retaining a diverse range of professional profiles, in addition to a pool of valuable local skills for the company. The territory provides an answer to collaborators who are looking for a balance between stimulating professional projects and quality of life.

Finally, the Côte d’Azur allows us to establish key relationships with local, national, and international actors thanks to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.

What are your development prospects?

Since our fundraising in 2022, we have experienced significant growth. Our team has expanded to 18 members. This expansion has allowed us to improve our product in terms of features and robustness. The introduction of new features, especially in the area of estate planning, and the successful integration of France Connect, are testimonials to our determination.

Our vision is to continue to innovate and meet the growing needs in the management of digital heritage. With the constant increase in digital assets and the awareness of their importance, we foresee exponential growth in demand for our solution.

We are determined to continue our innovative approach to stay at the forefront of technology, to listen to user feedback, and to adapt our offering accordingly to provide the best possible service.

If expansion beyond French borders is envisaged, we are also working to expand our customer base in France, targeting new market segments and developing our partnerships with actors such as cybersecurity players, law firms, or notaries by offering them new services to strengthen the mapping of heritage and its proper preservation.