The social network is not his first experience as a tech entrepreneur. He has already distinguished himself in the ecommerce sector in his country. With BluePix, he wants to highlight the Malagasy youth.  

Herimanana Rasolonirina (photo) is a Malagasy student taking the NEOMA Business School’s innovative and creative program TEMA, in France, since 2021. In March 2022, he created BluePix, the first social network dedicated to young Malagasies.  

“I got the idea to create BluePix when I arrived in France and discovered how little known Madagascar is to some, but also that it is often linked to DreamWorks’ cartoon ‘Madagascar’ which is not at all representative of the country. We don’t have penguins or lions in Madagascar. It's time for Madagascar and its youth to shine,” he said during an interview with French media Planète Grandes Ecoles in March 2022. 

Like Facebook and other social networks, BluePix is created to facilitate socialization. However, it frowns on divisive subjects like politics, Herimanana Rasolonirina stressed. To encourage the Malagasy youth, he devised a remuneration system for content creators, as most networks do. He also plans to set up a “student deals and discounts” project in his native country. 

In October 2022, BluePix launched an application programming interface (API) thanks to which the social network can be used to quickly log in or register on other platforms. The startup also announced a new feature that allows users to post and apply for internship opportunities.

The social network, which already boasts more than 5,000 users, is not Herimanana Rasolonirina’s first venture. Earlier in Madagascar, he founded HelloGames Madagascar, a platform that sells digital products like games, software, etc.

Melchior Koba