As an online art gallery, SINGULART’s strength lies in its services, which can sometimes make it so that you don’t always see the team in the background. We want to change that with our new series “Meet the SINGULART Team”. We are a French startup that counts diversity and internationalism among its core strengths. Here we will share fun stories from our many team members. Set off on a journey that leads us from all around the world and then straight to the heart of Paris. This week, Martin Lechaptois, Head Of Engineering at SINGULART, tells us his story.
The second of three brothers, Martin Lechaptois grew up in Cergy-Pontoise, in the suburbs of Paris. From the ages 7 to 18 he spent his childhood on the benches of the Cergy Pontoise Music Conservatory. He followed that up with 2 years of exam preparation, after which, he went to Lille to study engineering. After a tour around South American and two startup projects, Martin joined us at SINGULART in October 2020 as the Head of Engineering.
About Martin Lechaptois
At a very young age, Martin entered a music conservatory. He stayed there for 11 years, learning and playing the cello. Thanks to this experience, he had the opportunity to perform on stage, notably playing for operas. Following this passion for music he started a rock band in high school and later joined a brass band as a snare drummer at university. It was when we joined his engineering school’s DJ club that he discovered a true passion for house music.
“My parents enrolled me in music theory when I was very young. I had the opportunity to discover classical music and to participate in operas. Music was my very first experience with art.”
During his years in Lille, Martin worked on two startup projects as part of his studies. The first one in the medical field and the second in the real estate field. Although they were both viable options for future careers, Martin decided not to pursue them. Instead, he left for Paris, Marseille and Porto, as part of a gap year, during which he discovered among other things Product Management and the tech sector.
“These internships made me discover my passion for solving problems and entrepreneurship.”
His path to SINGULART
As a young graduate, Martin started out as a web developer within a sports sponsorship company where after only a year he became the CTO. At the same time, his passion for music was ever present. Surrounded by seven friends, he co-founded the house music crew “7Records“. Together, his crew organized parties and performed in bars and nightclubs in Paris for four years. Additionally, as a cello player in an amateur orchestra, he had the chance to perform at the Philharmonie de Paris, as well as in Germany and Belgium. After almost four years in charge of product strategy and software engineering, Martin decided to take a professional break. He left everything behind with only a backpack in hand and headed straight to South America where he traveled from Brazil to Colombia.
After six months of traveling, Martin returned to Paris in September 2019, and joined the company Yoopies as Head of Engineering. He managed 20 people between Paris and Kiev, and was in charge of the development of their web platform and mobile applications. After nine months in June 2020, he was contacted by a member of the Talent Acquisition team at SINGULART. Matin was particularly appreciative of the ambition and the company culture, so he decided to join.
Three questions for Martin Lechaptois
Why Art?
I’m not too passionate about art, but I think that through music, I’ve always been sensitive to art in a certain way. We are lucky to live in Paris, a culturally rich city where we can discover art in the numerous museums in the city.
What do you appreciate about SINGULART?
First, its corporate culture, but also the goodwill of everyone in the team, which makes the experience of working at SINGULART truly human. Finally the great ambition of its founders: being one of the three major actors in the art market in the following years.
What future do you see for SINGULART?
I believe in the company’s ambition to become one of the top art world leaders. SINGULART’s growth is extremely promising and we can see everyone working in this direction. Why not even become the world leader in the art market?
