Sharplenz is a modern, open air, luxurious photobooth company that specializes in events of all sorts, and offers fully customized templates for every event. Did You Know: Fleuranvil and Gabriel are proud to be first generation Haitian-American immigrants and first generation college graduates.
In October of 2017, the Co-Founders of Sharplenz, Leonardo Gabriel, who is 30 years old, and Jhuly Fleuranvil, who is 25, were working in the corporate world, and had reached blocks in their professional lives. “We were hungry,” says Fleuranvil.
“And we were looking for opportunities to make a difference in the community, and make a living.”As it happened, they attended a wedding in Miami that had a particularly fun photobooth, and a lightbulb went off in their heads. “We loved that experience,” says Gabriel, “and we thought, why don’t we recreate something like that in Gainesville?”
Within three months they had chosen a name, designed a logo, created their website, and created an original, high-end photobooth experience in their hometown, which they consider the best quality photobooth in Gainesville.
“It’s not just a box, you know?” says Gabriel. “We do full customizations, including backdrops and props. We cover the whole event industry—wedding, galas, banquets, birthdays—and we create a unique experience for every single event.”
“We do business events too,” says Fleuranvil. “The customized booth is great for marketing purposes. You can put the logo on the template, and that works as a fun and eye-catching way to brand an event or a venue. People take their pictures in it and then your logo starts to appear everywhere.”
They explain that Gabriel has always loved photography, and Fleuranvil has an entrepreneurial background. “Both my parents are entrepreneurs,” says Fleuranvil.
Before starting Sharplenz, both Gabriel and Fleuranvil had both gone through Startup Santa Fe, Santa Fe College’s startup incubator. “Santa Fe College was a great help,” says Gabriel. “They prepped us with all the tools, and the community was a great help.”
Fleuranvil agrees. “The CIED gave us all the tools we needed to get the company off the ground,” she says, referring to the Center for Innovation & Economic Development at Santa Fe College.
The co-founders say Gainesville has been just as important to their success. “It’s an incredibly supportive place to start a business, says Fleuranvil. “I have four mentors. People grooming us. I’m like, this is ridiculous, it’s so nice. I doubt I would have that anywhere else.”
“It’s a big city in a small town,” says Gabriel. “It’s growing very fast but everyone knows each other. Especially in the eventing world. It’s a great place to be a young entrepreneur.”
Indeed, Sharplenz is expanding. “We just got a second photobooth which we’re super excited about,” says Fleuranvil. And they are planning a major expansion. “We’re expanding into a full media company,” says Gabriel, “providing photography and videography services for events and businesses.”
They credit the ubiquity of social media with given their business momentum, and they say they’re always keeping an eye on any technologies that they could incorporate into their setup. “We’re always looking for ways to improve the experience,” says Fleuranvil. “We want every event to be as memorable as possible.”
For Gabriel and Fleuranvil, one of the most memorable events was when they were hired to do Santa Fe College’s most recent graduation. “That meant a lot to us, since our entrepreneur journey began at Santa Fe College,” says Fleuranvil.
For more information about Sharplenz, visit sharplenzphoto.com.
