After exploring the sector of software intended for the world of work (with successes such as Aircall, Spendesk, Front, Swan, etc.), the original studio eFounders handed over, from 2022, to Hexa. The new strategy consisted of duplicating the eFounders model in areas other than the world of work, while remaining in the field of online software (Software as a Service, or “SaaS”) and while maintaining the same operating mode. In short, Hexa partners identify promising ideas and work hand in hand with entrepreneurs to transform these ideas into operational start-ups. For 12 months, these start-ups benefit from the support of the Hexa team (bringing together 30 experts in product, design, marketing, legal and other key areas). After this period, they carry out an initial fundraising and become independent from the studio, both operationally and financially.
Arrival of new “partners”
In 2023, this new strategy had already made it possible to put six new start-ups on track (compared to three or four in previous years), including one in the field of blockchain. A year later, Hexa has gained even more power since the class of 2024 is made up of ten new start-ups. Some have already been created, others will be created in the coming weeks or months. “With 10 new projects, we are in line with our objective of 30 launches per year by 2030.”rejoices Quentin Nickmans.
The duo at the head of the Belgian studio Hexa displays unprecedented ambition: “We want to create 30 start-ups per year”
This rise in power is due to the arrival of two new partners alongside Matthieu Vaxelaire and Florent Quinti. In this case, they are Julien Meraud (ex-Doctolib) and Ugo Vollmer, who joined Hexa in recent months in order to accelerate the creation of new start-ups. “With the arrival of these two new partners, we have broadened our scope to areas such as health, artificial intelligence and open source..
New “exit”
Among the ten projects of the class of 2024, several integrate AI. This is particularly the case of Reki (platform which helps companies identify financing opportunities adapted to their sector and specificities), Basalt (collaborative platform dedicated to the creation of AI functionalities) and LegalX (AI co-pilot for legal professionals ). We will also highlight the DermaScan project (specialized in the detection of skin cancer) and OpenCertix (open source solution dedicated to compliance and security).
This end of the year is also marked, for Hexa, by the sale of a start-up from its portfolio. This is the fintech Numeral, which has just been acquired by Mambu, a Dutch platform of cloud banking.
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