Hello,
We wanted to say a big thanks for sharing your feedback a couple of weeks ago in our reader survey 🫶 We learned that:
Most of you are founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, or interested in startup-building.
You’d like to hear more about creating companies, directly from founders and the team here at Hexa.
We should tweak our newsletter to better reflect your interests.
So we’re introducing: the Founder Files by Hexa.
Every other week(-ish), we’ll curate a review of the most valuable 'files'—insights, stories, and news—from both our startup studio and the wider startup ecosystem. Delivered directly to your inbox, our goal is to empower founders far and wide to create outstanding companies, beyond the ones in our startup studio.
And for those who are here for the latest on Hexa and our startups, don't worry. We'll keep you updated with all the news at the end of each newsletter.
If you find what we're doing helpful, please subscribe or share it with someone who might also benefit from it.
Let’s dive in 👇
Files from Hexa
🧲 5 early-stage inbound GTM strategies that work
Outbound strategies will always be crucial for new companies. But the value of inbound methods, often seen as long-term investments like SEO or brand building, is underestimated. Inbound tactics are crucial for lead generation without the big ask of a demo sign-up. To achieve this rapidly at Hexa, we focus on setting up and measuring small-scale experiments. Pragmatically, we aim to conduct 2 to 4 significant experiments per quarter, breaking these down into weekly actions for validation. Our GTM Lead Quentin Le Gall handpicks 5 strategies to share with you that have had some great results for our startups.
🖋️ The story of building Yousign
We take a long look inside Yousign, exploring the journey from its inception in 2013 to its current status as the leader in eSignature technology across Europe. In this authentic narrative, we explore how Yousign grew from zero customers to 17,000, and from just a few employees to 200, as well as: Luc's journey to becoming an entrepreneur; the acquisition offer in 2018, and the implications of deciding to decline it; the partnership with Hexa in 2019; and the introduction of Alban as COO and Luc's decision to later step down as CEO. Complete with a photo collection of some good oldies!
🛠️ 36 high-impact startup studios in Europe
The startup studio model presents a unique opportunity for founders, and we aren’t the only ones operating in the space. With many studios emerging and fading, a few have stood the test of time, while new, promising ones continue to surface. These studios are instrumental in providing the support and resources founders need to thrive. This list highlights 36 startup studios making an impact, offering invaluable opportunities for founders looking to make their mark in Europe's entrepreneurship scene.
Other files we recommend
🛫 Ulysee’s journey to profitability
Ulysse’s CEO and co-founder Axel Guidicelli has been open about the company’s financial strategy of becoming profitable instead of fundraising. His weekly LinkedIn posts are packed with insights into opting for this avenue.
📝 Tally’s latest build-in-public update
Since 2020, Tally’s co-founder Marie Martens has been sharing bi-annual reflections on building the form creator software. As they hit $100K MRR, their latest build-in-public explores their bootstrapped journey to 250,000 users.
🚲 Cycle’s (HX19) PLG deconstruction
Cycle's co-founder and CEO Mehdi Boudoukhane critiques the PLG hype, urging a shift from product obsession to market engagement. He emphasizes the importance of a blend of product and sales-led tactics for sustainable growth.
💸 OpenVC’s cheat sheet for understanding VCs
Understanding how VCs work as a first-time founder can be a headache. OpenVC’s Stéphane Nasser provides a purposefully oversimplified look at what VCs want to see in the startups they invest in.
News
🛍️ Catalog (HX23) raises €3.2 million
The team has succeeded where others have not. They didn't replicate a B2B version of a B2C eCommerce product but built a product specifically designed for B2B sales, ones that incorporate a variety of interactions (in-person, emails, calls, eCommerce). We couldn’t be prouder of them!
💰 How to finance your startup in 2024
Join us on March 14th at 7 pm to hear from veterans in fundraising, becoming profitable, and exiting on how to keep your company going in today’s current climate. Sign up to join Axel Guidicelli (co-founder & CEO of Ulysse), Anh-Tho Chuong (co-founder & CEO at Lago), Martin Vielle (partner at Clipperton), and Augustin Celier (Partner at Hexa Scale) next Thursday here.
🏎️ Elba joins Amazon Web Services x Crowdstrike accelerator
Along with some of the most exciting cybersec startups in the field, elba has been accepted to this accelerator - a true testament to elba’s innovative product, the all-in-one cybersecurity hub for companies, and fast growth.
🔑 Marble (HX22) goes open source
The first open-source product to come out of Hexa, Marble’s goal is to share the core components of their fraud detection software to build a fraud-fighting community.
Jobs
Product Manager at Hexa Health
Product Designer at eFounders (Hexa’s future of work vertical)
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or suggestions for this newsletter, don’t hesitate to hit reply. In the meantime, you can follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter.
Cheers,
The Hexa Team