Introducing our HX19 Batch (1/2)

A few months ago, we put out a call for ambitious founders to join us and build the future of work. Today, we’re proud to unveil what we’ve been working on with those who answered our call. And we’re bullish that these businesses and the founders behind them are destined to transform the face of the industries they address.

You may have noticed the (1/2) in the title, and it means exactly what you think it does. The three companies listed below are only half of our 2019 promotion, the rest will follow shortly. Unlike our 2017 and 2018 batches, which each included four new companies, we will be launching a total of six startups this year. We have found our Process-Market fit as a studio. Now, we’re scaling our ambition:

Bonjour (eF19)

We want to build a better sales experience. For customers, for sales reps, and for sales managers. Inside sales — the trend towards remote, video-based sales — is growing, but the experience is still subpar. Bonjour is reinventing the way companies sell and creating the sales experience we think will become the norm in the coming years. We’re designing tools and processes for sales teams to handle better one-on-one conversations with their prospects, at scale. And we’re moving fast: Jonathan Beurel (CTO) and Etienne Dargnies (CEO) are filtering requests on an invitation-only basis while they build the best possible sales experience.

Swan (eF19)

What happens when you add a banking layer to an app? You stop being a middle man. You offer your users an end-to-end experience. You expand your business model. Swan wants to make this possible, with just a few lines of code. Their simple banking API offers a complete toolkit for businesses to provide banking services to their users, and for companies to build custom tools for their finance teams. The team behind Swan — Nicolas Benady (CEO), Nicolas Saison (CPO), and Mathieu Breton (CTO) — are already working on the MVP. They’re also applying for a banking license — so their clients don’t have to.

Chilli (eF19)

The promise of SaaS? To level the playing field by offering powerful tools at an affordable price point. The problem? Traditional SMEs are left on the side of the road. Most SaaS companies today cater to digital natives or the enterprise, leaving 95% of the market under-equipped. And un-tapped. Chilli is a consultancy-software hybrid aiming to get SMEs back on track and to crack SaaS distribution to this underserved market. The team, led by Julien Lhoste (CEO), combines a human-centric approach and a powerful matching platform to encourage SMB leaders embrace the power of SaaS and to help put software vendors in touch with piping hot opportunities.

The first three companies out of our eF19 batch will be followed shortly by more, stay tuned…

Want in? Apply to join the next big thing.