Is Hexa worth 30%?

The short answer: companies created in startup studios like Hexa are more likely to succeed due to the sheer amount of help they get. They secure seed funding twice as fast. At Hexa, 3 out of our 40+ startups have become billion-dollar companies, compared to the industry standard of 1 of 1000 achieving this status. For our founders, the increased likelihood of building an exceptional company with us makes it worth it.

For the longer answer, let’s dive in.

What is a startup studio?

First up, a refresh:

A startup studio is a structure that builds startups from scratch. Startup studios typically generate business ideas internally and then partner with entrepreneurs to co-found these ideas with them. They are hands-on and directly involved in every aspect of a startup’s development, including strategy, product, marketing, HR, and operations. They provide resources like funding, mentorship, and infrastructure to their companies.

Startup studios vs other models

According to Pog, startup studios typically take a stake of 20-40%, while incubators and accelerators take 5-10%. Y Combinator takes 7%. At Hexa, after a Seed round, we take 30%, the Seed fund takes around 15%, leaving the majority of the equity to the founding team.

Why the difference between startup studios and accelerators? For starters, the scale isn’t the same. Y Combinator batches typically include over 300 startups, while startup studios launch 5 companies on average per year, and that’s true of us at Hexa. Because of our level of involvement, we build fewer companies a year than other models. The amount of support, financial and operational, runs much deeper within a startup studio.

So, startup studios ‘take more’ because they give more. And at Hexa, what we give drastically increases your chances of creating a successful company.

So what exactly do we give?

✅ A business idea to beat the odds

Accelerator ❌ | Cofounder matching ❌ | VC/investor ❌ | Incubator ❌

Execution is more important than the idea itself. But if you start with a bad idea, no matter how well you execute it, at best, you'll end up nowhere, and at worst, you'll have wasted a lot of time. The key is to find the right idea and start with an achievable first step. This can be challenging since many bad ideas can look good, and good ideas can appear bad.

At Hexa, we’ve developed a methodology to identify the best ideas and separate the wheat from the chaff. We conduct extensive research to generate the most promising startup ideas. We pitch these ideas to founders and work together to find the one that best matches their skillset and drive.

✅  Cofounder

Accelerator ❌ | Cofounder matching ✅ | VC/investor ❌ | Incubator ❌

To maximize your chances of finding the right cofounder, you need a few key things: a sizeable, relevant network (you need to meet a lot of potential partners), credibility and trust (someone will be leaving their job security to join your project), and a way to evaluate if the person in front of you is the right match (just because someone agrees doesn't mean you should too). Achieving this on your own is challenging.

At Hexa, we provide proactive support in the cofounder search. We introduce founders to some of the ecosystem’s best entrepreneurs, support them to ensure it's the right match, and enhance their credibility with the Hexa brand.

Already have a cofounder? That works too — you can apply together.

✅ Operational support

Accelerator ❌ | Cofounder matching ❌ | VC/investor ❌ | Incubator ❌

In a conventional startup setup, you typically have only one or two pairs of hands to get things done. The problem is, with limited runway, you need to reach milestones as quickly as possible. At Hexa, we bring significant human capital—close to 30 people—who work operationally on our startups every day. This allows founders to validate each company stage much faster than they could on their own. We don’t just make the introduction, we help the close deal.

It also means your startup is created leveraging diverse and deep expertise that one person alone can’t provide. Our core team of specialists in product, design, go-to-market, talent, finance, and legal work alongside you every day, helping founders excel in areas they haven’t yet mastered. This ensures your startup reaches its milestones not only faster but more effectively.

✅ Strategic guidance

Accelerator ✅ | Cofounder matching ❓| VC/investor ✅ | Incubator ❌

Our operational support means that our strategic guidance is even more on-point, accurate, and generally just better, because we know exactly what’s going on. No need for you to debrief us on that big client meeting, we were there. And while our direct operational involvement stops after 12 months, we continue to offer invaluable directional advice for the company's entire lifespan. Often, our partners continue to hold positions on the board of directors, playing an active role in significant strategic decisions.

✅ Capital

Accelerator ✅ | Cofounder matching ❓| VC/investor ✅ | Incubator ❌

Startup studios are the only support tool that allows you to create your company without investing any personal money or giving up a salaried position.

We cover all the costs related to launching a startup, including the founders’ salaries, salaries of the first team members, and human capital from the core team. On average, we invest €800,000 in each startup we launch over the initial 12-month period - sometimes more, sometimes less. Plus, there’s no need to pay for a coworking space to get away from your home setup - you have access to La Cristallerie, our beautiful office space.

Going further, faster

These resources help you reach the pivotal milestones quicker and better, and allow you to aim for the stars in terms of ambition. The crux of our offer is that we enable founders to build their product, get their clients, and fundraise, way quicker than the average startup, without cutting any corners. Our founders come to us to reach a huge level of ambition they could have never achieved by themselves.

An MVP in under two months

You’ll build an MVP, with the help of our product team, who will essentially join your startup. Leveraging our methodology, honed through the creation of over +40 B2B SaaS products, we provide hands-on assistance every step of the way.

Customers in under three months

You’ll work hard to acquire your first clients and generate traction for your product. Hexa companies usually get their first customers through our Design Partner network - and you’ll get amazing product feedback along the way.

First hires that become core pillars

You’re building with Hexa, but it’s your company, so you’ll get to hire your own team of people. You’ll get our talent’s team hands-on help in recruitment, and expert advice on who your strategic first hires should be.

A successful Seed round in 12 months

We’ll prepare you to raise your first round of funding and introduce you to our wide network of VCs and Business Angels. Our part startups have raised with Sequoia, Accel, Index, Creandum - and more.

So… Is Hexa worth 30%?

A one-month-old startup at Hexa has the same resources and expertise of a company that’s been going for 5 years, which dramatically increases its chance of becoming an exceptional company. Our approach and resources are geared to expedite what would traditionally be a tougher journey, making the 30% equity exchange a worthwhile investment for many founders.

Don’t just take our word for it though - they’ve said it for themselves:

“What stuck out to me was their help with product and design. Early on, you have a product that is intuitive and looks great, which acts as a green flag for customers. This is rare. They were also invaluable in terms of fundraising and hiring” - Nico Benady, CEO and co-founder at Swan

“Hexa really sped up our 0 to 1 phase. We made key product and GTM decisions with very fast iteration loops. Access to the core team’s resources, the wider talent pool, and the Hexa brand made it way easier to reach product market fit” - Séraphie de Tracy, CEO and co-founder at Cohort

“Launching with Hexa immediately gave us a headstart. As soon as we got started, we had access to talent, a network of potential customers, and help from everyone in the core team. It’s been invaluable” - Rodolphe Ardant, CEO and co-founder at Spendesk

Joining Hexa to launch Aircall has been a life’s adventure. Since our launch, Aircall has reached unicorn status and hit the $100 million ARR mark. I don’t think we would have been able to achieve this kind of success without Hexa” - Olivier Pailhès, CEO and co-founder at Aircall

But the ecosystem of startup support is vast. And because of different business stages, personalities, and priorities, the best support tool won’t be the same for everyone. There are many different types of great support out there, and it’s important to take the time to choose the right one for you.

If you like the sound of our model, get in touch here.

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