2022 Year in Review

2022 was a year of change for us. The tech market went from boom to bust but we kept our focus on our long-term goal: building better companies together. So much so that we launched Hexa to take our startup studio model to new heights ⛰️

Beyond the launch of Hexa, a LOT has happened in 2022. Not only have we launched new companies, but we’ve also launched a studio, added new species to our zoo, we’ve reached new & shiny milestones but 2022 was also a year that got real. So let’s just jump straight into it.

Here’s to 2022:

We welcomed two more 🦄 and one 🐴

The year 2022 started out strong. Spendesk (eF#16) announced a fundraising round of $100 million and officially entered unicorn territory. The spend management company thus joined eFounders alumni Aircall (eF#14) in that category — Aircall became a unicorn the year previous.

In June, it was Front’s turn to join Aircall and Spendesk into the unicorn club. Front raised $65 million in a Series D round, more importantly Front joined the very exclusive circle of 10 other SaaS unicorns founded and led by women.

Last but not least, we welcomed a new animal to the eFounders magic zoo. A centaur. Aircall announced it has reached $100M in Annual Recurring Revenue and joined the ranks of the small group of startups who can claim that milestone.

While not an end in itself, the fact that out of 35 companies launched, three of them are unicorns, including a centaur, is further validation that the start studio model works show that when we build companies as a team, we can achieve (much) better outcomes.

Yousign and Canyon joined forces 🤝

This one was a very first for our studio! An eFounders company acquired another. Canyon (eF120), the document and workflows automation specialist we launched three years ago got acquired by Yousign (eF#19), the leading European eSignature solution we backed in 2019. And just a couple of months ago, Yousign launched Workflows, a workflow automation solution for HR and legal teams.

We launched 3founders: a web3 startup studio ✨

We launched with Florent Quinti, a startup studio dedicated to web3: 3founders. With 3founders, we want to build the user-owned web. We’ve got lots of web3 ideas brewing, and a project we’ll reveal soon. Stay tuned!

We revealed four new companies

From fintech, to cybersec and web3:

• Roundtable (eF#21) — The social platform for top-tier private investments
• Marble (LF#22) — Next generation decision engine for fraud and compliance
• Elba (eF#21) — Modern security for modern teams
• Cohort (3f#22) — The new era of digital engagement, powered by NFTs

Our companies reached a cumulated valuation of $5B 🤩

In July, we reached a new milestone. The cumulated valuation of our +30 companies launched reached $5 billion. Our companies now employ over 2800 people across the world.

We had to make a difficult decision

2022 was also the year that got real. We had to take the very difficult decision to close down Kairn. It’s never an easy decision for founders to take but it’s important that we don’t forget that it is a likely outcome. In fact, startup failure is much more likely than startup success. It’s an integral part of entrepreneurship, building a startup is hard, and we must remember that success isn’t always right around the corner.

We unveiled our mafia

In the autumn, we found out that more companies have been launched by eFounders alumni that eFounders has launched itself. The eFounders mafia is made up of 40 eFounders alumni, who have launched a total of 46 companies and raised cumulatively $437 million.

Sneak peek of the eFounders mafia:

We introduced Hexa to the world 🐣

We launched Hexa, and our brand new website, to take our model to the next level. To scale the startup studio model to new verticals. To keep on launching better companies. To unleash a new way for entrepreneurship.

Hexa is now home to eFounders, LogicFounders, 3founders — and many more startup studios to come. Stay tuned!

We doubled down on our mission to create better companies

The launch of Hexa was also an opportunity to state, loud and clear, our mission to create better companies. We believe that by building together as a team, we can create better companies. Companies that are more innovative, ambitious and impactful. On that last point, 2022 was the year we took concrete actions to ensure that the companies we build are more conscious of their impact. We organized a Fresque du Climat event to raise our awareness on environmental concerns, and partnered with Gloria to deepen our awareness of diversity, inclusivity in the workplace.

Thank you to everyone who’s contributed to making 2022 such an exceptional year! We can’t wait to start off 2023 and keep on building together as a team. More studios, more companies, and more unique stories to come out. Stay tuned!