Newsletter #21: 🤲 Be happy, healthy and hungry 🤲

Dear friends,

As we just entered a new decade our wishes go out all entrepreneurs, far and wide. It takes guts to keep dreaming against the status quo, to keep pushing against new obstacles, to continue believing against impossible odds. Keep fighting the good fight, we'll be supporting you every step of the way.

As for us, the year has ended with a flurry of good news and our eyes are already set on new challenges. Here's a non-exhaustive but sure-to-be-exhausting list of resolutions that will be keeping us busy in the new year. From our team to yours: here's to happy, healthy, and hungry in 2020.

Do new things 💡

Our studio is bursting at the seams with new, game-changing projects ready to be set loose. We already announced the second half of our eF19 batch — with Yousign, Folk, Cycle, and Once all joining our mission to build the future of work. But there's more...

Since they've joined the adventure, each of our teams have also taken a step back and reflected on their process, vision, and motivation. It's a natural part of start something new. And whether it's tipping their hats to other inspiring products and founders, making a statement about their vision for the future, or even sharing a personal story: our founders are inhabited by the desire to create something truly special.

Take big bets 🎰

Last quarter brought good tidings from all corners of our software galaxy. Our companies are making huge strides, and are ready for more:

Starting with fundraisings, first: congrats Spendesk on raising a $38M Series B, Forest on closing a $7M Series A, and Upflow on announcing a $2.8M Seed round. The road to climb is still long but their teams have what it takes to go the distance.

It also marked a 5theFounders company joining the ranks of Y Combinator — yay Multis! — on their mission to pioneer crypto-first business banking.

And lastly, the quarter has also brought our 3rd exit — bravo Mailjet — marking the end of our involvement with our first ever company, a special moment for our founder Quentin who served as CEO, and a new beginning of a new adventure to keep aiming higher in 2020.

Stay true to yourself 🤳

After 9 years we're still just getting started, but we've figured out a few things along the way. Our founder Thibaud shared his insights into what makes the Startup Studio model work in his yearly letter: and it's all about finding the right balance between providing an unfair advantage while allowing our companies to develop their own culture. 9 years is also a good time to look back on some milestones — even symbolic ones like surpassing the $1B valuation mark. Our model can only be assessed over time. And 9 years in, there is still plenty of ground left to cover to build a software galaxy. We are already working on preparing the new batch. Stay tuned!

Sure, we aren't fighting to develop a cure for cancer. We aren't working to find a solution to world hunger. Or building a clean, renewable power source. We build tools. It's what we're good at. But our hope is that our tools will help teams and individuals harness productivity, collaboration, and creativity to solve problems — big and small.

Want to make 2020 count? Join us on our mission to build the future of work!