Key people at eFounders.
eFounders was founded in 2011 by Julien Fissette (Entrepreneur in Residence | Co-founder of a new eFounders project).
Key people at eFounders.
eFounders was founded in 2011 by Julien Fissette (Entrepreneur in Residence | Co-founder of a new eFounders project).
eFounders, now rebranded as Hexa, is a European startup studio that partners with entrepreneurs to build and launch software-as-a-service (SaaS) startups, primarily in sectors such as artificial intelligence, fintech, future of work, and health. It provides founding teams with ideas, seed funding, strategic advice, and operational support to accelerate product development and market entry. Over 11 years, eFounders has contributed to launching more than 30 startups, including notable unicorns like Spendesk, Aircall, and Front, collectively reaching a valuation of around $5 billion and employing about 3,000 people. Hexa maintains a significant equity stake (around 25-30%) in its startups, aligning its success with that of the companies it helps create[1][2][3].
Founded in 2011 by Thibaud Elzière and Quentin Nickmans in Brussels and Paris, eFounders pioneered the startup studio model in Europe, focusing initially on SaaS startups. The founders, with backgrounds in entrepreneurship and technology, designed the studio to provide a turnkey project to founders—offering ideas, initial capital, and strategic guidance from day one. The company raised its first funds in 2015 and 2016, each €5 million, and quickly gained traction with multiple startups raising significant capital and successful exits, such as the sale of TextMaster in 2018. In 2022, eFounders restructured and rebranded as Hexa, becoming a holding company for multiple specialized startup studios, including a new Web3-focused studio called 3founders, while keeping eFounders as the SaaS-focused vertical[1][3].
eFounders/Hexa rides the growing trend of startup studios as an alternative to traditional entrepreneurship, democratizing team-based company creation. This model addresses the challenges of founder recruitment and early-stage risk by providing ready ideas and resources, which is increasingly relevant in a competitive startup ecosystem. The timing aligns with rising investor interest in SaaS, AI, and fintech innovations, as well as the emergence of new technologies like Web3. Hexa’s approach influences the broader ecosystem by proving the viability of the studio model in Europe, fostering innovation, and accelerating startup formation with a hands-on, team-oriented methodology[1][2][3].
Looking ahead, Hexa is positioned to expand its portfolio by launching more startups across its specialized studios, leveraging its proven formula while potentially raising external funds to scale investment capacity. Trends such as AI integration, decentralized technologies (Web3), and digital transformation in finance and work environments will shape its journey. Hexa’s influence may grow as it continues to professionalize and democratize entrepreneurship, potentially becoming a key player in European and global startup ecosystems by blending venture capital, operational expertise, and community building in a scalable studio model[1][2][3].
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2025 | VibeCode | $9.0M Seed | — | 20VC, Point Nine Capital, Seven Seven Six, Thirty Five Ventures, Mario Götze, Nicolas Julia, Robin Sabban, Thibaud Elziere, Youcef Es-skouri |
| Apr 1, 2025 | Ovo Labs | $5.0M Seed | — | Airtree Ventures, Creator Fund, LGF, LocalGlobe, Partech Ventures, The Yield Lab LATAM, Y Combinator |
| Apr 1, 2025 | Blue Bridge | $2.0M Seed | — | IDInvest Partners, Partech Ventures, Alexandre Dalyac, Didier Valet |
| Apr 1, 2025 | Grâce | $6.0M Seed | — | Partech Ventures, Speedinvest, Alexandre Dalyac, Job Van Der Voort, Philippe Teixeira da Mota |
| Mar 1, 2025 | BlackWall | $49.0M Series B | — | Dawn Capital, MMC Ventures, #SecretFund, Stefan Lindeberg, Thibaud Elziere |
| Feb 1, 2025 | handly | $4.0M Seed | — | 10x Group, 20VC, Angel Invest, Rexhep Dollaku, Crosslink Capital, Firework Ventures, General Catalyst, GSV Acceleration, Math Capital, Owl Ventures, Peak, Point Nine Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sinai Ventures, Stride VC, Thirty Five Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, Vine Ventures LP, Brian O'Kelley, Lea- Sophie Cramer, Mario Götze, Nicolas Julia, Robin Sabban, Thibaud Elziere, Verena Pausder, Youcef Es-skouri |
| Nov 1, 2024 | Argil | $4.0M Seed | — | EQT Ventures, Factorial, Motier Ventures, Norrsken VC, Y Combinator, Alexandre Scialom, Florian Douetteau, Rand Hindi, Thibaud Elziere, Yan-David Erlich |
| Nov 1, 2024 | Volter | $3.0M Seed | — | Foundamental, Northzone, Seedcamp, Adam Wiggins, Jonathan Widawski, Nicolas Steegmann, Ralph Gootee, Thibaud Elziere |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Hubcycle | $16.0M Series A | — | 50 Partners Impact, Bleu Capital, Daphni, DN Capital, Kima Ventures, Pareto Holdings, #SecretFund, Serena Capital, Alexis Bonillo, Antoine Martin, Franck Le Ouay, Guillaume Lestrade, Michael Benabou, Nicolas Steegmann, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Paulin Dementhon, Pierre Valade, Thibaud Elziere |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Daze | $6.0M Seed | — | Boldstart Ventures, Felix Capital, Kearny Jackson, Pareto Holdings, Stripe, Guy Podjarny, Jonathan Widawski, Scott Belsky, Youcef Es-skouri |
| Jul 1, 2024 | VARM | $6.0M Seed | — | A/O PropTech, Atomico, Female Founders Fund, Foundamental, Roni Hiranand, Northzone, Pale Blue Dot, Point Nine Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Seedcamp, Unconventional Ventures, Adam Wiggins, Jonathan Widawski, Nicolas Steegmann, Omid Ashtari, Ralph Gootee, Thibaud Elziere |
| Jun 1, 2024 | CuspAI | $30.0M Seed | — | 468 Capital, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Angel Invest, Basis Set Ventures, Dig Ventures, Foundamental, Hoxton Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, LocalGlobe, Mango Capital, Brooke Seawell, Northzone, Glenn Solomon, Seedcamp, Adam Wiggins, Ameet Patel, Arash Ferdowsi, Dhruv Kaul, Greg Brockman, Jonathan Widawski, Mandeep Singh, Nicolas Steegmann, Ralph Gootee, Thibaud Elziere |
| Jun 1, 2024 | Cube AI | $3.0M Seed | — | Factorial, Motier Ventures, Alexandre Scialom, Charles Gorintin, Rand Hindi, Thibaud Elziere, Yan-David Erlich |
| May 1, 2024 | AniML | $2.0M Seed | — | Brighteye Ventures, Factorial, Motier Ventures, Speedinvest, Alexandre Scialom, Charles Gorintin, Florian Douetteau, Nicolas Steegmann, Rand Hindi, Thibaud Elziere, Yan-David Erlich |
| Apr 1, 2024 | RockFi | $3.0M Seed | — | Double Prime LLP, Partech Ventures, Alexandre Dalyac, Didier Valet |
| Apr 1, 2024 | Usual | $4.0M Seed | — | Factorial, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, Motier Ventures, Polygon, Robot Ventures, Tribe Capital, Variant, Alexandre Scialom, Charles Gorintin, Daren Cotter, Florian Douetteau, Russell Cook, Thibaud Elziere, Yan-David Erlich |
| Mar 1, 2024 | Xaver | $6.0M Seed | — | 20VC, 468 Capital, HV Capital, Point Nine Capital, Project A, Seven Seven Six, Thirty Five Ventures, Christian Reber, Heiko Rauch, Michael Cassau, Michael Wax, Nicolas Julia, Niklas Jansen, Patrick Andrae, Philipp Kloeckner, Robin Sabban, Thibaud Elziere, Youcef Es-skouri |
| Mar 1, 2024 | Pelikan Mobility | $4.0M Seed | — | Accel, Frst, Kima Ventures, PS Investments, YOBE Ventures, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Thibaud Elziere |
| Mar 1, 2024 | The Mobile-First Company | $4.0M First Company - Seed | — | 7GC & Co, Autotech Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Citi Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Kima Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Motier Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Redpoint Ventures, #SecretFund, Sequoia Capital, Matt Carbonara, Nico Rosberg, Ron Pragides, Roxanne Varza, Steve Anavi, Thibaud Elziere |
| Mar 1, 2024 | Catalog | $3.0M Seed | — | 50 Partners, Elaia Partners, Factorial, Motier Ventures, Singular, The Hit Forge, Alexandre Scialom, Charles Gorintin, Florian Douetteau, Rand Hindi, Thibaud Elziere, Yan-David Erlich |
| Feb 1, 2024 | Vertesia | $4.0M Seed | — | Factorial, Motier Ventures, Alexandre Scialom, Charles Gorintin, Florian Douetteau, Rand Hindi, Thibaud Elziere, Yan-David Erlich |
| Jan 1, 2024 | Twin | $3.0M Seed | — | AIX Ventures, Bond, C2 Investment, CoinFund, Dawn Capital, Factorial, Felicis Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Hack VC, Insight Partners, Motier Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Plaid, Point Nine Capital, Preston-Werner Ventures, Red Sea Ventures, RRE Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, #SecretFund, Sequoia Capital, Alexis Le-Quoc, Charles Gorintin, Didier Valet, Florian Douetteau, Jean Charles Samuelian, Jeff Hammerbacher, Jonathan Widawski, Mathilde Collin, Matt Macinnis, Nicolas Steegmann, Rand Hindi, Rodolphe Ardant, Thibaud Elziere, Victoria van Lennep, Yan-David Erlich |
| Jan 1, 2024 | Electra | $330.0M Series B | — | 50 Partners Impact, Daphni, Kima Ventures, Pareto Holdings, #SecretFund, Serena Capital, Alexis Bonillo, Antoine Martin, Franck Le Ouay, Guillaume Lestrade, Michael Benabou, Nicolas Steegmann, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Paulin Dementhon, Pierre Valade, Thibaud Elziere |
| Dec 1, 2023 | Pimento | $3.0M Seed | — | 7percent Ventures, Autotech Ventures, Boldstart Ventures, Dawn Capital, Dragonfly Capital Partners, Felix Capital, Hack VC, Kearny Jackson, Meta Change Capital, Motier Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Redpoint Ventures, #SecretFund, Stripe, Unruly Capital, Spencer Noon, XAnge, Antoine Martin, Charles Gorintin, Didier Valet, Ernest Oppetit, Fernando Martinelli, Frederic Montagnon, Guy Podjarny, Itamar Lesuisse, Jeremy Yap, John Lilic, Julien Romanetto, Mathilde Collin, Nicolas Brusson, Nicolas Debock, Romain Niccoli, Roxanne Varza, Scott Belsky, Thibaud Elziere, Youcef Es-skouri |
| Nov 1, 2023 | Sirona Technologies | $1.0M Seed | — | Point Nine Capital, Sequoia Capital, Nico Rosberg, Rodolphe Ardant, Steve Anavi, Thibaud Elziere |
