Our French Tech sauce to recook classical models of US accelerators into a magical receipt for B2B start-ups
We are not a “4 month-pitch-training” accelerator.
We are not American.
In our french digital businesses, it brings problems: the idea alone is not enough.
Post seed start-ups enter a crucial moment of their growth. Usually, the technical background is shaped but it is just a small part of business. The great software is essential but to morph it into business is a fundamental step and the real challenge.
Accordingly, the real question is : how to build a B2B sky rocketing growth ?
This is Axeleo’s job.
In this stage, the “five pillars of B2B growth” are the following : the good team, a replicable business model, a business focused strategy, clients and funds.
A B2B business cannot be run without the full spectrum of necessary skills : technical of course, but also marketing, commercial and financial. The quality of the management team and a close governance are a real key factor to success. Furthermore, to have a million-dollar business in your hands is useless if you do not have a structured pipeline and the good strategy to attack it : your business model must be smart, inventive and replicable. You will also need a strong database of qualified contacts, tools and processes to engage them (marketing automation for ex). Numerous right clients at the right moment is more important than the quality of the initial idea.
Once these tasks accomplished, it’s no longer necessary to look for VC, they’re already in your threshold.
On November 2013, Axeleo was founded around this vision, in a bid to meet these requirements. The company is backed by a pull of 25 successful digital entrepreneurs who bring B2B know-how, their experiences and their business address books.
To name a few, we can quote Christophe Dumoulin (Business & Decision), Patrick Bertrand (Cegid), Pascal Eymin (Cisco), Thierry Rouquet (Sentryo, former Arkoon), Fabrice Lacroix (Antidot) and so on (have a look on our website for the full list).
Our out-of-the-wall model lasts 18 months : the work on the late stage segment (post-seed — pre VC) is not the same as the one on others. Our approach is based on a sustainable iterative process : reshaping BM, optimization of sale processes, hiring of key people….
Our acceleration is based on a day to day exchange led by our operational team which links our start-ups to our mentors. Our team follows the evolution of the founders and points out the needs.
Once a need is shaped, we mix :
1) bespoke sessions planned with the most adequate mentors
2) hands on work with founders
3) on-the-ground runs to help them make business
Once a problem is tackled, we deal with the next one, following the same process in an iterative way. It lasts until the firm is fully packaged for fundraising between the 12th and the 18th month.
We aim to have a very low failure ratio, thanks’ to our B2B specialization and our dedicated partnership.
Since its creation, Axeleo has been accelerating 15 companies, leading 5 of them to fundraising (Tilkee, TellMePlus…) It aims to accelerate at least 10 new companies each year, amongst them one tech champ.
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