[Techstars alumni] What has become…LOUIS?
By Claire Caminati, Head of Communication and Events
After AZmed, it is time to focus on a new startup that went through Techstars Paris program. And the one we are now talking about actually was in the same class as AZmed and we can tell you that its cofounders had some melodious accent, coming from Toulouse. Yes, we are definitely talking about LOUIS!
What is your one-sentence elevator pitch?
LOUIS designs and produces 100% customizable furniture for companies and deliver in just 15 days.
What have you been working on since the end of the program?
Based on a new market study and our better understanding of the demand, we are now developing with the Sales team:
- an online platform dedicated to our space design agency partners,
- a leasing offer for our customers
We have been enlarging our team to keep pace with the growing demand of our products. We are now a team of 14 ( while we were only 6 right after Techstars!).
And since the end of spring, we have also welcomed our very first Developer to accelerate the automation of our manufacturing process and he does help a lot!!
We have also been more active on social media to boost our visibility and people have been able to see the work of our amazing team behind the scenes 💪(don’t hesitate to follow us. We are everywhere: Instagram, twitter…)
We heard that you were raising funds: what for and how is it going?
We are currently closing the fundraising to grow our team of engineers to accelerate the automation of our manufacturing process as well as to grow our Sales team to boost our sales and launch two new offers:
- An online shopping platform dedicated to our space design agency partners. It would allow us to digitize further our process and obtain an additional channel to reach more customers and increase sales,
- A leasing tool to transform the way companies buy office furniture today,
- Strengthen our brand LOUIS by offering a unique service with our stunning product. It is called LOUIS Care and it will allow us to follow the furniture throughout the life of companies.
How many customers do you currently have? What is the proportion of big groups Vs startups?
Today we have about 50 customers and there is a good mix of startups, SMBs and corporates such as Spendesk, Dataiku, Tiller, Spie, Credit Agricole, Air Liquide and soon Groupama!
How did Techstars help your business?
We are very thankful of being part of Techstars because we benefit from a huge network with great mentors who helped us in defining our strategy and creating a powerful brand: LOUIS.
We also heard that some vikings came back…Could you tell us a bit more about your new exploit?
Within only a year we have been able to build a 12-meter long viking ship named Bátar Fyr and which can carry 20 people including 14 rowers. We launched it on the 10th August in St-Ferréol (next to Toulouse). We told the story of vikings with 60 extras, 6 horse riders, 50 swords, 60 shields, 10 axes and bows and hundreds of arrows. It was a true epic battle as you can imagine!
During our evenings and weekends, it took us a lot of planning, a lot of woodworking, and loads of pizzas and crisps in our belly but we finally made it :)
Best memory at Techstars?
Winning the foosball Techstars competition without eating any african pimiento 🏆🏆
