eFounders identifies certain themes or concepts for startups, and then brings together teams that can develop and execute the idea. The idea for Aircall was actually born at eFounders, the Paris-based startup studio that has developed a stellar track record for hatching interesting companies. But the funding news once again put them in the spotlight, and we spoke to the team about their remarkable journey. The company had already made headlines in France earlier this year when it announced big hiring plans for 2021. The three remaining co-founders joined Ethan Pierse and I on The French Tech News podcast for a conversation co-sponsored by FrenchTech America.
The cloud-based communications company is now valued at more than $1 billion.
The company has left its early, difficult days behind and this summer announced it had closed a $120 million round in June. The company has been on a remarkable ride since its four co-founders first met in 2014. You have large companies where you can source talent from, you have less of those in Europe.” because that's where the talent is, that's where you build startups at scale. “And I want to have key business functions in the U.S. “You have a classic pattern where you say, ‘Okay, I want the East Coast and Paris because of the time zone difference,’” Pailhes said. This became the classic blueprint for French founders wanting to leverage the best of both countries: Marketing and finance in New York, technical team in Paris. The other co-founders, COO Jonathan Anguelov and Head of Platform and Infrastructure Pierre-Baptiste Béchu, remained in Paris where they built the technical team. When the company struggled with hiring and fundraising, CEO and co-founder Olivier Pailhes moved to New York along with co-founder Xavier Durand (who left in late 2020). That decision only came after the company started in Paris via the eFounders studio, was accepted into the 500 Startups accelerator in Silicon Valley, and then returned to France assuming it had all the credibility it needed to succeed. But moving the CEO and headquarters to New York City played a pivotal role in launching the company on its current trajectory that includes unicorn status and talk of an IPO. Listening to the co-founders of Aircall tell their story, their biggest challenges resulted from a key decision they made early on: Going international.
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That includes the 10 official La French Tech communities in North America as well as the broader French innovation diaspora. Welcome to a special edition of The French Tech Journal brought to you in partnership with La FrenchTech America, which brings together the growing number of French entrepreneurs and investors in North America.
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