Hexa, a Parisian startup studio that has initiated numerous B2B software enterprises, is unveiling a list of its upcoming collection of projects that are on the verge of becoming standalone startups.

Hexa began its journey in 2011 under the name eFounders, a startup studio concentrating on B2B software-as-a-service innovations. Hexa typically develops ideas that lay the foundation for new ventures.

The Hexa team then strives to align the ideal founding group with its fresh initiatives so they can claim ownership. During the first year or so, Hexa’s in-house team assists the founders concerning product design, market entry tactics, recruitment, and securing funds.

Upon securing their initial funding round, a startup typically transitions into a fully independent business. In return for its early investment and development phase, Hexa retains a 30% equity stake in its portfolio enterprises following this funding stage.

Although the percentage might seem high, Hexa’s accomplishments are impressive. Throughout the years, the organization has birthed several unicorns, like Front, Aircall, and Spendesk, and several budding tech startups that have the potential to become unicorns, including Swan and YouSign.

Moreover, these businesses are producing substantial revenue. As per Thibaud Elzière, Hexa’s co-founder and CEO, over the subsequent two years, a minimum of five startups initiated pre-2021 will achieve revenues ranging from €100 million to €300 million annually.

Naturally, some companies never truly flourished, but such is the nature of startups. In total, Hexa has launched 44 companies. The startup studio itself raised funds totaling $22 million in 2023.

Although Hexa aimed to evolve into a conglomerate of startup accelerators, with each accelerator concentrating on a distinct niche, it has somewhat receded from this approach.

The organization is still gradually introducing fresh niches with new endeavors centered on healthcare, artificial intelligence, and open source software. Yet, you will no longer find pages dedicated to 3founders for web3 startups or Logic Founders for fintech offerings on Hexa’s platform. All is now a Hexa initiative.

Annette

Annette isn’t a company dealing in B2B software. The enterprise is dedicated to aiding individuals in reducing weight if their body mass index is above 30 or if they’ve been identified with type 2 diabetes.

Annette’s service is crafted to complement GLP-1 medication, like Wegovy or Mounjaro, with an application that allows you to monitor your progress in addition to connecting with dietitians and medical specialists. The goal is to enhance long-term outcomes with a tech-boosted program.

Basalt

Basalt is a quintessential 2024 startup. While everyone on LinkedIn claims prompt engineers are the next trending profession, Basalt is the solution that will be utilized daily by those crafting prompts for extensive language models.

After drafting initial prompts, you can test them across multiple models, view the results, and refine your prompts using AI. Given AI’s unpredictable nature, a prompt previously functional could fail with a model update, thus encouraging repeated usage. Basalt rivals WorkflowAI.

DermaScan

DermaScan is another illustration of how Hexa is expanding into new sectors. The startup’s designation is quite descriptive, as DermaScan will aid you in routinely scanning your skin for potential indications of skin cancer.

This extends beyond mere software; DermaScan intends to establish care centers devoted to skin examinations featuring some proprietary technologies. Considering the challenges in securing an appointment with a dermatologist, France seems like an opportune market for this venture.

FieldX (code name)

Smartphones have transformed everything for field sales agents. They can review schedules, access product databases, and manage orders while mobile.

This nascent startup, temporarily named FieldX, aspires to assist representatives in diminishing time spent on administrative chores through a voice-controlled interface. Instead of navigating through various applications, they could utilize this voice-first assistant as a copilot.

LegalX (code name)

LegalX, another startup that hasn’t finalized a name, is venturing into the crowded terrain of businesses creating AI solutions for legal firms. Major legal firms often depend on a group of interns to go through vast amounts of pages, mark up documents, and craft drafts.

Large language models provide a robust means to extract details from extensive text sections (despite occasional hallucinations). Hence, developing a solution using artificial intelligence applied to these lengthy legal documents seems logical.

OpenCertiX (code name)

If you’ve informed your company that you wish to purchase a subscription to a product because it’ll enhance your team’s performance, the procurement department likely inquired immediately about SOC 2 certification. It generally signifies that the product is secure and processes data appropriately.

OpenCertiX is set to become an open-source alternative to SOC 2 compliance platforms, like Vanta or Drata. As an open-source product,

OpenCertiX intends to provide a wider range of certifications, not limited to just SOC 2.

Reki

Reki is a burgeoning company delivering a service targeted at other new businesses — and beyond. Upon starting a startup in France, you can access certain nondilutive funding options to aid in your launch — for instance, “Crédit d’Impôts Recherche” or “Bourse French Tech.” However, determining whether your enterprise meets the eligibility for some specialized grants can be challenging.

Furthermore, assembling an application can consume a lot of time with no certainty of success. Reki supports you in collecting documents, formulating an application, and dispatching it efficiently, reducing the task from days to mere hours. Naturally, the company employs AI to craft the application automatically.

SleepX (code name)

SleepX intends to provide a custom healthcare plan focused on sleep. specifically tailored for women dealing with sleep deprivation, SleepX combines insomnia-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I) with hormonal, biological, and psychological data.

Although details about the product are scarce, with the market saturated with ads for sleeping aids, the potential for this venture is extensive.

StandardX (code name)

StandardX is an AI venture dedicated to customer service over the phone. Many businesses now allow you to voice your concern so that the need to press a series of numbers to reach the correct department is eliminated. However, these voice-recognition systems do not significantly transform the overall experience for those on the call.

StandardX is expected to leverage popular AI innovations to transform these interactions — integrating speech-to-text, LLM, and text-to-speech technologies, alongside ERP information. We’ll need to wait to discover additional details about the product.

Tandem

Tandem is another emerging company in the customer support realm. This one focuses on assisting users in setting up their accounts and data when trialing a new application. Onboarding continues to be a relevant topic among founders in the software-as-a-service sector.

Therefore, Tandem aims to implement AI for streamlining the onboarding experience with customized guidance. Consequently, the number of support inquiries to the assistance team is expected to decrease. It might turn out to be like Clippy, but genuinely beneficial.