After a first season rich in learning, Cegid is launching a new edition of its Cegid Data Lab program at Station F, which aims to support early stage startups around data. For 9 months, 7 new startups will be hosted on the Cegid campus at Station F to accelerate the development of their project.
“Cegid has always been in contact with start-ups via the business of management applications in the cloud around HR, retail or FinTech topics. We wanted to go a step further in contributing to the Tech ecosystem in France”explains Pierre-Antoine Roy, Director of the Cegid Data Lab program.
Station F is home to many startups specializing in SaaS, so it was relevant to collaborate with an expert player in this field. “Station F was looking for an expert partner on the subject of cloud applications, to support startups facing these issues”, he adds.
Issues focused on HR, finance and retail
The 9-month program therefore takes place on campus. The ambition is to welcome startups with a problem around data and in the sectors in which Cegid is present (HR, finance, retail) in order to be able to support companies effectively. For the rest of the selection criteria, startups are required to have reached an early stage. “We ask companies to have at least one MVP (Minimum Viable Product), or a first version of their product, with the first customers who use it”says Pierre-Antoine Roy.
Among the 7 startups selected for this new edition, two of them are focused on recruitment: Magma and Refty, plus two retail companies: Billiv (solution for the dematerialization of eco-responsible receipts via QR code) and Mybe (all-in-one management solution), as well as two FinTech projects, IABAKO (a next-generation ERP) and Qommet (a SaaS platform that helps companies simplify their management of compensation decisions). The promotion is complemented by Vokse, a data reliability management platform that allows all company data to be mastered instantly and in real time.
Each startup comes with its priorities, ranging from product development to business development. They will be supported by mentors, some of whom are part of Cegid’s Executive Committee. “We have no capital ties with startups”nevertheless specifies the director of the program.
Be accompanied by experts
On the startup side, expectations are high. “We expect a lot from the experience that Cegid Data Lab can bring us on the commercial side”confides Refty. “Our offer is particularly innovative in the sector and the associated economic model / sales cycle is a real challenge that we want to build during this program. »
“For us, it was obvious to be able to be accompanied by one of the best in our field! And at the same time to meet other startups who face similar challenges and help each other »adds IABAKO, which deploys an ERP simplifying the management of sales, deliveries, orders, purchases, and invoicing of VSEs.
“As for us, our objective is to refine our solutions and our offers so that they better adapt to the needs of our customers. Collaborating with Cegid / Talentsoft will allow us to create connections between our solutions and offer a seamless experience to our common customers”concludes Magma.
A successful first season
It is precisely to better support these start-ups that the Cegid Data Lab program managers have made some adjustments compared to the first season, starting with reducing the number of projects. “Startups recruit and grow fast”explains Pierre-Antoine Roy. “It’s important to have space, so we went from 9 to 7 startups. Given that they are still a little understaffed, we will also have two work-study students present on campus, the ‘Ninja squad’, which will help each of the companies. »
After a satisfactory assessment for the first season, Cegid therefore aims to deepen its mentoring and become a “tech’s big brother”. “We are very happy with this first season. One of the startups made a business model pivot, two others refined their model, and the rest accelerated in terms of customer and revenue. To date, four of the nine startups are ready to raise money,” concludes the program director.
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