Faced with the sudden retraction of hypercroissance startups, self -funded or profitable companies access an unexpected strategic position. Their model, long ignored, becomes a competitive advantage in an environment where stability becomes a decisive criterion.
The reversal of the Tech market continues. After a decade dominated by the logic of permanent fundraising, the economic situation imposes a change of perspective. The freezing of hiring, staff discounts and product pivots visible since the end of 2022 in unicorns, mainly American, now affects the heart of the European market. For frugal or self -funded startups, this generalized fragility opens up a strategic space rarely so readable.
“A structure that defocus, which reduces its teams or its range, creates a breach. If we do not exploit it, others will do it, ”explains Jean-Louis Bénard, CEO of Sociabble.
The end of the myth of the invincibility of unicorns
Chain layoff announcements have changed the perception that customers and talent have of these companies. The Layoffs.Fyi site has more than 300,000 job cuts in American tech since January 2023, a figure higher than that recorded throughout the health crisis. Companies such as Stripe, Klarna, or Bolt, formerly perceived as models, reduced their payroll by more than 20 % in a few weeks.
This phenomenon has direct repercussions:
- Gented projects overnight.
- Massive departures in the Customer Success teams.
- Increasing instability in produced roadmaps.
In tenders, these elements no longer go unnoticed. B2B buyers, in particular in the regulated sectors (health, education, financial services), upgrade the criteria of stability, governance and sustainability.
“A Bootstrap actor, who has crossed several crises and built over time, becomes a credible alternative for an enterprise buyer,” observes Jean-Louis Bénard.
A repositioning by uses, not by communication
The opportunity is not in storytelling. It is in the ability to deliver. Where some competitors take several months to reorganize their Go-to-Market, a stable company can:
- Maintain customer support without interruption.
- Ensure continuity produced without regression.
- Mobilize your teams on strategic accounts instead of managing internal departures.
In the short term, this operational differential weighs more than any growth ad.
Execution tactics to capture disappointed hypercroissance
- Identify visible faults in the competitor ecosystem
This can go through HR monitoring (series departures on LinkedIn), customer land returns in the renegotiation phase, or by analyzing slowdown products.
- Propose targeted migration programs
Creation of a “switch plan”: import of data, reinforced support for 60 days, free double invoicing or priority training.
- Strengthen the legibility of its product trajectory
Clearly communicate on the roadmap at 12 months, with public product governance. Reassuring the ability to deliver, not to innovate to innovate.
- Deploy specific arguments for CIOs and purchases
Highlight economic ratios, low debt, control of the churn, and income per collaborator. In times of budget arbitration, these data make the difference.
- Support disoriented partners
Some weakened unicorns suspend their partner program or reduce their commission rate. This creates an air call for other actors capable of providing a stable framework.
The human factor as a strategic lever
A self -funded startup often retains a stronger link with its teams. The rotation rate is lower there. The organization is less exposed to exogenous decisions (funds, board, m & a). In times of tension, this internal consistency is reflected outside. Less turnover in the accounts. Less restructuring. More readability for the customer.
“It is not the same relationship to the economic cycle. When you built your team over time, you don’t make the decision to cut quickly. »Underlines Jean-Louis Bénard.
This loyalty is not romantic. It is economical. The replacement cost, the loss of expertise, the reformation of the teams: as many brakes to the commercial fluidity that customers perceive directly.
Reduced competition, dumping in withdrawal
The current slowdown limits the capacity of certain startups to maintain artificially low prices. This partial withdrawal of toxic pricing (Excessive discounts, free deployments, offers at a loss) cleanses the market.
“Systematic dumping is no longer tenable. Funds require profitability prospects. This results in pricing increases or supply discounts ”, analyzes Jean-Louis Bénard.
For startups that have built their model on a fair price, this temporarily levels the conditions of competition. It is a rare moment.
An opportunity window, but not a guaranteed cycle effect
This sequence does not guarantee a lasting change. Some unicorns will be able to redeploy. Others will be replaced by news. But in this strategic parenthesis, sober startups have a real advantage. Less visible, but decisive.
They still have to acceptact as conquerorsnot only as alternatives. Not by adopting the codes of hypercroissance, but by affirming the relevance of a model based on the quality of the execution, the robustness of the structure, and loyalty to customers.
“It is not a revenge. It is an opportunity. And she may not be again immediately, ”concludes Jean-Louis Bénard.
