The resale of a start-up is never an end in itself. For those who have sold their business, exit does not mean early retirement but the beginning of another adventure, often more complex, more thoughtful and freer. In France, several known figures of the ecosystem have proven that the after-cession could become a playground where the ambitions change, but remain just as intense.
Of Serial Entrepreneur to Investor Hired
Jonathan Benhamou, who co-founded Peopledoc, a company specializing in the digitalization of HR processes for major organizations, sold its start-up for around 300 million euros. After the sale to Ultimate Software, he remained strongly engaged in the French ecosystem by becoming Business Angel, in particular with Spendesk and Payfit, two young shoots from the Parisian scene. In addition to funding, it provides strategic support, by transmitting its know-how to team structuring and international expansion.
The transition from investor operator not only the role, it also changes the influence exerted on the ecosystem. By disseminating its governance, structured growth and international opening practices, Jonathan Benhamou acts as a maturity catalyst for start-ups who often accelerate their development through this direct access to an entrepreneurial experience lived. His commitment illustrates a deep change in posture, where it is no longer just a question of building a product, but of helping to build a complete entrepreneurial environment.
Recreate a larger and more international business
Frédéric Mazzella, after the rise of Blablacar, the carpooling platform he launched from Paris, did not opt for a progressive withdrawal. Remented on the executive president of Blablacar, he continued his involvement in the development of the company, while launching initiatives with a strong social impact like Captain Cause, a platform dedicated to participatory patronage. This trajectory shows that after-exit can be an opportunity to build new ambitious projects while strengthening its French roots.
The experience of the global scaling acquired with Blablacar nourishes its new entrepreneurial approach, more diversified and aligned with societal objectives. By capitalizing on the solidity of its international network and a fine understanding of global issues, Frédéric Mazzella is now working to reconcile societal impact and lasting economic model. This evolution proves that after-exit is also a space for strategic redefinition, where the logic of growth is enriched with new purposes.
Transform entrepreneurial experience into a societal lever
Nicolas Rohr and Frédéric Mugnier, who founded Faguo, a French fashion brand engaged in the reduction of its carbon footprint, sold their business to the Eram group while continuing to ensure its management. Thanks to their leadership, Faguo has become one of the first French brands to obtain B Corp certification. The resale offered them additional means to deploy their vision, without sacrificing their ecological commitment.
Rather than absorption, their passage under the aegis of a French industrial group was thought of as a strategic alliance. By industrializing their environmental approach while imposing demanding standards on their distribution partners and circuits, they show that after-exit can become an accelerator of founding values. The financial support of the ERAM group served as a amplifier for their impact strategy, without dilution of their entrepreneurial DNA.
Integrate a large group without diluting its DNA
Clément Buyse, co -founder of Peopledoc alongside Jonathan Benhamou, supported the integration of the company within Ultimate Software after sale. Unlike many founders who quickly leave the major structures, he has taken advantage of this opportunity to deepen his governance skills on a global scale, while then initiating new entrepreneurial activities from France.
By remaining engaged in the purchasing organization, Clément Buyse actively participated in preserving the spirit of innovation and the product culture of Peopledoc. This hybrid posture between autonomy and collaboration shows that an exit can be transformed into a learning laboratory. By appropriating the best practices of major organizations, it strengthens its value creation capacities for its future projects while remaining connected to the French entrepreneurial fabric.
Build ecosystems at the service of new entrepreneurs
Bertrand Diard, after having co -founded Talend, one of the French pioneers in the integration of massive data, chose to invest in the development of the French tech ecosystem after the resale of his business. Co-founder of influence and active member of France Digital, he campaigned for better structuring of the entrepreneurial landscape in France, by pleading for conditions more favorable to start-ups.
Its action is not limited to occasional interventions with young shoots. By embarking on subjects of public policy, financing innovation and digital sovereignty, Bertrand Diard actively participates in the emergence of a French tech scene capable of competing internationally. His journey illustrates that after-exit can become a systemic source of impact far beyond the individual adventure.
Reinvent an entrepreneurial adventure on a human scale
Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, founder of Criteo, a French reference company in programmatic advertising, left management after the company entry. Rather than relaunching an adventure of the same scale, he created Foxintelligence, a start-up specializing in the analysis of data from e-commerce, still operating from Paris. This choice of a more agile structure reflects an assumed research of independence and flexibility.
With Foxintelligence, Jean-Baptiste Rudelle returns to the very essence of entrepreneurship: to experiment quickly, to keep a direct link with users, and to pilot a project without the inertia of a multinational listed. This return to an organization on a human scale is not a decline but an assertive desire to build a more immediate, more flexible and more aligned innovation with the rapid evolution of the digital markets.
