Finally, after a longer break we were able to do a startup tour again. This time we were in the startup metropolis Paris from June 23 to June 26. Overall we got exciting insights from four French startups – Spendesk, Pennylane, Toucan Toco and Swan – and learned a lot about the FinTech sector. We also had plenty of time to explore the city and take pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Rooftop Hopping – the first day
After arriving in Paris in the morning, we headed straight to our first visit – Spendesk. The French startup has made it its mission to support its customers’ finance departments by providing control and overview of all payment processes. To that end they have developed an all‑in‑one software solution ranging from virtual cards to expense management. Once we arrived at the office in the heart of downtown Paris, we were given a tour of the impressive workspaces, and afterwards the CEO Rodolphe Ardant shared, among other things, where he draws his motivation as a founder and how he keeps a cool head in difficult situations. We then enjoyed a small snack while admiring the view from the rooftop terrace and continued our discussion.
Next we walked a few streets over to Pennylane. Here, too, everything revolves around finance, but with a focus on accounting for startups. Their software is meant to simplify tracking purchases, managing sales, and handling bookkeeping. In an engaging presentation we gained insight into the idea‑generation phase for the company’s founding and got a second interesting perspective on the FinTech industry. Afterwards we were again shown around the impressive office and, on the terrace overlooking the rooftops of Paris, we had the chance to hear more from employees about the Parisian startup scene.
After so many exciting impressions, we wrapped up the day with a wine tasting.
The second day – from the Tropicbird to the Swan
On the second day we were welcomed at Toucan Toco with a typical French breakfast. In an interesting talk we learned how important internal exchange among employees about company metrics is. The startup, founded in 2014, has developed an analytics software that, for example, presents sales figures uniformly and thus supports its customers’ sales departments. We then had some time to chat before heading to our final visit at Swan.
In this Parisian startup the focus is on Banking as a Service. They help their customers integrate banking features such as accounts, cards, and IBANs into digital products and offer a customized interface composition. In a presentation by Swan we learned how they plan to differentiate themselves from other providers of banking features in the European market. During a joint lunch we were able to ask all our questions and, in smaller groups, gather a few final impressions.
In the afternoon we strolled around the city a bit more, ate at a small French bistro, and spent the evening by the Seine.
Exploration tour on the final day
We used the last day to visit all the tourist spots and take group photos in front of the Eiffel Tower. We visited the Arc de Triomphe, strolled along the Champs‑Élysées, and generally had a lot of fun.
Overall, we gained many exciting insights into the Parisian startup scene and the FinTech sector, made new contacts, and are taking home many wonderful and also funny memories. The startup tour was a complete success and we’re looking forward to the next one.
