The image of a leader in a small or medium-sized enterprise constantly dealing with urgent matters without taking the time for reflection or training is often associated with this category of companies. These SMEs also often lack knowledge of their rights, in addition to the complex and time-consuming processes involved in employee training. It is based on this observation that Jean-Marie Dupré and Stéphane Silvi created Matchers in 2019 in Montpellier. The startup has just raised 2 million euros to accelerate the deployment of its solution.
« More than 70% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) never undergo training due to lack of time and the unavailability of suitable training programs in support functions such as marketing, sales, human resources, management, or communication, » notes Jean-Marie Dupré, who served as HR Director for fifteen years before founding Matchers. Typically, the training programs they find in the market are theoretical, group-based, and conducted in person, often targeting multiple companies. Additionally, they lack the necessary network and financial resources for training, and the processes involved are so complex and time-consuming that they eventually give up, despite having contributed towards obtaining training funding. It is for these reasons that Matchers offers an innovative and practical approach to training, specifically targeting companies with fewer than 50 employees and lacking internal HR departments. »
Réservoirs de compétences
« We wanted to develop solutions that meet their needs by removing barriers: sourcing funding and activating it for them, and finding the best expertise to offer them a customized training program, » explains Jean-Marie Dupré. « To do this, we have created a platform for a community of 650 experts who work in companies and also provide training. Because another observation we made is that there are untapped reservoirs of skills within companies, experts in their field who want to share their knowledge. We have now brought together a community of 650 experts from all over France… Matchers has been a certified Qualiopi training organization since 2021, and all our courses are eligible for funding. We offer tailor-made training: the client learns and applies directly to their own business projects. And 80% of the training is done remotely, allowing it to be divided into short modules, such as two hours per week, making it easily manageable for small businesses. »
Selon le modèle économique établi par Matchers, la startup garantit le financement auprès du client auprès des organisme financeurs (avec un éventuel reste à charge) et le partage de la richesse, le coût de la formation payée par l’organisme financeur, se répartit à part égale entre l’expert et Matchers.
Booster l’équipe commerciale
Matchers claims to have supported 300 companies in training their teams, including « 75% who had never implemented training before. » The startup, incubated at Village by CA in Montpellier and currently based at the Via Innova incubator in Lunel (Hérault), employs 23 employees. After achieving a revenue of 600,000 euros in 2022, Matchers aims to reach one million euros in 2023.
The company has just completed its first round of funding, raising €1 million in equity from IRDI Capital Investissement and €1 million in bank debt from Banque Populaire du Sud and Caisse d’Epargne. The objective is to develop our product, particularly in the automation of obtaining financing, the customer journey, and the expert’s journey. At the same time, to boost business development, we are structuring the sales team. Our workforce is expected to reach around thirty by the end of 2024. Currently, we are recruiting a business developer and a software developer.
Comments are closed.