[Entrepreneur stories] - Céline et Edwin - eXalt

Our story are pretty much the same story: two people from Lyon in Brittany! Céline, AST2, P20, 4L Trophy / Edwin, PGE (as work-study student), P20, 4L Trophy 2010, the treasurer!

Céline: I started out in Paris as a business manager in digital consulting in a start-up company and then in a bigger group, Altran, for five years. Next, it was the big leap to entrepreneurship by creating eXalt in 2018 with 7 partners including Edwin!

Edwin: After a work-study programme at BNP, I joined Altran as a consultant before becoming a manager in a consulting company, Devoteam, and then Axance, a Parisian agency which specialises in design. Then I made the jump to entrepreneurship by creating eXalt in 2018 with 7 partners including Céline! 

• Can you tell us a bit more about eXalt?

Céline: eXalt is a consulting company that supports its clients throughout their digital transformation. It's a great human adventure that we started in 2018 with 7 partners in Paris, and very quickly, Edwin and I came to open the office in Lyon. Today it is a community of more than 450 consultants in 5 cities (Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille & Nantes), digital polyglots who are dedicated to transformation and specialists in Product, Project and Design Management (UX/UI Design). Our consultants generally work on assignments for 6 - 24 months and then move on to their next assignment.

Edwin: ... eXalt's strength lies in organising itself internally and in cultivating Product Management methods within the teams to facilitate the dissemination of good practices to its clients. 

• What are the values you uphold in your work?

We don't advocate 1,000 different values, our manifesto is based on two points: DO-OCRACY & PERMANENT BETA - Do-ocracy means always encouraging initiative-taking and valuing it, and permanent-beta means "Test & Learn", we test and we learn! 😊 

• What is your greatest achievement / pride?

To still be 7 partners/co-founders four years on... We were often told that business partnerships can be difficult; so imagine with 7! And finally, we are all here.

And now we are proud to be interviewed by the Rennes School of Business Alumni Association! 

• What advice would you give to a young entrepreneur?

Céline: Trust yourself but above all trust others

Edwin: Nothing is easy, nothing is given. Everything has to be earned! So be bold and fight to build your projects. That's how you come out with the most merit and pleasure... 

• Do you have a hidden talent?

Edwin : I’m officially the best Pâté Croute chef !

Céline : I’m the vocal double of Céline Dion… 

• The last word?

We are recruiting!

Both on the management side (Digital Sales Manager) & on the consulting side (Designer, Product Owner ...); in each city but because we are biased, we’ll present Lyon to you here!

Find Céline and Edwin on LinkedIn