Future Leaders Season 2: Six Data
Maddyness's 'Future Leaders' series profiles six entrepreneurs whose data-driven tools help startups and SMEs make better financial and operational
The second season of the 'Future Leaders' series by Maddyness focuses on entrepreneurs building tools to help business leaders make better decisions. Journalists Claire Lang and Aude Kersulec interviewed six data experts: Arthur Perrin of Streamline, Omar Alem of CatalyseMe, Sourideth Inthavong of Aimoove, Joséphine Vander Linden of Odoo, Alexandre Fretti of Orisha, and Jules Minvielle of Olyzon. Their solutions target startups, very small businesses, and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Two founders concentrate on finance. Arthur Perrin, CEO and founder of Streamline, helps SME leaders turn accounting data into decision-making levers. He notes that leaders are often geniuses in their field but lose their way with a balance sheet. His firm scans key metrics, like the evolution of a company's top ten client accounts. Perrin states this is what a buyer would examine first if the business were for sale. He observes that many SME leaders sleep poorly, but properly exploited accounting data can let them anticipate risks and steer their activity serenely.
Omar Alem, CEO and founder of the outsourced CFO service CatalyseMe, argues the finance function is listened to "much too late" in the decision cycle, especially in startups and SMEs. He claims there is confusion between an accountant and a financial director, and a failure to understand the CFO as a true business partner. The result, according to Alem, is leaders lacking visibility and making rushed or intuitive choices. He helps them put finance at the heart of their strategy and addresses the solitude of leaders, emphasizing the need for a trusted space for lucid exchange. He remarks that raising funds is celebrated, but it also means a company cannot finance its growth from its own resources.
Invisible Tech Powering Business Operations
Sourideth Inthavong created Aimoove to bring transparency to the used car market. He describes it as a "Nutri-Score" for second-hand vehicles. Its AI platform verifies car listings by processing data from consumer surveys, government sources, and garages. It identifies recurring problems with specific models, predicts revision and maintenance costs, and alerts buyers to the overall budget required. Inthavong says their AI becomes a trusted third party for used vehicle acquirers. The target audience also includes professionals, insurers, and dealerships. The European market has 30 million second-hand vehicles, with used cars representing three-quarters of sales.
Jules Minvielle, CEO and co-founder of Olyzon, operates in the connected TV video advertising market. He discusses evolving habits with the proliferation of platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. Olyzon helps advertisers identify the right formats and platforms to optimize their campaigns.
Business Software and Digital Transformation
Alexandre Fretti leads Orisha, a firm highlighting that digital transformation requires specific business solutions for sectors like local commerce, construction, agri-food, and health. He calls these "invisible" tools the digital infrastructure for daily operations. Fretti previously led the unicorn Malt during Covid and now heads Orisha, a major European B2B SaaS player which reported 350 million euros in revenue for 2025.
Joséphine Vander Linden of Odoo also works behind the scenes with essential business software. Founded in Belgium by Fabien Pinckaers, Odoo evolved from software for managing a sales room to an international platform used in 180 countries. Its 80 applications allow companies to centralize operations like sales, invoicing, marketing, HR, and websites. Vander Linden's interview touches on a major accounting topic: electronic invoicing. Belgium implemented it in January, several months ahead of France.
