FlowMail & FlowPay — IR

FlowMail = pro e-mail marketing | FlowPay = e-mail banking

FlowMail & FlowPay — Investor One Pager

60-second version for VCs

  1. Problem + market: 4.6B e-mail users — no pro 1‑to‑1 under €100/year. FlowMail = 1‑to‑1 commerce infrastructure (email → payments). TAM €2.25B. Source: Mordor, TBRC 2025.
  2. Team: 4 members collaborating since 2019 — Charles (Bank & Wealth Operations), Alex (CTO, full-stack & architecture), Stanislav (Infra, cloud & DevOps), Nick (Product & UX). See Team.
  3. Product: flowmail.studio + FlowPay beta (Revolut connected). Video demo below.
  4. Traction: MVP live, FlowPay beta (Revolut), validation (testimonials). Pre-revenue by design. See Traction & GTM.
  5. Ask: €1M seed (10–20% equity) — 18‑month runway to profitability.

Quick preview

Vision: From professional e-mail to sovereign European digital infrastructure for commerce and communication.

→ Aligned with Y Combinator & a16z "What to Build 2026" theses: AI-native banking, privacy moat, agent interface. See VC Theses 2026.


The Problem — Proof & Cost of Inaction

Origin: We built ancestors of FlowMail/FlowPay in our Family Office to serve the yachting sector — extreme reactivity, instant supplier deadlines, complex transnational payments. Same pain across freelancers and SMEs.

Estate agents (prime segment): Real agent stared at 50 unanswered emails; by #5 motivation gone, by #20 quality collapsed with bad copy/paste. Buyers are emotional — the agent who responds first, professionally, wins trust. Small agencies can’t stay in the office; they need field flexibility. LinkedIn post + testimonials.

Job seekers, consultants: 6 sec/CV for recruiters. Cost of inaction: lost deals, commoditised appearance.

Quick preview


The Opportunity

E-mail is the most widely used application worldwide: 4.6B users, 376B e-mails/day (2025), #1 tool in business. FlowMail aims to make it the portal for bureaucratic and financial applications.

376B e-mails/day — ~121 received per user (Radicati Group). Marketing tools (Mailchimp) = €300+/year and spam filters. Market: Email marketing $9–13B global (Mordor, TBRC 2025). Our TAM 45M × €50 = €2.25B. SAM Year 5 (2–5% penetration): €45–110M — benchmark: Proton ~3% email market in 10 years.


Why Now?

  • Post‑COVID freelancers: 67% growth EU vs 2019 — 45M professionals need pro tools
  • AI enablement: Template personalisation at scale; GPT makes customisation trivial
  • EU sovereignty: GDPR, DMA, data localisation — EU alternatives to US tech
  • Banking embedded: Revolut API, open banking — payments in email now feasible
  • Proton proof: $97.5M revenue — sovereign email model works. FlowMail = Proton + banking

The Solution

ProductValue propositionPriceStatus
FlowMailPro e-mail marketing — templates, unlimited sends, zero migration (Gmail/Outlook)€50/yearLive
FlowPayE-mail banking — Revolut connected, payments in e-mail, invoices+€50/yearBeta Q1 2026

Positioning: We are not an email tool — we are 1‑to‑1 commerce infrastructure. FlowMail = acquisition (pro email); FlowPay = monetisation (payments). Both built on Family Office / yachting experience.


Target Market & ICP

ICP (Ideal Customer Profile): Freelancers, consultants, estate agents, job seekers — 30–50 emails to clients/prospects per week. Revenue €50–150K/year. Willing to pay for professional image.

TAM/SAM/SOM: TAM €2.25B (45M × €50). SAM Year 5 (2–5% penetration): €45–110M. SOM Year 1: EU (France, UK, DACH) — ~8M. Source: Email marketing $9–13B global (Mordor Intelligence, TBRC 2025).


Traction

  • MVP liveflowmail.studio
  • FlowPay beta — Revolut connected, 1st transactions Q1 2026
  • Validation — Estate agent testimonials (LinkedIn)
  • Pre-revenue by design — product-first, scale after validation

Ask: €1M to scale validated acquisition channels. See Traction & GTM.


Product Demo

flowmail.studio — try the product. OAuth Gmail, templates, send from inbox. FlowPay beta: Revolut connected.

Quick preview — click to see full video ↓


Business Model

  • Year 1: 100% subscriptions (€50–100/year depending on modules)
  • Year 2–3: Subscriptions (50–70%) + transaction fees (20–30%)
  • Gross margin: 82% | LTV:CAC target: 6–10:1 (CAC €25–40) | Churn: 35–40% Year 1, 25–30% Year 2 (conservative early-stage)

Competitive Advantage

CompetitorRevenue / PriceWhy they cannot follow us
Mailchimp / KlaviyoKlaviyo $937M; €300+/yearCannot lower prices without cannibalising
Canva$2.3B ARR; €120–420/yearDesign-first, no OAuth
Superhuman~$30M ARRInbox management, no templates or banking
GmailFreeGoogle will not monetise templates
FlowMail + FlowPay€50–100/year; target €900K M18Sweet spot: 1‑to‑1 + native payments + EU sovereignty

Comparable model: Proton — 100M+ users, $97.5M revenue. FlowMail = same trajectory + native banking.

Why Google won't copy us:

  • Strategic misalignment: Google = enterprise suite €300+/year; we = pro 1‑to‑1 €50–100/year (different segment)
  • EU sovereignty: We = Luxembourg, GDPR-native; Google = US, Schrems II, EU distrust
  • Banking: Google killed Google Pay, exited wallets; we = payments DNA (Payment Factory, 3A Circle)
  • Niche focus: Google optimises for 1B+; we = 1–10M pros (too small for them)
  • First‑mover: 18‑month lead on OAuth + banking combo; templates marketplace Y2

Go-to-Market

Phase 1 (M1–3): Paid ads €30K test — Meta €15K (freelancers), LinkedIn €10K (consultants), Reddit organic €5K. Target: 200–500 sign‑ups → 10–50 paying. CAC < €40 validated. Plan B: If CAC > €60 at M2 → pivot channel (Product Hunt, partnerships). Product Hunt after early success.

Phase 2 (M4–9): Scale proven channels. Facebook groups (estate agents), partnerships (bootcamps, coaches), LinkedIn organic. CAC €25–40 blended. Goal: 2,000–3,000 users.

Phase 3 (M10–18): Consultants, thought leadership, affiliate programme. PLG-led with optional sales for enterprise.


Risks & Mitigation

Risk: Google/Microsoft change APIs or integrate templates natively.
Mitigation: (1) OAuth diversification (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud); (2) IMAP/SMTP fallback (degraded); (3) Own email infra roadmap M18–24; (4) OAuth = open standard — closure would trigger EU antitrust (DMA mandates interop).
Risk: FlowPay banking licence — regulatory complexity, 18–24 months.
Mitigation: Revolut API first; Payment Institution licence in Year 2–3. Phased approach.

Positioning Matrix (Quadrant)

Axes: Use case (mass marketing ↔ pro 1‑to‑1) × Price (€/year). FlowMail = sweet spot: €50–100/year + pro 1‑to‑1 + banking.

Mass marketing ← Use case → Pro 1‑à‑1 Price ↑ €300+ | €50 ↓ Mailchimp €300+ Canva €120–420 Superhuman €360 Gmail free Proton .me €50–96/an FlowMail FlowPay €50–100 ★ Sweet spot
Mailchimp Canva Superhuman Gmail Proton.me FlowMail

SWOT — FlowMail & FlowPay

Strengths

  • Accessible price €50–100/year (vs €300+ competition)
  • Zero migration: OAuth Gmail/Outlook
  • Native e-mail banking (FlowPay)
  • EU sovereignty (Luxembourg)
  • Unexploited pro 1‑to‑1 sweet spot

Weaknesses

  • Small team (early-stage)
  • Dependency on Gmail/Outlook APIs
  • Brand awareness to build

Opportunities

  • Market gap ~€2B
  • 4.6B e-mail users worldwide
  • Proton has proven the sovereign model
  • GDPR, DMA, EU sovereignty
  • Embedded banking on the rise

Threats

  • Big Tech (Google, Microsoft)
  • Well-funded competitors (Klaviyo $937M)
  • Evolution of third-party APIs

Strategic Vision & Roadmap

StageObjective
1. FlowMailSmooth Gmail/Outlook acquisition — zero migration
2. Banking APIRevolut (in progress), payments from e-mail
3. ArchitecturesGoogle of Europe; Luxembourg data centres; payment licences; Web3

Funding & Milestones — 3 Scenarios

PeriodConservative (10% MoM)Base (15% MoM)Optimistic (20% MoM)
Target raise€1M seed (10–20% equity) — 18‑month runway
M12€60K ARR€120K ARR€250K ARR
M15€100K ARR€250K ARR€450K ARR
M18€180K ARR€360K ARR€650K ARR

We pitch the base/optimistic path; conservative is our backup for VC scrutiny.

Use of funds (detailed):

  • 40% (€400K) founders: 4 salaries Year 1 (€200K) + 6‑month Year 2 buffer (€90K) + reserve (€110K)
  • 25% (€250K) product: Revolut/API integrations (€80K), payment/crypto modules (€70K), infra Phase 1 (€50K), security/NIS2 (€20K)
  • 20% (€200K) marketing: Paid acquisition (€100K), content/SEO (€40K), influencers (€30K), community (€20K), PR (€10K)
  • 10% (€100K) team: Senior full-stack (€70K), part-time UX (€30K)
  • 5% (€50K) ops: Legal (€20K), accounting (€10K), infra scaling (€15K), contingency (€5K)

The Team

4 members — together since 2019. Track record: 3A Circle neobank (€300K raised, 10 users), Payment Factory, treasury solutions. Yachting / Family Office: built email + payment tools for ultra-demanding clients.

3A Circle — Context for investors

Situation: MVP delivered in record time, within the €300K budget. Clients began onboarding. We built via outsourced providers (embedded finance, CurrencyCloud, MasterCard) to focus on validating the model.

Obstacle: At the milestone meeting, investors declined to follow us into insourcing and the associated regulatory ramp-up (licenses, infrastructure).

Result: The follow-on commitments from investors — who were also our Family Office clients — did not materialise, due to a lack of shared development vision. From our understanding, their priorities shifted toward other bank investments.

Charles Berthillon (CEO) — LinkedIn • Ex-Dexia (CEO Office), Synechron/Accenture • CB&CØ €15Bn portfolio • 3A Circle, Swiss IPO/board • Alex (CTO) • Stanislav (Infrastructure) • Nick (Product & UX). See Team.


Confidential document — FlowMail Studio / FlowPay — All rights reserved

FlowMail & FlowPay — One Pager Investisseurs

Version 60 secondes pour VCs

  1. Problème + marché : 4,6 Md users e-mail — aucune pro 1‑à‑1 sous €100/an. FlowMail = infrastructure de commerce 1‑à‑1. TAM €2,25 Md. Source : Mordor, TBRC 2025.
  2. Équipe : 4 membres collaborant depuis 2019 — Charles (Bank & Wealth Operations), Alex (CTO, full-stack & architecture), Stanislav (Infra, cloud & DevOps), Nick (Product & UX). Voir Équipe.
  3. Produit : flowmail.studio + FlowPay beta (Revolut connecté). Vidéo démo ci-dessous.
  4. Traction : MVP en ligne, FlowPay beta (Revolut), validation (témoignages). Pré-revenus par design. Voir Traction & GTM.
  5. Ask : €1M seed (10–20 % equity) — runway 18 mois jusqu'à rentabilité.

Quick preview

Vision : De l'e-mail professionnel à l'infrastructure digitale souveraine européenne pour le commerce et la communication.

→ Aligné avec les thèses Y Combinator & a16z « What to Build 2026 » : AI-native banking, privacy moat, interface agent. Voir Thèses VC 2026.


Le problème — Preuve & coût de l'inaction

Origine : Nous avons construit les ancêtres de FlowMail/FlowPay dans notre Family Office pour l'univers du yachting — réactivité extrême, délais fournisseurs sur le champ, paiements transnationaux complexes. Même douleur chez freelances et PME.

Agents immobiliers (segment prioritaire) : Une agent réelle devant 50 e-mails sans réponse ; à #5 motivation disparue, à #20 qualité effondrée (copy/paste). Les acheteurs sont émotionnels — l'agent qui répond en premier, professionnellement, gagne la confiance. Petites agences sur le terrain. Post LinkedIn + témoignages.

Candidats, consultants : 6 sec/CV pour recruteurs. Coût de l'inaction : deals perdus, image commoditisée.

Quick preview


L'opportunité

L'e-mail est l'application la plus utilisée au monde : 4,6 Md d'utilisateurs, 376 Md d'e-mails/jour (2025), outil #1 en entreprise. FlowMail vise à en faire le portail des applications bureaucratiques et financières.

376 Md e-mails/jour — ~121 reçus/utilisateur (Radicati Group). Mailchimp = €300+/an. Marché : Email $9–13 Md global (Mordor, TBRC 2025). TAM €2,25 Md. SAM Année 5 (2–5 %) : €45–110 M — benchmark : Proton ~3 % marché email en 10 ans.


Pourquoi maintenant ?

  • Freelances post‑COVID : +67 % EU vs 2019 — 45 M pros ont besoin d'outils pro
  • IA : Personnalisation templates à l'échelle
  • Souveraineté EU : GDPR, DMA — alternatives européennes au tech US
  • Banking embedded : API Revolut, open banking — paiements dans l'email faisables
  • Proof Proton : $97,5M revenue — modèle souverain fonctionne. FlowMail = Proton + banking

La solution

ProduitProposition de valeurPrixStatut
FlowMailE-mail pro — templates, envois illimités, zéro migration (Gmail/Outlook)€50/anEn ligne
FlowPayE-mail banking — Revolut connecté, paiements dans l'e-mail, factures+€50/anBeta Q1 2026

Positionnement : Pas un outil e-mail — infrastructure de commerce 1‑à‑1. FlowMail = acquisition ; FlowPay = monétisation. Issus du Family Office / yachting.


Marché cible & ICP

ICP (Profil client idéal) : Freelances, consultants, agents immobiliers, candidats — 30–50 e-mails clients/prospects par semaine. CA €50–150K/an. Prêts à payer pour une image pro.

TAM/SAM/SOM : TAM €2,25 Md (45 M × €50). SAM Année 5 (2–5 %) : €45–110 M — benchmark Proton ~3 % marché email en 10 ans. SOM Année 1 : EU — ~8 M. Source : Mordor, TBRC 2025.


Traction

  • MVP en ligneflowmail.studio
  • FlowPay beta — Revolut connecté, 1ères transactions Q1 2026
  • Validation — Témoignages agents immobiliers (LinkedIn)
  • Pré-revenus par design — produit d'abord, scale après validation

Ask : €1M pour scaler les canaux d'acquisition validés. Voir Traction & GTM.


Démo produit

flowmail.studio — testez. OAuth Gmail, templates. FlowPay beta : Revolut connecté.

Aperçu rapide — cliquez pour voir la démo complète en vidéo ↓


Modèle économique

  • Année 1 : 100 % abonnements (€50–100/an selon modules)
  • Année 2–3 : Abonnements (50–70 %) + frais de transaction (20–30 %)
  • Marge brute : 82 % | LTV:CAC cible : 6–10:1 (CAC €25–40) | Churn : 35–40 % Année 1, 25–30 % Année 2

Avantage concurrentiel

ConcurrentRevenus / PrixPourquoi ils ne nous suivent pas
Mailchimp / KlaviyoKlaviyo $937M ; €300+/anNe peuvent pas baisser les prix sans cannibaliser
Canva$2,3B ARR ; €120–420/anDesign-first, pas OAuth
Superhuman~$30M ARRInbox management, pas templates ni banking
GmailGratuitGoogle ne monétisera pas les templates
FlowMail + FlowPay€50–100/an ; cible €900K M18Sweet spot : 1‑à‑1 + paiements natifs + souveraineté EU

Modèle comparable : Proton — 100 M+ users, $97,5M revenue. FlowMail = même trajectoire + banking natif.

Pourquoi Google ne nous copiera pas :

  • Misalignement stratégique : Google = suite entreprise €300+/an ; nous = pro 1‑à‑1 €50–100/an
  • Souveraineté EU : Luxembourg, GDPR ; Google = US, Schrems II
  • Banking : Google a tué Google Pay ; nous = DNA paiements (Payment Factory)
  • Niche : Google = 1 Md+ users ; nous = 1–10 M pros (trop petit)
  • First‑mover : 18 mois d'avance OAuth + banking ; marketplace templates Année 2

Go-to-Market

Phase 1 (M1–3) : Paid ads test €30K — Meta €15K, LinkedIn €10K, Reddit organique €5K. Objectif : 200–500 sign‑ups → 10–50 payants. CAC < €40 validé. Plan B : si CAC > €60 à M2 → pivot canal (Product Hunt, partenariats).

Phase 2 (M4–9) : Scale canaux prouvés. Groupes Facebook (agents immo), partenariats, LinkedIn organique. CAC €25–40. Objectif : 2 000–3 000 users.

Phase 3 (M10–18) : Consultants, thought leadership, affiliés. PLG + sales enterprise.


Risques & mitigation

Risque : Google/Microsoft modifient les API ou intègrent les templates.
Mitigation : (1) Diversification OAuth (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud) ; (2) Fallback IMAP/SMTP ; (3) Infra e-mail propre M18–24 ; (4) OAuth = standard ouvert — fermeture = antitrust EU (DMA impose interop).
Risque : Licence bancaire FlowPay — complexité réglementaire, 18–24 mois.
Mitigation : API Revolut d'abord ; licence Payment Institution en Année 2–3. Approche phased.

Matrice de positionnement (Quadrant)

Axes : Use case (mass marketing ↔ pro 1‑à‑1) × Prix (€/an). FlowMail = sweet spot : €50–100/an + pro 1‑à‑1 + banking.

Mass marketing ← Use case → Pro 1‑à‑1Prix ↑ €300+ | €50 ↓Mailchimp€300+Canva€120–420Superhuman€360GmailgratuitProton.me€50–96/anFlowMailFlowPay€50–100★ Sweet spot
MailchimpCanvaSuperhumanGmailProton.meFlowMail

SWOT — FlowMail & FlowPay

Forces

  • Prix accessible €50–100/an (vs €300+ concurrence)
  • Zéro migration : OAuth Gmail/Outlook
  • E-mail banking natif (FlowPay)
  • Souveraineté EU (Luxembourg)
  • Sweet spot 1‑à‑1 pro inexploité

Faiblesses

  • Petite équipe (early-stage)
  • Dépendance API Gmail/Outlook
  • Notoriété à construire

Opportunités

  • Vide de marché ~2 Md€
  • 4,6 Md utilisateurs e-mail mondiaux
  • Proton a démontré le modèle souverain
  • GDPR, DMA, souveraineté EU
  • Banking embedded en croissance

Menaces

  • Big Tech (Google, Microsoft)
  • Concurrents bien financés (Klaviyo $937M)
  • Évolution des API tierces

Vision stratégique & feuille de route

ÉtapeObjectif
1. FlowMailAcquisition fluide Gmail/Outlook — zéro migration
2. API bancaireRevolut (en cours), paiements depuis l'e-mail
3. ArchitecturesGoogle de l'Europe ; data centers Luxembourg ; licences paiement ; Web3

Financement & jalons

PériodeConservateur (10 % MoM)Base (15 % MoM)Optimiste (20 % MoM)
Levée€1M seed (10–20 % equity) — runway 18 mois
M12€60K ARR€120K ARR€250K ARR
M15€100K ARR€250K ARR€450K ARR
M18€180K ARR€360K ARR€650K ARR

Use of funds (détaillé) :

  • 40 % (€400K) fondateurs : 4 salaires Année 1 (€200K) + buffer Année 2 (€90K) + réserve (€110K)
  • 25 % (€250K) produit : Intégrations Revolut/API (€80K), modules paiement/crypto (€70K), infra Phase 1 (€50K), sécurité/NIS2 (€20K)
  • 20 % (€200K) marketing : Acquisition payante (€100K), contenu/SEO (€40K), influenceurs (€30K), communauté (€20K), RP (€10K)
  • 10 % (€100K) équipe : Full-stack senior (€70K), UX partiel (€30K)
  • 5 % (€50K) opérations : Juridique (€20K), compta (€10K), scaling infra (€15K), contingence (€5K)

L'équipe

4 membres — ensemble depuis 2019. Track record : 3A Circle neobank (€300K levés, 10 users), Payment Factory, treasury. Yachting / Family Office : outils e-mail + paiement pour clients ultra-exigeants.

3A Circle — Contexte pour investisseurs

Situation : MVP livré en temps record, dans le budget de €300K. Nous avons commencé à acquérir des clients. Construction via prestataires outsourcés (embedded finance, CurrencyCloud, MasterCard) pour nous concentrer sur la validation du modèle.

Obstacle : Lors de la réunion de milestone, les investisseurs n'ont pas souhaité nous suivre dans l'insourcing et la montée en réglementation (licences, infrastructure).

Résultat : Les promesses de suivi des investisseurs — également nos clients Family Office — ne se sont pas concrétisées, par manque de vision partagée du développement. De notre compréhension, leurs priorités se sont orientées vers d'autres investissements bancaires.

Charles Berthillon (CEO) — LinkedIn • Ex-Dexia (CEO Office), Synechron/Accenture • CB&CØ €15 Md portfolio • 3A Circle, IPO suisse/board • Alex (CTO) • Stanislav (Infrastructure) • Nick (Product & UX). Voir Équipe.


Document confidentiel — FlowMail Studio / FlowPay — Tous droits réservés

Alignment with VC Theses 2026

Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) have published their major "What to Build" theses for 2026. Here is how FlowMail & FlowPay align and what development paths follow.


a16z — Big Ideas 2026

ThesisFlowMail / FlowPay AlignmentDevelopment Path
Privacy creates network effects (Crypto)EU sovereignty, Luxembourg, GDPR, encryption — FlowMail = Proton + bankingStrengthen privacy as differentiator; EU data centre as moat
AI-native banking infrastructure (Fintech)FlowPay: Revolut API → own Payment Institution, streamlined workflowsModern banking infra, parallelised workflows, agents for operations
Systems of record lose primacy — interface = dynamic agent layerE-mail becomes the main interface for transactions and accountingPayments, invoices, requests in e-mail; agents for automation
Know your agent — cryptographic credentialsFlowPay: identity, transactions, Web3 (roadmap)Identity verification and signatures for agents/automated transactions
Multimodal data — structure extraction (documents, images, videos)FlowMail: e-mails, attachments, invoices, screenshotsAI to extract structure from e-mails and attachments; marketing & finance insights
Agent-native infrastructureFlowMail/FlowPay at scaleSupport for agent workloads (AI assistants, alerts, fraud detection)

Y Combinator — Request for Startups 2026

ThesisFlowMail / FlowPay AlignmentDevelopment Path
Stablecoin financial servicesFlowPay roadmap: Web3, payment licences; favourable regulatory environmentFinancial services around stablecoins, DeFi; EU rails in place
AI for governmentE-mail = primary bureaucratic channel; forms, applicationsAI tools to fill forms, manage administrative flows via e-mail

Summary — Development Priorities

  • Short term: AI-native banking (FlowPay), multimodal e-mail extraction (FlowMail)
  • Medium term: E-mail interface as "agent layer", credentials for agents
  • Long term: Privacy moat (Luxembourg), stablecoin / Web3 (FlowPay)

Sources: Y Combinator Request for Startups 2026, a16z Big Ideas 2026.

Alignement avec les thèses VC 2026

Y Combinator et Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) ont publié leurs grandes thèses « What to Build » pour 2026. Voici comment FlowMail & FlowPay s’y positionnent et quelles pistes de développement en découlent.


a16z — Big Ideas 2026

ThèseAlignement FlowMail / FlowPayPiste de développement
Privacy creates network effects (Crypto)Souveraineté EU, Luxembourg, GDPR, chiffrement — FlowMail = Proton + bankingRenforcer la confidentialité comme différenciateur ; data center EU comme moat
AI-native banking infrastructure (Fintech)FlowPay : API Revolut → Payment Institution propre, workflows rationalisésInfrastructure bancaire moderne, workflows parallélisés, agents pour opérations
Systems of record lose primacy — interface = dynamic agent layerL’e-mail devient l’interface principale pour les transactions et la comptaPaiements, factures, demandes dans l’e-mail ; agents pour automatisation
Know your agent — credentials cryptographiquesFlowPay : identité, transactions, Web3 (roadmap)Vérification d’identité et signatures pour agents/transactions automatisés
Multimodal data — extraction de structure (documents, images, vidéos)FlowMail : e-mails, pièces jointes, factures, capturesIA pour extraire structure des e-mails et pièces jointes ; insights marketing & finance
Agent-native infrastructureFlowMail/FlowPay à grande échelleSupport des workloads agents (assistants IA, alertes, détection fraude)

Y Combinator — Request for Startups 2026

ThèseAlignement FlowMail / FlowPayPiste de développement
Stablecoin financial servicesFlowPay roadmap : Web3, licences paiement ; environnement réglementaire favorableServices financiers autour de stablecoins, DeFi ; rails EU en place
AI for governmentE-mail = canal bureaucratique par excellence ; formulaires, candidaturesOutils IA pour remplir formulaires, gérer flux administratifs via e-mail

Synthèse — Priorités de développement

  • Court terme : AI-native banking (FlowPay), extraction multimodale e-mails (FlowMail)
  • Moyen terme : Interface e-mail comme « agent layer », credentials pour agents
  • Long terme : Privacy moat (Luxembourg), stablecoin / Web3 (FlowPay)

Sources : Y Combinator Request for Startups 2026, a16z Big Ideas 2026.

The Team — 4 Members, Proven Execution

4 members together since 2019 — 3A Circle neobank, Payment Factory, Family Office for UHNWI. FlowMail/FlowPay born from yachting (extreme reactivity, instant deadlines) — same pain for 45M professionals.

3A Circle — Context for investors

Situation: MVP delivered in record time, within the €300K budget. Clients began onboarding. We built via outsourced providers (embedded finance, CurrencyCloud, MasterCard) to focus on validating the model.

Obstacle: At the milestone meeting, investors declined to follow us into insourcing and the associated regulatory ramp-up (licenses, infrastructure).

Result: The follow-on commitments from investors — who were also our Family Office clients — did not materialise, due to a lack of shared development vision. From our understanding, their priorities shifted toward other bank investments.

CB

Charles Berthillon

CEO — LinkedIn

  • 21+ years — Dexia Group (CEO Office), Synechron/Accenture Strategy
  • CB&CØ (Family Office/WealthTech) since 2016 — COO for €15Bn UHNWI portfolio
  • 3A Circle neobank (€300K raised), yachting payments, 20 entities director
  • Swiss IPO (2019), Reverse Merger (2024) — board Swiss listed company
AS

Alex Shvets

CTO

  • 17+ years Full Stack Software Engineer
  • 3A Circle architecture, Payment Factory backend
  • Software architecture, engineering leadership
  • Product development, email server infrastructure
SO

Stanislav Oaserele

Infrastructure Lead

  • 15+ years cloud infrastructure and backend systems
  • 3A Circle infrastructure, Payment Factory scalability
  • AWS, Java, Kubernetes, Apache Kafka, React.js
  • Infrastructure, scalability, DevOps, security
NS

Nick Shvets

Product & UX Lead

  • 10+ years Senior Software Engineer
  • 3A Circle UX, Payment Factory interfaces
  • UI/UX design, full-stack development, API integration
  • User-centric design for complex financial products

Track record: Team working together since 2019 — neobank, payment factory, treasury solutions. FlowMail is our next vertical.

Hiring plan: M3 Backend Dev • M6 Growth Marketer • M12 Customer Success • M18–24 Infrastructure team.

L'équipe — 4 membres, exécution éprouvée

4 membres ensemble depuis 2019 — 3A Circle neobank, Payment Factory, Family Office UHNWI. FlowMail/FlowPay nés du yachting (réactivité extrême, délais sur le champ) — même douleur pour 45 M de professionnels.

3A Circle — Contexte pour investisseurs

Situation : MVP livré en temps record, dans le budget de €300K. Nous avons commencé à acquérir des clients. Construction via prestataires outsourcés (embedded finance, CurrencyCloud, MasterCard) pour nous concentrer sur la validation du modèle.

Obstacle : Lors de la réunion de milestone, les investisseurs n'ont pas souhaité nous suivre dans l'insourcing et la montée en réglementation (licences, infrastructure).

Résultat : Les promesses de suivi des investisseurs — également nos clients Family Office — ne se sont pas concrétisées, par manque de vision partagée du développement. De notre compréhension, leurs priorités se sont orientées vers d'autres investissements bancaires.

CB

Charles Berthillon

CEO — LinkedIn

  • 21+ ans — Dexia Group (CEO Office), Synechron/Accenture Strategy
  • CB&CØ (Family Office/WealthTech) depuis 2016 — COO pour €15 Md UHNWI
  • 3A Circle neobank (€300K levés), paiements yachting, 20 entités directeur
  • IPO suisse (2019), Reverse Merger (2024) — board société cotée suisse
AS

Alex Shvets

CTO

  • 17+ ans Full Stack Software Engineer
  • Architecture 3A Circle, backend Payment Factory
  • Architecture logicielle, leadership technique
  • Développement produit, infrastructure serveurs e-mail
SO

Stanislav Oaserele

Infrastructure Lead

  • 15+ ans cloud & systèmes backend
  • Infrastructure 3A Circle, scalabilité Payment Factory
  • AWS, Java, Kubernetes, Apache Kafka, React.js
  • Infrastructure, scalabilité, DevOps, sécurité
NS

Nick Shvets

Product & UX Lead

  • 10+ ans Senior Software Engineer
  • UX 3A Circle, interfaces Payment Factory
  • UI/UX design, full-stack, intégration API
  • Design centré utilisateur pour produits financiers complexes

Track record : Équipe ensemble depuis 2019 — neobank, payment factory, solutions treasury. FlowMail est notre prochain vertical.

Plan de recrutement : M3 Backend Dev • M6 Growth Marketer • M12 Customer Success • M18–24 équipe infrastructure.

Traction & Validation

Traction — proof of concept

  • MVP liveflowmail.studio
  • FlowPay beta — Revolut connected, 1st transactions Q1 2026
  • Validation — Estate agent testimonials (LinkedIn — Spyros K., Sylvain G., Lance R.)
  • Pre-revenue by design — product-first, scale after validation

Ask: €1M to scale validated acquisition channels.

Proof of problem

LinkedIn post — estate agents, 50 unanswered emails, real testimonials.

To add

  • Beta signups — If > 50, mention in pitch
  • Screenshots — Annotated product screenshots
  • LOI — Letters of intent if any

Go-to-Market Strategy

Acquisition approach: Product-led growth (PLG) with targeted outbound for high-value segments.

Phase 1 — M1–3 (Validation + early users)

Phase 1 budget: €30K test — Meta €15K, LinkedIn €10K, Reddit organic €5K. Target: 200–500 sign‑ups → 10–50 paying. CAC < €40. Plan B: If CAC > €60 at M2 → pivot (Product Hunt, partnerships).

ChannelTargetBudgetStatus
MetaFreelancers cold€15KLaunching
LinkedInConsultants retargeting€10KLaunching
Reddit r/jobs, r/resumesCommunity€5KQ1 2026
Product HuntLaunch visibilityAfter success

Goal: 100–500 users, validation. CAC €25–40.

Phase 2 — M4–9 (Estate agents, consultants)

ChannelTargetCAC
Facebook groupsEstate professionals€25–40
Paid ads (Meta, LinkedIn)Retargeting, lookalikes€25–40
PartnershipsAgencies, bootcamps€25–40

Goal: 2,000–3,000 users. Blended CAC €25–40.

Phase 3 — M10–18

Consultant thought leadership, affiliate programme, enterprise outreach. LTV:CAC target 6–10:1 (CAC €25–40).

Traction & validation

Traction — proof of concept

  • MVP en ligneflowmail.studio
  • FlowPay beta — Revolut connecté, 1ères transactions Q1 2026
  • Validation — Témoignages agents immobiliers (LinkedIn — Spyros K., Sylvain G., Lance R.)
  • Pré-revenus par design — produit d'abord, scale après validation

Ask : €1M pour scaler les canaux d'acquisition validés.

Preuve du problème

Post LinkedIn — agents immobiliers, 50 e-mails sans réponse, témoignages réels.

À ajouter

  • Beta signups — Si > 50, mentionner dans le pitch
  • Screenshots — Captures annotées
  • LOI — Letters of intent le cas échéant

Stratégie Go-to-Market

Approche acquisition : Product-led growth (PLG) avec outbound ciblé pour segments haute valeur.

Phase 1 — M1–3 (Validation)

Budget Phase 1 : €30K test — Meta €15K, LinkedIn €10K, Reddit organique €5K. Objectif : 200–500 sign‑ups → 10–50 payants. CAC < €40. Plan B : CAC > €60 à M2 → pivot.

CanalCibleBudgetStatut
MetaFreelancers cold€15KLancement
LinkedInConsultants retargeting€10KLancement
Reddit r/jobs, r/resumesCommunauté€5KQ1 2026
Product HuntVisibilitéAprès succès

Objectif : 100–500 users, validation. CAC €25–40.

Phase 2 — M4–9 (Agents immo, consultants)

CanalCibleCAC
Groupes FacebookProfessionnels immo€25–40
Paid ads (Meta, LinkedIn)Retargeting, lookalikes€25–40
PartenariatsAgences, bootcamps€25–40

Objectif : 2 000–3 000 users. CAC moyen €25–40.

Phase 3 — M10–18

Thought leadership consultants, programme affiliés, enterprise. LTV:CAC cible 6–10:1.


Videos

Strategic Vision — FlowMail & FlowPay

Positioning: FlowMail = pro e-mail marketing | FlowPay = e-mail banking

Vision: From professional e-mail to sovereign European digital infrastructure — portal for bureaucratic and financial uses.

E-mail: Universal Portal

IndicatorValue
Global e-mail users4.6B (→ 5B in 2028)
E-mails sent/day376B
Internet users with e-mail monthly75%
#1 tool in businessAhead of messaging and social networks

Comparable Model: Proton

Proton proves a sovereign ecosystem alternative to Big Tech can succeed: 100M+ users, $97.5M revenue 2024.

CriterionProtonFlowMail / FlowPay
Starting pointEncrypted e-mailPro e-mail marketing
ExpansionDrive, VPN, DocsFlowPay (banking), crypto
SovereigntySwitzerlandLuxembourg
DifferentiationPrivacy-firstNative e-mail banking

FlowMail = Proton + banking.


Roadmap & Investments

StageObjectiveInvestment
1. FlowMailGmail/Outlook — zero migrationSeed €1M
2. Banking APIRevolut + providers€80K
3. ArchitecturesLuxembourg data centres€50K–500K Phase 1

Revenue (projections)

PeriodARRStatus
M12€300KBreak-even
M15€550KProfitable
M18€900KSeries A ready
Year 4€6M+Payment Institution

Use of funds (seed €1M)

ItemAmount%
Founders€400K40%
Product€250K25%
Marketing€200K20%
Recruitment€100K10%
Operations€50K5%

Roadmap — Chronological Milestones & Budget

Objective: sovereign European infrastructure (Luxembourg).

Overview

PhasePeriodBudgetKey Milestone
SeedM0–18€1MBreak-even, Series A ready
Series AM18–30€3–5MOwn infra Phase 1
Series BM30–48€10–15MLuxembourg data centre
Phase 3M48+€50M+100% sovereign stack

Phase 2: Luxembourg Data Centre (€8–20M)

Infrastructures to host / recreate:

Current (third-party)Sovereign equivalent
VercelApplication servers, EU CDN
SupabaseSelf-hosted PostgreSQL + Auth
Gmail/Outlook APISMTP/IMAP servers @flowmail.studio
Maileroo/SendGridOwn outbound mail servers
RevolutOwn Payment Institution (after licence)

Rationale: Avoid Cloud Act, 100% EU data, GDPR/NIS2/DORA.

Dependencies to Eliminate (order)

  1. Vercel → EU Luxembourg equivalent
  2. Supabase → Self-hosted PostgreSQL
  3. SendGrid/Maileroo → Own SMTP servers
  4. Gmail/Outlook API → Servers @flowmail.studio
  5. Revolut → Own Payment Institution

Vision stratégique — FlowMail & FlowPay

Positionnement : FlowMail = e-mail pro marketing | FlowPay = e-mail banking

Vision : De l'e-mail professionnel à l'infrastructure digitale souveraine européenne — portail des usages bureautiques et financiers.

L'e-mail : portail universel

IndicateurValeur
Utilisateurs e-mail mondiaux4,6 Md (→ 5 Md en 2028)
E-mails envoyés/jour376 Md
Utilisateurs internet e-mail mensuellement75 %
Outil #1 en entrepriseDevant messagerie et réseaux sociaux

Modèle comparable : Proton

Proton démontre qu'un écosystème souverain alternatif à Big Tech peut réussir : 100 M+ users, $97,5M revenue 2024.

CritèreProtonFlowMail / FlowPay
Point de départE-mail chiffréE-mail pro marketing
ExpansionDrive, VPN, DocsFlowPay (banking), crypto
SouverainetéSuisseLuxembourg
DifférenciationPrivacy-firstE-mail banking natif

FlowMail = Proton + banking.


Feuille de route & investissements

ÉtapeObjectifInvestissement
1. FlowMailGmail/Outlook — zéro migrationSeed €1M
2. API bancaireRevolut + prestataires€80K
3. ArchitecturesData centers Luxembourg€50K–500K Phase 1

Revenus (projections)

PériodeARRStatut
M12€300KBreak-even
M15€550KRentable
M18€900KSerie A ready
An 4€6M+Payment Institution

Use of funds (seed €1M)

PosteMontant%
Fondateurs€400K40 %
Produit€250K25 %
Marketing€200K20 %
Recrutement€100K10 %
Opérations€50K5 %

Roadmap — Jalons chronologiques & Budget

Objectif : infrastructure souveraine européenne (Luxembourg).

Vue d'ensemble

PhasePériodeBudgetJalon principal
SeedM0–18€1MBreak-even, Serie A ready
Serie AM18–30€3–5MInfra propre Phase 1
Serie BM30–48€10–15MData center Luxembourg
Phase 3M48+€50M+Stack 100 % souverain

Phase 2 : Data center Luxembourg (€8–20M)

Infrastructures à loger / recréer :

Actuel (tiers)Équivalent souverain
VercelServeurs applicatifs, CDN EU
SupabasePostgreSQL + Auth auto-hébergés
Gmail/Outlook APIServeurs SMTP/IMAP @flowmail.studio
Maileroo/SendGridServeurs mail sortants propres
RevolutPayment Institution propre (après licence)

Rationale : Éviter Cloud Act, données 100 % EU, GDPR/NIS2/DORA.

Dépendances à éliminer (ordre)

  1. Vercel → Équivalent EU Luxembourg
  2. Supabase → PostgreSQL auto-hébergé
  3. SendGrid/Maileroo → Serveurs SMTP propres
  4. Gmail/Outlook API → Serveurs @flowmail.studio
  5. Revolut → Payment Institution propre

Competition — Storytelling & Financial Data

Reference Model: Proton

FlowMail = Proton + banking. Proton: 100M+ users, $97.5M revenue. Alternative to Google. FlowPay fills the payments gap.


Why Competitors Cannot Follow Us

CompetitorRevenue / PriceLimit
Mailchimp / Klaviyo$937M; €300+/yearCannot lower prices without cannibalising
Canva$2.3B; €120–420/yearDesign-first, no OAuth, flawed export
Superhuman~$30M; $30/monthInbox management, no templates
GmailFreeNo template monetisation
FlowMail + FlowPay€50–100/yearSweet spot: 1‑to‑1 + banking + EU

E-mail Providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail)

Apple 60.6% • Gmail 29.1% (~1.8B) • Outlook 4% (400M+) • Yahoo 2.5% (1.1B). FlowMail integrates with Gmail, Outlook.


FlowMail / FlowPay Positioning

CriterionFlowMailCompetitors
Price€50–100/year€300+/year
Use casePro 1‑to‑1 + bankingMass marketing OR design
MigrationZeroHeavy
PaymentsNativeAbsent
SovereigntyLuxembourgUS-based

Concurrence — Storytelling & données financières

Modèle de référence : Proton

FlowMail = Proton + banking. Proton : 100 M+ users, $97,5M revenue. Alternative à Google. FlowPay comble le vide des paiements.


Pourquoi les concurrents ne peuvent pas nous suivre

ConcurrentRevenus / PrixLimite
Mailchimp / Klaviyo$937M ; €300+/anNe peuvent pas baisser les prix sans cannibaliser
Canva$2,3B ; €120–420/anDesign-first, pas OAuth, export bancal
Superhuman~$30M ; $30/moisInbox management, pas templates
GmailGratuitPas de monétisation templates
FlowMail + FlowPay€50–100/anSweet spot : 1‑à‑1 + banking + EU

Prestataires e-mail (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail)

Apple 60,6 % • Gmail 29,1 % (~1,8 Md) • Outlook 4 % (400 M+) • Yahoo 2,5 % (1,1 Md). FlowMail s'intègre à Gmail, Outlook.


Positionnement FlowMail / FlowPay

CritèreFlowMailConcurrents
Prix€50–100/an€300+/an
Use case1‑à‑1 pro + bankingMass marketing OU design
MigrationZéroLourde
PaiementsNatifsAbsents
SouverainetéLuxembourgUS-based

Sources — Figures & Amounts

E-mail (global market)

FigureValueSource
Global e-mail users4.6BStatista, Radicati
E-mails sent/day376BRadicati Group
E-mail users monthly75.1%Statista Q2 2026
Email marketing market (global)$9–13B (2025)Mordor Intelligence, TBRC
TAM (45M × €50)€2.25BFlowseed
SAM Year 5 (2–5% penetration)€45–110MFlowseed

E-mail Providers

ProviderShareUsersSource
Apple Mail60.6%Statista, Litmus
Gmail29.1%~1.8BStatista
Outlook4%400M+Statista
Yahoo2.45%~1.1BStatista

Competition

CompetitorFigureSource
Klaviyo$937MKlaviyo investors
Canva$2.3B ARRSacra 2024
Superhuman~$30MSacra, Crunchbase
Proton$97.5MGetLatka 2024

Roadmap & Budget

ItemBudgetPhase
Luxembourg colocation€50–150K/yearM20–36
Data centre acquisition€8–20MM32–40
Sovereign stack€2–4MM36–44

Glossary — Acronyms & Key Terms

Financial Metrics

TermDefinition
ARRAnnual recurring revenue (subscriptions)
LTVTotal expected revenue from a customer
CACCustomer acquisition cost
LTV:CACAcquisition profitability. FlowMail: 15–18:1
ChurnCancellation rate. Target: 15%/year
RunwayCash runway duration

Market & Business

TermDefinition
TAMTotal addressable market. FlowMail: 450M
SaaSCloud subscription software
B2B / B2CBusiness / consumer sales

Technical & Regulatory

TermDefinition
APISoftware interface (e.g. Revolut API)
OAuthGmail/Outlook access without password
GDPREU data protection regulation
DMADigital Markets Act
Payment InstitutionEU payment licence
Cloud ActUS law — motivates EU sovereignty

Product

TermDefinition
Pro e-mail marketingFlowMail: templates, Gmail/Outlook
E-mail bankingFlowPay: payments in e-mail
MoatDefendable competitive advantage
Sweet spotFavourable positioning

Sources — Chiffres & montants

E-mail (marché global)

ChiffreValeurSource
Utilisateurs e-mail mondiaux4,6 MdStatista, Radicati
E-mails envoyés/jour376 MdRadicati Group
Utilisateurs e-mail mensuellement75,1 %Statista Q2 2025
Marché email marketing (global)$9–13 Md (2025)Mordor Intelligence, TBRC
TAM (45 M × €50)€2,25 MdFlowseed
SAM Année 5 (2–5 % pénétration)€45–110 MFlowseed

Prestataires e-mail

PrestatairePartUsersSource
Apple Mail60,6 %Statista, Litmus
Gmail29,1 %~1,8 MdStatista
Outlook4 %400 M+Statista
Yahoo2,45 %~1,1 MdStatista

Concurrence

ConcurrentChiffreSource
Klaviyo$937MKlaviyo investors
Canva$2,3B ARRSacra 2024
Superhuman~$30MSacra, Crunchbase
Proton$97,5MGetLatka 2024

Roadmap & Budget

PosteBudgetPhase
Colocation Luxembourg€50–150K/anM20–36
Acquisition data center€8–20MM32–40
Stack souverain€2–4MM36–44

Glossaire — Acronymes & termes clés

Métriques financières

TermeDéfinition
ARRRevenus récurrents annuels (abonnements)
LTVRevenu total attendu d'un client
CACCoût d'acquisition d'un client
LTV:CACRentabilité acquisition. FlowMail : 15–18:1
ChurnTaux de résiliation. Cible : 15 %/an
RunwayDurée trésorerie disponible

Marché & business

TermeDéfinition
TAMMarché total adressable. FlowMail : 450 M
SaaSLogiciel abonnement cloud
B2B / B2CVente entreprises / particuliers

Technique & Réglementaire

TermeDéfinition
APIInterface logicielle (ex. Revolut API)
OAuthAccès Gmail/Outlook sans mot de passe
GDPRRèglement EU protection données
DMADigital Markets Act
Payment InstitutionLicence EU paiements
Cloud ActLoi US — motive souveraineté EU

Produit

TermeDéfinition
E-mail pro marketingFlowMail : templates, Gmail/Outlook
E-mail bankingFlowPay : paiements dans l'e-mail
MoatAvantage concurrentiel défendable
Sweet spotPositionnement favorable

Prep — Pitch Preparation

Content for investor meetings: Todo checklist and VC questions.


Todo — Not Done Yet (Your Side)

  • Team photos + LinkedIn for Alex, Stanislav, Nick
  • 10–50 paying users (priority)
  • AI roadmap (optional)
  • Viral mechanics (optional): footer « Sent with FlowMail », marketplace

Questions VCs Will Ask — Prepare Your Answers

  1. Who are you and why you? → Team: 4 members, 3A Circle, Payment Factory
  2. How many paying users today? → Pre-revenue by design — MVP live, FlowPay beta, validation done. €1M to scale acquisition.
  3. What if Google integrates this natively? → Not core to Workspace revenue; we have banking roadmap
  4. How will you acquire your first 1,000 clients? → Traction & GTM: 3‑month paid ads campaign (Meta, LinkedIn), Reddit end Feb, Product Hunt after success. CAC €25–40
  5. Why €50/year vs free Gmail? → Pro branding, templates, 1‑to‑1. Gmail won't monetise templates.
  6. Realistic churn assumption? → 15%/year target; conservative scenario in Funding table
  7. FlowPay banking licence timeline? → Revolut API first; Payment Institution Year 2–3
  8. What can you do that Gmail + Zapier cannot? → Native OAuth, zero export, banking in email, EU sovereignty

Pitch deck, infographics: flowmail.studio / flowseed.studio

Préparation pitch

Contenu pour réunions investisseurs : Todo et questions VCs.


Todo — Non fait (à faire de ton côté)

  • Photos équipe + LinkedIn pour Alex, Stanislav, Nick
  • 10–50 utilisateurs payants (priorité)
  • AI roadmap (optionnel)
  • Viral mechanics (optionnel) : footer « Sent with FlowMail », marketplace

Questions que les VCs poseront — Préparez vos réponses

  1. Qui êtes-vous et pourquoi vous ? → Équipe : 4 membres, 3A Circle, Payment Factory
  2. Combien d'utilisateurs payants aujourd'hui ? → Pré-revenus par design — MVP en ligne, FlowPay beta, validation faite. €1M pour scaler l'acquisition.
  3. Et si Google intègre ça nativement ? → Pas prioritaire pour Workspace ; roadmap banking
  4. Comment acquérir les 1 000 premiers clients ? → Traction & GTM : Campagne publicitaire 3 mois (Meta, LinkedIn), Reddit fin fév, Product Hunt après succès. CAC €25–40
  5. Pourquoi €50/an vs Gmail gratuit ? → Branding pro, templates, 1‑à‑1. Google ne monétisera pas les templates.
  6. Hypothèse churn réaliste ? → 15 %/an cible ; scénario conservateur dans tableau Financement
  7. Timeline licence bancaire FlowPay ? → API Revolut d'abord ; Payment Institution Année 2–3
  8. Qu'est-ce que vous faites que Gmail + Zapier ne fait pas ? → OAuth natif, zéro export, banking dans l'email, souveraineté EU

Pitch deck, infographies : flowmail.studio / flowseed.studio

Product Videos

Full product demonstrations.