Akeneo acquires Unifai (Future 40 ‘20) to shape the future of Product Information Management

Unifai is the very first AI platform that automates product data from e-tailers and distributors. With an ambitious team made up of AI experts formerly at Amazon, the startup is an alum of the Microsoft Program and was part of the 2020 edition of Future 40 (and is still based at Station F today!).

In late September, news broke that Unifai had been acquired by Akeneo, a company building an intuitive platform that radically simplifies product information management. With this acquisition, Unifai is joining forces with Akeneo's Product Cloud, making it even more impactful for brands, manufacturers, retailers, and distributors worldwide. Together, they are introducing the first-ever AI Center of Excellence aimed at assisting organizations in optimizing AI for an enhanced PX strategy.

We spoke with Unifai co-founder and CEO, Jesse Creange, to hear more about the journey to acquisition and his experience at Station F.

• SF - Could you share three significant moments in your startup's history, aside from the acquisition, from its inception to its acquisition by Akeneo?

  JC - To give some context, we co-founded Unifai in 2017 and went full time in 2020. Our first significant achievement was the signature of our first retail customers in 2020. We knew nothing about retail and were on the brink of stopping and doing something else. It was a real "aha" moment! Getting into Station F and becoming a proud Station F Future 40 member was really amazing. We worked so hard on it and it just dramatically improved outreach with investors and customers. Then meeting Akeneo early 2021 and starting working with them as partners skyrocketed the company. We discovered amazing people and took immense pleasure helping shared customers together.

• SF - What motivated you to sell your startup to a strategic partner? What are your plans for the future?

  JC - We had been working with Akeneo for 3 years and we already had incredible human fit as well as product compatibility. Then, we entered into a reseller agreement in February 2023 and they opened the gates to Europe for us, allowing us to reach customers outside of France. Sales soared and joining forces became the obvious thing to do. We are now the world's first Intelligent Product Cloud vendor on the market. Unifai's product will become a part of this ecosystem and the team will start working on infusing AI within all Akeneo products. 

• SF - The acquisition of Unifai will be used to create the very first Center of Excellence in AI dedicated to product experiences. Can you tell us more about this?

  JC - Product Experience (PX) professionals have very tedious yet essential work when it comes to delivering appealing and consistent experiences on all channels. This is a field in which AI shines by liberating experts from grunt work so they can focus on value added work. Akeneo and Unifai are committed to educating, helping and equipping all experts with the right tools so they may thrive in their domain. 

• SF - Are there any lessons or personal experiences you would like to share with other entrepreneurs who might consider a similar acquisition?

  JC -  Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) can be scary for many young entrepreneurs, fearful of losing their independence or their ability to create, mainly because it's new, or because it can feel like the end of the journey for most of those creators. But with the right ingredients, it's just the recipe for another amazing ride. Tech compatibility is of course important but human fit and shared vision are paramount!

• SF - How has the STATION F ecosystem and being part of Future 40 facilitated your development?

  JC - We entered Station F in the midst of the biggest health crisis in modern history. We found an amazing workplace we sheltered in (and we are still here by the way), great advice and support from individual experts and companies like Google and Microsoft on product building and infrastructure management, great peers to exchange with, and consistent help from the staff. We would do it again a hundred times over!

You can read more about the acquisition news here.