Mister IA: from newsletter to 150 staff, one third of the CAC 40, and 10 million euros

In barely two years, the French start-up Mister IA has gone from a simple newsletter to a major consultancy with 150 employees and one third of the CAC 40 among its clients. We met its co-founder, Martin Pavanello, who shares an unvarnished view of the French market.

Mister IA’s story begins in April 2023, right in the middle of the generative AI boom. “When the boom happened, and especially from 2022 with ChatGPT, we thought: let’s create a newsletter to explain to people what it is, how it can help, what tools exist,” Martin Pavanello recalls. The response was instant: in just four months, the newsletter attracted between 15,000 and 20,000 subscribers. “We could feel there was strong traction. We felt we needed to take it one step further to clearly help companies deploy the technology,” he adds.

The business then shaped its offer around three strategic pillars: training, traditional consultancy to identify the best use cases, and-over the past year-the secure management and configuration of AI licences. This hybrid model has resonated, first with larger SMEs, mid-sized companies and the public sector, before successfully winning major corporates. Mister IA now claims one third of the CAC 40 in its portfolio.

That momentum is built on an ultra-focused positioning. Unlike generalist consultancies, the Paris-based firm has chosen to concentrate on a single area: “We’re truly a pure player in generative AI and today we don’t spill over into anything else. So we know this sector perfectly.” The approach also creates strong internal synergies: “Today, 80% of clients who train with us also use our consultancy services at some point,” the executive notes.

The budget barrier

When it comes to AI adoption in France, Mister IA says the main obstacle is still budget. “A lot of companies don’t yet want to put the budgets in, or they simply don’t have them,” says Martin Pavanello. Beyond funding, the market is also held back by a lack of skills in day-to-day use of the tools that already exist.

In practice, companies often chase complex, breakthrough solutions even though they have not yet mastered the basics of what is already at their fingertips. According to the co-founder, the priority is to get far more out of current office tools, which remain widely underused.

“The simple office chatbots from three years ago have become so powerful that many people still don’t fully master them today. A good employee barely uses 30% or 40% of what a tool like Claude can do. This revolution in office assistants is far from over,” he explains.

The impact of AI on hiring

As deployment progresses step by step, a key question naturally troubles many people: will AI destroy jobs? At Mister IA, the answer is intentionally pragmatic and far from worst-case narratives. “In the short to medium term, we don’t really believe it,” Martin Pavanello says. For now, the impact is mainly seen through concrete, immediate time savings within teams.

Even so, the technology still draws a potential threat for the future labour market. “What’s certain is that there’s a very strong risk hanging over future workers,” the expert warns. Efficiency gains allow organisations to lower their growth plans in terms of headcount.

“We see it every day-our client companies tell us: ‘Because we’re so well equipped, we can absorb growth without hiring,’ or by hiring less than before. We need to prepare for it,” he argues. Based on its own reporting, Mister IA observes a time saving of around 1 hour to 1 hour 30 per person, per day, once AI is properly deployed.

10 million euros to become a European leader

To support this shift and cement its position, Mister IA is moving up a gear. Last month, the start-up closed a 10 million euro funding round, bringing Momentum Invest into its shareholding. For a fast-growing services company, it is a key milestone.

With this funding, the ambition is straightforward: expand beyond France to establish itself across the continent. “The goal is to become a European leader on this theme of training and consultancy in generative AI,” the chief executive says. Already supporting clients in nine countries, Mister IA will use the funds to build local teams and open new offices, while also accelerating through external growth.

“We’re looking closely at potential acquisitions, whether in AI training, AI cyber training, or tool development,” the co-founder reveals. By widening its range in this way, the start-up wants to become the long-term, go-to partner for businesses. “The aim is to become, for our clients, the AI reference-the expert they’ll rely on whenever they have a need,” he concludes. The potential is huge.