A serial entrepreneur with a passion for fintech, Nicolas has co‑founded five startups, including Limonetik and Antelop, two payment solutions he successfully exited. Today, he leads Swan, his “proudest creation,” with an ambitious mission: to reinvent embedded finance.
Nicolas also shares the highs and lows of entrepreneurship — from early‑stage struggles to the mental load of being a founder, and the resilience it takes to turn challenges into opportunities.
We talk about:
How he imagined concepts like Stripe and Qonto before their time
The importance of co‑founders and his partnership with Nicolas Saison
Knowing when to let go of an idea and having the courage to pivot
The vision behind Swan and its ambition to create European champions
Why his “low ego” is one of his greatest strengths
Timeline
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:03:57] Learning to become an entrepreneur: why it’s not innate and the value of role models
[00:09:32] Influenced by PriceMinister: how being one of the “junior” co‑founders shaped his path
[00:21:03] Leaving Limonetik before its sale: the journey of his first fintech and why he stepped away
[00:25:00] Ideas ahead of their time: how concepts like Stripe and Qonto inspired his vision
[00:29:33] Navigating entrepreneurial struggles: balancing financial pressure with personal responsibility
[00:32:40] Building Antelop: launching a contactless payment solution in 2014
[00:45:08] Creating Swan: how his most ambitious project began
[00:47:59] Meeting Nicolas Saison: how they connected, evolved, and built a partnership
[00:53:36] The importance of marketing: how design and marketing serve the product
[00:58:36] What’s next: Nicolas’s entrepreneurial trajectory and Swan’s future
Products & People Mentioned
Nicolas Saison – Co‑founder of Swan, whom Nicolas met over 20 years ago
Bulledezen – His first startup (2005), an e‑commerce site for alarm clocks
Limonetik – His second company (2007), a payment solution for e‑commerce
Antelop – His third startup, focused on contactless payment solutions
PriceMinister – A pivotal moment in Nicolas’s career, where he was one of the early “junior” co‑founders
Visa – A key chapter between two entrepreneurial ventures
AXA – Where he managed web applications before returning to entrepreneurship
