In the crowded world of fintech, it's not every day you come across a startup that set out to revolutionize a centuries-old profession from a kitchen table. But that's exactly what Dougs did.
A chance encounter between an accountant with a flair for entrepreneurship and a robotics engineer with an eye for automation has turned into one of France's most quietly ambitious success stories.
Today, with over 550 employees, €37 million in revenue, and 50% year-over-year growth, Dougs is on track to become the largest accounting firm in France. And they’ve done it largely without venture capital, just a lot of grit, product focus, and an unconventional approach to growth.
A Chance Encounter That Changed Everything
Patrick Maurice, a seasoned expert-comptable who had already founded two firms with his wife, Véronique, met Florent Galland, a robotics PhD turned software engineer, in a coworking space they never even ended up using.
The two came from wildly different worlds: Maurice from traditional finance; Galland from academic AI. But their ambitions were aligned: to simplify and modernize accounting for entrepreneurs, making their lives easier.
Maurice knew accounting inside out. Galland had long been working on AI systems and had even tried to build a few products of his own. But, as he recalled, "It’s easy to build a product. Selling it is the hard part."
The pair was joined by two other partners: DAF Véronique Maurice, Patrick’s wife and long-time business partner, and COO Sarah Jaouani.
Their partnership quickly found its rhythm. While Maurice woke at 4 AM to write blog posts and generate early leads, Galland built the first version of the Dougs app in his kitchen.
Three months later, in January 2015, they launched the MVP, offering it free to their first beta testers because the payment module wasn’t ready yet.
Meanwhile, larger competitors were still scoping out their products. "If you're not embarrassed by your first product, you launched it too late!" Maurice said.
Rethinking Accounting for Entrepreneurs
The core problem Dougs set out to solve wasn’t purely about numbers; it was about fear.
"So many brilliant tradespeople and entrepreneurs avoid launching a business simply because accounting and admin are terrifying," Maurice explained.
He once addressed an auditorium of 150 newly qualified Meilleurs Ouvriers de France. Only four said they wanted to start their own business. "They were terrified of accounting," he said.
Dougs aimed to flip that fear into empowerment. Its platform and app offer a radically simplified accounting experience, using automation and AI to handle up to 90% of a company’s balance sheet preparation, with the goal of reaching 100% automation in the next couple of years.
Whereas a traditional accountant might manage 40 balance sheets a year, a Dougs expert is capable of processing 400 a year. That efficiency is key to their model, which charges around €60 per month, far lower than legacy players.
Growth the Hard Way: Bootstrapping at Scale
From the outset, Dougs was bootstrapped. The four co-founders put in €10,000 of their own money and focused on profitability from day one. No big marketing budget. No flashy VC round to begin with. Just smart inbound marketing and some initial rejection.
“I remember going door to door to osteopaths and physiotherapists to hand out flyers and frequently being asked to leave,” admitted Galland.
However, Maurice’s early blog posts turned into a wildly successful YouTube channel, which today boasts over 115,000 subscribers and more than 15 million views, making him one of France’s most unexpected influencer-accountants.
Dougs' entire marketing strategy hinges on content: share knowledge freely, earn trust, and let the product speak for itself. It’s inbound, done right.
"We built the brand from the inside out," Galland confirmed.
Their approach has worked. By 2023, with over 250+ staff and consistent growth, Dougs finally raised outside capital: €25 million from UK-based Expedition Growth Capital to accelerate their expansion. The process was rocky. Their first term sheet fell through days after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Other offers didn’t align with their vision. They held out for the right fit until they found it.
Under the Hood: Automation With a Human Touch
Today, of Doug’s now 550 employees, around 120 are engineers who have built a proprietary expert system capable of handling enormous volumes of accounting operations.
While the goal is to make accounting nearly invisible for entrepreneurs, the platform is not there yet. Complexities across sectors and business models make 100% automation a challenge. Thanks to advances in large language models and AI, Galland believes full automation is within reach in the next 1-2 years.
Dougs began by targeting freelancers, consultants, and small business owners, those most likely to be overwhelmed by admin. Today, its client base includes businesses of all sizes, including large SMEs with hundreds of employees.
From e-commerce entrepreneurs to restaurant owners, from osteopaths to plumbers, Dougs is now known throughout France. It's become a go-to for those looking for a simpler, more modern way to handle accounting.
The Road to Success
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Today, Dougs is one of the largest accounting firms in France in terms of client volume and revenue. But the ambition goes further.
"In four or five years, we want to be the #1 accounting firm in France. Bigger than Inextenso. Bigger than KPMG," said Maurice.
They believe profitability is their secret weapon. By staying lean, they can grow on their termsraise when they want, and remain in control of their mission.
The co-founders told me that their next round will likely be a three-digit Series A.
International expansion is on the table, but not a priority. The UK and Germany are obvious targets. For now, the focus remains on France, which is a massive, still-under-penetrated market.
"We want people to say, 'With Dougs, I’m better off than without.' For us that’s the mark of success," Galland. “It means we will have succeeded in our mission to make entrepreneurs' lives easier!”
