Meet with Etienne Boutan, Bachelor 2016, and co-founder of Heex Technologies.
Following world-class acceleration programs from Microsoft, Nvidia, and Plug and Play, this French entrepreneur and his startup Heex Technologies are getting out of stealth mode to take on the ambitious industry of autonomous driving.
What have you done since you graduated from IUM?
After IUM, I worked in Finance in Monaco for a couple of years, where I gained experience in wealth and investment management. I notably started as an analyst in Barclays’ technology department before working my way up to the front office at Société Générale. In 2018, I left banking to start my entrepreneurial journey, and in March 2019, I co-founded Heex Technologies, a startup offering smart data management for autonomous driving.
What inspired you to set up your own company?
As a sophomore in college, I was lucky enough to spend a year in San Francisco, where I discovered Silicon Valley, which fascinated me about startups and new technologies.
I further deepened that interest by becoming a member of the entrepreneurship club at UCLA, interning as a VC analyst at Total Impact Capital, and attending a variety of events, such as the startup weekend in Monaco.
Once I graduated, I went into banking thinking I’d get some work experience until I had a shot at starting something, and the opportunity eventually came when one of my co-founders called me about exploring autonomous driving, which had been booming since I was last in the United States.
Then we flew to Silicon Valley to meet with the industry’s main players to understand the problems they were dealing with, and the next thing you know, Heex Technologies was born.
Where does your entrepreneurial spirit derive from?
Before going to college, I played professional basketball in France and Spain, which very much felt like building my first startup.
In fact, both sports and startups are highly competitive, and the chances of making it to the top are extremely slim. Inevitably, entrepreneurs and athletes are forced to develop mental toughness and often end up with strikingly similar mindsets.
In your opinion, what are the Top 3 skills an entrepreneur should have?
Having a passion. All successful entrepreneurs have a burning desire to solve the problem they’re working on, which allows them to be incredibly curious and precise in everything they do, to put in long hours and go the extra mile, not to mention be resilient and show grit when things get tough.
Pulling people in. Great entrepreneurs are amazing at attracting the best talent and getting clients and investors to strongly buy into their vision. Having a strong, committed team is the number one factor in building a killer company.
Being courageous. Every entrepreneur starts from zero, and that includes taking many risks, constantly dealing with uncertainties, facing countless rejections, making many mistakes, and often failing. It’s actually tough to be good at something the first time around, but with time, effort, and a lot of perseverance, things end up working out.
Honorable mentions: have a good idea and execute well!
Why did you choose Monaco for your Bachelor’s degree?
As a transfer student from UCLA, I wanted to return to Europe. IUM offered the perfect opportunity to do so through an international curriculum at a world-class business school (AMBA-accredited).
Among other things, IUM was well known for its career tracks in Finance, and Monaco provided the perfect playground for building a strong professional network.
It’s also worth noting that, once I graduated, Monaco’s startup ecosystem began to blossom with the launch of MonacoTech, a Xavier Niel-backed incubator, in 2017.
In your opinion, what are the key takeaways from the Bachelor’s program you graduated from?
College isn’t the place where you’re going to learn most of the things you’re going to need to be successful, but it will teach you the right learning framework to apply in the real world.
In fact, the bachelor’s program was the perfect track to pique my interest in many different areas and to help me get the bigger picture of what running a business would be like, theoretically. It was then on me to go out there and try things out.
Interestingly, I got my first job thanks to my ability to code in VBA, which I learned as an elective.
Favorite memory about IUM?
I got to make great friends and meet like-minded people, many of whom I’m still very close to today.
What makes you laugh the most?
Memes on the internet.
If you would like more information about our Bachelor’s program, please look at our website.
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