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Bootstrapping Agorapulse to over $20M ARR with Emeric Ernoult

Author
Emeric Ernoult, Munya Hoto, Tom Glason
Published
Thu 04 Sep 2025
Episode Link
https://making-the-grade.simplecast.com/episodes/bootstrapping-agorapulse-to-over-20m-arr-with-emeric-ernoult-O9j6Z14e

Start-up headlines are often dominated by fundraising announcements and the latest valuation. 

But the Venture Capital route isn’t the only option or the best to take. 

In this episode, we’re joined by Emeric Ernoult, Co-Founder & CEO of Agorapulse, one of Europe’s most successful bootstrapped SaaS Founders.

Emeric is a serial entrepreneur and has seen Agorapulse through several pivots and international expansion, all while bootstrapping. 

This often painful journey has come with its fair share of lessons - some of which Emeric shares with us in today’s conversation. 

This is definitely not a highlights reel, so if you’re currently going through the trenches or facing a pivot, this episode is one you don’t want to miss. 

Episode Chapters

03:37 - Building Agorapulse from the ashes of a previous business 
07:20 - The signs to know when it’s time to pivot 
13:31 - Bootstrapping vs VC funding - the hard truths
17:44 - Understanding VCs beyond the money 
23:25 - The Do’s & Don’ts of international expansion
27:28 - Growth metrics that actually matter
34:07 - How AI is transforming data-driven growth


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