Inside LumApps’ Global Expansion with Co-founder Josué Moëns
From a tailor-made intranet for Veolia to a global employee experience platform used by millions, LumApps has grown into a leader shaping the future of digital workplaces. In this conversation, Co-founder and Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer Josué Moëns shares the company’s journey—from its bold expansion into the U.S. and acquisition-driven evolution to its vision for an AI-powered, human-centric employee hub. He also reflects on the entrepreneurial mindset behind LumApps’ global rise and offers insights for French founders scaling in the U.S. market.
Company overview
Q: Can you introduce LumApps and explain what your platform does?
A: LumApps is a digital workplace platform designed to connect, inform, and engage employees at scale. It acts as a modern intranet—integrating with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and business apps—to centralize communications, knowledge, and tools in one intuitive interface. Today, over 6 million users across 750+ companies rely on LumApps to drive collaboration and productivity.
Q: How did the idea for LumApps come about?
A: It started with a real need: our first client, Veolia, was migrating to the cloud and lacked a centralized way to communicate with employees. We built a tailor-made intranet that became the foundation of LumApps—customer-driven from day one.
Q: What makes LumApps stand out from other digital workplace or intranet solutions?
A: We offer an all-in-one platform—communications, communities, video, employee advocacy, learning, and AI—fully integrated into everyday tools. LumApps is flexible, scalable, and forward-thinking, delivering a connected, personalized experience that serves both frontline and global teams.
What sets us apart is our vision: to become the connected employee hub for all companies, extending the possibilities of intranet into a true driver of growth and engagement. In 2023, we made a bold move by acquiring Teach on Mars, a mobile-first learning platform—making LumApps the first IPS (Intranet Platform Solution) to embed employee development into daily workflows. In 2025, we deepened this approach through a strategic partnership with Mercer, reinforcing our ambition to break HR silos and offer a comprehensive employee experience platform.
Recognized by both Gartner and Forrester, LumApps continues to lead the way in shaping the future of work.
Q: What have been the major growth milestones in the company’s journey?
A: From our founding in Lyon in 2012, we scaled internationally with key funding rounds (notably from Goldman Sachs in 2020), opened offices in Austin, New York, London and Tokyo, and secured clients like Airbus, Electronic Arts, and Japan Airlines. In 2024, we entered a new chapter with Bridgepoint’s investment, valuing the company at $650M.
Q: Who are your main clients, and which industries do you primarily serve?
A: Our clients range from tech (EA) to retail (Galeries Lafayette), finance (Capital One), consulting (Publicis Sapient), healthcare (Ascension), and transportation (Japan Airlines). What they share: complex, global workforces in need of centralized, modern internal communication.
International Development
Q: Why did the U.S. market seem like a natural next step for LumApps?
A: The U.S. is the world’s largest enterprise software market and early adopter of cloud-based collaboration. It was essential for credibility and scale. By 2019, the U.S. became our top growth market.
Q: Why did you choose Austin as your North American base?
A: Austin offered the perfect mix of tech talent, affordability, and central location. The city’s thriving innovation ecosystem and strong French-American community helped us integrate and scale faster.
Q: How do you adapt to both markets and their business cultures?
A: We balance French R&D strengths with U.S. agility and customer focus. Hiring local talent, cross-team exchanges, and adapting messaging are key. This bicultural identity is now one of our assets.
Future
Q: How did the Bridgepoint acquisition come about, and what does it mean for your next chapter?
A: We saw in Bridgepoint a strategic partner to help us scale globally. Their majority investment in 2024 provides capital, expertise, and international reach to accelerate innovation, especially in AI and frontline capabilities.
Q: How do you see the future of digital workplaces evolving, and what role will LumApps play?
A: The future of digital workplaces is bold, human-centric, and deeply connected. At LumApps, we’re leading the way by extending the role of the intranet—turning it into a true employee hub and digital front door for the organization. It’s not just about accessing information; it’s about empowering every employee to grow, act, and thrive.
Our ambition is to make the intranet a key to employee success—where communication, collaboration, learning, and tools come together seamlessly. AI will play a critical role, not to replace the human, but to streamline tasks, surface what matters, and free people to focus on higher-value work.
LumApps will continue to push boundaries, integrating learning, breaking silos, and helping companies turn their internal platforms into strategic assets.
Entrepreneurial Perspective – Josué Moëns
Q: Was there a bold decision that shaped the company’s trajectory?
A: Absolutely—at LumApps, bold decisions are in our DNA. Expanding to the U.S. in 2017, while still a young French scale-up, was a major leap. It meant stepping into the world’s most competitive market, but it also fast-tracked our transformation into a global tech leader.
That mindset continues to guide us—whether it’s acquiring Teach on Mars to integrate learning, partnering with Mercer to bridge HR and Comms, or reimagining the intranet as a future-ready, employee-centric hub. We believe bold moves are how you build lasting impact.
Q: What have you learned transitioning from startup to global company?
A: Structure scales. Trusting great people, communicating vision clearly, and staying close to customers helped us grow while staying true to our culture.
Q: Advice for French entrepreneurs expanding into the U.S.?
A: Localize everything—team, messaging, go-to-market. Tap into networks like the French-American Chamber of Commerce. Commit fully, stay agile, and be patient. The U.S. is competitive, but it can accelerate your growth exponentially.
