Hexa has appointed Thibault Chassagne, co-founder of digital car rental company Virtuo, as a Partner at Hexa Scale, its investment platform focused on helping established software businesses resume growth. The move brings an experienced European technology operator into the team as Hexa Scale prepares to raise its first private equity fund and advance a deal pipeline developed over the past 18 months. Chassagne will work with management teams on strategy, commercial execution, product development, organizational design, and the operational challenges that often emerge when profitable companies reach a growth ceiling in competitive markets.
Chassagne’s Operating Experience
Chassagne co-founded Virtuo with Karim Kaddoura in 2015 and helped expand the company across France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Belgium while building a workforce of more than 200 employees. According to Hexa, the business grew to nearly €50 million in revenue, giving Chassagne direct experience in scaling a consumer technology platform across several competitive European markets. Before Virtuo, he co-founded automotive marketplace Neowebcar in 2009 and later sold the company to French automotive information group L’Argus in 2014.
Hexa Scale’s Investment Model
Hexa Scale targets profitable vertical software companies that have developed strong products and customer relationships but are struggling to move beyond a period of slower expansion. Its model combines majority ownership with direct operational involvement, positioning experienced partners alongside existing executives rather than limiting their role to capital allocation and board oversight. Hexa describes this approach as acting like a late-stage co-founder, with the aim of addressing execution gaps, strengthening leadership structures, and identifying new paths for sustainable growth.
AI and Vertical Software
Artificial intelligence is expected to play an important role in the program’s value-creation strategy as specialized software increasingly moves from supporting employees to automating larger parts of industry workflows. Hexa Scale plans to help portfolio companies use AI internally, improve efficiency, lower operating costs, and free employees to concentrate on tasks requiring judgment, relationships, or specialist expertise. Chassagne believes vertical software companies are well positioned for this transition because their detailed understanding of specific industries can provide an advantage over general-purpose technology providers.
Building on Previous Investments
The appointment also builds on Hexa’s previous experience with companies including Youtrust, formerly known as Yousign, where the organization took a majority position and supported a broader repositioning of the electronic signature business. Hexa says similar principles have been applied to Veevart and Filiz, reinforcing its belief that ownership combined with hands-on operating support can unlock additional value in mature technology companies. Quentin Nickmans, who leads Hexa Scale, said Chassagne’s background as an operator who understands capital fits a strategy based on execution rather than financial engineering alone.
Chassagne’s arrival gives Hexa Scale additional operating expertise at a critical stage in the development of its investment program and planned first fund. His experience building and internationalizing technology companies, as well as completing an earlier business sale, is expected to support the platform as it evaluates opportunities and works with management teams facing complex scaling decisions. By combining majority investment, specialized software expertise, AI-driven operational improvements, and direct company-building support, Hexa is positioning the initiative as an alternative to more traditional private equity models.