The Seedext method for rethinking meetings
Improving business productivity through artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic promise. It's a reality built every day by Inès Besbes, founder of Seedext, a French start-up that makes meetings more efficient.
A former Google employee and seasoned entrepreneur, she took the AI plunge even before ChatGPT arrived on the scene. At zero to one, she looks back at the five key points that enabled her to build a solution to improve productivity at work.
Start with a real problem, not an abstract idea
For Inès Besbes, the key to any useful innovation lies in a simple principle: start with a real problem, experienced by employees.
"Everything has to start from an existing problem, a real problem and not just an idea we have. Because maybe I perceive something that is not shared by the majority."
Before Seedext, she spent time understanding how companies managed their meetings, minutes and action tracking. This concrete need to save time on repetitive tasks became the starting point for her solution.
Focus on simplicity and efficiency of execution
The entrepreneur reminds us that AI only makes sense if it translates into clear, measurable execution.
"It's all very well to sell, but you can't sell wind. You need a functional product, an MVP that simply answers the problem without having ten thousand features."
At Seedext, AI does not seek to revolutionize everything. It integrates into existing processes to remove the frictions of everyday life. Innovation lies in precision of execution, not technical complexity.
Putting people at the heart of technology
Contrary to certain technocentric visions, Inès Besbes insists that AI must remain at the service of users.
"I didn't do cold calling or automated campaigns. I went out and met people, understood their needs and saw if they were ready to integrate solutions like mine."
This hands-on approach has enabled it to build a human-centered solution that can be customized to suit teams and use cases. It also reminds us of the essential nuance between personalized and customizable:
"Personalized means tailor-made for each customer. Customizable means giving everyone flexibility without losing scalability."
Supporting change and acculturating teams
Once the technology has been adopted, the real challenge begins: human adoption.
"Contracting with a large group is in fact the beginning of the sale. After that, there's the whole support, acculturation, deployment part... That's what will keep the tool in the company."
At Seedext, every implementation is accompanied by feedback sessions, regular exchanges with users and active listening. This proximity creates the trust needed to integrate AI into working habits over the long term, without resistance.
Making AI proactive and sovereign
Inès Besbes' vision for the future is of a truly assistant AI, capable of acting alone in administrative tasks.
"Our goal with Foxy is for her to come to life and be able to proactively assist employees. If we say, 'Make me an Excel spreadsheet and send it to the team', she'll do it."
At the same time, she defends a European and sovereign approach to tech:
"There's a real issue today about sovereignty. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to set up French B2B boxes with major groups. There's a huge demand."
For her, the future of productivity lies in local, secure and ethical solutions, capable of competing with American tools.
All the advice from Inès Besbes, now available as a podcast on Spotify, Deezer and Apple Podcasts.
- Identify your true market and pivot at the right time
- Efficiently execute an idea by transforming it into a concrete, saleable product
- Build a customizable and scalable solution for key accounts
Selena Miniscalco
Communications Manager
