What Le Backyard does

Le Backyard is an independent French digital product agency founded in 2015 by Thomas Huber and Wilfried Buchet, operating from headquarters in Paris with regional offices in Mexico City (Americas) and Tunis (Africa). The firm specializes in the end-to-end design and development of digital products spanning websites and e-commerce platforms, mobile applications (native, hybrid, and PWA), and custom web applications, SaaS, ERP, and business software. Its core methodology, branded as a '360° Product Team,' combines strategy/AMOA consulting, UX research, UX/UI design, project management, full-stack development, and TMA/Maintenance under fixed-price, results-oriented engagements, and includes proprietary co-design workshops and iterative backlog methodologies that place the user at the center of product decisions.

The agency's service portfolio is anchored by three product lines (Sites Web, Applications Mobiles, Applications Web et Logiciels) and supported by nine specialized sub-services including Conseil & AMOA, UX Research, UX/UI Design, UI Design, Génération de Lead, Développement Mobile, Starting Block, and TMA/Maintenance with SLA-backed commitments. Engagement pricing is modular: specification documents (cahier des charges) from 990€ HT, UX research from 4,000€ HT, UI design from 4,000€ HT, and full UX design projects starting at 5k€. The firm has been accredited as a Crédit d'Impôt Innovation (CII) provider since 2019, enabling French clients to claim a 30% R&D tax credit on eligible project expenses.

Le Backyard serves a horizontally diversified client base of 100+ customers ranging from startups (e.g., Vivoka, Coinhouse, Yanga, HGuitare) through SMEs to large enterprises including Air France, EDF, Orange, LCL, Saint Laurent, BlaBlaCar, Suez, Enedis, APHP, MBDA, and Cityscoot. Distribution is direct sales-led via regional offices and website-driven Typeform inquiries, with marketing amplified through content (blog/manifesto), LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and a monthly newsletter. The agency was ranked #1 Elite UX/UI Design Agency by Sortlist for three consecutive years (2021-2023) and multiple client applications (LCL, EDF & Moi) have received industry Application-of-the-Year recognition. Ownership remains concentrated with the two co-founders; no institutional backing or M&A activity is disclosed.

Name

Le Backyard

Legal name

Le Backyard

Website

https://lebackyard.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Backyard is an independent French digital product agency founded in 2015 that designs and develops websites, mobile apps, and custom web software for startups, SMEs, and large enterprises across Paris, Mexico City, and Tunis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Product Development Services: Full-service agency offering conception and development of digital products including websites, mobile applications, and web software under fixed-price and results-commitment contracts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Le Backyard is an independent digital product agency that conceives, designs, and develops custom digital products including websites and e-commerce platforms, mobile applications (native, hybrid, and PWA) for iOS and Android, and web applications/SaaS platforms. The agency offers full-service coverage from strategy/consulting and UX/UI design through to development and ongoing TMA maintenance under fixed-price, results-oriented contracts.

Product overview

Le Backyard is an independent digital product agency founded in 2015, offering end-to-end conception and development of digital products across three core offerings: Sites Web (websites and e-commerce platforms), Applications Mobiles (mobile applications for iOS and Android), and Applications Web et Logiciels (custom web applications, SaaS platforms, and ERP/business software). These three product lines are supported by a suite of specialized sub-services including UX/UI Design, UX Research, UI Design, Conseil & AMOA, Génération de Lead, Développement Mobile, Starting Block (project scoping workshops), and TMA/Maintenance. The agency operates a 360-degree product team model combining strategy, UX design, project management, development, and maintenance under one roof, serving clients on fixed-price contracts with result-oriented commitments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sites Web (Websites & E-commerce) Design and development of custom showcase websites and e-commerce platforms, from strategy and UX design through to full-stack development and maintenance. Targets enterprises, SMEs, and startups across multiple sectors.
• Applications Mobiles (Mobile Applications) Mobile-first design and development of native, hybrid, and PWA mobile applications for iOS and Android, including post-launch maintenance and SLA-backed support. Targets enterprise clients (e.g., LCL, EDF, Air France, Saint Laurent).
• Applications Web et Logiciels (Web Applications & Business Software) Design and development of custom web applications, SaaS platforms, ERP systems, and internal business software tailored to client operational workflows. Targets enterprise and SME clients.
• UX / UI Design User experience research, interaction design, wireframing, prototyping, and user interface design services to optimize usability, conversion, and brand differentiation for digital products.
• UX Research Qualitative and quantitative user research including interviews, usability testing, analytics audits, shadowing, and co-design workshops to validate product direction and roadmap. Pricing starts from 4,000€ HT for user testing with 5 testers.
• UI Design Graphic interface design encompassing brand identity application, accessibility-compliant visual systems, UI kits, clickable prototypes, and full design system creation. Services start from 4,000€ HT.
• Conseil & AMOA (Consulting & Contracting Authority Assistance) Project scoping, functional specification writing, product strategy consulting, and assistance to contracting authority services for defining and launching digital projects.
• Développement Mobile (Mobile Development) Mobile development across native (Swift, Kotlin, Java), hybrid (React Native, Flutter), and PWA technologies, with app store deployment and ongoing TMA maintenance.
• Starting Block Project scoping and functional perimeter definition workshop to establish the brief, prioritize features, and align stakeholders before full design and development phases. Targeted at startups and entrepreneurs needing rapid project alignment.
• TMA / Maintenance Preventive and corrective maintenance services with SLA-backed commitments following initial product delivery, covering bug resolution and ongoing product evolution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.3x average increase in conversion rate following UX research recommendations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Crédit d'Impôt Innovation (CII)minorOthers · 1 January 2019Le Backyard is an approved provider for the Innovation Tax Credit (CII) since 2019, allowing clients to benefit from a 30% tax credit on eligible expenses. They connect clients with specialized partners to determine eligibility.
• Réseau EntreprendreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup support network that Le Backyard works with to support promising entrepreneurs
• Paris&CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParis innovation and startup agency that supports Le Backyard in connecting with emerging companies
• BpifranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench public investment bank supporting Le Backyard's startup and innovation ecosystem
• La RucheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench incubator network supporting entrepreneurial projects that Le Backyard collaborates with

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ustwo: Global digital product studio known for premium UX-led product development across web and mobile; comparable agency model and award-winning output positioning.
• Belka: French product studio specialising in web and mobile application design and development, with a similar fixed-price agency model and comparable headcount to Le Backyard.
• Theodo: French digital product agency offering full-stack web and mobile development with a strong UX/UI focus; comparable in size, model and customer profile to Le Backyard, also serving enterprise and scale-up clients.
• Fabernovel: Paris-based digital innovation and product studio combining strategy, design and engineering; directly comparable as a French boutique serving large enterprise digital transformation mandates.
• Work & Co: Digital product agency working with global brands on UX-led web, mobile and software products; closely mirrors Le Backyard's full-service product team structure and enterprise client profile.
• InUse: French UX/UI design agency focused on product strategy, research and interface design; competes directly for the same enterprise design mandates that Le Backyard pursues.

Broad incumbents

• R/GA: Global digital agency spanning strategy, design, technology and marketing; comparable offering for large enterprise digital product mandates though at significantly larger scope than Le Backyard.
• IDEO: Iconic global design and innovation firm; overlaps with Le Backyard's UX research and co-design workshops but operates at a much larger scale across strategy, design and organisational transformation.
• Frog Design: Global design and innovation consultancy with deep UX, brand and product capabilities; competes for the same enterprise design briefs as Le Backyard but at meaningfully larger scale and global reach.
• Octo Technology: Established French digital transformation consultancy (now part of Accenture) covering software craftsmanship, UX and cloud; overlapping capability set but broader portfolio and significantly larger scale than Le Backyard.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0EoAG3PkqhcudHVawqOK5Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-backyard/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/le_backyard
• Xx.com/lebackyard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Le Backyard