Externatic
Externatic is a France-based IT recruitment firm with ~30 consultants in 14+ cities, placing roughly 300 tech candidates per year exclusively at end-client companies (no ESN/staffing firms). It is supported by a proprietary salary grid (since 2016) and active local tech-community presence.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLéchère, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Externatic does
Externatic is a France-based IT recruitment firm (Société à Actions Simplifiée, RCS Nantes 800 426 629, capital social €13,930) headquartered at 1 Rue Racine, 44000 Nantes. Founded in 2010 as one of France's first specialized IT, Data & Cybersecurity recruitment firms, Externatic operates with a strict "0% ESN" positioning — placing candidates exclusively at end-client companies and explicitly excluding ESN/SSII (IT staffing/services firms) from its placements. The firm employs approximately 30 recruitment consultants and chargés de recrutement embedded in 14+ French cities (Nantes, Paris, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Rennes, Montpellier, Nice, Rouen, Reims, Orléans, and others), covering every major metropolitan tech ecosystem in metropolitan France.
The core product is contingency-based permanent placement of IT professionals (developers, DevOps, infrastructure/cloud, data engineers, cybersecurity analysts and architects, embedded/IoT engineers, R&D and industrial SI profiles) into end-client companies. Externatic reports placing nearly 300 candidates per year, supporting 700+ companies since 2010, maintaining ~230 active job listings at any time, and achieving a 95% trial-period success rate in 2025. The supporting technology stack is a recruitment process management platform with AI-assisted sourcing tools and Matomo analytics for web tracking. The firm also operates a content and market-intelligence arm: the annual Grille des Salaires IT (since 2016), the monthly Observatoire des Talents Tech (OTT), interview and recruitment guides, and a tech-careers blog, all functioning as top-of-funnel acquisition assets.
Go-to-market is dual-sided and consultant-led. On the candidate side, Externatic sources proactively via LinkedIn, maintains passive talent pools, and accepts spontaneous applications through its job board; on the employer side, it engages directly with DSI (IT departments), ETI/PME mid-market firms, startups/scale-ups, and public/parapublic organizations. Distribution is reinforced by an extensive community footprint — Externatic organizes or sponsors most major French regional tech events (Devfest, BDX/IO, French Tech, ADN Ouest, Sunny Tech, BreizhCamp, West Web Festival, Job Connect) and created the signature "Nuit des Meetups" in Nantes and Brest. Revenue is generated solely through contingency placement fees charged to hiring companies upon successful recruitment; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The legal representative is Franck Gascard, and the company is privately held with no disclosed external investors.
Externatic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Externatic
- Legal name
- EXTERNATIC
- Website
- https://externatic.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Externatic is a France-based IT recruitment firm with ~30 consultants in 14+ cities, placing roughly 300 tech candidates per year exclusively at end-client companies (no ESN/staffing firms). It is supported by a proprietary salary grid (since 2016) and active local tech-community presence.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Externatic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Léchère
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices14 records
Markets served
Externatic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Contingency Recruitment Fees: Externatic earns revenue by placing IT candidates at client companies (employers). Placement fees are charged to the hiring company upon successful recruitment. The firm specializes exclusively in 'entreprises finales' (end-client companies), explicitly excluding ESN/SSII placements from its model.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Externatic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Externatic is a French IT recruitment agency that places permanent IT candidates directly at end-client companies (explicitly excluding ESN/SSII staffing firms). The firm covers expertise areas including software development, infrastructure/cloud, DevOps, data/AI, cybersecurity, and industrial R&D/SI, with ~30 consultants distributed across 14+ French cities. Revenue is generated through contingency placement fees charged to the hiring company upon successful recruitment.
Product overview
Externatic is an IT recruitment agency offering a comprehensive ecosystem of services for tech talent acquisition in France. The core offering is specialized IT recruitment (focusing exclusively on direct employment, 0% staffing firms/ESN), supported by a suite of complementary tools: the annual Grille des Salaires IT salary benchmarking tool (since 2016), the Observatoire des Talents Tech monthly market study, a job offers platform with ~230 active listings, interview preparation and recruitment guides, a technologies guide, and spontaneous application submission. The platform covers expertise across development, infrastructure/cloud, data/AI, cybersecurity, and industrial R&D/SI sectors, operating through approximately 30 consultants across 45+ French cities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- La Nuit des Meetups: An event created by Externatic, held in Nantes and Brest, connecting tech professionals and companies.
- L'Observatoire des Talents Tech (OTT)
Products and services
- Externatic IT Recruitment Services Specialized IT permanent-placement recruitment services covering expertise areas of software development, infrastructure/cloud, DevOps, data/AI, cybersecurity, and industrial R&D/SI; serves French end-client companies (DSI, ETI/PME, startups, public bodies) on a contingency-fee model with ~30 consultants operating across 14+ French cities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% trial period success rate in 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Externatic
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Externatic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Externatic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- EPITECHminorSchool partnership program where Externatic participates in campus recruitment events, mock interview sessions, and career presentations at EPITECH Rennes. Includes salary market awareness workshops and job search advice for future tech graduates. Partnership announced April 2026.
- DevfestminorMajor French tech conference sponsored/organized by Externatic, serving as a platform for employer branding and candidate engagement in local tech ecosystems.
- BDX/IOminorTech event in Bordeaux area sponsored by Externatic, part of their local ecosystem strategy.
- French TechminorPartnership and participation in French Tech community initiatives, reinforcing national tech ecosystem presence.
- ADN OuestminorRegional tech community organization in western France (Nantes area) that Externatic sponsors and participates in.
- Sunny TechminorRegional tech event in western France supported by Externatic.
- Job ConnectminorTech recruitment event/job fair that Externatic organizes and participates in.
- BreizhCampminorBreton tech community event supported by Externatic.
- West Web FestivalminorMajor tech festival in western France where Externatic participates and sponsors.
- Nuit des MeetupscoreMajor networking event created by Externatic, held in Nantes and Brest, bringing together the local tech community. This is a signature initiative of Externatic that drives candidate and client brand awareness in local markets.
- Meetup Flutter NantesminorExternatic consultants attend and participate in local tech meetups such as the Flutter Nantes group, using these events for candidate sourcing and employer branding.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Externatic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fed IT (Fed Group): French IT and digital specialist recruitment firm under Fed Group, focused on permanent placement of tech profiles at end-client companies. Highly comparable to Externatic in niche positioning, candidate experience, and IT-only specialization across France.
- Michael Page Technology: Technology division of global recruitment firm Michael Page, focused on mid-to-senior IT and digital placements across France. Comparable to Externatic in serving enterprise IT hiring needs via a consultant-led model, though with broader industry and role coverage.
- Expectra (Randstad): IT, digital, and engineering recruitment specialist subsidiary of Randstad, placing technical profiles in permanent and contract roles across France. Comparable to Externatic in IT specialization and contingency placement model, though backed by a much larger parent.
- Spring Professional (Adecco): IT, engineering, and technical specialist recruitment brand within the Adecco Group, operating across France. Comparable to Externatic in technical specialization and B2B placement model, with the backing of a global staffing leader.
- Hays France (Hays Technology): Global recruitment firm with a dedicated Hays Technology division in France covering IT, digital, and data profiles. Directly comparable to Externatic in target market (French IT hiring) and permanent placement business model, with broader geographic and sector coverage.
- Robert Half Technology (France): Technology recruitment arm of global firm Robert Half, placing IT and digital professionals in France and globally. Comparable to Externatic in IT-only specialization and contingency placement model, with greater international reach and brand recognition.
- Sander Recruitment: French recruitment firm with strong IT, digital, and engineering specialization, placing mid-to-senior profiles across France. Comparable to Externatic in market, segment focus, and consultant-led delivery model.
Broad incumbents
- Manpower France: One of France's largest general staffing and recruitment firms, with an IT/digital practice among many other sectors. Comparable to Externatic only at the broad industry level; lacks Externatic's IT-only specialization and end-client exclusivity.
- Adecco France: Major French staffing and recruitment firm with broad industry coverage including IT/digital. Overlaps with Externatic in the IT recruitment market but operates as a generalist with significant temporary staffing exposure that Externatic deliberately avoids.
Emerging players
- Easy Partner: French IT recruitment boutique focused on developer, DevOps, and data profiles, often serving startups and scale-ups. Comparable to Externatic in IT specialization and proximity-based candidate engagement, though smaller and more startup-segment focused.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Externatic social profiles
Digital presenceExternatic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Externatic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Externatic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Externatic M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Externatic
What does Externatic do?
Externatic is a French IT recruitment agency that places permanent IT candidates directly at end-client companies (explicitly excluding ESN/SSII staffing firms). The firm covers expertise areas including software development, infrastructure/cloud, DevOps, data/AI, cybersecurity, and industrial R&D/SI, with ~30 consultants distributed across 14+ French cities. Revenue is generated through contingency placement fees charged to the hiring company upon successful recruitment.
Is Externatic a public or private company?
Externatic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Externatic founded?
Externatic was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Externatic based?
Externatic is headquartered in Léchère, France, in the Europe region.
How does Externatic make money?
One revenue line is on record: contingency Recruitment Fees.
Who are Externatic's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fed IT (Fed Group), Michael Page Technology, Expectra (Randstad), Spring Professional (Adecco), Hays France (Hays Technology), Robert Half Technology (France) and Sander Recruitment. Broad incumbents are Manpower France and Adecco France. Easy Partner is listed as an emerging player.
Does Externatic have an API?
No public API is recorded for Externatic.