I don't like writing this kind of letter. It's easy to slip into grandiloquence or false humility. I'm going to try neither — just to explain why Orkelia exists, and what that involves.
The realization that pushed me
In 2024-2025, I saw dozens of French B2B companies get sold "AI agents" that disappointed them within 6 months. The promise was beautiful (a magic 24/7 assistant), the reality was bad: hallucinations on sensitive topics, fragile integrations, near-absent support, and a 60% churn.
But at the same time, certain companies — the ones I saw succeed with AI — shared a common trait: they used tools calibrated for their precise trade. Not a generic GPT with a custom prompt. A complete system built around their specific constraints (Doctolib for doctors, Combo for restaurants, etc.).
The conclusion struck me: vertical AI wins. And there's almost no one in that niche in France.
What we're trying to build
Orkelia is not a generic "ChatGPT for X". It's a complete business system, by vertical, with:
— The trade vocabulary integrated natively (not bent into shape with prompts)
— Direct integrations (Doctolib, Combo, WhatsApp Business API, Stripe, etc.)
— Trade-specific guardrails (a Clinic agent will never give a dosage, a Lawyer agent will never weigh in on a legal strategy)
— Native compliance (healthcare GDPR, DPA, EU hosting)
— A managed delivery (we do the setup, we keep the system running, we stand guard)
It's more expensive on the surface (€297-997/month vs €29-99 custom ChatGPT). It's very likely cheaper in total cost (incl. your captured founder time, the errors avoided, the churn avoided).
What we refuse to do
A few non-negotiable rules — that we keep even when it's financially uncomfortable:
— Zero LLM mocks in production. If Anthropic is down, we switch to a human, we don't send back a disguised stub response.
— Zero made-up figures in templates or pages. If I don't have the measurement, I don't write it. The "7× ROI" and "340% increase" you see everywhere in the AI market are, most of the time, made up.
— Zero artificial lock-in. Your data is exportable in JSON/SQL. Your templates are yours. If you leave, we make the transition easy.
— Zero forced sales. On an audit call, if Orkelia doesn't fit your case, I tell you. Sometimes it's a standard branch, sometimes it's Tailor, sometimes it's a competitor (or no one), I say so honestly.
Why the Founder Program
10 spots, rate locked for 12 months, first month free, D30 guarantee. Why this structure?
Because delivery quality depends on the number of clients. With 10 founding clients, I can spend 5h/month on average per account on product improvement. With 100 clients, it's mechanically 30 minutes — and quality collapses.
So we take 10 founders, we serve them very well, we learn with them, we stabilize the product before moving to 30, then 100. It's a commercial choice that slows pure growth but protects quality. I own it.
The risk we take
Orkelia has been self-funded so far. No fundraising. No investor pushing for unreasonable growth. The only risk is the one I carry myself.
That means if you sign, you're buying a service delivered by someone who has no VC pressure to lock you in for 12 months minimum, or to raise rates in year 2.
It also means I can't afford to take on 10 clients who won't pay. Hence the transparent pricing, the Stripe checkout, and the absence of "pricing on demand" that smells like a scam.
What I hope Orkelia becomes
Not a unicorn. Not a 1,000-employee company. A solid vertical AI infrastructure for European B2B companies, that keeps its promises, that truly respects GDPR, that doesn't lie about the numbers.
If in 3 years we have 500 recurring clients who renew with us every year, it's a win. No need for more.
If you're still reading
You're probably interested in what we're building. The best thing we can do together is a 30-min audit call. No aggressive pitch, no PowerPoint presentation. Just a concrete conversation about your situation and whether Orkelia can help.
Or write to me directly at alexandre@orkelia.com. I personally answer 100% of emails in <24 business hours.
Alexandre Guenot