France's Minitap has shaken the tech world by raising €3.5 million in seed funding, a big leap for a company founded just earlier this year. The funding announcement follows Minitap’s extraordinary achievement in dominating the AndroidWorld benchmark, a gold standard maintained by Google DeepMind to evaluate AI systems’ ability to control mobile devices. This isn’t just another startup story. It's an uncommon example of how two young founders from rural France challenged industry giants and won. Let me guide you through their journey, the funding details, and what their platform means for the future of mobile tech.
Minitap’s Rise: A 40-Day Win Over Google DeepMind
At its core, Minitap addresses one of the most frustrating challenges for app developers: time-consuming mobile feature development and testing cycles. While Google DeepMind, Microsoft Research, and ByteDance have led benchmarks like AndroidWorld, Minitap swept past them in just 40 days. Their AI system didn’t just outperform, it transformed how teams think about controlling mobile devices. Tasks that took weeks now happen in days, and with full automation at scale.
The beauty of Minitap’s solution lies in its open-source framework, which already boasts over 1,900 GitHub stars, a sign of growing developer interest. Their system controls virtual smartphones, builds mobile app features, detects bugs automatically, fixes them, and ships the updates autonomously. Unlike existing AI assistants, Minitap’s infrastructure tests across thousands of device configurations simultaneously, virtually eliminating what has always been a bottleneck in app development.
Investors Bet Big on the Founders’ Vision
This isn’t just about winning benchmarks, it’s about proving the value of speed and scalability in AI-driven mobile development. Minitap’s €3.5 million seed round was co-led by Moxxie Ventures and Mercuri, with additional investment from other heavy-hitters like Tekton Ventures, Amigos Venture Capital, and EWOR.
The inclusion of six unicorn founders demonstrates strong confidence in the startup's ability to disrupt the mobile app development market. Investors include leaders from companies like SumUp, Worldcoin, and FlixBus. According to Katie Jacobs Stanton, founder and general partner at Moxxie Ventures, “When you see two 23-year-olds from rural France beat Google in 40 days, you recognize something rare. They’re solving a massive problem with speed and urgency.”
Minitap’s Technical Secret: What Makes It Unique?
So, what’s the technical magic here? I appreciate tools that simplify complex processes, and Minitap’s platform does just that. Let’s break it down:
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AI Agents for Mobile Control: Minitap built AI capable of operating smartphones as if they were human. This means swiping, scrolling, and interacting with apps is automated, perfect for testing and iterating features.
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Autonomous Bug Fixing: When a bug is detected during testing on virtual devices, Minitap’s system corrects the issue without manual developer input.
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Scalable Cloud Infrastructure: Testing no longer happens on a single local machine. Their solution spins up thousands of virtual devices on demand, collapsing development timelines.
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Open Source Advantage: By open-sourcing their framework, Minitap has not only gained goodwill among developers but also allowed for faster adoption of their approach.
Why Entrepreneurs and Freelancers Should Care
If you're an entrepreneur in mobile tech, there are lessons to take from Minitap’s approach. First, automation isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s essential. By building tools that reduce manual input and shorten iteration cycles, you can improve how rapidly you test new ideas. Second, their focus on collaboration and transparency through open-sourcing gives an edge in developer trust, something worth thinking about for your business. Lastly, even in a niche market like mobile app tooling, excellence in execution can lead to outsized wins.
Freelancers can also learn from this. Development projects often run into compatibility or testing bottlenecks. Automating these processes can free you to focus on high-value creative tasks, helping you scale your operations.
Common Mistakes in Mobile Development That Minitap Fixes
Often, founders and teams approach mobile development while making these avoidable mistakes:
- Ignoring Device Variability: Apps tested on only a handful of devices often break when released. Minitap’s parallel testing infrastructure solves this completely.
- Slow Iterations: Releasing one feature every month is no longer acceptable. Teams stuck in traditional testing cycles risk losing to faster competitors.
- Overcomplication Without Results: Many businesses use sophisticated tools badly, creating more problems than they solve. Minitap’s simplicity is where others fail.
By solving these issues, Minitap’s platform reduces timelines and improves reliability.
What Violetta Thinks About It
Opportunities like this remind me to reflect on my own journey creating CADChain, which applies blockchain tech to intellectual property challenges in the CAD industry. One common thread between my experience and Minitap’s is focusing on solving existing problems while leveraging technology for speed and simplicity. This approach works, not only because competitors underestimate it, but because every industry is craving efficiency without friction.
I also find inspiration in young founders setting bold goals. Nicolas Dehandschoewercker and Luc Mahoux-Nakamura didn’t aim low, they entered an arena dominated by global tech giants and came out on top. Their restraint in funding (this is a modest seed round given their achievements) also suggests they’re confident in achieving self-sustainability.
How to Use This Moment for Your Lessons
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Push Beyond Benchmarks: Don’t just meet standards, surpass them while showing measurable improvement. It’s what Minitap did with AndroidWorld.
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Democratize Access: Open-sourcing your framework or tools can establish thought leadership and adoption quicker than a closed approach ever could.
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Target Bottlenecks: Consider where your industry struggles most with speed or scale. Solve that problem explicitly, and your product will have ready buyers.
The Bottom Line
Minitap’s story is a perfect example of how determination and focus on real problems can lead to early success, even in seemingly impenetrable markets. Whether you’re a founder, freelancer, or established business owner, their techniques of automation, collaboration, and open innovation serve as key takeaways. The support they’ve received from high-profile investors is proof they’re onto something truly valuable.
If this can happen for two 23-year-olds with a good idea and a lot of grit, what’s stopping you from tackling your own ambitious goals? As I remind my teams, the tools and resources to build your own solution are everywhere, the one thing you need is action.
FAQ
1. What is Minitap, and what does it do?
Minitap is an AI-powered mobile development platform based in France. It accelerates mobile app feature development, testing, and iteration by automating key processes like bug detection, fixing, and feature deployment across diverse device configurations. Learn more about Minitap
2. How did Minitap outperform Google DeepMind?
Minitap topped Google DeepMind’s AndroidWorld benchmark, an industry standard to evaluate AI systems controlling mobile devices, within just 40 days. This achievement is a testament to their AI agents simulating human interactions with smartphones. Read more about their success
3. How much funding did Minitap raise?
The company secured €3.5 million ($4.1 million) in Seed funding to expand its AI infrastructure and further enhance its mobile development tooling. Find more funding details
4. Who are Minitap’s investors?
The funding round was co-led by Moxxie Ventures and Mercuri, with additional support from EWOR, Tekton Ventures, Amigos Venture Capital, and six unicorn founders, including leaders from SumUp and FlixBus. Explore Minitap’s investors
5. Who are the founders of Minitap?
Minitap was founded by Nicolas Dehandschoewercker and Luc Mahoux-Nakamura, two 23-year-olds from rural France. Both have been collaborating on tech projects since high school. Learn more about the founders
6. What makes Minitap’s platform unique?
Minitap stands out due to its AI-driven automation, open-source framework with 1,900+ GitHub stars, scalable cloud testing infrastructure, and the ability to autonomously detect and resolve bugs across thousands of virtual devices. Discover unique features of Minitap
7. Why is Minitap’s solution important for mobile developers?
Minitap transforms tedious mobile app development with advanced AI tools that reduce development cycles from weeks to days, streamline testing, and ensure compatibility across countless devices. Understand Minitap’s impact
8. What problem in the mobile development industry does Minitap solve?
Minitap addresses long-standing bottlenecks in mobile development, including slow iteration cycles, compatibility issues across devices, and manual bug fixing, by offering a fully automated testing and development solution. Learn about the challenges Minitap tackles
9. How does Minitap contribute to open-source innovation?
By open-sourcing their framework, Minitap not only accelerates adoption but also fosters collaboration and trust among developers, driving innovation in mobile development. Explore Minitap’s open-source contributions
10. What are Minitap’s future goals?
Minitap aims to develop self-optimizing mobile apps capable of running experiments, analyzing data, creating hypotheses, and iterating features autonomously, further enhancing efficiency in mobile app development. Read about Minitap’s future roadmap
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.