In June 2025, I’m celebrating 15 years since I co-founded Sutunam. The last time I wrote about our journey was in 2015, when Sutunam turned 5. Back then, writing felt more difficult: tools like AI generation to help organize thoughts were just starting to appear.
Today, AI is everywhere, and it’s easier to put ideas into words. But this time, the challenge isn’t about writing: it’s about finding the right memories and sharing the important moments that shaped who we are today.
A lot has happened in the past 10 years. We’ve grown, faced challenges, and had many proud moments. This article is my personal attempt to look back, highlight our milestones, and celebrate the successes we’ve achieved as a team.
Some of our clients and friends have been with us even longer: since our early steps online in 2003, when we were still working from university, delivering our first blogs and eCommerce sites. We were pioneers with Google Search Engine, mastering SEO when the acronym was becoming well-known. Whether you’ve just joined us or have been part of the journey since those university days, I’m glad you’re here to read this.
Our Success Story: Recognition and Growth
When I look back at our journey, one thing is clear: hard work isn’t a one-time achievement. We’ve received multiple prestigious recognitions that validated our work across different dimensions of our business.
Clutch recognized Sutunam as the Top eCommerce Developer in France for consecutive years. Each year, they analyze thousands of companies worldwide, and maintaining this position for straight years reflected our team’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional results.
Our creative and technical excellence gained international recognition when we received awards for outstanding web design and development. These awards, judged by industry leaders globally, acknowledged not just our technical capabilities but our ability to create compelling digital experiences that resonate with users.
The entrepreneurial journey itself was recognized in 2015 when I was honored as French Entrepreneur of the Year. This award highlighted not just business success, but our unique approach to combining innovation with social responsibility and international expansion. As one of the very few entrepreneurs who started the adventure in Vietnam and then grew to open our second office in Lyon, France, we demonstrated that profitable businesses can drive positive change while creating meaningful employment opportunities from Asia to Europe. The recognition celebrated our vision of building bridges between continents, proving that entrepreneurship knows no borders when it comes to creating value and opportunities across cultures.
Perhaps most meaningful of all was seeing our clients’ success reflected across multiple prestigious platforms and rankings. CAPITAL magazine’s annual Palmarès e-commerce has featured Sutunam clients (Maxoutil, Vinatis, Meilland Richardier…) among France’s top eCommerce companies for several consecutive years.
But our client portfolio extends far beyond rankings to include some of France’s most prestigious brands. Carré Blanc, official partner of Roland Garros, trusted us with their digital transformation. Yves Rocher Vietnam chose us to strengthen their presence in the Vietnamese market. LS Group, ICKO and many other industry leaders have built their digital success with our expertise.
Whether featured in national business magazines or growing well in their markets, our clients share one common trait: they do well consistently. This diverse portfolio, from established luxury brands to new startups, shows that good partnerships work across different industries. We don’t just build websites; we build businesses that perform well in their sectors and continue to grow.
Strategic Technology Choices
Some of our biggest achievements came from making bold technology choices before they became popular. Our early adoption of Magento x Hyvä is a perfect example. While other agencies struggled with Magento’s performance issues, we saw Hyvä’s potential early. We invested in learning it fast and delivered high-performance solutions for clients like Maxoutil, Carré Blanc, and Meilland Richardier.
In 2019, we became the first Vue Storefront Core Partner in Asia. This wasn’t just a business milestone: it validated our technical vision. While many agencies focused on traditional e-commerce, we saw the potential of Progressive Web Applications. The results spoke for themselves: our PWA implementations consistently delivered 40% increases in mobile users and 30% improvements in transactions.
Making Waves with Innovation
One of our most exciting recent achievements was the reception our AI-Powered eCommerce conference received at Meet Magento France. In a room full of e-commerce professionals, our co-founder Christophe’s presentation generated genuine excitement because it addressed real problems that eCommerce owners face daily. This project perfectly illustrated our philosophy: we don’t chase technology trends just because they’re popular. We identify actual business challenges and find practical ways to solve them using the right technology.
Community Impact: Beyond Business
From the beginning, we believed that diversity drives innovation. This led us to become the Tech Partner for International Women’s Day, connecting us with Google Developers community, Women Techmakers Hanoi, and Vietnam’s National Innovation Center.
We launched the “Her Tech Story” contest with Women Techmakers Hanoi to amplify voices that often go unheard. When Hong Hanh won as one of the two grand prize winners, her story became inspiration for other women considering tech careers. High school student Minh Thuy’s Judge’s Choice award showed us the power of recognizing young women’s potential early.
Education and Community Impact
Education and social impact have always been core values at Sutunam. These principles guide our initiatives in both Vietnam and France.
In Vietnam, we proudly supported the Global Partnership for Education’s Vietnam Escuela Nueva (GPE-VNEN) project. Backed by the World Bank with $84 million and the Ministry of Education, this initiative transforms how education reaches primary students in remote and rural areas. The goal is clear: provide better access and quality learning environments for every child.
In France, our production manager Julien shared his knowledge by teaching project management at Web@cadémie in Lyon. This school gives young IT enthusiasts a second chance: especially those who didn’t fit into traditional education systems. We see it as an investment in potential. In fact, some of our talented team members began their journey there!
We also launched a community project to encourage our developers to give back. Together, they built a website for the Dream Seed Center, a social organization that offers vocational training to young people with disabilities.
Across Vietnam and France, we stay committed to using our time, skills, and resources for good. By supporting education and social causes, we aim to create real opportunities for those who need them most.
Community project aimed at building a website for Dream Seed Center
Environmental Impact
The NOUS anti-gaspi project started with a simple conversation. Vincent M. and our team shared a common goal: to make a positive impact on the environment. This shared purpose sparked a collaboration that officially launched on April 7th, 2021.
At first glance, fighting food waste might not seem like a natural fit for a web agency. But that’s exactly why we took on the challenge. We used our technical skills to tackle a pressing environmental .
By joining forces with NOUS anti-gaspi, we helped raise €8 million in 2022. This success proved that purpose-driven projects can deliver both social value and business results.
In 2023, we received recognition that truly mattered: our NOUS anti-gaspi project won the eCommerce Site of the Year award from FEVAD and BFM Business. This wasn’t just a win for our tech team. It was a powerful reminder that digital innovation can drive meaningful change.
In a world where e-commerce often focuses only on profit, this award honored a different vision: one where technology serves a greater purpose. And that’s the kind of impact we’re proud to build.
Strategic Growth: Partnerships and Investments
We do not only work on projects and move on, we developed a different approach: investing our development skills in exchange for equity, becoming true partners in our clients’ success.
ActivCorner: Betting on Wellness
In 2016, we began our journey with ActivCorner, France’s first sport and wellness marketplace, starting as their tech partner through our development-for-equity model. What began as a strategic investment evolved into a deeper partnership when I joined as Co-Founder & Tech Consultant.
The real test came in 2020, during pandemic lockdowns. While others saw crisis, we saw opportunity. ActivCorner raised 600,000 EUR from SIDE Capital — the same investors behind Blablacar, Showroom Privé, and PriceMinister — right in the middle of the pandemic. The timing seemed counterintuitive, investing in fitness when gyms were closing, but we saw the shift toward flexible, on-demand wellness solutions.
Our vision proved right. Today, ActivCorner brings together more than 500 partners, gyms, studios, theaters, offering thousands of on-demand activities across France. The platform has attracted prestigious corporate clients including Google France, L’Oréal, Axa, and Regus. When you have equity and strategic involvement, every technical decision carries different weight.
A Digital Shift in Publishing
Our latest venture takes us into the publishing industry: a field that urgently needs modern, scalable technology. Many publishers still rely on outdated systems, making operations inefficient and hard to scale. We’re changing that.
At Sutunam, we’re developing custom management tools for publishers, including middleware solutions and a SaaS ERP platform. These tools are designed to streamline processes, improve data flow, and reduce manual tasks. This new direction combines our strong technical expertise with in-depth knowledge of the publishing world.
And this is just one part of our evolution.
Soon, I hope to publicly announce another exciting collaboration. This time, with a long-time client: partnering on a brand-new spin-off project in a different industry. While the details are still under wraps, it’s a major step forward in addressing the clearly defined needs of this industry B2B business.
Learning Through Equity Investment
Our development-for-equity model has opened doors to valuable insights into startup financing. By sitting on advisory boards and holding equity stakes, we’ve gained firsthand experience in how investment dynamics truly work.
One key lesson: being the first investor isn’t always the most rewarding. When larger venture capital firms or funds come in with stronger terms, smaller investors like us can face dilution or limited exit options. It may feel like a setback, but it’s actually a powerful learning experience.
Every equity negotiation, dilution scenario, or funding round we’ve been part of has sharpened our understanding. These lessons now shape the way we advise clients, whether we’re supporting their growth, contributing to spin-off projects, or stepping in as co-founders. Our experience as business angels helps us guide others through the complex investment world, where timing and positioning can make all the difference.
Learning Through Acquisition
Over the past decade, we also took a first step into the world of company acquisition.
I owe a big thank you to Christophe for the hours spent digging through legal documents, court processes, and negotiating every twist and turn of the deal. While we quickly built automation tools for alerts and due diligence, the acquisition process took us far beyond our usual technical/ engineers mindset.
We became strategists, legal negotiators, and financial planners. Our first acquisition taught us what no classroom could: how to build financial models, structure legal frameworks, and assess risk versus value in real time.
Some people might think buying struggling companies is just about making money. For us, it’s different. We see it as a way to give companies a second chance. We focus on saving some jobs and helping the business start fresh. Often, we also help their clients by keeping the same team and services. This way, there’s no break in the work, and everyone can keep moving forward without worry.
This chapter added a new dimension to our services. Today, we apply this knowledge when advising clients on growth strategies, mergers, and business expansion. It’s no longer just about writing code: it’s about building sustainable futures.
Looking Forward: The Next 5 Years
As I look back on these 15 years, some key principles will guide Sutunam into the future: Building the Dream Team, Not the Biggest Team
From the beginning, we’ve believed that great people deliver great results. This matters even more now, with AI becoming part of our daily tools. While others grow fast in numbers, we’ll continue to focus on smart, creative people who know how to solve real problems and use AI as a tool, not a threat.
Staying True to Our Values
Social impact, care for the environment, and quality of life have always been part of who we are. These are not just “nice-to-haves”: they shape how we choose projects and how we treat our team. That won’t change.
Keep Learning
We’ve always believed in learning: and in the next years, this mindset will be more important than ever. With AI changing how we work, the most valuable skill won’t be mastering one specific tech or tool. It will be the ability to learn fast, adapt, and grow alongside new technologies.
Success will come from combining human creativity with AI, staying curious, and never stopping learning.
What’s Next in Tech
I personally believe the next wave of big changes will happen where AI, automation, cybersecurity, and blockchain meet. Forget just crypto and its currencies. Blockchain’s real strength is in privacy, security, sovereignty and tokenizing real-world assets (RWA). These tools could shape the future of secure, smart digital systems.
Final words
Thank you all for being part of our journey. Whether you’re a long-time client, a current or former team member, a family member or a friend. We’re all part of what makes Sutunam special.
A special thanks to everyone who helped us get here. Chi Lam, my first collaborator, is now a client and a friend.
Julien and Thomas helped grow and connect our teams in Lyon and Hanoi for almost 10 years.
And to Kieu Anh and Simon, still with us after more than a decade: in IT and among our under-35 generation, that’s a rare record!
I wish I could name every person, from Hanoi to Lyon and beyond. You are all part of this story.
Here’s to the next chapter!
