Etheryl, since 2001, has focused on developing innovative solutions for managing communities for corporations, schools, and professional associations. Etheryl specializes in the following activities:
- Conceptualization and structuring of communities
- Customization and configuration of an online community platform based on our proprietary tool
- Close support and mentoring on community management.
Based in Paris, France, we have clients and users in Europe, the United States, and Asia.
The Difference
Vs. Open Source
The cost and deployment time. While you may think that it’s cheaper to go the Open Source way-- it's "free", afterall-- coming up with a sophisticated community platform solution is a subtle exercise that is not just "plug-and-play". Typically, you wlll spend money on consultants, graphic designers, and maintenance over the years which turn out to be more expensive. Etheryl not only brings you a complete solution package in a yearly subscription model which ensures support and evolution, it makes sure that all our 9 years of experience our behind our advice and method.
Vs. Other platforms
The customization and hand-holding. Our competitors often provide platforms that are just their products, and the most you can customize is the logo. Otherwise, everything is fully customizable and you need a team of developers and six months to implement a full solution that is often too complex to use. Unlike many of our competitor, Etheryl provides a simple, intuitive community platform that can be flexibly configured to meet your needs. We study the characteristics of your particular community to implement the optimal set of functionality. And for the look, we change the skin completely to match your branding and look. This hand-holding and structuring assures that you have the best chance of success in launching your community.
Vs. Free Internet based communities
Data security and branding. You can of course choose to go with the many freely available internet communities and create a group there. However, many of these sites are on an advertising model, and the branding is limited very limites so that your community still retains the look of the product you are using. Also, the data is often difficult to control and retrieve. With Etheryl, the data belongs 100% to you, and we make sure that it’s just as easy to migrate from our solution as to our solution. The branding can be completely customized so that the product really reflects your branding and community needs.
Back in 2000, when Yann Lechelle was accepted in INSEAD, a European business school, he was also enjoying New York where he was working for a financial software company. He created a community platform for all accepted INSEAD students of his class to find out if there was a real fit between him and the school to help him make a more information decision. The prototype community platform was a major hit, with 95% of the incoming class connecting, asking questions, and building a sense of solidarity even before arriving on campus. Behind the scenes, this had a tremendous effect on the intake yield as well, significantly reducing the rate of defections of admits to other schools. After finishing his MBA, Yann went on to found Etheryl in 2001.
He steadily grew the client base to other leading business schools and some professional associations. In 2006, Shota Ishii, another INSEAD student, met Yann during an entrepreneurship course. Shota had always been interested in the democratization of information, and wanted to see what value could be . He and a small group of investors acquired 85% of Etheryl in 2007 with the goal of re-orienting the company to address not only the academic and association markets, but also the the needs of a growing corporate market in better managing their communities and collaboration with the help of such tools.
Today, Etheryl counts over 30 implementations in 10 countries and provides a rich set of solutions and consulting services to help organizations leverage the most out of their human networks.