PierreSauvignon

Entrepreneur with a product bias. I turn early-stage ideas into products people use and pay for.

Building four products, solo Perth, Australia · Toulouse from 2027

Pierre Sauvignon under a blue sky, his son on his shoulders, both in sun hats

The road here

Before

I started my first venture fresh out of high school, back when Internet access came in the mail, and I haven't stopped since.

2008

Originally from France, I moved to Australia while finishing a Masters of IT and jumped straight into Sydney's startup scene, joining Pollenizer in its earliest days.

2008–13

Over the next five years our team built Australia's first and biggest web incubator, helping launch 100+ startups and co-founding ~30 businesses. We had plenty of failures (and learned a lot), codified what became the "Startup Science," and even wrote a book to share it. We also had wins: one venture sold to Yahoo!7 for AU$40M, and several others turned profitable.

2013–15

In 2013 I took a breather in the south of France and restored a 200-year-old house. In 2015 I joined Evergiving (a Pollenizer alumni) as Product Manager / Designer to lead a platform, brand and design reboot.

2016–20

At the end of 2016 I moved back to Sydney to coach startups. A little later my wife and I relocated to Perth, where I joined RAC to incubate new ventures within its innovation arm. That's where I created Heyscape, off-grid tiny-cabin stays in remote corners of Western Australia. I grew it from idea to profitability in four years, reaching 25 cabins across 7 sites. Watch the brand story to see the cabins, the locations, and me wearing a buttoned-up shirt (rare!).

Now

After four years at Heyscape it was time for a new challenge, and along the way my wife and I launched two little "startups" at home (kids!). These days I'm doing what I love most: building a small portfolio of software products, solo. A mix of consumer apps and tools for developers. I also contract with established businesses to put AI to work where it counts. Most recently, as AI Tech Lead at Respondent.io, I took their supply-side platform from zero to a production back-office, autonomous AI agent included, in under three months.

Early 2027 we're moving to Toulouse. After nearly two decades in Australia I'm bringing the founder-engineer toolkit home to France, and looking for a lead product or engineering role where a hands-on, AI-first way of building can help a team move faster.

Currently building

Off the clock

Pierre kitesurfing, leaning hard into a turn through the spray — Fig. 01 Weekends, wind permitting

Pierre at sunset by a lake in Perth, his youngest son riding on his shoulders — Fig. 02 Sunset shift, Perth

Pierre holding the baby upright at the kitchen table while his eldest has breakfast — Fig. 03 The morning standup

Breakfast at home: the baby in a high chair, Pierre alongside with a slice of toast — Fig. 04 The breakfast meeting

Pierre reading a picture book about colours with his son — Fig. 05 Documentation review

Pierre bottle-feeding the baby at a cafe — Fig. 06 On call

Pierre on a beach pretending to eat a small crab — Fig. 07 Negotiating with a local stakeholder

Family selfie above a coastline: Pierre and his wife with their two sons — Fig. 08 The whole team, offsite

Pierre on a pier by the ocean with his two sons, the youngest on his shoulders — Fig. 09 The two little startups, on tour

It all looks very serious in black and white. Hover for the truth.