With their latest venture Quary, Louis Jordan and Benjamin King landed themselves a spot in one of California’s most prestigious incubators.
In the bustling arena of startups, competition is fierce, yet the two talented entrepreneurs from Luxembourg are unafraid to step into the ring.
“I was in Bangkok at the time, and Ben was on holiday. We filled in the application form, and boom! We got a call from Y Combinator for a meeting,” said Louis Jordan, Co-Founder of Quary.
While Luxembourg has many incubators that are paving the way for startups and entrepreneurs alike, it’s rare that local startups make it to California, and are admitted into Y Combinator.
The Y Impact
Founded in 2005 by Paul Graham, Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, and Trevor Blackwell, Y Combinator stands as one of the world’s most prestigious and influential startup incubators. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Y Combinator has played a pivotal role in shaping the startup ecosystem, running a highly competitive and intensive accelerator program.
Y Combinator’s success stories include tech industry giants such as Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit, showcasing its immense impact on the startup landscape. Being admitted into Y Combinator is a significant milestone for a startup.
From ISL To Quary
Co-founders of Quary, Louis Jordan (24) and Benjamin King (28), from Luxembourg, embarked on their startup journey after meeting in high school. Louis Jordan grew up in Hesperange, where he went to the International School of Luxembourg and met Co-Founder Benjamin King. “At that age, groups were divided into two, and we both fell into the tech and trendy group,” said Jordan.
After graduating high school in Luxembourg, they pursued computer science degrees in the United Kingdom, with King already forming his first Tumelo. Both King and Jordan held summer jobs at SES – Société Européenne des Satellites in Betzdorf. While employed at Amazon, Jordan contacted King, who was CTO at the time, leading to the birth of Quary.
While there is competition, Quary has a unique value proposition, which got us to Silicon Valley, as our solution does not require languages specific to Python.
Louis Jordan, co-founder of Quary
Unravelling Middle Data
When asked what makes Quary unique, Jordan stated: “People like me and people that aren’t data engineers can start performing transformations on data, which translates into profit opportunities, from something in a table to insight.
Quary distinguishes itself by enabling non-data engineers to perform data transformations, translating raw data into profit indicators. Quary aims to redefine data management by emphasising speed, confidence, and accessibility, while transforming collective insight discovery into a profitable user-friendly experience.
Y Combinator Treats
Beyond receiving pre-seed funding of $500,000 in exchange for 6% equity, Quary founders Louis Jordan and Benjamin King have experienced several benefits through Y Combinator. Admitted into a retreat in Sonoma with 300 other companies, renowned speakers, and mentors, they are surrounded by tech-influential entities. Networking with influential figures, such as a co-founder of Airbnb, has accelerated their journey, showcasing the significance of Y Combinator in the startup landscape.
“Just the other day, during our Sonoma retreat, we were able to interact with influential figures, like one of the founders of Airbnb,” said Jordan.
During their short time in Silicon Valley, Jordan and King are in talks with customers, and are well on their way to acquiring business in the banking sector. As they prepare for their demo day in two months at Y Combinator, King and Jordan are constantly presenting their platform to stakeholders and potential clients.
Being there and seeing my father as a part of that scene inspired me to start.
Louis Jordan, co-founder of Quary
Luxembourg As Inspiration
While there are differences between Y Combinator, and the several incubators of Luxembourg, Jordan credits much of his success to being a part of the start-up scene in Luxembourg. Previously engaging with House of Start-ups, and the LHoFT, has motivated his journey.
Jordan adds that the startup scene needs more “community” meet-ups, with a startup and technology aspect. “Back then we bootstrapped, focusing on scaling, whereas today we are looking into artificial intelligence. We had previously applied to Fit 4 Start in Luxembourg, and made it to the final interview, but weren’t where we are today in recognising the importance of community,” said Jordan.
While many start-ups focus on product development through shared spaces and API, artificial intelligence will take center stage for Quary. Louis Jordan emphasises continuous efforts to enhance their product’s customer-friendliness through AI integration. Quary’s goal is to make data utilisation accessible even to customers without engineering teams.
