---
title: 'Acoustic Researcher at Hexa'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/acoustic-researcher-hexa-paris-r1c6sf9bj6bq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Acoustic Researcher at Hexa

- **Company:** Hexa
- **Location:** Paris, France
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-08-24
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/hexa/694372c8-b7af-4db8-9fd7-9c963e254bab/application

**Skills:** Underwater acoustics, Sonar, Statistical signal processing, Detection and estimation theory, Array processing, Time-frequency analysis, Python, NumPy, SciPy, Machine learning on acoustic signals, Naval domain experience, Defense domain experience

> Pelagon is seeking an Acoustic Researcher to serve as the physics backbone for its multimodal acoustic model for autonomous maritime protection. The role involves modeling underwater sound propagation, characterizing acoustic signatures, and collaborating with AI engineers to deploy physics-constrained learning stra...

## Job description

Full-time · On-site (Paris Marseille Amsterdam)

The sea is the physical layer of the economy—the conduit for our energy, communications, and trade. It is also Europe’s exposed flank. Pelagon is building the answer.

Founded by Aymeric https://www.linkedin.com/in/adepontbriand/?locale=en (serial deeptech entrepreneur; founded & exited Scortex, Leading AI solution for manufacturing quality) and Gauthier https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauthier-bouxin/?locale=en (Navy officer and McKinsey), Pelagon is building a foundational multimodal acoustic model for autonomous maritime protection (underwater and surface) in service of European sovereignty. It will be deployed on a distributed, autonomous network of vectors (UUVs, buoys, sailbuoys, seabed…) to provide real-time understanding of underwater threats.

France and Europe have world-class acoustic engineers and a long history in underwater warfare. By bridging this expertise with modern physical-AI strategies (as seen in autonomous driving and robotics). Europe is still missing it’s naval NeoPrime, Pelagon aims to become to lead the way in autonomous marine protection—from detection to interception—partnering with leading navies, primes, and neo-primes, while also operating its own fleet as a service.

Pelagon is backed by Hexa http://hexa.cc/, the pioneer startup studio in Europe, which has launched 35+ companies, including unicorns like Front, Aircall, and Spendesk, combining €230m+ ARR and €750m raised.

## Why this matters

The sea is the physical layer of the economy — and Europe's most exposed flank. Everything that moves beneath the surface leaves an acoustic trace, but the ocean is a brutal channel: multipath, ambient noise, shifting propagation. Reading it is first and foremost a physics problem.

France and Europe have a world-class heritage in underwater acoustics and sonar. Pelagon's bet is to bridge that science with modern physical-AI strategies and a distributed fleet of UUVs, buoys, sailbuoys and seabed sensors. As our Acoustic Researcher, you are the physics backbone of that system — the person who understands underwater sound deeply enough that our models can learn from it. You partner directly with our AI Engineers, who consume the features, representations and data you help define.

## What you'll do

- Model underwater sound propagation across realistic ocean environments to enable our synthetic data generation pipeline.
- Characterize and classify acoustic signatures of surface and underwater targets; build the ground-truth understanding our multimodal acoustic model is trained against.
- Design and reason about sensor and array geometries: what to deploy, where, and how to extract maximum information from constrained & distributed vectors.
- Work hand in hand with AI Engineers on physics-constrained learning strategies ans models.

## What we look for

- Deep grounding in underwater acoustics, sonar, or a closely related field (ocean acoustics, radar/array processing, acoustic signal processing). PhD or equivalent research experience.
- Strong command of statistical signal processing: detection & estimation theory, array processing, time-frequency analysis.
- Fluent in Python (NumPy/SciPy) for modeling, simulation and analysis; comfortable working with large datasets.
- A builder's instinct, you want your work deployed at sea, not left in a paper. Bias toward validating ideas against real data.
- Bonus: prior experience using machine learning on acoustic signals, naval / defense domain experience.

## Why join now

- Founding ownership. You'll be one of the first engineers and will define the technical foundation of the company. Meaningful equity comes with that.
- A mission with weight. This is hardware that protects critical infrastructure and Europe's maritime space.
- Real things, in the real ocean, fast. You'll see your work in the water within weeks, not years.
- AI-first, at the edge, in the real world. We train our own models and run them where it counts: in the water, on the device. You'll be solving the edge-ML and power problems most companies only talk about.
- A sovereign, European deeptech at the inflection point of a market with strong NATO and EU policy momentum behind it.

## About Hexa

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Hexa is a multi-stage startup studio that partners with founders to build, launch, and scale software companies from scratch.
- **Entity Type**: Private (multi-stage startup studio; operates Start, Sprint, and Scale tracks)
- **Headquarters**: Paris, France (12 rue Martel 75010)
- **Founded**: 2011
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed as a single founder; built as a studio by a founding team.

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Venture Building / Startup Studio / Company Creation
- Target customers: Aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs (B2B, B2C, Enterprise tech founders)
- Mission or purpose statement: "To build alongside founders, not from the sidelines" – creating companies that leave a mark on the world by combining hands-on operational support with capital.

## Products & Services
- **Hexa Start**: A 12-month, intensive program for entrepreneurs who want to build a company from scratch (often before they have a concrete idea). Hexa provides the idea, team, co-founder, and covers all costs until the company becomes independent.
- **Hexa Sprint**: A 6-month program for founding teams who already have an idea and are looking for their first check (pre-seed). Offers €500k (€20k convertible note for 4% + €480k convertible note with MFN & cap at €8M).
- **Hexa Scale**: A growth-stage program for post-product-market-fit companies ($1–10M ARR, 10–40% YoY growth). Hexa invests €5–20M per company, takes a majority stake, and provides hands-on operational support (GTM, product, AI strategy, international expansion, hiring) for 9–12 months.
- **In-house Expertise**: 30+ experts in Product Design, Product Management, Engineering (via hired teams), GTM, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Legal, People & Talent, Comms & Brand, Community, and Investing.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Combined valuation of launched companies exceeds **$5 billion**.
- **Key Metric**: **50+ companies launched**; **2,600+ employees** across portfolio companies; **12 exits**.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly listed on the site, but the studio itself acts as the primary investor and operator. Portfolio includes multiple billion-dollar companies (names not publicly listed in the provided data).
- **Growth Signals**: Studio has been operating since 2011 and has scaled from 0 to 50+ companies. The addition of the Scale track indicates a pivot to later-stage growth. Receives ~1,000 founder applications per year, selecting ~12 founders (2 per project) annually for the Start track.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Hands-on, not hands-off**: Unlike traditional accelerators or VCs, Hexa provides a full in-house team of operators (product, design, GTM, legal, finance) working alongside founders for 12 months (Start) or 9–12 months (Scale).
- **Founder-friendly majority stake**: For Scale, Hexa takes a majority stake but claims to be "the world’s most founder-friendly majority investor" – founders remain in the driver's seat with active board support.
- **Proven track record**: 50+ companies, $5B combined valuation, 12 exits, spanning 12+ years of SaaS expertise.
- **End-to-end platform**: Covers the entire lifecycle from idea (Start) to pre-seed (Sprint) to growth (Scale) – rare in the startup studio space.
- **Built-in network & resources**: Founders get immediate access to a team of 30+ experts, legal, finance, recruiting, and a community of other founders.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling the Scale track**: The newer Hexa Scale program is a key growth driver, targeting profitable, capital-efficient B2B SaaS companies with $1–10M ARR.
- **AI & embedded finance**: Hexa Scale explicitly helps companies with AI strategy and adding fintech/embedded finance capabilities.
- **International expansion**: Helping portfolio companies expand into new geographies and verticals.
- **Maintaining high selectivity**: Keeping the Start track highly curated (~12 founders/year) to ensure deep support and quality outcomes.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: "You'll never build alone" – the studio emphasizes deep collaboration, ambition, humility, and execution. The team is composed of entrepreneurs and expert operators.
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Hexa is based in Paris. For the Start track, a presence at HQ is important to benefit from resources and mentorship. Sprint is remote-friendly but based in France/Europe for events. Scale is likely remote-friendly with in-person board/partner meetings.
- **Perks & Engineering Culture**: No software engineers in the core team – each startup's product is built by engineers recruited specifically for that company. This means engineers get to join a funded startup with a built-in support system from day one. The studio provides legal, finance, recruiting, and strategic support so engineers can focus on product.
- **Career Path**: Two kinds of roles: (1) the core team that builds the machine (partners, product managers, designers, GTM, finance, legal) and (2) founding hires inside the startups coming out of the studio. Either way, you're in "before it exists" – a high-risk, high-reward environment with significant ownership and impact.

## Sources
1. [hexa.com](https://www.hexa.com/)
2. [hexa.com/positions](https://www.hexa.com/positions)
3. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/hexa](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/hexa)
4. [hexa.com/team](https://www.hexa.com/team)
5. [hexa.com/faq](https://www.hexa.com/faq)

## Other roles at Hexa

- [Chief of Staff - Hardware Projects](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-hardware-projects-hexa-bruxelles-fepc37h0nfje) — Bruxelles, Belgium
- [AI Applied Researcher](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-applied-researcher-hexa-paris-53kn32pw1hgb) — Paris, France
- [Founder Associate Intern @Hexa (WTF Studio)](https://feeny.ai/job/founder-associate-intern-hexa-wtf-studio-hexa-paris-h4ebf6ydw94h) — Paris, France
- [Founding GTM @Verso (backed by Hexa)](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-gtm-verso-backed-by-hexa-hexa-paris-01h4n40bn24n) — Paris, France
- [Founding Sales @Verso (backed by Hexa)](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-sales-verso-backed-by-hexa-hexa-paris-b8q3hr2jr323) — Paris, France
- [Product Lead @Panora](https://feeny.ai/job/product-lead-panora-hexa-paris-ee6kk0aa9en7) — Paris, France
- [Founding Partnership](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-partnership-hexa-new-york-2606z58f6z9v) — New York, NY
- [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-engineer-hexa-remote-snkj9m1s70wn)
- [Business Developer @Plato (backed Hexa)](https://feeny.ai/job/business-developer-plato-backed-hexa-hexa-paris-dcga1f8cj1zg) — Paris, France
- [Software Engineer @Panora (backed by Hexa)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-panora-backed-by-hexa-hexa-paris-bqaxpknsz9ee) — Paris, France