The Story Behind the “eXo” Name

Sometimes, one creates a company out of an idea. Sometimes it’s because one feels the need to “do something”, and sometimes it’s just the story of men and women who believe in the same project.
This is how eXo’s creation story began.

eXo Platform Genesis

The story behind the name “eXo”… Well, it’s an interesting story.

	eXo’s adventure started when its two founders, now husband and wife, were still students. In the beginning, eXo platform was supposed to be a sort of e-learning platform where bad students could ask the smartest students for help. “eXo”, in French, is actually the diminutive of the word “exercise”. As simple as that.
	When presented to investors, as it was only going to feature a chat interface, the project was not welcomed because, as they saw it, it was incomplete.
	eXo Platform Birth  Benjamin Mestrallet, eXo’s co-founder, then decided to work further on his project and give it more functionality. In a garage, during 11 months, that young man gave birth to eXo Platform, being the first to implement portlet containers with open-source standards. The United States Department of Defense was one of eXo’s first clients. Way to go eXo!

Today, 12 years after eXo’s first days, it has become a solid company with clients all over the world.

Fun Facts

“Exo” is also the name of a Chinese-South Korean band. Yes! And that’s not all. We have found out that it is also the brand name of a locust protein powder. Locust powder. Yummy!
More seriously, “Exo” is also a Greek prefix meaning “from outside”.

We can all agree that “eXo” is a cool name (…and a cool company as well!)

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Brahim Jaouane

I am a Digital Marketing specialist specialized in SEO at eXo Platform. Passionate about new technologies and Digital Marketing. With 10 years' experience, I support companies in their digital communication strategies and implement the tools necessary for their success. My approach combines the use of different traffic acquisition levers and an optimization of the user experience to convert visitors into customers. After various digital experiences in communication agencies as well as in B2B company, I have a wide range of skills and I am able to manage the digital marketing strategy of small and medium-sized companies.