Yves Benchimol
Engineer and second-time founder (after a B2B retail-analytics SaaS) who launched WeWard in France in 2019. Grew it for four years on PR and organic alone, then expanded to the US (moved to New York) with Venus Williams as ambassador and investor. Monetises via ads, affiliate/offerwall, IAP and a newer premium subscription. Guest on Sub Club (Sep 2026).
Strong on: PR as an acquisition channel, celebrity ambassador-plus-equity deals, outcome metrics (steps) over time-in-app, diversified revenue for free apps.
Bias to keep in mind: a mass-market, easily explained, “too good to be true” product that suits press; the PR playbook failed in the US.
Sources: sources/youtube/sub-club-by-revenuecat/2026-09-30-how-weward-hit-20m-users-without-paid-ads-yves-benchimol-wew.md.
Notes citing Yves Benchimol
- Affiliate programs for subscription apps — commissions, tracking, recruitingHow to run an app affiliate program — 15–40% commission (None to Run pays 20%), tiered bonuses, links plus in-app short codes, creator-branded paywalls with longer trials, recruiting affiliates from your own users — plus David Barnard's 100%-commission test, Cal AI's $10/sale and the AI-search halo.
- Growing an app without paid ads — Cal AI, Coconote and WeWard comparedSide-by-side numbers and choices of three apps that scaled mainly on organic channels — Coconote ($1M ARR in 4 months, no paid ads, ~50% EBITDA), Cal AI (creators, then paid after a few months, $30/yr for mindshare) and WeWard (PR only for 4 years) — and when each added paid.
- PR and celebrity partnerships as an app growth channel (WeWard)How WeWard grew four years with zero Meta/Google spend on a $3–5K/month PR retainer (one French TV segment gave 300K downloads in under five minutes), why the same PR failed in the US, and how an ambassador-plus-investor deal with Venus Williams changed press, hiring, CAC and retention.