The verdict in three sentences
The French elevator market, about 600,000 units, is dominated by four groups with their own tools, while close to 300 independent maintenance firms juggle spreadsheets, generic field service software and paper logbooks. A vertical SaaS v1 covering regulatory visits, on-call duty and a digital maintenance logbook costs 70,000 to 150,000 EUR excl. VAT (about 75,000 to 160,000 USD) and ships in 6 months. Sold at 15 to 30 EUR per unit per year, it can exceed 600,000 EUR of annual recurring revenue within three years if sales execution follows.
Why a vertical SaaS fits this market
A former technical director of an elevator firm understands the pain better than any generalist vendor. French regulation since 2004 requires a maintenance visit every 6 weeks, a five-year technical inspection, an up-to-date maintenance logbook and a bounded response time when someone is trapped. Generalist field service tools can schedule a technician, but they ignore these obligations.
A vertical SaaS wins on three points: it automatically generates each unit's regulatory calendar, it proves to the property manager or landlord that the visit happened (photo, geolocation, signature), and it runs night and weekend on-call duty with escalation. For a firm maintaining 300 to 1,500 units, that means fewer disputes and fewer contractual penalties.
Scope and budget of a v1
Here is the 2026 order of magnitude for a sellable v1, with an offline technician mobile app and a client portal.
| Module | Scope | 2026 budget (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Product scoping and mockups | Interviews with 8 to 10 firms, journeys, design system | 6,000 to 12,000 |
| Unit base and contracts | Unit records, sites, contracts, penalty clauses | 10,000 to 20,000 |
| Regulatory visits | 6-week calendar, five-year inspections, alerts | 10,000 to 22,000 |
| Technician mobile app | Offline, checklists, photos, signature | 15,000 to 35,000 |
| On-call and breakdowns | On-call rota, escalation, SMS, response-time tracking | 9,000 to 20,000 |
| Digital logbook and property manager portal | Searchable history, PDF export | 7,000 to 15,000 |
| Multi-tenant, subscriptions, billing | Client accounts, Stripe or SEPA payment | 8,000 to 16,000 |
| Security, acceptance, go-live | Testing, backups, hosting in France | 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Total v1 | Timeline: 6 months | 70,000 to 150,000 |
After launch, plan 2,500 to 6,000 EUR excl. VAT per month for hosting, maintenance and the changes requested by early customers.
Recurring revenue assumptions over 3 years
Per-unit pricing aligns your revenue with client size. Conservative assumption: an average client maintains 400 units, billed 24 EUR per unit per year, i.e. 9,600 EUR of annual revenue, plus a 1,500 EUR onboarding fee.
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active clients at year end | 12 | 35 | 70 |
| Share of the 300 firms | 4 % | 12 % | 23 % |
| Units under contract | 4,800 | 14,000 | 28,000 |
| Annual recurring revenue (ARR) | 115,200 EUR | 336,000 EUR | 672,000 EUR |
| Onboarding fees | 18,000 EUR | 34,500 EUR | 52,500 EUR |
| Operating and support costs | 60,000 EUR | 110,000 EUR | 190,000 EUR |
| Share of French installed base | 0.8 % | 2.3 % | 4.7 % |
These assumptions require one salesperson or the founder full-time on sales, and churn under 5 % per year, realistic for software that becomes the client's regulatory register.
Mini case study
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Frédéric, former technical director of an elevator firm in Lyon, launches his SaaS with a 110,000 EUR excl. VAT v1 funded by 60,000 EUR of his own money, a 30,000 EUR honour loan and a 20,000 EUR bank loan. His first client, a firm with 650 units, signs at 22 EUR per unit, i.e. 14,300 EUR a year.
With 12 clients averaging 9,600 EUR by the end of year 1, he reaches 115,200 EUR of ARR. After 60,000 EUR of operating costs, the margin recovers the initial build in just over 2 years. At 35 clients in year 2, annual margin passes 220,000 EUR and funds a v2 with predictive maintenance from connected sensors.
FAQ
Do technicians need a native mobile app?
An offline-capable hybrid app is enough for v1 and costs 15,000 to 35,000 EUR excl. VAT. Offline mode is essential, since shafts and basements often have no signal.
How many clients to break even?
With operating costs of 60,000 to 110,000 EUR a year, operational break-even arrives around 8 to 12 clients of 400 units at 24 EUR per unit.
Why price per unit rather than per user?
The number of units reflects the value created and the client's revenue, while technician headcount barely moves. At 15 to 30 EUR per unit, the fee stays under 1 % of the annual price of a maintenance contract.
Can remote monitoring be integrated?
Yes, in v2. Connecting emergency phone units or IoT sensors costs 15,000 to 40,000 EUR excl. VAT depending on the number of manufacturers.
Who owns the code and the data?
The code developed is entirely yours. Data remains your clients' property, hosted in France and exportable at any time.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your industry knowledge and your 5 must-have features: we will price a vertical SaaS v1 between 70,000 and 150,000 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 6 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
