Running a growing educational institution is a complex beast. Holberton School, a computer science and programming school with campuses across France, is on a mission to teach the next generation of software engineers through a project-based learning model. But as the school grows, so does the complexity of its operations.
Every new student means additional administrative tasks—from managing contracts and invoices to tracking academic progress—which, in the past, strained the team's capacity. Julien Cyr, the CEO of Holberton School, understood that the key to scaling their impact wasn't just about growth, but about ensuring operational efficiency. "We needed a way to focus on what truly mattered—providing quality education—without being buried under a pile of paperwork," he explains.
About Holberton School:
Company Size: 11-51 employees
Industry: Education
Location: Paris, France
Finding the right tools for the job
As he was searching for a solution, Julien immediately thought of Zapier. He had prior experience with the automation platform and appreciated its extensive app integrations and ease of use. The choice was clear: "With Zapier, I can automate anything," he says. "The sky is the limit." Zapier allowed Holberton to connect Holberton's favorite tools, including Airtable, Stripe, and Sage—even adding webhooks into the process—and streamline processes across departments.
By adding automation to their processes, Holberton turned their chaotic operations into a well-oiled machine.
Automation isn’t just a tool—it's a mindset. Zapier allows us to work smarter, not harder, so we can focus on what truly matters: our students.
Julien Cyr, the CEO of Holberton School
Automating customer relationship management (CRM)
Holberton needed a way to efficiently manage interactions with prospective students and partners. They built workflows using Zapier, Airtable, and Mailchimp to automate lead tracking, follow-ups, and data updates. Julien highlights the flexibility: "We can add new features or connect third-party providers seamlessly."
How it works:
Lead collection: Leads from various sources—including Webflow forms, webhooks, and AirCall—are automatically added to Airtable via Zapier.
AI-powered insights: AI-generated summaries from AirCall and sentiment analysis from Eden AI are added to Airtable to enhance lead tracking.
Follow-ups: Zapier sends lead information to Mailchimp, triggering personalized emails enhanced with OpenAI for tailored messaging.
Sales notifications: When action is required, such as sending an email or Slack notification, Zapier alerts the sales team to follow up.
Data updates: Webhooks ensure the CRM, built on Airtable, stays up to date in real-time.
Results: Holberton eliminated data duplication, reduced manual workloads, and created a scalable CRM system. Even as new campuses open, the team manages things smoothly without additional staff.
Streamlining student administration
Managing student data—from progress tracking to administrative tasks—was a time-intensive process. To simplify operations, Holberton used Zapier, Airtable, Docupilot, and eSignatures.
How it works:
Contract automation: When a student enrolls, Zapier generates contracts and invoices automatically.
Progress tracking: Academic data, like assignments and graduation milestones, are synchronized across systems.
Notifications: Staff are alerted of key updates, ensuring timely interventions.
Results: Administrative errors dropped, and the team saved hours every day. As Julien shares, "Every minute saved is more time we can spend supporting students."
Optimizing billing processes
As Holberton grew, its billing needs became more complex. Working together, Zapier, Stripe, and Sage transformed its financial workflows.
How it works:
Contract processing: When a contract is signed via eSignatures, Zapier is triggered to add relevant contract details into Airtable. OpenAI checks and formats the data before a human approves the billing.
Invoice generation: Once billing is approved, Zapier triggers Stripe to generate the invoice. The workflow includes sub-Zaps for revenue recognition calculations, ensuring accuracy in financial reporting.
Payment collection: Stripe processes secure payments. Zapier keeps Airtable and Stripe in sync, updating records in real-time when payments are received.
Financial reporting: Using Zapier's digest function, a weekly CSV is generated and sent to Sage for accounting. Since Sage is used by Holberton's parent company, Actual Group, this ensures seamless financial consolidation and compliance with reporting requirements.
Processing provider invoices: When a provider invoice is received, staff tags the email in Gmail, triggering Zapier. The invoice is then parsed using Eden AI, structured, and stored in Airtable for easy management.
Results: Holberton now operates with just one accountant for all campuses, reducing costs while ensuring accurate, scalable billing. "Zapier is critical to our financial workflows," he says.
Transforming work culture
Beyond efficiency, automation improved the team's morale. "With Zapier, you don't do the same repetitive work every day. You can explore new possibilities and spend quality time with colleagues," Julien says. Change management was seamless, as automation tools worked invisibly in the background, removing friction from daily tasks.
Building the future of education with automation
Automation continues to empower Holberton's mission of bringing software engineering education to more people. Julien is excited about the possibilities:
Zapier constantly evolves, empowering anyone—not just developers—to build workflows that adapt to our growing needs. It's the ultimate tool for scaling smarter.
Julien Cyr, the CEO of Holberton School
Now, Holberton School is scaling quality education efficiently. "Zapier has a great return on investment. We've scaled across France without needing to hire additional staff," says Julien. Whether opening new campuses or enhancing existing ones, Zapier remains at the heart of its operations, ensuring it can focus on its ultimate goal: supporting students.
