Client project

Expat Facilities

Development of a full-stack platform enabling French students to manage their expatriation from A to Z with integrated services and a network of local ambassadors.

Start date

July 2020

Status

Completed

Team

7 members

About the project

Expat Facilities was a revolutionary French startup that simplified expatriation for students. Our team developed a complete platform from scratch, evolving from a simple landing page to a sophisticated solution combining Airbnb-like features with an expatriation services ecosystem. The platform integrated multiple partner APIs to offer a unified experience: housing search via partners like Spotahome, flight bookings with Lufthansa, specialized insurance, and a unique system of local ambassadors present in over 70 countries. The main technical challenge was orchestrating dozens of third-party APIs to create a smooth and coherent user experience, while managing the complexities of international payments and matching between students and local ambassadors.

Impact and metrics

70+

Countries covered

Available expatriation destinations

300+

Ambassadors

Student ambassadors worldwide

2000+

Users

Student platform users

Key features

Integrated housing platform

Search and book student housing via partner API integrations like Spotahome

Local ambassador network

Over 300 student ambassadors in 70 countries to support newcomers on-site

Visa and administrative services

Complete visa process management and personalized administrative support

Transport and logistics

Flight bookings (Lufthansa partnership), trains, and local transport with preferential rates

Expatriation insurance

Specialized insurance for temporary expatriation in partnership with Mondial Assistance and Allianz

Advanced tracking

Real-time tracking of all processes with notifications and dashboard interface

Technologies used

Next.js

React framework for frontend

NestJS

Robust and modular API backend

MongoDB

Main database

GraphQL

Unified API for data

Google Cloud

Cloud infrastructure and services

Stripe

International payments

TypeScript

Type-safe development

Styled Components

Styling and theming

Gallery

Platform redesign

Testimonials and partners

Flyer for partner banks

About the team and call to Action

Housing section with integrated search

Call to Action for housing section

Services section with offer presentation

Insurance section with offer explanation

Detailed insurance plans

Insurance benefits offered

Contact form with success

The team

Antoine Kingue

Lead Developer

Lucas Bodin

Lead Designer

Younes Bessa

Lead Frontend Developer

Jérémy Baudrin

Lead Backend Developer

Mareh Mannaa

Marketing & Communication

Alexis Mouchon

Backend Developer

Johann Six

Frontend Developer

Challenges encountered

Integrating dozens of third-party APIs (Spotahome, Lufthansa, insurance) into a unified experience
Managing international payments with Stripe in multiple currencies and regulations
Developing a student/ambassador matching system based on geolocation
Scalable architecture to support rapid growth (70 countries, 300+ ambassadors)
Real-time synchronization of housing availability between partner platforms
Multilingual interface and adaptation to local specificities of each country

Key learnings

Complexity of orchestrating third-party APIs with different formats and limitations
Crucial importance of error handling in a multi-partner ecosystem
Internationalization challenges beyond translation (currencies, regulations, cultures)
Essential microservices architecture to isolate partner integrations
Critical UX/UI to transform a complex process into a smooth experience
Managing partner relations and technical negotiations for integrations

Future perspectives

Expansion to other types of expatriation (professionals, retirees)

AI to optimize student/ambassador matching

Native mobile app for ambassadors

Training platform for ambassadors

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