Frequently asked questions
About Astérisme, our approach, and our commitments.
What does Astérisme actually do?
Astérisme turns what an organization knows — domain expertise, operational memory, past arbitrations, proven methods — into a navigable figure called a knowledge constellation. Each idea is complete and connected to others. The constellation can be traversed, augmented over time, and survives departures, reorganizations, and changes in leadership. It is not a wiki, not a knowledge base, not a productivity copilot. It is a structured corporate memory designed for transmission across decades.
Who is Astérisme for?
Astérisme works with organizations that face one or more of the following: critical experts approaching retirement, leadership transitions where institutional rationale must be preserved, family-owned or patrimonial entities, organizations under EU sovereignty obligations (DORA, NIS2, sector-specific regulations), and teams whose decisions must remain intelligible to those who inherit them. We work with a limited number of partners. Our typical engagement is a Fortune 500 or Global 2000 entity, a public institution, or a multi-generational family business.
How is Astérisme different from enterprise search platforms or AI copilots?
Enterprise search platforms (Glean, GoSearch, Bloomfire) retrieve documents. Astérisme builds figures. Search returns results; a constellation returns context. AI copilots (Microsoft Copilot, Google Duet) accelerate individual productivity. Astérisme preserves and transmits collective intelligence. We are not faster. We are not cheaper. We are slower, deeper, and built for what survives.
How does Astérisme position itself relative to Mistral, Aleph Alpha, or other European AI platforms?
Mistral, Aleph Alpha, and the European sovereign AI ecosystem operate at the foundation model and infrastructure layer. They build language models, GPU clusters, and substrate platforms. Astérisme operates one layer above: we use sovereign substrates to build domain-specific knowledge constellations for individual partners. We are not a competitor to these platforms — we depend on them, alongside on-premises deployments. Our differentiator is what we build on top: a long-term partnership model, contractual ethics, and a non-extractive design philosophy.
Where is the infrastructure hosted?
Code and operational infrastructure are hosted in the European Union, primarily the Netherlands. We document data flows in detail and provide each partner with a sovereignty audit report. Where regulatory or contractual constraints require, we can deploy on-premises or on a partner's chosen sovereign cloud. We do not rely on US hyperscalers for partner data processing.
Is Astérisme compliant with the EU AI Act?
Yes. Our platform is designed to comply with Regulation 2024/1689. Risk classification is documented per deployment. Data categories processed are recorded per workflow. Human-oversight requirements are explicit. Audit records are produced without custom instrumentation. We are also GDPR-compliant by design and provide DPA terms tailored to each partner's regulatory environment.
What guarantees do you offer in your contracts?
Three contractual commitments are non-negotiable. We will not serve a direct competitor of yours on the scope you entrust to us. We will not use your material to train third-party models. We will not deploy in a way that results in workforce reductions. These clauses are explicit in our master services agreement.
What is your business model?
We do not raise venture capital. We do not have institutional investors. We charge for our services, transparently, in three formats: a three-month feasibility study, a six-to-twelve-month pilot deployment, or a three-year operational partnership with shared governance. Pricing is engagement-specific and is communicated in writing before any commitment. We do not offer free tiers or freemium pricing.
Why “Astérisme”?
An asterism is a recognizable pattern of stars, smaller than a constellation, that humans have identified from Earth without institutional permission. The Big Dipper inside Ursa Major is an asterism. We chose this name because we believe knowledge behaves like stars: scattered, indifferent, until a human mind connects points and makes a figure that holds. Astérisme is the act of tracing that figure for an organization.
Do you work with US companies?
Astérisme is incorporated as a US LLC. Our infrastructure is European. We work with organizations worldwide, including US headquartered ones, when their objectives align with our principles. We do not work with organizations whose primary intent is workforce reduction, mass surveillance, or extraction of value without reciprocity. We assess fit before any engagement.
How do I start a conversation?
Write to inquiries@asterisme.ai. We respond to every serious inquiry, in person, within fifteen days. We do not have a sales team. The first conversation is held by one of the co-founders, Benjamin De Bruijne or Lou Legnini.