Paris Saclay University has launched a €50m seed fund.
The Paris Saclay Seed Fund, which will be run by Partech Ventures with support from Kurma Partners, aims to nurture the new generation of entrepreneurs from the innovation cluster.
Led by and Romain Lavault, General Partner in charge of all seed activities at Partech, and Claire Godron, Senior Associate, The fund will invest between €100k and €2m in pre-seed and seed stage companies coming out of the Paris Saclay ecosystem.
The vehicle will identify the most promising startups and leverage the cluster’s potential to encourage innovative projects in their development from the earliest possible stage.
The fund will support students and former students, as well as researchers under contract with one of the institutions on the campus with financial and operational backing from Partech Ventures, as well as from investors which include BNP Paribas, Chanel, Cisco, Econocom, EDF, Groupama, JCDecaux, Orange, RATP and Société Générale, as well as alumni from participating schools, former entrepreneurs and leaders of CAC 40 groups.
To ensure maximum interaction, the Paris Saclay Seed Fund will organize frequent gatherings, including quarterly meet-ups and individual contacts with investors so that entrepreneurs can ask for advice and tap into business opportunities.
FinSMEs
20/01/2017