Team

François's early career included working at the French Ministry of Finance and in corporate functions at Casino, a French food retailer. 

He joined the VC world in 1999 and invested in CDiscount, Allociné, Direct Energie and Xilam Animation, among others. He launched Newfund in 2008 with Patrick Malka.

Favorite quote:

Honesty is a very expensive gift, don't expect it from cheap people.

Warren Buffet

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

André Citroën, Leo Perutz, Dagny Taggart, Nelson Mandela, Christopher Nolan, Charles de Gaulle, Bertolt Brecht, John Kennedy Toole, Katsushika Hokusai

Sectors of particular interest: 

Fintech, Health, Foodtech, Energy Transition

Patrick started his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young for five years.

He then worked for 15 years as CFO/COO in the entertainment sector, successively at Gaumont, Cryo, and then Xilam Animation.

Favorite quote:

If you want a nice house, dream about a castle.

Stomy Bugsy

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Prince, Primo Levi, Barack Obama, Karl Marx

Sectors of particular interest: 

Entertainment, Real Estate, Pets

Henri started his career in investment banking at Natixis. He then moved to the US to pursue a MBA at Stanford, where he founded ModeWalk, acquired in 2014 by Moda Operandi.

Prior to joining Newfund, Henri was an angel investor and VP Strategy at StartX, Stanford’s accelerator, which he co-founded when studying at Stanford.

Favorite quote:

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

Benjamin Franklin

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Nelson Mandela, Elon Musk, Thom Yorke, Antoine de Saint Exupery, FDR, Naval Ravikant

Sectors of particular interest: 

SaaS, Marketplace, Health 

Trained as an engineer, Anne-Sophie started her career as a scientist in a biotech company, Cyclene Pharmaceutical, before joining Solvay’s polyamide team as an innovation analyst working with the marketing team.

Then she joined Bpifrance where she financed through loans and guarantees many start-ups in the Paris region.

Favorite quote:

In life, nothing is to be feared, everything is to be understood.

Marie Curie

Inspiring celebrities or characters: 

Simone Veil, Marie Curie, Coco Chanel, Rosalind Franklin, Frida Kahlo

Sectors of particular interest: 

Foodtech, Health, Deeptech, SaaS

Salim joined Newfund in February 2021. Prior to focus on investments, he helped portfolio companies raise $100m+ in Series A and supported M&A operations as an operating partner.

Before joining Newfund, Salim started his career in 2015 at JPMorgan in New York before moving back to Paris in 2018 to work for Roland Berger, primarily focused on tech due diligence deals for PE firms and Series A fundraising for startups.

Salim holds a Master of Science from CentraleSupélec and Columbia University

Favorite quote:

If you can't measure it, you can't improve it.

Peter Drucker

Inspiring celebrities or characters: 

Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Gandhi, Christopher Nolan, Roger Federer

Marjolaine Catil joins Newfund in 2023 as an Operating Partner to support portfolio companies in their growth strategy. She structured the overall operating support before becoming an Investment Director in 2024.

Marjolaine started her career in audit and consulting at EY. In 2017, she joined Hennessy (LVMH Group) where she led the commercial analysis worldwide. In 2021, she became Chief of Staff to the President of Hennessy, coordinating strategy, M&A studies and developing a new LVMH brand.

Favorite quote:

“I love those who yearn for the impossible.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Warren Buffet, Michael Corleone, Alexander the Great

Garin is responsible for implementing newfund's ESG policy and CFO.

Garin started his career in Finance at BNPP Wealth Management. Then, he joined PwC where he worked for eight years.

Specialized in financial services, he led the audit of large listed groups and participated in various structural transactions, valuation assignments and regulatory consultations.

Favorite quote:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King

Inspiring celebrities or characters :

Nelson Mandela, Xavier Niel, Elon Musk, Neill Blomkamp, Mike Horn, Zinedine Zidane

Vera is responsible for federating the Newfund community around innovative startups of international scope and serves as the Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing investor relations.

Prior to joining Newfund in November 2022, Vera led marketing and communications at a Fin/HR Tech startup. She also co-founded and served as CEO of O'ju, a company focused on juicing and healthy nutrition.

Before her entrepreneurial ventures, Vera was PR Director at Havas, managing communications for major CAC 40 groups, and she spent five years in International Relations at the Bulgarian National Assembly.
 

Favorite quote:

It always seems impossible until it's done.

Nelson Mandela

Inspiring celebrities or characters: 

Simone Veil, Gisèle Halimi, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Simone de Beauvoir, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks...

Antoine handles the technology and innovation at Newfund, and provides technical support to both investors and founders.

Antoine comes from an engineering background and has experience in designing, developing and maintaining deeply technical products with demanding infrastructure. He previously grew and led a team as CTO for a social network for musicians.

During his after hours, he mentors new developers who learn the Python programming language.
 

Favorite quote:

Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.

Leonardo da Vinci

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Octave Klaba, Marcel Dassault, Marcel Paul, Gustave Eiffel

Agathe manages the development of Newfund NAEH, Newfund's fund dedicated to regional investment in “Nouvelle Aquitaine”.

Prior to this, Agathe managed the establishment of the group structure, legal and regulatory documentation / framework for Inverewe Capital (AIFM) businesses operations based in England and Ireland as General Counsel.

Previously she worked consulting to several law firms, as a lecturing university professor, in private practice specializing in corporate law and as a Mergers and Acquisitions lawyer.
 

Favorite quote:

Successful investing takes time, discipline and patience. No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time: You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.

Warren Buffet

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Simone Veil, Warren buffet, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Elon Musk

Julie started her career in private banking and then moved to London to pursue an EMBA at ESCP Business School.

She then worked for 9 years at Arkadin, a French Telecom company acquired in 2017 by NTT. She was involved in rapid growth: first in the US managing the customer operations department and integrating 3 acquisitions, then in London in charge of M&A, internal audit and procurement.

Favorite quote:

The real journey is not to seek new landscapes, but to have new eyes.

Marcel Proust

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Richard Branson, Joséphine Baker, Jean d’Ormesson, Steven Spielberg

Sectors of particular interest: 

Fintech, Deeptech, B2B Software

Bri joined Newfund in September 2023. Before Newfund, she was investing in climate and deep tech startups. Bri began her career as an operator in fashion and luxury goods, working with startups across manufacturing, supply chain, and sustainability.
 

Bri holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth.

Favorite quote:

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right. 

Henry Ford

Inspiring celebrities or characters: 

Teddy Roosevelt, Ai Wei Wei, Elon Musk.

Constant Beroulle, Pharm.D. and MSc in management at EM Lyon business school, specialized in Entrepreneurship and Finance. His thesis work focused on the regulatory aspects of innovative medical devices and their market access. Before joining Heka, Newfund’s BrainTech fund, he was an operating partner at Bpifrance, helping HealthTech startups in their growth.

Favorite quote:

“The superior man wishes to be slow in his speech and earnest in his conduct”

Confucius 

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Joël Robuchon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Yvon Chouinard, Claude Galien, Friedrich Nietzsche, Nina Simone

Initially trained in coding at a tech school, Thomas began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 19 by founding Launchr CRM while still studying, which was acquired by Webmecanik in 2022.Before joining Newfund, Thomas managed the startup accelerator Novapuls in Nantes within the investment fund Sodero, where he was also a member of the venture capital committee.
After 10 years of contributing to the dynamism of the tech and VC ecosystem in Western France through various initiatives, Thomas is now supporting the Newfund investment team dedicated to the investments in France and the EU.

Favorite quote:

“Believing in something bigger than yourself is one of the most important things we can do. It’s easy to stay in the status quo, but fighting for something different takes courage and vision.”

Howard Schultz (ex CEO at Starbucks)

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Marc Benioff, Brian Chesky, DJ Snake, Mélanie Perkins, Tim Cook, Rafael Nadal, Luciana Lixandru, Reed hasting, Xavier Niel, Reid Hoffman, Sheryl Sandberg

Eléonore Breton graduated from HEC Paris. After a few years in the retail industry and statistical studies, she joined PayFit where she managed customer service operations in France and internationally. She also contributed to setting up the Data architecture. Subsequently, Eléonore was responsible for building and leading the customer service team at Matera, which grew to 50 people.

Curious and eager to gain a deeper understanding of the Tech world, she transitioned into software development. In April 2024, she joined Newfund, where she provides operational support to various portfolio companies, leveraging her startup experience.

Favorite quote:

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”

John Lennon 

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Niels Bohr, Ada Lovelace, Sam Laidlow, Alice Default, Felix Kersten, Kathrine Switzer

Pauline started her career in 2018 at PwC France as an Financial Auditor in the banking sector. She also worked at the Innovation Department where she contributed to the PwC's startup program.

Before joining Newfund, she served as internal auditor in 2 french banks. 

Pauline graduated from Neoma Business School.

Favorite quote:

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice."

Bob Marley 

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Eliud Kipchoge, Simone Veil, Christine Lagarde, Mondo Duplantis

Adama started her career in auditing in 2014. She initially specialized in projects funded by the United Nations and Unicef and joined Newfund in 2019.

Adama grew up in Senegal, then continued her studies throughout Morocco and France in accounting and finance.

Favorite quote:

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

Anaïs Nin

Inspiring celebrities or characters: 

Nelson Mandela, Lionel Messi, Anaïs Nin, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Rafael Nadal

Noémie holds a Master's degree in Marketing and Communication. She began her career in the retail industry, where she gained extensive experience over several years. In 2024, she joined Newfund to enhance their marketing and communication team. At Newfund, Noémie actively contributes to marketing initiatives and events, creates marketing materials, and oversees Newfund's social media presence.

Favorite quote:

"Accept what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be."

Bouddha

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Alizée Froment, Jane Goodall, Dan Reynolds, Taylor Swift

Stéphane holds a double degree in Food & Health Engineering and in Marketing and Public Relations. He began his career in the FoodTech industry, where he developed expertise in communication and marketing strategies. Over the years, Stéphane has worked in various sectors, including sustainability and tech. At Newfund, Stéphane creates and manages communication strategies and digital content, and enhances Newfund's visibility across various platforms.

Favorite quote:

"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world."

Louis Pasteur

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Jean-Martin Charcot, Katherine Johnson, Alan Turing, Eliud Kipchoge, Marie-José Pérec

Noémie had a first career as a production manager in the audiovisual industry. In 2021, she decided to transition into web development, especially in front-end. She spent two years at Meero, working on various stimulating projects. In June 2024, she joined Newfund at the beginning of the technical team to bring her expertise in the development of technological services.

Favorite quote:

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality"

Lewis Carroll

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Simone Veil, Elisabeth et Robert Badinter, Thierry Marx, Tina Turner, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Banksy, Alan Turing

Alexandre began his career as a web developer in 2016 at a company specializing in the sale of cultural products on marketplaces. He advanced his career at two other companies specializing in Open Innovation and energy management, where he played a key role in overhauling their software and expanding their IT teams. He then joined Newfund to bring his development expertise.

Favorite quote:

“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”

Albert Einstein 

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Nelson Mandela, Rafael Nadal, Nina Simone, Xavier Niel

Pierre-Jean started his career at P&G before getting his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

He was CEO and co-founder of Spry Health, a digital health start-up focused on chronic care management that was acquired in 2021. At Spry, he led enterprise sales and product and raised $13M prior to exit.

He’s an active member and mentor at StartX, the Stanford-affiliated incubator, and is based in Silicon Valley.

Favorite quote:

Inspiration is found everywhere if you look hard enough.

RZA

Inspiring celebrities or characters:

Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Miyoko Schinner, Steve McQueen, Greta Thunberg, Captain Paul Watson, Bruce Friedrich 

David started his career in investment banking at William Blair. He then moved on to work in middle-market private equity with Svoboda Capital. After PE, he attended Wharton to pursue his MBA. While in school, he co-founded Young Alfred, which was backed by Newfund and acquired by Credible in 2021.

Favorite quote:

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Inspiring celebrities or characters: 

David Goggins, Mike Tyson, Nassim Taleb, Jesus, Marcus Aurelius, Lil Wayne, Friedrich Nietzsche

Nirav Shah is a neurologist trained at University of Miami and University of California, San Frnaciso. He  served as the stroke director of Swedish Neuroscience in Seattle one of the largest programs in the country. Nirav also started a healthcare-SaaS  company called Alertive.com and sold it to Carbon Health in 2021. He’s since left and is investing in SaaS and Healthcare. 

Favorite quote:

Show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome.

Charlie Munger