- SearchVentures
- Posts
- How this VC creates unicorns
The Investor Story
This week, we spotlight Serena Capital, a venture capital firm based in Paris focusing on early-stage startups. With investments in tech, digital infrastructure and even quantum computing, they have backed startups such as Dataiku and Electra.
Investor Story of Serena Capital
The $800 Million Fund for Tech Disruptors
Managing Partners Marc Fournier, Xavier Lorphelin & Philippe Hayat
Serena Capital, established in 2008 and managing over $800 million in funds, strategically invests in a handful of startups annually, aiming to build global leaders from their early stages.
As one of the largest Paris-based VC funds, they have invested in nearly 100 startups, focusing on long-term growth rather than quick exits to support startups through expansion and additional investment rounds. Their initial investments range from €100K to €15 million, targeting sectors like DeepTech, enterprise software, and digital infrastructure, with a focus on scalable and digital business models.
“We handpick our investments with the intent to be deeply involved, from initial funding to strategic board involvement, to propel our startups toward substantial growth and market leadership”
While primarily based in France, Serena extends its reach to Europe and the U.S., looking for the best teams with the most scalable startup ideas.
Presented by MaxAI
MaxAI.me - Do more Faster with 1-Click AI
MaxAI.me lets you chat with GPT-4, Claude 3, Gemini 1.5. You can also perfect your writing anywhere, save 90% of your reading & watching time with AI summary, and reply 10x faster on email & social media.
How Serena Finds Tech Unicorns
With more than 41,000 early-stage startups in Europe, pinpointing the right investment is a challenging task for any large VC.
Serena Capital selects startups based on their potential to significantly impact and scale within their industries. They prioritize ventures that are not only developing innovative technologies but also have the capability to disrupt existing markets or create new ones.
“At Serena we review 3000 to 4000 deals a year and we will invest in 5 to 10. It’s a very picky way to invest because once we invest we’re going to spend massive operational and strategic resources on the founders we work with”
Data-Driven Decision Making
The venture firm uses a data-driven approach to sift through thousands of pitch decks. Their approach includes pattern recognition of their successful portfolio investments to filter and identify the startups that meet their criteria for market potential and innovation. This method helps them focus on investments best positioned to scale and lead their sectors.
“Through our data analysis, we quickly identify startups that align with our vision, bypassing those that don't meet our high standards for market size and disruptive potential."
Serena is on a mission to discover the next wave of disruptive startups across Europe. Stay tuned for more insights as we continue to spotlight the founders and investors shaping Europe.
Growth of Active Investors 📈
Number of active investors in European startups by investor type
The number of unique investors in European startups has steadily increased from 2020 to 2023, with a peak in early 2022. Despite a decline in overall funding, VC, corporate, angel, and other investors continue to show strong and sustained engagement in the market. What is driving the sustained investor interest in the European startup ecosystem?
To understand the key reasons and deeper insights behind this trend, catch our Thursday publication on SearchVentures Premium.
Access insights on over 41,000 European startup investments every Thursday!
Subscribe to SearchVentures Premium for a detailed analysis of trends and data for the European startup market with visualized insights, detailed investment breakdowns, and more, delivered to your inbox.
We’ve thrown in a 7-day free trial so you can test it out.
Weekly Startup News 🧑💻
Swiss robotics startup raises $2.5m pre-seed
mimic raises $2.5m to challenge US robotics dominance with AI-driven humanoid hands that fit into manual labour workflows.
Accel’s new early-stage fund in Europe
Accel raises new €602.7m fund to back ambitious early-stage founders to celebrate 24 years in Europe.
Slovenia govt. wants to overhaul its startup policies
By 2030, Slovenia aims to double its startup density and increase startup funding by tenfold, reaching the European average acceptance rate for EIC programs.
This week's edition is sourced from our interview with Paul Moriou, principal at Serena Capital
Thoughts on todays investor? |
Know about a founder you’d want featured next? 🚀
You can reach out to us on socials or at www.searchventures.co
See you on Thursday :)
Cheers,
Odin Lund & Hari Mohandas
Reply