The 20 most active female business angels in France
To follow up on our special article on the state of financing of French women entrepreneurs, we present you today the 20 most active business angels in France. For each of them, we have highlighted the deals in which they have personally participated in the last couple of years.
The information in this article is based on the round tables of French startups announced in 2018, 2019 and 2020. We also chose to present the profiles that invest in their own name and not through networks of investors such as Femmes Business Angels or other mixed-gender networks. This list is therefore not exhaustive and invites entrepreneurs to contact these investor groups to maximize their round tables.
Overview of the 20 most active female BAs
Founder of an executive recruitment consulting firm
In 2019, she made four investments in the Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions alongside other renowned business angels such as Denis Fayolle and Angélique Gérard.
- OurCo — 1.6 million euros — Digital solution in the form of a social network to free speech at work
- Singulart — 1.5 million euros — Online art gallery showcasing international artistic talents
- Holy Owly — 0.9 million euros — Fun English learning application for children
- Laou — 0.55 million euros — Recruitment platform for relocating individuals and companies
Partner and investment director at Fiblac (Financière de Blacailloux), a family office founded in 2011
Although Valentine de Lasteyrie invests via multiple investment platforms and doesn’t meet our above mentioned criteria, this ranking would not be complete without mentioning her. In particular because of her activity with the Financière de Blacailloux for many years.
Her favorite sectors are the impact space(including Agritech, Femtech, silver economy) and Fintech (in particular Insurtech). She is very active and has already invested in more than 20 French startups.
Director of subscriber relations at Free, member of the executive committee of Iliad and member of the supervisory board of Europcar
In 2019, she made two investments including one alongside Chantal Baudron.
- OurCo — 1.6 million euros — Digital solution in the form of a social network to free speech at work
- Aive — undisclosed amount — Custom video content automation tool
Executive Director of Groupe Duval and vice-President of Comex 40 (a think tank created by the Medef, the largest French employer federation)
She carried out two operations in the Île-de-France and Occitanie regions in 2019 and 2020 alongside other business angels.
- Aive— undisclosed amount — Custom video content automation tool
- Hivency — 4 million euros — Influencer and ambassador identification solution for brands
Serial entrepreneur (BIME analytics acquired by Zendesk) and co-founder of Sweep, a solution against global warming
She carried out two operations in the Île-de-France and Occitanie regions in 2018 and 2019 alongside other renowned business angels, including Xavier Niel, Marc Simoncini and Thibaud Elzière.
- Margo Bank — 6.4 million euros — Neobank for SMEs
- Aive — undisclosed amount — Custom video content automation tool
6. Catherine Barba Chiaramonti
Serial e-commerce entrepreneur and expert in digital transformation (e.g. buying journey and customer relationship)
In January 2020, she made an investment in Place2swap, based in the Île-de-France region. She is also a member of the jury for the TV program Qui veut être mon associé ? (the equivalent of the US Shark Tank show).
- Place2Swap — 0.75 million euros — Digital customer data recovery solution for e-commerce websites
7. Valentine Baudouin Barbelivien
Lawyer specialized in asset management, private equity and fund structuring and partner at Founders Future
In February 2018, she made an investment in Hyperlex alongside many renowned business angels (including Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, Pierre Krings, Dominique Vidal, Marc Ménasé). Her expertise lies in Legaltech.
- Hyperlex — 1 million euros — SaaS contract management and analysis solution
Cofounder of RAISE France and former CEO of GE France (2006–2016)
In January 2019, she made an investment in Schoolab, based in Paris, alongside business angels Michaël Benabou and Gonzague de Blignières.
- Schoolab — 10 million euros — Innovation studio offering innovative education and acceleration programs
Former executive director at Cartier France and expert in the luxury industry and DNVBs
In September 2019, she made an investment in Heuritech, based in Paris, alongside the French VC funds Elaia and Serena.
- Heuritech — 4 million euros — Smart predictive analytics tool for the fashion industry
10. Gaëlle Olivier
Executive director of the Asian department of Societe Generale Corporate and Investment and former senior executive at AXA
In July 2019, she made an investment in Mindee, based in Paris, alongside the Serena VC fund and multiple business angels.
- Mindee — 2 million euros — Automated visual document processing for businesses
11. Lorraine Bompard de Gournay
Former executive director of Eric Bompard, expert in the retail, tech and luxury industries
In September 2019, she made an investment in hemea (former TravauxLib) alongside VC funds Breega, daphni and multiple business angels.
- hemea — 5 million euros — Support platform for individuals in their renovation work
12. Marion Carrette
Serial entrepreneur in the collaborative economy(Zilok.com and OuiCar)
In February 2019, she made an investment in LouerAgile alongside Newfund, Kima Ventures, The Family and Thibaud Elzière.
- LouerAgile — 1.5 million euros — Search tool for apartments in Paris and real estate agency
13. Mylène Romano
Head of the real estate agency Trans Opéra and former President of (sold to Nexity, a French leading real estate development firm)
In September 2019, she made an investment in Bouge Ta Boîte with regional and private investors.
- Bouge Ta Boîte — 1.3 million euros — Training female business network
14. Anne Méaux
Founding President of Image 7, a communications consulting agency and cofounder of the network Force Femmes for women entrepreneurs above 45 years
In April 2018, she invested in Flashbreak alongside VC funds Alven and Kima Ventures.
- Flashbreak — 1 million euros — Mobile app for games and live mini-competitions
15. Sonia Fendler
Former executive at Generali and President of ALTIXIA Reim, a property management company
In December 2018, she made an investment in Nalo alongside Eric Ibled, a very active business angel.
- Nalo — 2 million euros — Personalised online investment service
Co-founder of the tech event Le Web and the American seed fund The Refiners
In January 2020, she invested in Nannybag and Place2swap, both located in the Île-de-France region.
- Nannybag — 0.75 million euros — Secure luggage storage at hotels and shops
- Place2Swap — 0.75 million euros — Digital customer data recovery solution for e-commerce websites
17. Céline Lazorthes
Serial entrepreneur and co-founder of France Digitale, France FinTech and SISTA
The serial entrepreneur (Leetchi, Mangopay) has invested in more than 30 startups to date in the collaborative economy, crowdfunding, and Fintech. They include Pumpkin, Tacotax, iVesta, Yuka, Jimmy Fairly, and Welcome to the Jungle.
18. Tatiana Jama
Serial entrepreneur, co-founder of SISTA and CEO of Levia.ia
Also a serial entrepreneur and very active in the French tech ecosystem (SISTA, the French Digital Council CNNum), Tatiana Jama balances her position as CEO of Levia.ia and her business angel activity (monsieurdrive.com, Regaind, Armis.tech, Baloon).
CEO of Freespee, a cloud conversational platform
Originally from Québec, Anne de Kerckhove lives between London and Paris and regularly invests in French startups, such as Kazaden, the platform for booking sports activities. She is an expert in digital transformation, media, entertainment, and e-commerce.
20. Bénédicte de Raphélis Soissan
CEO of Clustree (acquired in January 2020 by Cornerstone Ondemand)
The founder of Clustree, a smart HR solution, invests in impactful startups in the fields of education, health, and sustainable development.
Keep in mind that this list is based on our regular monitoring of French fundraisings, based on data published by business angels and startups. We could also mention Delphine André (CEO of Groupe Charles André and jury of the TV show Qui veut être mon associé ?), Caterina Fake (cofounder of Flickr and former President of Etsy), Sophie Gasperment (former senior executive at L’Oréal and former CEO of The Body Shop) and Isabelle Gex (former senior executive at Chanel and LVMH). If you believe we are missing some deals, please let us know. This content is also available in French.
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