Founding Partner
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Partner
Partner & Tech Lead
Senior Associate
Senior Associate
CFO & Investor Relations
Controller
Analyst
About us
C4 Ventures is a leading European Venture firm led by former Apple and Microsoft executives, a team of business operators backing ambitious tech entrepreneurs.
More than an investor, we strive to create value through deep understanding, strong involvement, and concrete operational support. Leveraging on the team’s second-to-none authority in European go-to-market, we notably strive to accelerate companies’ expansion into and across Europe.
Our strategy is based on the team’s operational and investment background in three major themes:
– Smart Hardware
– Future of Commerce
– Future of Work.
People, Products, and Technology drive our investment decisions. We look for founding teams who are not afraid of challenging the status quo and making a global impact on business, society, and our planet.
We invest from Series A onwards and we can act both as lead and co-investor, with the same level of dedication and support.
Since inception in 2014, C4 Ventures has backed over 50 companies of which 9 became unicorns.
For more information, subscribe to our newsletter, check our portfolio and have a look at the companies and teams we believe in.
C4 Ventures is part of C4 – an entrepreneurial platform dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and accompanying them on their journey. Learn more about C4 here.
Our ESG policy
Environment, social and governance (“ESG”) issues can have a material impact on financial performance and the communities in which C4 Ventures’ funds and portfolio companies operate.
Our mission is to find and select the most promising startups and deliver the strongest possible returns to our investors. We care about impact, with no compromise on IRR.
Yet, we are fully committed to working with our portfolio companies to integrate ESG considerations into business-as-usual practices. Rather than creating a portfolio with best-in-class Impact startups, we prefer helping them to begin and progress in their ESG journey.
In developing our policy, we have given consideration to a range of codes and standards, including the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact, which led us to identify within our portfolio:
Impact natives : companies born into creating intentional and measurable social and environmental impact
Impact migrants : portfolio companies who fall under UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and could implement intentional impact
The partners and staff of C4 Ventures will, to the best of their ability:
- Comply with applicable regulations governing the protection of human rights, occupational health and safety standards and labor, environmental and business practices of the jurisdictions in which C4 Ventures conduct business.
- Adhere to the highest standards of conduct intended to avoid unfair or corrupt business practices. Instruct the investment team in the identification and management of ESG risks and opportunities and provide them with appropriate support and assistance.
- Identify ESG risks and opportunities prior to an investment in a portfolio company.
- Aid in establishing appropriate ESG policies and practices for their portfolio companies.
- Assess and track the ESG progress made by portfolio company.
- Distribute this policy and related ESG information to all C4 Ventures employees.
- Encourage dialogue on how C4 Ventures can accommodate ESG issues in a way that is consistent with their funds’ limited partners’ initiatives in these areas.
Pascal Cagni
Founding PartnerChairman @ Business France
GM & VP @ Apple EMEIA 2000 – 2012
GM Europe @ Packard Bell 1995 – 2000
MA & MBA HEC Paris, EPGC Stanford University, MA Institut d’Etudes Politiques
In 2000, Steve Jobs appointed Pascal as General Manager and Vice President for Apple EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India and Africa).
Leading a region made of more than 120 countries, he launched groundbreaking products and services such as the iPod (2001), iTunes Store (2003), iPhone (2007), the App Store (2008) and iPad (2010).
He developed an innovative Go-To-Market strategy that included the successful rollout of the Apple Premium Reseller (APR) and Apple Shops while working with CEOs and Executive Teams of over 200 retailers and 170 telecom operators.
Under Pascal’s leadership, EMEIA was consistently Apple’s fastest growing region, with annual sales increasing from $1.2bn in 2001 to $40bn in 2012.
Since 2013 Pascal has been advising executive teams of large Private Equity and European groups on how to leverage at best the digital revolution and the opportunities it creates.
Across 2014, he conducted a strategic review of Net-A-Porter for Richemont SA, advising on a full business re-engineeering before the merger with Yoox.
Before Apple, Pascal led Packard Bell to become the leading European Home Computer Company. He started his career as strategy consultant at Booz, Allen and Hamilton.
Pascal joined the 63rd Promotion of IHEDN (Institute for Higher National Defence Studies) in 2011, providing deep view on geostrategic and foreign policy matters.
In addition to his role at C4 Ventures, in 2017, Pascal was appointed by French President Macron as Ambassador for International investment and Chairman at Business France.
Boris Bakech
Co-Founder & Managing PartnerFormer Assistant Producer @ Ubisoft
Assistant to VP & GM @ Apple EMEIA
MSc Management ESSEC
Boris Bakech is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at C4 Ventures and has been a key member of the investment team since the fund’s inception. He has experience in Hardware, eCommerce, Marketplaces and SaaS.
A forever tech enthusiast, Boris combines unique investment skills with a deep understanding of the digital economy. He is the lead investor of our Future of Commerce theme. In addition to his investor role, Boris leads day-to-day operations at C4 Ventures.
He sits on the Boards of Directors of Allisone, Cleeng, Refurbed, and WeTheNew. He is also the lead partner for Branded, Clippings (sold to Material Bank), Everli, Impulse Space, Iziwork (sold to Proman), Lyst, Mixtiles, Riskified (IPO at Nasdaq), Trouva (sold to Made.com), and Via.
Prior to C4 Ventures, Boris worked as an Assistant Producer in the Parisian production studios at Ubisoft, where he contributed to the launch and post-launch of a AAA game, which sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. In 2011, he joined Apple as an analyst to the General Manager and Vice President of the EMEA region. In particular, he developed sales pitches for major accounts. It was at Apple where he befriended Pascal Cagni, founder of C4 Ventures. He began his career at Orange Business Services in the Indirect Sales department, where he set up and managed a new national distribution channel that achieved revenues of 2.5 million euros in its first quarter.
Boris graduated from the Grande École program at ESSEC Business School in Paris.
Eric Boustouller
PartnerTech Startup Investor @ Seed4Soft
CEO @ Solocal 2017 – 2020
President Western Europe & Corporate VP @ Microsoft 2000 – 2017
Sciences Po Paris
Eric Boustouller is a Partner at C4 Ventures, where he focuses on Future of Work where AI is paramount. He seats on the Board of portfolio company Jus Mundi and surpervises investments in Duda and Centrical.
He has been an active investor in VC Funds (Partech, CapHorn, Acequia Capital) and startups for 12 years (Contentsquare, Codingame, Confiant, Elevo, Adriver, Jus Mundi, Lokki, Trace for Good,…) investing both directly and through Seed4Soft, a Business Angel Club that he joined since its inception in 2011.
He is also a a non-executive Director at Econocom, since September 2021, at Headmind Partners since April 2024 and Chairman of the Board at Graitec since April 2024.
Eric has spent 38 years in the Tech Industry, starting at Compaq where he held several key Marketing and Sales positions in France and across the EMEA region.
In 2002, Eric joined Microsoft where he was named President of Microsoft France in 2005. He establishes Microsoft as a true partner of the French economy and society. He was instrumental in developing and growing Microsoft’s digital ecosystem, as well as in building tight connections with research centers in France, and led the creation of the Microsoft-Inria partnership. Under his tenure, Microsoft France grew double digits annually. He became President of Western Europe & Corporate Vice President in 2012, successfully leading the business across 12 countries for 5 years.
From 2017 to 2020, he was CEO of Solocal, a French listed company where he launched an in-depth transformation plan, switching to a fully digital SAAS-like subscription model, simplifying the product portfolio, streamlining substantially the organization and hiring a highly talented management team that brought the Ebitda back to growth after a decade of decline. In 2020, he completed a financial restructuring which enabled the Company to exit the pandemic period with a new solid shareholder base.
Embodying a cosmopolitan culture, Eric served as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in France between 2010 and 2012. He is a Knight of the Legion d’Honneur in France. He graduated from Sciences Po in 1986.
Michel Sassano
Partner & Tech LeadFormer Founder @ Konbanwa
Associate @ Kima Ventures
Infrastructure as a Service architect @ Orange
MS Telecom Bretagne
Michel Sassano is a Partner & Tech Lead at C4 Ventures. He has experience in software & systems engineering, social gaming, blockchain, bigx data and IoT.
As an ardent tech enthusiast, Michel marries a robust investment background with coding and data capabilities. He is a key player in the investment team at C4 Ventures, concentrating on technology evaluation. Besides his investment responsibilities, Michel supervises the development of the sourcing platform and manages the IT stack utilized by the team.
He sits on the Boards of Directors of VoltR and he is also the lead partner for Fifteen, DriveNets, PsiQuantum, Alice & Bob, Procure.ai, Remedee, Tulip, Formlabs, Upmem, Norbert Health, Graphcore (sold to ARM), ISKN (sold to BIC) and Tempow (sold to Google).
Prior to joining C4 Ventures, Michel was an Associate at Kima Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm, where besides his role as Associate, he built a proprietary platform and the tools allowing a three-person team to invest in 2 startups per week and manage a portfolio of 350 startups across 26 countries. Previously, Michel was part of the OrangeGraduate Program where he worked as an IaaS Architect on compliance, multi-datacenter relocation and big data projects. Before that, Michel also experienced the startup world by publishing and selling iPhone apps as soon as 2009 and working at Wooga, a fast-growing social gaming company based in Berlin as an associate product manager.
Michel graduated from the IMT Atlantique in Brest.
Alexandre Errera
Senior AssociateCo-Founder @ Mesange – Healthtech Start-Up
Analyst @ Flexstone Partners – Natixis IM Alternative Investment fund affiliated
MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship @ Imperial College
Alexandre is Senior Associate at C4 Ventures and a member of the investment team. Based in Paris, he evaluates new investment opportunities, conducts detailed due diligence and supports portfolio companies. He is also involved in the fund’s capital raise.
Alexandre sits on the board of Wethenew, Allisone, Kessel, and support within the team some of the portfolio companies, namely Branded, Refurbed and Mixtiles,
Before joining C4 Ventures, Alexandre co-founded Mésange, a digital conciergerie incubated at Tech Care Paris, Paris&Co. He developed a booking platform for patients providing medical and well-being services, during and after an hospitalisation.
Prior to that, Alexandre worked in New York and Paris as an Analyst at Flexstone Partners, affiliated to Natixis IM. He was involved in the elaboration of customized portfolios, providing Private Equity, Private Debt and Real Estate exposure to HNW and Institutional investors.
Alexandre received a Master in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management from Imperial College, and a Master Grande Ecole in Corporate Finance from Paris School of Business. Outside the office, Alexandre enjoys spending time either on the padel court or in the boxing ring.
Diane Cagni
Senior AssociateSustainability Analyst @ Lombard Odier
Business Analyst @ Merieux Development
MPA Columbia University, MSc London Business School, BA University of Bath
Diane is a Senior Associate at C4 Ventures. Based in Paris, she focuses on deploying the firm’s strategy for social, environmental and governance impact.
It’s actually a comeback to C4 Ventures, where she was previously an Associate. She engaged in dealflow review and due diligence while actively participating to the firm’s development by managing multiple legal and organisational projects. She also worked as a Business Analyst at Mérieux Développement in Boston, a healthcare growth and venture capital firm.
Her passion for effective socioeconomic impact, which transpired through her work, led her to apply for an MPA at Columbia University, focusing on Sustainability, International Finance and Economic Policy. There, she acquired a unique set of skills to work at the intersection of social change and investment. She worked as Sustainability Analyst at Lombard Odier and as Business Mentor for The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN).
Diane also has a strong background in e-commerce. She worked with key vendors at Amazon Fresh and Prime Now across various functions, including online marketing and in-stock management, to grow Amazon’s ultra-fast delivery service. She also worked for the leading luxury fashion e-commerce Net-a-Porter.com.
Aside from Columbia, Diane also holds a MSc in Management from the London Business School and a BA in Politics & Italian from the University of Bath.
Mathieu Bourdié
CFO & Investor RelationsFormer COO @ ODDO BHF Private Equity
Global Head of Portfolio Management @ Altamar CAM Partners
CFO @ Mercapital
Executive MBA from IE Business School
MiM Technology & Innovation from Paris Dauphine University
Mathieu Bourdié is the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Investor Relations at C4 Ventures.
Mathieu has spent more than 20 years in the Private Asset industry holding several senior positions in various management companies both in France and abroad.
Prior to C4 Ventures, Mathieu was Chief Operating Officer of ODDO BHF Private Equity (2012-2022) the private asset branch of the ODDO BHF group with €2.8b AuM in Private Equity. He developed a strong and recognised knowledge in managing relationship with demanding Limited Partners, from national to international institutions as well as Family Offices. He was responsible for finance, reporting, growing management company and fund operations, and broadly all the back and middle-office duties. Previously, Mathieu spent 6 years in Madrid at Altamar CAM Partners, a fund of fund investing in primary and secondary where he was Global Head of Portfolio Management (2011-2012) and at Mercapital, the direct Iberian buyout fund where he was Chief Financial Officer (2006-2011).
Mathieu also worked from 2004 to 2006 at VPSA (former Viventures Partners), a Venture Capital fund where he was involved in financial duties as well as being Board Observer for several portfolio companies. He started his career as a Consultant in Audit and Transaction Advisory Services at Arthur Andersen (then Ernst & Young Paris) in 2001.
Mathieu graduated from IE Business School (International Executive MBA-2009) and from Paris Dauphine University (MiM Technology & Innovation-2000). He is passionate about padel and kitesurf.
Alix de Panisse Passis
ControllerFormer Financial Auditor @ Deloitte
MSc Auditing EDHEC Business school
Alix is a controller at C4 Ventures. Based in Paris, she is both participating to finance management and logistical aspects of C4 Ventures’ operations.
Prior to C4 Ventures, Alix has been working as a financial auditor for Deloitte for more than 6 years in two countries. In France, she has audited both listed companies and SME in different industries.
In Canada for 18 months, she has been auditing subsidiaries of listed companies and equity funds.
She has managed teams of more than 10 people during her last years in Deloitte in order to facilitate interactions between Deloitte and clients. She has successfully worked on a listed company’s tender offer for an audit service.
Alix holds a BSc in Economics from Paris II Panthéon-Assas and a MSc in Auditing from EDHEC Business school.
Aimen Cherif
AnalystVC Analyst @Karot Capital
VC Analyst @BNP Paribas Cardif
CEO’s right hand @Maison Sauge
Aimen is an analyst at C4 Ventures. Based in Paris, he evaluates new investment opportunities and supports portfolio companies.
Prior to joining C4 Ventures, Aimen had two Venture Capital experiences as an analyst. First, he was in BNP Paribas Cardif’s corporate VC fund where he qualified investment opportunities and analysed different ecosystems. Second, he worked for an early-stage VC fund, Karot Capital, where he was in charge of sourcing and qualifying startups, as well as conducting meetings with entrepreneurs.
Before that, Aimen had worked as the CEO’s right hand in a young FoodTech company, where he supported founders in different aspects of its growth, including sales, marketing and strategy.
Aimen holds a Master’s degree in Management from EDHEC Business School and a MSc in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Maastricht.
As a longtime passionate of football, on and off the pitch, Aimen has been playing in different clubs for more than 15 years. When he was younger, he was scouted and participated in trials for professional clubs.
Sumeet Anand
India & ME Growth StrategyFounder @ IndSight Growth Partners
President @ Indo-French Chamber of Commerce
Former CEO& CFO India & South Asia @ Pernod Ricard, Savencia, Arjowiggins
Ms HEC Paris
Sumeet is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He focuses on accelerating start up and growth in India & Middle East for portfolio companies.
Sumeet is the Founder of IndSight Growth Partners, a strategy consulting and advisory boutique firm that assists clients and entrepreneurs on building successful businesses in Consumer, Retail, Industrial & Chemicals & recently Tech.
He works closely with top management at global and country levels on entry & growth strategy as well as M&A and strategic partnerships advisory. Prior to founding IndSight, he had over 15 years of CXO experience with leading European multinationals, twice as CEO & Country Manager for India & South Asia.
He is the President of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry/ CCI France-India and is a Board Member of CCI France International. He is also a Member of the Global Committee of HEC Alumni.
André Auberton
HardwareFounder @ 4A-CE
Founder @ Soitec
Program Manager @ CEA-LETI
MS Centrale Lyon
André is Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He focuses on hardware companies.
Most recently, André founded the consulting group 4A Consulting & Engineering to bring his expertise to Companies in Renewable Energy and Digital Innovation.
In 1992, André co-founded Soitec, a leader of the Industry 4.0. The company developed and commercialised the revolutionary Smart CutTM “atomic scalpel” technology for semiconductor fabrication. The advanced material produced by Soitec are used in almost all smartphone platforms and computing activities.
For 23 years as President and CEO, he was responsible for overseeing the strategic, operational and financial activities of the company. He built an international high tech firm in 10 countries, including 5 manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia and the US. He IPO’ed his Soitec in 1999 and managed financials operations for a sum close to $1bn.
André has been nominated “Chevalier de la légion d’Honneur” and “Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite”.
David Bailey
Marketing & RetailCEO & Founder @ Aitrak
VP Marketing @ SmartThings
International Development Director @ Apple
Head of International Sales Programmes @ Gap Inc
INSEAD MBA
David advises portfolio companies on Marketing and Merchandising with his expertise in go-to-market strategy, retail development and product marketing.
David is an entrepreneur. He founded several startups incl. Aitrak, a startup using AI to help brands and retailers maximise the visual impact of their designs and Crux. He was CEO and Head of Product Design at the video-messaging startup Wordeo from 2012 to 2015. He is a non-executive director of the shopper intelligence startup Vizualize.
Since January 2023, he is CMO at Azreco.
Between 2020 and 2022, he was CMO at OnceHub, a B2B SAAS scale-up focusing on smart scheduling solutions that shorten time-to-engagement in all phases of the customer lifecycle.
From 2015 to July 2018, David was VP Marketing at SmartThings, a Silicon Valley startup using sensors to turn your home into a smart home, which was acquired by Samsung in 2014.
David was Director of Worldwide Retail Development at Apple from 2003 to 2011 where he was responsible for retail partner programs. Based in London, Beijing and Cupertino, he led the creation and development of the highly successful Apple Premium Reseller and Apple Shop-in-Shop programs, opening more than 2,700 premium partner stores across 60 countries to deliver more than 20% of Apple’s worldwide Mac business.
Previously, David was Head of International Sales Programs at Gap Inc where he was responsible for distribution of the Gap, GapKids, Banana Republic and Old Navy brands.
David has a MBA from INSEAD and is a Chartered Management Accountant.
Philippe Bouissou
Scale upManaging Partner @ Blue Dots Partners, LLC.
Former Managing Partner @ Milestone Group Inc.
Former Managing Director @ Astra Venture Partners
Director of Apple Worldwide Internet Commerce & Services
CEO @ G2i, Inc.
Ph.D. in Physics, Université Pierre & Marie Curie (Paris VI)
Philippe Boissou is Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He brings expertise in Scale-ups.
With 25 years of experience in Silicon Valley, Philippe has held CEO and executive positions in several companies. As a Venture Capitalist, he successfully invested $43M and generated a double-digit return. In addition to that, he has led a considerable number of management consulting projects and served on the board of 14 companies.
In 2014 Philippe Bouissou founded Blue Dots Partners where he is now the Managing Partner. Preceding that, Philippe co-managed the Milestone Group, an advisory firm serving over 220 clients. Previously, he held leadership roles as Managing Director and General Partner at Astra Venture Partners, Allegis Capital and Ventech.
Prior to becoming a Venture Capitalist, Philippe played a key role in building and managing the online Apple Store, growing its revenue from zero to $350M.
During his early career, Philippe has held roles at Matra Hachette Multimedia and G2i, Inc. as Senior VP and CEO.
Michel Coucke
TalentFounder & Partner @ Lancor
Partner @ Heidrick & Struggles
MSc Institut Meurice Brussels, Executive MSc Solvay Brussels School, AMP Graduate IMD
Michel is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He leverages his expertise in Talent acquisition to support the growth of our portfolio companies. He advises them on a number of subjects including Recruitment, Talent assessment and the Organisational evolution.
In 2003, Michel founded Lancor. He has led numerous senior executive searches for board members, C-suite, and heads of function for financial sponsors and leading international corporations throughout Europe and the Middle East. He’s able to work with large companies and small Startups with equal success.
Prior to joining Lancor, Michel was Co-Managing Partner of the Global Technology and Media Practice at Whitehead Mann, a leading executive search firm. Prior to that, he founded and managed the European Telecommunications and Internet Infrastructure Practice at Heidrick & Struggles. In his early career, Michel was Deputy Managing Director of the Benelux countries for AT&T, with responsibility for sales, business development, and customer support.
Philippe Dewost
Consumer High TechCo-founder @ Wanadoo
CEO @ imsense, an imaging startup acquired by Apple
Inspired La French Tech
Deployed VINCI’s corporate innovation program
MS Physics ENS Ulm, MBA College des Ingénieurs, PostGrad in Telecom, Corps des Mines, French Navy (Officer)
Philippe Dewost has a deep experience in deploying for the many, through both scaling and empowering. He built and ran product management for Wanadoo across its first 4 years and first million subscribers. As CEO of imsense in Cambridge, he turned proprietary, patent protected dynamic range processing into eye-fidelityTM technology, now used half a billion times a day to enhance pictures taken with iPhones after Apple acquired the company.
While deploying Leonard, VINCI Group’s Corporate Innovation & Transformation Program, he combined a series of exploration groups ranging across 7 key future topics (Autonomous Vehicle, Climatic Resilience, AI, …) with an Intrapreneurship Program currently considered as a reference by other large Corporates.
Previously at Caisse des Dépôts, he led a €4,25 Bn digital package for the French Government – the « Investments for The Future » Programme, where he wrote the report to the Prime Minister on how to make France a more attractive destination for innovators, Tech Entrepreneurs, and foreign VCs: this report sparked “La French Tech“. He also initiated a joint Blockchain R&D effort with 27 institutions and partners.
Philippe is a senior advisor to CEOs & VCs funds, sits on Agritech SunR’s board, and serves as Keynote Speaker in international events on a large palette of tech topics.
A graduate in Physics at Normale Sup (Ulm), former Navigation Officer in the French Navy, Philippe holds a Master in Telecommunications from Telecom ParisTech and a MBA from Collège des Ingénieurs.
Luc Ducaroir
LogisticsChristophe Frey
Semi-conductorsVice-President des EU engagements & Managing Director @Arm
Vice-President Engineering @SOISIC
Design engineer and manager @STMicroelectronics (1994-2006)
Christophe Frey is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures, with over 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, operations, and management in an international context.
He holds a MS degree from PHELMA and has held various roles in design, management, and program management at STMicroelectronics in Crolles, France, for 12 years. He played a key role in establishing the Crolles2 alliance with Philips and Motorola, an experience that led to his first international professional immersion in Austin, Texas.
He then took the opportunity to join the startup SOISIC, where he served as Vice-President of Engineering before the company was acquired by Arm in 2006.
At Arm, he further enriched his international experience with a four-year stay in Silicon Valley, California. As Vice-President of Operations for the Physical IP division, he oversaw project management and quality control teams while managing the division’s operational budget.
Currently based in Sophia Antipolis, he has been the General Manager of Arm France since 2014. Under his leadership, Arm’s French entity has experienced significant workforce growth, multiplying its staff by four.
Having coordinated the management of Arm buildings globally for five years, including crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic, he now serves as Vice-President of European Engagements. In this role, he focuses on strengthening Arm’s presence within the European semiconductor ecosystem.
Emmanuel Grenier
eCommerce & MarketplacesCEO @ Cdiscount (2008-2023)
Head of Supply Chain and Logistics @ Groupe Casino (2002-2008)
Head of Supply Chain and IT @ Casino Poland
ESC Chambéry
Emmanuel Grenier is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures advising portfolio companies on e-commerce and marketplace-related topics.
Emmanuel Grenier left Cdiscount in 2023, having been its CEO since 2008 and significantly expanding its operations. Under his leadership, Cdiscount’s activity grew from €800 million in 2008 to €4 billion in 2022, challenging Amazon’s dominance. In 2019, he steered Cdiscount into the BtoB market with the launch of Octopia, a marketplace technology solution, and Clogistics, a logistics service for e-retailers. A pivotal moment in his tenure was the 2014 IPO of CNOVA, Cdiscount’s parent company, on the NASDAQ. Grenier initiated a marketplace in 2011, which now accounts for 65% of Cdiscount’s activity.
Before leading Cdiscount, Emmanuel managed Casino’s Supply Chain and logistics in France from 2002 to 2008. Grenier’s career at the Casino Group started at 24, in 1995 in Poland, where he managed the Supply Chain and IT until 2002.
He is a graduate of ESC Chambéry (INSEEC).
Philippe Gillet
Deep TechChief Scientific Officer @ SICPA
Professor and Vice President @ Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
President Director @ Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon
PhD in Geophysics and Geochemistry from Université Paris VII and Ecole normale supérieure de Paris.
Philippe Gillet is Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He brings his expertise in Deep Tech related matters.
Philippe is currently Chief Scientific Officer at SICPA and a Professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) where he was also VP of Academic Affairs, President ad Interim and Director of the Human Brain project for 2 years. Before EPFL, he served as Chief of Staff of the French Minister for Higher Education and Research – Mrs Valérie Pécresse.
Prior to that, Philippe was Director of the CNRS Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers, President of the French synchrotron facility SOLEIL, of the French National Research Agency and Director of the Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon.
In addition to his professional career, Philippe holds several advisory board roles, including President of the Scientific Boards of both the French “Ile de France” region and of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique.
As part of his academic experience, Philippe published more than 150 articles in international scientific journals such as “Nature” and “Science”.
Yassir Khalid
Corporate DevelopmentManaging Director @ Torch Partners
Director @ Leonardo & Co
Analyst @ Credit Suisse
MS HEC, MBA London Business School & Columbia University
Yassir Khalid advises C4 Ventures on opportunity sourcing and transaction structuring and brings extensive expertise in corporate finance and fundraising in the telecom and digital sectors.
Yassir is currently Managing Director at Torch Partners. Previously, he was Executive Director at Leonardo & Co., where he was leading the coverage of the TMT sector for the French market and was in charge of the development of the bank’s operations on the Moroccan market.
At Leonardo & Co., Yassir advised large corporations, private equity funds and start-ups on over 30 successful transactions, and played an instrumental part in transforming a 5-people boutique into a pan-European investment bank.
Prior to joining Leonardo & Co., Yassir was an M&A analyst in the telecom team at Credit Suisse First Boston in London.
A French and Moroccan national, Yassir holds an MSc in Management from HEC Paris and a joint Executive MBA from Columbia Business School and London Business School.
Jean-Michel Lunati
Field EngineeringDirector System Engineering @ Apple Europe
Technical Manager Southern Europe @ NeXT
CEO @ Audientia, IMPROVE
Engineer in IT and Applied Mathematics
Jean-Michel is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He advises portfolio companies on all aspects relating to Field Engineering. This covers everything from the development and structuring of direct and indirect engineering teams in charge of commercial development, to product marketing and product development cycles.
Previously, Jean-Michel spent a large part of his career as a member of the Executive Committee of Apple Europe, building, developing and directing for 20 years the technical pre-sales strategy, technical relations with partners, as well as professional services in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.
An Engineer in IT and Applied Mathematics, Jean-Michel participated in the creation and development of various start-ups in the B2B world, both in hardware and software, before joining NeXT and Apple.
Bernard Ourghanlian
Cyber securityCTO & CSO @ Microsoft France, 1999-2022
CTO @ Digital France 1993-1999
Bernard Ourghanlian is Operating Partner at C4 Ventures, with over 30 years’ experience in cybersecurity.
Bernard Ourghanlian has been Chief Technology and Security Officer of Microsoft France for 25 years, he is a member of the executive committee since 2009. He represented Microsoft on a technical level to key government officials and major government agencies, general management and IT departments, standardization committees, and the education and research sectors. Working closely with Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Research, and various product groups, he actively contributed to the evolution of Microsoft’s products and solutions, particularly in OS, software development, Cloud, and Artificial Intelligence. He was instrumental in the creation of the “Bleu” company in France. He was a member of the steering committee of the joint research center created between INRIA and Microsoft Research, which he helped establish. He also served as a board member of Numeum and the University of Paris-Sud.
Before joining Microsoft, Bernard Ourghanlian was the Chief Technology Officer at Digital France, where he actively participated in the design and development of the Alpha microprocessor architecture and the various system software components supporting it. Prior to that, he was involved in the design and implementation of the first Scanner and MRI imaging techniques at Thomson. He began his career as a teacher and researcher in statistics at the University of Orsay after teaching at middle and high school levels.
Bernard Ourghanlian holds a PhD in mathematics and is the author of several specialized books on statistics and computer science, including a reference book on Alpha microprocessors.
Alain Pakiry
Go-to-marketCEO @APK Advisors
COO @Navico 2020-2023
CEO @TCL Electronics Europe
COO @Myfox 2013-2015
CMO @TomTom 2009-2012
General Manager France @Logitech
VP & General Manager, North America @Guillemot Corporation 1997-2003
Alain is an Operating Partner with C4 Ventures. He contributes to portfolio value creation by bringing 30 years of experience in go-to-market optimization.
Previously, Alain was Chief Commercial Officer at Navico, a leader in marine electronics and a Goldman Sachs portfolio company, which he scaled globally, leading to a successful exit. Before that, Alain held various leading roles in the consumer tech industry and was CEO of TCL Europe, CMO at TomTom, and General Manager of EMEA at Logitech.
Alain started his career developing the North American market for UbiSoft and has worked and lived in 7 countries across Europe and North America. He holds an MSc from EMLyon Business School and completed an executive education at IMD Business School.
Serge Palaric
Computing & AI InfrastructureVice President Alliances & OEMs EMEA, France Government Affairs @NVIDIA
20 years working in the IT sector in different positions for OEMs @Dell, @Packard Bell, @NEC and others
Serge is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He contributes to portfolio value creation by bringing his expertise in computing & AI infrastructure.
Serge is Vice President of Alliances & OEMs EMEA, France Government Affairs at NVIDIA. Focused on system design wins and key global accounts management, his responsibilities extend to overseeing Alliances & OEMs for EMEA, covering Data Centers & Cloud, Storage & ISVs to develop Artificial Intelligence & compute adoption from end to end. In this scope, Serge Palaric leads France Government affairs for the company.
Before joining NVIDIA in 2004, he spent 20 years working in the IT sector in different positions for OEMs such as Dell, Packard Bell, and NEC, but also software companies at the European level.
Serge holds an MBA from INSEAD.
Sheryl Seitz
MarketingVP Marketing & Communications @ May Mobility
Senior Director Marketing @ Samsung
Director Consumer PR @ Symantec
PR Consultant & Head of Corporate PR @ Apple
Sheryl Seitz is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. A Marketing and Communications executive with deep roots in B2G, B2B, and B2C tech, she’s worked at large corporations including Apple and Samsung as well as a number of VC-backed, high-growth startups.
At Apple, Sheryl helped create launch strategies for iconic products including the iPod, iTunes, iPhone and App Store. At Samsung, Sheryl led the marketing effort for the Global Innovation Center, a corporate marketing group responsible for M&A, investments, and two accelerators in NY and SF. At Symantec, she led an EMEA team that created brand initiatives including product positioning and experiential events.
Most recently, she was VP Marketing & Communication at Plus One Robotics, a startup expanding the capabilities of warehouse robots with software, and then May Mobility, a startup transforming cities through autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.
In her career, she’s helped market leaders and emerging technology companies position themselves against larger competitors and accelerate growth to meet business goals. Sheryl creates and drives brand-building and GTM strategy using a range of marketing channels. She’s won several industry awards, and was named ‘Global Best Partner’ while at Apple. Sheryl sits on the Application Review Committee at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center in SF, where she also mentors entrepreneurs. Sheryl writes about marketing and communications for Forbes.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University.
Michel Taride
Transport & MobilityFormer Group President @ Hertz International
Chair of the Advisory Board @ Global Travel and Tourism Partnership
Ambassador @ World Travel and Tourism Council
Michel is the former Group President of Hertz International, the leading global car rental brand, where he was responsible for all of its wholly owned and franchise operations in 150 countries across all continents, outside North America.
Over his 38-year career in the constantly transforming car rental business, Michel has progressed through the organization, holding numerous leadership positions in operational, commercial, country and divisional management.
Most recently, Michel has been championing the « smart mobility » strategies for Hertz, working closely with start-ups and incubators.
Since he moved on from Hertz in April 2019, Michel is an Advisor and a Consultant focusing on Travel, Transportation and Smart Mobility.
He is the Chair of the Advisory Board for the GTTP (Global Travel and Tourism Partnership), a non-for-profit organization that supports education programs enabling each year 700,000 students from 15 countries to build careers in Travel and Tourism.
He is also an Ambassador for the WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), and a Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Embassy in London.
Roy Timor-Rousso
EDGE Datacenters & Enterprise SolutionsHead of EMEA @ Flexnode
CMO @ Pente Networks
IL General Manager, VP Business Development @ Mavenir
GM Kandy APAC/EMEA @ Ribbon
CEO @ fring
MBA @ PSB Paris School of Business (MBA), BA & MA Political Science @ Bar Ilan & Tel Aviv University
Roy Timor-Rousso is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures, where he drives growth by advising portfolio companies on cutting-edge strategies for EDGE Data Centers and Enterprise Solutions. With a sharp focus on business development and sales execution, Roy brings deep expertise and strategic thinking to accelerate tactical performance and market impact.
Roy is a seasoned professional and the Head of EMEA at Flexnode. Flexnode.io delivers modular edge data centers designed for AI and EDGE computing. Previously, Roy held vital roles, including CMO at Pente Networks, where he advanced 5G solutions, and VP of Business Development at Mavenir, managing operations in Israel. He also served as CEO of Fring, leading its successful acquisition by Ribbon. Roy’s experience is complemented by his military service as a Full Colonel (Res) in the IDF.
Joel Tiphonnet
International go-to-marketFounder & CEO @ CREAXIL Consulting
Former President & CEO @ Club Med Asia Pacific
President @ Oregon Scientific Global
MBA HEC Paris, MSc Engineering Arts et Metiers ParisTech
Joel is Operating Partner at C4 Ventures leveraging his expertise in strategy development, brand building, business turnaround to support international expansion of our portfolio companies.
Since 2007 Joel is the founder and CEO of CREAXIL Consulting specialized in conducting and managing consulting and development projects for corporate clients in fields of eCommerce, Hospitality, Lifestyle, Retail and Real Estate in Asia Pacific and Europe.
Prior to founding CREAXIL Consulting, Joel was President and CEO for Club Med Asia Pacific since 2001. He pioneered a new upscale strategy that he developed and implemented to make Asia Pacific the most profitable and fastest growing region. He led a turn around commercial strategy to radically transform the Club Med offer. This successful repositioning was rolled out globally in 2005.
As President of Oregon Scientific, he successfully engineered and led The @rt of Living global brand strategy. Joel previously held leadership roles at LVMH, General Electric and Bain & Company.
Joel is a Corporate Advisor on the Board of HKUST Business School.
Caroline Winter
Media & PREvents Manager NYC @ The Galion Project
NYC Lead Community Manager @ La French Tech
PR Manager @ Women in Innovation forum NY
Media & PR Officer @ Business France North America
BA in Communications @ EFAP Communication
BS in Biology @ Paris X University
Based in New York, Caroline is a 19+ years experienced Media & PR consultant, developing and implementing media and PR programs with a unique understanding of the communications challenges faced by European entrepreneurs coming to the USA.
Caroline was Head of Media & PR for Business France in North America, where she focused on highlighting the strength of the French economy and tech ecosystem to the US business community through high-profile events, media & PR programs.
Caroline started her career in 2000 with Pleon, the leading European Tech PR firm, handling media relations in France for global tech brands such as IBM Global Services, Phillips and American Power Conversion. She rapidly brought her experience and passion about science, entrepreneurship and innovation to develop and implement tailored media relations strategies to the emerging French startups ecosystem and moved to the United States in 2004 where she continued working as a PR consultant for various BtoB and BtoC tech startups.
She is now collaborating with the Galion Project, the exclusive French startups Entrepreneurs club founded by Jean-Baptiste Rudelle (Criteo). She is also on the executive Board of La French Tech NYC Community, playing a central role in bridging the gap between the French and local tech community. She actively supports the Women in Innovation Forum in NYC since its creation in 2016.
Caroline holds a degree in Biochemistry from Paris X University and a degree in Communications from L’EFAP Communications.
Franck Zayan
eCommerceCEO @ Clippings
CEO @ Style.com
Internet & eCommerce Director @ Groupe Galeries Lafayette
Founder & CEO @ Traffic Garden
Co-founder & CEO @ Sarenza
VP of Content & Production @ AOL France
Computer Science degree from Université Paris Sud (Paris XI) & New York City College
Franck Zayan is an expert in retail, e-commerce and technology.
Franck took the CEO role at Clippings, one of C4 Ventures portfolio companies. He brings along his unique experience and leadership skills in an effort to take the company to its next growth phase.
Franck started his career at Cabletron in 1994 as Manager of Information Systems before joining AOL as VP of Content and Production. At AOL he was Member of the Board of Directors, managing a team of developers, graphic/web designers and journalists.
He also participated in the development of the American payment platform IPIN before becoming COO of Gloria, the pioneer of DVD rental service in Europe. In 2004, he Co-founded Sarenza, the first online shoe retailer in France. He ran the company during 4 years as CEO, after which he created Traffic Garden in 2008 – an Online content Management and Domain Name Monetisation.
From 2011 to 2013, Franck was the head of Omnichannel and e-commerce for the Galeries Lafayette Group, a major retail chain with department stores in France, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. During his time there, annual visitors on the Galeries Lafayette Website grew from 12 million to over 40 million. He then took the role of CEO at Style.com, the e-commerce entity of Condé Nast Group. He led the company from its inception all the way to its sell to Farfetch.
Franck Zayan holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Sciences from Université Paris Sud and the New York City College.
About us
C4 Ventures is a leading European Venture firm led by former Apple and Microsoft executives, a team of business operators backing ambitious tech entrepreneurs.
More than an investor, we strive to create value through deep understanding, strong involvement, and concrete operational support. Leveraging on the team’s second-to-none authority in European go-to-market, we notably strive to accelerate companies’ expansion into and across Europe.
Our strategy is based on the team’s operational and investment background in three major themes:
– Smart Hardware
– Future of Commerce
– Future of Work.
People, Products, and Technology drive our investment decisions. We look for founding teams who are not afraid of challenging the status quo and making a global impact on business, society, and our planet.
We invest from Series A onwards and we can act both as lead and co-investor, with the same level of dedication and support.
Since inception in 2014, C4 Ventures has backed over 50 companies of which 9 became unicorns.
For more information, subscribe to our newsletter, check our portfolio and have a look at the companies and teams we believe in.
C4 Ventures is part of C4 – an entrepreneurial platform dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and accompanying them on their journey. Learn more about C4 here.
Our ESG policy
Environment, social and governance (“ESG”) issues can have a material impact on financial performance and the communities in which C4 Ventures’ funds and portfolio companies operate.
Our mission is to find and select the most promising startups and deliver the strongest possible returns to our investors. We care about impact, with no compromise on IRR.
Yet, we are fully committed to working with our portfolio companies to integrate ESG considerations into business-as-usual practices. Rather than creating a portfolio with best-in-class Impact startups, we prefer helping them to begin and progress in their ESG journey.
In developing our policy, we have given consideration to a range of codes and standards, including the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact, which led us to identify within our portfolio:
Impact natives : companies born into creating intentional and measurable social and environmental impact
Impact migrants : portfolio companies who fall under UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and could implement intentional impact
The partners and staff of C4 Ventures will, to the best of their ability:
- Comply with applicable regulations governing the protection of human rights, occupational health and safety standards and labor, environmental and business practices of the jurisdictions in which C4 Ventures conduct business.
- Adhere to the highest standards of conduct intended to avoid unfair or corrupt business practices. Instruct the investment team in the identification and management of ESG risks and opportunities and provide them with appropriate support and assistance.
- Identify ESG risks and opportunities prior to an investment in a portfolio company.
- Aid in establishing appropriate ESG policies and practices for their portfolio companies.
- Assess and track the ESG progress made by portfolio company.
- Distribute this policy and related ESG information to all C4 Ventures employees.
- Encourage dialogue on how C4 Ventures can accommodate ESG issues in a way that is consistent with their funds’ limited partners’ initiatives in these areas.