Boris Bakech
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Mathieu Bourdié
CFO & Investor Relations
Eric Boustouller
Partner
Pascal Cagni
Founding Partner
Diane Cagni
Senior Associate
Alix de Panisse Passis
Controller
Wladimir d’Ormesson
Principal
Alexandre Errera
Associate
Michel Sassano
Partner & Tech Lead
Sumeet Anand
India & ME Growth Strategy
André Auberton
Hardware
Philippe Bouissou
Scale up
Michel Coucke
Talent
Philippe Dewost
Consumer High Tech
Luc Ducaroir
Logistics
Philippe Gillet
Deep Tech
Emmanuel Grenier
eCommerce & Marketplaces
Yassir Khalid
Corporate Development
Jean-Michel Lunati
Field Engineering
Alain Pakiry
Go-to-market
Sheryl Seitz
Marketing
Michel Taride
Transport & Mobility
Roy Timor-Rousso
Product UX
Joel Tiphonnet
International go-to-market
Caroline Winter
Media & PR
Franck Zayan
eCommerce

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 48 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.

. . .

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.

Boris Bakech

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Former 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 part of the investment team since the fund’s inception.

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 Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (EMEIA) 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 after just one quarter.

Boris graduated from the Grande École program at ESSEC Business School in Paris.

Mathieu Bourdié

CFO & Investor Relations

Former 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 joined C4 Ventures in January 2022 as Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations. Mathieu has spent more than 15 years in the industry holding several senior positions in various management companies with different investment strategies (direct, fund of funds and venture) 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. 

He has an international Executive MBA from IE Business School (2009) and a MiM Technology & Innovation from Paris Dauphine University (2000).

Eric Boustouller

Partner

Tech Startup Investor @ Seed4Soft

CEO @ Solocal 2017 – 2020

President Western Europe & Corporate VP @ Microsoft 2000 – 2017

Sciences Po Paris

Eric is a Partner at C4 Ventures. He has been an active investor in VC  funds (Partech, CapHorn,…) and startups for 10 years (Content Square, Codingame, Confiant, Elevo, Saagie, Intercloud, Jus Mundi,…) investing both directly and through Seed4Soft, a Business Angel club that he joined since its inception in 2011.

He is also a non-executive director at Econocom since July 2021 and Graitec since April 2021.

Until recently, 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 recruiting a highly talented management team that brought the Ebitda back to growth after a decade of decline. In 2020, he managed to complete a financial restructuring which enabled the Company to exit the pandemic period with a new solid shareholder base.

In 2002, Eric joined Microsoft where he was named President of Microsoft France in 2005. He managed to establish Microsoft as true partner of the French economy and society. He was very instrumental in developing and growing Microsoft digital ecosystem; building tight connections with the 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 and Corporate Vice President in 2012, successfully leading Microsoft’s business across 12 countries for 5 years.

Before Microsoft, Eric held several key Marketing and Sales positions at Compaq in France and across the EMEA region.

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.

Pascal Cagni

Founding Partner

Chairman @ 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.

Diane Cagni

Senior Associate

Sustainability 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.

Alix de Panisse Passis

Controller

Former 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.

Wladimir d’Ormesson

Principal

CFO @ Creative Valley group

Auditor @ Cour des comptes

Judge @ Versailles and Paris Administrative Courts

Executive MBA @ INSEAD

Graduate of ENA & Ecole Normale Supérieure

Wladimir is Principal at C4 Ventures. Based in Paris, he is part of the investment team. He is also in charge of impact investing and public affairs.

Before joining C4 Ventures, Wladimir was CFO of Creative Valley group, a Paris based startup incubator after a first career in the public sector. He has a senior experience in drafting and evaluating public policies. Wladimir served as judge, at Versailles and Paris administrative courts, specialized in tax litigations. He also served at the Cour des comptes, France’s government accountability office, where he audited public universities and cultural organisations.

He was an elected member of Bourges’ local council. In particular, he invested himself in the fight against illiteracy and educational difficulties. He published with Matthias Fekl a book about political commitment (2027, Editions du Moment).

Wladimir has graduated from the Ecole normale supérieure de Lettres et Sciences humaines and ENA.

He holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD.

Alexandre Errera

Associate

Co-Founder @ Mesange – Healthtech Start-Up

Analyst @ Flexstone Partners – Natixis IM  Alternative Investment fund affiliated

MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship @ Imperial College

Alexandre is an Associate at C4 Ventures. Based in Paris, he evaluates new investment opportunities, supports portfolio companies and contribute to the fund’s capital raise.

Before joining C4 Ventures, Alexandre co-founded Mesange, a digital conciergerie incubated at Tech Care Paris, Paris&Co. He developed a digital 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. He was involved in the elaboration of customized portfolios, providing Private Equity, Private Debt and Real Estate exposure to HNW and Institutional investors.

Alexandre has a dual Master Degree, a Master Grande Ecole in Corporate Finance from Paris School of Business and a Master in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Imperial College.

Michel Sassano

Partner & Tech Lead

Former Founder @ Konbanwa

Associate @ Kima Ventures

Infrastructure as a Service architect @ Orange

MS Telecom Bretagne

Michel is a Partner at C4 Ventures with experience in software & systems engineering, social gaming, blockchain, big data and IoT. He currently sits on the board of Zoov and is Board Observer at Graphcore, Tempow, Upmem and ISKN.

Michel uniquely combines a strong investment background with exceptional coding and data skills. At C4 Ventures, in addition to his work in the investment team where he focuses on the technology

assessment, he oversees the sourcing platform development and the IT stack used by the team.

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 Orange Graduate 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.

Sumeet Anand

India & ME Growth Strategy

Founder @ 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

Hardware

Founder @ 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”.

Philippe Bouissou

Scale up

Managing 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

Talent

Founder & 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 Tech

Co-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

Logistics
South Europe Director @ TP3 Global Ltd
President @ ROC Development SASU
Director of Sales & Marketing @ Kuehne + Nagel
ICS Bégué
Luc is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures. He offers his assistance to our portfolio companies and advises them on all aspects relating to supply chain management.
Luc founded a supply chain advisory company. Next to this entrepreneurial journey, he is also developing the Continental European branch of TP3 Global which conceives and makes thermal protections for the transportation of pharmaceutical and perishable products.
Previously, he led the contractual logistics division at Groupe Kuehne Nagel, first in Eastern Europe then in Southern Europe, the latter representing over 2 million square metres of storage units and over 10,000 collaborators.
Luc graduated from the ICS Bégué, School of finance, management and expertise.

Philippe Gillet

Deep Tech

Chief 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”.

Emmanuel Grenier

eCommerce & Marketplaces

CEO @ 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).

Yassir Khalid

Corporate Development

Managing 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 Engineering

Director 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.

Alain Pakiry

Go-to-market

CEO @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.

Sheryl Seitz

Marketing

VP 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 & Mobility

Former 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

Product UX

Head of EMEA @ Flexnode

CMO @ Pente Networks

IL General Manager, VP Business Development @ Mavenir

GM Kandy APAC/EMEA @ Ribbon (Genband)

Lt. Colonel (Res), Chief of Staff (XO), Elite Mobile Infantry Brigade, IDF

CEO @ fring

VP, Marketing @ Inneractive, Mavenir, Zlango, Nuance

PSB Paris School of Business (MBA), Bar Ilan & Tel Aviv University (MA Political Science)

Roy Timor-Rousso is an Operating Partner at C4 Ventures advising portfolio companies on digital marketing, product user-experience and Go-To- Market strategies.

Roy is a seasoned professional serving as the Head of EMEA at Flexnode, a pioneering provider of HPC, modular, high-density, low-latency, and low-power liquid cooling EDGE microcenters. In his role, Roy is leading Flexnode’s mission to revolutionize the data center industry through its cutting-edge EDGE Compute Micro Data Center platform.

Before joining Flexnode, Roy held vital positions that showcased his expertise:

  • CMO at Pente Networks: Roy was the Chief Marketing Officer at Pente Networks, a leading deep-tech enterprise specializing in 5G solutions. Here, he played a pivotal role in enabling Communication as a Service (CaaS) as an enterprise solution, particularly in Industry 4.0 and Commercial Buildings.
  • IL General Manager at Mavenir: Prior to Pente, Roy served as the Israel General Manager at Mavenir, overseeing the company’s research and development and operational sites in Tel Aviv. He also held the position of Vice President of Business Development, collaborating closely with Communication Service Providers (CSPs), API developers, and Communications Platform as a Service (cPaaS) providers.
  • CEO of fring: Roy’s entrepreneurial journey saw him as the CEO of Fring, a carrier-grade Over-the-Top (OTT) solution. During his tenure, he orchestrated a successful turnaround, culminating in the acquisition of Fring by Ribbon (Genband).

    Roy’s professional prowess extends beyond the high-tech realm. He boasts strong connections within the Israeli ecosystem and a distinguished military background as a Full Colonel (Res) with the role of CHOPS in Division 91. In this capacity, he spearheads operational planning, coordination, and execution of divisional missions in training and combat.

 

Joel Tiphonnet

International go-to-market

Founder & 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 & PR

Events 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

eCommerce

CEO @ 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 48 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.

. . .

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.
  • Boris Bakech

    Co-Founder & Managing Partner

    Former Assistant Producer @ Ubisoft

    Assistant to VP & GM @ Apple EMEIA

    MSc Management ESSEC

  • Mathieu Bourdié

    CFO & Investor Relations

    Former 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

  • Eric Boustouller

    Partner

    Tech Startup Investor @ Seed4Soft

    CEO @ Solocal 2017 – 2020

    President Western Europe & Corporate VP @ Microsoft 2000 – 2017

    Sciences Po Paris

  • Pascal Cagni

    Founding Partner

    Chairman @ 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

  • Diane Cagni

    Senior Associate

    Sustainability Analyst @ Lombard Odier

    Business Analyst @ Merieux Development

     

    MPA Columbia University, MSc London Business School, BA University of Bath

     

  • Alix de Panisse Passis

    Controller

    Former Financial Auditor @ Deloitte

    MSc Auditing EDHEC Business school

  • Wladimir d’Ormesson

    Principal

    CFO @ Creative Valley group

    Auditor @ Cour des comptes

    Judge @ Versailles and Paris Administrative Courts

    Executive MBA @ INSEAD

    Graduate of ENA & Ecole Normale Supérieure

  • Alexandre Errera

    Associate

    Co-Founder @ Mesange – Healthtech Start-Up

    Analyst @ Flexstone Partners – Natixis IM  Alternative Investment fund affiliated

    MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship @ Imperial College

  • Michel Sassano

    Partner & Tech Lead

    Former Founder @ Konbanwa

    Associate @ Kima Ventures

    Infrastructure as a Service architect @ Orange

    MS Telecom Bretagne

  • Sumeet Anand

    India & ME Growth Strategy

    Founder @ IndSight Growth Partners

    President @ Indo-French Chamber of Commerce

    Former CEO& CFO India & South Asia @ Pernod Ricard, Savencia, Arjowiggins

    Ms HEC Paris

  • André Auberton

    Hardware

    Founder @ 4A-CE

    Founder @ Soitec

    Program Manager @ CEA-LETI

    MS Centrale Lyon

  • Philippe Bouissou

    Scale up

    Managing 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)

  • Michel Coucke

    Talent

    Founder & Partner @ Lancor

    Partner @ Heidrick & Struggles

    MSc Institut Meurice Brussels, Executive MSc Solvay Brussels School, AMP Graduate IMD

  • Philippe Dewost

    Consumer High Tech

    Co-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)

  • Luc Ducaroir

    Logistics

    South Europe Director @ TP3 Global Ltd
    President @ ROC Development SASU
    Director of Sales & Marketing @ Kuehne + Nagel
    ICS Bégué

  • Philippe Gillet

    Deep Tech

    Chief 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.

  • Emmanuel Grenier

    eCommerce & Marketplaces

    CEO @ Cdiscount (2008-2023)

    Head of Supply Chain and Logistics @ Groupe Casino (2002-2008)

    Head of Supply Chain and IT @ Casino Poland

    ESC Chambéry

     

  • Yassir Khalid

    Corporate Development

    Managing Director @ Torch Partners

    Director @ Leonardo & Co

    Analyst @ Credit Suisse

    MS HEC, MBA London Business School & Columbia University

  • Jean-Michel Lunati

    Field Engineering

    Director System Engineering @ Apple Europe

    Technical Manager Southern Europe @ NeXT

    CEO @ Audientia, IMPROVE

    Engineer in IT and Applied Mathematics

  • Alain Pakiry

    Go-to-market

    CEO @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

  • Sheryl Seitz

    Marketing

    VP Marketing & Communications @ May Mobility

    Senior Director Marketing @ Samsung

    Director Consumer PR @ Symantec

    PR Consultant & Head of Corporate PR @ Apple

  • Michel Taride

    Transport & Mobility

    Former Group President @ Hertz International

    Chair of the Advisory Board @ Global Travel and Tourism Partnership

    Ambassador @ World Travel and Tourism Council

  • Roy Timor-Rousso

    Product UX

    Head of EMEA @ Flexnode

    CMO @ Pente Networks

    IL General Manager, VP Business Development @ Mavenir

    GM Kandy APAC/EMEA @ Ribbon (Genband)

    Lt. Colonel (Res), Chief of Staff (XO), Elite Mobile Infantry Brigade, IDF

    CEO @ fring

    VP, Marketing @ Inneractive, Mavenir, Zlango, Nuance

    PSB Paris School of Business (MBA), Bar Ilan & Tel Aviv University (MA Political Science)

  • Joel Tiphonnet

    International go-to-market

    Founder & CEO @ CREAXIL Consulting

    Former President & CEO @ Club Med Asia Pacific

    President @ Oregon Scientific Global

    MBA HEC Paris, MSc Engineering Arts et Metiers ParisTech

  • Caroline Winter

    Media & PR

    Events 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

  • Franck Zayan

    eCommerce

    CEO @ 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