Welcoming Thomas Poitrineau, our new Director based in Paris!

As a VC built by ex-founders and operators, we provide founders across Europe and the US with radical support and high commitment lead investments that help turn their ambition into action, their ideas into impact.

Among the European markets we’re gaining presence in is France, where last year tech startups received over €11.5bn in funding. It’s against this backdrop that we’re excited to grow our Paris team, a tight-knit unit dedicated to supporting France’s abundance of future world changers.

Today, we’re delighted to welcome Thomas Poitrineau as Director at EQT Ventures Paris. Having spent five years as an operator at ecommerce startups Jumia, Take Eat Easy and onefinestay, Thomas moved to Entrepreneur First where he found and backed some of France’s most ambitious founders. Among the 50 companies he helped create and fund at EF are Fairbrics (green chemicals), Core Biogenesis (molecular farming), and Genomines (clean mining). As part of our French investment team, Thomas will cover everything from climate tech companies, to marketplaces.

“I strongly believe that some of the world’s biggest problems are being solved right now,” Thomas says. “Finding the companies solving these problems, helping them through their company-building journey and setting them up for success is what drives me. That, plus the chance to play a part in the evolution of the French ecosystem, which has some of the best universities, institutions and potential technical founders in the world.”

Rania Belkahia, EQT Ventures Partner based in Paris is looking forward to seeing the impact of Thomas’s ambition and extensive entrepreneurial experience on the team. “ Thomas has an amazing track record as both an operator and an investor,” says Rania. “In addition to being instrumental in many European marketplaces across various roles, he was also a trusted advisor to several EF companies for the past 4 years. His posture, knowledge, and approach will make him an incredible partner to our current and future founders.”

EQT Ventures has teams on the ground in five cities: Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, London, and San Francisco. With Thomas on board, we expand our ‘locals with locals’ approach to the French ecosystem, providing the region’s founders with the radical support needed to fast-track their ideas to scale.

Welcome to the team, Thomas!