An (actual) map of Parisian VCs 🇫🇷

<Spoiler (yet another one)> This article is typed from an iPhone from Folégandros in the Cyclades islands, where by the way Google Maps is funnily doing a shitty job, don’t expect mind blowing insights </Spoiler>

Following one of these Twitter exchanges which reminds me why this company is great despite its product (ie ability to connect with busy and brilliant people without any intro just because you are interested in the same stuff) with Pawel Chudzinski from Point Nine Capital, I started to collect VC firms in Paris on a map.

The following map well, maps, the active VC firms in France, including Seed funds.

Given that the first thing I do when I have to go somewhere is to type it in Google Maps (when I’m on desktop, otherwise it’s Citymapper 🙂), I thought it may be of interest for entrepreneurs to have their potential funders mapped.

Some insights also popped up along the way 🤓

If it’s not on Google Maps, it doesn’t exist :)

First, I was really surprised by the number of VC firms whose Google Maps pinpoint either doesn’t exist (hello Kima Ventures, FaDièse, Hi-Inov, French office of Global Founders Capital) or is inaccurate or not specific enough (hi there Kerala Ventures, Side Capital, and probably some others that never invited me for a coffee 🙃).

If founders share my habit and googlemap an address before going there, it might be a good idea to help them find their way to your office!

Typical French concentration

The first thing to notice is how geographically concentrated these firms are.

There are only 4.1km from the westernmost VC point (ISAI) to the most easterly VC (Korelya / Daphni).

And except from the left bank outlier Seventure Partners, you’ll only have to walk 1.8 km from the southern edge Alven to the northern wall defended by Omnes. That’s a fairly small area.

Paris VCs are fairly concentrated

From Étoile to Opéra, the French Sand Hill Road

Zooming in a bit, you’ll notice that most of the VC firms are located in the traditional central business areas of Paris:

• 8th arrondissement, around the Champs-Elysées: ISAI, Blackfin Capital Partners, Idinvest, Cathay, Iris Capital, XAnge, Elaia Partners and Breega Capital
• the Saint-Lazare / Madeleine / Haussmann area (north 8th / south of the 9th district): Truffle Capital, Partech Ventures, Capagro, Aurinvest, Omnes Capital, Newfund, Aster Capital and Serena Capital
  + Hi-Inov
• Opéra / Drouot: Banexi, CapHorn Invest, BPI France, Ventech, CM-CIC, 360 Capital Partners and Alven.
  + Kerala Ventures

All of these VCs are traditional, institutional VCs. Funnily enough, two “entrepreneur money” seed funds are located in this fancy area, ISAI and Kerala.

The 3 hubs of French traditional VCs

New kids on the Sentier’s blocks

You might have noticed that some stars on the map are not located within the red-circled areas. The one near the Tour Eiffel is the outlier from the left bank, Seventure Partners.

But the most interesting fact concerns the one to the right hand side, in the blue circle. They are located in the Sentier, where most of Paris’ startups are located today.

That move away from the bankers’ 8th district to the Entrepreneurs’ Sentier has been performed either by investment firms which are either newly set up (Korelya and Daphni, who share the same building rue Réaumur) or with renewed interest for startups (Otium Venture).

Interestingly, the center of gravity for the Parisian startup scene is moving east. The center of attention followed suit with the emergence of The Family which is even further east (Bastille) and will maybe go SE with the grand opening of StationF.

Viens chez moi, j’habite chez une copine

Speaking of the coworking space (let’s call it this way), it is worth noticing that many VCs are hosted by other startup-related institutions.

• Kima Ventures performed exactly the East-aimed path I mention (from Iliad offices in the 8th district to TheFamily premises near Bastille to StationF)
• Global Founders Capital’s Paris team moved from Rocket Internet’s Africa Internet Group premises near St Lazare to TheFamily
• FaDièse team works, as far as I know, from Le Cargo, a State-financed incubator in the north of Paris
• Side Capital, the only star you see on the right bank which is not within a circle, shares offices with the accelerator 50 Partners
• StationF is now (at least to some extent) home to some French VCs including Ventech, Daphni, Kima and will most probably be a visiting office for some investors working for foreign VC firms. That would be a tremendous opportunity for the visibility of the French startup scene abroad.

As I said, this is a light and easy summer article for founders preparing a fundraising roadshow in September. If this is a case, drop me an email! :)

Map of the French VCs in Paris :)