Kima Ventures
Kima Ventures is a Paris-based business angel firm founded in 2010 and backed by Xavier Niel, investing €150k one-off tickets in roughly 100 early-stage startups per year across any sector and stage, with a portfolio of 600+ companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kima Ventures does
Kima Ventures is a Paris-based business angel and venture capital firm founded in 2010 and backed by French entrepreneur Xavier Niel. The firm deploys €150k one-off investment tickets into approximately 100 new startup deals per year (roughly two startups per week), explicitly operating as sector-agnostic, stage-agnostic, and deal-size agnostic. Its portfolio exceeds 600 companies spanning AI (Mistral AI, PhotoRoom, Vocca, Temelion), fintech (Pennylane, Agicap, Alan, Alma, Alpa), SaaS (Airbyte, Pigment, Aircall), defencetech (EGIDE, Alta Ares), biotech (Tychobio, Living Models), robotics (InteractionLabs), cybersecurity (Lupin & Holmes, Netsec), and consumer brands (Sorare, 77Foods, Beycome). The firm does not develop or sell technology products; its core offering is capital deployment, Niel's reputational signal, and access to an extensive portfolio network for cross-company synergies.
The business model is investment-return-driven: Kima takes equity stakes via small one-off tickets rather than running a structured fund with external LPs, and it does not charge management fees. Capital deployment totals approximately €15M annually, funded by Xavier Niel's personal balance sheet. The firm is tightly operationally lean (1–10 employees) and relies on Niel's brand, Station F ecosystem proximity, and portfolio referrals as the primary deal-sourcing channels rather than a formal outbound sales motion. Geographic footprint has expanded beyond France to at least nine countries across Western and Northern Europe plus North America (USA, Canada), with continued co-investment alongside tier-1 funds such as Y Combinator, Seedcamp, Eurazeo, Speedinvest, and daphni.
Kima Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kima Ventures
- Legal name
- Kima Ventures
- Website
- http://www.kimaventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kima Ventures is a Paris-based business angel firm founded in 2010 and backed by Xavier Niel, investing €150k one-off tickets in roughly 100 early-stage startups per year across any sector and stage, with a portfolio of 600+ companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kima Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Angel Investing
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- SBIC Venture Debt Funds (FSANAIAD)
Keywords
Where Kima Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kima Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Kima Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups, typically as a seed investor providing 150k tickets in exchange for equity stakes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Kima Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kima Ventures is a business angel firm that deploys €150,000 one-off equity investment tickets into approximately 100 new early-stage startup deals per year (around 2 startups per week). The firm invests at any stage, any deal size, and across any sector, offering both capital and ecosystem/network access to founders. Its portfolio spans 600+ companies across SaaS, AI, fintech, deeptech, biotech, robotics, cybersecurity, and other technology sectors.
Product overview
Kima Ventures is a business angel firm, not a product/technology company. The company offers investment services, deploying 150,000 euro one-off tickets in approximately 100 new startup deals per year across any stage, deal size, and sector. Their portfolio spans diverse technology sectors including SaaS, AI, cybersecurity, fintech, biotech, and robotics. The company does not develop or sell technology products; its core 'product' is capital deployment and startup backing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kima Ventures Seed Investment Program Standardized early-stage equity investment offering: a €150,000 one-off ticket deployed into approximately 100 new deals per year, at any stage, any deal size, and any sector. Available to startup founders and companies seeking seed capital and access to Xavier Niel's network.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2 startups backed per week
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kima Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Kima Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kima Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Station FcoreKima Ventures operates as a key investor within the Station F startup campus ecosystem, France's largest startup campus founded by Xavier Niel.
- VisibleminorKima Ventures was profiled by Visible as one of the 12 most active venture capital firms in Europe, highlighting its weekly investment cadence and sector-agnostic approach.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Kima Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Y Combinator: The world's most active seed-stage accelerator, deploying concentrated capital across hundreds of startups per batch with a sector-agnostic approach. Directly comparable to Kima in deal velocity, ticket-size philosophy, and cross-sector breadth, though YC operates through a structured batch program rather than continuous angel investing.
- 500 Global (500 Startups): Global early-stage accelerator and seed investor known for extremely high deal volume across emerging markets and broad sectors. Comparable to Kima in its high-throughput, sector-agnostic seed strategy and large alumni portfolio.
- Techstars: Worldwide accelerator network running numerous cohort programs with seed-stage investments across diverse sectors. Directly comparable in its early-stage, sector-diverse, high-volume approach to backing founders.
- Seedcamp: London-based European seed fund investing across the continent with a portfolio that includes many of the same winners as Kima (e.g., co-investments shown in 20VC-led rounds). Closely comparable in European seed-stage focus and co-investment patterns.
- LocalGlobe: London-based seed-stage investor with a high-volume, thesis-driven approach to early-stage European startups. Comparable to Kima in targeting pre-seed and seed rounds across multiple sectors with small initial checks.
- Speedinvest: Vienna-based European seed fund actively co-investing alongside Kima in rounds such as Vocca and 10%. Comparable in its pan-European seed-stage focus and participation in the same French/German-speaking deal ecosystem.
- Daphni: Paris-based early-stage venture fund frequently leading rounds that Kima participates in (e.g., Piston, Alpa). A close French peer operating in the same ecosystem with comparable seed-stage deal flow.
- Connect Ventures: London-based seed-stage investor focused on European tech, co-investing alongside Kima in rounds like Upstream. Comparable in its seed-stage European focus and willingness to back emerging categories early.
Regional players
- K Fund: Madrid-based early-stage Spanish venture fund with similar deal cadence and sector-agnostic seed approach. Comparable in operating model but primarily focused on the Spanish/Iberian ecosystem.
Others
- Station F: Paris-based startup campus founded by Xavier Niel and a core ecosystem partner of Kima Ventures. Comparable as the primary deal-sourcing infrastructure underlying Kima's investment activity, rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kima Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceKima Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kima Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kima Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kima Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments945 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kima Ventures
What does Kima Ventures do?
Kima Ventures is a business angel firm that deploys €150,000 one-off equity investment tickets into approximately 100 new early-stage startup deals per year (around 2 startups per week). The firm invests at any stage, any deal size, and across any sector, offering both capital and ecosystem/network access to founders. Its portfolio spans 600+ companies across SaaS, AI, fintech, deeptech, biotech, robotics, cybersecurity, and other technology sectors.
Is Kima Ventures a public or private company?
Kima Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kima Ventures founded?
Kima Ventures was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kima Ventures based?
Kima Ventures is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Kima Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Kima Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Y Combinator, 500 Global (500 Startups), Techstars, Seedcamp, LocalGlobe, Speedinvest, Daphni and Connect Ventures. K Fund is listed as a regional player. Station F is listed as an others.
Does Kima Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kima Ventures.
What industry is Kima Ventures in?
Kima Ventures's product category is Venture Capital / Angel Investing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAIAD, SBIC Venture Debt Funds. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.