CentraleSupélec Venture

What CentraleSupélec Venture does

CentraleSupélec Venture is an early-stage venture capital fund structured as a French FPCI (Fonds Professionnel de Capital Investissement), launched in May 2023 by CentraleSupélec engineering school. The fund invests at pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages in startups emerging from the CentraleSupélec ecosystem — alumni-founded companies, research laboratory spinoffs, and participants of the 21st by CentraleSupélec incubator/accelerator — with initial tickets of €150,000 to €500,000 and follow-on capacity of up to €2 million per participation. Its investment thesis targets four verticals: deeptech, health technologies, environmental transition, and industrial transition. Target fund size is €20M, subscribed primarily by CentraleSupélec alumni under a "give-back" model where a portion of capital gains is returned to the CentraleSupélec Foundation and Alumni Association.

The fund's differentiated source of deal flow is institutional: it draws on 18 CentraleSupélec research laboratories, approximately 100 pre-incubated projects and 100 accelerated startups per year, plus the broader Paris-Saclay University ecosystem under a reserved quota. It maintains offices at the CentraleSupélec campus in Gif-sur-Yvette and at Station F in Paris, providing physical proximity to founders at the earliest stages. Its current portfolio of five disclosed companies — Ed.AI (AI-driven EdTech, €1.7M raised), Scienta Lab (immunology foundation model, €4M raised), Highcast (AI-driven industrial energy optimization, €2M raised), En Carta Diagnostics (aptamer-based point-of-care diagnostics), and Trace For Good (supply chain traceability and ESG data) — illustrates a deliberate spread across AI, biotech, climate, and industrial software themes.

Operationally the fund is small (1–10 employees) and is led by Executive Director Cédric Curtil, with Pierre Martini as non-executive co-founder and Jean-Marc Patouillaud as non-executive director. Distribution is sales-led and direct: startups apply via online submission forms, with preferential access for 21st by CentraleSupélec cohort companies. Revenue mechanics are conventional venture capital — capital gains from portfolio exits, partially recycled to the school — and the fund does not publicly disclose revenue or AUM.

Name

CentraleSupélec Venture

Legal name

CentraleSupélec Venture

Website

https://centralesupelec.venture.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CentraleSupélec Venture is an early-stage FPCI venture capital fund launched in 2023 by CentraleSupélec engineering school, investing €150K–€500K (up to €2M follow-on) in deeptech, health, and environmental/industrial-transition startups drawn from its alumni network, research labs, and the 21st by CentraleSupélec accelerator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital (Early-Stage Investing)

NAICS

Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Deeptech startup investing
• Pre-seed seed funding
• Health technology investing
• Alumni-backed investment fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Capital gains from investment returns: The fund generates returns through capital gains from exits of portfolio companies. Part of the gains ('give back') are returned to CentraleSupélec Foundation and Alumni Association.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CentraleSupélec Venture is an early-stage venture capital fund (FPCI) that invests €150,000–€500,000 at pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages into startups originating from the CentraleSupélec ecosystem—alumni-founded ventures, research lab spinoffs, and graduates of the 21st by CentraleSupélec accelerator. Targeted sectors are deeptech, health technologies, environmental transition, and industrial transition, with the ability to follow-on up to €2M per participation in subsequent rounds.

Product overview

CentraleSupélec Venture is an early-stage venture capital fund (FPCI) investing pre-seed, seed, and Series A in startups from the CentraleSupélec ecosystem. The fund targets Deeptech, Health Technologies, Environmental Transition, and Industrial Transition sectors. Investment range is 150-500k€ initially with reinvestment capability up to 2M€ per participation. The portfolio consists of five startups: Ed.AI (AI education platform), Scienta Lab (immunology foundation model), Highcast (industrial energy optimization AI), En Carta Diagnostics (rapid diagnostic platform), and Trace For Good (supply chain traceability for ESG).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FPCI CS Venture Fund (Early-Stage Investment Vehicle) Private venture capital fund (Fonds Professionnel de Capital Investissement) that invests pre-seed, seed, and Series A capital of €150,000–€500,000 initially (with follow-on capacity up to €2M per participation) in startups from the CentraleSupélec ecosystem across deeptech, health technologies, environmental transition, and industrial transition. Targets a €20M close, accessible to CentraleSupélec alumni and professional investors, with a give-back mechanism returning part of capital gains to the CentraleSupélec Foundation and Alumni Association.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 21st by CentraleSupéleccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe incubator/accelerator of Ecole CentraleSupélec that supports startups with coaching, office space, and expansion assistance. CS Venture works closely with 21st as startups from the incubator are eligible for investment.
• CentraleSupélec Research LaboratoriescoreTechnology or Integration18 research laboratories providing deal flow and technological expertise for deeptech startups. Startups that develop collaborations with these labs are eligible for investment.
• Université Paris-SaclayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA limited quota of the fund is dedicated to projects from the Paris-Saclay University ecosystem.
• Station FminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's largest startup campus in Paris where CS Venture maintains an office presence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Elaia Partners: Established French early-stage VC with deeptech focus; larger fund, broader portfolio, but competes for similar deal flow in deeptech and digital across France and Europe.
• Sofinnova Partners: Major European life sciences and deeptech VC firm operating much larger funds; comparable in healthtech/deeptech sector focus though at scale far beyond CS Venture.
• Eurazeo: Large French private equity and venture investor with broad portfolio; operates at much larger scale but is a comparator for institutional French capital allocators targeting innovation ecosystems.
• Bpifrance (Investissement): French public investment bank that co-invests in or competes with French deeptech early-stage rounds; significant capital, established track record, broader sector mandate.

Direct peers

• ESSEC Ventures: Student and alumni venture fund affiliated with ESSEC Business School; comparable as a school-affiliated early-stage fund in the French ecosystem, though with different vertical emphasis.
• HEC Paris Venture Fund: University-affiliated early-stage venture fund investing in startups founded by HEC alumni and the broader French ecosystem; structurally similar model of school-backed VC.
• Wilco (formerly Scientipôle): French early-stage accelerator and fund supporting tech startups; co-supported Highcast and operates in a similar pre-seed/seed capacity within the Paris startup ecosystem.
• 21st by CentraleSupélec: The school's incubator and accelerator program; CS Venture works in tight partnership with 21st, which supports the same startup ecosystem via coaching, office space, and acceleration programs.
• Agoranov: Paris-based deeptech incubator that co-supported portfolio company Highcast; both operate in the French early-stage deeptech funding stack and share deal flow with academic ecosystems.
• Polytechnique Ventures: Early-stage fund affiliated with École Polytechnique, investing in deeptech from Polytechnique labs and alumni; closest structural analog as a top French engineering school's VC arm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cs_venture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centralesupelecventure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments10 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CentraleSupélec Venture