About Us
About Us
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« Promoting entrepreneurship and innovation is a key mission of the École Polytechnique Foundation, in line with the ambitions of our School. It is only natural that we support Polytechnique Ventures, which strengthens the entrepreneurial dynamism of our ecosystem. »
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« Polytechnique Ventures is a preferred partner in our innovation ecosystem, working closely with our incubator. I’m thrilled to see alumni coming together to support the incredible entrepreneurial and innovative energy at École Polytechnique. »
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« The diverse experiences, energy, and resources of the Polytechnique community are powerful assets that, through Polytechnique Ventures, can nurture the entrepreneurial successes of tomorrow. »
History and environment
Since the launch of the Master in Entrepreneurship in 2011, now the X-HEC Entrepreneurs Master, followed by the creation of the School’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department in 2014 and the opening of the X-Drahi-Novation Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2016, one key element was still missing from the ecosystem: a seed fund.
Under the stewardship of the School's Board of Directors, with the support of the Alumni Association of Ecole polytechnique and the Ecole polytechnique Foundation, this fund emerged from the convergence of two needs:
- an offer : the strong desire among Alumni to support the young X entrepreneurs and, more broadly, to strengthen the School’s momentum in technological entrepreneurship, by sharing their experience and actively supporting these early-stage, visionary companies
- a demand : the need, expressed by young entrepreneurs, for a professional financing tool anchored within the academic and incubator ecosystem, as well as for committed, experienced, and trusted mentorship.
Today, we are committed to ensuring that Polytechnique Ventures is, and will remain, a venture driven by enthusiasm, passion, and the transmission of knowledge !
Mission
We invest in the emergence and growth of highly innovative companies, from the school's ecosystem, that will provide powerful solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.
We nurture founders with wisdom and connections to become robust entrepreneurs.
We extend the school's entrepreneurial initiatives, contributing to structuring of its ecosystem and strengthening its international attractiveness.
We invite Alumni to share their experience with entrepreneurs from the School's ecosystem.
Investment Strategy
We invest in start-ups emerging from the X ecosystem: founded by one (or more) alumni of the School, broadly defined (engineering degree, Bachelor's, Master's, Executive Education, PhD, Post-Doc), or incubated within the School (accelerator, incubator or the Fab Lab), or originating from the School's research labs.
Our investment strategy focuses primarily on the seed and Series A stages, with investment amounts ranging from €500k to €1m. The fund also pursues an adjacent strategy dedicated to the pre-seed stage, the Denis Lucquin Catalyst Innitiative, with investment amounts ranging from €50k to €200k.
We aim to follow in Series A rounds whenever possible, and may, on an exceptional basis, participate in Series B rounds.
The quality of the founding team, the uniqueness of the technologies implemented, the company's growth potential and its societal impact are our main evaluation criteria.
Sectors
We prioritize ambitious deep tech teams, capable of fundamentally transforming the industries they target.
The wide range of technologies developed at École Polytechnique spans a broad set of applications:
- energy, climate and environment
- mobility, transport and aerospace
- biomedical engineering and healthcare
- industry 4.0 and robotics
- advanced materials
- internet of things and digital applications
- digital economy
- cybersecurity
- finance ...
Investment Philosophy
We foster our close relationships both with entrepreneurs and with the Ecole polytechnique ecosystem: students, laboratories, platforms, innovation center on the one hand, and Alumni on the other.
Thus, we provide entrepreneurs with the cumulative EXPERIENCE of the Alumni network and the Ecole polytechnique research, innovation, and academic community.
We act as a catalyst in the heart of a circle imbued with LOYALTY :
- Alumni contribute to the school's influence and to the success of its entrepreneurs, by sharing their networks, their technological and industrial expertise, and their managerial support
- The school is our first partner: giving us access to its entire ecosystem of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship
- AX - Ecole polytechnique Alumni Association - provides us with ongoing access to and a platform with the Alumni network ;
- The Polytechnique Ventures team allocates half of its carried interest to the Foundation.
FAQs
We focus on investments in France and Europe but can also support start-ups based elsewhere in the world. Our added value to portfolio companies includes support towards international deployment.
Investment amounts vary depending on the target company’s stage of maturity and the markets in which it operates:
– Denis Lucquin Catalyst Initiative (pre-seed): €50k to €200k
– Seed and Series A: €500k to €1m
We have the capacity to reinvest in subsequent funding rounds, up to a total of €3m invested per company.
– Denis Lucquin Catalyst Initiative (pre-seed): €50k to €200k
– Seed and Series A: €500k to €1m
We have the capacity to reinvest in subsequent funding rounds, up to a total of €3m invested per company.
We favor co-investment opportunities, alongside early-stage venture capitalists. We are not precluded from being “leads”, although it is not our primary vocation.
Our investments typically span an average of five years alongside entrepreneurs, depending on the sector and the company’s growth pace. We focus our support on key value-creation milestones and seize exit opportunities as they arise, within the fund’s 10-year lifecycle.
Our first fund, with a size of 36 m€, enabled us to complete 18 investments. Our second fund is currently being raised and is expected to reach a similar size, supporting 15 to 20 investments.