SERENA - Key Persons
Based in NYC. Former CEO and founder of Placemeter, the urban intelligence platform that helps quantify movement in cities, at scale, and that was acquired by Netgear. Former tech co-founder of LTU Technologies, a pioneer in large scale image search by content that started up in France, quickly grew business in the USA, and sold successfully to a Japanese group.
Former post-doc Computer Vision researcher at INRIA in France, and was a missile guidance and remote sensing engineer at Airbus defense.
Joined Serena to work with our companies on their US strategy. Currently leading the Computer Vision and Machine Learning team for Arlo at Netgear, the undisputed leader in home and security cameras. Dedicate a lot of my time to mentoring startups at Techstars NYC and IoT, Zeroth.ai, and venture capital funds.
Computer vision and machine learning expert by trade and an entrepreneur by passion. Live to build systems and machines that can sense the world, reason, understand, and eventually be conscious.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Join the Team
- Partner
Above all a serial entrepreneur. Has always been convinced that innovation leading to technological breakthroughs can bring changes for society and that data will be at the heart of tomorrow's technology.
Co-founded Talend with the aim of making data access and management faster and better by democratizing technology. Led the organization until the company's IPO. Felt very lucky to experience this incredible human adventure, from its launch and growth to its international development, fundraising, building of an outstanding management team, that led Talend to become one of the French success stories to have entered the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Launched Serena Data Ventures with the Serena Team in 2017, the first fund specialized in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, based on the conviction that data (and its use) were fueling major trends as of yet undetected by the European VC ecosystem.
Former President of Tech in France (professional organization for software and internet companies), active investor, active board member of the Galion project, and chairman and co-founder of Syroco, a scientific and technical laboratory developing solutions and applications enabling players in the transportation and energy sectors to meet the economic and environmental challenges they face.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director Position for BforBank
Job Titles:
- Member of the Join the Team
- Head of Operating
Started my career when the telecom market opened to competition, offering many opportunities for disruption and providing the infrastructure for the internet to grow. It got me into an entrepreneurship adventure that lasted 20 years…Became very fond of the adrenaline, the moments of doubt, and the sweat of the journey.
Former co-founder and CEO of three companies: an internet access provider (Oreka), a voice over IP software (Wengo), and a platform for professional-to-consumer services (MyBestPro).
Roadshows, fundraising, scaling, international expansion, partnerships, acquisitions, and exits - been through it all.
As a Board Member & Advisor for startups, realized how fulfilling it was to work with entrepreneurs on building their own companies.
Job Titles:
- Talent Acquisition Manager
Discovered human resources by chance during my studies in a French Business School. Never stopped doing this since then, in every company I joined (Société Générale, AXA, Cheerz). Meeting amazing people every day is the reason why I fell in love with my job!
Honestly, never knew what I was good at. Before getting on the right track, or let's say the usual track, was enrolled in second-rank studies with poor results on top of that. Really far from the worlds of entrepreneurship and VC… and was fine with that.
Then, saw this guy on TV: a serial entrepreneur merging several old-fashioned businesses ((all plumbing-related) to build a group from the ground. Was so impressed and said to myself, " Wow this is cool, I would like to end up like this guy." And that's when I started meeting doers.
Started my career at Roland Berger as a VC analyst and next, strengthened my skills in financial advisory and fundraising support as a strategy consultant. Also learned startups operations when supporting friends in launching and scaling their startups in different sectors.
Joined Serena in 2021 within Data Ventures' team to invest in deep technologies at seed and pre-seed stages. Drawn to complex and transformative technologies and passionate about understanding low layers in data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, blockchain and quantum computing stacks. Really impressed by entrepreneurs's commitment to making their dream come true.
Excited by taking risks but not only with entrepreneurs. As a race horse owner and breeder, dedicate my personal time to building great stories with thoroughbreds to experience incredible adrenalin and indescribable emotions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Join the Team
- Partner
Guillaume Decugis is a seasoned tech entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience, in San Francisco, New York, and Paris, including four successful exits.
Before joining Serena, Guillaume led the AI-driven social listening SaaS platform Linkfluence as CEO, spearheading its growth and US expansion until its 2021 acquisition by Meltwater. Known for a deep passion for innovative technology, Guillaume has a proven track record of driving growth, product strategy, and go-to-market.
A serial entrepreneur, Guillaume co-founded Scoop.it in San Francisco, growing it into a popular content curation platform, before combining it with Linkfluence in 2018.. He also founded Musiwave, Europe's leading Mobile Music Service Provider, acquired by Microsoft in 2007.
A Silicon Valley veteran, Guillaume mentored startups through advisory roles with The Refiners and Impact USA, both programs designed to help European startups thrive in the U.S. market. He further contributes to the tech ecosystem as a board member, advisor, and angel investor, notably Tedemis Criteo's first acquisition in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Community & Communications Director
Ended up in this sector completely by chance - as luck would have it - after meeting Marc and Xavier, Serena's managing partners, more than 10 years ago. Haven't left their sides since!
Following them in the exciting Serena adventure as an office manager was obvious to me. My role is: master of all sorts of things, including back office matters and internal management topics…
One thing is for sure: it's always a pleasure to work with the team. Serena is and always will be my baby!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Join the Team
- Operating Partner
Passionately curious. Enthusiastic about exploring new ideas and territories. To me, learning is a lifelong journey.
Love switching from one industry to another (Fintech, Dating, Ecommerce). Always at the forefront of consumer behavioral changes.
Graduated from HEC in 2000. My professional path began with an experience at Bouygues Telecom, a telco corp. Started my trajectory into the digital world a few years after, as I was attracted by the international context & fast-growing companies. Was lucky enough to work for incredible brands such as ING Direct, PayPal, Meetic (Match Group) as VP for Southern Europe & Benelux, and Made.com where I developed France and Spain from scratch.
More recently, held the Managing Director position for BforBank, Crédit Agricole digital bank and led the company through an ambitious transformation program.
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Director
- Human Resources Director / Human Resources Organization
- Operations Team
Embarking on a sustainability journey just ahead of the Paris Agreement, my career has been a dynamic exploration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Cultivating my expertise at Utopies, a pioneering French sustainable development consultancy established in 1993, I later joined Reporting 21 by Sirsa, strategically timed with the EU's launch of its Sustainable Finance Framework in 2018.
At Reporting 21, I witnessed the meteoric growth of sustainability discourse, guiding PE and VC firms through the complex regulatory landscape driving the sustainable finance era. Over my 5-year tenure, I played a key role in elevating the organization from a modest team of 5 into a formidable force of 70+, ultimately culminating in its acquisition by a global EHS Tech leader.
Now, as a proud member of Serena, I am thrilled to assist ambitious entrepreneurs in embedding sustainable practices deep within the DNA of their companies. Together, let's pave the way for a world where every business is a force for positive change!
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of Makesense Fund / Partner at Racine
Purpose-driven entrepreneur myself, I co-founded in 2012 a social startup incubator called makesense for entrepreneurs to support pioneers shaping an inclusive and sustainable society. Makesense is now a 150+ people organization active in 10 countries supporting citizens, entrepreneurs, and organizations to collectively overcome our society's most pressing challenges.
Passionate about the power of collective action, I love to support ambitious and impact-driven entrepreneurs to grow and transform value chains.
Acrobat in my spare time, books addict, and practicing tech deconnexion/nature reconnection several times a year, I value transparency and kindness as the foundations of valuable, long-lasting relationships with colleagues, entrepreneurs, or partners.
Deeply invested in supporting any entrepreneurs truly committed to solving the most pressing issues, I feel enthusiastic to work hands in hands with Serena's team to deploy a new generation of impact investments.
Job Titles:
- Financial Controller
- Financial Controller / Accounting Compliance Finance Valuation
- Operations Team
Started my career in venture capital as an auditor for two leading audit companies, Deloitte and RSM.
Passionate about soccer and combat sports, I like to get out of my comfort zone and take on new challenges.
Supporting solidarity projects in education and health with an association that endeavors to improve social life.
Joined Serena as Financial Controller where I will be in command of the financial management of the funds.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Join the Team
Job Titles:
- Associate at Makesense Fund / Associate at Racine
Didn't grow up thinking that I would work with entrepreneurs, saw myself more as a designer or an architect. I realize that I do this job for similar reasons: to enable pioneering entrepreneurs to turn stories into reality and build more sustainable and inclusive societies with them.
Graduated from an MS in corporate finance at EMLYON and trained by the greatest of tech (@Partech) and social entrepreneurship (@inco and @makesense), I am convinced that our ecological and social transition will not happen without new models and ideals.
We all have a role to play, I found my place with social entrepreneurs. I dedicate a lot of time and energy to finding and supporting project leaders who want to do better and differently. You can also count on me to explore new ways of doing (investment, management, society, etc.), ask the right questions, and structure ideas.
Glad to work with Serena and build a new vision of innovation and investment together.
Matthieu started his career as a founder and CEO of two tech companies: an SMB B2B SaaS and a service marketplace. He thus gained a valuable experience in fundraising from private and public investors, hiring, and corporate development including international sales and distribution networks.
Transitioning to strategy consulting, Matthieu joined renowned firms Roland Berger and BNP Paribas, where he specialized in Corporate Development, M&A, and fundraising. Collaborating with startups, private equity investors, and corporate clients, he secured over 30 transformative tech deals.
Prior to joining Serena, Matthieu made his mark at Voodoo, a top mobile gaming scale-up, where he built a multi-million EBITDA business. His strategic acumen and ability to forge powerful B2B partnerships with major tech players across the US and APAC regions, including China, were instrumental to his success.
An alumnus of HEC Paris with an MSc in Management and a semester at Texas A&M University (USA). Matthieu is also a published author with a book on 3D printing (Editions Favre, 2013), the first of its kind in the French language.
Started my VC journey just two months before the generative AI revolution. Before ChatGPT, used to work in a Hedge Fund ; then realized that early-stage entrepreneurs are the true disrupters.
In the meantime, experienced the startup path by working on the product side first and then by launching a gaming company.
Grateful to meet ambitious entrepreneurs every day, passionate about their ventures, and thrilled to have joined Serena, focusing on supporting them in reaching their goals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Join the Team
- Partner
Always loved doing multiple activities: studying, sports (became European champion in my category), and theatre (you can google that ;-)). This is my definition of entrepreneurship.
This, plus my technical background and interests, have led me to the startup world, first, in a traditional VC firm and then in an entrepreneur-friendly accelerator - 50 Partners, where I spent 5 years. Built the technical middleware there to scale the scouting activity, and helped over 15 startups develop their business, structuring their go to market, hiring process, and fundraising.
My passion? Working with passionate people who want things to change, who have a broader vision or a clear goal.
See myself as a special sparring partner for entrepreneurs who are totally devoted to their day-to-day jobs and daily concerns. Love to challenge them, connect them, and work with them to pave the road towards their goal
Job Titles:
- Operating Partner
- Operating Partner / Enterprise Software
Co-founded NET2S, a global service company focusing on Fortune 500 business-critical information systems. After scaling it to 80 million in revenue and over 800 employees, managed its IPO, and sold it to British Telecom in 2008.
Prior to NET2S, developed software companies and IT operations in the US and in Japan.
Currently working with technology-focused companies on their product and sales strategies, and helping them build customer-obsessed operations.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal / Climate Consumer Enterprise Software
Paul joined Serena in January 2020 and serves as Principal.
He has been involved in a dozen investments and actively supports portfolio companies such as Acheel, Descartes, Electra, Pelico, etc.
Paul previously worked as a seed investor at Kerala Ventures in Paris and as a strategy consultant at PwC in Southeast Asia.
Paul has lived in France, the US, the UK, Spain and the Philippines, and graduated in 2019 from ESADE Business School (Spain) and Warwick Business School (UK).
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Join the Team
Job Titles:
- Investors Relations - Partner
I joined Serena in 2021, after graduating from ESSEC and ESSCA. Discovered the financial field during my academic journey, coupled with internships in asset management, audit, and corporate finance, while also passing the CFA 1. I explored the tech industry through my role at a strategy and innovation consultancy firm. Eager to delve into the VC landscape, I became a part of the Baby VC association, by engaging in the bootcamp and subsequently taking on the role of Community leader.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Partner
Started my career as an auditor and financial advisor for two leading consulting firms, Mazars and Deloitte.
Joined Meetic, the European leader in online dating (acquired by Match.com), in 2010. Then I focused on game-changing ideas that have the potential to transform their industry and joined teams of entrepreneurs to build disruptive companies from the ground up: LaFourchette (now TheFork), a Serena's venture that has digitalized the restaurant reservation process in Europe (acquired by TripAdvisor) and Qare, the pioneer of medical remote consultation in France (acquired by HealthHero), where I served as CFO, with responsibilities on Finance, Strategy, M&A, Legal, and HR.
For the last 10 years, I have experienced the different steps and high turbulence from the start-up to the scale-up: roadshows, fundraising, pivots, hyper-growth, scaling, acquisitions & partnerships, accelerated international expansion, and 3 exits!
Joined Serena as Chief Financial Officer to oversee the Financial and Operational functions and as Partner, to also serve on Serena's investment committee and to support Serena's Operating Team. I am so happy to have found a new way to work with passionate and extraordinary entrepreneurs.
Computer science grad who graduated with an MSc from HEC Paris. Worked as a freelance consultant in M&A for a bunch of fast-growing startups and corporations.
It was during an academic exchange in the Nordic countries that I really discovered what entrepreneurship means. Back then, had the chance to work with cross-cultural teams on futuristic projects at the Stockholm KTH Institute of technology and was impressed by the people's mindsets and innovative spirit.
Returned to school in France with a huge desire to build things and contributed to the launch of the 1st online recruitment fair in France as a side project during my studies. Acquired 25 corporate clients in just a few months and attracted over 20K students & graduates on the platform.
Launching such a project and turning it into a running business was a real turning point. It became clear that entrepreneurship would remain at the epicenter of my life.
Job Titles:
- Senior Financial Manager
- Operations Team
- Senior Financial Manager / Accounting Compliance Finance Valuation
Spent more than a decade working in private equity at Deloitte as an auditor of management companies, and at Equitis Gestion (part of IQEQ funds) as a financial officer.
Fond of discovering new horizons beyond the seas, in any possible way: sailboat skipper, windsurf or kitesurf. Glad to leverage my endurance as a reliable runner who participated in several half-marathons and marathons.
Proud to have joined Serena to get closely involved in funds management and control of the companies' valuation, and to work with a passionate team as well as with talented entrepreneurs.
Job Titles:
- Investor
- Investor Relations - Marketing
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Join the Team
- Managing Partners
Job Titles:
- Member of the Join the Team
- Operating Partner
- Operating Partner / Compensation & Benefits Employer Branding Governance Legal M & a Organization
After graduating from a French Business School, decided to start my career by taking care of People.
Spent more than 10 years managing HR in companies of all sizes (from startups to multinational companies), addressing very different industries and services.
Also spent 6 years abroad in Spain and Morocco to discover new cultures, people, ways of life… an excellent shortcut to become more mature and to challenge your certitudes.
In January 2020, joined Serena as part of the Operating Team to practice my job differently, supporting our startups in their People projects, ambitions, and sometimes issues.