Daphni is a European venture capital firm that finances early-stage deep technology and sustainability companies emerging from scientific research institutions and innovators across Europe. The firm deploys capital across sectors including climate tech, advanced materials, life sciences, and industrial innovation, with a thesis centered on translating academic and scientific breakthroughs into scalable commercial ventures. Daphni's investment strategy combines early-stage equity with operational support and access to scientific expertise, targeting companies at the seed and Series A stages. The firm's impact orientation emphasizes addressing environmental sustainability and resource efficien...
Portfolio Focus
Asset class
Early-Stage Venture Capital (Seed, Series A)
Impact theme
Climate & Environmental Sustainability
Decarbonization
Technology
Deep Tech
Responsible Tech
Investment geographies
Europe
Key people
Pierre-Eric Leibovici
Co-Founder & Partner
Time4 VC
Raised: €50 million
Asset class:Early-Stage Venture Capital (Seed, Series A)
Impact theme:Equity, Representation & Justice
Investment geographies:Europe
About the fund
A French pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital fund launched by a consortium including daphni, Les Déterminés, Live for Good, and HEC Paris, with a target size of approximately €100 million. The fund focuses on backing entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds and underserved geographies, particularly those based outside traditional startup hubs such as Paris, including rural areas and priority urban neighborhoods.
Designed to address structural inequalities in access to venture capital, the fund seeks to identify and finance “atypical” founders who are often overlooked by conventional investment networks despite strong economic potential. The fund invests initial tickets typically ranging from €100,000 to €1 million into early-stage startups across sectors, prioritizing companies that combine scalable business models with positive social and economic impact.
Beyond capital, the fund provides a comprehensive support platform, including mentorship, operational training, and a structured acceleration program, leveraging the combined networks and expertise of its partners. This integrated approach aims to increase the success rate of portfolio companies while fostering a new generation of entrepreneurial role models across diverse territories.
By expanding access to capital and support, the fund aims to unlock untapped innovation potential across France, promote inclusive economic growth, and reshape the venture ecosystem to better reflect the diversity of entrepreneurial talent.
Blue Fund is Daphni's early-stage venture capital vehicle investing across Europe to commercialize deep technology and sustainability breakthroughs emerging from the continent's scientific institutions. The fund targets seed and Series A companies addressing decarbonization and broader environmental and societal challenges, with a focus on translating academic research into scalable commercial solutions. Having deployed capital across nine companies to date, the fund is structured to support up to 40 portfolio companies and has raised approximately USD 307 million. The fund accepts capital from institutional investors and family offices seeking exposure to European deep tech and climate-focused innovation.