Alven (France)

Alven is a Paris-based independent early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2000 by Guillaume Aubin and Charles Letourneur, making it one of the oldest continuously active venture firms in France. The firm manages approximately €2 billion in assets under management across six funds, most recently closing Fund VI at a hard cap of €350 million, the largest early-stage fund raised in France at the time of its close. Over more than two decades, Alven has backed 164 companies and generated more than 70 exits, producing four unicorns including Qonto, Algolia, Dataiku, and Ankorstore. The firm invests at seed and Series A stages, writing first checks from a few hundred thousand euros to €15 million, with substantial reserves for follow-on. Investment areas span fintech, marketplaces, developer tools and productivity software, vertical AI platforms, consumer social and entertainment, and climate technology. Alven holds a London office alongside its Paris headquarters and backs European founders building companies in the US as well as across Europe. The firm was the first major institutional backer of Stripe in Europe, a relationship that has come to define its reputation for early conviction on infrastructure-defining businesses. Significant exits include Sqreen, a developer security platform acquired by Datadog, Cardiologs, an AI cardiac analysis company acquired by Philips, and Frichti, a grocery delivery company acquired by Gorillas. Beyond Stripe, Algolia, Dataiku, Qonto, and Ankorstore, the broader portfolio includes Alan, Aircall, BeReal, and Happn.