Emblem, a European venture capital (VC) firm headquartered in Paris, has successfully raised €80 million for its initial fund. Founded by Bénédicte de Raphélis Soissan and Guillaume Durao, the firm has attracted more than 200 limited partners, including notable family offices and tech entrepreneurs. Among these investors are the founders of prominent companies such as Unity, Pleo, Qonto, 3shape, Spendesk, Voodoo, Pennylane, JobandTalent, Ledger, and Zendesk. Emblem’s strategic focus is primarily on France and the Nordic tech ecosystem.
Since the fund's first closing in March 2023, Emblem has invested in 16 startups, including Sorare, Dalma, and Gourmey. The firm aims to make between 25 to 30 investments with its inaugural fund, leading or co-leading seed rounds with investments ranging from €500,000 to €3 million. Emblem is planning its next fund, anticipated to be similar in size to the current one.
Emblem's investment strategy involves a four-year deployment period for its funds. As they are currently halfway through this period, the firm anticipates restarting its fundraising efforts in about a year's time.
"So, since it takes you four years to deploy, and we're about halfway through, that means that in a year's time, we'll have to start all over again." – de Raphélis Soissan
The firm's ability to raise its hard cap demonstrates strong confidence from investors in its vision and leadership. Emblem now enjoys a period of financial stability as it continues to make strategic investments.
"Now we've got a bit of time when we won't need to raise. So we're going to savor it. But you never want to be off-market." – de Raphélis Soissan
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