CentraleSupélec Venture Research
Investment Thesis
CentraleSupélec Venture is an alumni-backed early-stage venture fund created to finance startups from the CentraleSupélec ecosystem: companies founded by alumni, spun out of the school's laboratories, or supported by its entrepreneurship structures. The site frames the thesis in three phrases: "smart money" (mobilizing the alumni network of entrepreneurs, executives and experts alongside portfolio founders), "early stage" (pre-seed to Series A, with the ability to follow on and reinvest in later rounds) and "deep builders" (ambitious technologies carried by ambitious founders).
The fund was launched in May 2023 on a "give back" logic: alumni reinvest in the next generation of entrepreneurs, and the CentraleSupélec Foundation and the Alumni Association receive half of the fund's carried interest. Both are also subscribers, alongside about a hundred alumni. Selection criteria include having a CentraleSupélec co-founder or having used the school's research resources; projects from the wider Paris-Saclay ecosystem are also considered.
Stage Focus
Pre-seed to Series A, with the bulk of initial tickets at seed. The fund keeps reserves to follow its companies into later rounds.
Check Size
At launch the fund announced initial tickets of EUR 150,000 to EUR 500,000, with follow-on potential of up to about EUR 2M reported by third-party profiles. The target fund size was EUR 25M, to back roughly 25 startups; by early 2025 the fund was preparing to close subscriptions. Disclosed lead rounds range from EUR 1M to EUR 4M in total round size.
Lead Tendency
The fund leads rounds regularly: it led Scienta Lab (EUR 4M, December 2023), En Carta Diagnostics (EUR 1.5M, May 2024), Highcast (EUR 2M, October 2024) and Exwayz (EUR 1M, December 2025). It participated in Trace For Good's EUR 3.5M round led by Hi Inov and Ankaa Ventures (November 2024). Lead tendency is therefore "both", leaning to lead at the first institutional round.
Recent Activity
- December 2025: led Exwayz's EUR 1M round (SLAM-based GPS-free navigation for robots and vehicles).
- 2026: portfolio companies raised follow-on capital: Ed.ai (EUR 5M, September 2026), En Carta Diagnostics (EUR 5M, July 2026), NP Company (Mistral AI founders joined the cap table, June 2026), SpaceLocker (Thales entered the capital, September 2026).
- The fund appears to be actively supporting follow-ons; no new fund announcement was found.
Portfolio Highlights
Nine companies are listed: Ed.ai (AI for teachers' grading and remediation), En Carta Diagnostics (point-of-care molecular diagnostics), Exwayz (SLAM / autonomous navigation without GPS), Goodweek (governed enterprise AI), Highcast (AI energy cost optimization for industrial sites), NP Company (AI physical simulation), Scienta Lab (EVA, a foundation model for immunology), SpaceLocker (shared satellite access) and Trace For Good (supply chain traceability and compliance for brands). No exits were found.
Team
- Cédric Curtil, Executive Director (fund lead since March 2023; venture capital lecturer)
- Emma Gebb, Associate
- Guilhem Auvray, Analyst
- Pierre Martini, Founder and non-executive alumni sponsor (CEO of ISAI)
- Jean-Marc Patouillaud, Founder and non-executive alumni sponsor (Partech)
Decision Process
A small executive team led by Cédric Curtil runs sourcing and investment, with two senior alumni sponsors from ISAI and Partech acting as non-executive founders. The exact committee structure is not published; treated as partnership.
Founder Preferences
Founders with a CentraleSupélec or Paris-Saclay connection (alumni, lab spin-outs, school programs), building technically deep products: deeptech, health, and industrial and environmental transitions. The fund offers access to the school's 18 research laboratories and the alumni network for validation, hiring and customers.
Geographic Focus
France first (Paris-Saclay, Île-de-France, Lyon), with investments possible internationally when the founder link to CentraleSupélec exists. Portfolio companies such as Ed.ai are expanding to the United States.