Origins Fund Research
Investment Thesis
Origins Fund is a unique venture capital firm that combines traditional venture capital with the power of celebrity and athlete social media influence. Founded in 2021 by Blaise Matuidi (2018 FIFA World Cup winner), Salomon Aiach (former Head of Startups & VC at Facebook France), and other notable entrepreneurs, Origins takes an innovative approach to consumer technology investing. The fund's core thesis is that consumer startups waste significant resources (20-40%) on growth and marketing—Origins solves this by providing not just capital but direct access to 160+ million social media followers through its network of athlete and celebrity limited partners.
The fund sees an opportunity to supercharge founder growth trajectories by leveraging the authentic influence of world-class athletes and celebrities who genuinely invest their own capital and networks into the startups they back.
Investment Approach
Origins operates as a "funding meets influence" model:
- Capital Provision: The fund provides $100K-$500K checks to early-stage consumer companies
- Influence Leverage: Limited partners (professional athletes, celebrities) actively use their combined 160M+ social media followers to amplify portfolio company launches, campaigns, and user acquisition
- Community Access: Founders gain access to an exclusive network of high-net-worth athletes and celebrities for mentorship, strategic guidance, and potential partnerships
- Long-term Support: The fund reserves capital for follow-on investments in promising companies, demonstrating commitment to founder success
Stage Focus
Origins primarily focuses on early-stage consumer technology:
- Pre-Seed: Early stage with initial product ideas ($100K-$250K typical)
- Seed: Product-market fit validation stage ($200K-$500K typical)
- Series A: Selective follow-ons for high-performing portfolio companies
The fund is willing to lead or participate in rounds, with particular strength in consumer category creation and brand-building scenarios.
Check Size & Fund Size
Check Size: $100,000 - $500,000 per investment Fund Size: Specific AUM not publicly disclosed, but based on portfolio activity and follow-on capacity, the fund appears to be in the $50M-$100M+ range Deployment Pattern: Actively deploying with steady portfolio growth; 22 companies in portfolio as of February 2026
Geographic Focus
Origins has a geographically distributed team spanning Miami, Paris, and New York, with investments across:
- Europe: Primary focus, particularly France, UK, Germany, Italy
- North America: US presence in NYC, San Francisco, Miami, Toronto
- Target Markets: France shows significant concentration (10+ portfolio companies from Paris)
The fund explicitly targets European consumer startups alongside North American founders.
Sector & Model Focus
Dominant Sectors:
- Consumer Social & Apps (amo, Buddies, Stage11)
- E-commerce & Marketplaces (Upway—second-hand e-bikes)
- Health & Wellness (Moka.care—mental health, Alan—digital health insurance)
- Gaming & Entertainment (Matchday, Wicked Saints Studios, Ugami)
- Food & Beverage (Life Among People—specialty coffee)
- Travel & Experiences (Routes AI—AI travel assistant)
- Creator Economy (Yumon—Sorare for creators)
- AI Applications (Phacet—AI for business processes, Routes AI)
Business Model Preferences:
- Direct-to-consumer (D2C) products
- Founder-led ventures with authentic stories
- Category-defining or category-creating opportunities
- Strong organic growth potential amplified by celebrity influence
- Viral/shareable consumer products
Recent Activity
Fund Status: Actively deploying capital with strong recent momentum
Recent Notable Investments:
- 2025: Phacet (Seed, €4M round including Origins)
- 2024: Alan (Strategic Round, $193M Series F, $4.5B valuation)
- 2024-2025: Continued deployment into 22 portfolio companies across multiple stages
Portfolio Company Performance:
- Alan (digital health insurance) reached $4.5B valuation and $193M Series F in 2024
- Multiple companies in Series A stage (Upway, Moka.care, Stadium Live)
- Steady pipeline of Pre-Seed and Seed investments
Notable Exit/Success: Alan is a major portfolio success story as a unicorn with exceptional growth trajectory
Portfolio Composition (22 Companies)
Series A Stage (3 companies):
- Upway (e-bike marketplace, Paris)
- Moka.care (corporate mental health, Paris)
- Stadium Live (Gen Z sports/culture platform, Toronto)
Seed Stage (8 companies):
- amo (social apps, Paris)
- Phacet (AI business processes, Paris)
- Life Among People (specialty coffee, Berlin)
- Matchday (blockchain sports, San Francisco)
- Wicked Saints Studios (adventure activism game, Delaware)
- Customuse (3D creation, London)
- Ugami (gaming rewards, Miami)
- Stage11 (music for metaverse, Paris)
Pre-Seed Stage (9+ companies):
- Augment (business education, Paris)
- Routes AI (AI travel assistant, NYC)
- Multiple "Stealth" companies (fashion, running, AI) across Paris/NYC
- Weave Robots (home robots, Palo Alto)
- Buddies (suspense social network, Paris)
- ThrivePal (AI personal growth, NYC)
- Kino Technologies (storytelling medium, LA)
- Yumon (creator economy, Paris)
Strategic/Other:
- Alan (Strategic Round, Paris)
Team & Leadership
Blaise Matuidi (Co-founder & General Partner)
- French national football/soccer player, 2018 FIFA World Cup winner
- Former Inter Miami player; football legend with massive athlete networks
- Personally motivated to transition career from sports to tech investing
- Strong relationships with top athletes (NBA, soccer, tennis) and celebrities (DJs, artists)
- Based in Miami; brings American sports influence to the firm
Salomon Aiach (Co-founder & General Partner)
- Former Head of Startups & VC at Facebook France (key insight: saw growth inefficiencies)
- Early employee at Marcus (Goldman Sachs consumer/fintech arm in NYC)
- Built strong relationships with top European and US VCs
- Strategic focus on consumer growth optimization
- Based in Paris; drives European market strategy
Lara Fakhry (Investor, NYC Office)
- New York-based investor covering social, fintech, gaming, web3, health
- Prior experience: Mindshift Capital (Dubai, gender-lens investing)
- Recent: Spacecadet (early-stage generalist tech fund, NYC)
- Sciences Po Paris graduate (political science + law)
- Brings emerging market perspective and diverse sector expertise
Yohan Benalouane (Co-founder & Head of Community)
- World-famous soccer player with Premier League championship
- Successful investor and entrepreneur in his own right
- Active philanthropist with extensive business mentorship experience
- Brings athlete credibility and high-net-worth sports network
- Based in Milan; European sports/celebrity connector
Ilan Abehassera (Co-founder & Venture Partner)
- Experienced entrepreneur and startup founder (co-founder status)
- Contributes venture expertise and operational guidance
- Based in NYC; supports US portfolio
Decision Process & Timeline
Decision Structure: Partnership-based
- Blaise (founder + athletes) provide social validation and influence perspective
- Salomon (ops + growth expert) drives due diligence and strategic analysis
- Investment committee includes founding partners with specialized perspectives
Decision Timeline: 2-4 weeks (estimated based on fund size and stage)
- Relatively quick for early-stage VCs given check size ($100K-$500K)
- Likely speeds up for proven founders or strategic fits
Warm Intro Preference: Strongly recommended
- Founder networks (from Salomon's Facebook connections, Blaise's athlete circle)
- Existing portfolio companies
- VC syndicate partners
- Direct outreach possible but warm intro yields faster response
Lead Tendency
"Leads" investors: Origins actively leads and co-leads rounds
- Clear pattern in portfolio: multiple lead positions in Seed and Series A
- Comfort with syndication (Phacet raised €4M with multiple co-investors)
- Willing to follow strong syndicates (e.g., participated in Alan's $193M Series F)
- Strong co-investor relationships with European and US VCs
Notable Co-Investors
Regular Syndicate Partners:
- 20VC (visible in portfolio)
- Coatue (visible in portfolio)
- DST Global (visible in portfolio)
- Kima Ventures
- Motier
- Algaé
- Emblem
Value-Add Model: Beyond capital, the fund explicitly promises:
- Celebrity LP social amplification (core differentiation)
- Founder network access
- Strategic introductions
- Growth strategy alignment
- Mentorship from experienced operators
Founder Preferences
Origins backs "legendary consumer founders" with emphasis on:
- Authentic Stories: Founders with personal conviction and passion (not just data-driven)
- Category Vision: Creators, not executors—founders building new categories or reimagining existing ones
- Growth Mindset: Understanding of how social influence and virality drive consumer adoption
- International Perspective: Comfort with Paris/Europe as headquarters and global ambitions
- Celebrity/Athlete Friendliness: Founders who benefit from and engage with influencer partnerships
- Media Appeal: Consumer products with story potential (social media-friendly narratives)
Anti-pattern: Pure infrastructure, B2B tools, enterprise software—Origins is exclusively consumer-focused
Unique Characteristics
- Celebrity VC Model: First-of-its-kind approach combining athlete/celebrity capital with active social media promotion
- Influence as Product: Unique LP structure (160M+ combined followers) is core competitive advantage
- European + American Coverage: Truly transatlantic fund with balanced geographic presence
- Consumer Specialist: Narrow focus (consumer only) but exceptional expertise and network in that vertical
- Category Creation Focus: Invests in founders who define new categories, not just in existing verticals
- Growth Catalyst: Solves real founder problem (user acquisition cost) through social channels
Fund Status & Outlook
- Status: Actively deploying Fund I
- Momentum: Strong (11+ new investments in last year as of Sep 2025)
- Next Fund: Likely Fund II in discussion/formation given successful track record
- Growth Trajectory: Expanding portfolio with focus on both US and European markets
- Recent Initiatives: Launched investment club on Roundtable platform (Feb 2026) to democratize access
Summary
Origins is a distinctive venture capital firm at the intersection of traditional VC and celebrity influence. Founded by a FIFA World Cup winner with genuine tech expertise, the fund offers consumer founders a rare combination: early-stage capital paired with authentic, high-reach social media amplification. The portfolio is deliberately consumer-focused with particular strength in category-defining founders and European opportunities. Strong momentum with successful exits (Alan) and active deployment into high-potential founders suggest the fund is well-positioned for continued growth and likely fundraising for Fund II.