daphni

2024: The hottest year on record. Mega-fires, extreme weather, and $320B in climate damages… Simultaneously, political shifts fostered isolation instead of collaboration, pushing us further away from our 2019 Net Zero commitments. At daphni, we remain hopeful that this can be rectified. We stand firm in our belief that creating a sustainable and inclusive world is not impossible. With bold action, collaboration, and innovation, we can turn challenges into opportunities – shaping a future that works for everyone. Throughout 2024, we put our convictions into action, revealing new initiatives and resources to take things to the next level. To track our progress, we compiled our milestones in our annual ESG report. Inside the report, we detail our key sustainability initiatives, social impact efforts, and governance improvements. We also foreshadow some of our objectives for this year. Here are a few of the steps we took in 2024: 🌈 Launched Rainbow, our endowment fund supporting organizations promoting a sustainable and socially inclusive world ⏰ Announced Time4, the project of a new fund investing in underrepresented founders from disadvantaged neighborhoods and rural areas 🧰 Created our own ESG Toolbox, a step-by-step guide of best practices for integrating ESG when building a company that is soon-to-be made public. ♻️ 437,000 tCO2 avoided by our portfolio companies 📣 Increased our communication on matters related to ESG (i.e. 66% of our podcast episodes and 40% of our editorials had an ESG focus) 💜 …and more We know there is still lots more work to be done, so we are taking these 2024 milestones as a stepping stone to help us aim higher in 2025, standing firm in our commitment to drive positive, meaningful impact for a brighter world. 🔗 Access our full ESG report via the link in the comments below! 👾

📢 Nouvelle étape : je prends la direction de Comet et nous annonçons une levée de fonds de 10M€. J’ai le plaisir d’annoncer aujourd’hui ma prise de fonction en tant que CEO & Chairman de Comet, aux côtés de nos équipes et de nos investisseurs pour écrire un nouveau chapitre ambitieux. Depuis 2017, j’accompagne Comet en tant que membre du board et investisseur. J’ai vu cette entreprise grandir, affiner son modèle et s’imposer comme un acteur incontournable du freelancing pour les grands groupes. Aujourd’hui, je prends la tête de cette aventure et nous annonçons une levée de fonds de 10 M€ en equity avec nos actionnaires historiques, daphni, Otium, FJ Labs, Kima Ventures, de nouveaux entrants, Founders Future, TOMCAT et de nombreux business angels que je remercie. 💡 Cette levée de fonds nous donne les moyens d’atteindre des objectifs ambitieux : 🌟 Accélérer notre croissance et affirmer notre leadership sur le marché du freelancing pour les grandes entreprises. 💡 Renforcer notre expertise dans la tech et particulièrement en IA et en cybersécurité, et l'élargir à toutes les fonctions métiers utiles à nos clients 🌐 Développer de nouvelles offres et services au bénéfice des grands comptes et pour notre communauté de talents. Depuis 8 ans, Comet propose le meilleur outil de matching de freelances avec les missions des grandes entreprises grâce à un algorithme propriétaire qui est maintenant boosté avec de l'IA et sur lequel nous continuons d'investir. Comet fait parti depuis l'an dernier du classement FT Next40/120 de La French Tech, réalise 80 M€ de Chiffre d'Affaires et plus de 60 grands comptes du CAC 40 / SBF nous font déjà confiance. Avec Comet, nous avons une mission : permettre aux grandes entreprises d’accéder rapidement aux meilleurs talents indépendants pour réussir leurs projets. Et ce n’est que le début. Notre équipe est prête, Go Comet 🚀

📣 Calling startups with an ecological or social impact! 🇫🇷 As a committed player in the transition, daphni supports Impact 40/120: the index that highlights and supports impact-driven start-ups. After a successful first edition, the index is back, with even greater ambition to propel the new generation of entrepreneurs to the top of the French economic landscape! 🔎 Do you know of a startup… - operating with a primary focus on environmental or social impact - with a head office based in France - has a turnover or budget of more than €1M  - more than 15 employees - was founded less than 10 years ago - no constraints on legal status (Sas, association, etc.) … then encourage them to apply! 🗓️ The deadline to apply is March 14. 🔗 Click here to learn more about the index and to submit your application: https://lnkd.in/eXPG_f2B 🚀 Best of luck! 

Have you met... Philippe? 💁♂️ No folks, Philippe Wellens has nothing to do with Ted Mosby, we just wanted to catch your attention! Well actually, like Ted, Philippe used to live in the US while working for C3AI on the west coast 🏄♂️ From industrial AI application suites to products and machine learning engineering, Philippe learnt a lot. But most of all, he met two colleagues, becoming friends, becoming co-founders! (👋 Adrien Mathieu, Louis Poirier) Yes, today Philippe is the Co-founder and CEO of Kleio, the next-generation of conversational AI for complex sales journeys. Created late 2023, the team focuses on AI-powered features like natural language interactions, deep understanding of the customers’ intents, lead qualification and product recommendation, sales lead prioritization, sales workflow automation and intelligent routing to streamline complex purchasing and customer service processes. To keep on going, they did a €3M fresh funding we were keen to lead with our friends from Serena! 💸 🎙 At the heart of the Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence in Paris, we were delighted to welcome him in our podcast studio, to talk about Kleio, his vision on the future of AI and his insane passion about kitesurfing. Now, you've met Philippe. The link of the episode (in FR 🇫🇷) is in the first comment. Enjoy!

🎉 Welcome to DaFamily, Moonwatt & Kleio (prev. Autodm AI)! 🎉 👾 Today, we are proud to share with you two groundbreaking startups whose visions are shaking up the renewable energy and retail sector.  🔋 First up! Moonwatt is solving a major energy challenge: making solar power reliable and dispatchable at any time, any place, and at an affordable price. Their modular design based on sodium-ion battery technology boosts energy storage efficiency. It establishes an eco-friendly, cost-effective innovation making renewable storage greener and more scalable. By redefining energy grids, we believe Moonwatt is driving a future where clean energy is the norm, as they transform renewables into a 24/7 powerhouse. 🤝 We are proud to have co-led this €8M round with our friends at LEA Partners, alongside the support of Founders Future, AFI Ventures, and Kima Ventures. Congratulations to Co-Founders Zukui Hu, Guillaume Mancini, and Valentin Rota and everyone at team Moonwatt! Big props to Paul Bazin & Jonas Simonin at daphni for their leadership in this round. 🛍️ Up next! Kleio has the solution to improve conversion rates in complex sales. By leveraging a vertical approach with conversational AI, their technology enhances lead capture and strengthens customer engagement by deeply understanding their needs. In turn, their platform cuts down on operational costs, increases sales, and provides higher ROI. Kleio’s team is the most experienced and complementary team we’ve seen in this market, and we believe their conversational AI platform will reshape user experiences, enterprise sales, and marketing in complex sales industries, starting with travel, real estate, and energy. 💜 Congratulations to Philippe Wellens, Louis Poirier, Adrien Mathieu, and to the entire Kleio team! We’re delighted to have co-led this €3M seed round with Serena and with support from seasoned Enterprise software leaders. Special cheers to Alexandra Dubar & Shabir Vasram from daphni for taking the reins in this round.

 🎓 More clarity, less stress: Edumapper’s orientation platform puts students first 📚 Every year, thousands of students face a big decision: choosing the right higher education path. However, with limited access to reliable information, many students struggle to find the right fit, leading to a huge annual loss of €2 billion in France alone. This is why we believe in Edumapper’s mission to make school information more accessible and transparent! 🚀 By supporting Edumapper, we strive to empower young people to make informed decisions, excel in their studies and actively contribute to the ongoing development of the French education system. Edumapper’s free, transparent platform will give students easy access to key details on over 30,000 higher education programs across France and many more internationally. From program specifics and costs to application steps and direct connections with alumni, Edumapper is transforming education guidance by providing students with clear, data-driven insights. 🤝 We’re proud to have led this pre-seed round and to have teamed up with Ring Capital, Eurazeo (HEC Ventures), Kima Ventures and BAs, so that students can feel more confident in taking the next step in their academic pursuits. 🥳 Congratulations to Sébastien de Lafond, Julien Cheyssial, Jordan Sanial, Valentine Mandon and everyone at Edumapper on this €5M pre-seed round! Special shout out to Pierre-Yves Meerschman and Marie Ferri from the daphni team! 👏

🎉 Flow48 raises $69M to support SMEs in MENA. 🤝 We are proud to continue our support of Flow48, a fintech that has been instrumental in providing upfront financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with predictable revenues in underserved regions. 📈 By bridging the financing gap, Flow48 has established itself as a leader in the SME lending sector, driving business growth and contributing to economic development in these communities. They have made a real difference for numerous SME entrepreneurs and will continue to do so in this next chapter. 🚀 With this series A funding, Flow48 will expand to Saudi Arabia and throughout its two key markets, as well as develop new features for entrepreneurs, including advanced risk assessment tools and diverse data sources. 🌍 Flow48’s innovative, inclusive approach aligns with our commitment to supporting emerging enterprises and driving social change - we look forward to seeing their impact grow! 🎧 Learn more about Flow48 through our podcast episode featuring their Co-Founder and CEO Idriss Al Rifai: https://audmns.com/vxybaxt 💜 Big congratulations to Idriss Al Rifai and to everyone at Flow48! Bravo to Paul Bazin at daphni, and cheers to our friends at BREEGA, 212, Speedinvest, Endeavor Catalyst, and Evolution Ventures on this series A round. 👏

📚Back to Fundamentals: How Geev is Transforming the Sharing Economy We are excited to share with you Back to Fundamentals: a series highlighting some of the best companies from our portfolios and how they are working to address systemic sustainability goals through their vision and innovation. ⬇️ First up! Let’s get to know Geev - a key player in revolutionizing the sharing economy! ⬇️ 💡 Did you know? The global waste crisis is growing fast! Over 2 billion tons of waste are produced yearly, with projections showing a 70%* increase by 2050 if habits don’t change. 📱 Through their app, Geev tackles this issue head-on by making it easy for individuals to donate used items to one another, reducing the amount of reusable waste going out to the landfills. With only 9%** of materials recycled worldwide, platforms like Geev play a crucial role in reducing waste and driving the sharing economy. ♻️ Since 2017, Geev has saved 258,000+ tons of CO2 - the equivalent canceling 500,000 Paris-to-NY flights! In 2023 alone, they found homes for over 8,000+ tons of pre-loved items, stopping 800 garbage trucks' worth of waste. And with their first physical store opening last September, even more items are getting a second life. 💛 Geev’s dedication to preventing CO2 emissions and advancing the circular economy underscores our commitment to supporting solutions that address urgent global challenges, while promoting community-driven impact. 🌍 Let’s follow Geev’s leadership and take part in the culture of community reuse! Better consumption habits for a better planet.  💫 ✅ Stay tuned for more to discover more about our portfolio companies and their ESG impacts. *source: World Bank Waste Report **source: OECD

𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐂𝐬 A board creates value by establishing strong governance rules and providing strategic guidance. It enables founders and managers to gain perspective, step back from the daily grind, and tackle both strategic and operational challenges effectively. 📈 To maximize its impact, a board must bring together diverse skill sets, drawing from various sectors and geographies. Its members should offer complementary expertise, broad experience, and valuable networks to drive the organization forward. ⚙️ The role of VC board members is highly valuable when they effectively leverage their vast exposure to business cases, insights from numerous sector-specific projects, and the extensive knowledge base built over time. Their impact is further amplified by tapping into a strong network of talent, industry experts, co-investors, and M&A firms, as well as by drawing from their experience in navigating crises. ⚠️ However, a board can also destroy value when the CEO’s leadership is not well established, when VC board members focus too much on giving advice they wouldn’t apply themselves, or when their feedback lacks a solid foundation of experience. Effective board dynamics require a balance between guidance, strategic input, and respect for the leadership in place. 👤 Being a board member requires a great deal of humility and the ability to say, "I don't know" when necessary. This is not always the strongest trait of most VCs, though the many failures they experience along the way make humility an essential part of their journey. 👉 For these reasons, at daphni we strive to systematically involve independent board members. We share these best practices with our entrepreneurs and work to integrate this framework as early as the term sheet signing. We are delighted to have talented individuals by our side — most of them members of our Daphnipolis community — and we thank them for their support! Congrats to Louise-Marie Véron, Solenne Niedercorn-Desouches, Michael Chekroun, Benjamin Blasco and Adrien CHALTIEL for the Board Project initiative! 👏

Following last week's AI summit, we're excited to announce we have joined the Coalition for Sustainable AI! 🌍🤖 Led by the French Government (Gouvernement), the UN Environment Programme and the International Telecommunication Union, this global initiative unites over 90 partners to ensure AI contributes to environmental sustainability. By joining this movement, we reaffirm our commitment to establishing sustainable AI as a key pillar in the global AI discourse, ensuring its long-term impact and integration. On that note, this is why we are a proud investor in Pruna AI - also part of the coalition - which is tackling one of AI’s biggest dilemmas: excessive energy consumption. Their cutting-edge model compression technology reduces energy use by 2 to 5 times for foundational models and over 100 times for others, making AI both greener and more scalable. 👏 At daphni, we're convinced that Pruna is changing the game by optimizing and compressing AI models, to make a smarter AI with a smaller footprint! Together, let’s keep creating a future where responsible and eco-friendly AI is our standard. ♻️ #SustainableAI  #AIActionSummit