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Serena

Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris

Description

Serena is a prominent European venture capital firm headquartered in Paris, France, managing approximately $750 million across various funds. The firm positions itself as a partner for ambitious technology companies, investing across a broad spectrum of stages, from Seed to Growth. Their investment strategy typically involves initial cheque sizes ranging from $1.08 million (€1 million) up to $10.8 million (€10 million), with a significant capacity for follow-on investments that can extend up to $32.4 million (€30 million) over the lifetime of a portfolio company.

Serena's investment focus is diverse yet strategic, primarily targeting sectors such as B2B SaaS, deep tech, fintech, consumer tech, and digital health. The firm has a strong track record of identifying and nurturing high-potential startups, with notable successes including unicorns like Dataiku, alongside other successful ventures such as Malt and Cheerz. This diversified approach allows Serena to capture opportunities across different technological advancements and market needs within the European ecosystem.

A distinctive aspect of Serena's value proposition is its "Serena Operating Platform." This unique internal team comprises over 10 operational experts specializing in critical areas such as HR, sales, marketing, technology, finance, and legal. This dedicated team provides hands-on, tailored support to portfolio companies, aiming to accelerate their growth and overcome operational challenges. This operational assistance differentiates Serena from many traditional VC firms, offering more than just capital but also strategic and tactical guidance essential for scaling innovative tech businesses.

Investor Profile

Serena has backed more than 140 startups, with 14 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 59 rounds, about 42% of its total and boasts 23 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Series A, Seed, Series B rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in France, United States, Switzerland.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Artificial Intelligence (AI), SaaS.
  • Led 6 rounds in the past year.
  • Typical check size: $1.1M – $10.8M.

Stage Focus

  • Series A (28%)
  • Seed (26%)
  • Series B (20%)
  • Series Unknown (10%)
  • Series C (7%)
  • Pre Seed (4%)
  • Series D (3%)
  • Series E (1%)
  • Private Equity (1%)
  • Secondary Market (1%)

Country Focus

  • France (76%)
  • United States (15%)
  • Switzerland (3%)
  • Belgium (2%)
  • United Kingdom (1%)
  • Spain (1%)
  • Austria (1%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Saas
  • Internet
  • Analytics
  • Information Technology
  • Machine Learning
  • Health Care
  • Mobile
  • E-commerce
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Serena frequently co-invest with?

Isai
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 10
XAnge
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 6
Partech
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 12
Cathay Innovation
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 6
Alven
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 8
CapHorn Invest
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 8
Eurazeo
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 8
Balderton Capital
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Co-Investments: 5
Kima Ventures
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Co-Investments: 7
Bpifrance
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Maisons-alfort
Co-Investments: 16

Which angels does Serena often collaborate with?

AM
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 1
DV
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 2
JZ
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 1
AL
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 3
PK
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 3
XN
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 3
BD
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 5
ER
Europe, Ile-de-France, France, Paris
Shared Deals: 1
FB
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 1
HV
North America, Michigan, United States, Hancock
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Serena?

roofline

Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

On the mission to make AI deployment at the edge flexible, efficient, and easy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Machine LearningSemiconductorSoftware
SeedJul 7, 2025
Pelico

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

SaaS, Data platform, Supply Chain

SoftwareSupply Chain Management
Series UnknownJun 18, 2025
Amount Raised: $40,000,000
Emmi AI

Linz, Oberosterreich, Austria

Emmi AI thinks that the nexus of physics and artificial intelligence represents the next frontier in industrial engineering.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Simulation
SeedApr 25, 2025
Amount Raised: $17,107,664
Pyannote AI

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Pyannote AI provides speaker diarization solutions for accurate voice-to-speaker alignment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AIMachine LearningSpeech Recognition
SeedApr 7, 2025
Amount Raised: $8,895,205
underdog

Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France

underdog is a simplified & refurbished household appliances.

Customer ServiceE-CommerceElectronicsRetail
Series AMar 31, 2025
Amount Raised: $7,572,529
DeepIP

New York, New York, United States

DeepIP is an AI-powered tool created by Kili Technology to assist intellectual property practitioners.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)SoftwareWeb Development
Series AMar 27, 2025
Amount Raised: $15,000,000
Kleio

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Kleio provides AI to sales and marketing teams.

Digital MarketingMarketingSales
SeedMar 4, 2025
Amount Raised: $3,143,221
Bitstack

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Bitstack is a crypto-native neobank that is bringing a better way to manage all things money, with better money.

BitcoinFinTechInternetPayments
SeedDec 12, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,236,776
Wecasa

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Wecasa is a marketplace that provides a range of at-home services including cleaning, hairdressing, and beauty treatments.

Home ServicesInternetMarketplaceMobile Apps
Series BDec 5, 2024
Amount Raised: $19,000,000
Pixeltable

San Francisco, California, United States

Pixeltable is an Open Source Python framework that enables AI Engineers to focus on modeling and experimentation.

AnalyticsData Center AutomationInformation Technology
SeedDec 5, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,500,000