Description
Founded in 2008, Serena describes itself as the VC its founding team dreamed of as entrepreneurs, with more than half of its team being battle-tested operators who have founded or led companies. The firm runs a €1 billion investment program, selecting fifteen to twenty teams per year, investing from Pre-Seed to Series A with first tickets ranging from €100K to €15 million, and generally seeking to lead or co-lead funding rounds rather than pursue early exits. Serena's strategy spans an Early-growth focus on Applied AI and Energy Transition (via its Serena IV fund), alongside Pre-seed and Seed investing across three pillars: Infrastructures (via Serena Data Ventures II, covering the modern data stack, AI, open-source and blockchain/quantum), Impact (via Racine², covering environment, education and well-being), and Consumer Innovation. Beyond capital, Serena provides an 'Investment–Operating' platform, including sector specialists and the Serena Squad community, to support founders with product, structuring, and international growth challenges, and runs an Intrapreneurship platform called PALM. Notable portfolio companies include Dataiku, Electra, Descartes Underwriting, TheFork (LaFourchette), AramisAuto, Evaneos, and iBanFirst, and Serena backs exceptional teams primarily from Europe and the US.