Pia d'Iribarne

Who they are

Pia d'Iribarne is Founder and Managing Partner at Main Object Capital — previously co-founded New Wave, a top-decile European seed fund, and was an early backer of Mistral AI.

Person

Pia studied at HEC Paris (MSc, 2007–2011), then did a stint at McKinsey as an Associate before moving into venture. She climbed to Vice President at Accel, one of Europe's most prominent growth-stage funds, where she built her investment instincts before going independent. In 2020 she co-founded New Wave, a European seed fund she describes as top-decile, running it through 2024 — her investments there included Sweep (which raised $100M) and Gladia. She also attended a Le Wagon coding bootcamp at some point, a signal that she wanted first-hand technical grounding, not just operator-speak. In November 2025 she launched Main Object Capital, a new early-stage venture firm investing between Europe and the US, at its founding stage. Possibly — she is based in Paris, given her HEC and French-ecosystem background. The through-line is a deliberate move from institutional investor to principal: McKinsey → Accel → her own fund → her own firm.

Network

Pia's clearest named relationships come from her New Wave years. Jean de La Rochebrochard was a partner and peer leader there. Portfolio founders include Rachel Delacour (Sweep) and Jean-Louis Quéguiner (Gladia). She also publicly amplified Mistral AI's fundraise alongside founder Arthur Mensch, and co-hosted a cocktail event celebrating former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin — signalling a network that spans tech founders, European policy circles, and cross-border operator communities.

How they likely show up

  • McKinsey → Accel → own fund → own firm trajectory → she structures decisions analytically before committing, but has consistently chosen to increase personal ownership and accountability rather than stay in institutional safety.
  • Co-founded New Wave in 2020 and ran it through 2024, then launched Main Object Capital in November 2025 → moves on her own timeline; not waiting for permission or a consensus moment.
  • Attended Le Wagon coding bootcamp alongside an HEC MSc and VC career → invests in closing her own knowledge gaps directly rather than delegating technical understanding to others.
  • Publicly amplified portfolio company raises (Sweep $100M, Mistral AI fundraise) → comfortable being a visible advocate for founders; likely expects the same energy in return from collaborators.
  • Occasional public writing signal, content themes centred on European tech, seed-stage investing, and AI startups → not a high-volume content person, but posts with intent when she has something specific to say.
  • Medium tenure shape across roles → moves when the chapter is done, not before and not long after; doesn't drift.

Conversation tips

  • → Come in with a specific thesis on Europe–US cross-border dynamics — Main Object Capital is explicitly built around that intersection, and she'll engage more with someone who has a view than someone asking her to explain it.
  • → Reference Sweep or Gladia by name if relevant — she backed those founders early and publicly celebrated their progress; it shows you've done the work.
  • → Don't conflate 'European fund' with 'smaller ambition' — New Wave was top-decile and she backed Mistral AI before it was obvious; she thinks globally from a European base.
  • → Ask about the Le Wagon decision — it's an unusual move for an HEC/McKinsey/Accel profile and likely reveals something deliberate about how she thinks about operator empathy.

Toolbox

Openers

  • Open on Main Object Capital's launch in November 2025 — she just stood up a new firm investing between Europe and the US, and the rationale for that specific cross-border mandate is a live, unresolved question worth exploring.
  • Reference the Mistral AI investment — she was in early enough to publicly amplify their fundraise alongside Arthur Mensch, making it a concrete example of her conviction on European AI infrastructure before the category was crowded.
  • Mention the Le Wagon bootcamp — for someone with an HEC MSc and a VP role at Accel, choosing a coding bootcamp is a deliberate signal, and asking what prompted it opens a genuine conversation about how she thinks about staying close to what founders actually build.

Discovery questions

  1. What does 'investing between Europe and the US' mean operationally for Main Object Capital — are you leading rounds on both sides, or is one geography the origin and the other the scale-up path?
  2. Looking back at New Wave's portfolio — Sweep, Gladia, Mistral AI — what's the pattern in the founders you backed early that you're deliberately hunting for again at Main Object?
  3. The Le Wagon bootcamp sits oddly in an HEC/McKinsey/Accel CV — what were you trying to learn, and did it change how you evaluate technical founders?

Avoid

Don't treat her primarily as a 'European investor' and ask her to explain the European ecosystem from scratch — she's built two firms and backed Mistral AI; she's a practitioner with a specific cross-border thesis, not a regional spokesperson.

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Sources

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on June 5, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

Automatically generated by AI from public sources. May be inaccurate or out of date. Remove or correct this profile →