Multi-stage VC, Paris

Serena

Venture capital firm · Paris · Founded May 2008

Quick read

Serena is a Paris-based multi-stage VC, founded in 2008 by Xavier Lorphelin, Marc Fournier, and Philippe Hayat, with €750M under management. It backs companies from pre-seed to Series B with initial checks of €500K–€15M, and runs the largest operational support team in Europe — seven former senior entrepreneurs embedded to work directly with portfolio companies. 75% of its Seed companies reach Series A, versus a 29% market average.

Key facts

Founded
May 2008
Founders
Xavier Lorphelin, Marc Fournier, Philippe Hayat
Employees
36
Sectors
saas, enterprise, ai, healthcare, generalist
Website
www.serena.vc/

Investment thesis

Serena backs ambitious European founders from pre-seed to Series B, with a concentration in SaaS, AI, and enterprise software. The firm pairs capital with an operational support team of former senior entrepreneurs to help portfolio companies scale faster and raise follow-on rounds at above-market rates.

Recent activity

  • May 2026investment
    Serena co-led the €11.9M Series A in OpsMill, an AI infrastructure data solutions startup, alongside IRIS and Partech Partners. tracxn.com
  • Mar 2026press
    Three Serena-backed companies ranked in the French Top 10 fundraises during a record-breaking month of €1.5B in total French startup fundraising. linkedin.com
  • Mar 2026product
    Serena published the 2026 European SaaS Benchmark, drawing on data from 800+ companies to help founders and investors assess market performance. serena.vc
  • Mar 2026investment
    Serena participated in DeepIP's $25M Series B alongside Korelya Capital and Balderton Capital; DeepIP embeds AI across the patent lifecycle. tracxn.com
  • Dec 2025investment
    Serena invested in Bitstack's $15M round alongside 13books Capital, AG2R LA MONDIALE, and Y Combinator. Bitstack aims to make Bitcoin savings mainstream across Europe. tracxn.com
  • Oct 2025investment
    Serena backed Kotcha's €3.5M round for its AI coaching platform targeting runners. tracxn.com
  • 2025leadership
    Sybille Ranchon was promoted to Senior Associate at Serena. fr.linkedin.com
  • 2025leadership
    Mamadou Bilo Diallo was promoted to Senior Financial Controller; Isabel Lavoura joined as Office Manager and Funds Finance Support. fr.linkedin.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • Marc Fournier · Partner
    LinkedIn
  • Xavier Lorphelin · Co-founder & Managing Partner
  • Philippe Hayat · Co-founder & Managing Partner
  • Amélie Faure · Partner

Sources

Other VCs in France

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Frequently asked

What is Serena?+

Serena is a Paris-based multi-stage VC, founded in 2008 by Xavier Lorphelin, Marc Fournier, and Philippe Hayat, with €750M under management. It backs companies from pre-seed to Series B with initial checks of €500K–€15M, and runs the largest operational support team in Europe — seven former senior entrepreneurs embedded to work directly with portfolio companies.

Where is Serena headquartered?+

Serena is headquartered in Paris, France.

When was Serena founded?+

Serena was founded in May 2008 by Xavier Lorphelin, Marc Fournier, Philippe Hayat.

What sectors does Serena invest in?+

Serena focuses on saas, enterprise, ai, healthcare, generalist. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Serena?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on May 27, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.