AXA Venture Partners

AXA Venture Partners

AXA Venture Partners (AVP) launched as the corporate venture arm of AXA Group, one of the world's largest insurance and asset management groups. The firm was founded by Francois Jerphagnon, who had previously led M&A and venture at AXA. AVP manages capital from AXA's own balance sheet, not external LPs, giving it a permanent capital base that allows for patient, long-duration holdings. AVP targets enterprise software, fintech, digital health, cybersecurity, and AI/ML companies at the late-stage growth to pre-IPO stage. The firm typically leads rounds of $5 million to $20 million, often taking board seats at portfolio companies. Confirmed holdings include cybersecurity firm CyberArk, fintech platform Personal Capital (now Empower), and digital health company Peanut. AVP also co-invests alongside other corporate venture arms and growth equity funds. Geographically, AVP covers North America and Europe, with offices in San Francisco, New York, Paris, and others. The firm's team size has not been disclosed. AVP maintains a separate philanthropic foundation, the AXA Research Fund, which supports academic research on climate and health — structurally distinct from its venture investments. AVP's structural differentiator is its permanent capital from AXA Group, which allows it to hold positions through public market cycles without the fundraising pressure of a traditional growth equity fund. The firm also leverages AXA's own insurance data and customer network to provide portfolio companies with commercial distribution channels, a model more akin to a strategic corporate investor than a pure financial VC.