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Supernova Invest
Supernova Invest is a Paris-based deeptech venture capital firm spun out of Amundi and the CEA in 2017.
Supernova Invest
Supernova Invest launched in 2017 when the deeptech venture team at Amundi, the asset management arm of Crédit Agricole, combined forces with the CEA, France's atomic energy and alternative energies commission. The founding partners brought over two decades of institutional venture experience into an independent management company designed to finance the long, capital-intensive gestation of hard-tech startups. The firm invests primarily across Europe, drawing on a shareholder base that includes Amundi and the CEA, which remain limited partners and co-investors. The firm targets equity investments from seed through growth — often leading rounds or anchoring syndicates — in four verticals: industrial technologies, digital, healthcare, and cleantech. Its portfolio spans embedded cybersecurity, silicon quantum computing, autonomous agricultural machinery, implantable neuromodulation devices, and direct lithium extraction. Past deployments include pulmonary neuromodulation platform Nuvaira, space infrastructure-as-a-service operator Loft Orbital, which raised a €170 million Series C in 2025 (per the firm's website), and AI-driven bioinformatics company SeqOne. Supernova brings more than check size; it fields a curated network of operating partners who advise portfolio companies on intellectual property strategy, scalable manufacturing, ESG integration, and public-sector stakeholder management. The firm operates from Paris and Grenoble with a dedicated investment team of more than 30 professionals. Supporting infrastructure includes a general counsel, a risk and compliance manager, and a back-office group, reflecting an institutional operating cadence uncommon among early-stage specialists. In May 2025 the firm's portfolio saw Loft Orbital achieve billion-dollar valuation status, affirming the thesis that European deeptech startups can scale to become global infrastructure providers. Supernova has historically completed approximately 100 investments and logged over 30 trade exits, though current AUM remains undisclosed. Supernova's structural differentiator is its embedded public-private research partnership: the CEA provides proprietary deal flow from French national labs while Amundi supplies institutional fund-management discipline. This hybrid architecture gives the firm a sourcing advantage that most European deep-tech generalists cannot replicate — it sees science before spinout, not after Series A.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2017
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
France
City
Paris
Corporate office
97 Rue Saint-Lazare, 75009 Paris, France
Additional offices
Grenoble, France
Principals
Pierre-Emmanuel Struyven
Managing Partner
Régis Saleur
Managing Partner
Celia Hart
General Partner, Healthcare
François Breniaux
General Partner, Industry 4.0
Etienne Moreau
Partner, Digital Technologies
Romain Sautrau
Partner, Energy & Environment
David Hansen
Partner, Energy & Environment
Rémi Spagnol
Partner, Healthcare
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Supernova Invest?
Investment decisions are made by the Partners on the Investment Committee. The firm lists two Managing Partners — Pierre-Emmanuel Struyven and Régis Saleur — alongside General Partners and Partners who lead vertical-specific origination in healthcare, industry 4.0, digital technologies, and energy and environment (per the firm's website).
How is Supernova Invest related to Amundi and the CEA?
Supernova Invest was formed in 2017 through the alliance of Amundi (Crédit Agricole Group) and the CEA — France's atomic energy and alternative energies commission (per the firm's website). Both institutions remain shareholders, limited partners, and co-investors in the firm's funds. The CEA additionally serves as a research partner, giving Supernova early visibility into technologies emerging from French national laboratories.
How does Supernova Invest source proprietary deal flow?
The firm's structural link to the CEA provides direct access to spin-offs and technology transfer opportunities from French public-research labs before broader market visibility. Supernova also leverages its operating-partner network — specialists in IP strategy, production scaling, and public-sector relations — to surface deals through deep scientific and industrial ecosystems rather than standard VC channels.
Does Supernova Invest participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Supernova primarily invests directly in deeptech startups across Europe from seed to growth stages. The firm's public materials describe equity investments in roughly 100 companies, with an active portfolio of more than 70; there is no indication that the firm operates a fund-of-funds program or allocates to external managers.
What investment stages does Supernova Invest target?
Supernova Invest deploys capital from early-stage seed and start-up rounds through expansion and growth — effectively covering the full lifecycle of a deeptech company from lab spinout to industrial scaling. The firm's team provides specialized support in intellectual property strategy, international expansion, and manufacturing scale-up during each phase (per the firm's website).
Which sectors does Supernova Invest explicitly avoid?
The firm does not publicly list excluded sectors. Its four dedicated verticals — industrial technologies, digital, healthcare, and cleantech — suggest a deliberate focus on hard-science and engineering-intensive businesses rather than consumer internet, enterprise SaaS, or financial technology. Supernova's ESG commitments align portfolio companies with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but it has not published a negative screen.
Does Supernova Invest maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Supernova Invest does not appear to operate a separate philanthropic foundation. Its impact commitment is embedded in the investment process: the firm describes deeptech startups as 'impact-by-design' and integrates ESG due diligence through a dedicated operating partner (per the firm's website), rather than through a distinct grant-making entity.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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