Orange said that it has strengthened its venture capital activity with an increased allocation of EUR 350 million. New investments will be made under a new entity named Orange Ventures, established on a separate legal basis to become one of the top ten corporate venture capital funds in Europe. Based in Paris and Dakar, Orange Ventures’ team will consist of twenty experts who will make investment decisions autonomously. Headed by CEO Jerome Berger, they will also take over the portfolio managed under Orange Digital Ventures.
Activities will focus on businesses at all stages of maturity, from seed stage start-ups in Africa and the Middle East, to more mature companies in Europe and the US, with investments of up to EUR 20 million per financing round. The areas of interest will range from sectors of strategic importance for Orange (networks, IT, digital enterprise, cyber security, and fintech) to new opportunities in e-health, edtech, online gaming, and consumer platforms.
