Kerala Ventures

Kerala Ventures is a Paris-based private holding and venture firm founded in 2014 by Antoine Freysz, Marc Laurent, and Olivier Occelli, dedicated to the launch and scale of new ventures in France. The firm pioneered the 'Cofounding Investor' model — partnering with entrepreneurs from startup inception and providing intensive hands-on support, with a specific expertise in recruitment. Kerala has been involved in more than 200 hirings over eight years and considers its ability to attract A-player teams its primary competitive advantage. Initial investments range from €100K to €1.5 million, targeting startups at inception or pre-revenue stage. Freysz has deep roots in the French tech ecosystem: he previously helped build the Otium team, which included Stanislas Niox-Chateau (who founded Doctolib), Philippe de Chanville (ManoMano co-founder), and Bruno Raillard (Frst). Kerala's portfolio record speaks to the quality of its earliest bets. The firm co-founded and backed Doctolib from inception — now a healthtech unicorn valued at more than €5.8 billion and one of France's most successful technology companies. Other founding partnerships include Malt (freelancer marketplace), Ouihelp (home care), and TheFork (restaurant booking platform, owned by TripAdvisor). Active portfolio companies include NaturaBuy (marketplace), Skillup (HR technology), and Sonnar. The most recent investment was Carbonfact (sustainability software) in April 2024. Kerala Ventures operates with a conviction that the founding team is the primary determinant of venture outcomes, and that getting team composition right from inception — including recruiting the first key hires — creates a structural advantage that traditional capital alone cannot replicate. The firm acts as a genuine founding partner, committing to companies for the very long term rather than cycling through portfolio positions.