Last Updated: 2026

Kima Ventures

One of the world's most active early-stage investors, investing in 2 to 3 startups per week all over the world; providing founders with funding, network, and support for them to reach the next steps of their journey

Summary

Kima Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2010 by French entrepreneurs Jeremie Berrebi and Xavier Niel. The firm is based in Paris, France, but invests in startups around the world. Kima Ventures has a diverse portfolio of investments in a wide range of industries, including financial technology, artificial intelligence, mobile payments, and more.

The firm's investment approach is based on speed, agility, and a willingness to take risks on innovative new ideas. Kima Ventures is committed to building long-term partnerships with the entrepreneurs it invests in, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed over the long term. The firm's investment criteria include a focus on startups with strong teams, sustainable business models, significant potential for growth, and a clear path to achieving profitability.

History

Kima Ventures is a French early-stage venture capital firm that was founded in 2010 by Jeremie Berrebi and Xavier Niel. The firm has its headquarters in Paris, France, and has invested in startups in Europe, the United States, and Asia.

The story of Kima Ventures began in 2009 when Jeremie Berrebi and Xavier Niel started investing in startups on their own. They had both achieved success as entrepreneurs and wanted to help other entrepreneurs achieve similar success. In their first year of investing, they had already invested in over 30 startups.

In 2010, Berrebi and Niel decided to formalize their investment activities and founded Kima Ventures. The firm's name is a combination of the first two letters of the co-founders' first names, and the firm's logo is a stylized kiwi bird.

Kima Ventures quickly gained a reputation for being a highly active and aggressive investor. In its early years, the firm made over 100 investments per year, often investing as little as $5,000 in each company. By 2015, Kima Ventures had invested in over 500 startups, making it one of the most active early-stage venture capital firms in the world.

Kima Ventures has invested in a wide variety of startups across many different industries, including e-commerce, software, healthcare, and fintech. Some of its most successful investments include TransferWise, which has become a unicorn and changed its name to Wise, and Algolia, a search-as-a-service platform.

Today, Kima Ventures continues to be a highly active investor, making dozens of new investments each year. While the firm's investment size has increased over time, it still focuses primarily on early-stage investments, typically investing between $150,000 and $1 million per company.

Mission

Kima Ventures does not have a formal mission statement. However, the firm's co-founders, Jeremie Berrebi and Xavier Niel have expressed a shared philosophy and approach to investing that guides the firm's activities. Berrebi and Niel are both successful entrepreneurs who have a deep passion for innovation and a desire to help other entrepreneurs achieve success. They believe that startups have the power to transform industries and create positive change in the world.

Kima Ventures' approach to investing is based on speed, agility, and a willingness to take risks on innovative new ideas. The firm seeks out entrepreneurs who are passionate, dedicated and have a strong vision for their company's future.

Values

Kima Ventures has a set of core values that guide its investment philosophy and approach to working with entrepreneurs. The firm's values are:

Entrepreneurial spirit: Kima Ventures believes in the power of entrepreneurship to create positive change and transform industries. The firm seeks out entrepreneurs who are passionate, driven, and innovative, and who have the potential to build world-changing companies.
Speed and agility: Kima Ventures is known for its speed of decision-making and ability to move quickly to invest in promising startups. The firm recognizes that in the fast-paced world of startups, time is of the essence, and it strives to be responsive and agile in its approach.
Long-term partnership: Kima Ventures takes a long-term view of its relationships with the entrepreneurs it invests in. The firm seeks to build strong partnerships with founders and management teams, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed over the long term.
Transparency and integrity: Kima Ventures values transparency and integrity in all of its interactions with entrepreneurs and other stakeholders. The firm is committed to being open and honest in its communication, and to treating everyone with fairness and respect.
Diversity and inclusion: Kima Ventures recognizes the importance of diversity and inclusion in building successful companies and supporting entrepreneurs. The firm seeks out entrepreneurs from a wide range of backgrounds and supports companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion in their own hiring and management practices.

Investment Criteria

The firm has a specific set of investment criteria that it uses to evaluate potential investments. These criteria include:

Team: Kima Ventures believes that the quality of a startup's team is one of the most important factors in determining its potential for success. The firm looks for founders who are passionate, and dedicated and have a strong track record of executing on their vision.
Innovation: Kima Ventures seeks out startups that are pushing the boundaries of their respective industries and are developing new and innovative solutions to existing problems. The firm is particularly interested in startups that are leveraging technology to disrupt traditional business models.
Market: Kima Ventures looks for startups that are targeting large and growing markets with significant potential for growth. The firm prefers startups that are operating in markets that are underserved or ripe for disruption.
Traction: Kima Ventures looks for startups that have already demonstrated traction in their market, whether through user growth, revenue, or other key metrics. The firm prefers startups that have a clear path to achieving profitability.
Business model: Kima Ventures looks for startups that have a clear and sustainable business model. The firm prefers startups that are generating recurring revenue and have a clear plan for monetization.
Scalability: Kima Ventures seeks out startups that have the potential to scale quickly and efficiently. The firm prefers startups that have a product or service that can be easily replicated and deployed in multiple markets.
Valuation: Kima Ventures is focused on early-stage investments and looks for startups that are raising seed or Series A funding rounds. The firm typically invests between $150,000 and $1 million per company.

Portfolio

Kima Ventures has a diverse portfolio of investments that includes startups in a wide range of industries and geographies. Some of the firm's most notable investments include:

TransferWise: TransferWise is a London-based financial technology company that provides international money transfer services. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.
Algolia: Algolia is a San Francisco-based search-as-a-service company that provides website and mobile app search capabilities. Kima Ventures invested in Algolia's seed funding round and has continued to support the company through multiple subsequent rounds.
Front: Front is a San Francisco-based email management platform that allows teams to collaborate on email messages. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.
Prisma: Prisma is a Berlin-based mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to turn photos into works of art. Kima Ventures invested in the company's seed funding round and has continued to support its growth through subsequent rounds.
Aircall: Aircall is a Paris-based cloud-based phone system that allows businesses to make and receive calls from anywhere in the world. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.
Lydia: Lydia is a French mobile payment and financial services company that allows users to send and receive money, make payments, and manage their finances. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.

Kima Ventures' portfolio reflects the firm's focus on early-stage investments in innovative startups with strong teams, sustainable business models, and significant potential for growth. The firm has a track record of identifying and supporting some of the most promising startups around the world, helping them to achieve their full potential and make a positive impact on the world.

References

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/kima-ventures

https://unicorn-nest.com/funds/kima-ventures-3/

https://www.cbinsights.com/investor/kima-ventures

https://www.zoominfo.com/c/kima-ventures/348441805

https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/8140324Z:FP

https://e27.co/investor/kima-ventures/

https://ramp.com/vc-database/kima-ventures

https://nordic9.com/companies/kima-ventures-investor7601026366/

https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/51022-00

https://www.datanyze.com/companies/kima-ventures/348441805

Headquarters

Paris, France

Established

2010-03-09

Employees

50 – 100

Website

https://www.kimaventures.com/

Social Media

Last Updated: 2026

Kima Ventures

Summary

History

Mission

Values

Kima Ventures has a set of core values that guide its investment philosophy and approach to working with entrepreneurs. The firm's values are:

Entrepreneurial spirit: Kima Ventures believes in the power of entrepreneurship to create positive change and transform industries. The firm seeks out entrepreneurs who are passionate, driven, and innovative, and who have the potential to build world-changing companies.
Speed and agility: Kima Ventures is known for its speed of decision-making and ability to move quickly to invest in promising startups. The firm recognizes that in the fast-paced world of startups, time is of the essence, and it strives to be responsive and agile in its approach.
Long-term partnership: Kima Ventures takes a long-term view of its relationships with the entrepreneurs it invests in. The firm seeks to build strong partnerships with founders and management teams, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed over the long term.
Transparency and integrity: Kima Ventures values transparency and integrity in all of its interactions with entrepreneurs and other stakeholders. The firm is committed to being open and honest in its communication, and to treating everyone with fairness and respect.
Diversity and inclusion: Kima Ventures recognizes the importance of diversity and inclusion in building successful companies and supporting entrepreneurs. The firm seeks out entrepreneurs from a wide range of backgrounds and supports companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion in their own hiring and management practices.

Investment Criteria

The firm has a specific set of investment criteria that it uses to evaluate potential investments. These criteria include:

Team: Kima Ventures believes that the quality of a startup's team is one of the most important factors in determining its potential for success. The firm looks for founders who are passionate, and dedicated and have a strong track record of executing on their vision.
Innovation: Kima Ventures seeks out startups that are pushing the boundaries of their respective industries and are developing new and innovative solutions to existing problems. The firm is particularly interested in startups that are leveraging technology to disrupt traditional business models.
Market: Kima Ventures looks for startups that are targeting large and growing markets with significant potential for growth. The firm prefers startups that are operating in markets that are underserved or ripe for disruption.
Traction: Kima Ventures looks for startups that have already demonstrated traction in their market, whether through user growth, revenue, or other key metrics. The firm prefers startups that have a clear path to achieving profitability.
Business model: Kima Ventures looks for startups that have a clear and sustainable business model. The firm prefers startups that are generating recurring revenue and have a clear plan for monetization.
Scalability: Kima Ventures seeks out startups that have the potential to scale quickly and efficiently. The firm prefers startups that have a product or service that can be easily replicated and deployed in multiple markets.
Valuation: Kima Ventures is focused on early-stage investments and looks for startups that are raising seed or Series A funding rounds. The firm typically invests between $150,000 and $1 million per company.

Portfolio

Kima Ventures has a diverse portfolio of investments that includes startups in a wide range of industries and geographies. Some of the firm's most notable investments include:

TransferWise: TransferWise is a London-based financial technology company that provides international money transfer services. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.
Algolia: Algolia is a San Francisco-based search-as-a-service company that provides website and mobile app search capabilities. Kima Ventures invested in Algolia's seed funding round and has continued to support the company through multiple subsequent rounds.
Front: Front is a San Francisco-based email management platform that allows teams to collaborate on email messages. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.
Prisma: Prisma is a Berlin-based mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to turn photos into works of art. Kima Ventures invested in the company's seed funding round and has continued to support its growth through subsequent rounds.
Aircall: Aircall is a Paris-based cloud-based phone system that allows businesses to make and receive calls from anywhere in the world. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.
Lydia: Lydia is a French mobile payment and financial services company that allows users to send and receive money, make payments, and manage their finances. Kima Ventures was an early investor in the company and has continued to support its growth through multiple funding rounds.

References

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/kima-ventures

https://unicorn-nest.com/funds/kima-ventures-3/

https://www.cbinsights.com/investor/kima-ventures

https://www.zoominfo.com/c/kima-ventures/348441805

https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/8140324Z:FP

https://e27.co/investor/kima-ventures/

https://ramp.com/vc-database/kima-ventures

https://nordic9.com/companies/kima-ventures-investor7601026366/

https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/51022-00

https://www.datanyze.com/companies/kima-ventures/348441805

Headquarters