Campus Fund, headquartered in Paris and dedicated to supporting pioneering startups established by students or recent graduates in France, has revealed a successful second round of funding, raising €1.5 million from a consortium of more than 50 executives, family offices, and investment funds.
Among the notable investors on the list are Thierry Petit (co-founder of Showroomprivé), Justin Ziegler (co-founder of Priceminister), Jade Francine (co-founder of WeMaintain), and seasoned business executives such as Guillaume Sarkozy, the former General Director of Malakoff Mederic, according to reports by Maddyness.
Campus Fund has outlined its plans to deploy the newly injected capital to support 20 startups, each guided by young and aspiring entrepreneurs based on various campuses.
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Campus Fund: Nurturing Startups Founded By Students and Young Graduates
In 2022, Nicolas Rizk and Romain Baranger came together to establish Campus Fund with a singular mission: to eliminate the obstacles that often hinder student entrepreneurship.
This youthful venture capital fund is committed to providing tailored financing, ranging from €20,000 to €60,000, along with a robust support and expertise structure designed to enhance the prospects of success for startups led by students.
The inspiration for Campus Fund stemmed from the American Dorm Room Fund model, the world’s pioneer in student investment funds, which has already demonstrated the validity of its approach.
Nicolas Rizk, one of the co-founders of Campus Fund, explains their vision, saying, “We believe that student entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned to catalyze disruptive innovations, and that the conglomerates of the future are taking shape on today’s campuses. Nevertheless, a significant funding gap existed for this segment of the entrepreneurial community. Therefore, we aspired to create a French counterpart to the Dorm Room Fund. To achieve this, we engaged in extensive discussions with other funds that had ventured into this niche, seeking their insights to tailor the model to our local market’s specific needs.”
Campus Fund has already embarked on an impressive journey, with seven investments made to date, five of which have transitioned to the public domain. These startups include Kleep, Luniwave, Selvitys, Estale, and Meteory.
The fund’s investment focus remains broad across sectors, but it places a particular emphasis on technology, B2B enterprises, and companies with scalable business models.
According to Maddyness, Campus Fund has set its sights on raising a second fund in 2025, further cementing its commitment to nurturing student-led innovation and entrepreneurship in the vibrant landscape of French startups.
