Cécile Tharaud

CEO chez Polytechnique Ventures

📍 France🔄 Updated September 2026💼 9 investments📅 5 years investing🗓 Last invested Apr 2025
VC🌍 France
9
Total investments
4
Early stage
3
Mid stage
1
Late stage
5y
Years active

Portfolio

9 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Board Member
Apr 2025
ByoRNA uses eucaryotic cells as natural biofactories to make high-quality messenger RNA (mRNAs). Our bioproduction technology will help mass produce mRNA and enhance productivity at a fraction of the current cost. By perfecting an overlooked mRNA production method, we are helping build a more sustainable planet, save cancer patients and give their grand-children a future.
Seed Investor
May 2024
Descartes & Mauss is a StraTech: an AI-based SaaS platform automating the Strategic Planning process. D&M solutions model the future to build critical paths for companies to take better decisions, faster. By combining advanced data modeling with the latest AI capabilities, D&M helps companies make their next best move.
Seed Investor
May 2024
PACT designs elegant biomaterials made in harmony with the planet Earth. We’re committed to helping the world’s most innovative companies dream without boundaries. Our products are created with efficiency and kindness from the Earth’s abundant resources—beginning with an advanced material: Oval. Inspired by generations of leather artisans and master craftspeople, Oval is a supple material made from collagen. It offers designers unparalleled flexibility while minimising environmental footprint across the entire production process. Oval is the first biomaterial of its kind—created from natural collagen and enriched with oils and free of harsh chemicals.
Board Member
Nov 2023
Docent is the first AI-powered mobile application to offer a fully personalized experience for discovering and collecting contemporary art. We cater to both newcomers and seasoned art collectors, providing a reliable platform that connects individuals with artworks they’ll truly love and want to collect. Founded in 2020 by Hélène Nguyen-Ban, a passionate collector and former gallerist with a decade of experience in luxury at LVMH, and Mathieu Rosenbaum, a researcher and professor of Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique, Docent is an art-tech startup at the intersection of art and artificial intelligence. Forging an alliance between AI experts and art historians, Docent pioneers a new era in art discovery. We developed proprietary algorithms using machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, to curate bespoke recommendations of contemporary art. This advanced technology not only discerns artistic nuances and collector preferences but also ensures that partner galleries offer artworks of unmatched quality and significance. Docent isn’t just about finding art – it’s about embarking on a personalized journey, tailored to each collector’s tastes and interests. From discovering hidden gems to acquiring new masterpieces, Docent encourages exploration beyond the comfort zones, and into the unchartered. Our ultimate goal is to transform the art collecting experience into an inspiring journey accessible to a broader audience. By doing so, we also aim to create a virtuous cycle, fostering the emergence of a new generation of art enthusiasts and collectors, all while revitalizing the market for galleries and today’s leading artists.
Board Member
Jul 2023
TOTEM est une solution physique et digitale donnant accès aux produits et services du quotidien: du café au repas du midi, snack et boissons, mais également les essentiels du quotidien. (Bientôt : du dépannage de votre vélo au vidéoprojecteur pour votre réunion.) 🕖 09h15 : pas le temps dacheter mon petit-déj = TOTEM. 🕖 13h12 : je sors de réu, envie d’un bon menu entrée-plat-dessert de qualité ! TOTEM. 🕖 14h30 : je file mon collant avant un rendez-vous... TOTEM. 🕖 18h00 : soirée Match, embouteillage sur les app de livraison = je prends mon plat à emporter au TOTEM et hop ! TOTEM cest… ♥️ une nouvelle expérience dachat du petit-déj au dîner ; 🧃des produits essentiels du quotidien à portée de main ; 🍝 des recettes qui répondent à tous les régimes alimentaires (vegan, végétariennes, sans gluten…) ; 🥙 des bons plats, sains et gourmands et des marques iconiques comme Bouillon Pigalle ; 📱 une application mobile pensée pour nos utilisateurs compatible avec les principaux titres restaurants : Ticket Restaurant, Pass Restaurant, Apetiz, Chèque Déjeuner, Resto Flash, Swile.. Vous l’aurez compris, TOTEM c’est toutes vos envies ici, maintenant... à tout moment ! Faites comme +100 de nos clients, offrez TOTEM à vos collaborateurs ! Envie de déguster de délicieux plats dans le seul resto ouvert de Paris ? Envie d’en savoir plus ? 💌 Envoyez-nous un mail à hello@thetotem.co.
late stageRetail
Board Member
May 2023
At REEV our mission is to help 50 million people affected by walking disorders like strokes to overcome their disability by becoming more autonomous and independent in their daily movements. To achieve this mission, we are making a smart and patient-centric robotic orthosis providing a light assistance to walk, stand, sit and climb stairs more easily everyday. We do this because we believe everyone deserves to enjoy their mobility to the fullest everyday, regardless of their level of disability or age. Lets join the Motion Crew 🦿!
Seed Investor
Dec 2021
Jimmy conçoit et opère des générateurs thermiques atomiques pour décarboner massivement lindustrie
Board Member
Jul 2021
We integrate standard assays on chip (eg. CRISPR, T-cell, cytotoxicity) to accelerate drug discovery from target to validation, and advance preclinical predictivity
Seed Investor
Apr 2021
Néolithe est une entreprise de 200 personnes installée en Anjou, à proximité d’Angers, spécialisée dans la valorisation matière de déchets non-recyclables, non-dangereux et non-inertes. Ces déchets sont transformés en matériaux de construction, qui prennent la forme de granulats utilisés dans des bétons pour le BTP. Ce processus industriel réduit la quantité de déchets envoyés en décharge et diminue les émissions de CO2 associées, une alternative circulaire à l’enfouissement et à l’incinération. Après avoir installé deux premiers sites pilotes à côté d’Angers, nous préparons le déploiement d’usines de grande capacité, partout en France et à l’étranger, qui emploieront une soixantaine de personnes.
Experience · 11 entries
All (11)
Investments (9)
Board (5)
2025
Board Member
Apr 2025
ByoRNA uses eucaryotic cells as natural biofactories to make high-quality messenger RNA (mRNAs). Our bioproduction technology will help mass produce mRNA and enhance productivity at a fraction of the current cost. By perfecting an overlooked mRNA production method, we are helping build a more sustainable planet, save cancer patients and give their grand-children a future.
2024
Seed Investor
May 2024
Descartes & Mauss is a StraTech: an AI-based SaaS platform automating the Strategic Planning process. D&M solutions model the future to build critical paths for companies to take better decisions, faster. By combining advanced data modeling with the latest AI capabilities, D&M helps companies make their next best move.
Seed Investor
May 2024
PACT designs elegant biomaterials made in harmony with the planet Earth. We’re committed to helping the world’s most innovative companies dream without boundaries. Our products are created with efficiency and kindness from the Earth’s abundant resources—beginning with an advanced material: Oval. Inspired by generations of leather artisans and master craftspeople, Oval is a supple material made from collagen. It offers designers unparalleled flexibility while minimising environmental footprint across the entire production process. Oval is the first biomaterial of its kind—created from natural collagen and enriched with oils and free of harsh chemicals.
2023
Board Member
Nov 2023
Docent is the first AI-powered mobile application to offer a fully personalized experience for discovering and collecting contemporary art. We cater to both newcomers and seasoned art collectors, providing a reliable platform that connects individuals with artworks they’ll truly love and want to collect. Founded in 2020 by Hélène Nguyen-Ban, a passionate collector and former gallerist with a decade of experience in luxury at LVMH, and Mathieu Rosenbaum, a researcher and professor of Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique, Docent is an art-tech startup at the intersection of art and artificial intelligence. Forging an alliance between AI experts and art historians, Docent pioneers a new era in art discovery. We developed proprietary algorithms using machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, to curate bespoke recommendations of contemporary art. This advanced technology not only discerns artistic nuances and collector preferences but also ensures that partner galleries offer artworks of unmatched quality and significance. Docent isn’t just about finding art – it’s about embarking on a personalized journey, tailored to each collector’s tastes and interests. From discovering hidden gems to acquiring new masterpieces, Docent encourages exploration beyond the comfort zones, and into the unchartered. Our ultimate goal is to transform the art collecting experience into an inspiring journey accessible to a broader audience. By doing so, we also aim to create a virtuous cycle, fostering the emergence of a new generation of art enthusiasts and collectors, all while revitalizing the market for galleries and today’s leading artists.
Board Member
Jul 2023
TOTEM est une solution physique et digitale donnant accès aux produits et services du quotidien: du café au repas du midi, snack et boissons, mais également les essentiels du quotidien. (Bientôt : du dépannage de votre vélo au vidéoprojecteur pour votre réunion.) 🕖 09h15 : pas le temps dacheter mon petit-déj = TOTEM. 🕖 13h12 : je sors de réu, envie d’un bon menu entrée-plat-dessert de qualité ! TOTEM. 🕖 14h30 : je file mon collant avant un rendez-vous... TOTEM. 🕖 18h00 : soirée Match, embouteillage sur les app de livraison = je prends mon plat à emporter au TOTEM et hop ! TOTEM cest… ♥️ une nouvelle expérience dachat du petit-déj au dîner ; 🧃des produits essentiels du quotidien à portée de main ; 🍝 des recettes qui répondent à tous les régimes alimentaires (vegan, végétariennes, sans gluten…) ; 🥙 des bons plats, sains et gourmands et des marques iconiques comme Bouillon Pigalle ; 📱 une application mobile pensée pour nos utilisateurs compatible avec les principaux titres restaurants : Ticket Restaurant, Pass Restaurant, Apetiz, Chèque Déjeuner, Resto Flash, Swile.. Vous l’aurez compris, TOTEM c’est toutes vos envies ici, maintenant... à tout moment ! Faites comme +100 de nos clients, offrez TOTEM à vos collaborateurs ! Envie de déguster de délicieux plats dans le seul resto ouvert de Paris ? Envie d’en savoir plus ? 💌 Envoyez-nous un mail à hello@thetotem.co.
late stageRetail
Show all 11 entries ↓
Investment activity
2021–2025 · 9 investments
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