Marie Ekeland
Marie Ekeland | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 13, 1975 Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, venture capitalist |
| Known for | Co-founder of Daphni investment fund; founder and chairperson of 2050 fund; first female president of Conseil national du numérique |
Marie Ekeland (born 13 August 1975 in Paris) is a French entrepreneur with expertise in start-up funding. She is a co-founder of the Daphni investment fund and serves as the founder and chairperson of the 2050 fund.
In late 2017, she made history as the first female president of the Conseil national du numérique (French Digital Council, CNNum), an autonomous advisory body established by presidential decree to provide guidance to the French government on the economic and societal implications of digital technologies.
Additionally, she played a key role in founding France Digitale, an association that represents France’s technology sector. In 2021, she received the chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, the highest distinction awarded by France for merit.
Early life and education
Marie Ekeland is the daughter of mathematician Ivar Ekeland. She pursued studies in mathematics and computer science at Paris-Dauphine University. At 22 years old, she began her professional career as a computer scientist at JPMorgan Chase in New York.
After returning to Paris in 1998, she took a year off to complete a master's degree in “Economic Analysis and Policy” at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences.
Career
Starting in 2000, Ekeland worked within the venture capital division of Crédit Agricole Private Equity, where she met Xavier Lazarus. In 2005, Lazarus invited her to join Elaia Partners, a venture capital firm founded in 2002 that concentrates on investments in the digital economy. During her tenure at Elaia, she oversaw significant investments such as in Criteo, a French advertising retargeting start-up that went public on the NASDAQ exchange in 2013.
In 2012, she co-established France Digitale with the aim of fostering a collaborative network for entrepreneurs and investors while advocating for growth within the digital economy.
Ekeland left Elaia in 2015 to create her own venture capital firm named Daphni, specializing in digital economy ventures. She positioned Daphni as an innovative VC model rooted in the principles of the platform economy. Within a few months, the fund successfully raised €150 million from prominent investors including Fnac Darty, Nokia, and Société Générale.
Although she stepped back from day-to-day management at Daphni in 2019 to concentrate on investments targeting climate change and social justice, she continued to serve on its financing committee. This committee supervises early-stage investments such as Shine, Swile, Holberton School, and Lifen.
In November 2020, Ekeland introduced 2050, an evergreen investment fund focused on long-term, mission-driven projects. The fund targets sectors like future food systems, healthcare innovation, education enhancement, sustainable living practices, and efforts to restore trust in media and financial institutions.
Distinctions and Recognitions
- 2021, Légion d'honneur
Publications
- Benoît Thieulin, Yann Bonnet, Somalina Pa, Daniel Kaplan, Marie Ekeland, Valérie Peugeot, Stéphane Distinguin, Marc Tessier (2015): Ambition numérique : pour une politique française et européenne de la transition numérique
External resources
- 2050 – The current investment fund led by Marie Ekeland
- Climate Insiders (podcast, 2023): Pioneering A New VC Model To Drive Systemic Change (featuring Marie Ekeland of 2050)