Alexandre Collinet (EDHEC Master 1997) EDHEC Master 1997) is Chief Operating Officer of the Adevinta Group, owner and operator of digital classified ad services in Europe, including leboncoin in France, Mobile and Kleinanzeigen in Germany, to name but a few.

A recent subscriber to the GENERATIONS Powered by EDHEC fund, he agreed to answer our questions.

Have you ever subscribed to funds or other types of investment for start-ups?

Professionally, I've had a lot of dealings with start-ups, some of which ended up in the Leboncoin fold.  Personally, I've already invested in a few start-ups, on an opportunistic basis, but never yet in a fund. Everything has to start somewhere!

What do you see as the advantages of subscribing to this type of fund? 

It's an opportunity to diversify my investments, which are generally rather conservative, by reducing the volatility associated with investing in a specific start-up, while benefiting from the dynamism of these companies with high growth potential.

What makes GENERATIONS special for you?

The fact that it is an Impact fund is important to me. Ring Capital's reputation in this area is well established.  

What convinced you to invest in the GENERATIONS Powered by EDHEC fund?  

The fact that EDHEC Business School is investing a significant amount is a 1ʳᵉ reason. The school's dynamism over the past 20 years is impressive and the results are convincing.
What's more, there is real consistency between EDHEC's famous "Make an Impact" and the GENERATIONS fund in the nature of the investments that will be made. Finally, meeting Didier Kuhn* did the rest.

*EDHEC alumni and venture partner