After nearly seven years at BNP Paribas's strategic investment arm, founding managing director Thibaut Schlaeppi is leaving to co-lead Raise Ventures.
Thibaut Schlaeppi has left the corporate venture unit he launched, Opera Tech Ventures, to join investment group Raise, where he will co-head venture capital fund Raise Ventures.
Schlaeppi set up Opera Tech Ventures in 2018 as founding managing director, to back financial technology developers on behalf of France-based banking group BNP Paribas. Its investments have included open banking software provider Tink, which was acquired by Visa for $2.1bn, and mobile bank Chime, valued at $25bn as of 2021.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the move, Schlaeppi described his tenure at the unit as “the most exciting challenge I could ever dream about for my career.
“Along my journey, I also realised the incredible depth, sophistication and transformative potential of the financial industry,” he added. “A good number of innovations are on their way, and I have had the chance to back and closely witness the determination of impressive entrepreneurs that are tackling the opportunity to redefine finance through technology, sustainability and novel business models.”
Before launching Opera Tech Ventures, Schlaeppi spent a decade at the bank’s insurance arm, BNP Paribas Cardif, rising up to become head of startup relations and investments at its C. Entrepreneurs fund.
Investment director Vincent Baillin, investment analyst Edouard Boisson and principal Marinus Oosterbeek remain at the unit. It has not yet confirmed a successor to Schlaeppi.
