Welcome back to another episode of the EUVC Podcast, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture.
Today, we’re joined by Alexandre Mars, the French entrepreneur and philanthropist behind Blisce, one of Europe’s pioneering B Corp-certified venture funds. From bootstrapping his first business at 17 to building and selling multiple startups across Europe and the US, Alexander has seen both sides of the entrepreneurial journey — the grind and the freedom.
In this conversation, we explore his evolution from founder to impact investor, the trade-offs between wealth and purpose, the challenge of defining “impact” in venture capital, and why Europe’s next tech era will depend on bridging public policy, capital, and purpose.
🎧 Here’s What’s Covered:
- 00:19 | Welcome & Origin Story — From a 17-year-old entrepreneur to serial founder and philanthropist
- 02:37 | Freedom Redefined — What “no boss” really means when clients become your new one
- 05:44 | Sacrifice & Grind — Why success without discipline doesn’t exist
- 08:12 | From Founder to Investor — The transition from building to backing
- 11:03 | Birth of Blisce — From family office to impact VC
- 13:32 | Series A to B Sweet Spot — Why Blisce focuses on post-revenue scale-ups
- 15:08 | Returns & Responsibility — Outperforming funds while doing good
- 17:21 | The Problem with Defining Impact — Why dogma kills nuance
- 21:05 | Europe vs. US — Risk, failure, and ambition across cultures
- 25:47 | The Role of Tech in Society — Investing with purpose, not just profit
- 28:19 | Sovereignty & Scale — Europe’s AI and data independence moment
- 31:02 | Policy & Venture — Why investors can’t stay silent in the public debate
- 34:29 | Paris as a Rising Hub — Why France is building something real this time
