Philippe Vuagnat’s career has been unusual. After completing a doctorate in geology at the Université Claude Bernard in Lyon in 1984, he worked as a geologist for four years for companies such as Elf Aquitaine and BRGM. He then studied business administration at the Centre Supérieure d’Etudes Industrielles in Lyon prior to taking on responsibility for the Executive Management of Axone, an incubator for innovative companies in Les Monts du Lyonnais, where he stayed for 12 years.

Philippe Vuagnat joined Sofimac in November 2000 as the head of investments for the seed capital fund Le Lanceur. “Sofimac needed someone to take on responsibility for Le Lanceur and I had the background needed for this new role. I had the ability to understand thoroughly the technology content of deals, was able to coach project sponsors and knew how young innovative companies operated”. Philippe Vuagnat has been the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Management Board of Sofimac Partners since 2004.

“In this business, there is no room for chance or sudden attractions. Investments are always rational. Investors must increasingly specialize to achieve exceptional returns. Investors in technology companies must become familiar with the sectors to which the companies whose business plans they are analyzing belong and whose principals and founders have specific technical skills or technological expertise. For this reason, investment teams must recruit specialists in biotechnology, new communications and information technologies and engineering science to know how to position their funding proposals relevantly.
It is also essential that investors follow market and technology trends particularly closely. They must be able to contribute the expertise needed for the financial management of technology and innovation. Beyond the notion of a partnership based on shared reflection, the investor must be capable of playing the role of a co-manager by providing methods and advice in how to carry out the company’s plans. To this end, Sofimac Partners has recruited specialists in innovation from a wide variety of professional backgrounds since 1999.”