Denis Barrier
Co-Founder & CEO
LinkedinDenis is Co-Founder and CEO of Cathay Innovation, which he and Mingpo launched in Paris in 2015 on a single conviction: the best way to help founders was to connect them directly with the industries they were building to transform. A decade later, that idea has become the world’s largest VC platform for startup–industry collaboration.
In 2025, Denis was named to Forbes’ Midas List Europe. Cathay Innovation was named VC of the Year by Maddyness and has been consistently listed on the VCJ50.
Denis sees Cathay Innovation as more than a venture firm. Technology will have more impact in the next ten years than in the previous ninety — and most organizations aren’t moving fast enough to meet it. Cathay Innovation exists to close that gap: connecting founders and corporations to turn breakthrough technology into real-world solutions.
Earlier in his career, Denis managed international activities for the Orange/Publicis fund at Iris Capital, served as Head of Corporate Venture at Orange Telecom, Managing Director at Innovacom, and Officer at the French Treasury. He began as a researcher in Orange’s labs, working on semiconductor quantum dots — a background that still informs how he thinks about deep technical bets. He holds a Ph.D. in Solid State Physics and degrees from École Normale Supérieure and École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications.
Outside of work, Denis enjoys his time with his wife and three kids who call both Paris and SF home. A devoted champion of French tech and a physicist at heart, he has a deep passion for helping founders turn breakthrough research into real-world applications — and a strong belief in France’s potential to lead in the AI revolution.
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