It is a quite unusual history more than a title

It is a quite unusual history, more than a title. Three brothers, Neil, David and Danny Rimer, were mounted in 1996 a venture capital company in Geneva. A few years later, they are probably the most envied Europe Fund. They "did" Skype, software for Internet telephony sold to eBay for $ 2.6 billion. There is not a promising record Web 2.0 or the open source in Europe who them is proposed in priority today. However, we are at the origin of more than 90 of our investments." "It is we who live contacted the contractor," said Danny Rimer.

They come to invest in Fon (Wi - Fi) and Netvibes, a French start-up which raised EUR 12 million and which has developed a customizable portal for Internet users. Tariq Krim, thirty-one years, its founder, "is a great product, of the same ilk as one man Marc Andreessen", the founder of Netscape, said Danny Rimer.

For him, the explosion of the blogosphere in France will serve as a catalyst for the creation of new products: "the French have the critical spirit and they love to make their views known." The feedback provided by blogs is a good ingredient when it develops a product. "I think that we are going to appear in France many new entrepreneurs who will develop new features for Web 2.0", provides Danny Rimer.

Index Ventures is present in the capital of other French companies as Photoways (development of online photo site) and Jaluna (virtualization software). In their portfolio, there are really any: Betfair, a site of paris to online, Trolltech (Linux), they have to introduce to the Oslo Stock Exchange, or make more unlikely, Stardoll, a site mounted by a Finnish nurse where we dressed up online a doll in the shape of a star and the hearing is in exponential growth. "They have really a knowledge of the world market", said Pierre Chappaz, who was entrepreneur in residence at home and is now operational in Netvibes. "The only venture capitalist European able to compete with Silicon Valley heavyweights" he sees in them. Index Ventures is also present in the life sciences, have invested in companies such as Addex Pharmaceuticals Switzerland or the Italian BioXell. However, they are conspicuously absent of electronics and telecoms.

Office in the United States step

The objective of the brothers rhyme is clear: find and assist entrepreneurs who have global ambitions, whose products accelerate the transformation in their sector. "It is fascinating to see venture capitalists who have good attitude." They seek the real entrepreneurs and leave them the field open. "They do not bored with the contractual details and also let you make mistakes," said Marten Mickos, CEO of MySQL.

Belgo-canadienne origin, but having been educated in Switzerland and then in the United States, the brothers made their classes in American banks. All three old quarantine, very open, also fluent in French as in English, they have nothing of icy London financiers, or the arrogance of certain stars of American venture capital. Prior to founding the company, Neil worked at Montgomery Securities. He was soon joined by David, who worked at The Capital Group and who is now Chief Financial Officer of Index Ventures. Danny entered the firm in 2002, for the London Office, after having worked for Hambrecht & Quist, as well as for The Barksdake Group, ridden by Jim Barksdale, one who brought Netscape stock.

They are now six partners who manage more than 500 million euros of funds. Their subscribers, include manufacturers such as Cisco, AOL, Oracle and Sun Microsystems. "Our territory, it is Europe, we have no Office in the United States," said Danny Rimmer.

This prevent them to invest or to be one of the most beautiful business networks in Silicon Valley. They see themselves also as the eyes and ears large U.S. funds that they are promising European start-up capital. Among their partners, the great names of American venture capital: Accel Partners, Sequoia, Benchmark Capital, Battery Ventures, etc. Last July, the "Business 2.0" magazine has ranked Danny Rimer as one of 50 personalities from the business world that matter today.