Pascal Cagni, Apple’s former head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, is raising a new 80 million euro (about US$88 million) for his venture capital firm, C4 Ventures, reports CNBC. He said he may put founders in contact with Apple, but it is “very, very rare.”
Cagni, who was head of Apple in Europe from 2000 to 2012, said the fund will be used to back entrepreneurs who prove they can survive and excel in the age of the coronavirus.
While the virus has wrecked economies and destroyed company revenue streams, hei believes that some start-ups will thrive after the pandemic and he’s keen to capitalize on their success.
“We felt confident that we should, as planned, raise and deploy capital during this period,” Cagni, who has been described as an “ally” to President Emmanuel Macron, said on a video call with CNBC.
He was recruited by Steve Jobs to join Apple. After leaving the tech giant, Cagni launched C4, the venture capital fund, in 2014.
