Former Google Maps and Siri executives invest in European AI fund for businesses

Former Silicon Valley executives have backed a new venture fund, Florent Venture Partners, which plans to raise up to €50 million to invest in AI startups in Northern Europe, Bloomberg reports. 

The fund will make investments of up to €1 million in early-stage startups. The first round of fundraising took place in August 2025.

Among the fund’s main partners are Christian Dorffer (former CEO of Candy Crush) and solar energy entrepreneur Nolan Gray. 

They are also supported by well-known Silicon Valley figures: Lars Rasmussen, co-founder of Google Maps, and Mads Rydahl, former head of Siri.

Unlike OpenAI or Google, Florent Venture Partners does not invest in the creation of large basic AI models. The fund focuses on industry solutions that can be developed at a lower cost and quickly monetized.

The fund’s portfolio already includes startups Phoebe AI (software bug detection) and Laelaps AI (robotics). The fund has also supported projects by European founders working in the US, such as the marketing research platform Listen Labs.

Read more: OpenAI is preparing a job search platform that could rival LinkedIn