Charles Letourneur co-founded and has led Alven for over two decades as a consistently independent, partner-owned early-stage firm, giving him rare long-term continuity among European venture capitalists who have stayed at the same platform since the late 1990s. Before launching Alven, he worked in cross-border M&A at Lazard in New York and Paris, rising to Executive Director and investment-banking partner, which provides him with deeper transaction and strategic advisory experience than many seed and Series A investors.