Charles Beigbeder
Aerospace engineer and serial entrepreneur (Self Trade, Poweo); Chairman/founder of French investment firm Audacia since 2006; co-founder and General Partner of Expansion, the pan-European Aerospace & Defence VC fund, alongside Ted Elvhage, Sandra Budimir, and Ulf Palmnäs.
Charles Beigbeder is a French aerospace engineer (École Centrale Paris) and serial entrepreneur turned investor. He began his career at Matra Marconi Space before moving into investment banking for Paribas and Credit Suisse First Boston. In 1997 he founded Self Trade, an early European online brokerage later acquired by Boursorama, and in 2002 he founded Poweo, France's first independent electricity and gas operator, sold to Austria's Verbund in 2009. Since 2006 he has chaired Audacia, a French investment firm in SME financing, deeptech venture capital, and real estate, through which he co-founded Expansion in 2023, a pan-European fund for Sustainable Aerospace & Defence targeting €300M, where he is General Partner. He also co-founded Quantonation, a quantum-technology VC fund, and is Secretary General of France Deeptech.
Overview
- Role
- Co-Founder and General Partner, Expansion
- Based in
- Paris, France
- Prior experience
- Matra Marconi Space; Self Trade (Selftrade); Poweo; Audacia; Quantonation
Companies0
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Frequently asked
- Who is Charles Beigbeder?
- Charles Beigbeder is a French aerospace engineer (École Centrale Paris) and serial entrepreneur turned investor. He began his career at Matra Marconi Space before moving into investment banking for Paribas and Credit Suisse First Boston. In 1997 he founded Self Trade, an early European online brokerage later acquired by Boursorama, and in 2002 he founded Poweo, France's first independent electricity and gas operator, sold to Austria's Verbund in 2009. Since 2006 he has chaired Audacia, a French investment firm in SME financing, deeptech venture capital, and real estate, through which he co-founded Expansion in 2023, a pan-European fund for Sustainable Aerospace & Defence targeting €300M, where he is General Partner. He also co-founded Quantonation, a quantum-technology VC fund, and is Secretary General of France Deeptech.
- What is Charles Beigbeder's role?
- Charles Beigbeder is Co-Founder and General Partner, Expansion, based in Paris, France.
- Where did Charles Beigbeder work before?
- Charles Beigbeder's prior roles include Matra Marconi Space; Self Trade (Selftrade); Poweo; Audacia; Quantonation.
Tags
Sources & citations4
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- 1
Charles Beigbeder is President of Audacia (founded 2006); career includes Matra Marconi Space (1989), founding Self Trade (1997, sold to Boursorama), founding Poweo (2002, sold to Verbund 2009), co-founding Quantonation and Expansion Ventures, and serving as Secretary General of France Deeptech
Audacia: Charles Beigbeder — Audacia team bioVerified2026-08-12 - 2
Charles Beigbeder, founding CEO of Audacia, and François Chopard, founding CEO of Starburst, announced the launch of Expansion, a new investment fund dedicated to aerospace and defense start-ups
Actu IA: Audacia and Starburst announce the launch of ExpansionVerified2023-01-01 - 3
Charles Beigbeder is listed as General Partner of Expansion
SmallSat Europe 2025: Charles Beigbeder, General Partner Expansion (speaker profile)Reported2026-08-12 - 4
Charles Beigbeder (born 1964, Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French aerospace engineer, graduate of École Centrale Paris (1988); brother of writer Frédéric Beigbeder; previously active in French politics including a 2008 Paris mayoral candidacy
Wikipedia: Charles BeigbederReported2026-08-12