Henri Deshays
General Partner at Newfund — invests in early‑stage France↔US startups
henri
Palo Alto, California
Joined July 2025
Network
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Summary
Bridge between French founders and US investors: Henri leverages deep networks in France and Silicon Valley to help early‑stage French startups scale in the US—introductions, board support, hiring and go‑to‑market guidance are core to how he adds value. newfundcap+1
Operator‑turned‑investor: Henri founded ModeWalk (acquired by Moda Operandi) and served in strategic/operator roles at StartX before moving into VC, giving him founder empathy and hands‑on experience with product, go‑to‑market and early hiring. foundersnetwork+1
Early‑stage investor focus: At Newfund he invests across SaaS, marketplaces and health/healthtech and prioritizes strong founder-market fit, team execution and long‑term commitment—favoring operators who can scale from 0→1 and internationalize. newfundcap+1
Networked mentor and community contributor: Kauffman Fellow and active mentor/jury member for multiple French startup programs, reflecting a strong emphasis on founder development and ecosystem building. kauffmanfellows
Work
Education
Projects
Writing
Meet the latest French founder who moved to the US and raised $100M
July 1, 2022Newfund blog post describing Nfinite's US expansion and the role Newfund (and Henri) played in helping the company scale and raise international rounds.
The 10 commandments of doing business in the US
Advice on cultural and operational adaptation for French startups expanding to the US (author page lists this as part of his 'Road to the USA' writing series).
A data-driven approach to an early US expansion
Article outlining Newfund's perspective and playbook to support early international expansion from France to the US.
Hobbies
Mentoring and jury participation for French entrepreneurship programs (UBI.io, The Refiners, NETVA, The Family). kauffmanfellows
Notes
KLKemal Levisaid that if they needed advice on a challenging property or venture capital deal,
HDHenri Deshays
would be among the first people they'd reach out to.Jan 2, 2026
FVFrançois Véronsaid
HDHenri Deshays
is one of the most active and respected angel investors they know.Nov 10, 2025
DADorian Averbuchsaid they've seen
HDHenri Deshays
make a positive impact through their angel investments in the startup community.Oct 23, 2025