Victor Gardrinier

Victor Gardrinier is a French-Canadian entrepreneur and co-founder/CTO of SolarMente, a Barcelona-based company aiming to democratize home electrification in Southern Europe through a subscription model for solar panels, EV charging, and heat pumps. He led the finance, operations, and technology aspects of SolarMente, scaling it to $10M ARR, achieving EBITDA profitability, and overseeing significant funding rounds including a $50M debt capital raise and a seed extension backed by Leonardo DiCaprio. carta+3

With a strong educational background in financial engineering from HEC Montréal and computer science & entrepreneurship from Stanford, Victor combines robust technical skills with business acumen. His early experiences include an internship at Microsoft during the Windows 10 launch, an investment associate role at Front Row Ventures, and co-founding YEP - Entrepreneurship HEC, demonstrating a consistent drive for innovation and startup development. ycombinator+4

Victor is also a blockchain enthusiast and recipient of a ConsenSys grant, having built an Ethereum-based P2P solar energy app. His experience at Y Combinator in Summer 2021 was pivotal, where he honed his focus on rapid growth, scaling revenue from near zero to $100K/month in eight weeks, and developing a sophisticated strategy to leverage both equity and debt financing effectively. ycombinator+2

Born in 1996, Victor also has a creative side, having played guitar since age 13 and collaborating with his father, the singer Gérald de Palmas, on his 2023 album. This blend of technical, entrepreneurial, and creative talents showcases a well-rounded and driven individual. gala