Frank Desvignes

Founding Partner

2022 - Current

True Global Ventures is licensed under Monetary Authorities of Singapore and is actively deploying in Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Blockchain companies. TGV GPs are investing their own money between 20%-35% of the total AUM. TGV Opportunity Fund (TGV 5), launched in June 2022, a 166M USD fund investing in external opportunities mainly in late stage AI companies, as well as selected portfolio companies of TGV 4 Plus Base Fund, investing from Series B onwards. Our most recent 6 investments in 2024 in AI-First companies include: Obligo: Risk/Financial Services AI company pricing risk to remove the need for Rental Deposit distributing through property software companies. Prezent: AI-powered business communication and presentation productivity platform. Validation Cloud: Staking, Node APIs and providing data insights for Web3 enterprises, applications and protocols. Jus Mundi: Leading legal tech company leveraging AI to enhance international arbitration and legal research. Coding Giants: Using AI to co-pilot teachers in ensuring repeatable quality in coding courses. Tookitaki: Providing anti-fraud and anti-money laundering solutions for financial institutions TGV 5 is also invested in 3 global market leaders namely Ledger, Animoca Brands, The Sandbox.

Founding Partner and Director

2018

TGV 4 Plus Base Fund (TGV4) is a 113M USD early-stage fund that has deployed into 16 portfolio companies to date including: Ledger: Global market leader in self-custody, cold storage hardware wallet solution with 20% of the world’s crypto assets secured, services supporting trading, buying, spending, earning, staking, etc. The Sandbox: Global market leader in gaming metaverse empowering artists, creators, players to play, build, own, monetise virtual experiences on blockchain. Animoca Brands: Unicorn global market leader leveraging gamification & blockchain to develop and publish a portfolio of games. Coinhouse: Leading French regulated digital assets platform for individuals, companies & institutions Quantumrock: Revolutionizing finance by introducing gemstones as a new professional asset class. I am also supporting Business Development for: Bookit N Go: Travel tech company offering secondaries marketplace for hotel room nights with Blockchain technology. Enjinstarter: Empowers innovation by giving exclusive access for investors to the next big names in Gaming, AI, DePin, Sustainability and the Bitcoin ecosystem. Our other portfolio companies include: Forge Global (NYSE: FRGE), Chromaway, GCEX, SATO Technologies Corp (TSXV: SATO), Chronicled, Printler, Forza Football, Bus Up, Iomob

Board Observer

2024

Board Member

2024

Board Member

2021

Senior Executive Council

2019

Global Head of Open Innovation AXA Next

2020 - 2024

Connect with Startups, Scale-ups, Tech and Internet players in #Fintech #Insurtech #Healthtech #Blockchain #AI #Web3 #Spacetech Partner with key players. Identify, Implement, Scale innovative solutions and strategic business models.

Global Head of AXA Next Labs

2018 - 2020

Detect & Connect with Startups, Tech and Internet players in #Fintech #Insurtech #Healthtech #Blockchain #AI. Partner with key players. Identify, Implement, Scale strategic innovative business models.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer AXA Lab Asia

2016 - 2018

Detect & Connect with Startups, Tech and Internet players in #Fintech & #Insurtech sectors. Partner with key actors on M-Commerce, M-Payment, Social Networks, IOT, Connected Car, Smart Home, Heath. Identify and Implement strategic innovative business models.

Founder of the AXA Lab Asia - Global Digital Transformation Director for Asia

2015 - 2016

Define Digital Transformation Strategies for Group, Region and entities. Challenge and prioritize overall and local Digital action plans and roadmaps. Scan, Detect, Connect with key startups and Internet players in #Insurtech and #Fintech sectors. Partner with key actors on E-business, Mobile servicing innovation, connected car, home and Health. Identify and conduct innovative pilots for new business opportunities. Attract and recruit local talents and impulse cultural changes.

Group Digital Transformation Director for Mediterranean and Latin America Region

2012 - 2015

Define Digital Transformation Strategies for Group, Region and entities. Challenge and prioritize overall and local Digital action plans and roadmaps. Provide support on demand expertise notably on E-business, Mobile servicing, social networks, innovation. Co-Pilot Digital transformation of the P&C Global line of Business and support connected objects initiatives.

Partner

2017 - 2024

Innovator Founders’ Capital 3 (F.K.A. True Global Ventures 3) Investment vehicles set up by serial entrepreneurs investing in serial entrepreneurs in Bay Area, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Berlin, Paris within mainly B2B Fintech & Fintech related companies: Investments: Forge Global NYSE: FRGE (US - SF) Initial investment SharesPost, Pre-IPO online secondaries marketplace for late stage VC-backed private companies. Board Observer. Merged with Forge Global. IPOed on New York Stock Exchange in 2022. Animoca Brands (Hong Kong) Initial investment Stryking (Berlin). Free-to-play sports games, teamed up with Sports Media Partners providing innovative monetizing combining real & virtual worlds. Sold to Animoca Brands in 2019. The Blockchain Group (EURONEXT: ALTBG) Initial investment Bountysource (US-SF) bounties marketplace with 100,000+ open source developers. Clients: IBM, Ripple, Facebook. Board Member. Sold to the Blockchain Group in 2020. Aptiv.io (US-NYC) Revenue AI enterprise SaaS for salespeople. Translates data into smart decisions based on cognitive computing, AI & ML. Bluerider Software (Bialystok) AI workflow process software house. Formerly technology team of Opentopic (US-NYC), platform for content discovery & distribution for marketers. Key partnership with IBM Watson 2015. Exited: Goswiff (Singapore) payments company present in 26 emerging markets offering MPOS, authentication, wallet & payment processing solutions. Sold to PaySwiff in 2017. PaySwiff was then sold to CHOLA Group in 2022. Bluzelle (Singapore) offers a fully integrated stack of blockchain applications, middleware, data services - payment network, smart insurance & KYC-Identity. Key clients: Maybank, AIA, MSIG; Partners: Microsoft, British Telecom & Temenos. Board Member. Exited 2022. 4GSecure (Paris) payment solution for mobile apps with authentication system using 2D bar codes, NFC, OTP enabling mobile payments with vouchers. Sold to SCCP Group in Singapore June 2012.

Non Profit - Board Advisor

2021 - 2023

Columbia University Talent Development Advisory Board

2017 - 2020

The Columbia University Talent Development Advisory Board (Inaugural Board) has been created to identify and address the most complex and important issues in global human performance. A second purpose is to create a global learning community that actively helps members. A group of 13 top executives from every industry and from North America, South America, Europe, and Asia is being formed as global hub. The Board is chaired by Prof. Victoria Marsick and Prof. Lyle Yorks of Columbia with Walter McFarland as Board Convener.

Angel Investor & Tech Advisor

2005 - 2015

Investment Lead on 4 portfolio companies, investment thesis Web 2.0, from Deal sourcing, DD, Advisory Board, Business Development and Exit, including: Jedessine, entertainment website for kids, Sold to Horizon Media Yoolink, corporate social network solution sold to Jamespot in 2013 No CRM, Sales tools & CRM for professionals sold to Groupe Positive in 2023 (Email Marketing solutions) MBrand spin off from Nokia in 2009, Mobile Marketing Agency (advertising for Shazam) sold to Mobile Network Group, became Madvertise exit through IPO on Euronext ALMNG.PA Ad4screen, Mobile Marketing, sold to Dzeta Group in 2018 Accengage, Mobile Marketing, sold to Urban AirShip in 2019