[EXTRAIT] Alexandre Velluti (Invyo) - Data & IA : combo gagnant pour les fonds

Key Points

• Announcement of a free guide by Borde Project on compensating independent directors in innovative European companies, addressing a critical but often overlooked governance issue.
• The guide provides clear benchmarks, European comparisons, and seven practical rules for director remuneration, available in French and English.
• Discussion shifts to how investment funds use data and AI for sourcing and monitoring companies, highlighting maturity in these tools and the growing importance of workflow automation.
• Debate on whether funds should build internal capabilities, outsource, or use hybrid approaches for data management, with a trend toward internalization as funds grow.

Summary

The transcription begins with an announcement regarding the release of a new, free guide by Borde Project, an association focused on advancing governance in innovative European companies. The guide addresses the often nebulous topic of compensating independent directors, emphasizing that in high-risk, innovative environments, the board's role is strategic and engaged, yet remuneration is frequently unclear. This resource offers a clear overview of compensation models, observed ranges, a European comparison, and a practical playbook with seven concrete rules. It is available in both French and English and can be downloaded from the Borde Project website.

The discussion then transitions to a separate segment about investment funds and their use of technology. It highlights that the most mature application currently is in sourcing and monitoring companies. Funds, including established ones managing vast portfolios, leverage data and AI tools to continuously track thousands of companies—a task impossible manually. These tools provide regular updates on relevant news and movements. A key emerging focus is workflow automation: seamlessly integrating new investment opportunities (like a pitch deck received via email) into an automated analysis pipeline. This system extracts data, screens it against predefined criteria (e.g., ESG focus, leadership background), and quickly assesses relevance, allowing human analysts to focus on deeper business understanding and discussions with founders.

The conversation further explores whether funds should develop these data capabilities internally, outsource them, or adopt a hybrid model. A general trend observed is that as funds grow larger, there is a stronger inclination to internalize certain data functions to maintain control, even if it is not their core business. However, most still connect with external tools and services, opting not to build everything in-house. The segment concludes with a promotional note for the FinScale podcast and newsletter, encouraging subscriptions for updates on financial innovations.