François Derbaix

François Derbaix is a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor with a focus on web-based businesses in Spain and Belgium. He co-founded Soysuper in 2012 and Rentalia in 2003, the latter of which was acquired by Idealista.com in 2012. He also founded Toprural in 2000, which was acquired by HomeAway in 2012, and Voota in 2009, which closed in 2011. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Derbaix has invested in various web-based businesses, primarily in Spain, and has served as a mentor and investor in Seedrocket, the AIEI, and Plug and Play. He is Belgian by birth, born in 1974 in Brussels, and studied Management Engineering at Université catholique de Louvain, graduating summa cum laude in 1997. He began his career as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group in Brussels and Paris from 1997 to 1999. Since 2000, he has been based in Madrid, where he lives with his wife, Marta Esteve, and their daughters.

In 2015, Derbaix co-founded Indexa Capital, Spain's first automated investment manager offering index funds. The company aims to provide diversified and transparent investments with commissions significantly lower than those charged by traditional financial institutions. As co-CEO, Derbaix has been instrumental in establishing Indexa Capital as a leading player in the Spanish fintech sector.

Derbaix's investment strategy focuses on early-stage web-based businesses, particularly in Spain and Belgium. He typically invests between €30,000 and €100,000 per project, taking equity stakes of 5-15%. His preferred investment stages are Seed and Early Stage, with a focus on companies that have been operational for less than 18 months, have at least some revenue, and demonstrate growth rates exceeding 20%. He favors startups with pre-money valuations under €1.5 million and teams with more than one founder who are fully committed to the venture.