Xavier Lazarus

Xavier co-founded Elaia and Lazard Elaia Capital, the partnership between Elaia and Lazard, managing tech growth and buy-out funds. He focuses on full-stack partnership with technical founders solving complex scientific and engineering challenges.

His path to venture capital was unconventional. Xavier began his career in mathematics research at Paris-Saclay University, specializing in group theory and arithmetic geometry. He left academia to found an e-learning startup, which was acquired in 1999, giving him firsthand experience with the challenges founders face. He then built the venture capital practice at CPR (acquired by Crédit Agricole Indosuez), investing in software and internet companies.

Xavier's mathematical and research education informs his investment approach: he looks for elegant solutions to complex problems and backs founders willing to work on challenges for years before solutions reveal themselves. He is committed to sustainable investing and has integrated ESG principles into Elaia's investment framework.

Xavier is an alumni École normale supérieure and holds an Agrégation and PhD in Mathematics from Paris Saclay Universtity.