Bel Ventures
Corporate venture team of Bel SA (Groupe Bel; controlled by Unibel)
Also known as Bel Group (Bel Ventures), Groupe Bel corporate venture
Corporate venture team of cheese group Bel (Babybel, The Laughing Cow), Suresnes; equity stakes and partnerships with alternative-protein and fermentation start-ups.
Corporate venture team of the Bel cheese group; not Aestia Capital, the family office of Bel’s family shareholders, and not the Belgian company Bel à Venture.
- HEADQUARTERS
- Suresnes, France
- FOUNDED
- —
- AUM
- —
- OUTSIDE CAPITAL
- No — own capital only
- TEAM LISTED
- 1 people
FOCUS
- STAGES
- SeedSeries A
- ASSET MIX
- Venture capital
- GEOGRAPHY
- Global
WHAT IT IS
Corporate VC. A corporation investing from its own balance sheet, usually with strategic goals.
ABOUT
Bel Ventures is the start-up investment and partnership team of the Bel group, the French cheese and snacking company behind The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri and Boursin. It screens start-ups with Bel’s R&D department and negotiates collaborations and equity stakes, mainly in fermentation and plant-based proteins. Bel took an equity stake in Standing Ovation (precision-fermented casein) in September 2022 and in Climax Foods (AI-designed plant-based cheese, California) in April 2023, and backed Big Idea Ventures’ Paris-based New Protein Fund. In March 2026 it was named among existing investors in Standing Ovation’s $34.2M Series B. The team has been led by Caroline Sorlin, titled Chief Venture Officer and later Director of Investments and Start-up Collaborations.
INVESTMENT THESIS
Equity stakes and exclusive partnerships with start-ups in technologies Bel treats as bets for the future of food (precision fermentation, biomass fermentation, plant-based cheese), tied to development of products under Bel’s brands.
PORTFOLIO (3)
- Standing OvationNOTABLEFood & Agriculture · since 2022
- Climax FoodsFood & Agriculture · since 2023
- Big Idea Ventures – New Protein Fund (LP commitment)
TEAM
- Caroline SorlinDirector of Investments and Start-up Collaborations (earlier Chief Venture Officer) · source
LINKS
FAQ
Bel Ventures is a corporate venture arm based in Suresnes, France.
Yes. Bel Ventures invests directly in private companies. It also commits capital to third-party funds as an LP.
Bel Ventures invests at Seed and Series A stages in Food & Agriculture and Biotech & Life Sciences.
Key people at Bel Ventures include Caroline Sorlin (Director of Investments and Start-up Collaborations (earlier Chief Venture Officer)).
Bel Ventures's investments include Standing Ovation, Climax Foods and Big Idea Ventures – New Protein Fund (LP commitment).
The most recent publicly reported investment by Bel Ventures is Standing Ovation (Series B ($34.2M; existing investor)), announced in Mar 2026.
No. Bel Ventures invests its own capital and does not raise money from outside investors.