Odile Roujol

Good to see my colleague at AniVC , Vlad Cernouţan, featured in The Woof newsletter 🐾, sharing some sharp insights on what’s shaping investor decisions in the pet space 🔥. 😎 ☕ 🐾 💡 Vlad makes a strong case for what continues to matter: real defensibility — whether through IP, data, or brand equity, and the importance of teams that can go beyond just building products, but also being able to execute and scale business models. He also emphasizes that customer acquisition means little without long-term retention and trust, especially in regulated or care-driven parts of the market. He also highlights a few areas with strong return potential: 👉 Longevity and preventive health are moving from human to pet care, driven by tech and streamlined regulation. 👉 Functional nutrition (“Nutrition 2.0”) is evolving — no longer just about affordability, but about proven, evidence-backed benefits. 👉 AI-powered infrastructure is finally solving some of the stubborn problems in vet ops, insurance, and other fragmented parts of the ecosystem. 👉 Human biotech crossovers and integrated health platforms could reshape the next wave of innovation. 🐾 I am inspired about being able to move a needle in the pet industry, via our work at AniVC and for those who don’t know, our cofounder and partner Anna Skaya is a stellar founder herself—she built Basepaws, one of the first at-home DNA testing startups for pets, and led it all the way to acquisition 😎. Now she’s channeling that same passion into AniVC, helping back the next wave of innovators in the animal space 🚀. So, if you’re building something exciting in pet tech or animal health 🔬, or investing in it 💰, reach out. We’d love to connect! ☕ Last but not least, kudos to the Roy Ben-Tzvi from The Woof Newsletter for the article, link in the comments 👇 Image credit: The Woof.

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🌍 Circular Fashion Becomes Verified Carbon Credits At Vestiaire Collective, we are proud to lead the way as the first resale platform to turn circular fashion into certified carbon credits, in partnership with Inuk. It is a new generation carbon credit standard that certifies high-quality decarbonization projects with precise, transparent tracking of avoided emissions. How does it work? 🌱When you buy pre-loved fashion on Vestiaire Collective instead of buying new, we prevent emissions. ✅This positive impact is now certified as tradable carbon credits. 🔄Revenues will be reinvested in activities that strengthen the scale and robustness of our avoided emissions. This is more than a financial innovation—it’s proof that circular fashion delivers tangible, measurable impact at global scale. It demonstrates that sustainability is not just a cost center but also a driver of long-term value creation. The future of fashion is circular. And it’s accelerating.

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The Coming FDA Framework for Connected Sexual Health Devices View My Portfolio As connected wellness technologies grow more sophisticated, regulatory frameworks are finally catching up. The FDA and other global health agencies are beginning to define clearer standards for devices that combine sexual wellness, data tracking, and digital connectivity — a long overdue step toward legitimizing the SexTech category. These emerging frameworks focus on three critical pillars: biocompatibility, data privacy, and therapeutic intent. Devices that meet these criteria — especially those with measurable health benefits such as pelvic rehabilitation or hormonal monitoring — may soon qualify for official medical device pathways. This shift is transformative. It opens the door to insurance reimbursement, clinical partnerships, and mainstream healthcare integration, bringing sexual wellness closer to where it belongs: the center of human health. At V For Vibes, we believe compliance should not limit creativity — it should elevate it. Regulatory alignment empowers innovation with trust, precision, and accountability. #SexTech #FDA #RegulatoryInnovation #VForVibes #HealthTech #MedicalDevices #DigitalWellness #Compliance

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Is venture philanthropy biotech’s best-kept secret? We talk endlessly about equity, VC, grants, and customer-funded R&D. But philanthropic capital — especially in Europe — barely enters the conversation. Inspired by Jennifer Kan, PhD post and BII.dk’s convertible loan model, I’ve been reflecting on: 🔹 Where are the philanthropic funders for biotech and health innovation in Europe? 🔹 Why don’t we hear more about them outside elite networks? 🔹 What would it take to catalyse this kind of funding in the UK? I’ve shared some thoughts (and provocations) in a Substack post — out later. 💬 If you’re working at the intersection of science, capital, and public good — Why don't we see this more in Europe? #venturephilanthropy #biotech #impactcapital #fundinginnovation #ecosystembuilding 🔗 Also worth a read: Thesis-Driven Funds | SSIR https://lnkd.in/eruUaJPX

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The Coda (not Croda - C o d a - means finale / wrap up !) to our series of videos on how to succeed in #surfactants. In less than 5 minutes (you're welcome!) we cover: 🚀 The P&L is an integrated system, Not a List: Success requires understanding the interplay between the four main lines: Revenue (driven by marketing choices), Raw Materials (the largest cost), Plant Costs (driven by utilization), and SG&A (driven by business complexity). 🚀 Marketing Dictates the Top Line: Revenue isn't just sales execution; it is the result of strategic marketing decisions regarding which markets to enter and which customer segments to service. Yield is Reality, Not Theory: While stoichiometry dictates theoretical raw material usage, real-world success involves managing the "loss" gaps caused by startups, shutdowns, and off-spec production. 🚀 Utilization is a key Manufacturing differentiator: Since most leading competitors use similar chemistry and process technology, the primary lever for profitability in plant costs (22% of our generic P&L) is keeping asset utilization above 90% by, among other things, minimizing changeovers and reducing product line complexity. 🚀 Align SG&A with Gross Margin: You must match your overhead spending to the nature of the product and market. High-margin specialties justify high R&D and tech service costs; commodities do not. Regular portfolio reviews are required to ensure a maturing product hasn't drifted into the "Bad Place" (low margin, high SG&A cost). Hey and by the way: To go in depth, live, with the best in the world in the surfactants business, join us next year, May 6 - 7th 2026 in New Jersey https://lnkd.in/eAuFmzVX https://lnkd.in/eqnW7y_t

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Thrilled to announce the official launch of the LESS coalition - Retailers, manufacturers united to scale the decarbonization of the retail sector. 🌍 Yesterday in Paris, distributors, manufacturers and federations came together to start something unique: a collective, science-aligned effort to decarbonize retail at scale. The LESS (Low Emission Sustainable Sourcing) coalition — led by the Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution and Perifem, la Fédération Technique du Commerce — brings together the major retailers and their suppliers around one shared platform: OpenClimat. For a simple reason: over 90% of retailers’ emissions sit in Scope 3. Decarbonization only works if retailers and manufacturers act together. This launch also lands at a symbolic moment: right as COP30 is taking place in Brazil and ten years after the Paris Agreement, the world is still far from the trajectory needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. The gap is huge — and it won’t be closed by fragmented action, but by coalitions capable of shifting entire industries. And that’s what LESS is about. - Auchan Retail, Carrefour, Coopérative U, Groupe Casino, Groupement Mousquetaires, E.Leclerc, Lagardère Travel Retail, Lidl and METRO France already share one platform for their carbon data exchanges with suppliers. - Manufacturers — from SMEs to global groups — are already part of the coalition, driven by the same urgency and the same willingness to move beyond fragmented approaches. At OpenClimat, we’re proud to enable and accelerate these collaborations — and fully aware of the responsibility it entails. This coalition already represents 100 Mt to decarbonize, which is why we will keep building with our members, retailers, manufacturers, federations and technical partners to enable even more exchange and collective action. A huge thank you to all our members - manufacturers and retailers -who help us shape since the very beginning, and to Christine Bourge and Giulia Basclet to have made possible this LESS coalition. The movement is launched. If you’re a manufacturer or retailer, join us.

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#Sustainability is no longer optional for jewelry brands: it’s becoming business-critical. New EU regulations, changing consumer values, and growing environmental risks are reshaping how we use nature’s resources. In my latest article on Bizzita.com, I explore how two key reports, Positive Luxury’s Nature’s Capital and WJI 2030’s Nature Roadmap, outline the future of sustainability in our industry. 🔑Key Takeaway: Why this matters even if your clients aren’t asking (yet) 🌎 How to future-proof your business against regulations like CSRD & TNFD 💡 Practical steps for jewelers, big or small, to start today It’s time to move from extraction to regeneration. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eypukGUY #JewelryStories #Bizzita #JewelryWriter #Sustainability #JewelryIndustry #ResponsibleJewelry #ESG #NaturePositive Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 Positive Luxury

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The US VC ecosystem was kickstarted by the American Research and Development Corporation of 1946 and by the Small Business Act of 1953, which helped small businesses access capital through various financing programs and secure federal contracts. It was then strengthened by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1978, which allowed US pension funds to invest in VC and PE, and by the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982, which encouraged small businesses to participate in federal R&D. The US VC market today is about $100Bn. Europe arrived late to the party, in 2013 with BPIFrance... but over the last 10 years BPIFrance has pumped a total of €23.6Bn in French VC (€4.6bn in startups and €6bn into VC funds, €13bn in grants and loans). This has generated a ninefold increase in the VC market and three times growth of VC funds size. The French VC market today is about €8Bn. Leveraging public capital to foster innovation and lower risk to attract private capital is nothing new and it has generated significant impact, time and time again. It's long-term, market standard, investing and it will deliver financial and economic results. https://lnkd.in/dfRdq5rQ

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