Greater Paris Metropolitan Region
I build and scale technology stories that matter – in startups, corporates, public programs and on stage. From co‑founding Wanadoo and helping millions of Europeans come online, to architecting La French Tech and deploying a €2Bn VC initiative, my work has always sat at the crossroads of innovation, policy and mass adoption. Over the past 25+ years I have combined a dual track: startup CEO (Cambridge imaging company acquired by Apple, whose technology now powers photo experiences used billions of times), senior executive roles at Orange and VINCI, and leadership of large‑scale higher education with EPITA, one of Europe’s leading computer science engineering schools. Today, I advise CEOs, boards and investors on how to navigate deep tech, AI and digital infrastructure with clarity, and I speak regularly to executive and institutional audiences in Europe and beyond. My French best‑seller “De Mémoire Vive” retraces 30 years of high tech through stories that make complex topics accessible to non‑specialists, from ministers to students. What people tend to ask me for: – Clear narratives that align technical reality, strategy and regulation – Executive‑level keynotes on AI, digital sovereignty and infrastructure – Strategic reviews of innovation portfolios, ecosystems and public–private programs – Support in building bridges between startups, large corporates and public bodies If you are a CEO, board member, regulator or VC and want to stress‑test a strategy, design a program or craft a keynote that your audience will actually remember, let’s talk: philippe [at] dewost [dot] com · phileos.eu
Phileos provides senior advisory, board and keynote services at the crossroads of technology, strategy and public policy. We work with CEOs, boards, investors and public institutions who need to make sense of deep tech, AI and digital infrastructure – and turn that understanding into decisions. Our work typically covers: – Strategic advice on innovation portfolios, digital infrastructure and sovereignty topics with majors on Cybersecurity, Identity theft, innovation ecosystems and AI driven transformation. – Board and venture partner roles with selected investment funds – Keynote speeches (onstage and online) on AI, digital transformation and the history of high tech, in French and English More on clients, topics and formats: phileos.eu
Operating Partner at C4 Ventures, a European venture capital fund founded by Pascal Cagni, focusing on smart hardware, future of commerce and digital infrastructure. I support the portfolio and investment team on: – Assessing technology, product and ecosystem fit for new investments – Advising founders on go‑to‑market, partnerships and corporate development – Bringing my operator experience (Orange, Wanadoo, VINCI, public programs) into boardroom discussions
Selected by WIPO to serve on the Global Awards jury, evaluating innovative SMEs and startups worldwide for their strategic use of intellectual property. – Assess candidates across technology, business impact and IP strategy – Contribute to deliberations with a diverse, international jury panel – Help connect awardees with investors and partners during events in Geneva
With 4000+ students, spanning across 7 cities, EPITA is the engineering flagship of the IONIS Higher Education Group (35000 students across 29 schools). EPITA is renowned for its extremely high standard of software engineering through an innovative in-depth training approach deployed on an unrivaled teaching infrastructure. While in office, I led the school transformation towards scalability and optimized efficiency, grew the student base, opened new Bachelors and raised the institution's reputation to unprecedented levels in both corporate and public sectors.