About
Alexandre Prot built the business bank he wished he'd had. Running his previous company he hit slow onboarding, poor support and hidden fees, so in 2016 he and his old school friend Steve Anavi founded Qonto, launching the following year. It now serves more than 600,000 businesses across eight European markets with around 1,700 staff, has helped start a quarter of a million companies — and, rare among European fintechs, has been profitable since 2023 while still growing about 30% a year. A €486 million round led by Tiger Global and TCV in January 2022 valued Qonto at $5 billion, the largest sum a French company had then raised, and he has since acquired the German challenger Penta and the accounting platform Regate, and filed for a full banking licence. He read management at HEC Paris, took an INSEAD MBA, consulted at McKinsey and ran Wimdu's French arm. France made him a Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite in 2022.
Beyond investing
- Education
- Read management at HEC Paris and took an MBA at INSEAD.
- Awards
- Made a Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite in November 2022, and named HEC Paris Alumnus of the Year in 2024.
- More
- Qonto has held a French payment-institution licence since 2018 and applied to the regulator for a full credit-institution licence in July 2025. Co-founded the connected e-cigarette company Smokio with Anavi in 2013; it was acquired in 2015.
From Alexandre's own website — common ground for a warm intro.
Co-founder & CEO at Qonto
Intro paths
In turn, Alexandre can intro founders to Qonto's investors below.
Qonto's investors · 8
Co-founders at Qonto
Experience
- QontoCo-Founder and CEOcurrent2016 — presentParis
- SmartvenCo Founder2015 — 2017Paris Area, France
- SmokioFounder2013 — 2015Paris Area, France
- Wimdu GmbHCo-Founder and CEO of Wimdu in France2011 — 2012Paris Area, France
- GrouponConsultant2011Paris Area, France
- McKinsey & CompanyAssociate2006 — 2009
- Goldman SachsIntern2005
- Carrefour ChinaIntern2004
- Kelkoo.comSummer intern2000
Education
- INSEADMBA2010
- HEC ParisMaster of Science, Finance2002 — 2006
- Lycee Henri IVBachelor of Science (B.Sc.)2000 — 2002
Skills & more
+7 more
Market AnalysisE-commerceConsultingFinancial ModelingInvestment BankingStart-upFrameworksLanguages Chinese · English · French · German · Spanish
From Alexandre's professional profile.
Network9
Investors connected to Alexandre in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Where does Alexandre Prot work?
- Alexandre Prot is Co-founder & CEO at Qonto.
- What check size does Alexandre Prot write?
- Alexandre Prot typically writes checks of $5K – $50K.
- What companies did Alexandre Prot found?
- Alexandre Prot founded Qonto.
Same school
.jpg)
Shared employers
Also worked at Qonto16
:format(webp))
+ 10 more
Also worked at Smokio1
Also worked at Groupon93
%20(1).avif)
+ 87 more
Also worked at McKinsey & Company1,461
+ 1,455 more