Nicolas Dessaigne
InvestorFounderGeneral Partner at Y Combinator · Founder/Board Member at Algolia
San Francisco, California, United States
FoundedAlgolia · YC
Find your path to Nicolas
2,548 people in our graph share verified history with Nicolas — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
About
Co-founder of Algolia, a search API used by millions of developers. Holds a PhD in Computer Science.
Contact· self-published, not guessed
Invests in
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaS
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Nicolas Dessaigne co-founded Algolia, a search API used by millions of developers, which went through Y Combinator's W14 batch.
- Education
- Studied at University of Nantes (PhD, Computer Science)
Mentioned above: the Y Combinator mafia →
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Founder/Board Member at AlgoliaYC W14
Intro paths
Nicolas went through Y Combinator (Winter 2014) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
In turn, Nicolas can intro founders to Algolia's investors below.
Algolia's investors · 22
Co-founders at Algolia

Experience
- Y CombinatorGeneral Partnercurrent2021 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- Y CombinatorVisiting Partner2020 — 2021San Francisco Bay Area
- AlgoliaCo-Founder & Board of Directors2020 — 2024San Francisco
- AlgoliaCo-founder & CEO2012 — 2020San Francisco
- ArtifaktIndependent Board Member2020 — 2023
- ExaleadVP R&D2011 — 2012Paris
- ExaleadDirector, Product Management2010 — 2011
- Arisem - ThalesCTO2007 — 2010
- Arisem - ThalesChief Research and Development Officer2006 — 2007
- Arisem - ThalesR&D Software Developer2001 — 2006
- National Institute of Informatics (Tokyo)Visiting Researcher1999 — 2000
Skills & more
+12 more
Semantic WebLean StartupLuceneSolrSoftware DevelopmentSoftware EngineeringText AnalyticsSemantic TechnologiesArtificial IntelligenceInformation ExtractionStart-upsAlgoliaLanguages English · French
From Nicolas's professional profile.
Deals · 1
AlgoliaLed round
via Y Combinator · filed Aug 2021
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Nicolas DessaigneThe Right (And Wrong) Way To Spend Money At Your Startup
Office Hours
How To Use AI In Your Startup
Office Hours
How To Start A Dev Tools Company
Startup School
Colleagues at Y Combinator
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Nicolas Dessaigne?
- Co-founder of Algolia, a search API used by millions of developers. Holds a PhD in Computer Science.
- Where does Nicolas Dessaigne work?
- Nicolas Dessaigne is Founder/Board Member of Algolia and General Partner at Y Combinator.
- What does Nicolas Dessaigne invest in?
- Nicolas Dessaigne invests in Cloud Computing, Developer Tools, SaaS.
- What companies did Nicolas Dessaigne found?
- Nicolas Dessaigne founded Algolia.
- What boards does Nicolas Dessaigne sit on?
- Nicolas Dessaigne holds tracked board seats at Algolia.
- What companies has Nicolas Dessaigne invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Algolia.
- Where did Nicolas Dessaigne go to school?
- Nicolas Dessaigne studied at Nantes Université (Ph.D., Computer Sciences); ESIEA - École d'Ingénieur·e·s d'un numérique utile (M.S., Computer Sciences).
- What podcasts and interviews feature Nicolas Dessaigne?
- Tracked appearances include "The Right (And Wrong) Way To Spend Money At Your Startup", "How To Use AI In Your Startup", "How To Start A Dev Tools Company".
- Does Nicolas Dessaigne lead rounds?
- Yes — Nicolas Dessaigne has led 1 tracked investment.
Founder mafias
Y Combinator mafia10,230
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
+ 10,223 more
ESIEA - École d'Ingénieur·e·s d'un numérique utile mafia5
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Nantes Université mafia4
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Same school
Also attended Nantes Université17
+ 11 more
Also attended ESIEA - École d'Ingénieur·e·s d'un numérique utile6
Shared employers
Also worked at Y Combinator427
+ 421 more
Also worked at Algolia15
+ 9 more
Also worked at Exalead48
+ 42 more



















































