From Legaltech to Fries: Gilles Mattelin's VC Playbook

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-06-03

Gilles Mattelin isn't your typical venture capitalist. After selling his first company, Intuo, to Unit4 and then Henchman to LexisNexis, most people would have retired to a beach somewhere. But Mattelin did the opposite: he launched 100IN, an AI-first venture capital fund that's betting on 100 pre-seed tech startups. His approach is simple—invest fast, support founders hard, and skip the slow, traditional VC model entirely. ### The 100IN Approach: Speed Over Perfection Mattelin's fund focuses on pre-seed investments, where speed is everything. He wants to back young companies quickly, without the drawn-out due diligence that kills momentum. The idea is to get capital into founders' hands fast and then provide real, hands-on support—not just a check and a board seat. It's a lean, agile model that's more startup than fund, and that's exactly the point. But Mattelin doesn't stop at software. He's also building consumer brands with Average Rob, like Tout Bien Pils and La Patate. Yes, that's beer and fries. He moves effortlessly from legaltech to fries, from SaaS to beer. Yet there's a clear thread through everything he does: strong branding, community building, and the ability to execute quickly. It's not about the industry—it's about the mindset.  ### What Really Happens After an Exit In this episode, we dig into what's really behind an exit. When do you sell, and when do you hold? How does it feel to let go of a company you built from scratch? Mattelin shares raw insights from his own experiences, including working directly with people like Marc Coucke and navigating the Ghent tech ecosystem. He also talks about how exit capital gets reinvested into new founders—creating a cycle that fuels innovation. We also explore AI in venture capital. How far can you automate sourcing and screening? Mattelin believes AI can handle a lot of the grunt work, but he's clear that human judgment still matters. The goal is to speed up decisions, not replace them. Speed, he argues, is often more important than perfection. If you wait for the perfect deal, you'll miss the wave. ### The Fun Factor: Why Entrepreneurship Should Stay Enjoyable There's one belief Mattelin keeps coming back to: entrepreneurship should be fun. This isn't a typical success story about steady growth and predictable outcomes. It's about building, selling, and starting over. Thinking bigger. Moving faster. And staying bold enough to take risks. For Mattelin, the journey is the reward, not just the exit. And that's a lesson any entrepreneur can take to heart. - **Key takeaway:** Speed and community beat perfection every time. - **Big lesson:** Don't be afraid to pivot across industries—branding and execution are universal. - **Final thought:** Keep it fun, or you'll burn out before you succeed.