Candice du Fretay Unvailes $20Mn Fund Outlier Grove To Back European B2B Startups

Candice du Fretay, formerly an investor at top global VC firm Accel, has launched Outlier Grove, a $20 million solo venture fund to support Europe’s next generation of global B2B startups.

With nearly 10 years of experience in tech and investing across Europe and the US, this marks a bold new step in her journey.

Before starting Outlier Grove, du Fretay was an early-stage investor at Accel’s European team, where she worked with fast-growing startups like Conduktor, Lightdash, Sorare, and Swan at the seed and Series A stages.

Outlier Grove will invest in early-stage B2B startups across Europe, writing checks between $200K and $500K at the angel and seed stages. Over the next four years, the fund plans to back up to 25 startups, helping them expand into the US early and build products for the global market from day one.

Even with rising geopolitical tensions—like the possibility of another Trump presidency and its “America-first” stance—du Fretay believes that getting into the US market early is key for ambitious European founders.

So far, half of the $20 million has already been raised. Backers include a mix of institutions, family offices, and top tech leaders from companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Stripe, Datadog, CrowdStrike, and MongoDB. These investors are not just passive supporters—they’ll actively help founders with insights, advice, and introductions.

Instead of working in isolation, Outlier Grove aims to partner with angels and other early-stage VCs, bringing extra value through Candice’s strong US network and cross-border experience. The goal is to be a hands-on partner, not just a capital provider.

Candice du Fretay, founder and solo GP said:  “Europe is home to world-class tech talent and has consistently produced groundbreaking research and innovation. At the same time, the US is a large and lucrative market where buyers have big budgets and a strong appetite for adopting emerging technologies. With Outlier Grove, my goal is to connect the two, so Europe’s outliers can think globally from day one. Through my own US network and the backing of entrepreneurs and C-level executives from iconic US scale-ups and enterprises, Outlier Grove will support these exceptional individuals and accelerate their journey to global leadership.”