Entrepreneur · Mentor · Speaker · Board Member
Antoine Leboyer
Managing Director at TUM Venture Lab · AI innovator · Sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, AI and technology.
Entrepreneur · Mentor · Speaker · Board Member
Managing Director at TUM Venture Lab · AI innovator · Sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, AI and technology.
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About
Antoine Leboyer is the Managing Director of the Munich Technical University Venture Lab for Software and Artificial Intelligence, where he advises over a hundred university-led startups.
From 2008 to 2020 he served as President and CEO of the Swiss software group GSX, leading it through international expansion until its acquisition by Martello Technology. His entrepreneurial journey became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study — taught in MBA programmes worldwide.
He initiated Virtual Hravuta — a Torah-focused AI chatbot — and a member of the boards of both tech companies and cultural organisations. A classical music journalist at heart, he brings rare intellectual breadth to every stage and boardroom.
News & Upcoming
Writing
A selection of posts and reflections published on LinkedIn — on venture building, artificial intelligence, and the human side of startups.
Companies spend over $180 billion per year on procurement talent and just $10 billion on software to support it. On Lio's $30M Series A led by a16z — and why AI agents are about to fix procurement's fundamental technology failure.
Read on LinkedIn →During Munich Security Conference: the MSC Startup Hub and the European Defence Tech Hackathon ran side by side — proof that startups are now central, not peripheral, to European defence innovation.
Read on LinkedIn →European games startups don't need to move to California. TUM Venture Lab just launched a dedicated gaming division — because gaming sits at the convergence of AI, immersive tech and narrative design.
Read on LinkedIn →They worked nothing like me and cared far less about the company than I did. And that's exactly why it worked. On the crucial difference between co-founders and employees.
Read on LinkedIn →Reflections from Europe's premier innovation conference: Bill Gross on AI, defence tech, gaming, and the European ecosystem finding its voice.
Read on LinkedIn →Scott Adams passed away. A personal tribute to the satirist who gave a generation of engineers and managers a mirror — and a story about a note I received from him in 1994.
Read on LinkedIn →Quantum Diamonds has the potential to revolutionise semiconductor testing via quantum sensing. Their €152M plan to build the world's first production facility of its kind — in Munich — marks a startup turning into a global player.
Read on LinkedIn →Speaking
Antoine delivers engaging, experience-driven talks for conferences, universities, accelerators, and corporate events.
What are (really) the qualities of successful entrepreneurs?
How to get new technical innovations accepted by the market.
Learn how VCs operate and how to successfully pitch your startup.
Entrepreneurial lessons from creating a focused LLM to study Torah.
Tailored talk designed around your event's theme and audience.
Past Appearances
Harvard Business School
Antoine's entrepreneurial journey at the helm of a Swiss software group became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study — used in MBA programmes worldwide to teach acquisition strategy, growth management and private equity.
Governance
Antoine brings operational experience as a CEO, deep sector knowledge in software and AI, and an international perspective to board-level work.
Munich-based deep-tech company
Global religious organisation · Member, International Leadership Committee
Cultural & community institution · Former board member
International portfolio of technology firms · Board roles
Advisory Board
Next-gen semiconductor testing via diamond-based quantum sensing · TUM spin-out · Advisor
AI-powered sizing for fashion e-commerce, reducing returns & boosting conversion · Munich · First advisor & supporter
Open to new board positions — particularly in software, AI, cultural institutions, and international organisations where a blend of entrepreneurial, technical and humanistic perspective adds value.
AI Innovation
The Virtual Hravuta is an AI chatbot purpose-built to support the study of Torah. Rather than a generic large language model, it is a focused LLM — carefully scoped to a specific knowledge domain and designed to be reliable and trustworthy.
Building it generated rich entrepreneurial lessons about product focus, user trust, and the limits of AI — lessons Antoine now shares on stage worldwide, including at the 2024 DLD Conference and Kesher Day Genève.
"Will chatbots replace rabbis?" — DLD Conference 2024
The project sits at the crossroads of technology, faith, and human connection — raising fundamental questions about AI's role in preserving culture and supporting learning communities.
It is both a working product and a living case study in responsible AI product development — demonstrating that the most impactful AI applications are often the most constrained ones.
Invite Antoine to speak on thisBeyond the startup world, Antoine is an active classical music journalist covering concerts and recordings across Europe. The best entrepreneurs, he believes, are also the most curious humans — and great music is one of the best teachers of structure, emotion and timing.
Publications
Co-écrit avec JC Malraison. Un guide pratique pour construire des stratégies commerciales efficaces pour les entreprises technologiques.
Co-written with JC Malraison and P Raulerson. A framework for taking technology products to international markets.
Podcast
The TUM Venture Lab podcast where Antoine interviews VCs, founders, and academic leaders — delivering unfiltered conversations about what building companies really looks like.
Contact
Available for speaking engagements, board positions, podcast collaborations, and strategic advisory.