You’ve met them—angels who wire $25k, vanish, and resurface at Series A to beg for updates 🨦. For B2B SaaS builders, that ghosting is lethal: early GTM, pricing, and partner intros can’t wait ⏱️. Enter Thomas Cuvelier, a former Box/AppDirect corp-dev exec now writing 15–20 pre-seed and seed checks per year—and staying on Slack with you after the wire 💬. Founders praise his crisp pricing frameworks and warm intros to Pear VC, Lachy Groom, and BoxGroup 🤝. If your product is a “pick & shovel” for dev or data teams 💪, learning his playbook could shave months off your next raise 📈.
Who Is Thomas Cuvelier and Why Founders Listen
Thomas Cuvelier isn’t just another name on your cap table—he’s a high-signal operator who built his investing muscle inside multi-billion-dollar ecosystems. Founders pay attention because he’s been in their shoes and brings real GTM firepower to the earliest stages. His background in corporate development, coupled with his current angel and scout roles, gives him a 360-view of what moves the needle in B2B SaaS.
• 🌍 Led Box’s EMEA Ventures & Corp Dev team, closing >$300M in ecosystem deals
• 📈 Angel portfolio: 61 investments, 1 unicorn (Hex), 2 exits (Airplane, TTYL)
• 🔁 Scout for Pear VC, giving portfolio CEOs a warm follow-on pipeline
• 📨 Writes “The B2B Gentleman” newsletter, 5k+ subscribers learning SaaS GTM weekly
• 🤝 LP in Screendoor & Uncorrelated, extending his reach into later-stage funds
Positioning: Thomas Cuvelier is the operator-angel who turns B2B theory into first revenue.
Thomas Cuvelier’s Thesis — “Picks, Shovels & Pay-Upfront”
Cuvelier doesn’t chase hype—he backs the tools that make the modern SaaS stack actually work. His thesis focuses on enabling technologies that streamline workflows, boost developer output, and speed up revenue. He backs the unglamorous plumbing that lets builders ship faster and sellers close sooner.
Core pillars:
• 🧑💼 B2B SaaS Only – If it doesn’t sell to a business, he’s out.
• 🧪 Developer & Data Tooling – APIs, dev-infra, analytics layers that become workflow glue.
• 🤖 AI-Native, Not AI-Washed – Models/productivity loops embedded into daily work.
• 💳 Early Traction via PLG – Usage before revenue, but with a clear monetization path.
• 🇫🇷 US-First, France-Friendly – 80% deals SF-Bay; will chase a French outlier.
Takeaway: Show how your tool becomes indispensable infrastructure, not a shiny feature.
Angel Deal Terms at a Glance — Thomas Cuvelier’s Sweet Spot
He invests fast when the round matches his comfort zone.
| Stage | Typical Check | Sectors | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed | $25k–$50k SAFE | DevTools, Data Infra | SF-Bay, remote-US |
| Seed | $50k–$100k SAFE/note | B2B SaaS, AI/ML | US + France |
| Follow-On | Pro-rata | Same verticals | Wherever you scale |
| Syndicate | $100k-$300k | Oversubscribed seeds | Case-by-case |
Takeaway: If you’re a US SaaS seed raising on a SAFE, you’re in his bullseye.
What Thomas Cuvelier Looks For (Beyond the Hype)
What makes Cuvelier lean in isn’t the pitch deck polish—it’s the clarity, conviction, and proof that you’re solving a real pain point for real users. He’s laser-focused on early indicators that signal breakout potential. If you want his check, your startup needs to show signal, not noise.
• 🧠 Founder-Market Fit – CV proves obsession with the problem
• 🧾 One-Sentence Clarity – Can grandma grasp the product in 10 words?
• 🔍 GTM Awareness – Early ICP, channels, and pricing experiments
• ❤️ Organic User Love – Retention >40% WAU or rabid Twitter chatter
• ⏰ Current Timing Edge – A regulation, tech shift, or budget cycle makes now inevitable
Inside Thomas Cuvelier’s Portfolio
A glance at how his thesis shows up on the cap table.
| Company | Sector | Round | Why It Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hex | Data Workspace | Seed | PLG analytics tool loved by data teams ⚡️ |
| Airplane | DevOps | Seed | Low-code runbooks—acquired by Airtable 🚀 |
| Hightouch | Data Activation | Seed | API-first bridge from warehouse to SaaS 📀 |
| Pocus | Rev-Ops | Seed | Product-led revenue console, strong GTM story 💸 |
| Replicate | ML Infra | Seed | Simplifies model deployment for devs 🤖 |
Takeaway: Notice the pattern: infra + GTM leverage = Cuvelier conviction.
Cold Outreach Playbook: Stand Out in Thomas Cuvelier’s Inbox
Subject: “<10-word sentence on problem> + Loom demo (90s)”
• 🧩 Line 1 – Hook the pain: “Snowflake admins still copy-paste SQL to Excel—costing 4h/week.”
• 💡 Line 2 – Unique insight: “We stream models into Sheets via WebAssembly; 2-click install.”
• 📊 Line 3 – Social proof: “Ex-Looker PM + YC W24, 200 active users.”
• 🙋♂️ Line 4 – The ask: “Raising $1.8M SAFE @ $12M; would you review the deck?”
Skip the fluff: Concise + Loom > long novel—respect his inbox cadence.
Life After the Wire: What Founders Actually Get
Getting a check from Cuvelier is just the beginning—what comes next is where his real value shines. He doesn’t disappear post-wire; instead, he rolls up his sleeves to help you sharpen GTM, speed up legal cycles, and open critical doors. For founders who want more than money, Cuvelier becomes a tactical co-pilot from day one.
• 🏃♂️ GTM Sprints – Two-hour whiteboard on ICP, pricing tiers, and first 10 customers
• 📬 Warm VC Pass-Along – Fast-track intros to Pear VC, BoxGroup, Lachy Groom.
• ✍️ Partnership Templates – Google Docs from his Box days that shorten legal cycles
• 📱 Always-On Text Support – Replies “within the hour” per Pocus CEO Alexa Griffith (LinkedIn testimonial, 2023).
Red Flags That Make Thomas Cuvelier Ghost Your Round
Not every pitch makes it past the first read—and Cuvelier is unapologetically clear about what turns him off. He’s not looking for polish, he’s looking for precision, traction, and founder clarity. If your pitch raises these red flags, expect silence instead of a follow-up.
He’s candid—miss these and expect silence.
• 🚫 Can’t explain product in one sentence
• ❌ “We’ll monetize later”—no pricing pathway
• ⚙️ Hardware or Bio angles dilute B2B software focus
• 🗣️ Founders arguing features during pitch, not vision
• 📉 No usage metrics or user quotes by seed
• 🧿 Chasing Web3/Crypto buzzwords
• 📏 Misaligned TAM: niche <$500M
Takeaway: Clarity > cleverness; show traction and focus or lose his attention.
Final Thoughts: Thomas Cuvelier as Your Momentum Co-Pilot
Fundraising is a momentum game; the right angel amplifies velocity, not vanity ⚡️. Thomas Cuvelier brings a rare combo of corp-dev rigor, PLG playbooks, and a Rolodex that graduates you from seed to Series A without drama 🚀.
If your roadmap screams “developer productivity” 💪 or “data leverage” 📈, tailor a 10-word pitch, record a Loom 🎥, and submit via his Substack form today. Land his check and you’ll gain more than $50k—you’ll gain a hands-on mentor who sweats GTM details alongside you. Move fast, be crisp, and let Thomas Cuvelier help you turn software plumbing into a category-defining business.
