Benoit Wirz

Bright Eye Ventures

Benoit Wirz is a Partner with Bright Eye Ventures. Bright Eye funds early-stage, technology-driven companies in edTech, gaming, and media that help children and adults build the skills necessary to participate and level-up in the modern economy. The firm leads investments in Europe and Israel, and co-invests in the US.

Previously, Ben established and managed the Knight Enterprise Fund, a $20M venture fund inside the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, investing in mission-aligned early-stage media, edTech, govTech, and enterprise companies. He invested in 40+ companies, including Mic, Nearpod, Newsela, and TapAd (sold to Telenor for $350M in 2016).

Prior to Knight, Ben was a partner with US Global, where he invested in and developed companies in energy, manufacturing, and tech.

Ben began his career in finance as an analyst with Jefferies & Company after a brief stint as a reporter with Asahi Shimbun covering Washington, DC politics and the MRTA hostage crisis in Peru.

Education, Personal, and Fellowship

Benoit has an MBA, with Distinction, from INSEAD and BA and MA degrees from Stanford University in international relations, where his studies focused on Russia. He speaks French, Spanish and, on good days, remembers some Russian.

A member of Class 19, Ben served his fellowship at Knight Foundation under the mentorship of Juan Martinez.