Director of JEDI, former Special Advisor to the French Minister of Defence, founder of ACAPITAL
André Loesekrug-Pietri, French-German nationalities, held leadership positions in private equity, government, industry
and as an entrepreneur. Starting as assistant to the CEO of Aerospatiale-Airbus, he then spent 15 years in private equity
and venture capital, including 10 years with China, investing in European companies with global ambitions. In 2017, he
paused from the private sector to become Special Advisor to the French Minister of Defence, responsible in particular for
European Defense policy as well as technology and innovation. He is currently Director of the Joint European Disruptive
Initiative (JEDI), to accelerate Europe’s leadership in disruptive innovations, and launched the first ‘Darpa-type’
GrandChallenge from Europe in 2020. HEC and Harvard Kennedy School graduate, he is lecturer at SciencesPo and regular
columnist in several international media. He attended Sup-Aero aerospace engineering school, was named a Young Global
Leader by the World Economic Forum, is a private pilot, and Colonel with the French Air Force People’s Reserve.
