# Nicolas Vandenberghe

> Nicolas Vandenberghe is the French-born, Brooklyn-based co-founder and co-CEO of Chili Piper. His career spans consumer software, internet businesses, facial recognition, and sales leadership at LightSquared. With his wife and co-founder Alina, he started Chili Piper in 2016 and later founded Citizens of Our Planet, a foundation focused on nonviolence and communication.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Co-CEO at Chili Piper
- **Organizations:** Chili Piper, KosmoTime, LightSquared, Citizens of Our Planet
- **Nationality:** French-American
- **Education:** École Polytechnique, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Personally closed Chili Piper’s first $1 million in revenue, according to his 2019 account., Helped bootstrap Chili Piper past $2 million ARR before its institutional seed round., Led Chili Piper alongside Alina as the company raised a Tiger Global-led $33 million round in April 2021.

## Career timeline

- **1993** — Arrived at Stanford Business School; hearing Steve Jobs speak helped redirect his plans toward technology entrepreneurship.
- **1995** — After Stanford, started a consumer photo-software business based in San Francisco with development in France.
- **1999** — Moved into an internet venture.
- **2000** — CNET acquisition negotiations opened at $60 million but ended after the market turned; substantial layoffs followed.
- **Before 2016** — Worked in facial recognition and later served in sales leadership and as CIO at LightSquared.
- **2016** — Co-founded Chili Piper with Alina Vandenberghe.
- **2019** — Chili Piper announced a $3 million seed round after passing $2 million ARR.
- **2021** — Chili Piper announced a $33 million Tiger Global-led round; Nicolas and Alina also founded Citizens of Our Planet.
- **2026** — Convened GTM Clawllective discussions about practical AI use in sales and marketing.

## Achievements

- Personally closed Chili Piper’s first $1 million in revenue, according to his 2019 account.
- Helped bootstrap Chili Piper past $2 million ARR before its institutional seed round.
- Led Chili Piper alongside Alina as the company raised a Tiger Global-led $33 million round in April 2021.
- Co-founded Citizens of Our Planet with an initial $1 million pledge.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Publicly hosted GTM Clawllective sessions on AI prospecting and discussed whether SaaS companies should build replacements for software subscriptions.
- **2026-07** — Reflected publicly on his 1993 move to the United States, his decision to become an American citizen, and his commitment to peace and respect.
- **2026-08** — Described working from a beach with Wi-Fi and reflected on Chili Piper’s remote-work model; also discussed rebuilding the company website with AI-assisted tools.

## Links

- Website: https://www.chilipiper.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nvandenberghe
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NicolasVDB

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nicolas-vandenberghe
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24