# The Refiners

> The Refiners is a San Francisco seed investment firm founded in 2016 by Carlos Diaz, Géraldine Le Meur and Pierre Gaubil. Its original three-month accelerator combined funding, mentoring and introductions to help international technology founders enter Silicon Valley. A $6.8 million fundraise was announced in 2017; plans for Fund II were paused in March 2020 amid the pandemic and travel restrictions.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Carlos Diaz (Co-founder and General Partner), Géraldine Le Meur (Co-founder and Founding Partner, Fund I), Pierre Gaubil (Co-founder and General Partner)
- **Products:** Three-month cross-border accelerator, Seed venture investment
- **Notable:** Launched the first accelerator cohort in September 2016., Announced a USD 6.8 million fundraise in April 2017., By April 2017, six first-cohort companies had opened US offices, according to contemporary reporting.

## Products & services

- **Three-month cross-border accelerator** — Historical San Francisco immersion program combining seed investment, workshops, mentoring, peer feedback, investor introductions and a concluding pitch event.
- **Seed venture investment** — Early capital for international technology startups across sectors; historical program investments generally ranged from $50,000 to $100,000.

## Achievements

- Launched the first accelerator cohort in September 2016.
- Announced a USD 6.8 million fundraise in April 2017.
- By April 2017, six first-cohort companies had opened US offices, according to contemporary reporting.
- CloudScreener founder Anthony Sollinger reported 200 three-minute pitches, roughly 30 investor meetings and a 400-person pitch night during the 2017 program.

## Latest updates

- **2020-03** — The Refiners paused plans to close Fund II amid coronavirus-related uncertainty and restrictions on founder travel. Reporting described approximately USD 15 million in prospective commitments; it was not a completed fundraise.
- **2020-07** — Co-founder Carlos Diaz launched the separate firm Diaspora Ventures with Ilan Abehassera, according to Diaspora’s own account.
- **2020-11** — Géraldine Le Meur joined FrenchFounders as a partner and subsequently built its investment fund, according to her December 2022 Maddyness interview.

## Links

- Website: http://www.therefiners.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-refiners
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/therefiners_inc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therefiners

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/the-refiners
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27