Cyrille Bessiere He is a CEO, investor, entrepreneur, and a member of the Serial Committee, who has a passion for starting and scaling companies. Throughout his career he became a leader in his field by accumulating an array of entrepreneurship and business development skills and knowledge. With this knowledge, Bessiere demonstrates his incredible ability to grow and expand several businesses from various leadership roles, adapt to new circumstances and apply his skills to any occasion.

Early passion for business

Since his childhood in France, Bessieres has been passionate about business. His parents were a bit disappointed when they were more interested in talking about business than French literature. Based on this initial fixation, he registered with HEC Paris and, after graduating in 2004, began his business career with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In 2010 he left BCG and launched Tea Brand Palais des Thés.

“It was a 180-degree change in my career,” explained Bessiere. And so on. Seven years later, I was able to establish my brand as number one in the high-end segment. ”

Building a brand

Through his hard work and business expertise, Bessiere has made it the number one premium brand in department stores and palace hotels, from Macy’s to the Ritz-Carlton. While serving tea fans directly through the Palais des Thés e-commerce website, he introduced an innovative tea school to SoHo, New York. Following the achievements of these entrepreneurs, Bessiere felt it was time to move on.

“Thanks to my success at Palais des Tess, I approached them as their first US partner from Paris-based private equity company Otium Capital and led their investment in the US. It was done,” Bessiere said. “My level of excitement was high as it bridged all my past experiences with BCG and Palais des Thés.”

Working at Otium Capital

Bessiere joined Otium Capital in April 2018, where he played a role in investing in promising consumer brands and helping to scale its founders. He has since made successful investments in a variety of consumer brands, including fragrance brand related documents, jewelry brand Analuisa and fashion marketplace Bradelli, supporting the launch of fashion brand Polene in the US. However, one of his first missions against Otium was Kids Empire.

“I joined Kids Empire Adventure in 2018, a few months after opening my first location in Los Angeles,” Bessiere said. “Since then, I co-led to invest in the company between 2018 and 2023 until I controlled the company in early 2024.”

Children’s Empire CEO

In just six years with Kids Empire, Bessiere was appointed by the board as CEO of an entertainment company. Until 2023, he oversaw real estate, finance and marketing along with the founder of the business. In 2024, he fully renewed his executive team and attracted retail experts who wanted to build a children’s empire into the leading children’s entertainment brand in the United States. “We currently have 1,300 employees and two major offices (Los Angeles and New York), and we continue to open the park every week,” Bessiere said proudly.

I’m looking for the future

Moving forward, Bessiere wants to continue urging young professionals to cross the Atlantic and establish business and life in the United States. As a CEO and investor, he recognizes the immense potential of his operations within the country and continues to find success.