France is known worldwide for its exceptional startup ecosystem, often called the “Tech Hub.” Startups in France secured funding of around €4.5B in 2022, and because of the fast-growing environment, 15 percent of the French population shows interest in starting their own business.

But you must be thinking, who provides all this funding to the startups in France? Are there some venture capital firms with dreams of boosting the French economy?

Yes! France has now become home to many venture capital firms. That is why we have researched and prepared a list of the top 7 venture capital firms in France.

Top Venture Capital Firms in France

Following is the list of some of the top-ranked venture capital firms in France, along with their investment interests and funding range.  

Kima Ventures

Website: Kima Ventures - The most active Business Angel in the world

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Seed

Kima Ventures was founded in 2010 and is currently the most active VC firm in France. Every week, they make almost 2-3 investments at the early stage in tech-related businesses.

The founders prioritize companies that offer unique services/products and have low competition. Although they arrange many pitching competitions on a monthly basis, Kima Ventures also invests in startups through fundraisers and startup accelerators.

They have a team of experienced mentors who guide their portfolio companies and help them through different stages. The investment range of Kima Ventures is around €500,000. Two of their portfolio companies are:

Silvr: Silvr is a financial provider for digital entrepreneurs with the help of data-based scoring technology. Silvr has raised a total of €363M in funding over 4 rounds. 

Umiami: Umiami is a French food-tech startup that develops a plant-based food technology to reduce meat consumption. Umiami has raised a total of €95.7M in funding over 6 rounds.

Bpifrance

Website: Bpifrance - Servir l'Avenir

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech and Innovative Software

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Bpifrance was founded in 2013 and its founders are two state-owned enterprises: the Caisse des dépôts et consignations and EPIC BPI-Groupe.

Between direct and indirect investments, Bpifrance has invested €1.6bn into French tech startups and venture funds in 2022 alone, up from €1.51bn in 2021. Moreover, the firm has invested in around 1,000 companies having more than 111 exits. 

While investing, Bpifrance selects companies that can easily scale on an international level. The team of investors selects startups through online applications and holds several pitching competitions throughout the year.

The investment range of Bpifrance is around €2M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Doctolib: Doctolib is an online and mobile booking platform that helps users find doctors and make appointments. It has raised a total of €815M in funding over 9 rounds. 

PayFit: PayFit offers technology that simplifies and automates payroll and HR processes for small and medium-sized businesses. Their latest funding was raised in Jan 2022, from a Series E round.

HalioDx: HalioDx designs and develops diagnostic tests in oncology utilizing the immune context of cancers. HalioDx has raised a total of €26.5M in funding over 2 rounds. 

Partech

Website: Homepage | Partech (partechpartners.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Software

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Partech is a global investment firm that has invested in around 800 startups. The firm was founded by John Sung Kim and Thomas G, with their headquarters in Paris.

As for the funding process, Partech focuses on the blockchain sector and startups that are working in innovative tech. The investors are very strict with the funding criteria and only fund startups that can leave a positive impact.

Similarly, Partech also organizes 5-to 6 pitching competitions every month to select and invest in the most deserving startups.

The investment range of Partch is around €8M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

AB Tasty: AB Tasty is a global leader in feature management, experimentation, and personalization solutions. It empowers brands to build better experiences using personalization, experimentation, recommendations, and search.

Advano: Advano is a startup that offers a scalable silicon solution for Li-ion batteries, accelerating the renewable energy revolution. 

Agicap: Agicap is a financial management software company that develops and sells a SaaS platform for SMBs to manage and forecast their cash flows.

Newfund Management

Website: Newfund Capital - VC Firm | Investing in the Entrepreneurial Age

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Med-Tech, Cloud, and Digital Businesses

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Founded in 2008 by Francois Verson and Patrick Malka, Newfund Management also invests in France-based startups. The network has a portfolio of over 100 startups and usually invests in the early and seed stages.

Similarly, like most VC firms, New Fund Management invests in businesses that can generate profits and help them grow their portfolio. They usually invest in companies and exit within 2-3 years once the estimated ROI has been generated.

The investment range of Newfund Management lies between €200,000 to €2M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Aircall: Aircall is a cloud-based phone system designed for teams like customer support or sales teams. It allows you to integrate your phone system with your CRM & other software tools. Aircall raised a Series C round of €65 million in 2020.

Fairmarkit: Fairmarkit is the intelligent sourcing platform that empowers organizations to more efficiently purchase the goods and services they need. Fairmarkit raised a Series B round of €30 million in 2020.

In2Bones: In2Bones is a medical device company that develops and distributes upper and lower extremity products to enable surgeons to alleviate pain and restore motion. In2Bones raised a Series A round of €10 million.

Alven Capital Partners

Website: Alven.co

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Fintech, SaaS, and AI

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Having funded more than 160 startups, Alven Capital Partners is also a prominent VC firm that was founded in 2000 by Guillaume Aubin & Charles Letourneur. The firm usually invests in early and seed-stage businesses.

Moreover, Alven Capital Partners organizes many pitching competitions and also invests through fundraisers. The firm has some of the most experienced investors and that is why they only invest in startups with low competition and decent growth potential.

The investment range of Alven Capital Partners can range up to several million euros. Three of its portfolio companies are:

Qonto: Qonto is a French startup that provides a banking service tailored for small and medium enterprises and freelancers. It has raised a total of €552 million in Series D funding and the startup focuses primarily on small and medium companies.

Dataiku: Dataiku is an enterprise artificial intelligence and machine-learning platform. It has raised a total of €846.8 million in funding. The company provides a common ground for data experts and explorers, a repository of best practices, and shortcuts to machine learning.

Algolia: Algolia is a Search-as-a-Service platform that simplifies payment infrastructure complexity. It has raised a total of €315 million in funding. 

Idinvest Partners

Website: Eurazeo, acteur majeur de la gestion d'actifs sur les marchés privés, engagé et reconnu au niveau mondial.

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Emerging Tech and Software

Investment Stage: Seed

With a portfolio of 190 companies,  Idinvest Partners is also actively investing in French startups. The network was founded in and has had 38 successful exits.

These investors only fund startups that are promoting innovation. Throughout Europe, Idinvest Partners has a portfolio of over 4,000 investments and is planning to expand it more.

The investment range of Idinvest Partners can range up to €10M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Deezer: Deezer is an online platform and app that provides songs from a variety of genres. It’s a globally recognized leader in music streaming.

Criteo: Criteo is a personalized retargeting company that works with internet retailers to serve online display advertisements to consumers.

Happn: Happn is a location-based mobile dating application that enables its users to build connections based on real-time interactions.

Sofinnova Partners

Website: Partners for — Sofinnova Partners

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Life Science

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Known throughout the world for their active involvement, Sofinnova Partners is also contributing to the startup ecosystem of France. 

Moreover, Sofinnova invests in startups located inside and outside France, as long as they show signs of huge growth and are related to the Lifescience/tech industry. Once a startup has been funded, Sofinnova provides the startup leaders with the best guidance to ensure a successful exit.

The investment range of Sofinnova Partners can range up to several million euros, depending on the startup sector. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Cure51: Cure51 is a developer of a clinical and molecular database designed to accelerate drug discovery for cancer. The company helps to analyze the biology of long-term cancer survivors.

Bioptimus: Bioptimus is a Paris-based AI startup that aims to create the first “universal AI foundation model” for biology. The company’s technology transforms multiscale data into actionable representations.

Wrap-Up

Before we conclude, remember that VC firms like to invest in startups with high ROI. That is why you should conduct thorough research and focus on improving your pitching skills before attending an investor meeting.

And finally, trust your startup idea and remain confident throughout the investor meeting. If you don’t believe in your business idea, it would be impossible to convince other people to fund it. 

Frequently Asked Questions