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Startup funding news 💸

Rounds of €50M+:

• Loft Orbital raises €170M to expand its satellite-sharing platform. Led by Temasek and Tikehau Capital, with support from Bpifrance and others, the funds will support satellite deployment and international growth.

Rounds €10M to €50M:

• Bioptimus raises €41M to develop multi-scale AI for biotechnology. Led by Cathay Innovation, with Bpifrance, Sofinnova Partners, and others, the funds will support product development and expansion.

• Shippeo raises €29M to enhance logistics data quality and expand in North America and Asia-Pacific. Led by Woven Capital, with support from Bpifrance, Battery Ventures, and others, the round brings total funding to €132M.

• Robeauté raises €27M to advance neurosurgical microrobots and expand to the US. Led by Plural, Cherry Ventures, and Kindred Ventures.

• Maki raises €26M to transform recruitment with AI chatbots. Led by Blossom Capital, with DST Global, Frst, and others, the funds will boost product innovation, expand in the US, and hire 60 new team members.

Rounds €5M to €10M:

• Hyperline raises $10M from Index Ventures to enhance its automated billing platform and support business scaling.

Rounds €1M to €5M:

• Leakmited raises €5M to combat water waste using AI-powered tools. The round was led by Starquest and Banque des Territoires to enhance smart water management for public infrastructure.

• PRODIGES raises €1.6M to develop sustainable bioproduction technologies. Led by TWB, with support from INRAE, INSA, and INP Toulouse, the funds will improve continuous production and strain stability.

• Deephawk raises €1M from The Moon Venture to expand its AI-powered visual quality control solution in Europe and North America.

• Evenizer raises €1M from Trail Capital, ACER Finance, and Family Ventures to enhance its VIP ticketing platform and expand in Europe.

Other rounds of funding:

• KAI raises €600K from Seed4Soft to tackle document chaos in companies using AI and semantic graphs. The funds will boost R&D and expand sales teams.

• Superprof invests €500K in Spliiit, acquiring a 25% stake to support its growth. The partnership will help Spliiit, a platform enabling shared subscriptions, expand internationally, with 1M users across 20 European countries.

• Toploc raises €450K to expand its platform for group nature vacations. Based in Annecy, the funds will support tech development and regional growth.

M&A transactions 🎊

Sline is acquired by its parent company, Crédit Agricole Personal Finance. Founded in 2021, Sline offers a B2B solution enabling merchants to provide rental options, supporting Sofinco's expansion in the circular economy and point-of-sale financing.

EasyPark acquires Flowbird to combine digital and physical parking solutions, creating a global urban mobility leader.

Fruggr acquires CarbonScore to lead in responsible digital practices by measuring and reducing companies' digital impacts.

Altaï Group acquires a majority stake in Hello Travel to combine digital expertise with Altaï's global network. The partnership targets €100M in revenue by 2027.

Darktrace to acquire Cado Security to boost cloud incident response and enhance its AI cybersecurity platform.

Unique Heritage Media acquires Les Mini Mondes to strengthen its educational content offerings. The 2019-founded startup, known for its magazine reaching 50,000 families, will expand with new products, audio projects, and an animated series.

Le Grand Feu acquires Food Mood and names Jérémy Cerceau Associate GM to boost expertise in franchised restaurant networks and strengthen brands like Pizza Cosy and Piou!Piou!.

Videlio acquires Lyon-based Avantages Vidéo. The deal enhances Videlio's audiovisual integration and video surveillance expertise.

Investor & accelerator news 🚀

INNOVACOM – Turenne Groupe successfully closes its €28M FCPI "Industries d’Avenir et Territoires 2" fund, supporting innovative industrial startups focused on environmental and digital transitions. Total FCPI funding now exceeds €113M.

Crime Science Technology gains backing from C4 Industries to boost industrialization. The French govtech secures identity documents for clients like the FBI with its patented OVM technology.

The École Polytechnique will host the "AI Science and Society" conference on February 6-7, 2025, bringing together global experts to discuss AI's scientific, ethical, and societal impacts.

Startup news 💡

Alexander Gushchin reacquires MesDépanneurs.fr from Engie to expand the emergency repair platform with AI and international growth. The company handles 6,000+ monthly interventions with 1,200 artisans.

Yassine Chabli, co-founder of Beekast, has launched Billabex, a startup using AI agents to manage unpaid invoices. Launched in 2024, it resolves 80% of cases autonomously for clients like Cegid, collecting millions monthly. Chabli plans to integrate an AI CEO to oversee operations.

French startups raised €7.8 billion in 2024 (-7% from 2023), placing France 2nd in Europe behind the UK (€14B) but ahead of Germany (€7.3B), according to EY. Generative AI startups secured $1.6B, led by Mistral AI (€468M) and Poolside (€455M). Software (€3B), greentech (€1.9B), and fintech (€840M) dominated investments.

14 startups from Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, backed by risingSUD, shone at CES 2025, winning 4 of 6 French Innovation Awards. RisingSUD supports their global growth through events like Slush and Gitex Africa.

Big company & policy news 💡

Olivier Goy's Invincible Été fund allocates €20M to support ALS research, targeting €1M annual returns for French and European teams, selected by experts and led by the Paris Brain Institute and ARSLA. Managed probono by Pams (123IM), it ensures funds directly advance research.

Société Générale and the EIB partner to unlock €8B in wind energy investments. A €500M EIB counter-guarantee supports projects advancing Europe’s green energy transition.

Mob-Energy raises €15M from Tikehau Capital to expand its Eiko platform for smart EV charging and energy storage, now available via leasing for businesses.

Interesting reads 💡

Guillaume Veber (IK Partners) and Mathieu Ferel (Singulier) co-wrote “Exit Readiness: Comment préparer son entreprise et sa valorisation lors d’une cession”, explaining how businesses can maximize value before a sale through strategic and operational preparations, with a focus on digital maturity.