Dealflow France #7: Loft Orbital raises €170M. EasyPark acquires Flowbird. Société Générale & EIB unlock €8B for w…
- Jaime Novoa from Dealflow France <dealflowfrance@substack.com>
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Dealflow France #7: Loft Orbital raises €170M. EasyPark acquires Flowbird. Société Générale & EIB unlock €8B for wind energy revolution.Welcome to the 7th edition of the Dealflow France newsletter: a weekly summary of everything that happened in the France startup and investment ecosystem.
Welcome to Dealflow France! Dealflow France is the best way to follow the French startup and VC ecosystem. If by any chance you’ve known about Dealflow Spain or Dealflow LatAm, you know what to expect. But just in case: a manually-curated weekly email with the week’s most relevant articles, delivered to your inbox every Monday morning in one single and easy-to-read email. If you have any feedback, please reply to this email or reach out at jaime@dealflow.es Merci beaucoup! This week’s newsletter is brought to you by zenital:
Startup funding news 💸Rounds of €50M+:
Rounds €10M to €50M:
Rounds €5M to €10M:
Rounds €1M to €5M:
Other rounds of funding:
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. |