This year's biggest fundraising rounds were mainly carried out by unicorns. Ranging up to €500 million, these fundraisings have contributed to the development of these companies.
Doctolib, Exotec, Qonto... If these names ring a bell, it's because they are unicorns that have raised astronomical amounts this year. Private Equity Round or Series C, D, E or F funding has enabled these start-ups to grow and expand their teams. Discover the 10 biggest French fundraisings of 2022.
1. Doctolib: a €500 million fundraising round
This is the biggest fundraising of 2022 in France. Doctolib, the health start-up, offers appointment scheduling and teleconsultation services. Used by millions of French people, the company has now become the reference in e-health.
This Series F round of financing values the start-up at €5.8 billion on 15 March 2022. The company's objective is to create 3,500 new jobs in France, Germany and Italy over the next five years. This Series F round of financing was supported by Eurazeo and Bpifrance. The company aims to become profitable by 2025. For the time being, this is not the case as every euro raised is reinvested.
2. Qonto: a fundraising of 486 million euros
Following closely behind Doctolib, the start-up is not left behind. Founded in 2017, Qonto offers an online business account as well as financial services to the self-employed, VSEs and SMEs. All of this facilitates the financial management of companies and help them with their accounting.
Valued at €4.4 billion after this series D round on 11 January 2022, the start-up has become the 24th global unicorn. The aim of this round of financing, backed by China's Tencent and the American funds Tiger Global and TCV, is to develop the all-in-one financial solution. The company also aims to create new jobs, increasing from 500 employees to 2,000 within four years.
3. Ecovadis: raising €477 million
Closing the podium, Ecovadis is a platform for evaluating and sharing a company's CSR performance. With a rating system, the company focuses on the environment, social and human rights, ethics and responsible purchasing.
Thanks to this Private Equity Round of 13 June 2022, the French unicorn welcomes the European fund Astorg and BeyondNetZero, General Atlantic's climate investment company, as well as GIC Private Limited and Princeville Capital to its capital. The aim of this round is to finance international development and strengthen their artificial intelligence tools.
4. BackMarket: a $450 million round of financing
In fourth place, BackMarket is a marketplace offering refurbished electronic products such as smartphones, printers and household appliances. The company aims to become the world leader in refurbished products.
After this round of financing in series E on 11 January 2022, the French unicorn is valued at €5.1 billion. Backed by Sprints Capital, Eurazeo, EURA.PA, General Atlantic, Generation Investment Management and Aglaé Ventures, this round will enable the company to finance the development of new services in logistics and repair.
5. Contentsquare: a €392 million round of financing
Contentsquare is a scale-up founded by Jonathan Cherki in 2012. It is an online experience analysis solution whose technology is based on artificial intelligence. It studies clicks and events occurring between user clicks.
This Series F funding round on 1 July 2022 gives the unicorn a valuation of €5.3 billion. Having raised funds from Sixth Street, LionTree, Bpifrance and Eurazeo, the company is taking on an additional $200 million in debt. This round of financing will enable Contentsquare to improve its online customer experience.
6. NW Groupe: a €300 million fundraising round
Recognised for its expertise in the development of renewable energies, NW Groupe offers a high-powered electrical recharging hub composed of an energy storage solution and a high-powered recharging system.
This fundraising brings the new unicorn to a valuation of €1.5 billion on 1 July 2022. Supported by RGreen Invest, the round will enable the company to offer low-cost high-power charging to electric vehicle owners.
7. Exotec: a €295 million fundraising
Exotec is a provider of robotic solutions for warehouses. Manufactured in Croix in the Haut-de-France region, the robots are deployed in companies such as Uniqlo, Decathlon and Carrefour.
Exotec's Series D funding round brings its valuation to $2 billion on 17 January 2022. Backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Bpifrance, this round of financing will enable the start-up to accelerate its international expansion and fuel its ambition to become the world leader in logistics robotics.
8. Payfit: a €254 million fundraising round
Opening the ball at the beginning of the year, Payfit is a payroll and human resources management software for European VSEs and SMEs. Accessible to employees, managers and company executives, the software meets the HR management needs of companies.
The €254 million Series E funding round on 5 January 2022, backed by General Atlantic, Bpifrance, Eurazeo and Accel Ventures, aims to improve Payfit's services. The start-up also aims to recruit 400 new employees by the end of 2022.
9. Ankorstore: a €250 million fundraising round
Created in 2019 by Pierre-Louis Lacoste, Nicolas Cohen, Mathieu Alengrin and Nicolas d'Audiffret, the marketplace Ankorstore proposes to reinvent retail. The aim is to help independent retailers compete with the giants of e-commerce and mass distribution.
This Series C round of financing will allow Ankorstore to strengthen its teams in Europe and to develop the company. This round of financing on 11 January 2022 was conducted with Bond, Tiger Global, Eurazeo and Caetue.
10. Innovafeed: a €250 million fundraising round
French Tech start-up Innovafeed specialises in the production of insect-based ingredients for animals and plants. Founded in 2016, the company offers proteins and oils for pet food.
This Series D round of financing on 20 September 2022 from the QIA fund, Creadev, Temasef and ABC Impact will enable Innovafeed to increase its production capacity. Development in the United States is also one of the company's ambitions.