Nothing seems to be able to stop the moving train. Despite the health crisis and the uncertainties about the resumption of economic activity, young tricolor business angels continue to fuel startups through their investments, reveals the 2nd edition of the annual ranking conducted by Angelsquare with “Les Echos”.
Aided by the TEPA law, this dynamic is driven by the growing number of fundraisers, their amount and a change in mindset of investment funds that allow entrepreneurs to sell shares at this stage.
An accelerating phenomenon
It is therefore not surprising to see it come first Thomas Rebaudco-founder and CEO of Meero, whose last funding round in 2019 ($230 million) last year made it possible to inject €790,000 into 13 start-ups. These seed-stage investments are in the vast majority of cases one of the historical quirks of the Silicon Valley ecosystem, where some of the money raised during the entrepreneurial adventure is systematically donated to other projects. “The phenomenon of young business angels is not new, but it is gaining momentum, notes Charles Degan, CEO of Angelsquare. We see more and more founders, but also employees who invest. »
Top 10 French business angels under 35 in 2020
#1. Thomas Rebaud : co-founder and CEO of Meero. 790,000 euros invested in 13 operations (WeLink, Colizey, Bling, etc.).
#2. Arthur Leroy Beaulieu : leader of TFH. 550,000 euros invested in 8 operations (Aircall, Grocery, etc.).
#3. Thibault Levi Martin : CEO of Partoo. 389,000 euros invested in 8 operations (Balt, Umiami, etc.).
#4. Damien Morin : CEO at Mobile Club. 380,000 euros invested in 14 operations. (Yuka, Bling, Slite…)
#5. Jeremy Wies : Founder and CEO of Synovo. 291,000 euros invested in 4 operations (Codaa, La Croisière Loisirs, etc.).
#6. Mary Outtier : Product Director at Twitter. 285,000 euros invested in 11 operations (Fleex, AgroLeague, etc.).
#7. Josef Bovet : co-founder and CEO of Tiller Systems. 280,000 euros invested in 12 operations (Alma, Ambler, etc.).
#8. Laurent Acezat : web entrepreneur. 200,000 euros invested in 4 operations (Bling, Skypaper.io…).
#9. Charles Baldet : account manager at Neobrain. 185,000 euros invested in 4 operations (Estimeo, Wedoogood, etc.).
#10. Maxime Bush : co-founder of Selency. 150,000 euros invested in 8 operations.
Source : Angelsquare and “Les Echos”.
About forty new investors register on the Angelsquare platform every month and the rejuvenation of profiles logically follows the curve of business creators. People under 35, in particular, are in tune with the risk-taking associated with such activity, notes Charles Degand: “Business angels like risk, they see opportunities during crises, including those we are going through. » A large part of them are active with a dozen operations per year, also in 2020. But they are not limited to a simple injection of money. She want to be involvedsometimes sit on the board of directors of the start-ups they fund. “This also explains why this activity is highly localized in France, adds the leader of Angelsquare. They are close to the founders they support, love to visit offices, show teams they are there and can help. »
too few women
“she”, but not “they”. Due to the persistent gender imbalance among budding creators, the panorama of French business angels is very unisex. Only a few women invest, a phenomenon accentuated by their tendency to be more discreet, such as Mary Outtier. Co-founder and CEO ofaiden.aisold to Twitter in 2019, spent 285,000 euros in 11 operations last year, but seeks more shade than media light.
As with many other areas of financial activity, it will take until 2021 to measure the real impact of the current crisis on these young investors. Strongly encouraged through tax measures, they could also be scalding if bankruptcies hit the start-ups in cascade over the next 12 months. And roll up a mechanism essential to the success of French Tech as a whole.