Paris-based Founders Future, a venture studio providing network, support, and productive capital, has announced the launch of a new fund. According to the studio, the objective of this fund is to finance new high-impact sectors such as circular economy, new food production models, future packaging and delivery solutions, new mobilities, and biomaterials.
Has already raised 40 per cent amount
This fund will focus on seed and Series A investments. It’s targeting a close of €50M by the end of the year 2021 and so far it has already raised 40 per cent of the total amount – €20M.
The raised capital has come from angel investors including Thierry Gillier, the founder of clothing brand Zadig and Voltaire; Bris and Yves Rocher, from the French cosmetics brand Rocher; and Michael Benabou.
Founders Future is particularly interested in finding startups working on vertical farming, last-mile delivery, mental health, mobility, cleaner alternatives to packaging, and those working on the circular economy.
About Founders Future
Founded in 2018 by Marc Menasé, Founders Future is a venture studio as well as a VC and startup studio. The firm provides its portfolio startups with a combination of the financial capital of an investment fund and the human capital of a startup studio. It helps the new generation of entrepreneurs create the backbone of their business during its first few years of existence.
“With more than 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship and investment, I am convinced that the market needs businesses and products that shake things up and operate in a more respectful manner. It is clear that the new generation of entrepreneurs will no longer be able to do things like before, and we want to help them and finance this new paradigm to create tomorrow’s high-impact big businesses,” explains Marc Menasé, CEO and founder of Founders Future.
The firm also helps with the transformation of traditional sectors such as retail, food, health, among others, and also helps develop new ecosystems like the circular economy or mobility in France as well as internationally (Europe and US).
Since its inception, the fund has already invested €60M, for 45 operations, of which 60 per cent are international. Some of these include Lydia, Yuka, Epycure, La Fourche, and Bonsoirs in France, Waterdrop (Austria), B Next (Spain), Ezra (US), and Taster (UK).
Notably, 30 per cent of these businesses have female founders or co-founders.
How will the capital be utilised?
The new capital will enable Founders Future to further provide support to potentials who are working on the circular economy, new production models, future packaging and delivery solutions, the movement of goods and people (sustainable mobility), and biomaterials.
In early 2020, the company had recruited Sarah Corne for the position of Partner Impact, to facilitate the transition toward these new investments. She is on the Board of Tech For Good France and of the Fight for Dignity association.
Speaking on the utilisation of the funds, Sarah Corne explains, “In order to accelerate the social and ecological transition, it is now urgent to think about investment differently and to help this new generation of project-oriented entrepreneurs, who place impact at the heart of their plans. With this new capital, we would like to facilitate the scaling up of these project-oriented businesses and accelerate change.”
