• Syntetica

  Led · Series A · Jul 2026

  Syntetica has developed a novel approach to recycling two hard-to-separate nylons—Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6—into pellets that can be used by manufacturers to make yarn. The company was co-founded by CEO Marco Bertone and chemistry researcher Louis Monsigny and has built early industrial partnerships, including with Michelin’s Centre for Sustainable Materials and apparel makers such as Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret and Etam. Syntetica does not produce finished textiles itself; instead it supplies recycled pellets to downstream manufacturers like MAS Holdings. The startup has received public backing from Bpifrance’s Ecotechnologies 2 fund and support from the European Innovation Council alongside private investors including EQT Ventures and SWEN Capital Partners. With its Series A funding, Syntetica aims to demonstrate production at the scale of hundreds of tons per year and then expand by building facilities near waste sources and textile production hubs. The team has added technical leadership and industry advisors to support scaling and commercialization.

• Mantle8

  Participated · Series A · May 2026

  Founded in 2019 in Grenoble, Mantle8 develops a suite of proprietary geological exploration tools, notably HOREX®, a multiphysics 4D imaging platform designed to map active subsurface hydrogen systems. The company focuses on identifying accumulations of high-purity natural (geologic) hydrogen and prioritizing prospects for drilling. Mantle8 plans a global exploration and drilling campaign over the next two years financed by the recent €31 million Series A, aiming to perform initial industrial tests to quantify volumes, purity and reservoir quality. Management projects potential production costs around €0.80 per kilogram if commercially viable reservoirs are found. The firm has raised €37 million in total to date and is positioning to demonstrate that identified systems can produce sustainable, commercially exploitable hydrogen flows.

• Elicit Plant

  Participated · Series B · Nov 2024

  Elicit Plant develops phytosterol-based biosolutions that reduce crop water use by about 20%, improving resilience to environmental stress. Its product portfolio targets maize, cereals, sunflower and soybeans. The company is led by CEO Jean-François Déchant and is based in Moulins-sur-Tardoire, Charente, France. Elicit Plant plans to accelerate R&D for advanced bio-based solutions and expand strategic alliances with partners such as Bayer and BASF. The company intends to use new funding to propel U.S. market entry by 2025 and to scale operations in Europe and Brazil. It recently completed a Series B to support its worldwide expansion strategy. Elicit Plant develops an innovative biostimulant based on phytosterol delivered via foliar application to boost plant metabolism and reduce water needs. Its proprietary technology was developed in laboratories on a precision farm in Charente, France, and at a Brazilian branch in São Paulo. Open-field trials and lab studies with independent researchers and farmers showed yield gains of up to +20%. The company obtained French market approval in April 2021 and launched its first BEST-a products for corn and soybean. Elicit Plant has about thirty employees across its headquarters/precision farm and its São Paulo branch. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to accelerate commercialization in France and key markets in Europe, North America and South America, consolidate the scientific platform, expand laboratories, and diversify the product portfolio.

• Micropep Technologies

  Led · Series B · Jul 2024

  Micropep develops micropeptide crop protection technologies and an AI-powered discovery platform called Krisalix™ for rapid discovery of micropeptide molecules. Krisalix combines proprietary design algorithms with a suite of bioassays to measure efficiency, stability, and production feasibility. The company plans to use the new funding to solidify its market position and strengthen existing partnerships. It also intends to build new relationships with R&D, manufacturing, commercial, and distribution partners in the industry. Micropep is led by CEO Thomas Laurent and operates in the US and France. The firm has raised over $60M in total funding to date. Micropep builds pesticides from micropeptides—natural proteins under 100 amino acids—aiming for a new class of crop protection that is more targeted and less toxic than synthetic chemicals. Its initial products are leaf‑applied sprays for soybean that wait for fungal spores and then disrupt fungal cell membranes, causing the fungus to self‑destruct. The company has developed predictive models and plans to test 1,000–2,000 candidates in the lab, narrow to 50–100 for greenhouse trials, and advance leads into field trials. A key technical challenge is peptide persistence in soil, so Micropep has optimized formulations that remain stable on leaves for a few days while it seeks more durable candidates. Micropep is running regulatory trials in the U.S., Brazil and Europe, aims for regulatory review by 2026, and hopes to be on the market in the U.S. and Brazil by 2028 and in Europe by 2030. Founder Thomas Laurent says the company will partner with other firms to embed its ingredients in third‑party products, and the startup recently raised funding to support its go‑to‑market strategy. Micropep has developed a patented, non‑GMO technological platform that uses exogenous micropeptides—short natural plant peptides—to precisely modulate plant gene expression without altering DNA. The company positions its products as biological, spray‑applied alternatives to conventional chemical crop protection aimed at controlling resistant weeds and pathogens while preserving yields and the environment. Micropep was founded in 2016 as a spin‑off of the LRSV plant research laboratory at CNRS and Toulouse University and is based in Toulouse, France. The firm is moving from research toward commercialization and is accelerating development of its first micropeptide candidates. The recent financing will fund expansion into the United States and the recruitment of a local team to deploy solutions in that market. The company emphasizes the broad potential of its discovery platform and intends to bring cost‑effective, environmentally safer tools to farmers. Micropep develops novel peptide-based biological products for agriculture using a proprietary discovery platform. The company has created miPEPs, a family of natural peptides that regulate plant microRNAs and can be sprayed to precisely enhance plant traits without modifying DNA. Led by Thomas Laurent, Micropep was spun out from the CNRS and Toulouse University in 2016. The firm aims to address disease control and weed suppression and to enter the EUR 47 billion-plus pesticides market, initially targeting $28 billion herbicides and fungicides markets in the Americas and Europe. The Series A financing will be used to further develop its discovery platform and progress its pipeline. Micropep positions its technology as an alternative to traditional chemical pesticides by leveraging biological peptide solutions. Micropep Technologies is a Toulouse, France-based biotech company developing biological alternatives to agrochemicals. Founded in 2016 by Thomas Laurent, the company focuses on bioherbicides and biostimulants. Its core technology uses plant-derived "micro-peptides" to transiently modulate gene expression and regulate plant growth while leaving DNA intact. Micropep currently advances four development programs targeting germination, flowering, growth, and weed control. The company raised €4M in Series A funding led by Sofinnova Partners. The funds will be used to strengthen the technology platform, advance R&D programs to proof of concept, and initiate international commercial growth.

• Aledia

  Participated · Series C · Jan 2018

  Aledia is pioneering a nanowire/nanocrystal microLED technology spun out of CEA-Leti in 2012, developing LED chips for laptops, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, augmented-reality glasses and large TVs. The company uses very large-size silicon wafers (200–300mm) and microelectronics processes rather than conventional planar 2D LEDs on smaller sapphire substrates, and its technology is protected by 197 patent families. Aledia closed an €80M first tranche of a planned €120M D-round and will use the proceeds to complete product development and build a first-of-its-kind high-volume 3D microLED manufacturing facility in the Grenoble area. The planned facility has an estimated capex of €40 million (excluding equipment), and the company expects to invest over €200 million in equipment over the next five years. Aledia plans to grow to approximately 500 employees as it scales manufacturing. Strategic partners and investors, including Intel Capital and a range of technology and investment funds, are reinvesting to support commercialization. Aledia develops and manufactures next-generation 3D LEDs based on a gallium-nitride-nanowires-on-silicon platform. Its LEDs are produced on large-diameter silicon wafers (200mm, scalable to 300mm) and designed for mobile and other display applications. The company is pursuing both large/existing displays (smartphones, laptops, tablets) and smaller, emerging displays for VR/AR/MR and smartwatches using megapixel integrated silicon chips. Aledia is working with several large industrial partners to develop next-generation displays. It intends to use recently raised funds to accelerate technology development and acquire critical equipment. The company is led by CEO, chairman and co-founder Giorgio Anania and has subsidiaries in the US, Taiwan and Malaysia. Aledia develops and manufactures next‑generation 3D LEDs using a Gallium‑Nitride‑on‑Silicon (nanowire) platform. Its LEDs are produced on large‑diameter silicon wafers (200mm/8-inch) and are designed to be significantly less expensive than traditional 2D LEDs. The technology allows integration of electronics into the LED and the company is also working on next‑generation displays. Aledia has been advancing development and customer traction, signing development and supply contracts with major LED buyers. The company highlights automotive as a key market opportunity and cites a recently completed oversubscribed financing to accelerate development. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article. Aledia develops and manufactures innovative LEDs based on a 3D architecture using gallium-nitride (GaN) microwires grown on silicon. Its GaN-on-silicon microwire technology is produced on standard 8-inch (200 mm) silicon wafers using existing CMOS wafer-fabrication processes and tools. This approach enables LED chip production at a cost four times less than traditional planar (2D) LEDs. The technology was developed over six years at LETI-CEA in Grenoble, and as part of the spin-out Aledia received exclusive worldwide rights to current and future CEA patents on microwire lighting technology. The company was co-founded in 2011 by Giorgio Anania (President & CEO), Xavier Hugon (COO) and Philippe Gilet (CTO), and is based in Grenoble, France. Aledia completed its first financing, raising €10m from Sofinnova Partners, Braemar Energy Ventures, Demeter Partners and CEA Investissement; the article does not disclose operating metrics or planned use of proceeds.

No current team members are available.