€141 million invested in French and international SMEs and startups in H1 2024
Annual investment target of €300 million confirmed
Paris, France, July 18, 2024 – Otium, a long-term investment holding company and the preferred partner for entrepreneurs, today announced that it has invested €141 million in the first half of 2024, confirming its position as a key player in the French innovation ecosystem.
This level of investment is the highest for a first half-year since the launch of Otium in 2009. These funds were deployed in attractive, high-growth sectors, including technology, industry, leisure, healthcare, hospitality and real estate, as well as consumer goods. Over this period, Otium facilitated Alfeor’s first four acquisitions, four acquisitions executed by Comet Software and Otium Leisure’s acquisition of KOEZIO France. In addition, it reinvested in Kids Empire, Caats, Sixty Sixty, VSORA, Jimmy, BeFC Bioenzymatic Fuel Cells and e-peas. Otium also backed investments in Venture Tech through the Resonance and FEBE Ventures funds and supported the launch of new projects such as Master Camp, Ensol and Wondergifts Group.
Otium will continue to remain active in these sectors during the second half of 2024 and is targeting €300 million in investments for the full year. As announced in June 2024, Otium benefits from a new bank syndication of €250 million as well as a new structure designed to reinforce its rhythm and agility in its investments, all the while maintaining a strategic alignment alongside entrepreneurs.
This performance enabled Otium to increase its support to Fonds du Bien Commun to pursue its impact initiatives with a record contribution of €30 million.
In its next phase of growth, Otium aims to position itself as a leading investment platform in France and Europe across key industries, with the ambition of reaching €5 billion in net assets under management by 2030.
François Durvye, Chief Executive Officer of Otium, commented: “These investment levels reflect not only our commitment to French startups and SMEs but also our ability to identify investment opportunities in key sectors. With our network of partners and our financial strength, we can maintain a sustained investment activity and provide ongoing operational and strategic support to our entrepreneurs. We continue to pursue our strategy to position Otium as a leading investment platform.”
Otium is a long-term investment holding company founded in 2009 by Pierre Edouard Sterin. With €1.5 billion in assets under management as of April 30, 2024, spread across more than 100 investments – including the Smartbox group and stakes in French unicorns PayFit and Owkin – Otium invests amounts ranging from a few hundred thousand euros to several tens of millions of euros. Companies are funded at every stage of their development, from seed funding to growth capital, and Otium takes either majority or minority stakes with no holding period constraints. Otium pursues a diversification strategy by financing projects in tech, industrials, leisure, healthcare, hospitality and real estate. Otium invested €190 million in 2023.
As a community-engaged actor, Otium contributes to supporting the Fonds du Bien Commun, a philanthropic organization that partners with social and associative entrepreneurs working to build tomorrow’s society.
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