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WiSEED: participatory financing for the bioeconomy

Founded in 2008, WiSEED is the pioneer platform of participatory financing in France. It finances projects in the fields of real estate, food and health, and energy and environmental transitions.

With a community of more than 160,000 members and €260 million invested in more than 600 projects, WiSEED joins the members of the IAR cluster with one objective: to support companies in the bioeconomy.

If the approach is interesting for investors who freely choose the projects in which they wish to invest, it is just as interesting for the companies. “We finance companies in their seed and development phases. Our fundraising ranges from €300,000 to €2 million, in the form of equity or bond loans. We are the only participative financing platform with the status of Investment Service Provider, issued by the ACPR [Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution], which subjects us to a high level of requirement in the control of financial flows. ”

How does it work?

“We identify companies that correspond to our investment policy or we are directly approached by those seeking financing. “In both cases, WiSEED analysts audit the startups or companies to be financed. The whole process usually takes between three and seven months. “During this period, the platform also offers projects maximum visibility within its community and on social networks.

Participatory financing of companies is a complementary offer to that of banks: “We do not intervene at the same moment in the life of a company. We support it in its start-up or development phase, the level of risk is different… But the returns on investment are also more interesting. I should point out that our default rate is around 0.30%. This represents less than 10 projects out of the 600 financed! ”

Having become a mission company in 2020, WiSEED finances innovative, impactful, renewable and positive companies. “WiSEED Transitions has already invested more than €25M, in 76 projects, including several innovative bioeconomy startups!”

Why join the IAR cluster?

As an agricultural engineer who has been working in the bioeconomy sector for the past fifteen years, it was natural for me to suggest that WiSEED Transitions join the IAR cluster, whose dynamism I knew. Indeed, WiSEED has already supported nearly 40 companies in this field, whether it be projects related to bioenergy, green chemistry, food or agricultural practices. The creation of the WiSEED Transitions subsidiary was an opportunity to integrate the IAR cluster and its IAR Invest service, which allows us to be closer to the cluster’s members in search of funding.

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