The French venture capital firm Founders Future has announced the opening of 25% of its share capital to MACSF, the Dassault family (Financière Dassault), and CMA CGM Group. This strategic move aims to help Founders Future reach €1 billion in assets under management by 2030 and establish a U.S. office by the end of 2025. Founded in 2018 by Marc Menasé, Founders Future supports over 110 companies and 300 entrepreneurs.
The group has a combined value of €5.5 billion, €950 million in sales revenue, and has created 6,000 jobs. With €300 million in assets under management, Founders Future ranks among the ten most active venture capitalists in Europe. Marc Menasé, founding partner of Founders Future, explained the firm’s vision in an interview.
“We’re creating a company,” Menasé said. “We wrote our roadmap for 2030 and used that opportunity to reopen our capital to achieve our ambitions.”
The addition of MACSF, Dassault, and CMA CGM will enable Founders Future to deploy its platform model through the integration of new investment strategies and expand in the United States.
Opening share capital for U.S. growth
The firm plans to open an office in the U.S. by the end of 2025 and launch a growth fund targeting the American market. Menasé stated, “We want to become a global company with a European arm and an American arm and create a transatlantic bridge. This initiative is primarily for our European portfolio companies to expand into the US market.”
Founders Future aims to start with investment tickets between $5 and $10 million for growth rounds of $50-70 million.
The firm plans to raise up to $250 million for the US-focused growth fund, with potential contributions from existing investors like MACSF, the Dassault family, and CMA CGM Group. The Dassault and Saade families, two of France’s wealthiest dynasties, are acquiring the 25% stake in Founders Future. The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
This investment reflects the families’ diversification into the tech sector, with Rodolphe Saade of CMA CGM actively expanding into media and tech. Founders Future’s strategic move demonstrates its commitment to fostering international growth and facilitating cross-continental investments in the tech sector. The firm aims to introduce American investors to the European entrepreneurial vision and support its portfolio companies in their transatlantic market entry.
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