Sifted today launches the Sifted 100: France and Southern Europe 2025 leaderboard, spotlighting the region’s 100 fastest-growing startups, ranked by revenue growth over the past three years.
In total, 704 investors backed startups in the 2025 cohort. Paris-based Kima Ventures tops the list of private investors, with stakes in 16 of the 100 startups. On the public investor side, France’s Bpifrance and Italy’s CDP Venture Capital lead the charge, backing 13 and seven companies respectively.
French investors dominate, with six of the top 10 places This reflects the composition of the list itself: 44% of startups hail from France, with seven of the top 10 headquartered there.
The average total funding raised by this year’s cohort is €34.6m — a 14% jump from 2024. Nearly half (45.3%) of this year’s most active investors also backed companies in last year’s ranking.
Investors are ranked first by the number of portfolio companies that feature in this year’s cohort, followed by the average two-year revenue CAGR of those startups. The full investor ranking is available to Pro subscribers here.
Top France & Southern Europe leaderboard investors
1/ Kima Ventures
HQ: France
2025 count: 16 (+6 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 154.92%
Companies: Folk (#3), Reflect (#13), Flitter (#25), Onepilot (#32), Barkibu (#33), Jump (#37), Swile (#44), Pono Technologies (#49), OneFlash (#51), Aria (#52), Tomorro (#54), Kiro (#55), Dalma (#64), Ukio (#66), Matera (#93), La Fourche (#99)
2024 rank: 2
Backed by French billionaire Xavier Niel, the Paris-based firm is one of Europe’s most active investors, typically writing 150–200 cheques a year.
2/ Bpifrance
HQ: France
2025 count: 13 (-3 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 156.58%
Companies: Electra (#1), Dfns (#19), Sharelock (#29), Kovalee (#30), Swile (#44), Kiro (#55), Dalma (#64), Sekoia.io (#71), WhiteLab Genomics (#75), ChapsVision (#80), GitGuardian (#85), Matera (#93), Elicit Plant (#100)
2024 rank: 1
France’s state-backed investment bank backs startups from seed to pre-IPO and was the most active public investor in Q1 2025. Notable investments include its participation in the €304m Series B of electric charging company Electra, this year’s fastest-growing startup in the region.
3/ CDP Venture Capital
HQ: Italy
2025 count: 7 (same as 2024)
Average company CAGR: 122.19%
Companies: Toduba (#17), Unobravo (#27), Multiverse Computing (#56), Up2You (#62), Faba (#67), Viceversa (#70), Soplaya (#96)
2024 rank: 5
Italy’s state-backed VC arm channels public and private capital into early- and growth-stage tech companies across Italy, with a focus on strategic sectors like climate tech, fintech and deeptech.
4/ Breega
HQ: France
2025 count: 6 (+1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 135.73%
Companies: Sharelock (#29), Kovalee (#30), Jump (#37), Coverflex (#46), Dalma (#64), Ukio (#66)
2024 rank: 10
Paris-born Breega, which launched in 2015, boasts a team made up of former entrepreneurs and operators, and invests from pre-seed to Series A.
5/ Azimut Group
HQ: Italy
2025 count: 6 (-1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 100.07%
Companies: Smartness (#41), Tuidi (#48), Up2You (#62), BizAway (#69), Viceversa (#70), Soplaya (#96)
2024 rank: 4
A pioneer in alternative asset management, Italy’s Azimut Group has built a global presence across more than 20 countries, managing €89bn in assets. The firm invests in startups through its venture arm, Azimut Digitech Fund.
6/ Global Founders Capital
HQ: Germany
2025 count: 5 (+2 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 265.71%
Companies: Rever (#2), Upway (#23), Flitter (#25), Onepilot (#32), Dalma (#64)
2024 rank: 27
Global Founders Capital is the evergreen VC arm of Rocket Internet. The firm backs companies from seed to growth, often writing first cheques at the ideation stage. Its portfolio includes giants like Facebook, LinkedIn and Zalando. Among its recent bets is a €7.5m seed round in Barcelona-based e-commerce site Rever, this year’s second fastest-growing startup in the region.
7/ Mundi Ventures
HQ: Spain
2025 count: 5 (+1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 263.09%
Companies: Rever (#2), NEAT Protect (#8), Barkibu (#33), BizAway (#69), Descartes Underwriting (#74)
2024 rank: 17
Madrid-based Mundi Ventures has carved out a niche as a go-to VC for insurtech startups. Founded in 2015, the firm operates with a global outlook — investing from seed to Series B — and often bridges the gap between corporates and startups through its strong LP base of insurance companies.
8/ Eurazeo
HQ: France
2025 count: 5 (-1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 215.34%
Companies: Electra (#1), Swile (#44), Stockly (#58), Descartes Underwriting (#74), GitGuardian (#85)
2024 rank: 8
One of Europe’s most active investment firms, Paris-based Eurazeo plays across the full startup lifecycle — from seed to growth — and has proved it by backing Electra first with a €15m seed round and then participating in its €304m Series B raise last year. With over €35bn in assets under management, Eurazeo remains an active force in sectors like climate tech, fintech and consumer.
9/ Partech
HQ: France
2025 count: 5 (same as 2024)
Average company CAGR: 142.34%
Companies: Shakers (#18), Exein (#22), Smartness (#41), Ukio (#66), Weglot (#91)
2024 rank: 11
With €2.5bn in assets under management and offices across Berlin, Dakar and San Francisco, the firm aims to bring some Silicon Valley-scale ambition to European startups. Its portfolio reads like a who’s who of European tech success stories, including investments in Made.com (IPO) and Alan (Europe’s first digital health unicorn).
10/ Founders Future
HQ: France
2025 count: 5 (-2 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 141.98%
Companies: Neat Protect (#8), Omi (#50), Tomorro (#54), Stockly (#58), La Fourche (#99),
2024 rank: 3
Paris-based Founders Future is an entrepreneur-led VC firm with a strong consumer and fintech tilt. Launched in 2018 by Marc Ménasé, the firm focuses on early-stage startups.
11/ Plug and Play
HQ: US
2025 count: 5 (same as 2024)
Average company CAGR: 136.21%
Companies: Hubcycle (#15), Payflow (#24), Stockly (#58), Fairly Made (#63), InSilicoTrials Technologies Spa (#89)
2024 rank: 14
The Silicon Valley-born accelerator and VC appears on both the DACH & CEE and UK & Ireland leaderboards as one of the most active investors this year, underlining its strong footprint across the continent. Its portfolio includes early bets on PayPal, Dropbox and N26, as well as recent European standouts like French AI unicorn Mistral.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/investors-backing-france-southern-europe-leaderboard-startups/
