Series A funding round of 12 M€ for Aive. The Montpellier-based company, which has developed a platform for automating video post-production using artificial intelligence, is just one of many! Once again, in 2025, many innovative companies in Montpellier successfully raised funds.
Some of the latest ones included SeqOne (20 M€), Enrise (8 M€,), PredictCan (5 M€), Load Stations (4.5 M€), NFL Biosciences (3 M€), Venturo Biotech (3 M€), Dolinnov (1.6 M€), Kelkun (900,000 €), as well as Reeflect. All of these follow a long series of fundraising successes at the beginning of the year, notably (42,9 M€) and Terratis (1.5 M€).
2025 is therefore clearly on a similar trajectory as 2024. In that year, Sensorion raised €51 million and CILcare raised €40 million.
These impressive operations demonstrate a defining characteristic of Montpellier, where a culture of innovation and assistance for innovative businesses has been entrenched since 1987, when Montpellier Business Innovation Centre (BIC) was founded. This was one of Europe's very first public incubators for innovative businesses and is still ranked among the world’s top incubators (UBI Global).
Many companies that secure funding have graduated from the Montpellier BIC incubator. This includes companies such as CILcare, Medincell, Sim&Cure, Aive, Load Stations, SeqOne, along with La Picorée (which raised 460,000 € in 2025), just to name a few.
For the past 22 years, Montpellier BIC has organized the annual Montpellier Capital Risque venture capital event, a reference for capital investment designed to enable investors to identify promising companies selected for their growth potential, the uniqueness of their offering, or their innovative vision.
As part of Montpellier Capital Risque, Montpellier BIC selects around 20 companies to support and prepares them specifically to maximize their chances of success. As a result, many startups went on to raise funds following their participation in the event. In addition to SeqOne – which made the strategic acquisition of Congenica, the UK's leading genomics company, in 2025 – other companies include Bulane, Kaliop, Magic Pallet, Matooma, Mon Chasseur Immo, and Teads. Another participant, Breedge, was ranked by Challenges magazine in its list of 100 startups to invest in by 2025, alongside two other Montpellier-based companies: AI Stroke and Opale.
Montpellier BIC actively contributes to the creation and development of Montpellier's tech champions in the fields of digital technology, the environment, future energy sources, sustainable agriculture, Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), and health. Other examples are REGEnLIFE, selected as a finalist for the 2025 Prix Galien USA, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in medical research, in the Best Startup category; and DiappyMed, selected for the official shortlist of the 2025 Prix Galien France in the MedTech & Digital Solutions category.
The involvement of the academic world —universities, schools, and research laboratories — and the Montpellier CHU University Hospital, which now has its own innovation extractor, amplifies this dynamic by stimulating innovation and working in synergy with all public and private stakeholders in the local area.
The presence of MedVallée, a unifying strategy whose objective is to create a global center of excellence in One Health, is a perfect example of this. Its Boost Invest MedVallée program is helping to accelerate the number of successful local fundraising campaigns. AI Stroke and Greenphage, also supported by the Montpellier BIC, are two companies that have benefited from this program. They raised $4.6 million and €1.9 million respectively in 2025.
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Raising capital: a financing tool for startups
Unlike bank loans, raising capital enables startups to finance the development of their innovations over a long period of time during which they do not generate any revenue. It makes it possible to raise more money, as investors become shareholders with the goal of earning a return when they sell their shares, or even in the form of potential dividends. Raising capital is therefore the ideal financing tool for innovative companies when they are poised for strong growth and have strong market potential.
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On top of this, companies in the area can obtain financing through the France 2030 programs. Mabqi obtained €5 million in funding as part of the “Innovations in Biotherapies and Bioproduction” call for projects, while Phost'In obtained €3.2 million in funding from the i-demo call for projects.
After raising €2 million to transform the production of personalized medicines, MB Therapeutics was selected as a winner in the France 2030 call for projects to accelerate innovation in healthcare. The company received €500,000 in funding. Following in the footsteps of INITS and supported by €1 million in FEDER funding, Ciloa, which had also participated in the Boost Invest MedVallée program in 2025, obtained €6.5 million from France 2030 to revolutionize the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Last but not least, in another major financing deal, Apex Énergies secured €350 million at the beginning of the year to help speed up the energy transition.
Montpellier’s innovative companies are truly champions at raising funds!
