French public investment bank Bpifrance is calling on the general population to help increase defence spending and support innovative start-ups, following the launch of a specialised defence fund on October 14.
The Bpifrance Défense fund aims to raise €450 million and will begin investing immediately thanks to a €300 million seed investment from Bpifrance. This initial amount will be repaid as new investors sign up.
The fund focuses on investing tickets of up to €30 million in innovative dual-use technologies. It already includes a portfolio of a dozen start-ups and scale-ups.
In addition, the new fund will support other funds managed by Bpifrance, such as Definvest, which primarily invests in SMEs within the military equipment sector.
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-funding/dual-use/france-invites-citizens-invest-defence-tech