French public investment bank Bpifrance is calling on the general population to support efforts to increase defence spending and back 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 capital will be repaid as new investors join the fund.
The fund targets investments of up to €30 million in innovative dual-use technologies and already includes a portfolio of around a dozen start-ups and scale-ups.
In addition, the new fund will support other Bpifrance-managed initiatives such as Definvest, which primarily invests in SMEs focused on military equipment.
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-funding/dual-use/france-invites-citizens-invest-defence-tech
