For many, the future starts tomorrow.
For us, it starts with you.
We fund history in the making,
Bridging the gap between your vision
And a lasting global reality.
When it comes to ideas, the bigger the better.
If you are ahead of your time, you are right on time.
At IRIS, we know good tech when we see it.
So, you focus on changing the world,
And we’ll take care of how the world sees you.
From seed to scale and beyond,
We’re on your side and by your side
Every step of the way.
WHAT DOES VENTURE CAPITAL AND GROWTH INVESTING MEANS?
Venture capital is a type of investment that provides financing to start-ups and early-stage companies to help them grow, create jobs, and drive innovation. Growth investment refers to investments dedicated to tech companies that are going through periods of expansion and rapid growth, characterized by increased revenue, expanding operations, and a focus on scaling the business. The goal of the growth stage is, generally speaking, to position the company for a later exit, such as an IPO or acquisition.
WHAT KINDS OF COMPANIES DOES IRIS INVEST IN?
IRIS investors proactively look for companies with the potential to be industry disrupters and leaders, regionally and internationally. We invest in experienced teams, cutting edge technologies, high-growth markets, and viable and sustainable business models. We invest at different stages, from the effective start of revenue generation and the seed stage to growth capital for profitable companies.
WHAT INDUSTRIES DO WE TARGET?
We are interested in fast-growing tech start-ups and companies that are reshaping entire industries such as Enterprise technology and cloud, Industry 4.0 and Supply chain, Fintech and Insurtech, Ecommerce and Sustainability. We look for entrepreneurs who know their industry and can make an impact on it with their tech.
WHERE DOES IRIS INVEST?
IRIS mostly invests in Europe with a special focus and expertise in Germany and France where most of our past and active investments were founded. We have invested across 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia.
The IRIS team has offices in Paris, Berlin, and Munich, where we have built a dedicated network of local experts and industry leaders that are key to our portfolio companies’ development.
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL LENGTH OF INVESTMENTS?
We are long-term investors creating value through the growth of our investee companies. We usually remain invested in companies for four to five years—more if needed and less if there’s a great opportunity for the company. However, we are always willing to consider and accommodate specific situations, taking into consideration the M&A and IPO market cycles.
IS IRIS AN ACTIVE SHAREHOLDER?
We like to consider ourselves as proactive but not "hands-on” investors. We finance entrepreneurs, we don't hack their story.When we invest, we bring capital, but we also bring know-how and a network to help companies grow locally and beyond.Our partners are industry experts, trade associations, and potential partners who all speak the same language as the entrepreneurs we support. Our decades-long history allows us to better manage most situations, as we've likely faced them already. We rely on a solid international network of entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate and industrial partners, including a great number of companies we have invested in over the years.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL INVESTMENT SIZE?
We invest between 1M and 30M euros per company, from seed and early-stage to late-stage capital and growth.
DOES IRIS ALWAYS LEAD THE INVESTMENT ROUND?
In Venture, we act as a lead or co-lead investor. In Growth, we either lead or closely follow the lead investor. We invest in companies to help them grow beyond their current business situation, investing funds and time.
DOES IRIS TAKE BOARD SEATS?
As we strive to participate in the strategic decision-making process within the companies we invest in, we usually sit on the company’s board, which puts us in a better position to share our international experience.
WHO SHOULD I CONTACT?
If you have a project for us, send it through our submission page so it can be distributed to the right investor at IRIS. We will get back to you directly. If you want to apply for our internship program, you’ll find the application form at the bottom of the same page.
OUR COMMITMENTS
Our mission is to identify, fund, and support the greatest tech entrepreneurs. We provide them with the means to grow their companies beyond their current scale and set up a long-term vision that includes sustainable product design and a fair team and partners management.
As responsible investors, we also believe that we should lead by example, applying, testing, and using what we advise or ask of our entrepreneurs ourselves. To do so, we adapted our structure, governance, and KPIs to make sure we practice what we preach.
We maintain that individual and public commitments leveraged through public initiatives are necessary to build and hold a sustainability trajectory. This is why we signed and committed to several local and global initiatives that encourage our tech and investment ecosystem to go beyond what is legally required of them.
Finally, we commit to provide support, guidance, and reporting tools to our portfolio companies and partners. We stand by our entrepreneurs and it is our mission to help them build and nurture sustainability strategies by giving them access to our extended network, ESG focused material, workshops, and experts that will help them better address social, governance, and environmental topics.