Sowefund

What Sowefund does

Sowefund is a Paris-based equity crowdfunding platform operating under French SAS structure (SOWEFUND SAS), founded in 2014 to enable retail investors to co-invest at identical terms alongside professional venture capital funds, business angels, and institutional investors in French tech and impact startups. The platform is regulated as a Prestataire de Services de Financement Participatif (PSFP) with the AMF under registration number FP-2023-9 and is registered as a payment services agent with ACPR (identifier 73490) for payment service provider Lemon Way. Over 10 years, Sowefund has built a registered community of 160,000+ investors and facilitated more than EUR 120 million in capital across 140+ funding rounds for 120+ companies spanning e-commerce, fintech, energy, mobility, healthtech, foodtech, industrial, hospitality, and carbon capture.

The core product is a web-based equity crowdfunding platform at sowefund.com that handles the full investment lifecycle: KYC verification, electronic signature (via Universign/Cryptolog), payment processing (via Lemon Way), legal structuring through holding companies, shareholder agreement negotiation, and ongoing investor reporting. Sowefund claims to select only 1% of deals reviewed, with due diligence performed by an internal Entrepreneur Success team. The Smart Allocation sub-brand extends the platform to wealth management advisors (Conseillers en Gestion de Patrimoine), enabling B2B2C distribution to high-net-worth clients. Notable funded companies include Mon Petit Placement (EUR 4.2M in 24 hours with 2,700 investors), Campsider (EUR 2.5M with 600 investors), Ekwateur (EUR 2.3M across two campaigns, later EUR 30M exit producing x2.15 returns for early Sowefund investors), Anodine (EUR 2.5M seed led by Sowefund), and Ascendance Flight Technologies (EUR 13.2M Series A currently raising).

Sowefund's revenue model is multi-layered and transaction-driven: investor entry fees (1-5% via holding, 5% direct), follow-up fees (5% of total investment over holding period), holding operating fees (2%), carried interest (19.5% of exit proceeds post-return-of-capital via subsidiary SWF PARTNERS SAS), company listing fees (EUR 15K-20K), company success commissions (up to 9% of amounts raised), and recurring annual holding administration (EUR 2,500/year + EUR 5/investor/year, minimum EUR 5,000). Distribution relies on self-serve platform access, the Smart Allocation CGP channel, and PR-driven marketing (Maddyness, French Tech Journal, Fundtruck events). The company has raised approximately USD 1.66 million across two funding rounds in 2014 and 2016, and acquired competitor SmartAngels.fr in January 2020.

Name

Sowefund

Legal name

SOWEFUND SAS

Website

https://sowefund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sowefund is a Paris-based, AMF-regulated equity crowdfunding platform enabling 160,000+ retail investors to co-invest alongside professional VCs and business angels in French tech and impact startups, having facilitated EUR 120M+ across 140+ rounds since 2014.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equity Crowdfunding Platform

NAICS

Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investment & Development Investment Funds (BPADACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Equity crowdfunding
• Private equity investment
• Startup fundraising platform
• Co-investment platform
• Venture capital access

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investor Entry Fees: Fees charged to investors upon subscription, ranging from 1% to 5% of the investment amount (via holding) or 5% (direct investment), covering payment partner Lemonway services and pre-closing services.
2. Investor Follow-up Fees: 5% of total investment amount charged for participation follow-up, reporting production, and exit process management during the holding period.
3. Holding Operating Fees: 2% of investment amount deducted for holding company operating costs including lawyers, evaluators, domain experts, banking, and accounting fees.
4. Carried Interest: 19.5% of exit proceeds (carried interest) allocated to Sowefund via SWF PARTNERS SAS, paid after investors receive their initial capital back.
5. Company Listing Fees: One-time listing fees of EUR 15,000 to 20,000 depending on the type of fundraising, charged to target companies for platform publication services.
6. Company Success Commission: Commission up to 9% of amounts raised from successful campaigns, billed as a fixed fee HT to the target company for high-value advisory services.
7. Annual Holding Administration: Annual fees of EUR 2,500 for holding administration plus EUR 5 per investor per year (minimum total EUR 5,000) for investor relationship management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sowefund operates a regulated equity crowdfunding platform that enables retail investors to co-invest alongside professional investors (VCs, business angels, and institutional funds) in rigorously selected French tech and impact startups. The platform supports both holding-based and direct investment structures with tax-advantaged wrappers (IR-JEIR, PEA-PME, 150-0 B Ter) and charges transaction-based fees to investors plus listing and success commissions to fundraising companies.

Product overview

Sowefund operates a unified equity crowdfunding platform enabling co-investment in French tech and impact startups. The core offering is the web-based investment platform at sowefund.com, which connects entrepreneurs raising capital with retail and professional investors through curated funding campaigns. The Smart Allocation sub-brand provides wealth management professionals (CGP) with tools to allocate client portfolios into private equity. The platform also offers community engagement features for companies to build shareholder communities, investor relations management, and access to tax-advantaged investment vehicles (IR, JEI, PEA-PME, 150-0 B Ter).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Crowdfunding Platform Web-based equity crowdfunding platform enabling retail investors to co-invest in French tech and impact startups alongside professional investors (VCs, business angels, institutional funds), with KYC verification, electronic signatures, and payment processing via Lemon Way. Supports holding-based and direct investment structures with tax-advantaged wrappers (IR-JEIR, PEA-PME, 150-0 B Ter).
• Smart Allocation

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 120M+ raised for 120+ companies over 10 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Lemon WaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment service provider enabling secure fund collection and distribution. Sowefund is registered as payment services agent (PSFP) for Lemon Way (ACPR registered, No. 16568). Lemon Way processes KYC verification and financial flows for platform transactions.
• Cryptolog / UniversigncoreTechnology or IntegrationElectronic signature service for processing legal investment contract documents and investor dossier data collection.
• France AngelsmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerNational federation of business angels; Sowefund is member, providing visibility and network access in French startup ecosystem.
• La French TechmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench government initiative supporting tech ecosystems; Sowefund recognized as approved platform under La French Tech umbrella.
• Finance InnovationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinance Innovation cluster recognizing Sowefund as innovative financial services provider.
• Financement Participatif FrancemoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerNational crowdfunding industry association; Sowefund is member and subject to its code of conduct and mediation framework (MCP Mediation).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anaxago: French equity crowdfunding platform connecting retail investors with startups and real-asset deals. Closest direct competitor to Sowefund in the same PSFP regulatory regime and target investor base.
• Wiseed: Leading French equity crowdfunding platform historically focused on real-estate and startups. Competes with Sowefund for both investor capital and quality French deal flow.
• Companisto: Germany-based equity crowdfunding platform enabling retail co-investment in startups. Comparable business model with European scope, similar tax-advantaged angle and startup-focused origination.
• October (formerly Lendopolis): French online lending and investment platform operating under similar AMF regime. Comparable customer base of retail and CGP-driven investors seeking private-market exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Seedrs / Republic Europe: Major UK-origin equity crowdfunding platform (now part of Republic) offering retail access to private companies across Europe. Operates at greater scale and brand reach than Sowefund.
• Crowdcube: Established UK equity crowdfunding platform with significant European footprint. Competes for cross-border deal flow and brand recognition in the retail private-investor category.
• Wefunder: US equity crowdfunding platform enabling retail investment in startups under Regulation Crowdfunding. Comparable business model and retail-investor onboarding mechanics.
• StartEngine: US-based equity crowdfunding platform with broad sector coverage. Comparable in enabling retail investors to access vetted startup equity offerings online.

Others

• Bpifrance: French public investment bank that co-invests with Sowefund on platform deals. Both an ecosystem partner and a potential competitor as it expands direct retail-investment products.

Regional players

• Koregraf: Spanish equity crowdfunding platform focused on regulated investment opportunities. Comparable model operating in a different European geography under similar EU-style regulation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sowefund
• Facebookfacebook.com/sowefund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sowefund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sowefund