Finance.Brussels
Finance&invest.brussels is a public investment company majority-owned by the Brussels-Capital Region, providing loans (€5K-€5M), equity participations, guarantees, and crowdfunding to Brussels-based enterprises from micro-entrepreneurs to scale-ups, via its subsidiary Brusoc and regional partner network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Finance.Brussels does
Finance&invest.brussels is a public investment company (société anonyme d'intérêt public) headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, majority-owned by the Brussels-Capital Region (69.63%) with minority shareholders including P&V Assurances, Ethias, BNP Paribas Fortis, Belfius, ING Belgique, and AG Insurance. Founded in 1996 (formerly SRIB, rebranded in 2019), the institution provides a comprehensive suite of financing solutions to Brussels-based enterprises, organized across debt products (Open Up micro-credits €5K-€30K, Rise Up loans up to €100K, Brufin+ co-financing up to €200K, Energy&Reno loans up to €150K, COOP US up to €250K, CITIZ US up to €150K), equity participations (€100K-€5M), guarantee products (Garantie Plus, standard guarantees), mezzanine instruments (convertible notes, subordinated debt), an Economic Transition Fund, and a peer-to-peer crowdfunding platform (Prêt Proxi). Its wholly-owned subsidiary Brusoc specializes in micro-financing for very small enterprises, social enterprises, and cooperatives.
The company operates as a complementary public financier rather than a competitor to commercial banks, acting as a co-investor and catalyst that completes funding rounds and facilitates bank credit access through guarantees. Distribution occurs via a direct website application portal, a dense network of regional partner organizations (Actiris, citydev.brussels, Innoviris, hub.brussels, Beci, 1819 service, GEL), and direct advisory consultations. Capital sourcing combines a regional budget envelope (€250 million), European programs (EIB, EIF, InvestEU enabling over €600 million in SME loans), and institutional shareholder support.
The customer base spans more than 50 named enterprises across hospitality, food and beverage, fintech, mobility, real estate, construction, sustainability, creative industries, and pharmaceuticals. Notable portfolio companies include AI-powered hospitality platform Otamiser (co-invested $2M, generating $2.9M ARR), textile recycling startup Resortecs (€1M), events tech AnyKrowd (€1M), fintech Recovr (€1.1M), legacy brands Delvaux and Sterop, and micro-entrepreneurs funded via Brusoc. Leadership comprises CEO Pierre Hermant, Deputy CEOs Béatrice de Mahieu and Franc Bogovic, CFO Guillaume Lamy, CIO Barbara Roose, and COO Mathilde Levy.
Finance.Brussels firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Finance.Brussels
- Legal name
- finance&invest.brussels s.a.
- Website
- https://finance.brussels
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Finance&invest.brussels is a public investment company majority-owned by the Brussels-Capital Region, providing loans (€5K-€5M), equity participations, guarantees, and crowdfunding to Brussels-based enterprises from micro-entrepreneurs to scale-ups, via its subsidiary Brusoc and regional partner network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Finance.Brussels industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Development Finance / SME Investment Banking
- NAICS
- Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Middle-Market Lending (FSANADAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB), Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)
Keywords
Where Finance.Brussels is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Finance.Brussels business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Debt financing (loans): Provides various loan products including micro-credits (Open Up), growth loans (Rise Up, Brufin+), energy renovation loans (Energy&Reno), cooperative financing (COOP US), social enterprise loans (CITIZ US), convertible notes, subordinated debt, and the Economic Transition Fund. Loans range from €5,000 to €5 million, targeting TPE, startups, scale-ups, and mature SMEs in the Brussels-Capital Region.
- Equity participations: Takes minority equity stakes in startups, scale-ups, and innovative SMEs alongside other shareholders (family, industrial, or financial investors). Investment range of €100,000 to €5 million for the startup/scale-up/PME segment and up to €150,000 for TPE/social enterprises/cooperatives.
- Guarantee products: Provides bank guarantee products (Garantie Plus, standard guarantees) that strengthen collateral required by banks for loan approvals, facilitating access to bank credit for Brussels enterprises. In 2023, guarantees supported €44 million in bank credits.
- Prêt Proxi (crowdfunding): A participatory financing platform enabling individuals to lend savings to finance Brussels-based business activities, with tax advantages for Brussels lenders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Open Up - Micro-credit for independent workers and new entrepreneurs |
| Subscription | Annual | Rise Up - Loan for business creation and development |
| Subscription | Annual | Brufin+ - Co-financing for business growth |
| Subscription | Annual | Energy&Reno - Energy performance loan for small businesses |
| Subscription | Annual | COOP US - Capital/loan for cooperatives |
| Subscription | Annual | CITIZ US - Loan for social enterprises |
| Subscription | Annual | Garantie Plus - Guarantee formula with loan up to €50,000 via bank |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Equity participation for startups, scale-ups, and SMEs |
| Subscription | Annual | Prêt Proxi - Crowdfunding loan for Brussels businesses |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Finance.Brussels product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Finance.Brussels (finance&invest.brussels) is a public regional investment company providing a suite of financing solutions to Brussels-based enterprises. Its offering spans micro-credits and small business loans, co-financing loans, guarantee products facilitating bank credit, minority equity participations in startups and scale-ups, mezzanine instruments (convertible notes, subordinated debt), crowdfunding, and specialized financing for cooperatives and social enterprises. Investment sizes range from €5,000 to €5 million, delivered directly or via its Brusoc subsidiary.
Product overview
Finance&Invest Brussels operates as a public interest company providing a comprehensive suite of financing solutions for Brussels-based businesses. The offering is organized as a multi-product portfolio spanning: (1) Micro-loan products for independents (Open Up: 5,000-30,000€), (2) Small business loans (Rise Up: up to 100,000€; Brufin+: up to 200,000€; Energy&Reno: up to 150,000€), (3) Social economy financing (CITIZ US: up to 150,000€; COOP US: up to 250,000€), (4) Guarantee products (Garantie Plus, Garanties), (5) Equity participation for startups/scale-ups, (6) Alternative lending instruments (convertible notes, subordinated debt, Economic Transition Fund), and (7) The Brusoc subsidiary serving micro-enterprises and cooperatives. All products are delivered directly by Finance&Invest Brussels or through banking partners, with investment ranges from 5,000€ to 5 million€.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Open Up Micro-credit product offering loans of €5,000 to €30,000 for individuals launching as independent professionals in Brussels.
- Rise Up Loan product with a maximum of €100,000 for creating and developing businesses (SC, SRL, SCRL, etc.) in Brussels.
- Brufin+ Co-financing product with a maximum of €200,000 to support business growth in Brussels.
- Energy&Reno Loan product with a maximum of €150,000 to optimize the energy performance of small businesses in Brussels.
- COOP US Capital/loan financing with a maximum of €250,000 for the creation or development of cooperatives in Brussels.
- CITIZ US Loan product with a maximum of €150,000 for social enterprises in Brussels.
- Garantie Plus Guaranteed loan formula with guarantees and loans up to €50,000 introduced through banks, often enabling access to financing that would otherwise be unavailable.
- Garanties (Guarantees) Reinforcement of securities required by banks for obtaining bank credit, requested directly by the bank.
- Prêt Proxi Peer-to-peer lending platform that mobilizes savings from individuals to finance Brussels-based business activities, with tax advantages for Brussels lenders.
- Prises de participation (Equity Participation) Capital investments in startups and scale-ups with investment projects, acting as a minority shareholder alongside other shareholders. Investment range of €100,000 to €5 million for startups, scale-ups and SMEs.
- Prêt convertible (Convertible Loan) Mezzanine-type loan with conversion provisions allowing the outstanding balance to be converted into shares during a determined period.
- Prêt subordonné (Subordinated Loan) The riskiest debt instrument where repayment is subordinated to senior debt typically offered by banks.
- Fonds de Transition Economique (Economic Transition Fund) Loan supporting businesses actively engaged in economic transition, adopting more environmentally friendly business models.
- Brusoc Subsidiary of finance&invest.brussels providing financing solutions for very small enterprises, social enterprises, and cooperatives (investment range: €5,000 to €150,000).
Quantifiable outcome
- €44 million in bank credits facilitated for Brussels enterprises in 2023 through guarantee products
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Finance.Brussels
Customer profileNamed customers51 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Finance.Brussels technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Finance.Brussels partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BrusoccoreBrusoc is the specialized subsidiary of finance&invest.brussels dedicated to financing independent workers, small enterprises, social enterprises, and cooperatives. It offers Open Up micro-credits, Rise Up loans, Brufin+ co-financing, COOP US cooperative financing, CITIZ US social enterprise loans, Garantie Plus, and Prêt Proxi crowdfunding.
- Start it @KBCminorFinance&invest.brussels became a partner of Start it @KBC, the large accelerator program, to support startups in the Brussels ecosystem.
- ActirisminorRegional employment agency of the Brussels-Capital Region, acting as a referral partner that orients job seekers with entrepreneurial ambitions toward finance&invest.brussels financing solutions.
- Citydev.brusselsminorRegional development agency for Brussels that supports economic development projects and refers entrepreneurs to finance&invest.brussels for complementary financing.
- InnovirisminorBrussels Institute for Research and Innovation refers innovative startups and R&D projects to finance&invest.brussels for equity and loan financing.
- Hub.brusselsminorThe regional agency for business support and internationalization refers entrepreneurs seeking financing to finance&invest.brussels and collaborates on supporting Brussels startups and scale-ups.
- Guichets d'Economie Locale (GEL)minorLocal economic contact points across Brussels neighborhoods that provide first-line information and refer entrepreneurs to finance&invest.brussels financing solutions.
- Beci (Brussels Enterprises, Contact & Interaction)minorThe Brussels business association and chamber of commerce serves as a referral partner connecting businesses to finance&invest.brussels financing products.
- 1819 ServiceminorThe primary information service for all entrepreneurs in the Brussels-Capital Region, providing first-line guidance on the Brussels institutional network and directing entrepreneurs to finance&invest.brussels.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Finance.Brussels competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gimv: Belgian-listed private equity and venture capital firm investing in SMEs and scale-ups across Belgium and Europe. Closely comparable equity participation activity in the Belgian mid-market and startup ecosystem.
- PMV (ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen): Flemish regional investment company financing Flemish SMEs and startups via loans, equity, and guarantees. Direct counterpart serving Flanders with a near-identical mandate and product structure to Finance&invest.brussels.
- Wallonie Entreprendre: Walloon regional investment company providing loans, equity, and guarantees to Wallonia-based SMEs. Direct counterpart to Finance&invest.brussels for the French-speaking southern region of Belgium, with the same public-mission mandate.
Broad incumbents
- Sofina: Belgian-listed investment company with diversified equity stakes in growth-stage European companies. Comparable minority equity participation model, though operating at larger ticket sizes and pan-European scale.
- Bpifrance: France's national public investment bank providing financing, guarantees, equity, and innovation support to French SMEs and startups. Operates at vastly larger national scale but shares the same public-mission development finance model as Finance&invest.brussels.
- KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau): German state development bank providing loans, equity, and guarantees to German SMEs. Shares the public-mission mandate and EIB-style capitalization approach with Finance&invest.brussels, though at national scale.
Others
- European Investment Fund (EIF): EU-level fund-of-funds providing counter-guarantees and equity to Belgian regional investment companies including Finance&invest.brussels via InvestEU. Direct upstream capital partner in the same ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Start it @KBC: Belgian startup accelerator affiliated with KBC bank, with which Finance&invest.brussels is a confirmed partner. Provides accelerator services and seed financing to Belgian startups, partially overlapping the startup/scale-up customer segment.
- Sharkbuild / BeAngels: Belgian business angel network investing equity tickets in Belgian startups and scale-ups. Comparable equity participation activity in Brussels-based early-stage companies but with private investor rather than public mandate.
Regional players
- LRM (Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij): Regional investment company for the Belgian province of Limburg providing equity, loans, and real estate development financing. Comparable sub-regional development finance model serving a defined Belgian territory.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Finance.Brussels social profiles
Digital presenceFinance.Brussels financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Finance.Brussels leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Finance.Brussels subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Finance.Brussels funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Finance.Brussels M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments25 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Finance.Brussels
What does Finance.Brussels do?
Finance.Brussels (finance&invest.brussels) is a public regional investment company providing a suite of financing solutions to Brussels-based enterprises. Its offering spans micro-credits and small business loans, co-financing loans, guarantee products facilitating bank credit, minority equity participations in startups and scale-ups, mezzanine instruments (convertible notes, subordinated debt), crowdfunding, and specialized financing for cooperatives and social enterprises. Investment sizes range from €5,000 to €5 million, delivered directly or via its Brusoc subsidiary.
Is Finance.Brussels a public or private company?
Finance.Brussels is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Finance.Brussels founded?
Finance.Brussels was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Finance.Brussels based?
Finance.Brussels is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Finance.Brussels make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Debt financing (loans) is the primary driver. The others are equity participations, guarantee products and prêt Proxi (crowdfunding).
Who are Finance.Brussels's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gimv, PMV (ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen) and Wallonie Entreprendre. Broad incumbents are Sofina, Bpifrance and KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau). European Investment Fund (EIF) is listed as an others. Emerging players are Start it @KBC and Sharkbuild / BeAngels. LRM (Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij) is listed as a regional player.
Does Finance.Brussels have an API?
No public API is recorded for Finance.Brussels.
What industry is Finance.Brussels in?
Finance.Brussels's product category is Regional Development Finance / SME Investment Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANADAI, Middle-Market Lending, with a secondary code of BPAHADAB, Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory. Its NAICS code is 5239 and its SIC code is 6159.