IRD INVEST

What IRD INVEST does

IRD Invest is the private equity and venture capital arm of Groupe IRD, an AMF-regulated portfolio management company (authorization n°17000017) headquartered in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France. Founded in 1990, the firm invests equity tickets ranging from €50K to €12M into startups, SMEs, and mid-sized companies (ETIs) primarily in Hauts-de-France and neighboring French regions. It deploys capital through four complementary fund vehicles: Nord Création (seed and business takeovers, €50K–€600K, 67 portfolio companies), Nord Croissance (SME development, €300K–€1M, 42 portfolio companies), IRD Entrepreneurs 1 & 2 (growth stage, €1M–€4M, ~€20M combined fund size, 11 portfolio companies), and FE2T (development and capital transmission, €5M–€12M, €80M fund size created in 2021, 8 portfolio companies). Cumulative track record covers 1,076+ companies supported since 1991, with 120 active portfolio participations representing €2.6B of combined revenue and 14,750 employees, and 25 operations completed in 2024.

The firm is embedded in the broader Groupe IRD ecosystem alongside IRD M&A (sell-side advisory), IRD Solutions — which houses the RSE Inside ESG architect service and the COBOOST project accelerator — and the Campus Entreprises & Cités in Marcq-en-Barœul. IRD Invest earns revenue through management fees on assets under management and carried interest on exits, with a deliberate co-investment model alongside Bpifrance, Finorpa, SOCADIF, Unigrains, UI Investissement, idiCo, and other regional and sectoral funds. RSE (Corporate Social Responsibility) is integrated as a core investment criterion, supported by the RSE Inside service. Go-to-market is relationship-driven, relying on a 30-year-old territorial network, entrepreneur-committee members, an expert network, and inbound deal submission through the firm website. Distribution is exclusively professional, restricted to French residents qualifying as professional investors.

Name

IRD INVEST

Legal name

Groupe IRD

Website

https://ird-invest.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IRD Invest is the AMF-regulated private equity arm of Groupe IRD, deploying €50K–€12M equity tickets through four funds (Nord Création, Nord Croissance, IRD Entrepreneurs, FE2T) into startups, SMEs, and ETIs in Hauts-de-France and neighboring French regions, supported by an in-house M&A and operating-partner ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity and Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

Keywords

• Private equity investment
• Venture capital funding
• SME development capital
• Growth capital investment
• Regional investment funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Marcq-en-baroeul

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Capital gains from portfolio exits: IRD Invest generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies, realizing capital gains upon exit events including LBOs, sales, and strategic transactions. Investment tickets range from 100K€ to 12M€ across four fund vehicles.
2. Management fees and carried interest: As a portfolio management firm, IRD Invest earns management fees on assets under management and participates in investment profits through carried interest arrangements with fund limited partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IRD INVEST is a regional private equity and venture capital firm that invests in startups, SMEs, and ETIs (mid-sized companies) primarily in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The firm deploys capital through four complementary SCR fund vehicles covering all maturity stages: Nord Création (seed/early-stage, €50K-€600K), Nord Croissance (SME development, €300K-€1M), IRD Entrepreneurs 1 & 2 (growth, €1M-€4M), and FE2T (large transactions, €5M-€12M). The firm combines capital investment with strategic governance support, operating partner accompaniment, and access to the broader Groupe IRD ecosystem including M&A advisory, RSE Inside sustainability consulting, and COBOOST project acceleration.

Product overview

IRD INVEST operates as a capital investment firm offering a portfolio of four complementary investment fund vehicles targeting companies at different stages of development: Nord Création (startup/TPE, 50K€-600K€ tickets), Nord Croissance (PME/PMI, 300K€-1M€ tickets), IRD Entrepreneurs 1 & 2 (10-20M€ CA companies, 1M€-4M€ tickets), and FE2T (companies with CA >20M€, 5M€-12M€ tickets). The firm also provides advisory services including COBOOST (project accelerator) and RSE Inside (sustainability consulting) to support portfolio companies in their growth and transformation journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nord Création: Investment fund dedicated to startups and business creation in Hauts-de-France with tickets of €50K to €600K. Created in 1990.
• Nord Croissance
• IRD Entrepreneurs 1 & 2
• FE2T

Products and services

• Nord Création Venture capital SCR fund dedicated to startups, TPE companies, and business takeovers in the Hauts-de-France region, with investment tickets ranging from €50K to €600K. Created in 1990, supporting business creation and first development phases.
• Nord Croissance Development capital SCR fund serving PME/PMI companies with revenues typically below €10M, with minority investment tickets between €300K and €1M. Over 25 years of experience supporting regional SME development.
• IRD Entrepreneurs 1 & 2 €20M entrepreneur fund targeting companies with revenues typically between €10-20M, with minority investment tickets from €1M to €4M for capital development and transmission operations. Focuses on industry, ESN, health, agribusiness, and service/distribution sectors.
• FE2T (Fonds d'Entrepreneurs de Transformation) €80M territorial transformation fund (Fonds d'Entrepreneurs de Transformation) created in 2021 for companies with revenues typically above €20M. Offers minority or majority equity and quasi-equity tickets from €5M to €12M for development and transmission capital operations, with an integrated operating partner accompaniment model.
• COBOOST Project accelerator service part of IRD Solutions (within Groupe IRD ecosystem) that scans, co-constructs, and monitors action plans with portfolio companies to support their growth and transformation.
• RSE Inside RSE (Corporate Social Responsibility) architect service part of IRD Solutions (within Groupe IRD ecosystem) designed to help portfolio companies integrate sustainable and responsible practices into their operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,076+ companies supported since 1991
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Groupe IRD (parent company)coreOthersIRD Invest is part of Groupe IRD, which includes IRD M&A (M&A advisory), IRD Solutions (including RSE Inside and COBOOST accelerator), and Campus Entreprises & Cités. The group provides integrated support including strategic consulting, operational accompaniment, and ecosystem services.
• COBOOSTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject accelerator that scans, co-constructs, and follows action plans with portfolio companies. Part of IRD Solutions within Groupe IRD ecosystem. COBOOST provides operational acceleration services to IRD Invest portfolio companies.
• Entreprises et Cités (Campus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRD Invest is situated at the heart of Campus Entreprises & Cités, an entrepreneurial campus offering varied services to entrepreneurs, companies, and their employees. The campus fosters economic transformation addressing environmental, social, and societal challenges.
• Groupe IRD - IRD M&AcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIRD M&A provides sell-side advisory services to business transferors. In the DECADE transaction, IRD M&A acted as seller advisor (Jean-Yves Pettenati, Matthieu Debosque), demonstrating integrated group service delivery.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: France's national public investment bank; the dominant regional co-investor alongside IRD (joint deals in ARCHIMED, Maison Kaviari, Staphyt, Group Revolt). Provides the public-fund counterweight to IRD's private capital and represents both a partner and a competitive threat.
• Unigrains: French sector specialist PE firm focused on agribusiness and food; lead investor alongside IRD in Staphyt. Comparable in size, AUM, and ticket range, but specialized in agri-food versus IRD's generalist regional approach.

Direct peers

• UI Investissement: Independent French regional PE firm with similar ticket sizes and sector mix, also serving SMEs/ETIs in northern France. Co-investor with IRD in Maison Kaviari (MBO) and Mon Spécialiste Auto, making it a directly comparable regional competitor.
• Nord Capital Partenaires: Hauts-de-France and Grand-Est regional PE/VC firm managing the ReBoost, Nord France Amorçage, and other funds. Recurring co-investor with IRD (e.g., PRIMAGROUP/ETIGO, DiagRAMS Technologies) targeting similar SME/seed profiles.
• Capital Croissance: French independent PE firm specialized in growth capital for SMEs and ETIs with revenues of €10M–€100M, with a multi-regional fund structure mirroring IRD's Nord Croissance and IRD Entrepreneurs strategy.
• Siparex: Largest independent French regional PE/VC group, managing multiple regional funds across France with similar SME/LBO and venture profiles. Closest national-scale analog to IRD's multi-regional-fund platform model.
• Finorpa Gestion: Regional PE firm also based in Hauts-de-France/Nord-Pas-de-Calais, focused on SME development and business transmissions. Direct co-investment partner of IRD Invest (jointly invested €1M in DECADE), making it the closest like-for-like peer in the same geography and ticket range.
• SOCADIF: Independent French regional PE/VC firm (subsidiary of Caisse d'Épargne Hauts-de-France), directly competing for the same deal flow as IRD in Hauts-de-France. Recurring co-investment partner (3 deals together in Groupe CLICAR) and structurally adjacent investor.

Regional players

• Caisse d'Epargne Hauts-de-France Capital Investissement: Regional corporate venture/private equity vehicle of Caisse d'Épargne Hauts-de-France. Indirect co-investor with IRD (Sopac Medical LBO) and a potential competitor for the same Hauts-de-France SMEs.

Others

• idiCo (Eurazeo): Part of the Eurazeo group, idiCo is a French mid-market PE investor active in family/MBO transactions. Co-investor with IRD in Maison Kaviari MBO; competes for the upper end of IRD Entrepreneurs / FE2T's ticket range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groupeird
• YouTubeyoutube.com/hashtag/lesp%C3%A9pitesird
• Facebookfr-fr.facebook.com/GroupeIRD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ird-invest

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments8 records

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

Frequently asked questions about IRD INVEST