Sofilaro

What Sofilaro does

Sofilaro (legal name Sofilaro Gestion, also operating as Sofilaro CALEN) is a regional capital investment firm headquartered in Montpellier, France, founded in 1983 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crédit Agricole du Languedoc and Crédit Agricole Sud Méditerranée. The firm operates as an active minority investor serving startups, SMEs, and mid-sized companies (ETIs) across six departments in Southern France — Hérault, Gard, Aude, Lozère, Pyrénées-Orientales, and Ariège — with regional offices in Carcassonne, Montpellier, and Nîmes. Investment tickets range from €300K to €5M, and capital is held over a 5–7 year horizon.

Sofilaro deploys capital through six specialized fund vehicles grouped into four business lines: SOFILARO (Capital Développement et Transmission, €1M–€5M tickets, since 1983) for company growth and ownership-transition scenarios; CALEN (Capital Infrastructures, since 2009, up to €2M per plant or €17M per developer) for renewable energy infrastructure, with a portfolio spanning 1,300 plants and 660 MWc installed capacity; SOFILARO INNOVATION (since 2023, €300K–€2M tickets) for seed and acceleration-stage venture capital; and SOFILARO DETTE PRIVÉE (since 2021, €3M–€5M) for non-dilutive private debt. In 2025, SOFILARO EXPANSION and SOFILARO TRANSITIONS ARIÈGE PYRÉNÉES ORIENTALES were added to extend the platform. Aggregate assets under management reached €350M across 130+ portfolio companies.

Revenue is generated via management fees on AUM and carried interest on exits; figures are not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales: relationship-driven, referral-led, and supported by the Crédit Agricole regional banking network plus partnerships with France Invest, Le Village by CA, La French Tech Méditerranée, Méliès Business Angels, BIC Montpellier, and Créalia Occitanie. Recent disclosed equity participations include DiappyMed (€5M seed, March 2026) and Wheere (€8.5M, June 2026). The firm has been ranked #1 in the CF News minority fund ranking for six consecutive years through 2023.

Name

Sofilaro

Legal name

Sofilaro Gestion

Website

https://sofilaro.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sofilaro is a Montpellier-based regional capital investment firm and wholly-owned Crédit Agricole subsidiary managing €350M across six funds, serving startups, SMEs, and ETIs across six Southern French departments via development, transmission, infrastructure, venture, and private debt investment tickets of €300K–€5M.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity and Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Equipment Financing / Leasing (Venture-backed) (FSANAIAE)

Keywords

• Private equity investment
• Venture capital funds
• Infrastructure financing
• Private debt solutions
• Regional growth capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 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 Investment Management: Sofilaro generates revenue through management fees and carried interest from its investment funds. The firm manages 350M€ in assets under management across 6 funds, investing tickets ranging from 300K€ to 5M€ in development capital, innovation, infrastructure, and private debt instruments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sofilaro is a regional private equity firm that invests minority equity, quasi-equity, and debt capital into startups, SMEs, and mid-sized companies (ETIs) across six departments of Southern France. It operates four specialized fund vehicles covering development and transmission capital, renewable energy infrastructure, venture-stage innovation, and private debt, with investment tickets ranging from €300K to €5M and €350M in total assets under management.

Product overview

Sofilaro Calen is a regional capital investment expert and subsidiary of Crédit Agricole, offering four distinct investment fund products: SOFILARO (Capital Développement et Transmission) for company growth and transmission since 1983, CALEN (Capital Infrastructures) for renewable energy infrastructure since 2009, SOFILARO INNOVATION for venture capital since 2023, and SOFILARO DETTE PRIVEE for private debt since 2021. Together these funds manage €350M in assets across 130+ portfolio companies with investment tickets ranging from €300K to €5M.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CALEN: Fund specializing in renewable energy infrastructure investments
• SOFILARO INNOVATION
• SOFILARO DETTE PRIVEE
• SOFILARO EXPANSION
• SOFILARO TRANSITIONS ARIÈGE PYRÉNÉES ORIENTALES

Products and services

• Capital Développement et Transmission Equity and quasi-equity investment fund for SMEs and mid-sized companies (ETIs) undertaking growth projects, external acquisitions, ownership transfers, management buyouts, and family succession. Tickets range from €1M to €5M with a 5-7 year horizon as an active minority shareholder.
• CALEN Capital Infrastructures Infrastructure fund financing the study, construction, and operation of renewable energy production, storage, ecomobility, energy efficiency, and decarbonation assets. Investment limits of €2M per plant and €17M per developer, with portfolio representing 1,300 plants and 660 MWc installed capacity.
• SOFILARO Innovation Capital Innovation Venture capital fund supporting seed and acceleration stage companies across all sectors, providing equity and quasi-equity investments ranging from €300K to €2M. Targets breakthrough innovation, impact innovation, and technological progress.
• SOFILARO Dette Privée Private debt fund offering alternative financing to traditional banking for companies seeking non-dilutive capital. Provides debt securities and bullet repayment bonds with investment capacity of €3M to €5M, supporting development, external growth, and transmission operations.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• France InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSofilaro is a member of France Invest, the French association of investors for growth, aligning with industry standards and best practices in private equity and venture capital.
• Mélies Business AngelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mélies Business Angels network for co-investment opportunities and deal flow in the regional startup ecosystem.
• Le Village by CAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Le Village by CA accelerator program for startups in the Languedoc region, providing ecosystem connections and deal sourcing.
• Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole / BIC Business & Innovation CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with regional innovation support organizations for startup ecosystem development and deal flow.
• La French TechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with La French Tech Mediterranean for regional tech ecosystem development and visibility.
• Créalia OccitanieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Créalia Occitanie business incubator for early-stage company support and investment pipeline.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDIA Capital Investissement: National PE arm of Crédit Agricole Group, directly comparable to Sofilaro as a Crédit Agricole-affiliated generalist investor offering development, transmission, and innovation capital across France. Sofilaro leverages IDIA as a co-investment partner, making the two structurally aligned peers.
• Unexo: Crédit Agricole-affiliated PE firm operating in western and northern France, providing minority development and transmission capital to SMEs and mid-caps. Mirrors Sofilaro's strategy, geography (mutualist banking), and fund structure, making it a near-direct comparator within the same group network.
• Sofipaca: Crédit Agricole Provence Côte d'Azur's regional PE vehicle, serving SMEs and ETIs in southeastern France with development, transmission, and innovation capital. Operates with a near-identical mandate to Sofilaro's within a neighboring Crédit Agricole regional network.
• Carvest: Crédit Agricole-affiliated PE firm serving the Nord de France region, focusing on minority investments in regional SMEs and ETIs. Closely mirrors Sofilaro's regional-banking-anchored PE model, ticket sizes, and 5–7 year investment horizon.
• Socadif: Crédit Agricole's PE vehicle for the Paris / Île-de-France region, offering development, transmission, and innovation capital to mid-sized companies. Operates within the same Crédit Agricole PE network as Sofilaro, with overlapping investment theses and fund structures.
• GSO Capital: Crédit Agricole Grand Sud-Ouest's regional PE firm, providing minority capital to SMEs and mid-caps in southwestern France. Functionally equivalent to Sofilaro, sharing the Crédit Agricole PE platform, similar ticket sizes, and a regional-bank referral distribution model.
• IRDI Capital Investissement: Independent regional PE firm serving the Occitanie / Toulouse area, with overlapping investment scope (development, transmission, innovation) and similar mid-market ticket sizes. Co-invested alongside Sofilaro in DiappyMed's seed round, evidencing direct partnership.

Broad incumbents

• Capital Export (Bpifrance-backed regional funds network): While Bpifrance is a much larger national institution, its regional funds (e.g., via 'Capital Export' style vehicles) serve the same French regional SME and innovation market as Sofilaro. Useful as a broad incumbent benchmark for French regional PE/VC mechanics.

Emerging players

• Ventech: Early-stage French VC led the DiappyMed seed round alongside Sofilaro. Comparable as a French innovation investor serving seed/Series A tech and healthtech, partially overlapping with SOFILARO INNOVATION's mandate on ticket size and stage.
• AFI Ventures: French VC that co-led the DiappyMed seed alongside Ventech and Sofilaro. Comparable as a French early-stage investor with similar ticket sizes and sector breadth, making it a relevant peer for Sofilaro's venture activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sofilaro-capital-investissement

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments30 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Sofilaro