The Faktory Fund

What The Faktory Fund does

The Faktory Fund is a private early-stage investment fund, accelerator, and incubator headquartered in Liège, Belgium, founded in 2013 by Pierre L'Hoest (former CEO and founder of EVS Broadcast Equipment, listed on Euronext Brussels) and Simon Alexandre. The firm invests equity in startups developing disruptive technologies with potential for worldwide leadership in B2B markets, with current scope concentrated on Internet of Things (IoT) and Software as a Service (SaaS) startups located in the BeNeLux region and France. Operations run from a five-level, zero-energy building in central Liège, supplemented by a secondary incubator in Verviers (province of Liège) and presence at the Liège Science Park; the team comprises six members including two General Partners and two technology advisors.

Name

The Faktory Fund

Legal name

The Faktory Fund

Website

https://thefaktory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Faktory Fund is a private Belgian seed investor and accelerator founded in 2013 that deploys EUR 250K–1M equity tickets into IoT and SaaS startups across BeNeLux and France, operating a EUR 20M Fund II from Liège.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Seed Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)

Keywords

• Seed venture capital
• Startup accelerator
• Technology incubator
• Iot investment
• Saas investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Liège

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: The fund makes equity investments in early-stage startups ranging from EUR 250,000 to EUR 1,000,000 per company. Returns are generated through successful exits when portfolio companies are acquired or go public. Notable exit include Riiot Labs acquired by Fluidra in 2017.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Faktory Fund is a private seed-stage investment fund and accelerator that provides equity financing of EUR 250,000 to EUR 1,000,000 per startup, alongside hands-on operational support covering strategy, sales, marketing, and product development. The fund focuses exclusively on early-stage startups developing disruptive IoT and SaaS technologies in BeNeLux and France, targeting worldwide B2B leadership in Information Communication Technologies. It applies a proprietary 360° analysis methodology and offers founder-protection mechanisms during investment rounds.

Product overview

The Faktory Fund operates as a seed investment fund and technology accelerator with two funding cohorts: Fund I (established 2013) and Fund II. The accelerator provides EUR 250,000 to EUR 1,000,000 investment capability per startup, focusing on disruptive technologies in IoT and SaaS. The portfolio comprises approximately 20 companies across Fund I and Fund II, including: AI/analytics companies (AiVidens for payment risk prediction, dgenious for POS reporting, XYZT.ai for location analytics, Zozio for logistics AI, Kensu for data governance); vertical SaaS solutions (MyCellHub for biotech, F4A for food waste management, Fotostudio for photographers, Letsmeet for meeting scheduling); deep tech (e-peas for energy harvesting semiconductors, Nestwave for geolocation, iVEX for autonomous vehicle validation); consumer/hardware (Foobot for air quality, Abrakam for gaming, Beatsurfing for music production, Wishbone for medical biomaterials); and special initiatives (SafeLink COVID-19 monitoring, Riiot Labs pool analytics). The Fund has achieved notable exits including Riiot Labs to Fluidra (2017) and Nestwave to NextNav (2022).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed Investment and Acceleration Program (Fund I) Equity investment and three-step acceleration partnership (First Check, Analysis, Invest & Support) targeting early-stage startups developing disruptive technologies in IoT and SaaS, primarily in B2B markets. Fund I financed 11 companies including Abrakam, Airboxlab/Foobot, e-peas, Riiot Labs, KENSU, BDM Reco, Wishbone, and HLO/Beatsurfing.
• Seed Investment and Acceleration Program (Fund II) Second seed investment cohort with EUR 20 million committed capital, financing 10+ early-stage startups including AiVidens, dgenious, F4A Food for All, Fotostudio, iVEX, Letsmeet, MyCellHub, Nestwave, Penbox, XYZT.ai, and Zozio.
• Startup Incubation Services Physical incubation facilities at the Liège headquarters (Rue Léon Frédéricq, 48, 4020 Liège) and a second incubator in Verviers, providing workspace and infrastructure support to portfolio startups. Includes access to an internal engineering team dedicated to IoT support.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability10 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• HubSpot StartupssupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 October 2019The Faktory announced a partnership with HubSpot Startups to provide marketing and growth support to its portfolio companies, helping startups leverage HubSpot's platform for customer acquisition and business growth.
• SigfoxcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 May 2016The Faktory became a Sigfox partner in Belgium, serving as a relay, point of contact, and source of information for local startups developing solutions based on Sigfox's Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) low-power wide-area network technology for M2M and IoT communications.
• LuxinnovationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Faktory participates in Fit4Start program alongside Luxinnovation, attending startup pitches and evaluating opportunities for collaboration in the Luxembourg innovation ecosystem.
• Réseaux Santé Wallon et BruxelloissupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare networks that collaborated with The Faktory on the SafeLink COVID-19 monitoring project, integrating with the Belgian health data infrastructure.
• FluidracoreOthersSpanish multinational group devoted to the Pool & Wellness sector that acquired Riiot Labs (a The Faktory portfolio company) in 2017, demonstrating successful exit pathway for portfolio companies through industrial partnership.
• Regional Authorities and AgenciessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong support from regional authorities and agencies as well as local banks that supported The Faktory's ecosystem development and portfolio company growth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Capricorn Partners: Belgian VC and growth equity firm managing multiple technology-focused funds. Overlaps with The Faktory in BeNeLux technology investment but operates across multiple funds and stages.
• Speedinvest: Vienna-based European early-stage VC with multiple sector-focused funds including fintech, deep tech, and SaaS. Overlaps with The Faktory on SaaS and IoT seed investment but operates at substantially larger AUM across pan-European geography.
• Noshaq: Largest Belgian VC and PE fund manager based in Liège. Overlaps with The Faktory in regional BeNeLux focus and technology investment, but operates with substantially larger AUM and broader stage coverage.
• Point Nine Capital: Berlin-based European seed VC focused on B2B SaaS, fintech, and digital health. Comparable to The Faktory on the B2B SaaS early-stage thesis, but with a pan-European mandate and significantly larger fund sizes.

Direct peers

• imec.xpand: Belgian venture capital fund affiliated with imec, investing globally in semiconductor and deep-tech startups. Directly comparable to The Faktory on the deep-tech / IoT semiconductor angle (e.g. e-peas energy harvesting ICs).
• Qbic Fund: Belgian inter-university early-stage VC fund supporting academic spinouts from Belgian universities. Comparable to The Faktory in early-stage technology focus and Belgian regional scope, particularly for university-derived IoT and SaaS startups.
• Sambrinvest: Belgian regional investment fund based in Charleroi supporting startups and SMEs in Wallonia. Comparable to The Faktory in Belgian regional scope and early-stage technology focus, with similar public-sector backing.
• Kima Ventures: French seed-stage VC founded by Xavier Niel, actively investing in early-stage tech startups. Referenced on The Faktory's own website as a peer-style resource; comparable in seed ticket size and European technology focus.
• LeanSquare: Walloon-based seed and early-stage VC fund focused on deep tech and digital startups in BeNeLux. Closest comparable to The Faktory in fund size, regional scope (Wallonia), and stage focus on technology commercialization.

Emerging players

• Spreds: Belgian equity crowdfunding and investment platform supporting early-stage startups. Comparable to The Faktory in Belgian early-stage deal flow, but operates a retail-facing model rather than institutional VC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_TheFaktory
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFaktoryBe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-faktory---company-belinvest-s-a

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments23 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Faktory Fund