Villyz

What Villyz does

Villyz is a Paris-based, AMF-authorized (PSFP, FP-2022-1) crowdfunding platform that intermediates citizen lending directly to French public-sector entities. The platform is structured as Villyz SAS (share capital €4,493.07), operating from 61 rue de Lyon, 75012 Paris, with a small 1-10 person team led by President Arthur Moraglia. It serves two primary customer segments: French public actors (communes, intercommunalities, hospitals, public EHPADs, social housing providers, public companies/SEM/SPL) seeking diversified financing beyond traditional banks, and individual French residents (4,409+ registered members) seeking accessible investment starting from €1 in local public projects.

The platform offers three integrated products built on a common web technology stack: (1) Emprunt d'investissement citoyen, long-term investment loans with tenors of 2-8 years at fixed rates typically around 3.2% per year; (2) Trésorerie citoyenne, short-term treasury lines under 12 months at ~2.9% with ticket sizes €200K-€5M; and (3) Mécénat & dons, donation-based patronage from €5K with 60% tax-deductibility for corporates. A project-level Investment Simulator and an internal Risk Analysis Committee (assessing debt capacity, operating margins, and structural indicators) round out the offering. Core infrastructure integrates Mangopay, a CSSF-licensed Luxembourg e-money institution, for KYC/AML, payment processing, and wallet management.

Villyz's revenue model is dual-sided transaction-based: it charges public project bearers a commission of up to 5% of target fundraising in exchange for structuring, KIIS preparation, and campaign management, and it charges investors tiered service fees (0.99% on €0-1,000, 0.69% on €1,000.01-10,000, 0.39% above €10,000) at subscription. Go-to-market combines founder-led Calendly-driven direct outreach to public decision-makers with earned media (France Inter, Le Parisien, Europe 1, FinMag) and institutional referrals via Banque des Territoires (Groupe Caisse des Dépôts). Since launch in 2022 the platform has financed 35+ projects, raised €4,813,986 for public territories, financed 10 hospitals/health facilities, 11 communes, and 4 renewable energy projects, and reports a 0% default rate across all closed campaigns.

Name

Villyz

Legal name

Villyz SAS

Website

https://villyz.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Villyz is a Paris-based, AMF-authorized French crowdfunding platform that intermediates direct citizen lending to public-sector entities (hospitals, communes, renewable energy projects) with a 0% default rate across 35+ financed projects since 2022.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Crowdfunding & Lending

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Crowdfunding & Fan-Financing (MPADAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Project Finance Capital Raising Intermediation (FSAEALAJ)

Keywords

• Public sector crowdfunding
• Citizen investment platform
• Debt-based crowdfunding
• Regulated crowdfunding provider
• Crowdfunding lending France

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Commission from Project Holders: Villyz charges project bearers (public entities) a commission of up to 5% of the target fundraising amount, in exchange for project structuring, KIIS preparation, administrative support, and operational campaign management. This commission is due upon acceptance of the quote and paid before project publication.
2. Service Fees from Investors: Investors pay service fees calculated on a tiered basis: 0.99% for contributions 0-1000€, 0.69% for 1000.01-10000€, and 0.39% above 10000€. These fees cover payment management, identity verification, AML/CFT compliance, fraud prevention, and investor relations. Fees are charged once at subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Villyz is an AMF-regulated crowdfunding platform (PSFP, FP-2022-1) that connects French individual citizens with public-sector borrowers — communes, hospitals, intercommunalities, public EHPADs, and renewable energy project developers — enabling direct, intermediation-free lending and donation-based patronage. Public entities raise capital through long-term investment loans (2–8 years at ~3% annual interest), short-term treasury credit lines (under 12 months), or tax-deductible donations, while citizens can invest starting from €1 with tiered service fees.

Product overview

Villyz operates as a unified platform for citizen investment in French public sector projects. The core offering consists of three integrated products: (1) the Emprunt d'investissement citoyen for long-term investment loans (2-8 years), (2) the Trésorerie citoyenne for short-term treasury needs (under 12 months), and (3) Mécénat & dons for donation-based patronage. These products share a common infrastructure including the investment simulator, investor dashboard (Mon Compte), and payment processing via Mangopay, allowing citizens to invest starting from €1 in public projects including hospitals, schools, renewable energy, and transport infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emprunt d'investissement citoyen Long-term investment loan product allowing French public entities (collectivités, hospitals, public companies) to raise funds from citizens for investment projects. Citizens lend money at fixed interest rates (typically around 3.2% per year) with repayment periods of 2 to 8 years, starting from a €1 investment.
• Trésorerie citoyenne Short-term flexible credit lines (less than 12 months) for French public entities to bridge cash flow gaps or wait for anticipated subsidies. Provides an agile alternative to traditional bank treasury lines, with indicative rates around 2.9% per year, ranging from €200,000 to €5 million.
• Mécénat & dons Donation-based crowdfunding product for French public projects without financial return. Allows corporate patronage and citizen donations starting from €5,000, with tax advantages for businesses (60% IR/IS reduction) and individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 0% default rate on all closed projects - 100% successful reimbursements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MangopaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment services provider ensuring secure fund management and transaction processing. Mangopay S.A. is a Luxembourg-based e-money institution authorized by CSSF. Handles payment accounts, identity verification (KYC/AML), and fund transfers between investors and public project bearers.
• Banque des Territoires (Groupe Caisse des Dépôts)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerInstitutional partner and supporter of Villyz as the first platform dedicated to French public sector crowdfunding. Provides visibility and credibility within the public finance ecosystem.
• Aides-territoirescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment platform referenced by Villyz for public actor outreach and project discovery.
• Numérique 360minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital services partner providing municipal referencing services for Villyz platform visibility.
• CapsensminorOthersContracted for extinctive management of Villyz activities in case the platform becomes unable to continue operations, ensuring continuity of investor and project holder relationships.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wiseed: French crowdfunding platform offering citizens investment in real estate and wine assets. Comparable as a French retail-facing investment intermediary operating under similar AMF-equivalent frameworks.
• Anaxago: French investment crowdfunding platform offering real estate, equity and senior debt to retail investors. Comparable online PSFP-style intermediation and asset-class breadth to Villyz.
• Lendosphere: French citizen-lending platform focused on environmental and social projects, including public-actor financing. Closest direct peer to Villyz as it also intermediates retail-to-project debt under French crowdfunding regulation.
• Homunity: French crowdfunding platform dedicated to real estate investment for retail investors. Comparable as a French PSFP-regulated retail-investment platform with similar regulatory licensing and investor onboarding flow.
• Enerfip: French crowdfunding platform enabling citizens to invest directly in renewable energy projects. Highly comparable to Villyz on the renewable-energy vertical and on the citizen-lending regulatory model.
• Lumo: French-based green crowdfunding platform enabling citizens to invest in renewable energy and sustainable real estate projects. Highly comparable citizen-investment model in the same environmental vertical that Villyz also targets.

Emerging players

• Ulule: Leading European reward-based crowdfunding platform founded in France. Comparable as a large French crowdfunding platform serving similar retail citizen audiences, though focused on reward/pre-sale rather than debt to public entities.
• KissKissBankBank: Major French crowdfunding platform for creative and community projects via donation or reward mechanics. Comparable as a French PSFP-authorized crowdfunding platform, though operating a different financing model (non-repayable contributions).
• Fundimmo: French real-estate crowdfunding platform for retail investors operating under AMF oversight. Partial overlap as another French regulated crowdfunding platform with retail-investor onboarding, but specialized in real estate rather than public-sector projects.

Broad incumbents

• October: European digital lending platform intermediating loans from retail and institutional investors to SMEs. Comparable as a regulated, multi-country direct-lending intermediation platform, though focused on private SMEs rather than public entities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/villyz
• Xx.com/Villyz_FinTech

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Villyz