TriNova

What TriNova does

TriNova SA is a French private investment company (SAS au capital de €37,560, RCS Lyon 411 877 657) founded in 1997 by Jean-Jacques Delorme. Headquartered in Saint-Didier au Mont d'Or (Lyon area), TriNova serves as the initial institutional investor in young innovative companies in the information technology sector, intervening in their first 0–36 months to transform technically-driven startups into market-led businesses capable of attracting subsequent recapitalization by other venture capital firms.

The firm operates three investment vehicles: TriNova I (TriNova SA), an investment company created in 1997 now in its divestment phase; TriNova II (FCPR), a €16.4M fund raised in April 2000 (increased to €18M in July 2001) — the first French private fund specialized in seed and development of innovative companies — closed in November 2013; and TriNova Création/TriNova Invest, which focuses on company creation and turnaround situations. The firm provides seed capital, innovation management support from research centers, hands-on management assistance, introductions to industrial and financial partners, and supports market consolidation and international expansion (USA and Europe).

TriNova generates returns through equity investments in early-stage companies, exiting via IPOs (three documented: Coheris 1999, Press Index 2006, Leguide.com 2006), strategic acquisitions (Ortems to Dassault Systèmes 2016, Polyspace to MathWorks 2007, SUNOPSIS to Oracle 2006, Spidcom to MSTAR 2011), and management buyouts. The company currently focuses primarily on advisory and turnaround engagements. Current leadership consists of founders Jean-Jacques Delorme (Fondateur) and André May, both engineers with prior operating and venture experience across France Télécom, COMELOG, DECAN, and Soft Mountain.

Name

TriNova

Legal name

TriNova SA

Website

https://trinova.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TriNova SA is a French venture capital firm founded in 1997 that provides seed and growth capital to early-stage innovative information technology companies in France and Europe, currently focused on advisory and turnaround engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-didier-au-mont-d'or

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment returns: TriNova generates returns through equity investments in innovative startups. Their revenue comes from exits via IPOs (Leguide.com, Press Index on AlterNext), strategic acquisitions by larger companies (Ortems to Dassault Systèmes, Polyspace to MathWorks, etc.), and management buyouts (LBO transactions). They invest in companies at early stages and exit when companies reach maturity or consolidation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

TriNova is a French private investment company that provides initial institutional equity capital to young innovative companies in the information technology (NTIC) sector. It takes minority stakes in high-tech companies within their first 0–36 months, then consolidates them at marketing, legal, commercial, and financial levels before connecting them with financial or industrial partners within 12–24 months. TriNova also provides hands-on management support, operational candidate introductions, and innovation sourcing from research centers.

Product overview

TriNova is a French venture capital and investment firm focused on young innovative companies in the information technology sector (NTIC). The company operates three investment vehicles: TriNova I (TriNova SA), created in 1997 as an initial institutional investor; TriNova II (FCPR), a private fund of €16.4M raised in April 2000 (expanded to €18M in July 2001), specialized in seed and development of innovative companies; and TriNova Création/TriNova Invest, which focuses on company creation or turnaround situations. TriNova's investment strategy targets minority stakes in high-tech companies within their first 0-36 months, providing capital, innovation management, and operational leadership support. The firm has achieved multiple successful exits including three stock market listings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TriNova I (TriNova SA) Private investment vehicle providing seed and growth equity financing to innovative French technology companies; currently in the divestment phase.
• TriNova II (FCPR) FCPR private equity fund of €16.4–18M raised in 2000–2001, the first French private fund specialized in seed and development of innovative companies; closed in November 2013.
• TriNova Création / TriNova Invest Investment vehicles focused on company creation or turnaround of struggling companies; current operations are primarily advisory and turnaround work.

Quantifiable outcome

• TriNova portfolio includes 3 companies that achieved IPO listings
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Partech: Major French-origin VC firm operating globally across seed, growth, and late-stage tech. Comparable to TriNova in French tech orientation but at significantly larger scale and broader stage coverage.
• Bpifrance: France's public investment bank, with significant early-stage VC activity through Bpifrance Investissement. Comparable to TriNova as a French seed/early-stage tech capital provider, but at vastly greater scale and with a public-mission orientation.
• Eurazeo: Large French private equity and venture firm (including the former Idinvest). Comparable to TriNova in French early-stage tech investing but with a much larger and broader PE/VC platform and significantly greater AUM.

Direct peers

• XAnge: European early-stage VC (originating from the Siparex ecosystem) investing in French and German tech startups. Comparable to TriNova in stage, geographic orientation (France plus adjacent European markets), and B2B tech focus.
• Iris Capital: European VC firm with French roots investing in early- and growth-stage digital and tech companies. Comparable to TriNova in geographic orientation (France/Europe), technology thesis, and orientation toward strategic acquirers for exits.
• Innovacom: French early-stage VC historically linked to telecom and digital infrastructure investments. Comparable to TriNova in early-stage tech focus, French B2B software thesis, and roots in the French innovation ecosystem.
• Elaia Partners: Paris-based early-stage VC investing in deep tech and digital startups. Closely comparable to TriNova in early-stage French tech focus and in providing operating support alongside capital.
• Alven Capital: Paris-based early-stage VC firm investing in French and European tech startups. Closely comparable to TriNova in stage focus (seed and Series A), technology thesis, and track record of French digital exits.
• CM-CIC Capital Innovation: VC arm of Crédit Mutuel group investing in French early-stage tech and digital companies. Comparable to TriNova in French early-stage tech focus and in providing institutional seed-stage capital.
• Seventure Partners: Paris-based early-stage VC investing in digital, life sciences, and tech-enabled companies. Comparable to TriNova in French early-stage tech focus and in managing dedicated French VC vehicles.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about TriNova