What Foreis does

FOREIS (Fonds de Dotation pour le soutien et l'innovation des PME dans l'industrie de la micro/nano électronique) is a private French endowment fund established in September 2013 and headquartered at 17 rue de l'Amiral-Hamelin, 75016 Paris. It operates as an "ethical seed fund" (fonds d'amorçage éthique) created at the initiative of Sitelesc members and industry incumbents to provide early-stage financial and advisory support to French small and medium enterprises and mid-tier companies (PME and ETI) operating in the micro and nanoelectronics, i.e., semiconductor, value chain. The fund's stated objective is to help entrepreneurs validate their technologies and concepts, then graduate them to larger development-stage funds for industrialization and global market launch.

FOREIS deploys capital in the form of convertible loans or equity stakes with an average ticket size of 100K EUR per deal, supplemented by mentorship (parrainage), technical evaluation through an ad-hoc Technological Committee, and networking access via a Board of Directors that includes direct representation from Soitec, Intel France, STMicroelectronics, ARM, NXP Semiconductors, Cadence, and Siemens Industry Software. Since its first investment in IRLYNX in October 2014, the fund has publicly disclosed seed investments in at least 14 portfolio companies spanning IoT/wireless, EDA tooling, IC security, terahertz imaging, MOX sensors, silicon photonics, GaN power electronics, and high-power lasers. The organization is staffed by volunteer members supported by an Investment Committee and external financial, fiscal, legal, and administrative advisors.

The fund's revenue mechanics are based on returns from its equity and convertible loan positions rather than management fees or product sales, consistent with its status as a non-profit Fonds de Dotation under articles 140-141 of the 2008 French economic modernization law. It is a member of AFIC, ACSIEL, Pôle SCS, and AENEAS, which collectively serve as both deal-sourcing channels and credibility signals for portfolio companies seeking follow-on capital.

Name

Foreis

Legal name

FOREIS - Fonds de Dotation pour le soutien et l'innovation des PME dans l'industrie de la micro/nano électronique

Website

http://foreis.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Foreis is a Paris-based private French endowment fund founded in 2013 that provides seed capital (~100K EUR per deal), mentorship, and industry networking to early-stage SMEs and mid-tier companies in the French micro and nanoelectronics (semiconductor) value chain. It is governed by a board that includes direct representatives from major semiconductor incumbents such as Soitec, Intel, STMicroelectronics, ARM, NXP, Cadence, and Siemens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Seed Venture Capital

NAICS

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Semiconductor seed funding
• Microelectronics venture capital
• Nanoelectronics startup investment
• Early-stage equity financing
• Technology fund d'amorçage

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: FOREIS generates returns through investments in early-stage companies via convertible loans or equity stakes in the semiconductor and micro/nanoelectronics sectors. The fund aims to create value and support company growth before helping them access larger development funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FOREIS is a French endowment fund (Fonds de Dotation) that provides seed-stage investment and support services to small and medium enterprises operating in the French micro and nanoelectronics industry. The fund deploys capital via convertible loans or equity stakes at an average ticket size of €100K, alongside mentorship, advisory, and networking through its Technological Committee and Board of Directors composed of major semiconductor industry players.

Product overview

FOREIS is a French endowment fund (Fonds de Dotation) dedicated to supporting innovation and job creation in the micro and nanoelectronics industry. Rather than offering a software product, FOREIS provides a suite of investment and support services including seed funding (100K€ average tickets via convertible loans or equity), mentorship through its experienced team and Technological Committee, and networking access to major semiconductor industry players. The organization positions itself as a pre cursor and trigger fund that labels promising projects, enabling startups to attract larger development-stage investment for industrialization and global market entry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed Investment Funding
• Mentorship and Advisory Services
• Networking and Industry Access
• Federating Label Endorsement

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports validation of technologies and concepts, enabling access to larger development funds for industrialization

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• AENEAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2024FOREIS became a member of AENEAS, an industrial association promoting R&D and innovation in electronic components and systems to strengthen European industry competitiveness. This membership connects FOREIS to the broader European electronics ecosystem.
• Fondation CGénialminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 July 2019FOREIS partnered with the CGénial Foundation for scientific and technical culture research. FOREIS supports the CGénial scientific competition promoting science and technology education in middle and high schools, and enables teachers to discover startups in its technology ecosystem.
• Fondation ENTREPRENDREminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 July 2019FOREIS partnered with the ENTREPRENDRE Foundation dedicated to raising youth awareness about entrepreneurship, supporting new entrepreneurs, and helping business growth. FOREIS invites the Foundation to Board meetings and supports its communications.
• Pôle SCScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015FOREIS joined the Pole SCS competitiveness cluster, which has been fostering R&D program development for innovative SMEs since 2005. Olivier Chavrier from Pole SCS sits on the FOREIS Board of Directors.
• AFIC (Association Française des Investisseurs pour la Croissance)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014FOREIS joined AFIC as one of its 450 members, specialized in the private equity profession. This membership provides networking and visibility within the French investment community.
• ACSIEL (Alliance des Composants et Systèmes pour l'industrie Electronique)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 December 2013FOREIS joined ACSIEL with its 93+ members, a professional trade union for electronic components and systems. FOREIS participates in ACSIEL events including the AGO where portfolio companies present to members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Seventure Partners: French venture capital firm with a digital and life-sciences focus. David Manjarres from Seventure sits on the FOREIS Investment Committee, and both operate as early-stage investors serving French technology founders — directly comparable in mandate and geography.
• Angels' Bay Invest: French business angel network with Pascal Peru on FOREIS's Board of Directors. Angels' Bay Invest operates in the same early-stage French tech ecosystem, providing similar mentorship and capital to startups as FOREIS.
• CEA Investment (managed by CEA): Investment arm of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), focused on deeptech spinouts including semiconductors, photonics, and microelectronics. Highly comparable mandate around French deeptech seed-stage investing, with similar technology-committee-style diligence.
• Innovacom: French early-stage venture firm historically backing semiconductor, telecommunications, and deeptech founders. Closely matches FOREIS on geography, sector, and seed-stage focus.
• Supernova Invest: French deeptech-focused venture firm managing CEA and Amundi-backed funds, with deep exposure to semiconductors, photonics, and industrial technologies. Directly comparable as a French deeptech seed investor with an industrial-tech lens.
• Demeter Partners: French early-stage and growth investor dedicated to the energy, environmental, and materials/electronics transition. Comparable as a French sector-focused seed/growth investor with industrial-tech overlap.
• Karista: French early-stage venture firm investing in digital, deeptech, and life sciences. Overlaps with FOREIS on geography and seed-stage French tech deployment.

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: French public investment bank providing seed, venture, growth, and industrial financing. Bpifrance is the dominant domestic capital provider across the same French semiconductor and deeptech ecosystem that FOREIS serves, but at materially larger scale and ticket sizes.
• Eurazeo: Large French private equity and venture firm with a deeptech/tech vertical. Overlaps with FOREIS on French technology investing but operates at much larger ticket sizes and broader sector coverage.

Regional players

• IRDI Soridec Gestion: Southwestern France-based seed and growth investor with strong deeptech and industrial-tech exposure. Operates in the same French early-stage ecosystem but is concentrated regionally, complementing FOREIS's national footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Foreis