UI Investissement

notre actualité

Retrouvez toute l’actualité d’UI Investissement et des participations et découvrez la vie de la communauté UI sur le blog « UI Stories »

02.02.2026

Communiqués de presseL'Actu d'UI

UI Investissement is pleased to announce the first closing of Pertinence Invest 3 (PI3) fund, dedicated to financing industrial deeptech in Europe.

   

Following this initial closing and based on commitments exceeding €60 million, UI team now ambitions to reach €100 million in total financing. PI3 fund is based on a strengthened partnership with more 10 industrial partners, 25 academic groups and engineering schools, now expanding to the Benelux region.

A proven investment strategy in Western Europe, across 3 key industrial sectors.

Building on the experience of Pertinence Invest 2 fund, PI3 team is now well positioned to benefit from the depth of the innovation eco-system in Europe and a strong presence in industrial clusters of interest.

Leveraging partnership with 10 industrial companies and over 25 research institutions and universities in France, Belgium and western Europe, PI3 team will continue to invest from the seed stage in Deeptech startups delivering breakthrough solutions across 3 strategic areas: 1. Future of Industry, 2. Sustainability & Environment, 3. Health & Life Sciences.

PI3 will typically invest from €400,000 to €2 million euros into early-stage projects, with the capacity to participate in subsequent rounds as reference shareholder and in support to companies’ expansion.

PI3 investment strategy is now strengthened, based on key partnerships around 3 axis:

  • Industrial companies have been convinced by the approach of Pertinence Invest funds, leveraging the platform to complement “Open Innovation” programs and their capabilities around external R&D.
  • More than 25 European research institutions and universities are now operating under the PI3 consortium, with the addition of key academic partners from Belgium, notably KU Leuven, ULB, VUB, uAntwerpen, uHasselt, uMons and BioPark in Charleroi.
  • Leading financial partners such as National Seed Fund 3, managed by BPI France under France 2030 program), Crédit Agricole and L’Auxiliaire.

Three initial investments in industry and Greentech

Pertinence Invest 3 investment team is pleased to announce several investments:

  • Eclore Acuators, offering polymer-based folding solutions based on a unique technology inspired by origami. This deeptech startup currently commercializes protective bellows for industrial equipment and develops a range of innovative products for the robotic industry, also spatial and defense sectors.
  • Bobine, developing an innovative chemical recycling technology for processing of plastics, that makes it possible to produce virgin-quality polymers from waste that is currently not recycled.
  • Dionymer, industrializing a unique bacterial fermentation technology that transforms food biowaste into PHA, a biodegradable polymer material with properties similar to petrochemical-based plastics.

PI3: a team of experienced investors

Within UI Investissement, Pertinence Invest 3 is managed by an experienced team composed of Jean-Philippe Zoghbi, Nicolas Penet and Nicolas Boulay, who manage Pertinence Invest 2 fund. They are joined by Emilie Richard, who brings more than 15 years of investment experience in venture capital and energy transition.

Pertinence Invest 3 will also benefit from the support of General Inception and its Chief Business Officer, François Valencony, who has been advising industrial companies in the healthcare sector for over 20 years. General Inception has established a European team centered around major research facilities and includes pharmaceutical industry experts, integrating targeted therapies, diagnostics, research tools, and data analytics for drug discovery.

European expansion relies on André Ostachkov, a key player in the Benelux ecosystems, with extensive knowledge of entrepreneurial, academic, and industrial networks. Based in Brussels, André will open UI Investissement’s first office in Belgium to support innovative projects in the region.

Jean-Philippe Zoghbi and Nicolas Penet, Partner Investment Directors at UI Investissement:

« We are particularly touched by the renewed confidence of our long-standing investors, the vast majority of whom have increased their commitment to the PI3 fund. This loyalty validates our deep conviction: innovations emerging from European research laboratories will bring significant value to industry over the next 15 years, and they are being developed today within the Pertinence Invest network. We are delighted to welcome new industrial, institutional, and academic partners, who significantly enrich our ecosystem. »

Partager

Pour aller plus loin

UI Investissement

Société indépendante et spécialiste du développement des entreprises, UI s’engage et s’investit, depuis plus de 50 ans, aux côtés de dirigeants de startups, PME et ETI pour faire émerger et développer des entreprises économiquement et durablement performantes.

UI Investissement gère plus d’1,5 milliard d’euros d’actifs et s’investit auprès de plus de 300 dirigeants dans des secteurs d’activité essentiels à la société comme la santé, l’agro-business ou l’industrie et les services. Le capital développement et transmission, cœur historique de l’activité d’UI représente plus de la moitié de l’actif sous gestion et permet de faire bénéficier plus de 50 entreprises de l’expertise opérationnelle et des outils méthodologiques développés par UI. En parallèle, les équipes et véhicules d’investissement dédiés à l’innovation et à la consolidation
permettent d’accompagner les entreprises tout au long de leur cycle de vie et de contribuer au dynamisme économique des territoires.

UI s’appuie aujourd’hui sur 80 collaborateurs et, en complément de ses équipes de Paris, sur plus de 10 implantations régionales (Besançon, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Lille, Limoges, Lyon, Nantes, Orléans, Reims, Rennes, Strasbourg…).