Bpifrance: How a government initiative can support domestic venture capital

France’s national investment bank, led by Nicolas Dufourcq, finances businesses at every stage of development through loans, guarantees, and equity investments.

In this week’s episode, we explore its pivotal role in fostering entrepreneurship through a grassroots approach to innovation and commitment to supporting diverse communities.

Dufourcq discusses why Bpifrance emphasizes the importance of perseverance and risk-taking among entrepreneurs, and how he works to create a holistic ecosystem of support for them. He promotes accessibility and inclusivity at every stage, and Bpifrance may well serve as a model for other countries that want to drive innovation and economic resilience.

Details on the 2023 results of Bpifrance can be found here.

Authors

Karl Schmedders

Professor of Finance at IMD

Karl Schmedders is a Professor of Finance, with research and teaching centered on sustainability and the economics of climate change. He is Director of IMD’s online certification course for structured investment and also teaches in the Executive MBA programs and serves as an advisor for International Consulting Projects within the MBA program. Passionate about sustainable finance, Schmedders believes that more attention needs to be paid to on the social (S) and governance (G) aspects of ESG to ensure a fair transition and tackle inequality.

Raphaël Grieco

Research Associate at the IMD Venture Asset Management Initiative

Raphaël Grieco is a former Research Associate at IMD for the Venture Asset Management Initiative, drawing on over 15 years of leadership experience at the intersection of cross-asset wealth management and technology. Raphael specializes in early-stage venture investing, multi-support educational content creation spanning written and audio formats, as well as building entrepreneurial ecosystems focusing on technology (including crypto and web3).