Edenred Capital Partners supports Emblem’s Seed venture capital fund to gain exposure to the Nordics tech scene

Emblem announced a €50m first close of their €75m seed fund to back early-stage founders in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris, and support them actively throughout their critical first 2 years.

Download the press release (PDF, 107.1 KB)

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The fund will be managed by Bénédicte de Raphélis Soissan, 35, former Tech Entrepreneur (CEO and Founder of Clustree), and Guillaume Durao, 44, venture capitalist (previously at IdInvest Partners).
As an investor in the fund, Edenred Capital Partners will gain exposure and knowledge from the Nordic innovative tech scene.

Edenred Capital Partners (ECP) supports Emblem’s Seed venture capital fund, backing early-stage founders in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris, strengthening ECP’s ties in the Nordics, by accessing new investment & networking opportunities, as well as identifying market trends in ECP’s core investment themes.

Emblem will leverage its seed stage focus to build a differentiated VC brand, strengthen in-house expertise, and bring together a community around the fund (for example founders, experts & investors). The sector-agnostic fund is focused on three cities only: Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris. The locations were selected as they are underserved for seed investments, as well as attractive hubs where the founders have a network, track record and credibility. Emblem aims to support entrepreneurs actively throughout their critical first two years, for example: the first ten hires, fundraising, finding product-market fit & ‘founder specific’ coaching.

Emblem was founded by Bénédicte de Raphélis Soissan and Guillaume Durao in 2023 to serve entrepreneurs via a model of shared success. Bénédicte founded an HR Tech startup and successfully sold the business in 2020. Guillaume has 20+ years of experience in M&A and venture capital and was involved in three landmark exits and four unicorns in the making. As such, the founders have a strong network & credibility in the start-up ecosystem.

Despite being a generalist fund, Emblem will tend to focus its investments on B2B SaaS companies within the Future of Work, Fintech & Marketplaces themes.

As outlined in Edenred’s Beyond_22-25 strategy, the firm is committed to being at the forefront of innovation across its business lines: Employee Benefits, Fleet & Mobility and Complementary Solutions. Edenred has set up an investment continuum to fuel innovation, where Edenred Capital Partners plays a key role by investing in innovative start-ups with high growth potential in areas close to the Group’s businesses.

Emblem will provide Edenred Capital Partners with access to new investment & networking opportunities, as well as identifying market trends, in locations where Edenred Capital Partners does not have a strong geographic presence yet.

Philippe Dufour, Managing Partner at Edenred Capital Partners, quotes: “We are thrilled to be supporting Emblem, for innovative seed stage companies in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris. We’re excited to meet a new cohort of founders which will provide further learnings for the Edenred Group.”

As an investor in the fund, Edenred Capital Partners will be able to draw on market intelligence from Emblem in the Nordics, an auspicious geography for innovation, and especially B2B SaaS startups.

Download the press release (PDF, 107.1 KB)

About

Edenred is a leading digital platform for services and payments and the everyday companion for people at work, connecting more than 52 million users and 2 million partner merchants in 45 countries via close to 1 million corporate clients.

Edenred offers specific-purpose payment solutions for food (such as meal benefits), incentives (such as gift cards, employee engagement platforms), mobility (such as multi-energy, maintenance, toll, parking and commuter solutions) and corporate payments (such as virtual cards).

True to the Group’s purpose, “Enrich connections. For good.”, these solutions enhance users’ well-being and purchasing power. They improve companies’ attractiveness and efficiency, and vitalize the employment market and the local economy. They also foster access to healthier food, more environmentally friendly products and softer mobility.

Edenred’s 10,000 employees are committed to making the world of work a connected ecosystem that is safer, more efficient and more responsible every day.
In 2022, thanks to its global technology assets, the Group managed some €38 billion in business volume, primarily carried out via mobile applications, online platforms and cards.

Edenred is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and included in the following indices: CAC 40 ESG, CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, Euronext 100, FTSE4Good and MSCI Europe.