BLACKLEAF's wager has paid off, France's leading manufacturer of graphene, with the company having just completed a major round of fundraising amounting to €7m, with support from a banking pool that includes BPIFRANCE, the CIC, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole Alsace Vosges. Another notable backer is ARMOR GROUP, which, following on from HoloSolis and Equium, is continuing its open development approach through the establishment of strategic industrial partnerships. Alongside the Nantes-based industrial operator Team CAJUBA, run by Michel Hussherr, which represents around fifty local business angels involved in the creation of sustainable employment in the innovation sector. This community of entrepreneur-investors emphasizes mentorship and network pooling, and was able to mobilize and raise 2/3 of the funds using "smart money". It's another leap forward for this promising SME, which won the "Top Factory for France 2030" call for projects managed by Bpifrance. and is currently in the process of building a dedicated industrial pilot facility. Through this call for projects, the Government aims to make France a leader in innovation and industrial production.

"After a successful pre-seed in 2021, I'm delighted with the success of this latest operation. Our financial partners have shown the depth of their confidence in us. In addition, for the first time we're being joined in the BLACKLEAF adventure by a sizeable industrial operator, ARMOR GROUP, which in addition to its financial backing will also provide us with access to its industrial expertise in ink formulation and industrial processes," declared Yannick Lafue, CEO of BLACKLEAF.

"I'm very happy to have established the link that now unites BLACKLEAF and ARMOR GROUP. There are substantial industrial synergies between our two companies. Graphene is a key material for our business line producing current collectors (foils) for batteries, as well as for our new subsidiary, ARMOR SMART FILMS. This new financial stake is further evidence of our commitment to shaping industry with a positive social and environmental impact," comments Hubert de Boisredon, CEO of ARMOR GROUP.

Transformational growth
A product of the Strasbourg higher education and research environment, BLACKLEAF is one of today's most promising start-ups, just four years after leaving the CNRS. Its ambition is to revolutionize the production of graphene, which is a highly strategic material with multiple applications, and a key resource for the ecological transition. This recent round of fundraising will help support the company's established growth trajectory: from its current team of 12, BLACKLEAF is planning to recruit for various roles in order to put together a staff of around 40 by 2025. In addition, the start-up has set itself the dual objective of establishing industrial production capacity, while at the same time developing solutions that put graphene into use. While it is currently focusing on thermal coatings (for use in aviation, home renovation, transport and industry) and ink production, the company plans to expand its operations into low-carbon concrete, and to integrate graphene into the manufacture of energy storage systems.

"Graphene is a strategic material and a crucially important input for French industry. It is also a perfect candidate for the low-carbon transition, and its use is being eagerly anticipated in a number of sectors such as aviation, chemistry, new-generation batteries, low-carbon concrete and conductive paints and inks. With the construction of our industrial facility and a production capacity of 120 metric tons in 2025, BLACKLEAF will emerge as the benchmark operator for Europe and an asset for industrial sovereignty," concludes Yannick Lafue.