QiOVA, the French specialist in the world’s fastest laser marking, announces a €2.25 million Series A investment led by industrialist Neyret
Winner of the France 2030 label, QiOVA will use the funds to accelerate its transition to industrial scale
Andrézieux-Bouthéon, 04 June 2024 – QiOVA, the French creator of the world’s fastest laser marking solutions, has announced a Series A investment of €2.25 million, led by Maison Neyret, a well-known specialist in the luxury goods and textile industries. The historic investors, Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire Capital Innovation, ARAC III and Métropoles Innovations (managed by UI Investissement), are reaffirming their confidence in this round of financing, which is being completed by a banking pool.
Scaling up for mass production
QiOVA’s patented technology is capable of marking a 2D code in a single laser pulse.
Thanks to their ultra-fast marking time (ten billionths of a second), these marking solutions can be easily integrated into any production line for mass customisation. They are specifically designed for high-speed lines, such as pharmaceutical production lines.
They also have a much lower environmental impact than existing solutions, as they use lasers to permanently mark the primary packaging.
The A-Series will enable the company to accelerate the industrial scale-up of its technology to meet the expectations of its target markets: luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, electronics and consumer products such as electrical goods and beverages.
Laser marking: the solution for unitary traceability of mass-produced products
QiOVA’s solutions enable the identification and unitary traceability of products, components and medicines manufactured in large quantities.
By marking each product, QiOVA’s solutions enable brands to reconnect with their users and offer them the best possible experience.
‘Our ambition is to become an international industrial champion. Our technology is unique and solves the major problem of unit identification for mass production.
At a time when brands and manufacturers are looking to control and reduce their impact, we are able to help them make a smooth transition for their production lines, while producing immense value for their customers!
With Neyret at our side, we’ll be able to realise this vision in the luxury goods sector and deploy it in the many other high-demand markets.
explains Florent Thibault, CEO of QiOVA.
Meeting the Neyret group: the prologue to a great industrial epic
Producing 70 million metres of printed ribbons and 100 million woven labels and accessories, the ‘Maison Neyret’ group is the only company in the world to offer an innovative weaving technology that enables unique QR codes to be integrated into textile products for the purposes of information, counterfeit prevention, unit traceability and digital marketing.
Combining the know-how and technologies of QiOVA and Neyret will enable this innovation to be deployed on other materials and products worked on within the group to support the most demanding brands. In particular, the decoration and marking of bottles for perfumes, cosmetics and spirits.
‘Re-industrialisation is not a pipe dream. QiOVA has patented technologies that will enable the world’s leading brands to improve the quality and range of services they offer their customers, as well as better control the life cycle of their products.
These two areas are crucial challenges, and we’re proud to be able to support this future French champion!
adds Benoît Neyret, President and CEO of Groupe ‘Maison Neyret’.
QiOVA and its partners: a relationship based on trust and excellence
QiOVA has the support of its long-standing partners, who are convinced of the economic relevance of this change of industrial scale. A solid and renewed trust built on the company’s technological performance.
After supporting QiOVA from 2021, during its seed financing round, we are delighted to renew our confidence in the company’s management for this new round of financing alongside Groupe Neyret, one of our region’s leading manufacturers. Neyret’s in-depth knowledge of the luxury goods market, combined with QiOVA’s technological expertise, will undoubtedly enable the start-up to accelerate its growth in this promising market segment, while continuing to develop breakthrough marking solutions for the pharmaceutical, electronics and consumer goods industries.
said Pierre-Antoine Cognard, ARAC III Business Manager, and Loïc Lucel, Métropole Innovations Business Manager.
This merger between QiOVA and the Maison Neyret Group, two industrial companies with strong potential for innovation, is yet another concrete example of the good economic health and entrepreneurial dynamism displayed by the industrial activity basin covering the Loire and Haute-Loire.
‘The Loire and Haute-Loire regions boast a dense network of start-ups, SMEs and ETIs. These companies develop by working together and succeed through innovation, because innovation means being one step ahead of your market and increasing your competitiveness.
Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire’s vocation is to play an active role in the local economy, and it was a natural step to bring the Maison Neyret group and QiOVA together.
Already a shareholder in QiOVA, we are continuing to support the company’s promising development, hence our participation in this new round of financing.
We have no doubt that this new partnership will create value for the Maison Neyret group, for QiOVA and also for the region!
explains Kim NGO TRONG HIEU, Business Manager at Crédit Agricole LHL CI (equity capital activity).
Contact Press – Agence StoriesOut
Anne de Forsan de Gabriac – afg@storiesout.com – 06 07 67 30 38
Yohan Monpert – yohanmonpert@storiesout.com – 06 82 43 70 49
About QiOVA
Founded in 2011, QiOVA is an industrial SME based in Saint-Etienne (Loire) that has created the world’s fastest laser marking solutions.
QiOVA provides laser solutions for laser marking and surface treatment, based on a patented multi-beam technology that delivers speeds typically 5x faster than current laser solutions.
The performance gains offered by VULQ1® laser systems enable manufacturers to add product customisation directly to existing production lines.
The target markets are the serialisation of manufactured products (pharmaceuticals, electronics, medical, industry), decoration (luxury goods) and the functionalisation of surfaces (transport).
Present on European and international markets, QiOVA solutions have already been chosen by companies such as Sidel, Eli Lilly, Heinz Glas, Schott, Becton Dickinson and the Neyret group.
A winner of the ‘Industrie du Futur France 2030’ investment plan, QiOVA also won the industrial innovation prize at Europe’s largest laser trade fair (Laser World of Photonics) in 2022 for its innovative multi-beam laser marking solutions in the VULQ1® range.
For more information: www.qiova.com
About the Maison Neyret Group
The ‘Maison Neyret’ group is a family-run industrial ETI, based in the Loire since 1823.
With 1,200 employees and a presence in 8 countries, it supports the development of leading brands. It designs and manufactures top-of-the-range, tailor-made solutions for the decoration, identification and authentication of luxury goods and textile products.
About Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire Capital Innovation
Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire Capital Innovation is a subsidiary of the Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire that invests in innovative local companies.
Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire supports innovation in the region through its Foundation, its seed capital fund, its Village by CA (for hosting start-ups) and the establishment of sponsorship and partnership agreements to support knowledge and its transfer.
About UI Investissement
UI Investissement is an independent company specialising in the development of unlisted French companies. For more than 50 years, UI has been committed to working alongside the managers of growing start-ups, SMEs and ETIs to create and develop economically and sustainably successful businesses. UI Investissement manages almost €1.5 billion in assets under management and invests alongside 300 managers in sectors that are vital to society, such as healthcare, agri-business, services and industry.
Expansion and buyout capital, the historical core of UI’s business, accounts for more than half of assets under management, and some fifty companies can draw on UI’s operational expertise and methodological tools. At the same time, the teams and investment vehicles dedicated to innovation and consolidation enable us to support companies throughout their life cycle and contribute to the economic dynamism of the regions.
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