Elixir Aicraft, a manufacturer of training aircraft based in La Rochelle, has raised a further €13 million in its second round of financing.
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Elixir Aircraft, a manufacturer of aircraft for airline pilot training with sales of €2 million, has raised a further €13 million in its second round of financing. The deal was led by Innovacom, Bpifrance and Naco, in collaboration with family offices and industrial players in the sector, valuing the company at just under €50 million. Joffe & Associés (Thomas Saltiel, Charlotte Viandaz and Rudy Diamant) advised Innovacom and BPIFrance on this transaction.
This round of financing is aimed at developing the company’s solutions on the market; the plan includes the construction of a new 15,000 m2 factory adjacent to the runway at La Rochelle airfield, with the aim of producing 400 aircraft by 2030 and increasing the number of employees from 150 to over 500. The company is currently planning to fill 50 available positions through its recruitment process. The demand is for over 200,000 units to be replaced. This demand stems from the need to train 600,000 pilots by 2036.
After obtaining certification for its aircraft in 2020 with the support of Ouest Croissance and Océan Participations, the start-up called on Linkers at the end of 2022 for this new round of financing. In the space of a year, it managed to raise €13m from around ten investors, including Innovacom and Bpifrance, as well as Naco, its historic investor, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional fund, family offices and industry professionals. This new funding comes on top of a €13m subsidy obtained at the 2023 Paris Air Show, as well as €5m in research programmes and industrial financing. Combined with bank debt, the total financing package amounts to €40m.
The company aims to play a major role in the French and European markets, developing certified and innovative aircraft, while consolidating its position through further fund-raising, strategic partnerships and a significant expansion of its production capacity over the coming years.
- Acquéreur(s) ou Investisseur(s)INNOVACOM , Jérôme Faul , BPIFRANCE INVESTISSEMENT , Raphael Didier , NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE CO-INVESTISSEMENT (NACO) , FAMILY OFFICES , INVESTISSEUR(S) PRIVÉ(S)
- Société Banquier d’Affaires / Conseil M&A : LINKERS , Philippe Laurent , Florent Coudray
- Société Avocat d’Affaires Corporate : FIDAL , Jacques Darbois , Anaïs Abchar
- Acq. DD Financière : CROWE HAF , Julien Latrubesse , Alexis Duchêne , Léonard Bourgeais
