HUB612 Research
Overview
HUB612 is a startup accelerator and early-stage investment fund based in Lyon, France (Part-Dieu district, about 700 m2 of space). It is a subsidiary of the Caisse d'Epargne Rhone-Alpes, created by the bank in 2016 as an incubator. The investment vehicle, HUB612 Participations, launched in 2017-2018, and in 2022-2023 the Hub became an accelerator with its Start to Scale programme. Its stated tagline is "Where startups tech place". The site reports more than 100 startups supported, 26 investments and about 40M EUR raised by portfolio companies.
Investment Thesis
The fund backs B2B tech startups tied to the Rhone-Alpes region or French-speaking Switzerland. Core verticals are Fintech, Insurtech and Web3, plus B2B SaaS and AI-native products. The portfolio page also tags companies in Cyber, HRTech/EdTech, Legaltech, Salestech, Impact and Services. The fund is an operating partner more than a passive investor: it describes itself as "a partner, not just another investor", with heavy operational involvement.
Stage Focus
Pre-seed and seed. HUB612 is typically the first professional investor in a company and can follow on in later rounds. It mostly invests in startups it has already accelerated, then runs diligence in under a month before an investment committee made up of Caisse d'Epargne Rhone-Alpes executives, VCs and entrepreneurs.
Check Size
First tickets run from 50K to 300K EUR, with an average near 150K EUR (per director Maud Charaf, April 2026). Reinvestment capacity reaches 1M EUR. Maddyness lists AUM of about 6M EUR. Figures are in euros.
Lead Tendency
Not explicitly stated. As a first institutional investor with small tickets and an operating role, it likely leads or co-leads very early rounds, but the site does not say so, so lead tendency is recorded as unknown.
Recent Activity
The fund makes about four to five investments a year (the site says 4 to 5 startups selected annually; Maddyness says 6 to 8). Maddyness lists the last known investment as March 2025. Start to Scale is a 5-month programme with a small cohort (8 companies chosen from 112 applications in 2025), and the Season 6 Demo Night closed in July 2026. HUB612 also supports non-dilutive financing via the bank, French Tech Seed convertible notes up to 500K EUR through the Pouss@lys consortium, and BPI and angel networks.
Portfolio Highlights
The portfolio page lists about 57 companies across accelerated and invested names, of which 16 are tagged as investments: Auxo, Cards, Dylogy, Finalgo, Gryzzly, Ibani, Izypay, Keenest, Kresus, Objow, Qwarks, Swikly, Swiss 6022, Ubikap, Wavo and Yupwego. Swikly was among the first investments. Two exits are tagged: Mon Petit Placement (acquired by Malakoff Humanis, January 2022) and RoadBScore. 365 Talents, an accelerated company without a HUB612 equity stake, was reportedly sold for 55M EUR to a Canadian group. Ubikap raised 1M EUR in July 2024.
Team
- Maud Charaf, Managing Partner and Director of HUB612. Over 15 years in the ecosystem (Digital League, PULSALYS, Universite de Lyon), co-president of La French Tech Saint-Etienne Lyon.
- Jordan Platy, VC & Operating Associate. Joined in 2025 after VC roles at Societe Generale and AG2R La Mondiale.
- Alessio Mestrinaro, VC Analyst. Previously innovation account manager at Caisse d'Epargne Rhone-Alpes.
- Marine Thivend, Communication & Marketing Manager.
Decision Process
Partnership with an investment committee that includes bank executives, VCs and entrepreneurs. Diligence typically takes less than a month, and most deals come from startups already inside the programme. Applications can also be submitted through the site.
Founder Preferences
B2B tech founders in Rhone-Alpes or Suisse Romande who are building Fintech, Insurtech, Web3, SaaS or AI-native products and who will use the accelerator and coworking community. A warm path through the accelerator is the main route to funding.
Geographic Focus
Rhone-Alpes (Lyon and Saint-Etienne) and French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva), with France and Europe listed more broadly by Maddyness.