French VC Aquiti closes €60 million fund for founders outside of traditional venture hubs

French VC Aquiti announces the final close of their AVA1 fund at nearly €60 million in order to back founders building across the Greater Southwest of France from pre-Seed onwards.

Through its AVA1 fund, Aquiti invests at pre-Seed and Seed, with initial investments ranging from €100k to €3 million and substantial reserves for follow-on rounds. They intend to build a​ portfolio of 25 to 30 companies.

“Founders should not have to choose between building where they want to live and accessing the capital, network and ambition they need to go far. With AVA1, our goal is simple: be the first partner for the best founders in the Greater Southwest, and stay alongside them as they scale,” says Jean-François Cochy, General Partner at Aquiti and Head of AVA1.

Aquiti’s AVA1 final close comes amid a series of European early-stage venture fund announcements in 2026.

In France, Paris-based Newfund closed its €60 million HEKA fund to support BrainTech startups, while 360 Capital announced an €85 million close for its Poli360 2 DeepTech fund and Elaia closed its third DeepTech Seed fund at €134 million.

Elsewhere, Germany’s Vanagon Ventures completed a €20 million pre-Seed fund, while Lithuania’s FIRSTPICK launched a €25 million vehicle focused on Baltic founders. Together, these fund announcements represent €324 million in disclosed fund capital, rising to nearly €384 million including AVA1.

Aquiti’s regional approach also builds on earlier investment activity, with EU-Startups previously identifying the firm among the backers of Bordeaux-based TreeFrog Therapeutics and CardNexus.

“We chose Aquiti because the relationship went far beyond capital. From our first discussions, we found a team that combines a genuinely close human relationship with experience in investing and supporting tech companies as they scale. Most importantly, we share the same level of ambition: to make RelaiSanté a category-defining company and transform the way patients access care and support after hospitalisation,” adds Étienne Boix, co-founder and CEO of portfolio company RelaiSanté.

Aquiti Gestion is a French private equity firm that has been supporting businesses across Southwestern France for over 25 years, managing over €230 million in assets across regional SMEs and corporate buyouts. To expand into the fast-growing startup ecosystem, the firm launched a dedicated, modern venture capital arm in 2018, known simply as Aquiti or Aquiti Ventures.

This specialised, five-investor venture team focuses strictly on pre-Seed and Seed-stage investments in breakthrough technology, healthcare, and climate startups, pairing the institutional stability of a 25-year-old asset manager with the agile, tech-focused mindset of a fund founded in 2018.

Aquiti has built a team of five investors and backed 13 companies, from AI-powered materials discovery at Synboli to new models of care coordination at RelaiSanté.

They look to work alongside founders to establish the right governance, make key hires, prepare for future funding, and open doors to potential new customers.

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