Orange Spins Out Orange Ventures with $430M Investment

The telecommunications provider Orange is restructuring its venture capital division. Orange Ventures is transitioning to an independent legal entity, backed by a $430 million (€350 million) investment from Orange.

This new organizational structure is designed to enable Orange Ventures to solicit investment from outside sources, mirroring strategies employed by other major telecom firms like SoftBank with its Vision Fund and Reliance Jio.

Establishing Orange Ventures as a distinct entity will also strengthen assurances regarding privacy and the handling of potential conflicts of interest that could arise between startups and the parent telecom company. A clearer separation now exists between Orange and its venture capital arm.

For companies interested in collaboration, Orange indicates that partnership opportunities remain available, with these potential benefits being “flexible and optional”.

Orange Ventures concentrates its investments on businesses operating within areas aligned with Orange’s core competencies. These areas encompass a broad range of sectors, including network connectivity, cybersecurity solutions, financial technology, and digital healthcare. Past investments have included Monzo, Luko, Raisin, YouVerify, and WeaveWorks.

Currently, Orange Ventures maintains offices in Paris and Dakar, and generally provides funding to startups from their initial seed stage through Series A and B funding rounds. The firm states it is capable of investing up to €20 million in a single funding cycle. It actively evaluates startups located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the United States, and employs approximately 20 professionals.