Orano and Supernova Invest announced the launch of the Orano Venture Fund, an investment vehicle dedicated to supporting a sovereign and sustainable industrial transition. Backed with €50 million from Orano, the fund will prioritize high-potential French and European startups active in the circular economy and advanced industrial technologies, in response to the growing need for decarbonization.
Born from a shared ambition between Orano and Supernova Invest to help decarbonize the European economy—especially in a context where geopolitical developments have underscored the importance of sovereignty in critical value chains—this fund aims to catalyze the growth of deeptech startups driving industrial and sustainable transitions.
An international group recognized for its expertise in nuclear materials, Orano is joining forces with Supernova Invest, the leading deeptech investor in Europe, to broaden its engagement with decarbonization-related initiatives. The fund will support the long-term development of the nuclear sector, secure the production of strategic materials, and accelerate circular economy solutions.
As part of this initiative, Orano seeks to forge deeper partnerships with startups, offering access to its industrial know-how and state-of-the-art infrastructure to accelerate their growth. Supernova Invest brings its proven investment capabilities, with over 100 deeptech investments to date and a current portfolio of 84 startups, and a strong multi-technology approach across Europe.
A French and European Scope
With €50 million under management, Orano has entrusted Supernova Invest with managing the Orano Venture Fund, which aims to back around twenty European deeptech startups in Seed or Series A stages. The fund will target companies operating in:
• The circular economy: including recycling and production of strategic materials, valorization of industrial by-products, and digital traceability of materials.
• Transformative advanced industrial technologies aimed at boosting industrial performance and next-generation engineering, such as advanced process control and optimization, predictive maintenance, robotics for sensitive environments, and climate impact-driven simulation and forecasting.
These startups will be selected for their ability to address the challenges of industrial transition within a sustainable development strategy.
We are very pleased to join forces with Orano to support deeptech startups in the circular economy and advanced industrial technologies,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Struyven, President of Supernova Invest. “We believe that the future of industry will be decarbonized and technological — or it won’t exist at all. The success of the ongoing French and European industrial resurgence depends on deeply transformative deeptech innovations: those with the technological potential to reshape value chains and the ability to rely on strong industrial partners to scale their solutions, including internationally. Orano’s commitment is therefore instrumental. This fund confirms its status as a leading sovereign investor in deeptech, andsignificantly strengthens its investment firepower at the European level.”
David Claverie, Chief Financial Officer of Orano, stated:
“With this fund, we aim to foster stronger synergies with the deeptech ecosystems in France and across Europe. Our ambition is to support high-potential startups in the circular economy and advanced industrial technologies to address the urgent challenges of decarbonization.
We are delighted to partner with Supernova Invest, a leading deeptech investor, for the launch of the Orano Venture Fund — an investment vehicle dedicated to sovereign and sustainable industrial transition. This marks a first for Orano, even though we already have a long history of collaborating with startups to accelerate our innovation cycles.”
