Degroux Brugère advised the FrenchTech Souveraineté fund, managed on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance, which participated in a €50 million funding round led by Safran Corporate Ventures, alongside Innovacom and EDF, as well as new investors such as the European Innovation Council Fund, the Blast Club, and the Florida Opportunity Fund. This funding is part of a total fundraising effort of 340 million euros, which also includes public grants and international financing.
This major initiative enables the aerospace company Aura Aero to accelerate the development of its ERA (Electric Regional Aircraft) program, a hybrid-electric regional aircraft capable of carrying 19 passengers or two tons of cargo. It will be on display at the Paris Air Show in 2023, with its maiden flight scheduled for 2027.
Founded in 2018 by former Airbus engineers, the Toulouse-based startup now has the resources and stability needed to embark on a long-term industrial trajectory and realize an ambition that has been central to the France 2030 initiative from the outset: fostering the emergence of new French industrial champions.
A new round of fundraising is also expected to take place in the coming weeks, with a view to building the French plant dedicated to ERA production.
Jérémie Swiecznik and Benoît Courtet acted as counsel to the FrenchTech Souveraineté fund on all legal and transactional aspects of this transaction.