Aster, a start-up based in Lyon, raises 3 millions euros for its A series fundraising. This amount has been provided by its historic shareholders and OneRagtime – an investment platform which leaded this operation while being advised by Walter Billet Avocats for all IP/IT concerns.
Aster, an app dedicated to assisted meetings’ steering designed to improve meetings within firms, raises 3 millions euros for its second A series fundraising – led by OneRagtime and abounded by its historical shareholders which renewed their confidence thanks to an activity which was more than 300% up during last year. This fundraising will help Aster develop its teams, reinforce its R&D and keep on develop its strategic partnerships.
(…) Aster has become the first solution that helps managers leading their meetings – such as managing committees, steering committees, one-to-ones, etc. – thanks to its unique system for notes taking and visualization, which allows actions’ prioritisation and real time follow-up. In 2019 it signed a strategic agreement with Microsoft Teams and succeeded in raising 1,2 million euros in seed in order to speed up its product development.
Being integrated in collaboration tools (such as Outlook and Teams), Aster helps reducing considerably meetings length and improving their efficiency. This solution helps managers leading their meetings while presenting informations properly according to goals, then automatically following-up decisions and actions between two meetings. Aster then generates some pre-filled reports shared to all participants.
A fundraising to maintain growth
Thanks to its tool, Aster quickly satisfied many SME’s managers as well as some international big companies such as Thales, Air Liquide or SNCF. Now having 15 employees, Aster intends to recruit 10 other people until the end of year. The start-up also wants to provide new functionalities to its clients as well as reinforcing its partnership with Microsoft – which announced its participation to the Viva AI project at the end of 2020.
“All firms need leaders to face changes within enterprises and societies. These leaders must be able to have visions and inspirations to share with their teams, which must be integrally part of. As they express their potential during committees and meetings, we are proud of being daily on their side in such a challenge, now being supported by OneRagtime and our historical investors“, says Vincent Mendes, Aster’s CEO.
“Backing Aster perfectly matches with our ambition of being partners of innovating entrepreneurs who answer some daily needs of efficiency and productivity, especially remotely. Their solution’s accuracy and their clients’ satisfaction speak for themselves. Aster demonstrates that French Tech has got the high potential and requirements needed by large companies as well as small firms longing for agility“, adds Stéphanie Hospital, OneRagtime’ CEO and founder.
Alan Walter, Walter Billet Avocat’s partner in charge of the IP / IT and personal data department, points that “technological startups such as Aster must be sure of the adequation of their tools to legislation anytime, but also to their economic environment. When they search for investors for a fundraising such as the one led by OneRagtime, they obviously have to demonstrate how relevant their economic structure is. Nevertheless, due diligences must be considered within a bigger context than the instant t image to be sure of having some securitized environment for all data and intellectual property concerns. This is one of the success condition for the agreement they make a deal with their shareholders.”
OneRagtime has been advised by:
- financial audit: 2CFinance
- legal: Charles Russell Speechlys
- IP/IT audit: Walter Billet Avocats