ballas invest with Laurent Van Lerberghe named among the Top 12 Most Active Business Angels in France by Angelsquare and Challenges

We’re proud to announce that ballas invest has been recognised as one of the Top 12 Most Active Business Angels in France in the 2025 edition of the prestigious ranking published by Angelsquare in partnership with Challenges magazine.

This annual ranking spotlights the individuals and entities making a real impact in France’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. It distinguishes between:

• Top 30 “Artisan” Business Angels in France – independent investors who work closely with startups at the seed stage.

• Top 10 “Professional” Business Angels in France – organisations investing capital from structured sources like family offices and funds.

To be named among the Top 12 Artisan Angels is both an honour and a validation of our mission: backing early-stage startups not just with funding, but with hands-on support, strategic insight, and long-term collaboration.

Backing Bold Founders with more than just Capital

At ballas invest, we firmly believe that successful angel investing is about more than money. Over the last 18 months, we've partnered with around ten early-stage startups, offering:

• Personalised mentorship and founder coaching

• Strategic guidance on go-to-market, growth, and product

• Access to a trusted network of investors, operators, and advisors

This recognition reflects the strength of those partnerships and the potential of the founders we’ve backed.

A Thriving and Transforming Investment Landscape

The 2025 Angelsquare x Challenges report also sheds light on key trends reshaping the French investment space, including:

• A rising number of female business angels, bringing fresh perspectives

• A generational shift in investment behavior, with younger investors taking the lead

• Growing interest in impact-driven and healthtech startups

One of our core areas of focus as business angels has been the digital health sector, where we see transformative potential not only for economic growth but also for improving lives at scale. Over the past few years, we have actively backed a new generation of healthtech startups that are reshaping how care is delivered, accessed, and experienced.

In France, we've supported pioneering startups working on everything from remote patient monitoring and AI-powered diagnostics to caregiver support platforms and mental health solutions. These startups are responding to urgent societal needs—including the aging population, overburdened healthcare systems, and the growing demand for accessible, personalised care.

Our impact extends across Europe, where we collaborate with cross-border investment syndicates, accelerators, and health innovation hubs to help promising founders scale beyond their local markets. We’ve participated in funding rounds for European startups building regulatory-compliant digital therapeutics, clinical workflow tools, and data-driven preventive care platforms. By leveraging our strategic network, we connect these founders to mentors, distribution partners, and talent pools throughout the EU.

Recognising that healthcare challenges are both local and universal. Our goal is to help European startups think globally from day one—navigating international compliance standards, scaling go-to-market strategies, and forming strategic alliances with global players in pharmaceuticals, medtech, and public health.

What unites all these efforts is our belief that early-stage investment in digital health can drive measurable impact on patient outcomes, system efficiency, and the sustainability of care delivery. We are proud to be part of the movement that’s turning Europe into a global hub for healthtech innovation and are excited to continue championing startups that are building a healthier, more equitable future.

We’re excited to see these changes and remain committed to evolving with the ecosystem.

What’s Next?

This recognition is fuel for our journey ahead. We extend heartfelt thanks to the visionary entrepreneurs we’ve had the privilege of supporting, and to the broader startup community that continues to inspire us daily.

If you're a founder building something bold and meaningful, we want to hear from you. Let’s shape the future together.

Connect with us through our website or our Linkedin page HERE, to explore how we can support your journey.