France’s Makesense Raises €15M Fund To Support Circular And Inclusive Ventures

The fund has already raised €15 million from the European Investment Fund (EIF), Mirova, Revital’Emploi, and a dozen business angels and family offices. makesense seed II will invest €200k to €500k in early-stage companies with high potential for environmental, social, and economic impact.

“To build a resilient portfolio that creates value for all stakeholders, we work closely with every entrepreneur we invest in. Our in-house Operating Team – now strengthened with circularity and inclusion experts – supports each startup step-by-step as they roll out their growth strategy,” says Anne Gerset, Partner and Co-founder, makesense_invest.

Early-stage investment activity in Europe’s circular-economy and impact sectors continues to grow. German plastics-circularity startup aevoloop secured around €8 million in combined Seed and public funding to scale its waste- and microplastics-reduction technology.

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Swedish battery-materials recovery company DREV raised €2.8 million to expand its contamination-control systems, enabling the reuse of critical metals in gigafactories. Italian packaging venture AlterEco Pulp closed a €3.5 million Seed round to advance biodegradable packaging aligned with circular-economy standards.

Together, these rounds, totaling roughly €14 million, illustrate sustained investor interest in technologies that preserve resources, reduce waste, and enhance material-reuse pathways.

Within this landscape, the first close of makesense seed II aligns with a broader European push to fund early-stage ventures delivering social and environmental value, particularly those operating at the intersection of circularity, inclusion, and resource efficiency.

Founded in 2010, makesense is a mission-driven organization dedicated to supporting social and environmental transitions. Through nonprofit initiatives, entrepreneurial programmes, and investment activities, makesense mobilizes thousands of citizens and supports hundreds of social entrepreneurs across France and Europe to develop and scale solutions for a sustainable and socially inclusive future.

The second fund expands makesense’s investment activities, adding to over €100 million already under management and a portfolio of 40 impact-driven European ventures, including Vesto, Le Drive Tout Nu, Epoca, HandiGaspi, Lokki, Resortecs, and Loom. makesense seed II will invest €200k to €500k in early-stage companies with high potential for environmental, social, and economic impact.

“Our strong makesense DNA makes our investment strategy a tool to build an essential, inclusive, sustainable society. This is why our management team is committed to donating 100% of our carried interest to the makesense endowment fund, which finances public-interest projects” adds Marion Schuppe, Partner, makesense_invest and circularity expert.

makesense seed II focuses on purpose-driven founders developing solutions that preserve resources, reduce waste, extend product lifecycles, enable reuse and recycling, and simultaneously foster employment rehabilitation and access to essential services.

The fund has completed its first investment in United Repair Center (URC), a Dutch social enterprise providing industrial-scale apparel repair solutions for major fashion brands, including Patagonia, Decathlon, and The North Face. URC helps reduce industry waste by extending textile lifecycles while creating job opportunities for people excluded from the labour market.

About Makesense

Makesense inspires and equips citizens, entrepreneurs, and organizations to build an inclusive and sustainable society. By supporting companies, institutions, and associations, makesense helps them become more sustainable, engaged, and resilient, fostering collective action to address urgent social and environmental challenges and create meaningful impact across communities.