Secure-IC Raises €20 Million to Accelerate the Deployment of its Cybersecurity Solutions for Connected Objects

Cesson-Sévigné (France), January 20, 2022 - After 10 years of sustained and controlled growth on equity, Secure-IC, the rising leader and only provider of end-to-end cybersecurity solutions for embedded systems and connected objects announced today a first capital raising of 20 million euros, led by Alliance Entreprendre with the support of GO Capital and BNP Paribas Développement. Secure-IC plans to accelerate its organic growth worldwide, support an ambitious recruitment plan and carry out external growth operations to implement its "Chip to Cloud" vision.

Since its creation in 2010, Secure-IC has built its development on a strong international expansion. With a presence and customers in 20 countries, across 5 continents, the company has more than 100 employees. Research and development is one of the major pillars of this growth, with over 200 international patents filed and 250 scientific articles published.

Secure-IC provides patented protection technologies that are embedded into hundreds of millions of electronic chips for smartphones, computers, automobiles, smart meters, cloud servers and more.

This funding will help Secure-IC accelerate the implementation of its "chip to cloud" vision, which consists of going beyond the physical security of electronic chips. Secure-IC intends to cover the entire security lifecycle of connected objects and embedded systems, from their design through the management of fleets of deployed devices up to their decommissioning.

The support of Financial Investors, who have the expertise of the Venture Partner of Alliance Entreprendre dedicated to cybersecurity, will be decisive in the execution of this roadmap. Their guidance will also include the structuring of an external growth strategy with a double logic: (i) geographical with the consolidation of a position or a new international implantation; (ii) and technological with the acquisition of complementary solutions and expertise.

"After 10 years of organic growth and controlled profits, we are proud to conclude this first capital raising which will allow us to reach an important milestone. From being a recognized player in the cybersecurity of embedded systems and connected objects, Secure-IC's ambition is to become the global leader in a market segment that includes more than 10 billion connected devices worldwide," says Hassan Triqui, CEO of Secure-IC.

"To reinforce the security of goods and people on a daily basis, cybersecurity must be at the heart of the design of embedded technical solutions. We have been very impressed by the vision of the managers and are convinced that Secure-IC is a major player to meet this challenge of Security by design, by offering a complete range of services such as the Root of Trust or the resistance to quantum decryption. With this growth capital operation, in line with the investment strategy of Alliance Entreprendre on cybersecurity, we will be able to support Secure-IC in this new key stage of its development, with the objective of becoming the European leader" summarize Benoît Thiedey, Romain Mistre and Sébastien Viou of Alliance Entreprendre.

"Secure-IC has a high level of technical know-how based on a solid portfolio of intellectual property. We were convinced by the team's expertise and its real potential to become a significant and recognized player in the connected object cybersecurity market. This investment in Secure-IC is the first financing made through our recently launched OV4 venture capital fund, which is dedicated to supporting the sustainable growth of companies based in the West of France," says Bertrand Distinguin, President of GO Capital.

Yannick Carré and Grégoire Duverne, Investment Directors at BNP Paribas Développement, said: " Created over 10 years ago, Secure-IC is a historic global player in cybersecurity solutions. Proud of the roots it established in the Brittany region, Secure-IC is a major player in the French cyber ecosystem. The project, led by Hassan Triqui and his talented teams, is fully aligned to BNP Paribas Développement's desire to support the development of SMEs, ETIs and start-ups in new, fast-growing global markets."

About Secure-IC

With presence and customers across 5 continents, Secure-IC is the rising leader and the only global provider of end-to-end cybersecurity solutions for embedded systems and connected objects.

Driven by a unique approach called PESC (Protect, Evaluate, Service & Certify), Secure-IC positions itself as a partner to support its clients throughout and beyond the IC design process. Relying on innovation and research activities, Secure-IC provides Silicon-proven and cutting-edge protection technologies, integrated Secure Elements and security evaluation platforms to reach compliance with the highest level of certification for different markets (such as automotive, AIoT, defense, payments & transactions, memory & storage, server & cloud).

More information on https://www.secure-ic.com

About Alliance Entreprendre

Founded in 1995, Alliance Entreprendre is a long-standing private equity player, with 533 million euros under management/advisory as at June 30, 2021 on behalf of institutional and private investors. Alliance Entreprendre supports SMEs and SMBs by investing at all stages of development, through minority or majority equity investments.

Since its creation, Alliance Entreprendre has made more than 235 investments throughout France and in all sectors of the economy. Alliance Entreprendre is a signatory of the PRI since 2018 and supports companies’ social and environmental transformation in view to combining commitment with the quest for performance.

More information on www.allianceentreprendre.com

About GO Capital

GO Capital, an independent investment fund management company, is a major player in seed capital and venture capital in French provinces. Located mainly in west of France, GO CAPITAL contributes to the financing of responsible innovation in each territory. Composed of experienced and complementary investors, the team has a solid track record in deeptech. With more than 130 investments to its credit, GO CAPITAL manages more than €250 million and mainly finances technology leaders in the digital, healthcare and energy transition sectors.

More information on https://www.gocapital.fr/

About BNP Paribas Développement

BNP Paribas Développement, a BNP Paribas Group subsidiary founded in 1988, invests its own capital directly in promising small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-cap companies. As a minority shareholder in these target companies, BNP Paribas Développement seeks to promote their growth and ensure their longer-term prosperity by facilitating ownership transfer.

In 2016, BNP Paribas Développement set up the WAI Venture Fund, which specializes in investing in Innovation-oriented companies, from the provision of seed capital through all subsequent funding rounds, with the aim of supporting the growth of high-potential startups.

More information on www.bnpparibasdeveloppement.com

Participants:

• Investment Bank: Lincoln International (François Carlot, Sébastien Delattre, Vincent Lefort)
• Legal Counsel representing the sell side: GBA Avocats (Benjamin Galic)
• Investors Counsel: Jones Day (Jean Gabriel Griboul)
• Accounting Audit: Mortier & Associés (Lucas Reynier)
• Intellectual Property Audit: Benech & Associés (Frédéric Benech)