Hero news: Valar raises 11.3 million euros

Fintech HERO announces an equity financing round of 11.3 million euros from US investment fund Valar Ventures and its historical investor SquareOne. This new round of financing should enable HERO to provide the most comprehensive and competitive response to the number 1 concern of small and medium-sized businesses in Europe: the need for cash.

Having permanent access to a wide range of financing solutions at a competitive cost is what VSEs and SMEs need to unleash their growth and compete on equal terms with large corporations. While the latter can benefit from financing from traditional banks without difficulty, these same banks have difficulty adapting to the needs of new entrepreneurs and digital VSE-SMEs for a variety of reasons: minimum size requirements, unsuitable processes and tools, or simply an aversion to risk.

HERO's mission is to fill this financing gap and reinvent the European financial landscape for VSEs and SMEs. By offering a wide range of instantly available financing options, HERO solves the working capital crisis while saving its customers time and money.

« Access to finance is becoming increasingly difficult for SMEs, in an increasingly uncertain macroeconomic environment. We are proud to support HERO in their mission to democratize access to state-of-the-art financial services for European SMEs. "says James Fitzgerald, Founder and Partner at Valar Ventures.

Available 24/7, the " Core Banking System "HERO's owner has merged cash flow integration tools and omnichannel payment methods into a single digital platform. In a nutshell: HERO enables companies to maximize their sales and optimize their cash flow at the best price, with options such as flexible short-term credit or staggered payments for their customers. The consolidation of such offers on a single financing platform is unprecedented in the world. European Fintech.

This technological solution creates significant product flexibility, enabling HERO to launch new solutions faster than ever before.

« New inflationary conditions, rising energy costs, the end of low interest rates and the tightening of the credit tap by traditional players, have radically altered the corporate financing market and created a historic opportunity for HERO. We have developed a new-generation technological player, 100% digital, leading the way in terms of speed of financing and offering the latest advances in payments. With HERO, we are developing the offer that I would have dreamed of having access to as a manager of a medium-sized company. "says Roland Jais-Nielsen, CEO of HERO.

Today, more than 10,000 VSEs and SMEs have already benefited from HERO's services. With this new round of financing, HERO will be able to turn its vision into reality and round out its product offering in short-term financing and payment solutions for VSEs and SMEs, by making high-end credit cards available (Visa Platinum with payment deferrals of 30 and 60 days), while accelerating sales in the main European markets.

« We were fortunate to support HERO as its first major institutional investor, and we are now renewing our support with Valar Ventures. The company's next chapter is dedicated to international expansion and the evolution of its product offering towards a holistic working capital optimization platform. What has characterized HERO since its launch is a relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction and an extremely high speed of execution and product development. "shared Georg Stockinger, Partner at SquareOne.

Marketing of the payment services mentioned in this press release is conditional on obtaining the necessary approvals (pending from the ACPR).

The purpose of HERO

Founded in 2021 by Roland Jais-Nielsen, HERO's mission is to bridge the financing gap for SMEs and change the financial landscape for VSEs across Europe. By offering a wide range of instantly available financing options, its main objective is to solve the cash flow crisis facing European SMEs.

About Valar Ventures

Valar Ventures is a US-based venture capital fund founded by Andrew McCormack, James Fitzgerald and Peter Thiel. The fund identifies exceptionally talented teams and invests globally in high-margin, fast-growing financial technology companies seeking huge market opportunities, such as Xero, Wise (formerly TransferWise), N26, Qonto, Taxfix, Neo and Moss.

À propos de SquareOne

SquareOne is a venture capital firm focused on pre-seed and seed investments in the B2B tech sector. With its network of leading executives, technology entrepreneurs and investors, SquareOne provides a solid foundation for a selection of profitable, leading B2B software and deeptech companies across Europe. The Berlin-based venture capital firm, formerly known as Paua Ventures, was founded in 2010 and counts companies such as Stripe, Pipedrive, Carbon One and Wandelbots in its portfolio.