Abf Decisions

ABF Décisions, a specialist consultant in obtaining public aid, has turned to Crédit Mutuel Equity, a subsidiary of the Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, to help it with developing its expertise in France. Crédit Mutuel Equity has invested €2 million as a minority shareholder in the Tours-based company, which generates revenues of €3 million and has 21 employees.

ABF Décisions was founded in 2004 under the aegis of three students at Paris-Dauphine University, Alexandre Chas, Benoît Keravec and Frédéric Collignon, who realised that the complex system of public aid and subsidies was difficult for SMEs to access. "In France there are more than 2,000 aid schemes for companies, over which ABF Décisions has a 360° view. It took nearly 10 years to develop our expertise from a local level up to support from the EU," explains Frédéric Collignon.

The company offers its clients a one-stop service, from identifying to obtaining aid, as well as putting together applications. It has a team of high-level consultants (engineers, doctors) able to understand specific sector requirements. "We favour a win-win approach by basing our fees primarily on success," states Benoît Keravec. 97% of ABF Décisions' clients obtain public aid of more than €100,000.

The company relies on a network of referrers comprising banks, legal advisors, professional federations, accountants and institutions, among others. To work with these partners across all of France, ABF Décisions has opened new satellite offices in Nantes and Paris and soon in Bordeaux. "This fundraising with a long-term partner we can trust such as Crédit Mutuel Equity (formely CM-CIC Investissement) secures our development plans, which are based on two main pillars: duplicating our model on a national scale and enhancing our expertise by recruiting new talent," adds Alexandre Chas.

"We were attracted by the ambitious and complementary three-man team, which presented us with a relevant road map. ABF Décisions has developed solid expertise in a market that is still largely unexploited. Its know-how is ready to be rolled out across France," state Romain Freismuth and Thierry Aubert at Crédit Mutuel Equity.

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