Toulouse-based vorteX-io, which offers hydrology monitoring services, has raised €2.9 million to speed up the launch of its Maelstrom platform and network of connected microstations. The investment came from Banque des Territoires, MAIF Impact, AFI Ventures, and SpaceFoundersFrance.
- Founded in 2019 by Guillaume Valladeau and Jean-Christophe Poisson, vorteX-io provides solutions for enhancing territorial resilience and security against flood and drought risks, utilizing a new generation of in-situ sensor networks and a web-based visualization platform.
- The vorteX-io microstation is a compact, autonomous remote sensing instrument that provides real-time measurements of hydrological parameters with one-centimeter accuracy. Users can view and export measurements and be alerted 24/7 when personalized thresholds are crossed.
- In 2023, vorteX-io won the EIC Accelerator program and secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council for its WHYLD project, aiming to develop Europe's first real-time hydrological forecasting service.
Details of the deal
- The fresh funding was led by Banque des Territoires and Paris-based VC MAIF Impact, alongside AFI Ventures, a Paris-based venture capital firm, and SpaceFounders France, supplemented by bank financing.
“The vorteX-io project won us over thanks to its degree of technological innovation and its positioning among local players, particularly local authorities. For these reasons, MAIF Impact is delighted to add vorteX-io to its portfolio of innovative start-ups whose business model creates positive impacts for society and the environment,” President of MAIF Impact, Hélène Hannoir, commented.
- The fresh capital raised by vorteX-io will enable the startup to accelerate its network deployment, aiming to establish an additional 2,000 microstations by 2026 to enhance the modeling of major European river basins. Furthermore, the startup plans to double its workforce to 80 employees by the same year.
“This first round of financing testifies to our partners’ confidence in our solution and our ambition to democratize access to real-time hydrological data. Our services address current and future environmental challenges, providing governments and economic players with strategic information in a simple, cost-effective, and global way,” President of vorteX-io, Guillaume Valladeau, stated.
