Botify, a French SEO start-up, has announced that it has raised $55 million from InfraVia Capital Partners, with participation from BpiFrance through its Large Venture fund. This investment round should help the company to improve its solution in line with the growing market demand related to SEO. The scale-up is present in Europe and especially in the United States where it achieves most of its turnover.

A French start-up that has been growing for almost 10 years in the SEO sector

Founded in 2012 by Stan Chauvin, Thomas Grange and Adrien Ménard, Botify is a company specializing in structural SEO and collaborates with many brands internationally such as Expedia, L’Oréal, The New York Times , Groupon, Marriott, Conde Nast , Crate & Barrel, Fnac Darty, Vestiaire Collective and Farfetch.

After making its debut in Europe, Botify entered the US market in 2016, which now accounts for over 60% of the company’s revenue. Building on this success, the company is establishing and expanding operations in Asia Pacific.

Today, the company also provides AI-based insights and the ability to automate SEO implementations, which are usually time and resource intensive, while guaranteeing equally good or better results, according to the firm. Antoine Izsak, investment director at Bpifrance Large Venture, spoke of Botify’s gradual rise:

“We have been impressed by Botify’s rapid growth and the fact that they are enabling some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated websites to generate measurable revenue growth through organic search. The quality and scalability of the Botify platform sets it apart as a leader in the search landscape. Bpifrance is proud to support such an innovative company in a rapidly growing and dynamic market.”

A €55 million financing round to offer a solution adapted to the market’s growth

The French start-up has closed a Series C round led by InfraVia Capital Partners to secure $55 million in funding. Bpifrance participated through its Large Venture fund, as well as investors who have already contributed to Botify’s development: Eurazeo and Ventech. Adrien Ménard, co-founder and CEO of Botify, commented on this new round of funding:

“The investment follows a year in which online activity accelerated. The pandemic has forced brands across all industries to quickly reassess their digital marketing investments or accelerate their digital transformations. With the ability to drive sustainable traffic and revenue – and provide a high return on investment, organic search marketing has become a critical strategy to help corporate brands navigate this new world. The additional funding will allow us to fuel our product innovation, particularly in organic search automation, grow our global footprint, particularly in APAC, and support the development of our partner ecosystem.”

In 2020, companies spent $47.5 billion on SEO-related products and services. The SEO market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% by 2025. This investment cycle will help Botify evolve its solution to meet the growing market demand and reflects the strategic role of organic search for long-term profitable growth. Nicolas Herschtel from InfraVia and Antoine Izsak from Bpifrance Large Venture will join Botify’s Board of Directors.

Translated from La scale-up française Botify lève 55 millions de dollars pour améliorer son offre en adéquation avec la croissance du marché SEO