Tech market in France: 10 notable mergers/acquisitions in the first half of 2025

In the technology sector, rapid innovation is essential to staying competitive. However, internal R&D investments are often time-consuming and costly. To move faster, many companies are focusing on external growth by acquiring innovative structures. This strategy gives them immediate access to new technologies, skills, or products, while enabling them to respond more effectively to the expectations of a constantly evolving market.

Mergers and acquisitions represent a key opportunity for technology companies seeking to innovate and strengthen their competitiveness. M&A transactions are no longer the preserve of large groups looking for startups to enrich their catalog. A new trend is emerging: mid-sized startups are integrating smaller, but strategically aligned, structures in order to combine their expertise and strengthen the consistency of their offering.

The 10 largest mergers and acquisitions in the French tech sector in the first half of 2025:

• CGI – acquisition of Apside
  In March 2025, Canadian giant CGI, a global player in IT consulting services, signed an exclusive agreement to acquire Apside, a French digital services and engineering company (more than 2,500 experts in six countries). This transaction, which is currently awaiting regulatory approval, aims to strengthen CGI's presence in Europe.

• Bridgepoint – Takeover bid for Esker (Lyon)
  The Bridgepoint fund, in partnership with General Atlantic and the management team, launched a friendly takeover bid for Esker (a Lyon-based invoice automation software publisher), offering €262 per share, valuing the company at around €1.6 billion with a premium of around 30%. The transaction was finalized on March 3, 2025, marking Esker's delisting from the stock exchange.

• Cegid – acquisition of sevDesk
  The Cegid Group, a European specialist in financial and HR cloud solutions, finalized the acquisition of German software company sevDesk in early February 2025, strengthening its footprint in the DACH region (accounting, invoicing, e-invoicing).

• Apave – acquisition of Aktio
  The Apave Group, a leader in technical and digital risk management, acquired Aktio, a French expert in SaaS carbon accounting, in March 2025 to strengthen its "Green & Social" offering and its decarbonization and CSR consulting services.

• Cadence – acquisition of Secure-IC
  In early 2025, the American group Cadence Design Systems signed a definitive agreement to acquire Secure-IC, a Rennes-based startup specializing in embedded cybersecurity IP, which will now become Cadence's security entity in EDA.

• Jiliti – acquisition of Naitways
  The European Jiliti Group strengthened its IT infrastructure positioning by acquiring Naitways in March 2025. This acquisition enabled it to expand its cloud and on-premise services, from commissioning to CSR upgrading of IT equipment.

• Yespark – acquisition of Zenpark
  Yespark, a French long-term parking platform, acquired its rival Zenpark, a specialist in hourly reservations, in March 2025. Both brands remain active while forming a single group covering more than 100,000 parking spaces in 700 cities.

• Magellan Partners – acquisition of VPWhite
  Magellan Partners, a major French consulting and technology firm, will integrate VPWhite, a leader in ESG consulting and the digitalization of non-financial processes, in early 2025 to strengthen its position in sustainable performance as part of its strategy for 2030.

• IQGeo – negotiations on Deepomatic
  British software developer IQGeo is negotiating the acquisition of Deepomatic, a French startup specializing in AI applied to visual analysis for operators and utilities (amount undisclosed and under discussion).

• Onepoint – acquisition of Stack Labs
  In January 2025, French group Onepoint formalized its acquisition of Stack Labs, a young digital services company specializing in advanced software architectures (cloud, DevOps, data), in order to strengthen its digital innovation capabilities in the IT sector (amount undisclosed).

And on the Docoon partners and customers side:

WeSoft, a publisher of vertical software, acquires Edilogic, a publisher of software for the construction industry. This acquisition is part of WeSoft's strategy to bring together publishers whose primary characteristic is the relevance of their solutions in their specific markets. Following WeNégoce and Agorinfo, this is WeSoft's third acquisition, and it expects to achieve consolidated revenue of €4.5 million by 2025.

⇒ WeSoft, a loyal partner of Docoon, uses two Docoon solutions with high added value through its two companies, AGORINFO and WeNégoce: two high value-added Docoon solutions: electronic invoicing and electronic signatures. 

The Septeo Group (3,000 employees, 2024 turnover: €420 million), a leading software publisher in Europe, signed two acquisitions at the beginning of the year. Campus Skills, a publisher of an online platform offering an ecosystem of solutions for monitoring learners, has joined Septeo's Education division, created last December. Septeo, through its subsidiary Septeo Hospitality, is also strengthening its Hospitality division with the acquisition of Misterbooking, a key publisher of hotel solutions. The integration brings the number of hotels equipped in Europe to more than 4,000, consolidating Septeo's position among the leaders in the sector with a comprehensive and modular software offering.

⇒ Septeo Hospitality, a subsidiary of the Septeo group and publisher of management and e-commerce software for the tourism sector, uses the Docoon multichannel messaging platform to send and manage large volumes of emails and SMS messages.