The crowdfunding sector
in France is entering a new phase with Ulule’s acquisition of KissKissBankBank. This transaction, announced on December 2, 2024, marks a significant turning point for both companies and their community of creators and contributors. Arnaud Burgot, CEO of Ulule, shared details about the deal and its future implications.
A historic merger redefining the crowdfunding landscape
Ulule, founded in 2010, has established itself as a leader in online fundraising, supporting a multitude of projects ranging from comics to social initiatives. KissKissBankBank, created in 2009 and until recently a subsidiary of La Banque Postale, is known for its support of diverse creative and cultural projects. Together, these platforms bring together an impressive community of nine million people and have funded more than 80,000 projects, raising a total of €480 million.
According to Arnaud Burgot, this acquisition only concerns the KissKissBankBank business assets , without any changes to its ownership structure. The management team remains unchanged, with Alexandre Boucherot as Chairman and Arnaud Burgot as CEO. This stability is essential to maintain user confidence while integrating the teams and technologies of both entities.
Synergies for an enriched and diversified offering
One of the most remarkable aspects of this acquisition lies in the complementary nature of the services offered by Ulule and KissKissBankBank. Arnaud Burgot highlighted that despite their similar core businesses, the two platforms have developed distinct offerings. Ulule has notably created a training organization and a distribution channel, while KissKissBankBank offers premium support to its users.
These complementary offerings now make it possible to provide a complete ecosystem for project creators. This union promises to strengthen the capabilities of each platform, thus offering broader prospects for creators and increasing the chances of successful fundraising campaigns.
A promising future for Ulule and KissKissBankBank
Ulule’s profitability since 2020, following a single €5 million funding round in 2016, demonstrates the platform’s financial strength. In contrast, KissKissBankBank has not yet reached profitability, making Ulule’s support all the more strategic. The first quarter of 2025 is expected to see the arrival of new features on Ulule, further strengthening its service offering designed to support creators.
Integrating the staff, technologies, and products of both platforms represents a major opportunity for progress and innovation. Arnaud Burgot anticipates a substantial evolution of the services offered, although specific details remain confidential for the time being.
Impact on the online crowdfunding market
This consolidation movement in the crowdfunding sector is not isolated. In early November 2024, Lendosphere, belonging to the 123 im group, had already announced the complete acquisition of Lendopolis, previously owned by KissKissBankBank & Co under La Banque Postale.
Consolidations like this one mean growth and strengthened technical and commercial skills. They also open up opportunities for optimization through economies of scale and better resource allocation. However, this concentration also raises questions about the diversity of platforms accessible to project promoters and the transparency of the criteria for selecting funded projects.
For creators using these platforms, unification offers a wider range of services and support made possible by the merging of expertise. However, some users express concerns about excessive market concentration , fearing a homogenization of the types of projects supported or a reduced diversity of ideas promoted.
Furthermore, the acquisition has sparked mixed reactions within the community, with some wary of the partnership with Ulule due to past controversies surrounding certain campaigns hosted on the platform. Nevertheless, the leaders insist that this collaboration aims to improve quality standards, not to dilute the original mission of each entity.