Wiseed AI Overview on 09/2025

Wiseed: Overview

Wiseed is a French crowdfunding platform (founded 2008) enabling retail investors to fund startups (equity) and real estate/debt projects. It offers diversified alternative investments (start-up shares or project bonds) from as little as €100. Wiseed emphasizes rigorous project vetting and ESG scores (A–E ratings and environmental/social governance metrics) before listing. The platform touts historically attractive returns (~8–10% on funded projects) but also carries high risks: many projects are delayed or default, and there is no secondary market (illiquidity). Key advantages include wide product scope and low entry ticket (from €100), while main dangers are capital loss and poor liquidity.

Wiseed Investment Products

Wiseed offers two main product lines: crowdequity and crowd-bonds. For start-ups and SMEs, investors can buy shares or participatory notes (equity) to earn a share of profits. For real-estate and infrastructure projects, Wiseed issues fixed-rate obligations (bonds) with set maturities, paying periodic coupons. It also provides access to French SCPI real-estate funds and green energy projects. Returns come from loan interest or eventual asset sale, typically around 8–12% per year. Projects are often medium-term: debt offerings usually span 6–30 months (average ~22 months). Minimum investment is €100 on many deals (though €1,000 for some property deals). Legal setup varies: investments are structured via SPVs or special-purpose vehicles, with funds held in escrow. Wiseed is fully regulated under EU crowdfunding law and French law (AMF-registered PSFP/PSI) so it can place securities to investors. Risks are high: delays in repayment, project failure (default risk), illiquidity (no official secondary market), and potential total loss of capital. Indeed, in early 2025 ~19% of its funded volume was in serious default and over 65% of projects were late.

Wiseed Company Details

Wiseed SAS is headquartered in Toulouse and structured as a société anonyme (SA) with a board of directors. It was founded by Nicolas Sérès and Thierry Merquiol in 2008. Current top management includes CEO Nicolas Sérès and DG Mathilde Iclanzan. The main shareholders are the founders (~35.5% ownership) alongside business angels (27.1%) and other private investors (20.6%). Its owning entity is Wiseed Participations SAS. Wiseed’s backers include Crédit Coopératif (board member) and others in its capital. The company has obtained all necessary licenses: it is registered with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) as a crowdfunding intermediary (AMF CIP/PSFP) and holds a French banking license (ACPR) as an Investment Services Provider (PSI). No regulatory sanctions are noted.

Wiseed Volumes & Results

Wiseed has financed roughly 900–1,200 projects totaling ~€500–580 million since inception. By end-2023 it reported €96 M raised that year (28% growth over 2022), and has cumulatively collected about half a billion euros for ~1,000 ventures. In 2023 it reimbursed €40 M to investors (about €300 M total repaid). Roughly 200,000 users have joined Wiseed’s community. At least 16,000 new investors signed up in 2023. Defaults/Delays: Performance data shows ~10.5% of funds are ≤6 months late and ~26% >6 months late. Actual write-offs remain low (~0.9% of funded volume). The Finance-Heros ranking lists Wiseed’s default rate (projects >6mo late) at ~19.3% of volume as of Jan 2025. Returns: Published target yields are ~9–10%. Average project internal rate of return was ~8–9% in recent years. No data on maximum returns or number of active investors is public.

Wiseed Risk Management

Wiseed claims a rigorous selection process. Each project undergoes due diligence by a selection committee analyzing business plans, financials, collateral, etc. Wiseed publishes an internal project rating (A–E) and ESG score to summarize quality. However, critics note these ratings are proprietary and may be optimistic. Projects typically must meet certain criteria (e.g. strong sponsor, secured assets). Wiseed focuses on French real estate and innovation sectors, and also offers green energy financing. Once funded, projects are monitored on the platform: investors can follow progress through regular updates and a Q&A forum where they can ask questions. Wiseed also advertises work towards tokenized real-estate (DLT pilot) via partner RealT, for which it is building new oversight tools. No formal third-party credit ratings are available. Overall, standard crowdfunding risks apply (promoter default, market risk, etc.), so investors are advised to diversify.

Wiseed Platform Features

Wiseed’s website is user-friendly and French-language (with limited English). Key features include project Q&A, transparent financial dossiers, and basic portfolio dashboards. There is no auto-invest or secondary market: investments remain locked until maturity. No loan buyback guarantee exists. Wiseed offers a “premium” service tier for heavy users (≥20 investments or €20k invested) to get early access. Currencies: EUR only. It supports French investors heavily; international investors can join but tax obligations differ. Mobile apps or multi-language interfaces appear limited. Insurance/guarantees: none; investors rely on project collateral and legal recourse. The platform publishes performance stats (e.g. funded volumes) publicly.

Wiseed Pricing

Investors pay 0.9% entry fee on subscriptions under €1,000; no fee above that. All other fees (management, custodial) are borne by Wiseed and project owners. Wiseed earns a success fee (commission sur succès) charged to fundraisers. Interest earned is then taxed at 30% PFU at source for French residents. Fee information is disclosed on each project page. Pricing is generally transparent, though some complaint that the 0.9% fee (for small tickets) and legal recovery fees policy are downsides. No performance or exit fees apply to investors, but early exit is effectively impossible (illiquid).

Negative Publicity about Wiseed

🚩 Wiseed has faced heavy criticism on forums and review sites. Many investors report project delays and poor communication. For example, a forum post (Jun 2025) details several stalled projects (e.g. “Les Ornes du Lac” in judicial redressement) and unfulfilled repayments. Complaints have arisen since 2024 over a spike in defaults/late projects (one analysis cites ~65% of projects late). Wiseed’s 2025 policy shift – requiring investors to fund legal recovery costs – drew ire (noted April 2025). Ratings reflect these issues: Google reviews average ~3.1/5 and Trustpilot ~2.7/5, with negative feedback on “lax” handling of problem loans and interface complexity. Independent reviews also highlight selection flaws and “too many delays.” No regulatory sanctions have been reported, but the business model stresses investors’ patience and tolerance for high risk.

Success Stories for Wiseed

🎉 Wiseed has notable milestones. It became the first French crowdfunding site to top €100M raised (achieved by 2017) and surpassed ~€500M total by 2023. In 2023 alone it grew revenues 28% and reimbursed €300M to investors. A key corporate success: in 2023 Wiseed secured PSFP licensing (EU crowdfunding passport) making it one of the most regulated in Europe. Wiseed also raised €4M for itself on its own platform (plus partner funds) to fuel expansion. In June–Sept 2023 it partnered with RealT and Twenty First Capital to pioneer tokenized real-estate investments, aiming to be a DLT pilot. Management milestones: founder Nicolas Sérès still leads, with Mathilde Iclanzan as DG, reflecting continuity. Awards: being “pioneer” in France and securing ACPR (PSI) approvals are often noted as achievements.

Is Wiseed safe and regulated?

✅ Yes. Wiseed is AMF-registered (CIP/PSFP FP-2023-33) and ACPR-licensed as a PSI. It complies with EU crowdfunding rules.

What returns can I expect?

📈 Historically ~8–10% net. Wiseed cites average target yields around 9–10%, but actual performance varies by project. Past average interest has been ~9.5%.

What are the main risks?

⚠️ Key risks are project default and illiquidity. Many real-estate projects face construction or market delays, so repayment can be late or uncertain. Startup equity can also fail. There is also recovery risk: legal actions may be needed (and now funded by investors) to recoup losses. Investors may lose all capital if projects fail. Prior defaults have been relatively low (<1% of volume) but many projects are delayed, so vigilance is essential.