Frequently asked questions
Application questions
Our first filter is about bio-inspiration as our mission is to increase the number of bio-inspired ventures to show the way to a whole new generation of deeptech projects. Then, the project has to have a high potential of delivering positive environmental impact. We look for projects that have already done a proof of concept (TRL4) and are ready to accelerate their development.
Matching with the project owners is where we pay intention the most. Project owners will chose us as we chose them to become long-term partners. We need inspiring and engaged project owners, being confident in the future while facing the upcoming challenges with humility. We look for project owners who understand the power of the collective to go further and quicker, ready to share risks, successes, and enjoy roller coaster together.
We are sourcing technologies developed in laboratories, design offices, by engineers, designers, pre-seed entrepreneurs or corporates. We don’t have any geographical frontiers and so does our network, so our scouting covers the entire world.
No. If you have one, great. But even if you do, it’s likely that idea will change as we work together. We’ll look at many ideas and technologies together and we may work on something completely different in the end.
What we’re looking for are people who have both: deep technical skills or domain expertise that can be applied to a high impact climate problem. And, the individual traits that it takes to become a startup founder.
Read more about the specific areas we’re interested in building in at the moment.
No. If you have one, great. But even if you do, it’s likely that idea will change as we work together. We’ll look at many ideas and technologies together and we may work on something completely different in the end.
What we’re looking for are people who have both: deep technical skills or domain expertise that can be applied to a high impact climate problem. And, the individual traits that it takes to become a startup founder.
Read more about the specific areas we’re interested in building in at the moment.
No. If you have one, great. But even if you do, it’s likely that idea will change as we work together. We’ll look at many ideas and technologies together and we may work on something completely different in the end.
What we’re looking for are people who have both: deep technical skills or domain expertise that can be applied to a high impact climate problem. And, the individual traits that it takes to become a startup founder.
Read more about the specific areas we’re interested in building in at the moment.
Programme questions
Anima is deeply involved in each project, providing hands-on, strategic and financial support to founders in key areas like product development, design, strategy, go-to-market planning, branding, recruiting, and funding. The focus is on building strong, independent companies, both from an operational and financial perspective. We cover the costs of the missing and key resources until the company becomes independent, usually from 9 to 12 months.
We are entrepreneurs first. In each expertise that we deliver, from strategy to funding, through operations, company culture, product, design, branding and impact, we do it the entrepreneurial way, meaning that we focus on execution. The priority of each member of the team is enable soft skills development for the founders and build a fully independent team of talents to run the venture.
We have built in-house methodologies based on years of entrepreneurial experiences that will both foster execution and creativity. We give access to curated resources to help the daily running of the business. We strongly believe in the power of knowledge management to have a competitive learning curve, accelerated innovative roadmap and easier and datadriven decision making processes, that’s why we support and follow founders in establishing the right practises. We have a very hybrid way of working, we love to work together at our Parisian headquarter of the Climate House but also know how to manage remote working. Project owners and future ventures does not have to be settled in Paris.
Our responsibility as a studio is to build solid and independent ventures. Once the company raises a seed round, it becomes a completely normal startup. The founders and core team recruited are in the driver’s seat, they have a board comprised of the founders and the key investors. As the business grows, the team will also grow. Anima remains both a strategic partners and a shareholder until the company is sold or listed on a public market.
Anima is base at the wonderful Climate House in Paris. The teams from our portfolio have open access to this place and the associated programmation. On top of sharing the house with 250 inspiring roommates working on environmental solutions, we have settled there a biomimicry hub with Ceebios to foster collaborations.
Financial questions
The studio has a dual role of :
- Being a hands-on co-founder of each project and
- Supporting the necessary costs to build the project until the created company raises VC funding. Anima gets à 25% share before raising VC funding. Then, as the company grows and needs to raise money, the studio and the founders get equally diluted by new investors.
It’s a fair question that deserves a transparent answer. Firstly, Anima covers the costs for the first months of the company or for the months until the company is ready to raise in good conditions. We are your pre-seed funder on the financial side.
Secondly, we offer manpower, which is very specifid of a studio compared to other types of funders. Our entire team work on your project, so you have this unfair advantage compared to other early-stage startup to have a big team to bring your project to life.
As a result, partnering with us accelerates every area of development. From transitioning an idea into a product to securing client acquisition and raising funds, Anima significantly shortens the timeline that these milestones usually require and derisk the company. It purely makes the journey simpler and quicker.
On top of it, partnering with Anima means partnering with its entire network ensuring easier market access, exhaustive mentorship and many mistakes being avoided!
The 25% equity we ask for is a testament to our commitment to your startup’s success. It reflects our confidence in our ability to contribute to your journey and our dedication to your success.