Colam Entreprendre
Also known as Société de Négoce et de Participation, Colam, Colam Impact
Paris holding of the Coisne and Lambert families (600+ members), founding shareholder of Sonepar; invests in impact startups and impact funds through its subsidiary Colam Impact.
USEFUL FOR Fund managers raising capital · Founders · Business owners seeking a long-term partner · Co-investors
Family & background
- FAMILY
- Coisne and Lambert
- WEALTH ORIGIN
- Sonepar (electrical equipment distribution); textile industry association from 1867
- HEADQUARTERS
- Paris, France
- OUTSIDE CAPITAL
- No — own capital only
Investment approach
- GEOGRAPHY
- FranceEurope
- STAGES
- Series ASeries BGrowth
- ROUTES
- Companies (own capital) · Funds (as LP)
- STRATEGIES
- Direct investmentsVenture capitalFunds (as LP)Impact
- TICKET
- €1M–€3M
Overview
Colam Entreprendre is the lead holding company of the family group formed by the Coisne and Lambert families of northern France, whose association dates from 1867; it gathers more than 600 family members and has been chaired by Marie-Christine Coisne-Roquette since 1998. Its main asset is Sonepar, the electrical equipment distributor it founded, which reported €32.5bn of revenue in 2024. Through its subsidiary Colam Impact it invests patient capital in impact companies from Series A onwards, with tickets of €1–3M in companies with over €1M revenue, and in European impact funds.
Investment thesis
Colam Impact invests in companies whose business model itself produces an intentional, additional and measurable social or environmental impact; direct tickets of €1–3M aim at about ten high-growth startups (revenue above €1M, board seat and impact committee), alongside commitments to European impact funds of all strategies.
Holdings & investments (4)
INVESTMENT ARMS & VEHICLES
- Impact investment company of Colam Entreprendre; venture capital in impact companies (Series A onwards) and commitments to European impact funds
HOLDINGS & INVESTMENTS · MOST RECENT FIRST
- SoneparNOTABLEIndustrial & Manufacturing
- Mobility & Logistics · since 2024
- Education
- Real Estate & PropTech
People
- Benjamine FriderichInvestment Director, Colam Impact · source
- Anatole MaizièresInvestment Director, Colam Impact · source
- Emilie RenardInvestment Manager, Colam Impact · source
- Julien GrébilleInvestment Manager, Colam Impact · source
- Marie-Christine Coisne-RoquetteChair, Colam Entreprendre · source
- Marie-Capucine d'EpenouxPresident, Colam Impact · source
Frequently asked questions
Colam Entreprendre is a family holding based in Paris, France.
Colam Entreprendre invests on behalf of the Coisne and Lambert family (Sonepar (electrical equipment distribution); textile industry association from 1867).
Colam Entreprendre invests its own capital into companies and in third-party funds as an LP. Its stated asset mix includes direct investments, venture capital, funds (as lp) and impact.
Colam Entreprendre invests at Series A, Series B and Growth stages in Climate & Energy, Education, Mobility & Logistics and Real Estate & PropTech.
Colam Entreprendre's stated ticket size is €1M–€3M.
Key people at Colam Entreprendre include Marie-Christine Coisne-Roquette (Chair, Colam Entreprendre), Marie-Capucine d'Epenoux (President, Colam Impact), Benjamine Friderich (Investment Director, Colam Impact) and Anatole Maizières (Investment Director, Colam Impact).
Colam Entreprendre's holdings and investments include Sonepar, La Solive, RésidSocial and Pony.
The most recent publicly reported investment by Colam Entreprendre is Pony (€23M Series B (€13M equity + €10M infrastructure debt), with Blast.Club, ADEME Investissement, La Poste Ventures and others), announced in Sep 2024.
No. Colam Entreprendre invests its own capital and does not raise money from outside investors.