French IoT Startup Actility Raises $25M From Foxconn, Orange And More

Startup activity in France around Internet of Things continues to heat up. Following yesterday’s news that Samsung had taken an investment in Sigfox, today another IoT startup, Actility, announced that it has raised €22.5 million ($25 million), led by Ginko Ventures, the European investment arm of Foxconn. Others in the round include the carriers Orange (which has disclosed a €3 million stake), Swisscom and KPN, as well as Fonds Ecotechnologies managed by Bpifrance Investissement, Idinvest Partners, and Truffle Capital.
Founded in 2010 in Paris, Actility’s primary product is ThingPark, a platform that it has developed for IoT deployments of varying sizes, from single enterprises through to entire cities. ThingPark is based on the LoRa specification.
Actility is one of two big Foxconn investment stories today, representing a newer effort from the manufacturing giant to take strategic stakes in businesses that might someday become its biggest customers. It’s also reportedly working with Alibaba on a $500 million investment into India’s Snapdeal.