Last month, HOPIUM (www.hopium.com), the leading French manufacturer of high-end hydrogen vehicles, publicized the conclusion of an agreement with the California-based investment company LDA CAPITAL (www.ldcap.com) for the implementation of an equity financing line for up to a 50 million Euros amount (the “Equity Line”). Such line will be used by HOPIUM in several installments and upon its sole discretion over a 3-year period by issuing new shares.
This financing aims to provide HOPIUM with the human and technological resources necessary to support its growth. It will be allocated to the further development of its technological building blocks linked to the hydrogen propulsion system, on-board software as well as vehicle engineering.
HOPIUM will keep on exploring complementary sources of financing, in order to secure its development plan up to the commercialization of its first vehicle, namely the “Machina” expected to be first delivered in 2025.
HOPIUM did thank RBB Advisory for its significant and supportive advisory role throughout the process of the Equity Line. RBB Group is present in Paris, Luxembourg and Brussels (www.rbb-paris.com). Via its affiliate, RBB Advisory it developed a financial advisory franchise for cross-border operations and support to innovative companies like HOPIUM. It can rely, in particular, on its partners network named RBB International (www.rbb-international.com) being present in over 20 different countries.
“We were particularly pleased to have accompanied HOPIUM in the development of its great project. Besides, we are proud that such transaction stands as a premiere in three respects:
- No French start-up less than 3 years old operating in the industrial sector had ever raised such an amount from an American investor to date,
- The structure of this facility is innovative having never yet been implemented on the French market,
- This is LDA Capital’s first transaction in France, though it has built up a significant portfolio (USD 11 billion) being spread over more than 40 different countries.
We were also quite pleased to have partnered with Cognitive Corporate Finance (www.cognitivecf.com), founded and led by Charles Thoma, in placing us with LDA CAPITAL for this transaction. Altogether this transaction was carried out at a sustained pace and has then been completed within 3 months’ time.”
Hervé UZAN, CEO of RBB Advisory.
[1] As for details about this Equity Line, please refer to the press release issued by Hopium on June 13.2022