PARIS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - State-backed lender Caisse desDepots (CDC) said on Wednesday it was teaming up with Euronext,a pan-European stock exchange, to raise the profile of Frenchstartups and attract new liquidity.
The announcement comes a day after President EmmanuelMacron's pledged to raise 5 billion euros in funds fromprivate-sector investors to give French startup companies a legup and help the most promising ones grow further.
In a joint statement, CDC announced a 100 million euros($110.64 million) investment programme dedicated to small capswhile Euronext said it was creating a new index, the EuronextTech Croissance, for small tech firms.
"In rolling out this investment programme, we aim to step upour presence in the listed small-cap Tech segment and help keepthe market active," said Olivier Mareuse, CDC's Chief InvestmentOfficer.
France is jostling with other European countries to lureinvestors and budding tech companies and chip away at London'slead as a startup hub, as Britain edges closer to leaving theEuropean Union on Oct. 31, potentially without a deal.
The Euronext Tech Croissance index will be composed of 150tech firms with a market capitalization of between 25 millionand 1 billion euros.
The CDC said it had already invested 2.5 billion euros insmall- and mid-cap companies.
Separately, state-owned bank Bpifrance said it would invest1 billion euros over three years in technology companies.($1 = 0.9038 euros)(Writing by Matthieu Protard; editing by Richard Lough andDarren Schuettler)