Skello raises €200M from Bridgepoint as founders increase their equity stake

Paris-based HR startup Skello has raised €200M in a round led by investment firm Bridgepoint — and its founders and managers came out of the deal with a larger stake in the company, not a diluted one, as usually happens in large rounds. EU-Startups reported the news.

What Skello will spend €200M on

The company plans to use the new capital to expand across Europe by acquiring other companies. In practice, that means a market consolidation strategy driven by M&A, not just organic growth. The source describes Skello as a profitable business, which sets this round apart from the typical story of a loss-making startup raising money to cover its running costs.

• Round size: €200M
• Lead investor: Bridgepoint
• Skello is based in Paris and works in HR tech
• The company is already profitable
• The money will go toward acquiring competitors and partners across Europe

Why founders gaining equity is rare

Tech Funding News highlights an unusual detail of the deal. Normally, each new large funding round dilutes the stakes held by a company's founders and top management, because new investors receive shares in exchange for their capital. Skello saw the opposite: its founders and managers now collectively own a larger share of the company than they did before the round. The sources don't disclose exactly how the deal was structured, but the outcome alone points to the Skello team's strong negotiating position, backed by a business with proven profitability.

What it means

Skello's round shows how profitability and a strong negotiating position let a startup raise large amounts of capital on terms that favor its founders, not just its new investors — while also funding an aggressive strategy to consolidate the market through acquisitions across Europe.