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Viadeo has raised $50.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at Viadeo.
Viadeo has raised $50.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Viadeo operates a professional social network, connecting individuals globally for career development and business connections. It enables users to expand networks, explore opportunities, and cultivate their online professional identity. The platform focuses on linking business owners, entrepreneurs, and managers across sectors, offering tools for interaction.
Founded in France in 2004 by Dan Serfaty and Thierry Lunati, the company recognized the need for a dedicated online space for professional connection. Serfaty and Lunati launched Viadeo to meet this demand, establishing an environment focused on career networking and fostering interaction.
Viadeo primarily serves business owners, entrepreneurs, and managers enhancing their professional reach and discovering new ventures. The platform provides a dynamic digital ecosystem for networking and information exchange. Its vision is to empower professionals worldwide to effectively build and leverage networks for career advancement and business growth.
Key people at Viadeo.
Viadeo is a French professional social networking platform founded in 2004, offering contact management, networking opportunities, job-seeking tools, and employer engagement features.[1][2] It targets middle managers more than senior executives, distinguishing it from competitors like LinkedIn, and achieved profitability in 2006 through recruiting services, advertising, and premium memberships while expanding via acquisitions.[1] With a strong presence in France (market leader), China (via Tianji.com, the top professional network), Russia, and other regions, Viadeo went public in 2014 and grew its user base to rank second globally in professional networking.[1]
The platform serves professionals seeking connections and career advancement, as well as businesses for talent attraction and diversity showcasing through multilingual company pages.[1] Its growth momentum included key acquisitions like Tianji.com (2007, China), ICTnet (2008, Spain), ApnaCircle (2009, India), unyk.com (2009, Canada), and Pealk (2013, France), enhancing international reach and SMB targeting.[1]
Viadeo originated as Viaduc, founded in 2004 by Dan Serfaty and Thierry Lunati, two recent college graduates in Paris, France.[1][2] Serfaty, a serial entrepreneur, had already founded, run, or co-founded three successful companies, while Lunati brought the membership base from Aggregator, an online private equity community.[1] The company rebranded to Viadeo S.A. in August 2007.[2][4]
Early traction came quickly: Viadeo became profitable by 2006 and pursued aggressive international expansion through acquisitions, starting with Tianji.com in 2007.[1] Pivotal moments included its 2014 IPO and dominance in non-U.S. markets, humanizing its rise from a startup leveraging prior networks to a global player focused on mid-level professionals.[1]
Viadeo rode the early 2000s wave of professional social networking, emerging as a Europe- and Asia-centric alternative to U.S.-dominated LinkedIn.[1][5] Its timing capitalized on rising demand for localized platforms amid globalization, with acquisitions countering LinkedIn's expansion into China, Spain, India, and beyond.[1] Market forces like regional data privacy preferences and non-English professional networks favored Viadeo, influencing the ecosystem by proving viability of niche, acquisition-fueled growth in social tech—later echoed by EU startups and LinkedIn alternatives.[5]
As a media and tech company, it shaped startup ecosystems in France (Riviera scene) and Amsterdam (Soocial acquisition), fostering professional tools amid Europe's fragmented social media landscape.[3][5]
Viadeo’s public status since 2014 positions it for potential pivots in a LinkedIn-consolidated market, possibly emphasizing AI-enhanced networking or SMB tools amid remote work trends.[1][4] Rising global demand for localized professional platforms, especially in Asia and Europe, could fuel resurgence, with trends like multilingual AI and diversity hiring amplifying its strengths.[1] Its influence may evolve toward niche B2B integrations, sustaining relevance as a foundational player in international tech networking—echoing its origin as a scrappy, manager-focused disruptor.
Viadeo has raised $50.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $32.0M Series U in April 2012.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2012 | $32M Series U | — | Idinvest Partners | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2009 | $5M Series U | — | Idinvest Partners | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2007 | $7M Series B | — | Idinvest Partners | Announced |
| May 1, 2006 | $6M Series A | — | Idinvest Partners | Announced |
Viadeo has raised $50.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Viadeo's investors include IDInvest Partners.
