CotizUp

Cover Block

Attribute	Details
Name	CotizUp
Tagline	Online crowdfunding platform for personal gifts, events, and causes, primarily in France.
Headquarters	Paris, France
Founded	2016
Stage	Seed
Business Model	B2C
Industry	Fintech
Technology	Software (Non-AI)
Geography	Western Europe
Growth Profile	SMB / Main Street
Founding Team	Solo Founder
Funding Label	Unfunded [Tracxn, 2024]

Links

• Website: https://www.cotizup.com
• LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/company/cotizup

What an Investor Needs First

CotizUp is a French-language, consumer-facing crowdfunding platform that operates as a bootstrapped challenger in a crowded, trust-sensitive market. Founded in 2016 by Billal Righi, the company provides a donation-based platform for personal gifts, events, and charitable causes, marketing itself as a "cagnotte en ligne sans frais de plateforme" (online collection without platform fees) [CotizUp]. The service allows organizers to pool funds online and withdraw them via bank transfer, utilizing Mangopay S.A. as its payment processor [Mangopay]. Founder Billal Righi, based in Dublin, Ireland, leads the company, which has maintained a lean, remote-first operation with no publicly disclosed external funding [TheCompanyCheck, 2023][LinkedIn].

Its primary wedge against competitors like GoFundMe and Kickstarter is its fee-free branding. However, the company's growth and operational stability are challenged by user complaints regarding fund withdrawal difficulties and unexpected fees, which contradict its core marketing claim [Que Choisir Forum][Avis de CotizUp.com]. Over the next 12-18 months, the critical watch points are the company's ability to resolve these operational trust issues, demonstrate scalable revenue, and navigate competition from global platforms and local French alternatives like Le Pot Commun and Leetchi.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core business model and founder details are confirmed by company materials and directories, but key operational and financial metrics are not publicly available.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Classification
Stage	Seed
Business Model	B2C
Industry / Vertical	Fintech
Technology Type	Software (Non-AI)
Geography	Western Europe
Growth Profile	SMB / Main Street
Founding Team	Solo Founder

Inside the Company

CotizUp was founded in 2016 by Billal Righi, who remains the company's CEO [TheCompanyCheck, 2023]. The company presents itself as a Paris-based fintech, though its legal structure includes CotizUp Limited, incorporated in Ireland in January 2021, with a registered address in Dublin where Righi is based [SoloCheck] [Billal RIGHI Email & Phone Number | CotizUp CEO and Founder Contact Information].

By 2023, the company reported having collected 8 million euros in funds within a two-year period [Public neutral summary]. The business has been built and scaled without external equity funding, remaining in an "Unfunded" stage [Tracxn, 2024].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Key founding and incorporation dates are confirmed by corporate registries, but the reported funds-collected metric and operational details rely on company statements without independent verification.

Under the Hood

CotizUp operates a donation-based crowdfunding platform designed for consumer use cases, primarily in the French market. The core product is an online 'cagnotte' (money pot) service, allowing organizers to create a campaign page, collect contributions via online payment, and withdraw pooled funds via bank transfer [CotizUp]. The company's primary public-facing claim is its 'no platform fee' model [CotizUp].

Technologically, the platform relies on a third-party payment service provider, Mangopay S.A., to process transactions [Mangopay]. The website and user interface are presented in French, with a focus on simplicity for personal fundraising events, shared gifts, and charitable causes [CotizUp].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are sourced from the company's own terms and a payment provider, but technical architecture and monetization details are not independently verified.

Market Research

The market for online crowdfunding and pooled payments in the French-speaking consumer segment has matured into a mainstream utility for social finance. The European crowdfunding market was valued at €16.6 billion in 2022 [European Crowdfunding Network, 2023]. In France, the 'cagnotte' concept is culturally entrenched, with the domestic market for personal and event-based collections estimated to process hundreds of millions of euros annually. A key adjacent market is peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, where apps like Lydia have gained widespread adoption [CB Insights, 2023].

Metric	Value
European Crowdfunding Market (2022)	16.6 €B
French P2P Payment App Users (Lydia, 2023)	6 million

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is based on analogous, broader industry reports. Direct TAM/SAM/SOM for the French 'cagnotte' niche is not publicly available from cited sources.

Competition and Substitutes

CotizUp operates in a crowded market for online fundraising, where its primary defense is a hyper-localized, fee-free positioning against global platforms.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator
CotizUp	French-language 'cagnotte' platform with 'no platform fee' model.	Seed / Unfunded	Zero platform fee branding; focus on personal gifts and local events in France.
GoFundMe	Global leader in personal and charitable crowdfunding.	Private / >$600M raised	Massive network effects, brand trust, and international payment infrastructure.
Leetchi (MangoPay)	French pioneer in online money pots ('cagnottes'), acquired by Mangopay.	Acquired (2019)	Deep integration with Mangopay's payment stack; strong domestic brand recognition.
HelloAsso	French platform for nonprofit and association fundraising.	Nonprofit / Bootstrapped	Specialized legal and fiscal framework for French associations; strong nonprofit trust.
Kickstarter	Global platform for creative project funding (rewards-based).	Private / >$10M raised	Focus on creative projects with tangible rewards; established community of backers.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor profiles and funding stages are drawn from public directories and news, but CotizUp's own market position and differentiators are inferred from its marketing materials and user reviews, which present a mixed picture.

Opportunity

The opportunity for CotizUp is to become the default, trusted platform for small-scale, social fundraising in the French-speaking world. The company's explicit positioning as a "cagnotte en ligne sans frais de plateforme" targets user frustration with opaque fee structures [CotizUp].

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Embedded Banking Partnership	CotizUp's fundraising functionality becomes a white-label or API feature within major French neobanks and retail banking apps.	A formal partnership with a player like Lydia to power group collections.	The company already uses Mangopay as its payment service provider, indicating an existing relationship with a fintech infrastructure layer [Mangopay].
Vertical Expansion to SMBs & Associations	The platform moves beyond personal use to become the standard tool for small business customer loyalty programs and formal nonprofit fundraising.	Launch of dedicated, compliant product tiers for registered businesses and charitable organizations.	The company's terms already define its service as being for individuals, companies, and nonprofit organizations [CotizUp].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- The core product positioning and target market are confirmed by company materials. Growth scenarios are plausible inferences based on the existing business model and partner ecosystem, but lack direct confirmation from the company or partners.

Sources

1. [Tracxn, 2024] CotizUp - Company Profile | https://tracxn.com/d/companies/cotizup/__PKSi0b1sV0ZNFUna7JkAjDTpCh3DBn0VKo3VOBrdboc
2. [CotizUp] CotizUp - La cagnotte en ligne sans frais de plateforme! | https://www.cotizup.com/terms
3. [TheCompanyCheck, 2023] CotizUp, Company Profile | https://www.thecompanycheck.com/company/b/cotizup/20a019c5efe0470f9
4. [LinkedIn] CotizUp | LinkedIn | https://ie.linkedin.com/company/cotizup
5. [SoloCheck] Cotizup Ltd | https://www.solocheck.ie/Irish-Company/Cotizup-Limited-685588
6. [Que Choisir Forum] Cotizup.com à éviter! - Racontez-vous: Bons plans et Mésaventures - Forum Que Choisir | https://forum.quechoir.org/cotizup-com-a-eviter-t288587.html