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Deezer

Music streaming / mediaFrance
New to Unitard
📉 Public < $1B
Peak $1.16 BillionRecorded estimate
~-84%
from peak
  1. 🦄
    Became a unicorn
    Aug 2018
  2. 📈
    Peak valuation
    $1.16 Billion ’18
  3. 💔
    Became a Unitard
    Jul 2022
  4. 💸
    Last valuation estimate
    ~$186M
Current status
Listed on Euronext Paris (DEEZR) since July 5, 2022 after merging with the SPAC I2PO; Access Industries remains the largest shareholder; Alexis Lanternier CEO since September 2024; returned to a net profit in the first half of 2026
Live · DEEZR.PA· Paris
as of 2026-10-23
€1.31▲ 1.54% today

The rise & fall

10 moments · 2007–2026

The key moments, with employee sentiment along the way.

Aug 22 ’07
Founded in Paris
Daniel Marhely and Jonathan Benassaya launch the music-streaming service.
Wikipédia
Oct 2012
Access Industries invests €100M
Leonard Blavatnik's Access Industries takes about 30% of the company; it holds more than half by June 2016.
Wikipédia
Oct 2015
First IPO attempt is called off
A listing announced on September 22, 2015 is withdrawn the following month, citing market conditions.
Wikipédia
Aug 2 ’18
The peak: €160M round values Deezer at €1B$1.16B
Kingdom Holding and Rotana, Access Industries, Orange and LBO France invest; Deezer says the deal values it at €1B, about $1.16B.
Deezer
Apr 18 ’22
SPAC merger with I2PO announced
The deal values Deezer at €1.05B before new money; it hopes to raise up to €425M.
Wikipédia
Jul 5 ’22
Lists below €1B on Euronext Paris
Shares open at €8.50 and are at €6.50 by midday. stockanalysis.com records a market value of about €661M on July 6; Deezer has never traded at €1B.
Music Business Worldwide
Sep 2024
Alexis Lanternier becomes CEO
His appointment is announced in July 2024.
Wikipédia
Jul 28 ’26
Back to a net profit
H1 2026 net profit is €6.7M against a €7.6M loss a year earlier; direct subscribers grow to 5.8M while the total slips to 8.9M.
Music Business Worldwide
Oct 21 ’26
Market value near €163M$189M
About €163M at the October 21, 2026 close, roughly 84% below the 2018 round.
Yahoo Finance
From the inside · Glassdoor reviews, 2022–26
Glassdoor ratings stayed near four stars after the listing; reviewers praised colleagues but often said pay lagged the market and that leadership's strategy was unclear.
Today
Still in the club — and still trading
Live · DEEZR.PA · Parisas of 2026-10-23
€1.31▲ 1.54% today

💬 entries paraphrase anonymous, unverified reviews posted publicly on Glassdoor ↗; dated facts carry their source.

How it happened

Deezer, the Paris music-streaming service founded in 2007 by Daniel Marhely and Jonathan Benassaya, grew into one of Spotify's main European rivals, with Leonard Blavatnik's Access Industries as its largest shareholder.

After calling off a stock-market listing in 2015, it raised €160M in August 2018 from Kingdom Holding, Rotana, Access, Orange and LBO France in a round that Deezer said valued it at €1B, about $1.16B.

Deezer listed on Euronext Paris on July 5, 2022 by merging with the SPAC I2PO, which valued it at €1.05B before the deal. The shares fell sharply on the first day, and the market value has stayed well below €1B ever since. Under chief executive Alexis Lanternier, Deezer returned to a net profit in the first half of 2026.

Source: Deezer newsroom (Aug 2, 2018): €160M round from Kingdom Holding and Rotana, Access Industries, Orange and LBO France; "the transaction values Deezer at €1 billion" (about $1.16B at roughly 1.16 USD/EUR). Music Business Worldwide (July 5, 2022): Euronext Paris debut after the I2PO merger at a €1.050B pre-money equity value; shares opened at €8.50 and traded at €6.50 by midday. stockanalysis.com: market cap €661M on July 6, 2022, €330M at end-2022. fr.wikipedia: founded Aug 22, 2007 by Daniel Marhely and Jonathan Benassaya; 2015 IPO withdrawn; Access Industries 36.2% at Dec 31, 2024; Alexis Lanternier CEO from September 2024. MBW (July 29, 2026): H1 2026 net profit €6.7M, 8.9M subscribers. Yahoo Finance (Oct 21, 2026): about €163M (stockanalysis.com shows €156M).

Founders & leadership

  • Hans-Holger Albrecht
    CEO at peak (from February 2015)
    Still there — Board MemberLinkedIn ↗
  • Daniel Marhely
    co-founder
    LinkedIn ↗
  • Jonathan Benassaya
    co-founder
    Now Co-Founder and CEO at SkinBitLinkedIn ↗

Current roles as self-reported on LinkedIn, retrieved 2026-10-22. See our methodology.

Disclosed investors (9)

Historical funding participation; lists may be incomplete and do not establish current ownership or investor losses.

* Lead in a funding round · Crunchbase ↗ · 2026-10-22 · Methodology · Leaderboard

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