Iconosquare

Overview

Positive Group operates as a multi-brand European marketing technology platform. Its portfolio is organized around four core product lines: Positive User (a CRM and customer engagement platform unifying email, SMS, and automation, incorporating the legacy Sarbacane and rapidmail email brands as well as the acquired User.com platform); Positive Surfer (an AI-powered SEO and content intelligence tool, built on the acquired Surfer platform); Positive Signitic (email signature management and employee advocacy, incorporating the Signitic and Mailtastic brands); and Positive Iconosquare (social media management and analytics, acquired in 2026). [1][2][3] The group also retains noCRM.io as a lightweight sales CRM under its umbrella. [4] Together, these products are positioned as an integrated suite covering email, SEO, CRM, social, and sales prospecting. Data is hosted in France and Germany. [5]

History

The company was founded in 2001 by Mathieu Tarnus and his father Thierry Tarnus as Sarbacane Software, an email marketing tool built for French SMEs. [6] The company expanded internationally, opening a Barcelona office and crossing the €10M revenue mark before Mathieu bought out all shares to take full control; Thierry died of illness shortly thereafter. [6] In 2020, private equity firm IDI (listed on Euronext) took a minority stake. [7] In 2022, the group rebranded from Sarbacane Group to Positive Group, paired with a $110M funding round from European growth fund EMZ Partners and banking institutions, with Mathieu Tarnus retaining majority ownership. [8][9] That same year, the group acquired Marketing 1BY1 (a Customer Data Platform) as its third acquisition in two years, following rapidmail (DACH-market email platform) and Datananas (sales automation). [8][10] Between 2023 and 2024, Positive completed five additional acquisitions: 4DEM, Signitic, noCRM.io, User.com, and Mailingwork. [4] In October 2025, the group acquired Surfer (the Polish AI SEO platform), and in May 2026 it acquired Iconosquare, its twelfth acquisition overall. [11][12]

Market Position

Positive Group positions itself within the European marketing automation, email marketing, SEO, and social media management categories. As of 2025, the group reported approximately €70M in revenue and employed around 400 people across France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, with data hosted in France and Germany. [13][5] The group states it serves over 45,000 customers across Europe and North America. [14] Its customer base is described as primarily SMEs and mid-market companies, with some large enterprise and public-sector accounts. [15] No independent analyst placements (Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave) covering Positive Group as a whole were found at time of writing. On Capterra, the core Sarbacane platform has accumulated multiple verified reviews and is cited as a reference French email marketing tool; on G2, the Positive User product (listed under its prior name User.com) holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating from 51 reviews. [16][17]

Competition

In the French and European email marketing segment, Positive Group's Sarbacane/Positive User brand competes directly with Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), Mailchimp, Mailjet, and ActiveCampaign. Third-party comparisons published in 2026 position Sarbacane as a premium, GDPR-native alternative to Mailchimp, noting its French-language support included across all plans and 100% European data hosting, while flagging its higher entry price point and absence of a permanent free tier compared to Brevo. [18][19] Brevo competes on a more flexible, volume-based pricing model and a wider global customer base. [18] In the AI SEO category, Positive Surfer (formerly Surfer SEO) competes with Semrush, Ahrefs, and other content optimization platforms. [20] For social media management, Positive Iconosquare competes with Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer. [12] The broader strategy of assembling an integrated multi-product suite has been compared by trade press to the consolidation patterns of HubSpot and Semrush. [20]

Sources

1. About Positive | A European Marketing Ecosystem — Positive Group (official)
2. Our Story | Building a European Marketing Leader — Positive Group (official)
3. Positive Group - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding — Crunchbase
4. Press & Media Kit - Positive Group — Positive Group (official)
5. Third acquisition and $110M round for European Martech Positive Group — PR Newswire, 2022-11-08
6. EMZ enters the capital of group Sarbacane to support and finance its development — EMZ Partners
7. Positive Group acquires Iconosquare — Auris Finance, 2026-06-17
8. Positive Acquires Iconosquare: Social Media Management Joins Europe's Fastest-Growing Martech Ecosystem — Positive Group (official), 2026-05-19
9. Surfer SEO Acquired By Positive Group — Search Engine Journal, 2025-10-21
10. Sarbacane raises $110 million, acquires data management company Marketing 1BY1, changes name to Positive Group — Tech.eu, 2022-11-08
11. A fundraising, an acquisition, and a change of name for Sarbacane — Auris Finance
12. Sarbacane vs Sendinblue : Comparatif 2026 des plateformes emailing — Mail Partner, 2026-07-16
13. Sarbacane Reviews 2025. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra — Capterra
14. Sarbacane Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2 — G2
15. Third acquisition and $110M round for European Martech Positive — MarTech Series, 2022-11-08
16. After twelve acquisitions, POSITIVE accelerates its vertical integration strategy in martech — Startup in Europe, 2026-05-19
17. French-based Positive Group raises €110M; acquires data management company Marketing 1BY1 — Silicon Canals
18. 19 Best European Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026 — Europe Alternative
19. How Surfer SEO was acquired by Positive Group — They Got Acquired, 2026-03-25
20. Surfer SEO Was Acquired: What It Means for SEO Agencies — Rankability, 2025-10-21