ZURICH, July 2 (Reuters) - A merger between French

business software provider LumApps and its Swiss peer Beekeeper

will create a new unicorn worth about $1.1 billion, the two

companies said.

The deal announced on Wednesday, which is due to complete

this month, is backed by British private equity group

Bridgepoint, which was previously a major shareholder

in LumApps and will hold a majority stake in the new firm.

"Midterm, an IPO or a trade sale are options. With the U.S.

and Europe being our core markets, both would be great (IPO

venue) candidates," said Beekeeper CEO Cristian Grossmann.

The new firm's headquarters will be in Lyon, the home of

LumApps, whose CEO Sebastien Ricard will lead the business. It

will have approximately 600 employees worldwide.

Unicorns are unlisted start-ups valued at at least $1

billion. Such firms are comparatively rare in Europe.

LumApps makes software that companies use to run their

intranets.

"We are trying to augment or even replace products like

Microsoft's ( MSFT ) SharePoint," said Elie Melois, chief

technology officer of LumApps, which is used by the likes of

Airbus and luxury goods group LVMH.

While LumApps products are mainly used by office workers,

Beekeeper has an app that allows frontline staff to communicate

with the rest of the company.

Beekeeper, founded by graduates of ETH Zurich, counts Swiss

retailer Coop and Heathrow airport among its clients.

Within six months, the merged company aims to introduce a

unified platform.

Current revenue of around $150 million is expected to double

to around $300 million by 2030. LumApps already turns a profit,

and Beekeeper aims to break even this year. "The combined group

will be profitable from day one," Melois said.