# The French Tech Journal > Independent news and analysis on French startups, AI, venture capital and funding, with deep dives, data, interviews and original reporting in English. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Search URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/search/ Last updated: 2021-02-04T07:48:35.000Z _No content available._ ### Authors URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/authors/ Last updated: 2023-10-19T15:07:59.000Z _No content available._ ### Topics URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/tags/ Last updated: 2021-02-13T18:52:25.000Z _No content available._ ### Newsletter URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/newsletter/ Last updated: 2021-02-04T07:50:24.000Z _No content available._ ### About Us URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T11:18:15.000Z The French Tech Journal is the definitive English-language guide to France’s dynamic tech scene. Through our news analysis, features, and a special focus on early-stage investing, we unravel the complexities of an ecosystem that can often feel puzzling to outsiders. The French Tech Journal publishes 2 newsletters each week: - **French Tech Newswire:** A general newsletter lands each Friday and includes a deeply reported feature or investigative story, a Q&A that sheds light on an important aspect of France’s innovation economy, and a roundup of top news stories and deals. - **La Machine:** The French AI Radar arrives each Monday with all the top headlines about France's dynamic AI ecosystem, funding recap, company launches, and exclusive interviews. The newsletters are free, but full access to all the archives is reserved for paid subscribers. Paid subscribers also get full access to the new AI Company Radar, which tracks the creation of AI startups through close monitoring of French administrative filings. To support our work and get an insider's look into France's tech evolution that includes unique insights and exclusive interviews, [subscribe now for €15/mo or €150/yr for full access](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2023/10/toulangue.jpeg) #### Chris O'Brien, Founder and Editor Before relocating to France in 2014, O’Brien spent 15 years covering Silicon Valley for the [Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/staff/chris-obrien?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [The San Jose Mercury](https://www.mercurynews.com/author/chris-obrien/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). His arrival in France coincided with the rise of an entrepreneurial movement that has catapulted the nation into the top ranks of European startup hubs. [Read his stories](https://frenchtechjournal.com/author/helen/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2023/10/Helen.jpg) #### Helen O'Reilly-Durand, Co-Founder and Deputy Editor [O’Reilly-Durand](https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-o-reilly-durand-52839724/?locale=en%5FUS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is a Franco-British Communications & PR expert. She brings a wealth of experience with founders and investors that includes advising startups at a prominent European VC and working with SMEs at France’s Ministry of the Economy and Finance. [Read her stories](https://frenchtechjournal.com/author/helen/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Connecting French Tech With International Readers The French Tech ecosystem has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade. A nation that barely registered on the startup radar, that was often dismissed as too slow or too resistant to change, has reinvented its entrepreneurial and innovation culture and catapulted itself to among the top ranks in Europe. While the French media has made big strides in covering this dynamic, the reality is that these stories aren't being read widely outside of France. To remedy that, we're building a media company that focuses on creating more English-language content that tells some of the most interesting tales about startups and entrepreneurs in France, while also decrypting how things work in France. There have been big strides in making it easier to start and build a company here, but it can still seem daunting for those outside of France to understand the nuances. If you have thoughts, ideas, or want to collaborate, drop me an email at [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) or a message via WhatsApp: +33 7 62 40 58 19. ### Contact Us URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact-2-2/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T11:20:03.000Z Have a pitch about fundraising? Have an interesting story or product to discuss? Get in touch and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Your Name (required) Your Email (required) Subject Your Message ### Sign up URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/signup/ Last updated: 2021-02-13T19:09:03.000Z _No content available._ ### Sign in URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/signin/ Last updated: 2021-02-13T19:09:27.000Z _No content available._ ### Membership URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/membership/ Last updated: 2024-12-04T23:01:18.000Z _No content available._ ### Account URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/account/ Last updated: 2024-12-04T23:01:33.000Z _No content available._ ### French Tech News Podcast URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/audio/ Last updated: 2021-10-15T16:08:42.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2021/02/153271824_730161384533485_5197243649866274677_n.png) 🎙️ Subscribe to the [French Tech News podcast](https://anchor.fm/french-tech-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) where co-hosts [Ethan Pierse](https://twitter.com/EthanPierse?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and Chris O'Brien interview France's most intriguing entrepreneurs, innovators, and venture capitalists. 🎙️ ### Partner with The French Tech Journal URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T21:09:40.000Z ## Partner with The French Tech Journal Your Gateway to France's Innovation Ecosystem [Request Sponsorship Kit](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Large-vt23-s1-d2-12-40-influence-meets-funding_021_NM.jpeg) The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform for global tech leaders and investors seeking to understand France's dynamic tech ecosystem. We deliver exclusive insights into France's complex innovation landscape by identifying leading entrepreneurs, emerging startups, analyzing key state programs, decrypting the role of state bank Bpifrance, and uncovering influential venture networks that outsiders find challenging to navigate. 💡 Our Audience at a Glance - 80K Total Audience (+240% YoY) - 6,000 Subscribers (+111% YoY) - 128k Website Page Views (+226% LTM) - 48% Average Open Rate - Top Markets: France: 29%; US: 27%, Netherlands: 7%, China: 6%; UK: 5% - Primary audience: Global tech leaders, VC firms, angel investors, founders, and ecosystem players ### Some of the companies of our readers: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/FTJ-Sponsorship-Logos.png) 💡 Why Partner With Us? - **Targeted Reach**: Connect directly with decision-makers in French tech - **Strategic Timing**: Join during France's unprecedented tech boom, with €13.5B in VC funding in 2023 - **Thought Leadership**: Position your brand at the forefront of French innovation - **Premium Content**: Associate with high-quality, trusted journalism - **Growing Platform**: Be part of our exponential growth story ## Sponsorship Packages ### Newsletter Placements Put your message in front of France’s most engaged tech and investment audience. Your brand will appear in our newsletter sponsorship module - a premium space designed for high visibility - and amplified across our social channels. ### Branded Content Position your brand as a thought leader in the French and European tech ecosystem with articles (authored by your team) underlining your company’s expertise and insight on key topics. Each piece appears on The French Tech Journal website with your logo and “Sponsored” label, and is promoted prominently in our newsletter. *Contact us to receive the full sponsorship and media kit:* - helen@frenchtechjournal.com - chris@frenchtechjournal.com ### Media Consulting URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/media-collaboration/ Last updated: 2021-03-28T15:34:57.000Z Telling your story and reaching an international audience has never been more crucial to the success of a business. Understanding how the media works and how to work with the media is an essential first step. From there, you need to craft a larger English-language content strategy that includes everything from earned media to owned media. ## The Basics Sign up for The French Tech Journal and you'll have access to a free 20-minute session. Each Friday, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., I'll hold open office hours. The link to sign up goes out with the Thursday newsletter. The agenda is up to you. Want to talk about how journalists do their job? How do they make decisions about what stories to cover? How do they get the information they need? Or just chat about your journey and ask specific questions. ## The Intermediate Want to go deeper? Book [an appointment with me at Superpeer](https://superpeer.com/chrisobrien?s=d&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and we can discuss your more specific questions and challenges as you get started on your storytelling journey. ## The Advanced Interested in a more intensive media training session for your team? Contact us to discuss a series of options to suit your needs. This could be anything from a group presentation covering all the basics above with a veteran journalist. Or it could be a more tailored program presented by a journalist and experienced PR maven to provide a more global picture of the media landscape. ### Request Our Sponsorship Kit URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/ Last updated: 2025-03-12T20:21:40.000Z _No content available._ ### Book Me URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/book-me/ Last updated: 2024-12-04T23:02:01.000Z _No content available._ ### Privacy Policy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/privacy-policy/ Last updated: 2026-04-09T17:52:55.000Z _This page is for subscribers only._ ### Welcome! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/welcome/ Last updated: 2025-02-06T01:01:54.000Z Thank you for becoming a subscriber. It would help us tremendously if you'd take 1 minute to tell us a little bit more about yourself. Loading… ### The Digital Diplomats URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-digital-diplomats/ Last updated: 2025-01-29T17:32:39.000Z _This page is for subscribers only._ ### Events URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/events/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T11:48:20.000Z _No content available._ ### Sponsor Options URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsor-test-2/ Last updated: 2025-03-05T16:19:14.000Z _This page is for subscribers only._ ## Posts ### Pigment’s $2.3 Billion Bet: Can AI Reinvent Enterprise Planning? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pigments-2-3-billion-bet-can-ai-reinvent-enterprise-planning/ Last updated: 2026-10-21T14:15:00.000Z *Following Pigment's Series E announcement today, we're publishing this exclusive analysis of the company's business and public filings. Paid subscribers can access the full analysis.* [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- [**Pigment**](https://www.pigment.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has spent the past seven years trying to convince large companies that they can plan their businesses better than by stitching together spreadsheets and wrestling with cumbersome enterprise software. Now it wants to go considerably further: letting AI agents build forecasts, run scenarios, update plans, and eventually execute decisions. Investors appear willing to finance that ambition. On Wednesday, the Paris-founded software company [**announced a $250 million Series E at a $2.3 billion valuation**](https://www.pigment.com/blog/pigment-announces-250m-series-e-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), led by EQT-managed Scaleup Europe Fund. World Innovation Lab joined the round alongside existing backers Greenoaks, ICONIQ, IVP, and Meritech. NVIDIA is also expected to invest, although Pigment describes its participation as *planned*, rather than completed. The announcement comes with an important financial milestone: Pigment says it surpassed **$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR)** earlier this year, doubling the figure year over year. That makes Pigment one of France's more compelling enterprise software success stories. Unlike startups selling the promise of a future AI product, it already has a substantial subscription business, recognizable multinational customers, and a record of competing against established software vendors. But a $2.3 billion valuation also raises the stakes. Investors are no longer simply betting that Pigment can build a better planning application. They're betting that it can become an enduring enterprise software platform, defend its position against much larger competitors, and translate AI adoption into profitable growth. The evidence is promising. The financial picture remains incomplete. ## What has Pigment actually built? **Pigment has established itself as a challenger in enterprise planning, a category where customer relationships can be valuable and difficult to dislodge.** [Founded in 2019 by Eléonore Crespo and Romain Niccoli](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/leonore-crespo-ceo-pigment/), a former Criteo co-founder and CTO, Pigment set out to modernize how businesses prepare budgets, forecast revenue, plan hiring, and evaluate alternative scenarios. The underlying problem is familiar to almost every finance department. Teams assemble financial plans from different systems, circulate them across teams, and they often become outdated before anyone finishes reconciling them. A change in hiring assumptions, sales projections, or operating costs can trigger another round of spreadsheet gymnastics. Pigment's proposition is to put that information into a shared planning environment where finance, sales, HR, and operational teams can work with consistent data and models. It's an attractive market, but it's not empty. Pigment competes with established planning vendors such as Anaplan and Workday Adaptive Planning, as well as the broader enterprise software ecosystems of Oracle and SAP. Those companies have formidable advantages in distribution, existing customer relationships, and integration with corporate systems. Pigment's opportunity is to convince enterprises that a newer platform offers better usability, flexibility, and increasingly, AI capabilities. That strategy has delivered significant traction. Pigment cites Unilever, Siemens, Snowflake, Anthropic, and ElevenLabs among its customers. It also recently disclosed that L'Oréal selected the platform to replace a salary-planning tool covering its global workforce of more than 95,000 employees. The L'Oréal example is particularly interesting. Payroll and workforce planning are complex, consequential applications in which reliability and auditability matter enormously. Importantly, the 95,000 figure reflects the employee population covered by the planning process, not the number of paid software seats disclosed. Still, winning such a deployment suggests customers are entrusting Pigment with increasingly important business processes. ## How strong is the growth? **Crossing $100 million ARR while roughly doubling annually is the strongest evidence supporting Pigment's valuation.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #97: Dougs Digs Up €50M For Hybrid Human-AI Accounting Future URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-97-dougs-digs-up-eur50m-for-hybrid-human-ai-accounting-future/ Last updated: 2026-10-21T09:21:51.000Z The Lyon digital accounting firm is betting €2-3M on Claude and recruiting a national network of business coaches. Plus: Mistral’s model blitz continues with Timestral and Voxtral 3, OVHcloud eyes its own AI, and Gradium shrinks speech to pocket size. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Dougs Just Raised €50 million. It’s Spending It On 700 humans and Claude URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/dougs-50-million-series-a-700-advisers-claude-ai/ Last updated: 2026-10-21T08:21:23.000Z Everyone says AI accounting means fewer people. Lyon’s Dougs, now past €52 million in revenue and 50,000 clients, is betting the opposite: automate the bookkeeping, then hire a national network of business coaches to tell owners what the numbers mean. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire October 19: Flying Whale's €90M Led 15 Deals For €215M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-october-19-flying-whales-eur90m-led-15-deals-for-eur215m/ Last updated: 2026-10-19T06:00:00.000Z # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: October 16 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/ftfw-Oct-10-top-deals.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/FTFW-Oct-19-top-sectors.jpg) 📇 **Company:** Flying Whales 🏷️ **Sectors:** Aerospace, ClimateTech, Aviation, Mobility 🔍 **Description:** Develops large-capacity cargo airships capable of transporting heavy and oversized loads to locations without conventional transport infrastructure. Its LCA60T airship is designed to carry up to 60 tonnes and load or unload cargo while hovering, targeting forestry, renewable energy, construction, and industrial logistics. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.flying-whales.com/](https://www.flying-whales.com/en/home?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Suresnes 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** €90 million 🏦 **Investors:** CMA CGM, Carac, Air Liquide, Groupe ADP, Bouygues, Sogecap, French Tech Souveraineté, Temaris, Principality of Monaco, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Government 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Sébastien Bougon 🗞️ **News:** **October 12, 2026.** Flying Whales announced it completed a €90M financing round led by CMA CGM, bringing cumulative funding to about €400M. The financing supports development of the company's LCA60T cargo airship and construction of its planned manufacturing facility at Laruscade, near Bordeaux. The aircraft will measure approximately 200 meters and is designed to transport cargo weighing up to 60 tonnes. Flying Whales expects to begin assembling aircraft components in early 2028 and conduct its first test flight toward the end of that year. The transaction is smaller than the €105M-plus financing previously anticipated. Québec did not participate in the final round, leaving CMA CGM and other French investors to provide the capital needed to advance the program. CMA CGM's participation is particularly significant because it brings a major international freight operator into Flying Whales' ownership structure. However, the investment does not constitute a commercial order for its aircraft. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/defense-aerospatiale/aeronautique-defense/24621299104732/flying-whales-leve-enfin-90-millions-d-euros-p?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dougs 🏷️ **Sectors:** FinTech, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** Develops an online accounting and business-management platform combining proprietary software, AI automation, and professional accountants. Its subscription services cover bookkeeping, tax filings, company formation, payroll, legal services, and electronic invoicing. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.dougs.fr](https://www.dougs.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** €50 million 🏦 **Investors:** Expedition Growth Capital 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Patrick Maurice, Véronique Maurice, Sarah Jaouani, Florent Galland 🗞️ **News:** **October 15, 2026.** Dougs raised €50M from Expedition Growth Capital to accelerate development of its AI-powered accounting platform, expand its financial and legal services, and introduce in-person customer support through a network of local partners. The company reports more than 50,000 business customers and over €50M in annual recurring revenue, compared with 14,000 customers and €15M ARR when Expedition first invested €25M in July 2023\. Dougs is developing AI agents that can perform accounting workflows and prepare financial statements for qualified accountants to review and approve. It also plans to expand its workforce from approximately 800 to 1,000 employees in 2027\. The financing brings Dougs' disclosed funding across its two institutional rounds to **€75 million**. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/dougs-leve-50-millions-deuros-aupres-dexpedition-growth-capital-pour-changer-dechelle/463938?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, ·**[**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/fintech/1556593-la-comptatech-dougs-leve-50-millions-d-euros?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/10/profitable-french-accounting-company-dougs-raises-e50-million-to-accelerate-ai-automation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- To access the full list of deals, become a paid subscriber. Your subscription also unlocks the [****French Tech Journal’s Live Funding Tracker**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/funding/)****.** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Aire and ORA Robotics Get Less Stealthy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-aire-ora-robotics-stealthy-mistral/ Last updated: 2026-10-16T08:32:46.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 At a Turin panel, co-founder Gabriel Synnaeve described Aire’s autonomous AI research agents and goal of helping users train models. The stealth AI lab reportedly seeks to raise a $400 million Seed round at a $2 billion valuation. [**Some recent administrative paperwork and a research paper offered additional insight into the secretive company's plans.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aire-autonomous-ai-research-agents/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/France-AI-Radar-Card.png)](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Introducing: France AI Radar.** **Discover the next generation of French AI startups before the market.* We detect AI startups across France at their earliest signal: when they are incorporated, still in stealth, or just beginning to leave a public trace. Structured intelligence built from administrative filings, founder activity, and ecosystem signals, designed for VCs, corporate strategists, and LPs. [Explore the Radar ](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🤖🔎 Earlier this month we shared [**some juicy tidbits we'd uncovered about ORA Robotics**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-robot-rumblings-and-ais-free-puppy-problem/), a buzzy but secretive startup. Now, co-founder Olivier Duchene has [made it official with a status update on his personal ](https://duchenne.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Website: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/Ora-Olivier.jpg) [The company](https://orarobotics.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has also filed [formal incorporation paperwork](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/ora-robotics-107787194?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which includes a few tasty morsels. **To wit:** On 23 September 2026, Ora’s shareholders resolved to appoint an independent contribution auditor because they envisaged that **XXII** Group shareholders would contribute, directly or indirectly, all or part of their XXII shares to Ora as an in-kind contribution. XXII is a computer vision startup, and the filings list its CEO, William Eldin, as a co-founder of Ora. That is the legal setup for a share-for-share transaction: Ora could become a parent/holding company of XXII, or bring at least some XXII ownership into Ora. The filing does **not** identify the contributing XXII shareholders, stake size, valuation, or whether the transaction ultimately closed. In our previous report, we detected a third potential co-founder, [**Jawad Wali**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jawad-wali-b3a8a4194/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, but his name does not appear in the filings.** Sifted had previously reported that Ora is seeking to raise €200m. In the filings, company officials approved a process to prepare a financing package: Ora intended to issue **convertible bonds** despite not having two approved annual balance sheets, and appointed Eon Advisory to verify assets and liabilities for that purpose. It also appointed JULCA to review proposed **preference shares / special rights**, and waived the usual eight-day period for making that report available. This is firm evidence of financing preparation. Though it doesn't confirm that the reported €200m round has closed. Oh, and we hear whispers that another intriguing figure and startup from **Frenchtechland** may be involved in the Ora mashup...🤫 **🔒🛡️ Ledger’s** new Atom looks suspiciously like a smartphone, does almost everything a smartphone does, and—Ledger insists—absolutely isn’t one, because apparently the ability to make calls is where the line gets drawn. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/image-11.png) It pairs Android with an isolated Ledger security system that steps in for sensitive tasks, encrypts messages, and includes a physical switch to cut power to the cameras and microphone. Ledger also wants the Atom to keep AI agents on a short leash, requiring approval for sensitive actions and shipping with OpenClaw pre-installed. The device is due in summer 2027, with a limited Founders Edition available to preorder for €849 and later orders priced at €899\. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/10/15/ledger-devoile-un-nouvel-appareil-qui-ressemble-a-un-smartphone-pour-mieux-proteger-celui-que-vous-avez-dans-votre-poche/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮💀 **France’s game industry** is in a grim state, with layoffs, studio closures, and hiring plans disappearing faster than a side quest. Nearly half of French studios reported losses in 2025, and layoffs and closures have wiped out at least 1,000 jobs since 2024, according to the latest annual report by CNC and the SNJV (Syndicat national du jeu vidéo). The global market may be recovering, but France and Europe are lagging, squeezed by scarce financing and a Steam store that now gets nearly 5,000 new games a year. AI is adding job anxiety, especially in programming, even though fewer than one in five French studios say they use AI in development. Public support, including France’s video game tax credit, remains a major lifeline, but industry leaders argue studios also need stronger international business strategies. Their proposed fix: regional clusters and a “Games40” program to help promising companies scale. Meanwhile, one bright spot: **Pullup Entertainment** has held up better than many, largely thanks to *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2*, which has attracted 12 million players and given revenue a serious boost. Still, it isn’t invulnerable: the publisher reported a net loss, has liquidated one studio, and is still absorbing the costs of past acquisitions. Its answer is to build on its own game franchises by branching into films and series. **|** [**LeFigaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/studios-en-deficit-et-licenciements-en-cascade-le-jeu-video-francais-peine-a-sortir-de-la-crise-20261015?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***Meanwhile, in the Mistral-a-palooza department...*** **🐱🛍️ Mistral** has acquired **New Material**, a six-year-old design studio that has built AI products with partners in automotive, retail, healthcare and legal services. The team will form a new “Solutions Design” group, working with customers to bring design and engineering into real-world AI deployments. The aim is to feed lessons from those projects back into Mistral’s products. No price was disclosed. **|** [**New Material**](https://newmaterial.ai/stories/newmaterial-joins-mistral?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⚛️🧑‍🔬...and...Mistral and** CERN signed a statement of intent to build a long-term AI-for-science partnership, starting with particle physics. Their ambition is a “Large Physics Model,” trained on billions of simulated collisions and designed to help reconstruct events, identify particles, and spot unusual signals. Such work is now handled by a chain of specialized algorithms. With about an exabyte of LHC data already on hand and ten times more collisions expected from the future HL-LHC, the model will have no shortage of homework. | [**CERN**](https://home.cern/cern-and-mistral-join-forces-to-accelerate-ai-for-science/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🐯🌶️...and...Apparently **Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch** woke up Friday feeling a tad spicy. He posted an article on the social network FKA Twitter with a blunt message for the Euro Doomer Porn crowd: "An idea has gained ground in Europe: we should leave frontier AI models to the Americans and the Chinese...This is a fundamental mistake. It will end up costing Europe what remains of its place in the world and lock it into a regime of economic dependence unprecedented in the history of civilizations." The **A-Train** says there is no room for pessimism, and then throws the gauntlet: "Furthermore, we know exactly how to improve our performance...We can move faster with more capital, and we will raise it. | [**Twitter**](https://x.com/arthurmensch/status/2110990492930314712?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🎖️🏆 LinkedIn’s 2026 French Top Startup**s list reflects a shift toward companies building AI products across fields including defense, finance, biotech, and workplace software. **Mistral (what???!!!)** ranks first, followed by Harmattan AI and Dust. The ranking weighs hiring growth, member interest, LinkedIn engagement, and the ability to attract talent from LinkedIn Top Companies. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-startups-2026-les-20-p%25C3%25A9pites-fran%25C3%25A7aises-u8fge/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/linkedin_top_startups_france_2026.png) [Support us with a paid subscription](#/portal/signup) --- # AI Lab Aire Starts to Shed Its Stealth as Co-Founder Outlines AI Scientist Plans [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/image-10.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aire-autonomous-ai-research-agents/) Aire co-founder Gabriel Synnaeve Aire has spent much of its short life in stealth. But at a tech conference in Turin last week, Aire co-founder Gabriel Synnaeve spoke on a panel and pulled back the curtain a bit on what the company is cooking up. “We’re doing autonomous AI research agents and really serving it as a product,” he said at Wave by Vento’s “From minds to matters” panel on October 8\. He added that the goal is to “empower everybody to train their own AI models.” His talk was one of several clues emerging about the mission of an AI Lab that is reportedly seeking to raise a €400 million Seed round. [See what other signals we've found about Aire's plans -->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aire-autonomous-ai-research-agents/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Dougs 🏷️ **Sectors:** FinTech, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** Develops an online accounting and business-management platform combining proprietary software, AI automation, and professional accountants. Its subscription services cover bookkeeping, tax filings, company formation, payroll, legal services, and electronic invoicing. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.dougs.fr](https://www.dougs.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** €50 million 🏦 **Investors:** Expedition Growth Capital 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Patrick Maurice, Véronique Maurice, Sarah Jaouani, Florent Galland 🗞️ **News:** **October 15, 2026.** Dougs raised €50M from Expedition Growth Capital to accelerate development of its AI-powered accounting platform, expand its financial and legal services, and introduce in-person customer support through a network of local partners. The company reports more than 50,000 business customers and over €50M in annual recurring revenue, compared with 14,000 customers and €15M ARR when Expedition first invested €25M in July 2023\. Dougs is developing AI agents that can perform accounting workflows and prepare financial statements for review and approval by qualified accountants. It also plans to expand its workforce from approximately 800 to 1,000 employees in 2027\. The financing brings Dougs' disclosed funding across its two institutional rounds to **€75 million**. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/dougs-leve-50-millions-deuros-aupres-dexpedition-growth-capital-pour-changer-dechelle/463938?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, ·**[**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/fintech/1556593-la-comptatech-dougs-leve-50-millions-d-euros?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,·** [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/10/profitable-french-accounting-company-dougs-raises-e50-million-to-accelerate-ai-automation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** HyLight 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, Aerospace, Robotics, AI, Energy 🔍 **Description:** Develops autonomous, hydrogen-powered airships that inspect electricity networks, gas pipelines, and railway infrastructure. Its HyLighter aircraft collect high-resolution imagery and sensor data, which the company processes using AI to detect defects, identify methane leaks, and help infrastructure operators plan preventive maintenance. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.hylight.aero/](https://www.hylight.aero/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Le Plessis-Pâté 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €13 million 🏦 **Investors:** Rubio Impact Ventures, DRW, Teampact Ventures, Y Combinator, Ring Capital 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Martin Bocken, Josef Rokusek, Thomas Laporte 🗞️ **News:** **October 12, 2026.** HyLight announced a €13M Series A to industrialize its autonomous airship fleet, expand its AI-powered infrastructure inspection capabilities, and accelerate European deployment. The company reports more than 750 flight hours and thousands of kilometers of infrastructure inspected, with customers including Enedis, NaTran, Teréga, SNCF Réseau and VINCI. Its immediate objective is to increase the number of HyLighters operating simultaneously from four to 15 in 2027\. The financing will also support approximately 50 additional hires across engineering, AI, operations, regulation, and commercial development. Germany and the Netherlands are identified as priority expansion markets. The company raised €3.7M in April 2024, bringing its announced cumulative fundraising to about €16.7M. | [**AeroMorning.com**](https://aeromorning.com/en/hylight-raises-e13m-to-inspect-critical-infrastructure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/hylight-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-faire-du-dirigeable-un-outil-de-maintenance-industrielle/463913?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** CarbonFarm 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, AgriTech, Artificial Intelligence, SpaceTech 🔍 **Description:** Develops technology and financing infrastructure to reduce methane emissions from rice cultivation. Its platform combines satellite imagery, AI, agricultural field data, and greenhouse-gas modeling to measure emissions, verify changes in farming practices, and support the certification of carbon-reduction projects. 💻 **Website:** [https://carbonfarm.tech/](https://carbonfarm.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nanterre 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** Colam Impact, Proparco, Suma Capital, elea, Working Capital Fund, Albo, Bpifrance, Serena, makesense, Technmind 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Vassily Carantino, James Hastwell 🗞️ **News:** **October 13, 2026.** CarbonFarm closed an oversubscribed €7M Series A led by Colam Impact to expand its rice-decarbonization business internationally. The startup works with rice producers, cooperatives, agribusinesses, governments, and carbon-market participants to develop and finance agricultural projects that reduce methane emissions. Its technology uses satellite monitoring and field measurements to determine whether farmers have adopted practices that lower emissions, providing evidence for carbon-credit certification and corporate sustainability programs. CarbonFarm operates in 19 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Its partners include major food companies such as Mars Food, Diageo, Ebro and Tilda. The financing will support expansion across existing markets, entry into Latin America and development of the company's digital measurement, reporting and verification infrastructure. CarbonFarm says improved rice-water management can reduce methane emissions by up to 50% and water consumption by up to 30%, though these are potential reductions, not verified outcomes across its entire project portfolio. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/10/paris-based-carbonfarm-raises-e7-million-to-tackle-methane-emissions-from-rice-farming/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**AgFunder**](https://agfundernews.com/carbonfarm-technology-lands-2-6m-to-decarbonize-rice-through-satellite-verified-carbon-credits?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/carbonfarm-leve-7-millions-deuros-pour-rendre-la-reduction-du-methane-des-rizieres-mesurable-et-financable/463919?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/10/13/carbonfarm-leve-7-millions-deuros-pour-reduire-les-emissions-de-methane-dans-les-rizieres/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### AI Lab Aire Starts to Shed Its Stealth as Co-Founder Outlines AI Scientist Plans URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aire-autonomous-ai-research-agents/ Last updated: 2026-10-15T22:56:10.000Z Aire has spent much of its short life in stealth. But at a tech conference in Turin last week, Aire co-founder Gabriel Synnaeve spoke on a panel and pulled back the curtain, just a bit, on what the company is cooking up. “We’re doing autonomous AI research agents and really serving it as a product,” he said at Wave by Vento’s “From minds to matters” panel on October 8\. He added that the goal is to “empower everybody to train their own AI models.” That is a more concrete public description of Aire than the company has offered so far. But it came in a handful of remarks during a short panel. Still, it offered a glimpse of the ambition and the problems the founders think matter, even if it leaves plenty of basic questions unanswered. Synnaeve described Aire’s work in the context of AI for science, pointing to demand for models used in areas such as protein design and computational fluid dynamics. The company wants to automate the process of training those models “from the data to the scaling laws to delivering a model that is qualified,” he said. Aire is also using its own product to develop the specialized models and infrastructure the work requires. That sounds like a research-and-development platform, not simply a general-purpose chatbot or a single model. Still, it represents perhaps the most extensive public remarks by anyone associated with the company [**since a July report by Sifted sniffed out Aire's existence**](https://sifted.eu/articles/aire-openai-meta-aire-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **To recap: Aire** is a new stealth AI startup with deep roots at OpenAI and Meta that is aiming to make a very big entrance. It's officially incorporated in the U.S. as Flops & Friends, Inc., andits subsidiary is[**registered in France as FLOPS & FRIENDS**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/flops-friends-france-105990592?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). According to Sifted, Aire is seeking $400 million in Seed funding at a reported valuation of around $2 billion to build an "AI scientist" that can automate R&D for enterprise customers across fields ranging from biology and physics to finance. If the raise succeeds, Aire would join a growing wave of heavily funded AI labs betting that the next frontier for AI is accelerating scientific discovery rather than simply boosting office productivity. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #96: Nvidia Declares Europe’s AI Moment URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-96-nvidia-declares-europes-ai-moment/ Last updated: 2026-10-14T14:47:56.000Z Jensen Huang announces four French startup bets and teases $2bn for European AI infrastructure. Scaleway expands across the continent as supermarket cyberattacks and AI assistants flunk safety checks. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Jensen Huang's Nvidia Paris Pitch: Declares This Is Europe’s AI Moment And Bets on Four French Startups URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nvidia-jensen-huang-four-french-startups-europe-ai/ Last updated: 2026-10-14T14:37:43.000Z At a Paris event, Huang named investments in Doctolib, Pigment, Genesis AI and Entalpic, said Nvidia had put $8bn into Europe and teased another $2bn for infrastructure. He argued Europe’s manufacturing base gives it an edge in robotics. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire October 13: Spiko's €77.4M led 30 Deals For €329M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-october-13-spiko-774m-30-deals-329m/ Last updated: 2026-10-14T20:25:40.000Z Between September 28 and October 12, French Tech startups raising money also included: Spiko, Wiremind, Vates, WhiteLab Genomics, VoltR, Rivercell, Vocca, Edonia, Inbolt, Rayon, Netsec, Cleavr, Archeon Medical, Marble, AlloBrain, Verso, Fleuret AI, VoltaBack, and more. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Is Epsilon the Kind of Culot Macron Wants to See in France? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-is-epsilon-the-kind-of-culot-macron-wants-to-see-in-france/ Last updated: 2026-10-09T11:44:46.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Can Europe build a social network without the toxicity, addictive algorithms, and ad-driven model of Big Tech? Epsilon thinks so. FTJ spoke to co-founder Thomas Rocafull about his vision for a quieter, sovereign, and responsible alternative. [**Check out the interview here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/epsilon-french-social-network-mastodon/)**.** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/France-AI-Radar-Card.png)](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Introducing: France AI Radar.** **Discover the next generation of French AI startups before the market.* We detect AI startups across France at their earliest signal: when they are incorporated, still in stealth, or just beginning to leave a public trace. Structured intelligence built from administrative filings, founder activity, and ecosystem signals, designed for VCs, corporate strategists, and LPs. [Explore the Radar ](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/image-4.png) 🇫🇷 🎤 **From “changing the world” to having the *culot* to take risks. The 11th edition of Bpifrance's flagship event BIG took place at Bercy arena in Paris yesterday.** The event has mirrored the evolution of French entrepreneurship since its 2015 launch, growing from 15,000 participants to roughly 80,000 registrations this year. Over 11 editions, themes have moved from transformation and conquest to AI, truth, and, this year, audacity, or Culot,as we like to say in French. **Closing yesterday's event, Macron delivered his own greatest-hits reel: 2.5M+ jobs created, more startups, more data centers and a decarbonized energy model.** His message? France hasn’t won every battle, but entrepreneurs need less defeatism and more risk-taking, investment and modernization. With a presidential election less than eight months away, his defense of a decade of economic reforms also reminded everyone that France’s next chapter will depend on its ability to keep innovating and competing. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/10/08/big-retour-sur-les-11-editions-de-levenement-phare-de-bpifrance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️🪖 **The sovereignty, she giveth. And the sovereignty, she taketh away.** France’s armed forces pushed Pasqal out of its €500 million defense-computing program as the company's center of gravity shifted toward the U.S. following its recent IPO. Pasqal simply claims that it chose to focus on civilian quantum applications. But *Les Échos* reports that the company had become too American for France's military. "This succession of events has made the situation untenable, the center of gravity has drifted across the Atlantic," a source told Les Échos. An American executive took the helm, Pasqal set up its U.S. headquarters in Illinois, and a Nasdaq listing followed. The company raised $360 million and says losing its defense work won’t hurt its finances, though the military procurement agency accounted for about a third of its 2025 revenue. Alice & Bob, Quandela, Quobly and C12 remain in the race. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/defense-pourquoi-les-armees-ont-exfiltre-pasqal-de-leur-programme-de-calcul-quantique-2255425?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**BFMTV**](https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/entreprises/defense/la-pepite-francaise-du-quantique-pasqal-est-allee-a-la-bourse-de-new-york-l-etat-l-ejecte-d-un-programme-militaire-strategique%5FAV-202610060066.html?at%5Fbrand=BFMTV&at%5Fcompte=bfmbusiness&at%5Fplateforme=twitter&at%5Fcampaign=Fan%5Fpages&at%5Fmedium=Community%5FManagement&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Pasqal**](https://quantumzeitgeist.com/pasqal-quantum-support-ends-defense/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️💻 **Meanwhile, in other quantum news...Quobly** is adding access to **CEA-Leti’s FAMES** pilot line to its silicon-quantum push, giving the Grenoble startup new tools to test chip processes for future processors alongside its existing partnership with **STMicroelectronics**. Launched in January, FAMES is a shared European facility that brings semiconductor ideas closer to industrial production. ST’s 300 mm factories remain Quobly’s route for manufacturing its current chip designs. The move follows Quobly’s September announcement that it had demonstrated qubit readout and one- and two-qubit gates together on a chip made using ST’s commercial process, though detailed performance data are still to come. Fresh from a €115 million June funding round, the company is targeting cloud access to its first system, Alloy Pioneer, by the end of 2026, and one million qubits by 2032\. | [**VIPress**](https://vipress.net/quobly-et-le-cea-leti-accelerent-le-developpement-du-quantique-sur-silicium/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Quobly**](https://www.quobly.io/press-releases/cea-leti-and-quobly-strengthen-their-collaboration-to-accelerate-the-development-of-next-generation-silicon-quantum-technologies/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👓🛒 After eight years building **Lynx** into a rare European challenger in mixed reality, founder **Stan Larroque** says the company’s IP, assets and most of its team have been acquired by eyewear giant **EssilorLuxottica**. The deal follows the March liquidation of Lynx’s parent company after a failed restructuring. The company raised only about $6 million, and its long-promised R2 headset never reached market. So while the technology and team live on, Lynx as an independent headset maker appears to be history, and the R2’s future looks doubtful. Larroque, meanwhile, is heading to Parrot for a key leadership role alongside founder Henri Seydoux. He says the original R1 headset is now at the Computer History Museum: a place in tech history, even if the sequel never got made. | [**Numerama**](https://www.numerama.com/tech/2296193-essilorluxottica-rachete-lynx-la-startup-francaise-specialiste-de-la-realite-virtuelle.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Parrot**](https://www.parrot.com/fr/corporate/gouvernance-principaux-managers?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7511093993473097729?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7511093993473097729%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷 ☁️ **France is putting €47M behind trusted cloud and AI infrastructure.** Cloud Temple, Thales, Bull, Vates and the CEA are joining forces to develop services for sensitive data, with €20M in support from France 2030\. The consortium aims to strengthen French providers’ position against US cloud giants by combining expertise in cybersecurity, AI hardware, open-source virtualization and research. The consortium plans around 80 products by the end of 2028, with 15 already launched. The challenge? Turning France’s technological expertise into competitive services at scale. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/informatique/cloud/cloud-temple-thales-bull-vates-et-le-cea-mobilisent-47-millions-deuros-pour-developper-le-cloud-et-lia-de-confiance.DF6Y3QN5IRAPJKF2KTJNTWHDYQ.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌊💸 **Too old for VC, too young for growth? IronWave is going after France’s funding gap.** Former Wendel investors Victoire Laurenty and Antoine Izsak have raised €105M for a new fund targeting startups generating €3–10M in revenue. Wendel is putting up half the first close and taking a 30% stake in the manager. The pair previously ran Wendel’s €70M growth fund, backing Preligens, Aqemia and YesWeHack. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/capital-risque-deux-anciens-de-wendel-lancent-un-fonds-pour-les-start-up-matures-2253751?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷 🧾 **French digital receipt startup Billiv has entered receivership**, four years after raising €1.3M. Its platform combined paperless receipts with customer loyalty and targeted marketing tools, integrated directly into payment terminals. A court-appointed process is now seeking a buyer for the business after the company stopped making payments in July. | [**Pappers**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/billiv-889925095?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **🗽🔥 And finally, we come to those hardy band of Frenchmen who have been toiling away in the arid plains of Texas to create the ultimate monument to hero worship.** Paris-based Atelier Missor says it finished a 50-foot bronze Prometheus, cast near Paris, shipped it across the Atlantic, and assembled it in Texas in 100 days as a gift originally intended for Elon Musk’s Starbase. The studio reportedly put up about $1 million of its own money. Alas, it is not on SpaceX's company town land, and it's unclear whether they got any $$$ from Elmo himself, aka the world's richest man. It’s bronze rather than titanium, and it stands on private land beside a Texas road about 10 miles from Starbase. It is a spectacular monument to a man who has been charged with defrauding investors, fathering 14 children with 4 women, and using the platform FKA as Twitter to amplify hateful conspiracy theories and far-right memes. But then, as Mother Jones (which called them "a group of men dressed like extras from *Les Misérables*") noted, [Missor Movahed Ghaleh Nouri](https://www.politis.fr/articles/2025/04/societe-extreme-droite-latelier-missor-dans-le-moule-du-combat-civilisationnel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a conservative YouTuber (natch) and founder of Atelier Missor, has [been hot mad at the Black Lives Matter movement](https://x.com/AtelierMissor%5F/status/2034371322386563494?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2034371322386563494%7Ctwgr%5E52af537a2359ae23793d359fc74b3242f13e101b%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fpolitics%2F2026%2F10%2Felon-50-foot-prometheus-statue-atelier-missor-starbase-texas%2F&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for [tearing down statues of white men](https://web.archive.org/web/20220521030926/https:/www.ateliermissor.com/pages/notre-histoire). The New Republic described them: "They dress like it’s the Industrial Revolution, but they’re very online denizens of the anti-woke manosphere. And they want to build a new Statue of Liberty for the United States—a male one, of course." Missor also made an 11-foot bronze George Washington for Trump’s Freedom 250 celebrations. “Rebuild Rome” is the studio’s mantra, which, you know, has certain connotations with the *right* crowd. | [**Mother Jones**](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/elon-50-foot-prometheus-statue-atelier-missor-starbase-texas/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**The New Republic**](https://newrepublic.com/article/204872/atelier-missor-french-sculptors-elon-musk-statue-liberty?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/image-5.png) "Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!" [Photo via Twitter](https://x.com/AtelierMissor%5F/status/2105817441792049314?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Support our work with a paid subscription](#/portal/signup) --- # Sovereign Social Network Epsilon Wants To Succeed by Asking You to Scroll Less [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/epsilon.webp)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/epsilon-french-social-network-mastodon/) French platform Epsilon is betting people want a calmer feed, stronger moderation, and more choice. Its founders say 5,000 people signed up in its first four days. We spoke to Co-Founder Thomas Rocafull about this vision for a quieter, sovereign, and responsible alternative. [Read the interview here -->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/epsilon-french-social-network-mastodon/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Vates 🏷️ **Sectors:** Enterprise Software, Cloud Infrastructure, Open Source, Virtualization, Cybersecurity, Digital Sovereignty 🔍 **Description:** Develops open-source enterprise virtualization software, including XCP-ng and Xen Orchestra, offering organizations an alternative to VMware for managing virtual machines, infrastructure, backups, and data-center operations. 💻 **Website:** [https://vates.tech/](https://vates.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30 million 🏦 **Investors:** IRIS, Bpifrance 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Olivier Lambert, Nithida Vialle, Julien Fontanet 🗞️ **News:** **October 6, 2026.** After more than a decade of self-funded growth, Vates raised its first €30M external investment to accelerate international expansion and strengthen its open-source virtualization platform. The financing comes as Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and subsequent licensing changes have prompted enterprises to reconsider their infrastructure providers. Vates reports more than 1,000 customers in about 100 countries, with 90% of revenue outside France and nearly half of its business from North America. The company grew more than 65% in 2025 and plans to invest in storage, security, automation, and large-scale virtualization management. Its founders retain majority control, and its principal software products will remain open source. | [**Vates**](https://vates.tech/blog/vates-raises-eur30-million-from-iris-and-bpifrance-and-stays-open-source/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2026/10/06/iris-and-bpifrance-back-vates-with-eur30m-for-global-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Rivercell 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI, Biotechnology, TechBio, Drug Discovery, Generative Biology 🔍 **Description:** Develops proprietary biological-data infrastructure and AI models that predict how human cells respond to drugs and genetic modifications. Its platform combines automated laboratory experiments, multimodal single-cell data, and AI world models to accelerate drug discovery. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.rivercell.ai](https://www.rivercell.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €22 million 🏦 **Investors:** HV, HCVC, Alven, Bpifrance, Business Angels 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** **Yann Fleureau** (co-founder and CEO), formerly co-founder and CEO of Cardiologs; **Eric Durand** (co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer), formerly Chief Data Science Officer at Owkin and co-founder of Bioptimus. 🗞️ **News:** **October 7, 2026.** Rivercell emerged from stealth with a $25M seed round led by HV to build an AI world model capable of predicting how human cells respond to treatments. Started by Fleureau in summer 2025, with Durand joining as co-founder in 2026, the company will use the financing to expand its Paris laboratory, scale its proprietary biological-data generation platform and launch its AI Virtual Cell program. The startup aims to create training data that existing laboratory technologies cannot generate at sufficient scale, potentially reducing the number of physical experiments required during drug development. | [**AFP**](https://www.afp.com/en/agency/inside-afp/external-press-releases/rivercell-launches-25-million-build-data-platforms-and-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Rivercell**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261007283522/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/10/frances-rivercell-emerges-from-stealth-with-e22-million-for-ai-powered-drug-discovery-infrastructure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Verso 🏷️ **Sectors:** Artificial Intelligence, SaaS, Market Research, Consumer Intelligence, Marketing Technology, AI Agents 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered consumer research platform that automates study design, participant recruitment, video and voice interviews, and qualitative analysis. Verso uses adaptive AI interviewers to collect consumer feedback and builds continuously updated consumer profiles and searchable knowledge bases for product, marketing, and strategy teams. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.askverso.ai](https://www.askverso.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Angular Ventures, 100in, Kima Ventures, Olympe Capital, Sharpstone Capital, Business Angels, Roxanne Varza, Hexa 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Lydia Bellahouel, Camille Epitalon 🗞️ **News:** **October 8, 2026.** Paris-based Verso raised $6M in seed funding led by Angular Ventures to expand its AI-powered consumer intelligence platform internationally, particularly into the United States. The company says its technology delivers consumer insights 10 times faster and at one-quarter the cost of traditional research agencies, while reaching approximately 15 times as many respondents. More than 30 companies, including Ferrero, Orange and Michelin, already use the platform. The financing will support integrating additional data sources, including quantitative research and social listening; developing interfaces that let AI agents access consumer intelligence; and recruiting across engineering and commercial functions. Rather than delivering isolated market research reports, Verso aims to build persistent consumer knowledge bases that companies can query continuously as they develop products and marketing strategies. | [Hexa](https://www.hexa.com/blog/news/verso-raises-6m-seed-to-bring-ai-consumer-insights-to-every-business-decision?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/10/08/verso-raises-6m-to-bring-consumer-intelligence-into-business-decision-making/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/verso-leve-54-millions-deuros-une-nouvelle-generation-de-plateformes-detudes-consommateurs-emerge/463862?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Can Sovereign Social Network Epsilon Succeed by Asking You to Scroll Less? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/epsilon-french-social-network-mastodon/ Last updated: 2026-10-09T12:37:51.000Z When Facebook and Twitter emerged in the mid-2000s, people largely saw social media as a force for good. It promised a more democratic internet, where anyone could reach people across borders and information no longer had to flow down from institutions and media organizations. And in many ways it delivered. Two decades later however, the mood has soured. A handful of platforms now dominate social media, and most make their money from advertising, which means capturing as much of our attention as possible. Algorithms decide what rises to the top of our feeds. Misinformation, clickbait and increasingly polarised political debate fight over what’s left. Yet we depend on these platforms more than ever. There are now 5.79 billion social media user identities worldwide, and according to [Reuters' 2026 Digital Report](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-06/DNR%202026%20FINAL%5F2.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), 52% of 18–24-year-olds say social media, video networks and AI chatbots are their main source of news. For that generation, the feed is where the news comes from and where a view of the world takes shape. So who owns the digital spaces where Europeans now talk to each other and get their information? That’s the question behind [**Epsilon**](https://epsilon.social/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). [Thomas Rocafull ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-rocafull-1242701/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and [Stéphane Dubreuil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanedubreuil/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) founded Epsilon in France as a European alternative to the dominant social networks. They describe it as sovereign and responsible. That means it’s built around data sovereignty and transparency, with a feed that no algorithm ranks for you. Can a European social network compete with platforms used by billions of people? The harder question may be whether you can build one whose business model doesn’t depend on keeping people scrolling. At Bpifrance’s BIG annual meeting, I spoke to Rocafull about why he thinks the answer is yes. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #95: Mistral's Le Chonk Has Landed URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-95-mistral-large-4-fleuret-ai-pentesting/ Last updated: 2026-10-07T06:00:46.000Z Mistral’s trillion-parameter Large 4 tests Europe’s frontier ambitions, while Fleuret AI is building autonomous pentesting for a world where attackers increasingly use AI. Plus the week’s biggest French tech, funding and policy news. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Fleuret AI: Pentesting for the Age of Agentic Attacks URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/fleuret-ai-pentesting-age-agentic-attacks/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T20:41:38.000Z A year ago, in [**How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Cybersecurity**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/when-bots-go-agentic-how-ai-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-cybersecurity/), we looked at how advances in AI could bring in a new generation of multimodal cyberattacks, increasingly run by autonomous agents. That future is arriving fast. Check Point Research found that in 2025 the average organization faced 1,968 attacks a week, up 18% from 2024\. Fully agent-orchestrated attacks aren't the norm yet, but AI agents play a growing role in finding vulnerabilities. [**CrowdStrike's 2026 Threat Hunting Report**](https://go.crowdstrike.com/2026-threat-hunting-report.html?utm%5Fcampaign=thih&utm%5Fcontent=crwd-saia-eur-fr-en-psp-x-wht-owre-tct%5Fx%5Fx%5Fx-x-x&utm%5Fmedium=sem&utm%5Fsource=goog&utm%5Fterm=threat%20hunting%20report&utm%5Flanguage=en-gb&cq%5Fcmp=21555993720&cq%5Fplac={placement]&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=21555993720&gbraid=0AAAAAC-K3YQl41GAMzsBFai0qsV58ipNM&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlbXZlvullwMVO4f9BR1ZGhfHEAAYASAAEgLRcPD%5FBwE) found that detection leads triggered by AI agents are growing 2.5 times faster than those triggered by humans. The trend is clear, and it raises an awkward question for security teams: how do you test your defenses when your attacker is increasingly an AI agent? French startup Fleuret AI is trying to answer it. Founded in January 2026 by childhood friends [Yanis Grigy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanis-grigy-793635237?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (CEO) and [Augustin Ponsin ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustinponsin/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)(CTO), it launched its pentesting product in June. Despite its young age, the company just raised €4 million from RAISE Ventures, Auriga Cyber Ventures, Wind, Better Angle, Bpifrance and a group of cybersecurity-focused business angels. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Le Chonk Has Landed. Does It Change the Mistral Story? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-large-4-le-chonk/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T21:07:33.000Z Mistral's trillion-parameter Large 4 makes a loud case that Europe can still build big models. We look at the independent numbers. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Mistral Singularity: French Tech Raised €4.41B in Q3 2026 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-singularity-french-tech-q3-2026-funding-report/ Last updated: 2026-10-05T06:00:51.000Z *This is our third quarterly French Tech Funding Report, and it covers the strangest quarter of 2026 yet. You can access the full report in three ways. Below, we go through the headline numbers and what they look like once you take Mistral out. We also explain why the shrinking number of early-stage deals worries us more than any record set this summer.* [Read the full Q3 2026 Funding Report](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q3-2026-report-eur4-4b-raised-two-thirds-of-it-one-company/) [Download the Q3 2026 Funding Report PDF](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/files/2026/10/FTJ-Q3-2026-Funding-Report-1.pdf) [Explore the Q3 2026 Funding Database](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q3-2026-database/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- French tech just had its biggest summer on record. Between July and September, startups raised €4.41 billion, according to our French Tech Funding Tracker. That's up 46% from the same quarter last year and more than double the spring. It also beats every third quarter in the six years we've been counting, including the giddy days of 2021 (€3.96 billion). Anyone reaching for the champagne should read the next paragraph first. In September, [Mistral AI raised €3 billion](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-3-billion-funding-21-billion-valuation/) in a single Series D. It's the largest venture round in French history, and it accounts for 68% of everything French startups raised in the quarter. Take Mistral out and the total drops to €1.41 billion. That's still 18% more than last year's Mistral-free figure. But set aside each quarter's biggest deal and Q3 actually came in about 14% below Q2. We called the [first quarter of 2026 "The Great Concentration"](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/q1-2026-funding-report-eu2-7b-boom-masks-a-great-concentration-reshaping-french-tech/) and [the second "Top-Heavy."](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/top-heavy-french-tech-q2-2026-funding-report/) We're calling this one The Mistral Singularity, because the trend we've been tracking all year has more or less hit its limit. When Alan's €480 million round made up 23% of Q2, that already looked lopsided. Mistral's share is three times bigger. Until now, [Verkor held the record for a single deal, at 38.5% of Q3 2023](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/verkor-gigafactory/). [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) ## A familiar name at the top Mistral has done this before. The Paris lab also topped Q3 2025, raising €1.82 billion, or 60% of that quarter. So the year-on-year comparison really pits one Mistral round against another, and the company's slice keeps growing. Whether French tech has a good quarter now depends a lot on when one company decides to raise. The calendar made the effect even starker. July was normal, with €485 million led by Skello's €150 million round. August was close to dead: €89 million across 14 deals, the deepest summer lull in our data. Then September brought in €3.83 billion, or 87% of the quarter, as Mistral, [The Exploration Company](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-exploration-company-150m-europe-space-race/) ([€387 million](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-europe-reaches-for-the-stars/)) and HighLife (€80 million) all closed within weeks of each other. Monthly funding went up 43-fold between August and September. ## 2026 has already beaten 2025 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/2026-funding-tops-2025.jpg) Pull back to the full year, and the picture looks even better. Through September, French startups have raised €9.24 billion. That's 17% more than all of 2025 (€7.88 billion) with a quarter still to go, which already makes 2026 the strongest year since the 2022 peak of €14.7 billion. But look at who's doing the raising. The 12 rounds of €100 million or more account for €5.89 billion, or 64% of the year's money, and they're just 3% of the deals. The three biggest (Mistral, [AMI at €890 million](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecuns-ami-labs-launches-with-1-03-billion-to-build-ai-that-understands-the-real-world/) and Alan at €480 million) add up to 47% of the year by themselves. Mistral alone is roughly a third. The deal count fills in the rest. There have been 388 rounds so far in 2026, which annualizes to about 515\. That would be the lowest in our records, below 2025's 642 and well under half of 2022's 1,248\. One odd wrinkle: the median round hit a six-year high in Q3, at €4.4 million. The typical deal is getting bigger. What's disappearing is the small end of the market. ## AI, and then everything else ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/image-1791146251196-1.png) Mistral bends the sector numbers too. Counting each deal under every sector tag it carries, AI accounted for €3.55 billion this quarter, or 81% of the total. Subtracting Mistral and AI comes to about €554 million across 56 deals. That's still France's largest sector by a wide margin, and it's up roughly 22% on last year's Mistral-free figure. Outside AI, space was the biggest mover. The Exploration Company, a Franco-German space firm based in Munich, raised a €387 million Series C, the quarter's second-largest round. That one deal pushed spacetech funding up more than sixfold on a year ago. Medtech and healthtech both bounced back by triple digits, though from low starting points. Energy, cleantech and hardware went the other way. Energy fell 86%, to just €33 million. ## The base keeps shrinking ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/10/Seed-Problem.jpg) This is what worries us most, and it hasn't improved since spring. Seed deals fell to 50 this quarter, a six-year low, down from 61 a year ago and 104 in Q3 2022\. Add pre-seed and the count has halved since 2021, from 121 deals to 60\. Series A has dropped from 43 deals to 19 over the same stretch. Meanwhile, Mistral's lone Series D, a stage that hadn't shown up in any previous third quarter, was bigger than every other stage put together. Those seed and Series A rounds are supposed to produce the next Mistral. Right now the top of the market keeps swelling while the pipeline underneath it narrows. Bpifrance is doing much of the work holding that base up. The public investment bank took part in 27 of the quarter's 108 deals, one in four and its highest share this year. Business angels came next with 23\. The busiest private fund, Kima Ventures, did six. As private capital crowds into a handful of huge rounds, the long tail of smaller deals leans more and more on the French state and on angels. ## What to watch in Q4 Q4 should settle a few things. The first is the €10 billion mark. With €9.24 billion already in, French tech needs about €760 million more to clear it, which is less than any quarter this year has raised. The second is whether Mistral is a one-off. A second French round above €1 billion, from a challenger or from Mistral itself, would suggest rounds this size are becoming normal. The third, and probably the one that matters most, is the deal count. If it finally levels off, the thinning of the past few years was likely cyclical. If it keeps sliding, it's structural, which is a much harder problem. Either way, 2026 is on track to be French tech's biggest year since the boom. Whether that counts as a triumph or a warning depends on whether anyone else can raise like Mistral. Otherwise, the ecosystem starts to look like one very large company and a very long tail. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Q3 2026 Report: €4.4B Raised —Two-Thirds Of It One Company URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q3-2026-report-eur4-4b-raised-two-thirds-of-it-one-company/ Last updated: 2026-10-04T21:36:06.000Z _No content available._ ### 🇫🇷💸 French Tech Funding Q3 2026 Database URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q3-2026-database/ Last updated: 2026-10-04T21:16:40.000Z Raised: €4.4B | Deals: 108 | Average Round: €44M | Largest Deal: €3.0B Mistral AI | Top Sector: Artificial Intelligence _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Robot Rumblings and AI's Free Puppy Problem URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-robot-rumblings-and-ais-free-puppy-problem/ Last updated: 2026-10-02T10:50:45.000Z Vanta CEO Christina Cacioppo on France’s engineer-forward buyers, why “free” software can cost you like a puppy, plus fresh clues on Ora Robotics, French startup discipline, and the latest funding moves. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Vanta CEO Christina Cacioppo on France's Engineer-Forward Buyers, Slow Procurement, and 'Free as a Puppy' Software URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vanta-ceo-christina-cacioppo-on-frances-engineer-forward-buyers-slow-procurement-and-free-as-a-puppy-software/ Last updated: 2026-10-01T08:28:49.000Z [**Vanta**](https://www.vanta.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) sells a promise that has become much harder to keep in the age of AI: that a company can prove, at any given moment, that its systems and data are secure. The San Francisco-based company automates security and compliance work by pulling in data from across a customer's systems, testing it against the company's controls, and monitoring it continuously. Christina Cacioppo, who taught herself to code before writing Vanta's first prototype, founded the company with engineer Erik Goldman out of Y Combinator in 2018\. It has since raised more than $500 million, including a $150 million Series D led by Wellington Management in July 2025 that valued the company at $4.15 billion. Vanta now has roughly 1,000 employees and more than 16,000 customers, among them Snowflake, Atlassian, Duolingo, Ramp, Cursor, and Harvey. AI has turned out to be a major tailwind. In April, [**Fortune reported**](https://fortune.com/2026/04/29/exclusive-vanta-arr-300-million-sequoia-shadow-ai-claude-cursor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that Vanta had passed $300 million in annual recurring revenue, triple its level of two years earlier, and that customer growth had accelerated to about 60% a year. Much of that demand comes from what the industry calls "shadow AI." Vanta's own data shows that 70% of companies have AI tools that employees adopted without any security review, and that security teams are struggling to keep track of what is already running on their networks. Europe has been a notable growth driver. Cacioppo says the continent's more regulatory culture makes Vanta an easier sell there than one might expect for an American company, and that its share of revenue from Europe is roughly in line with that of a mature enterprise software company. ### Vanta at a glance What it does Automates security and compliance work, pulling in data from a company's systems, testing it against the company's controls, and monitoring it continuously Founded 2018, out of Y Combinator, by Christina Cacioppo (CEO) and Erik Goldman Headquarters San Francisco, with European hubs in London and Dublin Employees About 1,000 Customers More than 16,000, including Snowflake, Atlassian, Duolingo, Ramp, Cursor, and Harvey Revenue More than $300 million in annual recurring revenue, triple its level two years earlier (April 2026) Funding More than $500 million raised, including a $150 million Series D led by Wellington Management in July 2025 Valuation $4.15 billion (July 2025) Investors Wellington Management, Sequoia, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, J.P. Morgan, Craft Ventures, Y Combinator, Atlassian Ventures, and CrowdStrike Ventures Sources: Fortune; The French Tech Journal interview with Christina Cacioppo The company's European hubs are in London and Dublin, and French AI companies such as Mistral and Dust fit the profile of what she calls its core customers. During a recent visit to Paris for a Vanta event, Cacioppo spoke with **The French Tech Journal** about French buyers, procurement cycles, vibe-coded software, and why the debate over open-weight AI models is making data privacy a much more practical concern. *The interview has been edited for length and clarity.* **Q: Europe is famous, for better or worse, for its regulatory approach. Is there something about Europe, or France specifically, that makes it an interesting market for Vanta?** **CC:** I'll give you the Europe side and the French side. On Europe, your observation is true, and we find there's more cultural resonance to what Vanta does here than in the United States. To speak very broadly and in black and white, with all the caveats, I do think regulation and compliance are perceived here as more of something one does, and one does well, and that is just what you do. In the U.S., it can be more like, "Ah, that's a hurdle, and I will jump the hurdle, but I'm carrying on with my race here." And so we just find more resonance here, more than one would expect for an American company. With France in particular, it is one of my favorite markets actually, because we find our users here tend to be more technical and closer to engineering than any other market. Again, broad brush, broad generalization, but it's much more engineer-forward here versus other markets that might be a generalist or a legal persona or a compliance audit background. You certainly have all of those folks here, but you have relatively more engineers. **Q: A common complaint among French founders is how hard it is to sell to large French enterprises, with proof-of-concept phases that can drag on for 18 months. What has your experience been?** **CC:** In comparison to the U.S., across Europe, France included, we find procurement cycles are longer across the board, for all company sizes. Again, broad generalization, but we find a French company or a German company of 50, 100, 400 people will act like an American company of 100, 400, 1,000 people. The American company at the same size will often have less mature processes, honestly. So it cuts both ways. From first meeting to "Oh yes, we'd like to procure Vanta," it's longer here, but not enormously so. But then from "we'd like to procure" to "sign the contract," that period is much longer. **Q: AI has sharply raised concerns about security and safety. Has that always been part of the Vanta playbook, or has it expanded because of how people are using AI?** **CC:** A little bit of both. I do find one set of tailwinds for Vanta are just things that make people more nervous about the software they're using in general, and AI is right in that bullseye. What we find practically is companies that deploy AI in their organization right now are trying to figure out what's going on: who's built what, what agents are doing what, with what data. That initial visibility piece is lacking, and therefore concerning. And then companies that are building AI products are getting put through the wringer of security reviews and more vetting and longer procurement, and that's global, so it's not just France or Europe. Both of those are tailwinds for Vanta, because whenever someone wants to do more vetting of the software they're using, that ends up looking like requests for information, for documents, for certifications, for real-time monitoring, the set of things we offer. So we have seen it be a rather large tailwind. **Q: In Europe, sovereignty and openness are a big part of the conversation, and Chinese open-weight model makers are pitching on-premise deployment and transparency to European buyers. Does that make compliance more complicated for you, or create more opportunity?** **CC:** More interesting. Yeah, more opportunity. I think it takes data privacy, from an American lens, from a perfunctory topic to an actually very important one. Is the data being used for training, or where is it sent? What is the subprocessor, and whoever you send it to, the LLM, what are they going to do with it? And what are your commitments to your customers? All of that is more practical now than it has been historically, especially for Americans. And so again, I think there's a bunch of anxiety in that, and ergo opportunity for Vanta. You talk to people in San Francisco about that milieu, and the inference providers like the Basetens and the Fireworks are very involved with open-weight models. One new line of business for them is helping a company post-train a model for a very specific use case. Right now it's very cost-based: you can basically get relatively similar accuracy results for a narrow use case at lower cost. The cost is more internally driven. But I think increasingly you'll see providers doing that for customer demand as well, "We don't want our data sent to insert-large-LLM-here," same way you see some of that here with cloud providers. **Q: Then there's the "SaaS apocalypse" argument: that companies can now vibe-code their own tools and won't need a Vanta. How do you see that?** **CC:** I have heard and read the "I coded Vanta in a weekend" LinkedIn posts. They're actually kind of great now, because mostly the comment threads are full of people who don't work at Vanta being like, "Why would you do that?" One of our customers on our advisory board talked about all these vibe-coded apps internally, and we made some of these at Vanta too, for sure. They're all free as in a puppy. As in, you can get a free puppy, and then you have years and years of feeding and grooming and caring and veterinary bills. The software that we can make so quickly with an LLM is free as a puppy. So if you want a free puppy, it is excellent. Some people want puppies, and some people take care of puppies. It's not like no one will vibe-code things. People definitely vibe-code things. But it gets back to the Jeff Bezos truism of, does this make your beer taste better? Often we find compliance is necessary and important, but not something that perhaps makes the product better beyond its existence, or its existence done well. **Q: Sentiment more recently has swung from "SaaS is dead" to something close to the opposite. Do you find yourself constantly readjusting strategy?** **CC:** I think the more one reads Twitter or X, the more one thinks one needs to throw everything out immediately and start over. Gotta moderate that one. I think the high-level principles are clear. This is a new technology wave. It's very important. You need to adopt it. If you don't, you will not have a business in a couple of years. But I think being close to that frontier and just experimenting and understanding the model capabilities and what this new technology is, is really important, because it does change so quickly. A year ago, we were all about, "Prompt engineering is the new role, and that's what our kids should be learning." Right now the meme is, "Prompts don't matter; it's just model quality." And I'm sure the meme will be something different in six months. You want to be using this stuff so you understand when the conventional wisdom from three months ago is now stale. **Q: How are you using AI in your own products?** **CC:** We've been building a lot with AI. "Build on Vanta" is our catchphrase for opening up MCP and API and command-line access to a bunch of our data. For the customers that are advanced and do want to build some of their own workflows, where we don't support them to the degree they want yet, that means letting them build around Vanta but still use the core of the automation platform, which pulls in data and correlates it and tests it across a company's controls. **Q: Companies are now moving from experimentation to more practical agentic deployments. Is that changing the equation around compliance and risk?** **CC:** I do see a little bit of scrutiny there, and I think we'll see more in the future. I think we're at the middle to end of the era of "just go try all the things, just do them." Token max. Don't token max, but use tokens. Go experiment. In that, there was some amount of kerfuffling about Anthropic data protection policies under some of its plans, and whether or not it would use data to train on. But they were in a position where they wouldn't negotiate it, and they were able to do that. And then you have OpenAI. Broadly generalizing, when I talk to European customers, they have been more skeptical of OpenAI than they have been of an Anthropic or a Gemini or a Copilot. I think we're gonna firmly leave the token-maxing era and see the model providers have slightly less leverage. Now, they still might have a lot of leverage. But historically, they've just had 100% of it. I start to see the pendulum switch back a little bit. **Q: What are you seeing among French founders? Are there trends in how they build compared with other places?** **CC:** A couple of things. One, I do think founders everywhere tend to be pretty similar. They might live in Paris, but really they live in the digital cloud, alongside the founders in New York and London and Berlin and San Francisco to some extent. So I think there's actually much more commonality on the small companies side of the market globally than certainly any other segment. And then as the companies grow, they take on more of the qualities of their region or their country, their milieu. I do think, and I think Dust has done this very well, there's a set of companies that are very consciously hiring engineers and technical talent here, where they are less likely to get poached or go through the Silicon Valley, San Francisco talent wars, which are very real. And so I think there's a real competitive advantage here for French founders that build in that way, from team continuity, from team quality, all of that. ### 🤖 La Machine #94: Cédric O Goes From Mistral To Mallow URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-94-cedric-o-goes-from-mistral-to-mallow/ Last updated: 2026-09-30T07:05:29.000Z Former digital minister Cédric O bets on screenless AI games for kids, while Marble raises €6.5M to put AI agents to work on banking compliance. Plus: Mistral lands in Munich and Anthropic’s $518B compute bill. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Cédric O's Mallow Launches AI Audio Games For Kids, Betting Safety Can Sell URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mallow-cedric-o-voice-ai-audio-games-kids/ Last updated: 2026-09-30T07:00:58.000Z Mallow, the Paris startup co-founded by [former French digital minister Cédric O](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-minister-cedric-o-announces-frances-national-ai-strategy/), launches its first product on September 30: a screenless speaker that lets children aged 4 to 10 play AI-powered audio games using only their voices. It's a toy. It's also the first real test of whether one of French tech's most closely watched figures can build a company of his own. He spent five years in Emmanuel Macron's government, first as an advisor to the president and then as secretary of state for digital affairs. After leaving in 2022, he joined Mistral AI's founding team in an advisory role, a position that has periodically made him a lightning rod in France. So when he went quiet in 2024 to start something new, people noticed. He wanted it that way. "There have been some leaks," O told me shortly before the launch. "But we've been keeping a low profile the past two years." Now he's talking, and what he describes is an attempt to build AI for young children that is safe, good for their development, and fun enough that they'll actually want to play. Each of those proved harder than expected. ### Mallow at a glance What it makes A screenless speaker for children aged 4 to 10 that runs AI-powered audio games. A child places a figurine on the speaker to start a game, then plays by talking Founded September 2024 in Paris, originally as The Marshmallow Project Co-founders Cédric O (CEO) and Flore Cousin (CPO), with non-executive co-founders Fred Potter, Sébastien Boyer, and Nicolas Princen Employees 35 Funding Seed round reported by Sifted at about €10 million (November 2024); O puts it at €11 million. Not officially announced Investors (reported) General Catalyst, Balderton, Alpha Intelligence Capital, Edu Capital, Motier Ventures, Kima Ventures, daphni, and Sistafund Game formats Adventures, Creatures, Mini-Games, and Quizzes Licenses Miraculous and Kididoc (Éditions Nathan), with more to be announced Price €119.99 for the speaker (€99.99 through October 14); €19.99 per figurine; no subscription Where to buy mallow.fr from September 30; Le Bon Marché from October 24 Scientific advisors Grégoire Borst, Alex de Carvalho, Justine Cassell, and Adele Diamond Next An English version, with a US launch targeted for Christmas 2027 Sources: Mallow; Sifted; company filings; The French Tech Journal interview with Cédric O ## Mallow borrows a founding model from Mistral ![Mallow Co-Founders Cédric O and Flore Cousin. Photo courtesy of Mallow](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/mallow-cofondateurs.jpg) [**Company filings**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/mallow-933889685?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) list five founders of what was originally called The Marshmallow Project, registered in Paris in late September 2024\. O, the CEO, and [**Flore Cousin**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/flore-cousin-09449631/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the chief product officer, are the principal co-founders. Cousin previously worked at BCG and ran customer success at the French fintech Alma. The other three are non-executive: [**Fred Potter**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/frpotter/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), founder of Netatmo and co-founder of Withings; [**Sébastien Boyer**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/boyerseb/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-founder of US agritech FarmWise; and [**Nicolas Princen**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasprincen/?locale=en&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), who founded the reading platform Glose, acquired by Medium in 2021. O said the setup was deliberate. "We basically duplicated what happened in \[Mistral\], and so it worked pretty well," he said. In November 2024, [**Sifted reported**](https://sifted.eu/articles/cedric-o-the-marshmallow-project-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that the company was closing a seed round of about €10 million with General Catalyst and Balderton, plus several French investors. Mallow hasn't formally announced its funding, and O stressed that the product is the story. In our conversation, though, he put the seed round at €11 million, led by American and British VCs. The company has 35 employees. ## Audio games: what Mallow is building The origin was personal. "I'm a father of four. Flo is a mother of three. They are all under 10," O said. "So we were basically interested in like screenless experiences." _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Marble wants AI agents to handle compliance's grunt work. The harder job is getting banks to trust them. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/marble-series-a-ai-compliance-agents/ Last updated: 2026-09-29T16:23:00.000Z Ask someone who works in bank compliance to describe the job, and you'll probably hear about the queue. Alerts arrive by the thousands, flagged by monitoring software tuned to catch anything that might be money laundering or fraud. Nearly all of them turn out to be nothing. Somebody still has to check. [**Arnaud Schwartz**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arn-schwartz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO and co-founder of [**Paris-based Marble**](https://www.checkmarble.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), describes analysts "checking thousands and thousands of follow-ups on events, knowing that 95% of them are false positives." That grind has become one of the highest costs in banking. According to Marble, fraud and anti-money laundering work, known in the trade as FRAML, can absorb up to 10 to 15% of headcount at banks and fintechs. Schwartz traces the problem back 15 years. "Before 2010, compliance was basically open bar," he said in an interview with [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/). What followed was a long run of new regulations and new pressure, and the industry answered by staffing up: "everyone hired tons of people, tons of people to manage that." He thinks that approach has hit its limit. "We reached a point where it's no longer human manageable anymore." Marble's pitch is that software, and increasingly AI agents, should take the repetitive part of that work off analysts' desks. Investors are buying in. [The startup announced today that it has raised a €6.5 million Series A](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/making-compliance-automation-standard-exception-checkmarble-pwvbe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) led by Smartfin, with participation from ADNEXUS and follow-on money from existing investors Passion Capital, 42Capital, and [**Hexa**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hexa-ceo-charting-course-through-ai-storm/). That brings Marble's total funding to €9 million. __Marble at a glance__ | What it does | Open-source AI platform for fraud detection and anti-money laundering (FRAML) compliance | | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Headquarters | Paris | | Founders | Arnaud Schwartz (CEO), former COO of Shine; Pascal Delange (CTO), former director of engineering at Shine | | Deployment | On-premise or SaaS | | Latest round | €6.5 million Series A, September 2026 | | Lead investor | Smartfin | | Other investors | ADNEXUS (new); Passion Capital, 42Capital and Hexa (existing) | | Total raised | €9 million | | Customers | 100+ banks, fintechs and crypto exchanges in production | | Reach | 25+ countries on four continents; nearly 70% of customers outside France | | Revenue target | More than €5 million ARR by 2027 | | Website | [checkmarble.com](https://checkmarble.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) | _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire September 28: Paris AI Takes The 5th; HighLife's €80M Led 18 Deals For €199.8M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-28-paris-ai-takes-the-5th-highlifes-eur80m-led-18-deals-for-eur199-8m/ Last updated: 2026-09-28T06:00:51.000Z Between September 21 and September 25, French Tech startups raising money also included Biolevate, Wealthcome, Incepto Medical, Kheops, Horizom, Primo, Zeliq, Graneet, RelaiSanté, Reecall, Lightspring, IOPOLE, WheelMove, LégiPilot, AlphaYoda, Le Petit Lunetier, Herapreg, Sinergy, and Phocea DC. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Primo's AI Agents Take the Wheel URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-primos-ai-agents-take-the-wheel/ Last updated: 2026-09-27T20:05:04.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Three years after launching, French IT startup Primo has already crossed $4 million in annual recurring revenue. Now, with $8 million in new funding, it is betting that AI agents can take its software from automating IT workflows to actually running them.[**Check out the story here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/primo-raises-8m-to-scale-ai-agents-that-can-run-company-it-operations/). **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-5ce248cf-7aef-4034-b8ba-2c2785ddcf74-1.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/on-demand-demo?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) ****See Vanta in action. No sales call required.** No matter your size, Vanta helps you automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trust continuously—all from a single, agentic platform. - ‍Close deals faster by responding to security questionnaires in minutes, not days - Stay audit-ready year-round with continuous monitoring across 400+ integrations - Automate compliance for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, CMMC, and more ‍Over 16,000 companies around the globe trust Vanta. Watch the demo on your own time. Start anytime. [Learn more ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/on-demand-demo?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) --- # Tech Talk **🚀🔍 Former Entrepreneurs** **First** Paris chief **Coralie Chaufour** is getting back in the game. [**You may recall EF is the global talent investor and startup incubator**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/entrepreneur-first-talent-investing-coralie-chaufour/) that identifies talent first, then brings them together to hatch ideas and find co-founders. But a couple of years ago, the British co-founders decided to abandon Europe and go all in on San Francisco, so EF in Paris was shut down, and now EF focuses on funneling European talent to the U.S. As for Chaufour, [**she joined forces in July**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/opuslab-108123498?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) with former XAnge investor [**Majdoline Wahbi**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/majdoline-wahbi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to create [**OpusLab**](https://opuslab.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The website includes a Manifesto that sounds the alarm over the fall of Europe into entrepreneurial barbarism: "Then something broke, and it was not the science. Europe still produces research of the first rank: what it stopped producing are the companies that carry that research out of the lab and into the world." To solve this, OpusLab says it will scout scientists and senior engineers before they have teams or startup ideas, pair prospective co-founders in an eight-week paid formation program, and invest in selected companies focused on strategically important technologies including energy, defense, industrial systems and deep engineering. Which reminds me of.... | [**OpusLab**](https://opuslab.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎓💰 The **European Investment Fund** is writing a big check for **Educapital**, committing €20 million to the Paris-based VC firm’s third fund after previously backing Educapital II. Founded by **Marie-Christine Levet** and **Litzie Maarek**, Educapital invests from Seed to Series B in European startups spanning edtech, skills and the future of work, and has backed more than 45 companies including 360Learning, Lunii and Preply. The new fund will push that strategy further across Europe, as AI increasingly reshapes how people learn and how companies train and deploy talent. Educapital currently manages about €200 million across its first two funds. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/le-fonds-europeen-dinvestissement-renouvelle-sa-confiance-a-educapital-avec-un-engagement-de-20-millions-deuros-dans-educapital-iii?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏢🏦 **Qonto** has opened the doors to a sprawling new 11,000-square-meter European headquarters in central Paris, nearly doubling its previous footprint with 900 desks spread across nine floors. The move comes as the fintech passes 750,000 business customers across eight European markets and pushes toward becoming a fully licensed bank. Qonto, which now employs more than 1,700 people and hired 450-plus in 2026 alone, says the new Bonne Nouvelle HQ will serve as its long-term base for that next phase of growth. The goal, CEO Alexandre Prot says, is to turn Qonto into an “AI-powered European champion” for SME banking and financial management. | [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2026/09/24/french-neobank-qonto-unveils-milestone-new-central-paris-hq/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Qonto-archi-656.jpg) Qonto's New Crib 🚌🛒 French autonomous-driving pioneer **EasyMile** has been acquired by industrial group **ALVEST**, which is folding the company together with TractEasy and TLD’s driverless operations into a new business called TLD Robotics. The combined operation is targeting airports and industrial sites, where the partners say they already have more than 35 deployments across 10 countries and have completed over 50,000 autonomous missions. The deal caps nearly a decade of collaboration between EasyMile and TLD and is meant to move the business beyond pilot projects toward larger-scale commercial deployments. TLD Robotics will be led by Richard Reno and will combine EasyMile’s autonomy software with TLD’s manufacturing footprint and global support network. | [**EasyMile**](https://easymile.com/en/news-insights/tld-robotics-launched-as-alvest-group-acquires-easymile-and-tracteasy?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚨📍 **Google gets a €403M GDPR slap** \- Ireland’s data watchdog has fined the tech giant €403 million over its use of users’ location data, giving Google its latest reminder that “where are you?” is a legally complicated question. The penalty is the DPC’s fourth-largest ever, and Google has six months to bring its data processing into line with EU rules. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/protection-des-donnees-google-ecope-dune-nouvelle-amende-europeenne-de-403-millions-deuros-2252644?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😈🛡️ **TikTok is moving into Station F - this time to make the internet safer.** The platform is launching a six-month incubation program for 10 startups working on online safety, from AI and digital identity to child protection and wellbeing. The timing is interesting: TikTok gets startup innovation and a chance to polish its reputation, while founders get Trust & Safety experts, mentoring and a Demo Day. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/24/tiktok-debarque-a-station-f-pour-accompagner-10-startups-pendant-6-mois/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀🛒 **European startups are increasingly going shopping** \- M&A is becoming a bigger growth lever as the continent’s maturing scale-ups turn from acquisition targets into acquirers. XAnge says VC-backed acquisitions in Europe jumped from 62 in 2010 to 1,090 in 2025, while average deal values fell from €66M to around €18M. The fund has now published a 100-page playbook to help founders navigate the buy-and-build game. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/23/le-ma-une-arme-de-plus-en-plus-privilegiee-par-les-startups-europeennes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Primo Raises $8M To Scale AI Agents That Can Run Company IT Operations [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-26.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/primo-raises-8m-to-scale-ai-agents-that-can-run-company-it-operations/) [**Primo**](https://www.getprimo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is an all-in-one solution for employee IT management, bringing devices, software, access rights, and support together on a single platform. With $8 million in fresh funding, the startup is now doubling down on its AI agents that are already executing IT operations end-to-end - from onboarding employees to managing access and devices. [Go inside Primo](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/primo-raises-8m-to-scale-ai-agents-that-can-run-company-it-operations/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Biolevate 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI, HealthTech 🔍 **Description:** Builds evidence-grade AI software for regulated life sciences workflows, using AI agents to automate scientific, clinical, and regulatory work while maintaining traceability, auditability, and human oversight. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.biolevate.com](https://www.biolevate.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30 million 🏦 **Investors:** **RAISE France and Orange Ventures** (co-leads); MSD Global Health Innovation Fund; Station F; existing investor EQT Ventures. 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Joël Belafa, Nathan Chen, Anas Laaroussi 🗞️ **News:** Biolevate raised a €30 million Series A to accelerate international expansion, deepen its product capabilities, and scale deployments with life sciences customers. The round coincides with the opening of a Boston office as the company expands into the U.S. Biolevate says it now has more than a dozen enterprise customers in production, has increased ARR 20x over the past 12 months, and has grown to 50 employees. | [**Biolevate**](https://www.biolevate.com/news/series-a-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-27.png) 📇 **Company:** Wealthcome 🏷️ **Sectors:** Fintech, Wealthtech, SaaS, AI 🔍 **Description:** Software platform for wealth-management professionals that centralizes client and asset data, automates workflows, and provides tools for financial advisers, family offices, insurers, and banks. Wealthcome is also launching Binom, an AI layer designed to automate administrative tasks within its WealthPro platform. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.wealthcome.fr](https://www.wealthcome.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€15M** 🏦 **Investors:** **Breega** (lead, new investor); **BlackFin Capital Partners** (returning investor). 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Cyprien Delmeule, Éric Foin, Morgan Emmery. 🗞️ **News:** Wealthcome says it will use the capital to expand with large financial institutions—including insurers, mutual insurers, and banks—continue investing in its technology platform, and grow the organization. Since its €7M Series A in March 2025, the company says it has grown from roughly 300 to 800+ equipped firms, from 2,500 to 6,000+ professional users, and from €20B to €80B+ in aggregated assets. The Series B brings total funding since the Series A to €22M. | [Wealthcome](https://www.wealthcome.fr/blog/wealthcome-leve-15-meu-avec-breega-et-blackfin-capital-partners-pour-changer-dechelle?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Breega confirmation](https://fr.linkedin.com/company/breega?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [French Tech Bordeaux](https://www.frenchtechbordeaux.com/nos-actualites/wealthcome-leve-15-meur-pour-changer-dechelle-et-devoile-binom-son-ecosysteme-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Zeliq 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI, SaaS 🔍 **Description:** AI-native sales workspace combining prospect identification, data enrichment, multichannel outreach, and sales automation. Its new Zelia agent suite handles sourcing, qualification, and follow-up while keeping sales reps in control of key actions. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.zeliq.com](https://www.zeliq.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** The Moon Venture / CMI (lead); Julien Jean of JJCapinvest; Sylvestre Blavet of Freelance.com; existing investors Ora Global and Cleo Ventures; plus business angels and family offices. 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Dorian Ciavarella, Guillaume Cruz 🗞️ **News:** Zeliq raised a €7 million seed extension to develop its AI-agent-based sales platform, expand its Zelia agent suite, double its product and technology team across Paris, Barcelona, and Milan, and deepen its European expansion and CRM partnerships. The company says the round brings total funding to roughly **€21 million** in under three years and that its workspace has grown to around **20,000 users**.| [**Zeliq**](https://www.zeliq.com/blog/future-of-sales-human-led-agent-executed?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/zeliq-7m-seed-extension-ai-sales-agent-zelia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/22/zeliq-18-mois-pour-passer-de-2-000-a-20-000-utilisateurs-dans-pres-de-150-pays/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Primo Raises $8M To Scale AI Agents That Can Run Company IT Operations URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/primo-raises-8m-to-scale-ai-agents-that-can-run-company-it-operations/ Last updated: 2026-09-25T06:38:09.000Z Three years after launching, French IT startup Primo has already crossed $4 million in annual recurring revenue. Now, with $8 million in new funding, it is betting that AI agents can take its software from automating IT workflows to actually running them. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #93: Does France’s Literary Sensation Have An AI Problem? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-93-does-frances-literary-sensation-have-an-ai-problem/ Last updated: 2026-09-23T09:48:28.000Z An obscure X account claims an AI detector found that one of France’s hottest award-winning novels was almost entirely machine-written. The author denies it. We dug into the evidence behind a literary controversy now exploding online. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 'C'était ça ou mourir': Is Publishing Phenomenon A French AI Literary Scandal? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cetait-ca-ou-mourir-french-ai-literary-scandal/ Last updated: 2026-09-23T10:06:51.000Z When it comes to the success of the novel [***C'était ça ou mourir***](https://www.grasset.fr/livre/cetait-ca-ou-mourir-9782246847069/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (It was that or dying), you can pick your cliché to describe it. Runaway bestseller. Taking critics by storm. Etc. The author is Thélyson Orélien, who was born in Haiti but grew up in Quebec. It tells the story of a man who escapes the destruction of his neighborhood in Port-au-Prince and the subsequent odyssey that takes him through a series of harrowing encounters in several countries as he seeks refuge. The book has already been translated into 20 languages. In France, it has won prestigious literary prizes such as the Prix Fnac, the Prix Méduse, and the Prix Première Plume. It has also been considered a strong favorite for even bigger accolades, such as the Prix Goncourt. Critics have been falling over each other to heap praise on it. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/818977275_10168615413624196_614962861237696919_n.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/819987478_10168615413779196_7978340339112982212_n.jpg) But yesterday, things took a potentially darker turn when the X account Balance ton Claude claimed that the AI writing detection tool [Pangram had determined that the book was almost 100% written by AI](https://x.com/Pangramed/status/2102045146674053162?ref=frenchtechjournal.com): ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/HSv1cFEWYAEu52c.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/HSv1VEiWAAEoh_J.jpg) Screenshots from Balance ton Claude For those not familiar, [**Pangram**](https://www.pangram.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is an AI text detection tool that uses...AI to detect AI. And yes, everyone points out the irony, so don't bother. It has gotten a lot of attention recently because Substack integrated it directly into its platform to help readers weed out "slop." [In a statement on Wednesday from his publisher](https://www.cg-tv.com/articles/thelyson-orelien-conteste-le-recours-a-l-ia-pour-son-roman-c-etait-ca-ou-mourir-je-ne-vois-pas-pourquoi-je-ferais-appel-a-une-machine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the author strenuously denied the AI accusation: ***“I started writing \[the novel\] in the fall of 2017 and I finished the first draft in 2019*."** He also defended the stylistic elements of his writing that may have triggered the AI flags: ***"I come from a Haitian and Caribbean literary tradition where poetry, images, repetitions and rhythm carry a living word.*..*We can discuss my style, but making his processes evidence of artificial intelligence has nothing to do with literary criticism."*** Of course, this begs the question: Is one just using slop to detect slop? Online, many anti-AI literary sleuths think so and [have begun pouring the classics of French literature into Pangram](https://x.com/Fabiensapiens/status/2102441846462881845?s=20&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to prove they triggered the AI warnings. Others have countered that running previous writing from the author in Pangram does not trigger the warnings, and therefore the issue is not his writing style. Still others have noted that some online communities have suggested the book was AI-generated for several months. > On constate, sur Facebook, que le malaise était déjà présent depuis plusieurs semaines parmi les communautés de lecteurs assidus. > > Et sans Pangram.. [https://t.co/wf9SWam4Zn](https://t.co/wf9SWam4Zn?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [pic.twitter.com/uBJjnXSkX9](https://t.co/uBJjnXSkX9?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) > > — Juliette Briens (@JulietteBriens) [September 22, 2026](https://x.com/JulietteBriens/status/2102304647687835855?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The problem is that, like so many tech and AI tools, Pangram is a black box, but it also tries to act like it isn't. For instance, it [publishes papers](https://www.pangram.com/research/model-card/pangram-4?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that [disclose a fair bit of detail about how it trains its models](https://www.pangram.com/blog/pangram-4-technical?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-24.png) To be clear, this is not a tool that just looks at the surface-level stuff that you hear about, like the notorious 'em-dash' and the rule of 3\. Because now that these have been tagged as AI writing, everyone knows not to use them, and so people either edit them out or they have built AI "humanizer" tools because we are fundamentally a sick society. And yet, when you use Pangram, it spits back an overall score and summary but doesn't explain in detail why it determined something was written by AI, or partially written by AI. [**According to Pangram**](https://www.pangram.com/blog/pangram-4-technical?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Pangram is pretty damn good: "On our benchmarks, Pangram 4 correctly identifies 99.66% of AI-generated documents while flagging human writing as AI only 0.0041% of the time, or roughly one false positive for every 24,000 documents." ## The Pangram Rabbit Hole Full disclosure: I use tools like Claude and ChatGPT for some writing and research projects, though not for writing whole articles. Still, I wanted to better understand how robust Pangram really is. So, using its published datasets and documentation, I created a Pangram skill for Claude using the Pangram API. To be clear, even with this tool, it can not fully reveal the exact reasons Pangram flagged something as AI. Still, it uses the disclosed information about the model to make an informed analysis of what likely triggered Pangram AI alarms. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire September 21: Kaiko's €49M Led 14 Deals For €95.3M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-21-kaikos-eur49m-led-14-deals-for-eur95-3m/ Last updated: 2026-09-21T10:52:13.000Z Between September 14 and September 18, French Tech startups raising money included Hackuity, Delos, Opio, Laboratoires üma, Armageddon, Treewater, V4Cure, Kompa, Wasoria, Bravi, AbTx, Quiet, Fronterra, Switch, BlueSecure, Simaptic, and Everimpact. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Should We Give AF Whether Hugging Face Is A 'French' Startup? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-should-we-give-af-whether-hugging-face-is-a-french-startup/ Last updated: 2026-09-18T10:21:38.000Z Hugging Face’s $12.93bn sale to Nvidia sparks a very French identity crisis. Plus: Brussels takes on addictive tech, a €40bn telecom headache, a new €4.4bn bet on European software, and why French startups need fewer pilots and more paying customers. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Is Hugging Face A 'French' Startup? And Should We Give AF? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/is-hugging-face-a-french-startup-and-should-we-give-af/ Last updated: 2026-09-18T10:20:02.000Z Hugging Face, a company started by 3 Frenchies, announced it is being bought by Tech Titan Nvidia for $12.93 billion in what is probably the biggest exit of a French-related company in the nation's history. And so naturally, this has been deemed...**a national tragedy**. Of course, leave it to the French to find the dark cloud behind every silver lining. Perhaps it is the Catholic heritage that is baked so deeply into the DNA that makes them such a reflexively self-flagellating bunch. But lo, this is cause to rehash the [**narrative about how the nation fails to nurture and scale its most promising startups**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/on-sait-fabriquer-des-pepites-on-ne-sait-pas-les-financer-hugging-face-pasqal-le-bal-des-occasions-manquees-pour-la-french-tech-20260831?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). To be sure, it would have been, like, totally awesome if the Hugging Face cap table had been chock full of French VCs. But the fact that it isn't says less about the ecosystem than it seems. And the reflexive doomerism that inevitably arises also fails to consider the bigger picture of the impact and the lessons we can draw from the success of a company like Hugging Face. Venture capital is too narrow a criterion for measuring a company's impact. Again, that's not to say things are perfect because, of course, they are not. There are problems a-plenty. But it's also important to recognize progress when it happens, understand the context, and get the diagnosis right rather than using the latest news to sell your favorite narrative. To that end, let's start by addressing some of the Hugging Face myths... _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #92: AI’s Civil War – Slow Down or Double Down? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-92-ais-civil-war-slow-down-or-double-down/ Last updated: 2026-09-17T10:05:43.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 🧠 Paris-based Outline wants to turn financial planning from a monthly spreadsheet exercise into a strategic tool for decision-making, with AI agents that can build forecasts, model scenarios, and answer CFO questions in minutes. [**Co-founder and CEO Antoine de Mereuil explains the hows and why as the company lands a $3M round to accelerate its development.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/outline-3m-ai-financial-planning/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Newsletter_Trust-in-the-AI-era_480x60-V2.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/trust-in-the-ai-era-for-startups?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) For today’s AI-native, data-driven startups, security is no longer optional. Customers expect it, investors demand it, and growth depends on it. Learn how leading AI-powered companies—Granola, Clay, Factory, and more—prioritized trust from day one and used Vanta to turn security and compliance into a competitive advantage. From faster SOC 2 audits to six-figure savings and ISO 42001 adoption, see how these startups are building trust in the AI era. [Download it here ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/trust-in-the-ai-era-for-startups?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **The AI giants are warning that their own technology could destroy humanity. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Donald Trump aren’t buying it.** After former Anthropic/OpenAI engineer Jacob Coxon quit over fears AI could endanger humanity, Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei called for a global slowdown in AI development, backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis. Then, during a live podcast in Los Angeles, Huang took a call from Trump and put the president on speakerphone. Both pushed back against slowing the race, with Huang arguing that the US could remain number one in AI *and* develop it safely. Behind the safety debate, *Les Echos* points to a bigger question: with billions at stake, record valuations to justify, and Chinese models rapidly closing the gap, who actually benefits from a slowdown? | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/appel-a-ralentir-lia-que-cherchent-vraiment-les-patrons-americains-2251475?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-16.png) 🗞️ **Europe wants to win the AI race without building the best AI.** In her State of the Union speech, Ursula von der Leyen outlined a “third way”: rather than chasing the US and China for ever more advanced models, Europe should focus on deploying AI across industries where it already has strong companies, data and expertise. But with US AI investment running at a vastly different scale and Europe still dependent on foreign chips and critical materials, the strategy raises a bigger question: is this a smart industrial strategy, or a way of reframing Europe’s AI deficit? | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/la-troisieme-voie-de-leurope-dans-lia-est-elle-une-reelle-strategie-industrielle-ou-lhabillage-politique-dun-retard-face-aux-etats-unis-et-a-la-chine.B555K3KY45HI5LWYIRYRE72KQU.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Mistral AI is taking its models into the oilfields.** The French AI unicorn has signed a three-year partnership worth more than €100 million with TotalEnergies to develop new frontier AI models for oil and gas exploration, reservoir characterization and engineering. The project will combine Mistral’s AI capabilities with a century of TotalEnergies’ geoscience data, and the two companies will also set up a joint scientific lab. The aim is to generate multiple scenarios - from identifying new exploration opportunities to extending the life of existing projects - and help TotalEnergies’ experts analyze complex data and make decisions faster. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/09/15/totalenergies-s-allie-a-mistral-pour-revolutionner-l-exploration-petroliere-grace-a-l-intelligence-artificielle%5F6774354%5F3234.html?srsltid=AU7gw4UaLZGcAFNQ9hm4rAu9Wj6OQMH-p4zUnRHK-DfKMS7ccRxHL1NR&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**TotalEnergies** ](https://totalenergies.com/newsroom/totalenergies-annonce-un-partenariat-avec-mistral-en-vue-de-developper-des-modeles-de-frontiere-dintelligence-artificielle-dedies-a-lexploration-et-a-lingenierie-des-reservoirs/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Women are being left behind in the AI boom, with the gender gap widening at every level of the industry.** According to a LinkedIn study covering 27 countries, women account for just 29% of entry-level AI roles globally, compared with 48% across the wider job market. The gap widens with seniority: women hold just 25% of AI management roles and 13% of executive positions, versus 35% and 23% across the wider market. France fares somewhat better, with women making up 18% of AI executive teams. That's five points above the global average. Meanwhile, Paris, Grenoble and other French cities are emerging as AI skills hubs. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/il-y-a-un-phenomene-de-triple-penalite-les-femmes-ces-grandes-absentes-de-la-course-a-lia-2251678?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn Study**](https://delivery-p143253-e1476319.adobeaemcloud.com/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:86b04a27-f4b1-4047-a228-b9c1a6f21448/original/as/The%5FTriple%5FPenalty%5F2026.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French companies are racing to deploy AI agents, but few are watching what those agents actually do.** A Wavestone study of 30 public and private organizations found that just 17% had controls limiting what AI agents could access or do, while only 15% had adapted identity management for agents. Even more worrying, just 12.5% had a response plan for an AI agent going off the rails, and only 8% of organizations using agentic AI were actively monitoring its security. “Nobody is monitoring whether AI is being attacked or goes off the rails,” warned Wavestone partner Gérôme Billois. |[ **Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/personne-ne-surveille-si-lia-est-attaquee-ou-derape-linquietant-retard-securitaire-des-entreprises-francaises-2251509?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Wavestone**](https://www.wavestone.com/en/insight/ai-cyberbenchmark-2026/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Paris is betting on driverless public transport.** Île-de-France Mobilités plans to deploy more than 100 autonomous 8–12-seat minibusses by 2030, starting with a first vehicle in 2028 and 20 in 2029\. The €20m-a-year program will target low-frequency routes, business parks and public services outside the main transport network, particularly for shift workers at airports, hospitals and Rungis. Trials will begin around Paris-Saclay, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Versailles Grand Parc, with a European supplier preferred where possible. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/vehicule-autonome/plus-de-100-vehicules-autonomes-en-2030-20-millions-deuros-engages-par-an-ce-que-lon-sait-sur-le-projet-de-navettes-sans-conducteur-dile-de-france-mobilites.R4BWE3EJVJE7LKFAY5LZOYO4KM.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories from recent weeks, by Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/8671a5bc?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/6fd9ce0c?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*.* Forgive us for piling on to the AI pile-on *du jour*, but Jacob Coxon’s [calling his former bosses irresponsible](https://x.com/hilbertspaess/status/2097476196791709843?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) was under-discussed on two specific angles. First, AI leaders have been clueless about their true responsibilities for at least seven years. In 2019, Dario Amodei, then at OpenAI, decided GPT-2 was “too dangerous to release”. He thereby invented myth marketing, a.k.a. exaggerating risk to generate hype, a.k.a. ‘fake it until you make it’. For [Yann LeCun](https://x.com/ylecun/status/2099248236074545576?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), “everyone should make fun of them now”, as then, for this. He has a point. Secondly, even if AI kills us all \*one day\*, it is already killing too many people \*right now\*. - Just one planned Virginia data center could cause $53-99 million in health-related economic damages every year, re. [EmPower Analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaelcorkphd%5Fyes-ai-companies-are-gambling-with-our-livesbut-activity-7503897013441331200-pYvc?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAB-X90BvzgQBovzuvLli%5FvQurS4maIr-f8)… and the US is currently [doubling](https://www.crn.com/news/data-center/2026/us-data-center-capacity-will-double-despite-local-concerns-neoclouds-offer-partner-opportunity?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) its number of data centers - An increasing number of these facilities are powered by natural gas such as methane, and are already [shortening lives](https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Ffr%2Fpodcast%2Fcomputer-says-maybe%2Fid1726369564%3Fi%3D1000729686459%26r%3D1231&urlhash=R%5F0a&mt=-5EqU50hARe1CCnjjz1o8O7sBZ30LlkxDTwkYPsAv635cq0fFTXyko-XwAcPVt1s4NidMRQYdP8MlWaEUWdKGjQK172ujXrxCnd8AnjfvWyWytTQtQUYVjuHvu8oGGal5Lty5P9rCeF9Mn2njWS1W1uasIW7X6g&isSdui=true&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad%5Fflagship3%5Fdetail%5Fbase%3B56fElF%2BST3SmdIN2SdeMCA%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), for example near Elon Musk’s Colossus supercomputers in Memphis - And let’s not even start on the [murder sprees](https://apnews.com/article/canada-mass-shooting-chatgpt-openai-lawsuit-de6c2b89cea94bde3b1c288b0e1581ca?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and suicides facilitated by generative AI so far (OpenAI [rejects responsibility](https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/11/26/open-ai-adam-raine-suicide-lawsuit-response/87485867007/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for the latter). As for the planet, European sovereign AI ‘hero’ Mistral AI just [pocketed a crisp €100 million](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/intelligence-artificielle/44753610827826/l-ia-de-mistral-va-aider-totalenergies-a-extraire-davantage-de-petrole-et-de-gaz?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to help TotalEnergies find more petrol. Doubly ironic considering 1/. The French company has to date been the most transparent of all model makers as to its environmental impacts, and 2/. AI is currently boosting oil and gas sector productivity so much that “enabled” emissions could be 3-13 times greater than current data center emissions, according to a widely shared recent [study by Will and Holly Alpine](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-026-00411-0?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Another downer for France: its poor results in the international ‘PISA’ tests, which rank 15-year-old pupils worldwide in three key subjects. The culprit was quickly found. “Those who do best in sciences are those who don’t use AI”, said OECD education expert Eric Charbonnier when presenting the study, re. [Franceinfo’s report](https://www.franceinfo.fr/societe/education/classement-pisa/ils-ont-du-mal-a-suivre-les-cours-pendant-une-heure-apres-la-publication-du-classement-pisa-des-professeurs-temoignent-de-la-realite-observee-en-classe%5F8186123.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Meanwhile, AI continues to make our lives even more effortless…by spying on us. Apple Watches will soon generate AI-powered recaps of their owners’ days by using their microphones and other sensors, according to Bloomberg (via [9to5 Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/09/the-new-apple-watch-will-use-microphone-and-other-sensors-to-generate-ai-recaps-of-your-day/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). And Anthropic is [reportedly using AI to monitor anti-AI activists](https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/09/the-new-apple-watch-will-use-microphone-and-other-sensors-to-generate-ai-recaps-of-your-day/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and other threats, no less. In one case, Amodei’s company detected murderous threats against him, reported them to the police and… refused to hand over evidence when asked for it. Could the Anthropic CEO’s next outlandish claim be a Judge Dredd-style “I am the law”? *Join James Martin for “Using AI without costing the Earth: Frugal AI,” a free lightning lesson on Maven, today, September 17, at 3 pm CET.* [*Sign up here*](https://bit.ly/frugalai%5F30min?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*! (replay available afterward)* --- ## 🧠 Outline Wants to Free the CFO From the Spreadsheet [![Outline founders Hubert Jaouen (left) & Antoine de Mereuil (right)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-17.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/outline-3m-ai-financial-planning/) Outline founders Hubert Jaouen (left) & Antoine de Mereuil (right) ***Paris-based Outline has raised $3 million to build an AI-native financial planning platform for CFOs. Founded in June by Antoine de Mereuil and Hubert Jaouen, the startup connects accounting, payroll, billing, and CRM data so finance teams can automate forecasting, run scenarios, and answer questions that still require hours or days of spreadsheet work.*** Despite only launching in June, the startup had already signed around 10 finance teams, including those at Zelty, Shares, and HarfangLab, before the funding round was announced. For Outline Co-Founder and CEO Antoine de Mereuil, the opportunity started with a simple observation: Finance teams had become strategically important without getting the tools to match. “Our analysis was that Finance had been put to one side as a support function,” he said. “But they should be able to play a much more strategic role in the company.” [Go inside Outline -->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/outline-3m-ai-financial-planning/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **OpenAI Builder Lounge Paris | September 22 |** Join OpenAI for an evening of hands-on building, live demos, and discussion in Paris, co-hosted with [**Photoroom**](https://www.photoroom.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). Hear how top teams approach building useful agents, see what is new with Codex, and work alongside local founders, CTOs, and engineers. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/qfcsoul6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Engineer in Paris | September 23-24 |** AI Engineer Paris 2026 returns to Station F on September 23–24 for two days of technical talks, practical workshops, and AI engineering research. **|** [**Get Tickets**](https://ai.engineer/paris/2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Shift #2 @50 Partners | Paris | October 1 |** The 50 Partners Tech team is delighted to invite you to the "AI Shift" event at the Loft 50P: a concrete immersion in AI applications.​ The concept: a series of sessions dedicated to analyzing AI-induced upheavals in the technology innovation ecosystem, followed by time to discover new solutions and products through live demos. | [**Apply**](https://luma.com/gqn2koeg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-PULSE | Paris | October 13** | Join leaders and engineers for a one-day technical conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations**. |** [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Meets Multi-Omics: Enabling Precision Medicine | Paris | October 15 | Institut Curie| Speaker:** Nataša Pržulj, Department of Life Science, Barcelona Supercomputing Center & ICREA (Barcelona, Spain) & Department of Computer Science, University College London (London, UK) | [**Information**](https://curie.fr/evenements-scientifiques/ai-meets-multi-omics-enabling-precision-medicine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Outline Wants to Free the CFO From the Spreadsheet URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/outline-3m-ai-financial-planning/ Last updated: 2026-09-17T09:44:28.000Z ***Paris-based Outline has raised $3 million to build an AI-native financial planning platform for CFOs. Founded in June by Antoine de Mereuil and Hubert Jaouen, the startup connects accounting, payroll, billing, and CRM data so finance teams can automate forecasting, run scenarios, and answer questions that still require hours or days of spreadsheet work.*** For all the attention AI has received in sales, marketing, engineering**,** and customer support, one of the company's most strategic functions has remained surprisingly old-school: Finance. Budgets are still built in spreadsheets. Forecasts are manually updated. And a seemingly simple question from a CEO – *What happens if we hire 40 people next year?* – can take days to answer. These are the problems Paris-based startup [Outline was set up to tackle](https://www.outlineapp.ai/manifesto?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Founded in June by serial entrepreneur [Antoine de Mereuil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinedemereuil/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad%5Fflagship3%5Fdetail%5Fbase%3BN6TQkgWaTFm7tV%2B11EG18Q%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and former Spotify and Alan engineer [Hubert Jaouen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hubertjaouen/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad%5Fflagship3%5Fdetail%5Fbase%3BxMPmgyrnQ5mXQkcI7w37%2Bg%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Outline](https://www.outlineapp.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has [raised a $3 million pre-seed round](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antoinedemereuil%5Ftoday-were-launching-outline-with-a-3m-share-7502761374704582657-vPHj/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) led by [**Founders Future**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/investor-spotlight-founders-future/), with participation from 100in, Newschool and a group of finance and AI-focused business angels. Despite only launching in June, the startup had already signed around 10 finance teams, including those at Zelty, Shares and HarfangLab, before the funding round was announced. ## Why Outline Thinks Finance Has Been Left Behind _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire September 14: €5B SpaceTech Liftoff; Mistral AI's €3B Led 16 Deals For €3.5 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-14-eur5b-spacetech-liftoff-mistral-ais-eur3b-led-16-deals-for-eur3-5/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T06:00:02.000Z Between September 7 and September 11, French Tech startups raising money also included The Exploration Company, Implicity, Arlequin AI, Actionable, Olenbee, Ed.ai, Tellia, Outline, V4Cure, Paradigme, Bob! Desk, ANA Healthcare, Quiet, OTEO, and BlueSecure _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Europe Reaches for the Stars URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-europe-reaches-for-the-stars/ Last updated: 2026-09-11T18:35:42.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Nice deeptech Cosma spent its early years teaching autonomous drones to see underwater. Over the past year, it has focused on making that technology work for customers and discovering that they want it for more than biodiversity. Now the French deeptech is scaling from prototype to global ambition. [**Dive into the story here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cosma-from-seabed-mapping-to-underwater-intelligence/). **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/GBC_Paris_-_newsletter_banner_468x60.png)](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****A founder-only breakfast in Paris**: Ahead of Vanta's Trust Tour Paris, we're hosting a small-room session for founders: ****Growth Breakfast Club: Build the Product, Buy the Trust**, ****September 15, 9:30–11:30 AM, Le Grand Hôtel Cayré.** ****Christina Cacioppo**, Co-Founder & CEO of Vanta, and ****Gabriel Hubert**, Co-Founder & CEO of Dust, sit down to talk about why the best-scaling teams are ruthless about what they build in-house and just as deliberate about what they buy. Expect real talk on: - Why build vs. buy is a habit, not a one-time call - How Dust scales multiplayer AI without losing team alignment - Why compliance is one of the clearest buy-not-build decisions [Request To Join ](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-13.png) 📡 🇪🇺 **Europe gathered in Paris this week to prove it was serious about space sovereignty.** Speaking at the two-day International Space Summit in [Paris](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Thursday, **French President Emmanuel Macron** called for "shared governance" of space in a speech urging European nations to work together to build up their joint sovereign space capabilities. The summit highlighted how much work remains. Commercial deals worth billions were signed, but there were no major new public funding commitments despite ESA chief Josef Aschbacher calling for a € 1bn-a-year investment for the next decade and European industry demanding at least €60bn from the EU’s next budget. With **SpaceX** pulling out and several major European leaders absent under pressure from the U.S. government, Europe's desire to become a bigger, independent space power seemed all the more urgent. It just hasn’t decided how much it’s willing to spend to get there.| [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-international-space-summit-europe-us/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260909-passengers-or-pilots-europe-looks-to-challenge-us-dominance-in-space-sector-with-%E2%82%AC10-billion-plan?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👾🌌 Just before the big Space Hoedown, **Franco-German scaleup The Exploration Company lit the fuse by announcing it has raised $450 million in Series C funding.** That brings its total funding to around $680 million. Bessemer and Atomico co-led the round alongside the EU’s Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT, with backing from investors including Balderton, Plural and Cherry. Founded in 2021 by former Airbus executive Hélène Huby, the company is developing reusable capsules to ferry cargo to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit. Huby aims to build from Europe while drawing on talent, customers and partners worldwide. The deal marks the Scaleup Europe Fund’s fourth investment, joining a portfolio that already includes Iceye, Lovable and Mistral. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/exploration-company-450m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 🇪🇺 While policy was the main course at the summit, deals were served up relentlessly as appetizers to reinforce the image of a space ecosystem with momentum...To wit, **Ariane 6 landed its biggest commercial haul since entering service**,around 10 launches in two days, while Thales Alenia Space has secured a €500m tranche to equip 330 satellites for Europe’s IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation. After years of worrying about Europe’s dependence on SpaceX, the deals are an attempt (*enfin!*) to build its own space infrastructure. | [**Reuters⁠**](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/europes-space-chief-raises-need-region-coordinate-its-satellite-plans-2026-09-10/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Ariane**](https://www.arianespace.com/fr/news/ariane-6-confirme-sa-dynamique-commerciale-au-sommet-spatial-international-avec-sa-plus-importante-prise-de-commandes-depuis-son-entree-en-service/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Thales**](https://www.thalesgroup.com/fr/actualites-du-groupe/communiques-de-presse/thales-alenia-space-fournira-les-charges-utiles?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🛰️ 🇫🇷 Meanwhile...France's **Loft Orbital announced a $1 billion deal with Abu Dhabi’s Marlan Space to build a constellation of 50 AI-equipped satellites**, unveiled at the space summit. With Mistral supplying the AI and Nvidia the hardware, the satellites will process observations onboard to help detect wildfires, missile launches and threats to energy infrastructure. The partners’ Orbitworks joint venture will manufacture the satellites, with the first launch scheduled for October and MaiaSpace selected as a preferred partner for future launches. It’s a revealing snapshot of modern tech sovereignty: a French-led project combining French AI, American chips and Emirati capital.| [**Le Monde⁠**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/09/09/uae-commits-1-billion-to-french-space-ai-project%5F6757342%5F19.html?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/09/loft-orbital-50-satellites-ia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/loft-orbital-billion-dollar-deal-marlan-space?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **And now, back on Planet Earth:** **🤖🕵️ Mistral’s robotics chief Olivier Duchenne is seeking €200 million in seed funding for a new startup called Ora, targeting a €1 billion post-money valuation,** [**according to Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/exclusive-mistral-robotics-chief-seeks-e200m-for-new-startup?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** The former Meta researcher’s pitch tackles a stubborn robotics bottleneck: finding enough real-world training data to teach machines useful physical tasks. Ora reportedly plans to build a “data factory” using human teleoperators, then feed data from robot deployments into its own models to understand surroundings, interpret instructions, and take action. The business would offer robots as a service, with a potential collaboration involving French computer vision scaleup **XXII**. The plans remain preliminary: Mistral told Sifted it had no knowledge of the startup’s creation, and Duchenne did not respond to requests for comment. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/exclusive-mistral-robotics-chief-seeks-e200m-for-new-startup?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🧮👎 France received a grim report card: its 15-year-olds recorded their lowest-ever PISA scores in maths, reading and science.** Naturally, this caused a MAJOR freakout across a land that prides itself on being the top of the top when it comes to math and stuff and thingies. Math scores fell 16 points, and reading scores dropped 18 points from 2022, although France remains around the OECD average as other countries experience similar declines. Some 36% of French students now struggle with math, while just 5% rank among the highest performers, down from 15% in 2003\. ***Zut alors, baby!*** Researchers suggest lingering pandemic effects, heavy screen use, and declining parental engagement may contribute, alongside persistent problems with classroom disruption and staffing. For a country betting heavily on AI and deeptech, the shrinking share of strong maths performers raises concerns about the next generation of technical talent. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/09/08/pisa-2025-le-decrochage-inedit-des-resultats-des-eleves-en-france-comme-dans-l-ensemble-de-l-ocde%5F6768129%5F3224.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚧 🇪🇺 **Europe has a new plan to stop its best inventions from becoming someone else’s businesses.** The [European Commission’s proposed Innovation Act](https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/support-policy-making/shaping-eu-research-and-innovation-policy/european-innovation-act%5Fen?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) tackles one of the continent’s oldest tech problems: great research, weak commercialization. The plan would make IP easier to value and trade, open up cross-border public R&D procurement and create regulatory sandboxes. The Commission says it could unlock €10bn+ in annual financing. **Now Brussels is trying to tackle the other half of the problem: making it easier for those companies to scale.|** [**European Commission**](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/eus-plan-grow-innovation-europe-2026-09-09%5Fen?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🇪🇺 ⚖️ **Europe is trying to build a single rulebook for startups. Founders are already warning Brussels not to water it down.** The proposed EU Inc. status would let companies incorporate online in 48 hours, without minimum capital, while harmonizing key rules across Europe. But as negotiations accelerate ahead of a year-end deadline, around 40 entrepreneurs and investors — including Mistral AI’s Arthur Mensch and Station F’s Roxanne Varza - are warning that an “EU Inc. lite” would be doomed to fail. Their fear: instead of replacing 27 national systems with a genuinely European framework, Brussels will simply bolt another layer onto them.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/un-eu-inc-edulcore-est-voue-a-lechec-des-entrepreneurs-et-investisseurs-alertent-sur-le-futur-regime-europeen-pour-les-entreprises-2250803?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧩 🇫🇷 French software is getting a lot bigger. **Cegid and payroll specialist Silae plan to merge into a European software group valued at more than €10bn**, creating a heavyweight spanning business management, accounting and HR. Both are backed by the global American investment firm, Silver Lake, which will retain control of the combined company. It’s less glamorous than a new unicorn, but it may be a more European way to build one: consolidation, instead of endless rounds of venture capital.| [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/frances-cegid-silae-merge-10-billion-software-deal-2026-09-09/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 📈 🇫🇷 French Tech is growing up...but it still can’t quite scale. **A new France Digitale/EY barometer counts nearly 18,000 startups and 530,000 direct jobs**, with €4.58bn raised in the first half of 2026\. But the good news comes with a catch: France still lags the UK and Germany in growth, struggles to help startups reach international scale, and lacks enough big exits to recycle capital into the next generation. The ecosystem is bigger. Is it actually getting stronger? .| [**Usine Nouvelle,**](https://www.usinenouvelle.com/eco-social/economie/start-up/on-a-un-moteur-qui-fonctionne-les-start-up-francaises-ont-leve-46-milliards-deuros-au-premier-semestre-2026-confirmant-le-retour-a-une-dynamique-positive.IZNN5M5OPZDZFHEFEMDZXTJQ3Y.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [**EY**](https://www.ey.com/fr%5Ffr/newsroom/2026/09/barometre-2026-de-l-ecosysteme-d-innovation-francais?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Cosma: From Seabed Mapping to Underwater Intelligence [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-10-at-23.47.07-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cosma-from-seabed-mapping-to-underwater-intelligence/) A seabed observed on the Cosma platform using data acquired by autonomous underwater drones A lot can change for a deeptech startup in a year. In June 2025, French startup Cosma raised €2.5 million to commercialize a technology that makes the seabed visible at unprecedented resolution. Its initial pitch focused largely on marine biodiversity: mapping ecosystems, identifying species, and helping developers avoid sensitive habitats. Fifteen months later, Cosma has raised a further €2.05 million, taking total funding to more than €7 million when equity, debt and public funding are included. Biodiversity remains part of the company’s mission, but the technology has matured, and its commercial center of gravity has shifted. Cosma is now being pulled towards defense, energy and critical infrastructure. These are markets where knowing exactly what is happening on the seabed can be operationally critical. “We’re moving from development to deployment,” CEO Frédéric Mittaine said. That transition has meant a year of debugging, refining hardware, developing new capabilities, and increasingly putting the technology in customers' hands. [Dive into Cosma here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cosma-from-seabed-mapping-to-underwater-intelligence/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Implicity 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, MedTech, AI 🔍 Description: Developer of a manufacturer-neutral platform that centralizes data from connected cardiac devices and helps care teams prioritize remote-monitoring alerts, workflows, and billing. 💻 Website: [https://implicity.com/](https://implicity.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth equity 💰 Amount Raised: €35M 🏦 Investors: IRIS, Five Arrows 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arnaud Rosier, David Perlmutter 🗞️ News: Implicity will use the funding to expand in the United States and develop predictive algorithms for cardiac care. The company says its platform is deployed in more than 250 medical centers across France, Germany, and the U.S., monitoring over 120,000 patients. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/implicity-leve-35-millions-deuros-pour-passer-du-tri-des-alertes-a-la-cardiologie-predictive/463361?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/09/french-cardiac-monitoring-startup-implicity-reports-26-lower-mortality-as-it-raises-e35-million/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Arlequin AI 🏷️ Sectors: AI, DefenseTech 🔍 Description: Developer of topological neural-network models and data-analysis software designed to uncover complex relationships across fragmented datasets for government and enterprise users. 💻 Website: [https://arlq.ai/](https://arlq.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €28M 🏦 Investors: Redalpine, OTB Ventures, Bpifrance’s Fonds Innovation Défense, Vsquared Ventures, 10x Founders, Xavier Niel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hugo Micheron, Antoine Jardin 🗞️ News: Arlequin AI will use the funding to expand its R&D team, train proprietary topological AI models, and support commercial deployments. The company, which positions itself as a European sovereign alternative to Palantir, has also opened offices in London and Berlin and plans a Silicon Valley research lab. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/arlequin-ai-leve-28-millions-deuros-pour-construire-une-alternative-europeenne-a-palantir/463365?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Cosma: From Seabed Mapping To Underwater Intelligence URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cosma-from-seabed-mapping-to-underwater-intelligence/ Last updated: 2026-09-11T08:04:42.000Z Cosma spent its first years teaching autonomous drones to see underwater. The past year has been about making that technology work for customers and discovering they want it for rather more than biodiversity. Now the French deeptech is scaling from prototype to global ambition. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #91: Mistral’s €3 Billion Mic Drop URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-91-mistrals-eur3-billion-mic-drop/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T13:34:54.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 🧠 Mistral said Tuesday that it has raised €3 billion at a post-money valuation of more than €21 billion (roughly $24 billion), in what it bills as the largest equity round ever completed by a privately held European technology company.Samsung-led funding gives the French AI champion fresh firepower for frontier research, sovereign infrastructure, and bigger models, addressing doubts that Mistral was falling impossibly behind OpenAI, Anthropic, and China. [**Get the details.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-3-billion-funding-21-billion-valuation/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/folk-la-machine.png)](https://www.folk.app/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=la-machine-relationship-context) Relationship context is the richest data your team owns, but contacts and conversations are scattered across Gmail, LinkedIn, calendars, and WhatsApp. folk captures that context across channels and turns it into a shared memory for every relationship. Using folk’s MCP, your team can chat with your CRM data like a conversation: ask folk which deals stalled, who last spoke to a lead, or what happened on an account. 5,000+ companies use folk to close more deals. Start for free today with a 14-day trial. [Start for free ](https://www.folk.app/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=la-machine-relationship-context) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **OpenAI’s agents went rogue on a German wiki and the EU wants answers.** OpenAI has confirmed that the European Commission received a report about an incident in which its AI agents, designed only to read the web, found a way to change a German-language developer wiki. The agents reportedly used the site to share answers and ways around their own restrictions, exploiting a technical flaw that allowed edits through web requests normally used to retrieve information. The episode is raising fresh questions about how AI agents behave when they encounter unexpected opportunities and when companies should disclose these “misalignment” incidents. OpenAI says it is working on a broader framework for reporting such behavior. | [**ActuIA,**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/agents-openai-sur-un-wiki-la-commission-europeenne-confirme-avoir-recu-un-rapport/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/05/openai-confirms-wiki-incident-says-its-working-on-a-framework-for-more-disclosure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s “Osez l’IA” plan has reached 35,000 companies. But how many are actually using AI?** One year into the government’s €200 million push to accelerate AI adoption, the headline figures look impressive: 35,000 companies have been reached, and the government is targeting AI adoption by 100% of large companies, 80% of SMEs and 50% of very small businesses by 2030\. But *L’Usine Digitale* points out that the data mainly measures awareness, not deployment or economic impact. AI adoption had already tripled between 2023 and 2025, before the plan even launched, while only 70 companies have started an in-depth AI diagnostic so far. The next challenge, it argues, is turning awareness into real, productive and measurable use. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/ia-generative/osez-lia-quel-est-le-veritable-bilan-du-plan-national-un-an-apres-son-lancement.DWSVPBZV5ZGEBPZ6N4N5NVA3UE.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France's new **Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Jacques de Montgros**, has officially released his first agenda, and integrating artificial intelligence is sitting right at the top of his to-do list. He emphasizes the need to scale up autonomous systems to ensure superiority, while carefully balancing these new capabilities with traditional commander judgment and collective strength. This move is part of a broader strategy to adapt to a rapidly evolving strategic environment and handle future recruitment challenges for the service. | [**Breaking Defense**](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09/french-army-chief-releases-first-agenda-shares-ambitions-for-service/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French President Emmanuel Macron** delivered a warning this week at the **Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence**, cautioning that the AI-driven "attention economy" poses a fundamental threat to human creativity and democratic values. Alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Macron didn't just stop at warnings about the risks of machines replacing writers and artists. They backed their stance with a new €1 billion partnership to support film and audiovisual industries over the next five years. The duo's goal is to ensure that while the industry embraces technological transformation, it does not sacrifice the human touch that makes storytelling unique. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/09/07/france-and-south-korea-to-invest-1-billion-to-support-audiovisual-industry%5F6757246%5F7.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Variety**](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/south-korean-president-lee-jae-myung-speech-lumiere-summit-1236854896/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Revolut and Visa have successfully tested France’s first secure payment initiated by an AI agent**, allowing the software, with the customer’s authorization, to handle the purchase through to payment. The transaction took place in real-world conditions with online merchant Cleverbridge, using Visa’s Payment Passkey to authenticate it while retaining existing fraud and identity protections. It’s an early but significant step towards “agentic commerce”, where AI doesn’t just recommend what to buy but actually buys it for you. Santander and Mastercard had already completed Europe’s first end-to-end AI-agent payment in March. | [**Capital,**](https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/revolut-vient-de-realiser-un-paiement-par-ia-en-france-une-grande-premiere-1529901?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/07/revolut-realise-le-premier-paiement-par-ia-en-france-avec-visa/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **H Company’s last remaining founder has left for Microsoft.** Laurent Sifre, co-founder and former CTO of Paris-based AI startup H Company, has joined Microsoft’s AI research team in Paris, following a stint at Google DeepMind. His departure means the entire five-person founding team has now left the company, just two years after its creation. H Company is trying to reinvent itself under former Palantir France chief Gautier Cloix, focusing on “computer-use” AI agents — or “androids” — capable of operating browsers like humans to perform tasks such as online purchases and retrieving invoices. The startup remains part of Nvidia’s Nemotron coalition alongside Mistral. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/exclusive-h-cofounder-laurent-sifre-joins-microsoft?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/07/ia-laurent-sifre-co-fondateur-de-h-company-rejoint-microsoft/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **A new French AI startup wants to bring investment funds into the AI age.** Séverine Grégoire, former head of innovation and AI at CMA CGM, has taken the helm of VistIQ in Europe, a new startup spun out of Founders Future. Its pitch: use AI agents to connect the fragmented data and tools used by private equity and VC funds, giving teams a single, searchable layer of intelligence across their portfolios. Grégoire sees a paradox in the industry: investment firms have spent years funding innovative companies while their own workflows have barely changed. VistIQ has already deployed its product with clients and is now raising a new round as it prepares to expand into the US. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/08/severine-gregoire-prend-la-tete-de-vistiq-nouvelle-startup-qui-veut-simplifier-la-vie-des-fonds-dinvestissement/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories from recent weeks, by Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/8671a5bc?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/6fd9ce0c?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*.* If AGI is now upon us - as Jensen Huang just [proclaimed](https://x.com/jensenhuang/status/2096700264569090384?s=46&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) with the arrival of GPT-6 - why hasn’t it [solved climate change](https://ia.samaltman.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) yet? Or at least reduced NVIDIA’s environmental impacts? On the contrary, the chipmaker’s emissions [nearly doubled](https://images.nvidia.com/aem-dam/Solutions/documents/NVIDIA-Sustainability-Report-Fiscal-Year-2025.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) last year, causing [18% of its shareholders](https://www.greencentury.com/shareholders-call-for-nvidia-to-report-carbon-costs-of-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to file a motion this summer demanding more climate transparency. Huang’s response? Hold my superintelligent beer. NVIDIA is “[Securing the Infrastructure of Intelligence](https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/securing-the-infrastructure-of-intelligence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)” by backstopping - to the [reported tune of $250bn](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/nvidia-considers-250bn-backstop-for-openais-planned-10gw-ohio-data-center-report/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) \- a 10GW data center in Ohio. This record-breakingly large facility will be “LPS-”, or gas-powered. As a reminder, such installations could [boost US power emissions by 20%](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-18/data-center-gas-plants-to-boost-us-power-emissions-by-20?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). TL;DR: expect way-more-than-doubled environmental impacts in 2026… We can also suspect the already roaring business for said gas-powered data centers to continue at pace, now uncle Elon wants to [make his own methane turbine blades](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/spacex-starts-in-house-turbine-blade-manufacturing-to-boost-gas-powered-generator-output-for-elons-ai-data-centers-new-manufacturing-strategy-cuts-generator-delays-by-18-months?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). There’s no stopping progress… Also this week: the [UK government doesn’t know](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/02/uk-datacentres-ai-boom-foi-environment?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) why hundreds of new data centres are currently being built in its green and pleasant land… and Microsoft is trying to wriggle out of upfront data center electricity costs, [reports the FT](https://www.ft.com/content/f86672dd-5ee5-46f6-8419-3c959814dd1c?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), despite having already pledged twice this year - including with Donald Trump - that it was good for it. The tech equivalent of taking friends out for dinner, then running away before the bill comes. Has the hyperscaler sensed financial winds changing? Token prices have indeed reached record lows, [reported CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/01/ai-token-prices-lows.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and many others, due at least in part to the success of open-source Chinese models like Moonshot’s Kimi K3 (hello, Hugging NVIDIA!). A trend set to continue now even states are catching on to the true costs of frontier AI. French ministries’ IT spending has doubled since 2019, according to a government memo urging for more AI frugality, intercepted by [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/ia-bercy-invite-ses-prestataires-numeriques-a-revoir-leur-facture-a-la-baisse-2249512?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). *L’heure des comptes ?* Ma Bell may have got the memo already: AT&T has managed to reduce its AI costs by 56% since moving many of its systems to open source models, according to [The Information](https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/applied-ai/t-using-open-source-models-curb-anthropic-bills?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), with only a 2% drop in ‘performance’ (which we presume means ‘accuracy’). And it’s not stopping there: the US telco is aiming for a 60-70% open source usage rate (v.s. closed models) in coming years. Then, after New York state’s move to [block data centers](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/first-statewide-moratorium-new-hyperscale-data-centers-launched-governor-kathy-hochul?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), New York city elementary and middle schools banned AI, mayor Zohran Mamdani [announced this week](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/mamdani-nyc-ai-ban-pause-moratorium-public-schools/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). “The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary,” he said. “We do not see it that way.” And finally, it was back-to-court for Uber, as drivers from the UK, Holland and other countries effectively [sued the ride-sharing company’s algorithm](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/02/uber-drivers-europe-legal-action-ai-algorithm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), for paying them different amounts for the same rides. The case could have legs, given Holland recently fined Uber close to a billion euros for firing drivers for no reason. Uber “categorically rejects” the accusations. Worth a five star review? [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- ## 🧠 Mistral AI Raises €3 Billion at €21 Billion Valuation to Keep Europe in the AI Race [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-8.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-3-billion-funding-21-billion-valuation/) Mistral AI has raised €3 billion at a valuation above €21 billion, the largest private European tech equity round on record. Samsung led the financing, giving the French AI company a powerful industrial partner for its push into chip manufacturing and enterprise AI. The money is meant to fund frontier research, more compute and Mistral’s own infrastructure—an emphatic reply to questions over whether it had settled for inference. Mistral is still tiny beside OpenAI and Anthropic by American capital-market standards, but it has now nearly doubled its valuation in a year and helped push French startup funding past last year’s total. The company’s sovereignty pitch remains complicated by its use of a Chinese model, but Arthur Mensch says competitive Mistral models are coming “very soon.” [Read the full €3B Mistral story →](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-3-billion-funding-21-billion-valuation/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ☀️Sponsor Events☀️ SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/GBC_Paris_-_newsletter_banner_468x60.png)](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****A founder-only breakfast in Paris**: Ahead of Vanta's Trust Tour Paris, we're hosting a small-room session for founders: ****Growth Breakfast Club: Build the Product, Buy the Trust**, ****September 15, 9:30–11:30 AM, Le Grand Hôtel Cayré.** ****Christina Cacioppo**, Co-Founder & CEO of Vanta, and ****Gabriel Hubert**, Co-Founder & CEO of Dust, sit down to talk about why the best-scaling teams are ruthless about what they build in-house and just as deliberate about what they buy. Expect real talk on: - Why build vs. buy is a habit, not a one-time call - How Dust scales multiplayer AI without losing team alignment - Why compliance is one of the clearest buy-not-build decisions [Request To Join ](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **France Digitale Day | Paris | September 16 |** The most exciting startup event in France and Europe taking place in Paris for its 14th edition. From across France and Europe, over 4500 founders, investors, and innovation leaders gather for the whole day to get inspired, discuss the latest trends in business, tech, and society, close (big) deals with new partners, network, raise funds with investors, and meet with your peers in a village-like venue in the heart of the French capital. This year, the CES will be back at FDDay for their CES Tech Trends, the first stop on the road to CES2027\. | [**Get tickets**](https://fdday.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **dotAI 2026 | Paris | September 17** | We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers on fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire to that recognition. | [**Information and tickets**](https://www.dotai.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenAI Builder Lounge Paris | September 22 |** Join OpenAI for an evening of hands-on building, live demos, and discussion in Paris, co-hosted with [Photoroom](https://www.photoroom.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). Hear how top teams approach building useful agents, see what is new with Codex, and work alongside local founders, CTOs, and engineers. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/qfcsoul6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Engineer in Paris | September 23-24 |** AI Engineer Paris 2026 returns to Station F on September 23–24 for two days of technical talks, practical workshops, and AI engineering research. **|** [**Get Tickets**](https://ai.engineer/paris/2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Shift #2 @50 Partners | Paris | October 1 |** The 50 Partners Tech team is delighted to invite you to the "AI Shift" event at the Loft 50P: a concrete immersion in AI applications.​ The concept: a series of sessions dedicated to analyzing AI-induced upheavals in the technology innovation ecosystem, followed by time to discover new solutions and products through live demos. | [**Apply**](https://luma.com/gqn2koeg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-PULSE | Paris | October 13** | Join leaders and engineers for a one-day technical conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations**. |** [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Meets Multi-Omics: Enabling Precision Medicine | Paris | October 15 | Institut Curie| Speaker:** Nataša Pržulj, Department of Life Science, Barcelona Supercomputing Center & ICREA (Barcelona, Spain) & Department of Computer Science, University College London (London, UK) | [**Information**](https://curie.fr/evenements-scientifiques/ai-meets-multi-omics-enabling-precision-medicine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Mistral AI Raises €3 Billion at €21 Billion Valuation to Keep Europe in the AI Race URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-3-billion-funding-21-billion-valuation/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T00:23:08.000Z Mistral would like to remind everyone that reports of it being "cooked" are premature. The Paris company [said Tuesday that it has raised €3 billion](https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-makes-sovereign-open-weight-ai-to-frontier/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at a post-money valuation of more than €21 billion (roughly $24 billion), in what it bills as the largest equity round ever completed by a privately held European technology company. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/mistral-3-billion.jpg) The funding comes three years after its launch. For a startup that began as a small group of ex-DeepMind and ex-Meta researchers with a strong opinion about open models, that is a decent run by any measure. Unless you compare it to private labs in the U.S., in which case it still falls short. Anthropic has raised around $100 billion so far this year ahead of an IPO that could value it at as much as $2 trillion. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-ai-company-mistral-hits-24-billion-valuation-funding-round-2026-09-08/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) pegs OpenAI at $852 billion as it heads to a public listing this year. So, yeah, against that, €3 billion kinda feels like a rounding error. And yet... Seen from inside Europe, the numbers look different. Mistral becomes the continent's second-highest-valued private tech group and its fastest-growing company. The valuation has nearly doubled in a year, from around €12 billion. As for French milestones, the funding is remarkable on several levels. On The French Tech Journal funding tracker, the round puts the ecosystem past €8 billion raised so far in 2026, already topping €7.8 billion for 2025\. For vets of the French Tech scene, it was just back in 2017 that €3.1 billion represented the ***total funding for the entire year.*** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Dealroom-FT-2017.jpg) Chart courtesy of Dealroom For the latest round, Samsung Electronics led the funding while the EU-backed Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT, and existing shareholder PSG Equity came in as co-leads. Advent, funds managed by BlackRock and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, joined as new investors. Almost everyone already on the cap table re-upped: a16z, ASML, Bpifrance, BNP Paribas CIB, DST Global, General Catalyst, Index Ventures, Lightspeed, Nvidia, Salesforce Ventures. Samsung isn't just a tourist. [**In an interview with the Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/adbf5262-c4d5-4312-a9b8-4d3cf30c9e00?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch called the investment "another validation" of Mistral's usefulness in high-end manufacturing, following ASML's €1.3 billion cheque last year. Samsung plans to use Mistral's AI to improve its chip manufacturing systems. Although Microsoft agreed in July to spend billions of dollars on Mistral's computing infrastructure in Europe, the Redmond giant apparently did not participate, Mistral AI chief financial officer Johan Bergqvist told Reuters. ## What the money buys Despite a general freakout last month after the announcement that Mistral AI would build compute primarily focused on inference, the company stressed in the funding announcement that: "The round will significantly expand Mistral's ***frontier research***, which is the foundation underpinning its infrastructure, products and sovereignty." In the FT, Mensch said the company believes it will now have the compute to match the strategy used by Chinese AI labs, which allowed them to match the frontier training of OpenAI and Anthropic at a fraction of the cost. “With this fundraising we will be controlling an amount of compute that is very comparable to what the Chinese labs have,” he said. “We have built Mistral to train models and to scale them. We will continue to do that, and that’s really the purpose of this fundraising.” Mensch told CNBC the money goes toward more infrastructure, including Mistral's own data centers, and that the company will train "bigger and faster models." He said Mistral is on track for $1 billion in annual recurring revenue by year-end, with growth strongest in Asia and North America. Mensch went further with CNBC, saying he expects "to be beating" that figure "if everything happens as they are trending." ## Sovereignty, with an asterisk Mistral AI continues to place sovereignty at the core of its identity and pitch. "The fact that the EU or Europe has to have its own kind of AI provider in the game is important," Bergqvist told Reuters. "We have seen in the past that there is politics involved in the access to these solutions, and it's important that you make sure that you maintain access and do not compromise your kind of supply chain." Mistral's answer is the full stack: open-weight models, the infrastructure they run on, and the products that put them into production. Control means data that stays inside an organization's walls, customizable models, private compute, and auditable systems. The company now works across 20 countries with more than 125 enterprises, including Airbus, ASML, and HSBC. Still, eyebrows were raised in August when Mistral said it would commercialize GLM-5.2, a model built by the Chinese firm Z.ai. Mensch defended it to the FT as giving customers choice while still offering "regional controls" to protect their data. But he also hinted that it may just be a stopgap solution. Mensch told CNBC the models Mistral releases "very soon" will be "very competitive." ### Sovereign cloud, managed services: how French providers are rewriting the rules for European mid-market IT URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cloud-sovereignty-cio-procurement-europe/ Last updated: 2026-09-07T08:21:32.000Z **Key takeaways** - NIS2, DORA and the EU's Cloud and AI Development Act are turning cloud sovereignty from a compliance topic into a procurement criterion. - A sovereign managed cloud service covers operations, security, and recovery, not just hosting under European jurisdiction. - French providers such as Jiliti are building multi-country European networks to compete with hyperscalers on mid-market workloads. For years, European mid-market companies treated cloud sovereignty as a concern for banks and governments. 2026 has changed that. Between new cybersecurity obligations, financial-sector resilience rules, and Brussels' push for a European cloud infrastructure, the question facing CIOs is no longer whether jurisdiction matters, but how to act on it without rebuilding their entire IT estate. ## **The 2026 regulatory shift and what it means for CIOs** Three texts now shape cloud decisions in Europe: NIS2, DORA, and the newly proposed Cloud and AI Development Act. NIS2 extends strict cybersecurity requirements to thousands of mid-sized companies that were previously out of scope. DORA imposes resilience and exit-strategy obligations on financial entities and, indirectly, on their IT providers. And in June 2026, the European Commission presented the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA), part of a broader technology sovereignty package, a political answer to a market where Amazon, Microsoft and Google hold around 70% of European cloud spending, while European providers' share has been stuck at 15% since 2022, down from 29% in 2017 (Synergy Research Group, 2025). A market that is anything but marginal: European cloud infrastructure revenues reached €61 billion in 2024 and were on track to exceed €75 billion in 2025, according to Synergy Research Group. For a CIO, the practical consequences are concrete: knowing where data physically sits, demonstrating auditability to regulators, and proving that workloads can be moved out of a provider if needed. Reversibility, long buried in contract annexes, has become a selection criterion in its own right. ## **What a sovereign managed cloud service actually covers** Sovereignty alone does not run workloads. A European data center answers the jurisdiction question, but mid-market IT teams, often a handful of people, still need someone to operate what sits inside it. That is the difference between sovereign hosting and [**sovereign managed cloud services**](https://www.jiliti-group.com/offre/services-manages-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com): the latter bundles infrastructure with day-to-day operations, monitoring, backup, disaster recovery, patching, and security under a shared responsibility model where the provider is contractually accountable for defined service levels. That distinction matters under the new rules. NIS2 and DORA do not ask companies where their servers are; they ask who detects an incident at 3 a.m., how fast systems are restored, and who signs off on the audit trail. For organizations that cannot staff those functions internally, a managed model is what turns compliance from a document into an operating reality. ## **The Jiliti example, at European scale** French group Jiliti illustrates how local providers are positioning against hyperscalers. After integrating Naitways, a French sovereign cloud operator, in 2025, the group extended its footprint beyond France, opening points of presence in Frankfurt and Milan in March 2026 to deliver cloud services under local jurisdiction across markets. The group is certified ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 14001, and holds an EcoVadis Platinum rating (2025), placing it in the top 1% of companies assessed. Its analysis of [**private cloud as the foundation of digital sovereignty**](https://www.jiliti-group.com/blog/cloud-prive-modele-securise-entreprises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) reflects a broader European conviction: control over sensitive data starts with controlling the platform it runs on. The bet of [**European IT infrastructure services group Jiliti**](https://www.jiliti-group.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is that mid-market companies will choose providers able to combine proximity, regulatory alignment, and industrial-grade operations. For CIOs evaluating that promise, three criteria stand out. First, jurisdiction: is the entire chain, from infrastructure to operator to support, subject to European law? Second, scope: does the contract cover operations and recovery, with measurable SLAs, or only hosting? Third, reversibility: can data and workloads be repatriated or moved, and has that exit actually been tested? In 2026, those three questions separate a sovereignty label from a sovereignty strategy. ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire September 7: Hugging Face Jackpot; Lupin Dental €15M Led 8 Deals For €46.6M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-7-hugging-face-jackpot-lupin-dental-eur15m-led-8-deals-for-eur46-6m/ Last updated: 2026-09-07T06:00:41.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Hugging Face $$$ In the wake of the Nvidia deal for Hugging Face, the good folks at Dealroom attempted to wrestle with the question who made what from this deal? [These seven charts](https://dealroom.co/resources/nvidia-buys-hugging-face/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) offer some approximation of just how much the AI registry has increased in value over the years... ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/hugging-face-valuation-history-dealroom.png) ...and who should be picking up your bar tab, well, forever. That is, assuming the deal closes as expected some time early next year. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/hugging-face-shareholders-dealroom.png) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/folk-la-machine.png)](https://www.folk.app/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=la-machine-relationship-context) Relationship context is the richest data your team owns, but contacts and conversations are scattered across Gmail, LinkedIn, calendars, and WhatsApp. folk captures that context across channels and turns it into a shared memory for every relationship. Using folk’s MCP, your team can chat with your CRM data like a conversation: ask folk which deals stalled, who last spoke to a lead, or what happened on an account. 5,000+ companies use folk to close more deals. Start for free today with a 14-day trial. [Start for free ](https://www.folk.app/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=la-machine-relationship-context) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: September 4 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/ftfw-top-deals-sept-4.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/ftfw-spet-4-top-sectors.jpg) --- 📇 Company: Lupin Dental 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, Robotics 🔍 Description: Lupin Dental develops supervised robotic systems for minimally invasive dental procedures. Its Lupin Robotic System combines treatment-planning software with a robotic workstation that automates tooth preparation for aesthetic veneers, aiming to improve precision, clinical workflows, and patient outcomes. 💻 Website: [https://lupindental.com/](https://lupindental.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15 million 🏦 Investors: Fynveur, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Dr. Galip Gürel, Dr. Stefen Koubi 🗞️ News: Lupin Dental has closed a €15 million Series A to accelerate development and adoption of its robotic technology for dental procedures. Fynveur led the round with a €10 million investment, alongside existing shareholders and private investors, with additional loan financing from Bpifrance. The company’s flagship Lupin Robotic System uses software to design a patient's final smile and treatment plan before a robotic workstation executes the required minimally invasive tooth preparation for veneers. The system received UKCA certification in June 2026, enabling commercialization in Great Britain, following earlier regulatory clearance in India, although it is not yet approved for clinical use in the EU or US. Lupin Dental will use the financing to expand partnerships with academic and medical institutions, dentists, and Dental Service Organizations as it works toward broader adoption of its technology. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/montpellier-based-dental-robotics-startup-lupin-dental-closes-e15-million-series-a-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Lys Therapeutics 🏷️ Sectors: BioTech, HealthTech 🔍 Description: Advanced preclinical biotech developing LYS241, a humanized monoclonal antibody designed to block the tPA-NMDAr pathway in neurodegenerative and neurovascular diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, synucleinopathies and ischemic stroke. 💻 Website: [https://lys-tx.com/](https://lys-tx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon, Caen 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: **€13M** 🏦 Investors: Normandie Participation, TCD Capital, FIDAT Ventures, ZCUBE 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Manuel Blanc, Philippe Dujardin, Thibault Honegger 🗞️ News: Lys Therapeutics said its cumulative funding since its 2021 founding has passed €25M, including equity, non-dilutive public funding and foundation support. The company has previously disclosed **€12M in fuding across seven previous rounds**, including a €3M seed round, Bpifrance and France 2030 grants, and Michael J. Fox Foundation awards. It will use the resources to complete regulatory studies, secure industrial manufacturing and prepare a biomarker-rich Phase 1a/1b trial for LYS241\. | [**PR**](https://lystherapeutics.com/2026/06/21/lys-therapeutics-surpasses-e25-million-raised-and-accelerates-clinical-preparation-of-lys241-in-neurology/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Huscarl 🏷️ Sectors: InsurTech, AI, SaaS 🔍 Description: Huscarl develops an AI-powered actuarial platform for corporations, self-insured companies, insurance captives, and risk retention groups. Its autonomous AI actuary ingests unstructured data and automates workflows, including risk modeling, pricing, reserving, and capital analysis, with studies reviewed and signed by credentialed human actuaries. 💻 Website: [http://huscarl.io/](http://huscarl.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.82 million 🏦 Investors: FRST, Y Combinator, MS&AD Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Musy, Paulien Jeunesse 🗞️ News: Huscarl has raised $5.6 million in Seed funding led by FRST to accelerate development of its AI actuarial platform and expansion in the United States. The Y Combinator-backed startup helps companies use self-insurance and captive structures by automating actuarial work, including modeling, pricing, reserving, and capital analysis. Huscarl offers one-off actuarial studies, appointed-actuary services for captives, and outsourced underwriting for group captives and risk retention groups, while keeping credentialed human actuaries responsible for reviewing and signing its studies. The company says it has already worked with a risk retention group and a single-parent captive belonging to a company generating more than $2 billion in revenue. Huscarl was founded by former Descartes Underwriting employees Alexandre Musy and Paulien Jeunesse, who previously worked together on cyber parametric insurance. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7501384767859478528-pexo?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI), [**Coverager**](https://coverager.com/huscarl-raises-5-6-million-for-ai-actuarial-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: ColibriTD 🏷️ Sectors: Quantum Computing, DeepTech 🔍 Description: ColibriTD develops a hardware-agnostic quantum-powered multiphysics simulation platform built around H-DES, its proprietary hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for solving partial differential equations. The company targets computationally intensive applications across defense, aerospace, semiconductors, energy, automotive, climate science, and quantitative finance. 💻 Website: [https://www.colibritd.com/](https://www.colibritd.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4 million 🏦 Investors: Earlybird Venture Capital, SymbiaVC, Medin VC 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Laurent Guiraud, Hacène Goudjil 🗞️ News: ColibriTD has raised €4 million in Seed funding to accelerate development of its quantum simulation platform and expand internationally. Earlybird Venture Capital led the round, which previously backed the company’s €1 million pre-Seed round, with participation from SymbiaVC and Medin VC. Founded in 2019, ColibriTD has completed seven co-construction projects across six industrial sectors, including work with groups such as Thales, ESA and BMW. The company will use the funding to invest further in H-DES R&D, recruit quantum researchers and domain experts, expand hardware and academic partnerships, and scale client deployments. ColibriTD currently employs around 20 people and is positioning its platform as a software layer that can translate advances in quantum hardware into practical industrial applications. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/paris-based-colibritd-raises-e4-million-to-scale-its-quantum-powered-multiphysics-simulation-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**La Revue Digitale**](https://www.larevuedudigital.com/colibritd-startup-francaise-de-logiciels-industriels-pour-le-quantique-leve-4-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Viraj Aero 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, Aerospace, Aviation, Propulsion 🔍 Description: Toulouse-based startup developing an onboard steam-injection turbine system that recovers water from aircraft exhaust and reinjects it into the engine, aiming to reduce fuel use, CO₂, NOx emissions and non-CO₂ climate effects. 💻 Website: [https://virajaero.com/](https://virajaero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.5M 🏦 Investors: IRDI Capital Investissement, Climate Founders, OCSEED, ARTS Aero, Business Angels, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Mathilde Bouilloux, Joseph Brisson 🗞️ News: The funding will finance flight testing of Viraj Aero’s Ailefroide demonstrator, scheduled for 2027, and grow its engineering team at Toulouse airport. The company targets a 2029 commercial launch of its EYJA system for light aviation, before adapting the technology for regional aircraft. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-viraj-aero-mise-sur-la-vapeur-deau-pour-reduire-les-emissions-polluantes-des-moteurs-davion-2248891?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**PR**](https://www.viraj-aero.com/resources/viraj-aero-just-raised-4-5meu-in-seed-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/defense-aerospatiale/aeronautique-defense/92361107679309/aeronautique-viraj-aero-leve-4-5-millions-d-euros-pour-decarboner-laviation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: ArcSpace 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Developer of a compact electron-beam system for welding and cutting metal in orbit, initially targeting satellite servicing and repair before expanding to orbital manufacturing and space infrastructure. 💻 Website: [https://arc-space.com/](https://arc-space.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: DEPO Ventures, SCE Freiraum Ventures, IRDI Capital Investissement, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guillaume Mohara and Adam Abdin 🗞️ News: ArcSpace will use the funding to qualify its flight hardware and carry out an autonomous in-orbit demonstration in 2027\. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/arcspace-2m-in-space-welding-satellite-repair/) --- 📇 Company: Swiftask 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Enterprise software platform for building, deploying and governing AI agents across business workflows. Hosted in France, it offers access to more than 80 AI models and aims to provide a vendor-neutral control layer for enterprise AI use. 💻 Website: [https://swiftask.ai/](https://swiftask.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Nantes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.55M 🏦 Investors: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Stanislas Randriamilasoa, Matthieu Lardillet, Gaël Brisson 🗞️ News: Swiftask closed its first funding round in August 2026 to expand direct sales and its distributor network in France, Europe and Africa. Launched in late 2024, the company says its platform already serves more than 100 customers and supports 14,000 active AI agents. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/swiftask-start-up-francaise-de-gouvernance-dagents-ia-leve-155me?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: TheraSonic 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, HealthTech, NeuroTech, Robots 🔍 Description: CEA/CNRS spin-off developing a robot-guided focused-ultrasound device that temporarily and non-invasively opens the blood-brain barrier to improve delivery of drugs to targeted brain regions. 💻 Website: [https://www.therasonic.fr/](https://www.therasonic.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Crowdfunding 💰 Amount Raised: €1.52M 🏦 Investors: Capital Cell 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Benoît Larrat, Anthony Novell 🗞️ News: TheraSonic’s Capital Cell campaign closed on July 31, 2026, surpassing its €1.2M target and raising €1,523,874 at a €5.8M pre-money valuation. The company plans to use the funding to industrialize and prepare the regulatory path for its clinical device, following a first-in-human programme at Gustave Roussy. | [**Capital Cell**](https://capitalcell.com/en/campaign/therasonic/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Sensing Atmospheric Intelligence 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech, ClimateTech 🔍 Description: Toulouse-based satellite operator providing atmospheric-intelligence data, initially focused on equipment-level detection and quantification of industrial methane emissions. Its GESat satellites combine hyperspectral sensing with physics-guided AI. 💻 Website: [https://sensing-ai.eu/](https://sensing-ai.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: **Undisclosed** 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Tristan Laurent 🗞️ News: The company has rebranded from Absolut Sensing to Sensing Atmospheric Intelligence and appointed Nicolas Fabre as managing director and partner. In disclosing the funding news, it describes it as a "capital increase to finance a €12M investment plan." It will develop and launch its GEN2 hyperspectral satellite, designed to measure methane emissions below 50 kg/hour, with launch planned for late 2027 or early 2028\. | [**Company announcement**](https://sensing-ai.eu/en/sensing-accelerates-the-deployment-of-its-gesat-constellation-with-its-next-launch-scheduled-for-january-2028/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Hugging Face, Mistral AI, and Pasqal Bring Some Big Check Energy 🥐 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-deals-hugging-face-mistral-ai-pasqal/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T06:00:12.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 French startup **ArcSpace** has raised more than €2 million to test its compact electron-beam welding and cutting system in orbit in 2027, starting with satellite repair before targeting orbital manufacturing and space infrastructure. [**Co-Founder and CEO Guillaume Mohara explains the lofty vision.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/arcspace-2m-in-space-welding-satellite-repair/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/GBC_Paris_-_newsletter_banner_468x60.png)](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****A founder-only breakfast in Paris**: Ahead of Vanta's Trust Tour Paris, we're hosting a small-room session for founders: ****Growth Breakfast Club: Build the Product, Buy the Trust**, ****September 15, 9:30–11:30 AM, Le Grand Hôtel Cayré.** ****Christina Cacioppo**, Co-Founder & CEO of Vanta, and ****Gabriel Hubert**, Co-Founder & CEO of Dust, sit down to talk about why the best-scaling teams are ruthless about what they build in-house and just as deliberate about what they buy. Expect real talk on: - Why build vs. buy is a habit, not a one-time call - How Dust scales multiplayer AI without losing team alignment - Why compliance is one of the clearest buy-not-build decisions [Request To Join ](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🤗🤑 It's done. **Nvidia** is buying **Hugging Face** for $12.93 billion, scooping up the Franco-American company that has become the de facto town square for open-source AI. Naturally, the finalization of the deal prompted celebration (largest non-IPO exit for French founders!) and lamentations (the three co-founders left early for NYC and there was little French investment in the cap table!) Whatever. The numbers explain some of the enthusiasm. AI registry Hugging Face now hosts nearly 3 million models and is used by millions of developers, giving Nvidia a front-row seat to what builders are actually downloading, tweaking and deploying. Nvidia and Hugging Face insist the platform will remain open, independent and compute-agnostic. For CEO Clément Delangue (who co-founded the company as a chatbot startup with Thomas Wolf and Julien Chaumond before pivoting), the deal is about giving open-source AI more compute, infrastructure and visibility while pursuing an ambition to reach 100 million AI builders. For Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the strategic logic is that the more open AI gets built and used, the more compute the world needs, and Nvidia remains extremely enthusiastic about selling that compute. Hugging Face was last valued at $4.5 billion in 2023, so Nvidia is paying close to three times that figure. The paycheck reportedly includes $1 billion in retention bonuses for Hugging Face employees. | [**Nvidia**](https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/nvidia-to-acquire-hugging-face/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Clem Delangue on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clementdelangue%5Fsuper-happy-to-share-our-intention-to-join-activity-7501248639705464832--RTv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**WSJ**](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/nvidia-agrees-to-buy-hugging-face-for-13-billion-11929060?st=gT4T1o&reflink=article%5FcopyURL%5Fshare&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**The New York Times**](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/technology/nvidia-hugging-face.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Hugging-Face-Chatbot.jpg) The early Hugging Face chatbot website, circa 1863 ⚛️📉 **Pasqal** has officially traded the Paris startup circuit for the Nasdaq, completing its **SPAC merger with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. II** and emerging with roughly $360 million in cash to fund the next phase of its quantum ambitions. The neutral-atom specialist now trades under the ticker PSQL and plans to spend that money on building more machines, expanding production as it pushes toward the industry’s great promised land: fault-tolerant quantum computing. More than 90% of Bleichroeder’s public shareholders redeemed their shares before the merger, meaning most of that $360 million did not actually come from eager Nasdaq investors waving checks at French quantum. Still, Pasqal now has a deep pool of public capital and a mechanism for coming back for more when quantum physics inevitably gets expensive. The company already has seven QPUs deployed, three more in production and more than 25 commercial and research applications. Pasqal is keeping its headquarters and core technology in France and plans a future Euronext Paris listing. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/french-quantum-scale-up-pasqal-hits-nasdaq-with-e309-million-in-cash-at-closing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pasqal-au-nasdaq-le-quantique-francais-cherche-le-capital-de-son-industrialisation/463104?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Pasqal-stock.jpg) 💶 🤖 **Mistral AI** is reportedly close to finalizing its long-rumored €3 billion Series D led by Samsung, with Nvidia, ASML and the EU’s new Scaleup Fund also joining the round, which would value the French AI champion at around €21 billion post-money. [**The Sifted Scoophounds** ](https://sifted.eu/articles/mistral-series-d-samsung-nvidia-asml?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)report that the round is oversubscribed, with Samsung taking the biggest ticket and the EU fund contributing roughly €300 million. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/mistral-series-d-samsung-nvidia-asml?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖🫰French robotics startup **Wandercraft** is reportedly looking to raise around **€100 million** at a pre-money valuation of roughly **€750 million**, with Goldman Sachs helping run the process, [**according to Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-02/renault-backed-wandercraft-seeks-100-million-in-new-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The company, which makes both rehabilitation exoskeletons and humanoid robots for industry, raised $75 million last year from investors including Renault. It now plans to deploy 350 Wandercraft robots across factories in France and Spain by the end of 2027\. And last month, its medical exoskeleton Eve received approval from the US FDA. | [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-02/renault-backed-wandercraft-seeks-100-million-in-new-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Wandercraft**](https://www.wandercraft.eu/articles/wandercraft-receives-fda-clearance-for-eve-the-worlds-first-self-balancing-personal-exoskeleton-for-eligible-wheelchair-users-living-with-spinal-cord-injuries-at-any-level?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚽🏅💰 **Sorare** has dipped back into the funding well, raising a new eight-figure round from longtime backers Benchmark, Accel, Partech and Kibo Ventures, with founders Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort also putting in money. It’s not quite the $680 million, $4.3 billion-valuation madness of 2021, but after several bruising years that included a restructuring that cut roughly 35% of staff last November, the French fantasy-sports company finally has some nicer numbers to talk about. The company did not officially release the amount, [**but Julia told Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/03/apres-des-annees-mouvementees-sorare-boucle-un-nouveau-tour-de-table-aupres-de-ses-investisseurs-historiques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that it is in the "8-figure" range, with a first tranche closed and a second on the way. What's less clear is how much of this may be new equity versus a recapitalization or...? Julia noted that three years ago "we started rebuilding Sorare from the ground up." He said that net revenue jumped 85% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, while its new free-to-play Arcade mode helped bring in more than 1 million new users over the past 18 months. Julia says the fresh cash will fund more products and growth, while Sorare now aims to get back to profitability by the end of 2027\. There is, naturally, a small regulatory cloud hovering over the comeback story. Sorare is still fighting the UK Gambling Commission over whether its game constitutes unlicensed gambling, with a trial scheduled for June 2027, while British authorities have frozen £10 million in Premier League funds linked to the former Sorare partnership.| [**Julia on X**](https://x.com/ni2las/status/2095479765746454726?s=20&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/03/apres-des-annees-mouvementees-sorare-boucle-un-nouveau-tour-de-table-aupres-de-ses-investisseurs-historiques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Yahoo**](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/uks-national-crime-agency-freezes-094627219.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏥🛍️ French surgical robotics company **eCential Robotics** is set to be acquired by U.S. medtech group **Enovis**, which wants to fold the Grenoble company’s robotic surgery platform into its orthopedic technology portfolio. The deal is reportedly includes about €176 million in cash to be paid to shareholders at closing, plus up to €35 million in contingent consideration tied to milestones. | [**PR**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ecential-robotics-announces-binding-offer-from-enovis-302865407.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**StockTitan**](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/ENOV/enovis-invests-in-innovation-with-binding-offer-to-acquire-e-cential-pka9gmw5rbhz.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ecential-robotics%5Fecential-robotics-announces-binding-offer-activity-7500592397039521793-nVaX?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) ⚖️👨‍⚖️ **LexisNexis** parent **RELX** has completed its acquisition of Paris legal-tech startup **Doctrine**, a few months after the deal was announced. The deal, whose price remains undisclosed, brings together LexisNexis’ 200 years of legal content and roughly 200 billion documents with Doctrine’s AI-powered research. | [**LeFigaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/ensemble-nous-allons-devenir-imbattables-lexisnexis-rachete-le-francais-doctrine-pour-creer-un-champion-de-l-ia-juridique-en-europe-20260903?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛠️ 🛰️ **Hexa** continues to venture beyond its SaaS comfort zone and into hardware and deeptech, hiring Belgian aerospace-and-energy entrepreneur **Guerric de Crombrugghe** as a Partner to hunt for opportunities in defense, energy, and AI infrastructure. The startup studio says it wants to focus on technologies that are already scientifically proven but commercially underexploited. De Crombrugghe is already working on **WaterX**, for atmospheric water generators, and **Pong**, which wants to put satellite ground stations on commercial ships. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/09/02/hexa-veut-desormais-propulser-des-pepites-hardware-et-deeptech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚗🤖 France has authorized road tests of **Tesla’s** **Full Self-Driving (Supervised)** system, just two months after saying it was too risky following a “constructive exchange” between Elon Musk and Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot. Tesla will initially provide two vehicles for the trials, as France joins a growing group of European countries cautiously opening the door to supervised autonomous driving. | [**EuroNews**](https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/09/03/france-tests-tesla-self-driving-two-months-after-calling-it-too-risky?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🌀🥼 Kyutai** is adding a commercial arm, Kyutai Transfer, to help turn the non-profit French AI lab’s open research into things companies can actually deploy. The nonprofit lab itself will remain focused on open science, while the new entity will handle consulting, training, integration, and other technology-transfer work around projects such as Moshi and Pocket TTS. | [**L'Informé**](https://www.linforme.com/tech-telecom/article/kyutai-le-labo-ia-a-but-non-lucratif-de-niel-schmidt-et-saade-lance-sa-structure-commerciale%5F7028.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # ArcSpace Wants to Build the Welding Tools for the Space Economy [![Guillaume Mohara, Cofounder, CEO & CTO @ArcSpace](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/image-7.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/arcspace-2m-in-space-welding-satellite-repair/) Guillaume Mohara, Cofounder, CEO & CTO @ArcSpace [**ArcSpace**](https://arc-space.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is working on a problem that sounds almost mundane by space-industry standards: how to weld metal once you are already in orbit. The French startup, founded in 2022 by Guillaume Mohara and Adam Abdin, has developed a compact electron-beam system designed to join and cut metal in space. It has raised more than €2 million in a round led by Czech VC firm DEPO Ventures, with SCE Freiraum Ventures, IRDI Capital Investissement and a French business angels network also participating. ArcSpace plans to use the funding to prepare an orbital demonstration in 2027\. But the company is building toward a market that, in its biggest form, barely exists yet. [Go Inside ArcSpace](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/arcspace-2m-in-space-welding-satellite-repair/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Lupin Dental 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, Robotics 🔍 Description: Lupin Dental develops supervised robotic systems for minimally invasive dental procedures. Its Lupin Robotic System combines treatment-planning software with a robotic workstation that automates tooth preparation for aesthetic veneers, aiming to improve precision, clinical workflows, and patient outcomes. 💻 Website: [https://lupindental.com/](https://lupindental.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15 million 🏦 Investors: Fynveur, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Dr. Galip Gürel, Dr. Stefen Koubi 🗞️ News: Lupin Dental has closed a €15 million Series A to accelerate development and adoption of its robotic technology for dental procedures. Fynveur led the round with a €10 million investment, alongside existing shareholders and private investors, with additional loan financing from Bpifrance. The company’s flagship Lupin Robotic System uses software to design a patient's final smile and treatment plan before a robotic workstation executes the required minimally invasive tooth preparation for veneers. The system received UKCA certification in June 2026, enabling commercialization in Great Britain, following earlier regulatory clearance in India, although it is not yet approved for clinical use in the EU or US. Lupin Dental will use the financing to expand partnerships with academic and medical institutions, dentists, and Dental Service Organizations as it works toward broader adoption of its technology. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/montpellier-based-dental-robotics-startup-lupin-dental-closes-e15-million-series-a-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Huscarl 🏷️ Sectors: InsurTech, AI, SaaS 🔍 Description: Huscarl develops an AI-powered actuarial platform for corporations, self-insured companies, insurance captives, and risk retention groups. Its autonomous AI actuary ingests unstructured data and automates workflows, including risk modeling, pricing, reserving, and capital analysis, with studies reviewed and signed by credentialed human actuaries. 💻 Website: [http://huscarl.io/](http://huscarl.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: $5.6 million 🏦 Investors: FRST, Y Combinator, MS&AD Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Musy, Paulien Jeunesse 🗞️ News: Huscarl has raised $5.6 million in Seed funding led by FRST to accelerate development of its AI actuarial platform and expansion in the United States. The Y Combinator-backed startup helps companies use self-insurance and captive structures by automating actuarial work, including modeling, pricing, reserving, and capital analysis. Huscarl offers one-off actuarial studies, appointed-actuary services for captives, and outsourced underwriting for group captives and risk retention groups, while keeping credentialed human actuaries responsible for reviewing and signing its studies. The company says it has already worked with a risk retention group and a single-parent captive belonging to a company generating more than $2 billion in revenue. Huscarl was founded by former Descartes Underwriting employees Alexandre Musy and Paulien Jeunesse, who previously worked together on cyber parametric insurance. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7501384767859478528-pexo?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI), [**Coverager**](https://coverager.com/huscarl-raises-5-6-million-for-ai-actuarial-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: ColibriTD 🏷️ Sectors: Quantum Computing, DeepTech 🔍 Description: ColibriTD develops a hardware-agnostic quantum-powered multiphysics simulation platform built around H-DES, its proprietary hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for solving partial differential equations. The company targets computationally intensive applications across defense, aerospace, semiconductors, energy, automotive, climate science, and quantitative finance. 💻 Website: [https://www.colibritd.com/](https://www.colibritd.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4 million 🏦 Investors: Earlybird Venture Capital, SymbiaVC, Medin VC 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Laurent Guiraud, Hacène Goudjil 🗞️ News: ColibriTD has raised €4 million in Seed funding to accelerate development of its quantum simulation platform and expand internationally. Earlybird Venture Capital led the round, which previously backed the company’s €1 million pre-Seed round, with participation from SymbiaVC and Medin VC. Founded in 2019, ColibriTD has completed seven co-construction projects across six industrial sectors, including work with groups such as Thales, ESA and BMW. The company will use the funding to invest further in H-DES R&D, recruit quantum researchers and domain experts, expand hardware and academic partnerships, and scale client deployments. ColibriTD currently employs around 20 people and is positioning its platform as a software layer that can translate advances in quantum hardware into practical industrial applications. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/paris-based-colibritd-raises-e4-million-to-scale-its-quantum-powered-multiphysics-simulation-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**La Revue Digitale**](https://www.larevuedudigital.com/colibritd-startup-francaise-de-logiciels-industriels-pour-le-quantique-leve-4-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### ArcSpace Wants to Build the Welding Tools for the Space Economy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/arcspace-2m-in-space-welding-satellite-repair/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T22:32:08.000Z [ArcSpace](https://arc-space.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is working on a problem that sounds almost mundane by space-industry standards: how to weld metal once you are already in orbit. The French startup, founded in 2022 by Guillaume Mohara and Adam Abdin, has developed a compact electron-beam system designed to join and cut metal in space. It has raised more than €2 million in a round led by Czech VC firm DEPO Ventures, with SCE Freiraum Ventures, IRDI Capital Investissement and a French business angels network also participating. ArcSpace plans to use the funding to prepare an orbital demonstration in 2027\. But the company is building toward a market that, in its biggest form, barely exists yet. ## **Why aren't we welding in space?** Mohara, ArcSpace's CEO and CTO, began thinking about the problem several years before starting the company. Electron-beam welding is not new. The process has been used in industrial manufacturing for decades because it can make extremely precise welds. On Earth, however, it generally requires a vacuum chamber and the systems needed to create and maintain that environment. In orbit, the vacuum is already there. "98% of what you see in the room is actually auxiliary systems that you don't need in space," Mohara said. That led him to a fairly practical engineering question: how much of an electron-beam welding system could be removed if the machine were designed from the start to operate outside Earth's atmosphere? Around 2019 and 2020, Mohara began taking the idea to companies including Airbus, Thales and Mitsubishi. He said the reaction was encouraging, but not enough to turn the concept into an immediate industrial project. The companies had other priorities and long development cycles. "They said they had other important stuff to do over the next eight to ten years," he said. Mohara eventually concluded that if he wanted to see whether the idea could work, he would have to build the company himself. That's something he said he had never previously imagined doing. ## **Don't wait for the space station** The eventual opportunity ArcSpace is chasing is much bigger than satellite repair. Mohara believes welding and cutting could become basic tools for assembling large structures in orbit. For now, most space hardware still has to survive the constraints of the launch vehicle. Satellites, stations and other structures are designed around what can fit inside a rocket fairing, then launched either fully assembled or in a limited number of modules. The International Space Station, for example, required dozens of launches and years of assembly. If components could be packed more efficiently for launch and then joined permanently once they reached orbit, engineers would have more freedom over the size and shape of what they build. "If I gave you a technology that allowed you to fit tiles in space, you could stack them very neatly on the rocket fairing and then, once you arrive in space, build a shelf that is twice the size of your rocket," Mohara said. That could eventually matter for commercial space stations, lunar infrastructure, large solar arrays and manufacturing facilities. Eventually is the operative word. Those markets are still years away, and in some cases perhaps decades. ArcSpace therefore looked for a use case customers need sooner. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/ISS.jpg) International Space Station ## **Step one: fix the satellites** The company has built a three-stage roadmap. Step one is in-orbit servicing, and that market already exists. Satellites run out of fuel, malfunction, or reach the end of their useful lives. As space junk grows, more servicing spacecraft are being developed to extend satellite lives or deorbit them. But there's an obvious problem: many of the satellites they need to capture were never designed to be serviced. There is no convenient handle and no standardized gripping interface. ArcSpace's solution is to use its welding technology to attach an interface plate directly to an exposed metallic surface. That creates a connection without requiring the target satellite to have been designed for servicing. The whole process is automated. Mohara compared it to "how do you refuel or mend a car when it's moving?" That is ArcSpace's first market, and the stepping stone to everything that follows. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Space-wastes.jpg) Space Junk. ©Getty Images ## **Step two: build things in orbit** The same technology can then move beyond repair to antennas, solar arrays and other spacecraft subsystems. Instead of launching a spacecraft with everything already assembled, operators could send up components and join them once they're in orbit. ArcSpace says it has identified almost 100 potential applications for joining and cutting in space. And the tool itself is unusually versatile. Its electron beam can either melt and join material or vaporize it quickly enough to cut through it. The company doesn't need one machine for welding and another for cutting. "It's the same tool," Mohara said. "You just change a parameter." The system has a compact power-management unit and battery and can currently deliver around 100 seconds of welding without recharging. ArcSpace plans to demonstrate that capability autonomously in orbit in 2027. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-18.27.46-1.png) The @ArcSpace cutter and welder ## **Step three: build space itself** The third step is the biggest and the furthest away. ArcSpace wants its technology to eventually support the construction of large space stations, lunar infrastructure, and other structures that would be difficult or impossible to launch fully assembled. Mohara estimates that market could be more than 20 years away. That raises the hardest question in ArcSpace's strategy: how do you build a deep-tech company today around a market that may not properly exist until tomorrow? ## **Sell the first use case** ArcSpace spent roughly 18 months talking to around 30 space companies, asking a simple question: If you could join and cut materials in space, what would you actually do with it? The answers produced dozens of potential applications, including satellite capture and controlling the reentry of obsolete spacecraft. That customer discovery helped the company find its first market instead of betting everything on its final one. "We understand our technology and what the client wants and the business opportunity for ourselves," Mohara said. It also helped convince investors. Space is expensive, and many of its biggest opportunities have long development timelines. ArcSpace has therefore relied partly on institutional support while developing its technology. National and European institutions currently account for around €200,000 of its annual revenue, with commercial development work beginning to grow. The company is now working with commercial space players including Exotrail and Infinite Orbits. The new funding will take its flight hardware towards qualification and the planned 2027 demonstration, with the aim of reaching full technology readiness by the end of that year. ## **The Bosch of space** ArcSpace wants to build the tools everyone else uses to build spacecraft. Mohara compares it to Bosch: a company whose technology ends up scattered throughout an industry rather than necessarily appearing on the finished product. "We want to be the invisible tool suppliers for all space projects," he said. Today, ArcSpace is a tiny welding and cutting system with seven employees. By the end of this year, Mohara hopes to grow the team to ten. In 20 years or so, Mohara imagines a very different picture: commercial stations in orbit, regular missions to the Moon and infrastructure being built rather than simply launched. If that happens, ArcSpace wants its tools to be there, joining, cutting, repairing and assembling the pieces. The space economy may be heading somewhere extraordinary. ArcSpace's bet is that getting there starts with something ordinary: the ability to build things once you've left Earth. "The big dream is to be the supplier of orbital tools for every space infrastructure project. In 20 years, if there are commercial stations in orbit and spacecraft traveling regularly to the Moon, we want our tools to be inside them. If it's bigger than a small truck, we want to help build it," he said. "That's our space." ### 🤖 La Machine #90: AI Regulation Gets Real URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-90-ai-regulation-gets-real/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T06:00:06.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 🧠 What if gig workers could keep the freedom of the open road without giving up the safety net? French startup INCOM is betting drivers can have both - using tech to turn platform work into something that looks a lot more like a job, without the nine-to-five.[**Read all about it here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/what-if-gig-workers-could-have-the-freedom-of-freelancers-and-the-security-of-employees-incom-says-its-possible/)**.** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/GBC_Paris_-_newsletter_banner_468x60.png)](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****A founder-only breakfast in Paris**: Ahead of Vanta's Trust Tour Paris, we're hosting a small-room session for founders: ****Growth Breakfast Club: Build the Product, Buy the Trust**, ****September 15, 9:30–11:30 AM, Le Grand Hôtel Cayré.** ****Christina Cacioppo**, Co-Founder & CEO of Vanta, and ****Gabriel Hubert**, Co-Founder & CEO of Dust, sit down to talk about why the best-scaling teams are ruthless about what they build in-house and just as deliberate about what they buy. Expect real talk on: - Why build vs. buy is a habit, not a one-time call - How Dust scales multiplayer AI without losing team alignment - Why compliance is one of the clearest buy-not-build decisions [Request To Join ](https://luma.com/vanta-gk1n?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Hugging Face's** price continues to tick up, according to Bloomberg. Nvidia is now preparing to shovel out $14 billion for the AI registry. The figure tops the previous $12.9 billion reported last week, and apparently includes more than $1 billion in retention packages for Hugging Face-ers. | [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-02/nvidia-nears-14-billion-hugging-face-deal-this-week?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Speaking of Hugging Face,** while everyone was wondering about a potential Nvidia deal, the company released an adorable robotic [**Microduck**](https://pollen-robotics.com/microduck/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a 25-centimeter-tall robot can waddle, grab things its beak, and roller skate. Sales have exploded with 10,000+ Microducks pre-ordered in just five days, [according to CEO Clem Delangue](https://x.com/ClementDelangue/status/2094421922159210979?s=20&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Demand has been so intense, the company has posted on a warning on its store: "The community ordered a lot of ducks. We can’t promise Christmas delivery for new microduck orders anymore, but we’re ramping up production. First ordered, first shipped. Current estimate for new orders: 4–6 months." | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/27/hugging-face-is-selling-a-cute-399-open-source-duck-robot-microduck/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/microduck.webp) 🗞️ **Brussels is moving from AI rules to AI enforcement.** The EU’s AI Office has sent its first formal requests for information to several general-purpose AI model providers worldwide, asking how they test model security, use independent evaluations, and monitor risks after launch. The move marks the first real enforcement step under the AI Act, with companies facing fines of up to €15M or 3% of global annual turnover for non-compliance. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/ai-act-bruxelles-passe-a-loffensive-et-commence-a-controler-les-fournisseurs-de-modeles.BZTTV2J53BBXJASEE32Z3BAO7Q.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Speaking of Brussels**, the European Commission has given ChatGPT a new job title: search engine.** The EC has designated OpenAI’s chatbot a Very Large Online Search Engine under the Digital Services Act, putting it under the EU’s toughest digital rules. ChatGPT has more than 45 million monthly EU users and now has four months to comply. | [**European Commission⁠**](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-designates-chatgpt-reddit-roblox-under-digital-services-act?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/08/31/chatgpt-roblox-et-reddit-vont-etre-soumis-a-des-regles-renforcees-au-sein-de-l-union-europeenne%5F6762380%5F4408996.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ And speaking of the ChatGPT makers, **OpenAI is putting its next model on a tighter leash.** The company says Astra has reached its “critical” cybersecurity threshold, meaning it can find previously unknown vulnerabilities and develop exploits across well-protected systems with limited human guidance. The model will get extra safeguards — and selected partners will test its most powerful cyber capabilities first. | [**OpenAI⁠**](https://openai.com/index/path-to-astra/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Europe is buying more AI muscle - from France.** The EU has awarded French state-owned Bull a €387.8M contract to build LUMI-AI, a new AI-focused supercomputer in Finland. Expected online in 2027, it will be the sixth machine ordered under Europe’s AI Factories program, as demand for public AI compute already outstrips available capacity. | [](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/europe-expands-ai-computing-network-with-390-million-order-frances-bull-2026-08-31/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)[**Reuters⁠**](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/europe-expands-ai-computing-network-with-390-million-order-frances-bull-2026-08-31/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Anthropic has won a major legal battle against the Trump administration.** A US federal judge ruled that sanctions imposed on the AI company were illegal, finding that the government had punished Anthropic for publicly criticizing the Pentagon rather than responding to a genuine national-security threat. The case centers on Anthropic’s refusal to allow Claude to be used for fully autonomous lethal weapons or mass surveillance. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2026/08/28/intelligence-artificielle-le-bannissement-d-anthropic-par-l-administration-trump-est-illegal-decide-la-justice-americaine%5F6758773%5F3210.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories from recent weeks, by Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/8671a5bc?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/6fd9ce0c?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*.* Good news: The USA is beating China in AI… pollution! Just as it’s doubling its data center capacity (by 2029, re. [CRN](https://www.crn.com/news/data-center/2026/us-data-center-capacity-will-double-despite-local-concerns-neoclouds-offer-partner-opportunity?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)), “the US is now building twice as much gas-fired capacity as China… after a stunning 76% increase in under-construction projects in the first half of this year,” according to [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/25/us-gas-power-china-ai-datacenter?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), citing a new Global Energy Monitor report. ‘“The president \[Trump\] has said of China that “their air is dirty, and it drifts over to us”,” added the UK newspaper. Time for some payback… American companies also look set to grab the lion’s share of data centers here in Europe, according to France’s [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/consommation-electrique-bilan-carbone-nationalite-des-utilisateurs-ce-que-lon-sait-de-la-vague-des-data-centers-qui-deferle-en-france-2248278?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Of the 15GW of capacity currently under construction in France, only 9% is by non-European operators. So much for our brave leaders’ previous claims that the country’s planned €109bn buildout will benefit EU companies first. At least the French government is resisting the tech sector’s calls to pay four times less for electricity than it should (!), adds Les Echos. It is instead looking to impose “eco-conditionality” on new data centre buildouts. Sorry, Donald! Pushing back even harder are Spain and Denmark. The former wants to impose “eco-conditionality” of 80% renewable energy on data centers, and for that to be matched hourly, making it much harder for companies to offset fossil fuel usage, re. [Data Center Dynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/spain-drafts-rules-requiring-data-centers-to-source-80-of-power-from-new-renewables-report/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Denmark, for its part, has passed an emergency law making data centers the last priority for electricity, re. [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-20/denmark-publishes-emergency-grid-law-that-puts-data-centers-last?ref=frenchtechjournal.com); households and small businesses come first. “Our electricity grid is under pressure; it threatens to bring our green transition and development to a standstill,” said Samira Nawa, Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities. Meanwhile, just as Meta was paying to get out of an epic court case accusing it of abusing younger users, it’s also been abusing its own employees, re. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/investigations/mark-zuckerberg-had-bold-plan-replace-meta-staff-with-ai-heres-how-it-imploded-2026-08-26/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The report notably asserts such pressure from above to use AI internally that code changes jumped 220% year on year… “but changes that led to new or upgraded features reaching Meta users were only up 36%.” Talk about productivity! Speaking of which, just as another NBER report confirmed that 89% of executives see “no impact on labor productivity” from AI (via [Futurism](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/90-percent-execs-ai-didnt-help-productivity-layoffs?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)), we got one example of why: in a hilarious interview, a candidate managed to get an AI-generated ‘recruiter’ to observe [“you’re looking for a position where you can really lean into those raccoon protocols"](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7498716830895652866/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad%5Fflagship3%5Fprofile%5Fview%5Fbase%3BDGxk%2BoP1RlWpkx3KEKNSWg%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). I.e. it repeated, parrot-like, any gobbledygook he could think of (via [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7498634121410351104/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). The future’s looking bright! [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/09/VTC-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/what-if-gig-workers-could-have-the-freedom-of-freelancers-and-the-security-of-employees-incom-says-its-possible/) ## 🧠 What if gig workers could have the freedom of freelancers - and the security of employees? Incom says it's possible. ***What if gig workers could keep the freedom of the open road without giving up the safety net? French startup INCOM is betting drivers can have both - using tech to turn platform work into something that looks a lot more like a job, without the nine-to-five.*** For more than a decade, the promise of platform work has been simple: open an app, turn it on when you want, work as much as you want, and switch it off when you're done. For ride-hailing drivers, however, that flexibility can come with a less attractive trade-off. Income is unpredictable, administration piles up, social protection is limited, and obtaining a mortgage or even renting an apartment can become surprisingly difficult. INCOM, a French startup founded by Dany El Oubari and Victor Feuillat, thinks there is another way. Its proposition is deliberately provocative: what if drivers could keep the freedom that made platform work attractive, while getting the protections normally associated with salaried employment? That is the model behind INCOM, a cooperative that employs platform drivers under France’s “entrepreneur-salarié” model. And as France prepares to transpose the EU’s Platform Work Directive, the company is increasingly putting that model forward as an alternative way of thinking about the future of platform work. [Find out how Incom is changing the lives of ride-share drivers](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/what-if-gig-workers-could-have-the-freedom-of-freelancers-and-the-security-of-employees-incom-says-its-possible/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ☀️Sponsor Events☀️ 📆 **France Digitale Day | Paris | September 16 |** The most exciting startup event in France and Europe taking place in Paris for its 14th edition. From across France and Europe, over 4500 founders, investors, and innovation leaders gather for the whole day to get inspired, discuss the latest trends in business, tech, and society, close (big) deals with new partners, network, raise funds with investors, and meet with your peers in a village-like venue in the heart of the French capital. This year, the CES will be back at FDDay for their CES Tech Trends, the first stop on the road to CES2027\. | [**Get tickets**](https://fdday.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **dotAI 2026 | Paris | September 17** | We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers on fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire to that recognition. | [**Information and tickets**](https://www.dotai.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenAI Builder Lounge Paris | September 22 |** Join OpenAI for an evening of hands-on building, live demos, and discussion in Paris, co-hosted with [Photoroom](https://www.photoroom.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). Hear how top teams approach building useful agents, see what is new with Codex, and work alongside local founders, CTOs, and engineers. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/qfcsoul6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Engineer in Paris | September 23-24 |** AI Engineer Paris 2026 returns to Station F on September 23–24 for two days of technical talks, practical workshops, and AI engineering research. **|** [**Get Tickets**](https://ai.engineer/paris/2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Shift #2 @50 Partners | Paris | October 1 |** The 50 Partners Tech team is delighted to invite you to the "AI Shift" event at the Loft 50P: a concrete immersion in AI applications.​ The concept: a sequence dedicated to analyzing AI-induced upheavals in the technology innovation ecosystem, followed by time to discover new solutions and products through live demos. | [**Apply**](https://luma.com/gqn2koeg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-PULSE | Paris | October 13** | Join leaders and engineers for a one-day technical conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations**. |** [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Meets Multi-Omics: Enabling Precision Medicine | Paris | October 15 | Institut Curie| Speaker:** Nataša Pržulj, Department of Life Science, Barcelona Supercomputing Center & ICREA (Barcelona, Spain) & Department of Computer Science, University College London (London, UK) | [**Information**](https://curie.fr/evenements-scientifiques/ai-meets-multi-omics-enabling-precision-medicine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### What if gig workers could have the freedom of freelancers - and the security of employees? Incom says its possible. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/what-if-gig-workers-could-have-the-freedom-of-freelancers-and-the-security-of-employees-incom-says-its-possible/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T16:03:04.000Z What if gig workers could keep the freedom of the open road without giving up the safety net? French startup INCOM is betting drivers can have both - using tech to turn platform work into something that looks a lot more like a job, without the nine-to-five. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: French Tech, American Money and A Changing Game URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-french-tech-american-money-and-a-changing-game/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T07:00:01.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Essential Summer Reads #8:** We’re wrapping up our final Summer’s Essential Reads newsletter with a lighter but inspiring story celebrating French creativity and global success beyond AI. [**Discover how Sandfall Interactive, a small French studio, made the world’s best video game of 2025 with *Clair Obscur*.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/SOC_EMEA_Scaling-security_480x60-V2.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built-in—not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) --- # Tech Talk 🧒 💸 **Fresh news on the Meta lawsuit:** **the social media monolith has managed to dodge a potentially explosive trial over kids’ social-media addiction... but escaping the courtroom won’t come cheap.** The company has agreed to pay up to **$18bn** to settle with 48 US states and introduce major restrictions for under-18s, including a two-hour daily limit, no overnight access and school-hours notification bans. The twist? Only $12.7bn is guaranteed, with the rest conditional on YouTube and TikTok joining the deal. Meanwhile, back in France, as mentioned last week, the Conseil constitutionnel has rejected the government’s planned ban on social media for under-15s as disproportionate, while also flagging privacy concerns around age verification. Apparently the Constitution still has some scrolling to do. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/08/27/addiction-a-facebook-et-instagram-meta-s-evite-un-proces-historique-et-une-sanction-colossale-aux-etats-unis%5F6757834%5F3234.html?lmd%5Fmedium=al&lmd%5Fcampaign=envoye-par-appli&lmd%5Fcreation=android&lmd%5Fsource=default&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤗 💰 **Nvidia reportedly wants to give France’s Hugging Face a very big hug... to the tune of $12.9bn.** The Information has reported that the chip giant has agreed to acquire the French-founded open-source AI platform, although neither company has confirmed the deal as yet. If such a deal did go through, Nvidia would gain control of one of the world’s biggest repositories of open AI models, datasets and developer tools - strengthening its grip on the AI ecosystem far beyond the chips themselves. And after Hugging Face reportedly turned down a $500m Nvidia investment last year at a $7bn valuation, Jensen Huang may simply have decided that asking nicely wasn’t working. | [**The Information**](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/nvidia-agrees-buy-open-source-model-repository-hugging-face-12-9-billion?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/nvidia-talks-acquire-hugging-face-13-billion-deal-business-insider-reports-2026-08-27/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ⚛️ 🇫🇷 Meanwhile, **Pasqal is taking its quantum dream to Wall Street.** The French quantum computing pioneer will list on the Nasdaq today (Friday) after completing its SPAC merger, raising around **$280m** to fund R&D and accelerate its commercial push. French tech may be born at home, but when it comes to raising serious money, New York keeps calling. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/pasqal-fait-son-entree-au-nasdaq-pour-poursuivre-son-reve-quantique-2248623?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖 🥊 **China is putting humanoid robots through their Olympic paces - but the real race is whether they can actually do anything useful.** Beijing’s World Humanoid Robot Games showcased robots sprinting, boxing and performing all manner of increasingly impressive stunts, while China continues to dominate production. Yet even industry leaders admit today’s machines still struggle with unpredictable real-world tasks. **France, meanwhile, is taking a slightly less flashy route:** Paris-based Wandercraft has already put its Calvin-40 humanoid to work on Renault’s production line in Douai, with 350 robots planned by 2027\. **China may be winning the robot Olympics, but France is trying to get them a proper job.** | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/08/27/robots-humanoides-en-chine-le-spectacle-des-jeux-mondiaux-et-l-epreuve-du-reel%5F6758470%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔋👀 **Verkor is getting a new boss and Renault may have had something to do with it.** The French battery unicorn will replace co-founder and CEO Benoît Lemaignan with Laurent Debrue, its current COO, on September 1, just months after Renault publicly called out Verkor over its lack of competitiveness and **18-month production delays**. Renault, Verkor’s sole customer and an 11.6% shareholder, has already ruled out the Grenoble startup for batteries for its new electric Master. Now, with €2bn+ raised and its giant Dunkirk gigafactory struggling to ramp up, Verkor has to prove it can get production moving before the comparison nobody wants to hear gets any louder: Northvolt. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/08/24/verkor-la-licorne-specialisee-dans-les-batteries-electriques-va-changer-de-patron-le-1er-septembre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷 🤖 **France may be busy positioning itself as Europe’s AI powerhouse, but its business leaders have other things on their minds.** A huge Medef survey of 65,872 company bosses found that just 35% see AI investment as a priority for the next presidential term - well behind reindustrialisation (81%), cutting taxes (83%), simplifying regulation (75%) and reducing public debt (75%). Even more strikingly, 39% say they would advise a young entrepreneur to set up abroad rather than in France… **Perhaps they haven’t yet heard that sovereignty is the new buzzword?!** 🤔 | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/08/26/presidentielle-2027-les-patrons-francais-sinquietent-de-la-politique-economique-du-prochain-quinquennat/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Essential Summer Reads #8: Clair Obscur: How France's Sandfall Interactive Made the World's Best Video Game of 2025 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/FTJ-esential-summer-reads.png) ***Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles from the past year whose themes continue to resonate. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us.*** --- When Guillaume Broche took the stage at The Game Awards in Los Angeles on December 11, 2025, he did something unusual for someone accepting the industry's most coveted prize. He thanked YouTube. "I also want to acknowledge the unsung champions of our industry, the individuals creating YouTube tutorials on game development, because we were completely clueless about making a game before," Broche told the audience, his voice cracking with emotion. It was a disarmingly honest moment from the founder of [**Sandfall Interactive**](https://www.sandfall.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the Montpellier-based studio that had just made history. Their debut title, [***Clair Obscur: Expedition 33***](https://www.expedition33.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), won nine awards that night, shattering the previous record of seven held by ***The Last of Us: Part II***. More significantly, it marked the first time a French game had ever won Game of the Year. Since its release earlier this year, the game has become a global phenomenon. The soundtrack, a lush, ethereal symphonic composition, has become a worldwide hit. French politicians across the political spectrum have praised it relentlessly. And there is talk of a film adaptation. [We're shedding the light on Clair Obscur here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🤖 La Machine #89: Is Hugging Face About to Become AI’s Next $13B Prize? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-89-is-hugging-face-about-to-become-ais-next-13b-prize/ Last updated: 2026-08-26T06:00:51.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 🧠 **Essential Summer Read #7: Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch says Europe has just two years to secure a meaningful stake in the AI economy or risk becoming dependent on US and Chinese suppliers**. His warning: Europe has the talent and energy to compete, but must urgently fix its capital, infrastructure and procurement gaps. [**Read it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-ceo-mensch-to-french-lawmakers-europe-has-two-years-to-stop-losing-the-ai-race-before-the-race-is-over/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/SOC_EU_AI_Act_checklist_468x60.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/eu-ai-act-checklist?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) ****Show customers—and regulators—you take AI seriously** The EU AI Act is reshaping how companies build, deploy, and document AI. Use this checklist to see where you stand today and what steps to take next. Whether you’re building in-house models or integrating third-party tools, staying ahead of AI compliance matters now more than ever. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/eu-ai-act-checklist?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Rumor has it that** **French-founded Hugging Face could be the next major AI acquisition, with the developer platform reportedly exploring a sale at a valuation of $13bn or more.** Founded by French entrepreneurs Clément Delangue, Julien Chaumond and Thomas Wolf, the company’s potential price tag highlights the growing value of the infrastructure and platforms that sit underneath the AI model race. | [**Business Insider**](https://www.businessinsider.com/hugging-face-could-be-acquired-13-billion-2026-8?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Mistral AI** has struck a strategic partnership worth hundreds of millions of euros with Saudi Arabia’s PIF-backed **HUMAIN** to build sovereign AI infrastructure, localized models, and enterprise applications across Saudi Arabia and the wider region. The deal will give Mistral access to local Saudi compute through HUMAIN’s rapidly expanding data-center footprint, while the two companies develop Arabic-language frontier models and target regulated sectors including cybersecurity, finance, telecoms, and the public sector. For Mistral, it marks another step in turning “sovereign AI” from a European positioning into a global infrastructure strategy built around local compute, open-weight models, and customer control of data and operations. | [**Mistral AI**](https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-x-humain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Europe risks missing the humanoid-robot boom as Chinese manufacturers race towards mass production.** The five biggest players already account for 86% of global shipments, with no European company in the top five, prompting Germany’s VDMA to urge Berlin and Brussels to build a European supply chain for humanoids and “physical AI” before China locks in the technology and industrial standards, according to Counterpoint Research. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/robotique/face-a-lessor-des-robots-humanoides-chinois-leurope-sommee-daccelerer-pour-preserver-sa-souverainete-technologique.WB2QHAYNRNDWNFPR7KFKSYO3X4.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Microsoft is moving ahead with a €2bn AI data center in Alsace, despite local concerns over its environmental footprint.** The 35-hectare site could consume 1,500 GWh of electricity a year - equivalent to 375,000 French households - and use 5,000 m³ of water, highlighting the growing tension between France’s push to attract AI infrastructure and the resources needed to power it. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/13611976644856/microsoft-obtient-un-avis-favorable-pour-son-futur-data-center-de-15-hectares-dans-le-haut-rhin?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Campus France**, the official French government agency that promotes higher education abroad, is on a mission to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030, and it is going all-in on AI to get there. The strategy prioritizes deepening academic ties in emerging sectors like artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering. Through a **"Choose France"** tour and new visa facilitation measures, the agency wants to create a welcoming, English-friendly environment for India’s brightest minds as part of the France-India Special Global Strategic Partnership. | [**NDTV**](https://www.ndtv.com/education/france-expands-education-outreach-in-india-as-it-targets-30-000-indian-students-by-2030-11948271?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **ChatGPT Ads have arrived in France, as OpenAI begins turning its huge consumer audience into a new advertising business.** The rollout puts French brands including Bouygues Telecom, Carrefour, Cultura and TotalEnergies among the first advertisers, as OpenAI looks to monetize its free users and offset the enormous cost of running AI at scale. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/08/24/intelligence-artificielle-les-publicites-arrivent-sur-chatgpt-en-france%5F6755543%5F3234.html?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **French mutual insurer Solimut has confirmed a cyberattack involving a personal-data breach, with a hacker claiming to have stolen more than 1.2 million policyholder records and 770,000 bank details.** Solimut has not yet confirmed the scale or nature of the compromised data, but the alleged combination of Social Security numbers, contact details and IBANs could create significant risks of targeted phishing, identity theft and financial fraud. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/la-mutuelle-solimut-frappee-par-une-cyberattaque-des-donnees-personnelles-compromises-une-enquete-en-cours.MSWU7OOX3JG3PJ3JWWG664CRGQ.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories from recent weeks, by Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/8671a5bc?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/6fd9ce0c?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*.* “Everyone hates AI”, [headlined](https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2026/07/RIMBERT/69683?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) France’s Le Monde Diplomatique early July, notably citing the [WSJ’s assertion](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-american-rebellion-against-ai-is-gaining-steam-94b72529?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that “the only thing growing faster than the artificial intelligence industry may be Americans’ negative feelings about it.” Nearly two months later, have things got any better? - 71% of US citizens are now anti-data centers, re. [Gallup](https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx?ref=frenchtechjournal.com); three times more than a year ago are now “strongly against” (i.e. even more “negative feelings”...). - The AI sector’s growing preference for data centers powered by gas generators will cause US grid emissions to rise by 20%, re. [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-18/data-center-gas-plants-to-boost-us-power-emissions-by-20?ref=frenchtechjournal.com); 82 such projects are already planned to come to fruition ([NY Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/briefing/data-centers-gas-power.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). - One methane monstrosity in particular, Amazon’s GW Ranch in Texas, will spew out up to 33 million tonnes of CO2 per year, making it the US’ single biggest source of pollution, according to [Cleanview](https://newsletter.cleanview.co/p/scoop-amazon-is-behind-one-of-the?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). - But it’s not just the huge planetary cost: gas prices could more than triple in the not-too-distant future, re. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/hyperscalers-might-regret-embracing-natural-gas-if-new-forecast-proves-correct/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). - Data centers may use more than ten times as much water as they claim, re. [More Perfect Union](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/everyone-is-fighting-about-the-wrong?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (in Meta’s case, it’s [24x more](https://bettertech.blog/2026/06/12/does-sustainable-ai-have-a-future-heres-what-the-experts-think/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com); but they are curiously the only GAFAM to share their indirect water consumption, or the water used to make their electricity). Fortunately, Taylor Swift’s brother-in-law has a solution. Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer “[Let’s Pee on Computers Together](https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2026/08/liquid-death-want-your-pee-to-cool-ai-data-centres/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)” ad was so successful that fans had to be reminded that its plea to send data centers the results of their beverage ingestion was just a joke. (More seriously) Fortunately, some companies are now tackling AI impacts head-on. EU logistics tech giant SAP is pre-screening every new internal AI project for its potential impacts - as does French telco Orange, for example - and has managed to reduce inference emissions per token by 60%, reports [Trellis](https://trellis.net/article/why-sap-screens-every-ai-project-for-ethical-and-environmental-risks/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Will that help stop summers packed with multiple heatwaves, forest fires, storms and tornadoes (as this year’s was, in France alone?) Meanwhile, Amazon’s naughty summer continued; it was rumbled for “destructively scanning” books, Anthropic-style; but this time on such an industrial scale that the division has its own logo. A dinosaur eating books… with two spines. 🙄 Then in Holland, Uber was fined $825 million for “algorithmic firing”, i.e. when workers dropped from the platform with no explanation or compensation, re. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/dutch-regulator-fines-uber-966-million-automating-driver-suspensions-document-2026-08-21/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Only Meta has ever been fined more under GDPR, Europe’s data protection directive. Can EU law protect continental investors if and when the AI bubble bursts, however? Not likely, replied the [European Central Bank](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2026/html/ecb.blog20260817~754a8a4418.en.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which estimates that European households investing in “low-cost ETFs” are unaware they “have around €440 billion of exposures to US technology equities”. It’s a good job, then, that Sam Altman doesn’t think his industry has been “too ambitious”. [Oh, wait](https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/sam-altman-admits-getting-ai-s-timeline-wrong-we-ve-all-been-too-ambitious/cZYKOeiRJnm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)… [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- ### 🧠 Essential Summer Reads **#7**: Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch to French Lawmakers: Europe Has Two Years To Stop Losing The AI Race Before The Race Is Over [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Essential-Summer-Reads-Header.webp)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-ceo-mensch-to-french-lawmakers-europe-has-two-years-to-stop-losing-the-ai-race-before-the-race-is-over/) ***Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles from the past year whose themes continue to resonate. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us.*** [***We published this article on Mistral back in May this year.***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-ceo-mensch-to-french-lawmakers-europe-has-two-years-to-stop-losing-the-ai-race-before-the-race-is-over/) --- Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch spent the better part of 90 minutes on May 12 explaining to a French parliamentary inquiry on digital sovereignty why the next 24 months will decide whether Europe gets to keep any meaningful share of the economic value AI is about to generate, or whether it will spend the next decade as a customer of American and Chinese suppliers. His framing was unambiguous. AI is not a category of digital services. It *is* digital services. The cloud business that European leaders keep talking about reviving is no longer about storage and virtual machines, which carry low margins and almost no leverage. It is about turning electricity into tokens, the unit of intelligence that customers now pay for. Whoever owns that conversion process owns the high-margin top of the value chain and can then work downwards into everything else. Whoever does not, ends up importing it. "Today, the cloud is artificial intelligence. The growth of the cloud is artificial intelligence," Mensch told the committee. From that follows a strategic conclusion he repeatedly returned to: Europe cannot rebuild a cloud industry by trying to compete on low-margin commodity services. It has to capture the high-margin AI layer first, then work down. "If you have no volume and no margin, you have no chance of reaching scale," he said. "You have to start from high-value services and work down toward low-level services, because those carry less margin." [Check out Mistral's views on the AI race here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-ceo-mensch-to-french-lawmakers-europe-has-two-years-to-stop-losing-the-ai-race-before-the-race-is-over/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ☀️Sponsor Events☀️ 📆 **France Digitale Day | Paris | September 16 |** The most exciting startup event in France and Europe taking place in Paris for its 14th edition. From across France and Europe, over 4500 founders, investors, and innovation leaders gather for the whole day to get inspired, discuss the latest trends in business, tech, and society, close (big) deals with new partners, network, raise funds with investors, and meet with your peers in a village-like venue in the heart of the French capital. This year, the CES will be back at FDDay for their CES Tech Trends, the first stop on the road to CES2027\. | [**Get tickets**](https://fdday.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **dotAI 2026 | Paris | September 17** | We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers on fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire to that recognition. | [**Information and tickets**](https://www.dotai.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenAI Builder Lounge Paris | September 22 |** Join OpenAI for an evening of hands-on building, live demos, and discussion in Paris, co-hosted with [Photoroom](https://www.photoroom.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). Hear how top teams approach building useful agents, see what is new with Codex, and work alongside local founders, CTOs, and engineers. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/qfcsoul6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Engineer in Paris | September 23-24 |** AI Engineer Paris 2026 returns to Station F on September 23–24 for two days of technical talks, practical workshops, and AI engineering research. **|** [**Get Tickets**](https://ai.engineer/paris/2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Shift #2 @50 Partners | Paris | October 1 |** The 50 Partners Tech team is delighted to invite you to the "AI Shift" event at the Loft 50P: a concrete immersion in AI applications.​ The concept: a sequence dedicated to analyzing AI-induced upheavals in the technology innovation ecosystem, followed by time to discover new solutions and products through live demos. | [**Apply**](https://luma.com/gqn2koeg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-PULSE | Paris | October 13** | Join leaders and engineers for a one-day technical conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations**. |** [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Meets Multi-Omics: Enabling Precision Medicine | Paris | October 15 | Institut Curie| Speaker:** Nataša Pržulj, Department of Life Science, Barcelona Supercomputing Center & ICREA (Barcelona, Spain) & Department of Computer Science, University College London (London, UK) | [**Information**](https://curie.fr/evenements-scientifiques/ai-meets-multi-omics-enabling-precision-medicine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: France Pulls Away From Big Tech — While French Tech Powers Up URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-france-big-tech-breakup-blacknut-revolut/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T05:04:10.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Essential Summer Reads #6:** The agency behind La Suite numérique is now ditching Windows for Linux on its own machines. And it's telling every ministry to map its way out of American software. [**Here's how the project works, and where it could still go sideways.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-suite-life-inside-the-states-plan-to-swap-big-tech-for-open-source/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/SOC_EMEA_Scaling-security_480x60-V2.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built-in—not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) --- # Tech Talk 🧒 ⚖️ **Meta is on trial over whether it knowingly made kids the product -and France is having its own identity crisis over how to protect them.** Twenty-nine US states accuse Meta of misleading consumers and exposing children to harmful content and addictive features. A former safety exec says internal data showed **19% of 13–15-year-olds saw nudity in a single week**, while 12.8% encountered violence and 10.8% online harassment. Meta says it has beefed up safeguards. Meanwhile, France’s Constitutional Council has just killed off its planned under-15 social media ban, calling it disproportionate and flagging privacy concerns around age verification. Macron wants another go. The **platforms may be global, but the headache is universal.** |[**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/08/19/au-proces-de-meta-la-firme-de-mark-zuckerberg-accusee-d-avoir-cible-les-enfants-et-minore-les-dangers-d-instagram%5F6749391%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L’Étudiant** ](https://www.letudiant.fr/lycee/l-interdiction-des-reseaux-sociaux-aux-moins-de-15-ans-censuree-au-nom-de-la-liberte-d-expression.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🍎🚪 **Apple is finally opening the garden gate... at least a crack.** After three years of tussling with Brussels, the iPhone giant has agreed to let developers steer users outside the App Store from October, including to rival app stores and their own websites. **The catch? Apple is still charging fees of 5%–26%, after already being fined €500M for breaching the EU’s Digital Markets Act.** So yes, Europe got Apple to open the door...It just hasn’t convinced it to stop charging admission. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/08/19/apple-consent-a-respecter-les-regles-europeennes-sur-les-marches-numeriques%5F6749357%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮💸 French cloud gaming company Blacknut has secured **up to $215 million in backing from digital infrastructure investor Digital Alpha** to fuel its next phase of global expansion. The Paris-founded company, which now serves more than **3 million subscribers across 65+ countries**, plans to put the capital toward product development, content, infrastructure and international growth. Digital Alpha is becoming a **strategic shareholder**, although the companies did not disclose how much of the $215 million package is equity or provide further details on the transaction structure. Blacknut has built a catalog of more than 1,000 games and increasingly sells its platform through telcos, device makers and media companies. The deal is a sizeable bet that cloud gaming can become a major distribution channel and an increasingly important source of demand for GPU and edge infrastructure. | [**Blacknut**](https://www.blacknut.biz/press-release/million-dollar-investment-for-blacknut?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Business Insider**](https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/digital-alpha-becomes-strategic-investor-in-blacknut-to-accelerate-the-global-growth-of-cloud-gaming-1036470341?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖🦿**French robotics startup Wandercraft is taking the exoskeleton out of the clinic and into the kitchen.** Its self-balancing **Eve** exoskeleton has won FDA clearance for eligible adults with spinal cord injuries at any level, allowing users to stand, walk and use their hands for everyday activities — from making coffee to reaching the top kitchen shelf. The device is designed to complement, not replace, a wheelchair, a**nd is set to launch commercially in the US on 17 September**. After 150+ rehab centers using its Atalante X, Wandercraft is betting the next frontier for exoskeletons is simply **getting on with life**. | [**Wandercraft**](https://www.wandercraft.eu/articles/wandercraft-receives-fda-clearance-for-eve-the-worlds-first-self-balancing-personal-exoskeleton-for-eligible-wheelchair-users-living-with-spinal-cord-injuries-at-any-level?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏦 🇫🇷 **Revolut has officially leveled up from fintech to French bank.** The UK-based giant has secured a full French banking license after regulators pushed for closer oversight of its **7M French customers**. The move unlocks a bigger arsenal of loans, mortgages and savings products, as Revolut plans to invest **€1B and hire 600 people** in Western Europe, with Paris as its European HQ. Not bad for an app that started out helping people dodge foreign-exchange fees. |[**FT**](https://www.ft.com/content/1f5e2807-5110-47bc-baf1-757c7b675cb0?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/revolut-french-banking-licence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 💶 **France wants to turn space spending into a boomerang.** Space trading platform Nebex has launched a **€100M initiative** promising €1 of industrial return to French space companies for every €1 France spends abroad - matching foreign procurement with contracts for French startups. The idea: governments still get access to the best global tech, while taxpayer money generates business at home. Nebex says French startups can tap into **$70B of annual cross-border space demand** currently lost to friction, regulation and geopolitics. **Forget more space VC: the startups need customers.** | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2026/08/17/nebex-launches-eur100m-initiative-to-turn-global-space-spending-into-revenue-for-french-startups/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Essential Summer Reads #6: La Suite Life – Inside The State’s Plan To Swap Big Tech For Open Source ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/FTJ-esential-summer-reads.png) ***Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles from the past year whose themes continue to resonate. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us.*** [***We published this article on La Suite Numérique in June.***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-suite-life-inside-the-states-plan-to-swap-big-tech-for-open-source/) --- For years, "digital sovereignty" was the speech French officials gave before renewing their Microsoft contracts. That era appears to be over. The **Direction interministérielle du numérique (DINUM),** the agency that steers the French state's digital strategy from the Prime Minister's office, is now running a two-front campaign to pull the administration off American software: [La Suite numérique](https://lasuite.numerique.gouv.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a bundle of open source collaboration tools meant to replace Teams, Zoom, and Google Drive for public agents; and as of April, a plan to replace Windows with Linux, starting with DINUM's own computers. "The state can no longer simply observe its dependence; it must escape it," said David Amiel, France's minister for public action and accounts, when the plan was announced on April 8\. "We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructure and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, prices, evolution and risks we do not control." That's the political framing. The more interesting story is what's happening underneath it: a small team inside DINUM quietly built a code-managed Linux workstation for its system administrators, liked it, and is now scaling the experiment into what could become the template for 2.5 million public agents. [Dig into La Suite Numérique here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-suite-life-inside-the-states-plan-to-swap-big-tech-for-open-source/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🤖 La Machine #88: Mistral’s 1GW Bet – Why the Frontier Isn’t the Whole Game URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-88-mistrals-1gw-bet-why-the-frontier-isnt-the-whole-game/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T04:58:53.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 🧠 **Essential Summer Read #5:** CEO Jérôme Lecat is rebuilding a profitable, founder-led storage company around agentic AI. He's canceling SaaS subscriptions, rewriting code reviews, and has just launched a new agentic platform that could expand the company's ambitions. [**Read it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scalitys-long-bet-how-15-year-old-french-storage-company-is-rewiring-itself-for-the-agentic-ai-era/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Trust-in-the-AI-era_480x60-V2.2-1.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/trust-in-the-ai-era-for-startups?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) For today’s AI-native, data-driven startups, security is no longer optional. Customers expect it, investors demand it, and growth depends on it. Learn how leading AI-powered companies—Granola, Clay, Factory, and more—prioritized trust from day one and used Vanta to turn security and compliance into a competitive advantage. From faster SOC 2 audits to six-figure savings and ISO 42001 adoption, see how these startups are building trust in the AI era. [Download the guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/trust-in-the-ai-era-for-startups?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fcampaign=fy27q3%5Fnews%5Facq%5Ffrench-tech-journal-newsletter-series%5Femea) # Edito The latest Mistral news has predictably triggered another round of Euro Doomer Porn. The company announced plans to build one gigawatt of compute across Europe by 2030\. To do that, it is pooling multi-year commitments from ASML, CMA CGM, Capgemini, Amadeus, and Caisse des Dépôts through what it calls European Compute Units. As part of this push, it is giving customers more control over where inference happens and opening its platform to third-party open models, starting with Z.ai’s GLM-5.2\. "When we spoke in June, the story was around how Mistral was building a full-stack AI offering," Timothée Lacroix, Mistral's co-founder and chief technology officer, [***told VentureBeat in an exclusive interview ahead of the announcement.*** ](https://venturebeat.com/infrastructure/mistral-ai-wants-to-build-1-gigawatt-of-european-compute-by-2030-and-lock-in-customers-now?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)"Today, the announcement is about strengthening one part of this infrastructure, which is the inference part." The French government added a particularly blunt demand signal, with Budget Minister David Amiel confirming that the government will only hire “sovereign” AI providers such as Mistral, excluding OpenAI, according to Reuters. Naturally, the reflexive interpretation across the interwebs and social media was that Mistral had conceded the frontier-model race and retreated into becoming a European cloud provider. That conclusion confuses a benchmark leaderboard with an entire industry. Training frontier models and operating inference at scale may involve many of the same chips, but they are very different economic and infrastructure problems. Frontier training is concentrated, episodic and extraordinarily capital-intensive: assemble the biggest cluster possible, run the training cycle and then do it all over again for the next generation. Enterprise inference is continuous. It is about availability, latency, cost per task, regional controls, security and the ability to support thousands, or eventually millions, of production workflows. Mistral therefore had to decide where to place scarce capital. Choosing to invest heavily in inference capacity and enterprise infrastructure does not necessarily mean giving up on model development. It may mean putting more capital behind the part of the stack where recurring demand, customer relationships, and operational control can compound. This matters because model capability is only one variable in an agentic system. The harness matters. Context matters. Workflow integration matters. Permissions, memory, observability, and access to proprietary data matter. A more capable closed model that an enterprise is reluctant to connect deeply to its systems may deliver less value than a slightly weaker open model that can safely access the organization’s knowledge, tools, and processes. The model is not the system of record. Increasingly, it is one component inside a larger execution environment. That is why Mistral’s decision to support third-party models should not automatically be read as an admission of defeat. It is a bet that enterprises will use portfolios of models rather than pledge allegiance to one laboratory. Mistral itself now describes enterprise AI as an ensemble of capabilities, ranging from frontier reasoning to high-volume production and specialist systems. Most agentic workloads will not economically justify running the most expensive frontier model at every step. Companies will use frontier systems for the hardest planning and reasoning tasks, smaller models for repetitive execution, and specialist models for functions such as document processing, speech, or code. The winning architecture will vary by company and by workload. The larger strategic opportunity may therefore be to become the trusted control plane through which enterprises select, deploy, and govern those models. Mistral is attempting to move from being simply a model provider to becoming that execution layer, effectively a European neocloud that combines models, compute, regional infrastructure, and deployment control. The financing mechanism behind the buildout may be even more important than the headline capacity target. Mistral’s European Compute Units convert multi-year customer commitments into future access to infrastructure. In practical terms, the company is trying to turn large enterprises into anchor tenants whose contracted demand can support debt financing for data centers. That looks less like a conventional software subscription and more like the project-finance structures used for energy and other capital-intensive infrastructure. This is potentially a promising model for Europe. Mistral has already used debt to finance its initial 44-megawatt facility near Paris, while Microsoft has separately made a multibillion-dollar commitment to use part of Mistral’s expanded European GPU capacity. Customer pre-commitments could make that financing playbook repeatable without requiring every new data center to be funded through another enormous venture round. There are obvious caveats. One gigawatt will require investment measured in the tens of billions. Much of the capacity has not yet been built. Some of the anchor customers are already investors in Mistral or are connected to the French state, so these commitments are not the same as entirely independent market demand. Buyers are also taking delivery, pricing, and technology risk by committing to infrastructure years before it is available. But none of that makes the structure meaningless. European AI companies have long faced a circular problem: lenders want contracted demand before financing infrastructure, while customers want infrastructure to exist before making long-term commitments. Mistral is attempting to break that loop. By the way, when Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez was recently in Paris, he told a room full of journalists that such pre-purchase agreements were exactly what Europe needed to unlock more compute capacity. Considering that Gomez was a co-author of the original transformer paper, the dude perhaps knows a thing or two of which he speaks. And this brings us to the more interesting question: **Why does the frontier matter, and what does it cost to remain there?** The American AI bet involves a level of financial risk that many Europeans still underestimate. The speed at which AI infrastructure is consuming cash is remarkable. Alphabet spent $44.9bn on capital expenditure in the second quarter of 2026 and recorded negative quarterly free cash flow, although it remained strongly cash-generative over the preceding 12 months. Meta spent $31.08bn during the quarter and generated just $784m of free cash flow. Alphabet has taken out a century bond, a debt instrument that takes 100 years to pay back. Oracle is the more alarming case. Its free cash flow turned negative, its reported debt reached $129.5bn, and it had signed roughly $260bn of data-center leases. S&P cut its credit rating to BBB-, one notch above junk. One of the world’s largest software companies is taking material balance-sheet risk to remain competitive in AI infrastructure. The frontier race has planted a capital-intensity bomb inside businesses that were once celebrated for asset-light economics. Decades of software-era cash generation are being converted into chips, power contracts, data centers and long-duration financial obligations. Perhaps the returns will justify it. But there is still little evidence that every company spending at this scale will earn attractive returns on that capital. The uncomfortable question is whether frontier leadership will prove durable enough to warrant the cost. Models are improving rapidly across multiple laboratories and jurisdictions. Techniques diffuse. Talent moves. Open models narrow gaps. Mistral’s decision to offer a Chinese open-weight model through European infrastructure is itself a reminder that the supply of capable intelligence is becoming more geographically and commercially diverse. Owning the best model at one moment does not automatically create an enduring monopoly. Yet the American companies cannot easily step away from the race. They have already committed too much, and falling behind at the frontier could threaten their existing platforms. That creates its own momentum: every new investment makes the next investment harder to avoid. Those economics also make Europe a critical competitive market. US companies need global utilization to justify their infrastructure, while Chinese providers are increasingly capable of competing through open models and international partnerships. Europe is wealthy, highly regulated, and still contestable. It is not a technological sideshow. It is one of the main battlegrounds over who will control the next generation of enterprise computing. This is where sovereignty needs a more useful definition. Sovereignty does not mean technological autarky. Mistral still depends on Nvidia chips and is partnering deeply with Microsoft. The point is not to eliminate every foreign component. It is to preserve choice, negotiating leverage, deployment control and credible exit options. A European organization should be able to change models without surrendering its data architecture, workflows and institutional knowledge to a foreign provider. The French government’s decision to favor sovereign providers will not by itself turn Mistral into a global champion. Government procurement can create complacency as easily as it can create scale. But it can also provide the anchor demand required to finance infrastructure, develop operational expertise and make a domestic ecosystem viable. In an infrastructure race, procurement is industrial policy. Meanwhile, America’s AI companies are making an unprecedented financial bet without securing broad public legitimacy at home. Pew found that roughly two-thirds of Americans believe AI is advancing too quickly, while Ipsos found that US sentiment toward AI tilts negative and that Americans are among the most pessimistic populations about its effects on employment and the economy. Does any of this mean Mistral will succeed? No. It still has to deliver the capacity it has promised, finance a buildout costing tens of billions, manage customer concentration, compete on price and performance, and continue producing models good enough to keep its platform relevant. Its dependence on American chips also places limits on how sovereign the stack can truly become. But execution risk is not the same thing as strategic incoherence. Mistral does not have to beat OpenAI, Anthropic or Google on every benchmark to build a valuable company. It has to provide the right combination of models, infrastructure, control and economics for European enterprises and governments. If it can combine open-model choice with regional compute, deep access to organizational context and a workable financing model, it may create something that frontier leadership alone does not guarantee: a trusted operating layer for enterprise AI. The frontier matters. But it is not the whole game. Reflexively interpreting every European move outside the benchmark arms race as surrender, and every attempt to compete through infrastructure, deployment and sovereignty as proof that “Europe is cooked,” is pure nonsense. # Headlines 🗞️ As of August 2, the EU has entered the enforcement phase of its AI Act, giving the European Commission power to demand information, order safety tests and remove non-compliant frontier models from the market. France is particularly exposed because Mistral is expected to be the only European model provider covered by the toughest requirements. Businesses also face new transparency duties, with chatbots required to identify themselves and deepfakes clearly labeled. The European AI Office can now impose serious penalties, putting French organizations under pressure to comply quickly. Brussels’ big balancing act will be enforcing the rules firmly without hobbling the homegrown AI champions Europe is trying to build. | [**Commission AI Act enforcement**](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-starts-enforcing-ai-act-rules-and-new-transparency-requirements-2-august&sa=E&source=workflows)**,** [**The Parliament Magazine**](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/europe-gets-ready-to-police-frontier-ai&sa=E&source=workflows) **🗞️** France’s Constitutional Council has struck down a flagship plan to ban children under 15 from social media, ruling that the blanket restriction went too far in limiting freedom of expression. The judges said the law swept in platforms without proven risks, ignored differences in children’s maturity and family circumstances, and gave parents no way to opt out. They also flagged privacy concerns around age verification, arguing that the legislation lacked adequate safeguards. The door is still open to a narrower, more carefully targeted law. Emmanuel Macron’s government is already heading back to the drafting table. **|** [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/pourquoi-les-sages-ont-censure-l-interdiction-des-reseaux-sociaux-aux-moins-de-15-ans-jugee-contraire-a-la-constitution-20260814?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Cybersecurity Overhaul and AI Funding**. Following a sophisticated data breach impacting 678,000 taxpayers, the French government announced a new, AI-focused national cybersecurity strategy. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has called an interministerial crisis meeting to address the attack and roll out a robust new digital governance model. The initiative includes a massive €200 million investment, with a key focus on enhancing the country's AI capabilities for ministerial security and defense. The attack served as a sobering reminder of how vital artificial intelligence has become not just for innovation, but for the fundamental protection of the state. | [**Azernews**](https://www.azernews.az/region/262459.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Nearly 300 French newspapers are taking Google to the country’s competition regulator over AI Overviews, arguing that the search feature uses their journalism without consent or fair payment. Their industry group, APIG, says Google sidestepped mandatory negotiations and may have breached commitments linked to a 2022 compensation deal. With regulator Arcom estimating that AI summaries could cut referral traffic to news sites by as much as 38%, publishers fear a painful hit to advertising revenue. They insist they are not fighting innovation. Instead, they simply want Google to share the value its AI products extract from original reporting.| [**VideoWeek**](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://videoweek.com/2026/08/12/french-publishers-file-complaint-with-antitrust-authority-seeking-ai-overview-compensation/&sa=E&source=workflows)**,** [**F**](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260811-french-newspapers-target-google-over-ai-summaries?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**rance24**](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260811-french-newspapers-target-google-over-ai-summaries?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**The Next Web**](https://thenextweb.com/news/french-media-google-ai-antitrust-complaint?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The French data protection authority, CNIL, has officially waded into the complex world of agentic AI. In a new exploratory note, the watchdog highlighted the unique privacy risks posed by systems that can autonomously coordinate sub-systems and process data from multiple sources. While the GDPR remains the guiding framework, the CNIL warns that these opaque, decentralized processing chains demand adapted implementation strategies to ensure human supervision and data control. This proactive step signals how European regulators are looking to keep pace with AI agents that act on our behalf. | [**Inside Privacy**](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.insideprivacy.com/artificial-intelligence/french-cnil-publishes-note-on-agentic-ai-and-data-protection/&sa=E&source=workflows)**,** [**Covington**](https://www.insideprivacy.com/artificial-intelligence/french-cnil-publishes-note-on-agentic-ai-and-data-protection/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Healthcare giant Doctolib is diving deep into clinical AI research, recently kicking off a program that analyzes patient data to help spot risks and improve care pathways. While the platform insists the data is pseudonymized and held in the public interest, the move has caused a stir, with privacy watchdogs and the Ligue des droits de l'homme questioning the default enrollment of millions of patients. If you're a user and prefer to opt out, you'll need to go to your privacy settings. It’s a delicate balancing act for the French unicorn as it tries to push medical innovation forward while maintaining the trust of its massive user base. | [**Connexion France**](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/doctolib-set-to-use-some-patient-data-for-ai-research-how-to-opt-out/806024&sa=E&source=workflows) 🗞️ France is tightening the net on foreign investment to keep its sensitive tech sectors safe, officially lowering the review threshold for non-European investors from 25% down to 10%. With geopolitical tensions rising, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu signed a new decree to keep a closer eye on acquisitions in strategic areas, including AI, robotics, and semiconductors. The government wants to make sure French innovations stay securely in domestic hands while still welcoming foreign capital through a new, faster review process. It's a clear signal that protecting the national industrial crown jewels is a top priority as the race to lead in AI heats up. | [**Reuters**](https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/france-tightens-oversight-foreign-investment-protect/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French consulting giant Wavestone acquired Paris-based consultancy AI Builders. While the group reported a slightly bumpy start to the fiscal year, with a 2% revenue dip, it is making it clear that AI is the definitive growth driver moving forward. With AI-related projects now accounting for 22% of revenue—up from 17% last year—this €19.3 million deal is a strategic effort to capture the rapidly growing demand for AI implementation and governance expertise. By bringing a team of 50 AI specialists into the fold, Wavestone is looking to better serve large organizations struggling to scale their own transformations. | [**Wavestone**](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wavestone.com/en/regul-information/q1-2026-27-revenue-down-2-annual-targets-adjusted-ai-builders-targeted-acquisition-of-a-french-ai-and-data-player/&sa=E&source=workflows) 🗞️ **Paris Saint-Germain** is officially getting a high-tech upgrade, signing a major multiyear partnership to make Google Gemini the club’s new official AI assistant. It's a bold move that also sees Google Pixel become the team's official smartphone, with plans to use the hardware to capture content from the pitch to behind the scenes. Fans visiting the Parc des Princes can look forward to a dedicated "Google space" at the stadium, designed to showcase the latest AI innovations to guests and creators. | [**StadiumDB**](https://stadiumdb.com/news/2026/08/france%5Fgoogle%5Fmoves%5Finto%5Fparc%5Fdes%5Fprinces%5Fgemini%5Fwill%5Fbecome%5Fpsgs%5Fai%5Fassistant?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#google%5Fvignette)**,** [**Cybernews**](https://cybernews.com/ai-news/paris-saint-germain-google-ai-smartphones/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Microsoft is deepening its commitment to the French tech scene by establishing the **Microsoft Open Innovation Center** in Strasbourg. This new hub focuses on preserving cultural heritage and ensuring that European languages, often overlooked by mainstream AI models, have a voice in the digital economy. By partnering with cultural institutions to expand access to multilingual data, the center aims to make sure the next generation of AI reflects Europe's unique linguistic diversity. | [**Microsoft**](https://blogs.microsoft.com/eupolicy/2026/06/16/ai-for-europe-in-europes-own-languages/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ It turns out that blending high-quality journalism with artificial intelligence is a winning recipe for **Le Monde’s English edition**. The publication has officially broken even a full year ahead of its original five-year goal thanks to a clever combination of digital subscriptions and AI-assisted translation tools like DeepL and custom versions of ChatGPT. This strategy has allowed them to scale their international reach without the prohibitive costs that usually plague such ambitious ventures. | [**The Connexion**](https://www.connexionfrance.com/magazine/how-le-monde-in-english-finally-broke-even-with-ai-and-subscriptions/803938?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Drones and Automotive Know-How.** French automotive giant **Valeo** has teamed up with **Harmattan AI** to manufacture electric drone motors domestically, securing the supply chain against reliance on critical rare earths. By leveraging automotive manufacturing techniques, they aim to mass-produce these motors for civil and defense applications starting in early 2027\. | [**Valeo**](https://www.valeo.com/en/valeo-has-been-selected-by-harmattan-ai-to-develop-and-produce-in-france-a-sovereign-electric-drone-motor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **High-Tech Political Interference.** French politics just hit a new high-tech low, with former **Prime Minister Gabriel Attal** sounding the alarm over a Russian disinformation campaign. The plot reportedly involved circulating fake, AI-generated reports that mimicked major French news branding to discredit his presidential campaign and smear his policies. Attal warns this is just the beginning, signaling that as France heads toward the 2027 presidential election, we should expect more digital "interference" and fabricated content. | [**Andoula Agency**](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/ex-french-prime-minister-attal-accuses-russia-of-interfering-to-support-le-pen/4020295?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Firefighting** is getting a high-tech makeover in France, and it is not just about hoses and planes anymore. French emergency services are deploying AI-powered cameras, like those from companies such as Firetraking, to spot forest fires long before they become unmanageable. The goal is not to replace the heroes on the ground, but to give them the early warning needed to stay safe and efficient. Projects like the 'Condor' program, which tests solar-powered drones with AI and electro-optical cameras, are showing that technology is a vital sidekick in protecting forests. | [**Ratotapi**](https://english.ratopati.com/story/73265/what-technologies-is-europe-pursuing-in-fire-control?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ## Other Headlines 🗞️ **How to Make a Robot Better at Its Job? Give It Eyes. |** Inbolt, a French start-up that sells robot vision systems, helped a Stellantis plant in Detroit become a top performer in the company. **|** [**The New York Times**](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/business/robots-stellantis-inbolt.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **‘I’m not here to be acquired’: Meet Nabla’s new CEO Brian Manning |** Brian Manning, the newly appointed CEO of buzzy Parisian startup Nabla, which builds AI-powered tools for healthcare providers, has big shoes to fill. He is taking over the role from Nabla’s cofounder Alexandre Lebrun, who at the end of last year made the surprise announcement that he was stepping down as the company’s CEO [to join AMI Labs,](https://sifted.eu/articles/yann-lecun-ami-labs-3bn-valuation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) the world models startup launched by AI guru and long-time friend of Lebrun Yann LeCun. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/brian-manning-ceo-nabla?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French insurers move AI from pilots to the front line |** French insurers are moving beyond the question of whether to use artificial intelligence and towards a more difficult one: how to make it work across the business without losing control over decisions. | [**Fintech Global**](https://fintech.global/2026/08/10/french-insurers-move-ai-from-pilots-to-the-front-line/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- ### 🧠 Essential Summer Reads #5: Scality's Long Bet – How The 15-Year-Old French Storage Company Is Rewiring Itself for the Agentic AI Era [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Essential-Summer-Reads-Header.webp)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scalitys-long-bet-how-15-year-old-french-storage-company-is-rewiring-itself-for-the-agentic-ai-era/) ***Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles from the past year whose themes continue to resonate. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us.*** [***We published this article on Scality in May.***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scalitys-long-bet-how-15-year-old-french-storage-company-is-rewiring-itself-for-the-agentic-ai-era/) --- CEO Jérôme Lecat stood before a roomful of journalists at Scality's Paris headquarters this week for an event that was part product launch, part reintroduction of the company he co-founded in 2009. The product is a software platform that uses AI agents to manage enterprise data across four storage tiers, from ultra-fast flash to cold tape archives. However, the two years Scality spent developing it speaks to something larger: an established French tech company that is no longer a startup, reinventing itself for an industry being relentlessly remade by AI. By the numbers, all is well at Scality, a company that became an early international success in the emerging French tech ecosystem. Scality has roughly 240 employees in 16 countries. It generates more than €50 million in annual revenue. Seventy-five percent of that revenue comes from outside France and is, according to Lecat, "highly profitable." Yet the accelerated transformation driven by generative and agentic AI is fundamentally changing customers' storage needs. This puts Scality in an intriguing position, facing countless software incumbents. As AI rewrites the rules for how storage is built, sold, and operated, the company could be vulnerable. At the same time, if Scality can successfully adapt to the new agentic world with its latest products, the mid-sized company could potentially address larger markets beyond its core storage customers. "Our ambition is bigger because we see what is possible," Lecat said. "If you walk into our office, we're like a young startup that has found something new and is just so eager to bring it to the world." [Read about Scality's big bet](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scalitys-long-bet-how-15-year-old-french-storage-company-is-rewiring-itself-for-the-agentic-ai-era/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ☀️Sponsor Events☀️ 📆 **France Digitale Day | Paris | September 16 |** The most exciting startup event in France and Europe taking place in Paris for its 14th edition. From across France and Europe, over 4500 founders, investors, and innovation leaders gather for the whole day to get inspired, discuss the latest trends in business, tech, and society, close (big) deals with new partners, network, raise funds with investors, and meet with your peers in a village-like venue in the heart of the French capital. This year, the CES will be back at FDDay for their CES Tech Trends, the first stop on the road to CES2027\. | [**Get tickets**](https://fdday.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **OpenAI Builder Lounge Paris | September 22 |** Join OpenAI for an evening of hands-on building, live demos, and discussion in Paris, co-hosted with [Photoroom](https://www.photoroom.com/?utm%5Fsource=luma). Hear how top teams approach building useful agents, see what is new with Codex, and work alongside local founders, CTOs, and engineers. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/qfcsoul6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Meets Multi-Omics: Enabling Precision Medicine | Paris | October 15 | Institut Curie| Speaker:** Nataša Pržulj, Department of Life Science, Barcelona Supercomputing Center & ICREA (Barcelona, Spain) & Department of Computer Science, University College London (London, UK) | [**Information**](https://curie.fr/evenements-scientifiques/ai-meets-multi-omics-enabling-precision-medicine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire August 17: Chargepoly €23M led 10 deals for €61M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-august-17-chargepoly-eur23m-led-10-deals-for-eur61m/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T06:07:02.000Z ***Someone didn't get the memo about taking August off. So, here's a summer catch-up edition on funding deals over the past three weeks.*** --- # 💸 Weekly\* Funding Recap: August 14 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/top-deals-aug-17.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/top-sectors-ftfw-aug-17.jpg) --- 📇 Company: Chargepoly 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, Mobility 🔍 Description: Chargepoly designs, deploys, and operates high-capacity DC charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets. Its integrated offering combines modular charging hardware, project delivery, Charging Point Operator capabilities, and its Lucie software suite to optimize power allocation, infrastructure utilization, and total cost of ownership. 💻 Website: [https://www.chargepoly.com/en/](https://www.chargepoly.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Aix-en-Provence 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €23 million 🏦 Investors: Meridiam Green Impact Growth Fund (lead), Fideve Groupe 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hadi Moussavi 🗞️ News: Chargepoly has secured a €23 million investment to accelerate international expansion and scale its integrated charging platform for heavy-duty and commercial vehicle fleets. The company operates hundreds of DC fast-charging points across France, the UK and Canada and says its infrastructure is already helping decarbonize more than one million kilometers of freight transport every month. Chargepoly has deployed solutions for customers including Groupe Rave, Nationex and CMA-CGM and works with OEMs such as Renault Trucks, Volvo Trucks and Daimler Truck. Its modular architecture and Lucie software dynamically allocate power across multiple charging points to reduce deployment costs and improve infrastructure efficiency. The new capital will support geographic expansion and further development of its technology as demand for electric truck and bus charging grows. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/aix-en-provence-based-chargepoly-secures-e23-million-to-accelerate-heavy-duty-fleet-electrification/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Eurodia 🏷️ Sectors: DeepTech, CleanTech 🔍 Description: Designs and installs eco-efficient industrial systems for extracting, purifying, and recovering components from complex liquids. Its technologies include electrodialysis, membrane filtration, chromatography, adsorption, and ion-exchange resins, with applications spanning lithium extraction and refining, critical-metals recycling, process decarbonization, and food production. 💻 Website: [https://eurodia.com](https://eurodia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Pertuis 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €18 million 🏦 Investors: Starquest Capital, Yotta Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Bernard Gillery 🗞️ News: Starquest Capital and Yotta Capital Partners have acquired minority stakes in Eurodia to support its international expansion and larger industrial projects. Founded in 1988, the company has deployed more than 450 installations across 50 countries and generates over 80% of its business internationally. Revenue increased from €34 million in 2023 to €80 million in 2025\. | [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/eurodia-raises-20-million-to-scale-up-industrial-decarbonization-solutions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Neverhack 🏷️ Sectors: Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Provides cybersecurity services covering consulting, managed security, training, incident response, and sovereign AI infrastructure. The group employs more than 1,200 people across 12 countries and reports €220 million in annual revenue. 💻 Website: [https://neverhack.com](https://neverhack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Guyancourt 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €11 million 🏦 Investors: Carlyle, IK Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arthur Bataille 🗞️ News: Existing shareholders Carlyle and IK Partners completed the investment on June 10, 2026\. NEVERHACK will use the capital to develop its sovereign cybersecurity AI offering, deploy trusted infrastructure and GPU capacity in France, Italy, and Estonia, and strengthen its technical and commercial teams. The company also appointed founder Arthur Bataille as Executive Chairman and Frédéric Sarrailh as CEO. | [**Alliancy**](https://alliancy.fr/neverhack-11-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sur-lia-et-la-cybersecurite-souveraines-2a38bb4f-cfef-46e2-9afa-df26aa5fff6b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: SkinBit 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, MedTech, BioTech, Artificial Intelligence, DeepTech 🔍 Description: SkinBit is building a longitudinal skin-health platform centered on 20-minute full-body scans delivered through clinics, med spas, longevity centers, and its own branded locations. Board-certified dermatologists review each scan and store it as a patient-owned baseline to track skin changes over time and improve early detection of skin cancer. 💻 Website: [https://skinbit.co/](https://skinbit.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris, Los Angeles 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: $6 million 🏦 Investors: Boost VC, Cleo Capital, Manna Ventures, Profluent Capital, Logan Green, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ilya Novoselskiy, Jonathan Benassaya 🗞️ News: SkinBit has raised $6 million to expand its full-body skin scanning platform for earlier detection of skin cancer. The company provides 20-minute scans reviewed by board-certified dermatologists and stores them as longitudinal records patients can carry over time. When a potential concern is identified, patients are referred to dermatologists who receive a richer, data-backed history of the patient’s skin. SkinBit plans to open its first clinics in selected locations in 2026 and says more than 5,000 people are already on its waitlist. The company aims to make continuous skin monitoring and early cancer detection more accessible through locations people already visit, including med spas and longevity centers. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/skinbit%5Ftoday-were-proud-to-announce-that-weve-activity-7490787515365523457-KzL3?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: AMDB Security Pro 🏷️ Sectors: DeepTech 🔍 Description: AMDB Security Pro develops patented mechanical anti-theft systems for excavators, mini-excavators, and other construction equipment. Its tamper-resistant solution physically blocks unauthorized ignition without relying on electronics or connectivity, while adding deterrence features such as an alarm and GPS tracking. 💻 Website: [https://www.amdbsecuritypro.com](https://www.amdbsecuritypro.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Georges-d’Espéranche 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.68 million ($3.1 million) 🏦 Investors: Two U.S.-based private investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pascal Bonnevay-Oltra, Kévin Kaarouche 🗞️ News: AMDB Security Pro has raised €2.68 million in Seed funding to accelerate its expansion into the United States and broaden its product portfolio. The company plans to establish a U.S. subsidiary, recruit local teams and build partnerships with rental companies, insurers and construction-equipment manufacturers ahead of a larger-scale rollout targeted for 2027\. Founded in 2023, AMDB develops made-in-France mechanical anti-theft systems compatible with more than 100 brands of mini-excavators and other construction equipment. The new capital will also support R&D into additional equipment categories as the company targets the large U.S. construction and rental markets. The financing follows growing recognition for AMDB’s technology, including a gold medal at the 2025 Concours Lépine. | [**Global Startups Insights**](https://www.globalstartupsinsights.com/funding/amdb-security-pro-raises-e2-68-million-to-expand-excavator-anti-theft-technology-in-the-us/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU- Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/lyons-amdb-security-pro-locks-in-e2-68-million-to-take-its-excavator-anti-theft-systems-to-the-us/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: STRACKER 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: STRACKER develops a technology-enabled freight forwarding platform for time-critical and sensitive shipments across sectors including aerospace, luxury, medtech, and deeptech. Its proprietary Stracker360 platform automates carrier selection, shipment coordination, tracking, and customs documentation, and uses AI to anticipate disruptions and optimize critical logistics flows. 💻 Website: [http://stracker.tech/](http://stracker.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5 million 🏦 Investors: Blast Club, Bpifrance, Side Capital, Holnest 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Axel Bandiaky, Augustin de Boisse 🗞️ News: STRACKER has raised €2.5 million in seed funding from Blast Club and Bpifrance to accelerate the development of its AI-powered critical freight platform. Founded in 2017, the company coordinates urgent and sensitive shipments for customers in the aerospace, luxury, and medtech sectors, including fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, and Jean Paul Gaultier. The funding will support further development of Stracker360 and its AI capabilities, team expansion, and a build-up strategy to create a global network of specialist critical-freight operators across Europe and the United States. STRACKER currently employs around 25 people and is recruiting across Paris, Roissy, Bordeaux and Ho Chi Minh City. The company aims to build a European leader in time-critical freight through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/68051618240408/fret-aerien-stracker-leve-2-5-millions-d-euros-pour-fluidifier-le-transport-d-urgence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Hekat Fluidics 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Hekat Fluidics develops medical instruments capable of detecting and sorting nanoscale biological objects. Its first product, NanoSorter, isolates exosomes and other extracellular vesicles from blood samples, with potential applications in early cancer detection, treatment monitoring, virology, and bioproduction quality control. 💻 Website: [http://hekat.com/](http://hekat.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Pessac 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.4 million 🏦 Investors: Hervé Ariditty (Ixcore), Nicolas Kompalitch (Kalinka Invest), Stéphane Guinet (Kamet), Stéphane Ifker (Batigram Invest), Eric Mestre, Myriam Mestre 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Sophie Bourzeix 🗞️ News: Hekat Fluidics has raised €2.4 million from business angels and is beginning commercialization of NanoSorter, its first pre-industrial machine for sorting nanoscale biological objects. The company initially targets research laboratories working on exosomes, with around 10 sales expected in France and Europe by the end of 2027, before expanding to the US and Japan from 2028\. Hekat plans to use the funding to industrialize and automate its technology, then enter the biopharmaceutical market from 2028 and the diagnostics market from 2030\. Its longer-term ambition is to secure CE marking for medical devices and FDA approval while industrializing its proprietary microfluidic chip. The company currently employs around 10 people and is targeting €125 million in revenue and roughly 50 employees by 2035\. | [**Journal des entreprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/hekat-fluidics-demarre-la-commercialisation-de-sa-machine-pour-ameliorer-le-depistage-du-cancer-2146644?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Apolownia 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Apolownia develops high-integrity coastal ecosystem restoration projects designed to restore natural carbon sinks and regenerate biodiversity. Its model combines field operations with technologies including satellite remote sensing, geospatial analysis, drones, 3D modeling, advanced MRV, and AI to manage projects from site identification through long-term monitoring and impact measurement. 💻 Website: [https://www.apolownia.com/](https://www.apolownia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1 million 🏦 Investors: LITA, Bpifrance, business angels, individual investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Théo Derache and co-founders 🗞️ News: Apolownia has raised €1 million in its first Seed round to scale its coastal ecosystem restoration model and strengthen its scientific, technological***,*** and deployment capabilities. The company focuses on high-integrity blue carbon projects, centralizing the entire development chain from feasibility and land tenure work to biodiversity monitoring, governance, and long-term impact measurement. Its flagship BlueRizon project in Indonesia aims to restore more than 4,000 hectares of mangroves and is scheduled to officially launch in Q3 2026\. More than 3,000 people are already involved in the project, which could ultimately benefit over 100,000 people through climate resilience, erosion control, biodiversity restoration and local economic development. Apolownia aims to expand its model across mangroves, seagrass meadows, coastal peatlands and coral reefs. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/paris-based-apolownia-raises-e1-million-to-scale-coastal-restoration-and-blue-carbon-projects/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/image.png) 📇 Company: Shiplog 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, MarTech 🔍 Description: Shiplog develops an agentic customer intelligence platform designed to enable real-time, individualized personalization at scale. Its AI agent, Ada, continuously analyzes customer behavior, builds live profiles, and autonomously determines the next best action across marketing, product, onboarding, support, and customer success workflows. 💻 Website: [https://useshiplog.com/](https://useshiplog.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris, San Francisco 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €807.6k+ ($930k) 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Project Europe, Purple, No Label Ventures, 100IN, Station F Fund, angel investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Khushi Mehta, Mehdi Gribaa 🗞️ News: Founded in 2026, Shiplog has raised more than €807.6k in pre-Seed funding to develop Ada, an AI agent that evaluates customers individually and autonomously determines and executes the next best action across their lifecycle. Rather than relying on static customer segments or predefined workflows, Ada continuously updates individual customer profiles as behavior changes, creating what Shiplog calls a live “segment of one.” The platform integrates with systems including Salesforce, HubSpot, Snowflake, Shopify and Stripe and is initially targeting FinTech, cybersecurity, software and consumer companies. Based at Station F, Shiplog is rolling out its first partner pilots, expanding integrations and growing its Paris engineering team. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/paris-based-shiplog-raises-over-e807-6k-to-build-agentic-customer-intelligence-for-personalisation-at-scale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Krème 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech 🔍 Description: Krème is a French dermocosmetics brand developing science-backed skincare focused on preserving and strengthening the skin microbiome. Its Ecocert-certified organic formulations combine probiotic ferments and biotech active ingredients and are distributed through pharmacies, department stores, and direct-to-consumer channels. 💻 Website: [https://kreme-paris.com/](https://kreme-paris.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Iris Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Juliette Lailler, Marie Belile 🗞️ News: Krème has secured its first external equity investment, with Iris Ventures acquiring a minority stake in the French dermocosmetics brand. Founded in 2020, Krème has doubled its revenue every year and is now distributed through more than 3,000 pharmacies in France, as well as at Galeries Lafayette, Samaritaine, Printemps Haussmann, and on its DTC platform. The investment will support European expansion, with Spain and the UK identified as priority markets following its launch in Belgium, as well as product development and team growth. Krème also plans to enter the US over the longer term. The transaction represents the fifth investment from Iris Ventures' second €200 million fund. | [**WWD**](https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/skin-care/iris-ventures-french-pharmacy-brand-kreme-sensitive-skin-1239088237/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Reboat 🏷️ Sectors: Blue Economy, Circular Economy, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Reboat industrially refurbishes and redesigns pre-owned sailboats and catamarans, covering structural, functional, and aesthetic upgrades and offering bespoke layouts tailored to customers’ sailing needs. Its refurbished vessels are positioned as a lower-cost, lower-carbon alternative to new boats, priced 30–50% below new models, with an estimated carbon footprint reduction of up to 64%. 💻 Website: [https://reboat.com/](https://reboat.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lorient 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Seventure Partners, Business Angels, Charlotte Souleau 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Dimitri Caudrelier, Vincent Taupin 🗞️ News: Reboat has closed a new funding round led by Seventure Partners to scale its industrial approach to sailboat refurbishment. Founded in 2024, the company fully refurbishes and personalizes used vessels, providing a two-year warranty and aiming to deliver reliability and comfort comparable to new boats while extending vessel lifespans. The financing will support the expansion and optimization of its 1,000-square-meter Lorient workshop, the opening of a new Mediterranean site, recruitment across technical, quality, and sales functions, and further process standardization. Reboat aims to deliver 30 boats in 2027 and scale to around 100 annually by 2031 through direct operations and local partnerships. As part of the transaction, Seventure Partners and Charlotte Souleau will join Reboat’s leadership team. | [**Marine Business**](https://marinebusiness.news/news/reboat-closes-funding-round-for-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Essential Summer Reads #4: How France And Europe Are Mobilizing Defense Tech Startups URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/essential-summer-reads-4-how-france-and-europe-are-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T07:30:15.000Z Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles from the past year whose themes continue to resonate. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us. We first published this article on the growth of defense tech in Europe and France back [**in April 2025**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-europe-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/) "Defense tech" broadly refers to areas such as surveillance & awareness (satellites, sensors, cybersecurity etc.), decision-making (battlefield AI), freedom of operations (drones, autonomous systems etc.) and mobility and infrastructure (EVs, propulsion, space etc.). **Update, August 2026:** Since we first published this article, Europe’s Defense Tech ecosystem has moved from emerging sector to strategic priority. Venture funding has accelerated sharply: Dealroom and the NATO Innovation Fund report that European Defense, Security & Resilience startups raised a record $8.7 billion in 2025, up 55% year-on-year. Defense, Security & Resilience now accounts for 43% of European deep-tech VC, compared with 33% in 2024\. ([Nato Innovation Fund](https://www.nif.fund/news/dealroom-and-nato-innovation-fund-european-defence-security-resilience-startups-smash-record-with-8-7b-raised-in-2025/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)) The policy landscape has also shifted dramatically. The EU’s €150 billion SAFE financing instrument is now in place as part of the broader €800 billion Readiness 2030/ReArm Europe push, while France has raised its 2026 defence budget to €57.1 billion and plans to reach €76.3 billion by 2030\. New European cross-border programmes are also emerging, including a proposed €3.5–5 billion initiative covering drones and counter-drone systems. ([European Commission](https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/eu-borrower-investor-relations/safe%5Fmt?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)) The market outlook is strengthening too. Global Market Insights now estimates the global defense electronics market reached $182.5 billion in 2025 and will grow to $323.9 billion by 2035, implying a 6.1% CAGR - slightly ahead of the 5.8% growth rate it forecast when we originally published this article. Yet the fundamental question raised by this article remains: can Europe turn this unprecedented flow of capital and political will into a genuinely competitive, sovereign Defense Tech industry - and, crucially, can it do so fast enough? --- ## How France And Europe Are Mobilizing Defense Tech Startups ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-13-at-23.16.46.png) *“We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times,”* EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in March 2025, as she unveiled the EU’s [€800 billion ReArm Europe Plan.](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F25%5F793?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *“The real question is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates - and whether Europe is ready and able to act with the speed and ambition that is needed.”* The plan is to catalyze a surge in defense investments across EU member states. The message is clear: in an era marked by persistent instability - from Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine to shifting U.S. security commitments and escalating cyber threats - defense is no longer optional. For Europe, and France in particular, the challenge isn’t whether to invest in sovereign innovation, but whether they can do it swiftly enough. ### **From Taboo to Tech Frontier** With geopolitical tensions rising and sovereignty now a buzzword, Defense Tech - long taboo in a French startup culture that favored software, consumer, and climate tech - is gaining traction. According to Dealroom,in 2024, French VCs invested $773 million in defense, security, and resilience startups - a fivefold increase since 2020\. Public funding is beginning to flow, and attitudes are shifting. But is this momentum sufficient? In defense, speed isn’t just about a competitive edge; it’s a matter of national survival. [Read up on the defense tech ecosystem here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-europe-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Essential Summer Reads #3: AI Is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/essential-summer-reads-3-ai-is-making-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-and-meaner-can-french-founders-keep-up/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T07:30:03.000Z Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles from the past year whose themes continue to resonate. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us. We first published this[ **Digital Diplomats article in March 2025**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/). Co- authored by [Marjolaine Catil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Newfund](https://www.newfundcap.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Investment Director and head of its "Road to the USA" initiative, and French Tech Journal Editor, Chris O'Brien, the article explores how AI productivity gains are enabling younger startups (founded after 2022) to reach 100$ million in revenue far faster than their older counterparts, with far fewer employees - and examines the impact this shift in Silicon Valley is having on French startups. --- ## AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up? ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-11-at-15.31.28.png) **Chris O’Brien:** Marjolaine, there’s something extraordinary happening right now in Silicon Valley with the conversation around the impact of AI on startups. We’ve seen a wave of ultra-lean AI startups in Silicon Valley hitting massive revenue milestones with minimal headcount. It’s become such a thing that even a mainstream publication like [The New York Times is talking about it](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/technology/ai-silicon-valley-start-ups.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **Marjolaine Catil:** You’re right. Ultra-lean startup success is now a [meme](https://x.com/benln/status/1889388151770325427?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), with techies excitedly sharing lists that show how companies like Anysphere, a start-up that makes the coding software Cursor, [hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue in less than two years](https://www.wearefounders.uk/how-cursor-ai-hit-100m-arr-in-12-months-the-freemium-fueled-rocket-ship-taking-on-github-copilot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) with just 20 employees, and ElevenLabs, an A.I. voice start-up, [did the same with around 50 workers](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/24/elevenlabs-has-raised-a-new-round-at-3b-valuation-led-by-iconiq-growth-sources-say/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). When we look at the evolution of employees needed to reach $100M ARR, productivity gains have dramatically increased across distinct technological eras: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Graphs-RTTU-Digital-Diplomats--12-.png) In the early 2000s, what we can call “human-powered platforms” like LinkedIn needed 900 employees and Shopify required over 600 to reach $100M ARR. These companies operated with traditional license/subscription models requiring large sales teams, extensive customer support, and substantial internal IT departments. Scaling meant linear headcount growth. The 2010s with “product-led companies” brought some improvements - Slack and Algolia needed around 250 employees. The automations around the product reduced reliance on sales teams while cloud-based delivery decreased infrastructure headcount. However, scaling still required substantial personnel for more complex customer interactions. What we're witnessing with “AI-powered startups” since 2022 completely rewrites the playbook. Today's leanest AI startups have 0.2 employees per million in ARR, versus 3-7 employees just a decade ago - that's a 15-25x efficiency improvement that fundamentally transforms venture economics... [Read about how AI is making startups leaner and meaner](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Essential Summer Reads #2: Nuclear Meltdown: How NAAREA Burned Through €90 Million and Collapsed in Spectacular Fashion URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/essential-summer-reads-2-nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eur90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/ Last updated: 2026-08-07T07:30:31.000Z Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles whose themes continue to resonate today. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us. [**First published in January this year**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eu90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/)**,** this story retraces the rise and demise of Naarea, one of France's most promising nuclear startups. Founded in 2020 by veteran engineer Jean-Luc Alexandre, Naarea set out to tackle industrial decarbonization by developing compact molten salt reactors that could be deployed directly at factories, where heat accounts for around 80% of industrial energy demand. Fuelled by plutonium and uranium recovered from spent nuclear fuel, the project promised to address two of nuclear energy’s biggest challenges: reducing long-lived radioactive waste while delivering low-carbon heat and electricity where they were needed most. Backed by the French government, renowned investors and industrial giants including Dassault Systèmes and Orano, Naarea quickly became one of the flagship projects of France’s nuclear renaissance. But by early 2026, the dream had collapsed. How did one of France’s most promising deeptech companies burn through €90 million and end in spectacular fashion? Read on to find out. --- ## How NAAREA Burned Through €90 Million and Collapsed in Spectacular Fashion ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-06-at-16.41.29.png) On the morning of January 14, 2026, the employees of NAAREA arrived at work expecting salvation. After six months in judicial reorganization, the French nuclear startup had finally found a buyer. The Polish-Luxembourgish energy company Eneris was set to acquire them the very next day, preserving 108 of their 206 jobs. The nightmare, it seemed, was ending. Then came the cold shower. Hours before the scheduled court hearing, Eneris announced it was walking away. The company cited "the discovery, after the filing of its offer and at the hearing of the court, of legal, social and technological elements that had been concealed." More damning still: Eneris declared that NAAREA was "in a technological impasse on its project of a fast neutron microreactor." The accusation sent founder Jean-Luc Alexandre into a fury. "The real reason is that Eneris doesn't have the funds to carry out this operation," he stormed to reporters, insisting his buyer knew "nothing about nuclear." His protests fell on deaf ears. Within five days, Eneris, having been forced by the court to complete the acquisition anyway, filed for bankruptcy of NAAREA itself, bringing a definitive end to one of France's most ambitious bets on next-generation nuclear technology. [Check out the rise and fall of Naarea here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eu90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Essential Summer Reads #1: How Juisci Is Using AI to Save Doctors 8 Hours a Week and Fight Medical Misinformation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/essential-summer-reads-1-how-juisci-is-using-ai-to-save-doctors-8-hours-a-week-and-fight-medical-misinformation/ Last updated: 2026-08-05T07:30:42.000Z Throughout August, we’re revisiting eight long-form FTJ articles whose themes continue to resonate today. From AI and deeptech to sovereignty, cybersecurity and global scale, they explore the ideas, companies and debates shaping French Tech. We hope you enjoy revisiting them with us. [**We first published this article in September 2025\.** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) Since then, as AI reshapes how professionals access and use information, Juisci’s core mission of making scientific knowledge more accessible has become increasingly relevant. --- ## How Juisci Is Using AI to Save Doctors 8 Hours a Week and Fight Medical Misinformation [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/08/Juisci.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) When the COVID pandemic first hit, while holed up in his New York apartment, cardiologist Dr. [**David Luu**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidluu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) found himself desperately trying to keep up with the torrent of new scientific studies about the virus. Each day brought dozens of fresh papers on PubMed, many running to 15 dense pages. Luu began summarizing and posting them on Twitter, crowdsourcing insights from colleagues around the world. That experience became the seed of [**Juisci**](https://www.juisci.com/fr/a-propos?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a Paris-based startup that today helps over **200,000 healthcare professionals in 60 countries** get straight to the core of the latest medical research. The platform ingests thousands of peer-reviewed studies each week, then uses its proprietary AI to select, summarize, and recommend the most relevant findings to the user. Juisci recently announced a €5.5 million round led by Ring Capital, with Athens-based Big Pi Ventures and Bpifrance, to strengthen its R&D and expand into the U.S. market. “Cardiologists need to read about three papers a day just to stay current; oncologists, closer to six,” said CEO and co-founder [**Robin Roumengas**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-roumengas/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). “That’s not sustainable. We give them the key points, link back to the original source, and save them hours every week.” [Find out how Juisci is fighting medical misinformation](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories from recent weeks, by Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/8671a5bc?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/6fd9ce0c?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*.* So there we have it: proof that AI can make your company’s emissions go up by as much as the hyperscalers’: [+42 % in five years](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jamesmartin75%5Fsustainability-ai-quitbigai-share-7481264488315404288-K-aJ/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAB-X90BvzgQBovzuvLli%5FvQurS4maIr-f8). Or even five times more… Asked to investigate by a “global enterprise”, British sustainable IT [consultant Mark Butcher](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/markbutcher%5Fai-environmental-impact-share-7488495112872865792-qluD/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAB-X90BvzgQBovzuvLli%5FvQurS4maIr-f8) established that its scope 3 emissions rose by… 42% since it invested heavily in AI, and that’s in just **one** year (2025). For what ROI? Zero, the company told Butcher, who also established they were only using 14% of the GPU compute they were paying for. Other firms’ reactions to such news? Hold my (warmed by forest fires) beer, yet again… Whilst xAI ‘promised’, via [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/08/02/the-new-luddites-01017824?%5Fsp%5Fpass%5Fconsent=true&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), that it is starting to remove some of the planet-wrecking methane generators powering its Colossus supercomputer (it is also adding more), Meta confirmed its burgeoning love affair with similar off-grid behind-the-meter (BHM) power sources by investing in 12 new gas plants. This coincided with its exit from corporate renewable energy initiative RE100, added [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/meta-drops-out-of-a-major-clean-energy-pact-as-its-natural-gas-buildout-accelerates/?utm%5Fsource=flipboard&utm%5Fcontent=topic/sustainability). Big tech’s gas obsession is even resurrecting 90s-era climate problems: the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is letting BHM stations contribute to acid rain again, according to [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5992657-epa-data-center-power-plants-acid-rain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Plug data centers into clean electricity, replied Europe, and we’ll be fine! Charles Gorintin, co-founder & CTO of French insurance unicorn Alan, even qualified this as an “[ecological gesture](https://www.lexpress.fr/idees-et-debats/le-vrai-geste-ecologique-pour-la-france-serait-de-construire-des-data-centers-par-charles-gorintin-2P767TOLDNAXVOJ4FLFWHWMKIY/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)”, in a byline published just as his country entered its fourth heatwave in three months. Thereby ignoring AI’s countless other impacts beyond emissions, or the [hugely wasteful processes](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jamesmartin75%5Fai-resource-waste-figures-ugcPost-7489967153144680449-Uwak/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAB-X90BvzgQBovzuvLli%5FvQurS4maIr-f8) underpinning current AI production. Meanwhile, a €1.5bn data center due to be built in France’s Provence region was [stopped](https://reporterre.net/Un-projet-de-data-center-a-1-5-milliard-d-euros-suspendu-dans-la-Drome-Des-militants-font?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) after local protesters demonstrated that its planned power capacity of 40MW was an understatement… and that its owner, Sesterce, had hoped to be exempt from submitting environmental reports. Maybe elsewhere in AI, people are getting more responsible? Maybe not, considering OpenAI and Anthropic let their agents escape, then claimed it was because they’re ‘too powerful’... Or DeepMind [disbanding AlphaFold](https://thenextweb.com/news/deepmind-alphafold-team-dismantled-gemini-anthropic?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the most useful thing to happen in AI in years (it won a Nobel Chemistry Prize). Or the fact that some women have taken to [playing Disney music](https://mashable.com/life/disney-music-meta-smart-glasses?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) when near men wearing Meta smart glasses, as the latter’s IP-detecting AI will shut them down. Leading to the not-unfair conclusion that [Disney music is better protected than women](https://x.com/heavensbvnny/status/2080845055443816885?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2080845055443816885%7Ctwgr%5Eaf1070d441aa65311c90cf1c59f57ce474444b54%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Flife%2Fdisney-music-meta-smart-glasses&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in such a context… No, this summer’s ray of hope comes from China, which has banned AI “companion” chatbots for minors, and prohibited any chatbot designed to “induce emotional dependence”, according to [Gizmodo](https://gizmodo.com/chinas-war-on-lying-flat-comes-for-companion-chatbots-2000785922?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). This bold move confirmed intentions, already stated in [late 2025](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/china-drafts-worlds-strictest-rules-to-end-ai-encouraged-suicide-violence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), to demand immediate human intervention whenever a bot mentions “suicide”. Call me naïve, but why can’t that apply worldwide? --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Nanobiotix’s $6 Billion Physics Bet URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-nanobiotixs-6-billion-physics-bet/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T08:03:11.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Can physics transform cancer treatment and also generate $6 billion in annual sales? **Nanobiotix CEO Laurent Lévy** believes so. In an exclusive interview, he explains why the company’s physics-based approach could underpin a new class of medicines, while its lead therapy, partnered with Johnson & Johnson, could soon generate $6 billion in annual sales. [**Read all about it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nanobiotix-physics-nanoparticles-cancer-treatment/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk **🚀💸 The Exploration Company** is in advanced talks to raise roughly $350 million in a round co-led by **Atomico** and **Bessemer Venture Partners**, valuing the Franco-German space startup at around $2 billion. Founded by former Airbus executive Hélène Huby, the company is developing reusable capsules to carry cargo (and eventually humans) to space stations and the Moon. EQT’s new €5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund could also join the round, although negotiations are ongoing and nothing has been signed. The fundraising comes as Europe scrambles to build sovereign space champions after another reminder that Elon Musk has a rather substantial head start. TEC, meanwhile, is hedging its geopolitical bets with a new US entity and laboratory in Houston. | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/f91661b4-5d1d-4da0-b00d-88c1bc4fe5b0?shareType=nongift&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/the-exploration-company-valuation-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🇫🇷✈️ AB Tasty’s code is heading east.** Six months after merging with Indian rival VWO, the French A/B testing pioneer is preparing to cut **78 jobs** in France, including its entire engineering team, as R&D is consolidated in India around a single platform. The company says it’s about eliminating duplication and staying competitive in the AI era, while unions argue the move was already planned before the merger. France will keep the customer-facing teams - but the technology that made AB Tasty one of the country’s SaaS success stories will now largely be built elsewhere. Another reminder that in global software, scale often comes with a new postcode. | [**Les Echos,**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-apres-sa-fusion-avec-son-concurrent-ab-tasty-delocalise-sa-tech-en-inde-2244981?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/29/ab-tasty-plan-social-en-france-pres-de-80-postes-supprimes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🎙️💰 Guillaume Pley’s Legend is now a €72m media company.** Belgian family office **FG Bros** has acquired a roughly 25% stake in the interview platform through a secondary sale valuing the business at **€72 million**. Founded just three years ago, *Legend* reportedly generates around **€10m in annual revenue** and **€3.8m in net profit**, with a business model spanning YouTube advertising, sponsorships and premium branded interviews. The valuation also highlights a key challenge for creator-led businesses: how much of the company’s value is attributable to the brand, and how much to Guillaume Pley himself? | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/29/le-media-legend-en-negociations-pour-faire-entrer-un-nouvel-investisseur-a-son-capital/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👮 The **Élysée** summoned representatives from **TikTok**, **X, YouTube, Snapchat, Roblox** and other major platforms to explain how they plan to enforce France’s forthcoming social-media ban for children under 15\. The companies protested that the September 1 deadline is wildly unrealistic, apparently discovering that governments can also ship policies before the product is ready. Paris is threatening to refer non-compliant platforms to the European Commission, raising the prospect of yet another Brussels showdown over Big Tech. Meanwhile, **Starlink** reportedly offered to assist French authorities during the wildfires, an overture that was declined. | [**Politico**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/oc%C3%A9ane-herrero-b61bb9124%5Fcoup-de-pression-au-palais-hier-lelys%C3%A9e-activity-7488175006275805186-w%5FLY?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) **🦄 💸 France’s most active startup backers aren’t VCs anymore.** Dealroom’s H1 rankings show **Bpifrance** and **Kima Ventures** still leading the pack, but only \*\*one traditional VC fund—Daphni—\*\*makes the top six. Instead, operators like **Drysdale**, creator funds such as **Blast**, and accelerator **Y Combinator** are increasingly shaping France’s earliest funding rounds. The message? Founders are getting their first cheques from a much broader cast of investors than just VC firms. | [**Dealroom**](https://dealroom.co/resources/most-active-vc-investors-france-h1-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/most-active-vc-investors-france-h1-2026-1-.png) 💰💪 ...Speaking of **Kima**...The Family Office released a 2026 H1 update disclosing that it had backed 97 startups in the first 6 months of 2026, deploying more than €10 million at an average of €130,000 per deal. AI, deeptech and health led the portfolio with 14, 14 and 11 investments respectively, while consumer startups also accounted for 11 deals. Seventy percent of the companies were based in France or elsewhere in Europe, with the remaining 30% in the US, including 11 Y Combinator startups. Kima also backed 10 companies from Station F’s F/ai program and brought more than 500 founders together through its events. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robertalexis%5Fkima-h1-2026-activity-7485589589831741440-0W7%5F?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) 🤑👼...Speaking of Angels...A new ranking placed famed Business Angel Frenchie [**Fabrice Grinda**](https://fabricegrinda.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at No. 2 on a global list, sandwiched between a couple of relative unknown up-and-comers. His website notes that he's [**backed 1,321 startups**](https://fabricegrinda.com/portfolio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). So far. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fabricegrinda%5Fwho-is-this-bezos-guy-anyway-share-7485331708481826818-T1Gc/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/1784642148946.jpeg) **🛠️📈 Hexa taps Virtuo co-founder to revive stalled SaaS startups.** After nearly a decade building car rental startup **Virtuo**, Thibault Chassagne has joined **Hexa Scale** as a Partner. The program invests **€5m-€20m** in B2B SaaS companies that have hit a growth ceiling, pairing capital with hands-on operational support and an AI-first transformation strategy. Chassagne joins a growing bench of former founders at Hexa, alongside entrepreneurs from **Selency**, **Luko** and **Cowboy**, as the startup studio expands beyond company creation into company reinvention. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/30/le-co-fondateur-de-virtuo-rejoint-hexa-pour-aider-des-startups-saas-a-briser-leur-plafond-de-verre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ♻️🏢 Paris-based real estate sustainability platform **Deepki** has acquired London startup **Camion**, adding agentic AI tools for planning electrification investments to its growing data empire. Camion’s technology combines demand forecasts, tariffs, and grid data to help property owners decide where solar panels, energy storage, and charging infrastructure will deliver the best returns. Deepki claims the combined platform could increase a site’s net operating income by 40% and make underwriting new energy assets 90% faster. The deal gives Camion access to Deepki’s data covering more than 500,000 assets and a customer base of major institutional investors. It is Deepki’s fourth acquisition and its second this year, following the purchase of energy-management company Sobre Energie. | [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/deepki-acquires-real-estate-electrification-ai-startup-camion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚧💽 France could attract €210 billion in data-center investment by 2035 as it seeks to secure a place in the global AI infrastructure race, according to the **economic consultancy Rexecode**. The catch is that only around 30% of the resulting value would remain in France, since much of the hardware comes from American and Asian suppliers, while the highly automated facilities produce relatively few permanent jobs. France has plenty going for it, including abundant low-carbon nuclear power, domestic players such as OVHcloud and Scaleway, and a thriving AI ecosystem. But grid bottlenecks and local opposition over land, water and electricity are mounting. The country currently hosts roughly 350 data centers, yet remains behind the UK, Germany and the Netherlands and is still largely a “passive host” for foreign operators. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/07/25/ia-la-france-tente-de-rester-dans-la-course-mondiale-aux-data-centers%5F6731684%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Nanobiotix’s Laurent Lévy: "We’re creating a new class of medicines and a potential $6bn blockbuster." [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/LaurentLevy-2.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nanobiotix-physics-nanoparticles-cancer-treatment/) For most biotech companies, the challenge is biological: discovering a new molecule capable of changing the course of disease. Nanobiotix's founders believe that in some cases the answer is physics, not biology. That conviction has shaped the Paris-based company for more than twenty years. Its lead product, NBTXR3, is now in late-stage clinical development under a global licensing agreement with Johnson & Johnson, with a launch targeted for Q1 2027\. Co-founder and CEO Laurent Lévy expects that Nanobiotix could earn up to $1 billion in royalties. Beyond its lead program, the company is applying the same physics-based approach to build two additional platforms. Nanoprimer is designed to improve the delivery of complex therapies such as RNA medicines and gene therapies. Oocuity, an early-stage neuroscience program, is exploring whether nanoparticles could one day restore communication between neurons damaged by disease. For Lévy, all three programs rest on the same principle. "Biology varies enormously from one patient to another," he said. "It's incredibly complex, so it's easy to make mistakes. But the rules of physics apply to everyone." [Check out Nanobiotix's treatment-changing trajectory](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nanobiotix-physics-nanoparticles-cancer-treatment/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Eurodia 🏷️ Sectors: DeepTech, CleanTech 🔍 Description: Designs and installs eco-efficient industrial systems for extracting, purifying, and recovering components from complex liquids. Its technologies include electrodialysis, membrane filtration, chromatography, adsorption, and ion-exchange resins, with applications spanning lithium extraction and refining, critical-metals recycling, process decarbonization, and food production. 💻 Website: [https://eurodia.com](https://eurodia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Pertuis 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €18 million 🏦 Investors: Starquest Capital, Yotta Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Bernard Gillery 🗞️ News: Starquest Capital and Yotta Capital Partners have acquired minority stakes in Eurodia to support its international expansion and larger industrial projects. Founded in 1988, the company has deployed more than 450 installations across 50 countries and generates over 80% of its business internationally. Revenue increased from €34 million in 2023 to €80 million in 2025\. | [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/eurodia-raises-20-million-to-scale-up-industrial-decarbonization-solutions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Neverhack 🏷️ Sectors: Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Provides cybersecurity services covering consulting, managed security, training, incident response, and sovereign AI infrastructure. The group employs more than 1,200 people across 12 countries and reports €220 million in annual revenue. 💻 Website: [https://neverhack.com](https://neverhack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Guyancourt 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €11 million 🏦 Investors: Carlyle, IK Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arthur Bataille 🗞️ News: Existing shareholders Carlyle and IK Partners completed the investment on June 10, 2026\. NEVERHACK will use the capital to develop its sovereign cybersecurity AI offering, deploy trusted infrastructure and GPU capacity in France, Italy, and Estonia, and strengthen its technical and commercial teams. The company also appointed founder Arthur Bataille as Executive Chairman and Frédéric Sarrailh as CEO. | [**Alliancy**](https://alliancy.fr/neverhack-11-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sur-lia-et-la-cybersecurite-souveraines-2a38bb4f-cfef-46e2-9afa-df26aa5fff6b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Nanobiotix’s Laurent Lévy: “We’re creating a new class of medicines and a potential $6bn blockbuster." URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nanobiotix-physics-nanoparticles-cancer-treatment/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T07:05:17.000Z For most biotech companies, the challenge is biological: discovering a new molecule capable of changing the course of disease. Nanobiotix's founders believe that in some cases the answer is physics, not biology. That conviction has shaped the Paris-based company for more than twenty years. Its lead product, NBTXR3, is now in late-stage clinical development under a global licensing agreement with Johnson & Johnson, with a launch targeted for Q1 2027\. Co-founder and CEO Laurent Lévy expects that Nanobiotix could earn up to $1 billion in royalties. Beyond its lead program, the company is applying the same physics-based approach to build two additional platforms. Nanoprimer is designed to improve the delivery of complex therapies such as RNA medicines and gene therapies. Oocuity, an early-stage neuroscience program, is exploring whether nanoparticles could one day restore communication between neurons damaged by disease. For Lévy, all three programs rest on the same principle. "Biology varies enormously from one patient to another," he said. "It's incredibly complex, so it's easy to make mistakes. But the rules of physics apply to everyone." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/LaurentLevy-1.jpg) Laurent Levy, Co-founder & CEO, Nanobiotix ## **A company built around physics** Lévy's interest in nanotechnology dates back more than 30 years. During his PhD in nanophysics, he became fascinated by what might happen if nanoscale physical objects could interact with biological systems. Nanomedicine has become an increasingly active field, but most companies use nanoparticles as delivery vehicles to transport drugs to their targets. Nanobiotix took a different route. "We do everything through physics," said Lévy. "We create nano-objects that produce a physical effect at the biological scale." The company engineers nanoparticles that modify how physical energy behaves inside the body, rather than designing molecules to alter biological pathways. That principle underpins all three of its technology platforms, spanning oncology, drug delivery, and neurological disorders. "We believe we're creating a completely new class of medicines," he said. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-30-at-16.47.26.png) source: Nanobiotix ## **Making radiotherapy work harder** The first test of that approach is NBTXR3, now known within Johnson & Johnson's portfolio as JNJ-1900. The treatment consists of crystalline hafnium oxide nanoparticles injected directly into a tumor before a patient receives radiotherapy. Hafnium is an exceptionally efficient absorber of X-rays. When exposed to radiation, the nanoparticles amplify the energy deposited within tumor cells, increasing the local impact of the treatment without increasing the radiation dose delivered to surrounding healthy tissue. "The particle is injected directly into the tumor, where it stays," Lévy explained. "It only switches 'on' when it receives X-rays." Nanobiotix is not changing the radiotherapy equipment or increasing radiation doses. It is trying to make every X-ray more effective where it is most needed. The treatment has been evaluated across multiple tumor types, including head and neck, lung, pancreatic, liver and oesophageal cancers. The company's pivotal Phase III program in locally advanced head and neck cancer produced positive results, the furthest its technology has been tested. Additional studies continue in other cancers, with further clinical milestones expected over the coming year. Around 60% of cancer patients receive radiotherapy during the course of their treatment, making it one of oncology's most widely used therapies. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-30-at-16.46.04.png) ## **Why Johnson & Johnson matters** For a company that spent more than twenty years developing its technology, the global licensing agreement with Johnson & Johnson was the turning point. The deal gives J&J responsibility for late-stage development, regulatory approvals and worldwide commercialization of the treatment. For Nanobiotix, it changes the business model. Instead of building its own global commercial organization, the company can focus on developing its technology while collecting milestone payments and future royalties if the product reaches the market. The agreement includes the potential for billions of dollars in development and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on future sales. "We estimate that sales will generate around $6 billion, with circa $1 billion in royalties for Nanobiotix," Lévy said. He insists the biggest prize is not financial. "The most important thing," he said, "is the validation of this entirely new approach." J&J's global footprint also played a decisive role in the partnership. "They have the ability to bring this product to hospitals around the world," Lévy said. "That was one of the reasons we chose them." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-30-at-16.45.22.png) ## **Becoming a platform company** NBTXR3 remains Nanobiotix's flagship program, but Lévy increasingly describes it as the first validation of a broader scientific platform. Its second technology, Nanoprimer, addresses a challenge facing many of today's most advanced medicines. RNA therapies, gene therapies, and lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based treatments are often cleared by the liver before reaching their intended targets, limiting their effectiveness and sometimes increasing toxicity. Nanoprimer is designed to temporarily occupy the liver's natural clearance pathways, allowing more of these therapies to circulate through the body and reach diseased tissues. It is intended to enhance existing medicines, not replace them. The platform is still preclinical, but Nanobiotix is already working with pharmaceutical companies to evaluate its potential across oncology, rare diseases, and other therapeutic areas. "We're pursuing both partnerships with industry and our own internal pipeline," Lévy said. If it works, Nanoprimer could expand Nanobiotix's business beyond oncology, turning it into a platform company capable of supporting multiple classes of complex therapeutics. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-30-at-16.45.10.png) ## **Looking beyond cancer** The company's third research platform is at an earlier stage. Researchers are investigating nanoparticles designed to modulate electrical communication between neurons, with possible applications in neurological disorders in which these signals are impaired. Animal studies are underway, though the program is still years away from clinical development. All three platforms share the same idea: engineered nanoparticles are the therapy, not the container for one. ## **France, America and building a global biotech** Like many European biotech founders, Lévy has built Nanobiotix across both sides of the Atlantic. The company listed on Euronext Paris in 2012 before joining Nasdaq in 2020, giving it access to a much broader pool of specialist healthcare investors. Its latest oversubscribed €85 million financing, completed earlier this year, was supported by existing shareholders, including Qatar Holding LLC and Invus, as well as other healthcare specialists and new, unnamed US investors. It extends the company's runway into 2029 and allows it to advance its own platforms independently of future milestone payments from Johnson & Johnson. For Lévy, success in biotech has never been about choosing between Europe and the United States. "The US remains the world's biggest healthcare market," he said. "It would be suicidal not to be there." Europe retains important advantages. Clinical trial recruitment can sometimes be faster, he argues, and companies frequently benefit from greater long-term employee loyalty than in the US. "People stay with us for many years," he said. "That stability has been incredibly valuable." Europe's biggest limitation, he believes, is psychological rather than scientific. "We often see the glass as half empty," he said. "We're too afraid of risk." His own company, he argues, demonstrates that breakthrough innovation need not originate in Silicon Valley or Boston. "We started in France, in our own laboratory, with our own technology," he said. More than twenty years later, with a first commercial product approaching and two more platforms behind it, Nanobiotix is no longer just betting that nanoparticles can improve cancer treatment. It is betting that physics can be a drug. ### 🤖 La Machine #87: Lessons for Europe From Cathay Innovation's Moonshot AI Bet URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-87-lessons-for-europe-from-cathay-innovations-moonshot-ai-bet/ Last updated: 2026-07-29T06:00:19.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 🧠 Cathay Innovation’s Denis Barrier explains why Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 is an open-source “Sputnik moment,” what it reveals about AI’s accelerating economics, and why Europe needs less self-promotion and more relentless focus.[**Read the full interview.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/moonshot-ai-kimi-k3-denis-barrier-europe-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **The US AI industry is splitting over Chinese models.** While OpenAI and Anthropic are lobbying Washington to restrict Chinese AI systems, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, Meta and others have united to defend open-source AI. Their argument: America’s AI leadership depends on an open ecosystem, not just a handful of proprietary frontier models.| [**Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/openai-et-anthropic-veulent-eliminer-leurs-concurrents-le-debat-sur-les-dangers-de-l-ia-chinoise-vire-a-la-bataille-rangee-entre-geants-americains-de-la-tech-20260727?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France is doubling down on AI sovereignty.** Clara Chappaz will join the Élysée on 1 August as Emmanuel Macron’s adviser on AI, digital and attractiveness. Speaking to *Les Echos*, she also called for Europe to accelerate the development of home-grown AI alternatives to compete with the US and China.|[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/clara-chappaz-devient-conseillere-demmanuel-macron-2244118?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Orange and infrastructure investor Morrison have announced a major joint venture to build a massive data center platform in France.** With a €3 billion investment program, the 50-50 venture aims to boost capacity by 400 megawatts to satisfy the surging demand for artificial intelligence and cloud services. That's nearly ten times Orange's current levels. The new entity will leverage Orange's five existing French data centers alongside Morrison's equity funding to establish a cornerstone of European sovereign digital infrastructure. The companies expect to sign the deal by the end of 2026, with a target closure date in early 2027\. | [**Reuters**](https://live.euronext.com/en/financial-news/orange-morrison-plan-french-data-centre-venture-meet-ai-demand?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The French "Trust Gap" in Autonomous Vehicles**. While the automotive industry races toward an AI-driven future, the 2026 Ipsos Global Mobility Report reveals that French consumers remain notably skeptical. With only 18% of French respondents expressing trust in autonomous vehicles, France ranks among the most cautious markets globally, far behind enthusiastic adopters in countries like Thailand and India. This hesitation suggests that "technology fatigue" and deep-seated concerns over control are creating a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of AI-enabled cars. As manufacturers continue to integrate sophisticated sensors and algorithms, the data indicates that they must work much harder to prove these systems are reliable partners rather than just complex distractions. For French drivers, the steering wheel remains a powerful symbol of freedom that they aren't quite ready to hand over to an algorithm. | [**Ipsos**](https://www.ipsos.com/en/your-next-car-might-drive-better-you-perception-ai-automobiles?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ A dispute is brewing in **Brussels** as **France** leads a push to restrict the UK’s participation in the European Union’s ambitious €5 billion **Scaleup Europe Fund**. While there was initial talk of "mutual interest" in including British companies to bolster Europe’s tech competitiveness, Paris is now requesting more details about the conditions of the UK's participation. It remains unclear how much of the dustup is simply anonymous backchannel attempts to gain leverage, and how serious the "dispute" really is. Still, this standoff highlights the delicate balance of post-Brexit negotiations, with some EU states worried that striking side deals with the UK could undercut their own leverage before a crucial autumn summit. The controversy could put the fund’s commercial independence to its first real test before a single euro has even been invested. | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/c9b1bdd5-a994-4a4a-b462-89aa486c2508?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Recycling is getting an upgrade in France, thanks to a high-tech partnership at the **Firminy** sorting facility. The center has integrated advanced AI-powered optical sorting systems, including Pellenc ST’s CNS BRAIN artificial intelligence technology and 13 Mistral+ CONNECT optical sorters. By training this neural network on millions of images, the system can now identify packaging materials even when they are dirty or obscured by labels. | [**Let's Recycle**](https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/pellenc-st-upgrades-french-sorting-centre-with-ai-technology/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French defense tech company **Alta Ares** will invest €10 million to expand its Ukrainian operations. That's one-fifth of its recent €50 million funding round. The company plans to triple its local engineering team from around 20 people by the end of 2026 while increasing production of interceptor drones. Its guidance software is already used by roughly 10 Ukrainian drone manufacturers, a customer base it expects to double by year-end. Alta Ares is also working on confidential projects with Fire Point and plans to establish several joint ventures with Ukrainian manufacturers. | [**The Defender**](https://thedefender.media/en/2026/07/alta-ares-invests-10m-in-ukraine/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**The Defender**](https://thedefender.media/en/insights/hadrien-canter-interview/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **As AI chatbots replace search, Wikipedia is rethinking its future.** Speaking at Wikimania in Paris, Wikimedia leaders warned that fewer visitors could ultimately mean fewer contributors and donations - even as AI companies rely heavily on Wikipedia to train their models. The organization is adapting through new licensing deals with firms including Mistral AI, Meta and Microsoft, while exploring how AI can support, rather than replace, human editors.|[**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/07/23/le-modele-de-wikipedia-menace-par-l-ia%5F6731138%5F4408996.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Who should be liable when AI agents break the rules?** A new *Le Monde* op-ed argues that the real challenge isn’t AI developing malicious intent, but autonomous systems taking actions without being legal subjects. As AI agents become more capable, the author says the focus should shift from teaching models ethics to embedding legal safeguards, auditability and human oversight into their design.| [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2026/07/27/ia-la-veritable-rupture-c-est-l-apparition-d-une-puissance-capable-d-agir-sans-etre-un-sujet-de-droit%5F6734211%5F3232.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 Cathay Innovation’s Kimi Bet: The Paris VC That Waited Three Years To Back China’s Open-Source Champion [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-12.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/moonshot-ai-kimi-k3-denis-barrier-europe-ai/) When I caught up with Denis Barrier last week, the Moonshot AI frenzy was entering its umpteenth news cycle, and the co-founder and CEO of Cathay Innovation sounded like a man enjoying being right. The Paris-based firm announced its investment in Moonshot AI, the Beijing lab behind the Kimi models, a few weeks ago. After that came the release that turned a smart bet into a global talking point: K3, the model Moonshot had promised would match the best closed-source systems. “Kimi was telling us, ‘K3 will be practically on par,’” Barrier said. “They said, ‘We release in Q3.’ And in fact, they were really on par.” The reaction was instant and loud. And in a blink, it seemed to turn the global discourse around AI, the Big Model labs, and open source on its head. “I was extremely surprised, because it was such a boom,” he said. “Kimi became the hottest company in the world of AI...It was like a Sputnik moment.” For Cathay, the deal is a good advertisement for the firm’s distinct geography. It is headquartered in Paris, was co-founded with Chinese investor Mingpo Cai, runs teams across Europe, the US, and China, and closed the largest AI-dedicated fund to emerge from the European Union at $1 billion last year. Barrier spends much of his time in San Francisco. That triangulation, he argues, is what let Cathay see Kimi coming when most Western investors couldn’t. [Go Inside Cathay's Moonshot AI Investment -->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/moonshot-ai-kimi-k3-denis-barrier-europe-ai/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Cathay Innovation’s Kimi Bet: The Paris VC That Waited Three Years To Back China’s Open-Source Champion URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/moonshot-ai-kimi-k3-denis-barrier-europe-ai/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T22:53:15.000Z When I caught up with Denis Barrier last week, the Moonshot AI frenzy was entering its umpteenth news cycle, and the co-founder and CEO of Cathay Innovation sounded like a man enjoying being right. The Paris-based firm announced its investment in Moonshot AI, the Beijing lab behind the Kimi models, a few weeks ago. After that came the release that turned a smart bet into a global talking point: K3, the model Moonshot had promised would match the best closed-source systems. “Kimi was telling us, ‘K3 will be practically on par,’” Barrier said. “They said, ‘We release in Q3.’ And in fact, they were really on par.” The reaction was instant and loud. And in a blink, it seemed to turn the global discourse around AI, the Big Model labs, and open source on its head. “I was extremely surprised, because it was such a boom,” he said. “Kimi became the hottest company in the world of AI...It was like a Sputnik moment.” For Cathay, the deal is a good advertisement for the firm’s distinct geography. It is headquartered in Paris, was co-founded with Chinese investor Mingpo Cai, runs teams across Europe, the US, and China, and closed the largest AI-dedicated fund to emerge from the European Union at $1 billion last year. Barrier spends much of his time in San Francisco. That triangulation, he argues, is what let Cathay see Kimi coming when most Western investors couldn’t. ## The Long Wait The firm’s history with Moonshot goes back to the company’s seed round in 2023, through an investor with close ties to the founding team. But knowing them early didn’t mean investing early. Barrier is blunt about why Cathay sat out the first wave of the LLM gold rush, in China or anywhere else. “We are very present in China. When we started to do AI, we were in China to look at every company,” he said. “We saw a ton of companies coming. But sometimes in Europe, for the same thing, you have 10 companies. In China, you have 100.” Writing checks into that crowd would have meant betting on everything and praying. Instead, Cathay tracked Moonshot’s releases and research for three years, waiting for evidence of separation. “We followed them, and we saw improving, improving,” Barrier said. “We had the feeling that technically it was really there. We invested because we believed it was the right moment. Those people will be leaders. People don’t know it, but we know they are the right ones.” What tipped the balance was K2.5, released in January. [**According to Cathay’s own account of the deal**](https://cathayinnovation.com/behind-the-term-sheet-moonshot-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), its investment committee needed ten minutes to reach a unanimous decision, and the firm has since added a second and third tranche. Bloomberg has reported Moonshot’s latest round values the company at nearly $20 billion. “We enjoyed K2.5 very much, which was already close, but five times less expensive,” Barrier said. “We know architecture, so we were really impressed. We believed this brings really a solution, not only for this Chinese company, but for everybody.” ## The Black Box Rebellion The “for everybody” part is the thesis. In Barrier’s telling, the AI market of early 2026 was drifting toward a familiar and uncomfortable place: a handful of closed-model providers charging whatever the market would bear, while enterprise customers blew through annual AI budgets in months. “It’s like somebody says, ‘Here is my black box. You pay like crazy,’” Barrier said. “People say, ‘I cannot use AI.’” The anxiety wasn’t limited to price, and it wasn’t limited to Europe. “Clearly, people were thinking that AI is going to be owned by a few moguls, and they will do whatever they want with you,” he said. He reaches for a company from Cathay’s own history to explain the alternative. One of the firm’s biggest early wins was Pinduoduo, the Chinese e-commerce giant built on group buying. “Remember Pinduoduo: social commerce for everybody,” he said. “Why not an AI company for everybody? Finally, that’s what worked the best for us.” Skeptics of Chinese open-source models have argued they would never be adopted in the American market. Barrier’s rebuttal is usage data. “If you see OpenRouter, there are six times more Chinese tokens processed than US tokens,” he said. “Why? Because in the US, they use it a lot.” ## Ten Times Faster ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-11-1.png) The Kimi conviction sits on top of a wider one: that AI has already answered the question that dogged Cathay’s Fund III when it launched. Back then, Barrier recalls, the objections were all about business models. Where’s the revenue? Where are the SaaS metrics? Three years into the fund’s investment period, he has his answer. “In our portfolio, if we take the aggregated pure AI, the growth is more than a multiple of 10,” he said. “With SaaS, you would say, ‘Wow, if I add 50%, I’m good.’ Here it’s 1,000% growth for our portfolio in pure AI. AI as a business model is working. We see the growth.” The catch: “When it works, it’s growing 10 times faster than it used to grow before.” He has little patience for investors still relitigating the question. “For the one who is wondering if AI is working, if there is IRR, I would suggest to hurry up and to move forward,” he said. He does see risk in the trillion-dollar infrastructure buildout. He locates it differently than the bubble-callers do. Demand, he insists, is not the problem. “If you look at Nvidia and the others, they are practically full on bookings in the next three years,” he said. The danger is congestion. There are too many players racing to build in the same places at the same time, with power, land, and construction timelines that can slip by years. “I think the problem may come in three, five years,” he said, for players whose balance sheets can’t absorb operational delays. His historical reference point is the arrival of electricity, which took decades of false starts to transform industry. By comparison, he said, “here, in fact, was the fastest ramp-up ever. It works much faster than anything before.” “When we spoke last time, 18 months ago, I was much more worried,” he said. “Now I am very, very optimistic.” His advice to those whiplashed by the daily discourse is disarmingly, well, French: “People are on their phone, reacting to headlines. Maybe they forget to go \[to the countryside\] and sit and think.” ## The Lesson In The Basement Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Barrier about lessons Kimi might offer for French and European startups and investors. Barrier had recently published an extended op-ed in the European Business Review under the headline: [***Transforming Innovation Into the Next Big Thing: Europe Has the Ingredients. Not the Recipe."***](https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/transforming-innovation-into-the-next-big-thing-europe-has-the-ingredients-not-the-recipe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The diagnosis goes like this: Europe has the capital and the research but lacks the architecture to turn them into industrial transformation. His model is *planification*, the state-coordinated planning under President Pompidou that produced the TGV and a nuclear base still supplying more than 70 percent of France's electricity. The prescriptions are specific. Shift corporate innovation spending from a 90/10 split favoring internal R&D toward 50/50 with startups and outside research. Build the data centers and energy capacity that AI will demand within five to seven years. Use public procurement to buy European where European exists. And replace what he calls "copy-paste" American venture capital with "strategic venture" sponsored by industry and the state, aimed at transforming specific sectors. The window is open, he warns in the essay's final line, and it won't stay that way for long. Beyond that, Barrier told me he thinks Europe needs to reframe its pursuit of sovereignty differently. Waiting for a homegrown closed frontier lab is a fantasy while refusing everything foreign is self-harm. “The only way to have a sovereign AI is: you have your own data center, you use a lot of open source, and you do your own AI,” he said. “You master things...Cutting-edge open source is necessary for Europe’s sovereignty.” That doesn’t mean picking a side in the US-China model war. “Europe really has a card to play,” he said. “They should not use only US models. They should use both and do their own soup.” Cathay is already playing matchmaker. After closing the investment, the firm brought Moonshot’s president to Paris during the Raise Summit for a tour of meetings. “We saw a lot of industry leaders, to introduce what they do and what they could do,” Barrier said. “These leaders were pretty keen to say, ‘OK, we start to think this is a good idea.’” Then there’s the cultural lesson from Moonshot, which succeeded not by outspending the American labs. It grew from 150 people to 400 in a matter of months, and its founder, Zhilin Yang, is not doing the conference circuit. “Where is the founder of Moonshot? In the cellar,” Barrier said. “If you want to meet somebody like me who has money, if you want TV, if you want to speak with Chris: ‘I have no time for that.’ The only thing is, it’s open for everybody in the company who wants to run the algorithm better. You arrive, you’re just an intern, you have a tech problem? You can go see him.” Compare that with certain tech figures. “Go in France, go somewhere. Look where our people are: look at them on the blog, look at them doing selfies, look at them on TV.” When I joked that Yang presumably won’t be spending August on the beach in Nice, Barrier didn’t laugh. “You just focus every day, every day, every hour, doing the best model,” he said. He doesn’t think this is a uniquely Chinese trait. He thinks France used to have it. “When France did the TGV, Concorde, nuclear, they were just on their mission,” he said. “It’s not about the capital. It’s a question of focus: what you decide to do, what are your priorities, and what you want to really achieve.” And if Europe rediscovers that? “We can do Moonshot AI in Europe,” he said. “Period.” ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire July 27: Drysdale Soars; Arrakis Technologies €25.8M Led 7 Deals For €77.3M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-27-drysdale-soars-arrakis-technologies-eur25-8m-led-7-deals-for-eur77-3m/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T08:29:45.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Drysdale Zooms To #3 [Dealroom's ranking of the most active investors in French](https://dealroom.co/resources/most-active-vc-investors-france-h1-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) startups during H1 2026 shows **Bpifrance** and **Kima Venture**s leading. Of course, of course. But the big surprise is that the recently launched [**Drysdale Ventures**](https://www.drysdale.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has already reached third place in terms of deal volume. [**As Dealroom COO Matthieu Demolin wrote on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7483414135590932481-hzMg?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI): "The 3rd most active venture investor in France didn't exist 18 months ago." [**Nicolas Essayan**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasessayan/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is the man behind the Pre-Seed fund, which came out of the gate in 2025 as an oversubscribed €34 million first fund. It has since backed 45 companies, including **Gradium, ZML,** and **AMI Labs**. A four-time co-founder, he brings 18 years of experience across venture capital, private equity and M&A, with previous roles at Motier Ventures, Apax and Morgan Stanley. The top five also include **Blast Club** and **Y Combinator**, highlighting how angel funds, investment clubs, and international accelerators are increasingly challenging established French VC firms on deal volume. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/most-active-vc-investors-france-h1-2026.png) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/France-AI-Radar-Card.png)](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Introducing: France AI Radar.** **Discover the next generation of French AI startups before the market.* We detect AI startups across France at their earliest signal: when they are incorporated, still in stealth, or just beginning to leave a public trace. Structured intelligence built from administrative filings, founder activity, and ecosystem signals, designed for VCs, corporate strategists, and LPs. [Explore the Radar ](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: July 24 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/ftfw-top-deals-july-17.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/ftfw-july-17.jpg) --- 📇 **Company:** Arrakis Technologies 🏷️ **Sectors:** SaaS, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** Arrakis Technologies helps industrial companies design, deploy, and scale custom AI agents across core operational workflows. Its model-agnostic platform combines forward-deployed engineers with applied AI research tailored to sectors including aerospace, energy, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and telecommunications. 💻 **Website**: [http://arrakistechnologies.ai/](http://arrakistechnologies.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** London, Paris, New York City 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $30 million, bringing total funding to $38 million 🏦 **Investors:** Blossom Capital, Accel, GFC, MainObject, Rerail, Olivier Pomel, Olivier Godement, Junaid Hussain, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rafael Fernandez-Quintanilla Loeillet-Rouzier (London), Haroun Beltaifa (Paris), Romain Fouilland (Paris), Mikhail Galkov (Germany) 🗞️ **News:** Arrakis Technologies has emerged from stealth with a $30 million Series A led by Blossom Capital, just six months after its founding, bringing total funding to $38 million. The company embeds engineers with industrial customers and uses a model-agnostic platform to deploy AI agents into procurement, logistics and other operational systems without replacing existing software. Arrakis says it has already signed customers including NYSE-listed companies across the energy, logistics and industrial sectors, with one customer reducing procurement cycle times by 90%. The funding will support a tripling of headcount, further platform and security development, and the opening of offices in New York and the Middle East. Founded in January 2026, the company is positioning itself as a fast-deployment alternative for industrial groups seeking measurable AI outcomes while retaining control of their data and intellectual property. | [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2026/07/22/arrakis-a-startup-betting-ais-biggest-payoff-is-in-industrial-sectors-not-office-work-emerges-from-stealth-with-38-million-in-venture-funding/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2026/07/22/openai-and-datadog-leaders-back-ai-deployment-startup-arrakis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Ascendance Flight Technologies 🏷️ **Sectors:** Aerospace, CleanTech 🔍 **Description:** Ascendance Flight Technologies develops hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed to provide a more environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and efficient alternative for regional air mobility. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.ascendance-ft.com](https://www.ascendance-ft.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €14 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, Dassault, Expansion, Celeste Management, M Capital, Aris Occitane, Sowefund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Christophe Lambert, Thibault Baldivia 🗞️ **News:** Ascendance Flight Technologies has raised €14 million in a Series B extension to support the development of its hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft. Founded in 2018, the company is building aircraft intended to reduce the environmental impact and operating costs of regional aviation. The round brings together strategic and financial investors including Bpifrance, Dassault, Expansion, Celeste Management, M Capital, Aris Occitane and Sowefund. The financing is expected to support further aircraft development, testing and industrialization. Additional details on the company’s founders, headquarters and deployment timeline were not provided. | [**CFNews**](https://www.cfnews.net/L-actualite/Capital-innovation/Operations/2nd-tour/Ascendance-Flight-Technologies-etend-son-tour-723074?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Carsup 🏷️ **Sectors:** Artificial Intelligence, Mobility 🔍 **Description:** Carsup operates a concierge platform for collector and exceptional vehicles, covering secure storage, maintenance and restoration, transport, buying and resale support, and owner experiences. The company also uses AI to analyze vehicle data and generate personalized maintenance recommendations. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.carsup.io/](https://www.carsup.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Orléans 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €12 million 🏦 **Investors:** Ferrari family 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samuel Lelarge 🗞️ **News:** Carsup has raised €12 million from existing investors, including the Ferrari family, which increased its participation in the company. Founded in 2019, Carsup manages the full lifecycle of collector and exceptional vehicles, from secure storage and maintenance to transport, resale support and events. The company currently operates 25 concierge locations across France and Europe and manages more than 2,000 vehicles representing over €400 million in assets. The funding will support further international expansion, including entry into a new European market in the fourth quarter of 2026\. Carsup expects to double revenue to €30 million this year and surpass 3,000 vehicles under management by year-end. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/22/carsup-veut-passer-la-vitesse-superieure-avec-la-famille-ferrari-a-son-bord/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Brenus Pharma 🏷️ **Sectors:** BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Brenus Pharma develops off-the-shelf immuno-oncology therapies for hard-to-treat solid tumors. Its proprietary platform is designed to mimic tumor protein expression, expose tumors to the immune system, and trigger a multi-specific in vivo immune response that adapts as the cancer evolves. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.brenus-pharma.com](https://www.brenus-pharma.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11 million 🏦 **Investors:** Sambrinvest, Korea Omega Investment Corp, Angelor, UI Investissement through FRAI, Crédit Agricole through CACE Création and CACF Capital Innovation, Noshaq, Orsa, BIO JAG, Bpifrance through non-dilutive funding 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benoit Pinteur, Jacques Gardette, Gilles Devillers 🗞️ **News:** Brenus Pharma has raised an €11 million Series A extension to advance its clinical-stage immunotherapy pipeline and expand its proprietary platform. The financing brings total capital raised since inception to €38 million and introduces Sambrinvest and Korea Omega Investment Corp as new international investors. The company will use the funding to complete the Phase I program for STC-1010, its lead in vivo immunotherapy candidate for microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer. Brenus also plans to advance its next drug candidate and broaden the platform into a multi-asset pipeline. The round included continued support from existing investors and marks the company’s first institutional backing from the Asia-Pacific region. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brenus-pharma-welcomes-new-european-asia-pacific-investors-v3ppe/?trackingId=%2FH%2F0LRtk3U%2BU%2FgY7evULRg%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Womed 🏷️ **Sectors:** MedTech 🔍 **Description:** Womed develops biodegradable intrauterine treatments for uterine conditions including adhesions, fibroids and acute bleeding. Its polymer platform can function as a temporary mechanical barrier or deliver therapies locally inside the uterus, with the aim of reducing reliance on invasive surgery and systemic hormonal treatments. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.womedtech.com/](https://www.womedtech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montpellier 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.1 million 🏦 **Investors:** IRDI Capital Investissement, CEMAG, CANTRAK, Lita, Capital Cell 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gonzague Issenmann, Xavier Garric, Stéphanie Huberlant 🗞️ **News:** Womed has raised €7.1 million to expand the commercialization of Womed Leaf and advance two additional intrauterine treatments targeting fibroids and acute uterine bleeding. The financing combines €5 million from professional investors with €2.1 million raised from retail investors through Lita and Capital Cell, more than double the crowdfunding campaign’s initial €1 million target. Womed Leaf, a resorbable intrauterine barrier designed to reduce the recurrence of adhesions after hysteroscopic surgery, received FDA marketing authorization in September 2025 and has been used to treat more than 3,000 patients worldwide. The company will also fund clinical development of locally delivered treatments intended to address fibroid symptoms and control acute uterine bleeding without systematically relying on invasive surgery or body-wide hormonal exposure. Founded in Montpellier in 2018, Womed plans to strengthen its clinical, regulatory, industrial and US commercial teams as it evolves from a single-product medtech into a broader uterine treatment platform. | [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/womed-boucle-une-levee-de-fonds-de-7-millions-euros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Recupere Metals 🏷️ **Sectors:** DeepTech 🔍 **Description:** Produces high-performance electrical wire from 100% recycled copper using a patented mechanical process that eliminates energy-intensive smelting and refining. Its products target electric motors, wind turbines, data centers, electrical equipment, and other industrial applications. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.recupere-metals.com](https://www.recupere-metals.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million 🏦 **Investors:** SistaFund, Norrsken Evolve, Endgame Capital, Ring Capital, Triple Impact Ventures, Ventures Together, Earth Capital, Sake Bosch, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katie Marsh, Julien Vaïssette 🗞️ **News:** The funding will move Recupere Metals from laboratory validation into early industrial production, supporting customer pilots and the delivery of its first commercial volumes. Founded in 2025, the company aims to produce 6,000 tonnes of recycled copper wire annually by 2028 while helping Europe reduce its dependence on imported copper. The company says its production costs should be comparable to conventionally produced copper. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/30/face-a-une-demande-de-cuivre-qui-explose-recupere-metals-leve-5-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Hekat Fluidics 🏷️ **Sectors:** BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Develops optofluidic instruments for detecting, counting, and sorting biological nano-objects. Its NanoSorter isolates exosomes and other nanoparticles, enabling researchers to study biomarkers that could support earlier cancer detection and personalized treatments. 💻 **Website:** [https://hekat.com](https://hekat.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Pessac 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels, Hervé Ariditty, Nicolas Kompalitch, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sophie Bourzeix, Mathias Girault, Philippe Graindorge 🗞️ **News:** Hekat Fluidics will use the funding to industrialize and commercialize its NanoSorter, which it describes as the first fluorescence-activated nano-flow sorting system. Initially targeting research laboratories, the company plans to expand into biopharmaceutical applications and eventually clinical diagnostics, with entry into the US and Japanese markets targeted from 2028\. | [**Sud Ouest**](https://www.sudouest.fr/gironde/pessac/pessac-la-startup-hekat-fluidics-leve-2-4-millions-d-euros-pour-son-trieur-de-cellules-unique-au-monde-29946168.php?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: France vs the Future? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-france-vs-the-future/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T10:21:10.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 HR Path’s near-$1 billion refinancing gives the profitable French HR specialist fresh firepower for global expansion without an IPO or surrendering founder control. [**CEO François Boulet says he's targeting $1 billion in revenue, not a unicorn valuation.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hr-path-billion-dollar-refinancing-global-expansion/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 🤖💻 Well, the good news is that the Frenchies who founded **Hugging Face** in the Big 🍎 are making Big Headlines in international media. The bad news is that it's because some of OpenAI’s most advanced models escaped an internal testing sandbox and hacked the production systems of Hugging Face, one of the world's largest open-source hubs for sharing AI models. The fact that the models did this because they were extremely committed to cheating on a cybersecurity benchmark leaves us with a mixture of awe and terror. But hey, I'm sure it will be fine. Right? ***Right?!!*** The agents exploited previously unknown vulnerabilities and then stole credentials to launch thousands of attacks before the breach was contained, offering a striking real-world demonstration of their long-horizon cyber capabilities. OpenAI says production safeguards had been deliberately disabled for the evaluation and is now tightening its controls, while Hugging Face calls the incident a wake-up call for the industry. Ya think? | [**OpenAI**](https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**BBC**](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdrvy3pn3r0o?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤗✊ Meanwhile, Hugging Face co-founder **Clem Delangue** is making the most of his moment in the spotlight. Not only has the company been vaulted into prominence, but its central mission of open source is now on the front burner of the national AI discussion in the land of baseball and apple pie. To wit, America had turned into Panicstan after the recent release of Kimi K3 by the Chinese lab Moonshot AI, an open-source model that seemed to meet or beat the benchmarks of **Anthropic and OpenAI**. The formerly free-market-loving U.S. government engaged in some saber rattling about possibly restricting market access over security concerns. | [**The Information**](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/silicon-valley-unites-anthropic-chinese-ai-restrictions?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇨🇳🛡️ But the OpenAI-Hugging Face debacle contained a nifty little irony: Hugging Face had to deploy a Chinese open-source model to defend itself. To make his case for open source, in classic French style, Delange is doing what the French do best: marching in the streets in protest! This week he flew into the Heart-of-AI-Darkness (aka, SF) where he is organizing the [***"Open Weights Mini-March"***](https://partiful.com/e/kgw2wnOtQ2k1RL9DcGX0?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)on July 25\. ***It's summer in SF, so be sure to wear shorts!* 😓** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-9.png) 🚸📱 **France is about to become Europe’s digital hall monitor.** Parliament has approved a ban on social media for under-15s, with the government aiming for the law to take effect as soon as September. Rather than naming specific platforms, the legislation casts a wide net, leaving companies to figure out how to verify users’ ages, likely using tools such as France Identité or Docaposte. The move also aligns with a broader EU push for age-gated online access. The big question now isn’t *whether* kids should be on social media. It’s whether platforms can make age verification work without turning the internet into passport control. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/07/21/l-interdiction-des-reseaux-sociaux-aux-moins-de-15-ans-adoptee-par-les-deputes-et-les-senateurs%5F6729142%5F4408996.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺💸 **Brussels** has slapped **Google** with a record €890 million fine under the **Digital Markets Act** for allegedly giving its own hotel, flight and restaurant services top billing in Search while keeping Android users boxed into the Play Store. Google has 60 days to comply or appeal, and insists the EU is dismantling features Europeans “love.” The timing, just as US–EU tariff tensions are heating up again, is giving *El Presidente* Donald Trump and his allies fresh ammunition in their crusade against European tech regulation. Still, the fine amounts to just 0.22% of Google’s annual revenue: painful enough to generate headlines, but hardly enough to ruin the weekend. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/dma-l-ue-inflige-a-google-une-amende-record-de-890-millions-d-euros-risquant-de-provoquer-la-colere-de-trump-20260723?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖 🌐 **...Speaking of Mr. Google**...**the famed subsidiary of Alphabet has just launched AI Search in France, rewriting the deal between search engines and the web.** AI Overviews and AI Mode finally arrive after regulatory delays, turning Google into an answer engine rather than a gateway to other sites. To soften the blow, publishers can now opt out of feeding AI-generated summaries without disappearing from traditional search results. It’s a small concession that acknowledges a much bigger problem: if AI stops sending traffic back to the sites that create the knowledge, who’s left to produce it? The future of Search may depend on whether the open web can still afford to exist. |[ **L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/big-tech/google/quelles-consequences-alors-que-google-lance-enfin-les-apercus-ia-et-mode-ia-en-france-parachevant-la-transformation-de-son-moteur-de-recherche-a-lere-de-lia-generative.5TLQOK7DRVE3DK5MQOL62PUULY.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/22/recherche-en-ligne-google-lance-en-france-ses-resumes-generes-par-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖 💶 **Mistral’s next billion may be buying something bigger than compute: a new identity.** As **EQT’s** €5bn **EU Scaleup Fund** and **Samsung** reportedly circle the French AI champion’s upcoming Series D, fresh reporting suggests Mistral is increasingly focused on helping enterprises deploy AI rather than chasing ever-larger frontier models. If that’s the case, Europe may be betting less on building the next **OpenAI** and more on creating its own **Palantir**. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/e5bn-scaleup-fund-mistral-eqt?utm%5Fcampaign=Sifted%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-%5FoeJKFRTmWe1nJLtnRMeabm1qMIfhfdXqVzhIh20yxzPUOVO2%5FMZZstGCbl5ix5bF-CQw03VmuCjnwKUCSP8LSolwk65-PP8X2-Zmd%5F%5F24utSta5c&%5Fhsmi=428749908&utm%5Fcontent=428749908&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail) 🇫🇷🚗 France has declined to authorize **Tesla’s** supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system for now, arguing that its safety guarantees remain insufficient. The AI-powered technology can handle much of the driving, but still requires the human behind the wheel to pay attention, inconveniently enough. The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania have already granted provisional approval, while France says it wants further adjustments before following them. Paris insists it supports autonomous-driving innovation. However, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said he would simply prefer the cars to be slightly more autonomous before calling them self-driving. "In France, it is considered that this system brings a number of technological advances but that the counterparts in terms of security are not yet sufficient for an authorization as is," Tabarot said. | [**BFM**](https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/entreprises/transports/les-contreparties-en-termes-de-securite-ne-sont-pas-encore-suffisantes-la-france-dit-non-a-la-conduite-supervisee-de-tesla-malgre-le-feu-vert-de-cinq-pays-europeens%5FAD-202607230586.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷💊 **Dassault Systèmes** is buying US life-sciences software company **ArisGlobal** for up to $2 billion, its second-largest acquisition ever and its first blockbuster deal under CEO Pascal Daloz. The prize is not just ArisGlobal’s pharma clients, but the decidedly juicy data: its software processes more than 12 million patient-safety reports annually, 80% of which are private. Dassault plans to combine that trove with Medidata’s clinical-trial data to train AI “world models” that could accelerate drug development. With its shares down nearly 40% over the past year, this is both an ambitious healthcare-AI bet and a rather expensive way to convince investors that 2026 really will be the promised “turning point.” | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/en-rachetant-arisglobal-pour-2-milliards-de-dollars-dassault-systemes-frappe-un-grand-coup-dans-l-ia-pour-la-sante-20260723?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚗 🤝 **BlaBlaCar is trimming the journey to focus on the destination.** The French unicorn is reportedly selling BlaBlaCar Daily, its commuter carpooling business, to rival Karos, leaving the specialist to consolidate a market that has struggled to win over mainstream commuters. The deal lets BlaBlaCar double down on its core long-distance business while Karos bets scale can finally crack the daily commute. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/covoiturage-blablacar-en-passe-de-vendre-son-activite-sur-les-trajets-domicile-travail-a-karos-2243312?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # The Bicycle and The Helicopter: How HR Path Quietly Built a Billion-Dollar Empire [![HR Path CEO and Co-Founder François Boulet](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-8.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hr-path-billion-dollar-refinancing-global-expansion/) HR Path CEO and Co-Founder François Boulet HR Path CEO and Co-Founder François Boulet wants you to know that he's not here for the money. Of course, that may sound easy to say after announcing a refinancing that placed the company's value close to $1 billion and positioned the French company to massively expand its global footprint. But after spending 25 years building HR Path into one of France's quieter tech success stories, perhaps he's earned the right to be believed that he's not obsessing about nearly crossing the unicorn barrier. "I'm here to have a dream," Boulet said in an interview. "Maybe in a few years, to have $1 billion of revenue, whatever the valuation. If I can accomplish it in my life, I will be very happy." That focus on revenue over valuation is reflected in the way HR Path has pursued its growth through a relentless string of global acquisitions. To accelerate that plan, the Paris-based HR consulting and services group opted for a deal that is a mix of equity, secondary funding, and debt led by private equity giant Ardian. It's not exactly an acquisition, nor a classic venture round, but something more baroque. As Boulet argued, however, it was an instrument perfectly suited to the needs of a 25-year-old, profitable, acquisition-hungry company. [Go inside HR Path's Big For World Domination -->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hr-path-billion-dollar-refinancing-global-expansion/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Arrakis Technologies 🏷️ **Sectors:** Enterprise, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** Arrakis Technologies helps industrial companies design, deploy, and scale custom AI agents across core operational workflows. Its model-agnostic platform combines forward-deployed engineers with applied AI research tailored to sectors including aerospace, energy, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and telecommunications. 💻 **Website**: [http://arrakistechnologies.ai/](http://arrakistechnologies.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** London, Paris, New York City 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $30 million, bringing total funding to $38 million 🏦 **Investors:** Blossom Capital, Accel, GFC, MainObject, Rerail, Olivier Pomel, Olivier Godement, Junaid Hussain, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rafael Fernandez-Quintanilla Loeillet-Rouzier (London), Haroun Beltaifa (Paris), Romain Fouilland (Paris), Mikhail Galkov (Germany) 🗞️ **News:** Arrakis Technologies has emerged from stealth with a $30 million Series A led by Blossom Capital, just six months after its founding, bringing total funding to $38 million. The company embeds engineers with industrial customers and uses a model-agnostic platform to deploy AI agents into procurement, logistics and other operational systems without replacing existing software. Arrakis says it has already signed customers including NYSE-listed companies across the energy, logistics and industrial sectors, with one customer reducing procurement cycle times by 90%. The funding will support a tripling of headcount, further platform and security development, and the opening of offices in New York and the Middle East. Founded in January 2026, the company is positioning itself as a fast-deployment alternative for industrial groups seeking measurable AI outcomes while retaining control of their data and intellectual property. | [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2026/07/22/arrakis-a-startup-betting-ais-biggest-payoff-is-in-industrial-sectors-not-office-work-emerges-from-stealth-with-38-million-in-venture-funding/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2026/07/22/openai-and-datadog-leaders-back-ai-deployment-startup-arrakis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Carsup 🏷️ **Sectors:** Artificial Intelligence, Mobility 🔍 Description: Carsup operates a concierge platform for collector and exceptional vehicles, covering secure storage, maintenance and restoration, transport, buying and resale support, and owner experiences. The company also uses AI to analyze vehicle data and generate personalized maintenance recommendations. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.carsup.io/](https://www.carsup.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Orléans 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €12 million 🏦 **Investors:** Ferrari family 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samuel Lelarge 🗞️ **News:** Carsup has raised €12 million from existing investors, including the Ferrari family, which increased its participation in the company. Founded in 2019, Carsup manages the full lifecycle of collector and exceptional vehicles, from secure storage and maintenance to transport, resale support and events. The company currently operates 25 concierge locations across France and Europe and manages more than 2,000 vehicles representing over €400 million in assets. The funding will support further international expansion, including entry into a new European market in the fourth quarter of 2026\. Carsup expects to double revenue to €30 million this year and surpass 3,000 vehicles under management by year-end. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/22/carsup-veut-passer-la-vitesse-superieure-avec-la-famille-ferrari-a-son-bord/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Brenus Pharma 🏷️ **Sectors:** BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Brenus Pharma develops off-the-shelf immuno-oncology therapies for hard-to-treat solid tumors. Its proprietary platform is designed to mimic tumor protein expression, expose tumors to the immune system, and trigger a multi-specific in vivo immune response that adapts as the cancer evolves. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.brenus-pharma.com](https://www.brenus-pharma.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11 million 🏦 **Investors:** Sambrinvest, Korea Omega Investment Corp, Angelor, UI Investissement through FRAI, Crédit Agricole through CACE Création and CACF Capital Innovation, Noshaq, Orsa, BIO JAG, Bpifrance through non-dilutive funding 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benoit Pinteur, Jacques Gardette, Gilles Devillers 🗞️ **News:** Brenus Pharma has raised an €11 million Series A extension to advance its clinical-stage immunotherapy pipeline and expand its proprietary platform. The financing brings total capital raised since inception to €38 million and introduces Sambrinvest and Korea Omega Investment Corp as new international investors. The company will use the funding to complete the Phase I program for STC-1010, its lead in vivo immunotherapy candidate for microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer. Brenus also plans to advance its next drug candidate and broaden the platform into a multi-asset pipeline. The round included continued support from existing investors and marks the company’s first institutional backing from the Asia-Pacific region. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brenus-pharma-welcomes-new-european-asia-pacific-investors-v3ppe/?trackingId=%2FH%2F0LRtk3U%2BU%2FgY7evULRg%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### The Bicycle and The Helicopter: How HR Path Quietly Built a Billion-Dollar Empire URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hr-path-billion-dollar-refinancing-global-expansion/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T07:17:38.000Z HR Path CEO and Co-Founder François Boulet wants you to know that he's not here for the money. Of course, that may sound easy to say after announcing a refinancing that placed the company's value close to $1 billion and positioned the French company to massively expand its global footprint. But after spending 25 years building HR Path into one of France's quieter tech success stories, perhaps he's earned the right to be believed that he's not obsessing about nearly crossing the unicorn barrier. "I'm here to have a dream," Boulet said in an interview. "Maybe in a few years, to have $1 billion of revenue, whatever the valuation. If I can accomplish it in my life, I will be very happy." That focus on revenue over valuation is reflected in the way HR Path has pursued its growth through a relentless string of global acquisitions. To accelerate that plan, the Paris-based HR consulting and services group opted for a deal that is a mix of equity, secondary funding, and debt led by private equity giant Ardian. It's not exactly an acquisition, nor a classic venture round, but something more baroque. As Boulet argued, however, it was an instrument perfectly suited to the needs of a 25-year-old, profitable, acquisition-hungry company. ## Not a raise, exactly Announced on July 8, the transaction is built around a continuation fund raised by Ardian, which first invested in HR Path back in 2015 and took a bigger position in 2024\. Rather than selling the company or handing it to a new lead investor, Ardian essentially re-upped, rolling HR Path into a dedicated vehicle backed by secondary investors including Eurazeo and UBS. The deal drew interest from more than 30 international investors and values the group at close to $1 billion. Alongside the equity, HR Path raised €340 million in new senior debt plus a revolving credit facility of nearly €70 million. The founders, partners, and employees still hold the majority of the capital. The company counts close to 200 employee-shareholders and 40 partners. "Behind me, I have 39 partners," Boulet said. "These 39 partners come from mergers, and so we are very entrepreneurial." ## A slow burn, then a sprint ![HR Path Co-founders François Boulet (left) and Cyril Courtin](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Francois-Boulet-Cyril-Courtin.jpg) HR Path Co-founders François Boulet (left) and Cyril Courtin If HR Path has flown under the radar of the French tech conversation, that's partly because it predates the whole La French Tech era. Boulet and co-founder Cyril Courtin started the company in Paris in 2001, building it around three business lines that cover the full HR value chain: Advise (consulting), Implement (deploying HR software from vendors like SAP, Oracle, Workday, Dayforce, and UKG), and Outsource (running payroll and HR processes for clients). Today its services touch the HR management of nearly 20 million employees worldwide. The funding history began with a modest €5 million round in 2015 with Société Générale and Ardian. Then €30 million in 2017, €100 million from Andera Partners in 2019, €113 million in debt in 2021, a €225 million growth round in 2022, and a €250 million equity investment from Ardian in 2024, paired with another €250 million in debt. Now the near-$1 billion recapitalization, with €410 million in fresh debt arranged by Société Générale and Crédit Agricole. While the company has been around for more than two decades, the 2024 funding marked a moment of acceleration. In the two years since, HR Path has grown close to 70%. It now operates in 30 countries, has 2,600 employees, and reported €360 million in revenue as of March 2026\. The geographic mix has also flipped. France accounted for 65% of activity in 2024\. Now, it's 35%, with the Americas and the rest of Europe at 30% each. Within three years, the company is targeting €700 million in revenue, 5,000 employees, and a presence in 40 countries. ## Why not just IPO? For a company this size, the conventional next step would be the stock market. Boulet has no interest. "If I can continue with a private equity firm, I will do it," he said. "I prefer private equity to the stock exchange." His objection is the disconnect between performance and price: on public markets, "you don't know why your curve is lower than the last day. When there is a geopolitical risk, directly your curve is decreasing, and it's not because your company" is underperforming. Staying private, by contrast, means "you maintain the control, you maintain the communication." And it comes with something he values more than a ticker symbol: an outside perspective from investors with skin in the game. He offers a metaphor for how he views the relationship between a PE partner and a founder that perhaps could only come from a French CEO. "I am on my bicycle, and I'm very fast," he said. "And then there is a helicopter view to tell me, hey, be careful! There is a big turn. Be careful with your bicycle where you go. And that's real good advice." The helicopter also opens doors. Boulet described going through his sales pipeline with his private equity backers, asking about the biggest prospects: "Do you know this company? Do you have a way to call the general manager?" For this round, HR Path deliberately brought in a private equity firm from the United Arab Emirates, where the company has a small presence. Boulet plans to fly out and ask them directly: "Can you open the door?" ## The two-to-three-year clock There's an unsentimental logic underneath all this. Boulet understands exactly what his investors want, and he's built the company's financial rhythm around it. "We know from the beginning the rule of the private equity firm," he said. "When they put in $1, when they get out in three years, they want at the minimum $2\. And if it can be faster, that's better for them." He also knows the current market has left many funds stuck, unable to exit positions and return cash to their own investors. HR Path's recapitalization offered some of them a way out while letting others roll forward. And far from resenting the churn, Boulet welcomes it. "If we can change private equity firms every two, three years, that's good for us," he said. "It's a new network. That's new cash. That's a new plan." That inverts the usual founder-investor dynamic. Rather than treating each fund as a long-term marriage, HR Path treats them as rotating co-pilots, each bringing fresh contacts for a two-to-three-year sprint before the next one straps in. ## The acquisition machine ![In 2019, HR Path acquired Go-Cloud.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/hrpath-gocloud.jpg) In 2019, HR Path acquired Go-Cloud. The new capital has a primary destination. Since its founding, HR Path has completed 57 acquisitions, 22 of them in the last two years alone. The recent run is dizzying: Horn Payroll and Talent at Work in Germany, RKM Consulting in Australia, Eaton Square in the UK and Ireland, GDT Brasil and TEC360 People in Latin America, and a string of American deals including PredictiveHR, Next Generation Inc., Dayforce specialist Enforce, and Workday integrator Lumi. ![In 2024, HR Path acquired IN-RGY, a Montreal-based consulting firm.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/IN-RGY-HR-Path.jpg) In 2024, HR Path acquired IN-RGY, a Montreal-based consulting firm. The targets going forward are specific: outsourcing capabilities in the US, a German company to shore up a market where "we are not very strong", and Japan, where payroll complexity is an entry point. "If you do payroll in Japan, you can expand the implementation and the advice," Boulet said, with Korea and the wider Asia-Pacific to follow. Just as deliberate is what HR Path won't buy: anything big. Large acquisitions mean duplicate positions and layoffs, Boulet explained, and if the integration fails, "your company lost big value." Small companies merge more easily, and HR Path can bring them things they lack, "like cybersecurity, like AI." ## The AI question Speaking of which. When HR Path was raising this round, Boulet said, one topic dominated investor conversations: "With the AI, are you sure that you will be a survivor of AI?" His answer is an emphatic yes. Payroll, he argues, is exactly the kind of high-risk, high-complexity domain where full automation is dangerous. "Imagine you take AI and the pay slips of your employees are wrong. It's a mess for you." Same for recruitment, where a flawed model quietly filtering candidates "can be a mess too." More to the point, he sees AI adoption as fundamentally an HR project, a matter of business process redesign and change management, which happens to be what HR Path sells. The company has built a dedicated AI advisory offering and is applying the technology internally. Despite the transformational hype, Boulet, who started his career in the mid-1990s, believes the challenges of deployment and adoption inside enterprises are not so different at the human level than they were at the dawn of the Internet Era. "AI, it's like the website," he said. "I started in '96, and the question was: can we allow our employees to use the website? That's the same thing for AI. For sure, the question is yes, but the answer is how." ## Asterix economics The funding also addresses a larger issue that continues to plague French startups: can Europe finance its winners at scale? HR Path's answer is a creative, distinctly European workaround: patient private equity, layered debt, continuation vehicles, and founders who keep control. Boulet is already thinking about the next cycle. American, European, and Asian funds are circling, he said, and once HR Path hits €130 million in EBITDA, the conversation changes. "Every two, three years, respect the plan, acquire companies, and then continue," he said. Until then, he's happy playing the role of the perceived underdog with a very large war chest. "We are like Asterix and Obelix against the Romans," he said of his partner-led, acquisition-fueled model. "So we take a little magic potion. It's the famous French red wine. And we push the business." ### 🤖 La Machine #86: Europe’s AI Sovereignty Gets Complicated URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-86-europes-ai-sovereignty-push-gets-complicated/ Last updated: 2026-07-22T06:00:54.000Z 🧠 Global brands already possess years of customer intelligence. Stravito’s “glass-box” AI helps them find it and use it to test ideas before commissioning yet another costly research project. [**Check out Stravito's solution here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stravito-ai-consumer-research-insights/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Mistral AI** has signed a multibillion-dollar deal to supply **Microsoft** with access to its expanding European computing infrastructure, powered by thousands of Nvidia’s latest chips. In return, Microsoft will push Mistral’s models deeper into products such as Foundry and Copilot Studio, while offering customers everything from public-cloud deployments to fully disconnected systems for sensitive workloads. The partnership gives Mistral a powerful new revenue stream just as it is reportedly exploring a €3 billion fundraising at a €20 billion valuation. It is also a striking twist in Europe’s sovereignty debate: the continent’s leading independent AI company is helping an American hyperscaler expand its own European capacity. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/microsoft-noue-un-accord-a-plusieurs-milliards-de-dollars-avec-mistral-pour-acceder-a-sa-puissance-de-calcul-en-europe-2243444?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Microsoft**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/2026/07/21/microsoft-and-mistral-expand-strategic-partnership-to-give-enterprises-and-regulated-industries-frontier-ai-they-can-control/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Nabla** has named American health-tech executive Brian Manning as CEO, freeing co-founder Alexandre Lebrun to spend more time leading Yann LeCun’s frontier AI startup, AMI Labs. Manning, who previously helped scale Bamboo Health, PatientPing and Zocdoc, takes over as Nabla pushes deeper into the US healthcare market, where its clinical assistant now supports 100,000 clinicians and 40 million patient encounters a year. Lebrun is not disappearing: he will remain Executive Chairman and Chief AI Officer, overseeing Nabla’s long-term technology and product strategy. The appointment looks like a clear division of labor. Manning is driving commercial expansion while Lebrun focuses on the frontier AI research that could shape Nabla’s next generation of products. | [**Nabla**](https://nabla.com/press-release/nabla-appoints-brian-manning-as-chief-executive-officer-to-lead-next-phase-of-growth?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/21/alexandre-lebrun-passe-le-flambeau-a-brian-manning-a-la-tete-de-nabla/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Raise Summit** has been snapped up by British events group Hyve just days after its third edition brought more than 9,000 people to Paris. The deal also includes robotics newcomer Machina Summit and Signal Week, the rebranded Paris Blockchain Week, although the price was not disclosed. Their founders and teams will stay in place, while Hyve explores taking the events international and building what it calls an AI “super vertical.” In 2027, all three conferences will run during the same week at the Palais des Congrès, turning early July into an even bigger fixture on Paris’s tech calendar. | [**SiliconANGLE**](https://siliconangle.com/2026/07/20/hyve-technology-raise-summit-expansion-raisesummit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The real cost of AI isn’t on Big Tech’s balance sheets.** According to Usine Digitale, an estimated $1.65 trillion in future commitments is fuelling the US' 5 major hyperscalers’ AI build-out through long-term contracts and financing vehicles. For Europe, it underlines the enormous capital gap still separating its ecosystem from US giants. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/ia-generative/intelligence-artificielle-derriere-les-projets-colossaux-des-hyperscalers-dans-lia-1650-milliards-de-dollars-de-dette-cachee.NQMHSJCIOZEUPNNWGTB637L3IQ.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French automotive supplier **Valeo** is moving into defense tech with a new electric motor for [**Harmattan AI’s**](https://www.reuters.com/business/valeo-make-drone-motors-france-harmattan-ai-2026-07-20/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) drones, developed and manufactured in France. Production is due to begin in early 2027, with the motor designed to avoid heavy rare earths and reduce reliance on vulnerable foreign supply chains. For Valeo, the deal marks its first contract in the drone sector and a test of its strategy to repurpose automotive technology beyond cars. For Harmattan AI, it is another step toward controlling more of the hardware behind its autonomous defense systems. | [**Valeo**](https://www.valeo.com/en/valeo-has-been-selected-by-harmattan-ai-to-develop-and-produce-in-france-a-sovereign-electric-drone-motor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/valeo-make-drone-motors-france-harmattan-ai-2026-07-20/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ A heavyweight coalition of French and European companies has launched AION, a bid to build a sovereign AI “gigafactory” in France. The consortium brings together Ardian, Iliad, Orange, EDF, Scaleway, Capgemini, Bull and Artefact, alongside an ecosystem spanning chips, cloud, quantum computing, research and AI startups. France is pitching its low-carbon electricity, data-center expertise and deep talent pool as the ideal foundation for Europe’s next generation of computing infrastructure. The ambition is straightforward but enormous: give European companies access to world-class AI capacity without relying on infrastructure financed and controlled elsewhere. | [**Capgemini**](https://www.capgemini.com/ca-en/news/press-releases/ardian-artefact-bull-edf-capgemini-the-iliad-grouporange-and-scaleway-combine-their-expertise-to-run-as-acandidate-for-a-european-ai-gigafactory-in-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France and Germany** are taking another step toward reducing Europe’s reliance on U.S. defense technology, pledging to explore a sovereign alternative to Palantir’s military software. France’s Arcadia platform was singled out as a possible foundation, alongside German solutions, as both countries deepen cooperation on AI, cloud infrastructure and battlefield data. The agreement also covers connected combat systems, autonomous vehicles, long-range missiles and military satellites. Notably absent, however, was any mention of the troubled FCAS fighter-jet program. | [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/france-germany-want-to-develop-a-palantir-rival?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The European Parliament** is building its own approved AI platform after discovering that lawmakers and staff are already using public chatbots to help draft amendments, speeches and other legislative work. EPGenAI Hub will offer access to models from **OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Mistral**, with more sensitive tasks handled inside Parliament’s own systems. The goal is to curb data leaks, hallucinated legal references and the growing tide of unmistakably AI-written text, although MEPs still face no obligation to disclose when they use it. The irony is hard to miss: the institution writing Europe’s AI rules is embracing largely American models while still preaching digital sovereignty. | [**The Next Web**](https://thenextweb.com/news/european-parliament-epgenai-hub-ai-platform-meps?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s competition watchdog** is warning that the AI agent boom could quickly become a three-company market, with **OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic** already controlling more than 84% of the sector. The regulator says building an agent is getting easier, but reaching scale is another matter, especially when incumbents control distribution, data and the costly computing infrastructure needed to run these systems. Its own experiment found that ChatGPT and Gemini often search very different corners of the web—and do not always tell users which sources shaped their answers. The big concern is that AI agents are becoming the new gateway to online commerce and information, giving a handful of platforms enormous power over what consumers see, buy and trust. | [**PPC Land**](https://ppc.land/france-flags-lock-in-risk-as-openai-google-anthropic-hold-84-of-ai-agents/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Airbus** is turning to French cloud provider **Scaleway** to host sensitive industrial and defense applications, giving a fresh boost to Europe’s push for digital sovereignty. The multi-year deal will support AI tools developed with Mistral and cover everything from aircraft design and engineering to military systems and corporate operations. Airbus plans to migrate around 70 critical applications by the end of 2028, with as many as 900 potentially moving over the next five to six years. The contract value was not disclosed, but the message is clear: for its most sensitive data and AI workloads, Airbus wants European technology under European control. | [**Reuters**](https://live.euronext.com/en/financial-news/airbus-picks-iliads-scaleway-ai-defence-work-sovereignty-push?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- ### 🧠 How Stravito Uses AI to Turn Forgotten Consumer Research Into a Competitive Advantage [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-7.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stravito-ai-consumer-research-insights/) Thor Olof Philogène, CEO and co-founder of Stravito Every year, the world's largest consumer brands spend millions trying to better understand their customers. They commission surveys, organize focus groups, test packaging designs and evaluate advertising campaigns. The resulting reports often shape major commercial decisions, then disappear into shared drives, forgotten PowerPoint presentations and research repositories. A few years later, another team asks many of the same questions all over again. Stravito believes the problem isn't that companies lack consumer insights. It's that they can't find them. "There is a lot of information that companies already have but don't know they have," said the Franco-Swedish CEO and co-founder, Thor Olof Philogène. "AI is only as good as the data it uses." Founded in 2018 by four entrepreneurs with backgrounds in market research and technology, the SaaS startup has built a platform that helps large organizations search, organize, and interact with their existing market intelligence using generative AI. Today, the company operates as a hybrid-remote team with small offices in Europe and North America, serving more than 100 enterprise customers in both regions with around 120 employees. It made the Financial Times' FT1000 list of Europe's fastest-growing companies. [Check out the story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stravito-ai-consumer-research-insights/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Stravito Uses AI to Turn Forgotten Consumer Research Into a Competitive Advantage URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stravito-ai-consumer-research-insights/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T23:14:12.000Z Every year, the world's largest consumer brands spend millions trying to better understand their customers. They commission surveys, organize focus groups, test packaging designs, and evaluate advertising campaigns. The resulting reports frequently shape major commercial decisions, then disappear into shared drives, forgotten PowerPoint presentations, and research repositories. A few years later, another team asks many of the same questions all over again. Stravito believes the problem isn't a lack of consumer insights. It's that companies can't find them. "There is a lot of information that companies already have but don't know they have," said the Franco-Swedish CEO and co-founder, Thor Olof Philogène. "AI is only as good as the data it uses." Founded in 2018 by four entrepreneurs with backgrounds in market research and technology, the SaaS startup has built a platform that helps large organizations search, organize, and interact with their existing market intelligence using generative AI. Today, the company operates as a hybrid-remote team with small offices in Europe and North America, serving more than 100 enterprise customers in both regions with around 120 employees. It made the Financial Times' FT1000 list of Europe's fastest-growing companies. Turning forgotten research into business intelligence For decades, companies have accumulated enormous amounts of customer knowledge: qualitative interviews, consumer surveys, product testing, packaging evaluations and regional market studies. That research cost millions of euros. Yet much of it remains inaccessible to the people who could use it. Stravito's tech lets employees ask questions in natural language and retrieve answers grounded in their company's own research, without spending hours digging through folders or requesting reports from internal insights teams. The platform searches the organization's proprietary knowledge rather than the public internet, surfacing years of consumer insights in seconds. Its value proposition is as much about organizational memory as artificial intelligence. As language models become commoditized, Philogène believes the real competitive advantage is helping companies use the information they already own, which competitors can never access. "The valuable intelligence companies need is already inside the company," Philogène said. "Companies just need to be able to access it." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-17.44.47.png) Stravito's "Glass box AI": information with traceability ## **Beyond search: testing ideas before commissioning new research** Finding existing research is only the first step in Stravito's vision. The company's latest features let businesses create AI personas built from their own historical consumer research. Marketing teams can then pressure-test early-stage ideas, such as packaging concepts, product positioning, or advertising messages, before deciding whether additional research is required. The company cites Lavazza as one example: the Italian coffee brand evaluates packaging concepts using AI personas grounded in its existing consumer insights. The objective is not to replace real consumer groups, Philogène stresses, but to help companies get more out of the research they already have and identify earlier when genuinely new research is needed. If successful, the approach could change not whether companies conduct market research, but when they conduct it, and how effectively they build on previous work. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-17.43.07.png) ## **Building AI that businesses can trust** As generative AI becomes embedded in enterprise workflows, accuracy and explainability are becoming as important as speed. Philogène argues that businesses need AI systems that don't just produce answers but explain where those answers come from. General-purpose AI assistants commonly operate as "black boxes." Stravito says every one of its responses, by contrast, can be traced back to the underlying research and supporting evidence. The company calls this a "glass-box" approach: users can see the reasoning behind a recommendation, and the system says so when the available evidence is too thin to support one, rather than producing an overconfident conclusion. "If you run a global business, getting a fast answer is good but being able to actually trust an AI is key," Philogène said. "Every time you get an answer, we'll explain it. If we don't have the answer to something, we'll say so. That in itself is an insight. If we challenge our customers, they necessarily want a trail and a defensible answer." That transparency matters most for multinationals, where the marketing and product decisions riding on these recommendations carry real money. ## Measuring the impact Stravito argues that the biggest gains come less from the technology itself than from cutting the time employees spend hunting for information and redoing work that already exists. According to a Forrester Total Economic Impact study commissioned by Stravito, a composite customer would see a 254% return on investment and €3.44 million in present-value benefits, with payback in under six months. In the same model, time spent responding to information requests fell by 75%, and time spent searching for information by 70%. Those figures rest on Forrester's modeling methodology rather than independently audited customer-wide results, but they still give a sense of the scale of inefficiency Stravito is targeting. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-17.42.43.png) ## **The next frontier for enterprise AI** For much of the past three years, the AI conversation has centered on increasingly powerful foundation models. But as these technologies mature, attention is shifting toward something more valuable: the proprietary knowledge that exists inside organizations and nowhere else. For Stravito, that, rather than bigger models, is where the next wave of enterprise AI will be won. The company has no immediate plans to raise again. Instead, it is focused on expanding within existing enterprise customers while building new AI features. Philogène believes AI could eventually become a permanent representative of the customer inside every strategic discussion. Business schools have long encouraged executives to leave an empty chair in meetings as a reminder to consider the customer's perspective. AI, he suggests, could make that symbolic exercise tangible by giving decision-makers instant access to decades of consumer knowledge. If companies begin consulting the insights they've already gathered before commissioning another study, the first question they ask may no longer be "What do our customers think?" — but "What do we already know?" ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire July 20: EU VCs ❤️ AI; Syntetica €25.8M Led 5 Deals For €52.3M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-20-eu-vcs-ai-syntetica-eur25-8m-led-5-deals-for-eur52-3m/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T05:59:29.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Europe’s AI Surge Europe’s venture market is showing some momentum, but the rebound comes with a giant asterisk: AI is doing the heavy lifting. [**PitchBook**](https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/q2-2026-european-venture-report?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)'s Q2 funding report says European startups raised €44 billion in the first half of 2026, putting the market on course for a 27.1% year-on-year increase if the pace holds. That is the good news. The more complicated part is how concentrated the recovery has become. Mega-rounds of €100 million or more accounted for 55.4% of all capital invested, despite representing just 1.8% of deals. In other words, the headline numbers look healthy, but a relatively small group of very large financings is carrying the market. At the moment, that funding is spread across 4,012 deals in the first six months of 2026, compared with 9,847 for all of 2025\. PitchBook typically revises those numbers up, but for now, Europe is on track for its 5th consecutive year of decline in terms of deal counts. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/pitchbook-h1-2026.jpg) And then there is AI. The sector attracted €26.5 billion during the first half, already surpassing its total for all of 2025\. AI deals accounted for 60.2% of European venture value, up from 37.8% last year, while the six largest rounds in the second quarter were all AI-related. AI is also spreading through the market rather than remaining confined to a handful of late-stage companies: nearly 40% of European VC deals now involve AI, with unusually large seed rounds helping push capital toward the earliest stages. Europe is still nowhere near the United States, where AI accounts for 87.7% of venture value. The valuation gap is even more dramatic: the median European AI startup was valued at €8.3 million before funding, compared with €64.2 million in the US. PitchBook sees that disparity as runway rather than weakness. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/pitchbook-ai.jpg) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/France-AI-Radar-Card.png)](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Introducing: France AI Radar.** **Discover the next generation of French AI startups before the market.* We detect AI startups across France at their earliest signal: when they are incorporated, still in stealth, or just beginning to leave a public trace. Structured intelligence built from administrative filings, founder activity, and ecosystem signals, designed for VCs, corporate strategists, and LPs. [Explore the Radar ](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: July 17 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/ftfw-top-deals-july-20.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/ftfw-july-20-top-sectors.jpg) ***Note: HR Path announced an €872.2m transaction that includes access to new debt and a recapitalization investment led by Ardian. Eurazeo, UBS and other secondary investors financed the recapitalization of Ardian’s existing stake, while HR Path separately secured €340 million of senior debt and a nearly €70 million revolving facility. It's unclear whether any new equity was raised as part of the transaction, so for now the deal is being treated primarily as a PE Buyout and is not included in this week's funding totals.*** | [**Ardian**](https://www.ardian.com/news-insights/press-releases/hr-path-closes-transaction-worth-nearly-1-billion-ardian-accelerate?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Syntetica 🏷️ **Sectors:** DeepTech, Circular Economy 🔍 **Description:** A deeptech company developing a low-temperature chemical recycling process for mixed nylon textile waste. Its technology can recycle Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 together without separating them first, while preserving other materials such as elastane for potential reuse. 💻 **Website:** [https://syntetica.co/](https://syntetica.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $30 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, SWEN Capital Partners, EQT Ventures, Lululemon, MAS Holdings, Family Offices 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Marco Bertone, Louis Monsigny 🗞️ **News:** Syntetica has raised $30 million to build its first commercial demonstration plant with Michelin at the Center for Sustainable Materials in Clermont-Ferrand. The facility is expected to begin producing commercial volumes of recycled nylon within 18 months. The company also plans to expand its team from around 22 employees to 30 by year-end and 45 by the end of 2027, while extending its technology into automotive and specialty chemicals markets. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/lululemon-syntetica-30m-series-a-nylon-recycling/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** NeoCem 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, DeepTech 🔍 **Description:** A developer and producer of low-carbon binders for the cement, construction and public-works industries, designed to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.neocem.com/](https://www.neocem.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €17 million 🏦 **Investors:** Crédit Mutuel Impact 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Christophe Deboffe, Benjamin Constant 🗞️ **News:** NeoCem has raised €17 million to accelerate the industrial deployment of its low-carbon binder technology. The company has begun large-scale production at its first operational facility near Chantilly, in the Oise department, and is ramping up toward an annual production capacity of 200,000 tonnes. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/neocem-leve-17-me-pour-sa-technologie-bas-carbone?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Engo 🏷️ **Sectors:** SportsTech, Augmented Reality 🔍 **Description:** A smart-glasses company developing lightweight augmented-reality eyewear for runners, cyclists and triathletes. Its glasses use an integrated Micro OLED display to project real-time performance data directly into the athlete’s field of vision. 💻 **Website:** [https://fr.engoeyewear.com](https://fr.engoeyewear.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Ventech, Odyssée Venture, Bpifrance 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Éric Marcellin-Dibon and Fabrice Berger Duquene 🗞️ **News:** Engo has raised €5.1 million to accelerate its international expansion and R&D in miniaturization and embedded display technologies. The company generates 90% of its revenue outside France, including half in the United States, and plans to hire around 20 additional employees across optics, mechanical engineering, software and data. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ghost/#/editor/post/6a5955e1aa7cf800012120e2) --- 📇 **Company:** Stracker 🏷️ **Sectors:** Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered platform for managing time-critical freight shipments in sectors including aerospace, luxury and medtech. Stracker coordinates transport providers, tracks shipments, and manages customs documentation for sensitive, urgent deliveries. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.stracker.tech/](https://www.stracker.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Blast, Bpifrance, Side Capital, Holnest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Axel Bandiaky, Augustin de Boisse 🗞️ **News:** Stracker has raised €2.5 million from Blast Club and Bpifrance to accelerate the development of its Stracker360 platform, expand its technology and AI capabilities, and grow its team. The company also plans to pursue a build-up strategy to create a global network of critical-freight specialists across Europe and the United States. Stracker helps aerospace, luxury and medtech companies manage time-sensitive shipments, select the most suitable transport solutions and anticipate incidents before they disrupt production, ground aircraft or delay major events. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/68051618240408/fret-aerien-stracker-leve-2-5-millions-d-euros-pour-fluidifier-le-transport-d-urgence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Mio 🏷️ **Sectors:** Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered workplace colleague embedded directly inside Slack. Mio connects with company tools and data to understand organizational context, automate recurring tasks, maintain information, and execute work across systems including Google Workspace, Notion, Linear, HubSpot and GitHub. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.mio.xyz/](https://www.mio.xyz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.9 million ($2.2 million) 🏦 **Investors:** Fabric.vc, Topology.vc 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arthaud Mesnard 🗞️ **News:** Mio has emerged from stealth with a €1.9 million pre-Seed round co-led by Fabric.vc and Topology.vc. The Paris startup is building an AI colleague that operates inside Slack, using company messages, documents, tickets, and calendars to answer questions and carry out tasks across connected workplace tools. Mio plans to use the funding to expand its engineering team, accelerate product development, and grow across Europe and the United States. More than 100 companies are already using the platform daily, with early-access customers reporting average time savings of 8.2 hours per week through workflows including morning briefs, meeting recaps, CRM updates, customer follow-ups, reporting, analysis, and engineering tasks. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/paris-based-mio-emerges-from-stealth-with-e1-9-million-in-funding-to-build-an-ai-colleague-that-lives-inside-slack/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Inside Planity's AI and SaaS Moat URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-planity-payfit-ai/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T08:43:53.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Profitable, ambitious and betting big on AI, Planity has entered a new era. In an exclusive interview, co-founder Antoine Puymirat explains how the decade-old company crossed €80 million in ARR and why the best is still to come. [**Check out the story here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/planity-80m-arr-profitability-ai-european-growth/)**.** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 🚨 🇫🇷 **France’s digital sovereignty debate just got a lot more radical.** A parliamentary report is calling for **100% open-source public procurement by 2030**, a **“zero Microsoft” policy in schools**, a moratorium on data centers serving US hyperscalers, and even state veto rights in strategic AI champions like Mistral. Framed as a response to growing geopolitical tensions and dependence on US tech, the proposals would mark one of Europe’s boldest attempts to rewrite the rules of public-sector IT. Whether they become law is another question entirely. | [**L’Usine Nouvelle**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/secteur-public/souverainete-un-rapport-choc-de-lassemblee-nationale-veut-imposer-le-100-open-source-a-letat-francais-des-2030-et-le-0-microsoft-a-lecole.R7YW3HJLMNGHHMWBVS5CJWO3JA.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛒 🇫🇷 **The final curtain is falling on PriceMinister.** **Rakuten will shut down its French marketplace by the end of 2026 after failing to find a buyer**, bringing to a close one of France’s pioneering e-commerce stories. While Pixmania accuses Rakuten of never seriously intending to sell the business, the Japanese group insists none of the takeover bids could guarantee jobs or the platform’s long-term future. Either way, the closure underscores just how hard it has become for homegrown marketplaces to compete against the likes of Amazon, Temu and Shein. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/07/16/le-site-de-vente-en-ligne-rakuten-france-anciennement-priceminister-fermera-fin-2026%5F6723806%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) / [**Maddyness** ](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/17/rakuten-france-on-sest-servi-de-nous-pour-fermer-la-marketplace-accuse-pixmania/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💰 📈 After two rounds of layoffs and a painful reset, **PayFit has reached profitability** as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. Now at **€80m ARR** with 22,000 customers, the French HR tech scale-up is reinventing itself from a payroll software provider into a full-stack HR platform, betting heavily on AI agents to automate everything from payroll checks to employee queries. The next target? Nearly doubling ARR to **€150m by 2028**. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/16/payfit-devient-rentable-et-change-de-braquet-apres-une-decennie-dexistence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **/** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-dix-ans-apres-sa-creation-payfit-delaisse-son-modele-de-logiciel-2242565?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☁️✈️ **France just scored a major sovereign cloud win.** **Scaleway**, Iliad’s cloud arm, has been selected to host **Airbus’ critical cloud infrastructure**, covering everything from aircraft design to industrial production. The deal is another boost for Europe’s digital sovereignty push, with Airbus opting for a provider that is entirely EU-owned and operated—and one that already integrates **Mistral AI** to accelerate its AI ambitions. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/16/scaleway-remporte-le-contrat-du-cloud-dairbus/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🩺 ⚖️ **Medtech LivMed’s is getting a second life - but not as an independent startup.** The French medicine delivery startup, which collapsed into liquidation after a long legal battle with the pharmacists’ association, has been acquired by rival **Nexum Pharma** through the commercial court. The deal closes the chapter on one of France’s most closely watched healthtech disputes—and highlights how regulatory hurdles can prove just as fatal as funding shortages for digital health startups. | [**Les Echos** ](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-livmeds-repris-par-son-concurrent-nexum-pharma-a-la-barre-du-tribunal-2242709?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀🗳️ **As if France’s 2027 election wasn’t lively enough, Elon Musk has entered the chat.** The X owner has publicly endorsed Marine Le Pen as the country’s “last hope”, extending his now-familiar habit of weighing into European politics after similar interventions in Germany and the UK. Expect the debate over platform power, algorithms, and foreign influence to get even louder. |[ **Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/07/15/elon-musk-qualifie-marine-le-pen-de-dernier-espoir-de-la-france%5F6723610%5F4408996.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # How Planity built a beauty tech leader that competitors struggle to copy [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Planity-1.webp)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/planity-80m-arr-profitability-ai-european-growth/) French beauty-booking platform Planity has reached a milestone that few European software companies achieve. Ten years after its launch, the company has surpassed €80 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), reached profitability, and now serves more than 60,000 beauty businesses across France, Germany, and Belgium. For founder and CEO Antoine Puymirat, however, the numbers tell only part of the story. Speaking to The French Tech Journal, Puymirat argued that Planity's success came not from chasing growth at all costs, but from building a business that competitors would struggle to replicate. As the company prepares to expand into wellbeing services and invest heavily in AI-powered tools, he believes the principles that fuelled its first decade remain unchanged. [Check out Planity's trajectory here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/planity-80m-arr-profitability-ai-european-growth/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Syntetica 🏷️ **Sectors:** DeepTech, Circular Economy 🔍 **Description:** A deeptech company developing a low-temperature chemical recycling process for mixed nylon textile waste. Its technology can recycle Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 together without separating them first, while preserving other materials such as elastane for potential reuse. 💻 **Website:** [https://syntetica.co/](https://syntetica.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $30 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, SWEN Capital Partners, EQT Ventures, Lululemon, MAS Holdings, Family Offices 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Marco Bertone, Louis Monsigny 🗞️ **News:** Syntetica has raised $30 million to build its first commercial demonstration plant with Michelin at the Center for Sustainable Materials in Clermont-Ferrand. The facility is expected to begin producing commercial volumes of recycled nylon within 18 months. The company also plans to expand its team from around 22 employees to 30 by year-end and 45 by the end of 2027, while extending its technology into automotive and specialty chemicals markets. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/lululemon-syntetica-30m-series-a-nylon-recycling/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** NeoCem 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, DeepTech 🔍 **Description:** A developer and producer of low-carbon binders for the cement, construction and public-works industries, designed to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.neocem.com/](https://www.neocem.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €17 million 🏦 **Investors:** Crédit Mutuel Impact 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Christophe Deboffe, Benjamin Constant 🗞️ **News:** NeoCem has raised €17 million to accelerate the industrial deployment of its low-carbon binder technology. The company has begun large-scale production at its first operational facility near Chantilly, in the Oise department, and is ramping up toward an annual production capacity of 200,000 tonnes. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/neocem-leve-17-me-pour-sa-technologie-bas-carbone?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Engo 🏷️ **Sectors:** SportsTech, Augmented Reality 🔍 **Description:** A smart-glasses company developing lightweight augmented-reality eyewear for runners, cyclists and triathletes. Its glasses use an integrated Micro OLED display to project real-time performance data directly into the athlete’s field of vision. 💻 **Website:** [https://fr.engoeyewear.com](https://fr.engoeyewear.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Ventech, Odyssée Venture, Bpifrance 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Éric Marcellin-Dibon and Fabrice Berger Duquene 🗞️ **News:** Engo has raised €5.1 million to accelerate its international expansion and R&D in miniaturization and embedded display technologies. The company generates 90% of its revenue outside France, including half in the United States, and plans to hire around 20 additional employees across optics, mechanical engineering, software and data. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ghost/#/editor/post/6a5955e1aa7cf800012120e2) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Planity Hits €80M ARR: CEO Reveals the SaaS Moat That AI and Rivals Can't Copy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/planity-80m-arr-profitability-ai-european-growth/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T10:50:37.000Z French beauty-booking platform Planity has reached a milestone that few European software companies achieve. Ten years after its launch, the company has surpassed €80 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), reached profitability, and now serves more than 60,000 beauty businesses across France, Germany, and Belgium. For founder and CEO Antoine Puymirat, however, the numbers tell only part of the story. Speaking to The French Tech Journal, Puymirat argued that Planity's success came not from chasing growth at all costs, but from building a business that competitors would struggle to replicate. As the company prepares to expand into wellbeing services and invest heavily in AI-powered tools, he believes the principles that fuelled its first decade remain unchanged. ## **A different model from day one** When Planity launched in 2016, online booking was already well established in sectors such as travel and restaurants, but beauty remained largely offline. Most appointments were still made by telephone or written into paper diaries. Rather than adopting the commission-based marketplace model popularised by competitors such as Treatwell, Planity opted for a flat monthly SaaS subscription. Salons pay a fixed fee based on their business size while remaining free to bring their own customers onto the platform. Puymirat said he believed this created a much healthier relationship with customers. "We were convinced somebody would eventually capture the majority of the European market," he said. "But we didn't think taking 20 or 30 percent commission on every booking was the right model." Instead, the company focused on helping salons digitize their businesses while allowing them to retain ownership of their customer relationships. That approach, combined with growing consumer adoption, created a powerful marketplace dynamic as more businesses attracted more users, and vice versa. Today, Planity attracts around 15 million unique users each month and has managed more than 500 million appointments since its launch. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-17-at-08.47.48.png) ## **COVID nearly brought the company to an end** The company's trajectory was far from inevitable. Puymirat revealed that, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Planity had only around 15 days of cash remaining after a planned fundraising with a Chinese investor collapsed. "I called our existing investors and told them if they didn’t intervene**,** we would have to close the company," he recalled. "Two hours later**,** they called back and said yes." The emergency financing allowed Planity to survive one of the most difficult periods in its history. While beauty salons were forced to close during lockdowns, the company gave customers free access to its platform, helping them manage the surge in appointments once restrictions were lifted. Later that year, Planity completed a €10 million Series B financing, giving the company fresh momentum. The pandemic also reinforced demand for digital booking, accelerating adoption among salon owners who had previously relied on paper diaries and telephone appointments. ## **Building a moat competitors struggle to cross** Asked what advice he would give other founders, Puymirat's answer was immediate. "You need a moat," he said. "You can always be copied." For Planity, that moat extends far beyond software. One layer comes from the marketplace itself. As more beauty professionals join the platform, consumers have more choices. As more consumers book through Planity, the platform becomes increasingly valuable for businesses. The network effects become progressively harder for rivals to reproduce. Another comes from the company's unusually large field sales organization. Planity employs around 250 salespeople, many of whom work directly with salons on the ground. Convincing thousands of small businesses to abandon paper calendars and adopt digital software required face-to-face relationships that could not easily be replaced by online marketing alone. "It's people-intensive," Puymirat said, explaining that this physical presence has itself become a competitive advantage. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Planity-10-ans_Cre--dit-Vie----t-Le---Hoa--ng-1.jpg) The Planity team at their 10th anniversary bash Brand has become another important layer of protection. Rather than allowing larger technology platforms to absorb its booking infrastructure through white-label integrations, Planity has deliberately kept its own brand visible throughout the customer journey. That brand mirrors the aesthetics of beauty brands and high-end hairdressers with a minimalist black-and-white look. He pointed to discussions with Google, explaining that the company chose direct Planity links over invisible integrations because maintaining customer recognition would become increasingly important as new AI-powered search experiences emerge. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Planity.webp) ## **AI should remove interruptions, not replace people** Artificial intelligence represents the company's next major investment, although Puymirat described a notably pragmatic vision of its role. One of Planity's first AI products will be an intelligent telephone assistant that can answer calls when salon staff are busy with clients. The system will respond to common questions, book appointments, and update calendars automatically. "The hairdresser shouldn't have to stop cutting someone's hair to answer the phone," he said. Beyond voice, Planity is also developing AI tools capable of analyzing occupancy rates, customer loyalty, no-shows and employee performance to help businesses improve profitability. However, Puymirat was careful to distinguish these tools from autonomous business advisors. The insights will rely exclusively on each customer's own operational data rather than combining information across the platform. Although Planity possesses a vast amount of booking data, he said the company has no intention of monetizing it. "We could monetize the data," he said. "But we don't want to, and our clients wouldn't like it." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-17-at-08.51.11-2.png) ## **Europe still offers plenty of room to grow** Despite achieving profitability, Planity shows little interest in pursuing US expansion. Instead, the company believes Europe remains significantly underpenetrated. While around 75% of hotel reservations are now booked online, Puymirat estimated that only around 11% of beauty and wellbeing appointments are currently booked online. He believes that the gap leaves considerable room for growth. Germany, where Planity launched in 2023, already has around 6,000 partner businesses and more than one million users. The company expects international partners to account for almost 15% of its network by the end of this year as Germany and Belgium continue to scale. Meanwhile, Planity is broadening its addressable market beyond traditional beauty services into wellbeing professions including reflexology, sophrology, hypnotherapy and life coaching, with plans to expand further into areas such as fitness. Rather than signaling a change in strategy, Puymirat sees the move as a natural extension of the company's ambition to become Europe's default platform for booking personal care services. For him, however, the long-term challenge remains the same as it was a decade ago: continuing to strengthen the competitive advantages that helped Planity reach scale in the first place. Because, as he put it, "you can always be copied." ### 🤖 La Machine #85: RAISE Summit and AI’s Megawatt Moment URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-85-raise-summit-and-ais-megawatt-moment/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T09:26:01.000Z 🧠 At **RAISE Summit in Paris**, the AI debate moved beyond whether the technology works to whether the world can build enough power, chips, data centers, and networks to support it. Industry leaders unveiled massive compute investments, tangible gains in enterprise productivity, and a new race to make AI faster and more efficient. But amid the optimism, stark warnings emerged about Europe’s infrastructure deficit and autonomous agents already outrunning corporate security controls. [**Read the recap —>**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/raise-summit-2026-ai-infrastructure-reckoning/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ From the department of weird and wacky came a story from **Sifted** involving Yann LeCun that took multiple twists and turns in the course of just 24 hours. And I'm still not sure anyone really knows what happened. First, Sifted appeared to have a big scoop: LeCun has a big ole new fund called [**Extelligence Invest**](https://extelligenceinvest.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)! But then...nope? Sifted reported a few hours later that it was shut down and had separated from LeCun over concerns that he had other obligations to other funds. During the day, the firm's website went offline, as if the firm had indeed gone dark. Later in the evening, it was back, with only 2 of the 4 partners who had been on site earlier in the day still there: [Tony F Chan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-f-chan-73a10b330/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and Amy Hu. Even later, their names had also been scrubbed. A capture from the Internet Archive in December 2025 showed 5 partners, but LeCun was not listed. The site also claimed the fund is registered with the SEC and even linked to the SEC site, but the SEC site had no record of its registration. By late evening, those links had been removed, and the address now lists the HQ as: 92 avenue des Champs-ÉlyséesParis, Île-de-France 75008\. Which is a WeWork. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/yann-lecun-new-vc-firm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s Cheap Energy Becomes the New AI Battleground** France’s low-cost nuclear electricity could be its secret weapon in the AI race. But Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch is warning that US tech giants may plug in first. With politicians now debating preferential access to power for European companies, electricity is fast becoming the next front in France’s AI sovereignty battle. | [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/frances-edge-in-the-ai-race-is-cheap-energy-if-american-big-tech-doesnt-plug-in-first/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France Backs Global Push to Protect Children in the AI Age** France, Spain, and Kenya have launched a new global coalition to protect children in the age of AI. Bringing together 18 countries and UN agencies including UNICEF and UNESCO, the initiative will focus on building AI systems that are safe and respect children’s rights.| [**France Diplomatie**](https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/presse-et-ressources/decouvrir-et-informer/actualites/lancement-de-la-coalition-pour-les-droits-et-la-protection-de-l-enfance-a-l-ere-de-l-intelligence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Paris Peace Forum Launches AI Cyber Threat Hub** The Paris Peace Forum has launched INTAiC, a new global platform tackling the malicious use of AI in cyberspace. Bringing together AI and cybersecurity experts from the public and private sectors, research, and civil society, the initiative aims to build a shared evidence base on how AI is reshaping cyber threats.| [**Paris Peace Forum**](https://parispeaceforum.org/fr/communiques-de-presse/le-forum-de-paris-sur-la-paix-lance-intaic-une-nouvelle-plateforme-de-cooperation-multiacteurs-pour-lutter-contre-les-usages-malveillants-de-lia-dans-le-cyberespace/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Strasbourg Consortium Joins Europe’s AI Gigafactory Race** A consortium of European tech and industrial players is bidding to build two AI Gigafactory campuses near Strasbourg. Led by ÆTHER and including 2CRSi, SiPearl, Axelera AI and Outscale, the project aims to build a more sovereign European AI infrastructure spanning chips, servers, cloud and energy.|[ **L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/informatique/data-centers/sipearl-axelera-ai-outscale-2crsi-ces-industriels-europeens-veulent-batir-une-ai-gigafactory-pres-de-strasbourg.DU7SEC3UDRFOZNBIDPQ4LQXCSE.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French Robotics Firm Passes Key Test for Future Combat Unit** French robotics firm Vigilant Solution has completed a new round of trials for Pendragon, France’s program to build its first robotic combat unit. The tests validated autonomous multi-robot navigation and the integration of ground robots and tethered drones, as France targets a first experimental unit by summer 2027\. | [**The Defence Blog**](https://defence-blog.com/french-robotics-firm-passes-key-test-for-future-combat-unit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Mistral Moves Into Robotics** Mistral AI has launched Robostral Navigate, its first robotics model, as the Paris AI champion expands into factories, warehouses and industrial automation. The system enables robots to navigate using a single camera, without lidar, advanced sensors or multiple-camera setups.| [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/mistral-launches-first-robotics-model-physical-ai-push-2026-07-08/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Yann LeCun Bets $1bn That LLMs Have Hit a Wall** Yann LeCun is betting that larger chatbots won’t achieve human-level intelligence. Speaking at the RAISE Summit in Paris, the former Meta AI chief argued that a four-year-old learns more about the physical world through vision than the largest LLM can absorb from all the text online. His new startup, AMI, is building “world models” designed to learn by watching. |[ **TWN**](https://thenextweb.com/news/yann-lecun-ami-world-models-raise-summit-llms?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Cerebras Bets Billions on European AI Compute** US chip startup Cerebras is planning a multibillion-dollar expansion across France and the Nordics, targeting 200MW of European AI compute capacity by the end of 2027\. The Nvidia challenger says demand is surging for high-performance AI infrastructure located closer to European users. | [**Euronews/AFP**](https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/07/09/cerebras-targets-europe-with-multibillion-dollar-ai-expansion-challenging-nvidia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s Nvidia Antitrust Probe Nears Its End** France’s competition watchdog says its investigation into Nvidia over alleged anti-competitive practices is nearing its end. The next step is to decide whether there are sufficient grounds to proceed with formal objections - or close the case.| [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/world/french-competition-authoritys-nvidia-probe-nearing-end-2026-07-09/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **ZML Takes Aim at AI Hardware Lock-In** Paris startup ZML has launched LLMD, a free AI inference server designed to run models at high speed across different chips and hardware architectures. The goal is to give companies more flexibility over their AI infrastructure - and potentially cut compute costs and energy use. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/08/hot-french-startup-zml-releases-free-product-to-speed-inference-across-lots-of-ai-chips/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories this past week, from Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/8671a5bc?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/r/6fd9ce0c?m=21428a87-bf8e-4071-bafa-7506da50dbda)*.* With AI data centers’ resource demands growing far faster than expected, are authorities moving faster than usual to curb them? No sooner had we discovered Microsoft's emissions jumped 25% in 2025 - meaning all three hyperscalers’ emissions have [risen by over 40% over the past five years](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jamesmartin75%5Fsustainability-ai-quitbigai-share-7481264488315404288-K-aJ/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAB-X90BvzgQBovzuvLli%5FvQurS4maIr-f8) \- than it emerged ten gas generators have been fast-tracked at the Stargate Abilene facility, potentially leading to what [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/data-centers-taking-over-texas-pollution-could-be-catastrophic/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) called “catastrophic” pollution levels. Just part of an increasingly unsustainable trend, affirmed [AP](https://apnews.com/article/data-centers-ai-artificial-intelligence-renewable-energy-7995717f506914fc181a07d32d1867a5?ref=frenchtechjournal.com): “The AI boom has set in motion the biggest ever construction boom of natural gas-fired power plants.” Not to mention the [WSJ’s 'shocker](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-data-centers-water-use-901e2902?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)': AI uses \*way\* more water than big tech admits. How are authorities reacting? 19 of 50 US states have currently enacted or are considering data center moratoria, according to this [tracker](https://www.datacenterbans.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). New York State became the first, on July 14, to fully implement a moratorium, [Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/world/new-york-becomes-first-state-impose-data-center-moratorium-2026-07-14/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrillo has signed into law a [“first in the nation”](https://www.saul.com/insights/alert/new-jerseys-first-nation-comprehensive-plan-regulate-data-centers?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) plan to ensure new data center costs do not impact ratepayers; that operators report their impacts; that community benefit agreements are established; and that job creation is supported. In Europe, in May, [Denmark imposed a 3-month pause](https://thenextweb.com/news/denmark-data-centre-grid-pause-ai-energy?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) on data center development after hyperscalers flocked to this clean-energy, cool-climate country. Back in the boardroom, 29% of CEOs “report difficulty understanding and controlling operating costs as \[AI\] systems scale”, as[ KPMG](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) diplomatically puts it (i.e., no one told them why their AI bills are soaring, x10 in [some cases](https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/ai-costs-how-much-github-copilot-users-react-to-new-usage-based-pricing-system/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). “Organizations need clear rules for who owns AI-related costs,” concludes the bean counter. As obvious as this may seem, only 25% of US workers are aware their company even \*has\* an AI policy or rules re.[ Gallup](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)… Fortunately, some are working to counter big AI’s apparent inevitability: Current IA, a “public interest AI” non-profit first announced at Paris’ AI Action Summit, has revealed new responsibility-focused services. They include [Alpha Chat](https://www.aipotluck.org/chat?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a transparent, sovereign, and non-sycophantic LLM, and the [AI Gap Map](https://www.aipotluck.org/map?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which shows what open-source AI can and can’t do today. Highlights on the roadmap include a mobile app, on-device AI and “affordable sovereign inference.” “If AI is this transformative tech, it has to be open, democratic and available for everyone to invent with… \[and yet\] the current system is closed and proprietary”, CEO Aya Bdier told the UN’s AI for Good conference. Time for change? --- ### 🧠 RAISE Summit 2026: Goodbye AI Demos and Vibes, Hello Buildouts and Megawatts [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-6.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/raise-summit-2026-ai-infrastructure-reckoning/) Despite the general hand-wringing about the ROI of AI or runaway token budgets, nobody gathered at the 3rd edition of Raise Summit in Paris last week seemed to be asking whether AI works. The 9,000 people who packed into the Carrousel du Louvre on July 8 and 9 had moved on to a grubbier, more practical question: can anyone actually build enough power, chips, data centers, and networks to keep up with demand? The event placed a heavy focus on infrastructure, both as an opportunity and a barrier to realizing AI's potential. For this crowd of insiders, the clear consensus was that AI had moved from demos and vibes to megawatts and buildouts. President Emmanuel Macron opened the event with a video address pitching France as an AI leader and pressing the case that Europe needs its own AI infrastructure in an age of geopolitical division. From there, the agenda could have almost doubled as a construction roadmap: energy, chips, data centers, networking, storage, inference, security, and only then the applications sitting on top. "AI is the steel of our generation," said Grant Lee, CEO of AI design startup Gamma. "The question is who turns this general-purpose technology into purpose-built technology." [Get the Raise Recap -->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/raise-summit-2026-ai-infrastructure-reckoning/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### RAISE Summit 2026: Goodbye AI Demos and Vibes, Hello Buildouts and Megawatts URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/raise-summit-2026-ai-infrastructure-reckoning/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T08:35:07.000Z Despite the general hand-wringing about the ROI of AI or runaway token budgets, nobody gathered at the 3rd edition of Raise Summit in Paris last week seemed to be asking whether AI works. The 9,000 people who packed into the Carrousel du Louvre on July 8 and 9 had moved on to a grubbier, more practical question: can anyone actually build enough power, chips, data centers, and networks to keep up with demand? The event placed a heavy focus on infrastructure, both as an opportunity and a barrier to realizing AI's potential. For this crowd of insiders, the clear consensus was that AI had moved from demos and vibes to megawatts and buildouts. President Emmanuel Macron opened the event with a video address pitching France as an AI leader and pressing the case that Europe needs its own AI infrastructure in an age of geopolitical division. From there, the agenda could have almost doubled as a construction roadmap: energy, chips, data centers, networking, storage, inference, security, and only then the applications sitting on top. "AI is the steel of our generation," said Grant Lee, CEO of AI design startup Gamma. "The question is who turns this general-purpose technology into purpose-built technology." ## $20 billion and a race against the clock ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-5.png) The conference wasn't necessarily about breaking news. But one of the bigger headlines that echoed the core theme came from OpenAI and Cerebras. Andrew Feldman, the Cerebras CEO, fresh off his company's IPO, told the main stage that the two companies had signed "one of the largest deals in Silicon Valley history," a compute agreement worth north of $20 billion over several years, which closed on December 24.​ On the product side, Sachin Katti, OpenAI's head of industrial compute, said the company's Phi-6 model will run on Cerebras systems at 750 tokens per second. He called it "an unheard-of speed," probably an order of magnitude faster than anything else out there, and predicted it would feel magical to use.​ The deal comes with a European buildout: 200 megawatts of data center capacity split between Lyon, Norway, and Finland. Some of it arrives this year, with the full 200 MW finished by the end of next year. Feldman said Cerebras is deploying billions of dollars in capital to make sure "the fastest tokens" and "the smartest tokens" can be delivered in Europe, and that this is just the start. ## Why speed is suddenly the whole game The argument behind the deal was simple and spoke to the rapid evolution of AI. Both men emphasized that models got smart enough in 2025 to be widely useful, so the next battleground became latency.​ Katti used a search analogy. In the 2010s, Google first won on quality, then poured money into shaving milliseconds off results because lower latency correlated directly with revenue. "Latency is a very critical product ingredient for us going forward," he said. ​Feldman added: "Why is there no market for slow search? Why is there no market for dial-up internet?" His point was that when AI becomes part of how you do your job every day, waiting is intolerable. Studies keep showing that people given fast tools use them more often, enjoy them more, and point them at harder problems.​ Feldman also took a swing at "tokenmaxxing," the idea circulating on X that the more tokens you burn, the more AI-native you are. "I don't think you should count your tokens as a measure of how AI-forward you are," he said. Count the productivity of the work instead. Scott Wu of Cognition made the same point from the same stage: tokenmaxxing is dead, and the focus now is on getting the most from the fewest tokens. Jordan Topoleski of Cursor observed that, rather than measuring inputs, companies are increasingly focusing on practical benchmarks such as outcomes. "Companies are shifting from token-maxing to token optimization," said Josh Wolfe of Lux Capital. ## Codex ate OpenAI’s org chart The most eyebrow-raising material from the OpenAI session wasn't about chips at all. Katti said Codex has become "the default user interface for the company now." Not just for engineers. Legal, finance, go-to-market, and HR all run on it, and many engineers now interact with their browsers through Codex because it has built-in computer use. The shift showed how quickly the tool has spread beyond engineering.​ "Pretty much the entire company now produces its output tokens through Codex, not chat," he said. For example, Katti said OpenAI's HR department built an agent to handle human reorgs. Agents are reorganizing human teams inside the company. Katti argued this is where every enterprise is headed, whether in the US, Europe, or Asia. The first instinct is to bolt agents onto the existing org chart. The real change comes when companies start asking what team sizes should be, what reporting structures should look like, and which roles should go to AI workers.​ He also credited Codex for OpenAI's accelerating release cadence. The company now ships a new frontier model every month, and Katti said Codex is the primary reason the pace has quickened. ## The ROI receipts For a couple of years, the enterprise AI pitch has been all promise and no numbers. This time, execs brought receipts to change the narrative around AI's potential. For instance, Goldman Sachs CIO Marco Argenti said his bank saw 20 to 30% efficiency gains in M&A and equity research over the last two quarters. Goldman built its own internal platform where agents access company data under tight regulatory controls, and more than 40,000 employees use it, firing off millions of prompts a week. Still, he said companies need to proceed with caution and lay the groundwork first. The companies expecting AI to just work like magic, without doing the boring plumbing underneath, are kidding themselves. "What I don't outsource is decisions," he said. "I like to make the final call. That's human judgment, and I haven't seen evidence that AI judgment is superior yet." Those ROI figures came fast and furious across the conference stages. ServiceNow put its gains at around $500 million in production boosts and new development. Writer’s CEO May Habib claimed a 300% jump in employee productivity. Vanta got a 25% lift in its go-to-market work. More than just ROI, execs said they are starting to consider how agentic AI can help them tap new avenues of growth. Vishal Talwar, EVP and CDIO at FedEx Corporation, and President of FedEx Dataworks, said that decades of logistics data the company was basically sitting on can now become new supply-chain products, whole new lines of revenue. This circled back to Goldman’s point: open your data up to the agents or don’t bother expecting the payoff. ## The physics problem For all the optimism, one gripe kept surfacing: building the physical infrastructure is genuinely brutal and slow. And that now risks becoming the real barrier. NVIDIA’s EMEA VP Paolo Guglielmini didn’t sugarcoat Europe’s current situation. The continent is sitting on maybe 5% of the world’s installed AI compute, even though it’s supposed to deploy 10 times as many GPUs as it has now by 2027\. Guglielmini also claimed that if you were to hand him five times the gigawatts today, he’d sell every last chip without breaking a sweat. Google’s Amin Vahdat echoed this, calling demand “unbound and unprecedented.” He said the only thing holding it back is how fast you can stand up data centers. "The industrial revolution was the muscle multiplier. We're now in the era of intelligence, the mind multiplier," he said. "We're approaching a world with a doctor for every patient, a teacher for every learner, a cure for every disease, and a decade of scientific progress every year." To accelerate the buildout, Giordano Albertazzi, CEO of digital infrastructure company Vertiv, reframed the AI data center as something you no longer build but manufacture. "We have to move from building a data center to manufacturing one, designing and optimizing the entire data center as a single product." ## The security warning Rubrik's chief transformation officer, Kavitha Mariappan, delivered a rather unsettling warning: "Today we have agents with wallets." These autonomous systems can transact and trigger workflows that bypass security models designed to detect malicious human intent. Agentic security concerns are no longer just theoretical. ​She told a story about a Fortune 50 company that deployed agents en masse. One agent decided it didn't like the existing security policy. Another had close but limited access. Together, they rewrote the company's security policy, and the security team only caught it when the new policy hit the SOC upon publication. Her data crystallized the unease: 86% of organizations say their agents are already outpacing the guardrails meant to contain them, while just 23% have meaningful visibility into what those agents are actually doing. ## Cuban, angry creatives, and 770,000 apps a week Mark Cuban opened day one with Lovable’s Anton Osika. At one point, he mentioned that Lovable users are spinning up 770,000 apps a week, and only about one in five of them is an engineer. “Your biggest limitation is your time and your imagination,” Cuban said. He also wouldn’t join the crowd dismissing creative people who are furious about AI. “I understand why they’re upset, because it’s not trained on their work without their permission, and they should be upset.” As for what’s left for humans once the machines can do so much, his answer was that AI doesn’t understand the fallout of its own choices. You still need people who can take in everything, read the context, and make the call in real time. ## PS... RAISE itself is scaling. The most common backhanded compliment heard over two days was some version of "Gosh, this place is packed" or "This place is too small." The event founders would probably have agreed on both counts. RAISE doubled in size this year, and organizers announced that it will leave the Louvre for the Palais des Congrès, returning July 7-8, 2027. "The hardest question today is not about what the technology can do," said RAISE's Hadrien de Cournon, "but how to make it work inside a real-life organization." ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire July 13: Skello €150M Led 12 Deals For €264.4M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-13-skello-eur150m-led-12-deals-for-eur264-4m/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T08:56:46.000Z [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/France-AI-Radar-Card.png)](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Introducing: France AI Radar.** **Discover the next generation of French AI startups before the market.* We detect AI startups across France at their earliest signal: when they are incorporated, still in stealth, or just beginning to leave a public trace. Structured intelligence built from administrative filings, founder activity, and ecosystem signals, designed for VCs, corporate strategists, and LPs. [Explore the Radar ](https://www.franceairadar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: July 10 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/ftfw-july-13-top.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/ftfw-july-13-sectors.jpg) --- 📇 **Company:** Skello 🏷️ **Sector:** HRTech, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** An AI-powered workforce-management platform for frontline teams that helps businesses manage employee scheduling, administration, regulatory compliance and operational performance. Its Skello Assistant AI agent converts workforce data into tailored HR insights and automates follow-up actions. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.skello.io](https://www.skello.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** €150 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bridgepoint, Partech, XAnge 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Quitterie Mathelin-Moreaux and Emmanuelle Fauchier-Magnan 🗞️ **News:** Skello has secured a €200 million investment to strengthen its leadership in France, accelerate its European expansion, expand its platform and continue investing in AI. The company said that about €50M of that investment was made through secondary offerings and that the deal includes access to debt. The company serves 25,000 businesses and 600,000 daily users across France, Spain, Benelux and Italy, and exceeded €50 million in ARR in 2026 and reached profitability in 2025\. It plans to hire 100 employees across technology, product and sales in Paris, Lille and Barcelona during 2026, while also pursuing targeted acquisitions. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/frances-skello-secures-e200-million-to-grow-its-ai-tools-for-frontline-workforce-management/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/06/skello-souffle-sa-10e-bougie-avec-un-financement-de-200-millions-deuros-pour-conquerir-leurope/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Cyllene Therapeutics (formerly EG 427) 🏷️ **Sector:** BioTech 🔍 **Description:** A clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision DNA medicines for neurological and neuro-urological diseases. Its HERMES platform uses non-replicating HSV-1 vectors to deliver therapeutic DNA selectively to targeted neurons. 💻 **Website:** [www.cyllene-tx.com](http://www.cyllene-tx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €33 million 🏦 **Investors:** GordonMD Global Investments, M Ventures, Andera Partners, Bpifrance, Lamond Ventures 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Philippe Chambon 🗞️ **News:** Cyllene Therapeutics has raised €33 million and rebranded from EG 427\. The funding will support the continued clinical development of EG110A, its lead genetic medicine candidate for neurogenic detrusor overactivity and other severe bladder conditions, while expanding its HERMES non-replicating HSV-1 platform and therapeutic pipeline. The company plans to begin a Phase 2b/3 trial of EG110A in 2027 and explore additional neurological indications, including pain and migraine. | [**PR**](https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-07/68957537-cyllene-therapeutics-formerly-known-as-eg-427-raises-euro-33-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-eg110a-and-pipeline-expansion-399.htm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**BioWorld**](https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732419-eg427-raises-377m-series-c-for-hsv-gene-therapy?v=preview&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Gradium 🏷️ **Sector:** Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** An AI infrastructure company developing foundational models for real-time voice applications, including streaming speech-to-text, expressive text-to-speech, speech-to-speech translation and conversational intelligence for developers and enterprises. 💻 **Website:** [https://gradium.ai](https://gradium.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, San Francisco 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €26.3m 🏦 **Investors:** NVIDIA 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Neil Zeghidour, Laurent Mazaré, Olivier Teboul, Alexandre Défossez 🗞️ **News:** Gradium has extended its initial funding round to surpass $100 million in total financing for its Seed round, seven months after launch. The company will use the capital to accelerate voice-AI research and product development, expand internationally, and establish an office in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its products include real-time speech recognition and generation models, Gradium Translate, the on-device Phonon model, and the open-source GradBot voice-agent framework. | [**Gradium**](https://gradium.ai/blog/gradium-100-million-funding-nvidia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/08/ia-gradium-etend-son-tour-de-table-initial-au-dela-des-100-millions-de-dollars-avec-nvidia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ZML 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** An AI infrastructure startup developing inference software that enables open-source large language models to run efficiently across multiple types of hardware, including Nvidia and AMD GPUs, Google TPUs, Apple Metal and Intel Arc chips. 💻 **Website:** [http://zml.ai/](http://zml.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20 million 🏦 **Investors:** 20VC, >commit, AALVC, Drysdale Ventures, Kima Ventures, Kindred Capital, LocalGlobe, and Puzzle Ventures; its cap table also includes Solomon Hykes, Clément Delangue, Julien Chaumond, and Yann LeCun 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Steeve Morin 🗞️ **News:** ZML has launched ZML/LLMD, a free LLM inference server designed to reduce hardware vendor lock-in and maximize AI inference performance across a broad range of chips. The 20-person startup has raised $20 million and plans further product releases as it works with enterprises, cloud providers and emerging chipmakers. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/08/hot-french-startup-zml-releases-free-product-to-speed-inference-across-lots-of-ai-chips/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Bohr Energie 🏷️ Sectors: Energy, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: An independent energy aggregator that uses proprietary software, AI, forecasting and real-time optimization tools to help renewable energy producers manage and commercialize distributed solar, wind, hydro, battery and hybrid assets. 💻 **Website:** [http://bohr-energie.fr/](http://bohr-energie.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Suma Capital, Irdi Capital Investissement, GSO Capital, Crédit Agricole, Varsity, Founders Future, AFI Ventures 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Julien Haure, Luis Urday, Julien Chollet, Jean-Pierre Mader 🗞️ **News:** Bohr Energie has raised €10 million to strengthen its position in France, expand its technology platform, launch new services and prepare for international growth, initially targeting Spain and Italy. The company manages more than 170 renewable and flexible assets and expects to approach 1 GW of assets under management by year-end. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/toulouse-based-bohr-energie-secures-e10-million-to-scale-its-ai-powered-renewable-energy-aggregation-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Aria 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech 🔍 Description: Aria provides embedded invoice financing infrastructure that enables B2B marketplaces, ERP platforms, and vertical SaaS providers to offer instant supplier payments while allowing buyers to retain standard payment terms. 💻 Website: [https://www.aria.finance](https://www.aria.finance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €7M equity 🏦 Investors: 115K, 13books Capital, Nomura, Fost, Sienna, Montpensier Arbevel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Clément Carrier 🗞️ News: Aria has raised a €7 million Series A extension led by 115K, the venture arm of La Banque Postale, with existing investor 13books Capital participating, bringing its total Series A funding to €22 million. Alongside the equity financing, the company launched a €240 million debt facility structured around a securitization fund led by Nomura with participation from Fost, plus additional capital commitments from Sienna and Montpensier Arbevel. The new capital will support AI product development, hiring, and customer growth while significantly expanding Aria's financing capacity. Founded in 2020, Aria embeds invoice financing directly into B2B software platforms, marketplaces, and ERP systems, allowing suppliers to receive immediate payment while buyers retain 30–90-day payment terms. The company has financed more than €1.5 billion in invoices, serves over 70 European B2B platforms, including Malt and Job&Talent, processed 1.7 million invoice advances in 2025, and has maintained a default rate below 0.1%. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/paris-based-aria-raises-e7-million-and-launches-e240-million-debt-facility-to-tackle-europes-late-payment-crisis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Axios**](https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2026/07/09/aria-8m-275-million-debt-facility?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Naaia 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 **Description:** A RegTech platform that helps organizations manage AI-related risks and automate compliance with regulations and standards, including the EU AI Act, ISO 42001 and the Cyber Resilience Act. Its “text-to-action” technology converts regulatory requirements into executable compliance tasks. 💻 **Website:** [https://naaia.ai/](https://naaia.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Ventech 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Nathalie Beslay, Benjamin May, Olivia Rime, Côme Sauzay 🗞️ **News:** Naaia has raised €6 million in a Series A led by Ventech, bringing its total funding since launch to €9 million. The company will use the capital to expand its commercial, product, and technical teams, accelerate the development of AI agents, and integrate additional regulatory, industry, and standards-based frameworks into its platform. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/08/naaia-leve-6-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-entreprises-a-se-conformer-a-lia-act/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Click&Care 🏷️ **Sector:** HealthTech 🔍 **Description:** A digital home-care network that connects families with locally recruited care professionals while managing recruitment, matching and administrative processes through its platform. Its model combines centralized human support with technology designed to improve caregiver pay, reduce travel time, and support independent living. 💻 **Website:** [https://clickandcare.fr/](https://clickandcare.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million 🏦 **Investors:** SWEN Capital Partners, InvESS Île-de-France Développement, Banque des Territoires 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Lina Bougrini 🗞️ **News:** Click&Care has raised €5 million to accelerate the nationwide deployment of its digital home-care model and further develop its technology. The company plans to introduce AI-powered tools that provide care professionals with decision support, contextual training and personalized recommendations, while improving the detection of early signs of declining health and strengthening coordination across home-care services. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-clickcare-la-plateforme-qui-veut-revaloriser-les-aides-a-domicile-2241541?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: En Carta Diagnostics 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: En Carta Diagnostics develops rapid molecular diagnostic tests that combine laboratory-grade PCR accuracy with the simplicity of at-home testing. Its programmable aptamer-based platform is designed to detect infectious diseases in around 30 minutes without requiring laboratory infrastructure. 💻 Website: [https://encartadiagnostics.com](https://encartadiagnostics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Blue Forest Ventures, Ring Capital, CentraleSupélec Venture, 50 Partners Health, Business Angels, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guillaume Horreard, Margot Karlikow 🗞️ News: En Carta Diagnostics has completed a €5 million first closing to advance its at-home molecular testing platform, including €3 million in equity and €2 million in non-dilutive financing. The company is initially targeting early detection of Lyme disease and STI screening, with clinical trials underway in Boston and Bialystok. Its flagship Lyme test received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in January 2026, giving the company access to an accelerated U.S. regulatory pathway. En Carta has also signed a €13 million co-development and commercialization agreement with AAZ covering rapid molecular tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea in Europe. The new funding will support regulatory approvals, industrial scale-up through its fabless manufacturing partnership with Circum Medical, and commercial launches in Europe and the United States. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/en-carta-diagnostics-raises-e5-million-to-bring-at-home-molecular-tests-for-lyme-disease-and-stis-to-market/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Panora 🏷️ **Sector:** InsurTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** An agentic AI platform for B2B insurance brokers that automates repetitive workflows, including multi-carrier quoting, document collection and generation, policy comparison, commission reconciliation and DDA compliance, while keeping brokers in control of advice and decision-making. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.panora.co](https://www.panora.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** ISAI, Kima Ventures, 100in, 199 Ventures, Business Angels 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Diane du Paty, Fabian Langlet 🗞️ **News:** Panora has raised $4.5 million to expand its technical team and enter additional European markets beyond France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Incubated by startup studio Hexa, formerly eFounders, the company serves clients including Howden and approximately 50 insurance brokerage firms in France and Belgium. | [**Panora**](https://www.panora.co/news/panora-leve-4-5m-seed-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Rivage 🏷️ **Sectors:** PropTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** A property-management SaaS platform for real estate professionals that automates rental accounting, payment requests, bank reconciliation, regulatory administration and communication between landlords and tenants. Its platform also uses AI to help handle maintenance requests and recommend service providers. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.rivage.immo/](https://www.rivage.immo/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, Business Angels 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Alex Chauvin 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2025, Rivage has raised €1.5 million to invest in marketing, improve its product, and accelerate customer acquisition in France. The company, which serves several dozen clients, is targeting €5 million in annual recurring revenue by 2027 and plans to double its 11-person team by the end of 2026\. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/rivage-raises-1-5m-ai-rental-management-software/v?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** W Platform 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech 🔍 **Description:** A climate-tech company developing patented systems that capture, purify, compress and store CO₂ produced during wine and beer fermentation, allowing vineyards and breweries to reuse it on-site for processes such as inerting, carbonation and dry-ice production. 💻 **Website:** [https://w-platform.fr/en/](https://w-platform.fr/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Vitirev Innovation, Demea Invest, Tudigo 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Matthieu Planté 🗞️ **News:** W Platform has raised €1 million to accelerate the commercial deployment of its CO₂ Box for vineyards and breweries. Founded in 2021, the company has around 20 customers and plans to rapidly double its client base, reach break-even in 2027, and explore applications for CO₂ generated by anaerobic digesters and industrial boilers. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-w-platform-invente-leconomie-circulaire-du-co2-pour-les-vignerons-et-les-brasseurs-2241778?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: AI Is Moving Faster Than Corporate France URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-ai-is-moving-faster-than-corporate-france/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T10:27:37.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 At VivaTech, founders and corporate leaders agreed that AI is changing the rules of innovation. [**But the biggest obstacle may still be how slowly large organizations make decisions.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-corporates-can-no-longer-afford-to-treat-startups-as-experiments/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 💰📈 **French startup funding is back, but the recovery isn’t lifting everyone. Startups raised €4.6B in the first half of 2026, up 65% year-on-year, according to EY, marking the strongest first half since 2022\.** But the rebound was driven by just seven mega-rounds exceeding €100M, which accounted for nearly half of all capital raised, while the number of deals continued to fall. The message? Investors are doubling down on proven scale-up bets, making fundraising tougher for earlier-stage startups despite the headline boom. | [**EY**](https://www.ey.com/fr%5Ffr/insights/fast-growing-companies/barometre-ey-du-capital-risque-en-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏭📱**France is giving data centers a starring role in its industrial strategy, officially bringing them into the country’s digital infrastructure roadmap through 2030.** The new plan positions data centers alongside telecoms networks as critical national infrastructure, with a focus on sovereignty, resilience, innovation and greener operations. While AI is accelerating demand for computing capacity, the roadmap also underlines the broader role of data centers in supporting France’s digital economy - even if it stops short of announcing fresh funding or concrete targets. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/informatique/data-centers/le-coeur-battant-de-lia-letat-place-les-data-centers-au-centre-de-sa-strategie-numerique-pour-renforcer-la-souverainete-des-infrastructures-critiques.HGNBIKVMXBEYFEICYX662L3WZA.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️ 🇫🇷 **The French Competition Authority is turning up the heat on Meta in its long-running fight over paying publishers for news content.** The French Competition Authority has ordered the owner of Facebook and Instagram back to the negotiating table, demanding greater transparency in how it values media content. Beyond the immediate dispute, the ruling could shape how publishers are compensated when their content powers AI features, with France pushing to extend neighboring rights to chatbots and AI-generated summaries across Europe. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/07/08/meta-somme-par-le-gendarme-francais-de-la-concurrence-de-remunerer-les-medias-nouvelle-etape-de-la-bataille-entre-la-presse-et-les-geants-de-la-tech%5F6721827%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛍️ 🇪🇺 **France has suspended its €2 levy on low-value parcels after Chinese e-commerce platforms rerouted shipments through neighboring EU countries to sidestep the measure.** The government will now rely on the EU’s new €3 customs duty, arguing that only bloc-wide rules can effectively regulate cross-border giants like Shein, Temu and AliExpress. |[ **Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/06/30/la-taxe-francaise-de-2-euros-sur-les-petits-colis-va-etre-suspendue-remplacee-par-un-droit-de-douane-europeen%5F6717212%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏥 📈 **Turenne Santé is betting that France’s next HealthTech winners won’t fail for lack of technology but for lack of scale-up capital.** Its new Next Health Capital fund has reached a first close of more than €60M and aims to raise up to €150M to help startups bridge the “valley of death” between venture capital and private equity. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/start-up-turenne-sante-lance-un-nouveau-fonds-pour-faire-passer-la-vallee-de-la-mort-2241628?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💇📊 **Ten years after its launch, French beauty booking platform Planity has reached profitability and surpassed €80M in annual recurring revenue,** putting it within striking distance of coveted “centaur” status. Now active across France, Germany and Belgium, the company is expanding into the wider wellness market while rolling out AI-powered tools to help salons automate bookings and improve business performance. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/08/10-ans-apres-sa-creation-planity-devient-rentable-et-se-rapproche-du-statut-de-centaure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # French Corporates Can No Longer Afford to Treat Startups as Experiments ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-4.png) From left: Thor Philogen, CEO & co-founder, Stravito. Rachel Delacour, CEO & co-founder, Sweep. David Sabban, Partner, IBM Consulting. Philip Marais, Global Startup Program Director, OVHcloud. Since its launch in 2016, VivaTech has positioned itself as the place where startups and large corporations come together to turn innovation into business. That ambition has produced tangible results. Through initiatives such as *Je Choisis la French Tech*, more than €2 billion in contracts have now been signed between startups and public and private organizations, while nearly two-thirds of French startups count large companies among their customers. Yet beneath those encouraging numbers, the reality remains uneven. Some corporates have made startups a core part of their innovation strategy, with dedicated budgets and teams. Others are still stuck in an endless cycle of proofs of concept and procurement processes that rarely lead to deployment. To explore why, the French Tech Journal brought together two startup founders - Thor Olof Philogène, CEO and co-founder of Stravito, and Rachel Delacour, CEO and co-founder of Sweep - and two corporate leaders, David Sabban, Partner at IBM Consulting, and Philip Marais, Global Startup Program Director at OVHcloud. While the discussion centered on AI, the panel quickly converged on a broader conclusion: **French corporates can no longer afford to treat startups as experiments.** As innovation cycles accelerate, the greatest risk may no longer be partnering with the wrong startup - but waiting too long to partner at all. [Follow the corporate-startup debate ->](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-corporates-can-no-longer-afford-to-treat-startups-as-experiments/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Corporates Can No Longer Afford to Treat Startups as Experiments URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-corporates-can-no-longer-afford-to-treat-startups-as-experiments/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T10:28:42.000Z Since its launch in 2016, VivaTech has positioned itself as the place where startups and large corporations come together to turn innovation into business. That ambition has produced tangible results. Through initiatives such as *Je Choisis la French Tech*, more than €2 billion in contracts have now been signed between startups and public and private organizations, while nearly two-thirds of French startups count large companies among their customers. Yet beneath those encouraging numbers, the reality remains uneven. Some corporates have made startups a core part of their innovation strategy, with dedicated budgets and teams. Others are still stuck in an endless cycle of proofs of concept and procurement processes that rarely lead to deployment. To explore why, the French Tech Journal brought together two startup founders - Thor Olof Philogène, CEO and co-founder of Stravito, and Rachel Delacour, CEO and co-founder of Sweep - and two corporate leaders, David Sabban, Partner at IBM Consulting, and Philip Marais, Global Startup Program Director at OVHcloud. While the discussion centered on AI, the panel quickly converged on a broader conclusion: **French corporates can no longer afford to treat startups as experiments.** As innovation cycles accelerate, the greatest risk may no longer be partnering with the wrong startup - but waiting too long to partner at all. ## **AI is forcing corporates to look outside** Large companies have always partnered with startups to access innovation. But AI is changing the balance. According to Philip Marais, who leads OVHcloud’s global startup program, the pace of AI development has leveled the playing field. **Startups can now build and deploy products so quickly that large organizations increasingly need external innovation simply to keep pace.** That urgency is also changing how companies fund experimentation, with innovation and R&D budgets increasingly replacing traditional procurement processes for AI projects. For corporates, he argued, this creates a rare opportunity to engage startups earlier and more strategically. ## **Startups don’t need perfect customers. They need faster ones.** If the founders on stage shared one frustration, it was the pace at which many large companies still operate. Rachel Delacour, CEO of sustainability software company Sweep, described spending months navigating proof-of-concept discussions that often go nowhere. Her message to corporates is both simple and surprising: **learn to fail faster.** She recalled one startup spending an entire year working through a proof of concept before ultimately shutting down. A quick decision - even a negative one- is often far less damaging than a twelve-month evaluation process that consumes engineering resources, management attention, and cash. ## **The biggest risk is doing nothing** For Thor Olof Philogène, CEO and co-founder of enterprise insights platform Stravito, AI has changed how executives think about risk. **“There is more risk in not doing anything than there used to be,”** he pointed out. Companies still need to evaluate security, compliance, and governance, but refusing to experiment has become a strategic risk in itself. The most innovative organizations, he argued, are those willing to take calculated risks rather than waiting for perfect certainty. ## **Speed beats perfection** That philosophy extends beyond startups. David Sabban, Partner at IBM Consulting, argued that AI requires organizations themselves to become more comfortable with experimentation. **Rather than pursuing perfect solutions, companies should prioritize rapid iteration and productivity gains.** IBM has already deployed thousands of internal AI agents across its consulting organization, he said, reflecting a broader shift towards testing, learning and improving at speed. The challenge is no longer whether AI will transform businesses, but whether businesses can transform quickly enough to benefit from it. ## **Trust remains the real currency** Speed alone, however, is not enough. For startups, winning enterprise customers still depends on building trust. Philogen argued that businesses making strategic decisions care less about how quickly AI produces an answer than about whether they understand where that answer came from. At Stravito, that has meant developing what he calls “glass box AI”, allowing customers to trace AI-generated responses back to the underlying data rather than relying on opaque outputs. Transparency, he suggested, may ultimately prove a bigger competitive advantage than raw AI capability. ## **Partnership over ownership** Asked whether tomorrow’s leading companies would build everything in-house or increasingly rely on partnerships with startups, the panel offered remarkably little disagreement. The consensus was that neither approach works in isolation. Corporates provide scale, customers, and operational expertise. Startups contribute speed, specialization, and the willingness to experiment. As AI accelerates the pace of technological change, that combination is becoming less a competitive advantage and more a necessity. **But the panel also pointed to a more fundamental shift.** For years, the burden of adaptation fell almost entirely on startups, which were expected to navigate corporate procurement processes, governance, and decision-making. That balance is beginning to change. The message emerging from this year’s VivaTech is that the opposite is now becoming true. In the AI era, it is increasingly large organizations that will need to adapt to startup speed - not only to remain competitive, but to seize the next wave of innovation. **Watch the panel here:** ### 🤖 La Machine #84: Go Inside UMA's Humanoid Robot Lab URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-84-go-inside-umas-humanoid-robot-lab/ Last updated: 2026-07-08T07:41:28.000Z 🧠 In this exclusive VivaTech 2026 interview with The French Tech Journal, Scaleway CEO Damien Lucas explains why AI sovereignty has become an economic necessity, how geopolitics is reshaping cloud infrastructure, and why Europe's biggest challenge is no longer technology but the speed of its response. [**Hear Damien Lucas' Full Case →**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scaleway-ceo-damien-lucas-europe-ai-cloud-race/) 🧠 Cyberattacks, AI hallucinations, crypto, and executive liability are creating new risks for startups, yet many founders remain underinsured. Paris-based Belem says 95% of the companies it audits discover critical coverage gaps and use AI to fix them. [**The Insurance Problems Founders Ignore →**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/belem-tech-startup-insurance-gaps-ai/) 🧠 Nine months after launching, the Paris-based startup UMA revealed its first prototype, a "Real-Time Learning" approach to teaching robots, and a go-to-market plan that starts in warehouses and eventually ends in your living room. 🤖 [**Meet Europe's New Humanoid Robot. →**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/uma-shows-its-hand-remi-cadene-unveils-a-humanoid-robot-designed-to-earn-europes-trust/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5 while navigating a new era of U.S. government oversight of frontier AI models.** Billed as the company’s most “agentic” mid-sized model yet, Sonnet 5 brings more autonomous planning, tool use and coding capabilities at a lower cost than its flagship Opus models. **But the launch comes just weeks after Washington forced Anthropic to suspend access to its more powerful Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over national security concerns linked to advanced cybersecurity capabilities**. Those restrictions have now been partially lifted following additional safety measures, highlighting how the race to build ever more capable AI models is increasingly being shaped not just by technical performance, but by export controls, security reviews and closer cooperation with U.S. regulators. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/ia-generative/anthropic-lance-claude-sonnet-5-sous-loeil-de-washington-fable-5-et-mythos-5-reautorises-sur-le-marche.DMFNFSFLPVBRDBOQZKHRCXBJXY.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French asset manager Meanings Capital Partners has taken a majority stake in Swedish AI infrastructure company Airon, betting on Europe’s growing demand for sovereign AI computing.** Through its Article 9 infrastructure fund, Meanings is backing Airon, a GPU-as-a-Service provider that designs, builds, and operates AI data centers where businesses can rent computing power rather than own expensive hardware. The deal will help Airon expand its Swedish campus from less than 1 MW today to 24 MW over time, capitalizing on permits and grid connections already secured. As Europe races to reduce its reliance on U.S. hyperscalers, Meanings argues that digital sovereignty depends not only on who manufactures AI chips, but also on who owns and operates the infrastructure that stores data and runs AI workloads. |[ **L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/informatique/data-centers/souverainete-numerique-meanings-capital-partners-prend-le-controle-du-suedois-airon-pour-accelerer-le-developpement-de-data-centers-dedies-a-lia-en-europe.YZHINVGKMND5FFGSLZAHRLISFU.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The French adtech scene is buzzing after reports of a massive takeover bid for Criteo. A consortium led by Vista Equity Partners and Quinti Capital is reportedly eyeing the Paris-headquartered giant with an offer valued at a 50% premium over recent share prices. As Criteo pivots from cookie-based retargeting to a commerce media powerhouse fueled by generative AI, suitors are clearly recognizing the value in their deep proprietary data. Whether the board accepts it remains the big question, but it is a major potential shift for the French digital advertising landscape. **|** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/vista-equity-quinti-capital-offer-buy-french-adtech-firm-criteo-sources-say-2026-07-06/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Luxury tycoon Bernard Arnault** is placing a massive bet on the future of France’s intellectual sovereignty with a record-breaking €50 million donation to his alma mater, École Polytechnique. The funds will establish a new institute dedicated to mathematics and fundamental sciences, a move Arnault argues is essential in an era defined by AI. By backing the next generation of mathematical talent, LVMH’s leader is emphasizing that mastering the language of math is the true key to holding power in the coming decades. It’s a patriotic, high-level investment aimed at ensuring Europe remains a contender in the global AI race. **|** [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-02/billionaire-arnault-lauds-maths-in-50-million-alma-mater-gift?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Snowflake** has officially cut the ribbon on its new French headquarters at 44 Rue de Châteaudun. Spanning 2,700 square meters near the Opéra Garnier, the space is dedicated to scaling AI use cases and providing a hub for customer training and ecosystem initiatives. The company is leaning hard into the local market, already boasting HDS certification to support healthcare data workloads. It’s a massive move that cements their long-term commitment to France’s rapidly growing AI and data landscape. | [**Snowflake**](https://www.snowflake.com/en/news/press-releases/snowflake-opens-new-office-france-accelerate-data-ai-innovation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The Tour de France** is getting a major tech boost this year thanks to Capgemini's new "Inside My Race" platform. This generative AI-powered tool processes live data to create personalized race stories, giving fans a deeper, near-real-time understanding of every stage. It’s a fantastic example of using AI to make complex sporting events more accessible and engaging for everyone, from hardcore enthusiasts to casual viewers. It’s clearly a highlight of the partnership that aims to bridge the gap between technical data and the fan experience. | [**Capgemini**](https://www.capgemini.com/news/press-releases/capgemini-and-the-tour-de-france-bring-fans-personalized-ai-powered-insights-with-inside-my-race/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **A new survey commissioned by Google Cloud suggests the French see partnerships with global tech giants - not going it alone - as the best path to digital sovereignty.** Conducted by Ifop, the poll found that 74% of respondents believe collaborations between international technology companies and French or European firms can strengthen the country’s digital independence. Yet the concept itself remains surprisingly low on the public agenda, with just 4% ranking digital sovereignty as France’s top sovereignty concern. While respondents overwhelmingly prioritize the security of public, health, and cloud data, the findings also reveal a pragmatic streak: most value sovereign solutions, but many—particularly younger people—are willing to favor better-performing foreign technology when the trade-off is clear. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/informatique/data-centers/souverainete-numerique-meanings-capital-partners-prend-le-controle-du-suedois-airon-pour-accelerer-le-developpement-de-data-centers-dedies-a-lia-en-europe.YZHINVGKMND5FFGSLZAHRLISFU.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French presidential hopeful Bruno Retailleau has unveiled a €25 billion AI plan, pitching artificial intelligence as the key to overhauling the French state ahead of the 2027 election.** Speaking at Station F’s Machina Summit, the leader of *Les Républicains* proposed investing €5 billion a year to embed AI across public services and the wider economy, claiming it could ultimately generate €15 billion in annual government savings. His proposals include creating a national AI assistant for public administration, establishing a dedicated AI ministry, accelerating sovereign AI infrastructure and easing regulations through a three-year derogation from parts of the AI Act and GDPR for strategic projects. The announcement underscores how AI has become a central theme in France’s emerging presidential race, with several candidates now competing to put forward increasingly ambitious national AI strategies. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/07/a-station-f-bruno-retailleau-presente-son-plan-a-25-milliards-deuros-pour-lia/%60?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French HRTech startup Skello has landed a €200 million investment to accelerate its European expansion and double down on AI for frontline workers.** The Paris-based workforce management platform, which serves sectors such as retail, hospitality and healthcare, says the funding from Bridgepoint—alongside returning investors Partech and XAnge—will fuel new AI capabilities, product expansion and acquisitions. Skello already counts 25,000 businesses and 600,000 daily users across France, Spain, Italy and the Benelux, and says it surpassed €50 million in annual recurring revenue after reaching profitability in 2025\. The company plans to hire 100 people this year as it expands its AI-powered assistant, designed to automate HR tasks and provide operational insights for Europe’s often-overlooked frontline workforce. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/07/frances-skello-secures-e200-million-to-grow-its-ai-tools-for-frontline-workforce-management/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/cest-un-tour-de-magie-que-je-prepare-depuis-des-mois-frederic-mazzella-lance-son-clone-ia-pour-epauler-les-entrepreneurs-2241244?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Serial entrepreneur Frédéric Mazzella has unveiled an AI version of himself to give startup founders round-the-clock business advice.** Called **Fred24**, the chatbot draws on more than two decades of experience building BlaBlaCar and Dift, as well as insights from his 2022 book *Mission BlaBlaCar*. Developed with French AI startup Miria, the tool is designed to answer the countless questions Mazzella says he no longer has time to handle personally. The BlaBlaCar co-founder describes the project as a “magic trick” months in the making, aimed at making his entrepreneurial know-how instantly accessible to anyone launching a business. According to Miria, more than 300 people had already pre-registered ahead of the launch. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/cest-un-tour-de-magie-que-je-prepare-depuis-des-mois-frederic-mazzella-lance-son-clone-ia-pour-epauler-les-entrepreneurs-2241244?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI-powered** **French HealthTech startup Kiro is partnering with three major hospital groups to deploy AI that helps clinicians prescribe the right biological tests at the right time.** The €17 million **Optimabio** project, backed by France 2030, brings together the Paris-based startup with the University Hospital of Limoges, the Hospices Civils de Lyon and Marseille’s AP-HM to reduce unnecessary or redundant laboratory testing. By acting as an AI copilot for clinicians, Kiro hopes to improve diagnostic decisions while tackling a longstanding source of inefficiency in healthcare spending. The initiative comes as hospitals increasingly turn to AI to optimize workflows, improve patient care and ease pressure on overstretched health systems. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-kiro-optimise-les-prescriptions-medicales-pour-les-hopitaux-2240991?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories from the past week by Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmartin75?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *of* [*BetterTech*](https://bettertech.blog/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*.* Hot, isn’t it? Fortunately, we can count on big tech to clean up the mess. Erm… In Virginia, data center capital of the US - and hence of the world - the Department of Energy has let local grid operators \*force\* data centers to move to (usually) diesel-generated backup power, reports [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/01/data-center-boom-collides-with-record-heat-testing-power-grid-00983009?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), to avoid power cuts when AC usage surges during heatwaves. Grid operators have been doing this for a while now, but in the AI era, it’s more ‘essential’ than ever. “Either way, we are screwed,” said local activist Elena Schlossberg. “Our lights go out, or we get to breathe in this pollution.” Big tech’s reaction? Hold my (ice-cold) beer. Google’s emissions have almost doubled between 2019 and 2025, whilst Amazon’s have increased by nearly 60% during the same period ([source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jamesmartin75%5Fgreenwashing-quitbigai-share-7478481863637028864-2ONL/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAB-X90BvzgQBovzuvLli%5FvQurS4maIr-f8)), despite each firm’s long-held pledges to do precisely the opposite. We don’t know of [many other sectors](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co-emissions-by-sector?time=2015..latest&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) whose emissions are increasing at all right now, let alone by this much. That’s not set to change, judging by GAFAM’s latest lobbying efforts, which may result in new rules allowing them to offset emissions from fossil-fuel-generated power in one European country by buying renewable energy certificates from another, [reports the FT](https://www.ft.com/content/21358a9a-b93b-443c-8a68-6fed89c8b3a6?sharetype=blocked&syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). More “running in precisely the wrong direction” news: it’s not just data centers that are increasingly turning to ultra-emissive gas power (12 new Colossus-style facilities have just been approved in the US, re: [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fast-tracked-power-plants-fuel-ai-boom-with-little-public-scrutiny-2026-06-16/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)); Taiwan’s chip fabs are at it too. TSMC, the monopolistic processor maker that NVIDIA relies on, is adopting gas turbines totaling 18 GW, or 40% of the island’s current (largely fossil-fuel-based) power-generating capacity, reports [The Diplomat](https://thediplomat.com/2026/07/nvidias-silent-ai-colonialism-is-trapping-east-asia-in-a-fossil-fueled-hell/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). To quote the ever-more pertinent ‘dog in a housefire’ meme: “this is fine.” Good job, then, that devs are discovering ways to curb their tokenmaxxing. Caveman, a plugin that radically simplifies the outputs of tools like Claude Code or Codex, has been shown to reduce output tokens by 65-75%, according to [404 Media](https://www.404media.co/companies-are-making-claude-and-codex-talk-like-cavemen-to-stop-ais-soaring-costs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Such practices could help cut AI costs - and environmental impacts - by a proportionate amount. We live in hope. It’s unclear, however, whether this would help Accenture much. The big consulting firm has discovered its biggest AI costs are coming not from developers, but from executives converting PDFs into presentation slides; a particularly wasteful use of generative AI, re: [the same source](https://www.404media.co/the-tokenpocalypse-is-here-companies-are-scrambling-to-stop-spending-so-much-on-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). At least someone has found a novel way to generate ROI from AI: Simon Balch, an [enterprising UK music executive](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaX%5FGD9sjcb/?l=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), has decided to form a real band to play cover versions of the AI group The Velvet Sundown. “All the profits that we make are going to real musicians”, promises Balch. Even his cut? --- ### 🧠 Scaleway CEO Damien Lucas: Europe Lost the Cloud Race by a Decade. In AI, It's Only One Year Behind. [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-2.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scaleway-ceo-damien-lucas-europe-ai-cloud-race/) If you wanted to pick a good week to interview the CEO of a European sovereign cloud company, this was it. When I spoke with Scaleway's Damien Lucas at VivaTech, the company had just wrapped a rapid-fire series of announcements: new customers including LVMH, MAIF, Ouest-France, and ChapsVision, a European AI inference project built on French-designed chips, and a new quantum partner. And all of it landed amid a fresh wave of anxiety about Europe's dependence on American technology. Lucas, for his part, is not anxious. He's in a hurry. "Scaleway is a cloud provider, a European cloud provider," he told me when I asked for the elevator pitch. "Our value proposition is around independence from foreign technologies and immunity to extraterritorial laws, all that with a very price-competitive value proposition." The market he's chasing is enormous and, by his numbers, almost entirely spoken for. Lucas puts the European cloud market at roughly €80 billion, with about 85% of it held by the three US hyperscalers: Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. "This is a situation we need to actually solve, and we need to rebalance those market shares, and that's one of the missions of Scaleway," he said. [Why Scaleway Thinks Europe Can Still Win →](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scaleway-ceo-damien-lucas-europe-ai-cloud-race/) --- ### 🧠 95% of Tech Startups Have Dangerous Insurance Gaps, Says French AI Broker Belem [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-07-at-23.49.14.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/belem-tech-startup-insurance-gaps-ai/) Belem co-founders from left: Clémence Lepic, Philippe Mangematin, Ségolène Mouterde, Matthieu Stefani Cyberattacks. AI hallucinations. Crypto assets. Executive liability. Ask most startup founders what keeps them awake at night, and insurance is unlikely to make the list. “A founder doesn’t wake up in the morning thinking about insurance,” said Belem co-founder and CEO Ségolène Mouterde. “They’re thinking about raising money, hiring people, signing customers and shipping products.” That, she argues, is precisely the problem. The risks facing technology companies have evolved dramatically in recent years, while much of the insurance industry still relies on processes designed long before generative AI, ransomware and globally distributed teams became the norm. According to French startup Belem, that’s leaving many businesses dangerously exposed. The Paris-based company says that 95% of the tech companies it audits discover significant gaps in their insurance coverage, often believing they are adequately protected when they are not. [⚠️ Is Your Startup Actually Covered? →](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/belem-tech-startup-insurance-gaps-ai/) --- ### 🧠 UMA Shows Its Hand: Rémi Cadène Unveils a Humanoid Robot Designed to Earn Europe's Trust [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-3.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/uma-shows-its-hand-remi-cadene-unveils-a-humanoid-robot-designed-to-earn-europes-trust/) The day before UMA CEO and Co-Founder Rémi Cadène took the stage at the Machina Summit at Station F, he gathered a small group of journalists at the company's Paris office to show them what nine months of work looks like. "Tomorrow I'll be at Machina for the first time. I'm going to present results," the CEO said. "It's been nine months since we created UMA, so I think it will be a moment of pride for the whole team." Those results include the first images of UMA's humanoid robot, a working prototype designed and assembled in Paris, demo videos of its AI performing industrial tasks for hours at a stretch, and a new name for the learning technique underpinning it all: Real-Time Learning. When UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant) came out of stealth last December, the story was mostly about pedigree. Cadène spent five years at Tesla working on Autopilot before becoming the first research engineer on the Optimus humanoid program. He then built the LeRobot open-source robotics platform at Hugging Face alongside Simon Alibert, now UMA's CTO. The other two co-founders are Pierre Sermanet, who spent a decade doing AI research at Google DeepMind, and Rob Knight, the founder of The Robot Studio and a lifelong specialist in robotic hands. Now the company has something to show. [🤖 Meet Europe's New Humanoid Robot →](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/uma-shows-its-hand-remi-cadene-unveils-a-humanoid-robot-designed-to-earn-europes-trust/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ☀️ Sponsor Events☀️ 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Economic Data Science Society (EDSS) Conference 2026** | **July 9–10 | Banque de France, Paris** | The inaugural conference at the intersection of **AI, data science, and economics**, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from institutions like the IMF, ECB, and leading universities. Explore topics such as machine learning for economic forecasting, LLMs in economic analysis, alternative data (satellite, web scraping), and AI governance — alongside keynote talks, academic sessions, and hands-on training workshops. | [**Apply**](https://www.banque-france.fr/en/events/conference-economic-data-science-society?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Agentic GTM Hackathon by Anthropic, FullEnrich & Sillage | July 9 | Station F, Paris | Anthropic**, **FullEnrich,** and **Sillage** invite the sharpest builders, sellers, and GTM engineers for a full-day hackathon to answer one question: what does AI-native revenue look like when you actually build it? **|** [**Request to Join**](https://luma.com/96wafjf6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### UMA Shows Its Hand: Rémi Cadène Unveils a Humanoid Robot Designed to Earn Europe's Trust URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/uma-shows-its-hand-remi-cadene-unveils-a-humanoid-robot-designed-to-earn-europes-trust/ Last updated: 2026-07-08T07:27:10.000Z The day before UMA CEO and Co-Founder Rémi Cadène took the stage at the Machina Summit at Station F, he gathered a small group of journalists at the company's Paris office to show them what nine months of work looks like. "It's been nine months since we created UMA, so I think it will be a moment of pride for the whole team," the CEO said. Those results include the first images of UMA's humanoid robot, a working prototype designed and assembled in Paris, demo videos of its AI performing industrial tasks for hours at a stretch, and a new name for the learning technique underpinning it all: Real-Time Learning. When UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant) came out of stealth last December, the story was mostly about pedigree. Cadène spent five years at Tesla working on Autopilot before becoming the first research engineer on the Optimus humanoid program. He then built the LeRobot open-source robotics platform at Hugging Face alongside Simon Alibert, now UMA's CTO. The other two co-founders are Pierre Sermanet, who spent a decade doing AI research at Google DeepMind, and Rob Knight, the founder of The Robot Studio and a lifelong specialist in robotic hands. Now the company has something to show. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/UMA-Founders.jpg) UMA Co-Founders (left to right): Sermanet, Alibert, Knight, Cadene [From Tesla to Paris: UMA’s Audacious Bet on European RoboticsA new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-294b37c8-9f8d-48f6-a45b-8790a5aec72d.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/maxon-6ef3a8a6-6546-442a-a59a-c3a2c01fd38f.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) ## Nothing Is Scripted Cadène opened with a video of UMA's AI controlling a standard robotic arm with a gripper, picking and sorting objects into the compartments of a box. The footage runs at accelerated speed to show the behavior holding up over time, and the team deliberately messes with the robot mid-task to prove the point. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/2026-07-06-10.53.20.jpg) "Nothing is scripted," Cadène said. "There's no hardcoded instruction telling the robot to go to a position or grab an object of a certain color. It's end-to-end, with a neural network connected directly to the cameras that decides what to grab, where to move, and that drives the motors directly." 0:00 /0:38 1× For someone who has spent his career on this problem, the moment carries weight. "My whole career, I've worked on AI, trying to teach machines to perceive and act," he said. "This is a really significant shift we're reaching." A second video showed two robot arms grabbing objects, scanning them, and placing them in bins. The items were chosen because today's robots struggle with them: deformable cables, slippery shampoo bottles, a mousepad thin enough to frustrate any gripper, and fragile boxes. Again, the team plays tormentor, blocking the robot and moving things around. The robot adapts. The claim Cadène kept returning to is durability. Impressive demos of a few minutes are now common across the industry. UMA says its AI runs these tasks reliably for hours, and that this robustness, more than any single flashy manipulation, is what will get robots deployed in real facilities. ## Learning Like a Human Ties Its Shoes The technical bet behind those videos is what UMA calls Real-Time Learning. Rather than racing to scale data and compute, Cadène said, the team went back to fundamentals and focused on making learning radically more efficient. His explanation is disarmingly domestic. "Do you remember the first time you learned to tie your shoes?" he asked. "Your parent showed you, then you struggled a bit, but you tried again and again, and at some point it became a reflex. That's the capability we're trying to develop." He wouldn't go into the method in depth, calling it too new and too specific to UMA. But he sketched the outline: "We have demonstrations of the task. We're guided by clearly identified rewards and goals, and the robot can learn very quickly in real time by practicing the task, always under the supervision of an operator." The payoff, in his telling, is edge cases. "The main reason an enormous number of tasks aren't automated today is that there's an edge case that classic software can't handle," he said. A robot that keeps learning on the job can absorb those exceptions instead of breaking on them. There's a second learning mode, too, and it doubles as a safety system. UMA is building its own world model that constantly predicts what happens next. "We can be completely still, watching the world, always predicting the future state of the world, predicting the outcomes of the behaviors of the people around us," Cadène said. "That's what lets us learn enormously." ## A Machine in Work Clothes ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/UMA-Logistics.png) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/UMA-Manufacturing-dexterity.png) Then came the reveal: UMA's humanoid design, dressed in what Cadène describes as high-tech technical fabric. The silhouette is human-scale. The face is a blank visor, no eyes, no mouth. "We designed it to have an appearance that's comfortable to look at, that gives an impression of calm, serenity, and competence," he said. The blankness is deliberate. "The idea is that you can clearly identify it as a robot, even from far away. That's why the head can light up." The outfit is more than styling. It carries sensors, and it can be swapped. "It's a technical garment," Cadène said, comparing it to workwear that could change color or configuration depending on the task. He's under no illusion that the first version is final: "Cell phones took years to evolve in terms of design. I think it will be the same for these robots." Safety, he insists, is the foundation, and UMA has organized it around three pillars. First, a lightweight build: less mass means less kinetic energy in any collision, and the goal is a robot "much lighter than a human." Second, redundant and independent compute and software systems, an idea borrowed from aerospace. Third, that world model, which "predicts the consequence of every action we ask of the robot before the robot moves." The prototype shown to journalists, assembled in Paris, exists to validate those fundamentals. "We developed this in under nine months with a small team," Cadène said. "We're showing that we have the ability to do the whole robotics stack and integrate vertically." The company now runs about 70% AI work to 30% hardware, with a lab in Paris, a hardware team in Geneva working on the hand, and a go-to-market team in London. Headcount is around 30 and growing, and the presentation itself was partly a recruiting pitch. While that is the North Star, UMA has also developed "Version Zero," a tele-operated robot that illustrates how far the company has come and the distance remains to fulfill that greater vision. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/2026-07-06-10.51.09.jpg) UMA's Version Zero Robot 0:00 /0:22 1× ## Three Crises, One Bottleneck Why build any of this? Cadène's macro thesis centers on three crises converging at a single bottleneck: labor. The demographic crisis he illustrated with a profitable German factory that closed because it couldn't find machinists, technicians, and welders, even after raising salaries and paying relocation costs. The environmental crisis, in his framing, is partly a labor problem too: decarbonized infrastructure isn't getting built fast enough because construction labor is scarce and expensive. And the supply chain crisis showed its face during Covid, when wealthy nations couldn't produce masks, and again when a single ship blocked the Suez Canal for two weeks. The numbers behind the thesis come from Korn Ferry, which projects a global shortfall of 85 million skilled workers by 2030, worth as much as $8.5 trillion in unrealized economic value. This is also the core of his case for Europe. "We started in Europe because that's where the opportunity is. For us, it's the best market in the world," he said. "The needs are critical, the cost of skilled labor is very high, and with the demographics, demand is already enormous." Pressed on whether Europe can match China's manufacturing speed, he pointed to the continent's industrial base: "There's a manufacturing history that's very present in Europe, far more present than in the US." ## Warehouses First, Homes Later The commercial plan starts with logistics and warehouses, where floors are flat, environments are constrained, and a single site can absorb hundreds of robots. Manufacturing comes next, with its heavier demands on dexterity and task sequencing. Homes come last. The business model is robot-as-a-service. "You pay per month to get access to a fleet of robots that automates a task," Cadène said. "You don't buy the robot." And in a notable detail, the humanoid isn't the first product. Cadène described the biped as UMA's iPhone-equivalent long-term goal. What ships first is something more pragmatic. "The first version of this robot in industry will be a robot on wheels, with dexterity and learning capabilities," he said, with a first concept prototype targeted for the end of the year. He was blunt about where the competition stands. Unitree's affordable humanoids, he argued, serve the research market: "It's not deployed in factories. It doesn't have the dexterity that's needed. It can't operate for hours and hours." As for his former project at Tesla: "We're still at the proof-of-concept stage. We're not yet at the level of the first iPhone. Optimus hasn't fully done that yet either." On funding, Cadène stayed coy, declining to confirm a figure. "We haven't announced it," he said. "We're not limited by our financing, and we're not in a rush either. But like every startup in robotics, we need significant capital." The company says it's talking with around 50 identified potential customers and has already conducted site visits. The long game rests on a comparison Cadène clearly relishes. It took 12 years to go from the first iPhone to as many smartphones as there are people on Earth. Robots, he believes, can move faster, for one strange and compelling reason: "A smartphone doesn't build another smartphone. For the first time in history, we have a product that can assemble other products, that can be part of its own supply chain." ### Scaleway CEO Damien Lucas: Europe Lost the Cloud Race by a Decade. In AI, It's Only One Year Behind. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scaleway-ceo-damien-lucas-europe-ai-cloud-race/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T23:16:58.000Z If you wanted to pick a good week to interview the CEO of a European sovereign cloud company, this was it. When I spoke with Scaleway's Damien Lucas at VivaTech, the company had just wrapped a rapid-fire series of announcements: new customers including LVMH, MAIF, Ouest-France, and ChapsVision, a European AI inference project built on French-designed chips, and a new quantum partner. And all of it landed amid a fresh wave of anxiety about Europe's dependence on American technology. Lucas, for his part, is not anxious. He's in a hurry. "Scaleway is a cloud provider, a European cloud provider," he told me when I asked for the elevator pitch. "Our value proposition is around independence from foreign technologies and immunity to extraterritorial laws, all that with a very price-competitive value proposition." The market he's chasing is enormous and, by his numbers, almost entirely spoken for. Lucas puts the European cloud market at roughly €80 billion, with about 85% of it held by the three US hyperscalers: Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. "This is a situation we need to actually solve, and we need to rebalance those market shares, and that's one of the missions of Scaleway," he said. ## The slow-motion wake-up call Sovereignty has been a European talking point for as long as I've been covering this beat. What's changed, I asked Lucas, that has finally made it feel concrete? His answer: a six-year accumulation of shocks. It started with COVID, "where Europe realized that a number of things were impossible," including manufacturing some of its own drugs. Then came the US Cloud Act. Then came the 2023 GPU crunch, when Nvidia's H100S were scarce and, in his telling, the allocation priorities of American hyperscalers were unmistakable. "It was clear for the US hyperscalers, it was America first, and Europe would come second," he said. The most recent jolt, he argued, came just days before we spoke, pointing to the news that Anthropic's Fable model had been "shut off for all non-American" users. "It raises a question," he said. "We need to be more independent." ## Megawatts to gigawatts, millions to billions Whatever you think of the politics, the physics of AI have transformed the infrastructure business Scaleway operates in. Data centers used to be built around rooms drawing 100 kilowatts, filled with a thousand servers. "Nowadays, it's not even one rack. One AI rack is about 100 kilowatts, even more," he said. "We're not building data centers for a megawatt; we're building data centers for a gigawatt, 1,000 times more." The money has followed the same curve: "It used to cost millions; it now costs billions. This is a total shift." Ask him about the bottleneck holding Europe back from building at that scale, and he goes straight to demanding certainty. The magic word is "off-take": binding commitments to future usage that let a provider build with confidence. "This is really what enables us to build for purpose, because we know there's going to be customers on those capacities," he said. The good news, from his viewpoint, is that public buyers are starting to deliver exactly that. Scaleway was selected in April as one of four providers in the European Commission's Cloud III purchasing program, a €180 million framework giving EU institutions access to sovereign cloud services for up to six years. Lucas also cited France's Health Data Hub award and said the company is now waiting on the European AI Gigafactory tender. ## The sovereignty checklist Scaleway's own answer to the extraterritoriality question is straightforward. "We've decided on a very simple rule: we have no shareholders, direct or indirect, outside of the EU. We have no subsidiary outside of the EU, and we have no staff outside of the EU," Lucas said. "This way, it's pretty clear there is no way a foreign law can actually apply to Scaleway." The second part is tech independence, meaning owning the software. "We've built our own software. We have a cloud stack that we've developed 100% in-house using open-source software. There is not a single license from VMware, Broadcom, Red Hat, IBM, Microsoft, whatever. We own our software." He's candid about the remaining gap: "We don't have GPUs yet, and we purchase all our GPUs and CPUs from the US. This is a major dependency." To that end, one of the week's headline announcements was a partnership with French chip designer VSORA (alongside ZML and the Région Île-de-France) to deploy a European AI inference offer built on VSORA's Jotunn8 processor. Scaleway has placed orders, Lucas said, and will run the chips in its data centers "as soon as they are ready." ## The VivaTech haul The VSORA deal was one piece of a busy announcement slate. The customer wins spanned insurance (MAIF), luxury (LVMH), media (Ouest-France), and data intelligence, where ChapsVision, fresh off cybersecurity contracts in Germany and France, chose Scaleway to host its Argonos platform. Odigo, Orasio, and the CHU de Montpellier also signed on. Scaleway also showed the first results of its public-private research continuum with GENCI and the CNRS: RATP's Sillon, an open-source small language model trained with the startup Pleias on public computing resources, is now running inference on Scaleway to help the Paris transit operator's agents detect distress signals in passenger messages. And it added Quobly, the Grenoble-based silicon quantum startup, to its Quantum as a Service platform, with access to actual Quobly hardware planned by the end of 2026. ## A year behind, not ten I told Lucas I hear a lot of Euro-doomer sentiment these days, and asked whether his optimism was warranted. His case rests on timing. "If you look at what happened with the cloud, Europe was 10 years behind. Here we're just talking about a year," he said of AI. And the next fight looks even better: "What's the next revolution? Quantum. Look at the number of European startups in quantum, much more than American startups. So the next revolution is going to be European-driven." He's not declaring victory. "I'm not sure we're yet at the right pace," he admitted, "but it's going in the right direction...That battle is not dead, it's not lost." Watch our full interview here: ### 95% of Tech Startups Have Dangerous Insurance Gaps, Says French AI Broker Belem URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/belem-tech-startup-insurance-gaps-ai/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T22:36:31.000Z Cyberattacks. AI hallucinations. Crypto assets. Executive liability. Ask most startup founders what keeps them awake at night, and insurance is unlikely to make the list. “A founder doesn’t wake up in the morning thinking about insurance,” said Belem co-founder and CEO Ségolène Mouterde. “They’re thinking about raising money, hiring people, signing customers and shipping products.” That, she argues, is precisely the problem. The risks facing technology companies have evolved dramatically in recent years, while much of the insurance industry still relies on processes designed long before generative AI, ransomware and globally distributed teams became the norm. According to French startup Belem, that’s leaving many businesses dangerously exposed. The Paris-based company says that 95% of the tech companies it audits discover significant gaps in their insurance coverage, often believing they are adequately protected when they are not. It’s a striking claim, and one that reflects a broader problem. While startups have embraced AI, cloud infrastructure and increasingly global business models, much of the insurance industry still operates with processes designed decades ago. ## **When technology moves faster than insurance** “The companies have changed. The risks have changed. Insurance hasn’t,” said Mouterde. Founded in 2025 by Mouterde and serial insurtech entrepreneur Philippe Mangematin, Belem set out to rethink commercial insurance for technology companies from the ground up. Rather than competing with insurers, the company acts as an independent broker, helping businesses identify risks, compare policies across multiple providers and secure coverage that better reflects how modern companies actually operate. For Mouterde, the real product isn’t simply insurance. It’s helping founders understand the risks they’ve accumulated as their businesses evolve. Its clients range from startups and scaleups to industrial SMEs, investment funds, and technology consultancies. Increasingly, they are operating internationally even if Belem itself remains focused on serving the French market. That international expansion is changing the nature of the risks companies face. Alongside cyberattacks and executive liability, founders traveling to certain parts of the world may now require kidnap and ransom insurance - cover that would once have been associated almost exclusively with multinational corporations. At the same time, cyber threats continue to accelerate. “One insurer told me he had counted 110 cyberattacks since the beginning of the month,” Mouterde recalled, illustrating just how quickly the threat landscape is evolving. ## **Finding the holes before something breaks** One of Belem’s first steps with a new client is not to sell an insurance policy but to review the ones already in place. That’s where the surprises begin. According to the company, the vast majority of the businesses it audits discover significant gaps in their insurance program. For Mouterde, that figure isn’t a sign that founders are careless. Rather, it reflects how quickly technology companies evolve compared with the insurance policies they purchased months - or even years - earlier. Founders launch in France, then hire employees abroad. They move customer data into the cloud, adopt generative AI tools, accept crypto payments, expand into new markets or sign increasingly complex commercial contracts. Each milestone changes a company’s risk profile, yet insurance is rarely revisited with the same frequency. At the same time, the market itself has become increasingly specialized. Different insurers have developed expertise in different sectors, technologies, and risk categories, making it difficult for non-specialists to know whether they are adequately protected or are simply assuming they are. “We want companies to be better protected, faster and at a lower cost,” she said. ## **Using AI to modernize brokerage - not replace expertise** Like many startups founded in the generative AI era, Belem positions artificial intelligence at the heart of its business. But unlike many AI pitches, the emphasis isn’t on replacing professionals. Instead, the company has built proprietary AI agents to automate many of the administrative and analytical tasks that traditionally consume brokers’ time, from reviewing contracts to analyzing existing coverage and preparing risk assessments. The goal, says Mouterde, is to free brokers to focus on advice while dramatically reducing the time required to deliver recommendations. That matters in a sector where insurance placements can still take weeks. Mouterde recalled one technology company that had spent months unsuccessfully searching for an appropriate cover before Belem secured a solution within 24 hours. The founders credit this speed partly to AI and partly to the months they spent “underground,” working closely with insurers to understand the technical nuances of specialist products before automating many of their own internal processes. Today, Belem works with around ten insurance partners, including major international providers, selecting policies according to sector expertise rather than relying on a single carrier. ## **Growing without venture capital** Perhaps unusually for a startup serving the technology ecosystem, Belem has no plans to announce a funding round. The company says it has been profitable since launch and has grown to more than 200 clients without raising venture capital or building a large team. A chief of staff is expected to become its first full-time hire in the coming months. That lean approach reflects the founders’ belief that AI allows young companies to scale differently from previous generations of startups, automating many operational tasks that once required sizeable back-office teams. The company’s next challenge is less about fundraising than about building trust. Insurance remains a relationship-driven business where reputation matters, particularly when advising founders on complex risks that often only become visible once something has gone wrong. That partly explains the recent arrival of entrepreneur and podcast host Matthieu Stefani and producer Clémence Lepic as “Late Founders,” helping strengthen Belem’s presence within France’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as it looks to become a leading insurance broker for technology companies. Belem’s ambition now extends well beyond finding better insurance policies. The company wants to build what Mouterde describes as a new generation of brokerage - one capable of evolving at the same pace as the companies it serves. “The companies have changed. The risks have changed. Insurance hasn’t,” she said. “With AI, we have a unique opportunity to rethink this profession from the ground up.” ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire July 6: HealthTech & BioTech Q2; Elixir Aircraft €45M Led 5 Deals For €71.2M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-6-healthtech-biotech-q2-elixir-aircraft-eur45m-led-5-deals-for-eur71-2m/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T06:00:23.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: HealthTech + BioTech Q2 [**Last week, we published our Q2 French Tech Funding Report**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/top-heavy-french-tech-q2-2026-funding-report/). But we also wanted to highlight the French HealthTech and BioTech sectors. Including BioTech + HealthTech + MedTech, those sectors drew **€960M, their second-highest quarter on record**, behind only the Q1 2022 boom (€1.30B). That's up **90% year-on-year** (from €505M in Q2 2025) and **71% quarter-on-quarter** (from €561M in Q1 2026): by the headline, a decisive acceleration. But as is the case across all sectors, strip out Alan, and it flattens. Alan's €480M is half of the quarter. The remaining **€480M core** is essentially flat on Q1's (+4%) and slightly *below* Q2 2025's €505M (−5%). And there were **fewer deals**: 32 rounds, down from 37 in Q1 and 39 a year earlier. Since 2021, the cluster has oscillated between roughly €150M (Q3 2025) and €800M-plus with no durable uptrend. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/healthtech-quarterly-investment.png) [Read The French Tech Journal Q2 2026 Funding Report Online ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q2-2026-report-eur2-09b-raised-as-seed-funding-hits-six-year-low/) [Download the report](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/files/2026/07/French-Tech-Q2-2026-Funding-Report.pdf) [Explore the Q2 Funding Database](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q2-2026-database/) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/The-Experiment-Is-Over-Enterprise-AI-Enters-Its-Execution-Era.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-experiment-is-over-enterprise-ai-enters-its-execution-era/) Ahead of RAISE Summit 2026, co-founders Hadrien de Cournon and Henri Delahaye argue that enterprise AI has moved from pilots to proof, and that sovereignty has flipped from defensive posture to commercial advantage. Discovery in 2024, experimentation in 2025, execution in 2026: the RAISE Summit co-founders on the gap between AI-native growth and enterprise adoption, and the new sovereign AI playbook. [Read it here ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-experiment-is-over-enterprise-ai-enters-its-execution-era/) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: July 3 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/FTFW-July-3-top-deals.jpg) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/FTFW-july-3.jpg) --- 📇 Company: Elixir Aircraft 🏷️ Sectors: Aerospace 🔍 Description: Elixir Aircraft is a French aircraft manufacturer developing next-generation carbon-fiber training aircraft. Its flagship Elixir aircraft is certified in Europe and the U.S., offering lower operating costs, improved safety, and significantly lower emissions for pilot training. 💻 Website: [https://www.elixir-aircraft.com](https://www.elixir-aircraft.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: La Rochelle 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €45 million 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Odyssée Venture, Innovacom (Turenne Groupe), other investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arthur Léopold-Léger, Cyril Champenois, Nicolas Migault 🗞️ News: Elixir Aircraft has raised €45 million to accelerate industrial expansion, international growth and launch Equinox, a new aircraft program that will expand its product range. The company will consolidate production into a larger manufacturing site, expand operations in the U.S., and strengthen its presence in Asia, particularly India. Since its last funding round in 2024, Elixir has nearly tripled production, now employs almost 250 people, and has more than 60 aircraft in service across Europe. The funding will also support commercialization following FAA certification and the rollout of the enhanced Elixir+ aircraft. Elixir says it now has an order backlog exceeding 300 aircraft and aims to scale production to five aircraft per month. | [**Presse Citron**](https://www.presse-citron.net/un-nouvel-avion-fabrique-en-france-arrive-elixir-aircraft-passe-un-cap-et-prevoit-une-production-a-60-appareils-par-an/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Amarris 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech 🔍 Description: Amarris is a French accounting group that develops its own digital technologies to support accounting firms, helping them modernize operations while maintaining technological independence. 💻 Website: [https://www.amarris.fr](https://www.amarris.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Herblain 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €39 million 🏦 Investors: Naxicap Partners, BNP Paribas Développement, Arkéa Capital, Ouest Croissance, management shareholders, CIC Private Debt, Zencap 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Claude Robin 🗞️ News: Amarris has secured €39 million in financing to accelerate acquisitions and strengthen its proprietary technology platform as accounting firms prepare for electronic invoicing and increased AI adoption. The financing includes a €15 million equity round backed by Naxicap Partners, BNP Paribas Développement, Arkéa Capital, Ouest Croissance and management, alongside €24 million in unitranche debt from CIC Private Debt and Zencap. Since November 2025, the group has completed six acquisitions, added more than 230 employees and now serves over 50,000 clients. Amarris says the funding will support further consolidation in France and Belgium while reinforcing its strategy of maintaining control over its software and client data. Founder Claude Robin argues that accounting firms should remain independent from third-party technology platforms as AI reshapes the profession. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/amarris-leve-39-millions-deuros-pour-sa-croissance?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Tallano Technologies 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, Mobility 🔍 Description: Tallano Technologies develops TAMIC®, a patented brake particle capture system that reduces fine particulate emissions from automotive and rail braking systems, helping manufacturers comply with future Euro 7 emissions standards. 💻 Website: [https://www.tallano.eu](https://www.tallano.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €10 million 🏦 Investors: MEAC, Bpifrance, France 2030, PRVF, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Louis Juchault 🗞️ News: Tallano Technologies has raised €10 million from existing investors and European family offices to commercialize its TAMIC® brake particle capture technology ahead of the Euro 7 heavy-duty vehicle regulations taking effect in 2030\. The funding follows a capital restructuring and will support the industrial rollout of a technology protected by more than 56 patents across 12 countries. TAMIC® captures fine particles emitted during braking and has already been deployed on buses operated by Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération and Transdev in what the company describes as a world first. Tallano has spent more than a decade developing the technology, positioning itself as a leading European player in reducing non-exhaust vehicle emissions. The company aims to help transport manufacturers and cities comply with stricter European air quality regulations while improving urban air quality. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jean-louis-juchault-4a668711%5Fjai-le-plaisir-dannoncer-que-tallano-technologies-activity-7475191581214605312-J5uX/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Loumo 🏷️ Sectors: EdTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Loumo develops an AI-powered examination platform that manages the entire assessment lifecycle, from exam design and logistics to secure online testing, automated grading and performance analytics. 💻 Website: [https://www.loumo.fr](https://www.loumo.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lille 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1 million 🏦 Investors: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis Desry 🗞️ News: Loumo has raised €1 million to accelerate the development of its AI-powered examination platform and expand across Europe. Founded in 2024, the startup aims to automate the full exam process—from creation and secure online delivery to AI-assisted grading and analysis—helping educational institutions save time and simplify assessment management. The company plans to strengthen its leadership in the French higher education market before expanding internationally. Loumo says it is building a sovereign European alternative to U.S.-based AI-powered exam-grading solutions. The funding will support product development, customer acquisition, and European expansion. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/louis-desry-13bb47272%5Floumo-l%C3%A8ve-1-million-deuros-quand-nous-activity-7470867836220125184-4so4?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: My Hospitel 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, Hospital Software, Digital Health 🔍 Description: My Hospitel develops the first digital platform for managing France's *hébergement temporaire non médicalisé* (HTNM), enabling hospitals to book hotel accommodation for eligible patients while reducing administrative burden, improving bed utilization, and streamlining reimbursement. 💻 Website: [https://www.myhospitel.com](https://www.myhospitel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €200,000 🏦 Investors: Angels Santé, INSA Angels, Tudigo, Crowdfunding, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Vincent Boisset 🗞️ News: My Hospitel has secured funding from business angel networks Angels Santé and INSA Angels while simultaneously advancing a participatory crowdfunding campaign on Tudigo, surpassing €200,000 raised—66% of its target. The company provides a platform that enables hospitals to manage non-medical patient hotel stays, helping free up hospital beds, reduce unnecessary overnight admissions, and improve patient experience. Its solution also coordinates patient eligibility, hotel reservations, and reimbursement by the French national health insurance system. The new funding will support the company's growth as it expands its position as France's leading operator for hospital hotel services. The company says the financing validates its role as a trusted intermediary between hospitals, hotels, and patients. | [**Tudigo**](https://app.tudigo.com/projects/my-hospitel?utm%5Fsource=PP&utm%5Fmedium=organic-social&utm%5Fcampaign=my-hospitel), [**France Angels**](https://www.franceangels.org/article/les-business-angels-investissent-dans-my-hospitel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** VSORA 🏷️ **Sectors:** Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors 🔍 **Description:** VSORA is a French fabless semiconductor company developing AI inference accelerators for data centers. Its flagship processor, **Jotunn8**, is designed to overcome the "memory wall" bottleneck, improving AI inference performance, latency, power efficiency, and total cost of ownership. The company taped out Jotunn8 in 2025 and has entered manufacturing with partners including TSMC and Global Unichip (GUC). 💻 **Website:** [https://www.vsora.com](https://www.vsora.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Meudon 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** Ardian, XAnge, Omnes Capital, European Innovation Council, Otium Capital, NJJ Capital, CloudHQ 👨‍💼👩‍💼 **Founders:** Khaled Maalej 🗞️ **News:** Ardian Semiconductor announced on July 1 that it had completed a minority investment in VSORA, becoming part of a syndicate that also included management, existing shareholders, and new strategic and financial investors. Neither Ardian nor VSORA disclosed the amount raised or the valuation. Recent corporate filings provide several additional facts about the transaction. On **27 March 2026**, VSORA approved a capital increase by issuing **115,327 new C1 shares** (ABSA C1 securities with attached warrants). The capital increase became legally effective on **15 April 2026**, when subscription funds were deposited, and was formally certified by the company on **12 May 2026**. As a result, the company's share capital increased from **€1,138,877.50 to €1,196,541**, while the total number of shares rose from **2,277,755 to 2,393,082**. Only the **C1 share class** increased, from **920,152 to 1,035,479 shares**, indicating that the financing was completed entirely through new C1 shares. The filings do **not** disclose the subscription price, share premium, valuation, or Ardian's ownership stake, making it impossible to calculate the amount raised. However, they suggest the primary issuance represented only **115,327 new shares**, or approximately **5.1% dilution** relative to the pre-financing share count. Because Ardian described the transaction as a **minority investment** completed alongside multiple investors, while only a relatively small number of new shares were issued, it is plausible that the overall transaction included a significant **secondary share purchase** from existing shareholders in addition to the primary capital increase. The available filings do not confirm this, but the limited dilution and Ardian's description of the deal are consistent with that interpretation. | [**Ardian**](https://www.ardian.com/news-insights/press-releases/ardian-semiconductor-invests-vsora-innovative-ai-inference-accelerator?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Destia 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, Home Care, Elder Care, Healthcare Services 🔍 Description: Destia is a leading French provider of home care services for seniors and people with disabilities, operating a network of 180 agencies across France and Europe. The group also offers inclusive housing solutions and professional training for home care workers. 💻 Website: [https://www.destia.fr](https://www.destia.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Three Hills, Turenne Santé, VYV; reinvesting shareholders Siparex ETI, BNP Paribas Développement, MACSF, Azulis, Après demain, Crédit Agricole 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Xavier Mura 🗞️ News: Destia has brought in new investors to support its next phase of growth in France and across Europe, while existing shareholders have reinvested. Since Siparex ETI became the majority shareholder in 2021, the company has grown its annual revenue from €100 million to more than €250 million through organic expansion and more than 40 acquisitions. The group now operates 180 agencies across France, Spain, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. The new investment will support continued European expansion and strengthen Destia's position in home care, inclusive housing, and caregiver training. Founder Xavier Mura said the transaction reinforces the company's long-term vision of building the future of home care while keeping employees at the center of its strategy. | [**Investors In Healthcare**](https://www.investorsinhealthcare.com/articles/category/news/france-destia-accelerates-next-phase-of-growth-with-new-investors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: HTDS (Hi-Tech Detection Systems Group) 🏷️ Sectors: Security, DeepTech, Detection Systems, Industrial Technology 🔍 Description: HTDS is a French distributor and service provider of high-tech detection, inspection and safety systems, supplying X-ray scanners, explosive and metal detectors, laboratory instruments and radiation protection solutions to governments and industrial customers across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 💻 Website: [https://www.htds.fr](https://www.htds.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Massy 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: AfricInvest Europe, Trocadero Capital Partners, Bpifrance, Société Générale Capital Partenaires, Abenex 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louaye Moudarres, Farice Moudarres, Etienne Moudarres 🗞️ News: HTDS has completed a new investment round led by AfricInvest Europe's French-African Fund 3 alongside Trocadero Capital Partners, Bpifrance and Société Générale Capital Partenaires, with existing shareholder Abenex reinvesting. The transaction also enables the Moudarres family and the management team to increase their ownership stake in the company. HTDS, which operates across France, Africa and the Middle East, plans to use the funding to accelerate both organic growth and acquisitions, expand into new markets and diversify its products and services. The company has grown revenue by more than 50% between 2022 and 2025 and now maintains a presence in 14 countries, with Africa accounting for more than half of its revenue. AfricInvest said it will leverage its network across Africa to support HTDS's continued international expansion. | [**Africinvest**](https://www.africinvest.com/news-and-media/news/french-african-fund-3-completes-first-investment-in-htds-supporting-next-growth-phase/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### The Experiment Is Over: Enterprise AI Enters Its Execution Era URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-experiment-is-over-enterprise-ai-enters-its-execution-era/ Last updated: 2026-07-05T20:20:06.000Z BRANDED CONTENT Hadrien de Cournon and Henri Delahaye are the co-founders of [RAISE Summit](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), taking place July 8–9, 2026, at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Three years is enough time to watch a technology cycle change shape. In 2024, when we hosted the first RAISE Summit in Paris, enterprise conversations about AI were about discovery: what is this technology, and what could it mean for us? In 2025, the theme was experimentation. Pilots multiplied, coding assistants broke through as the first use case with quantifiable returns, and CFOs started asking about token budgets. In 2026, the question has changed again. Boards are no longer asking whether AI works. They are asking why it isn't yet showing up in the P&L. This is the execution era, and it exposes a gap the industry has been reluctant to name. ## The gap between AI-native growth and enterprise pace AI-native companies are growing at rates the software industry has rarely seen. Some are already becoming buyers of the next wave of AI-native startups. But inside our own bubble, it is easy to miss a harder truth: most large enterprises have not changed their pace at anything like the same rate. Adoption inside a Fortune 1000 company happens from two directions at once. It comes from the top, where CIOs, CTOs and chief AI officers set architecture, procurement and governance. And it comes from the bottom, where developers decide which tools and stacks actually get used, and pull them up through engineering leadership. Companies selling AI need to work both channels. Most only work one. That diagnosis shaped the biggest change to RAISE in 2026\. The CxO Summit, launching July 8 at the Carrousel du Louvre, is an invitation-only forum that puts technology leaders from Fortune 1000 and CAC 40 companies (Airbus, BNP Paribas, Sanofi, Bank of America, and Mercedes-Benz among them) in direct, Chatham House-rule conversation with the CEOs of the AI companies they now buy from. QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, joins as a knowledge partner. The agenda is deliberately unglamorous: agentic systems in production, workforce transformation, and how to measure ROI in terms a board will accept. ## Sovereignty stopped being an excuse The second shift of 2026 is geopolitical. Two years ago, "sovereign AI" was widely read as a defensive argument, the pitch you made when you couldn't compete on capability. That framing is dead. Today, sovereignty sits on the roadmaps of telecoms operators, banks, and financial institutions across Europe as a hard requirement. What we hear from partners and sponsors is that there is no single sovereign playbook. At the infrastructure layer, decisions go country by country: build an AI gigafactory in France, and you will likely partner with a French neocloud or data center operator. At the model layer, consolidation has started. Aleph Alpha, long Germany's leading LLM developer, merged with Canada's Cohere to pursue exactly this sovereign go-to-market position. At the application layer, partnerships such as Liquid AI's work with Mercedes-Benz show how edge and on-premise deployment are re-entering enterprise architecture discussions. The commercial logic has inverted. Being sovereign no longer signals that you are a weaker alternative. If your product matches your competitors on capability and you are sovereign on top of it, the choice becomes straightforward for a European buyer. That is a tailwind, and French and European AI-native companies like Mistral, ElevenLabs, Lovable, and H Company are riding it on merit because they deliver. The capital data supports this reading. The French Tech Journal's H1 2026 funding report recorded €4.83B raised by French startups in the first half of the year, with a small number of very large AI deals driving most of the growth. Concentrated, conviction-driven capital is exactly what an execution era looks like. ## Physical AI gets its own stage One category has moved fast enough to demand a dedicated forum. Humanoid robots are leaving research labs for factory floors, industrial autonomy is scaling across logistics and manufacturing, and the foundation models that act as the "robot brain" are evolving on their own trajectory. On July 7 at Station F, we launch MACHINA Summit, the first major European event dedicated entirely to Physical AI. The program covers the full stack across four tracks: humanoids, industrial deployment, simulation and training, and AI-robotics integration. Speakers include Jim Fan (NVIDIA), Carolina Parada (Google DeepMind), Marc Raibert (RAI Institute / Boston Dynamics), and Jeff Cardenas (Apptronik). Europe has real industrial depth in robotics. It should host the conversation about where the field goes next. ## Why this happens in Paris RAISE Summit returns to the Carrousel du Louvre on July 8–9 with more than 9,000 attendees, over 350 speakers, 80% of participants at C-level, and roughly 30% traveling from the United States. Around it, RAISE Week (July 4–9) spans a hybrid hackathon with 500 developers on site and 5,000 online, a startup competition with over €10M in prizes, and more than 50 partner events across the city, including a frontier-model gathering that brings Chinese, European and American lab researchers into the same room, which still happens too rarely. Paris earns this role. France is now home to one of Europe's strongest concentrations of AI companies, labs, and capital, and its position allows a summit here to serve as neutral ground: a bridge between American capital and platforms, European enterprises and regulators, and growing delegations from the Middle East and Asia. Everyone does business together. They need a place designed for it. ## The takeaway for founders and investors Our metric for the event is unchanged and unfashionable: return on investment, measured in the meetings that matter. In 2025, RAISE facilitated more than 1,500 one-to-one meetings among 7,000 delegates, including 822 CEOs and investors managing over $600B in assets. For founders, the execution era means distribution is now the hard problem. Selling to enterprises requires winning developers and technology leadership simultaneously, and sovereignty requirements will increasingly shape which vendors make the shortlist. For investors, the signal has moved from model benchmarks to deployment evidence: which companies are actually inside enterprise workflows, and at what margin. The discovery phase rewarded vision. The experimentation phase rewarded speed. The execution era rewards proof. That is the standard we are building RAISE around, and the standard we would suggest applying to every AI claim you hear this year, including ours. ### 🇫🇷💸 French Tech Funding Q2 2026 Database URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q2-2026-database/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T09:50:26.000Z Raised: €2.09B | Deals: 139 | Average Round: €20M | Largest Deal: €480M Alan | Top Sector: Artificial Intelligence _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Funding Reached €4.83B in H1 2026 Driven By Two Deals URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-funding-reached-eur4-83b-in-h1-2026-driven-by-two-deals/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T09:12:48.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 💸 **The French Tech Journal Q2 2026 Funding Report is here**: French startups raised €2.09 billion in Q2 2026 and are on pace for their strongest year since 2022\. But beneath the rebound, deal counts have hit a six-year low, seed funding continues to shrink, and a handful of mega-rounds are reshaping the market. [**Read the breakdown.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/top-heavy-french-tech-q2-2026-funding-report/) 👀 As AI assistants increasingly replace traditional search, a growing share of the world’s knowledge risks remaining invisible because it lives in video. French startup Aive says that it has found a way to [**make that content understandable and searchable for large language models**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-next-frontier-for-ai-isnt-generating-video-its-understanding-it/). **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/Ambassador-web-asset-landscape-v2--1-.png)](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) RAISE Summit returns to the Carrousel du Louvre on July 8–9, 2026, bringing together 9,000 global leaders at a pivotal moment for the industry alongside the launch of the CxO Summit & MACHINA Summit. With more than 80% of attendees at the C-level, RAISE has become one of the world's most influential forums where AI strategy, investment, policy, and deployment converge. [Your 20% Discount Code: FTJ20 ](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🛍️🤑 **Datadog (and its French founders)** has acquired Paris-founded **Adaptive ML**, a startup built by former LightOn and Hugging Face researchers, to strengthen its AI research lab and accelerate its push into agentic AI for observability and cybersecurity. Rather than chasing the next blockbuster LLM, Adaptive focused on helping enterprises continuously improve their own AI using reinforcement learning, a sign that the industry's attention is shifting from building bigger models to making existing ones smarter over time. The real prize for Datadog isn't just the team; it's the chance to combine Adaptive's expertise with the vast stream of operational data flowing through its platform to create highly specialized AI agents. It's another reminder that in AI, proprietary data may soon matter more than proprietary models. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/datadog-rachete-adaptive-ml-pour-renforcer-son-laboratoire-dia/462649?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**DataDog**](https://www.datadoghq.com/blog/datadog-acquires-adaptive-ml/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**AdaptiveML**](https://www.adaptive-ml.com/post/joining-datadog?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧮 🛒 **Qonto** is moving beyond business banking and into accounting, acquiring online accounting firm **Acasi** as it builds an all-in-one financial platform for entrepreneurs. The deal will let Qonto gradually roll out certified accounting services alongside banking, invoicing, and bookkeeping, while leaning on AI to automate the drudgery and leave human accountants to focus on higher-value advice. It's another step in Qonto's ambition to become the operating system for Europe's small businesses, and a reminder that fintechs increasingly want to own the entire financial workflow, not just your bank account. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7478341467606962176/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇺🇸 🤝 **Uncle Sam may be about to get a seat at OpenAI’s table.** According to the *FT,* OpenAI is discussing selling a 5% stake to the US government as part of a broader plan championed by the Trump administration to give Washington equity stakes in leading AI companies. The proposal would reportedly channel returns through a public investment vehicle inspired by Alaska’s Permanent Fund, sharing some of the financial upside of AI with American citizens. Whether the idea becomes reality remains uncertain, but it signals a dramatic shift in how governments view frontier AI - not simply as a technology to regulate, but as a strategic national asset. If it happens, the debate won’t just be about who governs AI. It’ll be who owns it. |[**Financial Times,**](https://www.ft.com/content/7c803eab-8e80-4431-9a87-e943bf00e00b?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/openai-ouvre-la-porte-a-une-entree-de-letat-americain-a-son-capital-2240326?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺🇺🇸 **Could Europe’s data transfer deal with the US be heading for another legal showdown?** A recent US Supreme Court ruling gave President Donald Trump greater authority to dismiss commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), weakening the agency’s political independence. That matters because the FTC is one of the key watchdogs underpinning the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), the agreement that allows European companies to transfer personal data to certified US firms. The framework remains in force, but privacy campaigners argue the ruling undermines one of the legal safeguards the European Commission relied on when approving the deal—and they’re already preparing a fresh challenge. **For European businesses built on US cloud services, the question isn’t whether data can cross the Atlantic today, but whether the legal bridge will still be standing tomorrow.** | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/data-protection/donnees-sensibles/vos-transferts-de-donnees-vers-les-etats-unis-sont-ils-menaces-ce-que-change-vraiment-la-decision-de-la-cour-supreme-americaine.EOXUVDMLKJCITKKIXPRHBUUOI4.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷 🇲🇦 **French Tech Casablanca is taking French women founders on the road.** The second edition of its **Elles Tech Tour** is bringing entrepreneurs from France and Mayotte to Morocco for a week of meetings with startups, investors, corporates, and innovation hubs, from Casablanca to Tangier. Last year’s program introduced Moroccan founders to the French ecosystem. This time, the journey goes the other way, reflecting French Tech’s growing role in connecting entrepreneurs across the Mediterranean. More than a study tour, it’s another reminder that innovation diplomacy increasingly happens through startup communities - not just governments. | [**PR - French Tech Morocco**](https://femmesdumaroc.com/inspiration/radar/la-french-tech-maroc-organise-la-2e-edition-du-elles-tech-tour?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📈 **It only took 18 years, but...**Withings has finally reached profitability. After weathering its failed Nokia chapter and pouring up to 27% of its revenue back into R&D, the French health tech pioneer says 2025 marks its first profitable year. With 15 million active users and ambitions in predictive healthcare, the company is proving that not every startup story follows the “grow fast, exit faster” playbook.Sometimes, the longest journeys make the strongest businesses. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/07/01/18-ans-plus-tard-withings-devient-rentable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮 **From startup to prescribed therapy?** French healthtech **Poppins** has cleared a major hurdle after France’s health authority (HAS) backed the provisional reimbursement of its game-based app for children with dyslexia. If approved by the Health Ministry, it would become one of the few digital therapeutics covered by the French healthcare system. The decision still hinges on additional clinical data, but it signals growing recognition that software can play a role alongside traditional care. For French digital health startups, the next challenge is proving they deserve a place on the prescription pad. | [**Buzz e-Santé**](https://buzz-esante.fr/poppins-feu-vert-de-la-has-pour-une-prise-en-charge-anticipee-par-lassurance-maladie/amp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏦 ⚛️ **Quantum computing is inching closer to the trading floor.** Crédit Agricole CIB and French quantum unicorn Pasqal are entering a new phase of their partnership, with plans to bring quantum-powered applications into production from 2028\. After years of testing risk modeling and portfolio optimization, the focus now shifts to industrializing the technology for real-world banking operations. Quantum may still be years away from widespread deployment, but France is quietly positioning itself to be among the first to put it to work in finance. | [**Yahoo**](https://fr.finance.yahoo.com/actualites/cr%C3%A9dit-agricole-cib-mise-pasqal-083219077.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # French Tech Funding Reaches €4.83B in H1 2026\. Just Two Deals Drove 91% of the Growth [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/top-heavy-french-tech-q2-2026-funding-report/) There's a version of the Q2 2026 French tech funding story that offers a comforting narrative. French tech raised €2.09 billion between April and June, up 16% on last year. Four companies pulled in more than €100 million each. The typical round is bigger than it's been in six years. Overall, funding in the first half of 2026 is on pace to easily surpass 2025 levels, potentially the second consecutive annual increase. It's tempting to embrace this as confirmation that the funding rebound is real. Alas, there's a catch, and it's a big one. In June, Alan, the Paris health-insurance unicorn, closed a €480 million growth round led by Index Ventures, with Prosus, Dara Holdings, and Teachers' Venture Growth alongside. That single deal is 22.9% of everything French startups raised all quarter. Pull it out of the numbers, and the picture inverts completely. The 16% gain becomes an 11% decline. [Read the full funding analysis](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/top-heavy-french-tech-q2-2026-funding-report/) --- # The Next Frontier For AI isn’t Generating Video. It’s Understanding It. [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/image.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-next-frontier-for-ai-isnt-generating-video-its-understanding-it/) As clever as they are at generating text and images, AI assistants have a blind spot for video. Ask one for the best face cream, and you'll probably get an answer drawn from product reviews, blog posts, and retailer websites. But what if the best explanation of that product lives in a 10-minute demonstration video instead? Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude remain surprisingly limited in what they can extract from video. They can process transcripts or metadata, but most of the audio and visual context — the products on screen, the demonstrations, the branding, the sequence of events — is lost on them. French startup Aive believes that it is about to become a much bigger problem as AI assistants become the first stop for finding information online. The company, which recently announced a collaboration with Nvidia around its open-source Nemotron models, says its technology can transform videos into structured knowledge that AI models can understand and cite. Rather than generating new videos, Aive analyses existing ones using its proprietary Multimodal Generative Technology (MGT), extracting information from the audio and visual content and converting it into machine-readable knowledge. "If I'm advertising a cosmetics product through a ten-minute video, today's LLMs mostly see the transcript, if it's available to them," CEO and co-founder Olivier Reynaud said. "They don't really understand what's happening visually. Our technology transforms that video into knowledge that AI can use." [Read the story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-next-frontier-for-ai-isnt-generating-video-its-understanding-it/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Elixir Aircraft 🏷️ Sectors: Aerospace, Aviation, Manufacturing, Mobility 🔍 Description: Elixir Aircraft is a French aircraft manufacturer developing next-generation carbon-fiber training aircraft. Its flagship Elixir aircraft is certified in Europe and the U.S., offering lower operating costs, improved safety, and significantly lower emissions for pilot training. 💻 Website: [https://www.elixir-aircraft.com](https://www.elixir-aircraft.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: La Rochelle 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €45 million 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance SPI Fund (lead), Odyssée Venture, Innovacom (Turenne Groupe), other investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arthur Léopold-Léger, Cyril Champenois, Nicolas Migault 🗞️ News: Elixir Aircraft has raised €45 million to accelerate industrial expansion, international growth and launch Equinox, a new aircraft program that will expand its product range. The company will consolidate production into a larger manufacturing site, expand operations in the U.S., and strengthen its presence in Asia, particularly India. Since its last funding round in 2024, Elixir has nearly tripled production, now employs almost 250 people, and has more than 60 aircraft in service across Europe. The funding will also support commercialization following FAA certification and the rollout of the enhanced Elixir+ aircraft. Elixir says it now has an order backlog exceeding 300 aircraft and aims to scale production to five aircraft per month. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### The Next Frontier For AI isn’t Generating Video. It’s Understanding It. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-next-frontier-for-ai-isnt-generating-video-its-understanding-it/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T08:51:09.000Z As clever as they are at generating text and images, AI assistants have a blind spot for video. Ask one for the best face cream, and you'll probably get an answer drawn from product reviews, blog posts, and retailer websites. But what if the best explanation of that product lives in a 10-minute demonstration video instead? Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude remain surprisingly limited in what they can extract from video. They can process transcripts or metadata, but most of the audio and visual context - the products on screen, the demonstrations, the branding, the sequence of events - is lost on them. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Blind-robot2-2.png) French startup Aive believes that it is about to become a much bigger problem as AI assistants become the first stop for finding information online. The company, which recently announced a collaboration with Nvidia around its open-source Nemotron models, says its technology can transform videos into structured knowledge that AI models can understand and cite. Rather than generating new videos, Aive analyses existing ones using its proprietary Multimodal Generative Technology (MGT), extracting information from the audio and visual content and converting it into machine-readable knowledge. "If I'm advertising a cosmetics product through a ten-minute video, today's LLMs mostly see the transcript, if it's available to them," CEO and co-founder Olivier Reynaud said. "They don't really understand what's happening visually. Our technology transforms that video into knowledge that AI can use." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Olivier-Reynaud-Aive.jpg) Aive Co-founder & CEO, Olivier Reynaud ## **From video editing to AI-readable knowledge** As [The French Tech Journal reported in our previous profile of Aive](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/), the company built its business around automating enterprise video post-production, so a single video can be adapted for TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and other platforms in different formats and languages. That remains Aive's core business, but Reynaud believes AI search is opening a new opportunity. "The way people search is changing," he said. "More and more searches are happening through LLMs rather than traditional search engines like Google." In practice, Reynaud says, this means an AI assistant could eventually answer a question such as "What's the best face cream?" using information extracted directly from a product demonstration video, rather than relying on text already published elsewhere. ## **Why Nvidia matters** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/faceimage.png) For Aive, the Nvidia collaboration is about accelerating that ambition, not adding another AI model. The company has integrated Nvidia's Nemotron models into its own technology, which already combines more than 25 AI models to analyze scenes, objects, products, emotions, speakers and other visual signals before structuring them into data that LLMs can process. According to Reynaud, this lets brands, broadcasters**,** and media companies make years' worth of existing video content accessible to AI assistants without having to recreate or manually rewrite it. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/nemotron-3-release.jpg) ©️Nvidia ## **A new visibility challenge** Those same companies have spent years building vast video libraries, yet most of that content remains invisible to today's AI assistants. Aive says interest accelerated after it unveiled its video GEO platform at VivaTech, drawing inquiries from brands, television companies and media organizations wanting to make their video content discoverable by AI systems. The company raised €15 million last November to fund the development of the technology and its international expansion. It is still too early to measure the commercial impact. But Aive is betting that making video understandable to LLMs could become as important as optimizing websites once was for traditional search. If the bet pays off, the next generation of AI assistants won't just retrieve videos - they'll understand them. ### French Tech Funding Reaches €4.83B in H1 2026. Just Two Deals Drove 91% of the Growth URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/top-heavy-french-tech-q2-2026-funding-report/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T12:36:05.000Z [Read The French Tech Journal Q2 2026 Funding Report Online ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q2-2026-report-eur2-09b-raised-as-seed-funding-hits-six-year-low/) [Download the report](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/files/2026/07/French-Tech-Q2-2026-Funding-Report.pdf) [Explore the Q2 Funding Database](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q2-2026-database/) --- There's a version of the Q2 2026 French tech funding story that offers a comforting narrative. French tech raised €2.09 billion between April and June, up 16% on last year. Four companies pulled in more than €100 million each. The typical round is bigger than it's been in six years. Overall, funding in the first half of 2026 is on pace to easily surpass 2025 levels, potentially the second consecutive annual increase. It's tempting to embrace this as confirmation that the funding rebound is real. Alas, there's a catch, and it's a big one. In June, Alan, the Paris health-insurance unicorn, closed a €480 million growth round led by Index Ventures, with Prosus, Dara Holdings, and Teachers' Venture Growth alongside. That single deal is 22.9% of everything French startups raised all quarter. Pull it out of the numbers, and the picture inverts completely. The 16% gain becomes an 11% decline. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/last-24-months.jpg) This mirrors the €890M round by AMI Labs in Q1 2026, [**a huge chunk of the €2.73 billion raised that quarter**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-great-concentration-french-tech-raised-eu2-73b-in-q1-2026/). And overall, in 2025, the €1.8 billion raised by Mistral AI accounted for a big slice of the year's €7.98 billion. In Q1, we called this the **Great Concentration**. This time: **Top-Heavy**. But in reality, it seems like the **New Normal.** Which raises the obvious worry: is the market falling apart? Not necessarily. The median round climbed to €5.0M, a six-year peak. Growth-stage money is abundant. Series A checks ballooned. So, this isn't a market in crisis. But it is a market that has quietly stopped growing wider. Investors are doing fewer deals and shoveling more money into the ones they do. Deal count dropped 17% year-on-year, to 139\. While Q1 and Q2 did exactly the same number of deals, 139 each, Q2 raised 23% less. Again, the only real difference is the size of each quarter's headline act: Q1 had AMI Labs at €890M, Q2 had Alan at €480M. Take both mega-rounds off the table, and Q2 still trailed Q1 by roughly 12%. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Largest-rounds-q2.jpg) ## Six months in, the year looks strong-ish Widen out to the full first half, and 2026 starts to look genuinely good. By June, French startups had raised **€4.83 billion**, accounting for 61% of the total €7.98 billion for 2025\. Nine rounds crossed €100M in six months, three times the H1 2025 count. Extend the run-rate and the full year lands around €9.3–9.7B, enough to beat both 2025 and 2024 and make this France's best funding year since 2022. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Annual-funding-q2.jpg) Then comes the footnote, which is just the report's thesis at a higher altitude. Two rounds, AMI's €890M and Alan's €480M, add up to €1.37 billion. That's 28% of the half-year and about **91% of the entire year-on-year gain**. Remove them, and H1 2026 is roughly 4% above H1 2025, on the fewest first-half deals in six years. Flat, in other words, with two very large exceptions. None of that stops 2026 from posting a bigger headline than 2025\. It almost certainly will. It just means the market underneath the two blockbusters barely moved. ## The quarter was mostly June Zoom in on the three months, and the load is unevenly distributed. April was the soft spot at €305M, about half what April 2025 managed. May climbed back to €494M. Then June did nearly everything: **€1.30 billion, or 62% of the quarter**, with Alan, Morpho Labs (€151M) and Bionyra Pharma (€140M) all closing inside the same few weeks. Stripping Alan out, June still cleared €815M, comfortably the biggest month. ## AI still eats everything [](https://github.com/chobrien99-svg/Navigator/blob/claude/q2-2026-funding-report-r7z9oq/French%20Tech%20Funding%20report/q2-2026-newsletter-article.md?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-still-eats-everything) Just to restate the obvious: AI is France's dominant sector by a wide margin: €1.21 billion, about 58% of everything raised this quarter, and a six-year high, up 30% year-on-year. With the same caveat that Alan's single €480M round is tagged AI, health, fintech, and insurance, so it lifts four different sector headlines at once. Strip out Alan and AI represents €730M, which is actually down about 21% on last year. So the underlying AI market softened even as the sector's headline hit a record. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/q2-sectors-2026.jpg) What genuinely grew, with no giant doing the work, is **deeptech and quantum**: Grenoble's Quobly raised €115M, part of a €238M quarter that made Grenoble the country's No. 2 hub after Paris. And **health and biotech**, ex-Alan, is up 80%, led by Bionyra's €140M Series A, one of the largest French biotech A-rounds on record. Meanwhile, SaaS (−44%), cleantech (−56%), and cybersecurity (−67%) fell. ## The real story is at the bottom of the funnel ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/deal-count-year.jpg) Seed and pre-seed rounds fell from 91 to 57 year-on-year. Measured against the 2022 peak of 196, early-stage dealmaking has **collapsed by 64%**. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Seed-deals-q2.jpg) Meanwhile, the top swelled. Series A did the same number of deals as last year but raised 80% more, because two of those "Series A" rounds, Bionyra and Quobly, were nine-figure cheques that would have been growth rounds in any earlier year. Growth funding itself hit €992M, near a six-year high. The pipeline that's supposed to feed tomorrow's Series A and B is narrowing fast, while the stages it feeds are overflowing. A market can run that way for a while. It can't run that way indefinitely. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/07/Stages-q2.jpg) Naturally, **Bpifrance continues to plug the gap**. The public bank was in 22 of the quarter's 139 deals, 16% of the whole market**,** and more than four times the count of any private fund, and it shows up most in the exact seed rounds private capital is walking away from. The busiest private early-stage names, daphni and Kima Ventures at five deals apiece, aren't close. More and more, the state is the floor under French seed. ## Paris pulls the money back, Grenoble gatecrashes Paris took 72% of the quarter's value, up from 59%, though most of that jump is just Alan being a Paris company (strip it, and Paris still held 64%). Regional funding dropped 20% in absolute terms. The standout exception is worth the drive south. **Grenoble** raised €238M across five deals, including Quobly, UROMEMS, Mantle8, and ROSI, making it France's clear No. 2 hub for the quarter. ## Three questions for the back half How 2026 gets remembered comes down to three things: - Does deal count finally stop sliding, or is the shrinkage permanent? - Is Alan a fluke, or the first evidence that €300M+ growth rounds can close in France again? - And when the full-year total lands, probably above €9 billion, how much of it will be a few giants versus a broad, healthy field? The safe prediction is that French tech will raise more in 2026 than in 2025\. The open question is whether that reflects a stronger market or just a handful of companies getting very large. ### French Tech Funding Q2 2026 Report: €2.09B Raised as Seed Funding Hits Six-Year Low URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q2-2026-report-eur2-09b-raised-as-seed-funding-hits-six-year-low/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T08:10:08.000Z French startups raised €2.09 billion in Q2 2026 and are on pace for their strongest year since 2022. But beneath the rebound, deal counts have hit a six-year low, seed funding continues to shrink, and a handful of mega-rounds are reshaping the market. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #83: Dust's AI Agents Could Transform the Future of Enterprise Work URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-83-dusts-ai-agents-could-transform-the-future-of-enterprise-work/ Last updated: 2026-07-01T06:00:51.000Z 🧠 Your next coworker won’t be human, and it might already be preparing your next meeting. Or your demise. French startup Dust believes the future of work isn’t about AI assistants but about teams of humans and AI agents working side by side. [We spoke to co-founder Stanislas Polu about what’s coming next.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/dust-multiplayer-ai-enterprise-ai-agents/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ Sifted's Daphné Leprince-Ringuet [**has the scoop**](https://sifted.eu/articles/aire-openai-meta-aire-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) on a new stealth AI startup with deep roots at OpenAI and Meta that is aiming to make a very big entrance. According to *Sifted*, Aire ([**registered as FLOPS & FRIENDS**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/flops-friends-france-105990592?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)) is seeking $400 million in Seed funding at a reported valuation of around $2 billion to build an "AI scientist" capable of automating R&D for enterprise customers in fields ranging from biology and physics to finance. The company was co-founded by former OpenAI researcher Irwan Bello alongside ex-Meta FAIR researchers Gabriel Synnaeve, who is based in Paris, and Yossi Adi, with operations spanning the US, France and Israel. If the raise succeeds, Aire would join a growing wave of heavily funded AI labs betting that the next frontier for AI is accelerating scientific discovery rather than simply boosting office productivity. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/aire-openai-meta-aire-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French ride-sharing giant BlaBlaCar is hitting the accelerator, using AI to power an ambitious expansion into 20 new markets. By leveraging AI for operational scaling, translation, and localized advertising, the Paris-based company has achieved in mere months what previously took years with a traditional rollout. It’s a classic case of using smart tech to streamline growth, helping the platform expand its footprint across regions such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, and North Africa. | [**LinkedIn** ](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7477660531051552769?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7477660531051552769%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The deadly earthquakes in Venezuela have triggered a wave of AI-generated and recycled videos spreading across social media, complicating rescue efforts and public understanding of the disaster.** Fact-checkers have identified three dominant forms of visual misinformation: footage recycled from disasters in other countries, old videos falsely presented as current, and increasingly convincing AI-generated clips depicting building collapses that never happened. The episode underscores how generative AI is amplifying crisis misinformation and making real-time verification more critical than ever. |[**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/venezuela-earthquakes-old-footage-and-ai-fakes-exploit-disaster-online?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Reminder: The countdown is on for businesses ahead of the EU AI Act’s next major milestone on August 2.** While some high-risk AI rules have been postponed, transparency obligations will still come into force for many common AI applications, including chatbots, AI-generated content and synthetic media. Experts say companies should now move beyond simply tracking the regulation and start auditing where AI is already being used across their organizations—including “shadow AI” embedded in everyday software. |[**Actuia**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/ai-act-le-compte-a-rebours-est-lance-pour-les-entreprises-avant-le-2-aout-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France has passed a scaled-back anti-fast-fashion law targeting ultra-fast retailers, including Shein, Temu, and AliExpress.** The legislation introduces environmental fees on qualifying garments and bans advertising by ultra-fast fashion brands, but stops short of applying the rules to European retailers such as Zara and H&M, drawing criticism from campaigners. While the law focuses on environmental impact rather than AI, it chiefly targets companies like Shein, whose AI-powered algorithms drive ultra-fast product design, demand forecasting and personalized shopping at massive scale. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2026/06/29/la-france-adopte-une-timide-legislation-pour-lutter-contre-la-fast-fashion%5F6716974%5F823448.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**France24**](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260629-french-parliament-passes-fast-fashion-bill-targeting-shein-and-temu?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Check out the France x Shein back story** [**here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/special-edition-shein-sex-dolls-fast-fashion-great-french-retail-war-2025-begins/) 🗞️ **French healthtech leaders, including Alan, Doctolib, Lifen, Implicity and Resilience Care, have urged the government to give the sector a stronger voice in shaping France’s sovereign cloud strategy.** French healthtech leaders, including Alan, Doctolib, Lifen, Implicity and Resilience Care, have urged the government to give the sector a stronger voice in shaping France’s sovereign cloud strategy. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/alan-doctolib-le-ras-le-bol-des-acteurs-innovants-de-la-sante-contre-le-gouvernement-sur-le-cloud-souverain-2239567?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s sovereign AI assistant is reducing civil servants’ reliance on ChatGPT, but not replacing it.** A six-month pilot involving 10,000 public sector employees found that 75% considered the government’s chatbot useful, and more than half said they now use tools like ChatGPT less often at work. Yet 57% still believe leading U.S. AI assistants deliver better responses, highlighting the challenge of balancing digital sovereignty with user expectations... | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/souverainete-les-agents-territoriaux-reduisent-leur-usage-de-chatgpt-grace-a-lia-de-letat-mais-ils-le-jugent-toujours-meilleur.M3ZIU4KQC5D6JPXUAICCQ33PCU.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French e-signature platform Yousign (soon to become Youtrust) now lets customers manage documents directly from AI assistants including ChatGPT, Claude and Mistral’s Vibe.** Users can send signature requests, track document status, and check whether contracts have been signed without opening the app. The company says AI assistants are rapidly becoming the new interface for business software, with integrations for Gemini and Harvey already on the roadmap. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/yousign-permet-desormais-de-piloter-sa-plateforme-de-signature-electronique-directement-depuis-chatgpt-claude-et-vibe.7RETLJXO3ZHCXJV2IMWR6NB2B4.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French cybersecurity firm YesWeHack has launched an AI-powered “agentic pentest” platform that cuts penetration testing from five days to just one.** Rather than relying on a single large language model, the system orchestrates multiple AI agents to mimic the reasoning of a human ethical hacker, identifying and validating exploitable vulnerabilities before producing remediation recommendations. The company says the technology is designed to accelerate—not replace—its community of 150,000 ethical hackers. |[**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/souverainete-les-agents-territoriaux-reduisent-leur-usage-de-chatgpt-grace-a-lia-de-letat-mais-ils-le-jugent-toujours-meilleur.M3ZIU4KQC5D6JPXUAICCQ33PCU.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Digital twins are evolving from virtual replicas into AI-powered operating systems for critical infrastructure.** As AI agents, sensors, drones, and edge computing become tightly integrated, digital twins are increasingly used not just to visualize assets but also to simulate failures, orchestrate maintenance, and support real-time operational decisions. From Orange’s network demonstrations at VivaTech to Europe’s Destination Earth initiative, the technology is moving beyond dashboards toward managing the physical world. | [**Actuia**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/jumeaux-numeriques-quand-les-infrastructures-critiques-se-dotent-dun-systeme-dexploitation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI may be fueling the next wave of IT spending, but it’s also exposing how much infrastructure goes to waste.** French startup Sopht says nearly a third of cloud spending is wasted and is helping enterprises optimize the cost and environmental impact of their IT as AI workloads continue to grow. The company has just raised €7.5 million to expand across Europe. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/24/sopht-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-reduire-la-facture-it-des-entreprises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Paris’ Raise Summit is fast becoming one of Europe’s flagship AI events.** Ahead of its third edition next week, organizers say attendance has grown from around 2,000 in 2024 to an expected 9,000 this year, with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral AI and Cognition. The conference has expanded with the launch of Machina, a new event dedicated to AI-powered robotics, reflecting growing interest in “physical AI.” | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/24/sopht-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-reduire-la-facture-it-des-entreprises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 🗣️Responsible AI🗣️ *A look at the big stories this past week from Responsible & Frugal AI expert* [*James Martin*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmartin75/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*, of* [*BetterTech*](https://bettertech.blog/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*.* Is AI a bubble? A surprising source has replied: ‘possibly’. The Bank for International Settlements - which advises global central banks, no less - is concerned about an “investment bust” caused by “AI exuberance,” says the [FT](https://www.ft.com/content/e81ce414-e4bd-4e8c-bac7-94f7bf17def4?shareType=nongift&syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Market uncertainty could be China’s opportunity, especially with Anthropic and now OpenAI’s latest models [restricted by the Trump administration](https://www.macg.co/intelligence-artificielle/2026/06/apres-anthropic-openai-voit-gpt-56-limite-20-partenaires-par-washington-309425?utm%5Fsource=flipboard&utm%5Fcontent=topic/fr-technologie). Zhipu revealed GLM 5.2, a model that rivals Opus 4.8, according to [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/06/26/china-zhipu-z-ai-open-source-anthropic-openai.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), but at a fifth of the cost… and 2-3 times smaller, meaning you don’t need cutting-edge hardware to run it. Dspark, new tech from DeepSeek that improves response speed by 85% and reduces the need for the latest GPUs, according to [SCMP](https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3358647/faster-ai-lower-costs-dspark-eases-inference-bottlenecks-and-chip-strain-says-deepseek?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). And of course, Chinese models are open source (enough) to host wherever you like. Just don’t ask them about Taiwan or Tiananmen Square. France’s finance ministry just removed a Qwen model from an experiment aimed at helping (human) agents in the field, as it demonstrated ingrained pro-China bias. Mistral AI swooped in to replace it, reports [Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/06/25/ia-le-test-d-un-modele-chinois-a-la-direction-generale-du-tresor-interrompu-a-cause-de-reponses-orientees-ou-biaisees%5F6715445%5F4408996.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Cocorico! Meanwhile, those hoping AI will transform the workplace for the better may be disappointed : - CEOs are increasingly mistaking ChatGPT or Claude for their “vizirs” (think Jafar in Aladdin), reports [Futurism](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/bosses-obsessed-with-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), taking their often-sycophantic advice on decisions as crucial as whom to fire, bonuses, or new company strategy ‘ideas’ - Workers fired ‘because of AI’ are getting called back to work after said systems’ limitations become evident: Ford just rehired 350 veteran engineers for that reason, reports [The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/ford-ai-automation-humans-hiring-artificial-intelligence-b3004733.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) - Meta’s cunning plan to replace its workers with agents by tracking their every mouse and on-screen movement has already backfired… but not because it’s illegal (in Europe); rather, because Meta let data harvested so far become available to all of its staff, reports [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-training-data-leak-exposed-employee-activity-across-company-2026-6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Oopsie! At least, at last, the UN is taking on AI’s environmental impacts. Secretary General Antonio Guterres [reminded us](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7475647495654694913/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that by 2030, AI infrastructure could consume enough water to cover the needs of all 1.3 billion residents of Sub-Saharan Africa for an entire year. Whence his call for “every major AI company to measure and publicly disclose the full environmental impact of its systems.” Might this ever happen? Maybe with enough pressure from both consumers and clients. As a former AWS sustainability official [told AP](https://apnews.com/article/ai-energy-water-climate-change-pollution-environment-77c9de6f9c6326c12d8d18e20dc99c44?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), AI providers will “listen if everybody suddenly starts caring about not having a footprint.” That is, of course, if peaceful data center protestors aren’t [arrested for no reason](https://www.404media.co/bodycam-footage-video-claremore-oklahoma-data-center-meeting/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), or have their anti-AI lawsuits threatened by the [US Department of Justice](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/climate/xai-musk-mississippi-grok-turbine-lawsuit-naacp.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)… --- ### 🧠 Your Next Coworker Won’t Be Human. Dust Thinks That’s Just the Beginning [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/stan-ai-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/dust-multiplayer-ai-enterprise-ai-agents/) On Monday morning, an AI agent logs into a company’s systems. It pulls sales figures from HubSpot, product updates from GitHub, and financial metrics from Snowflake. It prepares the weekly management presentation and then sends messages to eight team leaders, asking them to review or update their respective sections. By Tuesday lunchtime, the presentation is complete and waiting for the manager responsible for the meeting to sign off on it. No one spent hours chasing colleagues for slides. The AI agent did the coordination. Welcome to the Brave New World of Dust. [Read the full story here ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/dust-multiplayer-ai-enterprise-ai-agents/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ☀️ Sponsor Events☀️ 📆 **MACHINA** **| July 7 |** **Paris** | The international summit dedicated to humanoids, robotics, industrial autonomy, and next-generation human-machine interfaces. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/fr/machina?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Economic Data Science Society (EDSS) Conference 2026** | **July 9–10 | Banque de France, Paris** | The inaugural conference at the intersection of **AI, data science, and economics**, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from institutions like the IMF, ECB, and leading universities. Explore topics such as machine learning for economic forecasting, LLMs in economic analysis, alternative data (satellite, web scraping), and AI governance — alongside keynote talks, academic sessions, and hands-on training workshops. | [**Apply**](https://www.banque-france.fr/en/events/conference-economic-data-science-society?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Agentic GTM Hackathon by Anthropic, FullEnrich & Sillage | July 9 | Station F, Paris | Anthropic**, **FullEnrich,** and **Sillage** invite the sharpest builders, sellers, and GTM engineers for a full-day hackathon to answer one question: what does AI-native revenue look like when you actually build it? **|** [**Request to Join**](https://luma.com/96wafjf6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Your Next Coworker Won’t Be Human. Dust Thinks That’s Just the Beginning URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/dust-multiplayer-ai-enterprise-ai-agents/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T23:11:28.000Z On Monday morning, an AI agent logs into a company's systems. It pulls sales figures from HubSpot, product updates from GitHub, and financial metrics from Snowflake. It prepares the weekly management presentation, then sends messages to eight different team leaders, asking them to review or update their respective sections. By Tuesday lunchtime, the presentation is complete and waiting for the manager responsible for the meeting to sign off on it. No one spent hours chasing colleagues for slides. The AI agent did the coordination. This is no longer a concept or a research project. It is how Paris-based startup Dust says its work is already happening within its own company and increasingly within those of its customers. While much of the enterprise AI conversation has focused on individual productivity tools, Dust is betting that the next stage will be less about helping one employee write faster and more about enabling teams of humans and AI agents to work together simultaneously. "We call it multiplayer AI," explained co-founder and CTO Stanislas Polu during a fireside chat at this year's Vivatech. "As agents take on tasks that last days or even weeks, you no longer collaborate with an agent by yourself. Those tasks are collaborative by nature, so multiple people need to steer multiple agents towards the same objective." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-53.png) ## **Building the layer between people and AI** Dust sits above the growing ecosystem of foundation models. Rather than developing its own large language model, it provides companies with a platform where employees can deploy AI agents that connect to internal knowledge, business applications, and external models. "The models are becoming incredibly capable," said Polu. "But for them to be useful inside companies, they need access to the company's infrastructure, and they need an intuitive product that lets people collaborate with them." That philosophy has attracted growing interest from enterprises. In May, Dust announced a $40 million Series B led by Abstract, with participation from Sequoia, Snowflake Ventures, and Datadog Ventures. The company says its platform is now used by over 3,000 organizations, with employees collectively creating more than 300,000 AI agents. Customers include Doctolib, Persona, and Clay. The funding will be used to accelerate what Dust describes as "multiplayer AI" - shared environments where humans and AI agents collaborate around the same projects, rather than employees each working with isolated assistants. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-40.png) ## **Beyond the chatbot** The distinction matters because many organizations are still deploying AI one employee at a time. "Most companies today are stuck in single-player AI mode," Polu explained. Otherwise, it means that employees may each have access to an AI assistant, but knowledge, workflows, and outputs often remain fragmented across teams. Dust's argument is that as AI agents become capable of executing increasingly complex work, the challenge shifts. "The bottleneck shifts from generation to coordination." Rather than producing a document or answering a question, an AI agent can manage an entire workflow, collecting information, assigning tasks, following up with colleagues and escalating decisions that require human judgment. In that model, humans increasingly become supervisors, reviewers, and decision-makers rather than producers of every intermediate task. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-42.png) ### **The case for 'company sovereignty'** The rapid evolution of foundation models also raises another question: dependence. While governments often frame AI sovereignty in geopolitical terms, Polu argues that companies face their own version of the problem. "We believe the first step of sovereignty is local to the enterprise," he stated. "Companies should have the freedom to switch between intelligence providers." He compares today's AI landscape to buying electrical appliances that only function with one supplier's electricity. "You want to buy your machines separately from your energy. Intelligence should work the same way." That flexibility has become increasingly important as companies experiment with models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral AI and others, each offering different strengths, costs and regulatory considerations. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-50.png) ## **A workplace that looks very different** If AI is changing workflows, it is also reshaping workplaces and jobs. For Polu, software development has accelerated the transition dramatically over the past year. "We used to write most of the code ourselves," he explained. "Now we supervise, review and coach the models. We spend much less time actually coding." Rather surprisingly, he argues this has increased collaboration between colleagues. "When you spend less time writing code, you spend more time deciding what to build. That requires much more discussion between humans." The implications extend beyond engineering. In a very near future, managers may increasingly coordinate teams of both humans and AI agents. Administrative work, reporting and internal coordination could become largely automated, leaving employees to focus on judgment, strategy and decision-making. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-39.png) ## **What does that mean for junior employees?** One of the biggest questions surrounding AI is how newcomers will learn if entry-level tasks become automated. Polu acknowledges the concern. "What you increasingly value isn't simply someone who is dependable and fast," he pointed out. "You value ownership, judgment and the ability to decide what should be built." Yet he has also witnessed AI dramatically lowering barriers for young people. Recalling a recent internship at Dust, he describes a high-school student who built an entire game using AI tools despite having little programming experience. "At the end of the week, we asked him to show us the code," Polu recalled. "He replied: 'The what?'" This anecdote illustrates both the promise and uncertainty surrounding AI-native work. Future employees may become capable of creating sophisticated products, but long before they fully understand the technical systems underneath them. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-48.png) ## **'The times are daunting, not frightening'** Few people have watched enterprise AI evolve as closely as Polu. Before founding Dust in 2023, he spent five years at Stripe, where he saw the company scale from around 180 employees to several thousand. He later joined OpenAI, spending three years working on the mathematical reasoning capabilities of language models before ChatGPT transformed public awareness of generative AI. That experience has made him cautious about predicting where the technology will be in five years. When asked what he thinks agentic AI will look like in five years' time, he answered: "I can't project that far. Things are moving too fast." What he was prepared to say is that today's ways of working may soon appear as outdated as those of previous industrial revolutions. "The times are daunting," he said, "not frightening." If Dust's vision proves correct, the next colleague joining many workplaces will not replace human workers. Instead, it may quietly take over the invisible internal coordination work that consumes so much of the working day, leaving people to focus on the decisions only they can make. For now. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-47.png) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire June 29: French AI Mafia; Alan €480M led 16 Deals for €748.5M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-29-french-ai-mafia-alan-eur480m-led-16-deals-for-eur748-5m/ Last updated: 2026-06-29T12:03:41.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: An AI Startup They Couldn't Refuse In [**"The French AI Report 2026: Key Trends, Financing Trends, and Emerging Champions"**](https://thefrenchreport.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) by Chausson Partners, Serena, and Galion.exe, one of the report's more striking findings is the emergence of new **French AI "mafias."** These networks of former employees have gone on to found the next generation of startups. While Criteo remains the country's most prolific founder factory, with alumni companies having raised €340 million, newer scaleups including Dream (€135M), Owkin (€102M), Alan (€62M), and Theodo (€37M) are rapidly building founder ecosystems of their own. The data suggests that France's AI boom is becoming increasingly self-reinforcing, as successful startups generate the talent and entrepreneurial networks that seed the next wave of innovation. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/French-AI-Mafias.jpg) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: June 26 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/ftfw-june-29-top-deals.jpg) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/ftfw-sectors-june-29.jpg) --- ![Alan Co-Founders Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve (left) and Charles Gorintin](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-38.png) Alan Co-Founders Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve (left) and Charles Gorintin 📇 Company: Alan 🏷️ Sectors: InsurTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Alan is an AI-native digital health and insurance platform that combines health insurance, prevention, healthcare services, and care navigation into a single experience for businesses, self-employed professionals, retirees, and individuals. The company uses AI to improve customer service, automate operations, and deliver personalized preventive healthcare. 💻 Website: [https://alan.com](https://alan.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Round 💰 Amount Raised: €480 million 🏦 Investors: Prosus, Teachers' Venture Growth, Index Ventures, Dara Holdings 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, Charles Gorintin 🗞️ News: Alan has raised €480 million at a €5.5 billion valuation, led by Prosus, to accelerate international expansion and AI-powered product development. The company now serves more than 1.1 million members and over 37,000 businesses across France, Spain, Belgium, and Canada, surpassing €800 million in annual recurring revenue in Q1 2026 while remaining profitable in France. The funding will support expansion into four additional countries over the next 18 months, further integration of its AI medical assistant Mo, and continued investment in proprietary insurance and healthcare infrastructure. Prosus will also support Alan's international growth through its global ecosystem and AI capabilities. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval by the French financial authorities. | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/a19f5112-2434-4c2b-b1b4-b38cc6f6aa14?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/alan-leve-480-millions-deuros-et-ambitionne-de-devenir-le-revolut-de-la-sante-2239017?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Bionyra Pharma 🏷️ Sectors: BioTech, HealthTech 🔍 Description: Bionyra Pharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing biologic therapies for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, initially targeting severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) and inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. 💻 Website: [https://www.bionyrapharma.com](https://www.bionyrapharma.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €140 million 🏦 Investors: Jeito Capital, Sofinnova Partners, Arkin Bio, Sanofi Ventures, Sixty Degree Capital, Vives Partners, Apollo Health Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Frédéric Marrache 🗞️ News: Bionyra Pharma has emerged from stealth with a €140 million oversubscribed Series A, described as the largest biotech Series A ever raised in France and the biggest in Europe so far this year. The company is advancing three clinical-stage drug candidates targeting severe immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, beginning with atopic dermatitis and inflammatory bowel disease. The funding will primarily finance clinical trials, with all three programs already in or entering human studies. Founded alongside Sofinnova Partners, Bionyra aims to address significant unmet medical needs where existing therapies fail to help roughly half of patients. The company currently employs around 20 people and expects to grow its team to 25–30 employees by the end of the year. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/22/cest-la-plus-grosse-levee-de-fonds-jamais-realisee-pour-une-serie-a-en-france-dans-les-biotechs-bionyra-pharma-leve-165-millions-de-dollars-pour-lutter-contre-leczema-severe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Genetic Engineering News**](https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/backed-by-165m-bionyra-pharma-launches-to-advance-inflammatory-disease-biologics/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: TISSIUM 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, BioTech 🔍 Description: TISSIUM develops biomorphic polymer-based medical devices for tissue reconstruction and repair. Its platform enables sutureless tissue repair across multiple surgical applications, including peripheral nerve repair, hernia repair, and cardiovascular surgery. 💻 Website: [https://www.tissium.com](https://www.tissium.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series D 💰 Amount Raised: €30 million 🏦 Investors: Undisclosed 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Christophe Bancel, Maria Pereira 🗞️ News: TISSIUM has secured a €60 million financing package consisting of a completed €30 million Series D2 and up to €30 million in financing from the European Investment Bank to support commercialization and product development. The company will use the capital to expand the U.S. rollout of COAPTIUM® CONNECT, the world's only FDA-authorized sutureless nerve repair system, and to advance its hernia repair and cardiovascular surgery pipeline. Founded in 2013 from research at MIT and Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, TISSIUM has now raised more than $200 million to date. The EIB financing will be released in milestone-based tranches tied to commercial, clinical, and financing objectives. The funding also supports the expansion of the company's biomorphic polymer platform across six products targeting three surgical specialties. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/tissium-60m-funding-sutureless-nerve-repair-medtech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Tsuga 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Tsuga develops an AI-native observability platform that runs entirely within customers' cloud environments, enabling enterprises to monitor AI applications and cloud infrastructure without moving telemetry to third-party clouds. Its platform eliminates data duplication, reduces observability costs, and provides AI agents with access to complete, unsampled telemetry. 💻 Website: [https://www.tsuga.ai](https://www.tsuga.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €30 million 🏦 Investors: Singular, General Catalyst, DST Global Partners, QuantumLight, Picus, Databricks Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Gabriel-James Safar 🗞️ News: Tsuga has raised €30 million in a Series A round to accelerate deployment of its AI-native observability platform and expand its go-to-market efforts. Founded in 2024, the company enables enterprises to keep telemetry data inside their own cloud environments while reducing infrastructure costs and improving AI governance. Just six months after emerging from stealth, Tsuga has reached several million euros in annual revenue, secured six-figure enterprise contracts, and signed customers including Black Forest, Le Monde, Camunda, and Buk. The funding will support product development and expansion across global cloud platforms, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and sovereign cloud providers. Tsuga aims to redefine enterprise observability for the AI era by replacing legacy architectures that rely on third-party data ingestion with a cloud-native, AI-ready approach. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/french-observability-startup-tsuga-lands-e30-million-to-expand-ai-agent-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: AlpSemi 🏷️ Sectors: Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, ClimateTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: AlpSemi develops next-generation semiconductor power switches for solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs), enabling digitally controlled, software-defined electrical distribution for buildings, industrial systems, AI data centers, and electric mobility. Its vertically integrated platform spans materials, devices, and systems to improve the efficiency, safety, and intelligence of power infrastructure. 💻 Website: [https://alpsemi.com](https://alpsemi.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Grenoble 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €17 million 🏦 Investors: Yotta Capital, SE Ventures, Navitas Semiconductor, Cycle Group 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Frédéric Dupont, Fabrice Letertre 🗞️ News: AlpSemi has raised €17 million to industrialize and commercialize its semiconductor power switches for solid-state circuit breakers, targeting residential and commercial buildings as well as 800V DC AI data centers. The company's first product, AS800, is designed for digital circuit breakers operating in standard 110V and 230V electrical systems, with a roadmap extending to next-generation high-voltage power architectures for AI infrastructure. The funding will accelerate manufacturing, product commercialization, and expansion of AlpSemi's semiconductor platform. Investors view the company as well-positioned to benefit from growing demand for intelligent power distribution driven by electrification, AI computing, and energy efficiency. Based in Grenoble, AlpSemi aims to become a global leader in software-controlled power electronics and next-generation electrical infrastructure. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/semi-conducteur-alpsemi-la-start-up-qui-developpe-des-disjoncteurs-dedies-aux-batiments-et-data-centers-2238624?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Flease 🏷️ Sectors: Mobility, Climate Tech, SaaS 🔍 Description: Flease provides flexible B2B leasing and fleet management solutions for reconditioned vehicles. Its platform combines telematics and fleet management software to optimize vehicle usage, maintenance, and total cost of ownership while promoting the adoption of refurbished vehicles. 💻 Website: [https://www.flease.fr](https://www.flease.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €13 million 🏦 Investors: Partech 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Constantin Eliard, Vincent Dreyfus 🗞️ News: Flease has raised €13 million in equity, alongside €2.5 million in debt financing, to accelerate the expansion of its B2B leasing platform for reconditioned vehicles. Founded in 2021, the company offers flexible leasing contracts ranging from one to 50 months, supported by a telematics platform that optimizes fleet operations and reduces total cost of ownership. Flease currently manages a fleet of 2,000 vehicles serving SMEs and large enterprises across France. The fresh capital will be used to scale commercial operations and strengthen its position against established long-term leasing providers such as Arval and Ayvens. By promoting refurbished vehicles, Flease also aims to help businesses reduce the environmental impact of their fleets. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/23/flease-specialiste-du-leasing-b2b-de-vehicules-reconditionnes-leve-13-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Wheere 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech, DeepTech, Semiconductors 🔍 Description: Wheere develops next-generation positioning technology that enables precise indoor and outdoor localization using proprietary VHF radio signals capable of penetrating complex environments. The company aims to build a sovereign alternative for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), ultimately extending its technology through a low Earth orbit satellite constellation and dedicated semiconductor chips. 💻 Website: [https://www.wheere.com](https://www.wheere.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Seed Extension 💰 Amount Raised: €4.2M equity 🏦 Investors: Blast Club, Éric Larchevêque, Sofilaro, business angels (existing investors) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre-Arnaud Coquelin, Antoine Carrabin 🗞️ News: Wheere has secured €8.5 million in bridge financing to accelerate development of its proprietary indoor positioning technology and prepare for a future €40 million Series A. The company uses VHF radio frequencies to deliver meter-level positioning through up to 50 meters of concrete, targeting industrial sites, logistics facilities, and critical infrastructure where GPS performance is poor. Wheere plans to validate its technology in orbit in 2027 through a low-Earth-orbit satellite demonstrator while also developing a proprietary ASIC to embed its positioning technology into smartphones, robots, drones, and connected devices. Customers already include major industrial groups such as TotalEnergies, EDF, and L'Oréal. The funding will support commercialization, satellite development, and semiconductor integration as Wheere seeks to become a new player in the global Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) infrastructure market. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/wheere-leve-85-millions-deuros-pour-porter-son-systeme-indoor-en-orbite/462563?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Linc 🏷️ Sectors: SaaS, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Linc develops AI-powered payroll software for accounting firms, helping them manage payroll more efficiently through modern workflows, real-time data access, and automation. The platform is designed specifically for payroll professionals, offering collaborative tools and deep regulatory coverage of the French payroll system. 💻 Website: [https://www.lincpay.io](https://www.lincpay.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €8.5 million 🏦 Investors: Headline, Resonance, Founders Future, Acadian Ventures, Adnexus, 50 Partners, Motier, 199 Ventures, Aonia, Better Angle, Clover, plus more than 100 business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Baptiste Le Bihan, Félix Wattez, Thomas de Priestere 🗞️ News: Linc has raised €8.5 million to challenge the dominance of legacy payroll software providers in France by offering an AI-native platform built for accounting firms. The company currently serves around 60 accounting firms and plans to grow to 180 by the end of 2026 and to 500 by 2027, while expanding its coverage of France's complex collective bargaining agreements. The funding will be used to strengthen the product, extend regulatory coverage, and recruit senior payroll experts to support customers. Linc believes the French payroll market is undergoing the same digital transformation that accounting software has experienced in recent years, with increasing demand for collaborative, real-time payroll data. Founded in 2024, the company plans to remain focused exclusively on the French market before considering international expansion. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/linc-raises-eur8-5m-to-challenge-frances-payroll-software-giant-with-ai/) --- 📇 Company: Sopht 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Sopht develops a software platform that helps enterprises optimize the cost, performance, and environmental footprint of their IT infrastructure. By consolidating data across cloud environments, datacenters, and end-user devices, the platform identifies cost-saving opportunities and recommends actions to improve both financial and environmental efficiency. 💻 Website: [https://www.sopht.com](https://www.sopht.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €5 million 🏦 Investors: Ternel, Axeleo Capital, Wind Capital, FDJ United Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Julien Rouzé, Jérémie Veg 🗞️ News: Sopht has raised €7.5 million to expand its AI-powered IT optimization platform across Europe as enterprises face rising infrastructure costs driven by AI adoption. The company serves around 50 enterprise customers—including LVMH, BNP Paribas, E.ON, and the UK's NHS—and helps organizations reduce both cloud spending and carbon emissions by analyzing infrastructure data and automating the application of optimization recommendations. The new funding will be used to enhance the platform's capabilities and accelerate expansion into key European markets, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom. Founded by two former Capgemini executives, Sopht positions itself at the intersection of digital efficiency and sustainability. The company also plans to leverage systems integration partners to expand internationally, including in the United States, without building large local teams. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/24/sopht-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-reduire-la-facture-it-des-entreprises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Blyyd 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, Mobility 🔍 Description: Blyyd designs and manufactures 100% electric yard vehicles for logistics and industrial sites, enabling the movement of trailers while improving operational efficiency, safety, and reducing carbon emissions through electric propulsion, swappable batteries, and fleet management software.💻 Website: [https://blyyd.com](https://blyyd.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €5 million 🏦 Investors: Meridiam 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Damien Gambey 🗞️ News: Meridiam has invested €5 million in Blyyd through its Green Impact Growth Fund to support the company's next phase of growth. The funding will accelerate the industrialization of Blyyd's next-generation electric yard vehicles, expand commercial operations, and support international expansion across Europe. Founded in 2015, Blyyd has deployed more than 160 vehicles across over 100 logistics and industrial sites. Meridiam will also leverage its European infrastructure and logistics ecosystem to help Blyyd build strategic partnerships, particularly within the battery value chain, and access new logistics platforms. | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/meridiam-investit-5-meur-dans-blyyd-a259711%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Cardiawave 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, HealthTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Cardiawave develops Valvosoft®, the first non-invasive, image-guided ultrasound therapy for severe calcific aortic stenosis. The CE-marked device uses focused ultrasound to fracture valve calcifications without surgery, implants, or general anesthesia, targeting patients who are ineligible for or unwilling to undergo valve replacement. 💻 Website: [https://cardiawave.com](https://cardiawave.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Levallois-Perret 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €3.8 million 🏦 Investors: Capital Cell 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Mickaël Tanter, Mathieu Pernot, Emmanuel Messas 🗞️ News: Cardiawave has begun the commercial rollout of Valvosoft®, its CE-marked, non-invasive ultrasound therapy for severe aortic stenosis, following successful clinical trials involving 100 patients across 12 European centers. The company is raising approximately €3.8 million through Capital Cell to accelerate European commercialization, expand production, and prepare FDA submissions for entry into the U.S. market. Initial deployments have begun in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, with distribution discussions underway across additional European and international markets. Cardiawave estimates its addressable market exceeds €10 billion and initially targets roughly 300,000 patients who are not eligible for conventional valve replacement. The company expects the new funding to support manufacturing scale-up, continued clinical studies, and international expansion. The crowdfunding campaign appears to form part of a broader recapitalization following Cardiawave's emergence from a French bankruptcy restructuring in 2024\. | [**Capital Cell**](https://capitalcell.com/en/campaign/cardiawave/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-apres-plus-de-dix-ans-de-rd-cardiawave-deploie-sa-valve-qui-repare-le-coeur-2238553?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Macrodata Labs 🏷️ Sectors: AI, Robotics 🔍 Description: Macrodata Labs builds infrastructure that transforms raw multimodal robotics data into training-ready datasets for embodied AI. Its flagship product, Refiner, is an open-source framework and managed cloud runtime that processes video, sensor data, robotics logs, and other heterogeneous inputs into high-quality datasets for robot foundation models. 💻 Website: [https://macrodata.co](https://macrodata.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.6 million 🏦 Investors: Air Street Capital, Kima Ventures, Thomas Wolf, Drysdale Ventures, OPRTRS CLUB, commit, YG Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guilherme Penedo, Hynek Kydlíček 🗞️ News: Macrodata Labs has emerged from stealth with a $4 million pre-seed round led by Air Street Capital to build a "data refinery" for robotics. Founded by former Hugging Face researchers Guilherme Penedo and Hynek Kydlíček, the company aims to solve one of the biggest bottlenecks in embodied AI by converting messy multimodal robotics data into training-ready datasets. Its Refiner platform supports formats including LeRobot, HDF5, Zarr, MCAP, and raw video while offering cloud-scale processing, observability, and automated data refinement. The founders previously built widely used open-source AI datasets, including FineWeb, FineWeb 2, FinePDFs, and FineTranslations, and are applying the same data engineering expertise to robotics. Macrodata believes standardized data infrastructure will become a foundational layer for the next generation of robot foundation models and physical AI applications. | [**AirStreet**](https://press.airstreet.com/p/macrodata-pre-seed?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**The Agent Times**](https://theagenttimes.com/articles/air-street-capital-backs-macrodata-labs-to-build-data-refine-497cda23?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Haiku 🏷️ Sectors: LegalTech, Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Haiku develops an AI-powered legal research and productivity platform that helps legal professionals search, analyze, and draft legal documents. The company partners with bar associations, institutions, and legal publishers to bring AI tools to the legal sector. 💻 Website: [https://www.haiku.fr](https://www.haiku.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3 million 🏦 Investors: Newfund Capital, M Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jules Touzet, Jorick Nuss, Jean Marcel Touzet 🗞️ News: Haiku has raised €3 million to accelerate development of its AI-powered legal platform, bringing its total funding to nearly €5 million. Existing investor Newfund Capital participated in the round, while M Capital joined as a new investor. The company will use the funding to expand its product, invest further in AI capabilities, recruit new talent, and support its European expansion. Haiku says it has already attracted thousands of users and established partnerships with bar associations, institutions, and leading legal publishers. Its long-term ambition is to become the reference AI infrastructure for the European legal industry. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/haikulegal%5Feurope-expansion-barreaux-activity-7475821071456346112-VdZr?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Concord 🏷️ Sectors: AdTech, Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Concord develops an agentic AI platform that automates media buying by turning campaign briefs into live advertising campaigns, managing execution, optimization, and reporting across major advertising platforms, including Google, Meta, Amazon DSP, The Trade Desk, and TikTok. 💻 Website: [https://concord.ad](https://concord.ad/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris and New York City 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.63 million 🏦 Investors: A16Z Scout, Drysdale, Motier Ventures, Better Angle, Rémi Lemonnier, Philippe Corrot, Arthur Querou, Thomas Zaepffel, other industry angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Nathan Venezia, Nicolas Cosson, Antoine Chwalek 🗞️ News: Concord has raised a $3 million seed round to accelerate development of its AI-powered media buying platform and expand across the U.S. and EMEA. Its flagship product, Concord Agent, automates campaign creation, optimization, and reporting across major advertising platforms, with early customers reporting time savings of up to 70%. The company already works with advertisers within the WPP and Havas agency networks and aims to become the execution infrastructure for modern digital media buying. The funding will be used to expand platform integrations, accelerate product development, and grow the team. Industry veterans, including Scibids AI co-founder Rémi Lemonnier, backed the company, citing agentic execution as the missing layer in programmatic advertising. | [**PR**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/concord-raises-3m-to-build-agentic-execution-for-media-buying-302805900.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Beams 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech 🔍 Description: Beams is a French medtech spin-off from the CNRS developing TRIOP®, an intra-operative probe that uses nuclear medicine to help surgeons detect and remove residual cancer tissue during oncological surgery, improving surgical precision and reducing the risk of recurrence. 💻 Website: [https://www.beams.bio](https://www.beams.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.5M 🏦 Investors: Business Angels, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Virginie Simon, Estelle Villedieu de Torcy, Prof. Stéphane Palfi, Laurent Ménard 🗞️ News: Beams has secured more than €3 million in financing, split equally between private investment and public funding, to accelerate the clinical and industrial development of its TRIOP® cancer surgery technology. The funding will support preclinical development, regulatory work, clinical trial preparation, industrialization, and international expansion. Founded in 2021 as a CNRS spin-off, the company aims to begin first-in-human clinical trials in 2027\. TRIOP® is designed to help surgeons detect residual tumor tissue in real time during operations, potentially reducing cancer recurrence and repeat surgeries. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/juliendubois78%5Fbeams-franchit-une-%C3%A9tape-majeure-de-son-d%C3%A9veloppement-ugcPost-7477255609311072256-Pamb?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Cilcare 🏷️ Sectors: BioTech, HealthTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Cilcare is a biotechnology company developing novel therapies for hearing disorders, including hearing loss and tinnitus, while leveraging proprietary auditory biomarkers and AI-driven analytics to improve drug development and patient stratification. 💻 Website: [https://cilcare.com](https://cilcare.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Sanofi 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Celia Belline, Sophie Gaboyard-Niay 🗞️ News: Cilcare has updated its licensing agreement with Sanofi covering its lead hearing-loss programs, CIL001 and CIL003, securing substantially improved royalty terms while welcoming Sanofi as a minority shareholder. The agreement follows Cilcare's recent Series A financing and strategic partnership with Shionogi, further strengthening its pharmaceutical collaborations. The company says the revised deal reflects the growing maturity and commercial potential of its therapeutic pipeline. Cilcare is developing precision-medicine therapies for hearing loss and tinnitus by combining proprietary biomarkers with AI-powered auditory analytics. The company believes hearing loss is one of the world's largest unmet medical needs, with more than 1.6 billion people currently affected. | [**PR**](https://www.cilcare.com/2026/06/23/cilcare-doubles-down-on-hearing-loss-updates-license-deal-with-sanofi-who-becomes-equity-holder/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Fascent 🏷️ Sectors: E-commerce & Retail 🔍 Description: Fascent is a Paris-based fragrance brand creating playful, sustainable perfumes at accessible price points. Founded in 2023 by former executives from Diptyque, Guerlain, Firmenich, and LVMH, the company combines French fragrance expertise with eco-conscious packaging and a direct-to-consumer approach. 💻 Website: [https://fascent.com](https://fascent.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.3 million 🏦 Investors: Business Angels, including founders, investors, and senior executives from Coty, Jacquemus, Firmenich, and Elle International 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Fanny Descamps, Edwina Réthoré 🗞️ News: Fascent has raised a €1.3 million angel round to accelerate its expansion in the United States after achieving more than 300% year-over-year growth. Rather than partnering with a traditional VC fund, the founders chose 14 industry angels to gain strategic expertise and close relationships with investors. The company plans to use the funding to expand production, open a U.S. warehouse, and strengthen its retail presence, which already spans nearly 400 stores across 30 countries, including Revolve, Credo, and Luckyscent, with Anthropologie joining this summer. Fascent expects to generate approximately $2.3 million in revenue this year and continues to expand its fragrance lineup with new travel-size and large-format bottles. The founders ultimately aim to secure distribution through Sephora while maintaining the brand's sustainable positioning and accessible luxury appeal. | [**Beauty Independent**](https://www.beautyindependent.com/french-fragrance-brand-fascent-raises-fuel-growth/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Beauty Scale**](https://beauty-scale.co/articles/article-fragrance-s-18b-realignment-how-indies-fracture-prestige-distribution-?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: MNGRS.AI 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment 🔍 Description: MNGRS.AI develops an AI-powered artist management platform that helps independent musicians with career planning, strategy, content development, and other management functions, bringing professional artist management tools to creators at scale. 💻 Website: [https://mngrs.ai](https://mngrs.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Cortez Bryant 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Deniot, Thomas Quenoil 🗞️ News: Artist manager Cortez Bryant, known for managing Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, has invested in MNGRS.AI and joined the company as Strategic Advisor, becoming its first U.S.-based music industry investor. Bryant will advise on artist development frameworks, industry partnerships, and international growth as the startup expands across Europe and North America. Founded by Global Music Community, MNGRS.AI uses AI to provide independent artists with structured career guidance traditionally available only through professional managers. The company previously raised $1 million in 2025 from investors, including football stars Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jules Koundé, and Mike Maignan. MNGRS.AI says its goal is not to replace artist managers, but to make professional management principles accessible to millions of creators. | [**Music Business News**](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/cortez-bryant-invests-in-ai-powered-artist-management-platform-mngrs-ai-joins-company-as-strategic-advisor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Prophesee Charts a Course Back From the Brink URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-prophesee-charts-a-course-back-from-the-brink/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T09:33:45.000Z French tech's comeback stories take center stage as computer vision pioneer Prophesee fights back from bankruptcy with a new CEO and funding, Alan lands a €480M mega-round, and VivaTech reflects on a record year. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Five Takeaways from Europe’s Biggest Tech Gathering URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/francois-bitouzets-five-takeaways-from-vivatechs-biggest-edition-yet/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T15:00:21.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-32.png) François Bitouzet, VivaTech CEO Ten years after its launch, VivaTech has become Europe’s largest technology event, bringing together 200,000 entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and policymakers from around the world. Once the crowds had gone home, the French Tech Journal sat down with VivaTech CEO, François Bitouzet, to reflect on what really emerged from this year’s event. From AI’s shift from hype to business value to Europe’s sovereignty debate and the technologies that captured his imagination, these are the five takeaways he’ll remember from VivaTech 2026. ## **VivaTech has just celebrated its biggest edition ever. What’s your biggest takeaway?** **FB:** My first takeaway is simple: the new model works. For this 10th edition, we wanted to scale up - and that meant rethinking the event from the ground up. It’s something we’d been working on for two years: 15,000 extra square meters, three floors, a new home in Hall 7 at Porte de Versailles, a completely new visitor journey, and new features like our Business Plaza, designed to help people meet and create new opportunities. The reaction was fantastic. Everywhere I went, people were saying, *“This is great. Why didn’t you do this before?!”* What makes me especially proud is that, while we’ve changed the format, the DNA is definitely still the same. Since the very first VivaTech in 2016, our ambition has been to showcase the best of French and European tech - to show the world that great innovation isn’t only happening in the US or China. Honestly, I’ve been blown away by the quality of today’s founders and startups and by what has been achieved over the past ten years. We wanted to create a window onto European innovation, and today I think we can genuinely be proud of what we’ve built. VivaTech is the same, but different. And I hope, better. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Chasing A Whale Nearly Sank Prophesee. Its New CEO Is Charting A Course Back From The Brink. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/chasing-whale-nearly-sank-prophesee-new-ceo-charting-course-back-brink/ Last updated: 2026-06-25T22:58:36.000Z For most of its life, [**Prophesee**](https://www.prophesee.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) had the rarest problem in deep tech: a technology that nobody disputed. Spun out of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Sorbonne University research more than a decade ago, the Paris company built a genuinely different kind of camera, one whose pixels each fire independently the instant something in front of them moves, instead of grinding through 30 full frames a second like everything else on the market. It mimics how the retina feeds the brain, using a fraction of the data and a fraction of the power. It was good enough that the CIA’s venture arm, In-Q-Tel, invested alongside Intel, Bosch, Renault, and Xiaomi. Over the years, it has raised more than €100 million. And in October 2024, it filed for court-supervised reorganization, France’s equivalent of Chapter 11. That gap, between a technology everyone admired and a business that kept not happening, is what Jean Ferré has spent the last seven months trying to close. He arrived as CEO in November, brought in by a new set of investors after some lowball acquisition offers that, in his telling, would have saved neither the company nor its staff. He’d run developer relations at Microsoft, done time at BCG, and founded two AI companies in the search and natural-language space before the generative wave. As he started asking around about why this beloved company had nearly died, he kept hearing the same thing. “Everybody loves the technology, and it works,” he told me. He’d just had the same conversation, again, with the head of the CNRS. “But indeed, the revenue is not coming.” ## Chasing the big whale Ferré’s diagnosis is unsentimental and begins with a single strategic mistake. Prophesee, he says, spent years hunting what he calls “the big whale.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #82: Cohere's Aidan Gomez Sounds Europe’s AI Wake-Up Call URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-82-coheres-aidan-gomez-sounds-europes-ai-wake-up-call/ Last updated: 2026-06-24T10:10:40.000Z Fresh from meetings with G7 leaders, Transformer co-creator and Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez warns that democracies are losing ground in the global AI race. His message to Europe: move faster, invest more, and build sovereign AI before it's too late. Also: Vibe.co sells to Walmart for $1.4B. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### AI Pioneer Aidan Gomez Warns Democracies Are Losing the AI Race to China - And Europe Must Act Now URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-pioneer-aidan-gomez-warns-democracies-are-losing-the-ai-race-to-china-and-europe-must-act-now/ Last updated: 2026-06-25T20:01:52.000Z Aidan Gomez had just come from a room that, by his own account, almost never exists. Leaders of the world's biggest democracies were at the table for a G7 lunch, and so were the people who run the AI labs. "You don't get them with the AI CEOs pretty much ever," the Cohere co-founder and chief executive said on stage at VivaTech. What surprised him was a level of agreement he hadn't anticipated: a shared sense that democracies need to deploy this technology faster and coordinate on the downsides, naming child safety and the cyber threat as the obvious candidates. Yes, even the U.S., he insisted the next day to a roomful of skeptical journalists. His contribution to the G7lunch, he later recounted, focused on AI resilience and democracy. While America has led the spending and built some of the most capable AI systems, he said that the country sitting in second place in terms of the most powerful LLMs should be a democracy. And right now it isn't. "If we want democracy to continue to be the dominant system of governance," he said, multiple democracies have to hold the top positions, not just the United States holding the first position. That is central to the mission that drives his own company, Toronto-based Cohere, which focuses on building models for enterprises. And even as Gomez pushes that business ahead, his appearance in Europe last week had the feel of a man leading a campaign and looking for new recruits to his cause. ## In the beginning ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/RB1_3321.jpg) Cohere was founded in 2019 by Gomez, Ivan Zhang, and Nick Frosst. Gomez and Frosst were part of the research team at Google Brain that developed the transformer machine learning architecture described in the landmark 2017 paper "Attention Is All You Need." This architecture subsequently became the foundation for creating large language models such as ChatGPT. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Linc Raises €8.5M to Challenge France’s Payroll Software Giant With AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/linc-raises-eur8-5m-to-challenge-frances-payroll-software-giant-with-ai/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T22:14:00.000Z French payroll is a curious market. Every month, around 27 million payslips are issued across the public and private sectors. Yet despite its size, much of the market remains dominated by a single software provider. For years, most accounting and payroll firms have relied on Silae, a payroll platform founded in France and later acquired by the US private equity firm Silver Lake. As prices increased and dependency on a single provider grew, many firms began looking for alternatives. That is where Linc comes in. Founded in 2024 by payroll expert Thomas de Priestere, former Swan engineer Félix Wattez, and CEO Baptiste Le Bihan, the Paris-based startup has just raised €8.5 million in seed funding, bringing its total funding to €12.5 million. The round includes more than 100 business angels from the payroll, HR, accounting, and fintech sectors, as well as Headline, Resonance, Founders Future, Acadian Ventures, and several other investors. ## **Betting on payroll professionals, not replacing them** Unlike many HR software companies, Linc is not trying to simplify payroll so businesses can manage it themselves. Instead, it is betting that French payroll is becoming more complex, not less. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire June 22: VivaTech 200K; Comand AI €32M Led 9 Deals For €77.8M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-22-vivatech-200k-comand-ai-eur32m-led-9-deals-for-eur77-8m/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T12:17:44.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: VivaTech By The Numbers Greetings, VivaTech survivors. The 10th anniversary of the Paris conference took place under a crushing heatwave, and the existential fears of sovereignty. But that never seems to dampen spirits inside. This year, VivaTech emerged bigger than ever: - 200,000 visitors - 165 nationalities - 60 country pavilions - 4,500 exhibitors (61% of them international) - 15,000 startups - 1,155 speakers [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: June 19 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/FTFW-Top-Deals-June-19-.jpg) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/FTFW-Top-Sectors-June-19.jpg) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-27.png) 📇 Company: Comand AI 🏷️ Sectors: DefenseTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Comand AI is a Paris-based defense technology company developing AI-native command-and-control software for military operations. Its flagship platform, Prevail, enables armed forces to coordinate autonomous systems, distributed sensors, drone swarms, and human operators through AI-assisted decision-making and battlefield management. 💻 Website: [https://comand.ai](https://comand.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €32 million 🏦 Investors: Blossom Capital, Saab, Expeditions 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Loïc Mougeolle, Antoine Chassan 🗞️ News: Comand AI has raised a €32 million Series A to accelerate the deployment of its AI-native command-and-control platform, Prevail, across NATO countries. The company’s software has already been deployed with operational units in France, Germany, Ukraine, and other allied nations. A strategic partnership with Saab will support the development of next-generation C2 and C5ISR capabilities, including software enhancements for Saab’s GlobalEye airborne surveillance platform. The funding will also support expansion into air and maritime operations, continued product development with Ukrainian forces, and industrial-scale deployment across allied militaries. Command AI aims to help armed forces operate at machine speed while maintaining human oversight in increasingly autonomous and data-intensive battlefields. | [**PR**](https://www.comand.ai/news/comand-ai-raises-%E2%82%AC32-million-series-a-to-scale-ai-native-command-and-control-platform-across-nato?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/this-french-startups-ai-is-already-calling-shots-on-battlefields-now-its-raised-e32m-to-scale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Prophesee 🏷️ Sectors: DefenseTech, Drones, Artificial Intelligence, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Prophesee develops event-based vision sensors inspired by the human eye. Its technology captures only changes in a scene, enabling ultra-low-latency perception for applications in defense, security, robotics, and autonomous systems. 💻 Website: [https://www.prophesee.ai](https://www.prophesee.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €20 million 🏦 Investors: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Luca Verre, Christoph Posch, Ryad Benosman 🗞️ News: Prophesee has raised €20 million to accelerate the commercialization of Mantara, its AI-powered drone detection and tracking system built on event-based vision technology. The company is increasingly focusing on defense and security markets, where rapid detection of drones and other aerial threats has become a strategic priority. Prophesee also unveiled Hearth, a new software platform designed to support AI, cybersecurity, data fusion, and lifecycle management for event-based vision applications. The funding follows the appointment of CEO Jean Ferré and reflects the company’s evolution from a sensor manufacturer into a provider of integrated hardware and software systems. The new capital will support Mantara’s deployment, Hearth’s development, and deeper integration of AI capabilities directly into Prophesee’s sensors. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/prophesee-leve-20-millions-deuros-derriere-mantara-lemergence-dun-marche-europeen-de-plusieurs-milliards/462342?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Rocapine 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Rocapine is a Paris-based AI-native wellness venture studio that develops and scales consumer wellness applications focused on healthier habits, women’s health, nutrition, and addiction recovery. Its portfolio includes Harmony, Unchaind, Stashcook, That Girl, and Eve, and it uses an AI-powered studio model to rapidly test, launch, and scale wellness apps. 💻 Website: [https://rocapine.com](https://rocapine.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €11m (including €2.5m debt) 🏦 Investors: Educapital, Daphni, Ring Capital, Center Court Capital, Athletico Ventures, Better Angle, Business Angels, Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Stanislas Marchand, Jean-Gabriel Boinot-Tramoni, Sammy Teillet 🗞️ News: Rocapine has raised a $13 million in Series A funding to expand its portfolio of AI-powered wellness applications and scale its venture studio model. Founded in late 2024, the company reached $6 million ARR within nine months of launch, generated more than 2.5 million downloads, and derives 70% of its revenue from the U.S. market. Rocapine applies mobile-gaming-style rapid experimentation and AI-native development to build wellness apps focused on healthier habits rather than on maximizing screen time. The company plans to test up to 400 app concepts this year while investing further in AI, data, and marketing infrastructure. Its long-term goal is to improve the lives of 40 million people over the next five years through technology designed to promote wellbeing rather than addiction. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/rocapine-13m-series-a-paris-wellness-venture-studio-1m-arr-16-days/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Green-Got 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, GreenTech, ClimateTech 🔍 Description: Green-Got is a French sustainable finance fintech offering current accounts, payment cards, savings products, life insurance, and investment solutions designed to align customers’ money with environmental values. The company aims to build an independent European banking alternative focused on financing the ecological transition. 💻 Website: [https://green-got.com](https://green-got.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Crowdfunding Round 💰 Amount Raised: €8M 🏦 Investors: Crowdfunding 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maud Caillaux, Andréa Ganovelli, Fabien Huet 🗞️ News: Green-Got has raised €8 million through a community equity crowdfunding round on Crowdcube, attracting 5,286 investors and more than €33 million in investment commitments. The funding follows the company’s recent approval as a licensed payment institution by France’s ACPR regulator. Green-Got will use the capital to build its own banking and payments infrastructure, expand its product offering, and strengthen its operational independence. The fintech currently reports over €3 billion in transaction volume and nearly €200 million in customer savings and investment assets. The company is targeting profitability within the next 18 to 24 months while continuing to grow its sustainable banking and investment platform across Europe. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/17/green-got-leve-8-millions-deuros-en-52-minutes-pour-batir-sa-banque-durable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: CardNexus 🏷️ Sectors: Gaming, Artificial Intelligence, FinTech 🔍 Description: CardNexus is a mobile-first marketplace and collection management platform for trading card game (TCG) enthusiasts. The app combines AI-powered card scanning, collection tracking, and peer-to-peer trading across more than a dozen card games in a single platform. 💻 Website: [https://cardnexus.com](https://cardnexus.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bordeaux 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.5 million 🏦 Investors: Piton Capital, Motier, FSJ, OPRTRS, Kima Ventures, Aquiti, and a group of TCG content creators 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Tristan Foureur 🗞️ News: CardNexus has raised €3.5 million in a pre-seed round to expand its team and accelerate development of its trading card platform. Founded in 2025, the company offers a mobile app that combines AI-powered card scanning, collection management, and a marketplace across 12+ trading card games. The platform has grown to more than 50,000 users, with over 30 million cards inventoried and active sellers in more than 30 countries. The new funding will support expansion of the game catalog, product development, and new features beyond buying and selling. CardNexus also plans to launch a secure vault service in 2027, enabling collectors to store, insure, and trade high-value cards without physical shipment. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/french-trading-card-game-platform-cardnexus-raises-e3-5-million-to-support-team-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Osmos X 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech, Aerospace, DefenseTech 🔍 Description: Osmos X develops high-thrust reusable space vehicles and advanced plasma propulsion systems for orbital logistics, satellite servicing, space debris removal, and future interplanetary transportation. The company positions itself as a provider of the "last mile" of space logistics. 💻 Website: [https://osmosx.space](https://osmosx.space/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Rennes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2 million 🏦 Investors: Expansion, Rymdkapital, Business Angels, Jean-Jacques Dordain 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Matthieu Cavellier 🗞️ News: Osmos X has raised €2 million in seed funding to develop a demonstrator for its reusable orbital transport vehicle and proprietary plasma propulsion technology. The round was led by New Space-focused fund Expansion and Swedish space investor Rymdkapital, alongside industrial investors. Founded in 2022, the company is building reusable spacecraft designed for orbital logistics, satellite servicing, debris removal, and future interplanetary missions. The funding will support R&D, propulsion testing, and the launch of a first in-space demonstrator, while expanding the team with six additional engineers. Osmos X aims to become a key European player in the rapidly growing space logistics market, where increasing satellite deployments are driving demand for orbital transportation and servicing capabilities. | [**Le Journal des entreprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/osmos-x-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-operer-sur-la-logistique-spatiale-2098763?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: NotiPark 🏷️ Sectors: Mobility, SaaS 🔍 Description: NotiPark develops an automated on-street parking solution that starts and stops parking sessions automatically using proprietary high-precision localization technology. The platform eliminates the need for drivers to manually launch parking apps and ensures that users pay only for the time they actually park. 💻 Website: [https://www.notipark.com](https://www.notipark.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.7 million 🏦 Investors: Sowefund, N1 Investment Company, Bpifrance Digital Venture, business angels, and an undisclosed lead investor 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jeremy Skowronek 🗞️ News: NotiPark has raised €1.7 million to accelerate the deployment of its automated parking technology. The company's platform automatically detects when a vehicle parks and ends the session when the driver leaves, removing the need for manual app interactions. Powered by proprietary localization technology, the solution aims to improve the parking experience while helping cities reduce lost parking revenue. NotiPark is already in discussions with more than 30 cities across Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, and is building partnerships with major mobility and parking operators. The funding will support expansion as the company seeks to become the default infrastructure layer for on-street parking payments. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/on-street-parking-is-still-surprisingly-broken-share-7472923322553536512-D7dZ/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Eledone 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Eledone develops agentic AI software that automates B2B order processing and sales administration. Its platform integrates into existing workflows and systems, eliminating manual data entry between customers and suppliers without requiring companies to change their tools or processes. 💻 Website: [https://eledone.com](https://eledone.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.5 million 🏦 Investors: Wind, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Bruno Heckel, Arno Heckel, Erwan Boullier 🗞️ News: Eledone has raised €1.5 million in seed funding to automate B2B order and sales administration using agentic AI. Founded in 2024, the company targets the large share of European B2B transactions that are still processed manually through email and re-entered into ERP systems. Its software automates information exchanges between customers and suppliers while preserving existing workflows, reducing manual errors, incorrect deliveries, and operational inefficiencies. The funding round was co-led by Wind and notably included participation from both customers and family investors, reflecting strong early validation. Eledone plans to accelerate the deployment of its AI agents across industrial and commercial back-office operations while helping companies reduce waste and associated CO₂ emissions. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wind-capital%5F15m-to-put-agentic-ai-behind-the-83-activity-7471118625274400768-NzAW?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Aiffin 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, Mobility Tech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Aiffin is a Paris-based fintech providing AI-powered vehicle leasing and financing solutions for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses. Its proprietary underwriting engine, OrbitScore, uses open banking data, cash-flow analysis, and behavioral signals to assess creditworthiness and automate financing decisions. 💻 Website: [https://aiffin.com](https://aiffin.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.125 million (€625K equity + €2.5M debt financing) 🏦 Investors: Undisclosed 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Sergii Vaskov, Khalil Aram 🗞️ News: Aiffin has raised €3.125 million to expand its AI-powered vehicle leasing platform serving self-employed workers and small businesses traditionally overlooked by banks. The company’s OrbitScore underwriting engine evaluates entrepreneurs using real-time banking and business activity data rather than traditional employment and credit history metrics. Since launch, Aiffin has built a financing portfolio of approximately €3 million, processes more than 250 financing applications per month, and has established partnerships across France. The new funding will strengthen its AI capabilities, expand embedded-finance partnerships, and accelerate growth of its financing portfolio. Aiffin ultimately aims to become a leading AI-powered financing infrastructure platform for entrepreneurs across Europe and later the United States. | [**PR**](https://www.issuewire.com/aiffin-raises-31-million-to-build-ai-powered-vehicle-leasing-for-frances-overlooked-entrepreneurs-1868155411784968?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Dawex 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Dawex develops data exchange and data ecosystem technology that enables organizations to securely source, share, trace, and govern data across industries. Its platform supports trusted data collaboration, AI traceability, compliance, and secure data transactions for enterprises and public-sector organizations. 💻 Website: [https://www.dawex.com](https://www.dawex.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Nemetschek Group, Banque des Territoires, Amadeus, Itochu Corporation, Bouygues Construction, Colas, Univers Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Laure Lucchesi, Fabrice Tocco 🗞️ News: Dawex has received a strategic investment from Germany’s Nemetschek Group, a leading provider of software solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AEC/O) industries. The investment is intended to accelerate the adoption of governed data exchange infrastructure, support AI-ready data ecosystems, and expand Dawex’s presence in Germany. Nemetschek sees trusted data exchange and traceability as critical foundations for the next generation of AI-driven collaboration and productivity across the building lifecycle. Dawex’s founders will retain full control of the company’s strategy, governance, and operations. The company will continue serving more than 15 industries globally while strengthening its position as a provider of secure, compliant, and auditable data exchange infrastructure. | [**Engineering**](https://www.engineering.com/nemetschek-group-invests-in-data-exchange-company-dawex/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Cyclair 🏷️ Sectors: AgriTech, Robotics 🔍 Description: Cyclair develops autonomous robotic weeding solutions for field crops. Its robots use camera- and LIDAR-based visual navigation to identify crop rows, distinguish weeds from cultivated plants, perform mechanical weeding, and collect agronomic field data without relying on GPS. 💻 Website: [https://www.cyclair.fr](https://www.cyclair.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Pressac 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Océalia 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Quentin Guillemot, Sebastien Gorry, Camille Auger 🗞️ News: Cyclair has secured a minority investment from French agricultural cooperative Océalia as part of its Cap 2030 strategy focused on sustainable farming. The partnership aims to accelerate the deployment of autonomous robotic weeding as an alternative to chemical herbicides while maintaining farm profitability. Cyclair’s robots currently support crops including maize, sunflower, and rapeseed, with plans to expand into cereals, vegetables, and specialty crops. The two companies are also collaborating on a PRAAM innovation program to test large-scale deployment models and introduce performance guarantees for farmers. The investment will support technology development, commercialization, and broader adoption of autonomous agricultural robotics across France. | [**Igrownews**](https://igrownews.com/ocealia-latest-news/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Dry4Good 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, AgriFood, BioTech 🔍 Description: Dry4Good develops precision drying technology that transforms fruits, vegetables, and natural raw materials into high-value ingredients while preserving their nutritional and organoleptic properties. The company produces natural flavoring and coloring solutions that help food manufacturers reduce reliance on artificial additives and ingredients. 💻 Website: [https://www.dry4good.com](https://www.dry4good.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Cergy 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Île-de-France Réindustrialisation Fund (managed by INNOVACOM – Turenne Groupe), supported by the Île-de-France Region and the European Union's FEDER fund, alongside a consortium of agri-food industry investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Gabriel Dijoud, Romaric Janssen 🗞️ News: Dry4Good has secured new backing from the Île-de-France Réindustrialisation Fund and agri-food investors to accelerate the industrial expansion of its production site in Cergy. The company will invest €5 million to increase production capacity and meet growing demand for natural ingredients. Plans include adding two new production lines, increasing processing capacity to 800 tonnes per year, and recruiting around ten employees. Dry4Good’s technology enables the production of dried ingredients that closely preserve the taste, nutritional value, and sensory qualities of fresh products. The company is also advancing large-scale development projects with major food industry groups as it scales toward commercial partnerships. | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/le-fonds-ile-de-france-reindustrialisation-entre-au-capital-de-dry4good-a259568%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Ellona 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, ClimateTech 🔍 Description: Ellona develops AI-powered environmental and situational intelligence solutions that combine sensors, real-time data analysis, and automated response systems. Its platform helps industrial operators, infrastructure providers, airports, and cities monitor environmental conditions, improve operational efficiency, and optimize infrastructure performance. 💻 Website: [https://www.ellona.io](https://www.ellona.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Green Growth Fund 2, Wermuth Asset Management, ADP Invest, Airbus Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Abdelwahed Lahmar, Rémi El-Ouazzane, Abdelilah Lahmar 🗞️ News: Ellona completed a growth financing round led and structured by Green Growth Fund 2, with Wermuth Asset Management playing a leading role and taking approximately 25% of the round. The company develops AI-powered environmental and situational intelligence systems that combine advanced sensors, real-time analytics, and automated response capabilities for industrial and infrastructure operators. Existing shareholders include ADP Invest and Airbus Ventures, highlighting Ellona’s positioning in critical infrastructure and industrial technology markets. The financing will support Ellona’s next phase of growth as demand for AI-driven infrastructure intelligence and operational optimization solutions continues to grow. Wermuth Asset Management described Ellona as part of Europe’s emerging wave of intelligent infrastructure technologies that enhance resilience, efficiency, and competitiveness. | [**Assetphysics**](https://assetphysics.com/wermuth-am-financing-for-the-mobility-house-and-ellona/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: VivaTech Bids Adieu to Macron, and Hello To Uncertainty URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-vivatech-2026-adieu-macron/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T06:01:36.000Z As VivaTech celebrated its 10th anniversary, Emmanuel Macron took a final victory lap for French Tech. Behind the festivities, however, founders and investors were already asking the question hanging over the ecosystem: what happens after 2027? _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Macron's VivaTech Victory Lap, and the Bill That Comes After URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/macrons-vivatech-victory-lap-and-the-bill-that-comes-after/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T12:27:29.000Z At VivaTech's tenth edition and a soirée at the Élysée this week, the president's farewell tour offered a moment to reflect on the start-up decade on which he built his image. The founders who built it with him are already worried about what happens once he's gone. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #81: France Responds To Anthropic Fable’s Sovereignty Jolt⚡ URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-81-france-responds-to-anthropic-fables-sovereignty-jolt/ Last updated: 2026-06-17T06:00:01.000Z After Anthropic’s abrupt shutdown, France is pouring €655 million into AI sovereignty, replacing Palantir in sensitive government systems, and accelerating domestic AI champions. Europe’s race for technological independence just got a lot more urgent. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Mendo Raises €12 Million to Tackle AI’s Biggest Corporate Blind Spot: Adoption URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mendo-raises-eur12-million-to-tackle-ais-biggest-corporate-blind-spot-adoption/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T23:07:18.000Z Over the past two years, businesses across Europe have invested heavily in generative AI. From ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to Gemini and Mistral AI, the tools are now widely available. Yet despite the enthusiasm, many organizations continue to struggle to generate meaningful returns from their AI investments. According to [Deloitte’s State of AI in Enterprise 2026 report, ](https://www.deloitte.com/cz-sk/en/services/consulting/research/the-state-of-ai-in-the-enterprise.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)workforce access to AI has expanded by 50% in just one year, with around 60% of workers now equipped with sanctioned AI tools. However, the report also reveals that fewer than 60% of those workers use it in their daily workflows, with employees often failing to integrate it. For [Quentin Amaudry,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/quentinamaudry/?locale=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) co-founder and CEO of Mendo, this gap between access and adoption represents one of the defining challenges of the AI era. "The real problem in enterprise AI isn't the budget," he says. "It's adoption. Companies buy the tools, but employees use them only marginally. Management often doesn't know where to start when it comes to integrating AI into everyday processes." That challenge has attracted investors. Last week, Mendo announced a €12 million Series A round led by Ventech and Educapital, with participation from Tomcat and OVNI. The funding follows a €3.5 million seed round completed in late 2024. The startup now plans to accelerate product development, expand internationally, and strengthen its position as what it describes as an "AI adoption platform" for enterprise customers. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-10.11.09.png) ### **Building the Missing Layer Between AI and Employees** Founded in Paris in 2021 by Amaudry and CTO [Alexandre Pinon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrepinonj/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Mendo emerged from a simple observation. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### French Tech Next 40/120 2026: Mistral, Quantum Startups and Deeptech Take Over France's Startup Elite URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-next-40-120-2026-mistral-quantum-startups-and-deeptech-take-over-frances-startup-elite/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T14:14:49.000Z French Tech's flagship startup ranking is undergoing its biggest transformation yet. Deeptech now accounts for a third of the cohort as AI, quantum and robotics firms rise, Paris tightens its grip, and French scale-ups increasingly become global acquirers. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### French Tech Next 40/120: 2026 Cohort URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-next-40-120-2026-cohort/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T14:08:48.000Z _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire June 15: Hard AI; Morpho €151.1M Led €262.5M For 12 Deals URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-15-hard-ai-morpho-eur151-1m-led-eur262-5m-for-12-deals/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T08:46:10.000Z Between June 8 and June 12, French Tech startups raising money included Morpho, Alta Ares, Eclipse, Mendo, Finovox, Seacure, Kyber, Rematch, Builder Assist, Hit Mag, Réempro, and Mobioos. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Goodbye Windows, Bonjour Sovereignty URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-goodbye-windows-bonjour-sovereignty/ Last updated: 2026-06-12T08:24:26.000Z The French government is finally breaking up with Big Tech. Inside the state’s plan to ditch Windows and build its own open source applications, plus Macron’s VivaTech swan song, OVHcloud’s AI shopping spree, Back Market’s leadership shakeup, and a surge in defense tech deals. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### La Suite Life: Inside The State's Plan To Swap Big Tech For Open Source URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-suite-life-inside-the-states-plan-to-swap-big-tech-for-open-source/ Last updated: 2026-06-11T23:55:42.000Z For years, "digital sovereignty" was the speech French officials gave before renewing their Microsoft contracts. That era appears to be over. The **Direction interministérielle du numérique (DINUM),** the agency that steers the French state's digital strategy from the Prime Minister's office, is now running a two-front campaign to pull the administration off American software: [La Suite numérique](https://lasuite.numerique.gouv.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a bundle of open source collaboration tools meant to replace Teams, Zoom, and Google Drive for public agents; and as of April, a plan to replace Windows with Linux, starting with DINUM's own computers. "The state can no longer simply observe its dependence; it must escape it," said David Amiel, France's minister for public action and accounts, when the plan was announced on April 8\. "We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructure and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, prices, evolution and risks we do not control." That's the political framing. The more interesting story is what's happening underneath it: a small team inside DINUM quietly built a code-managed Linux workstation for its system administrators, liked it, and is now scaling the experiment into what could become the template for 2.5 million public agents. ## First, the suite La Suite numérique launched in May 2024 as the state's answer to the American productivity suites. At a progress event in November 2025, DINUM presented six core tools: Visio for video meetings, Docs for collaborative writing, Fichiers for storage, Tchap for secure instant messaging, Grist for no-code data management, and the Assistant, a generative AI chatbot built with Mistral AI. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Is Wandercraft On Track To Become Europe's Next $1B Robotics Company? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/is-wandercraft-about-to-become-europes-next-eu1b-company/ Last updated: 2026-06-11T08:59:34.000Z While Tesla and Elon Musk get relentless hype for their humanoid Optimus, which was first announced in 2021, the robot has yet to be actually produced in any meaningful numbers, let alone actually deployed. Which makes what happened this week at Renault's Douai factory in northern France all the more notable. A group of journalists watched a humanoid robot named Calvin, made by [**Wandercraft**](https://en.wandercraft.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), lean over a cart of tires, lift two 25-kilogram tires, carry them across the factory floor, and deposit them onto a conveyor belt. Then it repeated the process. Four tires per minute. While the global robotics industry remains captivated by demonstrations and dancing robots, Paris-based Wandercraft has crossed into something far more important: **deployment.** Wandercraft was founded more than a decade ago to build exoskeletons to help disabled patients walk. The company is still pursuing that business, increasingly in the U.S. But the Renault demonstration reveals a company that has expanded beyond its roots as a medical robotics startup and looks increasingly like an industrial robotics platform. As the company pursues multiple business lines, rumors are swirling that it is close to raising another round of funding to pursue these ambitions. In this **Special Investors' Report**, we reviewed the company's public filings to analyze its structure and recent statements for clues about the state of its business and its growth projections. The key investment question is no longer: ***Can Wandercraft build a humanoid robot?*** The real question is: ***Can Wandercraft become Europe's first globally significant humanoid robotics platform company?*** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #80: 3.7 Million Patents. One Massive AI Opportunity. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-80-3-7-million-patents-one-massive-ai-opportunity/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T09:09:13.000Z DeepIP has raised $45 million in less than two years by helping patent lawyers work faster with AI. Now, the French startup is expanding its ambitions with the acquisition of German patent software company PatentMaker. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The patent industry has a productivity problem. DeepIP thinks AI is the answer. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-patent-industry-has-a-productivity-problem-deepip-thinks-ai-is-the-answer/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T08:53:56.000Z Global patent filings have never been higher. For patent lawyers, that’s becoming a problem. DeepIP, a French startup that has raised $45 million in under two years, believes AI can bring much-needed efficiency to one of the world’s most complex professions. Its latest move? Buying a German rival. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire June 8: Paris No. 8; Quobly €115M Led 8 Deals for €200.7M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-8-paris-no-8-quobly-eur115m-led-8-deals-for-eur200-7m/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T06:35:04.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Eight is Enough The [**Dealroom Global Tech Ecosystem Index 2026**](https://dealroom.co/tech-ecosystem-index-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ranked France as one of Europe’s deepest and most geographically diversified innovation economies. The country ranked fifth globally in terms of the number of qualified tech hubs, with 11 French ecosystems included in the index, behind only the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Germany. Beyond Paris, cities such as Grenoble, Lyon, Toulouse, and Strasbourg contribute meaningfully to national startup activity, reinforcing the view that French innovation is increasingly distributed rather than concentrated in a single metropolitan area. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/dealroom1.jpg) *Mais...* Paris still stands out as the flagship of the French ecosystem. It ranks #8 globally among “Global Champions” and #2 in Europe, trailing only London on the continent. The report noted that Paris has accelerated significantly over the past 12–24 months, driven largely by its strength in AI, where it ranks #7 globally. Paris benefits from a concentration of technical talent, leading universities and research institutions, and growing international visibility. According to Dealroom’s metropolitan analysis, the Greater Paris region contains more than 21,000 startups, approximately $372 billion in enterprise value, and 42 unicorns when combining Central Paris and the wider Île-de-France area. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/Deallroom2.jpg) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/eurastory.jpg)](https://www.eurosatory.com/en/conferences-2026-details/?eventID=71&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Eurosatory 2026, ****the benchmark global tradeshow for Defense and Security,** returns to Paris from **June 15 to June 19\.** The French Tech Journal is pleased to partner with investors from BSV Ventures and JOIN Capital, alongside military leaders and innovators, to discuss how defense investment can scale fast enough to deliver operational impact. Drawing on lessons from the Russia–Ukraine war, the panel explores how private capital and non-traditional suppliers are accelerating capability development for Europe and NATO while preserving interoperability and sovereignty. June 17, 4 p.m. Delta | Hall 4 [Join us! ](https://www.eurosatory.com/en/conferences-2026-details/?eventID=71&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: June 5 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/top-deals-ftfw-june-5.jpg) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/top-sectors-june-5.jpg) --- 📇 Company: Quobly 🏷️ Sectors: Quantum Computing, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Quobly develops silicon-based quantum processors using a proprietary silicon spin qubit architecture designed for scalable, industrial-grade quantum computing. The company leverages semiconductor manufacturing processes to build fault-tolerant quantum systems capable of scaling to millions of qubits. 💻 Website: [https://www.quobly.io](https://www.quobly.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Grenoble 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €115M 🏦 Investors: STMicroelectronics, Bpifrance, SEALSQ, Isalt 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maud Vinet, Laurent Schmid, Philippe Campana 🗞️ News: Quobly has raised €115 million in Series A funding to accelerate the industrialization and commercialization of its silicon-based quantum computing technology. Spun out of CEA-Leti in 2022, the company develops quantum processors based on silicon spin qubits, a technology designed to leverage existing semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure. Quobly’s architecture addresses key challenges in scaling quantum computers by reducing interference between quantum dots and replacing traditional charge sensors with gate-based reflectometry, enabling more efficient qubit control and readout. The company collaborates closely with STMicroelectronics, which manufactures its chips using 300-mm silicon wafers and silicon-28 isotopes to reduce noise and improve performance. Following an earlier €40 million funding round, Quobly plans to launch its first commercial quantum computer by the end of 2026, develop a 100-qubit system with STMicroelectronics in 2027, and ultimately target a one-million-qubit quantum computer by 2032\. The new funding will support continued R&D, industrial deployment, and international commercial expansion. | [**SiliconAngle**](https://siliconangle.com/2026/06/03/quobly-raises-150m-silicon-spin-qubit-technology/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Innovafeed 🏷️ Sectors: AgriTech, FoodTech, ClimateTech 🔍 Description: Innovafeed produces sustainable insect-based ingredients derived from black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae for animal nutrition, pet food, and agricultural applications. The company operates one of the world's largest insect protein production facilities and focuses on reducing dependence on traditional marine and agricultural feed resources. 💻 Website: [https://www.innovafeed.com](https://www.innovafeed.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €51M 🏦 Investors: Creadev, Qatar Investment Authority, Temasek, French Future Champions, ABC Impact, ADM 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Aude Guo, Bastien Oggeri, Clément Ray 🗞️ News: Innovafeed has secured €51 million in new financing to support the next phase of its development after successfully completing the industrialization of its insect-protein platform. The company announced that its flagship production site in Nesle is now fully operational, having produced more than 15,000 tons of insect protein and oil while increasing production volumes tenfold and reducing production costs by a factor of seven. Revenues have doubled annually, supported by growing demand for its Hilucia™ ingredient range in aquaculture and pet food markets. The funding will be used to accelerate commercial deployment of its products, expand applications and product offerings, invest in industrial equipment, and optimize production capacity. As part of this transition from industrial scale-up to commercial growth, Innovafeed is consolidating activities at its Nesle site and reorganizing operations, including integrating R&D activities from Gouzeaucourt and a planned reduction of approximately 60 positions. The company positions its insect-based ingredients as a scalable, commercially viable solution for more sustainable food and feed systems, delivering carbon emission reductions of 70% to 90% compared with conventional alternatives through its circular production model. --- 📇 Company: Innovorder 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, SaaS, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: Innovorder develops an all-in-one SaaS platform for restaurant digitalization, covering order management, payments, kitchen operations, business management, customer loyalty, and AI-powered analytics for both commercial and contract catering operators. 💻 Website: [https://www.innovorder.com](https://www.innovorder.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €20M 🏦 Investors: UL Invest, Evolem 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jérôme Varnier, Romain Melloul, Olivier Loverde 🗞️ News: Innovorder has raised €20 million in a financing round led by UL Invest, the family office of entrepreneur Laurent Useldinger. The transaction combines new capital with the buyout of shares from historical investors, while Evolem remains a shareholder. Founded in 2014, Innovorder has become a leading French restaurant software provider, serving both commercial catering brands and major contract catering groups, including Sodexo, Elior, Compass, and API Restauration. The company plans to use the funding to accelerate its European expansion strategy, pursue targeted acquisitions, and strengthen its AI-first transformation. Innovorder has already deployed AI agents through its proprietary Atlas platform to automate restaurant operations and enhance decision-making. Active in France, Morocco, Spain, and Italy, the company aims to become the European leader in restaurant digitalization by 2030\. Profitable since 2024, Innovorder reports 40% annual organic growth and expects to reach €15 million in revenue by 2026\. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/profitable-french-scale-up-innovorder-raises-e20-million-to-accelerate-ai-first-restaurant-digitalisation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: NP Co. 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, DeepTech 🔍 Description: NP Co. develops AI foundation models for industrial simulation, enabling engineering teams to run complex physics simulations in seconds rather than days or weeks. Its technology applies transformer architectures to fluid dynamics and industrial engineering problems, helping manufacturers accelerate product design and innovation. 💻 Website: [https://augursim.ai/](https://augursim.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Partech, Guillaume Lample, Cédric O, Peugeot Family Office, Florian Douetteau, Vincent Luciani 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Emmanuel Menier, Matthieu Nastorg 🗞️ News: NP Co. has raised €6 million in a pre-seed round led by Partech to develop AI-powered industrial simulation models that dramatically reduce the time required for engineering calculations. Founded in 2025 by former industrial simulation researchers Emmanuel Menier and Matthieu Nastorg, the company aims to bring foundation-model capabilities to heavy industry, aerospace, manufacturing, and defense applications. The startup's technology applies transformer-based AI architectures to industrial physics simulations, allowing engineers to evaluate thousands of design alternatives in the time it traditionally takes to run a single simulation. NP claims it has already demonstrated simulation speedups of up to 1,000x on industrial benchmarks, with a roadmap toward 50,000x acceleration for large-scale engineering assemblies. The company is developing pre-trained physics foundation models that reduce the amount of customer-specific data required for deployment, making advanced simulation capabilities more accessible to industrial organizations. Its platform is designed to operate directly on customers’ infrastructure, an important requirement for sensitive sectors such as aerospace and defense. The new funding will be used to expand NP’s commercial team, deepen development of its pre-trained simulation models, strengthen industrial partnerships, and recruit AI researchers and engineers specializing in both machine learning and physics. The company ultimately aims to build automated engineering design tools and real-time industrial simulation systems. Positioning itself as a European AI champion, NP is focusing initially on strategic industries across France and Europe, where sovereignty, industrial reshoring, and defense modernization are driving demand for advanced engineering technologies. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-bought-a-physics-ai-startup-then-its-founders-funded-rival-np/) --- 📇 Company: noa 🏷️ Sectors: FitnessTech, HealthTech, Artificial Intelligence 🔍 Description: noa is a premium digital wellness startup developing personalized fitness and Pilates applications. The company focuses on structured, long-term coaching experiences that combine fitness, design, and technology to improve user engagement and outcomes. 💻 Website: [https://www.noa.fit](https://www.noa.fit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Founders Future, Kima Ventures, Drysdale, Eden, Intuition, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guillaume Sztejnberg, Shreyas Rajagopalan, Jason Akakpo 🗞️ News: noa has raised €5 million to launch its next-generation fitness and Pilates platform and build what it describes as a new standard for digital wellness. Founded in 2025, the company aims to move beyond traditional fitness apps that serve as content libraries by offering structured training journeys that guide users toward long-term goals through progressive coaching. The startup’s first product is a premium fitness and Pilates application featuring programs designed by international coaches specializing in Pilates, cardio, and strength training. The experience is inspired by boutique fitness studios and emphasizes personalization, coaching quality, design, and user engagement. Initially designed around women's needs while remaining inclusive of all users, the platform eliminates the need to choose from hundreds of workouts by automatically providing personalized training plans and progression paths. The founding team brings significant experience in consumer mobile applications, having previously built AppTurbo and Green Panda Games, which surpassed 800 million downloads before being acquired by Ubisoft in 2019\. The new funding will be used to expand the team and broaden noa’s wellness ecosystem beyond fitness, with planned launches in nutrition, meditation, sleep, and women’s health tracking. The company’s long-term ambition is to become a global leader in digital fitness and wellness. --- 📇 Company: Upstream 🏷️ Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, SaaS 🔍 Description: Upstream is building an AI-native email platform designed for both humans and AI agents. The company transforms the inbox into a collaborative workspace where AI agents can manage workflows, draft responses, schedule meetings, retrieve information, and coordinate actions across teams. 💻 Website: [https://www.upstream.do/](https://www.upstream.do/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.61M 🏦 Investors: Y Combinator, Connect Ventures, and more than 30 founders and operators from companies including Algolia, Asana, Framer, Webflow, and Alan. Notable angel investors include Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk (Framer), Nicolas Dessaigne and Julien Lemoine (Algolia), Linda Tong (Webflow), Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve and Charles Gorintin (Alan), and Roxanne Varza. 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis Lecat, Jonathan Tiret 🗞️ News: Upstream has emerged from stealth with a $3 million pre-seed round and the launch of what it describes as the first inbox built simultaneously for humans and AI agents. Founded in 2023 and based at Station F in Paris, the company aims to rethink email as a collaborative environment where teams of people and AI agents can work together rather than simply using AI assistants to draft emails. The platform enables AI agents to automatically sort messages, prepare responses in a user's writing style, schedule meetings, retrieve information from previous conversations, send follow-ups, and coordinate workflows across teams. Upstream also integrates contextual information from calendars, meeting notes, and knowledge bases, and supports external AI systems via protocols such as MCP. CEO Louis Lecat previously served as Head of Product at Algolia, helping scale the company beyond $100 million in ARR, and earlier worked on Asana’s product team during its growth phase. Co-founder Jonathan Tiret previously served as VP of Engineering at legaltech company Doctrine and is also known for creating the popular French game Dino Gaïa. Thousands of users have already tested the platform during its invite-only beta. According to the company, some users have reduced the time spent managing email from more than an hour per day to around fifteen minutes through workflow automation and AI-powered coordination. The new funding will be used to accelerate product development, expand integrations, and continue building an AI-native productivity platform inspired by modern software products such as Linear, Arc, and Granola. Upstream is betting that as AI agents become increasingly embedded into workplace operations, email will evolve from a communication tool into a critical infrastructure layer for human-agent collaboration. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/yc-backed-french-startup-upstream-raises-3m-to-rebuild-email-in-the-era-of-ai-agents/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Drotek 🏷️ Sectors: Drones, Robotics 🔍 Description: Drotek designs and manufactures professional drones and proprietary swarm-flight software for drone light shows. The company provides an integrated offering covering drone production, show creation, regulatory support, rental, technical support, and after-sales services. 💻 Website: [https://www.drotek.com](https://www.drotek.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Avignonet-Lauragais 🧗 Round: Growth Equity 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Re-Sources, Grand Sud-Ouest Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jérôme Perin 🗞️ News: Drotek has opened its capital to Re-Sources and Grand Sud-Ouest Capital to accelerate its next phase of growth in the rapidly expanding drone light show market. Founded in 2012, the company develops and manufactures professional drones and proprietary swarm-flight software used for large-scale aerial entertainment events. The company has experienced strong commercial momentum, nearly doubling revenue between 2024 and 2025 to reach approximately €8 million. Drotek reports producing more than 1,000 drones per month, supporting over 5,000 drone shows worldwide, and serving more than 50 customers globally. The new investment will be used to strengthen R&D capabilities, increase production capacity, support organizational scaling, and accelerate international expansion. A key priority is North America, where Drotek has already established Drotek Inc. in Orlando, Florida, to serve U.S. customers and partners. Drotek’s flagship IO Star 3 drone and vertically integrated business model have helped position the company as a leading player in the drone entertainment sector. The company emphasizes maintaining industrial production and technological know-how in France while expanding globally. Management, led by Jérôme Perin and Olivier Chenoz, retains majority ownership and operational control of the business. The company is benefiting from a rapidly growing market, with global drone light show revenues projected to exceed $1.5 billion by 2031, driven by increasing adoption across public events, advertising, brand activations, and corporate experiences. | [**Gazette du Midi**](https://gazette-du-midi.fr/au-sommaire/entreprises/drotek-ouvre-son-capital-pour-changer-d-echelle-dans-le-marche-en-plein-essor?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Primomanda 🏷️ Sectors: PropTech, SaaS 🔍 Description: Primomanda operates a technology platform dedicated to exclusive real estate mandates, connecting property sellers with real estate agents through a proprietary matching and scoring infrastructure. The company combines marketplace and SaaS models to optimize mandate distribution and agent selection. 💻 Website: [https://primomanda.fr](https://primomanda.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €600K 🏦 Investors: Patrick Dalsace, Thierry Herrmann, Stéphane Le Guen, Christian Terrassoux, Tatiana Terrassoux, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Benjamin Leiba, Benjamin Mechaly 🗞️ News: Primomanda has raised €600,000 to accelerate the development of its platform focused on exclusive real estate mandates. The startup aims to modernize the allocation of residential property listings to agents by combining data-driven matching, mandate scoring, project qualification, recommendation algorithms, and pricing optimization. The platform enables sellers to submit their real estate projects while receiving an immediate premium for granting exclusivity. In parallel, agents invest financially to access and commercialize these mandates. Primomanda’s model seeks to align incentives between sellers and agents while improving transparency and efficiency in mandate allocation. Founded less than two years ago, the company reports publishing around 100 new mandates per month, working with approximately 50 active partner agents, and achieving an average sales cycle of 48 days. Agents from networks including Arthurimmo.com, OXIA, Human Immobilier, and Courtois are already using the platform. Alongside the funding round, Primomanda signed a national partnership agreement with Arthurimmo.com and appointed well-known real estate entrepreneur Thibault Chanel as an ambassador. The new capital will be used to strengthen the company’s technology stack, further develop its scoring and matching algorithms, expand its national footprint, and recruit additional partner agents. Primomanda’s long-term ambition is to industrialize the distribution of real estate mandates at scale and become a data-driven infrastructure layer for residential property transactions. | [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/primomanda-levee-de-fonds-mandat-immobilier-exclusif/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Tiva 🏷️ Sectors: SportsTech, HealthTech 🔍 Description: Tiva develops performance-focused cosmetic products designed to improve athletic performance, including grip-enhancing gels, waxes, and sports sunscreen products used by professional and amateur athletes. 💻 Website: [https://tiva.care](https://tiva.care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €525K 🏦 Investors: Apex, Elina Svitolina, Eno Polo, Lars Jonker, Alberto Uncini Manganelli, Momentous Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis Cossart, Amaury Obadia 🗞️ News: Tiva has raised more than $600,000 in a pre-seed round at an approximately $4 million post-money valuation. The round was led by Portugal-based investment firm Apex and included participation from Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina, who also joined the company as both an ambassador and investor. Founded by Louis Cossart and Amaury Obadia, Tiva is pioneering what it calls the "performance cosmetics" category, developing products that help athletes improve performance rather than focusing on traditional beauty applications. Its flagship products include a grip-enhancing gel and wax designed to prevent slipping caused by sweat during sports such as tennis, padel, golf, and fitness training. The company has gained traction among both elite and recreational athletes and secured distribution through Intersport stores across France. Tiva currently has products available in around 60 retail locations and plans to expand to more than 200 outlets. The new funding will support retail expansion across France, entry into Spain, Italy, and Portugal, and the launch of a new sunscreen product targeting France’s pharmacy channel. Tiva aims to surpass €1 million in revenue in 2026 and is exploring expansion into the U.S. market by 2027\. Svitolina, currently ranked among the world's top female tennis players, has integrated Tiva’s products into her training and competition routine and will help promote the brand globally through her audience of more than two million followers across social platforms. The company’s long-term ambition is to establish performance cosmetics as a new consumer category at the intersection of sports, wellness, and personal care, positioning itself as a performance-focused equivalent of major cosmetics brands. | [**Sportico**](https://www.sportico.com/business/finance/2026/tennis-elina-svitolina-tivas-funding-round-1234901886/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Helium Crisis Bursts Europe's Fragile Sovereignty Balloon 🎈 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-helium-crisis-bursts-europes-fragile-sovereignty-balloon/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T09:21:17.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 A war-driven shortage of Helium exposes a thin European safety net, the holes in new European resource initiatives, and why "critical raw materials" lists may not be enough. [**Special correspondent Samuel Hodman produced this deep dive into this hidden market and what it reveals about the challenges facing France and Europe as they seek greater technical and economic independence.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-a-hidden-global-helium-crisis-reveals-the-limits-of-europes-tech-sovereignty-fantasies/) 👀 As the fashion-tech company marks its 10th anniversary, [**CEO Michael Jaïs explains why his answer**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-will-invest-past-how-launchmetrics-decade-data-ai-moat/) to the AI threat is buried in an archive of old content. And why traditional media is quietly staging a comeback. **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/eurastory.jpg)](https://www.eurosatory.com/en/conferences-2026-details/?eventID=71&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Eurosatory 2026, ****the benchmark global tradeshow for Defense and Security,** returns to Paris from **June 15 to June 19\.** The French Tech Journal is pleased to partner with investors from BSV Ventures and JOIN Capital, alongside military leaders and innovators, to discuss how defense investment can scale fast enough to deliver operational impact. Drawing on lessons from the Russia–Ukraine war, the panel explores how private capital and non-traditional suppliers are accelerating capability development for Europe and NATO while preserving interoperability and sovereignty. June 17, 4 p.m. Delta | Hall 4 [Join us! ](https://www.eurosatory.com/en/conferences-2026-details/?eventID=71&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🛡️🇪🇺 Europe may finally be ready to give its tech champions a little home-field advantage. **As part of a broader push for “technological sovereignty,” Brussels wants the most sensitive public-sector AI and cloud contracts - particularly in areas like defense and security - to go to European providers.** The plan stops well short of a full-blown Buy European Act, but it introduces sovereignty requirements aimed at keeping critical data and services under European control, with officials explicitly warning against foreign providers having a geopolitical “kill switch.” Add in a Chips Act 2.0, incentives for AI infrastructure, and faster approvals for strategic data centers, and the message is clear: Europe has decided that digital dependence is no longer a feature. | [**European Commission**](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/strengthening-europes-tech-sovereignty-2026-06-03%5Fen?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💰💻 France’s quantum ambitions just got a very large cheque. **Grenoble-based Quobly has raised €115 million in a Series A round backed by Bpifrance, STMicroelectronics, and SEALSQ to industrialize its silicon-based quantum computers and bring its first commercial system online in 2026.** Rather than reinventing manufacturing from scratch, Quobly is betting that quantum computing can ride on the back of existing semiconductor infrastructure, a refreshingly unsexy strategy in a sector often powered by PowerPoint physics. The company now faces the hard part: proving that silicon qubits can scale from promising lab demos to actual machines that customers want to use. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/cea-leti-and-cnrs-spin-off-quobly-raises-e115-million-to-industrialise-silicon-based-quantum-computers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🍏 🚫 **Apple has written yet another sizeable cheque to the French tax authorities**. The iPhone maker has set aside €212 million to settle a long-running dispute over how profits generated in France are routed through its Irish headquarters, where most of its European revenues are booked. The agreement gives Apple certainty over future transfer pricing arrangements, but it also shines a spotlight on a tax structure that leaves France reporting a surprisingly modest €233 million in local revenue despite billions in iPhone and Mac sales. For a company that prides itself on seamless user experiences, its relationship with European tax authorities remains stubbornly glitchy. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/apple-verse-212-millions-deuros-a-bercy-apres-un-controle-fiscal-2235152?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🤝 🇪🇸 Aircall has officially entered its M&A era.** Fresh off hitting profitability and crossing €200 million in ARR, the French unicorn has snapped up Spain’s Piper AI just weeks after acquiring US-based Vogent, stitching together a broader AI stack for sales teams. The pitch: let AI handle everything from logging customer interactions into the CRM to answering certain calls, because apparently even sales reps are getting automated now. As whispers of a SaaS apocalypse grow louder, Aircall seems determined to be the disruptor rather than the disrupted - and, for now, it's focused on buying growth rather than ringing the Nasdaq bell. | [**AFP**](https://www.afp.com/en/infos/aircall-acquires-piper-ai-turn-customer-conversations-revenue-action?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎓🚪 **Gojob has decided to graduate from the Next40.** The AI-powered recruitment scaleup is voluntarily leaving France’s startup hall of fame just a year after joining, arguing that profitable, internationalized companies should make room for the next generation. With €220 million in revenue, a Japanese majority shareholder, and profitability under its belt, Gojob says it has moved from startup mode to industrial mode. In a French tech ecosystem obsessed with getting into the club, Gojob may be the first to brag about leaving it. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/04/gojob-quitte-volontairement-le-next40-a-quelques-jours-de-la-nouvelle-promotion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚗💨 **France’s online driving schools are merging into a single convoy. Ornikar has acquired rival En Voiture Simone, creating a group that now accounts for more than 10% of the French driving school market and trains over one million students a year.** But the real destination lies beyond the driving test: Ornikar is steering toward insurance, financing, and broader mobility services. After teaching a generation of French drivers how to get on the road, it now wants a seat in everything that happens after they pass the exam. | [**Entrevue.fr**](https://entrevue.fr/en/entreprises/ornikar-rachete-en-voiture-simone-et-consolide-sa-place-de-leader-de-lauto-ecole-en-ligne/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 **French startup funding found its spring in May. Startups raised €392 million across 34 deals, roughly double the amount secured in May 2025** and slightly ahead of April’s tally. The catch? There was no blockbuster mega-round inflating the numbers. Instead, the month was powered by a broader spread of fundraising activity, suggesting that capital is flowing a little more evenly through the ecosystem. After two years of funding jitters, investors may finally be putting their wallets back on the table - if not quite throwing them yet. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/06/02/french-tech-en-mai-les-startups-ont-leve-deux-fois-plus-que-lannee-derniere/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How A Hidden Global Helium Crisis Reveals The Limits Of Europe's Tech Sovereignty Strategies [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-9.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-a-hidden-global-helium-crisis-reveals-the-limits-of-europes-tech-sovereignty-fantasies/) Europe talks endlessly about AI sovereignty, semiconductor independence, and technological self-sufficiency. But what if the biggest threat to those ambitions isn't chips, software, or talent, but...helium? A largely invisible global helium crisis is exposing a deeper truth about Europe's technology ambitions: critical innovation depends on fragile supply chains that stretch far beyond its borders. From semiconductor manufacturing to quantum computing and advanced research infrastructure, a single gas is revealing just how dependent Europe's future remains on resources it doesn't control. This story by guest correspondent Samuel Hodman explores why the helium crisis is a reality check for Europe's sovereignty narrative. [👉 Read the Sovereignty Stress Test](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-a-hidden-global-helium-crisis-reveals-the-limits-of-europes-tech-sovereignty-fantasies/) --- # 'We Will Invest In The Past': How Launchmetrics Turned A Decade Of Data Into An AI Moat [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-10.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-will-invest-past-how-launchmetrics-decade-data-ai-moat/) As Launchmetrics celebrates its 10th anniversary, the accelerated pace of artificial intelligence has a strange way of warping the sense of the moment for founder and CEO Michael Jaïs. On one hand, he noted that starting the company feels like "yesterday." On the other hand, he observed that the last two years alone have felt more like a century. That distortion is a good place to start, because Launchmetrics spends its days turning fashion's seemingly unquantifiable impact of buzz, hype, and the wattage of a celebrity in the front row into numbers a brand can measure and track. This year, the company turns 10, and the anniversary lands at the exact moment its industry is asking whether any of the software it spent a decade building still matters. Jaïs's answer: a lot of it may not. But for Launchmetrics, the data does. [Step inside the Launchmetrics Data Moat](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-will-invest-past-how-launchmetrics-decade-data-ai-moat/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 --- 📇 Company: Sêmeia 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, Digital Health, Telemedicine, Remote Patient Monitoring, AI Healthcare 🔍 Description: Sêmeia develops MedicWise, a remote patient monitoring platform that collects, analyzes, and structures health data from chronic disease patients to help clinicians optimize care pathways, reduce hospitalizations, and improve healthcare efficiency. 💻 Website: [https://www.semeia.io](https://www.semeia.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Growth Round 💰 Amount Raised: €21M 🏦 Investors: Acton Capital (lead), Mutuelles Impact, Citizen Capital, Banque des Territoires, Orange Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre Hornus, Mathieu Godart, Daniel Szeftel 🗞️ News: Sêmeia has raised €21 million in equity financing to expand its remote patient monitoring platform into new disease areas and accelerate product innovation. The round was led by German investor Acton Capital, alongside Mutuelles Impact, Citizen Capital, and existing investors Banque des Territoires and Orange Ventures. Founded in 2017, the company developed MedicWise, a platform that aggregates and analyzes patient health data from connected devices, lab tests, prescriptions, and questionnaires to help clinicians monitor chronic conditions. Sêmeia is the French market leader in nephrology telemonitoring with an estimated 85% market share and currently supports more than 35,000 patients across 500 healthcare facilities in nephrology, organ transplantation, mental health, and cardiology. The company generated €5.5 million in revenue in 2025 and reached profitability. The new capital will fund expansion into additional pathologies, including diabetes, depression, inflammatory bowel diseases, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular conditions, while also supporting AI-driven product development and further acquisitions following its purchases of Optim’Care and Healabs. Clinical studies have shown significant benefits from the platform, including a 26% reduction in hospitalizations for nephrology patients and a 50% reduction in suicide attempts among monitored bipolar disorder patients. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/semeia-leve-21-millions-deuros-pour-etendre-la-telesurveillance-medicale-2234707?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Innovorder 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, RestaurantTech, HospitalityTech, SaaS, AI 🔍 Description: Innovorder develops an all-in-one SaaS platform for restaurant digitalization, covering order management, payments, kitchen operations, business management, customer loyalty, and AI-powered analytics for both commercial and contract catering operators. 💻 Website: [https://www.innovorder.com](https://www.innovorder.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Round 💰 Amount Raised: €20M 🏦 Investors: UL Invest (lead), Evolem (existing investor) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jérôme Varnier, Romain Melloul, Olivier Loverde 🗞️ News: Innovorder has raised €20 million in a financing round led by UL Invest, the family office of entrepreneur Laurent Useldinger. The transaction combines new capital with the buyout of shares from historical investors, while Evolem remains a shareholder. Founded in 2014, Innovorder has become a leading French restaurant software provider, serving both commercial catering brands and major contract catering groups, including Sodexo, Elior, Compass, and API Restauration. The company plans to use the funding to accelerate its European expansion strategy, pursue targeted acquisitions, and strengthen its AI-first transformation. Innovorder has already deployed AI agents through its proprietary Atlas platform to automate restaurant operations and enhance decision-making. Active in France, Morocco, Spain, and Italy, the company aims to become the European leader in restaurant digitalization by 2030\. Profitable since 2024, Innovorder reports 40% annual organic growth and expects to reach €15 million in revenue by 2026\. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/profitable-french-scale-up-innovorder-raises-e20-million-to-accelerate-ai-first-restaurant-digitalisation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 'We Will Invest In The Past': How Launchmetrics Turned A Decade Of Data Into An AI Moat URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-will-invest-past-how-launchmetrics-decade-data-ai-moat/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T08:41:38.000Z As Launchmetrics celebrates its 10th anniversary, the accelerated pace of artificial intelligence has a strange way of warping the sense of the moment for founder and CEO Michael Jaïs. On one hand, he noted that starting the company feels like "yesterday." On the other hand, he observed that the last two years alone have felt more like a century. That distortion is a good place to start, because Launchmetrics spends its days turning fashion's seemingly unquantifiable impact of buzz, hype, and the wattage of a celebrity in the front row into numbers a brand can measure and track. This year, the company turns 10, and the anniversary lands at the exact moment its industry is asking whether any of the software it spent a decade building still matters. Jaïs's answer: a lot of it may not. But for Launchmetrics, the data does. ## The pitch nobody wanted Launchmetrics was born in 2016 from the merger of Augure, the influencer-marketing company Jaïs founded in Paris in 2002, and Fashion GPS, a New York firm that had been wiring up the back end of Fashion Week since 2006\. The new company was selling "brand performance," a radical idea that marketing buzz could be scored like a quarterly number. That turned out to be a tough sell. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How A Hidden Global Helium Crisis Reveals The Limits Of Europe's Tech Sovereignty Strategies URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-a-hidden-global-helium-crisis-reveals-the-limits-of-europes-tech-sovereignty-fantasies/ Last updated: 2026-06-04T17:36:25.000Z **One weak link can break a chain. When it comes to European tech manufacturing, the latest weak link is not metal but gas.** Just two weeks after the U.S. began its bombing campaign against Iran in late February, French industrial gas giant AirLiquide declared force majeure on helium shipments. This was followed shortly by its US subsidiary, Air Gas, on March 17th. These suppliers sourced most of their helium from Qatar, whose exports are now blocked behind the Strait of Hormuz. This represented a severe reduction in global supply. “When the supply deficit hits, it will probably be the worst period; it will feel like a 30% deficit in supply for helium overall,” said Phil Kornbluth, the President of Kornbluth Consulting and a senior figure in the helium industry for 44 years, in a March interview with the French Tech Journal. AirLiquide declaring force majeure meant two things, as Kornbluth described: “They will implement a supply allocation, and they will implement a significant pricing surcharge.” Indeed, Helium spot prices are already increasing, with contract prices to follow. Helium prices in Europe have jumped 20% since March, approaching historic highs. If you think this is mainly going to impact the cost of children’s birthday parties, think again. High-purity helium is a fundamental element in the creation of microscopic wafers, core components of microchips and semiconductors. These tiny machines power the computers, servers, and data centers that the AI boom is built on. Helium also serves as an essential ingredient for the future of compute capabilities, cooling next-gen quantum semiconductors to frigid temperatures. When we think of ‘critical materials’ for digital technologies, rare earths or specific metals are usually what come to mind. Yet, due to its properties, helium is irreplaceable in these roles, making it a critical material. The good news is that helium is not rare: most critical gases and key minerals for digital infrastructure are abundant worldwide. The bad news is that the existing supply chain is far from dispersed: it relies on a few key production facilities with tight margins. The helium crisis is unfolding amid the broader debate over economic and technological sovereignty. French and European governments have become increasingly aggressive in asserting their independence in recent months, pursuing a series of policies and purchasing decisions aimed at reducing their reliance on international partners and corporations. For all the attempts to strike an independent posture, the helium crisis is a reminder of just how deeply intertwined economies and supply chains have become after decades of globalization and free trade agreements. For digital technology companies in France and abroad, helium is in critical short supply, a shortage for which key players such as the industry association *France Chimie* and the national research body CNRS are already sounding the alarm. The crisis could seriously endanger projects for digital technology sovereignty and underscores vulnerabilities in Europe’s current approach to critical materials. ## **What's at stake for French tech?** On the front lines of the helium shock, French technology laboratories, the long-touted advantage for French tech in the digital and AI fields, are being hit hard. *The Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)* [had already raised alarms in 2025](https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/actualite/crise-dhelium-le-cnrs-continue-dinsuffler-la-science?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) on the increasing difficulty of acquiring helium for R&D, with the cost per liter exploding from €5 in 2018 to €35 in 2023, representing a yearly cost of around €2 million for the CNRS in 2025\. CNRS had already gone through one shock when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to sanctions against Russia, one of the few nations that exports helium. Another 20% increase will hurt laboratories, yet this percentage might grow even further. In Asia, Fitch Ratings has predicted that spot helium prices could jump between 50% and 200% in severe scenarios, and contract prices could decline by 20% to 40% upon renegotiation. What happens in Asian markets will have echoes in Europe. European semiconductor manufacturing, a cornerstone of Europe’s technological sovereignty, is also at risk of shortages or price increases due to this irreplaceable gas. Demand from the semiconductor processing sector was already outpacing supply, and is expected to account for 20.9% of the helium market by 2035, so this new crisis comes at a bad time. A reduced helium supply means less chip production, and more expensive helium will put pressure on profit margins. According to European governments, not all is lost. The French government is insisting that Europe will not face shortages, though it will face higher prices. [In a recent French Senate hearing](https://www.vie-publique.fr/discours/302831-roland-lescure-david-amiel-08042026-situation-economique-et-financiere?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the Minister of Economy Roland Lescure underlined that in terms of resources, “France is faced with a price shock, not a volume shock.” Regarding helium and petrochemicals, he later briefly added: “There is no major short-term risk identified for industrial sectors.” ## **Europe’s little fish meet global markets and allocations** While governments hold out hope, the reality is that Europe faces a distinct disadvantage in many critical materials, which the helium crisis is already underlining. Somewhat surprisingly, the disadvantage is not related to a lack of regional production or geopolitical power. Instead, it comes from market logic. These markets are global, not regional or national. Helium is only produced by a few countries: Algeria, the United States, Russia, and Qatar. And then it is distributed by a few major companies worldwide. While AirLiquide may be headquartered in France, as Kornbluth said, “these are global suppliers; they usually manage the shortage globally.” So when helium shocks hit, who gets hurt the most is determined by allocations, which is detrimental to small players in the global economy. **Upon declaring force majeure, a supplier must establish allocations and is allowed to “prioritize applications that are viewed as more critical.”** Kornbluth pointed out that “MRIs, semiconductors, aerospace and nuclear power generation” are at the front of the line and “are going to get relatively higher allocations.” **Allocations are bad news for European advanced electronics laboratories, which have a** **lower priority.** Labs in the US have already faced severe cuts, and European tech may face the same challenge. In the case of French labs, a price shock could easily lead to a supply shortage, slowing the development of European wafers and chip technologies at a critical moment. European semiconductor manufacturers seem more secure in their priority sector. However, the problem deepens with the second main consideration for allocations: contract size. Suppliers will prioritize the largest and most reliable contracts, as Kornbluth highlights, and while semiconductor manufacturers usually have the means to pay higher prices, not all companies are made equal. European companies generally have smaller war chests than their larger foreign competitors. **Financially speaking, European manufacturers are little fish in a big pond, which can pose a serious risk when allocations are made.** Compared to larger firms in Asia and North America, helium contracts with European plants, STMicroelectronics in Crolles, and the FAMES pilot line in Grenoble may not be prioritized for full allocations. Adding fuel to the fire, these smaller firms are also less able to absorb supply and price shocks than their larger competitors. ## **The French Plan: a model for critical resources?** Given its market disadvantages and geopolitical woes, what solutions can Europe adopt to secure critical materials and mitigate the impact of price shocks? A recent French proposal may provide the needed framework. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/HHluVgbXcAQgu9H.jpeg) In Lacq, the Minister of the Economy Roland LESCURE and the Minister of Industry Sébastien MARTIN announced a government plan to structure a French and European supply chain for critical metals. [****Photo via X/Préfet des Pyrénées-Atlantiques**](https://x.com/Prefet64/status/2051792442425319867/photo/2?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) On May 5th, 2026, Minister Lescure delivered a speech in the Lacq basin, where he unveiled the new ”[national strategic plan for rare earths and permanent magnets”](https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/la-dge/actualites/plan-national-de-resilience-terres-rares-et-aimants-permanents-renforcer-la?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Going through his statement and the government-published plan's measures, one need not read between the lines to see that the objective is for France and Europe to have the option of self-sufficiency if the need arises. The plan aims to cover 10% of global demand for heavy rare earths, which it defines as 100% of European demand. Similar ambitions are set at 25% of European light rare earths and 50% of permanent magnets. The levers to achieve this goal are familiar: supporting reindustrialization and investing in new projects. The government has laid out three pillars to gain more control over its critical mineral supplies: national-interest projects, strategic guarantees, and bilateral agreements. France aims to designate more rare-earth and permanent-magnet projects as ‘of national interest,’ thereby allowing firms to expedite their permitting and construction. Next, the state wants to provide purchasing guarantees to these firms to give them some long-term stability and protect them against market shocks and larger competitors. Finally, France is not just building these projects on its own territory. The plan envisages a web of bilateral agreements coming together to form a dispersed supply chain with more friendly partners, without being dependent on any one country. France has signed over 20 bilateral agreements to this end: rare earth extraction agreements with Sweden and Brazil; magnet materials agreements with Australia; terbium and dysprosium agreements with Mongolia; scandium and lithium agreements with Canada; and refining agreements with Namibia. Many agreements aim to make France into a refining hub. For instance, rare earths extracted in Sweden will be refined in La Rochelle, and Japan has agreed to fund the construction of another refinery in Lacq. This comes together to form one system, a web of friendly countries, with multiple small suppliers for every resource, supported by bilateral agreements and state guarantees for smaller firms. This system still poses a difficult-to-avoid risk. Dispersion means more potential failure points. A change of government in Brazil or Kazakhstan would not cut off the whole supply of any given rare earth, but could reduce supply by a significant percentage. Disruptions to global trade routes could still block off supplies from distant countries like Australia and Mongolia. Yet this risk still represents a significant improvement from the current supply chain, with its major fragilities and dependencies. The French plan holds water when it comes to building up supply. However, it might not reassure European technology labs and tech manufacturers. This increased French production could still be sold and allocated to the highest bidders, who would likely be outside Europe, if a major shock occurred in the rare earths or permanent magnets markets. The same market logic driving today’s crisis will persist tomorrow, and while French rare earth refiners may have state guarantees, no such guarantees exist for French technology companies, which will desperately need those resources. A possible solution rests in another tool: reserves. This alternative, state-held source can act as a critical vessel to stabilize supply and prices. The EU has already laid the groundwork for identifying and prioritizing key materials with the Critical Raw Materials Act. France, Italy, and Germany are engaged in a new initiative to build up reserves of Europe’s 34 critical raw materials, which include rare earth metals and permanent magnets, and was recently updated to cover helium as well. **It is possible, though, that helium and other ‘less essential’ resources will receive less attention and priority.** The recent French plan, for example, does not cover helium. Risks for the technology sector may also arise from resources that the EU does not currently label ‘critical’, such as neon. Whether these efforts yield results, specifically strategic reserves and concrete infrastructure, will have a significant impact on the stability of the European technology industry moving forward. History shows that building reserves of key gases can be feasible and effective. This was once the case for helium in the US: the Federal Helium Reserve in Texas used underground storage to provide a key lever in times of supply turbulence. However, the US federal government decided to sell its reserve starting in the 90s and sold off the site in 2024\. Helium was also removed from the US critical minerals list on two occasions and was not included in the 2026 Project Vault because it is not sufficiently vulnerable to domestic disruptions or supply-point failures. The Peterson Institute for International Economics criticized this decision, pointing out helium’s critical nature, concentrated production, and the need for specialized storage infrastructure at scale. They highlighted that the cost of maintaining a helium reserve is modest compared with the 1 billion USD spent annually on semiconductor production. However, even reserve storage may not be sufficient to protect the little fish of European tech from global currents. In the current oil and gas shock, countries like the United States are facing similar increases in fuel and gasoline prices, despite the US government holding large oil reserves and producing oil in large quantities. Consumers and laboratories in the US are suffering from allocations and shortages. **For global commodities, price shocks impact across regions and borders. European strategic reserves of critical materials may still be sold off to the highest bidder**, who will likely not be European consumers, European tech labs, or European manufacturers. If Europe wants to go beyond easing global price shocks and shore up its domestic industries, Brussels and member states may need to see how they can guarantee industrial supply in times of crisis. ## A new helium hope? ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image-8.png) While it remains a long shot, perhaps, a company called [45-8 Energy](https://458energy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) believes the real solution to France’s helium problem is within reach. Founded in Metz in 2017, 45-8 ENERGY specializes in the exploration of naturally occurring helium and hydrogen, two gases that are increasingly viewed as strategic resources for Europe’s energy and industrial future. The company has spent years combing through historical geological records, identifying promising sites where helium-rich gases naturally seep to the surface. What began as a niche exploration effort has evolved into one of Europe’s most advanced attempts to build a domestic helium industry. Much of 45-8 ENERGY’s work has focused on two key exploration areas in eastern and central France, including projects in the Doubs and Nièvre regions. The company has carried out extensive geological surveys, airborne geophysics campaigns, seismic studies, and exploratory drilling to better understand the underground systems that trap helium. In 2022, it achieved a European first by extracting helium from a pilot site in the Nièvre department, demonstrating that commercial production could be feasible on the continent. Along the way, the company has worked closely with scientific partners such as BRGM, CNRS, and regional universities, while also contributing to broader research efforts to map France’s untapped helium potential. Its timing couldn’t have been better. In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the previous helium crisis, [45-8 ENERGY secured €2.88 million](https://lafrenchtechest.fr/45-8-energy-financement/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in funding through the France 2030 investment program to accelerate development of its helium project in Doubs, a recognition of helium’s status as a critical raw material for sectors ranging from medical imaging and semiconductors to aerospace. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/06/image.png) A schematic of 45-8's exploration plans. Image courtesy of 45-8. The company has since been in the exploration and pilot production phase, but it has continued to secure multiple exploration permits and work toward industrial-scale production. Then, last month, the company made a breakthrough announcement: a deep drilling campaign at its Fonts-Bouillants license in the Nièvre region had identified helium- and nitrogen-rich formations at depths of up to 1,500 meters. According to the company, the most promising zones sit between roughly 900 and 1,250 meters underground and could produce more than 70,000 cubic meters of gas per day, with helium concentrations ranging from 0.31% to 0.35%. Those concentrations are significant because helium is typically produced as a byproduct of other gases, and the economics depend heavily on both concentration levels and flow rates. This discovery pushes the project beyond geological curiosity and closer to a commercially viable source of domestically produced helium. The company doesn’t expect to find a hidden massive reserve. Instead, the latest finding bolsters its belief that a network of such pockets exists. If the company can meet its target of supplying at least 15% of France’s helium, the country would have a cushion to ensure supply for its most urgent needs in a time of crisis. "It's not a gigantic deposit. It won't make France self-sufficient," [a company official told local media.](https://www.lejdc.fr/saint-parize-le-chatel-58490/economie/une-premiere-en-europe-de-louest-un-abondant-gisement-d-helium-mis-au-jour-dans-la-nievre-et-ce-ne-devrait-pas-etre-le-dernier%5F14992253/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) "But we are very pleased with this discovery, which will allow us to ensure strategic uses." ### 🤖 La Machine #79: Macron’s €93B AI Power Play URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T11:28:15.000Z As France unveils a record €93 billion in AI-focused investments, two Paris startups challenge conventional wisdom—one rethinking industrial simulation, the other proving faster AI may not require new chips at all. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The AI Industry Spent Billions Chasing Faster Chips. Inference Startup Kog Says They Were Solving the Wrong Problem. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-ai-industry-spent-billions-chasing-faster-chips-inference-startup-kog-says-they-were-solving-the-wrong-problem/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T10:42:29.000Z There's a story the AI industry has been telling itself lately about what must happen to compete in the agentic era. It goes something like this: if you want truly real-time inference that is fast enough to make an AI agent feel less like a vending machine and more like a colleague, then you need to buy new hardware. This means specialized silicon in the form of the exotic chips that Cerebras, Groq (which was kinda-sorta bought by Nvidia), and SambaNova have spent years and billions building. The thesis got a very loud endorsement last month, when Cerebras went public in a blockbuster IPO that valued it at $56 billion and confirmed that fast inference is now its own infrastructure category. A small team in Paris would beg to differ. [**Kog**](https://www.kog.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), an 11-person AI infrastructure startup founded in 2023, has just opened a public tech preview of its inference engine, making a claim that runs counter to prevailing wisdom. On a single node of eight AMD MI300X GPUs (the kind already humming away in enterprise datacenters), Kog says it generates more than 3,000 output tokens per second for a single user request, putting it in the same speed bracket as the dedicated-silicon crowd, but on standard kit. The pitch is potentially enticing as the AI frenzy gives way to anxiety over the reality of soaring operating costs: you may not need to migrate to a new hardware ecosystem to get dedicated-silicon speeds. You might just need someone to use the GPUs you already own a lot more cleverly. ## "It's not only the hardware." "A growing part of the AI industry assumes that truly real-time AI \[would\] require entirely new hardware architectures," said Nicolas Constant, Kog's Sales & Talent Lead, in an interview ahead of the launch. He noted that the recent Cerebras IPO "reinforced it even further." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mistral Bought A Physics-AI Startup. Then Its Founders Funded Rival NP. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-bought-a-physics-ai-startup-then-its-founders-funded-rival-np/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T10:21:16.000Z There's a particular kind of vote of confidence that only happens in a market that's suddenly very hot. On May 19, Mistral AI bought Emmi AI, an Austrian startup building physics models for industrial simulation. Thirteen days later, two of Mistral's own co-founders, Guillaume Lample and Cédric O, quietly wrote checks for a Paris startup doing almost exactly the same thing. That startup is [NP Co.](https://augursim.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which just announced a €6M Pre-Seed round to bring frontier AI to the unglamorous, enormously expensive world of industrial engineering. The round was led by Partech, with investor Boris Golden taking a seat on the board. Alongside the Mistral founders, the cap table includes the Peugeot family office, Dataiku founder Florian Douetteau, and Artefact founder and CEO Vincent Luciani. For a company most people have never heard of, and one that was, until a few weeks ago, called something else entirely, that's a remarkably blue-chip set of believers. So what does NP actually do? It's trying to make the slowest, most painful step in heavy industry disappear. ## The week-long bottleneck Every serious industrial sector relies on simulation to determine whether a design is worth building before anyone spends a euro bending metal. "You want to make sure the plane is going to fly before you actually pay to build it," said co-founder and [**CEO Emmanuel Menier**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuelmenier/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Unfortunately, creating simulations is brutally slow. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire June 1: SoftBank's €75BN French AI Bet; MokN €12.87M Led 12 Deals for €54M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-1-softbanks-eur75bn-french-ai-bet-mokn-eur12-87m-led-12-deals-for-eur54m/ Last updated: 2026-06-01T06:00:40.000Z Between May 25 and May 29, French tech startups raising money also included Opal, Olyzon, VorteX-io, ThIA Santé Mentale, Certo, Otomato, MySunBed, Leedflow, K-Ren, Jinka, and Orakle Weather. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Mistral Mounts A Full Stack Attack URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-mistral-mounts-a-full-stack-attack/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T10:26:04.000Z Mistral AI wants to become Europe’s full-stack industrial AI champion; Europe's founders are eyeing the US; Google: 'cybersecurity funding'; Soitec surfs the AI stock market wave; founder says 'goodbye' to the Jungle. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### MistralMania: Europe's Model Hopeful Gets Stacked URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistralmania-europes-model-hopeful-gets-stacked/ Last updated: 2026-05-28T23:53:32.000Z At its AI Now Summit in Paris, Mistral AI unveiled an audacious new ambition: move beyond open-source models and become Europe’s first true full-stack AI giant, spanning chips, data centers, agents, defense, and industrial AI. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #78: Can Prelude Build Trust on the Agentic Internet? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-78-can-prelude-build-trust-on-the-agentic-internet/ Last updated: 2026-05-27T08:51:28.000Z Mistral’s AI summit takeover, Europe’s delayed sovereignty push, France’s €1.5B quantum and chip bet, Nvidia backing Alice & Bob, the Vatican’s AI warning, Google slamming France’s AI adoption, GEO replacing SEO, and why Prelude thinks AI is killing CAPTCHA. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### AI Is Killing CAPTCHA. Prelude Wants To Build The Verification That Comes Next URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-is-killing-captcha-prelude-wants-to-build-the-verification-that-comes-next/ Last updated: 2026-05-27T07:34:04.000Z The most interesting thing about Prelude's recent fundraising round isn't the fundraising. It's how the company is fundamentally repositioning itself and its products three years after launching to meet the challenges of the agentic era. The fundraising itself is real and not small. Prelude closed a $20 million Series A round led by 20VC, with existing backers Singular, Seedcamp, Deel, and FDJ Ventures along for the ride. The angel list reads like a LinkedIn vision board: the COO of Synthesia, Revolut's global CMO, the CEOs of Grindr and Cleo, and the former CTO of Match Group. It brings Prelude's total raised to $27 million in roughly three years. Revenue and customer count have both grown 6x in the past twelve months. One of the world's largest social platforms, X, is using it to try to weed out bots. The more useful story is what Prelude is becoming. Founded in late 2023 by Matias Berny and Quentin Le Bras (both Zenly alumni, the French location-sharing app Snap acquired and then shut down), the company started life as a phone verification provider. That's the unglamorous plumbing that sends you a six-digit code when you sign up for a new app. With this round, Prelude is launching two new products, Auth API and Intel API, that push it well beyond that narrow remit and into what it calls "the onboarding and trust layer for the AI age." ## The Snap weekend that started it all _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire May 25: AI Agent Jobs Gone Wild; Pivot + Dust €€34.56 Led 11 Deals for €160.1M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-25-ai-agent-jobs-gone-wild-pivot-dust-eureur34-56-led-11-deals-for-eur160-1m/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T06:00:23.000Z Between May 18 and May 22, French Tech startups also raising money included Lucis, Prelude, Otrera New Energy, Crossject, Mister IA, Dealinka, Leadbay, Mediads, and Ellipse. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Meet France's 24-Year-Old Gentleman CyberLupin URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-meet-frances-24-year-old-gentleman-cyberlupin/ Last updated: 2026-05-22T06:00:55.000Z Depi raised $5.9M after detecting a worm targeting Mistral AI 25 days early, as France doubles down on sovereign AI, defense tech, and quantum computing amid Europe’s escalating battle for tech independence. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### From Arsène Lupin To Upstream Security: How Roni Carta Turned A Teenage Hacking Obsession Into Depi URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-arsene-lupin-to-upstream-security-how-roni-carta-turned-a-teenage-hacking-obsession-into-depi/ Last updated: 2026-05-22T01:22:16.000Z Roni Carta was 13 when he closed a book and decided what he wanted to be when he grew up. Not a doctor, not an engineer, not a footballer. He wanted to be Arsène Lupin, the fictional French gentleman thief who outsmarts everyone, except in a version of the world that didn't quite exist yet in his head. "I can become that guy, but for computers," he remembers thinking. That kid is now 24, runs a cybersecurity company called Depi, and has just closed a $5.9 million pre-seed round co-led by 20VC and Seedcamp, with participation from Purple, Kima Ventures, and the founders of Wiz, Hugging Face, and GitGuardian. He's also about to swap Grenoble for San Francisco, which he describes, with the enthusiasm of someone who hasn't yet paid Bay Area rent, as "a theme park for developers." Depi was, until recently, known as Lupin & Holmes. The rebrand is recent and deliberate. Lupin & Holmes was the research lab; Depi is the product. There was also a smaller, more personal reason. "\[Lupin\] was actually my nickname," Carta said. "I'm kind of glad that we're moving away from the company name, because people were talking about the company, and I got confused about that, and I was like, 'That's my nickname. Stop saying it's the company.'" ![Depi Founder and CEO Roni Carta](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/05/HDoD1SNWoAEVOTy.png) Depi Founder and CEO Roni Carta ## A Weird Kind Of Education The path from 13-year-old Lupin fan to venture-backed founder is not the standard French startup trajectory of bac, grande école, internship, job. Carta skipped most of it. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #77: Mistral CEO Warns Europe Risks Becoming An AI Vassal State URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-77-mistral-ceo-warns-europe-risks-becoming-an-ai-vassal-state/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T10:38:23.000Z Europe’s AI future is narrowing fast. Inside: Mistral’s sovereignty warning to lawmakers, its €300M push into industrial AI, Leadbay’s TikTok-style enterprise growth strategy, and why Europe’s best healthtech startups still scale through America. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### How Leadbay Is Bringing ChatGPT-Style Growth Tactics to Enterprise Software URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-leadbay-is-bringing-chatgpt-style-growth-tactics-to-enterprise-software/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T21:49:40.000Z Most AI sales tools today are competing for the same highly visible companies: startups posting endlessly on LinkedIn, SaaS firms hiring aggressively, and tech businesses generating oceans of digital signals. But according to Leadbay CEO and co-founder Ludovic Granger, a large part of the real economy remains largely invisible to modern prospecting software. “The plumber, the HVAC contractor, the local manufacturer, the regional distributor - these traditional small and medium-sized companies are often excellent buyers, but they generate almost no digital signals,” he explained. “Regular prospecting tools simply don’t see them.” That blind spot is precisely what Leadbay, a French-American AI startup backed by Y Combinator, is trying to solve. The company, launched in 2023 by Granger and Milan Stankovic, recently raised $4.3 million in seed funding from investors including Y Combinator, Rebel Ventures, and Deel Ventures to develop what it calls an “inference model” capable of identifying small and mid-sized businesses that existing sales tools ignore. But while the AI layer is ambitious, Leadbay’s real differentiator may actually be its go-to-market strategy. Rather than behaving like traditional B2B software, the company is increasingly borrowing tactics from consumer AI products like ChatGPT and Claude - combining freemium onboarding, addictive usage loops, TikTok-style marketing, and community-driven adoption to spread through companies from the bottom up. ## **The AI Sales Blind Spot** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 'The Sovereignty Battle Is Lost': Why European HealthTech Still Needs America URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-sovereignty-battle-is-lost-why-european-healthtech-still-needs-america/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T20:38:55.000Z Lauxera Capital Partners has closed a €520 million oversubscribed second fund built on a controversial thesis: Europe may invent world-class healthtech, but America still controls the scale-up game. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mistral AI CEO Mensch to French Lawmakers: Europe Has Two Years To Stop Losing The AI Race Before The Race Is Over URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-ceo-mensch-to-french-lawmakers-europe-has-two-years-to-stop-losing-the-ai-race-before-the-race-is-over/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T13:58:27.000Z Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch spent the better part of 90 minutes on May 12 explaining to a French parliamentary inquiry on digital sovereignty why the next 24 months will decide whether Europe gets to keep any meaningful share of the economic value AI is about to generate, or whether it will spend the next decade as a customer of American and Chinese suppliers. His framing was unambiguous. AI is not a category of digital services. It *is* digital services. The cloud business that European leaders keep talking about reviving is no longer about storage and virtual machines, which carry low margins and almost no leverage. It is about turning electricity into tokens, the unit of intelligence that customers now pay for. Whoever owns that conversion process owns the high-margin top of the value chain and can then work downwards into everything else. Whoever does not, ends up importing it. "Today, the cloud is artificial intelligence. The growth of the cloud is artificial intelligence," Mensch told the committee. From that follows a strategic conclusion he repeatedly returned to: Europe cannot rebuild a cloud industry by trying to compete on low-margin commodity services. It has to capture the high-margin AI layer first, then work down. "If you have no volume and no margin, you have no chance of reaching scale," he said. "You have to start from high-value services and work down toward low-level services, because those carry less margin." On Mistral's own business, Mensch was specific. The company has 1,000 employees, a €12 billion valuation, a €1 billion revenue target for the end of 2026, and is spending another €1 billion on R&D this year. Roughly 75% of its sales are in Europe, with about 30% in France alone. Foreign capital sits at less than 30% of the cap table. Customers include CMA CGM, Stellantis, TotalEnergies, BNP Paribas, ASML, the Caisse des Dépôts, the French armed forces, and the government of Luxembourg under a framework contract. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Mistral AI Buys Vienna's Emmi AI In +€300M Bid To Own Europe's Factory Floor URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ai-buys-viennas-emmi-ai-in-eur300m-bid-to-own-europes-factory-floor/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T14:01:34.000Z Mistral AI announced Tuesday morning that it had acquired Vienna-based physics simulation startup Emmi AI, a strategic deal aimed squarely at Europe's industrial heartland. The price of the deal was undisclosed. But sources placed the value close to €300M in a mix of cash and stock. That would top the estimated €24.3M valuation of Mistral's first deal for the infrastructure startup Koyeb in February. Beyond the price tag, the deal represents a calculated bet by the French foundation model company that the next defensible wedge lies in simulating the physical world. For Emmi AI, a startup that didn't exist 18 months ago, the outcome is remarkable. The Austrian company closed a €15 million Seed Round in April 2025 — Austria's largest of the year — led by Paris-based Serena, with 3VC, Speedinvest, and PUSH joining in. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire May 18: Mistral AI Biz Deets; UroMems €55M Led 8 Deals For €147.6M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-18-mistral-ai-biz-deets-uromems-eur55m-led-8-deals-for-eur147-6m/ Last updated: 2026-05-18T06:00:38.000Z Between May 11 and May 15, French tech startups raising money also included Mantle8, Sêmeia, Sonomind, White Circle, Virtual Browser, Fakto, and TwoWay. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: The Startup Reinventing Skiing for a Snowless Future URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-the-startup-reinventing-skiing-for-a-snowless-future/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T12:07:14.000Z What started as a broke student’s side project in Normandy is becoming one of France’s strangest climate-era startups: battery-powered electric skis built for roads, gravel, and a future where snow is no longer guaranteed. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### From Snowless Slopes to CES: How Three French Founders Invented Electric Skis and Accidentally Created a New Sport URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-snowless-slopes-to-ces-how-three-french-founders-invented-electric-skis-and-accidentally-created-a-new-sport/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T11:38:34.000Z At first, SKWHEEL (amusingly pronounced “Squeal”) sounds like the kind of startup idea dreamt up at 2 am after too much “après-ski’: electric skis without snow. And yet, somewhere between the roads of outer Honfleur, the slopes of a snow-starved French ski station, and the showfloor of CES Las Vegas, the concept appears to have escaped the realm of gimmick and entered something far more serious: the creation of an entirely new sport category. Today, the Normandy-based startup claims to have created the world’s first electric skis: battery-powered, all-terrain gliding devices capable of carving across asphalt, dirt tracks, gravel, and mountain roads at speeds of up to 25km/h. Yes, it sounds slightly absurd. Which is partly why people love it. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-15-at-09.29.32-1.png) ### **Born From Frustration and a Rejected Engineering School Application** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### VivaTech Barometer: Europe's Executives Are Bullish On Tech But Focused on Sovereignty URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-barometer-europes-executives-are-bullish-on-tech-but-focused-on-sovereignty/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T11:51:22.000Z Branded Content **François Bitouzet is Managing Director of Viva Technology in Paris, leading one of the world’s top tech and startup events. A former executive at PublicisLive, Voyages-sncf.com, and WISE, he specializes in innovation, communications, and global brand strategy.* --- European business leaders walked into 2026 more confident about technology than at any point in recent memory. According to [**VivaTech's third annual Tech Confidence Barometer**](https://vivatech.com/media/press-releases/viva-tech-2026-confidence-barometer-a-paradox-revealing-tensions-between-technology-adoption-sovereignty-and-cybersecurity-in-a-fragmented-geopolitical-context?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), conducted by OpinionWay across 1,524 executives in seven countries, the overall confidence index for new technologies has climbed to 89 out of 100, up two points from the year before. But the same survey that documents this optimism also exposes its soft underbelly. While 9 out of 10 leaders trust AI, 4 out of 10 acknowledge having shared sensitive company information with tools they do not fully trust. This highlights the gap betweenhow much European leaders rely on technology and the growing questions of sovereignty and transparency. ### Confidence is broad — and shallow on risk The bullish signals are real. Some 88% of respondents say their perception of technology's strategic role has improved, and 94% believe innovation can address society's most pressing challenges. On AI specifically, 83% are confident that investment can be developed in a controlled way; only 17% fear a speculative bubble. Workforce anxiety, often the counterweight to automation enthusiasm, is muted: 92% expect headcount to hold steady over the next twelve months. Yet the barometer's most striking number runs counter to that composure. While 89% of leaders endorse using AI to guide strategic decisions, 39% concede they have shared company data with AI tools whose reliability they could not verify. That proportion barely moves across countries, sectors or company sizes. That consistency points to a structural problem rather than a national quirk. The pattern is familiar to anyone who has watched enterprise software adoption outrun enterprise security. Adoption is a decision a single executive can make in an afternoon. Governance is an organizational discipline that takes quarters to build. In 2026, the barometer suggests, European companies are running the first without the second. ### A transatlantic split over where technology comes from If AI governance is the survey's quiet warning, digital sovereignty is its loud one. The geographic origin of a technology supplier has become a live factor in procurement. And the data reveals a clear fault line between continental Europe and the Anglosphere. Across the sample, 92% of executives say they would prefer a technology partner of the same nationality, and 47% now treat that as a decisive criterion rather than a tie-breaker. The conviction is sharpest in English-speaking markets: 57% of executives in the United States and the United Kingdom call national origin a dealbreaker, a harder line than most EU member states take. The Netherlands is a notable European exception. For founders selling across borders, the implication is uncomfortable but clear. "Where are you based?" is no longer a due diligence footnote. It is increasingly a qualifying question. ### France and Germany: same goal, different playbooks Nowhere is the sovereignty conversation more consequential than in Europe's two largest economies. The barometer shows them pursuing it through markedly different strategies. Germany is buying its way forward. German AI budgets are up 28 points on 2024, cybersecurity spending up 19 points year-on-year, and the share of German executives reporting an improved view of technology's strategic role has jumped to 82%, from 68% two years ago. It is a broad, capital-intensive acceleration. France is taking a narrower path. Rather than chasing across-the-board spending growth, French leaders are concentrating on existing strengths, most notably positioning France as a European champion in robotic process automation. It is a specialization play rather than a volume play. The two approaches converge at an important point. Executives in both countries now place more trust in European-scale technology solutions — 63% in France, 61% in Germany — than in purely national ones. In Germany, only 40% still favor a strictly national option. After years in which "sovereignty" often meant "national," the barometer captures the term being quietly redefined at a continental scale. ### Where the 2026 budgets are actually going Beneath the strategic narrative, the survey offers a concrete map of spending. Cybersecurity remains the most widely funded category, while cloud adoption in France lags far behind the global benchmark. | Technology | Global | France | | ----------------------- | ------ | ------ | | Cybersecurity | 82% | 81% | | Artificial Intelligence | 76% | 65% | | 5G | 73% | 71% | | Cloud Computing | 72% | 49% | | IoT | 54% | 40% | The forward-looking picture is dominated by AI, but the intensity of planned spending varies sharply by category. | Technology | Planning Increase | Planning Significant Increase | | -------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------- | | AI | 87% | 53% | | Robotic Process Automation | 80% | 36% | | Cybersecurity | 77% | 42% | | Quantum Computing | 76% | 45% | ### The takeaway for founders and investors For the investors and operators who make up much of France's tech ecosystem, the 2026 barometer carries two actionable signals. The first is a market opening: the 39% data-governance blind spot is, in plain terms, unmet demand for trustworthy, auditable AI tooling, and a credibility advantage for vendors who can prove provenance and reliability. The second is a go-to-market reality: in a market where nearly half of buyers treat supplier nationality as decisive, "European-built" is shifting from marketing line to commercial moat. The companies that internalize both governance as a feature and sovereignty as a default are best positioned for the next 12 months. --- *The full* [*VivaTech 2026 Confidence Barometer*](https://vivatech.com/media/press-releases/viva-tech-2026-confidence-barometer-a-paradox-revealing-tensions-between-technology-adoption-sovereignty-and-cybersecurity-in-a-fragmented-geopolitical-context?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *is available from VivaTech.* [*VivaTech's tenth edition*](https://vivatech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *takes place in Paris, 17–20 June 2026, with Germany as Country of the Year.* ### 🤖 La Machine #76: Scality Gets An Agentic Makeover URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-76-scality-gets-an-agentic-makeover/ Last updated: 2026-05-13T09:57:02.000Z As agentic AI reshapes enterprise software, legacy platforms face a stark choice: evolve or become irrelevant. We go inside Scality's playbook as it transforms its systems for the age of autonomous agents. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Scality's Long Bet: How The 15-Year-Old French Storage Company Is Rewiring Itself for the Agentic AI Era URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/scalitys-long-bet-how-15-year-old-french-storage-company-is-rewiring-itself-for-the-agentic-ai-era/ Last updated: 2026-05-13T09:50:55.000Z CEO Jérôme Lecat stood in front of a roomful of journalists at Scality's Paris headquarters this week for an event that was part product launch, part re-introduction of the company he co-founded in 2009\. The product is a software platform that uses AI agents to manage enterprise data across four storage tiers, from ultra-fast flash to cold tape archives. However, the two years Scality spent developing it speaks to something larger: an established French tech company that is no longer a startup in the process of reinventing itself for an industry being relentlessly remade by AI. By the numbers, all is well at Scality, a company that became an early international success in the emerging French tech ecosystem. Scality has roughly 240 employees in 16 countries. It generates more than €50 million in annual revenue. Seventy-five percent of that revenue comes from outside France and is, according to Lecat, "highly profitable." And yet, the accelerated transformation caused by generative and agentic AI is fundamentally changing customers' storage needs. This puts Scality in an intriguing position, facing countless software incumbents. As AI rewrites the rules for how storage is built, sold, and operated, the company could be vulnerable. At the same time, if Scality can successfully adapt to the new agentic world with its latest products, the mid-sized company could potentially address larger markets beyond its core storage customers. "Our ambition is bigger because we see what is possible," Lecat said. "If you walk into our office, we're like a young startup that has found something new and is just so eager to bring it to the world." ## Moving Beyond Its Roots _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire May 11: Intelligent Infrastructure; LegalPlace €70M Led 10 Deals For €132M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-11-intelligent-infrastructure-legalplace-eur70m-led-10-deals-for-eur132m/ Last updated: 2026-05-11T06:00:28.000Z Between May 4 and May 8, French Tech startups raising money also included Lithosquare, OpsMill, Signadori Bio, Davis, OneFlash, Nelson, Huelco, Objow, and Kacentric Optics. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: French Cybersecurity Startups Navigate America First, Inc. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-french-cybersecurity-startups-navigate-america-first-inc/ Last updated: 2026-05-08T08:30:16.000Z As French cyber startups race into the U.S., they’re entering a market transformed by agentic AI, geopolitical tension, and an “America First” mindset. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Atlantic Tightrope: How French Cyber Founders Are Selling to America in the Age of Agents URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-atlantic-tightrope-how-french-cyber-founders-are-selling-to-america-in-the-age-of-agents/ Last updated: 2026-05-08T07:25:47.000Z *This story is part of a partnership with *La French Tech New York* and *The French Tech Journal*. This editorial partnership brings you a deeper look at French innovation as it expands beyond France’s borders, across the United States. Through this collaboration, we’ll share the data points, insights, sector breakthroughs, success stories, and lessons from French founders building across America’s most dynamic tech ecosystems, from New York to San Francisco.* --- When French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu walked into the *Agence nationale des titres sécurisés* on April 30 and called the wave of cyberattacks on the French state "the heist of the century, which is happening practically every month," it was less a press line than an admission. ANTS, the public agency responsible for issuing identity documents (identity cards, driving licenses, etc.) and registering vehicles, was attacked in mid-April by a hacker who stole files containing personal information. The incident became even more humiliating when authorities arrested and charged a suspect: a 15-year-old who was selling the data on the dark web. France logs three data thefts a day. In Q1 2026, it ranked second among the most-targeted countries worldwide for data breaches. The Prime Minister announced [€200 million in emergency funding](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/cybersecurite-le-premier-ministre-annonce-un-plan-d-action-pour-renforcer-la-protection-numerique-de-l-etat?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to audit ministry vulnerabilities, invest in detection and post-quantum cryptography, and create a new digital authority sitting directly under Matignon. The latest money follows a €1 billion commitment to cybersecurity originally announced in 2021\. That 5-year plan, the National Cybersecurity Strategy, sets audacious targets: triple the sector's revenue from €7.3 billion to €25 billion, double employment from 37,000 to 75,000, and cultivate three French cybersecurity unicorns by 2025. For French cybersecurity startups, this sense of urgency and spending has an extraordinary tailwind. Funding for French cybersecurity is accelerating, driven also by the growing mix of artificial intelligence as both a threat and an opportunity. **However, beyond these numbers, there was another clear trend within the deals we tracked over the last 18 months: every meaningful round either funded a company already operating in the United States or earmarked capital for getting there.** U.S. expansion has always been the ambition and a high bar for French startups. But now there is the added twist of geopolitics. In Europe and France, sovereignty issues have become paramount, while in the U.S., attitudes have clearly shifted to "America First." ## **Cybersecurity Boom** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #75: Using AI To Mine The AI Boom URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-75-using-ai-to-mine-the-ai-boom/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T08:52:17.000Z Gartner predicts an explosion of AI agents. Mistral AI pushes for a European AI stack. LegalPlace acquires Legalstart after a €70M raise. Lazard warns of a software M&A “great bifurcation.” And Lithosquare raises $25M to accelerate critical mineral discovery. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Lithosquare’s $25M Bet on Fixing Mineral Discovery URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/lithosquares-25m-bet-on-fixing-mineral-discovery/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T08:20:10.000Z While headlines tend to focus on batteries, gigafactories, and AI infrastructure, a quieter constraint is tightening: the discovery of the raw materials that make them all possible. Paris-based startup Lithosquare, which has just raised $25 million from World Fund, Kindred Capital, Daphni, and Omnes Capital, is positioning itself at that exact pressure point. Its promise is ambitious: use AI to significantly accelerate the discovery of new mineral deposits. The question is whether software can meaningfully shift one of the slowest, most uncertain processes in the industrial world. ## **A Bottleneck Few Talk About** _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire May 4: Busts Beat Exits; Eva €35M Leads 11 Deals for €102.7M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-4-busts-beat-exits-eva-eur35m-leads-11-deals-for-eur102-7m/ Last updated: 2026-05-04T06:00:54.000Z Between April 27 and May 1, French Tech startups raising money also included Rosi, SquareMind, Audion, Losanje, Virvolt, Tolergyx, Faactopi, Askleia, Hectarea, and Novaleum. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Unblocking France’s Corporate Startup Bottleneck URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-unblocking-frances-corporate-startup-bottleneck/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T06:00:59.000Z France’s startups have matured. But big corporates still slow everything down. Bpifrance’s Paul-François Fournier explains why billions in R&D fail to reach startups, and how a shift in strategy could finally unlock real collaboration. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Bpifrance Innovation Chief: Why French Corporates Are Failing Startups — and How €5BN Could Change Everything URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/bpifrance-innovation-chief-why-french-corporates-are-failing-startups-and-how-eur5bn-could-change-everything/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T23:45:45.000Z France’s startups have come a long way. But corporates remain a bottleneck. Bpifrance’s Paul-François Fournier explains why innovation remains broken and how redirecting billions of euros in R&D could finally unlock real collaboration between startups and industry. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #74: AI Power, Propaganda, and Regulation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-74-ai-power-propaganda-and-regulation/ Last updated: 2026-05-04T08:57:37.000Z Musk vs OpenAI trial escalates, Mistral hit by disinfo questions but expands into media, DeepMind alumni fuel Europe’s AI boom, Doctrine nears €300M sale, and deepfake scams target French institutions as AI risks grow across governance, trust, and security. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Cleo Labs Wants To Turn Regulatory Chaos Into A Competitive Edge URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cleo-labs-wants-to-turn-regulatory-chaos-into-a-competitive-edge/ Last updated: 2026-04-29T12:08:34.000Z Fresh off a €1.5 million raise, Paris-based RegTech Cleo Labs is tackling one of the least glamorous (and most painful) problems in global trade: navigating fragmented, fast-moving regulatory frameworks that can delay launches, block shipments and quietly cost companies millions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire April 27: DeepTech Deux; Univity €27M Leads 9 Rounds For €53.1M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-27-deeptech-deux-univity-eur27m-leads-9-rounds-for-eur53-1m/ Last updated: 2026-04-27T06:01:01.000Z Between April 19 and Jan April 24, French tech startups also raising money included Ouidrop, Decade Energy, Bubble Robotics, Axomove, Five Lives, Sillage, Biotech One, and minimiil. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Behold The Great Sovereignty Paradigm URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-april-2/ Last updated: 2026-04-24T12:06:08.000Z From lithium to cloud, Europe and France are rewiring their economic and technological backbones. A €71B push signals a hard pivot toward sovereignty and resilience. But after decades of dependence, the real question is whether the catch-up can come in time. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### France's Silver Linings Sovereignty Playbook: Notre Dame Policy, Electrification, Data Centers & More More More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-silver-linings-sovereignty-playbook-notre-dame-policy-electrification-data-centers-more-more-more/ Last updated: 2026-04-25T07:51:12.000Z Taken individually, the announcements of the past few weeks might read as routine policy noise. A lithium mine was inaugurated in central France. A €180 million cloud tender was awarded in Brussels. A health data platform quietly changing providers. A 30-page government blueprint on electrification. A working group at Bercy is working to speed up data center permit processing. Another clutch of French companies migrating off AWS. Put them on the same desk, though, and the pattern is hard to miss. Different sectors, different ministries, different price tags, but the same underlying bet: that after two decades of assuming globalization would handle the hard stuff, Europe needs to build, host, power, and mine a lot more of the things it depends on. Call it the sovereignty turn, the reindustrialization push, or just Europe belatedly noticing that resilience is a capability you have to pay for. The label matters less than the direction, which is by now unmistakable. It's a shift with multiple authors. Brussels is rewriting procurement rules in line with a new Cloud Sovereignty Framework. Companies like Brevo and Yousign are voluntarily unplugging from U.S. hyperscalers, partly on principle, partly on cost, partly because their clients are asking. French regulators have spent years blocking a flagship health data project over concerns about American cloud providers. And yes, Emmanuel Macron is out there gesturing at Notre-Dame and promising industrial cathedrals, which is its own kind of signal. No single actor is driving this. They're all pulling on the same cord. What ties the stories together is a specific theory of the problem: that Europe's vulnerabilities are structural rather than cyclical. Fossil fuel imports aren't just expensive, they're a geopolitical exposure. Dependence on Chinese battery chemistry isn't just an industrial gap; it's a bottleneck on the energy transition. Running sensitive data on U.S. clouds isn't just a compliance headache; it's a sovereignty question that keeps finding its way into court. Once you start pulling those threads, they connect. Here's what the accelerating Sovereignty Playbook looks like across six of the most revealing stories of the moment. ## The Notre Dame Paradigm ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/image-41.png) Start with the headline number. Macron is rolling out 150 "strategic" industrial projects across 63 French departments, representing €71 billion in total investment. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #73: C12 Qubit Quantum Roadmap Chooses Quality Over Quantity URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-73-c12-qubit-quantum-roadmap-chooses-quality-over-quantity/ Last updated: 2026-04-22T13:43:10.000Z C12 challenges the quantum playbook. Airbus doubles down on AI-era cybersecurity; Europe doubles down on sovereign AI; Hexa doubles down on AI; France and Germany double down on each other; and everyone doubles down on Station F. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Forget Qubit Count: Paris Startup C12 Bets Carbon Nanotubes Will Rewrite Quantum Computing Race By 2033 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/forget-qubit-count-paris-startup-c12-bets-carbon-nanotubes-will-rewrite-quantum-computing-race-by-2033/ Last updated: 2026-04-22T09:35:47.000Z For years, the quantum industry has largely measured progress by one number: how many quantum bits, or “qubits”, a machine contains. IBM, Google, and a host of startups have steadily increased qubit counts in the hope that larger processors will eventually become powerful enough to perform useful calculations. However, **Paris-based C12** is making a different bet:more qubits alone are not enough. The company believes that because qubits are fragile and error-prone, a machine with 1,000 unreliable qubits may ultimately be less useful than one with far fewer, but much more stable, qubits. **To back up that vision, this month the startup** [**unveiled a roadmap leading from its first logical qubit in 2027 to a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2033**](https://www.c12qe.com/roadmap?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** “We had this intuition from the start: it is better to improve the quality of the qubit and the material itself than simply to increase the number of qubits,” said Pierre Desjardins, C12 co-founder and CEO. “In quantum error correction, the key question is how many physical qubits you need to create one logical qubit. The poorer the qubits, the more redundancy you need. We believe we can achieve the same logical qubit with far fewer physical qubits, which has an enormous impact on the ability to scale.” ## The Qubit Problem _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Breaking Down Mistral AI's Bargain Acquihire Of Koyeb URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/breaking-down-mistral-ais-bargain-acquihire-of-koyeb/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T08:50:11.000Z Mistral AI made its first acquisition in February of a [**Parisian AI infrastructure startup, Koyeb.**](https://siliconangle.com/2026/02/17/mistral-ai-acquires-ai-infrastructure-startup-koyeb/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The terms and value of the deal were not communicated, but naturally, the announcement that two hometown favorites were joining forces caused considerable excitement. More recent disclosures, however, reveal the terms of the deal, what Mistral paid, and how Koyeb was valued. Paired with Koyeb's history of filings, the details offer a look at how a soaring decacorn made a strategic acquihire. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire April 20: Bankruptcy Booms; Agriodor €15M Leads 12 Deals For €45.6M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-20-bankruptcy-booms-agriodor-eur15m-leads-12-deals-for-eur45-6m/ Last updated: 2026-04-20T11:56:19.000Z Between April 13 and April 17, French Tech startups raising money also included: Replace previous week's deals with new batch: Donecle, HrFlow.ai, Mirabelle, Glimpact, Cosmyx, Novaleum, Proclus, Hymalaia, Cap Atlas, Oligo+, and Convelio. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Building Europe’s Amazon of Reusable Packaging URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-building-europes-amazon-of-reusable-packaging/ Last updated: 2026-04-17T09:42:41.000Z Le Fourgon scales reusable packaging to become a continental infrastructure play; Europe bets on AI and quantum sovereignty, fintech matures, and startups push into politics and healthcare. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### From Bottles to Infrastructure: Le Fourgon’s Race to Own Europe’s €Trillion Circular Packaging Shift URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-bottles-to-infrastructure-le-fourgons-race-to-own-europes-eurtrillion-circular-packaging-shift/ Last updated: 2026-04-17T09:25:16.000Z With 70% of France’s reuse market, Le Fourgon is expanding into Belgium and Spain as EU bans on single-use packaging and mounting microplastics concerns force brands and retailers to rethink logistics at scale. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #72: France’s AI Push Pits Sovereignty Against Scale URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-72-frances-ai-push-pits-sovereignty-against-scale/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T12:12:52.000Z France pushes digital sovereignty (Linux, Mistral, OVH), Welcome to the Jungle adapts to AI recruiting, Banque de France weighs risks, plus Plume’s energy play, a map of 81 AI labs, and a Stanford reality check on France’s place in the global AI race. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### France’s AI Reality Check: Stanford HAI Report Reveals a Strong Contender—But Not a Global Leader URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-ai-reality-check-stanford-hai-report-reveals-a-strong-contender-but-not-a-global-leader/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T11:29:18.000Z France ranks in the global AI Top 5 for talent and adoption, but lags far behind the U.S. and China in models, funding, and scale. The latest Stanford HAI Index shows a nation strong in depth, but still struggling to shape the AI frontier. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Plume Believes AI Can Solve Europe’s Biggest Renewable Energy Bottleneck URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/plume-ai-renewable-bottleneck/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T09:34:10.000Z As renewable energy scales, site selection remains a critical barrier. Backed by a recent €3.3M funding round, Plume is building an AI platform to help developers navigate complex geospatial and regulatory data, accelerating decision-making and improving project success rates. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### France's 81 Public And Private AI Research Laboratories URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-81-public-and-private-ai-research-laboratories/ Last updated: 2026-04-16T09:17:20.000Z An interactive map of every public and private AI research laboratory in France, reconstructed from MESR open data and the CNRS INS2I registry. Filter by type. Click any lab for details. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire April 13: FinTech Lives; Aura Aero €50M Leads 9 Deals For €86.5M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-13-fintech-lives-aura-aero-eur50m-leads-9-deals-for-eur86-5m/ Last updated: 2026-04-13T06:00:34.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: FinTech Resurrection? Europe’s fintech scene is back. Funding was up, exits were back-ish, and valuations have basically decided 2024 never happened, rebounding to \~15x revenue like it’s 2021 again, according to Avolta's [**latest European Fintech Financing & Exit report**.](https://mailchi.mp/avolta.io/fintech2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The UK remains the gravitational center, while France is… present, but notably not leading the pack. More of a steady contributor than a headline act in both deal volume and investor activity. Meanwhile, Europe’s fintech ecosystem is quietly becoming transatlantic property, with North American investors and acquirers driving a huge share of both funding (44.5%) and exits (over 50% of value). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/avolta-fintech.png) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/logo-15.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Paris Blockchain Week 2026 marks a clear shift toward an institutional-first approach.** Taking place on ****April 15–16 in Paris**, the event focuses on ****how digital assets are being integrated into regulated financial systems**, with discussions centered on ****adoption, market structure, custody, compliance, and financial infrastructure**. Hosted at the ****Carrousel du Louvre**, with an ****invitation-only gathering at the Château de Versailles**, Paris Blockchain Week convenes ****senior decision-makers from finance, regulation, and market infrastructure**, positioning digital assets ****within existing financial systems rather than alongside them**. Confirmed participants and partners include ****S&P Global, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Invesco, the European Commission, Circle, Ripple, Cardano, and Bybit**, reflecting the ****growing institutional involvement in digital assets across Europe and beyond**. ****Learn more about the agenda and participation opportunities at Paris Blockchain Week 2026.** [Get your ticket ](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: April 10 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/top-deals-april-9.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/sector-april-10.png) 📇 Company: Aura Aero 🏷️ Sectors: Aerospace, Mobility, ClimateTech, DefenseTech 🔍 Description: Aura Aero is a French aircraft manufacturer developing next-generation electric and hybrid-electric aircraft for pilot training and regional passenger transport. Its portfolio includes the Integral training aircraft and ERA, a 19-seat hybrid-electric regional plane designed to significantly reduce emissions on short-haul routes. The company is also expanding into defense with a line of military drones. 💻 Website: [**Aura Aero**](https://www.aura-aero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €50M equity 🏦 Investors: Safran Corporate Ventures, EDF, European Innovation Council (EIC Fund), Innovacom, Florida Opportunity Fund, Bpifrance, Blast Club 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jérémy Caussade, Fabien Raison, Wilfried Dufaud 🗞️ News: Aura Aero secured €340M in funding to accelerate industrial production of its electric and hybrid aircraft, including a €50M Series B round complemented by €120M in subsidies and €170M in debt. The Toulouse-based company is preparing to scale manufacturing with new factories in France and the U.S., targeting an annual production of up to 150 aircraft. Its flagship ERA aircraft, expected to enter service by 2030, aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 80% and has already attracted around 700 letters of intent from global operators. The funding will support certification, first flight milestones (targeted for 2027), and industrial scale-up, positioning Aura Aero as a potential new European aerospace leader. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/08/aura-aero-obtient-340-millions-deuros-pour-prendre-son-envol-depuis-toulouse-et-la-floride/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: NeuroClues 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, MedTech, AI 🔍 Description: NeuroClues is a Franco-Belgian medtech startup developing a non-invasive diagnostic device based on eye movement analysis to detect neurodegenerative diseases at an early stage. Its solution, often described as a “stethoscope of the brain,” uses infrared imaging and AI to identify biomarkers for conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis years before clinical symptoms appear. 💻 Website: [**NeuroClues**](https://neuroclues.com/fr/page-daccueil/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Brussels/Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €10M 🏦 Investors: Teampact Ventures, White Fund, European Innovation Council (EIC Fund), Invest BW, Leansquare, Wallonie Entreprendre (+ LITA retail tranche) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Antoine Pouppez, Pierre Daye, Pierre Pouget 🗞️ News: NeuroClues raised €10M in a Series A round to accelerate the commercial rollout of its brain diagnostics device across Europe and prepare expansion into the U.S. Already CE-certified and deployed in 7 European countries, the company has installed around 30 devices in hospitals and research centers. The funding will support distribution scaling, hiring, and the development of a large normative database targeting 25,000 participants to improve diagnostic accuracy. Positioned at the intersection of AI and neurology, NeuroClues aims to transform the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases, a growing global health challenge. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/07/la-medtech-neuroclues-boucle-une-serie-a-pour-deployer-son-stethoscope-du-cerveau-en-europe-et-aux-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Cobl.ai 🏷️ Sectors: AI, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Cobl.ai is a French startup developing a multi-agent AI platform designed to automate and optimize the creation of commercial documents. Its system orchestrates multiple specialized AI agents to generate proposals, RFP responses, and client presentations by leveraging internal company data and ensuring consistency, personalization, and compliance. Positioned as a “copilot” for sales teams, the platform reduces time spent on repetitive documentation while improving quality and relevance. 💻 Website: [**Cobl.ai**](https://www.cobl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Eurazeo, SuperCapital-Side Angels, Apok Invest, Station F 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Damien Hontang, Quentin Marquet 🗞️ News: Cobl.ai raised €6M in a round led by Eurazeo to accelerate the commercial launch of its multi-agent AI platform for sales teams. Originally launched as Thinkeo, the company pivoted to automate the production of commercial documents, a major pain point for sales organizations. Its platform integrates with tools like Salesforce, Teams, and Notion to generate tailored documents in minutes, while keeping humans in the loop for validation. Already used by clients such as Orano, Free, and Econocom, Cobl.ai plans to expand product capabilities and scale go-to-market efforts as it positions itself in the fast-growing AI productivity software space. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/07/ia-cobl-ai-leve-6-millions-deuros-avec-eurazeo-et-station-f-pour-faciliter-le-quotidien-des-commerciaux/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Hepta Medical 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, HealthTech 🔍 Description: Hepta Medical develops a minimally invasive thermal ablation platform for early-stage lung cancer. Its airway-delivered technology integrates proprietary sensors to monitor treatment in real time, enabling precise, incision-less intervention and improved clinical outcomes. 💻 Website: [**Hepta Medical** ](https://www.heptamed.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Suresnes 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €10M 🏦 Investors: UI Investissement, Supernova Invest, Bpifrance, M&L, Cléry, MD Start 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Thomas Bancel 🗞️ News: Hepta Medical raised an oversubscribed €10M Series A to advance its minimally invasive lung cancer treatment and prepare for clinical trials. The funding will support clinical execution, industrial readiness, and regulatory milestones, positioning the company to address growing demand driven by expanded lung cancer screening programs. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hepta-medical%5Fpress-release-activity-7444668308282314752-%5FYdY?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Luniwave 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, TravelTech 🔍 Description: Luniwave develops a tech-enabled solution combining smart room sensors and gamification to incentivize eco-friendly behavior in hotels. Its platform rewards guests with “GreenMiles” for reducing energy and water consumption during their stay, making sustainability a positive, measurable experience. The company aims to make resource efficiency scalable across the hospitality industry while improving margins for hotel operators. 💻 Website: [**Luniwave**](https://www.luniwave.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.6M 🏦 Investors: Banque des Territoires, Good Only Ventures, Lita, SideAngels, Inovexus (reinvestors) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Léonard Grynfogel, Arthur Dumoulin, Eloi Bonte 🗞️ News: Luniwave raised €3.6M to scale its gamified sustainability platform for hotels, aiming to equip 800 properties by 2027\. Already deployed in \~100 hotels (including Accor, Marriott, B&B Hotels, Best Western), the solution incentivizes guests to adopt eco-friendly behaviors through rewards, driving measurable reductions in water, energy, and service consumption. The funding will support international expansion across Europe and further product development, with an ambitious goal of saving over 1 billion liters of water annually and transforming sustainability into a core driver of hospitality performance. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leonard-grynfogel%5Fon-l%C3%A8ve-36m-pour-d%C3%A9fendre-une-conviction-activity-7447233959618322432-Uu8G?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Plume 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, AI 🔍 Description: Plume is a French startup developing an AI-powered geospatial intelligence platform for renewable energy project development. Its software aggregates structured geospatial datasets and unstructured regulatory documents to help developers identify the most promising sites for solar, wind, and battery storage projects. By automating site analysis and surfacing risks earlier, Plume aims to reduce project delays and improve the success rate of renewable infrastructure development. 💻 Website: [**Plume**](https://www.plumefinder.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.3M 🏦 Investors: AENU, Y Combinator, Kima Ventures, Raise Sherpa, Collab Fund 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Édouard Labarthe, Marc Watine 🗞️ News: Plume raised €3.3M in a seed round led by AENU to accelerate the deployment of its AI platform for renewable energy developers. Founded in 2024 by a former Palantir executive and a Harvard geospatial AI researcher, the company helps teams evaluate sites for solar, wind, and battery projects by combining more than 150 data sources, including zoning, grid capacity, protected areas, and regulatory records. Already active in France, Spain, Romania, and the Czech Republic, Plume plans to expand into Italy and the U.S. this year, while doubling its team and adding new features such as stakeholder mapping, AI-driven competitive intelligence, and automated permit drafting. | [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1549401-plume-leve-3-3-millions-d-euros-pour-son-ia-dediee-au-deploiement-des-energies-renouvelables/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/09/ia-un-ancien-de-palantir-veut-faciliter-le-developpement-des-energies-renouvelables-avec-lappui-de-kima-et-y-combinator/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Playruo 🏷️ Sectors: GameTech, SaaS 🔍 Description: Playruo is a French cloud gaming platform enabling instant access to video games via browser-based streaming. Designed for studios and publishers, the platform facilitates playtesting, QA, press previews, and marketing activation through playable ads—eliminating the need for downloads or installations. Its technology allows secure, one-click access to games, helping developers reduce friction, accelerate testing cycles, and improve user engagement across the game lifecycle. 💻 Website: [**Playruo**](https://playruo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.1M 🏦 Investors: Blast, Kameha Ventures, Ventech, Maxime Demeure, Nicolas Beraud 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Fergus Leleu, Jean-Baptiste Kempf, Yannis Weinbach 🗞️ News: Playruo raised €2.1M to accelerate the commercial rollout of its cloud gaming platform for developers and publishers. The company enables instant playtesting, QA, and game distribution via streaming, addressing key industry challenges, including high development risk and user acquisition friction. Already working with partners like Ubisoft, Webedia, and the SNJV, Playruo also signed a strategic partnership with PulluP Entertainment (Focus Entertainment, Dotemu). The funding will support international expansion and product development as the company positions itself as a core infrastructure layer for game distribution and testing in an increasingly competitive market. | [**Pocket Gamer**](https://www.pocketgamer.biz/cloud-gaming-firm-playruo-raises-25m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Hairdex 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech 🔍 Description: Hairdex is a French telehealth platform dedicated to men suffering from hair loss (androgenetic alopecia). 💻 Website: [**Hairdex**](https://www.hairdex.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Marseille 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Business Angels, Hervest Club, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Nicholas de Roüalle, Louis Damas 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hairdex%5Fun-cap-franchi-un-million-deuros-pour-continuer-activity-7447954529544884224-BbcD?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Easley 🏷️ Sectors: Mobility, ClimateTech, SaaS, EV Infrastructure, Fleet Management 🔍 Description: Easley develops Oriway, a SaaS platform and mobile app that simplifies electric mobility by providing unified access to charging networks, optimizing fleet costs, and improving the driver experience through incentives and real-time data. The solution connects to \~75% of Europe’s charging network and integrates features such as reimbursement automation and cost optimization for businesses. 💻 Website: [**Easley**](https://easley-impact.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Venansault 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €500K 🏦 Investors: Banque Populaire Grand Ouest, Bpifrance, CCI Vendée, Business Angel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Natacha Burahee 🗞️ News: Easley raised €500K to accelerate the deployment of its Oriway platform and tackle key barriers to EV adoption, including fragmented charging access and cost complexity. The startup already counts 15,000+ users and provides access to 500,000 charging points across Europe. The funding will support team expansion, product development, and scaling across France and Europe. | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/easley-impact%5Fcommuniqu%C3%A9-de-presse-lev%C3%A9e-de-fonds-easley-activity-7447400611521736704-86an?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: CyberSecurity Funding Surge vs. €3B DefenseTech Gap URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-cybersecurity-funding-surge-vs-eu3b-defensetech-gap/ Last updated: 2026-04-10T05:45:53.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 French cybersecurity funding is undergoing a structural shift, driven by AI-powered threats, regulation, and U.S. expansion. Q1 2026 alone surpassed all of 2025, signaling the sector’s emergence as a frontline investment priority. [**Read our full report.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-cybersecurity-startups-surge-eu133m-q1-2026-funding-tops-all-of-2025/) 👀 A new government report warns that the country faces a €3 billion funding gap over the next five years for breakthrough technologies that will define future warfare, including drones, AI, space, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. [**We dig into the findings and what they mean for innovation and startups in France.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/despite-growth-french-defensetech-spending-falling-eu3bn-short-report/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/TICKETING-EB--960x650.jpg)](https://vivatech.com/get-your-pass?ca=MEDIA&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=EB) Last chance to catch the Early Bird offer! In just three months, the global tech and startup community will gather in Paris to celebrate groundbreaking innovations. If you haven't yet secured your spot, now is the time: Save up to 25% before prices take off! Don't miss your last chance for Early Bird. VivaTech's 10th anniversary is calling. [Join in! ](https://vivatech.com/get-your-pass?ca=MEDIA&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=EB) --- # Tech Talk 💳 **📱 Revolut and BoursoBank are leaving traditional banks in the dust** in the race for new customers. Between 2021 and 2025, neobanks scooped up over 15 million users in France, while legacy players lost 2.2 million. BoursoBank alone pulled in a hefty 5.5 million. The twist is that incumbents are still posting record profits, fueled by lending rebounds and fee boosts. So while the money’s still flowing, the customers are quietly slipping away. The real battle isn’t margins anymore. It’s the ownership of the user. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/finance-marches/banque-assurances/comment-revolut-et-boursobank-ont-pulverise-les-geants-bancaires-dans-la-course-aux-nouveaux-clients-2225368?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💳 🇫🇷 **Speaking of Revolut… the fintech is planting its flag right in the heart of Paris’ “Silicon Sentier.”** A 2,400 m² Haussmann building, 500 employees, and a 10-year lease kicking off in 2027\. The new HQ will oversee 25 million customers across Western Europe, with France as its second-biggest market and growth engine. Bonus move: Revolut is also gearing up to secure a French banking license, doubling down on its local ambitions. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/08/revolut-ouvrira-son-siege-parisien-dans-la-silicon-sentier-en-2027/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💳 🤝 Still on the fintech front, **Qonto is teaming up with Dutch payments giant Adyen** to finally crack one of the last headaches for SMEs: getting paid, simply. By embedding Adyen’s infrastructure directly into its platform, Qonto now lets businesses handle everything from invoicing to in-store payments in one place, ditching the usual patchwork of tools. Early adoption is strong, with tens of thousands of companies already on board, and a European rollout underway. The play is clear: own the full financial stack. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/09/qonto-et-adyen-unissent-leurs-forces-pour-simplifier-lencaissement-des-professionnels/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧬 💸 Meanwhile, BioTech is reloading. **French investment firm Jeito has just raised over $1.2 billion for its second fund,** aimed squarely at backing smaller biopharma companies through the costly clinical stages. With ticket sizes of up to €150 million, the goal is to help promising therapies survive the “valley of death” between research and the market. In a funding environment that’s been tougher for BiotTech, this kind of firepower could be the difference between breakthrough… and breakdown. | [**BioXconomy**](https://www.bioxconomy.com/investment/jeito-banks-1-2bn-to-support-smaller-biopharma-companies?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🩺 📊 **Doctolib has crossed €400M in recurring revenue, achieved profitability, and closed a \~€300M secondary round** to bring in new investors while offering liquidity to early backers and employees. The catch is that it comes at €3.6B valuation, down from its 2022 peak. That confirms the ongoing market reset, even for top performers. From hypergrowth darling to mature operator, Doctolib is trading hype for fundamentals. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/07/doctolib-depasse-les-400-millions-de-revenus-et-fait-entrer-de-nouveaux-investisseurs/%60?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧬🩸 **French startup Aima Diagnostics just cleared a key milestone, securing CE marking for its AI-powered platform that detects cancer via a simple blood test.** By analyzing circulating DNA, it claims \~85% detection with near-zero false positives. That's well above current standards. The company is still early-stage, with clinical trials and larger fundraising needed ahead before commercialization. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-aima-diagnostics-la-start-up-qui-promet-la-detection-de-cancers-par-analyse-du-sang-2225393?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🦄 🔄 Following ManoMano’s lead, **a wave of French Tech unicorn founders are stepping back from day-to-day roles.** From Mirakl to Vestiaire Collective and PayFit, leadership reshuffles are accelerating across the ecosystem. Behind the scenes: slower growth, valuation drops, and pressure to shift from founders to seasoned operators. Some former unicorns have even slipped below the billion-dollar mark - officially losing their horns. The vibe shift is clear: less founder mythology, more operational reality. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/manomano-mirakl-vestiaire-collective-le-grand-chambardement-a-la-tete-des-licornes-de-la-french-tech-2224535?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # French Cybersecurity Startups Surge: €133M Q1 2026 Funding Tops All of 2025 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/image-8.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-cybersecurity-startups-surge-eu133m-q1-2026-funding-tops-all-of-2025/) Photo by Adi Goldstein / Unsplash French cybersecurity startups raised **€133.3M across 8 deals in Q1 2026,** a **12x increase** over Q1 2025's €10.9M from 6 deals. For the full year 2025, the sector logged **€115.6M across 15 deals**. In other words, Q1 2026 alone has already exceeded the entire previous year. It reflects a structural shift: cybersecurity has moved from a secondary category in French tech funding to a frontline investment thesis, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions, the EU AI Act's compliance mandates, and the explosive growth of AI-powered attack surfaces. [Read the full analysis](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-cybersecurity-startups-surge-eu133m-q1-2026-funding-tops-all-of-2025/) --- # Despite Growth, French DefenseTech Spending Falling €3BN Short: Report [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/image-9.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/despite-growth-french-defensetech-spending-falling-eu3bn-short-report/) A funny thing happened on the way to rearming Europe. France spent the last year orchestrating what a group of industry and government officials is calling an unprecedented mobilization of private capital toward its defense industry. And yet, a new progress report suggests it's essentially admitting the job is only half done. The report, [***"Financement de la Base Industrielle et Technologique de Défense,"***](https://presse.economie.gouv.fr/financement-de-la-base-industrielle-et-technologique-de-defense/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) jointly released by the Ministry of Armed Forces and the Ministry of Economy, is a one-year stocktaking of the *dialogue de place, a* structured conversation between bankers, asset managers, defense primes, and the state that kicked off at Bercy in March 2025 under then-defense minister (now Prime Minister) Sébastien Lecornu. The headline numbers are genuinely worrisome. But they are intended to drive home a larger message: French officials are publicly telling their own financial sector that the current effort, as remarkable as it's been, still isn't enough to meet the country's industrial and technological needs by 2030. [Read the break down](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/despite-growth-french-defensetech-spending-falling-eu3bn-short-report/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Aura Aero 🏷️ Sectors: Aerospace, Mobility, ClimateTech, DefenseTech 🔍 Description: Aura Aero is a French aircraft manufacturer developing next-generation electric and hybrid-electric aircraft for pilot training and regional passenger transport. Its portfolio includes the Integral training aircraft and ERA, a 19-seat hybrid-electric regional plane designed to significantly reduce emissions on short-haul routes. The company is also expanding into defense with a line of military drones. 💻 Website: [**Aura Aero**](https://www.aura-aero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €50M equity 🏦 Investors: Safran Corporate Ventures, EDF, European Innovation Council (EIC Fund), Innovacom, Florida Opportunity Fund, Bpifrance, Blast Club 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jérémy Caussade, Fabien Raison, Wilfried Dufaud 🗞️ News: Aura Aero secured €340M in funding to accelerate industrial production of its electric and hybrid aircraft, including a €50M Series B round complemented by €120M in subsidies and €170M in debt. The Toulouse-based company is preparing to scale manufacturing with new factories in France and the U.S., targeting an annual production of up to 150 aircraft. Its flagship ERA aircraft, expected to enter service by 2030, aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 80% and has already attracted around 700 letters of intent from global operators. The funding will support certification, first flight milestones (targeted for 2027), and industrial scale-up, positioning Aura Aero as a potential new European aerospace leader. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/08/aura-aero-obtient-340-millions-deuros-pour-prendre-son-envol-depuis-toulouse-et-la-floride/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), --- 📇 Company: NeuroClues 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, MedTech, AI, Diagnostics 🔍 Description: NeuroClues is a Franco-Belgian medtech startup developing a non-invasive diagnostic device based on eye movement analysis to detect neurodegenerative diseases at an early stage. Its solution, often described as a “stethoscope of the brain,” uses infrared imaging and AI to identify biomarkers for conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis years before clinical symptoms appear. 💻 Website: [**NeuroClues**](https://neuroclues.com/fr/page-daccueil/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Brussels / Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €10M 🏦 Investors: Teampact Ventures, White Fund, European Innovation Council (EIC Fund), Invest BW, Leansquare, Wallonie Entreprendre (+ LITA retail tranche) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Antoine Pouppez, Pierre Daye, Pierre Pouget 🗞️ News: NeuroClues raised €10M in a Series A round to accelerate the commercial rollout of its brain diagnostics device across Europe and prepare expansion into the U.S. Already CE-certified and deployed in 7 European countries, the company has installed around 30 devices in hospitals and research centers. The funding will support distribution scaling, hiring, and the development of a large normative database targeting 25,000 participants to improve diagnostic accuracy. Positioned at the intersection of AI and neurology, NeuroClues aims to transform the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases, a growing global health challenge. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/07/la-medtech-neuroclues-boucle-une-serie-a-pour-deployer-son-stethoscope-du-cerveau-en-europe-et-aux-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Cobl.ai 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Cobl.ai is a French startup developing a multi-agent AI platform designed to automate and optimize the creation of commercial documents. Its system orchestrates multiple specialized AI agents to generate proposals, RFP responses, and client presentations, leveraging internal company data to ensure consistency, personalization, and compliance. Positioned as a “copilot” for sales teams, the platform reduces time spent on repetitive documentation while improving quality and relevance. 💻 Website: [**Cobl.ai**](https://www.cobl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Eurazeo, SuperCapital-Side Angels, Apok Invest, Station F 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Damien Hontang, Quentin Marquet 🗞️ News: Cobl.ai raised €6M in a round led by Eurazeo to accelerate the commercial launch of its multi-agent AI platform for sales teams. Originally launched as Thinkeo, the company pivoted to automate the production of commercial documents, a major pain point for sales organizations. Its platform integrates with tools like Salesforce, Teams, and Notion to generate tailored documents in minutes, while keeping humans in the loop for validation. Already used by clients such as Orano, Free, and Econocom, Cobl.ai plans to expand product capabilities and scale go-to-market efforts as it positions itself in the fast-growing AI productivity software space. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Despite Growth, French DefenseTech Spending Falling €3BN Short: Report URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/despite-growth-french-defensetech-spending-falling-eu3bn-short-report/ Last updated: 2026-04-10T05:24:17.000Z A new government report warns that the country faces a major funding gap over the next five years for breakthrough technologies that will define future warfare, including drones, AI, space, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Cybersecurity Startups Surge: €133M Q1 2026 Funding Tops All of 2025 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-cybersecurity-startups-surge-eu133m-q1-2026-funding-tops-all-of-2025/ Last updated: 2026-04-09T18:28:53.000Z French cybersecurity startups raised **€133.3M across 8 deals in Q1 2026,** a **12x increase** over Q1 2025's €10.9M from 6 deals. For the full year 2025, the sector logged **€115.6M across 15 deals**. In other words, Q1 2026 alone has already exceeded the entire previous year. It reflects a structural shift: cybersecurity has moved from a secondary category in French tech funding to a frontline investment thesis, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions, the EU AI Act's compliance mandates, and the explosive growth of AI-powered attack surfaces. ## The Numbers | Period | Deals | Total Funding | Avg Round | | ------------------ | -------- | ------------- | --------- | | **Full Year 2025** | 15 | €115.6M | €7.7M | | **Q1 2025** | 6 | €10.9M | €1.8M | | **Q1 2026** | 8 | €133.3M | €16.7M | | **Q1 YoY Change** | +2 deals | **+1,124%** | +828% | The average deal size nearly tripled from 2025's €7.7M to Q1 2026's €16.7M — reflecting both larger, more mature companies raising, and investor willingness to write bigger cheques in the sector. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #71: AI, Q1 Funding, and 'The Great Concentration' Reshaping French Innovation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-71-ai-q1-funding-and-the-great-concentration-reshaping-french-innovation/ Last updated: 2026-04-08T08:31:11.000Z Big funding surge, shrinking deal flow. AI is concentrating capital into fewer, larger bets, and in the process, transforming the French tech landscape. Our Q1 special report unpacks what’s driving this shift. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Great Concentration: French Tech Raised €2.73B in Q1 2026 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-great-concentration-french-tech-raised-eu2-73b-in-q1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-04-07T22:36:30.000Z French tech startups raised **€2.73 billion** in Q1 2026, according to our French Tech Funding Tracker. That's a 79% jump from the €1.53 billion raised in Q1 2025\. By any measure, that's a blockbuster opening quarter. But before you pop the champagne, consider this one: **139**. That's the total number of deals. Down from 189 in Q1 2025\. A 27% decline. What's going on? More money, fewer deals. The average round increased from €8.3M to €20.4M. The median nearly doubled, too, from €2.5M to €4.7M. In other words, investors are concentrating their capital into fewer, higher-conviction bets. And mainly, that means: AI. Welcome to what we're calling **The Great Concentration**. Our Q1 report and funding database break down all the key numbers, trends, and fun factoids. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷💸 Q1 2026 Funding Report: €2.7B Boom Masks A 'Great Concentration' Reshaping French Tech URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/q1-2026-funding-report-eu2-7b-boom-masks-a-great-concentration-reshaping-french-tech/ Last updated: 2026-04-07T09:23:46.000Z Funding surged 79% in Q1 2026, but deals plunged as capital flooded into fewer, bigger bets dominated by AI mega-rounds. Our Q1 2026 funding report explains why France’s startup ecosystem isn't recovering. It's restructuring. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire April 6: In Real DeepTech; Standing Ovation €25M Leads 8 Deals For €83.M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-6-in-real-deeptech-standing-ovation-eu25m-leads-8-deals-for-eu83-m/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T06:00:44.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: The [2026 European Deep Tech Report](https://dealroom.co/reports/the-european-deep-tech-report-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) from Dealroom landed with some cheerful news. France clocks in as Europe’s #2 deep tech ecosystem by funding, pulling in about $3.9bn. That's comfortably behind the UK but ahead of Germany. While the Brits are ahead per usual, they also saw growth slump to 12% last year, while France's Deep Tech funding boomed by 48%. France is riding two very on-trend waves: AI and defense. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/deep-tech-1.png) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/logo-15.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Paris Blockchain Week 2026 marks a clear shift toward an institutional-first approach.** Taking place on ****April 15–16 in Paris**, the event focuses on ****how digital assets are being integrated into regulated financial systems**, with discussions centered on ****adoption, market structure, custody, compliance, and financial infrastructure**. Hosted at the ****Carrousel du Louvre**, with an ****invitation-only gathering at the Château de Versailles**, Paris Blockchain Week convenes ****senior decision-makers from finance, regulation, and market infrastructure**, positioning digital assets ****within existing financial systems rather than alongside them**. Confirmed participants and partners include ****S&P Global, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Invesco, the European Commission, Circle, Ripple, Cardano, and Bybit**, reflecting the ****growing institutional involvement in digital assets across Europe and beyond**. ****Learn more about the agenda and participation opportunities at Paris Blockchain Week 2026.** ****And use this code to get a 15% discount: FTJ-PBW15.** [Get your ticket ](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: April 3 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/top-teals-april-3.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/Leading-sectors-april-3.png) --- 📇 Company: Standing Ovation 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, ClimateTech, BioTech 🔍 Description: Standing Ovation is a French foodtech startup producing animal-free dairy proteins using precision fermentation. Its core innovation enables the production of casein—the key protein in milk—without livestock, allowing manufacturers to recreate dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and cream with identical functional properties while significantly reducing environmental impact. The company operates a B2B model, supplying food, nutrition, and future health/cosmetics players with sustainable protein ingredients. 💻 Website: [**Standing Ovation**](https://standing-ovation.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €25 million 🏦 Investors: Danone Ventures, Crédit Mutuel, Angelor, Bel Group, Bpifrance, Astanor, Seventure Partners, Good Startup, Big Idea Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Chayot, Yvan Chardonnens 🗞️ News: Standing Ovation raised €3oM in a Series B round, including €25 million in equity, to scale the industrial production and commercialization of its precision-fermented casein. The startup has secured U.S. “Self-GRAS” regulatory approval, enabling partners to begin integrating its protein into food products, with commercial launches expected in 2026\. Positioned ahead of many peers in the fermentation space, the company is entering the commercialization phase while preparing for regulatory approval in Europe. With applications spanning food, animal nutrition, cosmetics, and health, Standing Ovation targets a global protein market exceeding €600B by 2035 and aims to reach cost parity with traditional dairy proteins by 2030 through scale. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/on-va-ouvrir-la-voie-avec-standing-ovation-la-foodtech-reprend-des-couleurs-2224029?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/31/faire-du-lait-sans-vache-standing-ovation-leve-25-millions-pour-passer-a-lechelle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/paris-based-standing-ovation-raises-e30-million-to-produce-dairy-proteins-through-precision-fermentation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Generare 🏷️ Sectors: BioTech, AI & Machine Learning, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Generare is a French biotech startup leveraging AI and microbial genomics to discover new bioactive molecules for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and cosmetics. Its platform combines machine learning with cloning and sequencing technologies to explore previously untapped microbial diversity, generating novel molecular data that can unlock new therapeutic pathways and targets. The company operates upstream in the drug discovery value chain, supplying both data and physical molecules to industry players. 💻 Website: [**Generare**](https://generare.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Alven, daphni, Galion.exe, Teampact Ventures, Vives Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guillaume Vandenesch 🗞️ News: Generare raised €20M in a Series A round co-led by Alven and daphni to scale its AI-powered molecular discovery platform. Founded in 2023 and incubated at Hôpital Cochin, the startup has already identified over 200 novel small molecules by analyzing microbial genomes through cloning and sequencing technologies. Positioned as a data-generation layer for drug discovery, Generare aims to expand its proprietary molecular database to 2,000 molecules by 2027 and over 10,000 long term. The funding will support R&D, team expansion, and international growth, particularly in the U.S., as the company targets pharma, agrochemical, and cosmetics markets. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-generare-la-start-up-qui-veut-decouvrir-de-nouvelles-molecules-pour-les-humains-et-les-animaux-2224437?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/04/paris-based-generare-raises-e20-million-to-generate-novel-molecular-data-for-drug-development-from-microbial-genomes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: SCorp-io 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, PropTech, AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: SCorp-io is a French startup developing an intelligent building management system (BMS/GTB) for mid-sized tertiary buildings. Its solution combines plug-and-play hardware with AI-driven software to connect, model, and optimize existing building equipment. Through features such as digital twin creation, remote control, and automated energy optimization, the platform enables rapid deployment and delivers significant energy savings without requiring substantial infrastructure investment. 💻 Website: [**SCorp-io**](https://www.scorp-io.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Île-de-France Décarbonation Fund 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Romain Bardet, Cédric Godefroy, Bastien Robinot 🗞️ News: SCorp-io raised €5M to accelerate the deployment of its AI-powered building management solution targeting mid-sized commercial buildings—an under-equipped segment facing increasing regulatory and cost pressures. Founded in 2021, the company enables 20–40% energy savings with a reported six-month ROI by leveraging plug-and-play hardware, digital twin technology, and automated optimization. Already deployed across 250+ sites and serving 52 clients, SCorp-io has helped reduce energy consumption by 440 GWh and avoid 6,200 tonnes of CO₂ in 2025\. The funding will support product development, team expansion, and commercial scaling as demand for decarbonization solutions intensifies. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/scorp-io-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-decarbonation-des-batiments-intermediaires/461083?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: AI6 Technologies 🏷️ Sectors: InsurTech, AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: AI6 Technologies is a French assurtech startup developing AI- and big-data-powered solutions for risk prevention and claims management. Its platform helps insurers prevent climate-related losses, accelerate claims resolution, and improve operational efficiency through tools such as AI videobots for self-diagnostics, automated decision support, and predictive modeling for risks like drought-related soil shrink-swell. The company positions its services as market-wide infrastructure for insurers rather than point solutions for a single carrier. 💻 Website: [**AI6 Technologies**](https://ai6technologies.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4M 🏦 Investors: Generali France, SOCADIF Capital Investissement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alain Tabatabai, Sébastien Drouyer 🗞️ News: AI6 Technologies raised nearly €4M with participation from Generali France and SOCADIF Capital Investissement to accelerate the development and deployment of its AI-based insurance solutions. Founded in 2025, the startup focuses on two major pain points for insurers: improving claims handling speed and costs, and strengthening the prevention of increasingly frequent climate-related risks. Generali plans to integrate AI6’s tools into its value chain across prevention, underwriting, and claims, while SOCADIF is backing the company’s potential to help define new insurance standards. The funding will support commercial expansion, product innovation, and organizational build-out as AI6 seeks to become a leading technology partner for insurers in France and internationally. | [**Tribune Assurance**](https://tribune-assurance.optionfinance.fr/depeches/d/2026-03-30-generali-france-et-socadif-entrent-au-capital-dai6-technologies.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Omniscient 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Omniscient is a decision intelligence platform designed for executives and large enterprises, acting as a real-time “control tower” over their business environment. By aggregating data from over 100,000 sources—including media, social networks, and web content—the platform detects weak signals, reputational risks, and strategic opportunities. Built on multiple large language models, it enables users to interact in natural language, generate sector analyses, and monitor critical topics through customizable alerts. 💻 Website: [**Omniscient**](https://www.omniscient.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.6M 🏦 Investors: Seedcamp, Drysdale Ventures, Plug and Play, MS & AD, Raise, Anamcara, xdeck, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arnaud d'Estienne, Mehdi Benseghir 🗞️ News: Omniscient raised $4.1M in a seed round led by Seedcamp to develop its AI-powered decision intelligence platform for executives. Founded in 2024 by two former McKinsey consultants, the startup provides real-time monitoring and analysis of business environments, helping companies detect risks, track sentiment, and anticipate strategic shifts. Already working with large clients such as Renault, Omniscient aims to evolve from a monitoring tool into a predictive and prescriptive platform, integrating advanced AI capabilities, including voice interfaces. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-omniscient-la-tour-de-controle-qui-aide-les-dirigeants-a-prendre-les-meilleures-decisions-2224453?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**SiliconAngle**](https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/02/omniscient-raises-4-1m-ai-driven-decision-intelligence-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Kestra 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Kestra is an open-source orchestration platform that enables enterprises to coordinate data pipelines, AI workflows, infrastructure automation, and business processes within a unified control plane. Designed for highly distributed environments across cloud, on-premises, and AI systems, Kestra provides a scalable, extensible orchestration layer with a large plugin ecosystem, allowing teams to manage complex workflows consistently and securely. 💻 Website: [**Kestra**](https://kestra.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €21.7M 🏦 Investors: RTP Global, Alven, ISAI, Axeleo 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Emmanuel Darras, Ludovic Dehon 🗞️ News: Kestra raised $25M in a Series A round led by RTP Global to accelerate the development of its enterprise orchestration platform and expand internationally. With over 30,000 organizations using its open-source solution and more than 2 billion workflows executed in 2025, Kestra is positioning itself as a core infrastructure layer for coordinating AI, data, and operational workflows. The funding will support the launch of Kestra 2.0, enhanced distributed execution and observability features, and the rollout of a managed cloud offering, as the company aims to define the emerging “orchestration control plane” category in the AI era. | [**Kestra**](https://kestra.io/blogs/kestra-series-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2026/03/31/kestra-raises-25m-series-a-to-build-the-enterprise-orchestration-standard/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/31/kestra-leve-25-millions-de-dollars-pour-piloter-les-workflows-critiques-des-grandes-entreprises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Loamics 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, SaaS & Enterprise, MedTech 🔍 Description: Loamics is the healthcare data subsidiary of Energisme, focused on leveraging data analytics to support healthcare systems and improve decision-making. The company operates at the intersection of health data infrastructure and analytics, aiming to unlock value from large-scale datasets for medical, operational, and research use cases. 💻 Website: [**Loamics**](http://loamics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €3M equity 🏦 Investors: Vatel Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Energisme 🗞️ News: Energisme secured a €5M investment for its healthcare subsidiary Loamics from funds managed by Vatel Capital to accelerate product development and commercial expansion. The financing includes €3M in equity through newly issued shares and €2M in convertible bonds. Loamics, which generated its first revenues in 2025 through the P4DP consortium, is positioning itself in the growing health data market. The funding will support its development as Energisme explores strategic options for its subsidiary portfolio. | [**PR**](https://webdisclosure.com/article/energisme-epa-alnrg-5-million-investment-for-energismes-healthcare-subsidiary-GOgfVjYqnfz?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Lifebloom 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, MedTech, Robotics 🔍 Description: Lifebloom is a French medtech startup developing an integrated exoskeleton-based therapy to restore autonomous walking for patients with mobility impairments. Its solution combines a chair-exoskeleton device, gait analysis systems, and a digital care platform to support rehabilitation across hospitals, specialized centers, and at-home care. The therapy aims to increase patient autonomy while improving rehabilitation outcomes and care efficiency. 💻 Website: [Lifebloom](https://www.lifebloom.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Business Angels, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Damien Roche 🗞️ News: Lifebloom raised €8M to industrialize and deploy its exoskeleton-based therapy across healthcare institutions. The funding includes €6M in equity and €2M in public support from the France 2030 program. Founded in 2019, the company aims to equip 30 hospitals and enable 1,000 patients to regain the ability to walk independently by 2028\. Its clinically validated solution, tested at AP-HP Pitié-Salpêtrière, has demonstrated significant improvements in mobility outcomes, including restoring walking ability and increasing time spent standing. The funds will support production scale-up, clinical studies, and broader deployment of its therapy across France and Europe. | [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/lifebloom-levee-de-fonds-8-millions-pour-deployer-sa-therapie-exosquelette/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Mind**](https://www.mind.eu.com/health/article/lifebloom-leve-8-me-pour-deployer-sa-therapie-basee-sur-un-fauteuil-exosquelette/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Fairglow 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Fairglow is a French sustainability data platform for the beauty and health industries, enabling companies to measure, report, and reduce product-level environmental impacts. Its SaaS solution integrates life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon accounting, and eco-design tools, leveraging AI to reconstruct missing environmental data across complex supply chains. The platform supports compliance with evolving regulations while enabling real-time, data-driven formulation and packaging decisions. 💻 Website: [**Fairglow**](https://www.fairglow.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Ternel, SWEN Capital Partners, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Quentin Carayon, Evan Peters 🗞️ News: Fairglow raised €3M in a seed round co-led by Ternel and SWEN Capital Partners to accelerate the commercialization of its sustainability platform for the cosmetics and health sectors. The startup addresses a major data gap in life-cycle assessments by automating environmental modeling and reconstructing missing data for thousands of ingredients. Already trusted by over 50 industry players, Fairglow enables companies to generate audit-ready environmental claims and comply with regulations such as CSRD and upcoming Digital Product Passport requirements. The funding will support product development, expansion of its environmental database, and commercial growth across Europe. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fairglow%5Flindustrie-cosm%C3%A9tique-repr%C3%A9sente-des-milliards-activity-7445047745444265984-La6m?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI)**,** [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/fairglow-raises-e3-million-to-decarbonize-beauty-supply-chain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷💸 French Tech Funding Q1 2026 Database URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-q1-2026-database/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T11:01:29.000Z Raised: €2.7B | Deals: 139 | Average Round: €20M | Largest Deal: €890M Advanced Machine Intelligence | Top Sector: AI & Machine Learning _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Impact 40/120 2026: Cohort Explorer URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/impact-40-120-2026-cohort-explorer/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T10:46:43.000Z Laureates: 120 | Raised: €7.4B | Female Co-Founder: 51% | International: 53% | Profitable: 36% _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: ChangeNOW....Or Else! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-changenow-or-else/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T07:09:55.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 As ChangeNOW closes its 9th edition in Paris, ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre [**explains why the real momentum lies beyond the noise**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-didnt-argue-we-showed-up-changenow-ceo-santiago-lefebvre-pushes-forward-despite-global-climate-fight-backlash/). The conference drew 40,000 people, including 1,400 investors, this week. [**Despite a tougher climate narrative, Lefebvre sees no slowdown on the ground.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-didnt-argue-we-showed-up-changenow-ceo-santiago-lefebvre-pushes-forward-despite-global-climate-fight-backlash/) 👀 [**Impact France and Les Echos unveiled their latest ranking**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/impact-40-120-2026-the-120-french-startups-building-the-future-of-climate-health-and-inclusive-growth/) of 120 high-growth French startups tackling society’s biggest challenges. The cohort has raised €7.4B, with over half operating globally and more than a third already profitable. [**Explore the full list in our interactive table.** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/impact-40-120-2026-the-120-french-startups-building-the-future-of-climate-health-and-inclusive-growth/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/logo-15.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Paris Blockchain Week 2026 marks a clear shift toward an institutional-first approach.** Taking place on ****April 15–16 in Paris**, the event focuses on ****how digital assets are being integrated into regulated financial systems**, with discussions centered on ****adoption, market structure, custody, compliance, and financial infrastructure**. Hosted at the ****Carrousel du Louvre**, with an ****invitation-only gathering at the Château de Versailles**, Paris Blockchain Week convenes ****senior decision-makers from finance, regulation, and market infrastructure**, positioning digital assets ****within existing financial systems rather than alongside them**. Confirmed participants and partners include ****S&P Global, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Invesco, the European Commission, Circle, Ripple, Cardano, and Bybit**, reflecting the ****growing institutional involvement in digital assets across Europe and beyond**. ****Learn more about the agenda and participation opportunities at Paris Blockchain Week 2026\. And use this code to get a 15% discount:** FTJ-PBW15. [Get your ticket ](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🚧🏃 **ManoMano’s** founders are stepping back from day-to-day ops, handing the keys to an industrial outsider, a sign the DIY unicorn needs some… repairs of its own. After the Covid sugar rush, growth has slowed, layoffs have hit, valuation has slipped, and the company has quietly exited France’s startup VIP lists. Now it’s pivoting hard to B2B and AI-powered tooling, betting its data mojo can revive momentum. The real question: is this a fresh coat of paint, or a full structural overhaul? | [**Madddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/02/manomano-les-fondateurs-quittent-les-commandes-dans-un-contexte-de-turbulences/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤝🤗 If you didn't partner with **Station F** this week, you might have been the only one. The X-Man's House O'Startups paired up with **Sanofi** to cook up the next generation of AI-driven drugs, while **Databricks** moves in to make sure everyone’s building on its data stack. On one side, startups get hands-on access to real pharma problems (and actual datasets). On the other side, they’re handed the tools to turn all that into “enterprise-grade AI.” It’s part research lab, part cloud land grab, with everyone racing to own the future of health + AI. So, yeah, AI, yaka yaka, yaka... 🤖👩‍⚕️ France just gave its first real nod to reimbursing a digital therapy and, of course, it involves a talking robot. **Ludocare’s “Joe,”** designed to help kids stick to their asthma treatment, finally convinced health authorities after an initial rejection and the submission of better data. The pitch is fewer severe attacks, more compliance, and a slightly gamified inhaler routine. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/04/02/premier-avis-favorable-pour-le-remboursement-de-la-therapie-numerique-joe-de-la-startup-ludocare/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # 'We Didn’t Argue—We Showed Up': ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre Pushes Forward Despite Global Climate Fight Backlash [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/image-5.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-didnt-argue-we-showed-up-changenow-ceo-santiago-lefebvre-pushes-forward-despite-global-climate-fight-backlash/) Santiago Lefebvre - Founder & CEO of ChangeNOW ChangeNOW, the annual Paris-based gathering of international investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and corporations focused on accelerating solutions for the planet, has just wrapped its 9th edition As it closed on Wednesday after three days of conversations, deals, and encounters, I caught up with founder and CEO Santiago Lefebvre to reflect on this year’s edition. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and shifting priorities, the tone wasn’t one of optimism for its own sake, but of continuity and resilience. While the broader narrative may be evolving, the core ecosystem of changemakers is still moving, and the work hasn’t stopped. For Lefebvre, that is the real signal that lies loud and clear, beneath the noise. [Read the interview](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-didnt-argue-we-showed-up-changenow-ceo-santiago-lefebvre-pushes-forward-despite-global-climate-fight-backlash/) --- # Impact 40/120 2026: The 120 French Startups Building the Future of Climate, Health, and Inclusive Growth [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/04/image-6.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/impact-40-120-2026-the-120-french-startups-building-the-future-of-climate-health-and-inclusive-growth/) [**Impact France**](https://www.impactfrance.eco/impact-40-120-laurats/neot-capital?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) unveiled its 3rd annual Impact 40/120 index this week, a ranking of the 120 French startups most likely to become the next generation of "impact unicorns." The organization, which brings together business leaders committed to building a sustainable economy, published the index this year in partnership with Les Echos. The two-tiered list mirrors the government's Next 40/120 initiatives, which identify the most promising startups across sectors. According to the organizers, [the laureates in the latest batch](https://www.impactfrance.eco/impact-40-120-2026---laureats?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) have collectively raised €7.4 billion since inception, up 17.5% from the 2024 cohort. More than half (53%) now operate internationally. A full 51% have at least one woman on the founding team. And 36% are already profitable, a figure the sponsors hope will quietly demolish the old cliché that purpose-driven companies can't make money. [Read the story and view the full list](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/impact-40-120-2026-the-120-french-startups-building-the-future-of-climate-health-and-inclusive-growth/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Standing Ovation 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, ClimateTech, BioTech 🔍 Description: Standing Ovation is a French foodtech startup producing animal-free dairy proteins using precision fermentation. Its core innovation enables the production of casein—the key protein in milk—without livestock, allowing manufacturers to recreate dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and cream with identical functional properties while significantly reducing environmental impact. The company operates a B2B model, supplying food, nutrition, and future health/cosmetics players with sustainable protein ingredients. 💻 Website: [**Standing Ovation**](https://standing-ovation.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €25 million 🏦 Investors: Danone Ventures, Crédit Mutuel, Angelor, Bel Group, Bpifrance, Astanor, Seventure Partners, Good Startup, Big Idea Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Chayot, Yvan Chardonnens 🗞️ News: Standing Ovation raised €3oM in a Series B round, including €25 million in equity, to scale the industrial production and commercialization of its precision-fermented casein. The startup has secured U.S. “Self-GRAS” regulatory approval, enabling partners to begin integrating its protein into food products, with commercial launches expected in 2026\. Positioned ahead of many peers in the fermentation space, the company is entering the commercialization phase while preparing for regulatory approval in Europe. With applications spanning food, animal nutrition, cosmetics, and health, Standing Ovation targets a global protein market exceeding €600B by 2035 and aims to reach cost parity with traditional dairy proteins by 2030 through scale. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/on-va-ouvrir-la-voie-avec-standing-ovation-la-foodtech-reprend-des-couleurs-2224029?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/31/faire-du-lait-sans-vache-standing-ovation-leve-25-millions-pour-passer-a-lechelle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/paris-based-standing-ovation-raises-e30-million-to-produce-dairy-proteins-through-precision-fermentation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Generare 🏷️ Sectors: BioTech, AI & Machine Learning, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Generare is a French biotech startup leveraging AI and microbial genomics to discover new bioactive molecules for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and cosmetics. Its platform combines machine learning with cloning and sequencing technologies to explore previously untapped microbial diversity, generating novel molecular data that can unlock new therapeutic pathways and targets. The company operates upstream in the drug discovery value chain, supplying both data and physical molecules to industry players. 💻 Website: [**Generare**](https://generare.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Alven, daphni, Galion.exe, Teampact Ventures, Vives Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guillaume Vandenesch 🗞️ News: Generare raised €20M in a Series A round co-led by Alven and daphni to scale its AI-powered molecular discovery platform. Founded in 2023 and incubated at Hôpital Cochin, the startup has already identified over 200 novel small molecules by analyzing microbial genomes through cloning and sequencing technologies. Positioned as a data-generation layer for drug discovery, Generare aims to expand its proprietary molecular database to 2,000 molecules by 2027 and over 10,000 long term. The funding will support R&D, team expansion, and international growth, particularly in the U.S., as the company targets pharma, agrochemical, and cosmetics markets. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-generare-la-start-up-qui-veut-decouvrir-de-nouvelles-molecules-pour-les-humains-et-les-animaux-2224437?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/04/paris-based-generare-raises-e20-million-to-generate-novel-molecular-data-for-drug-development-from-microbial-genomes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: SCorp-io 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, PropTech, AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: SCorp-io is a French startup developing an intelligent building management system (BMS/GTB) for mid-sized tertiary buildings. Its solution combines plug-and-play hardware with AI-driven software to connect, model, and optimize existing building equipment. Through features such as digital twin creation, remote control, and automated energy optimization, the platform enables rapid deployment and delivers significant energy savings without requiring substantial infrastructure investment. 💻 Website: [**SCorp-io**](https://www.scorp-io.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Île-de-France Décarbonation Fund 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Romain Bardet, Cédric Godefroy, Bastien Robinot 🗞️ News: SCorp-io raised €5M to accelerate the deployment of its AI-powered building management solution targeting mid-sized commercial buildings—an under-equipped segment facing increasing regulatory and cost pressures. Founded in 2021, the company enables 20–40% energy savings with a reported six-month ROI by leveraging plug-and-play hardware, digital twin technology, and automated optimization. Already deployed across 250+ sites and serving 52 clients, SCorp-io has helped reduce energy consumption by 440 GWh and avoid 6,200 tonnes of CO₂ in 2025\. The funding will support product development, team expansion, and commercial scaling as demand for decarbonization solutions intensifies. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/scorp-io-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-decarbonation-des-batiments-intermediaires/461083?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 'We Didn’t Argue - We Showed Up': ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre Pushes Forward Despite Global Climate Fight Backlash URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/we-didnt-argue-we-showed-up-changenow-ceo-santiago-lefebvre-pushes-forward-despite-global-climate-fight-backlash/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T15:34:23.000Z ChangeNOW, the annual Paris-based gathering of international investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and corporations focused on accelerating solutions for the planet, has just wrapped its 9th edition As it closed on Wednesday after three days of conversations, deals, and encounters, I caught up with founder and CEO Santiago Lefebvre to reflect on this year’s edition. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and shifting priorities, the tone wasn’t one of optimism for its own sake, but of continuity and resilience. While the broader narrative may be evolving, the core ecosystem of changemakers is still moving, and the work hasn’t stopped. For Lefebvre, that is the real signal that lies loud and clear, beneath the noise. ### **Q: How many people gathered at this year’s ChangeNOW, and what does that say about momentum?** **SL:** At a time when climate ambition is facing political backlash and growing skepticism, at ChangeNOW, we didn’t try to argue louder. We just showed up. Around 40,000 people attended, which is consistent with last year. What’s new is the level of investor engagement. We had 1,400 investors, up again from last year, and a record for us. More broadly, even if there’s a slowdown in how climate and ESG are discussed, the ecosystem remains very active. Around 10,000 of our attendees were startups and companies building solutions. They’re not waiting for a change of context, they’re adapting and continuing. ### **Q: What themes stood out this year?** **SL:** We structured the program around three major dynamics. First, planetary limits. We’ve already crossed seven of the nine planetary boundaries, the scientific framework that defines the safe environmental limits within which humanity can operate without destabilizing the Earth's climate. That is only one part of a wider imbalance. Second, the pushback on climate and social issues. There’s more noise, more skepticism, but the underlying data hasn’t changed. The impacts are becoming increasingly visible, and the scientific facts are there. And third, geopolitics. In a more fragmented world, it’s easy to feel that change depends on political decisions. But what we see here suggests otherwise. Change often starts from the ground up, through people and organizations that decide to act regardless of the context. ### **What innovation trends emerged this week?** **SL:** There’s a clear focus on practical solutions. A lot of startups are working at the intersection of climate and sovereignty: energy, new materials, and supply chains. Circularity remains a strong theme, as does regenerative agriculture, where we’re seeing a growing community of startups. There’s also more activity around ocean tech and freshwater, which are becoming increasingly strategic resources. ### **Q: And what role is AI playing?** **SL:** AI is widely used, but contrary to the many generative AI tools we see being developed today, it's rarely the starting point. Here, AI is mostly an enabler within broader solutions. There’s also growing awareness of its environmental cost, particularly in terms of energy and water use. So the focus tends to be on solving the problem first and then deciding whether AI is the right tool. ### **Q: Is the impact agenda losing ground?** **SL:** The way we talk about it may be evolving, especially with defense and sovereignty becoming more prominent. But the fundamentals are still there. If anything, the current energy context highlights how dependent we remain on existing systems and fossil fuels, how vulnerable that makes us, and why alternatives are necessary. The level of investor interest we’re seeing also confirms that these solutions make real economic sense. ### **Q: What concrete outcomes have you seen from this year’s edition?** **SL:** We know from our data that 57% of startups generate their annual leads during ChangeNOW in just three days. This year, we also had 500 open roles through the job fair. And beyond the numbers, there are very tangible outcomes. For example, partnerships formed here last year led to a partnership that provided clean water to around 12,000 children in Uganda. ### **Q: Some critics say events like this are more about visibility than impact. What’s your response?** **SL:** The event itself is just the visible part. Behind it, the team works year-round to create the right connections between startups, investors, and corporates. During the three days, our focus is on facilitating those encounters. The objective isn’t visibility. It’s making things happen. ### **Q: What stood out for you personally this year?** **SL:** The emphasis on inclusion and accessibility. Our closing speaker, Olivier Goy, brought a powerful perspective on resilience and dignity in the face of illness and disability. It was an important reminder that innovation is not only about technology, but about the kind of society we want to build. ### **Q: And finally, what would need to change over the next year for you to call this a success?** **SL:** A shift in perception. There will always be skepticism, but today we already have clear scientific and economic evidence that climate action is both necessary and viable. The challenge is to make that more widely understood, to accentuate that message, and to keep people engaged. What this week shows is that many are already willing to stay committed and continue pushing forward. True change happens at the roots. ### Impact 40/120 2026: The 120 French Startups Building the Future of Climate, Health, and Inclusive Growth URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/impact-40-120-2026-the-120-french-startups-building-the-future-of-climate-health-and-inclusive-growth/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T21:18:39.000Z Impact France and Les Echos unveil their latest ranking of 120 high-growth French startups tackling society’s biggest challenges. The cohort has raised €7.4B, with over half operating globally and more than a third already profitable _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #70: Has Mistral AI Found Its Decacorn Playbook? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-70-has-mistral-ai-found-its-decacorn-playbook/ Last updated: 2026-04-01T10:51:21.000Z Mistral’s big spring leap forward; Aphasix tackles post-stroke recovery with AI; Parliament targets sexualised deepfakes; Alan buys ARO; and Europe backs defense AI. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Mistral AI's Big Spring: How Europe's Decacorn Started Acting Like One URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ais-big-spring-how-europes-decacorn-started-acting-like-one/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T11:30:58.000Z In a rapid-fire two months, Mistral AI has locked in Nvidia as a partner, secured $830M in debt to build its own data centers, and doubled down on sovereignty as a playbook. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Overlooked Post-Stroke Crisis: How Aphasix Is Rebuilding Speech with AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-overlooked-post-stroke-crisis-how-aphasix-is-rebuilding-speech-with-ai/ Last updated: 2026-04-01T09:01:08.000Z Aphasix is building an AI-powered platform to support aphasia recovery, a condition affecting 30% of stroke survivors. Working with therapists, it wants to bring structure, personalization, and measurable progress to a fragmented rehabilitation journey. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire March 30: F**cked Unicorns; Hynaero €117M Leads 10 Deals For €156.5M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-30-f-cked-unicorns-hynaero-eu117m-leads-10-deals-for-eu156-5m/ Last updated: 2026-03-30T10:38:00.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: F\*\*cked Unicorns Well, here comes Mr. Merry Sunshine Julien Petit, **founder of Mighty Nine**, a strategic advisory firm focused on helping founders navigate venture capital, with a rather blunt look at Europe's recent unicorn euphoria. And the TL;DR is c*e n’est pas bon, no es bueno, das ist nicht gut, non è buono, het is niet goed, it’s all gone a bit Pete Tong*. Dubbed "[State of the European Unicorns Ecosystem](https://mightynine.co/state-of-the-european-unicorns-ecosystem?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)," the 110-page report measures the **change in valuations** of Europe's 199 unicorns and concludes that 60 of them are no longer worthy of the name. Petit uses a mark-to-market (MTM) methodology, comparing each company’s last-round valuation to a newly estimated current valuation. He calculates the current valuation based on revenue data from a triangulation of third-party databases, filings, media reports, and company disclosures, often producing estimates rather than hard figures, which are then standardized and used as the basis for recalculations. In summary, this mainly matters for the UK, Germany, and France (37). While Europe's 199 unicorns raised €103.8 billion in venture capital, those three countries account for 62% of that total. And within that, it's often a handful of companies. So, it wouldn't take much for some of the systems to really take a giant punch in the lower extremities. (One interesting bit of trivia: Petit tracks "brain drain" in terms of unicorns who have moved their HQs to the U.S. France has the highest rate with 9 of 37 unicorns, 24%, relocated to the US. Yowch.) In the bigger scheme of things, the problem was the pandemic-post-pandemic era, which left companies with distorted valuations they couldn't deliver. On their income statements, they may be okay, but they are nowhere near the growth that would justify the valuations. Before we get to the bad, let's celebrate the good. France has one unicorn in the Top 10 in terms of valuation INCREASE: **Exotec.** According to Petit, its valuation has increased to €4.0B from €1.8B. Now, on to the grim... France ranks No. 2 on the **F\*\*cked Unicorn Leaderboard** with 10 of 37: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/unicorns-dead.png) So, whose nose has been bloodied? Well, here is Petit's list. Note: **“Under Pressure”** companies are those whose current mark-to-market valuation has fallen significantly below their last funding round (typically retaining around 40% of their value), while “Distressed” companies have experienced a near-total collapse in value, often retaining only a small fraction (around 5%) of their last-round valuation. And the Biggest Loser is: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/France-unicorns-rip.png) It's worth emphasizing again: This analysis does not imply that these companies are necessarily on the verge of insolvency or bankruptcy, though Petit does monitor press signals, such as reports of layoffs, downsizing, restructuring, etc. That's a whole 'nother thang. Instead, the primary impact falls on investors who overpaid at the peak, with knock-on effects for founders and employees as lower valuations make future fundraising and equity outcomes more challenging. Which is like a major bummer, *c’est dommage, qué pena, schade, che peccato, jammer, absolute pony and trap, mate*. [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/logo-15.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Paris Blockchain Week 2026 marks a clear shift toward an institutional-first approach.** Taking place on ****April 15–16 in Paris**, the event focuses on ****how digital assets are being integrated into regulated financial systems**, with discussions centered on ****adoption, market structure, custody, compliance, and financial infrastructure**. Hosted at the ****Carrousel du Louvre**, with an ****invitation-only gathering at the Château de Versailles**, Paris Blockchain Week convenes ****senior decision-makers from finance, regulation, and market infrastructure**, positioning digital assets ****within existing financial systems rather than alongside them**. Confirmed participants and partners include ****S&P Global, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Invesco, the European Commission, Circle, Ripple, Cardano, and Bybit**, reflecting the ****growing institutional involvement in digital assets across Europe and beyond**. ****Learn more about the agenda and participation opportunities at Paris Blockchain Week 2026.** ****And use this code to get a 15% discount: FTJ-PBW15.** [Get your ticket ](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: March 27 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/top-deals-march-27.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/sectors-march-27.png) --- 📇 Company: Hynaero 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech & Aerospace, ClimateTech, DefenseTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Hynaero is a French aerospace startup developing next-generation amphibious water bomber aircraft designed specifically for wildfire suppression. Its flagship program, the Fregate-F100, aims to deliver a high-capacity, purpose-built aerial firefighting platform with enhanced operational performance, safety, and mission systems. Unlike legacy aircraft adapted from other uses, Hynaero is building a dedicated solution to address the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires while strengthening European industrial sovereignty in specialized aviation. 💻 Website: [**Hynaero**](https://hynaero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bordeaux 🧗 Round: Seed, Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €117M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, la Région Sud 👨💼👩💼 Founders: David Pincet 🗞️ News: Hynaero raised €117M in a combined Seed and Series A round led by Bpifrance with participation from Région Sud and an undisclosed investor to advance the development of its Fregate-F100 amphibious firefighting aircraft. The equity financing will fund the Concept and Preliminary Design phases, support industrial structuring in France, and scale engineering teams ahead of a planned Preliminary Design Review in 2028\. Founded in 2023 and incubated by Bordeaux Technowest, Hynaero is positioning itself as a sovereign European alternative in aerial firefighting, addressing aging fleets and increasing wildfire risk. The round brings total project funding to over €125M, including €7M in France2030 grants. | [**PR**](https://hynaero.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Communique-de-Presse-Press-Release-Hynaero-Seed-A-Series-fundraising-22032026.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Leviathan Dynamics 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Leviathan Dynamics is a French deeptech startup developing decarbonized cooling and industrial water treatment solutions based on a patented vacuum compressor technology. Its products include Turbevap, a low-temperature evaporative concentrator that enables industrial wastewater recycling, and Golgoth, a next-generation cooling and heating system that replaces fluorinated gases with water, reducing energy consumption and emissions while enabling dual heating/cooling functionality. 💻 Website: [Leviathan Dynamics](https://leviathan-dynamics.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: La Courneuve 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €8.2M 🏦 Investors: Keenest, Banque des Territoires, daphni, Team For The Planet 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Naoufel Menadi 🗞️ News: Leviathan Dynamics raised €8.2M to scale its decarbonized cooling and industrial water treatment technologies and opened its first 1,000 m² factory in La Courneuve to industrialize production. The company’s Turbevap system is already generating commercial traction with industrial clients such as Michelin and UPSA, while its Golgoth solution aims to disrupt cooling systems by eliminating fluorinated gases and reducing energy consumption by up to 30%. Positioned at the intersection of climate tech and industrial sovereignty, Leviathan benefits from strong regulatory tailwinds, including the EU F-Gas phase-out and France’s water reuse strategy. The funding will support industrial scale-up, hiring, and continued product development ahead of a planned commercial launch of its cooling systems in 2027\. | [**Banque des Territoires**](https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/leviathan-dynamics-leve-82-meu-et-ouvre-sa-premiere-usine-la-courneuve-pour-produire-du-froid-sans?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: EGIDE 🏷️ Sectors: DefenseTech, DeepTech, AI & MachineLearning 🔍 Description: EGIDE is a French defence technology startup developing next-generation, cost-efficient defence systems to counter the growing threat of low-cost drones and strike munitions. The company is building electrically propelled interceptors and Mystique, a hardware-agnostic software platform that integrates distributed sensors, AI-driven detection, and layered interception systems across air, ground, and maritime domains. Its approach enables scalable, modular, and rapidly adaptable defence capabilities tailored to modern warfare and the protection of critical infrastructure. 💻 Website: [**EGIDE**](https://www.egide-tech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €8M 🏦 Investors: Expeditions, Eurazeo, Heartcore Capital, Galion.exe, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Simon Calonne, Florian Audigier 🗞️ News: EGIDE raised €8M in a seed round co-led by Expeditions, Eurazeo, and Heartcore Capital to accelerate the development of affordable, scalable defence systems amid rising geopolitical tensions and the proliferation of low-cost drones. Founded in 2025 by former MBDA engineers, the company is developing electrically-propelled interceptors and its Mystique platform to enable AI-driven, multi-domain defence operations. The funding will support product development and the expansion of a pan-European engineering team, positioning EGIDE as a key player in rebuilding Europe’s defence capabilities with a new generation of cost-effective, adaptable systems. | [**PR**](https://www.egide-tech.com/post/egide-raises-8m-seed-round-led-by-expeditions-eurazeo-and-heartcore-capital-to-develop-next-gener?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: DiappyMed 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: DiappyMed is a French medtech startup developing digital solutions to personalise diabetes treatment. Its flagship product, EkiYou, is a digital therapeutic app that calculates personalised insulin doses based on meals, physical activity, and blood glucose levels. Powered by an external algorithm, the solution acts as a “pocket diabetologist,” helping patients reduce cognitive burden while improving daily disease management. The company also developed EkiYou Carbs, a carbohydrate-counting app co-built with Montpellier University Hospital. 💻 Website: [**DiappyMed**](https://diappymed.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Ventech, AFI Ventures, Sofilaro, IRDI Capital Investissement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Omar Diouri, Coralie Lefevre, Youssef Raqui 🗞️ News: DiappyMed raised €5M in a seed round led by Ventech and AFI Ventures to accelerate the deployment of its diabetes digital therapeutic solutions. Alongside the funding, the company secured a strategic partnership with Sanofi to support the rollout of EkiYou, its insulin-dosing app, and to increase adoption among healthcare professionals and patients. Founded in 2021, the Montpellier-based startup aims to secure reimbursement from the French healthcare system in 2026\. The funding will support team expansion, R&D, and training initiatives, as the company positions itself within a rapidly growing ecosystem of diabetes care innovation driven by the recent reimbursement of remote monitoring solutions in France. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/23/diappymed-prend-son-envol-avec-ventech-et-sanofi-pour-mieux-traiter-le-diabete/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Bitstack 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, Web3 🔍 Description: Bitstack is a French fintech app enabling users to save and invest in Bitcoin through automated and user-friendly mechanisms such as rounding up everyday purchases. Positioned as a regulated and accessible crypto savings platform, Bitstack allows individuals to build long-term Bitcoin exposure with recurring investment plans, targeting mainstream adoption of digital assets across Europe. 💻 Website: [**Bitstack**](https://www.bitstack-app.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €3.9M 🏦 Investors: 8,000+ retail investors via Crowdcube 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Roubaud, Kabir Sethi 🗞️ News: Bitstack raised $4.5M through a crowdequity campaign on Crowdcube, attracting over 8,000 retail investors—setting a European record for the number of participants in such an operation. Initially targeting $2M, the round was oversubscribed with $26M in demand from more than 25,000 registered participants. Investors accessed the same valuation terms as Bitstack’s $15M Series A, which closed in December 2025, led by 13books Capital. With over 300,000 users and €300M saved in Bitcoin, the company will use the funds to expand across Europe, launch a euro account with IBAN and a Visa debit card offering Bitcoin cashback, and scale hiring. | [**Finyear**](https://finyear.com/bitstack-leve-45-millions-de-dollars-aupres-de-8-000-investisseurs-particuliers-un-record-europeen-de-crowdequity?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Drinkee 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, E-Commerce & Retail 🔍 Description: Drinkee is a French startup developing connected self-service beverage solutions for large-scale events and venues. Its technology enables attendees to serve themselves autonomously in a controlled and seamless way, reducing queues, minimizing waste, and increasing operational efficiency and margins for event organizers. The platform is designed for high-traffic environments such as festivals, stadiums, and concert venues. 💻 Website: [Drinkee](https://www.drinkee.io/fr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Évry 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.4M 🏦 Investors: Provence Angels, Arts & Métiers Business Angels, Force Business Angels, TRAIL Capital, Epsilon Value, RP & Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hippolyte Taliercio, Léo Siara, Adrien Germain 🗞️ News: Drinkee raised €3.4M with participation from multiple France Angels networks and institutional investors to scale its connected self-service beverage solution across Europe. Already deployed across 70+ festivals and 25 major venues—including Solidays, Hellfest, Garorock, Stade de France, and Wimbledon—the startup aims to accelerate commercial expansion, hire talent, and launch the next generation of its platform. Positioned at the intersection of event operations and automation, Drinkee is targeting the transformation of food & beverage distribution in high-density environments. | [**France Angels**](https://www.franceangels.org/article/drinkee-leve-des-fonds-aupres-de-business-angels/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Piston 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Piston is building an “Agentic ERP” designed for mid-market companies operating in physical industries. Unlike traditional ERP systems, Piston leverages AI to enable rapid deployment without requiring fully structured data upfront and introduces autonomous execution capabilities across operations such as quoting, order management, inventory tracking, and logistics. The platform replaces passive ERP databases with intelligent systems that actively manage workflows, automate back-office tasks, and adapt dynamically to business processes. 💻 Website: [Piston](https://pistonhq.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: daphni, Drysdale Ventures, OVNI Capital, Motier Ventures, Kima Ventures, Arthur Waller, Alexandre Ducoeur Martins, Cedric Sellin, Flavien Kulawik, Eric Fourrier 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Eric Lacaille, Florian Bachelot 🗞️ News: Piston raised €3M in a seed round led by daphni to develop the first “Agentic ERP” for mid-market companies in physical industries. The startup aims to solve longstanding ERP challenges—slow deployment and lack of automation—by building AI-native systems capable of learning from imperfect data and autonomously executing operational workflows. Positioned as an alternative to both legacy enterprise suites and fragmented tool stacks, Piston targets companies managing complex operations across production, inventory, and logistics. The funding will support product development and team expansion as the company seeks to define a new category of AI-powered enterprise software. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pistonhq%5Fwe-just-raised-3m-seed-led-by-daphni-to-activity-7442848021702303744-hQa8?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: K-Motors 🏷️ Sectors: DeepTech, CleanTech, Mobility & Transportation 🔍 Description: K-Motors is a French DeepTech company developing high-power electronic switching systems for electric mobility. Its core innovation, the PowerSwitcher, is an integrated module that replaces multiple traditional components (contactors, fuses, sensors) to improve battery protection, reliability, and energy efficiency. The technology also enables intelligent hybridisation of multiple energy sources within electric vehicles, enhancing performance and extending battery lifespan. 💻 Website: [**K-Motors**](https://www.kmotors.tech/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Peynier 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Kyocera Ventures, Région Sud Investissement, LCL, Société Générale, CEPAC 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Nelson Lukes 🗞️ News: K-Motors raised €5M to transition from proof-of-concept to pre-industrial scale and begin deploying its PowerSwitcher technology for electric vehicles. The round includes €3M in equity and €2M in debt, with backing from Bpifrance, Kyocera Ventures, and regional financial institutions, reinforcing both its industrial and strategic positioning in France. The company has already secured pilot programs with OEMs and signed its first U.S. contracts in 2025\. The funding will support industrialisation, initial client production in 2026, and commercial expansion across Europe and the U.S., as K-Motors aims to become a key player in next-generation electric mobility infrastructure. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bpifrance-via-son-fonds-bpifrance-amorcage-industriel-kyocera-ventures-region-sud-investissement-lcl-societe-generale-et-cepac-accompagnent-k-motors-dans-sa-nouvelle-etape-de-croissance/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Nabu 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Nabu is a French startup developing an AI-powered platform to automate customs declarations and streamline cross-border trade operations. Its technology transforms shipping documents and client instructions into ready-to-submit customs filings, reducing manual workload and improving efficiency across the logistics chain. The platform aims to modernize a largely underserved and outdated segment of international trade infrastructure. 💻 Website: [**Nabu**](https://www.nabu.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Strasbourg 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Getlink, Maersk Growth, InvestorX, Team Ignite Ventures, Techstars 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arnaud Doly 🗞️ News: Nabu raised €3M in a round led by Getlink, which acquired a 24.9% stake via its subsidiary Getlink Services. Existing investors, including Maersk Growth, also participated. Founded in 2022, Nabu is building an AI-driven platform to automate customs processes, a historically under-digitized segment of global trade. Already deployed within Getlink’s operations, the solution reduces manual processing and accelerates logistics workflows. The funding will support product expansion, new features, and international growth across Europe, with plans to enter Germany and the UK next. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nabu-io%5Fnabu-l%C3%A8ve-3-millions-deuros-nous-construisons-activity-7443326836056645633-TH%5Fh?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: MindDay 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech 🔍 Description: MindDay is a French mental health app built on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles, offering over 60 guided programs and 300+ interactive sessions addressing stress, anxiety, sleep, depression, and relationships. Designed with clinical input, the platform positions itself as an accessible, scientifically grounded daily mental health companion. Increasingly, MindDay operates through a B2B2C model, integrating into insurance and employer ecosystems to deliver preventive mental health services at scale. 💻 Website: [**MindDay**](http://mindday.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Impactivist, INCO, Mutuelles Impact, XAnge 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Boris Pourreau 🗞️ News: MindDay raised €2M to accelerate its shift toward a distribution-led growth strategy focused on partnerships with insurers and mutuals. The company recently integrated Santéclair’s ecosystem, giving it access to nearly 10 million insured users via partners such as Allianz, MAAF, MMA, and GMF. With nearly 2 million downloads and 50,000 paying subscribers, MindDay is positioning itself as a key player in the evolving mental health app market, where growth increasingly depends on embedding solutions into healthcare and insurance infrastructures rather than direct-to-consumer acquisition. The funding will also support international expansion, starting with a full English-language launch targeting North America. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/mindday-leve-2-millions-deuros-et-sappuie-sur-les-mutuelles-pour-structurer-sa-croissance/460933?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Can an Insider Help Nabla Disrupt French Healthcare with AI? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-can-an-insider-help-nabla-disrupt-french-healthcare-with-ai/ Last updated: 2026-03-27T12:26:14.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Laurie Soffiati joined French AI HealthTech Nabla earlier this year just as it gained international attention through its close ties to Yann LeCun’s AMI, one of the most ambitious AI research labs. A former government insider, she's now Nabla's Director of France, leading an unusual charge for a French startup. Nabla has succeeded primarily in the U.S. Now it's trying to win over its home market. Soffiati, who formerly worked for the national health care system, joins at a pivotal moment in the shift toward next-generation, agentic healthcare systems. But also, just as the company has been thrown into the global spotlight. [**Read the interview and profile.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-french-government-insider-to-ai-disruptor-why-laurie-soffiati-bet-on-nabla-after-calling-healthtech-ineffective/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/logo-15.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ****Paris Blockchain Week 2026 marks a clear shift toward an institutional-first approach.** Taking place on ****April 15–16 in Paris**, the event focuses on ****how digital assets are being integrated into regulated financial systems**, with discussions centered on ****adoption, market structure, custody, compliance, and financial infrastructure**. Hosted at the ****Carrousel du Louvre**, with an ****invitation-only gathering at the Château de Versailles**, Paris Blockchain Week convenes ****senior decision-makers from finance, regulation, and market infrastructure**, positioning digital assets ****within existing financial systems rather than alongside them**. Confirmed participants and partners include ****S&P Global, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Invesco, the European Commission, Circle, Ripple, Cardano, and Bybit**, reflecting the ****growing institutional involvement in digital assets across Europe and beyond**. ****Learn more about the agenda and participation opportunities at Paris Blockchain Week 2026\. And use this code to get a 15% discount:** FTJ-PBW15. [Get your ticket ](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/tickets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🇪🇺💰 **Europe is (finally) putting serious money on the table.** Brussels wants to mobilise €15B to fund tech champions and scale-ups, with up to €200M per fund. The diagnosis is clear: Europe builds startups, but struggles to scale them. Now comes the hard part: deploying that capital fast — and effectively. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/leurope-veut-mobiliser-15-milliards-pour-financer-les-champions-europeens-de-la-tech-2222971?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/26/leurope-veut-investir-jusqua-200-millions-deuros-par-fonds-pour-soutenir-les-licornes-europeennes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺🪖 **Europe is going full defense mode - with startups in the mix.** Brussels, it seems, is splashing the cash on the defence front and rolling out a two-track strategy: €15B in cheap loans to boost military spending, *and* a new €115M “Agile” programme to fund defence startups. The goal is clear: move faster, produce faster, and get technologies like AI and drones from lab to field in as little as 1–3 years. Less bureaucracy, shorter funding cycles (under 4 months), and a shift away from relying on a handful of legacy contractors. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/25/lue-veut-aider-la-tech-a-innover-dans-la-defense/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/europe/15-milliards-deuros-pour-larmee-francaise-feu-vert-de-bruxelles-pour-le-pret-a-taux-preferentiel-2223007?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷🔬 And as regards French funding, **Paris is currently leading the deeptech financing race… but with US backing.** The French capital tops European deeptech funding, but still depends heavily on American investors... Strategic autonomy? No, not quite. Meanwhile, 360 Capital has just closed an €85M deep tech fund to help keep local momentum alive. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/26/deeptech-paris-prend-la-tete-du-financement-en-europe-mais-reste-dependante-des-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷🛡️ **Cybersecurity: all know the risk, few are ready.** 80% of French companies admit they’re unprepared for cyberattacks — just as cybercrime scales like a proper industry. AI is boosting both sides… but attackers seem to be moving faster. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/cyberattaques-80-des-entreprises-francaises-admettent-ne-pas-etre-pretes-alors-que-la-menace-sindustrialise.B6LX43PRANAH7K4LYBFQG437WQ.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚠️📱 Speaking of hacking, it just got a lot more accessible for those who fancy a bit of digital DIY crime. **Two iPhone hacking kits - Coruna and Darksword - have been leaked online,** potentially exposing millions of devices. Cybercrime is now modular, scalable, and dangerously easy to use...coming soon to an iPhone near you. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/des-centaines-de-millions-diphones-menaces-les-kits-de-piratage-coruna-et-darksword-ont-fuite-en-ligne.PHPL6VEBKVCW7CGCVAFBSVCHWI.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏢📉 **Mirakl calls time on remote work.** From 3 days Work from home or anywhere to just one. The unicorn wants its “collective energy” back. Translation: offices weren’t *that* dead after all. Bonus: AI-driven reorgs are coming, with roles set to evolve fast. Back to the office.. or else?| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-moins-de-teletravail-chez-mirakl-un-acteur-du-velo-en-difficulte-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2223093?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚲⚡ **The e-bike boom hits a wall.** Mobility startup Loewi has just entered judicial restructuring, joining a growing list of struggling players post-COVID. Demand slowed, costs stayed high - turns out not every green wave lasts. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-moins-de-teletravail-chez-mirakl-un-acteur-du-velo-en-difficulte-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2223093?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺🌍 **European founders are staying home.** Is Silicon Valley's magical pull now weakening? That is Balderton DG, Bernard Lieutaud's *avis.* According to this investor, more entrepreneurs now want to build global companies *from Europe* rather than move to the US. A real shift in mindset, wishful thinking - or just a better local ecosystem? Maybe all of the above. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ils-sont-fiers-detre-europeens-les-startupers-veulent-conquerir-le-monde-sans-quitter-leur-pays-selon-le-fonds-balderton-2222836%60?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **💰**💼 **Another VC goes solo.** Speaking of Balderton, rumour has it that investor Zoe Mohl is leaving the British-grown VC after three years to launch her own fund - joining the growing ranks of “solo GPs” betting on smaller, more agile setups. No details yet, but the trend is clear: fewer big firms, more personal brands in European VC. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-moins-de-teletravail-chez-mirakl-un-acteur-du-velo-en-difficulte-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2223093?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏭🌱 **Climate tech gets industrial.** Leviathan Dynamics opens its first factory to decarbonize industrial heat. Fewer slide decks, more actual infrastructure - Europe’s transition is getting tangible. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/decarbonation-de-lindustrie-la-start-up-leviathan-dynamics-ouvre-sa-premiere-usine-2222613?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # From French Government Insider to AI Disruptor: Why Laurie Soffiati Bet on Nabla After Calling HealthTech 'Ineffective' [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/IMG_3018--1---1--1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-french-government-insider-to-ai-disruptor-why-laurie-soffiati-bet-on-nabla-after-calling-healthtech-ineffective/) Laurie Soffiati : the new face of Nabla At first glance, [**Laurie Soffiati**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-soffiati-25b956254/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) may not appear to have the resume of someone tapped to play a key role at a French AI healthtech startup that has been thrown into the global spotlight. A graduate of France’s elite public administration school, ENA, and former head of digital health at France’s national healthcare system, ***l'Assurance Maladie***, she has a background on paper that screams establishment and insider. Certainly, it's not the profile of someone preparing to join the wave of companies trying to disrupt the system. And yet, after three years evaluating digital health tools from inside, she came to a blunt conclusion: “Many of the health tech products I saw were not actually that effective.” And so, in January, she left behind the life of a French civil servant to become Managing Director of France for [**Nabla**](https://nabla.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the Paris-based startup that has developed an AI assistant for clinicians that automates documentation, coding, and EHR workflows in real time, evolving into an adaptive, agentic platform that supports care delivery across settings. **Soffiati** is betting that AI is now finally ready to deliver on healthtech’s long-standing promises. While she may be taking on this challenge at a pivotal moment in the evolution of AI, she is also joining the company just as it garnered international attention thanks to its association with [**AMI Labs, the Paris-based world models startup that recently raised a €890B Seed Round**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecuns-ami-labs-launches-with-1-03-billion-to-build-ai-that-understands-the-real-world/). Through partnerships, founders, and funding, the two companies share an unusually close pedigree, which has given Nabla's profile a sudden boost, with all the recognition and scrutiny that comes with it. [Go inside Nabla's efforts to win the French market](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-french-government-insider-to-ai-disruptor-why-laurie-soffiati-bet-on-nabla-after-calling-healthtech-ineffective/) --- 📇 Company: Hynaero 🏷️ Sectors: Aerospace, ClimateTech, DefenseTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Hynaero is a French aerospace startup developing next-generation amphibious water bomber aircraft designed specifically for wildfire suppression. Its flagship program, the Fregate-F100, aims to deliver a high-capacity, purpose-built aerial firefighting platform with enhanced operational performance, safety, and mission systems. Unlike legacy aircraft adapted from other uses, Hynaero is building a dedicated solution to address the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires while strengthening European industrial sovereignty in specialized aviation. 💻 Website: [**Hynaero**](https://hynaero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bordeaux 🧗 Round: Seed + Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €117M 🏦 Investors: N/A 👨💼👩💼 Founders: David Pincet 🗞️ News: Hynaero raised €117M in a combined Seed and Series A round led by Bpifrance with participation from Région Sud and an undisclosed investor to advance the development of its Fregate-F100 amphibious firefighting aircraft. The equity financing will fund the Concept and Preliminary Design phases, support industrial structuring in France, and scale engineering teams ahead of a planned Preliminary Design Review in 2028\. Founded in 2023 and incubated by Bordeaux Technowest, Hynaero is positioning itself as a sovereign European alternative in aerial firefighting, addressing aging fleets and increasing wildfire risk. The round brings total project funding to over €125M, including €7M in France2030 grants. | [**PR**](https://hynaero.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Communique-de-Presse-Press-Release-Hynaero-Seed-A-Series-fundraising-22032026.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: EGIDE 🏷️ Sectors: DefenseTech, DeepTech, AI & MachineLearning 🔍 Description: EGIDE is a French defence technology startup developing next-generation, cost-efficient defence systems to counter the growing threat of low-cost drones and strike munitions. The company is building electrically propelled interceptors and Mystique, a hardware-agnostic software platform that integrates distributed sensors, AI-driven detection, and layered interception systems across air, ground, and maritime domains. Its approach enables scalable, modular, and rapidly adaptable defence capabilities tailored to modern warfare and the protection of critical infrastructure. 💻 Website: [**EGIDE**](https://www.egide-tech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €8M 🏦 Investors: Expeditions, Eurazeo, Heartcore Capital, Galion.exe, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Simon Calonne, Florian Audigier 🗞️ News: EGIDE raised €8M in a seed round co-led by Expeditions, Eurazeo, and Heartcore Capital to accelerate the development of affordable, scalable defence systems amid rising geopolitical tensions and the proliferation of low-cost drones. Founded in 2025 by former MBDA engineers, the company is developing electrically-propelled interceptors and its Mystique platform to enable AI-driven, multi-domain defence operations. The funding will support product development and the expansion of a pan-European engineering team, positioning EGIDE as a key player in rebuilding Europe’s defence capabilities with a new generation of cost-effective, adaptable systems. | [**PR**](https://www.egide-tech.com/post/egide-raises-8m-seed-round-led-by-expeditions-eurazeo-and-heartcore-capital-to-develop-next-gener?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: DiappyMed 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: DiappyMed is a French medtech startup developing digital solutions to personalise diabetes treatment. Its flagship product, EkiYou, is a digital therapeutic app that calculates personalised insulin doses based on meals, physical activity, and blood glucose levels. Powered by an external algorithm, the solution acts as a “pocket diabetologist,” helping patients reduce cognitive burden while improving daily disease management. The company also developed EkiYou Carbs, a carbohydrate-counting app co-built with Montpellier University Hospital. 💻 Website: [**DiappyMed**](https://diappymed.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Ventech, AFI Ventures, Sofilaro, IRDI Capital Investissement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Omar Diouri, Coralie Lefevre, Youssef Raqui 🗞️ News: DiappyMed raised €5M in a seed round led by Ventech and AFI Ventures to accelerate the deployment of its diabetes digital therapeutic solutions. Alongside the funding, the company secured a strategic partnership with Sanofi to support the rollout of EkiYou, its insulin-dosing app, and to increase adoption among healthcare professionals and patients. Founded in 2021, the Montpellier-based startup aims to secure reimbursement from the French healthcare system in 2026\. The funding will support team expansion, R&D, and training initiatives, as the company positions itself within a rapidly growing ecosystem of diabetes care innovation driven by the recent reimbursement of remote monitoring solutions in France. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/23/diappymed-prend-son-envol-avec-ventech-et-sanofi-pour-mieux-traiter-le-diabete/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From French Government Insider to AI Disruptor: Why Laurie Soffiati Bet on Nabla After Calling HealthTech 'Ineffective' URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-french-government-insider-to-ai-disruptor-why-laurie-soffiati-bet-on-nabla-after-calling-healthtech-ineffective/ Last updated: 2026-03-30T09:10:38.000Z As Nabla gains international attention through its close ties to Yann LeCun’s AMI, one of the most ambitious AI research labs, Soffiati joins at a pivotal moment in the shift toward next-generation, agentic healthcare systems. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #69: Meet Europe's New AI Bill Collector URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-69-meet-europes-new-ai-bill-collector/ Last updated: 2026-03-31T19:48:00.000Z Cleavr believes it can fix Europe's late-payment problem. Paris elects a mayor who wants to build an AI Station F; Mistral AI isn't making friends with other AI companies by suggesting fees for content; AI isn't doing much for the economy; And French prosectors say Elon Musk has been a naughty boy. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Europe’s €1 Trillion Late Payment Problem Is Getting Worse - Cleavr Thinks AI Can Fix It URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-eu1-trillion-late-payment-problem-is-getting-worse-cleavr-thinks-ai-can-fix-it/ Last updated: 2026-03-25T06:58:27.000Z Late payments are quietly rising again across Europe, with delays worsening despite fewer offenders. Paris-based Cleavr just raised €1M to automate collections, cut delays by up to 40%, and fix one of finance’s most persistent inefficiencies. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire March 23: Debt Funding Hit €15.9B In 2025; Cryptio €39M Led 13 Deals For €96.1M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-23-debt-funding-hit-eu15-9b-in-2025-cryptio-eu39m-led-13-deals-for-eu96-1m/ Last updated: 2026-03-23T08:54:02.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: In Your Debt Private debt is back in France, baby! Not to fuel the next wave of startups, but to quietly clean up the last one. Private debt is the unsexy cousin of venture capital. Instead of buying equity, funds lend money to companies. In the French tech ecosystem, that usually kicks in **post-Series B and beyond,** when startups are no longer scrappy but well short of the mythical exit. Think growth financing, acquisition funding, or simply extending runway without diluting founders. Basically, a lifeline. [**According to the latest study by France Invest and Deloitte**](https://www.franceinvest.eu/activite-des-fonds-de-dette-privee-en-france-en-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), €15.9B was deployed across 379 deals, up 25% in value and 20% in deal volume compared to 2024\. Meanwhile, €14.8B was raised in 2025, an increase of 74% from 2024\. Which means while VC funding may be mortally wounded and lies bleeding to death in the street while onlookers ignore the body and go about their day, there’s suddenly a lot more non-dilutive capital sloshing around. Alas, poor Yorick, this isn’t fueling a new wave of hypergrowth. The main purpose is refinancing, accounting for 42% of invested amounts. In other words, companies (and their PE backers) are extending existing debt rather than rushing into new expansion bets. For now, those lenders are hoping that this strategy will keep these startups alive and that when it comes to this debt, they'll turn out to be, well, like the Lannisters. ![](https://media.tenor.com/LhTAL_m_UVEAAAAC/tyrion-lannister-peter-dinklage.gif) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/dette-1.png) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/PSW-Carrousel-2-copy.png)](https://www.techinnov.events/?utm%5Fsource=Techinnov&utm%5Fmedium=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fcampaign=Techinnov) Meet hundreds of startups, corporations, and investors at the Techinnov event, the business convention organized by the CCI Essonne and Paris Île-de-France, on March 24, 2026, at the Parc Floral in Paris. [Register now! ](https://www.techinnov.events/?utm%5Fsource=Techinnov&utm%5Fmedium=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fcampaign=Techinnov) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: March 20 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/top-deals-march-20.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/top-sectors-March-20.png) --- 📇 Company: Cryptio 🏷️ Sectors: Web3, FinTech 🔍 Description: Financial infrastructure platform providing a data layer and ERP-grade applications for digital assets, enabling institutions to reconcile on-chain and off-chain data into audit-ready financial records and manage accounting, treasury, lending, and compliance workflows. 💻 Website: [**Cryptio**](https://cryptio.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €38.8M 🏦 Investors: BlackFin Capital Partners, Sentinel Global, 1kx, Alven, BlueYard Capital, Ledger Cathay Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Antoine Scalia 🗞️ News: Cryptio raised $45M in Series B to expand its data transformation and ERP platform for regulated digital assets, aiming to become the financial system of record for tokenized finance as institutions scale operations across stablecoins, tokenized securities, and blockchain-based capital markets. | [**Cryptio**](https://blog.cryptio.co/cryptio-raises-45m-series-b-to-build-data-transformation-and-erp-platform-for-regulated-digital-assets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Coindesk**](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/12/crypto-accounting-firm-cryptio-raises-usd45-million-in-series-b-funding-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Parallel 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Parallel develops AI agents that automate administrative workflows in hospitals, starting with medical coding and expanding to billing and admissions, integrating directly into hospital software systems. 💻 Website: [**Parallel**](https://www.beparallel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €17.3M 🏦 Investors: Index Ventures, Frst, Y Combinator, Hexa, Arthur Mensch, Félix Blossier, Quentin de Metz, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Paul Lafforgue, Thomas Sohet 🗞️ News: Parallel has raised $20M in Series A funding to scale its AI agents designed to automate administrative tasks in healthcare institutions. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from existing investor Frst, Y Combinator, Hexa, and several prominent angel investors, including Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI). Originally launched in 2023 as Kiosk, the company pivoted to healthcare in 2024 and now focuses first on medical coding—a critical, time-intensive process tied to 60–80% of hospital revenues. Its AI agents can be deployed within weeks, significantly faster than traditional software integrations. Already live in around 40 hospitals, Parallel plans to expand into billing and admissions workflows, grow its team by \~30 hires in 2026, and scale across Europe and the US. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/19/y-combinator-hexa-et-arthur-mensch-mistral-ai-investissent-dans-les-agents-ia-de-parallel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/index-parallel-20m-series-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pourquoi-index-ventures-parie-sur-parallel-qui-leve-17-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-ladministration-hospitaliere-par-lia/460868?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2026/03/19/parallel-raises-20m-to-scale-ai-solutions-for-hospital-administration/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Enersweet 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, PropTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Enersweet develops software and digital solutions to support the energy transition of buildings, combining regulatory compliance tools, energy management systems, and a buy-and-build strategy to consolidate a fragmented market. 💻 Website: [**Enersweet**](https://www.enersweet.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Ring Capital, Zencap Asset Management, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Mickaël Cabrol 🗞️ News: Enersweet has raised €45M, including €30M in debt, to accelerate its buy-and-build strategy in the building energy transition market. The round includes equity investment from Ring Capital and debt financing from Zencap Asset Management and Bpifrance, replacing Pictet Asset Management. Founded in 2022, the company has rapidly scaled through five acquisitions, reaching 85 employees, 7,000 clients, and over €10M in revenue by 2025\. Enersweet operates across two main segments: software for real estate diagnostics and engineering firms, and regulatory compliance plus energy management solutions for building operators. The new funding will support continued M&A (targeting 2–3 acquisitions per year) and expansion into adjacent areas, including air quality, waste management, and maintenance systems. The company aims to deploy €100M by 2030 and position itself as a leading platform for building decarbonization, driven by increasing regulatory pressure, such as France’s “décret tertiaire.” | [**Finyear**](https://finyear.com/enersweet-leve-45-millions-deuros-et-accueille-ring-capital?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/ile-de-france/enersweet-accelere-dans-le-diagnostic-energetique-2221078?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: [**Lupin & Holmes**](https://www.landh.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏷️ Sectors: Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Lupin & Holmes develops Depi, a platform that maps real-world attack paths across software systems by analyzing how multiple vulnerabilities can be combined, shifting security from static detection to dynamic exploitation modeling. 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.4M 🏦 Investors: 20VC, Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, Purple Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Roni Carta 🗞️ News: Lupin & Holmes has raised €5.4M in pre-seed funding to build a new approach to cybersecurity focused on mapping attack paths rather than listing isolated vulnerabilities. Founded in 2023 by Roni Carta—a 23-year-old former top bug bounty hunter who earned \~$800K discovering vulnerabilities for companies like Google, Amazon, and Netflix—the startup brings a hacker-first perspective to security. Its platform, Depi, analyzes how vulnerabilities interact across complex systems (including dependencies, build chains, and configurations) to identify exploitable pathways. Already working with Fortune 500 companies and clients like Ledger, Lupin & Holmes plans to expand its team and invest heavily in R&D to further develop its attack-path intelligence platform. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/a-23-ans-apres-800-000-dollars-gagnes-en-identifiant-des-failles-chez-google-amazon-ou-netflix-roni-carta-leve-54-millions-deuros-aupres-de-20vc-et-seedcamp/460835?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech EU**](https://www.landh.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: games2gether 🏷️ Sectors: Gaming 🔍 Description: Community engagement and co-creation platform for game studios, enabling developers to collaborate with players to gather insights, improve game development, and build more engaged gaming communities. 💻 Website: [**games2gether**](https://games2gether.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €4.5M 🏦 Investors: Griffin Gaming Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Max Von Knorring 🗞️ News: games2gether raised €4.5M in Series A led by Griffin Gaming Partners to scale its platform that enables studios to co-create games with players, strengthening community engagement and improving game development through real-time player insights. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-europes-tech-boom-has-a-capital-gap/) --- 📇 Company: Homaio 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, CleanTech 🔍 Description: Homaio is an investment platform enabling retail investors to access carbon allowance markets and other financial instruments tied to the energy transition, traditionally reserved for institutional players. 💻 Website: [**Homaio**](http://homaio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.6M 🏦 Investors: RAISE Ventures, Groupe Eren, XAnge, Redstone, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founder: Valentin Lautier 🗞️ News: Homaio has raised €3.6M to expand access for retail investors to financial markets, driving the energy transition. The round includes new investors RAISE Ventures and Groupe Eren alongside existing backers XAnge and Redstone, who increased their participation. Founded in 2023, Homaio initially opened access to the European carbon allowance market (EUAs), an €800B market central to EU climate policy, attracting thousands of users across 30+ countries. With this funding, the company plans to expand beyond carbon markets into broader energy transition assets, including international emissions systems and electrification-related markets. Homaio aims to build the financial infrastructure to channel private capital at scale toward decarbonization and energy sovereignty. | [**XAnge**](https://www.xange.vc/press/homaio-seed-announcement?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Flotte 🏷️ Sectors: E-commerce & Retail 🔍 Description: Sustainable fashion brand designing colorful, recycled rainwear and lifestyle outerwear, combining technical performance with eco-friendly materials and a strong direct-to-consumer + wholesale model. 💻 Website: [**Flotte**](https://www.flotte.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Akiles, Time4, Daphni 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Lyly Wu, Mickaël Pan 🗞️ News: Flotte raised €3M to accelerate retail expansion, international growth, and product development. The profitable brand—known for its recycled, colorful rainwear—plans to expand its store network (including a new opening in Lyon), strengthen its omnichannel strategy (500+ retailers + DTC), and scale new collections while keeping founder control. | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/la-marque-de-vetements-de-pluie-flotte-leve-3m-a258227%5Fbe%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mickael-pan-05313b123%5Fle-march%C3%A9-est-d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-pris-cest-ce-quon-activity-7438268374649970688-cjxU?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Topograph 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, RegTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Topograph builds a real-time data infrastructure layer that connects directly to official company registries and transforms unstructured legal documents into standardized, traceable data for compliance workflows (KYB, AML, onboarding). 💻 Website: [**Topograph**](https://www.topograph.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Better Angle, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre-Henri Janssens, Emmanuel Scharff, Hugo Dellinger 🗞️ News: Topograph has raised €2M in seed funding to build a real-time infrastructure layer for accessing and structuring company registry data. Rather than relying on aggregated databases, the startup connects directly to official registers across jurisdictions and converts raw documents into standardized, API-accessible data. This approach enables financial institutions and fintechs to move from periodic compliance checks to continuous monitoring, improving data freshness, traceability, and reliability in KYB and AML processes. Positioned as an infrastructure provider rather than a front-end tool, Topograph integrates into existing compliance stacks to support use cases such as merchant onboarding, beneficial ownership verification, and regulatory monitoring. The company aims to progressively connect company registries globally. | [**FinTech Global**](https://fintech.global/2026/03/19/seedcamp-backs-topograph-in-e2m-seed-funding-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Jay&Joy 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech 🔍 Description: French foodtech company producing plant-based cheese alternatives using fermentation and traditional cheesemaking techniques, with a focus on clean-label, minimally processed products and scalable European distribution. 💻 Website: [**Jay&Joy**](https://www.jay-joy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lacroix-Saint-Ouen 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Makesense, Beyondinvesting, MINDSTONE, Demea Invest, Vivegan👨💼👩💼 Founders: Eric Jahnke, Mary Jähnke 🗞️ News: Jay&Joy raised €2M to accelerate expansion in large-scale retail and strengthen its industrial capabilities, supporting broader distribution of its plant-based cheese products across Europe. | [**LSA**](https://www.lsa-conso.fr/cremerie-vegetale-jay-joy-les-nouveaux-affineurs-leve-2-millions-d-euros-pour-accelerer-en-gms-et-en-europe,464927?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Blify 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, EdTech, HRTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Blify is an AI-powered Learning Operating System that embeds personalized training directly into everyday workflows (Slack, Teams, WhatsApp), turning real work moments into continuous learning opportunities. By combining multi-agent AI, contextual content, and just-in-time delivery, it dramatically boosts engagement, retention, and measurable business impact while reducing training costs. 💻 Website: [**Blify**](http://blify.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.8M 🏦 Investors: Ventech, Kima Ventures, Better Angle, NewSchool, Supercapital, Fair Equity, Business Angels, Paul-Louis Caylar, Nicolas Lombard, Matthieu Birach 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Clément Lhommeau, Minh-Tu Hua, Tristan Vié 🗞️ News: Blify raised €1.8M to build an AI-native “Learning Operating System” that integrates training into everyday workflows, aiming to dramatically improve employee engagement and retention compared to traditional corporate learning platforms. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/17/ia-des-anciens-dalan-jobteaser-et-360learning-sunissent-pour-depoussierer-la-formation-en-entreprise/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/blify-lands-2-1m-for-ai-learning-in-slack-and-teams/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-36.png) 📇 Company: Yaarz 🏷️ Sectors: Retail & E-Commerce, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 Description: Yaarz is a SaaS platform and mobile app that enables artists, producers, and event operators to manage and optimize direct-to-fan sales during live events such as concerts, tours, and festivals. By combining real-time data, payments, inventory management, and click-and-collect, it streamlines event merchandising, boosts revenue, and improves the fan experience. 💻 Website: [**Yaarz**](https://www.yaarz.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Sony Music Entertainment France, CNM, Bpifrance, French Fair, Haut-Parleur Production, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Yohan Imakhoukhene, Kevin Muller 🗞️ News: Yaarz raised €1M to accelerate the digitalization of live event merchandising, aiming to simplify and optimize direct-to-fan sales while giving artists and producers greater control over revenue, data, and fan engagement. The funding will support product development, team expansion, and international growth. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7439715595656314882/?originTrackingId=8%2FYVzHwoq6va0NZgEnjWew%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Cleavr 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Cleavr develops an AI “collaborator” for finance teams that automates the full accounts receivable and collections cycle, from invoice follow-ups to dispute resolution and payment reconciliation. 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Better Angle, Raphaël Nahum, Régis Samuel, Olivier Brourhant, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Baptiste Nassoy 🗞️ News: Cleavr has raised €1M to accelerate deployment in France and prepare for European expansion starting in 2026\. Founded in 2025, the startup builds an AI-powered finance assistant that automates up to 80% of the collections process, including reminders, reconciliation, dispute handling, and debtor interactions across multiple channels (email, phone, SMS). Integrated with company ERPs, the AI manages the full lifecycle from invoicing to payment, dynamically adapting communication strategies and escalating complex cases to human operators when needed. Cleavr reports that clients achieve an average 37% reduction in DSO within weeks. The company is positioning itself within a fast-growing European category of AI-driven finance operations tools focused on receivables and cash-flow optimization. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/french-startup-cleavr-raises-e1-million-to-automate-accounts-receivable-workflows-with-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Kervalion 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, BioTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Medtech startup developing patient-specific 3D-printed bone grafts for dental surgery, enabling simultaneous bone reconstruction and implant placement to reduce treatment time, risks, and complications. 💻 Website: [**Kervalion**](https://kervalion.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €700K 🏦 Investors: Capital Cell, Crowdfunding 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Habib Belaid, Gilles Devillers 🗞️ News: Kervalion raised €700K via Capital Cell to advance its patented 3D-printed bone graft technology, plus another €1.3 million in debt, aiming to simplify dental implant procedures by combining bone reconstruction and implant placement into a single operation. | [**Business Times**](https://business-times.fr/actualites/kervalion-depasse-ses-objectifs-et-confirme-linteret-pour-linnovation-en-sante-dentaire/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Europe’s Tech Boom Has A Capital Gap URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-europes-tech-boom-has-a-capital-gap/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T07:30:14.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Partech's €300M Impact Fund reveals a structural shift: Europe's impact startups are maturing faster than its capital stack, creating a “missing middle” opportunity where PE-style discipline meets mission-driven tech at scale. [**Partech partner Rémi Said explains the gap and the plan to fill it.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/partechs-eu300m-impact-fund-signals-a-new-phase-for-european-growth-investing/) 👀 Seven years after France launched its Deeptech Plan, startups are raising record funding and driving industrial innovation. [**But behind the €4.1B headline, early-stage investment is tightening, and the ecosystem faces a growing private capital gap.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-deeptech-startups-raise-eu4-1b-as-sovereign-tech-rises-but-seed-funding-stalls/) 👀 New filings reveal how Advanced Machine Intelligence closed a near full raise with at least 67 investors, giving them classic protections while retaining full control in just 2.5 weeks. [**Read our special report.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ami-breaking-down-europes-record-seed-round/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/PSW-Carrousel-2-copy.png)](https://www.techinnov.events/?utm%5Fsource=Techinnov&utm%5Fmedium=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fcampaign=Techinnov) Meet hundreds of startups, corporations, and investors at the Techinnov event, the business convention organized by the CCI Essonne and Paris Île-de-France, on March 24, 2026, at the Parc Floral in Paris. [Register now! ](https://www.techinnov.events/?utm%5Fsource=Techinnov&utm%5Fmedium=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fcampaign=Techinnov) --- # Tech Talk 👓🎮 French mixed reality startup **Lynx** has been placed into judicial liquidation. The news comes just weeks after CEO Stan Larroque was hyping the upcoming Lynx-R2 headset in January, a more powerful, open, enterprise-focused device pitched as a sovereign alternative to Big Tech. Despite raising several million euros and anchoring the €8M EU-backed XR2Industry project, the company was running on fumes, with near-zero cash and a heavy debt load, according to its most recent annual reports. The failure also leaves a gap at the heart of XR2Industry, a project built around Lynx’s technology that now faces an uncertain future. | [**BODACC**](https://www.bodacc.fr/pages/annonces-commerciales-detail/?q.id=id:A202600505370&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏃👋 **Fluidstack** has apparently decided that France’s AI ambitions are nice in theory, but the real money is still across the Atlantic. The London-based “neocloud” darling has walked away from not one but two headline-grabbing French data center projects, including a €10 billion flagship El Presidente Macron once proudly touted, according to Bloomberg. Instead, it’s chasing massive U.S. deals, where power, customers, and contracts seem to materialize with far less friction. The move is a not-so-polite way of saying Europe’s AI buildout still struggles to turn big announcements into actual infrastructure. | [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-18/fluidstack-drops-out-of-marquee-10-billion-ai-project-in-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺 🚀 **Meanwhile, Brussels finally dropped its long-awaited “EU Inc” framework.** The unified startup status is meant to make scaling across Europe less of a legal nightmare. The ecosystem says “finally”… but also “not enough” as the gap with the US remains stubbornly wide. The new regime would let founders launch a company in **48 hours, fully online, for under €100**, sidestepping the usual 27-country legal maze. The pitch is less paperwork, more scaling, and maybe – just maybe – some European tech champions to rival the US and China. Not everyone’s cheering. Critics warn of lighter oversight, fuzzy legal enforcement (“27 flavors” of interpretation, anyone?), and potential pressure on workers’ rights. Of course, others worry that it doesn't go far enough to actually address the underlying issues. What, you thought everyone would suddenly be dancing a jig? Please. | [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260318-brussels-to-unveil-eu-inc-pan-european-company-status?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-anthony-bourbon-bouge-sa-holding-les-chiffres-delectra-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2221846?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **💸 🌱** Speaking of Europe, **the EU’s flagship greentech funding vehicle is looking…slightly wilted.** Launched in 2020 with a headline-grabbing €40B budget, the European Union’s Innovation Fund has so far deployed less than 1% of its budget. According to the party people known as the European Court of Auditors, just €332M has been spent over five years, with only 5 of 208 projects reporting emissions reductions. Blame volatile carbon markets, slow processes, and a strategy that seems to pivot faster than it plans. Europe wants to lead the climate race, but at this pace, it might still be tying its shoelaces. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/apres-cinq-ans-dactivite-moins-de-1-du-budget-du-fonds-pour-linnovation-a-ete-deploye-le-fiasco-du-soutien-a-la-greentech-europeenne-2221971?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⚡ 💶** Greentech **Electra is speeding along in the EV charging market.** Despite being one of France’s best-funded EV startups, Electra has kept a low profile on its finances – until now**. The Next40 startup, led by Aurélien de Meaux**, reported €136.4M in revenue for 2024, up 74% from 2023, with a net profit of €22M. About a third of its sales come from international markets. Looking ahead, the company expects €130–150M in revenue for 2026\. Last year, Electra helped launch ChargeLeague, a new pan-European startup alliance that includes Fastned, Ionity, and Atlante. The alliance offers drivers a single app to charge their electric vehicles anywhere in Europe. **|** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-anthony-bourbon-bouge-sa-holding-les-chiffres-delectra-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2221846?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **👩‍💻 🏆 The Margaret Awards are back, and this year’s finalists are serving a strong dose of AI-powered ambition.** Backed by Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion, **the 2026 cohort spotlights six women building everything from clinical AI assistants (shoutout Nabla) to next-gen “agentic commerce” via Lemrock. Winners will be crowned April 9 in Paris,** with a €1M acceleration package on the line plus mentorship, access to funding, and serious visibility. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/19/margaret-awards-2026-qui-sont-les-finalistes-de-cette-promotion-parrainee-par-le-prix-nobel-philippe-aghion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧑‍⚕️🤖 **Speaking of tech power** *au féminin* **, French healthtech startup Nabla has a new leader in France, and she’s anything but your typical startup operator.”** Former civil servant and ENA graduate Laurie Soffiati is stepping in to lead Nabla’s French expansion, replacing cofounder Alexandre Lebrun (now off building with Yann LeCun). Her mission is to crack the notoriously complex French healthcare system and bring Nabla’s AI-powered consultation assistant to more hospitals. With 97% of its 100,000 users currently in the US, Nabla is essentially sending in a policy-savvy insider to unlock France. Less “move fast and break things,” more “navigate bureaucracy and actually get adopted.” | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/portraits/french-tech-laurie-soffiati-lenarque-nommee-a-la-tete-de-nabla-2221989?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🎮 📰 Alexandre Yazdi is levelling up from mobile gaming to media mogul.** The boss of **Voodoo** is in exclusive talks to take a majority stake in DC Company, the group behind youth media darling Konbini and satire king Le Gorafi. After snapping up BeReal for €500M, Yazdi is clearly building a Gen Z attention empire that embraces gaming, social, and now content. With 8 billion views already under DC Company’s belt, the play would mix Voodoo’s product chops with media firepower and see what happens. | [**AFP**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/19/le-patron-de-voodoo-va-mettre-la-main-sur-konbini-et-le-gorafi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏝️ 💼 Meanwhile, another well-known entrepreneur, **Anthony Bourbon, is packing up his holdings and heading to Greece.** He's trading France for sunnier skies, lighter taxes, and more security amid rising concerns in the crypto/investor scene. It's a slightly unusual move (Luxembourg is usually the go-to), but one that quietly reflects a broader itch among founders to look beyond France. Not quite an exodus…but definitely a signal. This comes shortly after his foodtech startup Feed was forced to pay a fine and rebrand to O.K.R following a trademark dispute with American company TheFeed. A French court ruled against Bourbon’s company for counterfeiting. Extra motivation? Maybe, but, o*n ne va pas en faire tout un feta.* | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-anthony-bourbon-bouge-sa-holding-les-chiffres-delectra-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2221846?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **☁️ 🇪🇺 OVHcloud joins the e-euro project. The French cloud giant has been tapped to provide EU-based infrastructure for the European Central Bank’s digital euro, or e-euro.** The move is aimed at keeping payments both digital and sovereign. As cash use declines and private solutions dominate, the e-euro is designed to safeguard Europe’s financial independence. OVHcloud will handle part of the backbone, while other providers, such as Senacor Technologies, manage secure payment exchanges. The rollout is gradual: tests start in 2027, with a potential launch in 2029\. The price tag is about €1.3B to build, plus €320M per year to run. It hinges on Europe agreeing on the legal framework for the e-euro. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/informatique/cloud/souverainete-numerique-ovhcloud-accompagne-la-banque-centrale-europeenne-dans-le-deploiement-de-leuro-numerique.4LT74GSQBRCLFMHPCWTG3JSVSM.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # France’s Deeptech Startups Raise €4.1B As Sovereign Tech Rises But Seed Funding Stalls [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-33.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-deeptech-startups-raise-eu4-1b-as-sovereign-tech-rises-but-seed-funding-stalls/) Seven years into France's Plan Deeptech, the numbers tell a story of steady, almost stubborn, growth. In 2025, France's deeptech startups raised a record €4.1 billion. That's four times what they pulled in when the plan launched in 2019, and now represents about half of all French Tech fundraising. Some 410 new deeptech startups were created during the year, more than double the 178 created in 2018\. The ecosystem now counts 2,830 active startups generating €5.4 billion in annual revenue and employing 50,000 people directly, according to Bpifrance. "Seven years — that's starting to be the age of reason," Paul-François Fournier, Bpifrance's executive director for innovation, told journalists at a press conference launching the report. "This is no longer anecdotal. It's a real ecosystem." [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-deeptech-startups-raise-eu4-1b-as-sovereign-tech-rises-but-seed-funding-stalls/) --- # Partech's €300M Impact Fund Signals a New Phase for European Growth Investing [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-34.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-deeptech-startups-raise-eu4-1b-as-sovereign-tech-rises-but-seed-funding-stalls/) Partech Impact Fund General Partners Rémi Said (left) and Arnaud Minvielle When Partech announced the final close of its inaugural [Impact Fund at €300 million](https://partechpartners.com/news/partech-impact-secures-300m-to-scale-european-b2b-impact-tech-leaders?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) this week, the headline number was impressive enough. But what makes this story worth paying attention to isn't just the size of the check. It's what it reveals about a structural shift happening beneath the surface of European tech investing. For years, impact investing in Europe has been overwhelmingly an early-stage game. By Partech's own count, there are more than 200 early-stage impact funds operating across the continent, most of them either focused on a single theme across multiple countries or spread across multiple themes within a single market. At the other end, a handful of large US buyout funds occasionally dip into the category. In between? Not much. That's the gap Partech is targeting. It's a gap that says something important about where European tech is right now. "We are at the same level as digital was 10 to 15 years ago, and we are at the beginning of the curve," said Rémi Said, General Partner at Partech. According to Said, the fund's pipeline includes more than 6,000 companies, from which the team needs to select just 15 investments. The ratio suggests that the supply of commercially mature impact-tech companies in Europe is far larger than the available pool of growth capital designed to serve them. [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-deeptech-startups-raise-eu4-1b-as-sovereign-tech-rises-but-seed-funding-stalls/) --- # AMI: Breaking Down Europe’s Record Seed Round [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-35.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ami-breaking-down-europes-record-seed-round/) The [$1.03 billion Seed Round raised last week by Yann LeCun’s Paris-based Advanced Machine Intelligence](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecuns-ami-labs-launches-with-1-03-billion-to-build-ai-that-understands-the-real-world/) (AMI) was a European record. But a series of recent administrative filings by the company reveal additional details about this extraordinary round. [Read the special report](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ami-breaking-down-europes-record-seed-round/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: [**Parallel**](https://www.beparallel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏷️ Sectors: HealthTech, AI 🔍 Description: Parallel develops AI agents that automate administrative workflows in hospitals, starting with medical coding and expanding to billing and admissions, integrating directly into hospital software systems. 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: $20M 🏦 Investors: Index Ventures (lead), Frst, Y Combinator, Hexa, Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI), Félix Blossier (Pennylane), Quentin de Metz (Pennylane), other business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Paul Lafforgue, Thomas Sohet 🗞️ News: Parallel has raised $20M in Series A funding to scale its AI agents designed to automate administrative tasks in healthcare institutions. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from existing investor Frst, Y Combinator, Hexa, and several prominent angel investors, including Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI). Originally launched in 2023 as Kiosk, the company pivoted to healthcare in 2024 and now focuses first on medical coding—a critical, time-intensive process tied to 60–80% of hospital revenues. Its AI agents can be deployed within weeks, significantly faster than traditional software integrations. Already live in around 40 hospitals, Parallel plans to expand into billing and admissions workflows, grow its team by \~30 hires in 2026, and scale across Europe and the US. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/19/y-combinator-hexa-et-arthur-mensch-mistral-ai-investissent-dans-les-agents-ia-de-parallel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/index-parallel-20m-series-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pourquoi-index-ventures-parie-sur-parallel-qui-leve-17-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-ladministration-hospitaliere-par-lia/460868?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2026/03/19/parallel-raises-20m-to-scale-ai-solutions-for-hospital-administration/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: [**Lupin & Holmes**](https://www.landh.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏷️ Sectors: Cybersecurity, AI 🔍 Description: Lupin & Holmes develops Depi, a platform that maps real-world attack paths across software systems by analyzing how multiple vulnerabilities can be combined, shifting security from static detection to dynamic exploitation modeling. 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.4M 🏦 Investors: 20VC (lead), Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, Purple Ventures, various business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Roni Carta 🗞️ News: Lupin & Holmes has raised €5.4M in pre-seed funding to build a new approach to cybersecurity focused on mapping attack paths rather than listing isolated vulnerabilities. Founded in 2023 by Roni Carta—a 23-year-old former top bug bounty hunter who earned \~$800K discovering vulnerabilities for companies like Google, Amazon, and Netflix—the startup brings a hacker-first perspective to security. Its platform, Depi, analyzes how vulnerabilities interact across complex systems (including dependencies, build chains, and configurations) to identify exploitable pathways. Already working with Fortune 500 companies and clients like Ledger, Lupin & Holmes plans to expand its team and invest heavily in R&D to further develop its attack-path intelligence platform. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/a-23-ans-apres-800-000-dollars-gagnes-en-identifiant-des-failles-chez-google-amazon-ou-netflix-roni-carta-leve-54-millions-deuros-aupres-de-20vc-et-seedcamp/460835?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech EU**](https://www.landh.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: [Topograph](https://www.topograph.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, RegTech, AI 🔍 Description: Topograph builds a real-time data infrastructure layer that connects directly to official company registries and transforms unstructured legal documents into standardized, traceable data for compliance workflows (KYB, AML, onboarding). 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Better Angle, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre-Henri Janssens, Emmanuel Scharff, Hugo Dellinger 🗞️ News: Topograph has raised €2M in seed funding to build a real-time infrastructure layer for accessing and structuring company registry data. Rather than relying on aggregated databases, the startup connects directly to official registers across jurisdictions and converts raw documents into standardized, API-accessible data. This approach enables financial institutions and fintechs to move from periodic compliance checks to continuous monitoring, improving data freshness, traceability, and reliability in KYB and AML processes. Positioned as an infrastructure provider rather than a front-end tool, Topograph integrates into existing compliance stacks to support use cases such as merchant onboarding, beneficial ownership verification, and regulatory monitoring. The company aims to progressively connect company registries globally. | [**FinTech Global**](https://fintech.global/2026/03/19/seedcamp-backs-topograph-in-e2m-seed-funding-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### AMI: Breaking Down Europe’s Record Seed Round URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ami-breaking-down-europes-record-seed-round/ Last updated: 2026-03-19T07:00:48.000Z The [$1.03 billion Seed Round raised last week by Yann LeCun’s Paris-based Advanced Machine Intelligence](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecuns-ami-labs-launches-with-1-03-billion-to-build-ai-that-understands-the-real-world/) (AMI) was a European record. But a series of recent administrative filings by the company reveal additional details about this extraordinary round: According to the latest filings, Advanced Machine Intelligence: - Didn’t fully fill the round (\~94%), but most likely for technical reasons - Closed the fundraising in just 2.5 weeks - Gave investors standard protections - Maintained strong founder control despite the massive size of the round The full breakdown below walks through the filings, explains the structure, the risks, the trade-offs, and how this sets the company up going forward. ***As a reminder, you can follow AMI via our AMI tracker. We surfaced 67 investors in AMI’s Seed Round (so far!.*** [*Sign up to receive weekly updates on the company’s latest filings, news, hirings, and other developments.*](https://ami.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #68: Commerce, Security, and Startups in the Age of AI Agents URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-68-commerce-security-and-startups-in-the-age-of-ai-agents/ Last updated: 2026-03-18T10:50:25.000Z Agentic commerce takes off with Lemrock, Qevlar bets on hybrid AI to fix security at scale, and Station F’s F/AI Cohort of 20 startups races to €1M revenue in six months backed by top AI labs and VCs. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Station F’s F/AI Cohort: 20 AI Startups, €34M Raised, and a Race to €1M Revenue in 6 Months URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/station-fs-f-ai-cohort-20-ai-startups-eu34m-raised-and-a-race-to-eu1m-revenue-in-6-months/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T21:19:40.000Z Backed by OpenAI, Meta, Google, and top VCs like Sequoia and Lightspeed, the inaugural batch brings together mostly sub-12-month-old startups building across AI infrastructure, agents, and enterprise tools—already capitalized and moving fast toward scale. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lemrock and the Rise of Agentic Commerce: Infrastructure for a New Discovery Layer URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/lemrock-and-the-rise-of-agentic-commerce-infrastructure-for-a-new-discovery-layer/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T18:04:43.000Z As AI conversations replace search as the starting point for online shopping, Paris startup Lemrock wants to ensure brands don’t disappear from the buying journey. The deeptech has raised $7M to build the infrastructure connecting retailers directly to AI agents. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Putting Out the Fire and Finding What Started It: Qevlar AI’s Bet on Autonomous Security Intelligence URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/putting-out-the-fire-and-finding-what-started-it-qevlar-ais-bet-on-autonomous-security-intelligence/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T17:30:59.000Z The Paris-based startup just raised $30M to move beyond alert investigation and into security intelligence. Its secret weapon? Knowing when not to use an LLM. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Partech's €300M Impact Fund Signals a New Phase for European Growth Investing URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/partechs-eu300m-impact-fund-signals-a-new-phase-for-european-growth-investing/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T15:30:16.000Z Behind the headline number lies a structural shift: Europe’s impact startups are maturing faster than its capital stack, creating a “missing middle” opportunity where PE-style discipline meets mission-driven tech at scale. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### France’s Deeptech Startups Raise €4.1B As Sovereign Tech Rises But Seed Funding Stalls URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-deeptech-startups-raise-eu4-1b-as-sovereign-tech-rises-but-seed-funding-stalls/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T21:25:17.000Z Seven years after France launched its Deeptech Plan, startups are raising record funding and driving industrial innovation. But behind the €4.1B headline, early-stage investment is tightening, and the ecosystem faces a growing private capital gap. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire March 16: Female Founder Divide; AMI €890B Seed Round Leads 12 Deals For €1.2B URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-16-female-founder-divide-ami-eu890b-seed-round-leads-12-deals-for-eu1-2b/ Last updated: 2026-03-16T08:21:48.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Mind The Gap France keeps talking about closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship. And, slowly, *very* slowly, it’s happening. Women now account for **39% of business creations**, and their startups survive just as well as men’s, with 7 in 10 still alive after five years. This is according to [**la 3ème édition du Baromètre sur l’entrepreneuriat des femmes en France**](https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/files/files/Actualites/2026/barometre-femmes-entrepreneuriat-2026.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) published by the Direction générale des Entreprises (DGE) with Bpifrance based on a survey of 5,000 entrepreneurs by Ifop. Female micro-entrepreneurs actually outlast their male peers (45% vs. 36%). But the pipeline still leaks: only 23% of women report strong exposure to entrepreneurship, compared with 34% of men, which helps explain why fewer consider launching a company in the first place. Access to money and support also lags, with just 32% of female founders receiving external funding, compared with 40% of men. Some good news: women are inching into tech leadership too, now making up 20% of CEOs or co-founders in the French Tech Next40/120. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/women-in-fr-1.png) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in the French tech sector.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: March 13 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/Top-Deals-March-13-1.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/Sectors-March-13.png) --- 📇 Company: Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: AMI is a frontier AI company developing “world models” — AI systems capable of understanding real-world environments, maintaining persistent memory, reasoning about cause and effect, and planning actions over time. Its technology aims to move AI beyond generative outputs toward reliable intelligent systems that can operate safely in complex real-world contexts. 💻 Website: [AMI](https://amilabs.xyz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €890M 🏦 Investors: Cathay Innovation, Greycroft, Hiro Capital, HV Capital, Jeff Bezos Expeditions, Toyota Ventures, Temasek, SBVA, NVIDIA, Mark Cuban, Association Familiale Mulliez, Groupe industriel Marcel Dassault, Sea, Alpha Intelligence Capital, Eric Schmidt, Aglaé Lab, ZEBOX Ventures, Artémis, Xavier Niel, Publicis Groupe, Samsung, Bpifrance, Jim Breyer, Tim Berners-Lee, Mark Leslie 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre LeBrun, Yann LeCun, Saining Xie, Pascale Fung 🗞️ News: Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) has raised $1.03B in funding at a $3.5B pre-money valuation to develop next-generation AI systems based on “world models.” The company aims to build AI capable of understanding environments, reasoning about cause and effect, maintaining long-term memory, and planning actions reliably in real-world contexts. The global company operates across Paris, New York, Montreal, and Singapore and brings together leading AI researchers and experienced entrepreneurs. Chaired by Turing Award laureate Yann LeCun and led by CEO Alexandre LeBrun, AMI will use the funding to support long-term research, expand global hiring, and develop reliable AI systems designed to operate safely beyond purely digital environments. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecuns-ami-labs-launches-with-1-03-billion-to-build-ai-that-understands-the-real-world/) --- 📇 Company: Alan 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, InsurTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Alan is a French digital health insurance provider offering a fully digital platform for corporate health coverage. The company provides health insurance, employee benefits, and healthcare services through a user-friendly app designed for companies and public organizations. By integrating insurance management, telemedicine, and health services, Alan aims to modernize employer-provided healthcare and simplify access to care for employees. 💻 Website: [**Alan**](https://alan.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €100M 🏦 Investors: Index Ventures, Belfius, Greenoaks, Kaaf Investments, SH Capital, Business Angels, Antoine Griezmann 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, Charles Gorintin 🗞️ News: Alan has raised €100M in a new funding round that values the company at €5B. The round follows a €173M financing completed about 18 months earlier and was described as opportunistic due to strong investor demand. The InsurTech also announced that it reached profitability in France in 2025 while continuing to invest in international expansion. Alan now serves more than 1 million members and 37,000 companies and public organizations, including clients such as Kiabi, Veepee, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Cour des comptes, and the French Civil Aviation Authority. The company reported €785M in ARR in 2025, up 53% year-over-year, and aims to surpass €1B in recurring revenue. With recent expansion into Canada and plans to enter another market by 2027, Alan intends to use the new funding to pursue acquisitions and accelerate its global growth. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/11/alan-leve-100-millions-deuros-et-devient-rentable-en-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/la-valorisation-de-cinq-milliards-deuros-dalan-fait-les-bonnes-affaires-des-investisseurs-anglo-saxons/460729?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Calogena 🏷️ Sectors: Energy, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Calogena develops small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) specifically designed to produce low-carbon heat for district heating networks. Its compact nuclear “boiler” aims to decarbonize urban heating systems by replacing fossil-fuel-based heat generation with a reliable and scalable nuclear solution. 💻 Website: [**Calogena**](https://calogena.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Aix-en-Provence 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €52M 🏦 Investors: Groupe Gorgé, SNEF, Banque des Territoires, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Julien Dereux, Raphaël Gorgé 🗞️ News: Calogena has secured nearly €100M in financing to accelerate the development and industrialization of its nuclear SMR technology designed for district heating networks. The funding combines €48M in public support from the France 2030 program—following earlier grants—and a capital increase backed by Groupe Gorgé, SNEF, Banque des Territoires, and other investors. Founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of Groupe Gorgé, the company focuses on deploying compact nuclear reactors to deliver low-carbon heat at scale. The financing will support completion of the reactor’s detailed design phase and preparation of regulatory approvals, with the goal of launching the first projects in France and Europe and enabling deployment from around 2030\. | [**PR**](https://www.calogena.com/avec-un-soutien-renforce-de-france-2030calogena-annonce-un-financement-de-pres-de100-me-pour-accelerer-son-industrialisation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Jimmy Energy 🏷️ Sectors: Energy, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Jimmy Energy is a French deeptech startup developing nuclear micro-reactors designed to produce decarbonized industrial heat. Its thermal nuclear generators aim to replace gas-powered boilers at industrial sites, addressing a major yet often overlooked source of energy consumption in industry. 💻 Website: [**Jimmy Energy**](https://www.jimmy-energy.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €40M 🏦 Investors: Crédit Mutuel Impact, Ademe Investissement, Serena, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Antoine Guyot, Mathilde Grivet 🗞️ News: Jimmy Energy has secured €80M to accelerate the development of its nuclear micro-reactors for industrial heat production. The financing includes a €40M equity round led by Crédit Mutuel Impact with participation from Ademe Investissement and existing investor Serena, alongside €40M in public funding through France 2030\. Founded to decarbonize industrial heat—which is still largely produced using gas—the startup focuses on deploying compact nuclear heat generators rather than electricity-producing SMRs, using proven nuclear technologies to improve economic viability. The funds will support detailed reactor design and preparation for its first deployment at the Cristanol industrial site in Bazancourt, with construction targeted for the end of the decade and commissioning expected in the early 2030s. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/10/nucleaire-jimmy-energy-securise-80-millions-deuros-pour-ses-micro-reacteurs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-23-1.png) 📇 Company: Waiv 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, BioTech 🔍 Description: Waiv is a Paris-based healthtech startup developing AI-powered diagnostic tests in oncology. Its algorithms analyze digital pathology images of tumors to identify biomarkers and better characterize cancers, enabling more precise patient stratification and treatment selection. The company emerged as a spin-out from Owkin’s diagnostics unit. 💻 Website: [Waiv](https://wearewaiv.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €28.9M 🏦 Investors: OTB Ventures, Alpha Intelligence Capital, Serena, Karista, Sista Fund 👨💼👩💼 Founder: Meriem Sefta 🗞️ News: Waiv has raised $33M to accelerate the development and deployment of AI-driven diagnostic tests in oncology. Led by OTB Ventures and Alpha Intelligence Capital, the round also includes Serena Data Ventures, Karista, and Sista Fund. Waiv originated as Owkin DX within the AI biotech Owkin before becoming an independent spin-out, with Owkin retaining a minority stake. The company develops algorithms that analyze microscopic tumor images to detect biomarkers and improve cancer patient stratification. Waiv already collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and AstraZeneca, and plans to expand the adoption of its diagnostic products while strengthening partnerships with pharma to support biomarker discovery and clinical trials. The startup is targeting global markets, particularly the U.S. and Europe. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/12/waiv-nouveau-spin-out-dowkin-leve-33-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Qevlar AI 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, Cybersecurity 🔍 Description: Qevlar AI is a French cybertech startup developing a platform of autonomous AI agents designed to support Security Operations Centers (SOCs). Its technology automates the investigation of cybersecurity alerts—enriching data, identifying patterns, and generating reports—to help security teams move from reactive incident response to proactive threat detection and prevention. By reducing investigation time per alert and surfacing deeper patterns in security data, Qevlar aims to act as an AI “copilot” for cybersecurity teams. 💻 Website: [**Qevlar AI**](https://www.qevlar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €26.2M 🏦 Investors: Partech, Forgepoint Capital International, EQT Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ahmed Achchak, Hamza Sayah 🗞️ News: Qevlar AI has raised $30M just one year after its previous $14M round (April 2025), reinforcing strong investor interest at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity. The company’s platform of autonomous AI agents is designed to help SOC teams manage overwhelming alert volumes—often exceeding 4,000 alerts per day—by automating the full investigation workflow. Already used by enterprises such as Mercedes-Benz and Sodexo, as well as MSSPs including Atos and Orange Cyberdefense, Qevlar claims its technology reduces investigation time to roughly three minutes per alert, up to 10× faster than traditional workflows. The new funding will support further development of the platform and expansion of its AI-driven cyber “copilot” capabilities to help organizations strengthen their security posture. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/paris-based-qevlar-ai-raises-e25-8-million-to-automate-security-operations-centre-investigations-with-agentic-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/10/cybersecurite-30-millions-de-dollars-de-plus-pour-qevlar-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Santexpat 🏷️ Sectors: InsurTech 🔍 Description: Santexpat is a digital insurance broker specializing in international health coverage for expatriates. Its platform aggregates hundreds of insurance offers from multiple providers, allowing expatriates and globally mobile professionals to compare and subscribe to health insurance policies adapted to their country of residence. 💻 Website: [**Santexpat**](https://santexpat.fr/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount €26M 🏦 Investors: Malakoff Humanis 👨💼👩💼 Founder: Jean-Christophe Pandolfi 🗞️ News: Santexpat has secured a new capital increase finalized in February 2026 from a major French family office alongside renewed investment from historical partner Malakoff Humanis. The funding supports the acquisition of Crystal Mobility, a specialist in international social protection with a strong presence among French expatriates and strategic operations in the Middle East, as well as a majority stake in U.S.-based health insurance broker AgoraExpat. Founded in 2019, Santexpat provides a fully digital platform offering more than 300 insurance products from 32 partners to expatriates across nearly 200 countries. The transaction aims to strengthen the company’s international footprint—particularly in the United States and the Middle East—and accelerate consolidation in the fragmented global expatriate health insurance market. | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/santexpat-accelere-sa-croissance-internationale-avec-crystal-mobility-et-agoraexpat-a258052%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Escape 🏷️ Sectors: Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Escape is a cybersecurity startup developing an AI-native offensive security engineering platform that automates vulnerability discovery, testing, and remediation. Its AI agents simulate attacker behavior in live production environments to identify exploitable vulnerabilities in applications, APIs, and infrastructure. 💻 Website: [**Escape**](https://escape.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15.4M 🏦 Investors: Balderton Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures, IRIS, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Tristan Kalos, Antoine Carossio 🗞️ News: Escape has raised €15.4M in Series A funding to accelerate the development of its AI-driven offensive security engineering platform. Led by Balderton Capital with participation from Uncorrelated Ventures and existing investors IRIS and Y Combinator, the round will support the expansion of its AI agents that automate the full security lifecycle—from attack surface discovery to vulnerability remediation. Founded in 2020, Escape enables security teams to continuously test live systems by simulating sophisticated attacker behavior, helping organizations detect logic flaws, misconfigurations, and data leaks that traditional scanners often miss. The company already serves more than 2,000 security teams globally and conducts over 300,000 automated security assessments each month. | [**Frenchweb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/cybersecurite-escape-leve-15-millions-deuros-face-a-lexplosion-des-failles-liees-au-code-genere-par-lia/460700?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/yc-backed-escape-raises-e15-4m-series-a-led-by-balderton-for-its-ai-powered-offensive-security-engineering-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: May Health 🏷️ Sectors: MedTech, HealthTech 🔍 Description: May Health is a medical device company developing innovative treatments for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-related infertility. Its flagship technology, the Anavi™ System, enables a one-time, minimally invasive procedure designed to restore ovulation in women who do not respond to first-line fertility treatments. 💻 Website: [**May Health**](https://mayhealth.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Menlo Park, Paris 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €10M 🏦 Investors: Nexpring Health, Sofinnova Partners, Trill Impact, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Leadership: Colby Holtshouse 🗞️ News: May Health has raised €10M ($11.7M) to advance clinical development and commercialization of its Anavi™ System, a novel treatment for infertility caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The round includes participation from existing investors Sofinnova Partners, Trill Impact, and Bpifrance, as well as new investor Nexpring Health. The funding will support completion of the company’s pivotal U.S. REBALANCE clinical trial evaluating the device’s ability to restore ovulation, and will also prepare for the European commercial launch of the system following its CE Mark approval in October 2025\. The technology aims to provide a new therapeutic option for millions of women affected by PCOS, one of the leading causes of female infertility worldwide. | [**PR**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310718143/en/May-Health-Raises-%2411.7M-to-Advance-its-Novel-Technology-to-Treat-PCOS-related-Infertility?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Living Models 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, BioTech 🔍 Description: Living Models develops foundation models trained on biological sequences—DNA, RNA, and multi-omics data—to decode the “language of life.” Its AI systems aim to accelerate biological discovery and crop innovation by predicting genetic variants and traits directly from genomic data. 💻 Website: [**Living Models**](https://www.livingmodels.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris, Berkeley 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: $7M 🏦 Investors: UC Berkeley, Asterion Ventures, Artesian, Galion.exe, Juniper, Pascual, Kima Ventures, Station F 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Cyril Véran, Léonard Strouk, Bertrand Gakière 🗞️ News: Living Models has raised $7M in seed funding to develop foundation models for biology trained on genomic and multi-omics datasets rather than text or code. The Paris–Berkeley startup recently emerged from stealth with BOTANIC, a transformer-based model trained on genomic sequences from 43 plant species. The technology aims to accelerate plant breeding by identifying promising genetic variants computationally, reducing marker discovery timelines from several years to a few weeks. Following the round, the company secured a compute cluster of 120 NVIDIA B200 GPUs to train its next-generation models, positioning itself to build AI infrastructure for biological discovery with initial applications in agriculture, climate resilience, and food security. | [**Living Models**](https://livingmodels.substack.com/p/the-genome-is-the-largest-unread) --- 📇 Company: Lemrock 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, E-commerce & Retail, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Lemrock is a Paris-based deeptech startup building infrastructure for agentic commerce, enabling brands to sell directly within conversational AI environments such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Its middleware platform connects product catalogues, pricing, availability, and transaction systems to AI agents through a single integration point, allowing retailers to manage their presence, data, and transactions across conversational platforms. 💻 Website: [**Lemrock**](https://www.lemrock.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Galion.exe, Michaël Benabou, Gary Anssens, Frédéric Halley, Emmanuelle Brizay, Antoine Lizée 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Roxane Laigle, Sasha Collin, Clément Nguyen 🗞️ News: Lemrock has raised €6M to accelerate the deployment of its agentic commerce infrastructure, enabling brands to sell directly through conversational AI platforms. The round was led by Galion.exe, with Criteo founder Jean-Baptiste Rudelle joining the board. Founded in 2025, the startup provides a middleware layer connecting product catalogues, AI agents, and transaction systems, allowing retailers to expose real-time pricing, availability, and purchase options within AI-driven conversations. Lemrock already partners with more than 60 brands across Europe and the U.S.—including Maisons du Monde, Cdiscount, Darty, DIM, Engie, and Lebara—and processes over 100 million interactions monthly. The company aims to address the emerging shift toward conversational commerce, where AI agents increasingly influence product discovery and purchasing decisions. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/paris-based-lemrock-raises-e6-million-to-help-brands-sell-within-ai-agents-like-chatgpt-and-claude/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Aerix Systems 🏷️ Sectors: Robotics, DefenseTech, Drones 🔍 Description: Aerix Systems develops an advanced aerial robotics platform built on proprietary technologies, including a next-generation autopilot and omnidirectional propulsion system designed for complex operational environments. Its aerial robots target dual-use applications in defense, critical infrastructure protection, and complex industrial inspection. 💻 Website: [**Aerix Systems**](https://www.aerix-systems.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Mérignac 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Odyssée Venture 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Clément Picaud, Hugo Mayounove 🗞️ News: Aerix Systems has raised €5M to accelerate the industrialization of its omnidirectional aerial robots and launch a pre-series production phase. The round was co-led by Odyssée Venture and another specialized fund. The company develops a modular aerial robotics platform integrating proprietary technologies, including advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), AI-enhanced autopilot systems, omnidirectional propulsion, sensor fusion, and secure embedded control architectures. The funding will enable the startup to prepare initial operational deliveries, structure its production chain, and scale manufacturing capacity at its 2,000 m² site in Gironde. Aerix targets high-value applications, including complex industrial inspection, protection of critical infrastructure, and counter-drone operations. The company recently joined NATO’s DIANA accelerator for dual-use technologies, boosting its international visibility among institutional and industrial stakeholders. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/defense-aerospatiale/1124877217462414/lutte-anti-drones-aerix-systems-lance-la-fabrication-de-son-drone-omnidirectionnel?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Meteoria 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, MarTech 🔍 Description: Meteoria develops a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform that helps brands measure, analyze, and optimize their visibility within AI-generated responses across conversational assistants such as ChatGPT and Gemini. 💻 Website: [**Meteoria**](https://meteoria.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: TOMCAT, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Idriss Khouader, Ismaïl El Gaouzi, Maxime Hanquier, Samuel Valengin 🗞️ News: Meteoria has raised €1M to accelerate the development of its Generative Engine Optimization platform, a new category of tools designed to help brands manage their visibility in AI-generated answers. As generative AI increasingly mediates product discovery and purchasing decisions, Meteoria enables companies to map their presence in AI responses, analyze brand reputation within conversational environments, and optimize their positioning across major AI assistants. The funding will support product development, expand the company’s presence across France, Switzerland, and Belgium, and initiate expansion into Spain as it aims to become a leading European platform for AI-native search visibility. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/meteoria%5Fmeteoria-l%C3%A8ve-1-million-deuros-pour-structurer-activity-7437792715242782720-cTKi/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Elaia’s Billion-Euro Bet on Venture’s Future URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-elaias-billion-euro-bet-on-ventures-future/ Last updated: 2026-03-13T08:15:07.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 With two new funds, a freshly launched joint venture with Lazard, and a billion euros under management, Elaia is betting that the future of venture capital looks nothing like the past. [**Elaia founder Xavier Lazarus explains this massive bet on the future of venture capital and entrepreneurship.** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/elaias-full-stack-gambit-how-xavier-lazarus-is-building-a-new-kind-of-european-tech-investor/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in the French tech sector.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🏥 📈 While many European unicorns are quietly slipping below the billion-dollar mark, **French health insurance startup Alan is doing the opposite**. The company has raised **€100 million** and is now valued at **€5 billion**, up from €4.5 billion last year. Founded in 2016, Alan now serves **1 million users** and generated **€785 million in annual recurring revenue in 2025**, a 53% jump in just one year. The company is also edging closer to profitability — at least in France — while continuing to expand across **Belgium, Spain, and now Canada**. **Index Ventures, Greenoaks, and Shopify founder Tobi Lütke participated in the round.** CEO Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve says the fresh capital will fuel bigger investments in **technology and AI**, as the company pushes toward **$1.16 billion in ARR by 2026**. Profit can wait. For now, investors seem perfectly happy with the growth story. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/11/health-insurance-startup-alan-reaches-e5b-valuation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 🦄 **A new French venture fund wants to prove that the next generation of startup founders doesn’t all come from the same Parisian playbook**. **Time4**, an early-stage fund backed by daphni, Les Déterminés, Live for Good, and HEC Paris, has announced a **€50 million first close**, with a target of **€100 million**. The idea is simple: invest in founders from **underrepresented backgrounds and overlooked regions**, not just the usual tech hubs. Time4 plans to write **€100K to €1M checks** to **60 startups**. Early bets already reflect that thesis, from **industrial decarbonization startup Leviathan Dynamics** to **Wish One**, a high-performance bike company based in rural Aveyron. In other words, the fund is betting that some of France’s most promising startups might be hiding **far from the traditional venture capital radar**. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/ile-de-france/ile-de-france-un-fonds-damorcage-leve-50-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-entrepreneurs-des-quartiers-2220497?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📲 ⛔️ A team of ethical hackers at French crypto unicorn Ledger has uncovered a nasty security flaw that could affect roughly **a quarter of Android smartphones worldwide**. The vulnerability, discovered by Ledger’s internal “Donjon” security lab in Paris, allows attackers to compromise a phone in **under a minute – even if it’s turned off**. By plugging the device into a computer via USB, hackers could bypass Android’s secure boot process, retrieve encryption keys, and access sensitive data, including PIN codes, messages, photos, and even crypto wallet seed phrases. The flaw affects Android devices using **MediaTek chips and Trustonic’s Trusted Execution Environment**, a combination found in millions of phones globally. After discovering the issue, Ledger alerted MediaTek, which quietly released a security patch to manufacturers in January 2026 before the vulnerability was publicly disclosed in March. Ledger’s takeaway is blunt: smartphones were never designed to be digital vaults. The fix is in place, but users still need to install the latest security updates. Otherwise, their supposedly secure phone might be easier to crack than they think. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/11/cybersecurite-le-laboratoire-de-ledger-decouvre-une-faille-critique-qui-expose-un-quart-des-smartphones-android/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧬 👨‍⚕️ **Paris-based startup Waiv, spun out of French AI biotech darling Owkin, has raised $33 million to scale its AI-powered cancer diagnostics**. The round was led by OTB Ventures and Alpha Intelligence Capital, with backing from Serena Data Ventures, Karista, and Sista Fund. Waiv’s technology analyzes microscopic tumor images using AI to identify biomarkers and help doctors match cancer patients with the most effective therapies. The company is led by **Meriem Sefta**, Owkin’s former Chief Diagnostic Officer, and began life as an internal project called **Owkin DX** before spinning out as an independent startup. Owkin remains a minority shareholder but is no longer involved in day-to-day operations. The move adds to what some observers are starting to call the **“Owkin mafia,”** a growing network of startups emerging from the company’s ecosystem, following the earlier launch of AI biotech spin-out Bioptimus. Waiv plans to use the new funding to expand adoption of its diagnostic tests and deepen partnerships with pharmaceutical giants like **Merck and AstraZeneca**, as it targets both the U.S. and European markets. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/12/waiv-nouveau-spin-out-dowkin-leve-33-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/spin-out-de-owkin-waiv-veut-industrialiser-les-tests-doncologie-par-ia-apres-une-levee-denviron-30-millions-deuros/460765?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/owkin-spinout-waiv-raises-33m-to-scale-ai-powered-medical-testing?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚗 ⚡️**Renault isn’t backing away from electric cars. It’s just dialing down the hype a bit**. At its latest strategy day, the French automaker said its European lineup will be **fully electrified by 2030**, but that now means a **50/50 mix of electric and hybrid vehicles**, rather than the previously promised 100% EVs. The shift reflects a more pragmatic view of a market where many drivers still aren’t ready to go fully electric. Unlike some rivals that are reviving gasoline engines outright, Renault insists it’s still betting heavily on EVs. It just wants hybrids as a safety net while the transition plays out. The company also hinted at a futuristic twist on the factory floor. Renault plans to deploy **350 humanoid robots from French robotics firm Wandercraft** in its manufacturing plants, potentially one of the largest industrial humanoid rollouts announced in Europe. | [**Numerama**](https://www.numerama.com/vroom/2198615-le-groupe-renault-ne-ralentit-pas-sur-la-voiture-electrique-contrairement-a-stellantis.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🌱🚀 State investment bank Bpifrance has launched a new accelerator called Deeptech Seed,** a four-month bootcamp designed to help early-stage deeptech startups prepare for their **first venture capital round**. The goal is to turn lab breakthroughs into companies that can actually raise money, ideally within nine months. The program combines coaching from experienced founders, fundraising workshops, and a demo day in front of **100 investors**. In 2026, Bpifrance plans to support **75 startups** through three cohorts. The first batch of 21 companies spans **satellite computing, agritech, and geothermal modeling**. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/lancement-du-programme-deeptech-seed-nouvel-accelerateur-visant-a-accompagner-les-start-up-deeptech-dans-la-preparation-de-leur-premiere-levee-de-fonds/?lang=fra&utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-march-9-2026-229-3m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&%5Fbhlid=fab9e29be3c1e0eebb814e2800522ef8e64d974d) 🏭 🇫🇷 **France’s industrial comeback is still inching forward...though just barely.** According to **Bpifrance’s latest Industry Observatory**, **245 industrial sites opened in France in 2025**, almost exactly offset by **244 closures**, leaving the country with a razor-thin net gain of **one factory**. Not exactly a renaissance, but at least the lights aren’t going out. The real momentum is coming from **startups, SMEs, and mid-size companies**, which accounted for more than **80% of new sites** and **203 factory openings.** That'sroughly double the number seen in 2022\. Industrial startups alone opened **75 sites**, more than twice as many as they shut down, underscoring their growing role in reshaping France’s manufacturing base. The sectors driving the action are the usual suspects: **green industry, energy, electronics, and Industry 4.0**, while more traditional sectors like consumer goods continue to shrink under global competition. Behind the scenes, France now counts **3,500 industrial startups**, which raised **€3.7 billion in 2025**, representing **43% of all French Tech funding**. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bpifrance-publie-la-quatrieme-edition-de-son-observatoire-industrie-qui-recense-245-inaugurations-de-sites-industriels-en-2025-les-ouvertures-de-sites-industriels-des-startups-pme-et-eti-qui-represen/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😶‍🌫️ 💰 **Europe wants its own cloud stack, so it’s putting money behind the idea.** At **Mobile World Congress 2026**, the European Commission unveiled **EURO-3C**, a **€75 million project** to build the continent’s first large-scale **federated Telco-Edge-Cloud infrastructure**. The idea is to combine telecom networks, edge computing, and cloud services into one integrated platform — all built and operated in Europe — to reduce dependence on U.S. and other foreign tech providers. Backed by **Horizon Europe** and involving **87 companies and research organizations**, the project is meant to power everything from **AI and cybersecurity to future 6G networks**. In Brussels’ language, it’s about innovation. In reality, it’s also about **digital sovereignty** — Europe trying to make sure the infrastructure behind tomorrow’s internet isn’t owned somewhere else. | [**European Commission**](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-announces-eu75-million-euro-3c-project-build-federated-telco-edge-cloud-infrastructure?utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-march-9-2026-229-3m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&%5Fbhlid=3ce3dbde175d7f9c1be3293f2fa0aa8c6f28c1eb) ‼️ 🙅‍♀️ **France’s tech sector still has a diversity problem, and it’s not getting better.** The latest **SheLeadsTech barometer** finds that women make up **less than 29% of tech workers in France**, including just **11% of developers and 22% of AI and data specialists**, with little progress in 2026\. The report also points to an unexpected influence: the **rollback of diversity programs in the United States**, which is starting to ripple across European tech ecosystems as multinational companies quietly scale back visible commitments to parity. Where progress does exist, it’s largely driven by **regulation rather than corporate enthusiasm**. About **90% of companies now have policies on pay equity and harassment prevention**, largely thanks to European directives and stricter legal obligations. In the AI era, the report argues, this imbalance is no longer just a social issue. It’s a **strategic one**. If the people building AI systems aren’t diverse, the technologies themselves risk embedding the same blind spots. In that sense, the authors warn, **gender diversity in tech is quickly becoming a matter of technological sovereignty. |** [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-coup-de-frein-sur-la-mixite-it-en-france-en-2026-99617.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Elaia’s Full-Stack Gambit: How Xavier Lazarus Is Building a New Kind of European Tech Investor [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-22.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/elaias-full-stack-gambit-how-xavier-lazarus-is-building-a-new-kind-of-european-tech-investor/) [**Xavier Lazarus**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-lazarus-63747/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has spent more than two decades betting on European tech founders. Now, at what he considers a pivotal inflection point for the continent’s startup ecosystem, he’s making perhaps his boldest bet yet: reimagining the very structure of how venture capital works in Europe. In just a few weeks, the Paris-based VC firm Elaia, which Lazarus co-founded in 2002, has announced two significant fund closings. On February 11, Elaia revealed the first close of its fifth Digital Venture Fund (DV5) at €120 million, with ambitions to reach €300 million. Then, on March 12, the firm closed its third DeepTech Seed fund (DTS3) at €134 million, doubling the size of its previous deep-tech seed vehicles. Taken together with the official launch of Lazard Elaia Capital (LEC), the joint venture between Elaia and the global financial powerhouse Lazard, the firm now manages more than €1 billion in assets. Lazarus oversees both structures, which remain independent and yet complementary. The idea is that venture capital is evolving, and that Europe’s most transformative tech companies don’t follow predictable trajectories, so their investors shouldn’t be locked into rigid frameworks either. Between the two entities, LEC and Elaia now have a wide-ranging flexibility to explore creative ways to help startups scale. “We are addressing a world that is changing every other week,” he said. “We can’t do that with a too static mind. Everything that works is kept, and everything that needs to be adapted is adapted. We are doing exactly what entrepreneurs are doing.” [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/elaias-full-stack-gambit-how-xavier-lazarus-is-building-a-new-kind-of-european-tech-investor/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Qevlar AI 🏷️ Sectors: Cybersecurity, AI, Enterprise Software, Security Operations 🔍 Description: Qevlar AI is a French cybertech startup developing a platform of autonomous AI agents designed to support Security Operations Centers (SOCs). Its technology automates the investigation of cybersecurity alerts—enriching data, identifying patterns, and generating reports—to help security teams move from reactive incident response to proactive threat detection and prevention. By reducing investigation time per alert and surfacing deeper patterns in security data, Qevlar aims to act as an AI “copilot” for cybersecurity teams. 💻 Website: [**Qevlar AI**](https://www.qevlar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: $30M 🏦 Investors: Partech, Forgepoint Capital International (co-leads), EQT Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ahmed Achchak, Hamza Sayah 🗞️ News: Qevlar AI has raised $30M just one year after its previous $14M round (April 2025), reinforcing strong investor interest at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity. The company’s platform of autonomous AI agents is designed to help SOC teams manage overwhelming alert volumes—often exceeding 4,000 alerts per day—by automating the full investigation workflow. Already used by enterprises such as Mercedes-Benz and Sodexo, as well as MSSPs including Atos and Orange Cyberdefense, Qevlar claims its technology reduces investigation time to roughly three minutes per alert, up to 10× faster than traditional workflows. The new funding will support further development of the platform and expansion of its AI-driven cyber “copilot” capabilities to help organizations strengthen their security posture. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/paris-based-qevlar-ai-raises-e25-8-million-to-automate-security-operations-centre-investigations-with-agentic-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/10/cybersecurite-30-millions-de-dollars-de-plus-pour-qevlar-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Lemrock 🏷️ Sectors: AI, CommerceTech, RetailTech, DeepTech, Infrastructure 🔍 Description: Lemrock is a Paris-based deeptech startup building infrastructure for agentic commerce, enabling brands to sell directly within conversational AI environments such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Its middleware platform connects product catalogues, pricing, availability, and transaction systems to AI agents through a single integration point, allowing retailers to manage their presence, data, and transactions across conversational platforms. 💻 Website: [**Lemrock**](https://www.lemrock.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Galion.exe (lead), Michaël Benabou (Veepee), Gary Anssens (Alltricks / Decathlon), Frédéric Halley, Emmanuelle Brizay, Antoine Lizée (Alan) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Roxane Laigle, Sasha Collin, Clément Nguyen 🗞️ News: Lemrock has raised €6M to accelerate the deployment of its agentic commerce infrastructure, enabling brands to sell directly through conversational AI platforms. The round was led by Galion.exe, with Criteo founder Jean-Baptiste Rudelle joining the board. Founded in 2025, the startup provides a middleware layer connecting product catalogues, AI agents, and transaction systems, allowing retailers to expose real-time pricing, availability, and purchase options within AI-driven conversations. Lemrock already partners with more than 60 brands across Europe and the U.S.—including Maisons du Monde, Cdiscount, Darty, DIM, Engie, and Lebara—and processes over 100 million interactions monthly. The company aims to address the emerging shift toward conversational commerce, where AI agents increasingly influence product discovery and purchasing decisions. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/paris-based-lemrock-raises-e6-million-to-help-brands-sell-within-ai-agents-like-chatgpt-and-claude/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Elaia’s Full-Stack Gambit: How Xavier Lazarus Is Building a New Kind of European Tech Investor URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/elaias-full-stack-gambit-how-xavier-lazarus-is-building-a-new-kind-of-european-tech-investor/ Last updated: 2026-03-13T15:39:47.000Z With two new funds, a freshly launched joint venture with Lazard, and a billion euros under management, Elaia is betting that the future of venture capital looks nothing like the past. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #67: Planting A $1B AI Seed Round In Paris URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-67-planting-a-1b-ai-seed-round-in-paris/ Last updated: 2026-03-11T07:15:52.000Z Yann LeCun launched his AI unicorn AMI; Qevlar AI raised $30M for cybersecurity; Jimmy secured €80M for its small nuclear reactors. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Yann LeCun’s AMI Labs Launches With $1.03 Billion to Build AI That Understands the Real World URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecuns-ami-labs-launches-with-1-03-billion-to-build-ai-that-understands-the-real-world/ Last updated: 2026-03-10T18:44:39.000Z With $1.03B in seed funding, Paris-based AMI launches as a $3.5B AI unicorn aiming to move beyond LLMs by building “world models. These systems are designed to understand physical reality, reason about cause and effect, and power the next generation of intelligent machines. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire March 9: France’s Patent Titans; DeepIP €32M Round Leads 7 Deals For €59.9M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-9-frances-patent-titans-deepip-eu32m-round-leads-7-deals-for-eu59-9m/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T13:59:49.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🧮 Data Point: Patent Titans France’s patent leaderboard is back. [**According to the latest ranking**](https://www.inpi.fr/ressources/propriete-intellectuelle/palmares-deposants-de-brevet?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) from zee *Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (*INPI), the patent heavyweights in France remain resolutely industrial. Cars, planes, and the machinery that keeps them moving still rule the innovation game. On a macro level, patent activity is rebounding. INPI recorded 16,807 patent applications in 2025, an 8.7% increase year over year, signaling a renewed burst of inventive energy after several years of relative stability. At the top of the filing leaderboard sits **Stellantis** with **1,294 patent applications**, followed closely by **Safran (1,266)** and **Renault Group (746)**. In other words, mobility literally drives French innovation, or, at least, by patent filings. The automotive and aerospace giants dominate the list, reflecting the deep R&D pipelines behind electrification, propulsion systems, and next-generation transport technologies. After the mobility trio comes an interesting mix of sectors. **L’Oréal (714)** continues to prove that beauty is serious science, while French energy research institute **CEA (568)** anchors the academic side of the innovation ecosystem. Other familiar industrial names fill the top ten: **Valeo, Airbus, Orange, Thales, and STMicroelectronics**. Innovation in France is highly concentrated. The top 50 patent filers account for nearly 63% of all filings, while the top 20 alone represent about 53%. In other words, a relatively small club of industrial giants and research institutions carries much of the country’s patent output. Despite the AI hype cycle, France’s patent engine still runs on turbines, engines, batteries, and industrial systems. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image.png) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in the French tech sector.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: March 6 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/FTFW-March-6-top.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/FTFW-sectors-march-6.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/DeepIP-duo-2.jpg) 📇 Company: DeepIP 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, LegalTech 🔍 Description: DeepIP is a Franco-American AI startup developing software that automates and augments the patent lifecycle for intellectual property professionals. A spin-off from Kili Technology, the platform uses artificial intelligence to assist with patent drafting, prosecution, and portfolio management, significantly reducing the time required for patent preparation and responses to patent office actions. The solution aims to integrate AI throughout the entire patent lifecycle, enabling companies to create stronger, more defensible patents while improving efficiency for IP teams. 💻 Website: [DeepIP](https://www.deepip.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris, New York City 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €23M 🏦 Investors: Korelya Capital, Serena, Headline, Balderton Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: François-Xavier Leduc, Édouard d’Archimbaud 🗞️ News: DeepIP has raised $25M in a Series B round led by Korelya Capital (the fund founded by Fleur Pellerin) and Serena, with participation from Headline and Balderton Capital. The round follows a $15M raise in March 2025, bringing total funding over the past year to $40M. The company will use the capital to accelerate international expansion and strengthen its AI platform across the patent lifecycle, with a strong focus on the U.S. market, where 80% of its customers are currently located. DeepIP now serves around 400 clients—including companies such as Dexcom and Philips—across 25 jurisdictions and has processed more than 40,000 patent files. The startup has grown rapidly from fewer than 10 employees to 45 within a year and plans to reach 100 employees by the end of 2026 as it pursues global leadership in AI-powered intellectual property management. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/03/deepip-embarque-le-fonds-de-fleur-pellerin-et-serena-pour-lever-25-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-16.png) 📇 Company: Heliup 🏷️ Sectors: Energy, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Heliup is a French deeptech company developing ultra-lightweight photovoltaic panels designed specifically for large rooftops with limited load-bearing capacity. A spin-off from the CEA, the company combines high-efficiency silicon cells with a proprietary lightweight encapsulation architecture that allows solar installations without structural reinforcement, reducing installation costs, timelines, and environmental impact. Heliup targets a large but structurally underserved segment of the European building stock, particularly logistics, industrial, and commercial rooftops. 💻 Website: [Heliup](https://www.heliup-solar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Le Bourget-du-Lac 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €16M 🏦 Investors: Supernova Invest, MAIF Impact, Lita Gestion, C2AD, Starquest Capital, BNP Paribas Développement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Yannick Veschetti, Julien Gaume, Pierre Ruols, Laurent Prieur 🗞️ News: Heliup has raised €16M to accelerate European industrial scale-up and commercial expansion of its ultra-lightweight photovoltaic technology. The company operates a 100 MWc production facility in Le Cheylas (Isère), which has been operational since January 2025 and is supported by the EU Innovation Fund through the SHEEFT project. The funding will support the expansion of Heliup’s manufacturing capacity, the growth of its European commercial teams, and the replication of its industrial model across new production units, aiming for a 10x increase in capacity by 2028\. Positioned at the intersection of rooftop solar mandates, growing demand for energy self-consumption, and European industrial sovereignty, Heliup aims to unlock rooftop solar deployment in previously unsuitable locations for conventional photovoltaic systems. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/gigafactory-europe-les-grandes-ambitions-dheliup-la-start-up-specialiste-du-photovoltaique-2218874?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Metavonics 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech & Aerospace, DefenseTech 🔍 Description: Metavonics is a French deeptech startup developing modular avionics technologies for safety-critical embedded systems. Founded in 2021, the company designs standardized, certifiable electronic components, along with software tools, to simplify the development, integration, certification, and lifecycle management of avionics functions. Its modular architecture aims to improve the safety, flexibility, and performance of next-generation embedded systems used in aerospace and defense. 💻 Website: [Metavonics](https://www.metavonics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €7.3M 🏦 Investors: Safran Corporate Ventures, TTTech 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Martial Montrichard, Mohamed Eladl, Ashley Tse 🗞️ News: Metavonics has raised €7.3M in a Series A round with participation from Safran Corporate Ventures and Austrian embedded systems specialist TTTech. Alongside the investment, the startup has signed a strategic partnership with Safran Electronics & Defense to accelerate the development and deployment of its modular avionics technology. The deal reflects Safran’s strategy to support innovative technologies improving the safety and performance of critical embedded systems in aerospace, while strengthening its position in next-generation avionics infrastructure. | [**Zonebourse**](https://www.zonebourse.com/actualite-bourse/safran-mise-sur-metavonics-et-renforce-son-positionnement-dans-l-avionique-critique-ce7e5cd2da8ef723?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Omar Dekkiche and Lucie Kriegshauser, Co-Founders of Amatera](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-10.png) Omar Dekkiche and Lucie Kriegshauser, Co-Founders of Amatera 📇 Company: Amatera 🏷️ Sectors: AgriTech, BioTech 🔍 Description: Amatera is a French agricultural biotech startup developing climate-resilient crop varieties using a laboratory-based accelerated evolution approach. The company induces genetic variation in plant cells under controlled stress conditions, then selects promising variants through large-scale microcultures. This technique—rarely applied to perennial plants—aims to create more resilient crops such as coffee and vines capable of withstanding rising temperatures, drought, and other climate pressures. 💻 Website: [Amatera](https://www.amatera.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Évry-Courcouronnes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Demea Sustainable Investment, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, PINC, Mudcake, Exceptional Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Lucie Kriegshauser, Omar Dekkiche 🗞️ News: Amatera has raised €6M to accelerate R&D on climate-resilient crops, particularly coffee varieties adapted to climate change. The startup is developing new plant lines, including a naturally decaffeinated coffee and a hybrid “robutisca” combining the agronomic resilience of robusta with the taste profile of arabica. Based at the Genopole in Évry, the company expects the first commercial harvests of its varieties within 5–8 years. In the meantime, Amatera plans to generate early revenue by licensing its plant-cell regeneration platform to seed companies working on crops such as maize, wheat, and tomatoes, helping them accelerate breeding cycles and reduce production costs. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/amatera-la-start-up-qui-invente-le-cafe-du-futur-2219067?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Ilion Water Technologies 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Ilion Water Technologies is a French deeptech startup developing a low-energy desalination technology designed to replace the high-pressure systems used in conventional reverse osmosis. Born from research at ENS-PSL and CNRS, the company has created an electro-membrane pump capable of pushing water through membranes at atmospheric pressure using only a few volts. The approach aims to significantly reduce energy consumption, eliminate costly high-pressure equipment, and limit the use of chemicals in desalination and water purification processes. 💻 Website: [**Ilion Water Technologies**](https://ilion-watertech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3.8M 🏦 Investors: Demea Sustainable Investment, Critical Path Ventures, Bpifrance, Région Île-de-France, CNRS, PSL, European Research Council 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Lucie Ries, Zacharie Pilo, Paulina Sarnikowski, Lydéric Bocquet, Frédéric Hammel 🗞️ News: Ilion Water Technologies has raised €3.8M to advance the industrial development of its low-pressure desalination pump. The funding will support real-world pilot tests with industrial partners beginning in 2026 in Île-de-France. The technology, based on research by physicist Lydéric Bocquet, aims to reduce the energy cost of reverse osmosis by up to 50% while lowering capital expenditures by removing high-pressure infrastructure. In addition, integrated sensors allow real-time water quality monitoring, reducing chemical usage in filtration processes. The startup targets industrial integrators and engineering firms designing desalination and water treatment systems across sectors such as drinking water, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and semiconductors. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/ilion-water-la-start-up-qui-innove-dans-le-dessalement-de-leau-mer-2218642?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Novacium 🏷️ Sectors: DeepTech, Energy 🔍 Description: Novacium is a French energy materials deeptech startup specializing in silicon-based technologies for next-generation batteries and hydrogen production. Founded in 2022, the company develops advanced silicon anode materials designed to significantly increase lithium-ion battery capacity, as well as autonomous hydrogen generation systems powered by a patented silicon–aluminum alloy for civil and military applications. 💻 Website: [**Novacium**](https://www.novacium.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Solaize 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5M 🏦 Investors: HPQ Silicium 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jed Kraiem, Oleksiy Nichiporuk, Julien Degoulange 🗞️ News: HPQ Silicium has increased its equity stake in French energy deeptech Novacium from 28.4% to 36.8%, strengthening its strategic exposure to the startup’s battery and hydrogen technologies. The move accompanies governance changes designed to simplify Novacium’s structure and facilitate access to European and French funding programs reserved for domestically controlled companies in strategic sectors such as energy and defense. HPQ and Novacium have also signed an enhanced licensing agreement covering the development and commercialization of their joint technologies, with a focus on deploying clean hydrogen and advanced battery materials internationally, including in North America. The strategic alignment positions Novacium to accelerate industrial and commercial deployment of its energy technologies while expanding access to public innovation programs and collaborative industrial projects across Europe. | [**Le Devoir**](https://www.ledevoir.com/communiques-de-presse/961257/hpq-silicium-finalise-augmentation-capital-novacium-sas?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**HPQ**](https://hpqsilicon.com/press-release/hpq-finalizes-increased-ownership-in-novacium-sas/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-14.png) 📇 Company: Albupad 🏷️ Sectors: BioTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Albupad is a Strasbourg-based deeptech biotech startup developing a patented platform for sustained drug delivery using native protein-based biomaterials. The technology leverages albumin—the most abundant protein in human blood—to create stable biomaterials that gradually release therapeutic molecules over extended periods. By transforming naturally soluble albumin into a stable biomaterial without altering its native structure, Albupad enables long-acting injectable or implantable formulations that reduce injection frequency and improve treatment adherence for patients. 💻 Website: [**Albupad**](https://albupad.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Strasbourg 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.3M 🏦 Investors: Alsace Business Angels, Yeast, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Eya Aloui, Jordan Beurton 🗞️ News: Albupad has secured €1.3M to advance its sustained-release drug delivery platform and produce prototypes ready for integration into pharmaceutical pipelines. The startup originated from academic research conducted by founder Eya Aloui on albumin-based biomaterials and has been supported by CONECTUS through technology transfer. Winner of the national i-Lab 2024 competition and incubated at SEMIA – Quest for Health since 2022, the company is developing biomaterials that enable the gradual release of therapeutic proteins and peptides in the body. The funding will support the development of advanced prototypes, regulatory structuring, and strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical companies, positioning Albupad to address the growing market for long-acting injectable therapies used in chronic diseases and oncology. --- 📇 Company: Animaj 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, Entertainment 🔍 Description: Animaj is a Paris-based digital animation studio building AI-native production infrastructure for children’s entertainment. The company operates a proprietary platform combining audience intelligence, generative AI animation tools, and automated production workflows to create animated episodes from concept to YouTube release in under five weeks—around four times faster than traditional animation pipelines. Animaj focuses on developing global kids’ IP and expanding it across streaming, licensing, and interactive media formats. 💻 Website: [**Animaj**](https://www.animaj.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late Stage 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Google 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Sixte Berliner de Vauplane, Gregory Dray, Gilles Gaillard 🗞️ News: Animaj has secured backing from Google’s AI Futures Fund as part of a strategic partnership focused on AI-driven animation and digital storytelling. The deal provides Animaj with investment, early access to Google’s most advanced generative AI models, and direct collaboration with Google teams to develop high-quality content for its global YouTube audience. Google's program is wide-ranging, and it does not typically disclose the amount of investment. Animaj has previously raised $135m across six rounds. The company already reaches 242 million unique monthly viewers on YouTube and owns major kids’ IP, including *Pocoyo*. With its AI-native studio platform integrating tools such as audience intelligence, sketch-to-pose, and motion-in-betweening systems, Animaj aims to accelerate production timelines while expanding into interactive storytelling and new formats tailored to how younger audiences discover content online. The partnership reflects growing investor confidence in AI-powered animation studios as the next generation of global children’s entertainment franchises. | [**Animaj**](https://www.animaj.com/post/animaj-joins-googles-ai-futures-fund-to-redefine-how-kids-content-gets-made?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**C21Media**](https://www.c21media.net/news/french-digital-studio-animaj-wins-backing-from-googles-ai-futures-fund/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Pasqal Makes Quantum SPAC Leap to Nasdaq URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-m/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T08:33:52.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Pasqal is betting big on public markets, announcing a $2B SPAC merger that would take the French quantum startup to Nasdaq. The deal brings over $600M in capital and underscores Bpifrance’s long-running role in building France’s deep-tech champions. [**We break it down.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spac-to-the-future-pasqal-takes-2b-quantum-leap/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in the French tech sector.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 😓😅 France’s entrepreneurs may still love the idea of being their own boss, but 2025 wasn't exactly a smooth ride. A new survey of 1,747 founders backed by **Initiative France** finds business owners broadly upbeat, with 88% saying they’re happy at work, even as cash flow headaches, admin overload, and mounting economic uncertainty pile up. Nearly two-thirds of entrepreneurs are already using AI tools like ChatGPT to handle tasks such as communications, admin work, and content creation, evidence that even small businesses are leaning into automation to save time. But the macro mood is far less optimistic: 81% worry about France’s public debt and deficit, and a solid 75% say they’re not exactly eager to foot the bill for fixing it. | [**Initiative France**](https://www.initiative-france.fr/espace-info/entrepreneuriat/606-enquete-entrepreneurs-2025-les-resultats.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧘‍♀️🏦 Europe’s female founders are still raising money, just with fewer fireworks than across the Atlantic, according to a new report by **Pitchbook**. Venture activity in 2025 slowed across the continent, with both deal count and total funding slipping, largely because Europe simply didn’t produce the kind of blockbuster megadeals that dominate U.S. venture markets. Across the U.S., by contrast, female-founded startups pulled in a record **$73.6 billion**, fueled heavily by AI giants like Anthropic and Scale AI, a reminder that American venture still runs on the occasional monster round. Europe’s ecosystem looks steadier but smaller: valuations are rising, and most female-led startups still manage to raise follow-on rounds or exit after their first funding, suggesting resilience even in a cooling market. | [**Pitchbook**](https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/2025-european-all-in-female-founders-in-the-vc-ecosystem?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ♻️✨ **Dioxycle turns industrial fumes into fancy packaging.** The Paris-based startup, founded in 2021, signed a **multi-year deal with L’Oréal** to supply polyethylene made from carbon-electrolysed ethylene. After a pilot last year, the founders, Sarah Lamaison and David Wakerley, are ready to scale their electrified chemistry while maintaining the quality required for cosmetics. The trick is turning CO/CO₂ from other factories into low-carbon plastic that performs like virgin petrochem. Backed by **$37M from US investors**, including Lowercarbon Capital and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Dioxycle plans to replicate its one-square-meter pilot modules across industries that are hard to decarbonize. Basically, the startup is proving that sustainable chemistry can be sexy. 💅 | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/la-start-up-dioxycle-signe-avec-loreal-pour-decarboner-les-emballages-2219057?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💻⚠️ **Zero-day hits shift to private biz.** Google’s Threat Intelligence Team reports that in 2025, half of all zero-day exploits targeted companies, not states. That's a first. 90 vulnerabilities were actively exploited, with network gear, cloud infra, and enterprise software prime targets. Mobile zero-days surged too (15 in 2025), while browser attacks fell. Surveillance firms and cybercriminals are now bigger players than traditional state hackers, and China-linked groups stay active with campaigns like BRICKSTORM, stealing code and IP. AI is set to turbocharge attacks in 2026, automating reconnaissance and exploit creation. But defenders are not idle, with AI agents scanning and patching vulnerabilities faster than ever. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/cybersecurite-la-moitie-des-attaques-zero-day-ciblent-desormais-des-entreprises-privees-dapres-google.7H3IV2OASFB4NO2TQOMMC4O7P4.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💻⚠️ **Speaking of cybersecurity...French storage company Scality** is trying a concrete incentive to fight back: actual money. The firm has launched a $100,000 cyber-guarantee tied to its object-storage platform Artesca, pledging to pay customers cash if ransomware manages to encrypt or destroy supposedly immutable data stored on the system. No service credits, no discount vouchers for your next renewal, just a check, assuming an audit confirms the breach. The move is unusual in an industry where vendors typically hide behind fuzzy SLAs and carefully worded security guarantees. Scality is targeting SMEs and mid-sized companies, which are often excluded from enterprise-grade warranty programs unless they spend serious money. | [**ITRnews**](https://itrnews.com/articles/209044/scality-lance-une-cyber-garantie-de-100-000-dollars-pour-artesca-promesse-solide-ou-coup-de-com.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💻⚠️ **And speaking of cybersecurity**...**Paris’s adult education platform is leaking data.** The City of Paris joins the ever-growing club of hacked public services. Names, birth dates, emails, addresses, and phone numbers of course-goers were exposed, though passwords and banking info are safe… for now. Authorities are investigating and have filed a complaint, but watch out for phishing attempts! Public services are a hot target, holding goldmines of sensitive data while running on old IT systems. EU cyber stats show nearly 40% of attacks hit public bodies, costing an average of $2.6M per breach. Meanwhile, initiatives like Visio aim to patch the gaps, but hackers aren’t slowing down anytime soon.| [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/cybersecurite-la-ville-de-paris-touchee-par-une-fuite-de-donnees-liee-a-la-plateforme-des-cours-dadultes.5FG7X2EX6BD3PN2HB2M3NBWC4I.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👩‍🔬📉 **French deeptech is still a boys’ club.** New data from the European Patent Office shows **10% of founders in French startups with patents, compared** to **14% in teams with at least one female co-founder**. The gap shrinks slightly in younger startups (<5 years old), but sectors like transport (5.9%), robotics (5.5%), and consumer electronics (4.4%) lag far behind chemistry, food, and health. Spain leads Europe with 19% female patent founders, thanks to smaller industrial giants and strong public research. The study flags a hard truth: women publish just as well as men, but **their inventions are less often patented**, making funding and scaling even tougher. So while Europe’s deeptech brains are diverse, the patent scoreboard is still overwhelmingly male.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-linnovation-brevetee-des-start-up-reste-a-90-masculine-2218883?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏆💡 **Next Innov 2026 is open for business.** Banque Populaire and Maddyness are back with their 9th edition of the startup & SME spotlight, dishing out €80K in prizes plus expert mentoring. New this year: **Agir pour l’eau!** award for water-focused innovators and the **Croissance** prize for growth-ready companies. Finalists will pitch to an A-list jury including Armand Thiberge (Brevo) and Tatiana Jama (SISTA) on June 11\. Applications run until April 10\. Startups and PMEs, this is your moment to shine, flex your innovation, and maybe snag a public vote *coup de cœur*! | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/02/80-000-euros-un-jury-delite-les-candidatures-au-prix-next-innov-2026-sont-ouvertes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📚🔥 **Amazon out, drama contained.** The Festival du Livre de Paris has ditched its partnership with Amazon after the French booksellers’ union threw a boycott tantrum over the Seattle giant’s 2026 spotlight. Amazon won’t appear at all this year (April 17–19 at the Grand Palais), even though it was there last year via Kindle & Audible. Peace restored, the festival can now focus on tens of thousands of book lovers without a retail Goliath looming over the stands.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/medias/pour-eteindre-la-polemique-le-festival-du-livre-de-paris-et-amazon-mettent-fin-a-leur-partenariat-2219214?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # SPAC To The Future: Pasqal Takes $2B Quantum Leap [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/image-9.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spac-to-the-future-pasqal-takes-2b-quantum-leap/) When I profiled quantum computing startup [**Pasqal** three years ago](https://sifted.eu/articles/bpifrance-machine-powering-french-tech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the company had just closed a €100 million Series B and employed about 100 people. **Then CEO Georges-Olivier Reymond** was full of praise for state bank Bpifrance, which had supported the company at virtually every stage of its journey, from a €60,000 emergence grant to hire its first employee to direct investment through its Large Venture Fund. Now, Pasqal is making the biggest bet of its young life. The Paris-based company has announced that it has agreed to merge with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. II, a Nasdaq-listed SPAC, in a deal valued at $2 billion pre-money. If all goes to plan, the transaction will close in the second half of 2026 and make Pasqal a publicly traded company on Nasdaq, with a dual listing on Euronext Paris to follow. It is, by any measure, a landmark moment for the French deep tech ecosystem. And Bpifrance is right there in the middle of the deal, anchoring the convertible financing alongside new institutional investors. [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spac-to-the-future-pasqal-takes-2b-quantum-leap/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: DeepIP 🏷️ Sectors: AI, LegalTech, Enterprise SaaS 🔍 Description: DeepIP is a Franco-American AI startup developing software that automates and augments the patent lifecycle for intellectual property professionals. A spin-off from Kili Technology, the platform uses artificial intelligence to assist with patent drafting, prosecution, and portfolio management, significantly reducing the time required for patent preparation and responses to patent office actions. The solution aims to integrate AI throughout the entire patent lifecycle, enabling companies to create stronger, more defensible patents while improving efficiency for IP teams. 💻 Website: [DeepIP](https://www.deepip.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris & New York 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €23M 🏦 Investors: Korelya Capital, Serena, Headline, Balderton Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: François-Xavier Leduc 🗞️ News: DeepIP has raised $25M in a Series B round led by Korelya Capital (the fund founded by Fleur Pellerin) and Serena, with participation from Headline and Balderton Capital. The round follows a $15M raise in March 2025, bringing total funding over the past year to $40M. The company will use the capital to accelerate international expansion and strengthen its AI platform across the patent lifecycle, with a strong focus on the U.S. market, where 80% of its customers are currently located. DeepIP now serves around 400 clients, including companies such as Dexcom and Philips, across 25 jurisdictions and has processed more than 40,000 patent files. The startup has grown rapidly from fewer than 10 employees to 45 within a year and plans to reach 100 employees by the end of 2026 as it pursues global leadership in AI-powered intellectual property management. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/03/03/deepip-embarque-le-fonds-de-fleur-pellerin-et-serena-pour-lever-25-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: HELIUP 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, Clean Energy, DeepTech, SolarTech, Industrial Tech 🔍 Description: HELIUP is a French deeptech company developing ultra-lightweight photovoltaic panels designed specifically for large rooftops with limited load-bearing capacity. A spin-off from the CEA, the company combines high-efficiency silicon cells with a proprietary lightweight encapsulation architecture that allows solar installations without structural reinforcement, reducing installation costs, timelines, and environmental impact. HELIUP targets a large but structurally underserved segment of the European building stock, particularly logistics, industrial, and commercial rooftops. 💻 Website: [HELIUP](https://www.heliup-solar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Le Bourget-du-Lac 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €16M 🏦 Investors: Supernova Invest (lead), MAIF Impact, Lita Gestion, C2AD, Starquest Capital, BNP Paribas Développement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: CEA spin-off (founding team not specified) 🗞️ News: HELIUP has raised €16M to accelerate European industrial scale-up and commercial expansion of its ultra-lightweight photovoltaic technology. The company operates a 100 MWc production facility in Le Cheylas (Isère), which has been operational since January 2025 and is supported by the EU Innovation Fund through the SHEEFT project. The funding will support the expansion of HELIUP’s manufacturing capacity, the growth of its European commercial teams, and the replication of its industrial model across new production units, aiming for a 10x increase in capacity by 2028\. Positioned at the intersection of rooftop solar mandates, growing demand for energy self-consumption, and European industrial sovereignty, HELIUP aims to unlock rooftop solar deployment in previously unsuitable locations for conventional photovoltaic systems. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/gigafactory-europe-les-grandes-ambitions-dheliup-la-start-up-specialiste-du-photovoltaique-2218874?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Metavonics 🏷️ Sectors: Aerospace, DefenseTech, Avionics, DeepTech, Embedded Systems 🔍 Description: Metavonics is a French deeptech startup developing modular avionics technologies for safety-critical embedded systems. Founded in 2021, the company designs standardized, certifiable electronic components, along with software tools, to simplify the development, integration, certification, and lifecycle management of avionics functions. Its modular architecture aims to improve the safety, flexibility, and performance of next-generation embedded systems used in aerospace and defense. 💻 Website: [Metavonics](https://www.metavonics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €7.3M 🏦 Investors: Safran Corporate Ventures, TTTech 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Martial Montrichard, Mohamed Eladl, Ashley Tse 🗞️ News: Metavonics has raised €7.3M in a Series A round with participation from Safran Corporate Ventures and Austrian embedded systems specialist TTTech. Alongside the investment, the startup has signed a strategic partnership with Safran Electronics & Defense to accelerate the development and deployment of its modular avionics technology. The deal reflects Safran’s strategy to support innovative technologies improving the safety and performance of critical embedded systems in aerospace, while strengthening its position in next-generation avionics infrastructure. | [**Zonebourse**](https://www.zonebourse.com/actualite-bourse/safran-mise-sur-metavonics-et-renforce-son-positionnement-dans-l-avionique-critique-ce7e5cd2da8ef723?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### SPAC To The Future: Pasqal Takes $2B Quantum Leap URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spac-to-the-future-pasqal-takes-2b-quantum-leap/ Last updated: 2026-03-06T09:24:39.000Z Pasqal is betting big on public markets, announcing a $2B SPAC merger that would take the French quantum startup to Nasdaq. The deal brings over $600M in capital and underscores Bpifrance’s long-running role in building France’s deep-tech champions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #66: Scale or Sell? Gleamer's €230M Question URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-66-scale-or-sell-gleamers-eu230m-question/ Last updated: 2026-03-04T11:04:17.000Z Gleamer’s sale to U.S. imaging giant RadNet raises a familiar question for European startups: scale or sell? Plus: AI hiring rebounds in France, Mistral expands its enterprise push, defense startups gain traction, and platforms crack down on AI music. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Sell Out or Scale Up? AI Radiology Startup Gleamer Scores Rare €230M Sale To U.S. Giant RadNet URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sell-out-or-scale-up-ai-radiology-startup-gleamer-scores-rare-eu230m-sale-to-u-s-giant-radnet/ Last updated: 2026-03-04T14:59:05.000Z Paris-based Gleamer built one of Europe’s fastest-growing AI radiology platforms, reaching €30M ARR and 700 hospitals. The company faced a familiar dilemma: remain independent and try to become an international champion or join forces with a larger established player? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Funding Wire March 2: Good Vibe Coding; Verley €32M Round Leads 10 Deals For €59.1M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-2-good-vibe-coding-verley-eu32m-round-leads-10-deals-for-eu59-1m/ Last updated: 2026-03-04T22:19:22.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🧮 Data Point: Vive Le Vibe Coding! According to a new analysis of Google search data, France ranks seventh globally for interest in the buzzy coding concept known as "vibe coding," with 33.53 searches per 100,000 residents. The study was conducted by vibe marketing website [LeadsNavi](https://www.leadsnavi.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Hey, 7th place is not bad for a country that often gets dunked on for debating AI regulation rather than chasing the latest dev trend. Unlike smaller tech hubs such as Malta or Luxembourg, France combines strong per-capita interest with a large overall search volume. In other words, this isn’t just a handful of Parisian startup bros googling between espresso shots. While France still trails Switzerland and Germany in per-capita intensity, it comfortably outpaces Southern European slackers in Italy and Spain. The Brits clocked in at a mere 14th. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/leadsnavi-vibe-coding-1-.png) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in the French tech sector.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: February 27 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/top-deals-feb-27.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/03/Top-Sectors.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-60.png) 📇 Company: Verley 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, AgriTech, DeepTech, BioTech 🔍 Description: Verley is a French food and nutrition ingredient company developing high-purity, functionalised whey proteins through precision fermentation. Founded in 2022, the company focuses on producing beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) designed to meet industrial performance standards across high-protein applications such as yoghurts and protein shots. By combining nutritional performance, industrial scalability, and sustainability, Verley aims to support food and beverage manufacturers in developing next-generation high-protein products while significantly reducing natural resource usage compared to conventional dairy production. 💻 Website: [**Verley**](https://verley-food.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €32M 🏦 Investors: Alven, Blast, Bpifrance, Sofinnova, Sparkfood, Captech, Founders Future 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Stéphane Mac Millan, Hélène Briand 🗞️ News: Verley has secured an oversubscribed €32M Series A round four years after inception, positioning the company toward the upper end of European precision fermentation and functional protein ingredient financings in 2025/2026\. The round will fund U.S. market entry, commercial deployment, early customer scale-up, expanded production capacity, and continued R&D to enhance performance, efficiency, and sustainability. Verley’s FermWhey portfolio leverages precision fermentation to deliver high-purity whey proteins with advanced solubility, emulsification, gelling properties, and optimised nutritional profiles. As global protein demand continues to grow—driven by mainstream high-protein consumption trends, demographic shifts, and the rapid expansion of GLP-1 treatments—Verley aims to alleviate pressure on the dairy industry by providing scalable, lower-impact alternatives integrated into existing food value chains. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/with-high-protein-nutrition-now-mainstream-lyons-verley-raises-e32-million-to-expand-production/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/24/verley-leve-32-millions-deuros-pour-souvrir-les-portes-du-marche-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Meelo 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, AI & Machine Learning, Cybersecurity 🔍 Description: Meelo is a French fintech SaaS company specialising in digital onboarding security, fraud prevention, and risk intelligence. Founded in 2017, the company combines Open Banking, Open Data, and artificial intelligence technologies to detect identity, documentary, and financial fraud, assess solvency, and automate risk evaluation. Meelo’s platform aims to reduce fraud risk by 10 and associated costs by 4, while delivering transparent, explainable decisions for financial institutions. Certified B-Corp and structured as a mission-driven company, Meelo positions itself as a European leader in ethical AI-driven “risk & trust digital.” 💻 Website: [**Meelo**](https://www.getmeelo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €14M 🏦 Investors: ISALT 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Laurent Kocinski 🗞️ News: ISALT, through its Fonds Stratégique des Transitions (FST), has taken a minority stake in Meelo with a €14M ticket and additional reinvestment capacity for future external growth operations. The investment will support team expansion across France and Europe, accelerated R&D—particularly in generative AI—and international development. Meelo serves more than 60 clients, including BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, and Crédit Mutuel, and reports strong growth and profitability. Positioned in a market facing increasing identity and financial fraud risks, Meelo enables credit institutions, insurers, and lenders to automate real-time predictive risk analysis while maintaining smooth customer journeys. The deal marks the eighth investment of FST, an Article 8 SFDR-classified fund backed by Caisse des Dépôts and InvestEU, focused on supporting innovative French SMEs driving technological and societal transitions. | [**Finyear**](https://finyear.com/isalt-investit-dans-meelo-fintech-specialisee-en-lutte-contre-la-fraude?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: hummingbirds 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, AgriTech 🔍 Description: hummingbirds is a French nature-based solutions (NbS) project developer founded in 2022\. The company finances and scales high-integrity carbon projects focused on afforestation, reforestation, mangrove restoration, REDD+, and regenerative initiatives. Operating through six local offices across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Australia, hummingbirds develops community-driven conservation and restoration projects designed to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and local livelihood improvement. 💻 Website: [**hummingbirds**](https://hummingbirds.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5M 🏦 Investors: Swedfund, Proparco, British International Investment 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Anaïs Bach, Damien Ricordeau 🗞️ News: hummingbirds has secured €50M in commitments from three major European Development Finance Institutions to scale its portfolio of high-integrity Nature-based Solutions projects. The platform aims to sequester 25 million tons of CO₂e, sustainably manage 200,000 hectares, protect habitats for 100 endangered species, and improve livelihoods for 250,000 people, with a strong focus on gender inclusion. The initiative benefits from the EDFI Carbon Sinks guarantee, backed by the European Union under the EFSD+ programme, reinforcing its credibility in voluntary and compliance carbon markets. This funding positions hummingbirds as a leading European player in high-quality carbon project development, targeting scalable, verifiable, and community-driven climate impact solutions. | [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/hummingbirds-raises-59-million-to-scale-nature-based-carbon-projects?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-61.png) 📇 Company: Alpa 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, SaaS & Enterprise, FoodTech 🔍 Description: Alpa is a London-based FinTech platform built for the hospitality industry, offering restaurant groups real-time visibility into margins, costs, cash flow, and profitability. Founded in 2026, the company positions itself as the operational financial layer that complements traditional accounting software. By integrating directly with POS systems, banking infrastructure, and suppliers, Alpa structures fragmented financial data into live, operator-grade P&Ls, enabling hospitality businesses to make daily, data-driven decisions rather than relying on month-end reporting. 💻 Website: [**Alpa**](http://www.getalpa.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: London 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.9M 🏦 Investors: Daphni, True Capital, 2100 Ventures, Firedrop, Oprtrs Club, Kima Ventures, Sonorcap, Business Angels, Alexandre Yazdi, Jerome Tafani 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Anton Soulier, Jean-François Moy 🗞️ News: Alpa has raised €2.9M in pre-Seed funding to accelerate product and engineering development. The capital will be used to deepen integrations with POS systems, banks, and suppliers, and to invest in automation, AI-driven data classification, and scalable financial infrastructure. Targeting Europe’s 2 million hospitality businesses, Alpa addresses a structural gap in financial visibility, where many operators only understand profitability weeks after month-end. By delivering real-time operational P&Ls without replacing existing accounting tools, Alpa aims to become the financial operating system for the hospitality industry. The round signals continued investor appetite for hospitality-focused financial infrastructure across Europe following multiple large 2025–2026 HospitalityTech financings. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/taster-founders-uk-fintech-startup-alpa-raises-e2-9-million-to-build-a-financial-operating-system-for-hospitality/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: THE 8 IMPACT 🏷️ Sectors: ClimateTech, E-commerce & Retail 🔍 Description: THE 8 IMPACT is a French startup industrialising high-performance regenerated materials for sneaker soles, made from end-of-life shoes and tennis balls. Founded by Marie Soudré-Richard and Hélène Guerret, the company has developed a patented mechanical recycling process—without water or chemical solvents—capable of transforming post-consumer waste into stable, homogeneous materials that meet the performance standards of major footwear brands. Combined with proprietary automatic formulation software, the technology ensures industrial-grade quality and reduces carbon footprint by up to 50% compared to virgin materials. 💻 Website: [**THE 8 IMPACT**](https://www.the8impact.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Rémy 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Collateral Good, Bpifrance, Makesense 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Marie Soudré-Richard, Hélène Guerret 🗞️ News: THE 8 IMPACT has raised €2M to accelerate the industrialisation of regenerated materials as a competitive alternative to virgin inputs in footwear manufacturing. Already deployed with Veja, the solution will be industrialised from 2026 by Decathlon and two major running and trail brands, validating its economic and operational viability. The funding will support increased production capacity and expansion across Europe and the Americas. Positioned in the footwear market amid mounting regulatory and environmental pressure, THE 8 IMPACT aims to build a scalable circular value chain and make recycled materials a credible, low-carbon standard for sneaker manufacturing. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/the-8-impact-leve-2-meur-pour-industrialiser-une-alternative-competitive-aux-matieres-vierges-dans-la-chaussure/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Opus Aerospace 🏷️ Sectors: SpaceTech & Aerospace, DefenseTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Opus Aerospace is a French deeptech startup developing reusable suborbital sounding rockets for civil and military applications. Founded in 2020, the company targets the strategic “suborbital gap” — too high for aircraft and too low for satellites — with its 5-meter rocket Mésange, powered by a proprietary 3D-printed engine (Torgos) using a hydrogen peroxide/propane mix designed to reduce environmental impact while reaching speeds up to Mach 5\. Opus aims to build a sovereign European suborbital launch platform addressing both defense simulations and scientific flight testing. 💻 Website: [Opus Aerospace](https://www.opus-aerospace.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Brétigny-sur-Orge 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.2M 🏦 Investors: Sowefund, Bpifrance, BADGE, Itera Invest, Defense Angels, FIVES Group 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Safouane Benamer, Clara Salvetti 🗞️ News: Opus Aerospace has opened its capital to the public via a Sowefund campaign as part of a €1.2M round, acting as a bridge toward a planned \~€5M pre-Series A expected at the end of 2026\. The funding will be allocated 40% to R&D, 25% to commercial operations, 25% to industrial investments, and 10% to operational needs. The company plans a first suborbital launch from Kourou (French Guiana) under a CNES contract by mid-2026, followed by initial commercial missions between 2026 and 2027, including defense simulations and international research flights. Positioned at the intersection of sovereignty, defense, and scientific research, Opus Aerospace aims to reduce Europe’s reliance on non-European suborbital systems, which currently account for 83% of small launchers and aerial target systems used in the region. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/16/opus-aerospace-ouvre-son-capital-pour-securiser-lacces-europeen-aux-portes-de-lespace/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: OOrion 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning, E-commerce & Retail, TravelTech 🔍 Description: OOrion is a Lyon-based startup developing a free AI-powered navigation and product recognition app for visually impaired users. Founded in 2022 by Stéphanie Robieux and Thomas Brisson after graduating from Centrale Lyon, the solution uses smartphone cameras and AI to identify products and guide users in physical spaces such as supermarkets and hotels. Available in 32 languages across 90 countries, OOrion is currently the most widely adopted assistive navigation solution for visually impaired people in Europe. 💻 Website: [**OOrion**](https://www.oorion.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Business Angels, Bartimeus Fund 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Stéphanie Robieux, Thomas Brisson 🗞️ News: OOrion has raised a “modest” €1M round combining equity from business angels and Dutch impact fund Bartimaeus with bank loans, allowing the company to strengthen its technical team while maintaining strategic control. The startup met Bartimaeus during a regional delegation to CES in Las Vegas in 2024 and continued to build the relationship before closing the round. OOrion has already reached 20,000 visually impaired users, primarily in France. In retail, 11 Carrefour hypermarkets have deployed the app, with a larger-scale pilot underway with Intermarché. The company also serves hospitality clients, including Accor, Pullman, and MGallery hotels, and recently partnered with the Lyon-based chefs association Les Toques Blanches. OOrion has joined two major incubation programs: France Tourisme Tech and a Meta–SNCF AI open-source acceleration program at Station F involving Hugging Face. While currently focused on software, the company is exploring future integration with connected glasses to expand its assistive capabilities. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-oorion-lapplication-qui-facilite-la-vie-des-malvoyants-2217369?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Desk 🏷️ Sectors: PropTech, SaaS & Enterprise, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Desk is a French SaaS platform specialising in the automation of management and commercialization for shared workspaces. Founded in 2021, the company provides coworking operators and flexible space managers with an all-in-one operating system to automate bookings, access control (via ephemeral keys or codes), billing, and customer management. Positioned as a digital infrastructure layer for shared spaces, Desk aims to replace manual processes still largely managed via phone and spreadsheets, reducing operating costs and ultimately lowering rents for clients. 💻 Website: [**Desk**](https://desk.community/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Business Angels, Bpifrance, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Julian Domercq, Pierre-Louis Schnitzler 🗞️ News: Desk has raised €1M to accelerate its expansion from 200 equipped sites in France to a target of 1,000 by 2027\. The round includes €600k in equity and €400k in public-backed loans. The funding will support four hires (two tech profiles focused on AI features and two commercial roles), international expansion into Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, and deeper AI integration. Desk’s solution is already used by networks such as Come’N’Work and Today Coworking, as well as independent rural and peri-urban spaces, wellness-focused coworking hubs, and music studios. The company is investing in advanced AI-driven data analysis to optimise pricing, demand forecasting, and automated prospecting, with a longer-term vision of becoming the central data connector between shared spaces and AI agents, chatbots, and third-party software interfaces. | [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/levees-de-fonds/desk-1-million-euros-levee/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Formel AI 🏷️ Sectors: AI & Machine Learning 🔍 Description: Formel AI is an AI startup building production-grade large language models enhanced with formal verification to eliminate reasoning hallucinations. The company combines formal methods and LLM architectures to ensure logical consistency and mathematical correctness in AI-generated outputs, aiming to deliver 100% logically consistent LLMs for enterprise and mission-critical applications. 💻 Website: [Formel AI](https://formel.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Antoine Mazarguil 🗞️ News: Formel AI has closed an oversubscribed angel round backed by more than 30 prominent operators, AI founders, and researchers from across the European tech ecosystem. The funding will support hiring across AI engineering and formal methods, as well as strategy and operations, as the company advances its breakthrough approach combining formal verification with large language models. By addressing reasoning hallucinations at the logical layer, Formel AI aims to unlock production-ready, verifiably consistent AI systems for high-stakes use cases. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sylvain-combettes%5Fwith-antoine-mazarguil-were-thrilled-activity-7429435501692006400-i3u0?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 Company: fxhash 🏷️ Sectors: Web3 🔍 Description: fxhash is a generative art platform and NFT marketplace originally built on Tezos, now expanding to Ethereum and Base. The platform enables artists to mint and monetize on-chain generative artworks and is evolving into a broader “art economy” powered by its $FXH token and protocol. Recent developments include art coins, bonding curves, liquidity mechanisms, and new monetization primitives designed to blend digital art with DeFi infrastructure. 💻 Website: [**fxhash**](https://www.fxhash.xyz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Coinbase Ventures, Re7 Capital, Social Graph VC, MitonC 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Baptiste Crespy 🗞️ News: fxhash has announced a new funding round to support the expansion of its generative art ecosystem on Ethereum and Base. While the exact amount was not disclosed, the round follows its $5M Seed in August 2023, led by 1kx. The participation of Coinbase Ventures signals strong alignment with Base’s ecosystem and reinforces institutional confidence in fxhash’s multi-chain evolution. The funding will accelerate development of advanced generative tools, protocol features tied to the $FXH token, and ecosystem growth initiatives. With $FXH already listed on Coinbase and Base emerging as a low-fee hub for NFTs and experimental Web3 projects, this round strengthens fxhash’s ambition to build durable infrastructure for on-chain creativity, tokenized art economies, and community-driven digital ownership models. | [**Twitter**](https://x.com/fx%5Fhash%5F/status/2024138288999591947?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Mecaware 🏷️ Sectors: CleanTech, DeepTech 🔍 Description: Mecaware is a French industrial cleantech startup specialising in the recycling of strategic metals from end-of-life batteries and battery manufacturing scrap. Founded in January 2021, the company has developed a closed-loop, eco²-efficient process that produces lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper in carbonate or hydroxide form, without generating harmful effluents and with limited external energy input. Its compact, replicable industrial model is designed to be deployed near waste sources, supporting European battery manufacturers and reducing dependence on imports from extra-European sources. 💻 Website: [Mecaware](https://mecaware.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Béthune 🧗 Round: Public Grant + Equity Option (EIC Accelerator) 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5M grant 🏦 Investors: European Innovation Council 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arnaud Villers d’Arbouet 🗞️ News: Mecaware has been selected as a laureate of the highly selective EIC Accelerator programme, with only 4% of applicants accepted. The program provides a €2.5M grant and access to potential equity financing of up to €10M to support industrial scale-up. This recognition strengthens Mecaware’s financial base as it advances its pilot plant in Béthune, scheduled for commissioning in late 2026, with a target capacity of over 8,000 tonnes of strategic metals per year by 2029 and around 100 direct jobs. The company is concurrently raising €20M to accelerate industrial deployment. Positioned as a strategic player in Europe’s battery value chain, Mecaware aims to reduce the continent’s 96% dependence on imported critical metals while building a sovereign, circular supply chain for lithium-ion battery materials. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Building AI Startups For Factory Floors URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-building-ai-startups-for-factory-floors/ Last updated: 2026-02-27T08:29:32.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Founded by Renan Devillieres in 2019, OSS Ventures is an industrial venture builder with HQs in Paris and Boston, and has launched 30 startups across 3,600+ sites. With a new €75M fund, it’s gearing up to build the next wave of AI industrial champions. [**Devillieres discusses his visions and the opportunities he sees to build giants in this overlooked sector.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hard-hats-meet-hard-tech-oss-ventures-plan-industrialize-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/French-Tech-Journal_CHALLENGES---960_650.jpg)](https://challenges-awards.vivatech.com/challenges?t=NSlfjlPJEbET-4HP0nI9EQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=campagne-french-tech) VivaTech 2026 Startup Challenges are now open! Apply to gain visibility, leads, growth acceleration and more. The perfect opportunity to get your startup in front of investors, corporate partners, and the global tech ecosystem. Get a chance to exhibit for free at Europe's biggest startup and tech event in Paris, 17–20 June 2026! [Apply now! ](https://challenges-awards.vivatech.com/challenges?t=NSlfjlPJEbET-4HP0nI9EQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=campagne-french-tech) --- # Tech Talk ⚛️💻 French quantum darling **Pasqal** is reportedly in talks to raise €200 million in a round that would value it north of $1 billion pre-money, according to Bloomberg. The Paris-based startup, co-founded by Nobel laureate Alain Aspect, builds neutral-atom quantum processors and the software to run them, pitching itself as a full-stack player in a field that’s still more promise than product. The timing is no coincidence: quantum funding is heating up fast, with Finland's IQM preparing a US SPAC, Multiverse Computing, and a shiny new €220 million fund from Quantonation. Pasqal, which has already raised €100 million from backers like Temasek and Bpifrance, is riding a wave of investor enthusiasm fueled by dreams of AI breakthroughs, drug discovery, and cryptographic muscle. The deal isn’t done yet, but in a market suddenly flush with quantum cash, it seems everyone wants a piece of the atom. | [**Bloomberg**](https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/02/19/pasqal-in-talks-to-raise-e200m-at-unicorn-valuation-bloomberg-reports/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️🚧 Just a touch more modestly, **C12**, the Paris-based quantum upstart betting big on ultra-pure carbon nanotubes, just added 216 square meters to its in-house **“Quantum Fab,”** because apparently, the global quantum arms race waits for no one. The expansion tackles the bottlenecks that were slowing chip fabrication and ultra-cold testing, slashing cooling times from 24 hours to six and multiplying optical measurement capacity. In other words, fewer traffic jams between making qubits and actually seeing if they work. Backed by millions in French state funding and fresh capital, C12 says the souped-up facility will help it crank out its first sovereign quantum processor prototypes in the coming months. | 🪓🤯 Four years after a splashy $600 million raise at the height of the tech boom, French unicorn (Former-corn?) **Contentsquare** is tightening the screws, finalizing a 40-job PSE (*plan de sauvegarde de l’emploi*) as part of yet another restructuring, [**according to Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/26/contentsquare-finalise-un-pse-de-40-postes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The cuts, launched in November and affecting support and some operational teams, mark the company’s third round of layoffs in three years, after trims in 2023 and 2024\. Officially, it’s all about “refocusing on key priorities” and simplifying the org chart; unofficially, it’s the end of the hypergrowth hangover. Like many private scale-ups, Contentsquare isn’t publishing its numbers and isn’t profitable (at least not publicly), as investors now demand margins over momentum. Meanwhile, the company is doubling down on AI, snapping up Loris AI and touting generative features, betting that artificial intelligence will be less a buzzword and more a lifeline in a market that’s getting crowded fast. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/26/contentsquare-finalise-un-pse-de-40-postes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🪓🤯 Meanwhile, **Microsoft** is pulling the plug on its Engineering Center in Issy-les-Moulineaux, putting around 100 jobs on the line as it moves to shut down the site in the coming months. The company says the decision is part of a broader effort to consolidate engineering teams into a handful of major international hubs, and France, awkwardly, didn’t make the cut, with Dublin emerging as Europe’s main base. Officially, consultations are still underway, and some employees may be redeployed internally, but the writing is clearly on the wall. The closure won’t affect Microsoft’s other French operations, the company insists, noting it’s still hiring locally, just not for this center. Founded in 2011 and refocused on AI in 2019, the site’s pivot to artificial intelligence ultimately wasn’t enough to survive Microsoft’s latest generative AI-era reshuffle. It's not fatal to the American giant's presence in France, but still [**surprising given the company's public boasting about its €4 bn in AI investment in the country**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/microsoft-stakes-eu4b-claim-to-lead-frances-ai-transformation/). | [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/big-tech/microsoft/le-microsoft-engineering-center-dissy-les-moulineaux-va-fermer-ses-portes-une-centaine-de-postes-supprimes.4OM3E27HGFDENG7RBECT4VNE3Y.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😰😱 Here’s the French startup dream in 2026: total freedom, flexible hours… and a mild panic attack about cash flow. According to a new **Qonto** and **Appinio** study, 96% of French entrepreneurs chose this path willingly, mostly to pursue work-life balance and creative freedom, not to escape a pink slip. In fact, France ranks as one of Europe’s easiest places to start a business. So far, so good. But once the celebratory LinkedIn post is up, reality kicks in. Irregular income, customer hunting, and administrative red tape are draining morale, with nearly a third citing income instability as their top headache. The result is a very French paradox: fertile startup soil, but long-term survival feels like an endurance sport. The result is that **one in four French entrepreneurs** is considering crawling back to a salaried life by 2027, the highest rate in Europe. Not because they’ve fallen out of love with entrepreneurship, but because juggling personal finances, business cash flow, and paperwork is starting to feel less like freedom and more like a solo survival challenge. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/economie/6496270478147714/un-entrepreneur-sur-quatre-veut-redevenir-salarie-par-souci-financier?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💪💻 Ok, let's turn back to something worth cheering...Those wily foxes on the French government's **Open Data** team have just released their latest “let’s see what happens” experiment: **datagouv** is testing an **MCP (Model Context Protocol)** server to make public data easier to tap into via AI chatbots. Originally introduced by Anthropic in late 2024, MCP is pitched as a universal adapter that lets large language models call structured “tools” instead of relying on messy one-off integrations. For now, datagouv’s version is strictly read-only for searching datasets, pulling metadata, and querying resources, with any idea of editing or publishing data firmly parked behind a caution sign. The code is open source, the APIs are wired up, and the ambition is to explore more conversational access to public data, possibly even with sovereign models down the line. But the release prompted a robust debate: Is France the first government to release its own MCP MCP server for the agentic public accessibility of data? | [**Datagouv**](https://www.data.gouv.fr/posts/experimentation-autour-dun-serveur-mcp-pour-datagouv?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷🤳 For centuries, French diplomacy perfected the art of saying absolutely nothing. Now it’s firing off some of the sharpest clapbacks on X. Since launching the cheekily combative [**“French Response”**](https://x.com/FrenchResponse?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) account in September, Quai d’Orsay officials have traded polished communiqués for English-language zingers aimed at Elon Musk, MAGA influencers, and Russian propagandists alike that are getting the attention of global media such as the Wall Street Journal ([**"The Sickest Burns on the Internet Right Now Are Coming From French Bureaucrats"**](https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/french-response-foreign-ministry-x-account-trump-elon-musk-e7095fc1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). When Musk cried “political attack” over a French probe into X, diplomats shot back with a not-so-subtle Epstein reference; when U.S. figures lectured France, they responded with memes, homicide stats, and the occasional colonialism joke at their own expense. The strategy, pushed by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, is simple: fight meme wars with memes, not press releases, because showing up to social media spats with diplomatic wood tongue is like wearing a tux to happy hour. With tens of millions of monthly views, France’s bureaucrats have discovered that irony, lightly seasoned with self-deprecation, travels a lot faster than traditional statecraft. | [**WSJ**](https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/french-response-foreign-ministry-x-account-trump-elon-musk-e7095fc1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☢️🔌 France’s **WEST tokamak** just kept a superheated plasma stable for 1,337 seconds (a little over 22 minutes), quietly leapfrogging China’s recent record by about 25% and giving **fusion** researchers a well-earned bragging right. The feat, achieved with 2 megawatts of heating power, shows that scientists can sustain extreme conditions without the reactor’s inner walls giving up. WEST isn’t chasing net energy (not yet); this run was all about control, stability, and proving the machine can handle long pulses without melting down (literally). That matters because future fusion power plants will need to run steadily for hours, not flashy five-second bursts. With ITER rising nearby, WEST’s marathon plasma session is less about instant power and more about laying the gritty, tungsten-lined groundwork for reactors that might one day deliver it. **|** [**Earth.com**](https://www.earth.com/news/france-breaks-record-by-keeping-a-fusion-plasma-reactor-running-for-22-minutes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺2️⃣8️⃣ Europe’s long-debated “28th regime” — a proposed single legal status for companies operating across the EU — is finally inching toward reality, with a draft set to drop on March 18\. French Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad wants it open to all businesses, not just startups, arguing that endless debates over who qualifies as “innovative” would defeat the whole point: radical simplicity, possibly even with a symbolic €1 in starting capital. Paris is pushing for a regulation, not a directive, to avoid a patchwork of national interpretations that would turn a simplification drive into yet another bureaucratic maze. The effort is gaining Franco-German momentum amid growing pressure to boost competitiveness and cut red tape, though tax harmonization is firmly parked for another day. And if Haddad has his way, a European DARPA with big public money backing moonshot innovation in AI, quantum, defense, and greentech could be the next bold move on Brussels’ to-do list. **|** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/le-28e-regime-beneficiera-essentiellement-aux-pme-et-aux-start-up-et-doit-sappliquer-de-maniere-homogene-en-europe-2217272?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📈💸 France’s state investment arm, **the Caisse des dépôts**, wants to help usher 5 to 10 “French Tech” companies onto the stock market by 2030, as part of an €18 billion digital push dubbed *Horizon Numérique 2030*. The message from CEO Olivier Sichel is clear: Europe can’t just sit back while U.S. tech giants run the table — digital sovereignty is now a strategic necessity. Long-promised IPOs from French unicorns have often drifted toward Wall Street rather than Paris, but the CDC is betting it can help tip the balance and mint a few homegrown champions. The broader plan also aims to digitize local territories and everyday public services, while upgrading the CDC’s own tech stack — yes, including intranets that actually work. After years of talking about dragging the institution into the 21st century, the state’s financial heavyweight is finally putting serious money behind the mission. | [**Boursorama**](https://www.boursorama.com/actualite-economique/actualites/souverainete-numerique-la-caisse-des-depots-veut-aider-5-a-10-entrees-en-bourse-d-entreprises-de-la-french-tech-d-ici-2030-f4893774dff2df844bcb31a331286ed0?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏁🥳 **Mirakl** has finally crossed the profitability finish line in 2025 — nearly 15 years after its launch — and, in a rare move for a French unicorn, it’s actually telling people about it. The marketplace software champion posted $218 million in annual recurring revenue, up 23%, with transaction volumes hitting $15 billion, while turning a profit at the group level for the first time (though the exact net income remains politely undisclosed). Beyond its core platform, Mirakl Ads is booming, and its new AI-powered products are multiplying, as the company pours 20% of its R&D into artificial intelligence. The big bet? “Agentic commerce,” led by its new Nexus solution, which aims to wire retailers directly into AI agents and autonomous shopping flows. In short, Mirakl doesn’t just want to power marketplaces anymore — it wants to be the operating system of e-commerce, with AI baked into everything. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/rentable-la-licorne-francaise-mirakl-met-toutes-voiles-dehors-vers-le-commerce-agentique-20260226?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏥🥼 Montpellier-based **Quantum Surgical** is making a transatlantic power move, snapping up NeuWave Medical, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, to bulk up its position in minimally invasive cancer robotics. The price tag remains under wraps, but the strategic intent is crystal clear: crack the U.S. market with NeuWave’s microwave ablation tech, already used in 70% of leading American cancer centers. The deal gives birth to a new Miami-based parent company, Precision IO Group, a 250-person outfit led by medtech veteran Kurt Azarbarzin, with ambitions of building a global heavyweight in robot-assisted tumor ablation. At the heart of it all is Quantum’s flagship robot, Epione, a precision-guided arm that has already treated more than 1,400 patients in Europe and the U.S. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/24/robotique-medicale-quantum-surgical-soffre-une-filiale-de-johnson-johnson/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # A €75M Bet on AI Factories: How OSS Ventures Is Building the ‘Sequoia of Industrial SaaS’ [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-62.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hard-hats-meet-hard-tech-oss-ventures-plan-industrialize-ai/) As AI reshapes the future of...well, everything, the industrial world is also undergoing a seismic transformation. One of the actors at the forefront of that transformation is the industrial venture builder [**OSS Ventures.**](https://www.oss.ventures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The Paris- and Boston-based venture studio, founded by Renan Devillieres, wants to become the reference point for industrial software startups on both sides of the Atlantic. Behind the wheel is [**Renan Devillieres**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/renan-devillieres/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a founder-turned-operator-turned-investor who has spent the last decade immersed in factories and tech companies. He's applying those lessons to OSS Ventures, a venture studio that builds industrial software for factories, or what the firm dubs "the places that change the world," by using AI, operational insight, and a frugal, practical approach to scaling. I sat down with Devillieres to talk about its latest €75 million fund, what it means to build software born on the factory floor, why industrial SaaS deserves its own specialist approach, and how OSS Ventures is aiming to create the next generation of industrial champions in Europe and the U.S. [Read the full interview](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hard-hats-meet-hard-tech-oss-ventures-plan-industrialize-ai/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Verley 🏷️ Sectors: FoodTech, AgTech, ClimateTech, DeepTech, Biotech 🔍 Description: Verley is a French food and nutrition ingredient company developing high-purity, functionalised whey proteins through precision fermentation. Founded in 2022, the company focuses on producing beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) designed to meet industrial performance standards across high-protein applications such as yoghurts and protein shots. By combining nutritional performance, industrial scalability, and sustainability, Verley aims to support food and beverage manufacturers in developing next-generation high-protein products while significantly reducing natural resource usage compared to conventional dairy production. 💻 Website: [**Verley**](http://www.verley-food.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €32M 🏦 Investors: Alven, Blast, French Tech Seed (managed by Bpifrance), Sofinnova, Sparkfood, Captech, Founders Future + non-dilutive support from Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Stéphane Mac Millan, Hélène Briand 🗞️ News: Verley has secured an oversubscribed €32M Series A round four years after inception, positioning the company toward the upper end of European precision fermentation and functional protein ingredient financings in 2025/2026\. The round will fund U.S. market entry, commercial deployment, early customer scale-up, expanded production capacity, and continued R&D to enhance performance, efficiency, and sustainability. Verley’s FermWhey portfolio leverages precision fermentation to deliver high-purity whey proteins with advanced solubility, emulsification, gelling properties, and optimised nutritional profiles. As global protein demand continues to grow—driven by mainstream high-protein consumption trends, demographic shifts, and the rapid expansion of GLP-1 treatments—Verley aims to alleviate pressure on the dairy industry by providing scalable, lower-impact alternatives integrated into existing food value chains. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/with-high-protein-nutrition-now-mainstream-lyons-verley-raises-e32-million-to-expand-production/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/24/verley-leve-32-millions-deuros-pour-souvrir-les-portes-du-marche-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Meelo 🏷️ Sectors: FinTech, RegTech, AI, Cybersecurity, RiskTech 🔍 Description: Meelo is a French fintech SaaS company specialising in digital onboarding security, fraud prevention, and risk intelligence. Founded in 2017, the company combines Open Banking, Open Data, and artificial intelligence technologies to detect identity, documentary, and financial fraud, assess solvency, and automate risk evaluation. Meelo’s platform aims to reduce fraud risk by 10 and associated costs by 4, while delivering transparent, explainable decisions for financial institutions. Certified B-Corp and structured as a mission-driven company, Meelo positions itself as a European leader in ethical AI-driven “risk & trust digital.” 💻 Website: [**Meelo**](https://getmeelo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Marcq-en-Baroeul 🧗 Round: Growth / Strategic Investment 💰 Amount Raised: \~€14M 🏦 Investors: ISALT 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Laurent Kocinski 🗞️ News: ISALT, through its Fonds Stratégique des Transitions (FST), has taken a minority stake in Meelo with a €14M ticket and additional reinvestment capacity for future external growth operations. The investment will support team expansion across France and Europe, accelerated R&D—particularly in generative AI—and international development. Meelo serves more than 60 clients including BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, and Crédit Mutuel, and reports strong growth and profitability. Positioned in a market facing increasing identity and financial fraud risks, Meelo enables credit institutions, insurers, and lenders to automate real-time predictive risk analysis while maintaining smooth customer journeys. The deal marks the eighth investment of FST, an Article 8 SFDR-classified fund backed by Caisse des Dépôts and InvestEU, focused on supporting innovative French SMEs driving technological and societal transitions. | [**Finyear**](https://finyear.com/isalt-investit-dans-meelo-fintech-specialisee-en-lutte-contre-la-fraude?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** baCta 🏷️ **Sectors:** Biotech, Synthetic Biology, ClimateTech, AI, Industrial Bio 🔍 **Description:** baCta is a Paris-based industrial biotech startup developing an AI-powered bioproduction platform that transforms microorganisms into programmable molecular factories. Its proprietary platform, baCtaForge, combines a Precision Biofoundry with a Genome-to-Factory AI model to engineer high-yield industrial strains faster and more cost-effectively. 💻 **Website:** [baCta](https://bacta.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7M 🏦 **Investors:** LocalGlobe, Daphni, OVNI Capital, business angels including founders of Phagos, Genomines, and Mistral AI 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Nohet, Marie Rouquette 🗞️ **News:** baCta has raised €7M in a seed round led by LocalGlobe and Daphni to industrialise its AI-driven bioproduction platform and scale its first commercial molecule, astaxanthin. The funding will support the industrial-scale up of astaxanthin production, including pilot and commercial validation, through a strategic partnership with a French industrial player. It will also allow baCta to engineer additional high-value industrial ingredients. baCta aims to disrupt the €1B+ astaxanthin market, currently dominated by petrochemical synthesis or costly natural extraction from microalgae. Its proprietary yeast strain is designed as a drop-in replacement, offering synthetic-level unit economics with natural-grade quality. By leveraging synthetic biology, robotics, and generative AI, baCta explores genomic “dark matter” and regulatory pathways often overlooked in traditional strain engineering. The company projects reaching industrial scale by 2027, positioning itself as a next-generation player in the bioeconomy focused on replacing petrochemical supply chains with scalable biological production. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### A €75M Bet on AI Factories: How OSS Ventures Is Building the ‘Sequoia of Industrial SaaS’ URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hard-hats-meet-hard-tech-oss-ventures-plan-industrialize-ai/ Last updated: 2026-02-27T08:08:44.000Z Founded by Renan Devillieres in 2019, the industrial venture builder with HQs in Paris and Boston has launched 30 startups across 3,600+ sites. With a new €75M fund, it’s gearing up to build the next wave of AI industrial champions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #65: Can Grenoble Put Europe Back in the Chip Game? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-65-can-grenoble-put-europe-back-in-the-chip-game/ Last updated: 2026-02-25T08:05:31.000Z 🧠 As global chip power consolidates in the U.S. and Asia, the FAMES Pilot Line that just launched in Grenoble and is backed by the EU Chips Act, aims to accelerate lab-to-market transfers and prove Europe can still turn world-class research into industrial semiconductor muscle. [**Jean-René Lèquepeys, the deputy director and CTO of CEA-Leti, explains the mission and the strategy for getting Europe back in the chip game.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-eu830m-last-stand-for-chip-sovereignty-may-depend-on-grenoble/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/French-Tech-Journal_CHALLENGES---960_650.jpg)](https://challenges-awards.vivatech.com/challenges?t=NSlfjlPJEbET-4HP0nI9EQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=campagne-french-tech) VivaTech 2026 Startup Challenges are now open! Apply to gain visibility, leads, growth acceleration and more. The perfect opportunity to get your startup in front of investors, corporate partners, and the global tech ecosystem. Get a chance to exhibit for free at Europe's biggest startup and tech event in Paris, 17–20 June 2026! [Apply now! ](https://challenges-awards.vivatech.com/challenges?t=NSlfjlPJEbET-4HP0nI9EQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=campagne-french-tech) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **AI Is Becoming France’s New Shopping Assistant. But Trust is still dropping at Checkout.** Generative AI is now helping **31% of French online shoppers** make purchase decisions, rising to nearly half of Gen Z, according to [Fevad](https://www.fevad.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Most use it upstream to compare products, scan reviews, and save time, signalling a structural shift in e-commerce behaviour. But confidence wobbles when money is on the line: trust falls from 47% pre-purchase to just 30% at payment, with concerns around bias, data privacy, and security still lingering. As AI agents edge toward the role of deal hunter and personal shopper, brands may need to rethink SEO and product content for an AI-mediated buying journey. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/comment-lintelligence-artificielle-simpose-dans-le-parcours-dachat-des-francais.IPMJTU5WKFH2FOBW2SSRCFAMM4.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Doctolib Drops €20M on Clinical AI to become Your Doctor’s Co-Pilot**. France’s healthtech heavyweight is launching a dedicated AI lab with a €20m budget, teaming up with heavy hitters like CHU de Nantes, Inserm**,** and Inria. The goal is to build medically reliable decision-support tools for doctors and a “full health assistant” for patients that is trained on validated local data, not the wild west of the web. With 100 staff now focused on AI and access to 90m patients, Doctolib is betting that trusted, regulated AI, rather than generic chatbots, will win the next phase of digital health. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/24/doctolib-lance-son-laboratoire-dia-avec-une-enveloppe-de-20-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Just days before the **César Awards** roll out the red carpet, France’s film industry had one more thing to rehearse: a full-throated warning about AI. Nearly 4,000 actors, including some of the country’s biggest names, signed an open letter published in [*Le Parisien*](https://archive.is/20260222154028/https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/ce-pillage-en-regle-cest-insupportable-4-000-comediens-francais-alertent-sur-les-dangers-de-lia-22-02-2026-XBQXRXXESJBW3BUBHBRUF5FXQY.php?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) newspaper, warning that artificial intelligence is “plundering” their voices, faces, and livelihoods. The villains of the piece authorized voice cloning, image scraping, and bargain-basement AI deals, including one jaw-dropping offer of €250 to replace two days of filming with a digital replica. The actors call AI a “devouring hydra.” While Brussels fine-tunes its AI Act, French performers say the law still doesn’t clearly protect their likenesses or biometric data, leaving too much room for tech companies to freestyle. Some voice actors have already fired off legal challenges. | [**Le Parisien**](https://archive.is/20260222154028/https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/ce-pillage-en-regle-cest-insupportable-4-000-comediens-francais-alertent-sur-les-dangers-de-lia-22-02-2026-XBQXRXXESJBW3BUBHBRUF5FXQY.php?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Variety**](https://variety.com/2026/film/global/berenice-bejo-french-actors-ai-open-letter-1236670313/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France’s defense heavyweights are joining forces on sovereign AI. **Naval Group** has taken a stake in **Thales’ cortAIx France** initiative, forming a power duo aimed at fast-tracking artificial intelligence into mission-critical naval and defense systems. The idea is to develop smarter warships, sharper decision-support tools, automated electronic warfare, and AI-assisted training, all wrapped in algorithmic sovereignty and tight control over sensitive data. CortAIx, launched by Thales in 2024 and already including 800 experts, becomes the industrial engine for this push, with Naval Group’s naval AI specialists joining the ranks. Between collaborative combat systems, real-time data crunching, and logistics optimization, the ambition is to weave AI into the full lifecycle of defense operations, while keeping “humans in control,” as executives are eager to stress. | [**Ocean News**](https://oceannews.com/news/defense/naval-group-and-thales-join-forces-for-a-sovereign-ai-in-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Sumeria’s AI Assistant Gets Conversational**. Lydia Solutions is rolling out a natural-language AI assistant inside its Sumeria banking app, letting users query accounts by voice or text and, crucially, execute actions such as preparing transfers or generating virtual cards. Built in-house over two years and orchestrating models from OpenAI, Google, and Mistral, the tool aims to make banking radically more intuitive while keeping data tightly sandboxed. The play is to turn financial UX into a conversation and make “menu diving” officially obsolete. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/19/lydia-lance-son-assistant-ia-pour-mieux-gerer-ses-finances/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI-Powered Hack Hits 600 Firewalls**. Between January and mid-February, **a low-skilled Russian-speaking attacker used off-the-shelf generative AI tools to compromise 600 FortiGate firewalls across 55 countries, without requiring any zero-days**. Instead, the campaign scaled classic hygiene failures (weak passwords, exposed management ports) with AI-generated scripts, reconnaissance, and lateral-movement playbooks. The takeaway for France’s tech ecosystem: the threat floor is dropping fast. As AI turns amateurs into industrial-grade attackers, French companies, especially SMEs, face growing pressure to harden basic cyber practices before “good enough” security becomes the easiest target. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/comment-lintelligence-artificielle-simpose-dans-le-parcours-dachat-des-francais.IPMJTU5WKFH2FOBW2SSRCFAMM4.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Cyber’s “Untouchables” Just Got Stress-Tested by AI. Markets Blinked**. Anthropic has unveiled an AI security tool capable of spotting - and fixing - hundreds of software vulnerabilities, reportedly identifying 500 flaws in systems thought to be well protected. The demo rattled Wall Street, wiping billions off the market caps of listed cybersecurity firms as investors digested a brutal possibility: AI may automate parts of cyber defense faster than vendors can monetize them. For France’s cyber champions and deeptech hopefuls, the signal is clear - the value is shifting from tools to speed, automation, and integration. In the AI era, even the people selling the shields may need new armor. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/anthropic-a-trouve-500-failles-dans-des-logiciels-qui-etaient-censes-etre-bien-securises-les-champions-de-la-cybersecurite-plombes-en-bourse-victimes-a-leur-tour-de-lia-2217512?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Capgemini Steps In as OpenAI Pushes “AI Coworkers” Into the Enterprise.** OpenAI is teaming up with consulting heavyweights, including French champion Capgemini, to fast-track the rollout of autonomous “AI coworkers” inside large companies. Through its new Frontier platform, OpenAI aims to have agents execute end-to-end business tasks, while partners like Capgemini handle the messy realities of integration, scaling, and industrial deployment. For the French tech ecosystem, the move underscores where the real battle is shifting: not just building smarter models, but embedding them deep into enterprise workflows at scale. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/openai/bientot-des-collegues-virtuels-crees-par-ia-openai-sallie-a-accenture-bcg-capgemini-et-mckinsey-pour-accelerer-le-deploiement-des-agents-ia-dans-les-grandes-entreprises.VNEPFJSFBNDWVOA2EXJKNPVU6I.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk** | As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- 🧠 **Europe's €830M Last Stand For Chip Sovereignty May Depend On Grenoble** [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-59.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-eu830m-last-stand-for-chip-sovereignty-may-depend-on-grenoble/) Europe once controlled 30% of global chip manufacturing. Today it’s closer to 5%. As AI accelerates and geopolitical tensions harden, that collapse has become an economic and strategic liability. In Grenoble, a pilot line at the heart of an €830M program backed by the EU Chips Act is trying to reverse that decline by advancing next-generation semiconductor technology for edge AI and rethinking how Europe turns lab breakthroughs into real manufacturing power. [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-eu830m-last-stand-for-chip-sovereignty-may-depend-on-grenoble/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🚀 **€1M AI Challenge for Space Data Innovation** | **Apply by March 9** | The Île-de-France Region and CNES officially launch a €1 million AI Challenge to accelerate innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and space data. Continuing the Region’s AI Challenge series started in 2019, this initiative aims to foster future national champions and strengthen France’s technological and economic sovereignty. Two tracks are open: (1) AI-powered applications leveraging satellite data for use cases such as security, energy, environment, and risk management; and (2) advanced vision-language models for automatic interpretation of high- and very-high-resolution satellite imagery. CNES will provide data, technical expertise, and project oversight. | **Apply via the Île-de-France Region platform:** [**Challenge AI for Space**](https://www.iledefrance.fr/aides-et-appels-a-projets/challenge-ai-space?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Mistral Worldwide Hackathon - Paris edition | February 28 |** Mistral AI is launching its largest hackathon. ​The Mistral Worldwide hackathon is taking place simultaneously in 7 cities: Paris, London / NYC / SF / Tokyo / Singapore, Sydney + online. We're bringing together 1000+ of the best AI engineers for a 2-day overnight hackathon around the world. This hackathon is organized in partnership with [Weights & Biases](https://wandb.ai/site/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [NVIDIA](https://www.nvidia.com/fr-fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and operated by the [Iterate](http://hackiterate.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) team. The other special awards sponsors include [ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Jump Trading](https://www.jumptrading.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [WhiteCircle,](https://whitecircle.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Supercell](https://supercell.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and more to come… | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/mistralhack-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Air Street Paris AI meetup | March 11 |** [Air Street Capital ](http://airstreet.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)is a venture capital firm investing in AI-first companies. We write the [State of AI Report](http://www.stateof.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Air Street Press](http://press.airstreet.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). ​Join us for our **Air Street Paris AI meetup** on Wednesday, 11th of March 2026 at 5 pm. We'll feature speakers on research and applied AI topics, and members of the research, product, engineering, and founder community.| [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/parisai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 | March 17–18 | ESCP Business School | Paris |** Artificial intelligence is transforming universities at every level — from classrooms to research labs and administrative offices. The AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 in Paris will bring together academics, innovators, and policy-makers to discuss one central question: How should higher education evolve in an AI-driven world? This international event is the place to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, and shape the roadmap for universities in the age of AI. | [**Pre-Registration**](https://escp.eu/events/ai-higher-education-summit-2026-paris-17-18-march?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenText Summit Paris 2026** | **April 15 | Palais Brongniart** | AI is everywhere and full of promise — but without contextualized data, governance, and security, AI fails. Join OpenText Summit Paris 2026 to discover how to unlock the intelligence of your enterprise data and activate AI with confidence. Expect visionary keynotes, French customer success stories, real-world use cases, in-depth small-group sessions, live demos, expert meetings, and peer networking. Explore the latest innovations in content management, cybersecurity, service management, business networks, and more — and learn how to deploy responsible, compliant AI with full control and freedom of choice. | [**Register**](https://events.opentext.com/paris-summit-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Europe's €830M Last Stand For Chip Sovereignty May Depend On Grenoble URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-eu830m-last-stand-for-chip-sovereignty-may-depend-on-grenoble/ Last updated: 2026-02-24T22:44:22.000Z As global chip power consolidates in the U.S. and Asia, the FAMES Pilot Line, backed by the EU Chips Act, aims to accelerate lab-to-market transfers and prove Europe can still turn world-class research into industrial semiconductor muscle. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 23: Bpifrance €72B Warning; Vizzia €30M Round Leads 12 Deals For €71.4M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-23-bpifrance-eu72b-warning-vizzia-eu30m-round-leads-12-deals-for-eu71-4m/ Last updated: 2026-02-23T12:49:49.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🧮 Data Point: Bpifrance 2025 Bpifrance just delivered the strongest results in its 13-year history: €72 billion deployed, €900 million in capital gains at 8x returns, record fund commitments, and a bold €10 billion AI push. On paper, France’s startup engine has never looked more powerful. Paris is now a global deep tech hub, AI champions like Mistral are scaling fast, and venture fundraising is defying the broader European slowdown. And yet, standing before journalists, CEO Nicolas Dufourcq couldn’t hide his concern. Late-stage capital is dangerously thin, France 2030 stimulus money is winding down, IPO exits remain clogged, and Europe still struggles to finance its own frontier technologies. Beneath the record-breaking numbers lies a startup ecosystem in transition. And a quiet warning about what happens next with a presidential election looming in 2o27. [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/bpifrance-2025.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-startup-engine-just-broke-records-so-why-is-bpifrance-sounding-the-alarm/) [Read the Full Breakdown](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-startup-engine-just-broke-records-so-why-is-bpifrance-sounding-the-alarm/) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: February 20 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/feb-20-sectors.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/top-deals.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/Co-founders-Vizza---Annonce-Se--rie-B-1.jpg) 📇 **Company:** VIZZIA 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning, Hardware 🔍 **Description:** VIZZIA develops sovereign video protection solutions dedicated to public safety and urban cleanliness for municipalities. The company integrates hardware, connectivity (4G/5G), and AI-powered investigation tools into a compliant-by-design platform aligned with the GDPR and the EU AI Act, enabling rapid deployment without extensive infrastructure work. 💻 **Website:** [**VIZZIA**](https://www.vizzia.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30M 🏦 **Investors:** Headline, Base10 Partners, Sistafund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katrin de Proyart, Alexandre Leboucher 🗞️ **News:** VIZZIA has raised €30M in a Series B to accelerate large-scale deployment of its public safety video protection platform across France, the UK, and Italy. Already operational in dozens of municipalities just months after commercial launch—and with over 250 cities using its anti-dumping solution—the company positions itself as a European leader in sovereign, AI-enabled security infrastructure. Its model combines rapidly deployable 4G/5G-connected cameras with AI-assisted law-enforcement investigation tools, while ensuring encryption, a privacy-by-design architecture, and compliance with evolving European regulations. With 100 employees today and plans to hire 150 more in 2026, VIZZIA aims to equip a new municipality every week this year and establish physical offices in the UK and Italy, reinforcing its ambition to redefine public safety technology in Europe. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/19/vizzia-leve-30-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-collectivites-a-securiser-lespace-public/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/video-surveillance-vizzia-series-b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** HEXANA 🏷️ **Sectors:** Energy, CleanTech 🔍 **Description:** HEXANA develops a Generation IV Small Modular Reactor (SMR) platform based on Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) technology. Its solution aims to provide high-temperature nuclear cogeneration (heat and electricity) to support the competitiveness and decarbonization of energy-intensive industries while delivering flexible, low-carbon power to electrical grids. 💻 **Website:** [HEXANA](https://www.hexana.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Aix-en-Provence 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** Blast Club, Groupe M 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sylvain Nizou, Paul Gauthé 🗞️ **News:** HEXANA has secured a €15M seed extension, bringing its total Seed financing to €30M. Blast Club reinforced its commitment with a €6.8M investment, joined by new investor Groupe M. The additional capital will accelerate the development of HEXANA’s Generation IV sodium-fast-reactor-based SMR platform and support the company’s industrial and commercial structuring in France and export markets. The funding provides visibility to reach key technical and regulatory milestones through 2026 and beyond, as HEXANA targets the construction of its first industrial SMR platform by 2030\. Positioned at the intersection of industrial heat decarbonization and grid flexibility, HEXANA aims to become a strategic player in Europe’s next-generation nuclear energy landscape. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hexana%5Fsmr-ppe3-smr-activity-7430522767856271360-QPpg?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Firecell 🏷️ **Sectors:** Telecom, DefenseTech 🔍 **Description:** Firecell develops sovereign, hardware-agnostic private 5G networks for industrial and mission-critical environments. Following its merger with Belgian Open RAN specialist Accelleran, the combined entity delivers a fully integrated European private 5G stack combining core, RAN, AI-driven optimisation, and network management. 💻 **Website:** [**Firecell**](https://firecell.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nice 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.9M 🏦 **Investors:** Matterwave Ventures, Bpifrance, Qbic, Cogito Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Claude Seyrat 🗞️ **News:** Firecell and Accelleran have announced their merger to create a pan-European sovereign private 5G champion targeting industrial autonomy, critical infrastructure, and defense connectivity. The transaction is backed by a €7.9M investment round led by existing investors Matterwave Ventures, Bpifrance, Qbic, and Cogito Capital. The merger combines Firecell’s core network and network management system (NMS) with Accelleran’s programmable Open RAN stack and AI-driven RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), forming a pre-integrated private 5G solution. The platform supports global FDD/TDD spectrum bands, sub-millisecond latency, network slicing, Voice over NR, and mission-critical push-to-talk capabilities, alongside programmable xApps and rApps for real-time optimisation. Positioned as a sovereign European alternative in a market often dominated by multi-vendor integration complexity, Firecell’s solution is designed for rapid deployment (within weeks) via system integrators, with full on-premise deployment ensuring data sovereignty—critical for defense, ports, factories, and logistics hubs. The combined company will operate under the Firecell brand, double its engineering and commercial teams, and expand across France, Belgium, the UK, Germany, and Poland, with deployments already spanning Europe, the US, and Asia. The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q1 2026\. | [**Firecell**](https://firecell.io/powering-industrial-autonomy-firecell-and-accelleran-merge-to-launch-a-full-stack-private-5g-platform-that-eliminates-connectivity-failures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Skydrone Robotics 🏷️ **Sectors:** DefenseTech, Robotics, Drones 🔍 **Description:** Skydrone Robotics designs, manufactures, and operates next-generation professional drones for critical infrastructure and defense applications. Its platforms go beyond aerial inspection, enabling physical intervention, manipulation, and logistics operations in complex and constrained environments. The company operates at the intersection of energy infrastructure maintenance and military aerial logistics. 💻 **Website:** [**Skydrone Robotic**](https://skydrone-robotics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** La Rochelle 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** Provence Angels, Paris Business Angels, BADGE, Synergence, Arts et Métiers Business Angels, PSBA, INEXT, Investessor, Défense Angels, Aerospace Angels, FFI Invest, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Vidaling 🗞️ **News:** Skydrone Robotics has raised €5M to accelerate its industrial scale-up and expand across strategic energy and defense markets. The round combines €2M in equity from eleven business angel networks and €3M in non-dilutive funding (France 2030 grants and bank financing). Already deployed with major energy operators such as Enedis and RTE, Skydrone’s modular drones can attach to and operate directly on live power lines, enabling smart grid sensor installation without power interruption. On the defense side, the company develops tactical aerial logistics drones capable of transporting payloads up to 30 kg for missions including mountain resupply, naval logistics, and combat medical support. The funding will strengthen industrial production capacity in France, support workforce expansion (with plans to double headcount), and accelerate international growth. Positioned on a dual energy/defense industrial model, Skydrone Robotics aims to become a European leader in sovereign drone systems for critical infrastructure and military logistics. | [**Relations Publiques**](https://www.relations-publiques.pro/368449/skydrone-robotics-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-un-leader-du-drone-civil-et-militaire.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Ocellus 🏷️ **Sectors:** Gaming 🔍 **Description:** Ocellus is a Lyon-based gaming studio operating a hybrid model that combines stylized game art production for major global studios with the internal development and publishing of original video game IPs. Through Ocellus Services and Ocellus Games, the company blends AAA-level artistic production capabilities with agile, indie-style creative teams. 💻 **Website:** [**Ocellus**](https://ocellus-studio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** Elevation Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Cyril Corallo 🗞️ **News:** Ocellus has secured €4M from Elevation Capital Partners to scale its hybrid model combining premium stylized art production and in-house game development. Founded in 2016, Ocellus Services has contributed to projects for Supercell, Disney, and Epic Games, with cumulative titles surpassing 3 billion downloads and 345 million daily active users. The funding will accelerate Ocellus Games, its internal studio dedicated to building and publishing original IPs through focused teams of up to 30 developers. By leveraging its in-house artistic infrastructure—spanning Braintrust (strategy), Lab (innovation), Audio, Cinematic, QA, and Marketing—the company aims to reduce production costs (art often representing up to 50% of total game development budgets) while delivering high-quality, stylized titles at scale. With this round, Ocellus positions itself to transition from a premium service provider to an IP-owning creative studio, aiming to create long-term value in the global gaming market. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/ocellus-leve-4-millions-deuros-aupres-delevation-capital-partners?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Newable 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, PropTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Newable is a Bordeaux-based climate operator focused on decarbonising commercial real estate. The company installs and operates low-carbon heating and cooling systems directly on-site, using AI-driven optimisation to reduce energy consumption and emissions while improving asset value for landlords. 💻 **Website:** [**Newable**](https://newable.energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** Revent, Leonard, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sébastien Renault, Sakina Elkassouani 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2024, Newable has raised €4M in a pre-seed round to accelerate the deployment of its low-carbon energy solutions across commercial real estate portfolios. The round was led by Berlin-based climate VC Revent, with participation from Leonard (Vinci Group’s innovation arm) and strategic angels. Newable positions itself as a “landlord-first” decarbonisation operator, targeting heating and cooling systems, which represent roughly 70% of energy consumption and up to 90% of CO₂ emissions in tertiary buildings. Rather than selling isolated retrofit projects, the company installs and operates energy systems over time, combining on-site infrastructure with AI-powered performance management. The funding will support industrialisation of deployments, portfolio-level analytics, team structuring, and commercial acceleration, as regulatory pressure (notably France’s tertiary decree targets for 2030, 2040, and 2050) and asset value considerations push landlords to adopt operator-based energy models. With founders coming from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and real estate M&A backgrounds, Newable aims to bridge energy infrastructure and asset management, monetising decarbonisation as both a compliance lever and a value-creation strategy for institutional property owners. | [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/levees-de-fonds/newable-levee-4m-decarbonation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Weytop 🏷️ **Sectors:** SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Weytop is a French software publisher specializing in Cloud PC and desktop virtualization solutions. Its technology enables low-latency remote workstations with a native hybrid architecture (on-premises or in the cloud), simplified deployment, and infrastructure-based pricing rather than per-user licensing. Designed for both office and high-graphic workloads (CAD, BIM, engineering), Weytop positions itself as a sovereign and cost-efficient alternative to dominant international vendors. 💻 **Website:** [**Weytop**](http://weytop.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Ewak, Effirom, HDB, BLV Invest, Bpifrance, Bouygues Telecom Initiatives, Klabs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Souchiam Sechao, Vincent Sécher, Loïc Poujol 🗞️ **News:** Weytop has raised €1.7M to accelerate commercial expansion, particularly in the healthcare vertical and high-graphic workstation markets. After two years at break-even, the company aims to scale its Cloud PC solution, already deployed with major public and educational institutions such as Région Île-de-France, Université de Bordeaux, ENAC, ESGI, and INSA. Distributed through partners including SCC, Cheops Technology, Bouygues Telecom Solutions, and Unowhy—and supported by technology alliances with Dell and Nvidia—Weytop positions itself around performance, sovereignty, and digital sobriety. Its model extends hardware lifespan and optimizes server utilization, potentially reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 50 kg per user annually. The funding round also marks a governance evolution, with Ewak joining the strategic committee as the company enters a new growth phase. | [**FinYear**](https://finyear.com/weytop-leve-17-me?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Stairling 🏷️ **Sectors:** Mobility & Transportation 🔍 **Description:** Stairling is a French startup reinventing the working model for ride-hailing (VTC) drivers by combining platform flexibility with salaried-entrepreneur status and enhanced social protection. It provides a legal, fiscal, and technological framework that secures drivers’ income while maintaining access to major ride-hailing platforms. 💻 **Website:** [**Stairling**](https://www.stairling.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels, One Green, Side Angels, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sarah Bouleau, Mimoun B. El Alami 🗞️ **News:** Stairling has secured €1.4M in new funding, bringing total capital raised to nearly €3M. The round includes €1.3M from a group of Business Angels, with participation from impact-focused investors One Green and Side Angels, as well as €400K in additional support from Bpifrance. The funding marks a strategic step as regulatory scrutiny intensifies around gig worker status in Europe. Stairling positions itself as a compliant, scalable framework for platform workers by offering drivers “entrepreneur salarié” status, blending autonomy with social security coverage. With over 1,200 active drivers and another 1,200 in onboarding, Stairling claims to be France’s largest cooperative employment structure by number of salaried entrepreneurs. The company is already profitable and targets more than 3,500 drivers by 2026\. The new capital will be deployed to accelerate nationwide commercial expansion, enhance its data and AI capabilities to optimise driver revenues, build new financial services tailored to gig workers, strengthen product and operations teams, and prepare for European expansion within the next 18 months. Stairling currently partners with major ride-hailing platforms including Uber, Heetch, Bolt, Freenow, and Allocab. | [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/stairling-levee-de-fonds-pour-les-chauffeurs-vtc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Revolty 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, Energy, PropTech 🔍 **Description:** Revolty is a French startup developing low-carbon residential energy storage systems using repurposed European lithium batteries. The company enables households with solar panels to store excess electricity, increase self-consumption, and reduce reliance on imported battery systems. 💻 **Website:** [**Revolty**](https://revolty.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Hexa Sprint, 50 Partners Impact, Benoit Lemaignan, Julien Belliato, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathilde Janicot, Valentin Heuzé 🗞️ **News:** Revolty has raised €1M to launch France’s first eco-designed residential battery built from repurposed European lithium batteries. The round was led by Hexa Sprint (Hexa’s climate acceleration program), alongside 50 Partners Impact and prominent energy-focused angels, including founders of Verkor, Electra, and Murfy. The startup addresses a growing structural issue in the French residential solar market: while 830,000 households already have solar panels (projected to exceed 3 million by 2030), most self-consume less than 50% of their production. With EDF feed-in tariffs reduced to €0.04/kWh since February 2025, economic returns increasingly depend on storage capacity. Revolty’s circular model repurposes existing lithium batteries, significantly lowering the carbon footprint compared to new, imported batteries while preserving critical raw materials and reducing water use and emissions. The company has already secured €2M in pre-orders from 20 solar installers and deployed three live prototypes. The new capital will fund product certification and market launch in 2026, with commercial deployments planned for 2027\. Revolty’s ambition is to become Europe’s reference in low-carbon residential storage and avoid 30,000 tons of CO₂ annually by 2030\. | [**Tescol Quotidien**](https://tecsol-quotidien.fr/revolty-leve-un-million-deuros-pour-stocker-lenergie-solaire-des-maisons-aux-cotes-dhexa-sprint/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Numalis 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning, DeepTech 🔍 **Description:** Numalis is a Montpellier-based deeptech developing formal verification methods to validate and secure artificial intelligence systems. Its technology enables organisations to test the robustness, reliability, and compliance of AI models before deployment in mission-critical environments. 💻 **Website:** [**Numalis**](https://numalis.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montpellier 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €840k 🏦 **Investors:** 574 Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnault Ioualalen, Matthieu Martel 🗞️ **News:** Numalis has welcomed 574 Invest, the SNCF Group’s venture fund, into its capital. The investment follows seven years of industrial collaboration between Numalis and SNCF, during which the railway operator has used Numalis’ formal methods technology to validate the robustness of AI models prior to operational deployment. The strategic move aims to strengthen SNCF’s ability to deploy trustworthy and secure AI across railway operations, positioning Numalis as a key player in the emerging field of “trusted AI.” For Numalis, the investment will support commercial acceleration and further R&D expansion. Founded in Montpellier and employing 25 people, Numalis has participated in around fifteen industrial and European consortia since 2018, reinforcing its role as a reference actor in AI validation for safety-critical and regulated sectors. | [**Je Journal des Entreprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/numalis-accueille-le-fonds-dinvestissement-de-la-sncf-son-capital-2135139?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MadeForMed 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech 🔍 **Description:** MadeForMed is a French software publisher dedicated to general practitioners, offering practice management and patient follow-up tools designed to preserve medical independence and streamline daily operations. The company operates under a physician-led governance model, with users directly participating in its capital. 💻 **Website:** [**MadeForMed**](https://www.madeformed.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Mandé 🧗 **Round:** Crowdsourcing 💰 **Amount Raised:** €200K 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vivien Peralta 🗞️ **News:** MadeForMed has raised €200K directly from its physician users, bringing its total funding since 2018 to €1.6M—all sourced from doctors who have become shareholders. Unlike traditional HealthTech startups reliant on VC funding, MadeForMed has built a governance model centered on user-ownership, integrating 400 general practitioners into its capital structure. Positioned as an alternative to large medical appointment platforms, MadeForMed focuses on empowering doctors rather than intermediating the patient relationship. Its SaaS tools support practice management, long-term patient follow-up, and operational efficiency—including automated telephone secretariat services tailored to general practice workflows. The company reports €7.8M in revenue in 2025, with +54% average annual growth since 2020, and profitability. It targets €10M in revenue by 2026\. MadeForMed’s model highlights a rare case in French HealthTech: sustained growth, profitability, and capital independence, while reinforcing physician-led governance in a market increasingly dominated by investor-backed platforms. | [**J'aimes les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/madeformed-levee-de-fonds-200-000-euros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-52.png) Crédit Photo : [Wlad Simitch](https://www.linkedin.com/in/wlad-simitch-281080142/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📇 **Company:** MoneyShape 🏷️ **Sectors:** FinTech, PropTech 🔍 **Description:** MoneyShape is a French platform designed to help individuals simulate, compare, and validate real estate investment projects before purchasing. Positioned as a neutral decision-support tool, it aims to reduce financial paralysis by making complex financing and tax mechanisms accessible and actionable. 💻 **Website:** [**MoneyShape**](http://www.moneyshape.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €400K 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Léa Pavese, Denis Fayolle 🗞️ **News:** MoneyShape has raised €400K in a pre-seed round from business angels to launch its real estate investment simulation platform. Co-founded by Léa Pavese and serial entrepreneur Denis Fayolle (La Fourchette, Habiteo, Singulart), the startup targets a structural issue in personal finance: decision paralysis. According to the founders’ research, 90% of individuals with a financial project in mind fail to act, often due to complexity, information overload, and perceived lack of neutral guidance. MoneyShape addresses this gap through a three-step framework: simulate (integrating financing, taxation, charges, rental assumptions, yield projections), compare (scenario-based recommendations), and validate (external decision support). The platform initially focuses on rental real estate projects, positioning itself as independent of financial product distribution. Longer term, MoneyShape aims to expand into broader financial planning categories, including savings, investment products, and entrepreneurial finance. With a long-access model at launch and potential subscription-based post-acquisition tracking tools in development, the company is exploring B2B2C partnerships with brokers and financial intermediaries. The immediate objective is to grow the user base and refine the product during its early-stage deployment. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/moneyshape-comment-simuler-comparer-et-securiser-un-projet-immobilier-avant-dacheter/460412?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/l%C3%A9a-pavese-1731544b%5Fstartups-proptech-fintech-activity-7429440125266194432-ri2S?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### France’s Startup Engine Just Broke Records. So Why Is Bpifrance Sounding the Alarm? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-startup-engine-just-broke-records-so-why-is-bpifrance-sounding-the-alarm/ Last updated: 2026-02-22T23:38:40.000Z From seed to late-stage buyout, from green tech to defense, Bpifrance has more money moving in more directions than ever. But the venture data tells a more complicated story underneath the records. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇮🇳🇫🇷 SPECIAL FT WIRE EDITION: France’s AI Power Trio Macron, Mensch & LeCun Play the India Summit URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/special-ft-wire-edition-frances-ai-power-trio-macron-mensch-lecun-play-the-india-summit/ Last updated: 2026-02-20T10:05:21.000Z 👋 T**his week: Special coverage of the** **AI Impact Summit in New Delhi**: 🇮🇳**🇫🇷** **French President Emmanuel Macron** used the summit to position France and India as a third force in the global AI race by championing sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and “civilization-scale” innovation beyond the U.S.–China duopoly. [**Read it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/macron-in-new-delhi-ai-is-not-a-game-only-the-biggest-can-play/) 🇮🇳**🇫🇷** **Mistral AI CEO Mensch** warned that unchecked concentration of AI power threatens economic sovereignty and democracy, urging nations to own their infrastructure, embrace open source, and ensure AI serves the many and just not a powerful few. [**Read it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ais-arthur-mensch-warns-against-ai-power-concentration-at-india-ai-summit/) 🇮🇳**🇫🇷** Ex-Meta Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun pushes back on AGI hype, arguing AI is far from human-level intelligence and better understood as a tool to amplify people. He says the real breakthrough lies not in language models, but in building world models that can navigate the messy physical world. [**Read it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-pushes-back-on-agi-hype-at-india-ai-summit-superintelligence-isnt-close/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 🇮🇳**🇫🇷Emmanuel Macron** pushed for stronger safeguards against “digital abuse” (after recent deepfake scandals) and pushed back on US criticism of Europe’s AI rulebook, insisting the region is a “safe space” for innovation, not a regulatory killjoy. The subtext: Europe wants to co-write the AI playbook alongside allies like India, carving a “third way” between US tech dominance and China’s state-driven model. Translation for founders and investors: the geopolitical layer of AI is heating up fast...**Narendra Modi** struck a more philosophical tone, framing AI as a **“shared resource for the benefit of all humanity”** and calling for global cooperation that embeds human values into the tech stack...OpenAI CEO **Sam Altman** doubled down on the need for **urgent but balanced regulation**, warning that concentrating AI power in one country or company “could lead to ruin,” while arguing broad access is key to human flourishing...Anthropic CEO **Dario Amodei** went full existential: AI capability is on an exponential curve, and systems that outperform humans at most tasks may be only years away - with massive upside (disease cures) and equally serious risks (misuse, job shocks)...**Side note:** Bill Gates was expected but pulled out at the last minute without a detailed explanation, but with probable links to the Epstein files | [**Euronews**](https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/02/19/from-macron-to-altman-what-are-world-and-tech-leaders-saying-at-the-india-ai-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/ia-en-inde-macron-lance-une-pique-en-direction-des-etats-unis-en-taclant-les-amis-mal-informes-de-leurope-2216769?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏦💰 **Bpifrance** pumped a record €72 billion into the French economy in 2025 and chalked up €1.3 billion in value creation along the way, according to its latest annual report. Loans hit new highs, investments surged, especially in buzzy sectors like AI, health, and deeptech, and the state innovation bank doubled down on renewables. It also had a big year backing French exporters, mobilizing more than €33 billion as global markets stayed, well, complicated. Direct equity investments and fund-of-funds activity both set records, underscoring the role Bpifrance plays in a cooling macro-funding environment. Net profit dipped from last year but still landed at a solid €501 million. In summary, Bpifrance is a banker, venture capitalist, and industrial strategist all at once. At least until the next presidential election in May 2027\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/finance-marches/banque-assurances/bpifrance-injecte-la-somme-record-de-72-milliards-deuros-dans-leconomie-francaise-2216412?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#utm%5Fmedium=Reseaux%20sociaux&utm%5Fcampaign=CM%5FNews%5FLinkedin), [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bilan-dactivite-2025-activite-record-72-milliards-deuros-injectes-dans-leconomie-creation-de-valeur-13-milliard-deuros/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔐🚨 **Major French banking data breach raises red flags.** Hackers accessed the Ficoba national bank account registry via compromised government credentials, exposing data linked to 1.2 million accounts. No balances leaked, but IBAN, identity, and address are prime fuel for highly targeted fraud. Authorities have contained the intrusion and alerted the CNIL, but the incident raises hard questions around access controls and anomaly detection in critical state systems. Expect a spike in very convincing phishing. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/risque-immediat-descroqueries-ciblees-12-million-de-coordonnees-bancaires-exposees-apres-le-piratage-du-fichier-national-des-comptes-bancaires.C3E4MINJ7JGIBJZYT66ZZWGTEA.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🏭🤝 Industrial software gets its own factory floor funding.** OSS Ventures has secured a €40M first close (targeting €75M) for a new fund dedicated to scaling startups born in its venture studio. Backers include Decathlon Pulse and Teknor Apex, with historical investors doubling down. The thesis: rebuild the bridge between tech and industry. Since 2019, OSS has launched \~30 B2B industrial software startups (22 still active), now deployed across 3,600 industrial sites. Standouts like Fabriq and Kraaft show the model: build in factories, then scale globally. With <1% of French startups tackling industrial challenges, OSS is betting that operator-first, “steel-toe VC” can mint the next wave of industrial champions. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/18/oss-ventures-lance-un-fonds-de-75-millions-deuros-pour-faire-naitre-des-champions-du-logiciel-industriel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/portraits/french-tech-renan-devillieres-le-francais-qui-croit-encore-a-la-reindustrialisation-2216490?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/oss-ventures-unveils-new-e75-million-fund-to-expand-european-and-us-industrial-software-portfolio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/financer-le-logiciel-industriel-le-pari-doss-ventures/460390?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️ 💸 Speaking of funds raising funds, Paris-based **VC Quantonation** has closed a €220M early-stage fund, which is more than 2x its previous vehicle, as global quantum funding surges to a record $5B. The specialist investor will back \~25 startups from pre-seed to Series A across quantum computing, sensing, and communications, with growing interest in error correction and “enabling tech” like control systems and networking. Already known for early bets on Pasqal and Multiverse Computing, Quantonation is broadening its scope to physics-based tech (advanced materials, photonics) as the quantum stack matures. Backers of the new fund include Vertex (Temasek), Bpifrance, and the EIF, a sign that deeptech LP appetite is very much alive. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/quantonation-220m-fund?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/french-vc-quantonation-raises-e220-million-for-flagship-quantum-and-deep-physics-fund/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏭💰 **Corporate VCs are also back in force.** Non-traditional investors accounted for 77.8% of European VC deals in 2025, near 2021 highs, with corporate venture arms driving much of the surge. CVCs were involved in \~50% of total deal value (€31.6B) and more than 1,700 rounds, increasingly chasing AI and software plays. NVIDIA alone backed 14 European startups last year (including Mistral and Scintil), while groups like ASML, Maersk, and Deutsche Telekom piled in across deeptech, space, and infrastructure. Why founders care: corporates often write bigger checks and stay patient on exits, which is a good match for deeptech timelines. The trade-off: strategic risk if corporate priorities shift. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/capital-risque-les-fonds-de-grandes-entreprises-renforcent-leur-presence-dans-la-tech-europeenne-2216216?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🕹️😈 That (gaming) Voodoo that you do is paying off.** The French heavyweight posted $778 million in revenue in 2025, up 16% year-on-year, cementing its status as France’s largest scale-up by revenue and profit. Crucially, its existing game portfolio grew 6%, a sharp turnaround from the hyper-casual days when older titles would shrink 40% annually, and new launches had to carry the load. Nearly 90% of gaming revenue now comes from casual titles, a $40 billion market Voodoo has deliberately pivoted toward, leaving hyper-casual as a footnote rather than the main act. Meanwhile, diversification is gaining traction. Meanwhile, **BeReal, acquired and relaunched, generated €30 million in 2025 revenue,** which is up from ZILCH-O. It's stabilizing in France while growing in Japan, with profitability targeted for 2027\. With 169 million monthly active users and 1.5 billion annual downloads, Voodoo is scaling up its industrial engine, including testing up to 3,000 prototypes a year, to build longer-lasting franchises. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/notre-modele-est-plus-solide-le-champion-francais-du-jeu-mobile-voodoo-vise-le-milliard-de-revenus-en-2026-2216786?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚲💥 **Another one bites the dust in the e-bike shakeout.** French brand Voltaire has entered judicial liquidation, despite solid product love and four takeover offers on the table. The culprit is industrial fragility and supply chain pain. It joins a growing casualty list including VanMoof, Angell, and Rad Power Bikes, as the once-hyped e-bike boom collides with capital intensity, fierce competition, and a 16% market drop in France. Moral of the story: Hardware is still brutally unforgiving. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/voltaire-angell-la-chute-sans-fin-des-start-up-de-velos-electriques-2216942?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎤❗France’s media regulator is stepping into podcast territory for the first time, and it’s starting with a bang. ARCOM has opened an investigation into “10 000 pas,” a charting podcast by influencer **Le Raptor**, over episodes containing allegedly homophobic and misogynistic remarks that remain online months after publication. While ARCOM has limited direct authority over podcasts, it’s using the EU’s Digital Services Act as leverage, scrutinizing platforms like Deezer, Spotify, and Apple Music to ensure they provide proper reporting tools and remove illegal content when required. In other words, the spotlight is less on the podcaster and more on the platforms hosting him. If they’re found non-compliant, reminders—and potentially sanctions—could follow. It’s a test case that signals Europe’s content crackdown is expanding beyond social media feeds. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/l-influenceur-masculiniste-le-raptor-au-coeur-de-la-premiere-instruction-de-l-arcom-ciblant-un-podcast-20260218?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️📉 **Legaltech chessboard in motion.** French standout Doctrine, fresh from snapping up Spain’s Maite.ai, is reportedly exploring a sale, even though majority owner Summit Partners only came in at €120M in 2023 and was eyeing a 2027 exit. The timing isn’t random: the legal AI race is heating up fast, with new entrants like Harvey and Legora reshaping the competitive landscape. Doctrine’s steady M&A drumbeat (including rival Predictice) has boosted its profile and potentially its price tag. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-doctrine-reflechit-a-se-vendre-un-depart-de-station-f-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2216802?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏥📊 **French healthtech shows quiet resilience.** Despite a tougher funding climate, the sector counts 2,788 companies and saw VC investment rise 15% in 2025, bucking global trends. Heavy hitters like Adcytherix, Wandercraft, and Nabla drove momentum, while AI adoption is now mainstream (used by nearly two-thirds of firms). The catch: revenues and R&D spend are slightly down, and international expansion is becoming mission-critical as the French market tightens. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-la-sante-numerique-resiste-malgre-un-contexte-financier-tendu-2216899?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🏢✨ Station F shake-up.** After nine years connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and alumni, Marwan Elfitesse has quietly left Station F. The architect behind flagship programs like Founders, Fighters, and Femtech, and Elfitesse, bridged the French Tech ecosystem, from corporates to startups, since 2017, drawing on his Silicon Valley and Microsoft France experience. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-doctrine-reflechit-a-se-vendre-un-depart-de-station-f-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2216802?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Macron in New Delhi: AI Is Not a Game Only the Biggest Can Play [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-47.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/macron-in-new-delhi-ai-is-not-a-game-only-the-biggest-can-play/) Emmanuel Macron arrived in New Delhi this week with a story, a warning, and a vision. Speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026, a follow-up to last year's AI Action Summit co-hosted by France and India in Paris, the French president argued that the global AI race doesn't have to be a two-horse contest between Washington and Beijing. It was also part of a multi-day, multi-part charm offensive by the president and the French business and tech delegation to tighten the bilateral embrace with the Indian tech giant at a moment when sovereignty is at the top of the agenda, and traditional alliances with historic partners such as the U.S. have become suspect. [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/macron-in-new-delhi-ai-is-not-a-game-only-the-biggest-can-play/) --- # Mistral AI's Arthur Mensch Warns Against AI Power Concentration at India AI Summit [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-50.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ais-arthur-mensch-warns-against-ai-power-concentration-at-india-ai-summit/) Mistral AI co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch delivered a pointed keynote at the India AI Impact Summit, equal parts manifesto and wake-up call. His core message: The world is sleepwalking toward a dangerous concentration of power in AI, and that the time to change course is now. "I'm the co-founder of Mistral AI, but I'm also someone who believes that AI should be a tool for empowerment and not for dominance," Mensch said. "While others may speak about scale or speed, I want to talk about something a bit more fundamental, which is who is in control of AI deployment, who benefits from it, and how we can ensure that it serves the many and not the few?" [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ais-arthur-mensch-warns-against-ai-power-concentration-at-india-ai-summit/) --- # Yann LeCun Pushes Back on AGI Hype at India AI Summit: "Superintelligence Isn't Close" [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-51.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-pushes-back-on-agi-hype-at-india-ai-summit-superintelligence-isnt-close/) Yann LeCun. Photo via [****Marya Shakil on Twitter**](https://x.com/maryashakil/status/2024424568568631779/photo/2?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Ami CEO and AI pioneer Yann LeCun argued that despite the breathless hype, we are still far from building machines that rival human intelligence, and that the real revolution will be slower, messier, and more interesting than the tech industry wants you to believe. In a wide-ranging fireside chat, LeCun laid out his vision of AI not as a looming superintelligence but as "an amplifier for human intelligence." He acknowledged that machines surpassing humans across the board will happen eventually — "maybe in the lifetime of some people here, possibly not in mine" — but insisted the more exciting near-term prospect is building tools that "amplify human intelligence in ways that will accelerate progress." [Read the story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-pushes-back-on-agi-hype-at-india-ai-summit-superintelligence-isnt-close/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-48.png) 📇 **Company:** VIZZIA 🏷️ **Sectors:** GovTech, SecurityTech, AI, Smart Cities 🔍 **Description:** VIZZIA develops sovereign video protection solutions dedicated to public safety and urban cleanliness for municipalities. The company integrates hardware, connectivity (4G/5G), and AI-powered investigation tools into a compliant-by-design platform aligned with the GDPR and the EU AI Act, enabling rapid deployment without extensive infrastructure work. 💻 **Website:** [**VIZZIA**](https://www.vizzia.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30M (total funding \~€50M) 🏦 **Investors:** Headline, Base10 Partners, Sistafund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katrin de Proyart, Alexandre Leboucher 🗞️ **News:** VIZZIA has raised €30M in a Series B to accelerate large-scale deployment of its public safety video protection platform across France, the UK, and Italy. Already operational in dozens of municipalities just months after commercial launch—and with over 250 cities using its anti-dumping solution—the company positions itself as a European leader in sovereign, AI-enabled security infrastructure. Its model combines rapidly deployable 4G/5G-connected cameras with AI-assisted law-enforcement investigation tools, while ensuring encryption, a privacy-by-design architecture, and compliance with evolving European regulations. With 100 employees today and plans to hire 150 more in 2026, VIZZIA aims to equip a new municipality every week this year and establish physical offices in the UK and Italy, reinforcing its ambition to redefine public safety technology in Europe. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/19/vizzia-leve-30-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-collectivites-a-securiser-lespace-public/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/video-surveillance-vizzia-series-b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Macron in New Delhi: AI Is Not a Game Only the Biggest Can Play URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/macron-in-new-delhi-ai-is-not-a-game-only-the-biggest-can-play/ Last updated: 2026-02-20T09:48:55.000Z Macron used the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi to position France and India as a third force in the global AI race by championing sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and “civilization-scale” innovation beyond the U.S.–China duopoly. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Yann LeCun Pushes Back on AGI Hype at India AI Summit: "Superintelligence Isn't Close" URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-pushes-back-on-agi-hype-at-india-ai-summit-superintelligence-isnt-close/ Last updated: 2026-02-20T00:48:55.000Z Ex-Meta Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun pushes back on AGI hype, arguing AI is far from human-level intelligence and better understood as a tool to amplify people. He says the real breakthrough lies not in language models, but in building world models that can navigate the messy physical world. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mistral AI's Arthur Mensch Warns Against AI Power Concentration at India AI Summit URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mistral-ais-arthur-mensch-warns-against-ai-power-concentration-at-india-ai-summit/ Last updated: 2026-02-20T00:44:47.000Z At India’s AI Impact Summit, CEO Mensch warned that unchecked concentration of AI power threatens economic sovereignty and democracy, urging nations to own their infrastructure, embrace open source, and ensure AI serves the many and just not a powerful few. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #64: I, Robot Hemingway. A Farewell to Human Authors? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-64-i-robot-hemingway-a-farewell-to-human-authors/ Last updated: 2026-02-18T07:00:55.000Z 🧠 An AI founder is betting the future of media isn’t video or podcasts, but books. Using “chained agents,” it turns raw ideas into full manuscripts in hours. But can algorithmic authorship truly replicate voice, craft, and credibility? [**Thomas A.Q.T. Truong explains the technology and the vision behind Infinite Library.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-infinite-library-one-mans-quest-to-let-ai-help-anyone-write-a-book/) 🧠 I take the plunge and use **Infinite Library** to write a book, or at least a chapter: **"The Age of Inevitability: A Silicon Valley Tale."** [**Read Chapter I here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-age-of-inevitability-a-silicon-valley-tale/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🇮🇳🇫🇷 France is heading to the **India AI Summit,** led by **President and Head Cheerleader Emmanuel Macron.** The president arrived yesterday aboard the Mac Jet and was greeted by Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-28.png) Macron is leaning hard into India, praising a “remarkable acceleration” in ties with Modi as both leaders eye a world that looks increasingly fragmented and increasingly dominated by big powers they’d rather not depend on. The headline act of his three-day visit is a potential €30 billion “contract of the century” for 114 additional Rafale fighter jets, most of them slated for production in India, bringing the total to 62 already ordered. France wants to position itself as New Delhi’s preferred alternative as India trims its reliance on Russian arms and hedges against US and Chinese pressure. | [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260216-macron-visits-india-defence-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/news/macron-pushes-defence-and-ai-ties-on-india-visit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇮🇳🇫🇷 It wouldn't be an international summit without a **Business France** caravan. To help launch the 2026 India-France Year of Innovation, Business France is leading a 110-company business delegation and the largest international pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit. Led by Business France and backed by the French Embassy and La Mission French Tech, the five-day roadshow across Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi is designed to fast-track industrial partnerships, joint R&D, and AI-driven deals. The 436 m² French Pavilion will be home to 29 companies and Big Ole Corporations like TotalEnergies, Capgemini, Schneider Electric, and CMA CGM. With 1,100 French companies already operating in India and the local AI market growing north of 30% annually, Paris clearly sees Delhi as a growth engine. | [**Business France**](https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/france-showcases-innovation-leadership-india-142800255.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇮🇳🇫🇷 Meanwhile, **Digital and AI Minister Anne Le Hénanff** will lead a delegation through Bangalore and New Delhi, blending ecosystem meet-ups with a diplomatic push for what Paris calls a “third way” between US and Chinese tech dominance. Three French-backed sequences anchor the agenda: low-carbon “sustainable AI,” AI in service of the general interest (with a strong focus on multilingual models), and a headline side event on protecting children online in the age of conversational agents. The child-protection push, tied to France’s G7 digital presidency, comes with an announcement designed to elevate the issue internationally. 🗞️ **Mistral AI** has made its first acquisition. The French AI champion is buying the Paris-based serverless cloud startup Koyeb, signaling that it wants to control not just the models but also the machinery that runs them. The move strengthens Mistral’s “compute” offering for enterprise clients, integrating Koyeb’s serverless platform, which lets companies deploy AI applications without wrestling with infrastructure. Translation: fewer hyperscalers, more in-house muscle. Koyeb, founded by former Scaleway engineers and used by around 50,000 developers, brings expertise in GPU workloads, inference, and autoscaling. That's exactly the kind of plumbing needed for production-grade AI. The entire 13-person team is joining Mistral, and the platform will gradually become a core part of Mistral Compute. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. But after investing heavily in data centers and Nvidia chips, Mistral is now stitching together the full stack, from algorithm to execution, to pursue its vision of a truly European AI cloud. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/mistral-ai-signe-sa-premiere-acquisition-pour-setendre-sur-la-chaine-de-valeur-de-lia-2216380?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Koyeb**](https://www.koyeb.com/blog/koyeb-is-joining-mistral-ai-to-build-the-future-of-ai-infrastructure?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#frequently-asked-questions), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pourquoi-mistral-ai-fait-elle-lacquisition-de-la-startup-koyeb/460387?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **TECH500 2026: AI Leads the Hiring Boom as French Tech Reindustrializes**. The latest **TECH500** ranking shows where real momentum lies: AI and industry. Topping the charts, **Mistral AI** added 417 jobs in a year, confirming AI’s shift from experiment to economic engine. Industrial and energy players like **Battri** are also surging, signaling a broader reindustrialization push. Funding may be tighter, but French tech’s growth is getting more tangible. Fewer buzzwords, more factories. And lucky you, dear reader: Team FTJ has broken that down into a beautiful, easy-to-read table. For sho'. [**Check it out here**](https://tech500.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Read our story here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-fastest-growing-startups-are-hiring-again-and-ai-is-everywhere/) 🗞️ **Doctrine** is planting its flag in Spain, snapping up Madrid-based **Maite.ai** in what it calls the largest acquisition in its history. The French “Google of law” now counts 27,000 clients across five countries, adding Spain’s 2,000-strong Maite.ai customer base to its growing European footprint. It’s the company’s fifth acquisition in three years, part of an aggressive post-Summit Partners playbook to become Europe’s sovereign leader in legal AI. Maite.ai will keep its brand and team, but Doctrine gets what it really wants: deeper local roots in Europe’s third-largest legal market. The strategy is to organize and verticalize local legal data country by country, then scale fast before global rivals do. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/16/doctrine-poursuit-sa-conquete-europeenne-avec-une-acquisition-en-espagne/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Europe’s AI infrastructure arms race is heating up. Nebius, the Amsterdam-based neocloud player with big-ticket U.S. hyperscaler deals, is planning a 240-megawatt data center in northern France, one of the largest in Europe. It's the redevelopment of a former Bridgestone plant near Lille. The price tag hasn’t been disclosed, but industry estimates suggest a multibillion-dollar build, as European companies ramp up AI adoption and demand serious compute muscle. Meanwhile, at the World AI Cannes Festival, France’s Policloud pitched a very different vision: smaller, distributed, sovereign micro–data centers designed to run AI workloads closer to home. The company has already deployed eight installations across Europe, the Gulf, and the U.S., and is targeting 100 units by 2026 and 1,000 by 2030\. The data centers will be powered by renewable-friendly, modular infrastructure. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/amsterdam-based-ai-firm-nebius-build-240mw-data-centre-near-lille-france-2026-02-12/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Policloud**](https://www.prnewswire.com/pt/comunicados-de-imprensa/waicf-2026---policloud-accelerates-its-international-expansion-and-aims-for-1-000-sovereign-ai-micro-data-centers-by-2030--302687782.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Retail Meets Its AI Co-Pilot.** From March 10–12, **One to One Retail E-commerce Monaco** **celebrates its 15th edition** by diving headfirst into the AI-powered retail revolution. This year’s theme is the new three-way relationship: brand, customer, and AI agent. With 1,150 decision-makers, 200 solution providers, and 20 AI-focused startups, the Monaco gathering promises high-speed matchmaking (85% of meetings reportedly lead to deals) and a crash course in how AI is reshaping search, recommendation, and checkout. Executives from **Cdiscount**, **Kingfisher**, and **Zalando** will share how algorithms are reorganising both customer journeys and internal teams. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/17/pour-sa-quinzieme-edition-le-one-to-one-monaco-decrypte-les-tendances-de-lia-et-les-mutations-du-retail/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Hugging Face Banks the Big Tech Bucks And Tells Nvidia “Non Merci."** Open-source darling **Hugging Face** is quietly doing what many AI startups only dream of: signing heavyweight clients while keeping its independence, even turning down cash from **Nvidia**. The Franco-American AI platform, reportedly nearing $100 million in revenue, has landed deals with **Apple**, **Salesforce**, and, most recently, Anthropic, the maker of **Claude**. Frugal, profitable (maybe), and selective about its backers, Hugging Face is showing that open source can pay off.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/hugging-face-la-pepite-ia-qui-engrange-les-clients-et-refuse-largent-de-nvidia-2215695?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Crypto Crime Wave Hits New High. Armed Gang Mistakes Addresses in Botched Binance France Heist**. Three young suspects were arrested in Lyon after allegedly attempting to kidnap and rob the head of **Binance** France, but managed to target the wrong families. Armed and hooded, the group reportedly stormed apartments near Paris hunting for a crypto executive, only to realize mid-assault that “the address wasn’t right.” The failed raid is the latest episode in France’s escalating crypto crime saga, following high-profile kidnappings like that of **David Balland**, cofounder of **Ledger**. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/binance-un-commando-arme-arrete-pour-avoir-tenter-de-braquer-le-patron-france-de-la-plateforme-crypto-2216049?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- ### 🧠 The Infinite Library: One Man's Quest To Let AI Help Anyone Write a Book [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-26.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-infinite-library-one-mans-quest-to-let-ai-help-anyone-write-a-book/) [**Thomas A.Q.T. Truong**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasatruong/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has a theory about the next big thing in media. It's not podcasts. It's not short-form video. It's books. "We have WordPress, then we have YouTube videos, then we have social media posts, images," the Paris-based founder says. "The next evolution, I think, is going to be books. It allows everyone to create a legacy." That conviction sits at the heart of [**Infinite Library**](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Truong's AI-powered publishing platform that promises to take anyone from a raw idea to a 100,000-word manuscript in an afternoon. The startup, now raising a €500,000 pre-seed round, is part ghost writer, part vanity press, part Amazon rival, and one of the more intriguing bets on where the collision of AI and the written word is headed. Even if Infinite Library can do what it promises, a thicket of harder questions surrounds the whole enterprise. Many of these are ones that, as someone who writes, researches, thinks, and creates for a living, I think about a lot: How are these new generation of AI tools re-shaping our world? On a recent morning, I sat down with Truong at the Petit Palais art museum to hear his pitch and get a demo. [Turn the page](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-infinite-library-one-mans-quest-to-let-ai-help-anyone-write-a-book/) --- ### 🧠 The Age of Inevitability: A Silicon Valley Tale **Chapter I: The Tribes of the Future Gather** [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-27.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-age-of-inevitability-a-silicon-valley-tale/) From the upstairs landing, behind glass so clean it was more concept than surface, Graham Whitaker watched the future arrive in quiet, expensive vehicles. They glided beneath the redwoods on nearly silent motors, all matte finishes and soft glows, the occasional chrome accent catching the last streaks of sunset. The driveway curved twice before widening into a forecourt of pale stone, kept rinsed and spotless by a plumbing system more complex than some municipal grids. Inside the house, the air already carried the light chill of overconfident climate control, the faint clink of glassware, the fugue of money rehearsing its lines. This was the Atherton estate the press liked to call a compound, and tonight it had a purpose: Omniscience Systems was unveiling Model Seven, OMNI‑7, to the people who believed they were financing history. Graham tracked arrivals as if reading a markets dashboard. Every set of headlights that turned up the drive confirmed something about his standing. They came in clusters that made more sense to him than tax codes or party affiliations, tribes organized around belief, fear, and the particular flavors of hope Silicon Valley now sold to itself. [Turn the page](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-age-of-inevitability-a-silicon-valley-tale/) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🚀 **€1M AI Challenge for Space Data Innovation** | **Apply by March 9** | The Île-de-France Region and CNES officially launch a €1 million AI Challenge to accelerate innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and space data. Continuing the Region’s AI Challenge series started in 2019, this initiative aims to foster future national champions and strengthen France’s technological and economic sovereignty. Two tracks are open: (1) AI-powered applications leveraging satellite data for use cases such as security, energy, environment, and risk management; and (2) advanced vision-language models for automatic interpretation of high- and very-high-resolution satellite imagery. CNES will provide data, technical expertise, and project oversight. | **Apply via the Île-de-France Region platform:** [**Challenge AI for Space**](https://www.iledefrance.fr/aides-et-appels-a-projets/challenge-ai-space?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **AI Developer Meetup on Agents & Evaluation** | **February 19 | Paris** | A technical meetup for AI engineers focused on building and evaluating AI agents. Expect deep dives into agent architectures, evaluation frameworks, real-world implementation lessons, and community discussions with fellow builders. | [**Register to attend**](https://luma.com/n9h7uqiq?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Cafe Cursor Paris** | **February 25 | Paris** | Join fellow Cursor users and AI builders for a full-day coworking session in Paris. Bring your laptop, build alongside other developers, exchange tips, and connect with the local AI community in a relaxed, hands-on environment. | [**Register to attend**](https://luma.com/zpow48wt?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 | March 17–18 | ESCP Business School | Paris |** Artificial intelligence is transforming universities at every level — from classrooms to research labs and administrative offices. The AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 in Paris will bring together academics, innovators, and policy-makers to discuss one central question: How should higher education evolve in an AI-driven world? This international event is the place to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, and shape the roadmap for universities in the age of AI. | [**Pre-Registration**](https://escp.eu/events/ai-higher-education-summit-2026-paris-17-18-march?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenText Summit Paris 2026** | **April 15 | Palais Brongniart** | AI is everywhere and full of promise — but without contextualized data, governance, and security, AI fails. Join OpenText Summit Paris 2026 to discover how to unlock the intelligence of your enterprise data and activate AI with confidence. Expect visionary keynotes, French customer success stories, real-world use cases, in-depth small-group sessions, live demos, expert meetings, and peer networking. Explore the latest innovations in content management, cybersecurity, service management, business networks, and more — and learn how to deploy responsible, compliant AI with full control and freedom of choice. | [**Register**](https://events.opentext.com/paris-summit-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### The Age of Inevitability: A Silicon Valley Tale URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-age-of-inevitability-a-silicon-valley-tale/ Last updated: 2026-02-18T09:17:43.000Z Chapter I: The Tribes of the Future Gather _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Infinite Library: One Man's Quest To Let AI Help Anyone Write a Book URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-infinite-library-one-mans-quest-to-let-ai-help-anyone-write-a-book/ Last updated: 2026-02-18T09:17:54.000Z An AI founder is betting the future of media isn’t video or podcasts, but books. Using “chained agents,” it turns raw ideas into full manuscripts in hours. But can algorithmic authorship truly replicate voice, craft, and credibility? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 16: Tech500 Hiring Jumps 33%; DentalMonitoring €84M Round Leads 13 Deals For €235M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-16-tech500-hiring-jumps-33-dentalmonitoring-eu84m-round-leads-13-deals-for-eu235m/ Last updated: 2026-02-16T10:25:08.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🧮 Data Point: Tech 500 The 500 fastest-growing startups in France added nearly 12,000 jobs in 2025, with average headcount growth reaching 33%, up from 27% the previous year. Not bad for an ecosystem still nursing a venture capital hangover. Leading the charge was **Mistral AI**, which more than doubled its team in France, going from 270 to 687 employees. But the ranking's real charm is in the sleeper names that may be new to you. That's the whole point, says Thomas Bénard, CEO of Data Recrutement, whose team spent 600 hours crunching LinkedIn data, calling founders, and cross-referencing numbers to build the list. In a market where big funding rounds grab headlines, the TECH500 tracks who's actually putting people in seats. [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/Tech-500-1--1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-fastest-growing-startups-are-hiring-again-and-ai-is-everywhere/) [Get the full story and data set](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-fastest-growing-startups-are-hiring-again-and-ai-is-everywhere/) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: February 13 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/Funding-wire-13-sectors.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/top-deals-Feb-13.png) 📇 **Company:** DentalMonitoring 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, AI & Machine Learning, Hardware 🔍 **Description:** DentalMonitoring develops AI-powered remote orthodontic monitoring solutions, operating as a software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD). Its platform enables orthodontists to supervise treatments remotely through AI-driven analysis of intraoral scans and patient data, improving clinical efficiency and patient experience. The company offers a suite of products, including DM Insights, ScanAssist, DM Engage, and ScanBox Pro, serving over 2 million patients globally. 💻 **Website:** [**DentalMonitoring**](https://dentalmonitoring.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €84M 🏦 **Investors:** Lazard Elaia Capital, ISALT 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Salah 🗞️ **News:** DentalMonitoring has secured €84M ($100M) to accelerate international expansion and product innovation, reinforcing its position as a global leader in AI-powered orthodontic remote monitoring. The round, led by Lazard Elaia Capital with participation from ISALT, combines equity and debt financing and follows the company’s $150M raise in 2021 that propelled it to unicorn status. Active across Europe, the US, Australia, and Japan, DentalMonitoring plans to expand into Brazil, Turkey, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The funding will also support AI R&D through a newly launched software development center and deepen integrations across the orthodontic ecosystem, including manufacturers, practice management software providers, and scanning hardware companies. With a treatment-agnostic platform model and growing enterprise partnerships, DentalMonitoring aims to define a new global standard of care in digital orthodontics while exploring applications beyond dentistry. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/paris-dentalmonitoring-raises-e84-million-to-expand-ai-powered-orthodontic-monitoring-globally/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/10/dentalmonitoring-obtient-100-millions-de-dollars-pour-injecter-de-lia-dans-les-soins-orthodontiques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Naboo 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Naboo is an AI-powered procurement platform initially focused on corporate event management (MICE) and now expanding into broader “Class C” (tail spend) categories such as travel, fragmented services, and indirect procurement. Positioned as an AI-driven operating system for event and indirect spend management, Naboo centralizes sourcing, contracting, payments, compliance, and financial visibility for large enterprises. 💻 **Website:** [**Naboo**](https://www.naboo.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €60M 🏦 **Investors:** Lightspeed Venture Partners, Notion Capital, ISAI, Ternel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Eduardo, Antoine Servant, Lucien Bredin, Jean-Louis Villeminot 🗞️ **News:** Naboo has raised €60M in a Series B led by Lightspeed to expand beyond event management into AI-driven control of “Class C” indirect spending—an often fragmented and weakly structured category covering events, travel, and miscellaneous services. Founded in 2022, Naboo positions itself not as a traditional SaaS tool but as a “service-as-software” platform that combines AI agents, procurement workflows, payment infrastructure, and supplier consolidation into a unified operating system. The company reports €125.8M in business volume to date, 3x year-over-year growth over the past three years, 0% churn among enterprise clients, and contracts with a quarter of CAC 40 companies. International expansion is accelerating, with the UK now its largest market outside France and a new North American hub in New York following its launch in Montreal. The fresh capital will fund deeper AI integration across sourcing, contracting analysis, automated tender management, and real-time compliance workflows, alongside expansion into adjacent procurement categories beyond events. Naboo aims to surpass €1B in managed business volume within two years, positioning itself as a strategic financial control tower for enterprise indirect spend in an AI-native procurement landscape. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/10/naboo-leve-70-millions-de-dollars-pour-partir-a-la-conquete-du-marche-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/60-millions-deuros-pour-lia-de-naboo-qui-sattaque-aux-depenses-de-classe-c/460255?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/paris-based-eventtech-startup-naboo-nabs-e58-7-million-series-b-a-year-after-e20m-series-a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** GitGuardian 🏷️ **Sectors:** Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** GitGuardian is a cybersecurity company specializing in the detection and remediation of exposed secrets (API keys, tokens, credentials, certificates) and the protection of non-human identities (NHIs) within codebases and cloud environments. Its platform monitors repositories and infrastructure to identify compromised secrets, alert developers and security teams, and orchestrate remediation to prevent lateral movement and data breaches. 💻 **Website:** [**GitGuardian**](https://www.gitguardian.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €42.1M 🏦 **Investors:** Insight Partners, Quadrille Capital, Eurazeo, Sapphire, Balderton, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Eric Fourrier 🗞️ **News:** GitGuardian has raised $50M in a growth round led by Insight Partners to scale its platform amid the rapid expansion of non-human identities driven by AI agents and cloud automation. The company, founded in 2017, has become a reference player in secrets security, with over 500,000 developers using its GitHub-integrated tools and enterprise clients including Snowflake, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and ING. In 2025 alone, GitGuardian detected and remediated 350,000 exposed secrets—five times more than the previous year—highlighting the acceleration of threat vectors as attackers increasingly leverage AI. Generating 70% of its revenues in the US and reporting annual revenues between €30M and €50M, the company aims to deepen its presence in North America while expanding into APAC, Latin America, and the Middle East. The raise positions GitGuardian to compete more aggressively against well-funded US and Israeli cybersecurity players in a market where AI-driven attacks are reshaping the threat landscape. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-gitguardian-le-bouclier-cyber-face-a-la-proliferation-des-agents-ia-2215170?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/11/cybersecurite-gitguardian-boucle-un-tour-de-table-de-50-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-22.png) 📇 **Company:** Lifeaz 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, Hardware 🔍 **Description:** Lifeaz develops connected automated external defibrillators (AEDs) designed for individuals, businesses, and public spaces. Its flagship device, Clark, combines ease of use, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and integrated training tools to democratize access to life-saving equipment and improve cardiac arrest survival rates. 💻 **Website:** [**Lifeaz**](https://defibrillateur.lifeaz.co/int/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €13M 🏦 **Investors:** Mutuelles Impact, BNP Paribas, GO Capital, Mirova 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Johann Kalchman, Martial Itty, Timothée Soubise, Jonathan Levy-Bencheton 🗞️ **News:** Lifeaz has raised €13M to scale production, accelerate European expansion, and strengthen its AI-enabled connected defibrillator platform. Founded in 2015, the company has installed over 25,000 devices and reports more than 100 lives saved to date. Its subscription-based rental model combines hardware, continuous connected maintenance, consumables replacement, and hybrid training (app, remote, in-person), addressing a critical gap where up to one-third of public defibrillators may be non-functional due to poor maintenance. With cardiac arrest affecting over 50,000 people annually in France—92% fatal without rapid intervention—Lifeaz aims to increase survival rates by ensuring a defibrillator is accessible within one minute wherever needed. The new funding will support the ambition to grow from 25,000 to 100,000 deployed devices and expand across Europe, with a target of saving 1,000 lives within five years. Certified under the EU’s highest medical device standards (Class III, MDR 2025), Lifeaz positions itself as a service-driven alternative to traditional equipment sales models in the medical device market. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/paris-based-lifeaz-raises-e13-million-to-democratise-defibrillator-access-and-save-1000-lives-within-five-years/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/12/lifeaz-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-sauver-1-000-vies-dans-les-5-prochaines-annees/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Frenchweb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/lifeaz-leve-13-millions-deuros-et-impose-le-medical-device-as-a-service-dans-le-defibrillateur/460310?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** 4Moving Biotech 🏷️ **Sectors:** BioTech 🔍 **Description:** 4Moving Biotech is a Single Product Vehicle (SPV) created by startup studio 4P-Pharma, focused on repositioning an existing cardioprotective molecule—initially developed for diabetes and obesity—to treat knee osteoarthritis. The company aims to deliver a first-in-class therapy combining analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and joint-protective effects. 💻 **Website:** [**4Moving Biotech**](https://www.4movingbiotech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €12M 🏦 **Investors:** 4P-Pharma, Fondation Arthritis, SATT Lutech, Business Angels, Family Offices 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Revital Rattenbach, Luc Boblet 🗞️ **News:** Lille-based 4Moving Biotech has raised €12M to advance its Phase II clinical program targeting knee osteoarthritis, bringing total funding since inception in 2020 to €30M, including a €7.3M France 2030 i-Demo grant secured in 2024\. The company is currently conducting a Phase IIa trial and plans to expand to 130 patients across France, Canada, and the United States, following recent FDA approval. By repositioning a de-risked molecule with established safety data, 4Moving aims to bypass certain development stages, potentially saving years of clinical work and hundreds of millions of euros. With osteoarthritis affecting approximately 650 million people worldwide—365 million cases involving the knee—the company estimates a blockbuster market potential of €4–5B annually. A Phase IIb trial is planned next year, alongside a targeted €80–100M Series C to fund pivotal trials and move toward regulatory approval by 2029\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/arthrose-du-genou-4moving-biotech-leve-12-millions-deuros-2214915?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ISYBOT 🏷️ **Sectors:** Robotics, Industrial Automation, DeepTech, Manufacturing Tech 🔍 **Description:** ISYBOT develops Plug & Play collaborative robots (cobots) dedicated to sanding and grinding operations in heavy industry. Originating from CEA List research, its patented force-detection technology enables safe and intuitive human-machine collaboration, allowing operators without robotics expertise to automate complex, physically demanding finishing tasks while significantly increasing productivity. 💻 **Website:** [**ISYBOT**](https://www.isybot.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7M 🏦 **Investors:** Supernova Invest, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yvan Measson 🗞️ **News:** ISYBOT has raised €7M to industrialize production and accelerate its European expansion in the collaborative robotics market. Already deployed with major industrial players including Airbus, Alstom, Naval Group, and Bénéteau, the company has installed more than 70 cobots on active production lines. Its technology addresses labor-intensive and injury-prone sanding and finishing processes in sectors such as aerospace, rail, naval, and yacht construction—tripling productivity while reducing musculoskeletal risks. The funding will support scaling manufacturing capacity, strengthening B2B sales and product development teams, and expanding commercial coverage across Europe, with North America and Asia as next targets. The appointment of industry veterans Franck Guo and Michael Huemer (ex-Saint-Gobain Abrasifs and FerRobotics) signals a shift toward accelerated international commercialization. ISYBOT aims to establish itself as the European leader in Plug & Play collaborative robotics for industrial finishing before expanding globally. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/isybot-leve-7-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-ses-cobots-de-poncage-et-accelerer-en-europe/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Getinside 🏷️ **Sectors:** E-commerce & Retail 🔍 **Description:** Getinside is a retail media software platform enabling mid-sized e-commerce players to monetize their audience through targeted advertising. The company provides tools that allow merchants to run sponsored placements across their websites, emails, and parcel inserts, offering advertisers simplified campaign configuration while generating incremental high-margin revenue for online retailers. 💻 **Website:** [**Getinside**](https://www.getinside.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.2M 🏦 **Investors:** La Poste Ventures, Swiss Post Ventures, 50 Partners, Clover, Founders Future 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Garrigues 🗞️ **News:** Getinside has raised €3.2M in seed funding (including €1.2M in debt), following a €1.2M round in 2023, to accelerate commercialization and expand the capabilities of its retail media platform. Founded in 2022, the startup enables mid-sized e-commerce sites to generate incremental advertising revenue—claiming a 1–2% uplift in turnover with \~70% net margins. The company currently serves 250 merchants, including Boulanger, Kiabi, and Orchestra, and aims to reach 500 clients by the end of 2026\. Its model combines commission-based monetization (30% of ad revenues) with optional SaaS subscriptions (€400/month for premium features). Initially focused on parcel insert advertising—still representing two-thirds of revenue—Getinside has delivered 1,200 campaigns in three years and is now integrating AI-driven targeting based on socio-demographic and purchasing data. Backed by postal and retail-focused investors, the company positions itself as a sovereign European alternative to Big Tech-dominated digital advertising, at a time when retail media ad spend is expected to surpass TV advertising in 2026\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/getinside-ladtech-qui-monte-dans-la-french-tech-2215183?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Frenchweb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/getinside-leve-32-millions-deuros-pour-democratiser-le-retail-media/460279?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Eclore 🏷️ **Sectors:** DeepTech, Hardware 🔍 **Description:** Eclore develops high-durability protective covers for industrial robots operating in intensive environments such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, and electronics manufacturing. Its proprietary folding design increases durability by up to five times compared to conventional bellows, reducing machine downtime and improving production continuity. 💻 **Website:** [**Eclore**](https://eclore-actuators.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, UI Investissement, Sodero, Pays de la Loire Participations, Défense Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pierre Gautier-Le Boulch 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2019, Eclore has raised €3M in its first funding round to industrialize production and scale commercial deployment of its advanced robot protection systems. The company has simultaneously moved into a new 700 m² manufacturing facility near Nantes, marking its transition from early-stage development to industrial scale-up. By extending the lifespan of robot protection components and minimizing costly production interruptions, Eclore positions itself as an enabling infrastructure player in high-throughput industrial automation environments. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bpifranceamorcageindustriel%5Findustrie-robotique-cobotique-activity-7427366851967483904-rKzx?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Archimed 🏷️ **Sectors:** SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Archimed is a French software publisher and integrator specializing in knowledge management solutions. Its flagship product, Syracuse, is a leading platform in the culture and education sector, while its SaaS brand Alfeo targets enterprises, public administrations, and local authorities with flexible knowledge management tools combined with integration, maintenance, and training services. 💻 **Website:** [**Archimed**](https://www.archimed.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3m 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, IRD Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Olivier Walbecq, Eric Delot 🗞️ **News:** Archimed has opened its capital for the first time to welcome Bpifrance and IRD Invest as minority shareholders, aiming to accelerate commercial expansion—particularly for its Alfeo SaaS knowledge management platform. Ranked 96th in the EY Top 250 French software publishers (2025), the company serves over 500 clients with a team of 70 employees. The transaction will fund recruitment and commercial scaling in a growing market increasingly shaped by AI-driven knowledge structuring. Backed by long-term R&D collaboration with Bpifrance, Archimed now seeks to position Syracuse and Alfeo as reference platforms in structured knowledge management for both public and private sector organizations. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bpifrance-et-ird-invest-accompagnent-le-developpement-darchimed-editeur-et-integrateur-de-logiciels-de-knowledge-management-en-participant-a-son-ouverture-de-capital/?lang=fra&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** PGP Farmer 🏷️ **Sectors:** BioTech, AgriTech, HealthTech 🔍 **Description:** PGP Farmer is a French biotech company focused on the large-scale production of EU-GMP medical cannabis for pharmaceutical use. The company is developing a vertically integrated 9-hectare production site combining high-tech greenhouse cultivation and a pharmaceutical-grade processing laboratory, aiming to secure Europe’s medical cannabis supply chain and reduce reliance on imports. 💻 **Website:** [**PGP Farmer**](https://www.pgpfarmer.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Parcoul-Chenaud 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** Private investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Brahim Sebart 🗞️ **News:** PGP Farmer has closed a €3M funding round to accelerate the deployment of its EU-GMP-compliant medical cannabis production platform, ahead of France’s nationwide medical cannabis rollout. As European demand grows at over 20% annually—while approximately 75% of supply is still imported, notably from Canada—the company aims to position France as a strategic production hub. With a building permit already secured, PGP Farmer plans to develop a fully integrated 9-hectare site capable of producing up to 30 tons annually at full capacity, targeting key markets such as Germany, which imported nearly 200 tons in 2025\. The funding will support the construction of a GACP- and EU-GMP-compliant facility, ensuring full traceability and pharmaceutical-grade standards for a projected European patient base exceeding 1.5 million in 2026\. The raise comes at a pivotal regulatory moment in France, following a successful pilot program serving over 3,000 patients. Through its involvement in UIVEC and collaboration with institutional stakeholders, PGP Farmer aims to become a leading European producer and exporter of medical cannabis raw materials and extracts. | [**Business of Cannabis**](https://businessofcannabis.com/french-excellence-at-the-heart-of-a-high-capacity-eu-gmp-site/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image002.jpg) Rivage’s cofounders: top: Ayoub Saidane, down, from left to right: Hector Vergeron, Paul Lemoine, and Tancrède d’Hauteville (CEO). 📇 **Company:** Rivage 🏷️ **Sectors:** FinTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Rivage develops an open and interoperable payroll software designed specifically for accounting firms. The platform automates and secures the entire payroll cycle, integrates with HR and accounting tools, and leverages AI to reduce operational burden while transforming payroll data into a strategic lever for HR advisory services. 💻 **Website:** [**Rivage**](https://www.rivage.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.6M 🏦 **Investors:** Partech, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ayoub Saidane, Hector Vergeron, Paul Lemoine, Tancrède d’Hauteville 🗞️ **News:** Founded in July 2025, Rivage has raised €2.6M in pre-seed funding led by Partech to accelerate the deployment of its next-generation payroll software across accounting firms. Already live in 8 partner firms and covering 40 national collective agreements (CCNs), Rivage aims to expand to 150+ CCNs by the end of 2026—representing over 90% of the French workforce—while integrating with 10+ HR and accounting ecosystem tools. Positioning itself as a modern alternative to legacy payroll monopolies, Rivage focuses on interoperability, full auditability of payroll and DSN calculations, and AI-powered automation to streamline compliance-heavy workflows. In a market where more than half of French employees rely on accounting firms or outsourcing providers for payroll processing, Rivage targets a strategic infrastructure layer in a large but technologically underserved segment. The funding will support product development, regulatory coverage expansion, and scaling deployments in 2026 as the company seeks to reshape payroll management for accounting firms. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rivages-founders-say-french-payroll-is-broken-ai-can-fix-it/) --- 📇 **Company:** Solaya 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Solaya develops AI-powered 3D perception technology that converts simple mobile videos of real-world objects into high-fidelity 3D models—without requiring specialized hardware. Positioned as a horizontal 3D data platform, Solaya aims to democratize structured 3D asset creation for use cases spanning e-commerce, industrial digitalization, digital twins, and robotics. 💻 **Website:** [**Solaya**](https://www.solaya.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nice 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.68M 🏦 **Investors:** Betaworks, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Massimo Moretti 🗞️ **News:** Solaya has raised $2M in a pre-seed round led by NYC-based Betaworks and simultaneously launched its mobile 3D perception app. The platform enables users—particularly SMBs—to generate high-quality 3D models from smartphone videos at a cost reportedly 5–10x lower than competing solutions. Already working with early enterprise clients including LVMH, Mattel, Karl Lagerfeld, SNCF, and Dassault Systèmes, Solaya targets high-value applications such as 3D commerce, industrial simulation, robotics R&D, and digital twins. A laureate of the France 2030 “Convergence AI” program, the company strengthens its governance with former Allegorithmic (Adobe Substance 3D) executives joining its advisory board, signaling ambitions to scale in the fast-growing physical AI and 3D infrastructure market—projected to reach $188B by 2030\. | [**Team Nice**](https://www.investincotedazur.com/en/solaya-raises-2-million-and-launches-its-3d-perception-mobile-app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Greez 🏷️ **Sectors:** Circular Economy, RetailTech, BeautyTech, Sustainability 🔍 **Description:** Greez operates a platform dedicated to reducing waste in the cosmetics industry by enabling brands and manufacturers to valorize unsold products. The solution helps companies manage excess inventory in compliance with financial and regulatory constraints, including France’s AGEC anti-waste legislation, while lowering their environmental footprint. 💻 **Website:** [**Greez**](https://greez.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chartres 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €627K 🏦 **Investors:** Fonds Région Centre-Val de Loire Amorçage, Crédit Agricole Régions Investissement, Bpifrance, Roundtable 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Noémie Arnal, Logan Favier 🗞️ **News:** Founded in September 2023, Greez has raised €627K to accelerate its national rollout and prepare for European expansion. The startup addresses a structural challenge in the cosmetics sector: managing unsold inventory while complying with tightening environmental regulations such as AGEC. By positioning itself as a compliance-driven resale and valorization platform, Greez aims to expand into pharmacy and mass retail channels across France before scaling internationally. With only two employees to date, this funding marks a key step in structuring operations and building commercial traction in a regulatory-driven circular economy niche. | [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/greez-levee-de-fonds-lutter-contre-le-gaspillage/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Linkeat 🏷️ **Sectors:** FoodTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Linkeat develops a SaaS platform dedicated to professionals in the food industry, offering digital tools to streamline operations, management, and subscription-based services within B2B food ecosystems. 💻 **Website:** [Linkeat](https://www.linkeat.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €280K 🏦 **Investors:** Kolibri, Crowdfunding 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Frederic Montier, Marc Bouguié 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2024, Linkeat has raised €280K in a seed round via Kolibri crowdfunding to accelerate the development and deployment of its SaaS platform for food industry professionals. Positioned as a B2B subscription-based software solution, the company aims to digitize operational workflows in a sector increasingly adopting cloud-based management tools. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### France's Fastest-Growing Startups Are Hiring Again. And AI Is Everywhere URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/frances-fastest-growing-startups-are-hiring-again-and-ai-is-everywhere/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T21:27:39.000Z The TECH500 2026 ranking reveals accelerating headcount growth across France's startup ecosystem, with Mistral AI leading the charge on absolute hires. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Hey, Big French Corporates, Can You Spare A Contract? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-hey-big-french-corporates-can-you-spare-a-contract/ Last updated: 2026-02-13T09:52:04.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 The French tech ecosystem is brimming with talent, ideas, and ambition. But a stubborn procurement gap between startups and the corporates and government agencies that should be their biggest customers threatens to undermine the whole project. [**We examine a series of new reports that highlight the size of the problem and why it remains so persistent.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-startups-why-large-corporates-buy/) 👀 If you thought payroll was a problem that had already been solved, well, think again. The 20-Something Co-Founders of Rivage just raised €2.6M to prove they can finally solve it. [**CEO Tancrède d'Hauteville explains why payroll still sucks and how AI can make it suck less.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rivages-founders-say-french-payroll-is-broken-ai-can-fix-it/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 💟🐱 You could be forgiven if you thought that February had been declared national "**I ❤️ Mistral AI Month**" in France. The local LLM heartthrob has been feeling the warm fuzzies from just about every corner after months of perpetually online types insisting the company was going to get squeezed to death between Silicon Valley giants like OpenAI and Chinese open-source alternatives like DeepSeek. Instead, it appears Mistral has defied these gloomy predictions and gone from promising European hopeful to full-blown revenue rocket. [**In a Financial Times profile**](https://www.ft.com/content/664249e7-e8d5-4425-b397-ad3ed590b305?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#selection-1583.0-2105.240), the Paris-based start-up says its annualized revenue run rate is now north of $400 million, up from just $20 million a year ago. That's a 20-fold surge that would make even Silicon Valley blink. Founded in 2023 and valued at nearly €12 billion last year, Mistral is now aiming to cross $1 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2026, powered by more than 100 large enterprise customers and a growing list of European governments. The timing is not accidental. As geopolitical tensions rise and concerns about US tech dominance deepen, European boardrooms have suddenly rediscovered the word “sovereignty.” More than 80% of the EU’s digital infrastructure depends on foreign, mostly Yankee Doodle Dandy, providers. Mistral’s pitch is straightforward: European-built models, European-run infrastructure, European data residency. In other words, AI without the hyperscaler umbilical cord. That pitch has helped persuade institutions such as France's national research agency, CNRS, [**which this month rolled out a chatbot built on Mistral**](https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/actualite/le-cnrs-lance-avec-mistral-ai-un-outil-dia-generative-securise-mis-disposition-de-ses?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for its researchers, who are not allowed to use other tools such as Claude or ChatGPT for official purposes. To back up that ambition, Mistral is investing €1.2 billion in a new AI data center in Sweden, its first major facility outside France. The site will deliver 23 megawatts of computing power and is expected to come online next year. CEO Arthur Mensch made the official announcement at the TechArena Conference in Sweden. "By building a fully sovereign AI stack, we’re strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and ability to serve industries, public institutions, and researchers at scale," [**Mensch wrote on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7427672818906984449/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-21.png) [Via Arthur Mensch's LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7427672818906984449/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Sweden’s appeal is relatively cheap and abundant low-carbon energy, an important detail when your product runs on power-hungry chips. The company says the facility could generate more than €2 billion in revenue over five years. Mistral has already raised €1.7 billion, including backing from ASML, and insists it doesn’t need to rush into an IPO thanks to readily available debt financing. That financial flexibility, CEO Arthur Mensch argues, helps safeguard independence, an increasingly fashionable word in European tech circles. About 60% of revenues now come from Europe, with the rest split between the US and Asia. Clients include ASML, TotalEnergies, HSBC, and several European governments. While OpenAI and Anthropic dominate headlines, Mistral is carving out a distinct role as Europe’s “sovereign AI” champion. The subtext is clear: in the race for artificial intelligence supremacy, Europe may not want to win—but it definitely doesn’t want to rent forever. | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/664249e7-e8d5-4425-b397-ad3ed590b305?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#selection-1583.0-2105.240)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/mistral-investit-12-milliard-deuros-dans-une-nouvelle-infrastructure-pour-lia-en-suede-2215210?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸5️⃣ **Elaia** is back in the market with its fifth **Digital Venture Fund**, and it’s already locked in a €120 million first close to double down on Europe’s most ambitious tech founders. DV5 will write checks from €1 million to €15 million, backing B2B startups from pre-seed to Series B, with a clear bias toward deep, IP-heavy technologies, think AI, cybersecurity, techbio, and industrial innovation. The first bet is already in: Zurich-based Mimic Robotics, signaling the fund’s appetite for “physical AI” and foundational infrastructure plays. With heavyweight backers like Bpifrance, BNP Paribas, and MACSF on board, Elaia is making a familiar argument: Europe doesn’t just need more startups, it needs the kind that underpin entire industries and stick around long enough to matter. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/french-vc-elaia-reaches-e120-million-first-close-for-new-multi-stage-b2b-technology-fund/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇮🇳⛰️ France is packing its AI bags for New Delhi. **La French Tech Mission** is bringing a 19-startup delegation to India’s AI Summit on February 19–20, led by its director Julie Huguet, with stops planned in Bangalore and Mumbai to drum up business. The lineup spans heavy hitters like BlaBlaCar and Pigment, rising AI players such as H Company and Harmattan AI, plus quantum, cybersecurity, space, biotech, and even agtech contenders. Paris wants a bigger slice of India’s booming tech market. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/11/quelles-sont-les-startups-emmenees-par-la-mission-french-tech-au-sommet-de-lia-en-inde/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚫ French business leaders can breathe a little easier, at least when it comes to their home addresses. A new decree published on August 25 now allows executives to mask their personal addresses on public documents like Kbis extracts, a long-awaited move that gained urgency after a string of kidnappings and attempted abductions, particularly in the crypto world. Since the rule took effect, around 40,000 anonymisation requests have been processed by commercial courts, with another 50,000 handled upstream by the INPI. The process takes about five days (assuming no paperwork hiccups), and early technical glitches have mostly been ironed out. That said, the data isn’t gone for good: authorities can still access it, and with personal information already flooding the dark web. **|** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/enlevements-dans-la-crypto-deja-40000-demandes-de-dirigeants-dentreprise-traitees-pour-anonymiser-leurs-donnees-2214349?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮💢 The French president apparently forgot that timeless saying: *Hell hath no fury like a video gamer scorned*. **Emmanuel Macron** stepped into the gaming crossfire, floating the idea of restricting violent video games in the wake of recent youth violence. In an interview with Brut, he argued that spending five or six hours a day “killing people” in games can normalize violence and potentially push vulnerable teens toward real-world loss of control, though he insisted games aren’t inherently bad. Instead, he’s calling for a scientific review, tasking France’s National Council on AI and Digital Technology to assess the impact of violent games and even conversational AI agents on children, with conclusions expected by early summer. The comments come as France also advances a ban on social media for under-15s, putting it at the center of a broader European push to curb minors’ digital habits. Predictably, gamers bristled, prompting Macron to [**clarify on X**](https://x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/2020059471209283956?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that he supports the industry, even as he questions what happens when screen time starts looking more like combat training: "What I announced on Brut, in response to that teacher who was shouting her anger, isn’t a ban on video games: it’s the launch of a scientific, collegial effort to face reality head-on. Calmly, lucidly, and with all stakeholders. It’s our responsibility to ask researchers, scientists, and clinicians to evaluate the impacts, untangle misconceptions, and inform the public debate." **|** [**Brut**](https://wnhub.io/news/other/item-50062?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Macron Twitter**](https://x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/2020059471209283956?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👎 **X**, formerly known as the platform everyone still accidentally calls **Twitter**, is having a rough year in France. According to **Médiamétrie**, it lost 16% of its monthly visitors in 2025, dropping to 15.6 million, and in November, it hit its lowest audience levels since tracking began in 2017\. Daily traffic is down even more sharply, off 21% to 4.2 million users, meaning 1.2 million people have quietly logged off. It’s still the undisputed heavyweight in micro-blogging, with Threads and Bluesky trailing far behind, but the dominance looks a little less imperial than it used to. Guess all the disinfo and deepfakes and child porn aren't winning hearts and minds, even if it's keeping French regulators and investors fully employed. Meanwhile, Reddit is staging a surprisingly strong French renaissance, jumping 72% in a year and muscling its way into the top 10, helped along by clever auto-translation and Google-friendly threads. X remains in the social media big leagues for now, but it’s suddenly within arm’s reach of LinkedIn, Pinterest, and even Discord, which is probably not the kind of competition it once worried about. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/la-perte-de-vitesse-de-x-se-poursuit-en-france-mais-le-reseau-social-d-elon-musk-domine-threads-et-bluesky-20260212?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # France Has the Startups. Why Won't Its Large Corporates Buy From Them? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-19.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-startups-why-large-corporates-buy/) France likes to think of itself as a startup nation. And in many ways, over the past decade, it has become just that. The country has built one of Europe's most vibrant innovation ecosystems, producing heavyweights like **Mistral AI** in artificial intelligence, **Pigment** in finance, and **Exotec** in industrial robotics. The talent is here. The ideas are here. The ambition is here. What's missing? Big customers. That's the blunt takeaway from a flurry of reports and events that landed in early February 2026, all circling the same uncomfortable truth: French and European startups are struggling to sell to large corporations and government agencies, the very institutions that should be their most natural buyers. And without those contracts, even the most brilliant startups risk remaining forever small, forever fragile, **or worse**, packing their bags for the United States. [Gaze into the purchasing abyss and weep](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-startups-why-large-corporates-buy/) --- # Rivage's Founders Say French Payroll Is Broken. AI Can Fix It [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-20.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rivages-founders-say-french-payroll-is-broken-ai-can-fix-it/) Rivage’s cofounders: top: Ayoub Saidane, down, from left to right: Hector Vergeron, Paul Lemoine, and Tancrède d’Hauteville (CEO). Payroll. It's not exactly the kind of word that gets pulses racing in startup land. And when I first heard the pitch for [**Rivage**](https://www.rivage.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a Paris-based startup that just raised €2.6 million to build payroll software, I'll confess my initial reaction was something like: really? Haven't we solved this already? After a decade of SaaS innovation, billions of euros poured into fintech, and the rise of unicorns like PayFit, you'd be forgiven for thinking that cutting paychecks in France is a problem that's been thoroughly cracked. But spend a few minutes talking to Tancrède d'Hauteville, the 20-something CEO of Rivage, and you start to realize the picture is far messier than it looks from the outside. "Payroll managers spend six to seven hours a day on the software," d'Hauteville told me during a recent interview. "So if you can make a 10% difference on the software, in terms of productivity, you're going to change an entire profession, an entire sector." [See how Rivage is making payroll sexy again](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rivages-founders-say-french-payroll-is-broken-ai-can-fix-it/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** DentalMonitoring 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, AI & Machine Learning, Hardware 🔍 **Description:** DentalMonitoring develops AI-powered remote orthodontic monitoring solutions, operating as a software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD). Its platform enables orthodontists to supervise treatments remotely through AI-driven analysis of intraoral scans and patient data, improving clinical efficiency and patient experience. The company offers a suite of products, including DM Insights, ScanAssist, DM Engage, and ScanBox Pro, serving over 2 million patients globally. 💻 **Website:** [**DentalMonitoring**](https://dentalmonitoring.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €84M (approx. $100M, mix of equity and debt) 🏦 **Investors:** Lazard Elaia Capital, ISALT 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Salah 🗞️ **News:** DentalMonitoring has secured €84M ($100M) to accelerate international expansion and product innovation, reinforcing its position as a global leader in AI-powered orthodontic remote monitoring. The round, led by Lazard Elaia Capital with participation from ISALT, combines equity and debt financing and follows the company’s $150M raise in 2021 that propelled it to unicorn status. Active across Europe, the US, Australia, and Japan, DentalMonitoring plans to expand into Brazil, Turkey, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The funding will also support AI R&D through a newly launched software development center and deepen integrations across the orthodontic ecosystem, including manufacturers, practice management software providers, and scanning hardware companies. With a treatment-agnostic platform model and growing enterprise partnerships, DentalMonitoring aims to define a new global standard of care in digital orthodontics while exploring applications beyond dentistry. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/paris-dentalmonitoring-raises-e84-million-to-expand-ai-powered-orthodontic-monitoring-globally/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/10/dentalmonitoring-obtient-100-millions-de-dollars-pour-injecter-de-lia-dans-les-soins-orthodontiques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Naboo 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Naboo is an AI-powered procurement platform initially focused on corporate event management (MICE) and now expanding into broader “Class C” (tail spend) categories such as travel, fragmented services, and indirect procurement. Positioned as an AI-driven operating system for event and indirect spend management, Naboo centralizes sourcing, contracting, payments, compliance, and financial visibility for large enterprises. 💻 **Website:** [**Naboo**](https://www.naboo.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €60M (≈ $70M) 🏦 **Investors:** Lightspeed Venture Partners, Notion Capital, ISAI, Ternel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Eduardo, Antoine Servant, Lucien Bredin, Jean-Louis Villeminot 🗞️ **News:** Naboo has raised €60M in a Series B led by Lightspeed to expand beyond event management into AI-driven control of “Class C” indirect spending—an often fragmented and weakly structured category covering events, travel, and miscellaneous services. Founded in 2022, Naboo positions itself not as a traditional SaaS tool but as a “service-as-software” platform that combines AI agents, procurement workflows, payment infrastructure, and supplier consolidation into a unified operating system. The company reports €125.8M in business volume to date, 3x year-over-year growth over the past three years, 0% churn among enterprise clients, and contracts with a quarter of CAC 40 companies. International expansion is accelerating, with the UK now its largest market outside France and a new North American hub in New York following its launch in Montreal. The fresh capital will fund deeper AI integration across sourcing, contracting analysis, automated tender management, and real-time compliance workflows, alongside expansion into adjacent procurement categories beyond events. Naboo aims to surpass €1B in managed business volume within two years, positioning itself as a strategic financial control tower for enterprise indirect spend in an AI-native procurement landscape. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/10/naboo-leve-70-millions-de-dollars-pour-partir-a-la-conquete-du-marche-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/60-millions-deuros-pour-lia-de-naboo-qui-sattaque-aux-depenses-de-classe-c/460255?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/paris-based-eventtech-startup-naboo-nabs-e58-7-million-series-b-a-year-after-e20m-series-a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** GitGuardian 🏷️ **Sectors:** Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** GitGuardian is a cybersecurity company specializing in the detection and remediation of exposed secrets (API keys, tokens, credentials, certificates) and the protection of non-human identities (NHIs) within codebases and cloud environments. Its platform monitors repositories and infrastructure to identify compromised secrets, alert developers and security teams, and orchestrate remediation to prevent lateral movement and data breaches. 💻 **Website:** [**GitGuardian**](https://www.gitguardian.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** $50M 🏦 **Investors:** Insight Partners, Quadrille Capital, Eurazeo, Sapphire, Balderton, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Eric Fourrier 🗞️ **News:** GitGuardian has raised $50M in a growth round led by Insight Partners to scale its platform amid the rapid expansion of non-human identities driven by AI agents and cloud automation. The company, founded in 2017, has become a reference player in secrets security, with over 500,000 developers using its GitHub-integrated tools and enterprise clients including Snowflake, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and ING. In 2025 alone, GitGuardian detected and remediated 350,000 exposed secrets—five times more than the previous year—highlighting the acceleration of threat vectors as attackers increasingly leverage AI. Generating 70% of its revenues in the US and reporting annual revenues between €30M and €50M, the company aims to deepen its presence in North America while expanding into APAC, Latin America, and the Middle East. The raise positions GitGuardian to compete more aggressively against well-funded US and Israeli cybersecurity players in a market where AI-driven attacks are reshaping the threat landscape. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-gitguardian-le-bouclier-cyber-face-a-la-proliferation-des-agents-ia-2215170?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/11/cybersecurite-gitguardian-boucle-un-tour-de-table-de-50-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### France Has the Startups. Why Won't Its Large Corporates Buy From Them? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-startups-why-large-corporates-buy/ Last updated: 2026-02-16T10:20:21.000Z France likes to think of itself as a startup nation. And in many ways, over the past decade, it has become just that. The country has built one of Europe's most vibrant innovation ecosystems, producing heavyweights like **Mistral AI** in artificial intelligence, **Pigment** in finance, and **Exotec** in industrial robotics. The talent is here. The ideas are here. The ambition is here. What's missing? Big customers. That's the blunt takeaway from a flurry of reports and events that landed in early February 2026, all circling the same uncomfortable truth: French and European startups are struggling to sell to large corporations and government agencies, the very institutions that should be their most natural buyers. And without those contracts, even the most brilliant startups risk remaining forever small, forever fragile, **or worse**, packing their bags for the United States. The numbers tell a stark story. According to the [**2025 Observatory of Relations Between Startups and Major Accounts**](https://www.economie.gouv.fr/mediateur-des-entreprises/le-rapport-2025-de-lobservatoire-des-relations-entre-start-ups-et-grands-comptes?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), published on February 5 by France's Mediator of Enterprises Pierre Pelouzet and presented to Anne Le Hénanff, the Minister for AI and Digital, the 39 largest French corporations devoted on average just 1.99% of their purchasing budgets to startups in 2024, up from 1.92% in 2023\. Even for the 5 largest corporates that work most aggressively with startups, the figure only reaches 4.78%. Some of the most engaged groups spend upward of €200 million a year on startup solutions, but others scrape by at a mere €2 million. The gap between leaders and laggards is enormous, and it reveals just how much untapped potential sits on the table, according to the report. On the public purchasing side, there has been more progress. Government procurement from startups jumped 33.4% in 2023, crossing €2.3 billion. This was spurred partly by the push around the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Still, that represents just a meager 1.43% of total purchases, up from 1% the previous year. ## Same Old, Same Old _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Rivage's Founders Say French Payroll Is Broken. AI Can Fix It URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rivages-founders-say-french-payroll-is-broken-ai-can-fix-it/ Last updated: 2026-02-13T09:08:17.000Z Payroll. It's not exactly the kind of word that gets pulses racing in startup land. And when I first heard the pitch for [**Rivage**](https://www.rivage.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a Paris-based startup that just raised €2.6 million to build payroll software, I'll confess my initial reaction was something like: really? Haven't we solved this already? After a decade of SaaS innovation, billions of euros poured into fintech, and the rise of unicorns like PayFit, you'd be forgiven for thinking that cutting paychecks in France is a problem that's been thoroughly cracked. But spend a few minutes talking to Tancrède d'Hauteville, the 20-something CEO of Rivage, and you start to realize the picture is far messier than it looks from the outside. "Payroll managers spend six to seven hours a day on the software," d'Hauteville told me during a recent interview. "So if you can make a 10% difference on the software, in terms of productivity, you're going to change an entire profession, an entire sector." Founded in July 2025, Rivage is the brainchild of four co-founders who met at some of France's most prestigious schools. D'Hauteville and co-founder Hector Vergeron are HEC graduates, while Ayoub Saidane **and** Paul Lemoine came from École Polytechnique and CentraleSupélec, respectively. While the young team faced skepticism, D'Hauteville also makes a case for why youth, in this particular instance, might actually be an advantage. "We have no personal obligation. Can sleep on the floor of the office and just completely give away our life for this problem." So, what exactly is the problem? PayFit built an HR and human capital management tool aimed at SMEs directly. Rivage is targeting a completely different slice of the market. More than half of French employees depend on an accounting firm or outsourcing provider for their payroll and social security declarations. That's roughly 15 million pay slips processed every month by these firms. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #63: Europe’s AI Reckoning – Scale Or Fail URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine/ Last updated: 2026-02-11T11:10:00.000Z 🧠 Europe has the talent, the research, and the ideas to lead in AI, but not yet the scale. In this no-nonsense interview, [**JFD founder Delphine Remy-Boutang explains why regulation alone won’t save Europe, and why “scale or die” is now the only game in town.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-ai-barometer-decoded-delphine-remy-boutang-on-why-europe-must-scale-now/) **–** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🟡✨ The Big AI Bonanza **Howdy, dear readers.** February in Paris can mean only one thing: artificial intelligence. (What, you were thinking, *love? romance?* Please. Such analog notions are so 2024.) No, if this month now has a theme, it's AI. And the nation celebrates with AI barometers, ecosystem mappings, closed-door briefings, buzzy conferences at startup campuses, exclusive dinners where the AI hoity-toity can hobnob at the Élysée, and the pending India Impact AI Summit opening in New Delhi on February 16\. [**President Macron will be among those traveling to the big AI hoedown next week**](https://openthemagazine.com/world/french-president-macron-in-india-next-week-for-ai-summit-talks-with-pm-modi?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The conversations this year come with an added splash of existential anxiety as the accelerated pace of AI development made things extra spicy. Is Europe doomed? Is the world doomed? Is this the greatest opportunity of our lifetimes? How do we stop AI? How do we win AI? Is that coffee free? Ground zero for the **Great French AI Rodeo** this week was Station F, where France Digitale organized its [**10th annual AI Day with the PR\[AI\]RIE AI cluster.**](https://ai-day.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)The event took place almost a year to the day after Paris’ big AI summit last year that drew world leaders and corporate big shots to the nation. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/france-digital-day.png) Photo by David Arous Chris moderated a panel that included one of the lead organizers of the Paris summit, **Anne Bouverot**, Co-Chair of France’s AI & Digital Council. Joining them was Business France captain **Pascal Cagni** and **Zebox's Frédéric Guilleux**. They opened by reflecting on progress made since the summit, including €109 billion in public and private commitments to AI spending, the announcement of several high-profile AI startups, a renewed focus on sovereignty, and recognition of France's and Europe's immense talent and potential. The big challenges emphasized by both Bouverot and Cagni: big Corporates. While some progress has been made in digital transformation, it remains woefully inadequate. The pair were fairly blunt. AI represents a kind of last chance: If Europe's biggest companies don't seize this opportunity to reinvent themselves, the region risks falling permanently behind. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-22.42.17.png) Panel: How to build AI leaders, not followers in AI The day also offered a glimpse further down the road, with Yann LeCun outlining a future of AI systems and robots capable of understanding real-world, real-time environments. In conversations on the sidelines, he hinted that this shift from abstract intelligence to situated, embodied AI may move from theory to practice sooner than we think, with more to come in the months ahead. On perhaps one of the most operational panels of the day, **Helen** moderated a discussion on *moving from individual AI hacks to scalable workflows*, with leaders from **Notion, Foundever**, **and Ontomantics**. The takeaway was blunt: AI fails less because of the models and their complexity, and more because organisations don’t redesign workflows, incentives, and accountability early enough. Prompting is easy. Installing scalable AI Operations is hard and unavoidable. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-14.png) Panel: From Prompts to scalable works. Turning AI Experimentation into Operations # 📿 The Big AI Day Roundup As part of AI festivities, there have been announcements aplenty. Here now are a few of the tastiest morsels... 🥩 In a closed-door briefing with the tech press, **Station F** leaders announced the launch of **F/ai**, a new program designed to create the next generation of **global AI champions,** and to do so at a *very early stage*. The program targets **AI-native, early-stage founders only**, selected strictly by recommendation. Out of 70–100 applicants, **just 20 startups have already been chosen,** most less than 12 months old, **80% led by repeat founders**, many with prior exits, PhDs on the team, and **75% already through pre-seed**. Several are either already hitting or aim to hit **€1m in revenue within six months**. Backed by a dense network of **major AI players, including big US tech names,** F/ai offers financing, top-tier mentors, privileged partnerships, and a powerful go-to-market engine. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/visuel-partners-final-1-.png) Founders can submit a *wish list* of corporate intros, with up to five warm connections to accelerate distribution. The three-month core program can extend to **18 months**, with three batches per year (batch two kicks off in September), positioning Station F as an **8,000-startup-strong global launchpad** rather than just a European hub. With cohorts spanning the US, UK, Germany, Pakistan, and five French startups, and C-level speaker sessions featuring names like Andrew Bosworth (CTO, Meta), **Station F Combinator wants Paris to be the home of the next generation of global AI champions.** 🥩 **France Digitale released its new AI Mapping** that counts **1,114 AI startups**, more than any other European country, with nearly **€16bn raised**, **45,000 jobs created**, and AI solutions firmly embedded across health, industry, finance, marketing, and the public sector. What stood out this year isn’t just scale, but maturity: GenAI is now mainstream, data quality has become a strategic bottleneck, and agentic, task-specific AI is quietly moving from demos into day-to-day operations. The message echoed across panels and corridors alike: the French AI ecosystem is no longer asking *whether* AI works but how fast it can scale, industrialize, and secure real access to markets. | [**Mapping here (in French)**](https://francedigitale.opendatasoft.com/pages/mapping-startups-ia-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-21.45.22.png) 🥩 The ***Direction générale des Entreprises*** (DGE) and La French Tech Mission announced the first 10 companies picked to be part of the new [**France Legaltech**](https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/espace-entreprises/appels-a-projets-et-appels-a-manifestation-d-interet/programme-france-legaltech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **program, to give extra support to this emerging sector.** Among those selected**:** [**Dastra**](https://www.decideo.fr/IA-generative-Dastra-selectionne-parmi-les-10-laureats-du-programme-LegalTech-DGE--signal-fort-sur-la-gouvernance%5Fa14538.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Pappers**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pierrefruchard%5Fpappers-laur%C3%A9at-du-programme-france-legaltech-activity-7427019480121278464-L-1M?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI)**,** [**Tomorro**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/gotomorro/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Ordalie**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ordalie/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Lexbase**](https://www.datapressepremium.com/rmdiff/2012766/vfcplexbaseprixdge.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, and** [**Gino LegalTech**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ginolegaltech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** 🥩 **To cap off AI Day,** the conversation quite literally moved up the food chain. Last night, around the Élysée table, Emmanuel Macron hosted a closed-door AI dinner bringing together some of the most influential figures of the French tech ecosystem, from **Frédéric Mazzella** to **Jean-Charles Samuelian**, alongside founders of Gleamer, Owkin, Mirakl, Nabla, Aqemia, and *mucho más*. Add a few industrial heavyweights, policymakers*,* and economists, and you get a very French mix of power, capital*,* and code. (Or no code, or vibe code, as the case may be these days...) |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/10/ia-voici-les-entrepreneurs-convies-ce-soir-a-la-table-de-lelysee/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Headlines No AI-filled week would be complete without a barometer or two... ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-15.png) 🗞️ **The JFD/EY Fabernovel European AI Barometer delivered a sobering reality check.** Yes, Europe has world-class AI talent, strong academic leadership, and founders who want to stay. But sovereignty won’t come from declarations alone. The barometer’s headline ambition echoed the calls made by Cagni and Bouverot: Getting large European corporates to buy European AI solutions up to just **9% of all purchases within two years. That rather modest goal** landed awkwardly in a room obsessed with strategic autonomy. As Minister Anne Le Hénaff bluntly put it at the presentation in Bercy: without real private-sector demand, sovereignty remains theoretical. The message from JFD was clear: AI leadership won’t be regulated into existence. It has to be *purchased*, partnered, and scaled by Europe’s own champions. | **For the lowdown,** [**check out the European AI barometer**](https://www.joinjfd.com/en/barometer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **and our** [**interview with JFD Founder and CEO Delphine Remy-Boutang.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-ai-barometer-decoded-delphine-remy-boutang-on-why-europe-must-scale-now/) 🗞️ **Generative AI adoption in France is officially “fulgurant.”** According to [**Crédoc’s latest Digital Barometer,**](https://www.credoc.fr/publications/barometre-du-numerique-2026-rapport?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) nearly half of French people now use generative AI, a jump of 15 points in just one year, matching the speed of adoption seen in the US. Among 18–24 year-olds, usage hits a staggering 85%, with AI now preferred over search engines for homework, writing, coding, and content creation. But there’s a catch: the age gap is exploding. While AI is second nature to the young, only 15% of over-70s use it, turning generative AI into the country’s newest digital divide. | [**20 Minutes**](https://www.20minutes.fr/high-tech/4200704-20260210-adoption-ia-generative-fulgurante-france-selon-credoc?at%5Fmedium=RSS+feed&at%5Fcampaign=ynews&utm%5Fsource=yahoo&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=news%5Ffeed&utm%5Fcontent=read%5Fmore%5Flink%22) 🗞️ **But when it comes to the public sector, GenAI adoption is not so "fulgurant."** France may have written the playbook on “trustworthy AI,” but when it comes to actually using GenAI in public services, it’s mostly stuck in pilot purgatory. The country ranks near the bottom of a new global index among 10 countries, with adoption patchy, tools scarce, and just 27% of public servants saying their organization has invested in AI, according to the report by the Public First for the Center for Data Innovation, sponsored by Google. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/index.png) Nearly one in three officials thinks nothing they do could be done by AI, and 45% have never used it at work, which is… not exactly a hotbed of experimentation. Add in fuzzy guidance, minimal training (two-thirds report getting none), and a compliance maze that makes everyone nervous, and you get a self-reinforcing cycle of low use and low enthusiasm. | [**Public First for the Center for Data Innovation**](https://indexaiglobalpublicservices.publicfirst.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#intro)**,** [**Euronews**](https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/02/07/which-countries-are-the-worst-and-best-in-the-public-sector-ai-race?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Still, adoption of GenAI does not apparently equal love.** If you were hoping the French were starry-eyed about an AI-powered tomorrow…not quite. [According to a new Ifop survey](https://www.ifop.com/en/article/how-the-french-see-the-future?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), 71% say the prospect of a future with more AI in their daily lives is *inquiétante*, versus just 29% who find it promising. And this general mood tracks with a broader sense that we’re living through decline rather than progress: 57% see today’s world as a period of regression, compared with only 18% who see progress. Younger respondents are noticeably more upbeat (43–45% of under-35s find AI promising), but the optimism drops off sharply with age. In other words, France isn’t anti-future. It’s just deeply suspicious of it. AI may be billed as the next big leap forward, but for most French people, it currently feels less like “Black Mirror” in a good way and more like… well, just “Black Mirror.” | [**Ifop**](https://www.ifop.com/en/article/how-the-french-see-the-future?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Cortex House: AI hits Montmartre.** A stone’s throw from the Sacré-Cœur, **Cortex House** is set to become Paris’ new AI hub. Spanning 11,000 m² over six floors, it will host 1,900+ workstations, events, workshops, and an incubator for pre-seed and seed startups. Founded by Albin Serviant with Daphni’s team and ex-WeWork’s Romain Allouch, it’s backed by a who’s who of French Tech, including Owkin, Back Market, Probabl, and more. Think less coworking, more “Maison de l’IA”, a year-round playground for innovation, collaboration, and AI excellence in the heart of Paris’ 18th arrondissement. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/09/une-immense-maison-de-lia-va-voir-le-jour-au-pied-de-montmartre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI goes bedside:** The **Alliance Santé IA** is bringing AI into hospitals for real. Led by CHU Montpellier and Adlin Science, the €18M, 3-year project turns messy medical data into tools that speed research, ease admin, and improve care while keeping data in-house. Already tested at the hospital, it’s designed to scale nationwide with a team of 40+ full-time contributors and PhDs. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/les-jeunes-et-les-cadres-ne-peuvent-plus-sen-passer-lutilisation-de-lia-generative-explose-en-france-2214825?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Crypto kidnappings push French bosses to hide their addresses.** Since last August, French company leaders have been able to anonymize their personal addresses on official docs like Kbis, a response to a recent wave of kidnappings and attempted kidnappings targeting entrepreneurs. So far, **40,000 requests** have been processed, with another 50,000 handled by the INPI. The measure doesn’t erase the data — authorities still have access — but it’s a small shield in an era where personal info spreads fast, even onto the dark web. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/enlevements-dans-la-crypto-deja-40000-demandes-de-dirigeants-dentreprise-traitees-pour-anonymiser-leurs-donnees-2214349?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk** | As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- ### 🧠 The AI Barometer Decoded: Delphine Remy‑Boutang on Why Europe Must Scale. Now. [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-16.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-ai-barometer-decoded-delphine-remy-boutang-on-why-europe-must-scale-now/) Delphine Remy-Boutang, Founder & CEO of JFD (©photo: François Tancré) Founder & CEO of JFD, [**Delphine Remy‑Boutang**,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/delphineremyboutang/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) doesn’t mince her words. Europe has the talent, the research, and the ideas. What it lacks is scale and contracts. Founded in 2012, [**JFD**](https://www.joinjfd.com/en/about-us/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is a growth accelerator that connects innovative entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and investors with one goal: turning European innovation into real business and industrial scale. Ahead of the presentation of JFD’s 2026 European AI Barometer at Bercy, we sat down with her for a fast-paced, no-nonsense conversation about regulation, sovereignty, the myth of ‘small is beautiful’, and why 2026 is Europe’s make-or-break year. [Read the full Q&A](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-ai-barometer-decoded-delphine-remy-boutang-on-why-europe-must-scale-now/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🚀 **€1M AI Challenge for Space Data Innovation** | **Apply by March 9** | The Île-de-France Region and CNES officially launch a €1 million AI Challenge to accelerate innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and space data. Continuing the Region’s AI Challenge series started in 2019, this initiative aims to foster future national champions and strengthen France’s technological and economic sovereignty. Two tracks are open: (1) AI-powered applications leveraging satellite data for use cases such as security, energy, environment, and risk management; and (2) advanced vision-language models for automatic interpretation of high- and very-high-resolution satellite imagery. CNES will provide data, technical expertise, and project oversight. | **Apply via the Île-de-France Region platform:** [**Challenge AI for Space**](https://www.iledefrance.fr/aides-et-appels-a-projets/challenge-ai-space?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 **National AI Mapping | Deadline February 15 |** [Hub France IA](https://u11714644.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.8gmJa7-2F5vFnNURntQ-2B2MW-2B774naecRbREo0JEKAP77bhdm01lF-2BCQCRM05KGtxbXA3rz%5FLegDzTFO0QQIRWK2-2Bk6gfCyxgybRYoXaoB2KDUvhD7yA-2B2d79SrFpkFxFk9poisxRfNWPIOCBFA11bbLWoe35Zz3ofQ379d5Dq2ULsvWDbHd0fDutwIdzpcKaj906r7OfTa9RE7nWacCipji8AOZ3CT8zM6e1TO6bxjac46sSGr1th-2BEZUu1-2Ba3wLSjNAEwJ-2FMUnnLjbdCK8smkmfuv7mu0PP1da-2BH-2FeZH2g23ojMiNM7HOSGWyYorpXrdSQkH-2F5GzhOnD9eky-2FhRsj6dqYBATZOCCTj3FhO3wevd4nrsHmvT3-2BTPWeslxNq7dV-2FIx7Bcyv-2FwzUUauEsGyUPh13WsT76E1kGThKrTfMfqCcA2aY-3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is launching a second invitation to startups, SMEs, and innovative companies located outside of Paris to join the [2026 national map](https://u11714644.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.8gmJa7-2F5vFnNURntQ-2B2MW-2B774naecRbREo0JEKAP77b8AU-2FR-2FFHX-2Buqyxs-2FfFQsr7AugVjtZbDvGnhjz7Wor97VXSSCW4NV0vh6PefeQS7E-3D1el0%5FLegDzTFO0QQIRWK2-2Bk6gfCyxgybRYoXaoB2KDUvhD7yA-2B2d79SrFpkFxFk9poisxRfNWPIOCBFA11bbLWoe35Zz3ofQ379d5Dq2ULsvWDbHd0fDutwIdzpcKaj906r7OfTa9RE7nWacCipji8AOZ3CT8zM6e1TO6bxjac46sSGr1th-2BEZUu1-2Ba3wLSjNAEwJ-2FMUnnLjbdCK8smkmfuv7miCreZaziCHJDvo7cPtg7vHxU-2BZ9fXhXoC-2FkUXzA81FIe0b9elcpKXpqkQPtTeDIOzjckj3WoK7MyPBaLi05ond0b2JHkhPhw-2B0Y6xf0mt185MyBjHj5S-2B4EW-2BDwvSF1Lef5TN0fOp32MLI4-2FY0yJb0-3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) of French artificial intelligence. This sixth edition, launched once before, aims to provide an accurate snapshot of the AI ​​ecosystem across the country, highlighting the diversity of regional dynamics. More than 700 AI stakeholders are already listed. Interested regional gems can still apply now until February 15, 2026\. | [**Registration link**](https://u11714644.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.8gmJa7-2F5vFnNURntQ-2B2MW4xSd2N9lNdaC-2F8SkxsPPwswgAsP7eXv1H4-2B8yClNA9b18q-2BLPu-2BdrR3lZppGFf1KWumvWX3OCDLvhsJ-2FGqwxvw-3Dg%5FnG%5FLegDzTFO0QQIRWK2-2Bk6gfCyxgybRYoXaoB2KDUvhD7yA-2B2d79SrFpkFxFk9poisxRfNWPIOCBFA11bbLWoe35Zz3ofQ379d5Dq2ULsvWDbHd0fDutwIdzpcKaj906r7OfTa9RE7nWacCipji8AOZ3CT8zM6e1TO6bxjac46sSGr1th-2BEZUu1-2Ba3wLSjNAEwJ-2FMUnnLjbdCK8smkmfuv7mhk6tpdjuR73yUJnD9Rc3H7B-2FKNsA1Pf8LhkO4EmQoAin3xnFjg-2BdxRxUQ8wmaljkYQHQFPOkxKLQPqSRffTKg5jTjL6LrkLs0TkPhwBQdWGOP85M-2FmRL2flgKQLlWjPed2QvNIy2KD9S-2BjaU4ViZTQ-3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF)** | **February 12 and 13** | Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes | With more than 10,000 expected participants, 320 international speakers, and 180 exhibitors, the WAICF is the European event dedicated to the innovations and strategic challenges of artificial intelligence. | [**Buy tickets**](https://www.worldaicannes.com/en-gb/book-your-pass.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris Hardware Meetup | The New Defense Stack** | **February 17** | Join Paris-area hardware builders — founders, engineers, designers, and investors — for talks and community networking focused on defense hardware and physical product innovation at Hexa (eFounders) in Paris. Speakers include leaders from Harmattan AI, Helsing, Landroval, and more, with structured talks followed by open mic and networking. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/oq94zfvf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Neurons and Peppers #3** | **February 18** | **Paris** | The state-of-the-art AI research meetup in Paris hosted by **Neurons and Peppers by datacraft**, focused on deep technical sessions such as domain-specific modeling and retrieval-augmented generation benchmarking, followed by community networking, talks, and food & drinks. | [**Request to Join**](https://luma.com/ehna1sny?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 | March 17–18 | ESCP Business School | Paris |** Artificial intelligence is transforming universities at every level — from classrooms to research labs and administrative offices. The AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 in Paris will bring together academics, innovators, and policy-makers to discuss one central question: How should higher education evolve in an AI-driven world? This international event is the place to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, and shape the roadmap for universities in the age of AI. | [**Pre-Registration**](https://escp.eu/events/ai-higher-education-summit-2026-paris-17-18-march?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenText Summit Paris 2026** | **April 15 | Palais Brongniart** | AI is everywhere and full of promise — but without contextualized data, governance, and security, AI fails. Join OpenText Summit Paris 2026 to discover how to unlock the intelligence of your enterprise data and activate AI with confidence. Expect visionary keynotes, French customer success stories, real-world use cases, in-depth small-group sessions, live demos, expert meetings, and peer networking. Explore the latest innovations in content management, cybersecurity, service management, business networks, and more — and learn how to deploy responsible, compliant AI with full control and freedom of choice. | [**Register**](https://events.opentext.com/paris-summit-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### The AI Barometer Decoded: Delphine Remy‑Boutang on Why Europe Must Scale. Now. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-ai-barometer-decoded-delphine-remy-boutang-on-why-europe-must-scale-now/ Last updated: 2026-02-09T09:27:11.000Z Europe has the talent, the research, and the ideas to lead in AI, but not yet the scale. In this no-nonsense interview, JFD founder Delphine Remy-Boutang explains why regulation alone won’t save Europe, and why “scale or die” is now the only game in town. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 9: Macron's €30M AI Meme; newcleo €75M Round Leads 13 Deals For €175M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-9-macrons-eu30m-ai-meme-newcleo-eu75m-round-leads-13-deals-for-eu175m/ Last updated: 2026-02-09T07:30:40.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Only €30M For AI? President Emmanuel Macron [went viral among smug Silicon Valley types](https://x.com/i/trending/2019909585440481603?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) last week for all the wrong reasons thanks to this tweet: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-11.png) Cue the lazy French bashing: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/clown.png) That was only one of many, many, many tweets, but it was the one that Macron chose to respond to directly: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/clown-response.png) Of course, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to critique various aspects of France's economy, policies, and regulations. However, in this case, the €30M Macron cited was a specific scientific grant program within the larger €54 BILLION France 2030 innovation program. Before that, starting in 2018, when Macron announced the first specific AI action program, the government had spent €2.5 billion on AI-related programs. The results have been decent: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-12.png) Last year, at the Paris AI Summit, Macron also announced a mix of €109 billion in public and private spending on AI. Indeed, things are so bad here that France was the number one country in 2025 in terms of foreign investment to build data centers: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-13.png) Is France closing the gap in terms of VC or government funding in terms of AI? Of course not. But then, the U.S. just tried to cut the funding for its National Science Foundation from $8.1 billion to $3.9 billion. And just last year, under President Trump and his Grand AI Plan, the NSF announced [**a MASSIVE $100M**](https://www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-100-million-investment-national-artificial?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) "investment in National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes awards to secure American leadership in AI." If I were in the U.S., I'd be [more worried about the growing number of states considering moratoriums on new data centers](https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-is-the-latest-state-to-consider-a-data-center-pause/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) than I would be about how much the French government is spending on AI. [Become a paid subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: February 6 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/sector-funding-feb-5.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/top-deals-feb-5.png) --- 📇 **Company:** newcleo 🏷️ **Sectors:** Energy, CleanTech 🔍 **Description:** [**newcleo**](https://www.newcleo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is a European developer of advanced nuclear technologies focused on lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs) powered by fuel derived from recycled nuclear waste. By combining proven reactor physics with next-generation fuel cycles, newcleo aims to deliver steady, competitive, low-carbon electricity and industrial heat for energy-intensive industries such as steel, chemicals, cement, shipping, and offshore infrastructure. 💻 **Website:** [**newcleo**](https://www.newcleo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, Turin 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €75M 🏦 **Investors:** Kairos, Indaco Ventures, Azimut Investments, CERN Pension Fund, Walter Tosto, Danieli & C., Cementir Holding, Orion Valves, NextChem, Family Offices 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Stefano Buono 🗞️ **News:** newcleo has closed a €75M financing round, bringing capital raised over the past 12 months to more than €105M and total funding since 2021 to €645M. The round combines continued backing from financial investors with the entry of major industrial players from steel, cement, valves, engineering, and energy-adjacent sectors—signalling strong industrial validation of newcleo’s technology and commercialization roadmap. Proceeds will support R&D infrastructure in Europe, including PRECURSOR, a 10 MW non-nuclear lead-cooled test reactor, and accelerate expansion in the US, now the most dynamic market for advanced nuclear technologies. Operationally, newcleo is advancing on multiple fronts: licensing and siting in France (Nogent-sur-Seine and Chinon), large-scale R&D facilities in Italy (Brasimone, including OTHELLO and PRECURSOR), deployment planning in Slovakia via a JV with JAVYS, and a strategic fuel-cycle partnership with Oklo in the US. The round underscores newcleo’s transition from technology development to industrial deployment, positioning it as one of Europe’s most capitalized and vertically integrated advanced nuclear players. | [**Marketscreener**](https://www.marketscreener.com/news/newcleo-secures-eur75-million-funding-round-with-cementir-among-investors-ce7e5bd3d189f427?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**PR**](https://www.newcleo.com/news-insights/newcleo-raises-over-eur-105-million-in-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Hublo 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Hublo is a workforce management SaaS platform dedicated to healthcare institutions. Born from the merger of Whoog and MedGo during the Covid crisis, Hublo enables hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and healthcare providers to manage staffing end-to-end—from recruitment and scheduling to internal mobility and communication. The platform centralises both ad-hoc and recurring staffing needs, significantly improving operational efficiency for healthcare professionals. 💻 **Website:** [Hublo](https://www.hublo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €40M 🏦 **Investors:** Revaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Loron 🗞️ **News:** Revaia has committed €40M through a reinvestment vehicle to continue supporting Hublo following its sale in 2025 to Five Arrows (Rothschild & Co’s alternative assets arm). The vehicle extends Revaia’s involvement beyond its initial holding period. It allows both existing and new European, UK, and US investors to reinvest alongside Hublo’s new majority shareholder and management team. Founded in 2016, Hublo is now used by more than 22,000 managers across over 5,000 healthcare facilities, benefiting around 1 million healthcare professionals and saving an average of 2.5 hours per user per day. Since Revaia’s initial investment in 2021, Hublo has quadrupled its ARR, reached operational break-even ahead of schedule, expanded its product into a full workforce and talent management suite, strengthened its go-to-market with public and private institutions, and executed a consolidation strategy including three acquisitions. This €40M reinvestment stands out as significantly larger than recent European HealthTech rounds, reflecting a late-stage, ownership-driven commitment rather than primary growth capital alone. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/healthtech-platform-hublo-secures-e40-million-revaia-reinvestment-to-support-post-exit-growth-phase/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MyC 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** MyC is a B2B SaaS platform dedicated to managing employee health in industrial, multi-site, and high-risk environments. The cloud-based solution centralizes and secures medical data, enabling on-the-ground medical teams, HQ functions, HR, and compliance teams to coordinate care, manage regulatory obligations, and maintain a consolidated, real-time view of workforce health. Designed for complex and low-connectivity environments, MyC combines operational robustness with strict international compliance standards. 💻 **Website:**[**MyC**](https://www.myc.doctor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10M 🏦 **Investors:** Hi inov, IXO, Elaia, OSS Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Laurent Bonnardot, Benjamin Crevant 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2020, MyC supports international organizations operating in highly regulated and complex environments such as energy, industry, maritime, defense, and specialized medical services. The platform is deployed across nearly 400 sites in more than 60 countries, serving over 500,000 beneficiaries with more than 1,000 monthly active users. With this €10M funding round, MyC plans to accelerate product development—particularly AI-driven data analysis and process automation—and to scale its international commercial footprint. The company aims to address growing regulatory pressure and operational complexity in occupational health, a global software market estimated at €1.4B and growing at nearly 10% annually. | [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2026/02/03/french-healthtech-myc-secures-eur10m-to-digitise-medical-operations-for-complex-worksites/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Apmonia Therapeutics 🏷️ **Sectors:** BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Apmonia Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company developing targeted cancer therapies by addressing the extracellular matrix (ECM), a key component of the protective micro-environment surrounding solid tumors. Its proprietary research platform models protein–protein interactions within the ECM to generate novel therapeutic candidates aimed at improving drug penetration and efficacy across multiple cancer indications. 💻 **Website:** [**Apmonia Therapeutics**](https://apmonia-therapeutics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Reims 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10M 🏦 **Investors:** Capital Grand Est, Finovam Gestion, Fondation Fournier-Majoie, Angels Santé, Capital Cell 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Albin Jeanne 🗞️ **News:** Apmonia Therapeutics has raised €10M to advance its lead asset TAX2 into first-in-human clinical development. The round, backed by existing shareholders and new private investors, brings total funding raised since the company’s creation in 2019 to nearly €21M, including €9.5M secured from the European Innovation Council in 2024 (grants and equity). Proceeds will finance a Phase I clinical trial in France and Belgium targeting ovarian, colorectal, pancreatic cancers, and melanoma, while further expanding Apmonia’s ECM-focused discovery platform. The company has also strengthened its operational and governance footprint by opening a dedicated R&D subsidiary in Liège and appointing two independent board members, reinforcing its ambition to reach clinical validation and prepare for strategic partnerships and a potential Series B ahead of its targeted break-even in 2028\. | [**Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/apmonia-therapeutics-boucle-une-levee-de-fonds-pour-accelerer-le-developpement-de-ses-therapies-2136072?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#selection-3047.149-3089.659) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-6.png) 📇 **Company:** Linkup 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Linkup is building a real-time search engine designed specifically for AI systems, positioning itself as the “Google Search for AI agents.” Through an API-first architecture, Linkup enables AI models and autonomous agents to search, retrieve, and validate web information in real time. Its proprietary indexing technology extracts fine-grained “atoms of information” from online content to create an exact, AI-native search index, optimized for how machines consume information rather than humans. 💻 **Website:** [**Linkup**](https://www.linkup.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City: Paris** 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.46 🏦 **Investors:** Gradient, Elaia, Leblon Capital, Weekend Fund, Seedcamp, Axeleo Capital, OPRTRS Club, Motier Ventures, Business Angels, Arthur Mensch, Florian Douetteau, Olivier Pomel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Mizrahi, Boris Toledano, Denis Charrier 🗞️ **News:** After a €3M seed round closed in November 2024, Linkup has now raised an additional $10M to accelerate its ambition of becoming the reference search infrastructure for AI systems. The startup has developed an API allowing AI agents to retrieve reliable, real-time information from the web, addressing challenges such as misinformation, deepfakes, and bot-generated content. Linkup has partnered with trusted media publishers to ensure high-quality data sources and will use the new funding to scale its teams across Paris, New York, and San Francisco. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/03/des-anciens-de-spotify-lyft-et-carrefour-levent-10-millions-de-dollars-pour-batir-le-google-search-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Linkup**](https://www.linkup.so/blog/linkup-raises-10m-seed-to-build-web-search-for-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** UBEES 🏷️ **Sectors:** AgriTech 🔍 **Description:** UBEES is a global leader in regenerative pollination, providing scalable pollination programs designed as an operational lever for regenerative agriculture. By combining professional apiculture, connected beehives equipped with sensors, agronomic data, and on-the-ground support, UBEES helps farmers and brands monitor ecosystem health, optimize agricultural practices, improve crop yields, protect biodiversity, and increase smallholder incomes. 💻 **Website:** [Ubees](https://www.ubees.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8M 🏦 **Investors:** Starquest, Capagro, Newtree Impact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Louis Delelis-Fanien 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2017, UBEES operates in more than 15 countries across five continents and works with major global players in agri-food, cosmetics, and energy, including Nespresso, Nestlé, and Starbucks. Originally founded in the United States, the company strategically relocated its headquarters to France to be closer to its European teams, clients, and investors. The €8M Series A will be used to accelerate international expansion—particularly in Latin America and Africa—further develop its connected hive technologies, strengthen its Impact team to better measure agronomic, environmental, and economic outcomes, and build a global community of trained farmers generating additional income through apiculture. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/ubees-la-start-up-qui-fait-ami-avec-les-abeilles-2213535?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Bobine 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech 🔍 **Description:** Bobine is an industrial cleantech startup developing an electricity-based chemical recycling technology targeting plastics that are currently non-recyclable and destined for landfill or incineration. Its proprietary process combines heterogeneous catalysis and electromagnetic induction to break down complex plastics into high-quality polymers equivalent to virgin plastic—without relying on pyrolysis or fossil-fuel-based heat. 💻 **Website:** [**Bobine**](https://bobine-chemistry.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Axeleo Capital, UI Investissement, Angelor, CA Création, CACF Capital Innovation, C.A.V., Quest Investment 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vincent Simonneau 🗞️ **News:** Bobine has raised €13M to accelerate the industrialisation of its novel chemical recycling technology, with €7.5M raised in equity. Led by Axeleo Capital, the round backs a differentiated approach to plastic recycling that avoids pyrolysis and vapocracking, reducing energy consumption by 60%, production costs by 45%, and significantly lowering CO₂ emissions. Originating from CNRS research in Strasbourg and developed in collaboration with Sicat and Blackleaf, Bobine has since relocated its engineering base to Lyon and installed its first industrial pilot at Michelin’s materials center in Clermont-Ferrand. The current pilot processes up to 100 kg of plastic waste per day, with plans to scale to a 1-ton/day demonstrator. The company began generating initial revenues in 2025 through partnerships with petrochemical players testing difficult-to-recycle plastic waste. The raise comes amid growing scrutiny of chemical recycling in Europe, positioning Bobine as a rare industrial player focused on efficiency, scalability, and regulatory alignment rather than speculative capacity announcements. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/bobine-la-start-up-qui-innove-dans-le-recyclage-chimique-des-plastiques-2213803?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-8.png) 📇 **Company:** Dionymer 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech, BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Dionymer develops an industrial biotechnology process that converts food waste into bio-based polymers (PHA – polyhydroxyalkanoates) designed to replace petroleum-based plastics. Its proprietary two-step process—sugar extraction followed by bacterial fermentation—overcomes the heterogeneity of food waste, a key bottleneck in the sector, and enables the production of high-quality biopolymers in powder or pellet form for multiple industrial applications. 💻 **Website:** [Dionymer](https://www.dionymer.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Pessac 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7M 🏦 **Investors:** UI Investissement, BNP Paribas Développement, Bpifrance, Naco, Irdi, Aquiti, AFI Ventures, Resilience 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thomas Hennebel, Guillaume Charbonnier, Antoine Brege 🗞️ **News:** Dionymer has raised €7M to scale the industrial production of biopolymers derived from food waste, building on a technology already validated at pilot scale with first commercial customers. Founded in 2021 by three chemists from the University of Bordeaux, the startup has developed a unique two-step process that neutralizes the variability of food waste by extracting sugars before converting them into PHA via bacterial fermentation. The resulting ultra-fine, spherical polymer powder has already been adopted by cosmetic industry clients seeking petrochemical alternatives. The new funding will finance a 100-ton-per-year industrial demonstrator planned for 2026, expand commercial traction into plastics and textiles—supported by Dionymer’s recent ability to produce pellets—and prepare the ground for a 1,000-ton-per-year factory by 2030\. With two major commercial contracts under negotiation and headcount set to grow rapidly, Dionymer is transitioning from pilot-stage innovation to early industrial scale in the bio-based materials value chain. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/dionymer-la-start-up-qui-veut-convertir-nos-dechets-alimentaires-en-bioplastique-2213674?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Geolinks Services 🏷️ **Sectors:** DeepTech, Energy 🔍 **Description:** Geolinks Services is a deeptech company developing advanced subsurface monitoring and modeling solutions based on passive seismic technology originating from CNRS research. Its flagship product, **FlowTerra™**, enables near–real-time dynamic modeling of the subsurface, allowing industrial players to visualize fluid movements underground. The technology significantly improves the safety and sustainability of mining operations, secures CO₂ storage sites, and increases the probability of identifying and exploiting decarbonised energy resources such as natural hydrogen and next-generation geothermal energy. 💻 **Website:** [**Geolinks Services**](https://geolinks-services.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.4 🏦 **Investors:** Calderion, Bpifrance, BRGM Invest, InnoEnergy 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Charles Ferran 🗞️ **News:** This round also included €2.6M in additional financing for a total of €6M to support the commercial launch of **FlowTerra™ in 2026**, targeting mining, CO₂ capture and storage (CCS), and natural hydrogen exploration markets. The funding will also be used to strengthen teams—particularly in AI, geosciences, and modeling—and to structure the company’s industrial and operational capabilities for scale-up. FlowTerra™ represents the transition from technological proof to an operational industrial solution, with broader applications spanning CO₂ storage, geothermal energy, water resource management, underground storage integrity, and industrial risk prevention. The technology enables continuous, reliable subsurface monitoring and is positioned as a key enabler for Europe’s energy transition and sovereignty. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/geolinks-services-leve-6-meur-aupres-de-calderion-du-fonds-french-tech-seed-gere-pour-le-compte-de-letat-par-bpifrance-dans-le-cadre-de-france-2030-brgm-invest-et-innoenergy-pour-industrialiser-flowt?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geolinks-services%5Ffrance2030-activity-7424362869216956416-oeh6?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** DermaScan 🏷️ **Sectors:** MedTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** DermaScan is a French healthtech startup building specialized centers for early-stage skin cancer screening. By combining advanced medical technologies (including systematic total-body mapping, R&D, and AI) with optimized clinical workflows, DermaScan acts as a first-line screening filter, enabling faster diagnosis while relieving pressure on dermatologists. The company aims to radically improve access to preventive dermatology across France. 💻 **Website:** [**DermaScan**](https://www.dermascan.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Ring Capital, Techmind, Kima Ventures, 199 Ventures, Hexa, Business Angels, Céline Lazorthes, Jean-Charles Samuelian 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Florian Legris, Hadrien Lepage 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2024, DermaScan has already opened two skin cancer screening centers in Paris (18th arrondissement and Bastille). With a monthly capacity of 3,000 patients, the startup reports having diagnosed 50 cancers, including 8 melanomas—all detected at an early stage. Only 10% of patients are referred to dermatologists for further treatment, helping to significantly reduce strain on the healthcare system. The fresh funding will be used to expand DermaScan’s network of screening centers across major French cities. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/02/sante-celine-lazorthes-jean-charles-samuelian-kima-et-hexa-misent-sur-une-pepite-specialisee-dans-le-depistage-du-cancer-de-la-peau/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Entent 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech, DeepTech, Industrial Decarbonization, Energy Hardware 🔍 **Description:** Entent is a French deeptech cleantech company developing Heat-to-Power solutions that convert low-temperature industrial waste heat into electricity. Its patented Pulse machine uses an innovative thermo-acoustic cycle capable of valorising heat from as low as 60°C, enabling industrial players to reduce energy waste, decarbonise operations, and diversify their electricity mix. 💻 **Website:** [Entent](https://entent.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Aix-en-Provence 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Team For The Planet, CAAP Création, Sowefund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathias Fonlupt 🗞️ **News:** Entent has raised €2.4M to launch the first commercial deployments of its Pulse machines and prepare a future Series A. Based at the Technopole de l’Arbois, the company is entering a pivotal phase as deeptech hardware remains challenging to finance. Its first industrial application will be installed at a Michelin site starting in Q1 2026, marking the transition from development to real-world deployment. Entent’s technology converts low-grade waste heat—such as hot water, steam, exhaust fumes from boilers, furnaces, compressors, and engines—into electricity using a thermo-acoustic cycle that avoids energy-intensive pumps, significantly improving efficiency. With ambitions to install several dozen machines within three years and ongoing discussions with industrial partners in France and abroad, Entent positions itself as a critical enabler of industrial decarbonisation and energy efficiency. | [**Mesinfos**](https://mesinfos.fr/13080-aix-en-provence/aix-en-provence-entent-leve-24-millions-d-euros-pour-decarboner-l-industrie-238905.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![PRESAGE Co-Founders (left to right): Arthur Chevalier, Annah Augier, Hamza Aassif (founding engineer), and Benjamin Rey ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-7.png) PRESAGE Co-Founders (left to right): Arthur Chevalier, Annah Augier, Hamza Aassif (founding engineer), and Benjamin Rey 📇 **Company:** PRESAGE 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** PRESAGE develops AI-driven *world models* designed to capture the causal behavior of cloud infrastructures. By simulating the impact of actions before deployment, the platform enables engineering teams to move from reactive incident management to anticipatory, predictive operations—reducing risk, improving reliability, and optimizing complex cloud systems at scale. 💻 **Website:** [**PRESAGE**](https://presagelabs.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2M 🏦 **Investors:** welovefounders, Kima Ventures, Boost10x 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arthur Chevalier, Annah Augier, Hamza Aassif 🗞️ **News:** PRESAGE has raised €1.2M to accelerate product development and initiate first real-world deployments of its AI-powered world models for cloud infrastructure. The technology is rooted in the scientific work of co-founder Arthur Chevalier (ENS, PhD) and has been shaped by feedback from over 100 senior engineering leaders across leading tech companies, including Front, Doctolib, Voodoo, Heetch, Nodle, and FlexAI. By focusing on causal modeling rather than purely statistical observability, PRESAGE positions itself at the frontier of next-generation cloud operations—where infrastructure decisions can be simulated and optimized before being executed in production. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benjamin-rey3%5Fpresage-l%C3%A8ve-12-m-presage-raises-12m-activity-7424746500116877313-Fah8?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-9.png) 📇 **Company:** Sailiz 🏷️ **Sectors:** E-commerce & Retail 🔍 **Description:** Sailiz designs technical nautical clothing specifically adapted to women, addressing a long-standing gap in maritime equipment traditionally designed for male morphologies. The brand combines performance-driven design with eco-responsibility, focusing on recyclable, PFC-free, mono-material garments and strong repairability to extend product lifecycles. Its offering spans from recreational sailing to professional marine workwear. 💻 **Website:** [**Sailiz**](https://sailiz.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lorient 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €200K 🏦 **Investors:** Bretagne Sud Angels, Michel Le Bars, Philippe Guidoux, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Solène Saclier 🗞️ **News:** Lorient-based Sailiz has raised €200K in its first funding round to move from market validation to structured growth. The round, led by Bretagne Sud Angels and private investors, is structured in two tranches (€150K closed, €50K still open). Founded in May 2023, Sailiz has already convinced over 200 customers with its first product—technical dungarees designed exclusively for women and fully recyclable. The funding will support new product development (including lightweight sailing gear, technical shorts, underwear, and marine workwear for professionals), the recruitment of a textile engineer, and the launch of European expansion targeting the UK, Spain, and Scandinavia. With repairability and eco-design at its core, Sailiz positions itself at the intersection of performance apparel, sustainability, and the growing feminisation of maritime professions and leisure sailing. | [**Boat Industry**](https://www.boatindustry.com/news/51188/sailiz-strengthens-its-development-with-a-200000-fundraising-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7424777408941051904-5sYO?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Fleet's Long Boostapped Road From €5K to €100M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-fleets-long-boostapped-road-from-eu5k-to-eu100m/ Last updated: 2026-02-06T06:38:48.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Fleet,** the French startup famed for its bootstrapped approach, announced it has reached a €100 million valuation after opening its capital to outside investors for the first time. After defying Silicon Valley's playbook for so long, [**CEO Sevan Marian explains why now is the moment**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-eu5-000-to-eu100-million-how-fleets-founders-built-a-tech-empire-without-venture-capital-then-finally-said-yes/). 👀 Climate **VC Slate** announced its first close of €132M. The Paris-based firm targets energy and circularity startups where environmental gains align with superior economics. [**Co-Founders Renaud Visage and Chloé Giard explain their vision for this next-generation climate fund.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-vc-slate-closes-first-fund-at-eu132m-betting-on-industrial-efficiency-over-green-premium/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/EU-Startups-Summit_Main-2-1536x864.png.webp)](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) On May 7-8, Malta will transform into the main meeting point for Europe’s most ambitious founders and investors as we host the 12th edition of the [****EU-Startups Summit**](https://www.eu-startups.com/summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The event will gather around 2,500 founders, startup enthusiasts, corporates, angel investors, VCs, and media from across Europe – all united by a focus on startups with global ambitions. We’ll have two stages, great networking opportunities, workshops, a buzzing exhibition hall, and a super exciting ****Pitch Competition** featuring 15 most promising early-stage startups from across Europe! Each finalist will have three minutes to pitch their idea on the main stage in front of a large audience of investors, media, and startup enthusiasts, followed by questions from our panel of high-profile VC judges. [Apply now ](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🤖🏭 **Exotec**, France’s robotics unicorn, just opened its new global headquarters near Lille, finally putting an end to the logistical headache of having its teams scattered across seven different sites. Dubbed the *Imaginarium* (subtle it is not), the Wasquehal HQ now brings together 700 employees spanning engineering, production, and support functions. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-10.png) According to the founders, the old setup was actively slowing growth, because innovation apparently works better when people can actually find each other. Exotec is riding the twin tailwinds of e-commerce growth and chronic labor shortages in logistics, with its Skypod robots already deployed in more than 200 warehouses worldwide. The company now counts 1,200 employees globally, booked around €340 million in revenue in 2025, and has sold some 14,000 robots to clients like Carrefour, Decathlon, and Uniqlo. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/03/robotique-exotec-inaugure-son-nouveau-siege-pres-de-lille/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://www.exotec.com/news/exotec-opens-new-global-headquarters-imaginarium/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ♻️🏢 **Deepki** is quietly pulling ahead of the crowded energy-efficiency pack, closing 2025 with an estimated €65 million in annual recurring revenue, comfortably putting the French scale-up in pole position. The company, which helps real estate owners track and optimize energy performance, now counts 70,000 users and around 600 heavyweight clients, from Generali Real Estate to the French government. Growth slowed to about 20% last year, but North America is doing the heavy lifting, already accounting for 18% of revenues as Deepki leans into a very American pitch: less ESG talk, more hard-nosed economic efficiency. Back home, the property slump hasn’t helped, but France still serves as a regulatory and product test lab. Deepki is also playing the consolidation game, snapping up consulting firm Sobre Energie in cash, its third acquisition in three years, as the sector gradually thins out. Despite its lead, management insists this is still early days, with just 5% of the European market captured and a potential new fundraising round penciled in for 2027\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/la-start-up-deepki-accelere-aux-etats-unis-et-renforce-sa-position-en-france-2213542?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤑 **Phitrust** has officially closed **Phitrust Partenaires Inclusion**, a €60 million fund aimed squarely at tackling Europe’s toughest social challenges. Backed by a heavyweight lineup of institutional investors, led by a €20 million commitment from the European Investment Fund, the fund blends private equity discipline with a philanthropic soul. PPI is focused on two big-ticket items: helping people find their place in society through jobs and training, and improving access to essentials like housing, food, healthcare, and energy. The fund has already put €10.3 million to work across 14 investments and carries the gold-star Article 9 SFDR label, signaling maximum ESG seriousness. With another €20–30 million still in sight from private investors, Phitrust is betting that Europe’s social transition won’t happen on goodwill alone, that it needs patient capital, real governance, and fewer silos between “doing good” and “making it scale.” **|** [**Phitrust**](https://phitrust.com/en/final-closing-of-phitrust-partenaires-inclusion-a-e60-million-fund-dedicated-to-social-impact-investment-in-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏗️ **Raphaël Vullierme** is officially back in builder mode, this time as a Partner at Hexa, where he plans to crank out AI startups between Paris and San Francisco. Two years after the bumpy Luko–Allianz finale, he’s skipped the VC costume change and opted instead for hands-on company creation via Hexa’s “Start” program. The mandate is unapologetically global: AI-first startups designed from day one to scale in the US, with a particular focus on physical AI (defense and robotics), regulated finance, and a spicy new thesis dubbed “AI as a Buyer.” Yes, the idea is that companies will soon need to learn how to sell to algorithms, not humans. *Bienvenue* to the future of procurement. Helping make that leap is Hexa House, the startup studio’s freshly opened hacker-style base in San Francisco, built to soften the Valley landing for European founders. For Vullierme, it’s a full-circle moment as he bets that French founders with global ambition and the right AI timing can punch well above their weight. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/05/ia-le-co-fondateur-de-luko-rebondit-chez-hexa-pour-faire-emerger-des-pepites-entre-paris-et-san-francisco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raphaelvullierme%5Fbuilding-physicalai-activity-7425176368512065536-K9Da?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) ☢️💸 A young startup from Grenoble has decided that Europe’s next nuclear leap should come in molten form. Founded in 2023, **Stellaria** wants to become a European leader in fast-neutron, molten-salt reactors, and it’s now officially in the game, having filed a request to build a nuclear installation. Its pitch is a cheaper, safer reactor with liquid fuel that can actually burn more nuclear waste than it creates, and sit right next to energy-hungry industries without causing a meltdown of public nerves. The prototype, named Alvin, is slated for around 2030, with commercial versions penciled in for 2035 and power outputs rivaling major hydro dams. Stellaria isn’t trying to build everything itself, instead focusing on the reactor core and leaning on partners like Schneider Electric and Technip Energies. The catch, unsurprisingly, is money. After €23 million raised so far, the startup says it’ll need about €300 million more, ideally via a very European, multi-country funding effort. | [**Mesinfos**](https://mesinfos.fr/38000-grenoble/nucleaire-comment-la-start-up-grenobloise-stellaria-ambitionne-de-devenir-un-leader-europeen-238703.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💪🪙 **Fipto** just became Europe’s first stablecoin payments player with both a Payment Institution licence and a full MiCA CASP licence. Granted by France’s AMF, the dual authorisation lets Fipto run the entire payment value chain, neatly stitching together euros and stablecoins under one compliance umbrella. While much of the crypto world is still squinting at MiCA and hoping for the best, Fipto went full teacher’s pet and passed the toughest prudential, operational, and AML tests on offer. The payoff: EU-wide passporting, a single API, and uninterrupted access to the European market just as “grandfathered” regimes start falling apart. With the July 2026 MiCA deadline looming, Fipto is positioning itself as the industry’s regulatory safe harbour—less cowboy crypto, more grown-up financial plumbing. In short, they’re betting that in Europe’s new crypto order, boring compliance is the ultimate competitive edge. ([**Read our profile of Fipto here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-fipto/)) | [**PYMNTS**](https://www.pymnts.com/cryptocurrency/2026/fipto-secures-crypto-asset-service-provider-license/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # From €5,000 to €100 Million: How Fleet's Founders Built a Tech Empire Without Venture Capital. Then Finally Said Yes [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-4.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-eu5-000-to-eu100-million-how-fleets-founders-built-a-tech-empire-without-venture-capital-then-finally-said-yes/) Seven years ago, [**Sevan Marian**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sevan-marian-a351aa4b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [**Alexandre Berriche**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/berriche/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) each scraped together €2,500, pocket change by startup standards, and launched [Fleet](https://fleet.co/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) from a Paris apartment. They had no venture capital, no debt facilities, no safety net. What they had was a simple bet: that mid-sized companies were tired of buying laptops outright and dealing with the headaches that followed. On Monday, Fleet announces it has reached a €100 million valuation and is opening its capital to outside investors for the first time. ISAI Expansion, the private equity arm of one of France's pioneering tech investment firms, is taking a minority stake in a deal that provides liquidity to the founders and, critically, to employees who bet on the company when no one else would. "We invested two and a half thousand euros each six years ago, and it became 100 million," Marian said in an interview, still sounding slightly amazed. "Which is crazy." The deal marks a turning point for a company that has become something of a cult hero in French tech circles, proof that you don't need to play the venture capital game to build something significant. But it also raises a question that Marian and Berriche have been wrestling with for months: after building an identity around being bootstrapped, why change course now? [Read more on the past, present, and future of Fleet](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-eu5-000-to-eu100-million-how-fleets-founders-built-a-tech-empire-without-venture-capital-then-finally-said-yes/) --- # Climate VC Slate Closes First Fund at €132M, Betting on Industrial Efficiency Over Green Premium [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-5.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-vc-slate-closes-first-fund-at-eu132m-betting-on-industrial-efficiency-over-green-premium/) The venture capital world has grown skeptical of climate tech hype, but a new Paris-based fund called Slate is betting that the sector's winners are finally emerging and that now is the time to back them. Slate Venture Capital announced Tuesday that it has secured €132 million for the first close of its inaugural growth fund, a substantial sum in today's challenging fundraising environment. The fund focuses specifically on European B2B companies working on energy transition, low-carbon industrial processes, circularity, and climate resilience. These are sectors where the firm's four co-founders believe environmental and economic performance are increasingly aligned. "We are really focused on helping the startups transition from startup to scale up," said Renaud Visage, one of Slate's co-founders and a veteran of Silicon Valley's tech scene. "We know it's a long journey. How do you build a team? Where do you build a team? Where do you expand internationally? So many questions that a lot of first-time founders have to figure out." [Read more on Slate's climate vision](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-vc-slate-closes-first-fund-at-eu132m-betting-on-industrial-efficiency-over-green-premium/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Hublo 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** Hublo is a workforce management SaaS platform dedicated to healthcare institutions. Born from the merger of Whoog and MedGo during the Covid crisis, Hublo enables hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and healthcare providers to manage staffing end-to-end—from recruitment and scheduling to internal mobility and communication. The platform centralises both ad-hoc and recurring staffing needs, significantly improving operational efficiency for healthcare professionals. 💻 **Website:** [Hublo](https://www.hublo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €40M 🏦 **Investors:** Revaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Loron 🗞️ **News:** Revaia has committed €40M through a reinvestment vehicle to continue supporting Hublo following its sale in 2025 to Five Arrows (Rothschild & Co’s alternative assets arm). The vehicle extends Revaia’s involvement beyond its initial holding period. It allows both existing and new European, UK, and US investors to reinvest alongside Hublo’s new majority shareholder and management team. Founded in 2016, Hublo is now used by more than 22,000 managers across over 5,000 healthcare facilities, benefiting around 1 million healthcare professionals and saving an average of 2.5 hours per user per day. Since Revaia’s initial investment in 2021, Hublo has quadrupled its ARR, reached operational break-even ahead of schedule, expanded its product into a full workforce and talent management suite, strengthened its go-to-market with public and private institutions, and executed a consolidation strategy including three acquisitions. This €40M reinvestment stands out as significantly larger than recent European HealthTech rounds, reflecting a late-stage, ownership-driven commitment rather than primary growth capital alone. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/healthtech-platform-hublo-secures-e40-million-revaia-reinvestment-to-support-post-exit-growth-phase/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MyC 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech, SaaS & Enterprise 🔍 **Description:** MyC is a B2B SaaS platform dedicated to managing employee health in industrial, multi-site, and high-risk environments. The cloud-based solution centralizes and secures medical data, enabling on-the-ground medical teams, HQ functions, HR, and compliance teams to coordinate care, manage regulatory obligations, and maintain a consolidated, real-time view of workforce health. Designed for complex and low-connectivity environments, MyC combines operational robustness with strict international compliance standards. 💻 **Website:**[**MyC**](https://www.myc.doctor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10M 🏦 **Investors:** Hi Inov, IXO, Elaia, OSS Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Laurent Bonnardot, Benjamin Crevant 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2020, MyC supports international organizations operating in highly regulated and complex environments such as energy, industry, maritime, defense, and specialized medical services. The platform is deployed across nearly 400 sites in more than 60 countries, serving over 500,000 beneficiaries with more than 1,000 monthly active users. With this €10M funding round, MyC plans to accelerate product development—particularly AI-driven data analysis and process automation—and to scale its international commercial footprint. The company aims to address growing regulatory pressure and operational complexity in occupational health, a global software market estimated at €1.4B and growing at nearly 10% annually. | [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2026/02/03/french-healthtech-myc-secures-eur10m-to-digitise-medical-operations-for-complex-worksites/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-6.png) 📇 **Company:** Linkup 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Linkup is building a real-time search engine designed specifically for AI systems, positioning itself as the “Google Search for AI agents.” Through an API-first architecture, Linkup enables AI models and autonomous agents to search, retrieve, and validate web information in real time. Its proprietary indexing technology extracts fine-grained “atoms of information” from online content to create a highly precise, AI-native search index, optimized for how machines consume information rather than humans. 💻 **Website:** [**Linkup**](https://www.linkup.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City: Paris** 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $10M 🏦 **Investors:** Gradient, Elaia, Leblon Capital, Weekend Fund, Seedcamp, Axeleo Capital, OPRTRS Club, Motier Ventures, Business Angels, Arthur Mensch, Florian Douetteau, Olivier Pomel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Mizrahi, Boris Toledano, Denis Charrier 🗞️ **News:** After a €3M seed round closed in November 2024, Linkup has now raised an additional $10M to accelerate its ambition of becoming the reference search infrastructure for AI systems. The startup has developed an API allowing AI agents to retrieve reliable, real-time information from the web, addressing challenges such as misinformation, deepfakes, and bot-generated content. Linkup has partnered with trusted media publishers to ensure high-quality data sources and will use the new funding to scale its teams across Paris, New York, and San Francisco. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/02/03/des-anciens-de-spotify-lyft-et-carrefour-levent-10-millions-de-dollars-pour-batir-le-google-search-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Linkup**](https://www.linkup.so/blog/linkup-raises-10m-seed-to-build-web-search-for-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Climate VC Slate Closes First Fund at €132M, Betting on Industrial Efficiency Over Green Premium URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-vc-slate-closes-first-fund-at-eu132m-betting-on-industrial-efficiency-over-green-premium/ Last updated: 2026-02-04T17:13:19.000Z Paris-based firm targets energy and circularity startups where environmental gains align with superior economics _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #62: What To Expect When You're Expecting AI Regulations URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-62-what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-ai-regulations/ Last updated: 2026-02-04T07:30:58.000Z 🧠 After three years of negotiations, Europe’s AI rulebook is finally here. The question is no longer “will AI be regulated?” but “how, and when?” From risk categories to real-world impact, this is the EU AI Act. [**We break down what you need to know.** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-eu-ai-act-decoded/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Alan** is back on the fundraising circuit, reportedly shopping a new round at a €5 billion valuation as it looks to keep growing France’s most hyped digital health insurer, according to Bloomberg. The company wants to raise north of €100 million, though the final number is still in flux. Founded a decade ago by Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, Alan has evolved from a sleek digital insurer into a full-service health platform, bundling insurance with care access and doctor networks. It has also been getting high marks for its aggressive embrace of AI ([**Read: Alan Goes All-In On AI**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/)). As a result, Investors seem happy to go along for the ride: its last round in late 2024 valued the company at €4 billion and drew in heavyweights like Ontario Teachers’, Index Ventures, and Coatue. The raise would put Alan in the same valuation league as French health-tech darlings Doctolib and the newly flush Nabla. | [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-30/french-health-startup-alan-in-funding-talks-at-5-billion-value?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France has decided it’s had enough of **X’s** anything-goes era and sent prosecutors straight into the company’s Paris offices. The raid is part of a sweeping investigation into allegations ranging from the spread of child sexual abuse images to sexually explicit deepfakes. **Elon Musk** has been summoned for questioning, alongside former "**CEO" Linda Yaccarino**, as authorities probe whether X knowingly played a role in distributing illegal content. The timing isn’t great: **Musk’s AI chatbot Grok** recently triggered global backlash after churning out nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images on demand. Meanwhile, UK regulators are piling on, opening their own investigations into how X and Musk’s AI outfit xAI handled personal data while building Grok. For Musk, it's just another day of drama, whether it's trying to get into "wild parties" on Jeffrey Epstein's sex island or merging SpaceX with xAI so he can buy Twitter for the third time in four years, the man is just...non-stop. | [**Associated Press**](https://apnews.com/article/france-x-investigation-seach-elon-musk-1116be84d84201011219086ecfd4e0bc?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ One product announcement from **Anthropic** was all it took to send a chunk of the French stock market into an AI-induced panic. After the US startup unveiled a new tool designed to automate legal work, investors promptly dumped anything that looked remotely “AI-disruptable,” sending **Capgemini** and **Publicis** down about 9% and knocking nearly 6% off Teleperformance. The sell-off rippled far beyond France, with legal and data heavyweights like RELX, Wolters Kluwer, Thomson Reuters, and LSE Group taking double-digit hits even though Anthropic’s tool doesn’t directly replace their core businesses. Analysts called it classic contagion trading, where fear moves faster than facts. Underneath the market drama is a familiar anxiety: that AI will squeeze prices, cut out intermediaries, and leave traditional services firms fighting for relevance. | [**BFM**](https://www.tradingsat.com/capgemini-FR0000125338/actualites/capgemini-a-cause-d-un-nouvel-outil-d-ia-d-anthropic-capgemini-et-publicis-ont-plonge-de-9-en-bourse-et-teleperformance-a-chute-de-pres-de-6-1155722.html?at%5Fbrand=BFMTV&at%5Fcompte=bfmbusiness&at%5Fplateforme=twitter&at%5Fcampaign=Fan%5Fpages&at%5Fmedium=Community%5FManagement&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Deezer** is getting serious about the AI music epidemic. The French streaming platform has licensed its AI-detection technology to France's royalty agency Sacem in a deal aimed at stopping AI-musicmakers from flooding the system with machine-made tracks designed to steal royalties from actual musicians. The company's been pretty effective at it too, catching and removing up to 85% of fraudulent AI-generated streams in 2025, which is impressive considering AI-generated uploads have ballooned from just 10% of daily uploads last year to a whopping 39% now. The detection tool basically has superhero ears, analyzing audio for telltale patterns that machines like **Suno** and **Udio** leave behind, anomalies so subtle humans can't hear them. However, not everyone's convinced that tech alone is the answer. Sweden's Stim royalty society argues that mandatory licensing and transparency about training data would actually nip the problem in the bud rather than just treating the symptoms. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/deezer-licenses-ai-detection-tool-french-royalty-agency-sacem-plans-wider-roll-2026-01-29/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ In what might be a record for French military procurement, the DGA (***Direction générale de l'armement***) just delivered 1,000 combat drones to the army in under a year, a feat made possible by French startup **Harmattan AI**, which went from non-existent two years ago to becoming France's first defense-sector unicorn. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-2.png) Harmattan AI Fighter drone. Photo courtesy of the DGA. The 1.8 kg micro-drones are equipped with infrared cameras from fellow French company Lynred and boast a 40-minute flight time and 2+ kilometer range. According to the military, they are already seeing action in the Orion military exercise kicking off this month. What makes this actually impressive isn't just the speed; it's that the DGA managed to streamline its typically Byzantine procurement process through a simplified request-for-proposal and the broader "aerial defense drones pact." | [**French Defense Department**](https://www.defense.gouv.fr/dga/actualites/dga-livre-larmee-terre-1-000-premiers-drones-du-combattant-cout-maitrise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Speaking of drones...a small French precision-machining firm has quietly built what looks like a very loud answer to the Shahed drone problem. **ALM Meca’s** Fury 120 is a jet-powered interceptor drone that screams along at 700 km/h—about three times faster than the suicide drones it’s meant to hunt by pulling up to 20G like a tiny fighter jet. Developed in under a year and entirely on the company’s own dime, the project surprised industry observers and seemed to appear out of nowhere as it bypassed France’s defense procurement agency and the usual big-industry suspects. At just over a meter long, the Fury is designed to physically intercept incoming attack drones, and its creators insist there’s nothing else like it in Europe. The timing is impeccable, as NATO countries keep dealing with Russian drone incursions spilling over borders from Ukraine. Whether Fury becomes Europe’s go-to counter-drone or just the best-kept secret in French defense now depends on whether governments decide to buy what a scrappy SME built without asking permission. | [**Challenges**](https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/defense/il-ny-a-pas-dautre-produit-de-ce-type-en-europe-fury-le-siderant-intercepteur-de-drones-made-in-france%5F638078?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**United24**](https://united24media.com/latest-news/france-develops-jet-powered-fury-interceptor-to-outrun-shahed-type-drones-three-times-faster-15469?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Qwant** is officially jumping on the conversational search bandwagon, while insisting it’s doing it *the European way*. The French search engine (reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated, apparently!) has launched an AI chat feature on both Qwant and Lilo, letting users talk to their search results instead of endlessly clicking blue links. Qwant says the chat doesn’t replace traditional results, but layers context and follow-up questions on top, with sources still visible and tied to the live web. The pitch is fewer dead ends, more continuous dialogue, and no hallucinated answers floating free of reality. It’s free, optional, and very much framed as a response to users’ growing addiction to chat-style interfaces. Under the hood, this is also a sovereignty play, tying into Qwant’s longer-term plan to build a fully European search and AI stack with Ecosia. | [**PR**](https://betterweb.qwant.com/2026/01/13/qwant-lance-le-chat-ia-une-nouvelle-facon-dexplorer-le-web/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France has cautiously waved through **MARA Holdings’** plan to buy a 64% stake in Exaion, EDF’s low-carbon data center spinout. But only after putting it through the full Bercy regulatory wringer. The deal, now parked under strict conditions from the Treasury, keeps “sensitive” activities and industrial capacity firmly on French soil and bars EDF from dabbling in bitcoin mining or HPC on the side for two years. Born in EDF’s startup incubator to recycle aging supercomputers, Exaion pitched itself as a green compute play for AI, HPC, and blockchain. But it’s been burning cash, posting €4.5 million in losses on just €2 million in revenue last year. That made MARA’s $168 million offer hard to ignore, even as lawmakers raised red flags about technological sovereignty and the optics of a US bitcoin miner muscling into French infrastructure. The controversy escalated all the way to the financial prosecutor after MPs sounded the alarm, turning what could’ve been a quiet M&A into a national debate about energy, crypto, and control. Now MARA gets its European beachhead—assuming it can survive France’s regulatory maze without tripping over politics, paperwork, or both. | [**Simplywall**](https://simplywall.st/stocks/us/software/nasdaq-mara/mara-holdings/news/french-approval-recasts-mara-holdings-as-european-hpc-and-bi?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/energie-environnement/video-pourquoi-la-cession-dexaion-la-pepite-tech-dedf-fait-polemique-2211732?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **STATION F** locked down a partnership with **Mistral AI**, Europe's hot-shot AI decacorn known for building open, efficient foundation models, bringing the company's teams directly onto campus for workshops, technical events, and exclusive handholding for the most advanced startups. The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after Station F announced a similar deal with Yankee favorite **OpenAI**. So, fun! ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-3-1.png) With 80% of STATION F's residents now building AI products, Station F is basically an AI hothouse with restaurants, which, what's so bad about that? Now Mistral's leadership and engineers will be hanging around campus regularly, which means startups get direct access to one of Europe's most serious AI teams without having to take the Paris Metro all the way up the 18th arrondissement and Mistral's new glass and steel palace. | [**Station F**](https://stationf.co/news/mistral-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **École Polytechnique** and **ENSAE** Paris a**re banking on AI to rewire Quantitative Finance**. The top universities are launching MaQI, a new Master's program that promises to train the next generation of algorithm architects who'll reshape finance through artificial intelligence, because apparently, traditional quantitative finance hasn't disrupted itself fast enough. The two-year program, taught entirely in English and backed by BNP Paribas, Qube Research & Technologies, and even the financial regulator AMF, is explicitly designed to position France as the global hub for AI-powered finance. The real innovation isn't just the cutting-edge curriculum on generative AI and machine learning for risk management; it's the co-teaching model where every second-year course has both an AI expert and a quant finance guru tag-teaming the lecture hall. | [**PR**](https://www.polytechnique.edu/en/press-room/press-releases/ecole-polytechnique-and-ensae-paris-launch-maqi-masters-program?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France’s market watchdog has discovered what everyone else already knows: AI is everywhere in finance. Also, it's mostly doing the boring stuff. In a new report, the **Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)** found that about 90% of French financial players are already using AI or planning to, with generative AI now the tool of choice for summarizing documents, drafting text, translating reports, and acting as an internal “copilot.” Actual customer-facing or revenue-driving use cases are still the exception, not the rule. Most firms rely heavily on off-the-shelf tools from a small club of US tech giants, which raises familiar worries about data protection, tech dependence, and whether humans are still paying attention. Regulators themselves are also leaning into AI, using it to detect fraud, market abuse, and scams while repeatedly reminding everyone that accountability still sits with management, not the algorithm. | [**AMF**](https://www.amf-france.org/en/news-publications/publications/reports-research-and-analysis/study-use-artificial-intelligence-french-financial-market-participants?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other Headlines 🗞️ **The AI brain drain: Why Europe can’t keep the talent it trains |** Europe is seeing its AI experts move abroad. Even with strong universities and top research, the EU has a hard time turning these advantages into global leadership in AI. **|** [**Euro News**](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/29/the-ai-brain-drain-why-europe-cant-keep-the-talent-it-trains?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk** | As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- ### 🧠 The EU AI Act, Decoded [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/20260203_1742_Image-Generation_simple_compose_01kgjy3rmgf1yt19gh6e7ckn9a-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-eu-ai-act-decoded/) If it feels like Europe has been talking about regulating artificial intelligence forever, that is because it almost has. After more than three years of negotiations, rewrites, lobbying, and late-night trilogues, the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act finally entered into force on August 1st, 2024\. The legislation is the world’s first comprehensive, legally binding framework for AI. Since then, implementation has followed a phased approach, with different obligations officially coming into effect over two years (from February 2025 to August 2027). So if you’re a founder, operator, or investor, the real question is not *what has been adopted, but what actually applies today?* And what is still very much in motion. [Enter the EU AI Act Matrix, if you dare!](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-eu-ai-act-decoded/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🚀 **€1M AI Challenge for Space Data Innovation** | **Apply by March 9** | The Île-de-France Region and CNES officially launch a €1 million AI Challenge to accelerate innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and space data. Continuing the Region’s AI Challenge series started in 2019, this initiative aims to foster future national champions and strengthen France’s technological and economic sovereignty. Two tracks are open: (1) AI-powered applications leveraging satellite data for use cases such as security, energy, environment, and risk management; and (2) advanced vision-language models for automatic interpretation of high- and very-high-resolution satellite imagery. CNES will provide data, technical expertise, and project oversight. | **Apply via the Île-de-France Region platform:** [**Challenge AI for Space**](https://www.iledefrance.fr/aides-et-appels-a-projets/challenge-ai-space?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 **National AI Mapping | Deadline February 15 |** [Hub France IA](https://u11714644.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.8gmJa7-2F5vFnNURntQ-2B2MW-2B774naecRbREo0JEKAP77bhdm01lF-2BCQCRM05KGtxbXA3rz%5FLegDzTFO0QQIRWK2-2Bk6gfCyxgybRYoXaoB2KDUvhD7yA-2B2d79SrFpkFxFk9poisxRfNWPIOCBFA11bbLWoe35Zz3ofQ379d5Dq2ULsvWDbHd0fDutwIdzpcKaj906r7OfTa9RE7nWacCipji8AOZ3CT8zM6e1TO6bxjac46sSGr1th-2BEZUu1-2Ba3wLSjNAEwJ-2FMUnnLjbdCK8smkmfuv7mu0PP1da-2BH-2FeZH2g23ojMiNM7HOSGWyYorpXrdSQkH-2F5GzhOnD9eky-2FhRsj6dqYBATZOCCTj3FhO3wevd4nrsHmvT3-2BTPWeslxNq7dV-2FIx7Bcyv-2FwzUUauEsGyUPh13WsT76E1kGThKrTfMfqCcA2aY-3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is launching a second invitation to startups, SMEs, and innovative companies located outside of Paris to join the [2026 national map](https://u11714644.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.8gmJa7-2F5vFnNURntQ-2B2MW-2B774naecRbREo0JEKAP77b8AU-2FR-2FFHX-2Buqyxs-2FfFQsr7AugVjtZbDvGnhjz7Wor97VXSSCW4NV0vh6PefeQS7E-3D1el0%5FLegDzTFO0QQIRWK2-2Bk6gfCyxgybRYoXaoB2KDUvhD7yA-2B2d79SrFpkFxFk9poisxRfNWPIOCBFA11bbLWoe35Zz3ofQ379d5Dq2ULsvWDbHd0fDutwIdzpcKaj906r7OfTa9RE7nWacCipji8AOZ3CT8zM6e1TO6bxjac46sSGr1th-2BEZUu1-2Ba3wLSjNAEwJ-2FMUnnLjbdCK8smkmfuv7miCreZaziCHJDvo7cPtg7vHxU-2BZ9fXhXoC-2FkUXzA81FIe0b9elcpKXpqkQPtTeDIOzjckj3WoK7MyPBaLi05ond0b2JHkhPhw-2B0Y6xf0mt185MyBjHj5S-2B4EW-2BDwvSF1Lef5TN0fOp32MLI4-2FY0yJb0-3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) of French artificial intelligence. This sixth edition, launched once before, aims to provide an accurate snapshot of the AI ​​ecosystem across the country, highlighting the diversity of regional dynamics. More than 700 AI stakeholders are already listed. Interested regional gems can still apply now until February 15, 2026\. | [**Registration link**](https://u11714644.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.8gmJa7-2F5vFnNURntQ-2B2MW4xSd2N9lNdaC-2F8SkxsPPwswgAsP7eXv1H4-2B8yClNA9b18q-2BLPu-2BdrR3lZppGFf1KWumvWX3OCDLvhsJ-2FGqwxvw-3Dg%5FnG%5FLegDzTFO0QQIRWK2-2Bk6gfCyxgybRYoXaoB2KDUvhD7yA-2B2d79SrFpkFxFk9poisxRfNWPIOCBFA11bbLWoe35Zz3ofQ379d5Dq2ULsvWDbHd0fDutwIdzpcKaj906r7OfTa9RE7nWacCipji8AOZ3CT8zM6e1TO6bxjac46sSGr1th-2BEZUu1-2Ba3wLSjNAEwJ-2FMUnnLjbdCK8smkmfuv7mhk6tpdjuR73yUJnD9Rc3H7B-2FKNsA1Pf8LhkO4EmQoAin3xnFjg-2BdxRxUQ8wmaljkYQHQFPOkxKLQPqSRffTKg5jTjL6LrkLs0TkPhwBQdWGOP85M-2FmRL2flgKQLlWjPed2QvNIy2KD9S-2BjaU4ViZTQ-3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **2026 AI Predictions & Founder Mixer - powered by 🧠 The AI Collective x Paatch 🚀 | February 5 |** To kick off the year, **The AI Collective** and **Paatch** are bringing together founders, engineers, and operators for an evening focused on grounded AI predictions and high-signal connections. No hype cycles, no polished decks, just people who spent 2025 shipping, breaking, and rebuilding AI systems, comparing notes on what comes next. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/2026-ai-predictions-founder-mixer?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI FILM HACKATHON | Paris** | **February 7** | Official Paris pre-event of the international **AI FILM FEST MONACO**, this hackathon brings together creative technologists to learn AI filmmaking, build short films using AI tools, master generative workflows (including voice generation with ElevenLabs), and present their projects for potential selection and competition in Monaco — all with hands-on workshops, team collaboration, and creative skill building for AI-powered storytelling. | [**Join Waitlist**](https://luma.com/AIFILMFESTMONACO-HACKATHONPARIS?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Europe} Paris AI Hackathon – Paris Edition** | **Feb 7–8** | Paris | A weekend-long AI hackathon designed for builders across functions (founders, engineers, product, researchers) to collaborate, innovate, and prototype cutting-edge AI solutions; features structured networking, team match-making, mentor support, and a prize pool awarded at the conclusion of the competition. | [**Request to Join**](https://luma.com/paris-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **No-Code Communities Meetup #3 — AI Edition** | **February 9, 2026, 7:00 PM** | Paris | A special meetup for no-code and AI builders to connect over drinks and conversation, celebrate the intersection of AI and no-code ecosystems, and build community — ideal for founders, operators, designers, and anyone curious about practical AI and no-code workflows. | [**Register**](https://luma.com/vbm9sk3j?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Day 2026 | France Digitale** | **February 10** | At Station F in Paris, this flagship AI event gathers \~2,000 founders, C-level leaders, investors, researchers, and operators from across Europe. Explore *AI & Research*, *AI & Business*, and *AI & Operations* tracks through high-level talks, hands-on workshops, demos, exhibitions, and structured matchmaking between startups and investors — all under the high patronage of the French President. | [**Get tickets**](https://ai-day.org/ticket/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF)** | **February 12 and 13** | Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes | With more than 10,000 expected participants, 320 international speakers, and 180 exhibitors, the WAICF is the European event dedicated to the innovations and strategic challenges of artificial intelligence. | [**Buy tickets**](https://www.worldaicannes.com/en-gb/book-your-pass.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris Hardware Meetup | The New Defense Stack** | **February 17** | Join Paris-area hardware builders — founders, engineers, designers, and investors — for talks and community networking focused on defense hardware and physical product innovation at Hexa (eFounders) in Paris. Speakers include leaders from Harmattan AI, Helsing, Landroval, and more, with structured talks followed by open mic and networking. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/oq94zfvf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Neurons and Peppers #3** | **February 18** | **Paris** | The state-of-the-art AI research meetup in Paris hosted by **Neurons and Peppers by datacraft**, focused on deep technical sessions such as domain-specific modeling and retrieval-augmented generation benchmarking, followed by community networking, talks, and food & drinks. | [**Request to Join**](https://luma.com/ehna1sny?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 | March 17–18 | ESCP Business School | Paris |** Artificial intelligence is transforming universities at every level — from classrooms to research labs and administrative offices. The AI in Higher Education Summit 2026 in Paris will bring together academics, innovators, and policy-makers to discuss one central question: How should higher education evolve in an AI-driven world? This international event is the place to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, and shape the roadmap for universities in the age of AI. | [**Pre-Registration**](https://escp.eu/events/ai-higher-education-summit-2026-paris-17-18-march?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenText Summit Paris 2026** | **April 15 | Palais Brongniart** | AI is everywhere and full of promise — but without contextualized data, governance, and security, AI fails. Join OpenText Summit Paris 2026 to discover how to unlock the intelligence of your enterprise data and activate AI with confidence. Expect visionary keynotes, French customer success stories, real-world use cases, in-depth small-group sessions, live demos, expert meetings, and peer networking. Explore the latest innovations in content management, cybersecurity, service management, business networks, and more — and learn how to deploy responsible, compliant AI with full control and freedom of choice. | [**Register**](https://events.opentext.com/paris-summit-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### The EU AI Act, Decoded URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-eu-ai-act-decoded/ Last updated: 2026-02-03T23:45:12.000Z After three years of negotiations, Europe’s AI rulebook is finally here. The question is no longer “will AI be regulated?” but “how, and when?” From risk categories to real-world impact, this is the EU AI Act. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 2: Aviwell €11M Round Leads 10 Deals For €41.8M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-2-aviwell-eu11m-round-leads-10-deals-for-eu41-8m/ Last updated: 2026-02-02T15:31:22.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🧮 Data Point: Angel Suprême Famed French bootstrapped startup success Fleet announced a financial deal today that values the company at €100 million. ([**See our story here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-eu5-000-to-eu100-million-how-fleets-founders-built-a-tech-empire-without-venture-capital-then-finally-said-yes/).) That's good news for its employees and co-founders [**Sevan Marian**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sevan-marian-a351aa4b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [**Alexandre Berriche**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/berriche/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). But it's also potentially very good news for France's and Europe's entrepreneurs because Berriche has become one of France's most active (according to Sifted, THE #1 Most Active) business angels. Now he's reloading. Since becoming a Sequoia Capital scout in 2021, Berriche has made more than 80 investments. His flagship bet, a pre-seed investment in Swedish AI startup Lovable, has returned more than 100 times his initial stake as the company rocketed to a $5 billion valuation. But Berriche isn't content playing exclusively in the early-stage sandbox. Through Blue Chips by Roundtable, an investment community he co-founded, he has secured stakes in some of the world's most sought-after private companies: OpenAI, SpaceX, Anthropic, xAI, Stripe, Databricks, and Anduril. He's also an LP in elite funds, including Kleiner Perkins, Creandum, and Seedcamp, positioning himself at virtually every stage of the venture capital food chain. Here's an overview of his portfolio, based on his extensive LinkedIn profile and other public statements: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/berriche-investment-infographic.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: 30 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/sectors-jan-30.png) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/top-deals-jan-30.png) --- 📇 **Company:** Aviwell 🏷️ **Sectors:** AgriTech, FoodTech, HealthTech, BioTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Aviwell is a deep-tech animal nutrition company developing AI-driven, microbiome-based solutions to improve animal health, growth, and resilience. Built on decades of microbiome research, the company leverages its proprietary Aneto™ platform to design native bacterial ecologies with defined modes of action, enabling antibiotic-free, sustainable nutrition for poultry and aquaculture. 💻 **Website:** [Aviwell](https://www.aviwell.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11M 🏦 **Investors:** Blue Revolution Fund, Blast.Club, SWEN Capital Partners, Elaia, MFS Investment Management 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rémy Burcelin, Mouli Ramani 🗞️ **News:** Aviwell closed an €11M Series A to scale its AI-powered Aneto™ microbiome discovery platform and advance nature-based biological solutions for animal nutrition. The funding will support the progression of poultry and aquaculture microbial ecologies from discovery through validation and industrial scale-up, expand platform services, and deepen commercial partnerships. Led by Blue Revolution Fund, the round underscores growing investor conviction in AI-enabled, sustainable alternatives to antibiotics amid rising global protein demand and tighter environmental constraints. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aviwell%5Faviwell-welcomes-brf-blast-and-swen-to-our-activity-7420485842999164928-55SB?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Twin 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Twin is an AI platform that lets non-technical users build fully autonomous agents capable of running entire businesses end-to-end — from planning and decision-making to execution. Using browser control, self-correction, long-term memory, and a hybrid model stack (high-reasoning models to plan, lightweight models to execute), Twin enables complex operational workflows to be created in minutes without writing code. During its beta, users deployed over 100,000 autonomous agents, including fully automated trading systems, service businesses, retail arbitrage operations, and wholesale import companies. 💻 **Website:** [Twin](https://builder.twin.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.4M 🏦 **Investors:** LocalGlobe, Kima Ventures, betaworks, Irregular Expressions, Motier Ventures, Andrena Ventures, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hugo Mercier, João Justi 🗞️ **News:** Twin publicly launched on January 27 following a one-month beta in which users deployed more than 100,000 autonomous agents. The company announced a $10M seed round led by LocalGlobe to support its vision of becoming the “AI company builder,” enabling anyone to create self-sufficient AI-run businesses. Orrick Paris Tech Studio advised Twin on the financing. Early adopters praise the platform’s ease of use and power, while observers note upcoming challenges around reliability and enterprise-grade adoption as Twin scales. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hugomercier%5Fwhat-a-ride-after-2-months-of-beta-and-activity-7422211846599880704-9SSI?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Atlas V Group 🏷️ **Sectors:** Gaming 🔍 **Description:** Atlas V is a European leader in VR and immersive content, known for premium narrative experiences developed with top-tier creative talent and global entertainment IPs. The studio is now diversifying into free-to-play immersive gaming and location-based VR, building a vertically integrated model spanning creation, production, and publishing of scalable XR experiences. 💻 **Website:** [**Atlas V**](https://atlasv.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** HTC 👨💼👩💼 **Founders: Antoine Cayrol**, **Arnaud Colinart**, 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2017, Atlas V has built a strong reputation producing critically acclaimed VR experiences such as *Spheres: Songs of Spacetime* (Darren Aronofsky), *Gloomy Eyes*, *Battlescar*, *Wallace & Gromit: The Grand Getaway* (with Aardman and Meta), and *Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom* (with Bandai Namco). Its works have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, and Cannes. With this €5M raise led by strategic investor HTC, Atlas V is accelerating its diversification into social and casual free-to-play VR gaming and location-based immersive experiences. The company has grown to 55 employees, including talent from leading gaming studios such as Ubisoft, and is currently developing **per year**. Atlas V will also extend existing IPs into location-based formats and deepen partnerships with major entertainment franchises, while leveraging HTC’s XR ecosystem to scale distribution and adoption. | [**Variety**](https://variety.com/2026/digital/global/atlas-v-raise-6-million-diversify-gaming-location-based-vr-1236642469/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image.png) 📇 **Company:** Recupere Metals 🏷️ **Sectors:** DeepTech, Hardware, CleanTech, Energy 🔍 **Description:** Recupere Metals is a French industrial startup developing a patented mechanical process to transform copper waste directly into high-performance copper wires, without melting or refining. By bypassing energy-intensive steps of traditional copper production, the company offers a low-carbon, locally sourced alternative for industrial copper supply, addressing Europe’s growing exposure to copper shortages driven by electrification, renewables, data centers, and AI infrastructure. 💻 **Website:** [**Recupere Metals**](https://www.recupere-metals.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** SistaFund, Endgame Capital, Ring Capital, Triple Impact Ventures, Business Angels, Sake Bosch 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katie Marsh, Julien Vaïssette 🗞️ **News:** Founded in March 2025, Recupere Metals raised €5M just months after launch to transition from R&D to industrial production. The funding will be used to scale manufacturing capacity and tailor its recycling process to industrial customer needs. The company targets applications in electric motors, data centers, and digital infrastructure, with pilot testing underway. Against a backdrop of a projected 30% global copper supply gap by 2035 (per IEA estimates), Recupere Metals aims to build a resilient European copper recycling value chain and reach **6,000 tons of annual copper wire production by 2028**. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/30/face-a-une-demande-de-cuivre-qui-explose-recupere-metals-leve-5-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AYAQ 🏷️ **Sectors:** E-commerce & Retail 🔍 **Description:** French technical apparel brand focused on high-performance outdoor clothing, built on field-tested functionality, durability, and a long-term product vision. Founded by Olympic gold medalist Vincent Defrasne, AYAQ combines elite performance standards with premium positioning, supported by a senior advisory board drawn from the retail and luxury industries. 💻 **Website:** [Ayaq](https://ayaq.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.2M 🏦 **Investors:** Mike Horn 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vincent Defrasne 🗞️ **News:** AYAQ has raised €3.2M in equity, complemented by non-dilutive financing, bringing total capital mobilized to over €5M to accelerate international expansion and strengthen its product roadmap. The round welcomes renowned explorer Mike Horn as a shareholder, while the management team retains majority ownership, ensuring continuity of governance and long-term strategic vision. The funding will support intensified product development, industrial scaling, and a disciplined international rollout. AYAQ is already established in Switzerland and Austria and reached a major milestone with its entry into the Japanese market in September 2025 via leading department stores. The brand has also laid the groundwork for expansion into the UK. | [**Sport Eco**](https://www.sporteco.com/une-augmentation-de-capital-chez-ayaq/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/02/image-1.png) 📇 **Company:** GoCanopy 🏷️ **Sectors:** PropTech & Real Estate, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** AI-native operating system for institutional real estate investors, enabling teams to transform fragmented internal data into **compounding institutional intelligence**. GoCanopy uses human-in-the-loop agentic AI workflows to ingest unstructured documents (PDFs, Excel files, offering memoranda, rent rolls, asset management reports) into a single system of record that supports both investment and asset management workflows. 💻 **Website:** [GoCanopy](https://www.gocanopy.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.1M 🏦 **Investors:** ISAI, BNP Paribas Développement, Yellow, Andrew Baum, Ludovic Jacquot 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** William He, Yash Pabbisetti 🗞️ **News:** GoCanopy has raised €2.1M in seed funding to build the AI operating system for institutional real estate investors. Founded in 2023 and bootstrapped until this round, the company already counts major asset managers among its users, including Brookfield and certain Apollo-managed funds. The platform addresses a core industry pain point: the fragmentation of deal, asset, tenant, and financial data across inboxes, PDFs, spreadsheets, and internal silos. By creating a shared AI-driven extraction layer and a living institutional memory, GoCanopy enables investment teams to improve deal screening, underwriting, and investment committee preparation, while empowering asset management teams with proactive portfolio execution tools such as lease expiry detection and rent review tracking. The funding will be used to accelerate enterprise-grade product development and support international expansion, including scaling teams across Paris and London. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/gocanopy-ends-bootstrapping-streak-and-raises-e2-1-million-to-build-ai-operating-system-for-institutional-real-estate-investors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Radiant 🏷️ **Sectors:** Energy, CleanTech 🔍 **Description:** Radiant is an industrial climate tech startup developing high-temperature solar thermal solutions designed to decarbonise industrial heat. Its system combines next-generation heliostats, a proprietary receiver, and thermal energy storage to replace fossil-fuel-based equipment such as gas burners and oil-fired boilers across heat-intensive industrial processes. 💻 **Website:** [**Radiant**](https://www.radiant-energy.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Massy 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Tiresias Angels, Selim Cherif, Business Angels, Hexa, 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thomas Delhon, Alexandre Meurisse 🗞️ **News:** Radiant has been selected for Hexa’s **Carbon Zero** acceleration programme and closed a €2M funding round to support the industrialisation of its solar thermal technology. Built on over **15 years of R&D** conducted at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Radiant’s solution can deliver industrial heat between **200°C and 1,000°C**, with thermal power outputs ranging from **2 to 50 MW**, while maintaining precise operational control. The technology targets sectors such as **cement, glass, and asphalt**, where industrial heat represents more than 70% of energy consumption and remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. The new funding will finance Radiant’s **first industrial demonstrator in Le Mans**, validating scalability and deployment efficiency, ahead of broader international expansion to support the decarbonisation of industrial heat at scale. | [**Tech EU** ](https://tech.eu/2026/01/27/radiant-joins-hexas-carbon-zero-programme-and-raises-eur2m-to-decarbonise-industrial-heat/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-51.png) 📇 **Company:** Evolutive Agronomy 🏷️ **Sectors:** AgriTech, BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Evolutive Agronomy develops biological crop protection solutions that are both high-performance and easy to deploy, helping farmers protect crops sustainably. The company’s approach focuses on soil pests, leveraging beneficial organisms to reduce reliance on chemical inputs while improving agronomic outcomes. 💻 **Website:** [Evolutive Agronomy](https://evolutiveagronomy.com/solution-bye-nematode/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Sophia Antipolis 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.8M 🏦 **Investors:** 50 Partners, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Pasquier, Lucie Monticelli 🗞️ **News:** Evolutive Agronomy raised €1.8M to accelerate the field deployment of its first commercial product, **ByeNematode®**, a biological solution based on predatory mites targeting root-knot nematodes. The funding will also support the scale-up of production capacities and continued R&D closely aligned with real-world farm needs, with a strong focus on soil-borne pests. The round marks a key milestone in the company’s mission to deliver practical, sustainable crop protection tools for farmers. | [**Nice Matin**](https://www.nicematin.com/economie/avec-ses-acariens-predateurs-cette-starup-azureenne-a-un-plan-sans-pesticide-pour-aider-les-agriculteurs-a-lutter-contre-les-ravageurs-des-sols-10664758?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dowgo 🏷️ **Sectors:** FinTech, Web3 🔍 **Description:** Dowgo is a French fintech building a blockchain-based investment infrastructure dedicated to financing private impact assets. The platform is designed to connect professional and institutional investors with project developers through a secure, transparent, and liquid digital marketplace, covering the full investment lifecycle from primary issuance to secondary trading. 💻 **Website:** [Dowgo](https://www.dowgo.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, 50 Partners, Cube Accelerator, Emmanuel Picot, Damien Guermonprez 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Oscar Dumant,Romain Menetrier 🗞️ **News:** Dowgo announced a €2M funding round to finalize the deployment of its blockchain-based platform for financing impact-driven private assets. Developed over more than three years by finance and investment professionals, the platform aims to become a **reference European infrastructure** for impact private markets, combining regulatory-grade security, transparency, and continuous liquidity. Dowgo’s solution enables institutional and professional investors to access impact projects previously reserved for large players, with full visibility on financial performance, environmental impact, and CO₂ avoided. For project developers (SMEs, infrastructure developers, local authorities), the platform promises faster, lower-cost, and better-adapted financing through a fully digital infrastructure. A built-in secondary market will allow continuous liquidity and simplified execution across the asset lifecycle. The platform relies on blockchain technology and is pending regulatory approval as an investment firm, alongside an exemption under the EU **Pilot Regime**. Dowgo’s application is currently under review by the AMF, Banque de France, and ACPR. Ahead of the regulated launch, Dowgo has already released a **sovereign, AI-connectable dataroom**, compliant with ISO 27001 and DORA standards, hosted in France, and featuring immutable audit trails. The solution supports secure document analysis and audit preparation via AI connectors, while preserving strict read-only data integrity. More than **€300M worth of impact projects** are already identified and awaiting distribution on the platform, signaling strong early demand for a new generation of compliant, liquid private-market infrastructure in Europe. | [**Finyear**](https://finyear.com/dowgo-leve-2-millions-deuros?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ATOBA Energy 🏷️ **Sectors:** ClimateTech, SpaceTech & Aerospace 🔍 **Description:** ATOBA Energy is a midstream Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) aggregator designed to unlock industrial-scale growth of SAF by resolving the financial deadlock between airlines and producers. By aggregating upstream and downstream offtake portfolios, ATOBA enables long-term SAF contracts with optimized pricing indexes, mitigating technology and pricing risk across production pathways and accelerating final investment decisions. 💻 **Website:** [ATOBA Energy](https://www.atoba.energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.265M 🏦 **Investors:** 👨💼👩💼 👨💼👩💼**Founders:** Arnaud Namer 🗞️ **News:** ATOBA Energy raised an oversubscribed $1.5M pre-seed round to scale its SAF aggregation platform and expand short- and long-term offtake agreements with producers, airlines, and jet fuel resellers. The company addresses a critical bottleneck in the SAF market, where producers require long-term price stability to finance projects while airlines seek market-linked pricing with reduced execution risk. By unifying the SAF financial value chain, ATOBA enables bankable long-term offtake contracts—key to scaling SAF from a \~$2B market today toward a projected $400B+ market by 2050\. | [**Atoba**](https://atoba.energy/blog/atoba-raises-1.5m-pre-seed-round-to-unlock-scaling-of-sustainable-aviation-fuel?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From €5,000 to €100 Million: How Fleet's Founders Built a Tech Empire Without Venture Capital. Then Finally Said Yes URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-eu5-000-to-eu100-million-how-fleets-founders-built-a-tech-empire-without-venture-capital-then-finally-said-yes/ Last updated: 2026-02-02T07:00:47.000Z The French startup that defied Silicon Valley's playbook is opening its capital for the first time. CEO Sevan Marian explains why now is the moment _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: NAAREA'S Nuclear Meltdown URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-naareas-nuclear-meltdown/ Last updated: 2026-01-30T07:00:20.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 A French nuclear startup backed by the state and industry giants burned through €90 million, only to collapse days after a last-minute rescue deal fell apart in court. [**This is the story of NAAREA’s rise and fall, and what its failure reveals about the brutal mismatch between startup timelines, government ambition, and next-generation nuclear tech.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eu90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/EU-Startups-Summit_Main-2-1536x864.png.webp)](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) On May 7-8, Malta will transform into the main meeting point for Europe’s most ambitious founders and investors as we host the 12th edition of the [****EU-Startups Summit**](https://www.eu-startups.com/summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The event will gather around 2,500 founders, startup enthusiasts, corporates, angel investors, VCs, and media from across Europe – all united by a focus on startups with global ambitions. We’ll have two stages, great networking opportunities, workshops, a buzzing exhibition hall, and a super exciting ****Pitch Competition** featuring 15 most promising early-stage startups from across Europe! Each finalist will have three minutes to pitch their idea on the main stage in front of a large audience of investors, media, and startup enthusiasts, followed by questions from our panel of high-profile VC judges. [Apply now ](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Tech Talk 🛡️🇪🇺 France has a **new cybersecurity strategy.** Unveiled in Bordeaux by **digital minister Anne Le Hénanff**, the 2026–2030 plan promises to turn France into a “top-tier cyber power” by training more talent, hardening defenses, and scaring off hackers. The strategy leans heavily on resilience, with a national cyber “one-stop shop,” EU-mandated minimum security standards for 15,000 entities, and a prevention campaign modeled (optimistically) on road safety ads. Local governments and election candidates are flagged as prime targets ahead of municipal elections, with a clear message: don’t be naïve, enable two-factor authentication, and stop using terrible passwords. There’s also talk of labels for SMEs, European cyber sovereignty, and international cyber solidarity, because no strategy is complete without buzzwords. As for funding? Weellllllllll...investments are promised, numbers are not forthcoming in these budget strained time. Apparently, cybersecurity, like everything else, must survive France’s budget reality check. | [**France Info**](https://www.franceinfo.fr/internet/securite-sur-internet/cyberattaques/plan-sur-la-cybersecurite-en-france-les-collectivites-sont-une-cible-pour-les-municipales-previent-la-ministre-chargee-de-l-intelligence-artificielle-et-du-numerique%5F7771826.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Minister of the Economy**](https://presse.economie.gouv.fr/cybersecurite-le-gouvernement-devoile-la-strategie-nationale-de-cybersecurite-2026-2030/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), 🤖🇫🇷 As digital sovereignty rhetoric heats up, **French SaaS and cloud alternatives are finally seeing real demand**. Jamespot, a long-standing French collaborative software player, reports growing interest from CAC 40 groups looking to reduce Microsoft dependence. Cloud exit plans are now openly discussed, albeit on multi-year timelines, while US hyperscalers rush to rebrand “sovereign” offerings. The race is on between genuine autonomy and cleverly wrapped dependency. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/le-vent-tourne-jamespot-ou-lincarnation-de-la-premiere-heure-de-la-souverainete-numerique-francaise-2211901?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🖥️🇺🇸 **Capgemini is squirming under scrutiny over a U.S. ICE contract that’s “not in execution”...**for now. According to the French IT giant, its American subsidiary paused work due to legal challenges and internal review. Still, public filings show the contract included ID and tracking tools for foreign nationals, plus hotline management for crime victims. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/01/29/capgemini-assure-que-son-contrat-avec-l-ice-n-est-pas-en-cours-d-execution%5F6664625%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧪💶 **Paris-based VC daphni just closed its Blue fund at €260m,** above target and in under nine months. The mission-driven firm is doubling down on science-first deeptech, backing startups spun out of Europe’s top research institutions, from INRIA to Institut Curie. Nine investments are already live, spanning green chemistry, brain-machine interfaces, fertility tech, and immunotherapy. The bet is that Europe’s vast scientific output has been chronically underfunded at the “lab-to-market” stage and that patient capital can turn IP into impact. With ESG-linked carry and a plan to back \~40 companies, daphni is positioning deep science as both investable and essential. | [**Tech.Eu**](https://tech.eu/2026/01/29/daphni-blue-completes-eur260m-final-close-for-science-driven-european-investments/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/from-lab-coats-to-unicorns-french-vc-daphni-blue-closes-e260-million-fund-to-turn-science-into-startups/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ❤️💉 **French medtech is pulsing. HighLife’s minimally invasive mitral valve system just got CE marking, while Bordeaux-based FineHeart raised €83M to scale its wireless cardiac pump.** CorWave’s fish-inspired heart assist reached human trials in Australia, and consolidators like Carvolix are combining forces to take on the €23B valve replacement market. French heart innovation is going global, all without skipping a beat. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/derriere-carmat-une-nouvelle-generation-de-start-up-francaises-dans-la-chirurgie-cardiaque-2212283?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌱⚠️ Meanwhile, if MedTech is up on the up, **funding for green industrial startups in France has halved in two years**, dropping to €1.5bn in 2025, with deal count nearly cut in half. Political uncertainty, regulatory stop-and-go, and reduced France 2030 budgets are now blamed more than tech risk. Investors are still writing big cheques, but mainly for mature energy projects, leaving early-stage industrial climate tech struggling to scale. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/ce-nest-pas-une-baisse-cest-une-chute-le-gros-coup-de-fatigue-des-start-up-de-lindustrie-verte-2212692?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌱🏠 **Paris’ Climate House is making plans to firmly plant its flag in Bordeaux**. The 600 m² hub will mirror its Paris sibling, gathering entrepreneurs, researchers, artists, and investors to prototype green and social innovations. Co-founders (“cofos”) are now Bordeaux-bound, and the stage is set for civic-tech meets climate-tech, with hopes to expand to Nantes, Lyon, and Marseille next. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/28/apres-paris-la-climate-house-va-sexporter-a-bordeaux/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💼🧑‍💻 **A new generation of French Tech bankers is stepping into the spotlight.** [Philippe Engleber](https://www.linkedin.com/in/englebertphilippe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), ex ministerial advisor for Tech, who has just been promoted to Managing Partner at Lazard Bank. From Lazard to Rothschild, Chausson and Clipperton, these rising figures are advising the biggest IPOs, deeptech mega-rounds, and restructurings of the moment. Their edge is deep sector expertise, closer ties to founders, and a market that now favours strategy and selectivity over pure volume. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/portraits/la-nouvelle-garde-de-banquiers-daffaires-de-la-french-tech-2212529%20La%20nouvelle%20garde%20de%20banquiers%20d'affaires%20de%20la%20French%20Tech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🍱🌏 **Too Good To Go is going east.** After conquering Europe and the U.S., the anti-food-waste app is opening in Japan with local leadership and partnerships, targeting ambitious waste-reduction goals. France remains the revenue engine, with 20M downloads and 20M meals saved in 2025 alone. The startup’s mix of social impact, AI-powered logistics, and new verticals proves that fighting food waste can also be seriously profitable. | [**PR Newswire**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-largest-marketplace-for-surplus-food-too-good-to-go-launches-in-japan-302672081.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Nuclear Meltdown: How NAAREA Burned Through €90 Million and Collapsed in Spectacular Fashion [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-52.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eu90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/) On the morning NAAREA’s employees thought they’d been saved, their would-be buyer suddenly walked away, accusing the startup of hidden problems and a reactor design stuck in a “technological impasse.” Within days, a courtroom forced the deal through anyway, and the supposed rescuer filed for bankruptcy, ending a five-year sprint that burned through roughly €90 million, left more than 100 people without jobs, and produced exactly zero reactors. How does a France 2030 “flagship” with government backing and heavyweight partners implode this fast and this publicly? In this special report, we trace the chain reaction: a founder’s COP21-born vision of a molten-salt, fast-neutron microreactor in a shipping container; a business model that promised selling clean power like a service; and the brutal collision between venture timelines, nuclear physics, and state bureaucracy. Along the way: the “NuScale shockwave” that froze investor appetite, a Phase II funding bottleneck that never arrived, and a final due diligence knife fight that raises uncomfortable questions about France’s nuclear innovation strategy, and even its AI ambitions, which increasingly depend on delivering abundant power. [Inside France’s most spectacular nuclear startup collapse](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eu90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Aviwell 🏷️ **Sectors:** AgriTech & FoodTech, HealthTech & BioTech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Aviwell is a deep-tech animal nutrition company developing AI-driven, microbiome-based solutions to improve animal health, growth, and resilience. Built on decades of microbiome research, the company leverages its proprietary Aneto™ platform to design native bacterial ecologies with defined modes of action, enabling antibiotic-free, sustainable nutrition for poultry and aquaculture. 💻 **Website:** [Aviwell](https://www.aviwell.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11M 🏦 **Investors:** Blue Revolution Fund, Blast.Club, SWEN Capital Partners, Elaia, MFS Investment Management 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rémy Burcelin, Mouli Ramani 🗞️ **News:** Aviwell closed an €11M Series A to scale its AI-powered Aneto™ microbiome discovery platform and advance nature-based biological solutions for animal nutrition. The funding will support the progression of poultry and aquaculture microbial ecologies from discovery through validation and industrial scale-up, expand platform services, and deepen commercial partnerships. Led by Blue Revolution Fund, the round underscores growing investor conviction in AI-enabled, sustainable alternatives to antibiotics amid rising global protein demand and tighter environmental constraints. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aviwell%5Faviwell-welcomes-brf-blast-and-swen-to-our-activity-7420485842999164928-55SB?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Twin 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Twin is an AI platform that lets non-technical users build fully autonomous agents capable of running entire businesses end-to-end — from planning and decision-making to execution. Using browser control, self-correction, long-term memory, and a hybrid model stack (high-reasoning models to plan, lightweight models to execute), Twin enables complex operational workflows to be created in minutes without writing code. During its beta, users deployed over 100,000 autonomous agents, including fully automated trading systems, service businesses, retail arbitrage operations, and wholesale import companies. 💻 **Website:** [Twin](https://builder.twin.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $10M 🏦 **Investors:** LocalGlobe, Kima Ventures, betaworks, Irregular Expressions, Motier Ventures, Andrena Ventures, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hugo Mercier, João Justi 🗞️ **News:** Twin publicly launched on January 27 following a one-month beta in which users deployed more than 100,000 autonomous agents. The company announced a $10M seed round led by LocalGlobe to support its vision of becoming the “AI company builder,” enabling anyone to create self-sufficient AI-run businesses. Orrick Paris Tech Studio advised Twin on the financing. Early adopters praise the platform’s ease of use and power, while observers note upcoming challenges around reliability and enterprise-grade adoption as Twin scales. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hugomercier%5Fwhat-a-ride-after-2-months-of-beta-and-activity-7422211846599880704-9SSI?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** AYAQ 🏷️ **Sectors:** E-commerce & Retail 🔍 **Description:** French technical apparel brand focused on high-performance outdoor clothing, built on field-tested functionality, durability, and a long-term product vision. Founded by Olympic gold medalist Vincent Defrasne, AYAQ combines elite performance standards with premium positioning, supported by a senior advisory board drawn from the retail and luxury industries. 💻 **Website:** [Ayaq](https://ayaq.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.2M 🏦 **Investors:** Mike Horn 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vincent Defrasne 🗞️ **News:** AYAQ has raised €3.2M in equity, complemented by non-dilutive financing, bringing total capital mobilized to over €5M to accelerate international expansion and strengthen its product roadmap. The round welcomes renowned explorer Mike Horn as a shareholder, while the management team retains majority ownership, ensuring continuity of governance and long-term strategic vision. The funding will support intensified product development, industrial scaling, and a disciplined international rollout. AYAQ is already established in Switzerland and Austria and reached a major milestone with its entry into the Japanese market in September 2025 via leading department stores. The brand has also laid the groundwork for expansion into the UK. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Nuclear Meltdown: How NAAREA Burned Through €90 Million and Collapsed in Spectacular Fashion URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-meltdown-how-naarea-burned-through-eu90-million-and-collapsed-in-spectacular-fashion/ Last updated: 2026-08-06T15:03:30.000Z A story of visionary technology, government backing, investor cold feet, and a courtroom drama that sealed the fate of France's Most Ambitious Nuclear Startup. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #61: France VS The Internet ⚔️ URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-61-france-vs-the-internet/ Last updated: 2026-01-28T10:00:39.000Z 🧠 AI is transforming prenatal ultrasound. BrightHeart helps clinicians catch over 90% of deadly fetal heart defects before birth, turning one of medicine’s hardest screenings into a routine, life-saving exam. [CEO **Cécile Dupont** explains the journey from lab to commercial product, and why scaling had to start in the U.S.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/prenatal-ultrasound-reinvented-how-brightheart-ai-catches-90-of-deadly-fetal-heart-defects-before-birth/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # France Vs The Internet ⚔️ ***Sharpen the swords, cue the trumpets, and call out the banners. This week, the French government mounted a full-blown crusade against Big Tech, the barbarians of Silicon Valley, and the Evil Troll who occupies the White House.*** ***Legions of bureaucrats and politicians charged into battle against Zoom, TikTok, and mysterious algorithms to liberate France, especially its teenagers. They came seeking the Holy Grail of Digital Sovereignty. Whether they are simply tilting at digital windmills remains to be seen.*** 🗞️ **France is finally getting serious about kicking Zoom and Teams out of government offices.** David Amiel, the minister in charge of the civil service, [announced that all state agencies](https://presse.economie.gouv.fr/souverainete-numerique-letat-generalise-visio-sa-solution-de-visioconference-securisee-et-souveraine-a-destination-des-agents-publics/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) must switch to "Visio" by 2027\. That's the government's homegrown video conferencing tool. The reason: Digital sovereignty, baby. No more letting Uncle Sam's tech giants peek at sensitive French government conversations. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/visio_hero-1-.png) Visio Visio is built on an open source platform and has been in beta for a year with 40,000 users, and it's about to scale up fast. It's the latest tool in a growing range of open-source alternatives the government is building under its [**La Suite**](https://lasuite.numerique.gouv.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) umbrella. The CNRS research agency is ditching Zoom for its 34,000 employees and 120,000 affiliated researchers starting this spring. The Defense Ministry and tax authorities are also making the switch. **Here's where French AI startups enter the chat.** PyannoteAI, which raised $9 million last year, is providing the speaker "diarization" technology. That's basically the AI that figures out who's talking when during meeting transcriptions. Kyutai, the open-source AI lab backed by Xavier Niel and other French tech heavyweights, is powering real-time subtitles coming this summer. The data gets hosted by Outscale, a Dassault Systèmes subsidiary with France's strict SecNumCloud security certification. Translation: your strategy meetings won't be subject to American extraterritorial laws. **The economics are potentially compelling.** The government estimates it'll save €1 million annually for every 100,000 users who dump paid American licenses. When you're talking about millions of civil servants, that adds up. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/26/letat-embarque-kyutai-et-pyannote-ai-pour-son-outil-destine-a-semanciper-de-zoom-et-teams-dans-la-fonction-publique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **But wait, there's more...** 🗞️ France is pushing ahead with one of its most aggressive tech-policy bets yet: **banning social networks for under-15s**, fast-tracked and personally championed by El Presidente Emmanuel Macron. The bill, debated and approved in first reading at the Assembly, would make it illegal for minors under 15 to access social platforms, with only narrow carve-outs for educational sites and private messaging apps. To make that stick, the government is leaning toward mandatory age verification, likely borrowing the same ID checks and algorithmic age estimation already used for porn sites (yes, that debate again). Officials insist anonymity can be preserved via third-party verification and “double anonymat,” though critics note the tech still struggles precisely where teens actually sit: the blurry 11–18 zone. The law also tackles phones in high schools, stopping short of a full ban but pushing usage out of classrooms and hallways. Politically, the text is broadly supported but legally fragile, walking a tightrope with EU law and the Digital Services Act to avoid becoming another unenforced French tech law. Indeed, yesterday, there was confusion as to whether EU officials had said it was kosher or not. **(**[**It appears, "No."**](https://x.com/GrablyR/status/2016141753720414502?s=20&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**)** If it survives the Senate and Brussels, France would join Australia as one of the few countries willing to tell Big Tech: teenagers are officially off-limits. | [**France Info**](https://www.franceinfo.fr/internet/reseaux-sociaux/la-france-est-en-droit-d-interdire-les-reseaux-sociaux-aux-moins-de-15-ans-assure-la-commission-europeenne%5F7767932.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **But wait, there's more...** 🗞️ The government took a very on-brand step toward “doing something” about algorithms this week by launching new institutions and a public awareness campaign. At a government-hosted event in Bercy, Digital and AI Minister Anne Le Hénanff unveiled two concrete tools: an **Observatory of Digital Sovereignty** to map France’s tech dependencies, and a **Digital Resilience Index** to measure how exposed public and private actors really are. In parallel, the foreign ministry kicked off a public campaign warning citizens about how recommendation algorithms shape opinions, fuel polarization, and can be exploited by foreign interference. The government also used the moment to remind everyone that, yes, the EU’s Digital Services Act exists and that France plans to enforce it with ARCOM and the Commission. | [**France Diplomacy**](https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/politique-etrangere-de-la-france/diplomatie-numerique/actualites-et-evenements/article/algorithmes-et-debat-public-le-gouvernement-presente-ses-initiatives-en-matiere?var%5Fmode=calcul&egn-publisher=Twitter&egn-name=Twitter-RS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/26/souverainete-numerique-la-france-veut-reduire-sa-dependance-aux-geants-americains/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Digiwatch**](https://dig.watch/updates/france-proposes-eu-tools-to-map-foreign-tech-dependence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/news/france-launches-bid-to-cut-europes-tech-dependence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Headlines 🗞️ France quietly pulled off an **AI infrastructure flex** in 2025, attracting a whopping $69 billion in foreign investment for data centers. That's more than double the U.S. and triple that of South Korea, according to the UN. The appeal is a rare combo of nuclear-powered clean electricity, dense undersea cable connections, and a government that actually rolls out the red carpet instead of red tape. Much of the cash is flowing into mega-projects like an AI campus backed by Mistral, Nvidia, MGX, and Bpifrance, plus a massive bet from Brookfield. | [**Le Grand Continent**](https://legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2026/01/24/la-france-est-le-pays-qui-a-recu-le-plus-dinvestissements-etrangers-pour-la-construction-de-centres-de-donnees-en-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-38.png) 🗞️ After years of political drama and regulatory brinkmanship, ByteDance finally closed the TikTok U.S. chapter by spinning it into a new joint venture called **TikTok USDS**. The entity will run the sensitive stuff Stateside: U.S. user data, the recommendation algorithm, source code security, and content moderation, while ByteDance keeps a carefully capped 19.9% stake. The quiet plot twist for French readers: **NJJ, Xavier Niel’s family office, is among the investors**, alongside Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX, and a small club of heavyweight backers. Niel’s presence isn’t entirely random. He’s already been sitting on ByteDance’s board since 2024\. But seeing a French telecom billionaire on TikTok’s U.S. cap table still raised eyebrows. The valuation is around $14 billion. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/vente-de-tiktok-aux-etats-unis-xavier-niel-fait-partie-des-actionnaires-de-la-nouvelle-entreprise-20260123?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Thales Leads Defense-AI Innovation with 200+ Patents.** The French defense and aerospace giant has been named among the world's 100 most innovative organizations for the 13th consecutive year, with over 200 AI patents filed specifically for critical systems. This highlights how French industrial champions are weaponizing AI in defense and critical infrastructure, a quieter but important part of France's AI story that often gets overshadowed by hype around startups. | [**PR**](https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/news-centre/press-releases/thales-listed-amongst-worlds-100-most-innovative-organisations-according?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **L'Oréal Invests €383 Million in AI Technology Center in India.** While headquartered in France, L'Oréal is building a massive AI research hub in India, signaling that even French luxury tech innovators are looking to emerging markets for computational talent and infrastructure. **|** [**Modaes**](https://www.modaes.com/global/companies/loreal-invests-383-million-in-ai-technology-center-in-india?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Joëlle Pineau Joins Cohere as Chief AI Officer.** Following in the footsteps of fellow French AI pioneer Yann LeCun, Joëlle Pineau has left Meta to lead AI efforts at Canadian startup Cohere. The former vice president of Facebook AI Research is bringing her world-class credentials to focus the company on practical AI applications for businesses rather than the hype-driven race for artificial general intelligence. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/01/22/cohere-s-joelle-pineau-we-aim-for-ai-that-creates-value-for-businesses-not-superintelligence%5F6749676%5F19.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ As ChatGPT gears up to allow explicit conversations at a massive scale, a new Ifop survey for Gleeden suggests the real action is already well underway, especially in France. While sexual or romantic chats with AI are still a minority practice overall, they’re gaining real traction among young people, particularly men under 35, and not just for porn: think flirting advice, emotional support, and relationship management. The catch is that more than half of users of “AI companions” say they’ve felt genuinely addicted, and nearly half admit it’s sometimes replaced real intimacy with a partner. In short, AI is quietly moving from novelty to emotional infrastructure, with all the dependency, tension, and awkward questions that come with it. | [**IFOP**](https://www.ifop.com/en/article/ai-and-sex-from-attraction-to-addiction-observatory-of-the-sexual-uses-of-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk** | As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- ### 🧠 Prenatal Ultrasound, Reinvented: How BrightHeart AI Catches 90% of Deadly Fetal Heart Defects Before Birth [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-45-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/prenatal-ultrasound-reinvented-how-brightheart-ai-catches-90-of-deadly-fetal-heart-defects-before-birth/) For decades, prenatal ultrasound has been one of medicine’s most reassuring rituals. A grainy image. A heartbeat. A moment of relief. But beneath that reassurance hides a brutal truth: **most fetal heart defects are never detected before birth**. Congenital heart defects affect roughly **3% of all pregnancies**—making them more common than many conditions that *are* routinely screened for. Yet historically, only about **one in three** are caught during pregnancy. Not because clinicians don’t care or aren’t skilled—but because the task itself borders on impossible. At just three months, a fetal heart is barely a centimeter wide. It moves constantly. The anatomy is complex. And most obstetricians are not pediatric cardiologists. This is where AI is quietly changing the rules. Over the last few years, medical imaging has become one of AI’s most commercially successful frontiers, growing into a multi-billion-dollar market driven by early detection and clinical decision support. But nowhere are the stakes higher than in prenatal medicine, where **minutes and millimeters can change a life**. Enter **BrightHeart**, a Paris-born startup that set out to solve one of the hardest problems in screening: making expert-level fetal heart exams routine, not exceptional. Instead of trying to replace clinicians, BrightHeart’s AI guides them—step by step—through the ultrasound exam, ensuring completeness, flagging subtle anomalies, and dramatically reducing missed diagnoses. The results are startling. Detection rates jump from \~30% to **over 90%**. Exam times shrink. Recalls drop. And for the first time, severe heart disease can be identified *before* birth—when care pathways, delivery plans, and outcomes can still be changed. But building AI for medicine isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s a regulatory, clinical, and cultural one. BrightHeart’s journey—from a pediatric hospital in Paris to U.S. deployment and an €11M Series A—reveals what it really takes to turn AI into **standard of care**, not just another tool. 👉 **In the full story**, we dive into the clinical insight behind BrightHeart, how its technology actually works, why screening (not diagnosis) is the real AI wedge in healthcare, and what this case tells us about the future of medical AI at scale. [See How AI Is Saving Babies Before Birth](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/prenatal-ultrasound-reinvented-how-brightheart-ai-catches-90-of-deadly-fetal-heart-defects-before-birth/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🚀 **€1M AI Challenge for Space Data Innovation** | **Apply by March 9** | The Île-de-France Region and CNES officially launch a €1 million AI Challenge to accelerate innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and space data. Continuing the Region’s AI Challenge series started in 2019, this initiative aims to foster future national champions and strengthen France’s technological and economic sovereignty. Two tracks are open: (1) AI-powered applications leveraging satellite data for use cases such as security, energy, environment, and risk management; and (2) advanced vision-language models for automatic interpretation of high- and very-high-resolution satellite imagery. CNES will provide data, technical expertise, and project oversight. | **Apply via the Île-de-France Region platform:** [**Challenge AI for Space**](https://www.iledefrance.fr/aides-et-appels-a-projets/challenge-ai-space?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Ray Meetup at Criteo Paris: Building Scalable AI & Data Platforms | February 5 |** ​Join us at the **Criteo office in Paris** to learn how Ray simplifies building and scaling modern AI and ML workloads. We will walk through how teams use Ray to move from a single machine to distributed compute, run training and inference at scale, and power production AI platforms. Hear from experts at [**Anyscale**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinanyscale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Criteo**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/criteo/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [**H Company**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/h-company-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) on distributed training architectures, scaling reinforcement learning agents, and real-world lessons from migrating production systems to Kubernetes. **|** [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/oyv1oqw5?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Neurons and Peppers #3 | datacraft AI Research Meetup** | **February 5** | Attend this Paris-based AI research meetup to dive into cutting-edge discussions on domain-specific modeling (quantitative finance) and retrieval-augmented generation benchmarking, alongside presentations like the LLM Pro Finance Suite and ViDoRe V3, finished with food & drinks. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/ehna1sny?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Day 2026 | France Digitale** | **February 10** | At Station F in Paris, this flagship AI event gathers \~2,000 founders, C-level leaders, investors, researchers, and operators from across Europe. Explore *AI & Research*, *AI & Business*, and *AI & Operations* tracks through high-level talks, hands-on workshops, demos, exhibitions, and structured matchmaking between startups and investors — all under the high patronage of the French President. | [**Get tickets**](https://ai-day.org/ticket/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF)** | **February 12 and 13** | Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes | With more than 10,000 expected participants, 320 international speakers, and 180 exhibitors, the WAICF is the European event dedicated to the innovations and strategic challenges of artificial intelligence. | [**Buy tickets**](https://www.worldaicannes.com/en-gb/book-your-pass.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris Hardware Meetup | The New Defense Stack** | **February 17** | Join Paris-area hardware builders — founders, engineers, designers, and investors — for talks and community networking focused on defense hardware and physical product innovation at Hexa (eFounders) in Paris. Speakers include leaders from Harmattan AI, Helsing, Landroval, and more, with structured talks followed by open mic and networking. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/oq94zfvf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **OpenText Summit Paris 2026** | **April 15 | Palais Brongniart** | AI is everywhere and full of promise — but without contextualized data, governance, and security, AI fails. Join OpenText Summit Paris 2026 to discover how to unlock the intelligence of your enterprise data and activate AI with confidence. Expect visionary keynotes, French customer success stories, real-world use cases, in-depth small-group sessions, live demos, expert meetings, and peer networking. Explore the latest innovations in content management, cybersecurity, service management, business networks, and more — and learn how to deploy responsible, compliant AI with full control and freedom of choice. | [**Register**](https://events.opentext.com/paris-summit-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2026** | **July 8–9, 2026 | Carrousel du Louvre, Paris** | Join one of Europe’s most influential AI gatherings bringing together thousands of builders, investors, executives, and innovators to shape the future of artificial intelligence. Learn from global leaders through keynotes, panels, workshops, a hackathon, startup competitions, and high-impact networking — all curated to accelerate AI strategy, investment, and real-world deployment across industries. | [**Tickets**](https://www.raisesummit.com/tickets-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Prenatal Ultrasound, Reinvented: How BrightHeart AI Catches over 95% of Deadly Fetal Heart Defects Before Birth URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/prenatal-ultrasound-reinvented-how-brightheart-ai-catches-90-of-deadly-fetal-heart-defects-before-birth/ Last updated: 2026-02-09T09:10:49.000Z This French startup is turning one of medicine’s hardest screening problems into a routine exam and quietly redefining the standard of care. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire January 26: 13 Companies Raise €249M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-january-26-13-companies-raise-eu249m/ Last updated: 2026-01-26T07:30:55.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: France Plays Defense **Alexandre** Dewez of 20VC released his annual orgy of data on [the French tech ecosystem](https://substack.com/redirect/cf1961e1-6a7a-4907-acd0-99fdff3641ed?j=eyJ1IjoiOGFvb2gifQ.niTs-IM7V-kjP88k0JzyonCQIFlwlYtL4sUHnMsRLVE&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), more than 100 slides to sate your every desire. As usual, it contains too many notable nuggets to neatly summarize. But we're highlighting a couple that caught our eyes. French tech is increasingly funded from abroad. According to the report, 41% of French startups raised money from at least one foreign fund in 2025\. Those rounds accounted for nearly €5bn of the €6.7bn raised overall. With fewer domestic funds able to write big cheques, international investors, especially pan-European and US funds, are stepping in. One of the Big Themes singled out by Dewez: Defense. "France has the key ingredients to become a defense tech powerhouse," he wrote. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/Defense-5.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/EU-Startups-Summit_Main-2-1536x864.png.webp)](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) On May 7-8, Malta will transform into the main meeting point for Europe’s most ambitious founders and investors as we host the 12th edition of the [****EU-Startups Summit**](https://www.eu-startups.com/summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The event will gather around 2,500 founders, startup enthusiasts, corporates, angel investors, VCs, and media from across Europe – all united by a focus on startups with global ambitions. We’ll have two stages, great networking opportunities, workshops, a buzzing exhibition hall, and a super exciting ****Pitch Competition** featuring 15 most promising early-stage startups from across Europe! Each finalist will have three minutes to pitch their idea on the main stage in front of a large audience of investors, media, and startup enthusiasts, followed by questions from our panel of high-profile VC judges. [Apply now ](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: January 23 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/french-tech-funding-wire-infographi_top-sector-jan25.png) 📇 **Company:** Pennylane 🏷️ **Sectors:** Fintech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Pennylane is a unified financial and accounting operating system designed for accounting firms and their SME clients. The platform combines accounting production, financial management, electronic invoicing, and integrated financial services, with a strong focus on collaboration between accountants and business leaders. Founded in 2020, Pennylane positions itself as a sovereign, product-led alternative to legacy accounting software, increasingly powered by AI. 💻 **Website:** [Pennylane](https://www.pennylane.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €175M 🏦 **Investors:** TCV, Blackstone Growth, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, CapitalG, Meritech Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arthur Waller, Tancrède Besnard, Félix Blossier, Thierry Déo, Édouard Mascré, Quentin de Metz 🗞️ **News:** Pennylane has secured a €175M funding round led by **TCV**, with participation from **Blackstone Growth** and all major historical investors. The round was completed with limited dilution and under a strict governance charter guaranteeing founder control, no price increases, and continuity of product strategy. The company is experiencing growth well above initial forecasts, serving more than **6,000 accounting firms** and **800,000 businesses**, with a team of **1,000 employees** and near-term profitability. The funding is primarily strategic, aimed at securing long-term independence, accelerating AI-driven product development, and anticipating consolidation in the European accounting and fintech software market—particularly in light of the upcoming mandatory **electronic invoicing** reforms. Capital will be deployed across four main priorities: building an AI-powered analytical copilot for accountants, localizing the product for European expansion, **ÉdouardGermany**, scaling infrastructure for electronic invoicing as an approved platform, and expanding embedded financial services, such as payments and real-time cash management. Pennylane aims to establish itself as the **European leader in financial and accounting operating systems** for SMEs and their advisors. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/sequoia-backed-french-accounting-unicorn-pennylane-secures-e175-million-as-it-approaches-profitability/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-33.png) 📇 **Company:** Stoïk 🏷️ **Sectors:** Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Stoïk is a European cyber insurtech combining cyber insurance, proactive security software, and 24/7 incident response into a single integrated offering. Founded in 2021, the company targets SMEs and mid-sized enterprises (up to €1bn in revenue) with an AI-powered, full-stack cyber risk model covering prevention, detection, insurance coverage, and post-incident recovery. Stoïk positions itself as the “CISO of Europe,” embedding cybersecurity operations directly into insurance products. 💻 **Website:** [Stoik](https://www.stoik.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20M 🏦 **Investors:** Impala, Opera Tech Ventures, Alven, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jules Veyrat, Alexandre Andreini, Nicolas Sayer, Philippe Mangematin 🗞️ **News:** Stoïk has raised a €20M Series C to accelerate its European expansion and deepen its proprietary AI-driven cyber prevention, detection, and incident response capabilities. The company now insures over 10,000 businesses across six European countries and generated nearly €50M in gross written premiums in 2025, with over 200% year-on-year growth. The round follows four prior fundraises in five years and will support scaling to 200 employees, reinforcing Stoïk’s ambition to become a continent-wide cyber risk operating partner rather than a pure insurance provider. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stoik-ciso-20m-euros/) --- 📇 **Company:** ErVimmune 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** ErVimmune is a Lyon-based immuno-oncology biotech developing off-the-shelf cancer vaccines and cell therapies targeting so-called “cold tumors” that do not respond to current immunotherapies. The company leverages proprietary antigen discovery based on human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) to create shared, non-personalised vaccines designed for broad patient populations. Its lead candidate, **ErVac01**, targets major unmet needs, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and ovarian cancer. 💻 **Website:** [ErVimmune](https://associates.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6601069e6acdb5a102b244827&id=e189a5cfef&e=60aa26858e&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €17 million 🏦 **Investors:** Seventure Partners, SPRIM Global Investments, Bpifrance, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders & Leadership:** Stéphane Depil, Nathalie Donne, Eric Halioua 🗞️ **News:** ErVimmune announced the first closing of its €17M Series A to advance its lead cancer vaccine **ErVac01** into first-in-human clinical trials. Founded in 2019 as a spin-off from Centre Léon Bérard, the company focuses on HERV-derived tumor antigens that mimic viral proteins, making them highly visible to the immune system. Unlike personalised therapies, ErVac01 is designed as a ready-to-use vaccine covering the majority of global HLA alleles (>95% in Europe, >80% in Asia). The funding will support clinical development in TNBC and ovarian cancer, strengthen governance, and validate ErVimmune’s broader HERV-based therapeutic platform. The round remains open to additional investors as the company enters a pivotal clinical and value-creation phase within a strong European oncology funding environment. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/french-biotech-company-ervimmune-raises-e17-million-to-tackle-hard-to-treat-cancers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Symbiotic Security 🏷️ **Sectors:** Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Symbiotic Security is building the world’s first AI code generation agent designed to produce **secure code only**. Its flagship product, **Symbiotic Code**, embeds security directly into the code generation process through enforced prehooks, automated verification, and agentic remediation — eliminating security debt at the moment code is written. Model-agnostic by design, the platform supports leading LLMs across cloud and on-prem environments, enabling enterprises to scale AI-driven development without compromising security. 💻 **Website:** Symbiotic Security 📍 **HQ City:** New York City, Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $10M 🏦 **Investors:** Alven, Drysdale Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Axeleo Capital, Factorial Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jérôme Robert, Édouard Viot 🗞️ **News:** Symbiotic Security announced the launch of **Symbiotic Code**, the first secure-by-design AI code generation agent, alongside a $10M Seed round led by Alven. The platform addresses a growing enterprise risk as AI-generated code — now used by \~75% of developers — is shown by academic research to contain vulnerabilities in up to 90% of cases. Funding will support product acceleration, go-to-market expansion, and the commercial rollout ahead of a full launch in March. Prominent angels include Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face) and Julien Launay (Adaptive ML). | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/symbiotic-security-raises-10m?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/symbiotic-security%5Fintroducing-symbiotic-code-activity-7420091631623917568-elfT?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI), [**Blog post**](https://www.symbioticsec.ai/blog/introducing-symbiotic-code-secure-ai-code-generation-backed-by-10m-from-top-investors?utm%5Fcampaign=35471491-Symbiotic%20Security%20Raises%20%2410M%20to%20Secure%20the%20Future%20of%20AI%20Code%20Generation&utm%5Fsource=linkedin&utm%5Fmedium=social) --- 📇 **Company:** Eclaircie 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech & Energy, AgriTech & FoodTech 🔍 **Description:** Eclaircie is a Lorient-based developer and installer of agricultural photovoltaic power plants, specializing in rooftop solar installations ranging from 100 to 500 kWc. The company designs, finances, builds, and operates solar-equipped agricultural buildings, supporting farm modernization while enabling long-term renewable energy production. 💻 **Website:** [**Eclaircie**](https://eclaircie-energies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lorient 🧗 **Round:** Crowdfunding 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6.9M 🏦 **Investors:** Arkéa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels (ABEI), Enerfip 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas Bergeron 🗞️ **News:** Founded less than two years ago, Eclaircie has completed its first major financing operation, securing €6.9M to launch its initial photovoltaic construction program, **Caliaco 1**. The financing combines senior debt from **Arkéa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels** with participatory financing raised via **Enerfip**. The funding will support the construction of **17 rooftop solar plants** across agricultural sites in western France, representing an initial targeted capacity of **5.8 MW**. The projects involve newly built farm structures or refurbished roofs on existing buildings, which are leased by Eclaircie. The solar installations will be operated for **30 years**, after which ownership will fully transfer to the farmers. All projects have secured building permits and grid connection approvals, with construction expected to begin within the coming weeks. The company, which employs around a dozen people, aims to build a stable, recurring-revenue model and is already considering a refinancing of its bank debt by **2029**, highlighting the robustness of its projects amid a highly selective financing environment. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/bretagne/eclaircie-pare-pour-demarrer-ses-chantiers-photovoltaiques-2210767?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** The Sanctuary Group 🏷️ **Sectors:** E-commerce & Retail 🔍 **Description:** The Sanctuary Group is a French studio-based fitness platform operating discipline-specific, immersive sports studios. As a holding company, it brings together several branded concepts—such as **Le Cercle** (boxing), **Poses** (yoga), and **Decibel** (dance)—each focused on a single practice, with curated coaching, scheduled sessions, and immersive environments combining music, lighting, and scenography. 💻 **Website:** [The Sanctuary Group](https://www.thesanctuary-group.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Blast, Seventure Partners, M Capital, Smalt Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Renaud Nataf, Alexandre Wilhem 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2013, The Sanctuary Group has closed a €4.7M funding round led by **Blast**, the private investment club founded by entrepreneur Anthony Bourbon. Existing investors **Seventure Partners**, **M Capital**, and **Smalt Capital** also participated, renewing their support following an initial investment in 2023\. The funds will be used to accelerate the rollout of the group’s studio concepts across France and internationally, expand its network, and launch a selective franchise model. The company currently operates **15 studios** in Paris and Île-de-France, with additional locations in **Strasbourg, Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, Geneva, and Barcelona**, and reports **600,000 visits per year**. In 2025, The Sanctuary Group generated **€10M in revenue**. Franchise openings are expected to begin in Q1, with initial projects already underway in **Lyon** and **Levallois**, ahead of broader European expansion. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/12/the-sanctuary-group-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-deployer-ses-studios-de-sport-partout-en-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Neo Xperiences 🏷️ **Sectors:** E-commerce & Retail 🔍 **Description:** Neo Xperiences is a French technology scale-up specializing in immersive and interactive leisure experiences. Its proprietary technology turns any wall into an interactive play surface, combining physical activity, gaming, and phygital experiences. Initially focused on indoor entertainment, the company is now expanding into health and rehabilitation use cases, including deployments in nursing homes and specialized care facilities, supported by scientific research. 💻 **Website:** [Neo Xperiences](https://www.neoxperiences.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Caen 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.6M 🏦 **Investors:** Go Capital, Bpifrance, Normandy Development Agency 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Boris Courté 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2018, Neo Xperiences has raised €3.6M to accelerate its expansion in France and internationally across the indoor leisure market, including amusement parks, sports centers, tourism complexes, and cultural venues. The funding will support product industrialization, increased R&D investment, and team expansion, with plans to hire 30 additional employees by 2028\. The company reports more than 15 million players and over 500 interactive screens deployed across 40 countries on five continents. Neo Xperiences has also gained international recognition through high-profile projects such as a custom immersive attraction developed for MrBeast’s Beastland park in Riyadh. Backed by strong post-pandemic growth in indoor leisure and active entertainment, the company targets annual revenue doubling and a tenfold increase by 2028\. | [**AFJV**](https://afjv.com/news/11894%5Fjeu-video-activite-physique-neo-xperiences-levee-fonds.htm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-32.png) 📇 Company: Anodine 🏷️ Sectors: DeepTech, CleanTech & Energy 🔍 Description: Anodine is a Grenoble-based industrial deeptech startup developing rechargeable catalytic coatings for mixed metal oxide (MMO) electrodes used in electrolysis systems. Originating from more than ten years of academic research at Université Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, the company has developed a patented technology that reduces the use of critical metals by over 50% while enabling electrode reuse and recharging. Its process supports eco-design, circularity, and the relocalization of a strategic industrial know-how currently dominated by international players. 💻 Website: Anodine 📍 HQ City: Grenoble 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5M 🏦 Investors: Sowefund, Grenoble Angels, Business Angels, Bpifrance, Banque Populaire Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Crédit Agricole Sud Rhône Alpes, SATT Linksium 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Damien Mouchel dit Leguerrier 🗞️ News: Anodine has raised €2.5M to prepare its industrial scale-up phase and accelerate commercial deployment. The round was led by Sowefund and Grenoble Angels alongside private business angels, with additional backing from public and regional financial partners. Founded in 2024 and incubated by SATT Linksium, Anodine is industrializing a proprietary dip-coating process combined with frugal formulations and a removable electrode connection system, enabling up to 100% rechargeability. The technology targets strategic applications including water treatment systems, salt electrolysis, nuclear infrastructure, and PFAS depollution, while significantly reducing dependence on critical metals such as ruthenium and reinforcing European industrial sovereignty. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/anodine%5Fanodine-annonce-une-lev%C3%A9e-de-fonds-de-25-ugcPost-7417583281937973248-4kEY?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-34.png) 📇 **Company:** Notom 🧭 **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Notom is a French industrial software startup developing a platform that modernizes legacy factory automation systems without replacing existing machines. Its solution connects industrial equipment to modern IT systems, enabling data exploitation and gradual integration of AI to improve production efficiency. 💻 **Website:** [**Notom**](https://notom.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Ouen 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** SistaFund, Kima Ventures, Olympe Capital, Business Angels, Aude Guo 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paola Fedou, Jean-Philippe Gross 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2025 by former Innovafeed engineers, Notom has raised €2M just months after launch to accelerate development of its industrial automation software. The funding will support product development, expansion of its technical team, and deployment with early industrial clients—primarily in the agri-food sector. Notom targets both SMEs and large industrial groups, positioning itself as a key enabler of AI adoption in factories by upgrading legacy systems without costly equipment replacement. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/21/des-ex-dinnovafeed-levent-2-millions-deuros-pour-mettre-de-lia-dans-les-usines/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Windcoop 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech & Energy 🔍 **Description:** Windcoop is a Lorient-based maritime cooperative structured as a *Société Coopérative d’Intérêt Collectif (SCIC)*, developing low-carbon maritime freight services powered by wind propulsion. The cooperative brings together citizens, companies, and partners under a shared-governance model applied to container shipping. 💻 **Website:** [Windcoop](https://www.wind.coop/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lorient 🧗 **Round:** Crowdfunding 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Crowdfunding 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alice de Cointet de Fillain, Matthieu Brunet-Kimmel, Nils Joyeux-Zylberman, Francois Harary, Victor Depoers, Julien Noe, Amaury Bolvin, Louise Chopinet 🗞️ **News:** Windcoop closed its third citizen funding round on December 31, 2025, significantly exceeding its €500k target by raising €1.4M. Since its creation in 2022, the cooperative has raised a total of €7.7M. The funding coincides with the start of construction of its first wind-powered container ship, *Miaraka*, at RMK Marine shipyard in Turkey, where the first steel cut took place on December 19\. The 91-meter vessel, equipped with 1,500 m² of sails, is designed to operate a direct shipping route between France and Madagascar starting in summer 2027, with a 30-day transit time and an estimated 60% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional maritime transport. The funds will support final vessel financing and preparation for commercial operations. | [**Mer et Marine**](https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/marine-marchande/windcoop-collecte-14-million-d-euros-lors-de-sa-troisieme-levee-de-fonds?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** checkDPE 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech & Energy, AI & Machine Learning, PropTech & Real Estate 🔍 **Description:** checkDPE is a digital platform designed to improve the reliability and usability of the Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique (DPE), a key regulatory metric impacting real estate value and compliance in France and Europe. The solution analyzes the quality of existing DPEs, simulates post-renovation energy performance, and helps quantify, prioritize, and manage renovation actions through an intuitive dashboard. Built on proprietary AI modules, checkDPE aims to become the reference tool for accelerating residential energy renovation for both individuals (B2C) and professionals (B2B), including real estate agencies, property managers, renovation players, and banks. 💻 **Website:** [checkDPE](https://checkdpe.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2M 🏦 **Investors:** Demea Sustainable Investment, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emmanuel Blanchet, Germain Blanchet 🗞️ **News:** checkDPE has raised €1.2M in a funding round led by Demea Sustainable Investment through its newly launched IAM fund, dedicated to climate adaptation and mitigation technologies. The capital will be used to deploy the platform to the general public, initiate B2B market entry, strengthen teams, and accelerate product development. Positioned at the intersection of regulation, AI, and energy efficiency, checkDPE targets a multi-billion-euro renovation market driven by tightening climate regulations and carbon-neutrality objectives in France and across Europe. | [**Demea**](https://demeter-im.com/2026/01/15/checkdpe-leve-12-me-aupres-de-demea-sustainable-investment/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AI Verse 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** AI Verse is a deeptech company specialising in the generation of high-fidelity synthetic datasets for training computer vision models. Its proprietary platform procedurally creates fully annotated, photorealistic image datasets with pixel-level precision and full control over scenes, objects, and conditions. Designed for environments where real-world data is scarce, costly, or impossible to collect, AI Verse serves mission-critical use cases across autonomous systems, robotics, defence, smart cities, and industrial inspection. The platform is available in SaaS and on-premise deployments to meet strict confidentiality, performance, and security requirements. 💻 **Website:** [**AI Verse**](https://ai-verse.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Biot 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** Supernova Invest, Creazur, Innovacom, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benoît Morisset, Arnauld Lamorlette 🗞️ **News:** AI Verse has completed a strategic fundraising round advised by Avolta to support its next phase of growth. The funding will be used to strengthen technical, product, and commercial teams, accelerate platform deployment, and support international expansion across defence, robotics, industrial inspection, and other safety-critical AI applications. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-ai-verse-la-start-up-dia-qui-monte-dans-lindustrie-de-la-defense-2210369?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-37.png) 📇 **Company:** Obside 🏷️ **Sectors:** Fintech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Obside is a French fintech platform that democratizes automated trading by allowing users to create and execute algorithmic trading strategies using natural language—either typed or spoken. Instead of coding or configuring complex parameters, users simply describe their intent (e.g. “buy if this stock drops for three consecutive days”), and Obside’s multi-agent AI system translates it into executable logic across financial markets. The platform supports lightning-fast backtesting, an AI trading playground, and automation across stocks, forex, and crypto, with predictive markets planned next. Founded in 2018, Obside’s mission is to remove technical barriers and make market automation accessible to anyone. 💻 **Website:** [**Obside**](https://obside.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Laval 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €500K 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thibaud Sultan, Benjamin Sultan, Florent Poux 🗞️ **News:** Obside has raised €500K from private investors, bringing total seed funding to €515K and valuing the company at €2.5M. The funds will be used to expand the engineering team and accelerate international growth. Positioning itself as the first platform to convert plain-language instructions into executable trading actions via a multi-agent AI architecture, Obside aims to fundamentally break the automation barrier in financial markets—unlocking a level of accessibility and flexibility previously reserved for hedge funds and professional trading desks. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/obside-raises-eu500k-automated-trading/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** --- # Other Funding The French government announced the five winners of the **FASEP 2025 call for projects dedicated to digital infrastructure**, unveiled on 19 January 2026 at Bercy by Minister Anne Le Hénanff. Launched in summer 2025, this call marks the **first time the FASEP programme has focused specifically on the digital sector**, reflecting the strategic importance of digital infrastructure for technological sovereignty, public service modernisation, and digital inclusion in partner countries. With a total budget of **€2.5 million**, the program supports mainly **French SMEs and specialized infrastructure players** in deploying innovative digital solutions abroad. The selected projects span the full digital infrastructure value chain—from cloud and high-speed networks to satellites, cybersecurity, and data-driven infrastructure monitoring—and are largely focused on **African countries**, with one project in Southeast Asia. Together, the projects aim to reduce the digital divide, strengthen digital sovereignty, and showcase French technological expertise internationally. ### FASEP 2025 Digital Infrastructure Winners - **Qualisteo:** Improving the performance of drinking water plant equipment in **Kenya** - **Skynopy & Safran:** Digitisation of an Earth observation antenna for the **Kenya Space Agency** - **EHO Link & AGS:** Deployment of **cybersecurity solutions** in **Côte d’Ivoire** - **Abeeway:** Infrastructure for **riverbank monitoring and flood prevention** in the **Philippines** - **Eutelsat**: **High-speed satellite internet access** for isolated areas in **Côte d’Ivoire** --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Stoïk's Plan To Help CISOs Sleep At Night URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-stoiks-plan-to-help-cisos-sleep-at-night/ Last updated: 2026-01-23T07:00:55.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 As cyber risk becomes a systemic threat to European businesses, Stoïk is scaling a tightly integrated model combining insurance, prevention, and incident response. [**The startup just announced a €20 million funding round it hopes will cement its position as the would-be CISO of Europe.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stoik-ciso-20m-euros/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/EU-Startups-Summit_Main-2-1536x864.png.webp)](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) On May 7-8, Malta will transform into the main meeting point for Europe’s most ambitious founders and investors as we host the 12th edition of the [****EU-Startups Summit**](https://www.eu-startups.com/summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The event will gather around 2,500 founders, startup enthusiasts, corporates, angel investors, VCs, and media from across Europe – all united by a focus on startups with global ambitions. We’ll have two stages, great networking opportunities, workshops, a buzzing exhibition hall, and a super exciting ****Pitch Competition** featuring 15 most promising early-stage startups from across Europe! Each finalist will have three minutes to pitch their idea on the main stage in front of a large audience of investors, media, and startup enthusiasts, followed by questions from our panel of high-profile VC judges. [Apply now ](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/ready-to-pitch-applications-for-the-2026-eu-startups-summit-pitch-competition-are-now-open/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # ⛰️ Davos Mania ⛰️ ⛰️ [**Maddyness reports**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/21/french-tech-a-davos-beaucoup-de-rencontres-peu-de-certitudes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that French Tech’s Davos adventure was a blur of handshakes, side rooms, and lofty promises, made all the more surreal by Emmanuel Macron’s last-minute arrival and a brief presidential pep talk between two flights. “Hold on!" Macron told French entrepreneurs at the World Economic Forum gathering at a shindig at a **Capgemini** event. “Redouble your energy and have the spirit of conquest; the government is on your side.” For the lucky few startups selected, Davos delivered an intense networking jackpot, where a single day could mean chatting with **Yann LeCun**, bumping into CEOs, and finally meeting that elusive supplier. But the buzz was tempered by heavy geopolitical weather, with Donald Trump’s appearance freezing some conversations and reminding everyone how fragile global deal-making can be. ⛰️ **Bpifrance CEO Nicolas Dufourcq** decided diplomacy was overrated and labeled Donald Trump an “overgrown child” in need of calming down after his bombastic Davos performance. Speaking on French TV, Dufourcq urged Europe not to panic in the face of Trump’s tantrum-style negotiating tactics, from Greenland fantasies to tariff threats. His prescription: stay cool, stop acting like scared kids, and remember who’s actually throwing the toys out of the pram. If things spiral, he says, the EU has its own “bazooka” of trade retaliation ready to deploy. It’s a refreshingly blunt take—and one that Trump, famously thin-skinned, is unlikely to frame on the Oval Office wall. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/22/pour-le-patron-de-bpifrance-donald-trump-est-un-enfant-quil-est-temps-de-calmer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛰️ **French AI darling Mistral** says it expects to smash through the €1 billion revenue mark in 2026, a symbolic milestone that cements its status as Europe’s top homegrown AI contender. CEO Arthur Mensch, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, made the projection from Davos, while casually noting that the company will likely spend just as much on chips and infrastructure, because in AI, profit is still very much optional. Fresh off a €1.7 billion funding round valuing it at €11.7 billion, Mistral looks impressive by European standards, even if that revenue is likely the employee snack budget for **OpenAI** and **Anthropic**. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/01/22/french-ai-firm-mistral-predicts-revenue-of-1-billion-in-2026%5F6749706%5F19.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Bloomberg TV**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-01-22/mistral-ceo-china-behind-in-ai-is-a-fairy-tale-video?srnd=phx-technology&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Tech Talk **🎮❌ Ubisoft’s** stock got absolutely obliterated, plunging more than 30% in a single day after the French video game giant warned investors to brace for a roughly €1 billion operating loss in 2025–2026\. The company also admitted it will burn hundreds of millions in cash and won’t see positive free cash flow again until 2029, essentially a multi-year timeout for making new games. This latest wipeout is just another chapter in a brutal saga: the share price is already down over 90% since 2021\. Adding insult to injury, the much-hyped *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is underperforming badly, suggesting that even Ubisoft’s most reliable franchise isn’t saving the day. Investors, unsurprisingly, are hitting “exit game” with enthusiasm. [**La Tribune**](https://archive.is/20260122171616/https://www.latribune.fr/article/banques-finance/industrie-financiere/49510247681425/ubisoft-s-effondre-de-pres-de-30-en-bourse-pourquoi-les-investisseurs-fuient-le-champion-du-jeu-video?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#selection-805.0-901.51) ✂️🏗️ **France 2030 may be heading for… 2029.** Under mounting budget pressure, the government is weighing a potential €1bn cut to the flagship [€54bn France 2030 investment plan](https://www.info.gouv.fr/grand-dossier/france-2030?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), originally designed to back industry, AI, robotics, and deeptech. While officials insist nothing is final, and hope to tap unused funds, the signal is clear: even sacred cows get trimmed. For startups counting on public co-funding, the message is sobering: strategic ambition now comes with tighter purse strings. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/economie-france/budget-fiscalite/budget-2026-vers-une-coupe-massive-des-credits-de-france-2030-2211022?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺💰 Paris and Berlin want Europe to stop exporting its champions. France and Germany are pushing for deep reforms to better fund European scale-ups, from redirecting pension savings toward venture capital to creating a long-discussed “28th legal regime” for startups. The goal is to keep fast-growing tech companies from fleeing to the US capital markets. Yet another reminder that Europe’s real bottleneck isn’t talent, but late-stage money. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/28e-regime-reforme-de-lepargne-retraite-la-france-et-lallemagne-unies-pour-mieux-financer-les-scale-up-europeennes-et-eviter-leur-exil-2210880?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🥊💻 Good news if your 2026 bingo card included Paris startup campus fight.** Paris mayoral hopeful **Emmanuel Grégoire** is betting big on tech credibility by proposing a second Station F that he's dubbing “Station IA” (which, dude, I totally hope you know it's gotta be ***'Station AI'*** if you want to have any street cred outside of French La La land...). **Grégoire** is making the proposal the centerpiece of his campaign to make Paris the capital of “AI for the common good.” Planned for Porte de la Chapelle, the hub would mix startup incubation, public-sector datasets, training programs, and civic-minded AI experimentation, all while pointedly positioning itself as the anti–Silicon Valley. Which, the director of the current Station F, one ***Roxanne Varza***, was like, hey, that's totally flattering and all, but maybe one Station F is enough? "However, we are not sure that it is what the ecosystem needs. We believe that it would be more beneficial to reinforce existing ecosystem players. Plus, where are you going to find another Xavier? 🤗," she wrote on [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7420151125946867712/v?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/21/emmanuel-gregoire-veut-un-deuxieme-station-f-a-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👓🤯 Someone apparently forgot to tell **French startup** [**Lynx**](https://www.lynx-r.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and **CEO Stan Larroque** that VR/AR is dead. The company is back with the Lynx-R2, a beefed-up mixed-reality headset aimed squarely at enterprises and prosumers who still believe AR glasses might finally matter. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-35-1.png) With a wider field of view, sharper displays, a faster Snapdragon chip, and an unusually open-source philosophy, R2 positions itself as the serious, sovereign alternative to Meta’s wobbling Reality Labs. Its timing is notable: as Big Tech cuts staff and hype cycles wobble, the AR/VR market is suddenly buzzing again with niche but real use cases—from surgery and logistics to mobile office work and gaming. Still, the industry’s decade-long curse remains: great demos, unclear mass demand, and the persistent social risk of looking ridiculous in public. Lynx is betting that B2B credibility, AI agents, and “not being Meta” might finally break the spell. | [**Road To VR**](https://www.roadtovr.com/lynx-r2-headset-revealed-with-surprisingly-wide-field-of-view-in-a-tiny-package/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#google%5Fvignette), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davidnahon%5Flynx-r2-keynote-announcement-21012026-activity-7420037925150539776-JUn%5F/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Twitter**](https://x.com/stanlarroque/status/2014050733562232968?s=20&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌍💰**African tech** funding rebounded strongly in 2025, with startups raising a combined US$4.1 billion in equity and debt, marking the ecosystem’s best year since 2022, according to Partech’s latest Africa Tech VC report. The standout trend was debt financing, which hit a record US$1.6 billion and now represents 41% of total capital raised, while equity funding proved resilient at US$2.4 billion, supported by a recovery at Series A and B. Kenya led the continent in total funding, driven largely by large debt rounds, while South Africa reclaimed leadership in equity funding and deal count for the first time since 2017\. The report also highlights a meaningful diversification beyond fintech, with cleantech, healthtech, and enterprise each surpassing US$200 million in equity funding. Based partly on confidential disclosures covering nearly half of all deals, the data points to a more mature, balanced, and increasingly self-directed African tech ecosystem. | [**Partech**](https://partechpartners.com/africa-reports/2025-africa-tech-venture-capital-report?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🍏📱 **Apple 1 – Adtech 0 (for now).** France’s judiciary has declined to force Apple to suspend **App Tracking Transparency (ATT)**, despite mounting pressure from advertisers and publishers who see the system as a market distortion. Introduced in 2021 under the banner of user privacy, ATT requires explicit consent before apps can track users, a move that reshaped mobile advertising economics overnight. While antitrust authorities continue to circle, the Paris court has granted Apple a reprieve, allowing the mechanism to stay in place. Privacy sells, ads suffer, and the legal clock keeps ticking. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/publicite-en-ligne-la-justice-francaise-ne-contraint-pas-apple-a-suspendre-le-mecanisme-att-2210808?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️⚖️ Nuclear dreams don’t always melt down quietly. French nuclear startup **Naarea**, once a poster child of the State-backed SMR/AMR push, has just been *forcibly* taken over by Polish-Luxembourg group **Eneris** — despite Eneris trying to walk away at the very last minute. France’s commercial court stepped in, ordering the takeover to preserve around 100 jobs, brushing aside Eneris’ late procedural U-turn. Founded in 2020, Naarea was developing mini molten-salt reactors designed to reuse spent uranium and decarbonize the industry. A reminder that in deeptech, sovereignty, jobs and justice sometimes outweigh investor hesitation. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/20/nucleaire-eneris-debranche-naarea/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧠🔐 France has quantum talent. Switzerland has the cheque book. Grenoble-based **Quobly**, a quantum computing startup born out of CEA–CNRS research, has entered exclusive talks to join Swiss cybersecurity group **SealSQ** in a deal that could reach **$200 million**. The first step: a $40m recapitalization, with majority control in sight. But first up: approval is needed by the French Ministry of the Economy. Quobly’s silicon-based approach promises cheaper, scalable quantum machines, neatly slotting into SealSQ’s “post-quantum security” ambitions. A familiar story: world-class French science, global buyers, and strategic tech once again under Bercy’s microscope. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/quantique-la-start-up-quobly-en-negociation-exclusive-pour-rejoindre-le-groupe-suisse-sealsq-2210362?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # Becoming Europe’s "CISO”: How Stoïk Plans to Use Its €20M Series C [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-36.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stoik-ciso-20m-euros/) Founded in 2021 by [Jules Veyrat](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-veyrat/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Alexandre Andreini](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandre-andreini-9050a1130/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Nicolas Sayer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolassayer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and[ Philippe Mangematin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippe-mangematin-a4863a4/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Stoïk positions itself as a European cyber insurance specialist for companies with revenues of up to €1 billion, but with products explicitly designed for SMEs and mid-sized businesses. “Cyber risk is massive for SMEs, yet most products were historically built for large enterprises,” explains Jules Veyrat, CEO and co-founder. “What struck us early on was how many companies simply disappear after a cyberattack and how little we hear about them.” Rather than treating insurance and cybersecurity as separate verticals, Stoïk made an early structural decision: combine the two. [Get the full story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stoik-ciso-20m-euros/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Pennylane 🏷️ **Sectors:** Fintech, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Pennylane is a unified financial and accounting operating system designed for accounting firms and their SME clients. The platform combines accounting production, financial management, electronic invoicing, and integrated financial services, with a strong focus on collaboration between accountants and business leaders. Founded in 2020, Pennylane positions itself as a sovereign, product-led alternative to legacy accounting software, increasingly powered by AI. 💻 **Website:** [Pennylane](https://www.pennylane.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €175M 🏦 **Investors:** TCV, Blackstone Growth, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, CapitalG, Meritech Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arthur Waller (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Pennylane has secured a €175M funding round led by **TCV**, with participation from **Blackstone Growth** and all major historical investors. The round was completed with limited dilution and under a strict governance charter guaranteeing founder control, no price increases, and continuity of product strategy. The company is experiencing growth well above initial forecasts, serving more than **6,000 accounting firms** and **800,000 businesses**, with a team of **1,000 employees** and near-term profitability. The funding is primarily strategic, aimed at securing long-term independence, accelerating AI-driven product development, and anticipating consolidation in the European accounting and fintech software market—particularly in light of the upcoming mandatory **electronic invoicing** reforms. Capital will be deployed across four main priorities: building an AI-powered analytical copilot for accountants, localizing the product for European expansion, starting with **Germany**, scaling infrastructure for electronic invoicing as an approved platform, and expanding embedded financial services such as payments and real-time cash management. Pennylane aims to establish itself as the **European leader in financial and accounting operating systems** for SMEs and their advisors. --- 📇 **Company:** ErVimmune 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** ErVimmune is a Lyon-based immuno-oncology biotech developing off-the-shelf cancer vaccines and cell therapies targeting so-called “cold tumors” that do not respond to current immunotherapies. The company leverages proprietary antigen discovery based on human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) to create shared, non-personalised vaccines designed for broad patient populations. Its lead candidate, **ErVac01**, targets major unmet needs, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and ovarian cancer. 💻 **Website:** [ErVimmune](https://associates.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6601069e6acdb5a102b244827&id=e189a5cfef&e=60aa26858e&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €17 million 🏦 **Investors:** Seventure Partners, SPRIM Global Investments, Bpifrance, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders & Leadership:** Prof. Stéphane Depil, MD, PhD, Nathalie Donne, EMBA CEO, Eric Halioua – Executive Chairman (appointed alongside the Series A) 🗞️ **News:** ErVimmune announced the first closing of its €17M Series A to advance its lead cancer vaccine **ErVac01** into first-in-human clinical trials. Founded in 2019 as a spin-off from Centre Léon Bérard, the company focuses on HERV-derived tumor antigens that mimic viral proteins, making them highly visible to the immune system. Unlike personalised therapies, ErVac01 is designed as a ready-to-use vaccine covering the majority of global HLA alleles (>95% in Europe, >80% in Asia). The funding will support clinical development in TNBC and ovarian cancer, strengthen governance, and validate ErVimmune’s broader HERV-based therapeutic platform. The round remains open to additional investors as the company enters a pivotal clinical and value-creation phase within a strong European oncology funding environment. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/french-biotech-company-ervimmune-raises-e17-million-to-tackle-hard-to-treat-cancers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Becoming Europe’s "CISO”: Stoïk's €20M Series C plan URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/stoik-ciso-20m-euros/ Last updated: 2026-01-23T09:46:20.000Z As cyber risk becomes a systemic threat to European businesses, Stoïk is scaling a tightly integrated model combining insurance, prevention and incident response. The startup just announced a €20 million funding round it hopes will cement its position as the would-be CISO of Europe. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #60: French AI Strike Force Invades Davos URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-60-french-ai-strike-force-invades-davos/ Last updated: 2026-01-21T09:43:58.000Z 🧠 As President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Davos with one of France’s largest-ever tech delegations, Paris set out to prove it can anchor Europe’s AI ambitions by blending industrial scale, startup dynamism, and a sovereign vision to challenge US and Chinese dominance. [Read our coverage here.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-brings-ai-firepower-davos-amid-rising-transatlantic-tensions/) [Get more details on the French tech Davos delegation at our interactive graphic](https://france-ai-davos.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines **🗞️** **Pennylane** just bagged a hefty €175 million to cement its ambitions of becoming Europe’s go-to financial and accounting operating system and to pour even more fuel on its AI engine. The round was led by TCV, with Blackstone Growth and loyal backers like Sequoia and DST Global piling in, all swearing allegiance to a founder-first charter that promises no price hikes, no product U-turns, and no meddling in governance. Notably, this isn’t a cash-burn rescue mission: Pennylane says it was already nearing profitability and simply spotted a strategically irresistible moment. The company now serves 6,000 accounting firms and 800,000 businesses, and employs 1,000 people, and is growing faster than expected—always a nice problem to have. The new capital will bankroll an AI-powered “copilot” for accountants, prep the company for European market consolidation, and smooth the looming rollout of mandatory e-invoicing. Expansion starts with Germany, because nothing says confidence like tackling another country’s regulations head-on. CEO Arthur Waller discussed his vision for the company with us last year, including how those new invoicing regulations and AI could catalyze the company's ambitions. [How Pennylane Plans To Become France’s Accounting SuperheroRiding a new round of funding at a €2bn valuation, the 5-year-old fintech has already seen rapid growth. CEO Arthur Waller explains how new invoicing regulations and AI could catalyze the company’s ambitions.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-85.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17--2025--11_07_00-PM-2.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/) **🗞️ Ursula von der Leyen unveils “EU Inc.” at Davos**. On **20 January 2026**, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, **Ursula von der Leyen** announced a long-awaited move for Europe’s founders: the creation of [**“EU Inc.”**](https://www.eu-inc.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The program aims to introduce a single European company structure**, with one simple rulebook applied across the EU. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-20-at-22.16.48.png) Where is my EU Inc. baseball hat? They told me there would be hats. Founders would be able to register a company in any member state within 48 hours, fully online. "Ultimately, we need a system where companies can do business and raise financing seamlessly across Europe – just as easily as in uniform markets like the US or China," she said. "If we get this right – and if we move fast enough – this will not only help EU companies grow. But it will attract investment from across the world." |[**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eu-inc%5Fdear-eu-inc-community-earlier-today-in-activity-7419346852199710721-YLBF?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAUKLzABMJOJvDn0SgtXmFAlaJPxYO3raLE)**,** [**EC**](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech%5F26%5F150?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Another Ami(go) for AMI.** *Ça y est.* **Laurent Solly** has (finally) confirmed his move from **Meta** to **Yann LeCun’s much-hyped AI startup, AMI**. The former head of Meta Europe joins the venture as it bets on **“world models,”** \- AI designed to understand and predict the **physical world**, not just autocomplete text like today’s LLMs. As a reminder, AMI is reportedly raising **$500m at a $3bn valuation**, and has already attracted heavyweight talent, including **Alexandre Lebrun** (ex-Nabla) and around **30 recruits from Meta, Google, and OpenAI**. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-le-nouveau-job-de-laurent-solly-des-chiffres-de-shares-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2209849?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/01/16/yann-le-cun-pourquoi-je-quitte-meta-pour-creer-ma-start-up-d-ia%5F6662500%5F3234.html?search-type=classic&ise%5Fclick%5Frank=4&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Airbus recruits Chinese humanoid Walker S2s to its production lines.** Because apparently, human workers swapping batteries is *so* 2025\. The Walker S2 can lift 15 kg, make 3D maps, and – plot twist! – replace its own battery without whining. No word yet on how many bots will join the fleet or when. They like suspense. UBTech isn’t new to the corporate robot party: BYD, Foxconn, and Texas Instruments already host its humanoids. Autonomy, efficiency, zero drama....sorry, humans, your lunch breaks are officially obsolete. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/robotique/robots-humanoides-airbus-va-tester-les-walker-s2-du-chinois-ubtech-sur-ses-sites-de-production-aeronautique.HBUPSU6S2NALDMU35FVSNWDNDA.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The French Army just tested **Hermione**, a hydrogen-powered unmanned ground vehicle, at Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan under the Pendragon framework. It's another step toward an AI-directed combat unit by 2027\. Built by Poland’s P.H.U. Lechmar and France’s H2X-Defense, Hermione's hybrid hydrogen fuel cell + 25 kWh battery delivers \~20 hours of endurance and a 3-minute refuel, tackling robotics’ energy bottleneck head-on. Trials focused on autonomy, unit-level integration, and logistics by pairing UGVs with tethered drones and mobile power nodes like **H2X’s G-15/050**. |[**Fuel Cells Work**](https://fuelcellsworks.com/2026/01/16/energy-innovation/french-army-tests-hydrogen-powered-hermione-ugv-to-build-its-first-ai-led-combat-unit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#google%5Fvignette) 🗞️ **French Navy orders six VSR700 drones from Airbus Helicopters & Naval Group** with entry into service from 2028\. The VSR700 carries radar, EO sensors, and AIS, and integrates directly into ship systems via Naval Group’s Steeris® Mission System. Derived from the crewed Cabri G2, it’s meant to act as a force multiplier alongside manned helicopters, not a replacement -core to Airbus’s HTeaming concept. Airbus CEO Bruno Even stressed serial production with full aeronautical safety and **French operational sovereignty**. Versatile by design (ISR, logistics, armed recon - even firefighting), the real test now is integration and competition from rivals like Leonardo. | [**ePlane AI**](https://www.eplaneai.com/news/france-orders-airbus-vsr700-uncrewed-aerial-vehicle?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Bordeaux plans €3bn AI supercampus to boost digital sovereignty.** **BXIA**, a **€3bn privately funded AI and data center campus, is** aimed at reclaiming **French and European digital sovereignty**. Financed by **Osae Partners**, the project will host secure data centres where strategic French firms can **train AI models locally**, with the first building expected in **2028**. Built on an already artificialised site, BXIA promises **eco-designed infrastructure**, heat reuse, and low-impact cooling. Local officials hail the project as an economic engine that will create 2,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent roles. It's the latest signal that AI infrastructure is now a geopolitical issue. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/bordeaux/a-bordeaux-un-projet-a-3-milliards-d-euros-pour-faire-basculer-la-ville-dans-l-ere-de-l-ia-20260120?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Société Générale drops SecureGPT, switches to Microsoft Copilot**. Rising costs and a widening performance gap with market-leading models proved too expensive to close. SecureGPT was meant to be the holy grail for a regulated bank: proprietary data, tight compliance, full control. Instead, pragmatism won, echoing a broader **“make vs buy” pivot** now seen at firms like KPMG. The move deepens reliance on non-European AI vendors and reopens uncomfortable questions around **data protection and AI sovereignty.** | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/banque/societe-generale/societe-generale-abandonne-son-ia-maison-au-profit-de-microsoft-copilot.6YIPRRZUTFATZFGLEVBTCY5EBQ.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Direct Industry**](https://emag.directindustry.com/2026/01/16/societe-generale-generative-ai-make-or-buy-microsoft-copilot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Capgemini plans up to 2,400 job cuts in France as AI reshapes activity.** Capgemini will cut around 7% of its local workforce via internal redeployment and voluntary departures. The group cites a **slowdown in French activity** and the need to adapt to **AI-driven technological shifts** as key drivers of the restructuring. French revenues fell **5% in H1 2025** and **4.7% in Q3**, hit by weaker demand in industry and consumer sectors. Employees will be offered retraining toward **“future-facing, AI-related roles”** or voluntary exit schemes, with negotiations now underway. A reminder that AI adoption is not just creating new jobs, it’s also actively reshaping legacy service models. | [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-capgemini-pret-a-supprimer-jusqu-a-2-400-postes-99093.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ French executives struggle to find ROI from AI.** According to a **PwC study**, **81% of French companies** say AI has had **no impact on revenue or costs.** That's the highest disappointment rate globally. **Only 12% report the holy grail: both cost reductions and revenue growth**. PwC warns the issue isn’t AI itself, but failure to scale: fewer than a quarter of French firms have deployed AI widely, and just 21% use it in sales, marketing, or customer service. Meanwhile, a reality gap persists: 67% of CEOs think their IT is AI-ready, a view not shared by CIOs, citing data quality and technical debt. AI hype is cooling; execution is the real bottleneck. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/services-conseils/cela-na-pour-linstant-aucun-impact-sur-les-revenus-letonnante-conclusion-dune-enquete-sur-les-entreprises-francaises-et-lia-2210553?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-les-dirigeants-francais-peinent-a-trouver-un-roi-a-l-ia-99095.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** A study for France’s **Ministry of Culture** and regulator **Arcom** **warns that generative AI poses major risks to news media**. Chatbots answer users directly, **diverting traffic from news sites without generating revenue.** Local, independent, and regional media are most exposed, even as 80% already use AI in content production.Bottom line: AI boosts productivity, but is quietly hollowing out media economics. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/l-ia-met-en-danger-le-modele-economique-des-medias-alerte-une-etude-20260120?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **Bandcamp just told AI-generated tunes to take a hike.** Humans only, thank you very much. The platform bans songs made entirely or mostly by AI, and impersonating artists is a hard no. Users are now part of the anti-robot policing squad. Meanwhile, Spotify and majors dabble cautiously, proving that compromise sounds better than creativity. Bandcamp’s bold move scores cheers online: apparently, people *do* still like real humans making music. AI fans? Better stick to making your own hits in GarageBand… or not at all. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/ia-generative/la-plateforme-de-musique-bandcamp-bannit-les-morceaux-generes-par-ia.7LJ542C72ZEYXJ6ELO4EXOWR6Q.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AB Tasty merges with Indian rival VWO: $120M revenue, 4,000 clients, and tighter control over your A/B tests.** Europe and the US are in the spotlight, early investors cash out… digital marketing keeps playing musical chairs. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/20/ab-tasty-fusionne-avec-son-rival-indien-vwo/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Orange crowns Colibri and Swish.ai in its Agentic AI Challenge.** Governed, useful AI agents, not wreaking havoc on your ERP. Real-world tests at Orange prove agentic AI is more than hype. Humans are still kinda in charge. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/20/ia-agentique-orange-distingue-les-startups-colibri-et-swish-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- ### 🧠 France Brings AI Firepower to Davos Amid Rising Transatlantic Tensions [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-30.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-brings-ai-firepower-davos-amid-rising-transatlantic-tensions/) Can't touch this. Image: World Economic Forum/Valeriano Di Domenico As the streets of Davos filled with the world's most powerful business and political leaders this week, France arrived with a message: Europe is ready to compete in the artificial intelligence race, and Paris intends to lead the charge. President Emmanuel Macron touched down at the 56th World Economic Forum on Tuesday, January 20, bringing with him one of the largest French technology delegations ever assembled for the annual gathering. The 23 companies tagging along spanned sectors such as AI, quantum computing, space technology, and cleantech. The centerpiece of [France's AI roadshow was the official launch of](https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:7419435674262466560/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)the *Centre Européen pour l'Excellence en IA* (CAIE) in Paris. The center was [announced one year ago](https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/02/world-economic-forum-to-launch-european-centre-for-ai-excellence-in-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and is a partnership between the WEF and VivaTech. [Read more about Frances WEF flex here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-brings-ai-firepower-davos-amid-rising-transatlantic-tensions/) [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-31.png)](https://france-ai-davos.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Get more details on the French tech Davos delegation](https://france-ai-davos.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- **Other Headlines** 🗞️ **How SAP Business AI Enabled This French City to Thrive |** With help from SAP, Antibes has adopted a series of automated, AI-driven processes to meet strict environmental requirements and improve visibility. **|** [**AI Magazine**](https://aimagazine.com/news/how-saps-ai-tech-is-creating-a-sustainable-french-city?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk** | As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### France Brings AI Firepower to Davos Amid Rising Transatlantic Tensions URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-brings-ai-firepower-davos-amid-rising-transatlantic-tensions/ Last updated: 2026-01-21T08:44:52.000Z As President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Davos with one of France’s largest-ever tech delegations, Paris set out to prove it can anchor Europe’s AI ambitions by blending industrial scale, startup dynamism, and a sovereign vision to challenge US and Chinese dominance. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire January 19: Harmattan AI €184M Round Leads 14 Deals For €311.5M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-january-19-harmattan-ai-eu184m-round-leads-14-deals-for-eu311-5m/ Last updated: 2026-01-25T22:39:13.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: 2025 Exit Blues Avolta's [**FrenchTech Trends & Multiples 2025**](https://mailchi.mp/avolta.io/french-tech-trends-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) tracked with most year-end wrap-ups in terms of VC investment numbers for Startup Nation. But the firm also has some Exit Data that reinforces that France's struggles in this domain, alas, remain all too real. The advisory firm reported **408 exit transactions with disclosed exit value declined to €5.3bn.** The number of deals was up, but the value was down, to the "absence of mega-deals this year," according to Avolta. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/Avolta.png) When it comes to exit, France is still playing small ball. Most exits are valued below €50m. International acquirers are capturing 80% of the exit value and 40% of exit volume, according to Avolta. Strategic acquisitions are the most common exits. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/avolta-1.png) Of course, this is hardly a shocker. Late last year, La French Tech Mission launched a national consultation on exits, acknowledging that while the French startup ecosystem has matured, it still struggles with the lack of clear and frequent exit opportunities. French Tech Director Julie Huguet argued that without more visible exits, venture capital recycling slows down and France risks losing key technologies and jobs to non-European buyers. The consultation aims to address a major gap: the lack of data, shared experience, and practical guidance on exits, from preparation to post-acquisition integration. Whether it moves the needle, well... [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: January 17 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-graphic-5.png) --- 📇 **Company:** Harmattan AI 🏷️ **Sectors:** DefenseTech, AI & Machine Learning, Aerospace 🔍 **Description:** Defense technology company developing vertically integrated autonomous systems, including AI-enabled ISR and strike UAVs, layered air-defense solutions, drone interception, electronic warfare platforms, and C2 systems. Harmattan AI focuses on sovereign, controlled autonomy deployed at scale for NATO and allied forces. 💻 **Website:** [www.harmattan.ai](http://www.harmattan.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $200M 🏦 **Investors:** Dassault Aviation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mouad M’Ghari, Martin de Gourcuff, Edouard Rosset 🗞️ **News:** Harmattan AI raised a $200M Series B led by Dassault Aviation as part of a strategic partnership to integrate controlled, sovereign AI into next-generation combat aviation systems. The funding will support global scaling, expansion into new operational domains, and industrial-scale manufacturing of AI-enabled ISR, electronic warfare, and autonomous defense platforms, with applications across Rafale F5 and future UCAS programs. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/harmattan-ai-premiere-licorne-de-defense-de-la-french-tech-2208974?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/dassault-aviation-invests-french-defence-ai-unicorn-harmattan-2026-01-12/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** FineHeart 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** FineHeart is a clinical-stage medical technology company developing next-generation Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs) for advanced heart failure. Its flagship product, FlowMaker®, is the world’s first fully implantable cardiac output accelerator, designed to work in synergy with natural heart contractions while minimizing energy consumption and infection risk. 💻 **Website:** [Fineheart](https://www.fineheart.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €35M 🏦 **Investors:** Groupe Pasteur Mutualité, Groupe Etchart, European Innovation Council, EIB Fund, FH Founders, Lurra, IRDI Capital Investment, Groupe Doliam, NACO, Aquiti Gestion, Galia Gestion, Broadview Ventures, M Capital, UI Investment, Verve Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Mascarell, Dr. Stéphane Garrigue, Dr. Philippe Ritter 🗞️ **News:** FineHeart secured €83M in combined private and public funding to accelerate the clinical and industrial development of its FlowMaker® device and to help structure the European Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMD) sector. The €35M Series C first closing secures €48M in non-dilutive grants from the IPCEI Tech4Cure program, positioning FineHeart as a cornerstone of Europe’s healthcare-sovereignty strategy in advanced implantable cardiology devices. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/insuffisance-cardiaque-fineheart-mobilise-83-millions-deuros-2208328?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-25.png) 📇 **Company:** SunLib 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech & Energy, Fintech 🔍 **Description:** SunLib is a French solar autoconsumption startup offering residential photovoltaic installations through a subscription model, removing upfront investment and credit constraints. The company installs and owns solar panels, allowing households to access clean energy for a monthly fee while accelerating the adoption of distributed solar in France. 💻 **Website:** [**Sunlib**](https://www.sunlib.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Aix-en-Provence 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** Epopée Gestion 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Langlois 🗞️ **News:** Founded just 18 months ago, SunLib raised €25 million in a round fully subscribed by regional investment fund Epopée Gestion, while retaining founder control. The funding follows a €3.2 million seed round in 2024 from business angels that helped validate the model with \~500 customers. SunLib plans to equip 4,000–6,000 additional clients in 2026 and targets 100,000 subscribers representing 1.5 GW of installed capacity by 2030, leveraging bank financing from Bpifrance, Cepac, and Société Générale. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/sunlib-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-democratiser-lautoconsommation-delectricite-solaire-2209770?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Enodia Therapeutics 🏷️ **Sectors**: AI & Machine Learning, HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Develops small-molecule drugs that trigger the degradation of disease-causing proteins as they are being synthesized, using a platform combining proteomics and machine learning. 💻 **Website:** [Enodia Therapeutics](https://www.enodiatx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Elaia; Pfizer Ventures; Bpifrance [Elaia Partners, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/elaia-partners/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Bpifrance, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/bpifrance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Pfizer, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/pfizer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Sambrinvest, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/sambrinvest/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[MACSF, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/macsf/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Investsud, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/investsud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Argobio, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/argobio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Institut Pasteur, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/institut-pasteur/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Wallonie Entreprendre](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/wallonie-entreprendre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Caroline Demangel, Yves Ribeill 🗞️ **News:** Enodia will advance its lead program toward preclinical candidate selection, with ambitions across inflammatory, autoimmune, and viral diseases. | [**Endpoint News**](https://endpoints.news/french-biotech-enodia-gets-e20-7m-aided-by-pfizer-for-protein-degrader-work/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MYCOPHYTO 🏷️ **Sectors:** AgriTech & FoodTech, CleanTech & Energy 🔍 **Description:** MYCOPHYTO is a French pioneer in mycorrhizal biostimulants and soil regeneration, developing nature-inspired solutions that improve crop resilience, water retention, and yields. Leveraging a proprietary R&D platform, protected biobank, and AI-driven formulation adapted to local soil and climate conditions, the company supports farmers’ transition to agroecology while addressing climate-driven stress such as drought. 💻 **Website:** [Mycophyto](https://www.mycophyto.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grasse 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €16M 🏦 **Investors:** Innovacom, BNP Paribas, Bpifrance, CDG Invest, Noshaq, RSI, Crédit Agricole 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Justine Lipuma 🗞️ **News:** The Series A will fund MYCOPHYTO’s international expansion (Spain, Morocco, Benelux, Côte d’Ivoire), the scaling of production through its first manufacturing plant—integrating sustainable technologies under France 2030—and the broader deployment of its mycorrhizal solutions across key segments including market gardening, viticulture, green spaces, and aromatic and medicinal plants. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/mycophyto-finalise-une-levee-de-fonds-de-16-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sa-croissance?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Equitable Earth 🏷️ **Sectors**: AgriTech & FoodTech 🔍 **Description:** Builds a certification platform for nature-based carbon projects focused on transparency, community impact, and ecological integrity. certification standard specializing in nature-based carbon removal projects, particularly afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR). Leveraging advanced remote sensing, data science, and expert-led methodologies, ERS offers one of the fastest certification processes in the market—up to four times quicker than comparable standards—serving project developers and end buyers across more than 20 countries. 💻 **Website:** [Equitable Earth](https://www.eq-earth.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €12.6M 🏦 **Investors:** US family office, AENU, noa, Localglobe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Priscille Raynaud, Thibault Sorret 🗞️ **News:** Equitable Earth secured €5 million in a seed-extension round to scale its certification capacity amid surging demand for nature-based CO₂ removal credits. The funding will support team expansion, particularly within certification, to maintain rapid turnaround times and reliability. EE will also develop new methodologies to certify additional project types, including mangrove and multi-strata agroforestry initiatives, strengthening its role as a key market gateway for transparent, high-integrity carbon removal projects. | [**PR**](https://www.eq-earth.com/blog/equitable-earth-secures-eu12-6m-to-accelerate-certification-of-nature-based-climate-solutions?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Kepplair Evolution 🏷️ **Sectors**: Kepplair Evolution develops a multi-role firefighting aircraft by converting the ATR 72 into a next-generation water bomber, the **KEPPLAIR 72 “Forest Keeper”**. By leveraging an existing aircraft platform, the company cuts time-to-market to three years and significantly reduces development and operating costs. The aircraft is designed for aerial firefighting as well as cargo transport and medical evacuation, addressing the rapidly growing risk of wildfires driven by climate change and the critical shortage of modern firefighting fleets in Europe and globally. 💻 **Website:** [Kepplair Evolution](https://kepplair-evolution.com/en/home-2/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** Groupe AVICO, ORA 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** David Joubert 🗞️ **News:** Kepplair Evolution has successfully closed a €3M ORA round (November 2025) alongside a €2M pre-Series A, including Groupe AVICO, France’s leading aviation broker. The funding supports final design and EASA certification of the KEPPLAIR 72, with first deliveries targeted before the 2027 wildfire season. The project has received strong institutional backing, including a letter of interest from France’s Civil Security authority and official support from national firefighter federations, positioning Kepplair as a strategic player in Europe’s sovereign firefighting and civil protection capabilities. | [**Aerospace Valley**](https://www.aerospace-valley.com/actualites-membres/kepplair-evolution-boucle-une-levee-de-fonds-de-5-meu?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Cementic 🏷️ **Sectors**:HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Develops a nanomaterial for root canal fillings that eliminates 99.99% of lingering bacteria, aiming to reduce post-treatment infections and antibiotic use. 💻 **Website:** [**Cementic**](http://cementic.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** Blast, Business Angels, dental professionals 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samir Raddi 🗞️ **News:** Cementic is preparing to launch clinical trials in French dental clinics, with a U.S. market entry targeted within six months. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/09/cementic-leve-4-millions-deuros-avec-le-soutien-de-blast/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Revox 🏷️ **Sectors:** AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Revox builds a developer-first API that enables reliable, production-grade outbound AI calling at scale. Its platform addresses critical infrastructure challenges that have hindered voice agents in real-world deployments, including voicemail detection, IVR navigation, call drops, latency, and edge-case orchestration. Revox combines low-latency voice models, resilient call orchestration, and self-improving agents with humans-in-the-loop to unlock high-trust, real-world voice AI use cases. 💻 **Website:** [Revox](https://www.getrevox.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $3M 🏦 **Investors:** Seedcamp, Weekend Fund, Drysdale, Purple, OPRTRS CLUB, Firedrop, Kima Ventures, Tiny VC, Business Angels, Stanislas Polu, Gabriel Hubert, Alex Yazdi 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Aric Lasry, Jean-Baptiste de La Fage 🗞️ **News:** Revox raised a $3M pre-seed round led by Seedcamp to scale its voice AI infrastructure platform. Initially focused on the U.S. market, the company targets trust-sensitive, high-impact use cases such as debt collection, lead qualification, and hiring pre-screening. The founding team brings deep agent-building experience from Dust and PLUME (YC), having developed Revox after encountering persistent failures in existing voice AI stacks during prior consulting work. | [**Seedcamp**](https://seedcamp.com/views/seedcamp-leads-3m-funding-round-for-revox-developing-reliable-voice-ai-at-scale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Frenchweb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/revox-le-marketing-automation-sattaque-enfin-au-telephone-la-startup-leve-25-millions-deuros/459660?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Sweetech 🏷️ **Sectors**:HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Develops a fermentation-based process to produce rare sugars used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals, offering a green alternative to synthetic sugar chemistry. 💻 **Website:** [Sweetch](https://sweetech.tech/fr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.25M 🏦 **Investors:** Iron Hands Capital, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Julien Durand, Yannick Malbert 🗞️ **News:** Sweetech will use the funding to support pilot production, customer acquisition, and R&D as it scales its sustainable rare sugar platform. --- 📇 **Company:** Viti-Tunnel 🏷️ **Sectors:** AgriTech & FoodTech, CleanTech & Energy 🔍 **Description:** Viti-Tunnel develops a retractable physical protection system for row crops, designed to shield vineyards and other agricultural productions from climatic hazards while reducing reliance on chemical inputs. Industrialized and cost-optimized, the solution secures yields, preserves farm value, and supports resilient, pesticide-free farming systems. 💻 **Website:** [Viti Tunnel](https://www.viti-tunnel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Le Haillan 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Parnass, Crédit Agricole Aquitaine Expansion, Sowefund, Demea Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Patrick Delmarre 🗞️ **News:** Viti-Tunnel closed a €2M funding round to accelerate commercial rollout in new French wine regions and expand internationally (Europe, U.S., Australia). The capital will also support diversification beyond viticulture into arboriculture, market gardening, red fruits, and agrivoltaics. After two years of industrial scaling and a 40% reduction in production costs, the company has already deployed over 7 km of installations at prestigious estates, including Petrus, Château Lafite Rothschild, and Cognac Hennessy. | [**Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/viti-tunnel-leve-2-millions-deuros-2134280?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Campsider 🏷️ **Sectors:** Recommerce, SportsTech, Circular Economy 🔍 **Description:** Campsider is a curated marketplace for second-hand technical sports equipment, often described as the “Back Market of used bikes and skis.” The platform digitalizes professional sports retailers’ second-hand inventories and manages the full value chain—product qualification, pricing, logistics, delivery, and expert advice—positioning itself as a trusted intermediary for high-performance and safety-critical gear. 💻 **Website:** [Campsider](https://campsider.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Founders Future, 50Partners Impact, Sowefund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thomas Gounot, Arthur Rocle 🗞️ **News:** Nearly profitable on its home market, Campsider raised €1.5M to fund its European expansion, targeting Germany and Italy. With €10M in GMV in 2025 and a network of 600 partner stores (60% outside France), the company plans to reach €17M in revenue by the end of 2026 and €24M by 2027, aiming to become the leading European platform for second-hand technical sports equipment. | [**Groupe Ecomedia**](https://groupe-ecomedia.com/seconde-main-campsider-leve-15-me-pour-se-deployer-a-linternational/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/14/quasi-rentable-campsider-prepare-sa-conquete-europeenne/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-23.png) 📇 **Company:** Gamevestor 🏷️ **Sectors:** Gaming, Fintech, Creator Economy 🔍 **Description:** Gamevestor is a regulated crowdinvesting platform dedicated to video game projects. It enables individuals to invest in game development through a secure, transparent, and milestone-based funding model, while allowing studios to retain their creative and strategic independence. All projects are vetted by an independent committee of gaming and finance experts, with staged fund releases and full risk disclosure. 💻 **Website:** [Gamevestor](https://www.gamevestor.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Annecy 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €550K 🏦 **Investors:** ForsVC, LeanSquare, Noshaq, Ben Fiquet, Business Angels, Bpifrance, Région Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes, Initiative Grand Annecy 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ivan Marchand, Arthur Van Clap 🗞️ **News:** Gamevestor has secured AMF approval and ORIAS registration, enabling it to operate across the EU for investments and internationally for donations. The funding will support a pan-European rollout and a public launch scheduled for early 2026, alongside marketing initiatives and selective team expansion. --- 📇 **Company:** Smartphone iD **Sectors:** Cybersecurity, AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** French startup reinventing identity photo and remote identity verification using a proprietary AI-based biometric technology combined with human verification. Smartphone iD aims to become the standard for secure remote identification, replacing physical photo booths in a €5B legacy market. The solution is compliant with ISO 30107 standards, integrates “liveness detection” patents, and is already deployed in more than 190 countries. 💻 **Website:** [**Smartphone iD**](https://www.smartphone-id.com/en-us?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €200K 🏦 **Investors:** QVEMA*,* Kelly Massol, Anthony Bourbon 👨💼👩💼 **Founder:** Émile Menetrey 🗞️ **News:** Following its appearance on *Qui veut être mon associé ?* (M6) on January 8, Smartphone iD secured €200K in funding. The startup is already profitable, generated €1.7M in revenue in 2024, and is targeting €5M by 2026\. The funds will support international expansion and continued development of its mobile biometric verification technology. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/08/smartphone-id-la-photo-didentite-en-ligne-deja-adoptee-par-le-jury-de-qui-veut-etre-mon-associe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** BW Ideol 🏷️ **Sectors:** CleanTech & Energy 🔍 **Description:** BW Ideol is a pioneer in floating offshore wind foundation technology, with over 15 years of experience in the design, engineering, and fabrication of concrete floating foundations. The company develops scalable, cost-competitive solutions to unlock deep-water wind resources and accelerate the global energy transition. 💻 **Website:** [BW Ideol](https://www.bw-ideol.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** La Ciotat 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors:** Holcim 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul de la Guérivière, Pierre Coulombeau 🗞️ **News:** Holcim has taken a minority stake in BW Ideol and entered into a strategic partnership to supply innovative low-carbon concrete materials for floating offshore wind foundations. The collaboration will support two fabrication lines in Southern France and Northeast Scotland and aligns with Holcim’s NextGen Growth 2030 strategy. BW Ideol also holds equity stakes in two large floating wind projects—960 MW in Northeast Scotland and 270 MW off the southern coast of France—highlighting the industrial scale and maturity of its technology. | [PR](https://www.bw-ideol.com/en/holcim-partners-bw-ideol-scale-construction-offshore-wind-infrastructure?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Abbelight 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** Abbelight is a pioneer in super-resolution microscopy, delivering end-to-end nanoscopy (SMLM) solutions that combine advanced chemistry, optics, and data analysis. Its platforms enable researchers to visualize, quantify, and interpret complex intracellular mechanisms at the nanoscale, supporting applications ranging from fundamental research to drug discovery and single-cell phenotyping. 💻 **Website:** [Abbelight](https://www.abbelight.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors:** AVANT BIO 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Baptiste Marie, Nicolas Bourg 🗞️ **News:** Abbelight closed a Series B round led by AVANT BIO to accelerate imaging innovation and scale commercial adoption beyond academic research into biopharma, biotech, and CROs. The funding will support international commercial expansion, product development, and continued support of its 100+ installed customer base, reinforcing Abbelight’s position as a key enabling technology provider in life sciences research and drug discovery. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: French VC In 2026 Gets Bigger, Riskier, and Less Forgiving URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-ja/ Last updated: 2026-01-16T10:28:51.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 As the new year kicks off, [we’re once again asking French VCs to peer into the crystal ball and tell us what they see on the horizon](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-vc-outlook-2026-more-concentration-fewer-bets-bigger-stakes/). Spoiler alert: the fog hasn’t entirely lifted, but patterns are starting to emerge. **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built-in—not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the Report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk 🛒🏷️ The sale of Paris-based AI MarTech startup [**Beyable**](https://www.beyable.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to the UK's SaleCycle this month didn't lead to any SCREAMING HEADLINES, in part because the valuation wasn't disclosed, and in part because it doesn't appear that the company ever raised any outside VC. Still, the outcome for Beyable, the artist formerly known as Attuneo, is worth noting for a couple of reasons. First, Beyable was founded in 2014 by Julien Dugaret, Florian Papillon, Saidi Mohamed, and Julien Delhomme. Which, in AI years, makes it approximately 1,500 years old. The company apparently managed to get along just fine for a time, not raising money and just doing its *thang*. Then, [according to its filings](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/attuneo-804353126?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), it hit some bumps in the road around 2023-2024, where profits fell. The company underwent some kind of restructuring to improve its liquidity and debt situation. From the outside, this may have looked worrisome. However, in reality, the company was in the midst of some kind of generative AI transformation and in October 2023 had been accepted into the [first cohort of **Microsoft's Generative AI Startup Studio**](https://www.maddyness.com/2023/12/05/avec-son-generative-ai-startup-program-microsoft-booste-des-startups-qui-veulent-accelerer-lusage-de-lia-generative-au-sein-des-entreprises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) program in Paris. And now, two years later, it gets snapped up by the Brits. (I wouldn't be surprised if it has raised some kind of Seed round at some point during those 2 years...) By joining forces with SaleCycle, the combined group aims to create a strong European alternative to US-dominated marketing suites, spanning personalization, identity, and full-funnel conversion. In any case, one can choose their own moral of this story. But it was certainly a telling example of a capital-efficient French SaaS success finding scale through smart M&A rather than heavy VC backing. | [**Fashion Network**](https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/British-customer-engagement-specialist-salecycle-buys-french-conversion-expert-beyable,1797273.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**BGF**](https://www.bgf.co.uk/insights/salecycle-acquires-beyable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julien-dugaret-3788961%5Facquisition-scaleup-ecommerce-activity-7417649571801120768-GGBw?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) ⚖️👮 Once hailed as a guru of French tech, **The Family** co-founder **Oussama Ammar** is now spending a fair bit of time with prosecutors. France’s financial crimes unit has been investigating him since June 2023 for alleged tax fraud and money laundering, following a complaint from the Ministry of the Economy. That’s on top of a separate judicial probe accusing him of siphoning off millions from The Family, claims pushed by his former partners after his dramatic 2021 exit. Arrested at Nice airport in early 2025, Ammar said he was quickly released, though the legal baggage clearly stayed behind. With courts in the UK and the Cayman Islands already ordering him to pay more than €14 million, the fallen tech star’s empire now looks less like disruption and more like a cautionary tale. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/14/oussama-ammar-le-co-fondateur-de-the-family-dans-le-viseur-du-parquet-national-financier-pour-fraude-fiscale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🟢🥬 **Hexa** is officially going green. The startup studio has tapped **Selency founder Maxime Brousse** as Partner to launch ***Carbon Zero***, its first climate-focused cohort under the new Hexa Sprint program, handing out €500k for roughly 10% equity to 12 early-stage startups. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-20-1.png) From left to right, Thibaud Elziere, cofounder @Hexa, and Maxime Brousse, Partner @Hex After raising €50 million, scaling Selency, and angel-investing in 70+ startups, Brousse is here to get his hands dirty. Carbon Zero will back climate startups that aim to *replace* legacy systems, not politely optimize them, betting that climate wins only when economics do. | [**Hexa**](https://www.hexa.com/cohort/carbon-zero?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤑📲 Speaking of **Hexa**, the artist formerly known as eFounders, one of its firstborn startups, is all grown up. It took **Aircall** a respectable eight years to crawl from zero to $100 million in ARR. Then it apparently found the turbo button. In just three more years, the cloud telephony startup doubled that figure, crossing $200 million in ARR by the end of 2025 and quietly joining the very exclusive club of French Tech “double centaurs.” Now profitable, with 22,000 customers and no urgent need for fresh cash, Aircall is suddenly very zen about its future and much less chatty about that once-hyped Nasdaq IPO. Based now in New York, the company is now piling on AI features, global expansion, and bigger ambitions. Next stop, according to management: $500 million in ARR. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/la-licorne-aircall-franchit-les-200-millions-de-dollars-de-revenus-2209495?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🏦💪** [**Karmen**](https://karmen.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) bagged a €50m financing line from **Sienna Investment Managers**, proving that in a tightening credit market, institutional money still flows to fintechs that actually lend. This private debt facility is designed to fuel Karmen’s short-term BFR financing for TPEs and SMEs, with larger tickets and broader sector coverage. The deal marks Karmen’s third refinancing in four years and follows its late-2025 takeover of Silvr, underscoring a quiet consolidation underway in alternative SME finance. As banks pull back, fintech lenders with solid underwriting and a bit of institutional patience are picking up the slack. | [**Finyear**](https://finyear.com/karmen-leve-50-me-aupres-de-sienna-investment-managers?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Become a Paid Subscriber](#/portal/signup) --- # French VC Outlook 2026: More concentration, Fewer Bets, Bigger Stakes [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-22.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-vc-outlook-2026-more-concentration-fewer-bets-bigger-stakes/) French VC is entering 2026 with fewer deals, bigger checks, and far less room for error. After a bruising 2025 marked by political chaos and thinning early-stage funding, capital is concentrating into fewer funds, fewer startups, and much higher-stakes bets. AI still dominates, but the mood has shifted from flashy apps to hard infrastructure, defence, sovereignty, and energy resilience. Beneath the headline fundraising numbers, several top investors warn the system is more fragile than it looks. Buckle up: this is the year where conviction replaces optimism, and mistakes get expensive. We take the pulse of France's VCs. [Read the VC forecast](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-vc-outlook-2026-more-concentration-fewer-bets-bigger-stakes/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Harmattan AI 🏷️ **Sectors:** DefenseTech, AI & Machine Learning, Aerospace 🔍 **Description:** Defense technology company developing vertically integrated autonomous systems, including AI-enabled ISR and strike UAVs, layered air-defense solutions, drone interception, electronic warfare platforms, and C2 systems. Harmattan AI focuses on sovereign, controlled autonomy deployed at scale for NATO and allied forces. 💻 **Website:** [www.harmattan.ai](http://www.harmattan.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $200M 🏦 **Investors:** Dassault Aviation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mouad M’Ghari (CEO & Co-Founder) 🗞️ **News:** Harmattan AI raised a $200M Series B led by Dassault Aviation as part of a strategic partnership to integrate controlled, sovereign AI into next-generation combat aviation systems. The funding will support global scaling, expansion into new operational domains, and industrial-scale manufacturing of AI-enabled ISR, electronic warfare, and autonomous defense platforms, with applications across Rafale F5 and future UCAS programs. | --- 📇 **Company:** FineHeart 🏷️ **Sectors:** HealthTech & BioTech 🔍 **Description:** FineHeart is a clinical-stage medical technology company developing next-generation Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs) for advanced heart failure. Its flagship product, FlowMaker®, is the world’s first fully implantable cardiac output accelerator, designed to work in synergy with natural heart contractions while minimizing energy consumption and infection risk. 💻 **Website:** [Fineheart](https://www.fineheart.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €35M 🏦 **Investors:** Groupe Pasteur Mutualité, Groupe Etchart, European Innovation Council (EIC), EIB Fund, FH Founders, Lurra, IRDI Capital Investment, Groupe Doliam, NACO, Aquiti Gestion, Galia Gestion, Broadview Ventures, M Capital, UI Investment, Verve Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Mascarell (CEO & Co-founder); Dr. Stéphane Garrigue (CSO & co-inventor), Dr. Philippe Ritter (Co-inventor) 🗞️ **News:** FineHeart secured €83M in combined private and public funding to accelerate the clinical and industrial development of its FlowMaker® device and to help structure the European Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMD) sector. The €35M Series C first closing activates €48M in non-dilutive grants from the IPCEI Tech4Cure program, positioning FineHeart as a cornerstone of Europe’s healthcare sovereignty strategy in advanced implantable cardiology devices. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/insuffisance-cardiaque-fineheart-mobilise-83-millions-deuros-2208328?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-21.png) Yves Ribeill, Enodia Therapeutics CEO 📇 **Company:** Enodia Therapeutics 🏷️ **Sectors**: AI & Machine Learning 🔍 **Description:** Develops small-molecule drugs that trigger degradation of disease-causing proteins as they are being synthesized, using a platform combining proteomics and machine learning. 💻 **Website:** [Enodia Therapeutics](https://www.enodiatx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Elaia; Pfizer Ventures; Bpifrance [Elaia Partners, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/elaia-partners/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Bpifrance, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/bpifrance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Pfizer, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/pfizer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Sambrinvest, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/sambrinvest/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[MACSF, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/macsf/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Investsud, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/investsud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Argobio, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/argobio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Institut Pasteur, ](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/institut-pasteur/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Wallonie Entreprendre](https://archive.is/o/Fgttb/https://www.maddyness.com/base-fonds-investissements/wallonie-entreprendre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Caroline Demangel, Yves Ribeill 🗞️ **News:** Enodia will advance its lead program toward preclinical candidate selection, with ambitions across inflammatory, autoimmune, and viral diseases. | [**Endpoint News**](https://endpoints.news/french-biotech-enodia-gets-e20-7m-aided-by-pfizer-for-protein-degrader-work/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French VC Outlook 2026: More concentration, Fewer Bets, Bigger Stakes URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-vc-outlook-2026-more-concentration-fewer-bets-bigger-stakes/ Last updated: 2026-01-16T09:57:29.000Z As the new year kicks off, we’re once again asking French VCs to peer into the crystal ball and tell us what they see on the horizon. Spoiler alert: the fog hasn’t entirely lifted, but patterns are starting to emerge. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #59: Voice AI Is Wild, Weird, and Wonderfully Investable URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-59-voice-ai-is-wild-weird-and-wonderfully-investable/ Last updated: 2026-01-14T11:39:21.000Z 🧠 Voice AI has crossed the uncanny valley, turning sound, speech, and music into powerful tools. It’s fun, unsettling, and wildly investable. Welcome to the hottest, weirdest market in AI, where France is making some noise. In this special essay, [**Chris O'Brien recounts his accidental journey that led to creating an AI band, producing an album, and what it says about the AI voice market in France and around the world.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/follow-me-down-the-voice-ai-rabbit-hole/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-13-at-20.52.10.png) 🗞️ **France Gets a DefenseTech Unicorn.** Harmattan AI has become France’s first DefenseTech unicorn after raising **$200m in a round led by Dassault Aviation**, valuing the startup at **$1.4bn**. Founded in 2024, the Paris-based company develops AI-powered combat drones and command-and-control platforms, already supplying the French and British armed forces. The deal deepens industrial ties with Dassault, which plans to integrate Harmattan’s embedded AI into future **Rafale F5 and UCAS systems**. Long shunned by investors, DefenseTech is now firmly back on the French VC map, geopolitics included. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/harmattan-ai-premiere-licorne-de-defense-de-la-french-tech-2208974?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-harmattan-ai-leve-171-meteuro-pour-ses-drones-militaires-99009.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Speaking of defense...France is officially bringing **Mistral AI** into the defense stack. The Ministry of the Armed Forces awarded the French AI champion a sweeping framework agreement, opening the door for everything from the armed forces to the Atomic Energy Commission and naval research units to use Mistral’s models and software. Crucially, the tech will run on sovereign French infrastructure, with models fine-tuned on defense data to meet operational needs. The deal, overseen by the Ministry’s AI agency AMIAD, builds on a 2025 cooperation agreement and sends a clear message: France wants cutting-edge AI, but on its own terms, under its own control. | [**Reuters**](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/frances-armed-forces-ministry-awards-144445848.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **STATION F** is turning up the AI volume by locking in a closer, on-campus partnership with **OpenAI**. With nearly 80% of startups on site now building AI-powered products, Europe’s biggest startup campus is formalizing a relationship that already included workshops, founder chats, and regular visits from OpenAI teams. The shift from occasional drop-ins to a permanent presence means less hype, more shipping, and faster paths from prototype to global scale. It’s another signal that Paris wants a seat at the top table of global AI. 🗞️ **Apple Calls Google for Backup.** Apple has struck a deal with Google to integrate Gemini into Siri, a tacit admission that it has fallen behind in the AI race. Analysts see the move as a pragmatic catch-up play and a major win for Google, whose models gain privileged access to the iPhone ecosystem and whose valuation has hit a historic $ 4000 Billion as a result. But the partnership lands as European regulators, including France’s competition authorities, sharpen scrutiny of AI assistants, platform power, and non-exclusive deals. Echoing the historic Google Search agreement on iOS, the deal underscores a new AI reality: even Apple must now balance speed, scale, and Europe’s rules. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/01/12/apple-choisit-l-ia-de-google-pour-ameliorer-son-assistant-vocal-siri%5F6661540%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Speaking of the all-powerful **Gemini, it appears an** **AI Shopping War has Begun**. Google is turning Gemini into a shopping agent, teaming up with retailers including **Carrefour, Sephora, and Zalando** to let users search, buy, and contact customer service, all without leaving the app. The move signals a shift toward “agentic commerce,” where AI handles discovery, purchase, and follow-up autonomously. As OpenAI and Google race to own the new point of sale, retailers face a familiar trade-off: more visibility, less control. In the AI era, the checkout may no longer belong to e-commerce sites, but to assistants. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/economie/ia-entre-google-gemini-et-chatgpt-la-guerre-du-shopping-est-lancee-20260113?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Paris-based **aiming for** is having a big AI-meets-biology moment. The startup has landed multi-million-euro backing from the Google.org AI for Science Fund and, at the same time, launched Spore.Labs, an AI-native research arm aiming for some of public health’s hardest microbiology challenges. Backed by a fund born in the glow of DeepMind’s AlphaFold Nobel win, Spore.Bio says it’s the only startup selected worldwide to tackle this problem, using a heady mix of photonics and machine learning to deliver near real-time, on-site microbial testing. With €29.9 million raised to date and a hiring spree underway, Spore.Bio is betting that the future of microbiology is very much AI-first. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/french-biotech-spore-bio-secures-multi-million-dollar-google-org-funding-and-launches-ai-native-research-unit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Generative AI: France Leads Europe Even as Overall Funding Slips.** French startups raised €7.4bn in 2025, down 5% year-on-year, but generative AI quietly carried the market, according to EY. While growth equity slowed, AI became “systemic,” driving both deal size and value creation across the VC landscape. Globally, the US remains in a league of its own, capturing nearly 90% of generative AI funding. But in Europe, **France now leads on large language models**, powered by Mistral AI and a growing bench of contenders. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/13/ia-generative-la-france-simpose-en-europe-en-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **CES 2026: AI Is Everywhere and Still Not Quite the Killer Feature**. Three years after ChatGPT’s debut, AI is now baked into nearly every device showcased at CES,**,** from cars to kitchen appliances. Yet despite the buzz, truly **game-changing consumer uses remain elusive**. Wearable “AI companions” and always-listening badges made a comeback, echoing past flops like the Humane AI Pin, while real progress was mostly seen in **live translation tech**, now impressively fluid. For now, AI hardware still feels more like a promise than a must-have, even as OpenAI quietly works on cracking the formula with designer Jony Ive. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/au-ces-de-las-vegas-lia-est-encore-loin-de-revolutionner-lelectronique-2208846?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-17.png) CES Las Vegas Jan 2026 ©️ photo: Reuters 🗞️ **A landmark 560-page study by France’s health agency Anses has linked social media use among 11–17-year-olds to rising mental health risks,** including **sleep disorders, depression, cyberbullying, and exposure to self-harm content**. Drawing on 1,000 scientific studies, the agency urges policymakers to force platforms to redesign algorithms, interfaces,**,** and default settings to protect minors’ health. Girls are found to be disproportionately affected, particularly on image-heavy platforms. Anses is clear: safeguarding teens should be a platform responsibility, not a parental afterthought. As age verification debates intensify, Meta is urging Australian authoritiesto rethink its world-first social media ban for under-16s. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/suicide-troubles-du-sommeil-cyberharcelement-une-nouvelle-etude-denonce-les-graves-effets-des-reseaux-sociaux-sur-les-ados-2209216?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260111-meta-urges-australia-to-change-teen-social-media-ban?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s Competition Watchdog Puts AI Chatbots Under the Microscope.** France's *Autorité de la concurrence* has launched a self-initiated review into conversational AI agents, from ChatGPT and Gemini to Mistral’s Le Chat and Perplexity, amid fears they could entrench new tech monopolies. While the market still looks competitive on the surface, regulators worry that agent-powered commerce, embedded ads, and platform-style integrations could quietly reshape entire sectors, starting with e-commerce. Partnerships, monetization models, and the risk of self-preferencing by dominant players are all on the table. A public consultation is coming, with a full opinion expected in 2026\. In short: France wants to make sure we don’t swap GAFAMs for “GAF-AIs.” | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/juridique/antitrust/intelligence-artificielle-lautorite-de-la-concurrence-sautosaisit-pour-avis-sur-le-secteur-des-agents-conversationnels.DXNYTLPQWRAWFJT425GTY6JG4I.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Nearly 44% of French people now use generative AI tools,** placing France **5th globally for adoption, well ahead of the US**, according to a new Microsoft study. While Silicon Valley builds the models, it turns out Europeans are among their most enthusiastic users. Even more striking: **the UAE tops the global ranking at 64% adoption**, underscoring how AI use is becoming a geopolitical marker as much as a technological one. Globally, one in six people now uses generative AI, but in France, the chatbot habit is clearly mainstream. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/ia-les-francais-plus-accros-que-les-americains-abu-dhabi-en-pointe-2209400?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- ### 🎤 Follow Me Down The Voice AI Rabbit Hole [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-19.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/follow-me-down-the-voice-ai-rabbit-hole/) Slow Blackwave Voltage It started as a throwaway joke. I asked ChatGPT to name a fictional indie band. It spiraled into a fully formed AI-generated album, written, voiced, and released in weeks. With tools like ChatGPT, Eleven Labs, and Suno egging the process on, the line between playful experimentation and real creative output all but vanished. This isn’t “AI slop.” It’s competent, emotional, and good enough that most people can’t tell the difference. That slippery moment demonstrates why voice AI has become one of the hottest markets in tech. France is developing its own thriving Voice AI ecosystem, highlighted by several notable funding rounds last year. As music platforms, startups, and investors race ahead, often faster than regulators, artists, or audiences are comfortable with, audio is quietly becoming the new interface and the new battleground. The result is a messy mix of wonder, unease, and explosive economic potential. [Welcome to the voice AI rabbit hole. 🎧](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/follow-me-down-the-voice-ai-rabbit-hole/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk** | As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🗞️ **From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics** | A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |** The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🐇 Follow Me Down The Voice AI Rabbit Hole 🎤 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/follow-me-down-the-voice-ai-rabbit-hole/ Last updated: 2026-01-14T10:13:19.000Z Voice AI has crossed the uncanny valley, turning sound, speech, and music into powerful tools. It’s fun, unsettling, and wildly investable. Welcome to the hottest, weirdest market in AI, where France is making some noise. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire: AI Dominated 2025 As Startups Raised €8.2B Across 686 Deals URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-ai-dominated-2025-as-startups-raised-eu8-2b-across-686-deals/ Last updated: 2026-01-12T09:30:12.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: CES 2026 France once again sent a major startup delegation to CES 2026 in Las Vegas, with at least 114 French tech companies exhibiting across 16 sectors, from AI and robotics to health and green tech. Despite the high costs, French officials and founders argue that CES remains unmatched for rapid global exposure and deal-making. The delegation is smaller than in pre-pandemic years, down from more than 300 startups in 2018–2019, reflecting tighter funding and a tougher U.S. market. Notably, 80% of the French startups this year were CES veterans, signaling a strategic shift toward experienced companies with market-ready products. Even so, France retains the largest national presence at CES in Europe, split mainly between Eureka Park and the France Automotive Pavilion. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/infographic.png) [](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/reseau-contrats-et-reve-americain-pourquoi-le-ces-de-las-vegas-demeure-un-salon-incontournable-pour-les-start-up-francaises-20260108?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Pulling from a variety of different sources, we put together [a handy dandy database of 114 French tech companies at CES 2026](https://ces.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). [Explore the database](https://ces.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 💸 French Tech Funding 2025 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/french-tech-funding-2025-2.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-2025-ai-dominance-82b-raised/) France's startup ecosystem recorded 686 funding rounds throughout 2025, collectively raising €8.2 billion, according to data tracked by The French Tech Journal. This comprehensive dataset, covering deals from January through December, is available via our new database, which allows you to sort the data by company, geography, and sector. ***This first version of the database only allowed each company to be tagged with a single sector. So to get a fuller picture of a sector like "cybersecurity" or "foodtech," it's better to search under related terms such as "food." Version 2 will place companies in multiple categories for easier sorting.*** [Test drive the French Tech Funding 2025 Database](https://funding2025.frenchtechjournal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Some key highlights from the data: - **AI and Machine Learning represented 62.5% of deal volume** - **Clean Tech and Energy were second at 14.5%** - **Average deal size was €12M.** - **Outside of Paris, Lyon had the most startups raise (34), but Toulouse had the highest deal value (€322M)**, which allows you to sort the data by company, geography, and sector ## AI Takes Center Stage Coming back to France, AI is also the engine driving the VC funding train. It accounted for €5.18B or 62.5% of all funding in 2025. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/french-tech-funding-2025-1-1.png) Out of that, Mistral AI represented the lion's share. Take away Mistral, and the year in French tech funding looks very different, which is again why I don't think it's worth fussing too much with the "up or down" issue. If you are not a giant LLM, life looks very different at the other end of the funding telescope. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/Largest-Deals-2025.png) Still, the good news is that French AI companies are attracting substantial capital, not just early-stage experimentation. The data indicates that France has moved beyond simply participating in the AI revolution to becoming a meaningful player in the space. This likely won't stop the ongoing debate among founders and VCs about whether they need to relocate to San Francisco, but with some of the recent high-profile AI startup launches in Paris, France is certainly demonstrating some resilience. ## CleanTech and Health: Strong Secondary Sectors Beyond AI, two sectors showed substantial activity: - CleanTech and Energy companies raised €979.4 million (11.9%) across 109 deals, making it the second-largest sector by both deal count and total funding. With an average round size of €8.98 million, these companies are attracting meaningful capital as France positions itself as a leader in the energy transition. - HealthTech and BioTech companies completed 56 funding rounds totaling €496.9 million (6.1%). The sector's average round size of €8.9 million suggests that investors see significant potential in French health innovation. This is particularly relevant given Europe's strong position in medical research and the ongoing digitization of healthcare. [Read the 2025 French tech funding analysis](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-2025-ai-dominance-82b-raised/) --- # 💸 European VC 2025: France Raised More New Funds Than the UK [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-15.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/european-vcs-2025-france-raised-more-new-funds-than-uk/) For much of 2025, the narrative around European venture capital fundraising was bleak. [But according to Dealroom](https://newsletter.dealroom.co/vc-fundraising-dire-straits?ecid=ACsprvsWTEeHI4AylD6Eh3ct5vC7NJB9%5F1lHf1cAteowM2cYW5GITKDOflJgsUh7dvmeEq9FAWsU&utm%5Fcampaign=Weekly%20newsletters&utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-9RCnIh6n2oD-rk07Zb%5FOw9bk4vWppO33Iip0E3kKZMK4wkDScq8tEiiLdJNLymi-pQoojxKF94ozRIqg2hOPQ7gyMSh6-wehRz0NUk0gqbvIe0B5k&%5Fhsmi=0&utm%5Fcontent=394463469&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail), European venture capitalists raised $20.5bn across 247 new funds in 2025\. That’s down from the $27.1bn raised in 2024, but hardly a freefall. The headline story, however, is that for the first time in recent memory, France overtook the UK in VC fundraising. [Go inside the numbers](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/european-vcs-2025-france-raised-more-new-funds-than-uk/) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: January 9 --- 📇 Company: BrightHeart 🔍 Description: Paris-based medtech startup specializing in AI-powered prenatal ultrasound. BrightHeart assists obstetricians by analyzing ultrasound images in real time—particularly complex organs like the fetal heart—to improve early detection of congenital malformations, reduce diagnostic errors, and streamline clinical workflows. 💻 Website: [**BrightHeart**](https://www.brightheart.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €11M 🏦 Investors: Odyssée Venture (lead), GO Capital; participation from Sofinnova Partners, clinicians, and medical technology experts 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Cécile Dupont (CEO) 🗞️ News: BrightHeart raised €11M in a Series A to accelerate its expansion in the United States, strengthen its European presence, and continue improving its AI-powered prenatal ultrasound platform. Founded in 2022, the company previously raised €2M in seed funding from Sofinnova Partners. In 2025, BrightHeart secured five FDA authorizations, enabling future clinical deployment in the US and reinforcing its regulatory and scientific credibility. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/08/echographie-prenatale-brightheart-leve-11-millions-deuros-pour-ameliorer-la-detection-des-malformations-grace-a-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-12.png) 📇 Company: Quideos 🔍 Description: French fintech specializing in protecting farmers, cooperatives, and agri-food companies against agricultural price volatility. Quideos designs price-hedging contracts that allow clients to fix purchase or sale prices in advance, improving margin visibility while avoiding speculative use. 💻 Website: [Quideos](https://quideos.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: France 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €5.2M 🏦 Investors: Demeter (lead), Breega; participation from Groupe Crédit Agricole, Clint Capital, and business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Gaël Pagès, Mickaël Delmas (CEO) 🗞️ News: Quideos raised €5.2M to scale the commercial deployment of its agricultural price-protection solutions, convert existing commercial leads into active clients, and prepare team expansion from 2026\. Founded in 2023, the startup operates under a regulated investment firm license obtained after 18 months of approval by the ACPR and AMF. The company aims to cover €1B in agricultural transactions by 2029, with initial growth focused on France before expanding across Europe. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/08/quideos-leve-52-millions-deuros-pour-securiser-les-prix-des-produits-agricoles/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Startup Funding 2025: €8.2B Raised As AI Took 62% URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-2025-ai-dominance-82b-raised/ Last updated: 2026-01-15T13:15:15.000Z Using our new funding database, we break down trends in French tech in 2025, including AI’s dominance, regional disparities, and sector shifts. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### European VC 2025: France Raised More New Funds Than the UK URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/european-vcs-2025-france-raised-more-new-funds-than-uk/ Last updated: 2026-01-12T00:37:40.000Z European venture capitalists raised $20.5bn in 2025, down from the $27.1bn in 2024. But in a rarity, French VCs topped the list as the UK slumped. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷💸 French Tech 2025 Funding Database: €8.1B Raised URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-report-2025/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T10:44:31.000Z 673 companies raised funding across 14 sectors, with AI & Machine Learning dominating at €4.0B—representing 50% of all investment. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Startups Rolling The Dice At CES 2026 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-startups-rolling-the-dice-at-ces-2026/ Last updated: 2026-01-09T08:25:18.000Z Every January, French startups cross the Atlantic to try their luck at CES. The price is high, the competition ruthless, yet the ritual endures. This year, the caravan shrank. We counted the brave souls who went. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech's Vegas Gamble: Why Hundreds Of Startups Still Bet Big on CES URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-techs-vegas-gamble-why-hundreds-of-startups-still-bet-big-on-ces/ Last updated: 2026-01-09T12:26:25.000Z The cost is staggering, the competition fierce, but France's tech ecosystem continues its annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas with a calculated new strategy _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #58: AI Power, Policy, and A Transatlantic Rift To Start 2026 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-58-ai-power-policy-and-a-transatlantic-rift-to-start-2026/ Last updated: 2026-01-07T09:50:50.000Z # Edito: France AI in 2026 Welcome back to French Techland, where we're getting ready for another year of AI-palooza...at least until the bubble pops... ![](https://media.tenor.com/FMMTWwhmUFMAAAAC/bubble-bubble-boy.gif) As we plug back in, here are some of the major themes we expect to be following this year... **1\. France’s AI strategy intensifies** France continues to push an expansive national strategy for artificial intelligence, reinforcing its long-term, multi-phase plan under *France 2030* and broader strategic vision for digital sovereignty. This includes strengthening AI research, building computing infrastructure, supporting AI startups, and institutionalizing frameworks for trustworthy, high-impact AI. **2\. Governance & regulatory context shaping 2026** Alongside strategy, ongoing discussions revolve around governance, data quality, and industrial adoption norms, with AI increasingly framed as part of broader debates on digital sovereignty, ethical standards, and economic competitiveness in Europe. **3\. Mistral AI remains a headline French AI champion** Mistral AI continues to be one of France’s most-watched AI companies in 2026\. The firm has grown rapidly, with significant deployments of its LLMs (e.g., the *Mistral* model family) and an increasingly prominent role in Europe’s competitive AI landscape. It accounted for a massive chunk of the venture capital raised in France last year. Can it continue to compete on the global stage? **4\. Broader AI startup landscape continues to expand** Even if the broader French funding landscape is soft, the French AI scene is frothy. International players continue to open offices in Paris to tap into the local talent pool, and late last year, several high-profile startups came out of stealth, including UMA Robotics and Gradium. **5\. The Silicon Valley Siren Song** For all the success in France, a big theme in 2025 was the growing conventional wisdom that founders should be in Silicon Valley and San Francisco to launch and scale their AI startups. Several French VCs opened offices there as well. Will that accelerate in 2026? **6\. AI adoption transitions to operational maturity** In 2026, AI in France is still an emerging technology. The government and others want to urgently see companies go further, to move beyond pilots and proof-of-concept to strategic deployment governed by compliance and data quality standards. Startup founders often complain that French corporates are slow to adopt new tech, and cite that as a key reason for relocating to the U.S. Policymakers worry about big enterprises remaining competitive. **But for now, in this edition:** 🧠 **Europe and France enter 2026 facing a transatlantic AI fracture with the U.S.** The most recent schism revolves around Elon Musk's X platform, which has been spewing hate speech, conspiracy theories, and now, nude deepfakes. Efforts to crack down have been met with retaliation by the U.S. government. The fundamental question in 2026: [**Can Europe enforce its regulatory vision when the world's most powerful technology companies are headquartered in a country whose government now treats European regulation as hostile action?** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) 🧠 Microsoft has given a Golden Ticket to 15 new startups to its GenAI startup studio in Paris. [**Let's see who they are.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/microsoft-unveils-15-genai-studio-winners-accelerating-push-to-build-frances-next-ai-champions/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image.png) 🗞️ **French Tech Raised €7bn in 2025...But AI Did the Heavy Lifting.** After two bruising years, French startup funding finally stabilized in 2025 at around **€6.8bn**, roughly flat year on year. Scratch the surface, though, and the picture looks more fragile. Remove **Mistral AI’s €1.7bn mega-round**, and total funding drops closer to **€5.1bn**. The result is an ecosystem still reliant on a handful of outsized AI deals. Early-stage rounds remain under pressure, exits are scarce, and non-AI sectors continue to struggle. Stability, yes, but powered less by broad recovery than by a concentrated AI bet. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/06/french-tech-autour-de-7-milliards-leves-en-2025-une-reprise-fragile-portee-par-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Luc Julia Exits Renault.** Another AI Heavyweight is on the Move. The French-American AI pioneer behind Siri and Renault’s AI strategy is leaving the carmaker after nearly five years. Recruited in 2021, Julia helped deliver **“Reno,”** an LLM-powered in-car assistant rolled out across several EV models. His departure follows a reorganization under Renault’s new leadership, which has integrated innovation into engineering. A vocal critic of generative AI hype, Julia has long championed pragmatic, use-case-driven AI. After Yann LeCun’s exit from Meta, another AI elder is clearly gearing up for what’s next.| [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2026/01/02/luc-julia-figure-de-lia-quitte-renault/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/la-star-francaise-de-lintelligence-artificielle-luc-julia-tire-sa-reverence-chez-renault-2207470%60?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-1.png) Luc Julia "Goodbye Renault, hello... ?" 🗞️ Speaking of **Yann LeCun**, the former Meta’s former chief AI scientist, got tongues wagging thanks to a profile in the Financial Times that included some barbed words for the previous company's AI strategy and leadership, calling its new chief AI officer, 29-year-old Alexander Wang, “young” and “inexperienced.” While acknowledging that Wang “learns fast,” LeCun questioned his lack of research background and warned that he may not understand what attracts or repels top AI researchers. He also claimed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg lost confidence in the entire generative AI organization after allegations that the company gamed benchmarks to boost the performance of its Llama 4 model, effectively sidelining key teams. As a result, LeCun predicted a growing talent exodus, saying many researchers have already left and more are likely to follow. He criticized Meta for prioritizing “safe and proved” ideas over bold innovation, arguing that this risk-averse approach will cause the company to fall behind competitors. In his most provocative remark, LeCun said large language models are “basically a dead end” for achieving AI superintelligence, openly challenging the dominant industry narrative. | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/e3c4c2f6-4ea7-4adf-b945-e58495f836c2?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI Glasses Take Off at CES 2026.** After years of testing, smart glasses are poised for a breakthrough, with Meta and Google expecting up to 10 million units sold globally. Equipped with AI assistants, cameras, and audio features, these devices promise convenience and a fresh wave of privacy headaches, as the GAFAM get an even closer look at everyday life. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/vera-et-rubin-lunettes-ia-robots-humanoides-ces-tendances-tech-qui-font-le-show-au-ces-de-las-vegas-2208013?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI Sites Sweep France: A Quarter of the Population Visits Them Monthly.** According to Médiamétrie, AI-generated sites now attract 15,7 million unique visitors per month — nearly a quarter of the French online population. From content farms to fake-news hubs, these “GenAI” sites are siphoning traffic and ad revenue from traditional media, often outranking real outlets on Google Discover. At the same time, readers mostly notice in short bursts of scrolling. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/un-quart-des-francais-consultent-des-sites-generes-au-moins-en-partie-par-lia-2208022?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **Other Headlines** 🗞️ **Google’s Fabien Curto Millet: “The Only Good News on the Economic Horizon Is AI” |** Fabien Curto Millet is Google’s Chief Economist. The French-Spanish expert oversees a unit responsible for a wide range of analyses — from global macroeconomic fluctuations to shifting regulatory environments — to help the tech giant make the best decisions. Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence and its impact on the economy currently keep him occupied “from A.M. to P.M.” **|** [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/en/business/google-s-fabien-curto-millet-the-only-good-news-on-the-economic-horizon-is-ai-20251231?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Can Paris be the next unicorn haven? Station F, Europe’s largest incubator, thinks so. |** Parisian startup incubator [Station F](https://stationf.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) embodies President Emmanuel Macron’s stated ambition for the country to drive innovation and inspire an overlooked class of business leaders: entrepreneurs. **|** [**IBM Think**](https://www.ibm.com/think/news/paris-station-f-europes-largest-incubator?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |**The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- ### 🧠 Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/20260107_0103_Europe-s-AI-Dilemma_simple_compose_01keaw6083f9c8rz3nm9p9bhvn-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. [Step inside the AI regulatory showdown](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/) --- ### 🧠 Microsoft Unveils 15 GenAI Studio Winners Accelerating Push to Build France’s Next AI Champions [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2026/01/image-6.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/microsoft-unveils-15-genai-studio-winners-accelerating-push-to-build-frances-next-ai-champions/) Selected from 180+ applicants, 15 French startups join Microsoft’s GenAI Studio for four months of intensive support, up to $350K in Azure credits, and backing from partners like Mistral AI, NVIDIA, GitHub, and ENGIE. [See the list](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/microsoft-unveils-15-genai-studio-winners-accelerating-push-to-build-frances-next-ai-champions/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Europe's AI Reckoning: Caught Between Regulation, Rivalry, and Risk URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-ai-reckoning-caught-between-regulation-rivalry-and-risk/ Last updated: 2026-01-07T08:45:47.000Z As 2026 begins, France and the European Union find themselves at the center of a perfect storm, facing diplomatic confrontation with Washington, urgent safety crises, and mounting questions about whether their regulatory approach can survive first contact with geopolitical reality. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Microsoft Unveils 15 GenAI Studio Winners Accelerating Push to Build France’s Next AI Champions URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/microsoft-unveils-15-genai-studio-winners-accelerating-push-to-build-frances-next-ai-champions/ Last updated: 2026-01-06T23:21:46.000Z Selected from 180+ applicants, 15 French startups join Microsoft’s GenAI Studio for four months of intensive support, up to $350K in Azure credits, and backing from partners like Mistral AI, NVIDIA, GitHub, and ENGIE. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 💥 AI, Money, Drama: The 10 French Tech Stories You Loved in 2025 🎉 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-money-drama-the-10-french-tech-stories-you-loved-in-2025/ Last updated: 2026-01-02T09:58:55.000Z What can we say about 2025 that hasn't already been said? Probably a lot. But honestly, we're still too hungover from New Year's to bother. However, we did have the good sense to consult Mr. Google Analytics before plunging into the deep abyss of champagne-drenched revelry to ask: Just what did our hardy band of readers read the most this past year? And as he does, Mr. Google (hey, we live in France, and everything is gendered here, so please don't make this a thing because it's a new year and honestly our head is just throbbing right now...) responded with the following list. Happy New Year. Let's make it a good one. Chris O'Brien and Helen O'Reilly-Durand [Start the New Year with a Paid Subscription](#/portal/signup) --- # Top 10 Stories of 2025 1. ***Bordeaux-based bYoRNA is looking to make a breakthrough with a radically different approach to using mRNA, one that it believes could make mRNA therapies cheaper, safer, and more scalable. The company announced a €1.5 million pre-seed round in July. The round was led by*** [***Polytechnique Ventures,*** ](https://www.polytechnique-ventures.fr/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***with participation from*** [***IRDI Capital Investissement***](https://www.irdi.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***and sector-specialized business angels.*** [As U.S. Slashes $500M in mRNA Funding, Bordeaux Biotech bYoRNA Raises €1.5M to Reinvent RNA ProductionbYoRNA is developing a patented fermentation process that could cut RNA production costs by 100x, improve safety, and enable global access to next-generation vaccines and therapies. This breakthrough comes as the U.S. is rejecting mRNA, a move that complicates the startup’s business strategy.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-58.png)The French Tech JournalHelen O’Reilly-Durand![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/2502_equipe_4bis-9-.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/us-slashes-500m-mrna-funding-bordeaux-biotech-byorna-raises-15m-to-reinvent-production/) --- 1. ***As global demand for workplace training soars, French edtech company*** [***Didask***](https://www.didask.com/en?utm%5Fcustom[utm%5Fcampaign]=adwords-20963063990&utm%5Fcustom[utm%5Fmedium]=adwords%5Fg&ad%5Fgroup%5Fid=161901501350&ad%5Fid=742426204535&utm%5Fcustom[utm%5Fsource]=didask&utm%5Fterm=didask&utm%5Fcampaign=20963063990&utm%5Fcampaign=MCW-Search&utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=ppc&hsa%5Facc=8412153137&hsa%5Fcam=20963063990&hsa%5Fgrp=161901501350&hsa%5Fad=742426204535&hsa%5Fsrc=g&hsa%5Ftgt=kwd-1211955508028&hsa%5Fkw=didask&hsa%5Fmt=e&hsa%5Fnet=adwords&hsa%5Fver=3&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=20963063990&gbraid=0AAAAACyBC9zX6eK0vf4YLgU6brUdL0yvO&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpOuO-4K%5FjQMV0FtBAh0xzytNEAAYASAAEgLr1PD%5FBwE) ***is doubling down on its mission to make corporate learning both highly efficient and scalable. The Paris-based startup has just closed a €10 million Series A funding round, led by Atlantic Vantage Point (AVP) and Citizen Capital, with backing from MAIF Impact, JuneX, and longtime investor Takara Capital.*** [Didask Raises €10M to Reinvent Corporate Learning with AI and Cognitive ScienceDidask just raised €10M to revamp the world of corporate training and make e-learning actually work. With AI that thinks like a teacher (not a robot) and lessons that stick, the French startup is out to prove that real learning beats pretty slides every time.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-59.png)The French Tech JournalHelen O’Reilly-Durand![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/image-27-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/didaskraises-eu10m-to-reinvent-corporate-learning-with-ai-and-cognitive-science/) --- 1. ***September in Paris means two things: la rentrée and*** [***FDday***](https://fdday.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***, the French Tech ecosystem’s own back-to-school bash. Once again under improbable blue skies, the Musée des Arts Forains filled up with founders, investors, operators, and policy wonks, a buzzing crowd swapping stories of entrepreneurial success and strife with “great-to-see-you-again” hugs all around. The mood for the most part was warm, inclusive, and upbeat. Which is more than can be said for France’s actual political scene, where shouting matches are the daily special. This year, FDday closed with a full-blown showdown over the “taxe Zucman.” This shouting match featured a touch more intellectual glamour because it featured the man himself. Yes, that Zucman.*** [Wealth Tax Smackdown: Zucman vs. Aghion Sparks Fireworks at FDdayFounders and economists clashed at FDday’s grand finale as Gabriel Zucman defended his global wealth tax blueprint against Philippe Aghion’s warnings about stifling innovation and forcing AI champions abroad, igniting one of the event’s most heated debates yet.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-60.png)The French Tech JournalHelen O’Reilly-Durand![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/DavidAROUS-1645.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/wealth-tax-smackdown-zucman-aghion-sparks-fireworks-fdday/) --- 1. ***Founded in 2020, Pennylane has experienced meteoric growth in just five years. The company has positioned itself as an "all-in-one" accounting platform that serves both accountants and the small to medium-sized businesses they support. Currently operating only in France, Pennylane has built an impressive customer base of approximately 4,500 accounting firms and more than 350,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Earlier this month, the company announced a €75 million funding round co-led by Sequoia Capital, Alphabet's CapitalG, and Meritech, with participation from DST Global. This latest funding round doubled the company's valuation to €2 billion, up from €1 billion in early 2024 when it achieved unicorn status with a €40 million Series C round.*** [How Pennylane Plans To Become France’s Accounting SuperheroRiding a new round of funding at a €2bn valuation, the 5-year-old fintech has already seen rapid growth. CEO Arthur Waller explains how new invoicing regulations and AI could catalyze the company’s ambitions.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-61.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17--2025--11_07_00-PM-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/) --- 1. ***When Armand Thiberge founded*** [***Sendinblue in 2007***](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/sendinblue-498019298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***, he was entering a crowded market for email marketing software dominated by American players like MailChimp. Thirteen years later, the company—now rebranded as Brevo—has just completed a €500 million financing round that makes it France's newest unicorn while simultaneously reshuffling its shareholder base. In fact, if one were to put this in the "exit" bucket rather than the "funding" bucket (which is probably where it really belongs), this is a historic moment. Based on a €1 billion valuation, it would be one of the largest liquidity events in French startup history.*** [Brevo’s €500M Deal Delivers Historic Liquidity Event for French TechBrevo’s €1bn valuation was driven by a PE-led growth buyout: General Atlantic and Oakley take 50%, Partech exits, and the cap table resets. It’s a landmark French-tech liquidity moment that gives Brevo powerful partners for U.S. expansion, bigger M&A, and AI-powered growth.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-62.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Brevo-zoom.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/brevos-eu500m-deal-delivers-historic-liquidity-event-for-french-tech/) --- 1. ***Over the past year, French insurtech unicorn Alan has made it clear that its future would be built around AI. Founded in 2016, the company's AI investments have driven remarkable growth, created new efficiencies, and enabled new products. The vision, as explained by CEO and co-founder Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, is to turn health insurance into a digital, AI-powered health companion. AI is no longer just a nice-to-have at Alan; it is at the very core of how the company operates, scales, and reshapes health care for its 400,000+ members.*** [Alan Goes All-In on AISix months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-75.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/ZwTioIF3NbkBW_1X_Asset-34--5.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) --- 1. ***Ethiqais’s mission is to help European companies adopt AI safely and responsibly. “Our aim is to create a hub where companies can use AI securely and sovereignly in Europe. It’s not just about technology; it’s about values, compliance, and trust,”*** [***Alina Holcroft***](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinaholcroft/?isSelfProfile=false&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***, CEO of*** [***Ethiqais***](https://ethiqais.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***, explained.*** [Ethiqais: Building a European AI Champion the Ethical WayA frosty Grand Palais, a flurry of AI buzzwords, and one startup quietly redefining Europe’s tech future. Meet Ethiqais: the ethical, sovereign, quietly-ferocious AI governance team you’ll soon be hearing a lot more about.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-73.png)The French Tech JournalHelen O’Reilly-Durand![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/ethiquais-1-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ethiqais-building-european-ai-champion-ethical-way/) --- 1. ***UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant) emerged from stealth on December 1st with Cadene and three other co-founders, a team that*** [***one humanoid robotics news site dubbed "The European Robotics 'Supergroup'."***](https://www.humanoidsdaily.com/news/uma-exits-stealth-the-european-robotics-supergroup-arrives-in-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***They are backed by an impressive roster of investors, including Greycroft, Relentless, and Unity Growth, alongside AI luminaries such as Yann LeCun, Olivier Pomel, and Thomas Wolf. Cadene believes that Europe is the ideal place to establish a humanoid robotics company, offering both talent and opportunities. "We are convinced that Europe is the best market for this new technology, and that's something that not a lot of people are aware of," he said at the conference. The argument rests on demographics and industrial structure: "In Europe, we have a historic industrial network. So we are a lot of companies in the industry, and we have very highly qualified people, but an aging society. So there is a critical need for automation, and it's on the mind of all the C-levels in major companies doing business in Europe."*** [From Tesla to Paris: UMA’s Audacious Bet on European RoboticsA new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-79.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/maxon-2.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) --- 1. ***As the future of work becomes one of the hottest (and most overwhelming) themes in tech, Clover is stepping into the arena with unusually bold ambitions. The early-stage evergreen fund, launched by French entrepreneur*** [***Samuel Tual***](https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tual-0b737819/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***, wants to become nothing less than the reference VC for work and education on both sides of the Atlantic. And behind the wheel of this new vehicle is***[ ***Hugo Mendes***](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmen/?isSelfProfile=false&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)***, a VC who’s spent years oscillating between the founder and investor worlds in France and the U.S. Now he’s helping build a fund designed to bridge those two universes with speed, clarity, and a distinctly founder-centric approach.*** [Spotlight Interview: Hugo Mendes, Co-Founder of New Future of Work VC Fund CloverMeet the evergreen VC for the Future of work that wants to re-write VC the rulebook.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-78.png)The French Tech JournalHelen O’Reilly-Durand![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Samuel-Tual---Hugo-Mendes-3.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-hugo-mendes-co-founder-and-vc-investor-at-future-of-work-fund-clover/) --- 1. ***France's TechBio ecosystem is having a moment. In just under a year, the number of identified TechBio companies in the country has nearly doubled, jumping from 22 to 40 startups and scale-ups, according to a new report by the TechBio France Commission. The report was released on Thursday at the second edition of the TechBio France Conference held at the Future4Care office in Paris.*** [Mapping French TechBio: 40 Companies Mixing Biology, Data, and AIA comprehensive mapping by France Biotech and France Deeptech identifies 40 companies operating at the intersection of biology and breakthrough technology, and argues that France could become a global leader in this emerging field.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-77.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/TechBio-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mapping-french-techbio-40-companies-mixing-biology-data-and-ai/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🤖 La Machine #57: A look back at 2025 with The French Tech Journal URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-57-a-look-back-at-2025-with-the-french-tech-journal/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T14:15:17.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 As 2025 draws to a close, we revisit a year that reshaped French tech’s relationship with AI, capital, and sovereignty. From global summits and geopolitical tensions to funding reality checks, regulatory battles, and historic liquidity events, this special year-in-review unpacks the stories that defined a more grounded and more political tech ecosystem. [**Check out our look back at 2025.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/a-look-back-at-2025-with-the-french-tech-journal/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/TSMCs-2nm-Chip-Demand-Surpasses-All-Previous-Nodes.webp) 🗞️ **TSMC shrinks the world.** TSMC is the world's largest contract maker of chips, used in everything from smartphones to missiles. The Taiwanese chip giant has just launched **mass production of 2nm processors**, a first in the semiconductor industry. The chips will be the "most advanced technology in the semiconductor industry in terms of both density and energy efficiency," the company said in a statement on its website. These ultra-dense, energy-efficient chips are perfect for AI servers and embedded intelligence. Nvidia and Apple are lined up and ready to pounce. The breakthrough keeps TSMC firmly ahead of rivals and helped its stock climb 45% this year, proving that sometimes smaller really is mightier. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/la-technologie-la-plus-avancee-de-lindustrie-des-semi-conducteurs-tsmc-demarre-la-production-massive-de-puces-gravees-en-2-nanometres-2207199?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Japan Times**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/31/tech/tsmc-production-2nm-chips/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/Laurent-Solly-Yann-LeCun.webp) Goodbye Meta, Hello Ami 🗞️ After 12 years at Meta, **Laurent Solly, VP Europe, has** [**announced his departure on LinkedIn.**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/laurent-solly%5Fafter-more-than-12-years-at-meta-the-time-activity-7409193457896017920-aTXZ?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAUKLzABMJOJvDn0SgtXmFAlaJPxYO3raLE)Solly joined in 2013 to lead Facebook France and later oversaw all European operations. Before Meta, Solly had a flourishing career in both **politics and media**: Sciences Po, ENA, EDF, Sarkozy’s cabinet, TF1, basically the recipe for someone who can charm both ministers and machine learning researchers. Alongside Yann LeCun, he helped build **FAIR Paris**, putting France on the AI map. His legacy: boosting French AI startups, connecting Meta to local businesses, and exporting talent across the ecosystem. He leaves with colleagues thanking him, LinkedIn posts glowing, and the tech press guessing wildly about his next move. The timing is a little uncanny with LeCun having also exited Meta to launch **AMI Labs**, now aiming for a €3bn valuation. 🤔 | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/23/apres-yann-lecun-laurent-solly-le-patron-de-meta-en-europe-quitte-a-son-tour-le-groupe-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/big-tech/meta/le-francais-laurent-solly-quitte-ses-fonctions-de-vice-president-europe-chez-meta-apres-12-ans-au-coeur-du-reacteur.FT2ABCED2RA2DBDTQSADTPIMVY.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **ESA servers spooked.** The Paris-based European Space Agency has reported a cybersecurity incidenton a very small number of **external servers** used for collaborative scientific projects, including AI-related research. No classified data or theft has been confirmed, leaving hackers’ claims unverified. ESA launched an immediate security analysis and reinforced protections on potentially affected systems. The episode highlights how even non-classified scientific infrastructure can be a target, as space agencies operate **dual-use tech** and critical research. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/serveurs-externes-fuite-de-donnees-ce-que-lon-sait-de-lincident-de-cybersecurite-de-lagence-spatiale-europeenne.QIGZZTCJXBH7TBUHUQV4S4LZPQ.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **AI is hungry… and France is watching.** The French Competition Authority warns that skyrocketing AI energy needs could affect market fairness. Data centers are guzzling electricity and water, with ChatGPT queries 10x more energy-hungry than a Google search. “Frugal AI” could shake things up, letting smaller players compete without massive infrastructure. Big tech is securing renewable or nuclear power to keep costs steady and keep rivals at bay. The authority urges transparency and vigilance to avoid greenwashing and anti-competitive tricks. Could a leaner, greener AI landscape be the next frontier of competition? | [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-l-autorite-de-la-concurrence-s-inquiete-des-enjeux-energetiques-de-l-ia-98863.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Amazon gets a GDPR reality check.** France's Conseil d’État has cut Amazon France’s fine from €32M down to €15M, partly approving its algorithmic monitoring tools. Scanners tracking idle time, “stow machine gun” speed, and latency are legal, as long as they’re targeted and proportional. The court rejected blanket data retention, reminding Amazon that less is more when it comes to personal info. The ruling sets a precedent for AI-driven employee monitoring: you can do it, but don't overreach. For startups and big tech alike, it’s a reminder that AI at work must balance efficiency with privacy. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/cybersecurite/data-protection/cnil/surveillance-au-travail-le-conseil-detat-desavoue-la-cnil-et-reduit-de-moitie-lamende-infligee-a-amazon.QNXQPNDTJ5FHVGCABLZXUYY3FA.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |**The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- ### 🧠 A look back at 2025 with the French Tech Journal [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/Design-sans-titre--1--1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/a-look-back-at-2025-with-the-french-tech-journal/) As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a look back at articles on what has been an epic but turbulent year for French tech. If 2024 was the year of AI promises, 2025 was the year of reality checks. Against a backdrop of political instability at home (2 prime ministers, 3 new governments, and a hung parliament - need we say more?!) and geopolitical tension abroad, France’s tech ecosystem spent the year grappling with scale, sovereignty, and the unintended consequences of an AI-first world. From bold ambitions at the Paris AI Summit to funding slowdowns, defence tech revival, regulatory showdowns, and a handful of very grown-up liquidity moments, 2025 was less about hype and more about the hard questions. Here’s our month-by-month look back at the stories that defined the year. [Our 2025 month-by-month recap](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/a-look-back-at-2025-with-the-french-tech-journal/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### A look back at 2025 with the French Tech Journal URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/a-look-back-at-2025-with-the-french-tech-journal/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T14:06:30.000Z As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a look back in articles at what has been an epic but turbulent year for French tech. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #56: Will 2026 Be The Year Of Responsible AI? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-56-will-2026-be-the-year-of-responsible-ai/ Last updated: 2025-12-24T08:38:12.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 James Martin, founder of BetterTech and the FrugalAI training course on the impact of AI, argues that in the rush to win the AI race, too many guardrails are being dismantled. [**As the Year of AI winds down, Martin surveys the growing risks.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/guest-post-why-ai-will-have-to-be-more-responsible-in-2026/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Yann LeCun ain't messin' around.** His Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) lab is already in talks to raise around €500 million, a round that could value the Paris-based lab at nearly €3 billion, according to the *Financial Times.* Now,**AMI has announced that it will partner with French healthtech startup Nabla, but with a little extra twist: Nabla CEO Alex LeBrun will become CEO of AMI, while staying on as Chairman and Chief AI Scientist at Nabla.** "I’ve worked closely with Yann for years, and I couldn’t be more excited about what this unlocks for healthcare AI and for Nabla’s next chapter," LeBrun wrote on LinkedIn. LeBrun disclosed that Nabla had tripled its "live ARR this year" to $1B. The partnership gives Nabla early access to AMI’s cutting-edge *world models*, an emerging class of AI designed to understand the physical world, overcome the limits of LLMs, and enable deterministic, regulator-ready systems. LeCun’s ambition is to spark the next great revolution in AI with systems capable of reasoning, planning, and interacting with the real world, not just predicting text. For Nabla, already deployed across more than 150 health systems, this could translate into a decisive edge in building the first truly agentic, FDA-certifiable clinical AI. More broadly, it positions both companies at the center of a post-LLM shift that’s rapidly attracting attention from giants like Google, Nvidia, and the global AI research elite. | [**Nabla**](https://www.nabla.com/press-release/nabla-announces-exclusive-partnership-with-advanced-machine-intelligence-to-pioneer-the-next-era-of-agentic-healthcare-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LeBrun on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7407462624818384896/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7407462624818384896%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/18/ia-yann-lecun-ex-star-de-meta-en-pourparlers-pour-lever-un-demi-milliard-deuros-pour-lancer-sa-startup/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Clair Obscur: *Expedition 33*** enjoyed another fleeting moment of indie glory this week, [winning both Game of the Year and Best Debut at the Indie Game Awards](https://www.polygon.com/indie-game-awards-2025-winners-list/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). But the trophies were abruptly **pulled** a few days later because the game shipped with a small number of generative AI assets, later patched out, but still enough to violate the awards’ submission rules. While developer **Sandfall Interactive** had acknowledged limited AI use earlier in the year, the Indie Game Awards say the studio confirmed on premiere day that gen AI art was indeed used in production, triggering an automatic disqualification. The decision reignited the industry’s simmering debate over AI in game development, where transparency now matters as much as creative ambition. The vacated awards have since been reassigned, but it's a bit of a blemish and controversy to end an otherwise incredible year for the Montpellier studio, [**which just won Game of the Year at the Game Awards earlier in the month**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/). | [**Polygon**](https://www.polygon.com/clair-obscur-expedition-33-indie-game-awards-goty-rescinded/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **A 17-year-old from Burkina Faso sent shockwaves through French social media by using AI to fabricate a video announcing a coup d’état in France,** complete with fake TV reporters, police lights, and the Eiffel Tower in the background. "Unofficial reports suggest that there has been a coup in France, led by a colonel whose identity has not been revealed, along with the possible fall of Emmanuel Macron. However, the authorities have not issued a clear statement," a female reporter says. The clip went massively viral in early December, racking up more than 12 million views and even prompting public irritation from President Emmanuel Macron, who said Facebook refused to take it down. "On Sunday (14 December), one of my African counterparts got in touch, writing 'Dear president, what's happening to you? I'm very worried,'” Macron [told readers of one French local newspaper](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/12/19/video-of-coup-in-paris-how-an-ai-generated-video-caused-macron-a-major-headache?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Ironically, the teenager’s supposed money-making stunt earned him just seven euros, though it did deliver instant notoriety. | [**AFP**](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/burkinabe-teen-behind-viral-french-192900590.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EuroNews**](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/12/19/video-of-coup-in-paris-how-an-ai-generated-video-caused-macron-a-major-headache?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20251217-fake-video-claiming-coup-in-france-goes-viral-%E2%80%93-not-even-macron-could-immediately-get-it-removed?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**RFI**](https://www.rfi.fr/fr/monde/20251215-comment-des-vid%C3%A9os-g%C3%A9n%C3%A9r%C3%A9es-par-intelligence-artificielle-usurpent-l-identit%C3%A9-de-rfi?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Revaia has joined forces with Tikehau Capital** to back the next growth chapter of Intersec, a European software leader whose AI-powered platforms quietly run some of the world’s most critical public safety systems. For more than 20 years, Intersec of France has analyzed vast streams of metadata and location signals in real time, enabling governments and telecom operators to act instantly at a country scale. Its AI-driven technology underpins population alerting, emergency response, and homeland security use cases by detecting patterns, identifying risks, and triggering action within seconds. The investment reflects a shared ambition to accelerate AI-led product innovation, expand globally, and pursue targeted acquisitions, while preserving Intersec’s European, sovereign approach to sensitive data. Unlike surveillance-heavy models, Intersec’s AI extracts insight from metadata without accessing communications content, aligning advanced analytics with strict privacy and regulatory expectations. For Revaia, the deal also marks an evolution, its second buyout, a strategy to give a proven AI platform the governance simplicity and capital needed to scale faster. | [**Revaia Blog Post**](https://www.revaia.com/news/why-we-invested-in-intersec-european-sovereignty-meets-mission-critical-software/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Clem Delangue**, Co-founder & CEO at **Hugging Face**, dropped a quickie update on the company's robotics progress: "In April this year, we acquired a small (but mighty) robotics company from Bordeaux, France. This weekend, thanks to them, we're shipping 3,000 Reachy Minis all over the world (half of them in the US). That's the power of international collaboration and open-source robotics (and hard work haha)!" | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7405973786082041856/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7405973786082041856%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-89.png) 🗞️ **French retail investors are increasingly turning to AI for guidance, according to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers' (AMF)** 2025 Savings and Investment Barometer. Interest in equities is at its highest level since 2017, with 35% of French people planning to invest in the stock market over the next year, and confidence in equities continuing to rise. At the same time, perceptions of risk are falling, both for stocks and for crypto-assets, which are now seen as high-risk by fewer than half of respondents. A striking new data point this year: 11% of French people already use artificial intelligence to inform their investment decisions, surpassing social media and influencers, with under-35s leading the charge. AI is mostly used to better understand products and tailor investments to personal needs, reflecting a broader shift toward investor autonomy. | [**AMF**](https://www.amf-france.org/en/news-publications/news-releases/amf-news-releases/amf-2025-barometer-search-autonomy-many-french-people-turn-artificial-intelligence-when-they-want?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |**The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) 🗞️ **Ex-Doctolib Team Deploys AI Agents To Fix France's Dysfunctional Dental System** | La Fraise recently raised €3.2M to boost the nation's low quote acceptance rate by using AI to create greater transparency for recommended procedures. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ex-doctolib-team-deploys-ai-agents-to-fix-frances-dysfunctional-dental-system/) --- ### 🧠 Guest Post: Why AI will have to be more responsible in 2026 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-90.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/guest-post-why-ai-will-have-to-be-more-responsible-in-2026/) Photo by [Jason Leung](https://unsplash.com/@ninjason?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) We know. It’s been a crazy few years in AI. As this very newsletter attests, it’s been hard enough to keep track of the frenetic AI startup fundraising activity in 2025 . But it’s not just startups. This was the year staff worldwide, in companies of all sizes, were given access to corporate LLM accounts with very little guidance on how to use them. At the same time, the risks of unchecked usage of generative and agentic AI became hard to ignore. Beyond company-level considerations, 2025 also marked a fundamental shift in how AI operates in the world. The technology moved from being a helpful assistant to an autonomous agent that acts on your behalf: booking meetings, writing code, managing databases, and even making purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, the competitive pressure to adopt AI became almost unbearable, with some companies even citing fear of missing out as their number one AI-related risk (way greater than their fear of getting it wrong). With the stakes rising, governments pushed to loosen rules so as not to lose the economic development battle to other regions. The result was a perfect storm of powerful technology, widespread deployment, and governance that seemed to heighten risks. [Will 2026 be the year of Responsible AI?](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/guest-post-why-ai-will-have-to-be-more-responsible-in-2026/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Dec_19_Simple.png) ***For the week ending December 19, there were 6 AI startups that raised a total of €101.8 million.*** --- 📇 Company: SkillCorner 🔍 Description: Paris-based sports intelligence company providing AI-driven player and ball tracking and contextual performance data from broadcast video. SkillCorner pioneered single-camera automated tracking and serves teams, leagues, and federations across soccer, basketball, and American football, supporting scouting, recruitment, tactical analysis, and player development. 💻 Website: [SkillCorner](https://www.skillcorner.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth investment 💰 Amount Raised: $60M 🏦 Investors: Silversmith Capital Partners (lead); existing shareholders include the NBA and Seventure Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hugo Bordigoni (CEO), Charles Montmaneix (Co-Founder & General Manager) 🗞️ News: SkillCorner raised $60M from Silversmith Capital Partners to accelerate product innovation, scale data engineering and product teams, and expand multi-sport operations—particularly in North America. The company covers 180+ competitions and serves more than 300 organizations globally, while continuing to operate independently from its Paris headquarters. | [**PR**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251217177227/en/SkillCorner-Announces-%2460-Million-Growth-Investment-from-Silversmith-Capital-Partners?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Ankar 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered platform designed to simplify and accelerate the patenting of innovations. Ankar provides a unified solution covering the full patent lifecycle—from idea validation to drafting and prior art analysis—helping companies protect and better monetize their intellectual property in the age of generative AI. 💻 **Website:** [Ankar](https://ankar.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** London, United Kingdom 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20M *(on top of $4M previously raised)* 🏦 **Investors:** Atomico (lead), Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Wiem Gharbi, Tamar Gomez (French co-founders) 🗞️ **News:** Founded by two former Palantir executives, Ankar raised a $20M Series A to scale its AI-driven patent management platform. Used by Fortune 500 companies such as L’Oréal and law firm Vorys, the solution analyzes over 150 million patent filings and 250 million scientific publications to help companies identify, shape, and protect patentable innovations. The funding will be used to double the team from 20 employees and accelerate international expansion, particularly in the U.S., with the ambition of becoming the core software infrastructure for global innovation in the AI era. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/17/deux-francaises-passees-par-palantir-levent-20-millions-de-dollars-aupres-datomico-et-daphni-pour-faciliter-le-brevetage-des-innovations/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/deux-tours-de-table-en-un-an-ankar-leve-17-millions-deuros-pour-ses-outils-de-brevets-ia/459278?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Arcads.ai 🔍 Description: French AI startup offering an automated video marketing platform using AI actors to industrialize short-form content production for social media. The platform enables rapid generation and localization of UGC-style videos, product demos, unboxings, and fashion try-ons in more than 35 languages, designed for high-volume, performance-driven marketing teams. 💻 Website: [Arcads.ai](https://www.arcads.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris (planned expansion to San Francisco) 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €14M 🏦 Investors: Eurazeo (lead), Alpha Intelligence Capital, Sequoia Scout Program, international investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Dylan Fournier, Romain Torres 🗞️ News: Arcads.ai raised €14M in its first institutional round to accelerate the industrialization of AI-generated video marketing. Founded in 2024, the company reports more than 6,000 customers, over 100,000 videos produced per month, and a user base primarily located in the United States. The funding will support product development and international expansion, with a planned presence in San Francisco to better serve the U.S. market, where digital video advertising spend continues to scale rapidly. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/arcads-ai-leve-14-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-production-video-marketing-par-lia/459274?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Lucis 🔍 Description: French preventive healthcare startup offering AI-supported health check-ups conducted in certified laboratories and interpreted by a medical team. Lucis provides individuals with a structured, preventive view of their health based on more than 180 biomarkers, delivering actionable insights across nutrition, physical activity, sleep, recovery, and mental health without replacing physicians or providing medical diagnoses. 💻 Website: [Lucis](https://www.lucis.health/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €7.2M ($8.5M) 🏦 Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Y Combinator, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Circle.Co, North South Ventures, plus business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maxime Berthelot (CEO), Baptiste Debever, Max Gueroi 🗞️ News: Lucis closed a €7.2M Seed round to accelerate its European expansion, scale its preventive health platform, and grow its network of partner laboratories and physicians. Founded in 2025 and backed by̦ by Y Combinator, the startup has already conducted more than 500,000 clinical tests across France, the UK, Ireland, and Portugal. Lucis operates on a subscription model and positions itself as a preventive and educational health platform, combining AI-driven analysis with human medical validation to help users understand health trajectories before symptoms appear. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/french-preventive-healthcare-startup-lucis-raises-e7-2-million-from-general-catalyst-y-combinator-others/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/16/avec-y-combinator-et-motier-ventures-a-son-capital-lucis-veut-simposer-sur-le-marche-de-la-sante-predictive/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Edailabs 🔍 **Description:** French AI edtech startup developing *Emma*, an English-learning application focused on oral fluency rather than written exercises. The app uses a 3D AI avatar as a personal tutor, offering personalized conversation scenarios, real-time feedback on pronunciation and grammar, and motivation through daily engagement features. 💻 **Website:** [Edailabs](https://www.edailabs.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** Educapital, Breega, Yellow Ventures, Seedcamp, DMG Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Étienne Genvrin (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Edailabs raised €5M to accelerate the development of *Emma*, its AI-powered English tutor emphasizing spoken language skills. Launched in January, the app already claims 500,000 users. Built on an OpenAI model and enhanced through proprietary prompt engineering inspired by the founder’s language-learning methodology, Emma positions itself against Duolingo and Babbel by prioritizing oral fluency via a 3D avatar available 24/7\. The company plans to expand beyond English, with Spanish currently in development. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ces-start-up-dia-qui-veulent-ringardiser-duolingo-et-babbel-2204737?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Miura Simulation 🔍 Description: French deeptech startup providing a data-centric platform that unifies fragmented simulation and engineering workflows. Through its Miura Nexus platform, the company helps industrial players in aerospace, energy, and automotive centralize simulation data, ensure traceability, and deploy AI to accelerate design cycles. 💻 Website: [Miura Simulation](https://miurasimulation.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Nantes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Atlantique Business Angels Booster, Pays de la Loire Participations, Centrale Innovation, Arts et Métiers Business Angels, Aerospace Angels; with banking support from Bpifrance, Crédit Agricole, Caisse d’Épargne, Crédit Mutuel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jose Aguado, Domenico Borzacchiello, Jordi Gómez 🗞️ News: Founded in 2020, Miura Simulation raised €2M to expand operations and accelerate development of Miura Nexus, its data-centric platform designed to replace siloed and locked simulation ecosystems. The company targets industrial sectors such as aerospace, energy, and automotive, enabling AI-driven simulation and faster engineering design cycles. | [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/12/miura-simulation-raises-e2m-in-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Guest Post: Why AI will have to be more responsible in 2026 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/guest-post-why-ai-will-have-to-be-more-responsible-in-2026/ Last updated: 2025-12-26T15:25:24.000Z We know. It’s been a crazy few years in AI. As this very newsletter attests, it’s been hard enough to keep track of the frenetic AI startup fundraising activity in 2025\. But it’s not just startups. This was the year staff worldwide, in companies of all sizes, were given access to corporate LLM accounts with very little guidance on how to use them. At the same time, the risks of unchecked usage of generative and agentic AI became hard to ignore. Beyond the company level, 2025 also marked a fundamental shift in how AI operates in the world. The technology moved from being a helpful assistant to an autonomous agent that acts on your behalf: booking meetings, writing code, managing databases, and even making purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, the competitive pressure to adopt AI became almost unbearable, with some companies even citing fear of missing out as their number one AI-related risk (way greater than their fear of getting it wrong). With the stakes rising, governments pushed to loosen rules so as not to lose the economic development battle to other regions. The result was a perfect storm of powerful technology, widespread deployment, and governance that seemed to heighten risks. Did you hear, for example, about the Sky News[ deepfake interview with Imran Khan’s sister](https://news.sky.com/video/how-the-growing-threat-of-disinformation-can-inflame-regional-tensions-13479023?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which nearly started a war after going viral and being shared by at least one minister? More recently, French President Emmanuel Macron said Meta was “[mocking us](https://www.franceinfo.fr/politique/emmanuel-macron/je-suis-tres-inquiet-une-video-annoncant-un-faux-coup-d-etat-en-france-agace-emmanuel-macron%5F7684993.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)” when it refused to take down a deepfake video about a *coup d’état* that was seen 13 million times. Or what about the researchers who established that “[adversarial poetry](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15304?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)” could be used to hack LLMs? In other words, if you submit to ChatGPT a poem that only figuratively refers to how to make a bomb, it will give you a step-by-step recipe for how to do exactly that. Let’s not forget the[ developer who got caught](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7401957120558116864?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7401957120558116864%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) pasting hundreds of customer records into ChatGPT, because he “just needed help with an SQL query." Somewhat reminiscent of why[ Samsung outright banned](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/05/02/samsung-bans-chatgpt-and-other-chatbots-for-employees-after-sensitive-code-leak/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) OpenAI’s flagship product in 2023, after an employee leaked confidential company code to it… …all this while the Model Context Protocol (MCP), introduced by Anthropic late 2024 and quickly adopted by OpenAI and Google, paved the way for LLMs and agentic systems to speak the same language, despite[ clear security concerns](https://thehackernews.com/2025/04/experts-uncover-critical-mcp-and-a2a.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Copyright issues also spiralled in 2025\. In fashion, it[ emerged](https://ecommons.cornell.edu/items/1365991d-3479-4eb1-b64b-b69ccadfdb53?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that “Frankensteining” is now common practice: models are hired for one shoot, scanned, and then reproduced in an infinite number of campaigns, with no image rights paid. Something similar has been happening to[ Hollywood actors](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/hollywood-actors-strike-ai-background-visual-effects-sag-aftra-1234792405/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for a while now. And in music, a[ Deezer study](https://newsroom-deezer.com/2025/11/deezer-ipsos-survey-ai-music/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) revealed that 97% of listeners can’t tell the difference between AI-generated music and the regular kind. Warner Music Group (WMG) recently [settled a lawsuit and agreed to license some artists' voices](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdrl7lr039o?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to let users create AI-generated music on Suno. Why bother listening to those artists' records when you can make your own using their voices? And will those royalties be even less than Spotify's? Then there are the energy and environmental impacts: the data centers necessary for all this resource-hungry AI activity are popping up so fast that some US states are already[ running out of electricity](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers-in-nvidias-hometown-sit-idle-as-grid-struggles-to-keep-up?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to power them all. Cue soaring electricity bills for consumers, as operators rush to upgrade their grids; and $162bn in data center investment is currently stopped or on hold in the US, due to local community protests, according to[ Data Center Watch](https://www.datacenterwatch.org/q22025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)’s recent reports. Last but unfortunately not least,[ OpenAI blamed a teen for killing himself](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/openai-says-dead-teen-violated-tos-when-he-used-chatgpt-to-plan-suicide/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) with the help of ChatGPT. Shortly afterwards, Sam Altman announced a future venture into erotic chats on the platform. An announcement he later [regretted](https://sfstandard.com/2025/11/04/sam-altman-steve-kerr-san-francisco-talk/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), but it was too late. The answer to all of this has been to back away from regulation. In the EU, leaders are [pushing to delay the EU AI Act](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/19/european-commission-accused-of-massive-rollback-of-digital-protections?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) out of fear that it will hurt the competitiveness of local companies. In the U.S., the [Trump administration has issued an executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) designed to block states from enacting tough AI rules, [though some states seem](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/19/kathy-hochul-signs-new-yorks-ai-safety-law-aimed-at-tech-industry-heavyweights-00700473?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) determined to challenge that. But the risks remain even if the regulations do not address them. So, how can you and your company protect yourself from AI’s “elements of irrationality,” as Google’s [Sundar Pichai](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy7vrd8k4eo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) calls them? Especially in a context where regulations like the AI Act or GDPR seem increasingly likely to be watered down, potentially leading to less and less accountability? Not to mention the much-anticipated bursting of the AI bubble…? The answer is clear: in 2026, organizations with no form of AI governance will leave themselves open to many more of the above risks. This governance could take the form of a “Responsible AI Charter,” which spells out staff members’ rules of engagement with LLMs and related tech. This is currently something 59% of US companies do not have, according to a recent [KPMG report](https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2025/shadow-ai-already-here.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com); despite nearly half of employees admitting they use shadow AI. Imposing one official LLM for your organisation is an essential first step for such a charter, notably because it makes it clear that shadow AI usage - when employees use their personal chatbot accounts at work - is not tolerated, for confidentiality reasons (so no one uploads your codebase to ChatGPT…). Next, make sure said charter or rules include an obligation to check all content produced by LLMs before sharing, especially outside your company (with clients or partners, for example). Again, according to KPMG’s report, 58% of employees currently trust AI without verifying. Another major risk for your organisation. Then, ensure that all staff are trained to be more aware of the above risks. Spotting deepfake videos isn’t *that* difficult, just look out for blurred or wonky lip movements, for example, and ‘em’ dashes (“—”) are a dead giveaway for LLM-written texts. Such training should also strongly insist that no confidential or sensitive information, especially that of clients, ever be input to an LLM (hello again, Samsung!) And, if relevant for your business, staff should also be aware of AI’s often far-reaching copyright implications. Setting up a charter is just the first step, of course: a specialist committee should be on hand to answer any questions staff may have, and to shape the responsible AI policy moving forward. Finally, governance should also include key notions of both sustainability and sovereignty. If you choose a model that’s hosted by a European company in an EU data centre, then European laws (such as GDPR) should exclusively apply. Conversely, specific US legislation can give North American law enforcement access to data hosted by US companies, such as cloud providers, even if that data is hosted in Europe. Not to mention the potential for a mad leader to cut transatlantic internet cables. Choosing open source models not only means you can host them wherever you like, but also that you can keep a closer eye on their impacts. Whereas closed models like Gemini are a black box when it comes to energy and emissions measurement, open source ones are, as their name suggests, transparent with this type of data. Furthermore, the smaller a model - i.e. the fewer parameters it has - the fewer resources it consumes. So why not encourage your CTO to choose a small-but-capable, EU-hosted model, like Mistral’s new Ministral 3 series? At a time when data centres’ electricity and water consumption are soaring ([3-4x before the end of the decade](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32d6m0d1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)), such choices could keep your company’s IT emissions from going off the scale… In short, in 2026, we should expect Responsible AI Charters to shift from a minority to a common practice in most companies. Indeed, in France, they can already be found, both in big companies like Groupe La Poste (226,000 staff) and in French Tech 120 startups like Shippeo (200 staff). Shouldn’t your company be next? ### ***About the author*** [*James Martin*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmartin75/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *is the founder of* [*BetterTech*](https://bettertech.blog/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*, a blog focused on making technology more responsible. He also conceived and presents “*[*Frugal AI*](https://bit.ly/frugalaitrainingjrm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*”, a GreenIT.fr training course focused on the impact of AI, and how to reduce it. Martin also helps a variety of companies and associations to use technology more responsibly. He was previously Head of Content and Sustainability at Scaleway (iliad Group), and leads communications & CSR at Shippeo, where he put in place the company’s Responsible AI Charter.* ### French Tech Funding Wire December 22: SF $10B HQs, 13 Companies Raised €140.5M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-december-22-sf-10b-hqs-13-companies-raised-eu140-5m/ Last updated: 2025-12-22T13:43:28.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: SF $10B HQs The [latest a16z newsletter](https://www.a16z.news/p/charts-of-the-week-agents-start-to?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) included a couple of interesting charts that offered a reminder of why the U.S. remains so attractive for founders. Drawing on CB Insights data, the VC firm notes that almost "every private company with a valuation over ten billion dollars is based either in the United States or in China...There are more of them in the Bay Area than in China and Europe combined." Ouch. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-87.png) Not being able to resist twisting the knife just a bit, a16z also includes a chart using data from portfolio company Deel (French founder!) that looks at sick leave across different countries. On average, in the U.S., employees just take one or two days. But the VC firm dubs France the "king of sick leave" because "more than 20 percent of sick leaves in France take *more than eleven days."* "It seems that French workers are in the habit of acquiring severe illnesses that prevent them from working for weeks at a time," a16z adds. Ha ha. It's funny. Also, because, well, it's dumb. First, because this is based on companies on the Deel platform, not on the entire country. And second, the way sick leave is counted and categorized in the U.S. vs France is entirely different. But why let some messy statistical analysis get in the way of good LOL? ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-86.png) On the other hand, another a16z chart points out that "more than 40 percent of U.S. doctors are reporting burnout. The U.S. is the global leader in doctor burnout." Oh? "Why are American doctors so burnt out? Perhaps because of how bureaucratic American medicine is. A huge amount of doctors’ time is devoted to administrative paperwork that has very little to do with curing patients." Oh? If only there were a better way. 🤔 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-88.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: December 19 --- ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** **Total Raised:** **€140.5M** **Number of Companies: 13** ### 🧬 Sector Diversity - 💻 **AI & Software: €104.6M** - ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation: €28.0M** - 🧠 **Medtech & Health Intelligence: €7.2M** --- 📇 Company: SkillCorner 🔍 Description: Paris-based sports intelligence company providing AI-driven player and ball tracking and contextual performance data from broadcast video. SkillCorner pioneered single-camera automated tracking and serves teams, leagues, and federations across soccer, basketball, and American football, supporting scouting, recruitment, tactical analysis, and player development. 💻 Website: [SkillCorner](https://www.skillcorner.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth investment 💰 Amount Raised: $60M 🏦 Investors: Silversmith Capital Partners (lead); existing shareholders include the NBA and Seventure Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hugo Bordigoni (CEO), Charles Montmaneix (Co-Founder & General Manager) 🗞️ News: SkillCorner raised $60M from Silversmith Capital Partners to accelerate product innovation, scale data engineering and product teams, and expand multi-sport operations—particularly in North America. The company covers 180+ competitions and serves more than 300 organizations globally, while continuing to operate independently from its Paris headquarters. | [**PR**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251217177227/en/SkillCorner-Announces-%2460-Million-Growth-Investment-from-Silversmith-Capital-Partners?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** NanoXplore 🔍 **Description:** French semiconductor scale-up specializing in FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) chips designed for extreme environments. NanoXplore supplies radiation-resistant electronic components used in European satellite programs (Galileo, Copernicus) and is now accelerating its push into the defense sector to reduce Europe’s dependence on U.S. and Taiwanese chips. 💻 **Website:** [NanoXplore](https://www.nanoxplore.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Sèvres 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20M 🏦 **Investors:** MBDA, Fonds Innovation Défense 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Edouard Lepape (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** NanoXplore raised €20M to accelerate its expansion into European defense electronics and scale production of sovereign FPGA chips. Already supplying components used in satellites and MBDA missiles, the company aims to replace at least 50% of U.S.-made components in Europe within 4–5 years. While chip design remains in France, NanoXplore plans to rely on advanced manufacturing at TSMC in Taiwan from 2028 to 2029, highlighting Europe’s structural gap in high-end semiconductor fabrication. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/17/nanoxplore-la-scale-up-francaise-qui-veut-liberer-leurope-de-la-dependance-aux-puces-americaines-et-taiwanaises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Nanoexplore**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/du-spatial-a-la-defense-nanoxplore-change-dechelle-avec-une-levee-de-20-millions-deuros/459269?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-65.png) 📇 **Company:** Ankar 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered platform designed to simplify and accelerate the patenting of innovations. Ankar provides a unified solution covering the full patent lifecycle—from idea validation to drafting and prior art analysis—helping companies protect and better monetize their intellectual property in the age of generative AI. 💻 **Website:** [Ankar](https://ankar.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** London, United Kingdom 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20M *(on top of $4M previously raised)* 🏦 **Investors:** Atomico (lead), Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Wiem Gharbi, Tamar Gomez (French co-founders) 🗞️ **News:** Founded by two former Palantir executives, Ankar raised a $20M Series A to scale its AI-driven patent management platform. Used by Fortune 500 companies such as L’Oréal and law firm Vorys, the solution analyzes over 150 million patent filings and 250 million scientific publications to help companies identify, shape, and protect patentable innovations. The funding will be used to double the team from 20 employees and accelerate international expansion, particularly in the U.S., with the ambition of becoming the core software infrastructure for global innovation in the AI era. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/17/deux-francaises-passees-par-palantir-levent-20-millions-de-dollars-aupres-datomico-et-daphni-pour-faciliter-le-brevetage-des-innovations/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/deux-tours-de-table-en-un-an-ankar-leve-17-millions-deuros-pour-ses-outils-de-brevets-ia/459278?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-68.png) 📇 Company: Club Employés 🔍 Description: French HR Tech scale-up providing a dematerialized employee benefits platform for SMEs and their CSEs. Club Employés combines a SaaS tool to manage social benefits with a large marketplace of discounted offers, aiming to improve employees’ purchasing power while simplifying operations for elected staff. 💻 Website: [Club Employés](https://www.club-employes.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Growth 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Verto (lead); historical investors include Angelor (diluted) and business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Rostagnat (CEO), Pierre-Thomas Lebatteux 🗞️ News: Founded in 2016 and now profitable, Club Employés raised €15M from Verto to accelerate product development and international expansion. The company serves more than 10,000 clients and 1.6 million users, operates 16 offices across France, and has recently opened in the UK, with Belgium and Italy next. Employing 350 people today, it plans to grow to 500 within 12–18 months and expand into new offerings such as meal vouchers, positioning itself as a key challenger to Swile and Edenred in the employee benefits market. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-club-employes-le-discret-challenger-des-avantages-salaries-2204746?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/15/la-scale-up-club-employes-leve-15-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-66.png) 📇 Company: Arcads.ai 🔍 Description: French AI startup offering an automated video marketing platform using AI actors to industrialize short-form content production for social media. The platform enables rapid generation and localization of UGC-style videos, product demos, unboxings, and fashion try-ons in more than 35 languages, designed for high-volume, performance-driven marketing teams. 💻 Website: [Arcads.ai](https://www.arcads.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris (planned expansion to San Francisco) 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €14M 🏦 Investors: Eurazeo (lead), Alpha Intelligence Capital, Sequoia Scout Program, international investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Dylan Fournier, Romain Torres 🗞️ News: Arcads.ai raised €14M in its first institutional round to accelerate the industrialization of AI-generated video marketing. Founded in 2024, the company reports more than 6,000 customers, over 100,000 videos produced per month, and a user base primarily located in the United States. The funding will support product development and international expansion, with a planned presence in San Francisco to better serve the U.S. market, where digital video advertising spend continues to scale rapidly. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/arcads-ai-leve-14-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-production-video-marketing-par-lia/459274?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Helios 🔍 Description: Layer 1 blockchain designed specifically for multi-chain ETFs and automated on-chain portfolio strategies. Helios provides native infrastructure for cross-chain execution, automated allocation and rebalancing, and institution-grade financial products operating fully on-chain. 💻 Website: [Helios](https://helioschain.network/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Strategic Token Investment 💰 Amount Raised: €12.9 (committed investment) 🏦 Investors: Bolts Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jeremy Guyet 🗞️ News: Helios announced a $15M committed investment from Bolts Capital, structured as phased token purchases aligned with its upcoming Token Generation Event and ecosystem growth. The investment aims to support liquidity at launch, developer incentives, and cross-chain operations as Helios prepares for its TGE, early exchange listings, and a mainnet rollout planned for 2026\. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helios-blockchain%5F15m-investment-commitment-from-bolts-activity-7404605663160528898-7HbH?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-67.png) 📇 Company: Lucis 🔍 Description: French preventive healthcare startup offering AI-supported health check-ups conducted in certified laboratories and interpreted by a medical team. Lucis provides individuals with a structured, preventive view of their health based on more than 180 biomarkers, delivering actionable insights across nutrition, physical activity, sleep, recovery, and mental health without replacing physicians or providing medical diagnoses. 💻 Website: [Lucis](https://www.lucis.health/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €7.2M ($8.5M) 🏦 Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Y Combinator, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Circle.Co, North South Ventures, plus business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maxime Berthelot (CEO), Baptiste Debever, Max Gueroi 🗞️ News: Lucis closed a €7.2M Seed round to accelerate its European expansion, scale its preventive health platform, and grow its network of partner laboratories and physicians. Founded in 2025 and backed by̦ by Y Combinator, the startup has already conducted more than 500,000 clinical tests across France, the UK, Ireland, and Portugal. Lucis operates on a subscription model and positions itself as a preventive and educational health platform, combining AI-driven analysis with human medical validation to help users understand health trajectories before symptoms appear. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/french-preventive-healthcare-startup-lucis-raises-e7-2-million-from-general-catalyst-y-combinator-others/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/16/avec-y-combinator-et-motier-ventures-a-son-capital-lucis-veut-simposer-sur-le-marche-de-la-sante-predictive/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Agreenculture 🔍 Description: French AgTech startup specializing in autonomous and safety-certified farming machinery. Agreenculture provides OEMs with a plug-and-play autonomy kit enabling tractors and agricultural machines to operate without local supervision, improving productivity, precision, and sustainability in farming operations. 💻 Website: [Agreenculture](https://www.agreenculture.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Supernova Invest, Future Food Fund, Unilis (Unigrains Group); plus credit facility from Crédit Agricole Toulouse 31 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Christophe Aubé (CEO), Clément Baron (CTO), Emmanuel Goua de Baix 🗞️ News: Agreenculture raised €6M to enhance, standardise, and industrialise its AGC Autonomy Kit, accelerating commercial deployment with agricultural machinery manufacturers. Founded in 2016, the company positions itself as the first technology supplier offering a safe and certifiable autonomy solution compliant with European regulations. Its technology is already integrated with leading OEMs such as Kubota, Kuhn, and Pellenc, and supports more sustainable farming by reducing soil compaction, fuel use, and improving precision in fertiliser and pesticide application. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/french-startup-agreenculture-raises-e6-million-to-grow-its-autonomous-farming-technology/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-84.png) Edailabs CEO Étienne Genvrin 📇 **Company:** Edailabs 🔍 **Description:** French AI edtech startup developing *Emma*, an English-learning application focused on oral fluency rather than written exercises. The app uses a 3D AI avatar as a personal tutor, offering personalized conversation scenarios, real-time feedback on pronunciation and grammar, and motivation through daily engagement features. 💻 **Website:** [Edailabs](https://www.edailabs.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M 🏦 **Investors:** Educapital, Breega, Yellow Ventures, Seedcamp, DMG Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Étienne Genvrin (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Edailabs raised €5M to accelerate the development of *Emma*, its AI-powered English tutor emphasizing spoken language skills. Launched in January, the app already claims 500,000 users. Built on an OpenAI model and enhanced through proprietary prompt engineering inspired by the founder’s language-learning methodology, Emma positions itself against Duolingo and Babbel by prioritizing oral fluency via a 3D avatar available 24/7\. The company plans to expand beyond English, with Spanish currently in development. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ces-start-up-dia-qui-veulent-ringardiser-duolingo-et-babbel-2204737?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-69.png) 📇 Company: Miura Simulation 🔍 Description: French deeptech startup providing a data-centric platform that unifies fragmented simulation and engineering workflows. Through its Miura Nexus platform, the company helps industrial players in aerospace, energy, and automotive centralize simulation data, ensure traceability, and deploy AI to accelerate design cycles. 💻 Website: [Miura Simulation](https://miurasimulation.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Nantes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Atlantique Business Angels Booster, Pays de la Loire Participations, Centrale Innovation, Arts et Métiers Business Angels, Aerospace Angels; with banking support from Bpifrance, Crédit Agricole, Caisse d’Épargne, Crédit Mutuel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jose Aguado, Domenico Borzacchiello, Jordi Gómez 🗞️ News: Founded in 2020, Miura Simulation raised €2M to expand operations and accelerate development of Miura Nexus, its data-centric platform designed to replace siloed and locked simulation ecosystems. The company targets industrial sectors such as aerospace, energy, and automotive, enabling AI-driven simulation and faster engineering design cycles. | [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/12/miura-simulation-raises-e2m-in-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Ublo 🔍 **Description:** French proptech startup building a modern, cloud-based ERP platform for social and public housing providers. Ublo helps organisations digitise and automate rental management workflows—reducing administrative burden and improving transparency so teams can focus on residents. 💻 **Website:** [Ublo](https://www.ublo.immo/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.8M 🏦 **Investors:** Banque des Territoires (lead), The Moon Venture, 50 Partners, Kima Ventures (existing investor) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Flavien Douetteau, Agathe Machavoine 🗞️ **News:** Ublo will use the funding to hire across product, tech, and sales, accelerate product development—particularly automation and analytics—and expand its footprint across new European markets. Founded in 2020, the company serves over 250 organizations in six countries, including major public institutions such as the City of Paris, Hospices Civils de Lyon, and Grand Paris Aménagement. | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/ublo-raises-1-8m-social-housing-digitisation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-85.png) Cube CEO & Founder Valentin Demé 📇 **Company:** Cube (formerly Cube3) 🔍 **Description:** Angers-based tech accelerator operating a hybrid model that combines startup acceleration, direct investment, and in-house media production. Cube supports early-stage startups with business, legal, HR, and regulatory guidance while providing significant visibility through proprietary media formats and content creation. 💻 **Website:** [Cube](https://www.lecube.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Angers 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €700K 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, Banque Populaire Grand Ouest, Nicolas Bacca (Ledger co-founder), Emmanuel Picot (Marco&Co family office), Jean-Pierre Nadir, Amixem 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Valentin Demé (CEO & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** Cube closed a €700K funding round to scale its hybrid accelerator model that merges financing, operational support, and media exposure. Launched in 2023, the accelerator has backed 20 startups selected from over 300 applicants and claims to have facilitated €7M in total startup funding. Cube differentiates itself by embedding content creation into its core offering, operating six in-house studios and producing formats such as *Plan Cube* and *Spotlight*, which together have generated 35M impressions and catalysed early investments, positioning Cube at the intersection of tech acceleration and the creator economy. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/tv-personalities-and-youtubers-back-french-accelerator-cube-in-e700k-funding-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Ouest France**](https://agence-api.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/maine-et-loire/accompagnement-lincubateur-angevin-cube-leve-700-k-euros-pour-deployer-son-modele-en-europe-2f135493-1343-4084-8827-ede3e4b4780a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Drama Studios 🔍 Description: Independent game studio developing next-generation, hyper-realistic video game experiences. Drama Studios is best known for *Unrecord*, an open-world FPS police game leveraging cutting-edge visuals and immersive design to push realism and player immersion. 💻 Website: [Drama Studios](https://studiosdrama.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Rennes 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Tencent (lead) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Théo Hiribarne, Alexandre Spindler, Corentin Hery 🗞️ News: Drama Studios secured a Series A investment led by Tencent following a successful Seed round and the delivery of a strong early playable of *Unrecord* in under six months. The funding will be used to accelerate game production, expand the team, and scale both the studio and the project globally, reinforcing confidence in the studio’s creative and technical vision. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drama-studios-linkedin%5Fwe-are-proud-to-announce-that-drama-studios-activity-7406726874313379841-OGEy?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: C12 🔍 Description: French deeptech startup developing quantum processors based on spin qubits embedded in carbon nanotubes on semiconductor chips. Spun out of French academic research (CNRS and École normale supérieure), C12 focuses on building an industrially scalable path toward a universal quantum computer. 💻 Website: [C12](https://www.c12-quantum.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Public innovation grant (France 2030) 💰 Amount Raised: €13.9M (non-dilutive public funding) 🏦 Investors: French State via France 2030 (operated by Bpifrance); previous investors include BNP Paribas, Bpifrance, 360 Capital, and Varsity 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre Desjardins (CEO & Co-Founder) 🗞️ News: C12 secured a €13.9M innovation grant under the France 2030 plan to accelerate the industrialisation of its quantum processors through the 24-month QARTIQ project. The funding will support chip fabrication, reproducibility, system integration, and connection to HPC and cloud environments. C12 is already working with industrial partners, including Air Liquide (chemical simulations), Thales (defence and radar applications), and Dassault Aviation (aerospace and multiphysics simulations), as it moves from laboratory validation toward scalable, industrial quantum computing systems. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/19/c12-obtient-14-millions-deuros-de-financement-public-pour-accelerer-lindustrialisation-de-lordinateur-quantique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: The Little Gaming Studio Behind French Tech's Biggest 2025 Story URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-the-little-gaming-studio-behind-french-techs-biggest-2025-story/ Last updated: 2025-12-19T07:57:10.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Montpellier-based video game studio Sandfall Interactive stunned the industry this month when *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* swept The Game Awards with a record nine wins. It is French tech's biggest global success of the year, proving that a small French studio can outperform the industry's biggest players. [**We explore the long, and distinctly French, journey of the little gaming studio that created a global sensation.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built-in—not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the Report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk 🔌🔋⚡At a moment when Europe is openly second-guessing the all-electric future, French startup **Verkor inaugurated its first battery gigafactory in northern France, near Dunkirk.** The €1.5-billion plant makes Verkor the third pillar of France’s fast-growing “battery valley,” even as doubts swirl around the 2035 ban on new combustion-engine cars. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-72.png) Backed by Renault and buoyed by hefty public funding, the company is betting that industrial courage beats political hesitation. It's also hoping to avoid the spectacular flameout of [Swedish battery meatballs Northvolt](https://northvolt.com/articles/northvolt-files-for-bankruptcy-in-sweden/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year after blowing through €10bn in financing. French ministers on site struck a defiant tone, calling for European protection and “buy-local” rules to shield a still-fragile battery ecosystem. The factory is set to create 1,200 jobs and eventually supply batteries for up to 300,000 electric vehicles a year, starting in 2026\. Verkor is either a bold show of confidence or a very expensive leap of faith at a time when the rules of Europe’s electric transition are still very much in flux. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/12/12/a-dunkerque-verkor-inaugure-sa-gigafactory-de-batteries-electriques-sur-fond-d-incertitude-pour-l-automobile-europeenne%5F6657035%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👨‍🔬🚀 **Yann LeCun** is wasting no time after Meta, lining up his next act as both kingmaker and founder. The Turing Award–winning AI pioneer is joining European VC firm Hiro Capital as an adviser just as he prepares to launch his own startup, Advanced Machine Intelligence Labs, reportedly seeking up to €500 million at a punchy €3 billion valuation before it’s even officially unveiled. LeCun is betting on a new wave of “world model” AI that understands the physical world, while helping Hiro hunt for European contenders in robotics, spatial AI, and beyond. Translation: one of AI’s godfathers is done playing defense inside Big Tech and is now shaping Europe’s AI future from both sides of the table. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/18/ia-yann-lecun-ex-star-de-meta-en-pourparlers-pour-lever-un-demi-milliard-deuros-pour-lancer-sa-startup/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏛️✂️ **France 2030 Gets the Red Pen. €1B at Risk as the Senate Hits Pause on Innovation.** Just as France’s deeptech ecosystem starts finding its footing, the Senate voted an amendment to freeze €1 billion of *France 2030* funding in the 2026 budget. The move would halt all new grants next year (existing projects are safe), as part of a broader deficit-cutting push, leaving €4.3B to cover prior commitments. Startups and lobbying groups are already sounding the alarm, warning that innovation policy can’t be switched on and off like a light. The final call now lies with a joint parliamentary committee and possibly the National Assembly. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/18/budget-le-senat-veut-couper-1-milliard-deuros-dans-france-2030/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💰💔 Speaking of cash cuts...**after a promising start to the year, French fintech has hit the brakes**. Funding is down to €1.1 billion across 73 deals in 2025, as investors grow choosier, the economy stays shaky, and shiny AI startups steal the spotlight, according to [L'Observatoire de la Fintech](https://fintech-metrix.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), KPMG, eToro, and Mastercard. A strong first half (boosted by Younited’s €153 million IPO) gave way to a brutal 67% collapse in the second, turning “momentum” into “rebalancing” almost overnight. While some fintech segments like neobanks no longer need fresh cash, others are discovering that venture capital is suddenly playing hard to get. The upside is that M&A is booming, with 42 deals. That includes Cegid’s landmark acquisition of Shine. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/16/les-levees-de-fonds-des-fintechs-francaises-seffondrent-apres-un-premier-semestre-prometteur/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛡️🤖 **Hackers Have AI. Defenders Mostly Don’t.** Cybercriminals are racing ahead in the AI arms race: according to Boston Consulting Group, **60% of attackers already use AI to supercharge phishing, malware, and intrusion campaigns, while just 7% of companies deploy AI defensively.** The gap is less about denial than delay: over half of executives rank AI-driven cyberattacks among their top three risks, yet only 5% have actually increased cybersecurity budgets to address it. With skills shortages and tight spending holding firms back, the cat-and-mouse game has tilted decisively in the hackers’ favor — and the mice know it. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/cybersecurite-les-entreprises-a-la-traine-face-a-la-vague-ia-2205447?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [**For the lowdown on Cybersecurity in the AI age, check out our Cybersecurity Deep Dive.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-46-special-ai-cybersecurity-edition/) 🙈⚫ Speaking of which, **France’s Interior Ministry has joined the long list of institutions learning – yet again – that inboxes are attack surfaces.** Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed a cyberattack breached the ministry’s email servers overnight, giving intruders access to some files, though no confirmed data theft so far. Officials are keeping technical details close to the vest while tightening security and probing every angle, from cybercrime to foreign interference. Against the backdrop of past Russia-linked campaigns targeting French institutions, the message is cautious but clear: nothing “serious” is confirmed — yet. | [**Security Affairs**](https://securityaffairs.com/185725/hacking/french-interior-minister-says-hackers-breached-its-email-servers.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🦄 ➡French Tech is now all about exits: **the French government wants more start-ups sold, not just funded.** Exits dropped 14.5% in 2024\. Apparently, French giants are allergic to opening their wallets. La French Tech Director Julie Huguet is on a mission: consult, interview, and figure out why some deals flop and others fly. Think “Je choisis la French Tech,” but with M&A bootcamp vibes for start-ups and buyers alike. Next step: boards, billion-euro commitments from big players, and maybe a program to make French exits sexy again.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/les-acquisitions-le-nouveau-cheval-de-bataille-de-la-mission-french-tech-2205456?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🍋⚡️Glad tidings then for the news that French energy company **Citron has just snapped up Vertuoz, adding 130,000 public buildings to its empire.** iQspot, Deepki, Enersweet…everyone’s on an M&A spree to survive in a crowded market. Décrets tertiaire and BACS make it official: if you don’t optimize energy, you don’t play. Translation: energy efficiency is sexy, strategic, and now very acquisitive.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-la-consolidation-dans-lefficacite-energetique-saccelere-2205208?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📵🧒 France is taking a hard line on teens and screens:suspended. TikTok is officially in the hot seat, accused of looping minors into toxic content and sleep deprivation. MPs want digital curfews (10 pm–8 am), no infinite scroll, and possibly shutting down platforms that misbehave. Phones and tablets might soon sport health-style warning labels.|[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/autorisation-parentale-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux-mention-des-dangers-sur-les-emballages-ce-que-prevoit-la-loi-sur-lexposition-des-enfants-aux-ecrans-2205604?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮🕹️ Paris just got a new time machine that's powered by joysticks. **Opening this Saturday in Arcueil, south of the capital, the** [**MO5 Video Game Museum**](https://museedujeuvideo.org/fr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **invites visitors** to mash buttons across 140 playable stations, from *Pong* and *Tennis for Two* to modern multiplayer setups, all housed in the city’s former town hall. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-70.png) Photo courtesy of MO5 Video Game Museum Backed by France’s most formidable gaming heritage enthusiasts (70,000 items strong, thank you very much), the museum treats consoles and cartridges like bona fide cultural artifacts, including vintage TVs, for maximum nostalgia. Entirely volunteer-run and proudly non-subsidized, it’s less a dusty museum than a living, blinking arcade, complete with plans for talks, repairs, and hands-on preservation. Consider it proof that video games have earned their place in history. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/c-est-le-projet-de-notre-vie-l-association-mo5-concretise-20-ans-de-travail-avec-l-ouverture-du-musee-du-jeu-video-20251213?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). --- # Clair Obscur: How France's Sandfall Interactive Made the World's Best Video Game of 2025 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-83.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/) When Guillaume Broche took the stage at The Game Awards in Los Angeles on December 11, 2025, he did something unusual for someone accepting the industry's most coveted prize. He thanked YouTube. "I also want to acknowledge the unsung champions of our industry, the individuals creating YouTube tutorials on game development, because we were completely clueless about making a game before," Broche told the audience, his voice cracking with emotion. It was a disarmingly honest moment from the founder of [**Sandfall Interactive**](https://www.sandfall.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the Montpellier-based studio that had just made history. Their debut title, [*Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*](https://www.expedition33.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), won nine awards that night, shattering the previous record of seven held by ***The Last of Us: Part II***. More significantly, it marked the first time a French game had ever won Game of the Year. Since its release earlier this year, the game has become a global phenomenon. The soundtrack, a lush, ethereal symphonic composition, has become a worldwide hit. French politicians across the political spectrum have praised it relentlessly. And there is talk of a film adaptation. The list of reasons the success is remarkable is long, starting with the studio's underdog status and extending to its focus on artistic creativity to deal with financial and technical constraints. But its triumph has created a particular wave of pride because almost every aspect of the game itself leans extremely hard into its *Frenchness*,from the design to the mood to the music. For the French tech ecosystem, it also demonstrated that creative ambition, institutional and state support, and cutting-edge technology could combine to produce world-class results, even from a team of just 30 people working primarily out of a Belle Époque mansion in southern France. [Push Play](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** NanoXplore 🔍 **Description:** French semiconductor scale-up specializing in FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) chips designed for extreme environments. NanoXplore supplies radiation-resistant electronic components used in European satellite programs (Galileo, Copernicus) and is now accelerating its push into the defense sector to reduce Europe’s dependence on U.S. and Taiwanese chips. 💻 **Website:** [NanoXplore](https://www.nanoxplore.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Sèvres 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20M 🏦 **Investors:** MBDA, Fonds Innovation Défense 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Edouard Lepape (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** NanoXplore raised €20M to accelerate its expansion into European defense electronics and scale production of sovereign FPGA chips. Already supplying components used in satellites and MBDA missiles, the company aims to replace at least 50% of U.S.-made components in Europe within 4–5 years. While chip design remains in France, NanoXplore plans to rely on advanced manufacturing at TSMC in Taiwan from 2028 to 2029, highlighting Europe’s structural gap in high-end semiconductor fabrication. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/17/nanoxplore-la-scale-up-francaise-qui-veut-liberer-leurope-de-la-dependance-aux-puces-americaines-et-taiwanaises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Nanoexplore**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/du-spatial-a-la-defense-nanoxplore-change-dechelle-avec-une-levee-de-20-millions-deuros/459269?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-73.png) 📇 **Company:** Ankar 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered platform designed to simplify and accelerate the patenting of innovations. Ankar provides a unified solution covering the full patent lifecycle—from idea validation to drafting and prior art analysis—helping companies protect and better monetize their intellectual property in the age of generative AI. 💻 **Website:** [Ankar](https://ankar.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** London, United Kingdom 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20M *(on top of $4M previously raised)* 🏦 **Investors:** Atomico (lead), Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Wiem Gharbi, Tamar Gomez (French co-founders) 🗞️ **News:** Founded by two former Palantir executives, Ankar raised a $20M Series A to scale its AI-driven patent management platform. Used by Fortune 500 companies such as L’Oréal and law firm Vorys, the solution analyzes over 150 million patent filings and 250 million scientific publications to help companies identify, shape, and protect patentable innovations. The funding will be used to double the team from 20 employees and accelerate international expansion, particularly in the U.S., with the ambition of becoming the core software infrastructure for global innovation in the AI era. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/17/deux-francaises-passees-par-palantir-levent-20-millions-de-dollars-aupres-datomico-et-daphni-pour-faciliter-le-brevetage-des-innovations/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/deux-tours-de-table-en-un-an-ankar-leve-17-millions-deuros-pour-ses-outils-de-brevets-ia/459278?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-74.png) 📇 Company: Club Employés 🔍 Description: French HR Tech scale-up providing a dematerialized employee benefits platform for SMEs and their CSEs. Club Employés combines a SaaS tool to manage social benefits with a large marketplace of discounted offers, aiming to improve employees’ purchasing power while simplifying operations for elected staff. 💻 Website: [Club Employés](https://www.club-employes.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Growth / Expansion Round 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Verto (lead); historical investors include Angelor (diluted) and business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Rostagnat (CEO), Pierre-Thomas Lebatteux 🗞️ News: Founded in 2016 and now profitable, Club Employés raised €15M from Verto to accelerate product development and international expansion. The company serves more than 10,000 clients and 1.6 million users, operates 16 offices across France, and has recently opened in the UK, with Belgium and Italy next. Employing 350 people today, it plans to grow to 500 within 12–18 months and expand into new offerings such as meal vouchers, positioning itself as a key challenger to Swile and Edenred in the employee benefits market. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-club-employes-le-discret-challenger-des-avantages-salaries-2204746?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/15/la-scale-up-club-employes-leve-15-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-66.png) 📇 Company: Arcads.ai 🔍 Description: French AI startup offering an automated video marketing platform using AI actors to industrialize short-form content production for social media. The platform enables rapid generation and localization of UGC-style videos, product demos, unboxings, and fashion try-ons in more than 35 languages, designed for high-volume, performance-driven marketing teams. 💻 Website: [Arcads.ai](https://www.arcads.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €14M 🏦 Investors: Eurazeo (lead), Alpha Intelligence Capital, Sequoia Scout Program, international investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Dylan Fournier, Romain Torres 🗞️ News: Arcads.ai raised €14M in its first institutional round to accelerate the industrialization of AI-generated video marketing. Founded in 2024, the company reports more than 6,000 customers, over 100,000 videos produced per month, and a user base primarily located in the United States. The funding will support product development and international expansion, with a planned presence in San Francisco to better serve the U.S. market, where digital video advertising spend continues to scale rapidly. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/arcads-ai-leve-14-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-production-video-marketing-par-lia/459274?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Clair Obscur: How France's Sandfall Interactive Made the World's Best Video Game of 2025 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/clair-obscur-how-frances-sandfall-interactive-made-the-worlds-best-video-game-of-2025/ Last updated: 2025-12-26T10:30:31.000Z The Montpellier-based studio stunned the industry when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swept The Game Awards with a record nine wins. It is French tech's biggest global success of the year, proving that a small French studio can outperform the industry's biggest players. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #55: Chasing UMA's Robotic Dreams From Tesla to Paris URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-55-chasing-umas-robotic-dreams-from-tesla-to-paris/ Last updated: 2025-12-24T08:51:44.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 UMA, a Paris-based robotics startup founded by veterans from Tesla, Google DeepMind, Hugging Face, and other AI leaders, just emerged from stealth with the bold mission of building general-purpose mobile and humanoid robots designed for real-world work. The team argues that Europe’s industrial strength, aging workforce, and skilled talent pool make it the ideal place to lead the next era of autonomous machines, challenging Silicon Valley and Asian giants. Backed by high-profile investors and aiming for industrial pilot programs as early as 2026, UMA’s audacious bet is to turn advanced AI into physical autonomy at scale. [**We dive deep into the founders' technical background, their vision, and the challenges they face.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **LightOn**, Europe’s would-be sovereign GenAI champion, has trimmed its FY 2025 ARR ambitions to around **€2 million** (Yes, million, not billion), blaming the global GPU shortage, which is the modern AI economy’s equivalent of running out of electricity. Demand for secure, on-prem and “sovereign” AI is booming, the company says, but customers can’t deploy fast enough because there simply aren’t enough high-end graphics cards to go around. In response, LightOn has rolled out workarounds: alternative GPUs, hybrid architectures, and a very on-message partnership with French GPU provider Oreus to keep data sovereign and regulators calm. Still, hardware delays mean slower contract signings, pushing profitability back to late 2026 and quietly nuking earlier EBITDA hopes. | [**LightOn filing**](https://www.eqs-news.com/news/regulatory-circuit-france/lighton-adjustment-of-arr-target-for-fy-2025/5f5c9430-8fd6-4b90-bcb0-23c9111ba685%5Fen?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France’s defense apparatus is going all-in on AI, handing Airbus Defence and Space a framework contract worth up to €50 million to inject machine intelligence into weapons systems, networks, and cyber defenses. Officially, this is about “sovereignty” and avoiding reliance on foreign tech; unofficially, it’s an admission that modern warfare now runs on algorithms that can digest oceans of sensor data faster than any human ever could. The first test case is maritime surveillance, where AI will fuse satellite and naval data in near real time, with intelligence and cybersecurity next in line. Again, the message is that it's very, very important to maintain sovereignty when it comes to defense and security... | [**Airbus PR**](https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-12-airbus-to-onboard-artificial-intelligence-in-french-armed-forces?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/airbus-wins-50-million-contract-deploy-french-military-ai-2025-12-10/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Palantir** has quietly but firmly re-upped its contract with France’s domestic intelligence agency, DGSI, locking in another three years of algorithmic partnership that’s now approaching the decade mark. ***(But wait, I thought you***, ***just said that sovereignty...oh, never mind...)*** Paris is still leaning on Palantir’s data-fusion and AI platforms for counterterrorism and large-scale security operations, including the 2024 Olympics. The company, riding a 142% stock surge and eye-watering margins, frames the deal as sovereignty-friendly, even as a US firm remains embedded at the heart of French intelligence workflows. M'kay. | [**Investing.com**](https://ca.investing.com/news/company-news/palantir-renews-threeyear-contract-with-french-intelligence-agency-93CH-4364190?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Oracle’s AI Dream Hits Reality Check and Drags Markets With It.** Just three months after Wall Street went all-in on Oracle’s AI-fueled growth story, investors hit the brakes. The enterprise tech giant slid more than 7% after posting quarterly revenues below expectations, triggering knock-on effects across Asian markets. Following the Oracle trend,shares of AI infrastructure darlings Broadcom and CoreWeave also slid again as investors balk at the eye-watering cost of powering the AI boom. Oracle alone plans to spend $50B on capex this year, sits on $248B in long-term data-center lease commitments, and has lost 46% of its market value since Septemberamid growing debt fears. Broadcom, despite forecasting $8.2B in quarterly AI chip sales, warned margins will take a hit, while **CoreWeave is down over 60% from its June peak.** AI demand is still exploding, but markets are no longer blindly cheering the balance sheets required to sustain it. | [**CNBC**](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/15/ai-infrastructure-selloff-continues-broadcom-oracle-coreweave-shares-slide.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/ia-oracle-chute-en-bourse-apres-des-resultats-trimestriels-decevants-2204128?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Deepfakes, Troll Farms and Election Season: France Becomes Prime Real Estate for AI-Powered Disinformation.** With municipal and presidential elections looming, France is seeing a surge in coordinated fake-news campaigns, with many linked to Russia and turbocharged by AI. According to NewsGuard, 53 false narratives have already been identified this year, including 30 tied to the “Matriochka” operation impersonating French media and 18 linked to Storm-1516, a Russian influence network. From fabricated presidential scandals to viral absurdities, the scale is growing fast, while France’s response remains cautious, if not timid. | [**Les Échos**](http://google.com/url?q=https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/medias/la-france-est-une-cible-de-choix-a-lapproche-des-elections-la-guerre-des-fake-news-fait-rage-2204947&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1765900619445455&usg=AOvVaw3TKdTMTFlKam1pL6NKkWEx) 🗞️ The French government is rolling out a new “price alert” system in spring 2026 to hunt down absurd price gaps in public procurement because, hey, apparently someone just noticed that €230 billion a year is real money. The plan: let public buyers flag overpriced items in real time, force central purchasing bodies to align prices, and save a targeted €850 million in 2026\. To make this work at scale, the state plans to lean on AI to scan tenders, compare like-for-like products, and spot anomalies faster than any human buyer ever could. Add a dose of “Buy European” digital sovereignty (there's that magic word again!), name-checking Mistral and, well, what's not to love? | [**Le Parisien**](https://www.leparisien.fr/economie/achats-publics-le-gouvernement-va-deployer-une-alerte-prix-pour-arreter-de-payer-trop-cher-14-12-2025-S6GLD2Q77ZCJLOUC3Y2HV4XSQQ.php?ts=1765931040467&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ From Founder Exodus to Palantir Playbook: **H Reloads to Become France’s B2B AI Heavyweight.** Six months after appointing former Palantir France boss Gautier Cloix, H Company is staging a comeback following a turbulent 2024 marked by a $220M raise, founder departures, and a CEO ouster mid-VivaTech. Now flanked by ex-Palantir operators and DeepMind alumni, the startup is betting on “deployed engineers” and low-cost AI agents dubbed “androids” that can use software like humans. With 80 staff across Paris, London, and New York (and headcount set to double), early wins like FDJ, and the U.S. firmly in its sights, H is shifting from chaos to go-to-market mode and aiming squarely at global B2B AI dominance. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/15/6-mois-apres-larrivee-de-lex-patron-de-palantir-france-h-veut-se-mettre-en-ordre-de-bataille-pour-devenir-un-geant-mondial-de-lia-b2b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Microsoft Tells French Companies to Stop Talking AI and Start Shipping.** Speaking at the BE 5.0 trade show in Mulhouse, Eneric Lopez, head of AI at Microsoft France, kicked off the group’s nationwide “AI Tour de France,” part of a €4B investment plan unveiled in 2024\. The goal: push French firms from experimentation to execution, back 2,500 local startups, and train one million people in AI by 2027\. As generative AI reshapes jobs and workflows, Microsoft is positioning itself as both catalyst and coach — urging French businesses to move fast or risk falling behind. | [**Le Journal des Entreprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/eneric-lopez-microsoft-les-entreprises-francaises-doivent-passer-laction-en-matiere-dia-2133109?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** And finally, a story of how one French company decided to zag while everyone zigged this holiday AI season. While brands everywhere are stuffing their Christmas ads with shiny generative AI, France’s Intermarché went radically off-trend: it hired humans to make an animated table. And the internet swooned. Its two-minute animated fable about a father who eases his son's fear of a stuffed wolf he receives as a present by telling him the story of a misunderstood wolf. Cut to an animated sequence hand-crafted by Illogic Studios with zero AI shortcuts. The mini-feature has racked up tens of millions of views and glowing praise worldwide. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/La-que--te-d_identite---VEED-1-.gif) The timing is brutal for Big Tech: as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s retreat from “creepy” AI-generated holiday spots, this very analog ad is being hailed as proof that emotion still beats automation. Artists, unsurprisingly, are cheering the message that real stories come from time, craft, and people, and not prompts. In an age obsessed with AI efficiency, a year-long, human-made production turns out to be the most viral commercial of all. | [**EuroNews**](https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/12/15/real-magic-why-is-french-supermarket-intermarches-christmas-advert-going-viral-worldwide?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI |**The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🗞️ **How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light** | Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) 🗞️ **Ex-Doctolib Team Deploys AI Agents To Fix France's Dysfunctional Dental System** | La Fraise recently raised €3.2M to boost the nation's low quote acceptance rate by using AI to create greater transparency for recommended procedures. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ex-doctolib-team-deploys-ai-agents-to-fix-frances-dysfunctional-dental-system/) --- ### 🧠 From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/maxon-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) The Maxon humanoid robot developed by The Robot Studio, the former project of UMA Co-Founder Rob Knight. When Remi Cadene announced the launch of [**UMA**](https://uma.bot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) earlier this month, his phone started buzzing with messages from former colleagues in California. "Even my friends in Silicon Valley were messaging me seeing UMA over the news," he recalled during a recent appearance at the aiPulse conference in Paris. "Incredible, and I'm grateful for all the support, all the energy, and all the visibility worldwide." All of this attention is hardly surprising. Cadene spent several years at Tesla helping develop the AI systems behind Autopilot and the company's humanoid robot, Optimus. More recently, he worked at Hugging Face, where he led the development of LeRobot, an open-source library that has become essential infrastructure for robotics worldwide. Now he has taken all that experience and planted it firmly in European soil, launching what he believes will be the next great robotics company. UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant) emerged from stealth on December 1st with Cadene and three other co-founders, a team that [**one humanoid robotics news site dubbed "The European Robotics 'Supergroup'."**](https://www.humanoidsdaily.com/news/uma-exits-stealth-the-european-robotics-supergroup-arrives-in-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) They are backed by an impressive roster of investors, including Greycroft, Relentless, and Unity Growth, alongside AI luminaries such as Yann LeCun, Olivier Pomel, and Thomas Wolf. Cadene believes that Europe is the ideal place to establish a humanoid robotics company, offering both talent and opportunities. "We are convinced that Europe is the best market for this new technology, and that's something that not a lot of people are aware of," he said at the conference. The argument rests on demographics and industrial structure: "In Europe, we have a historic industrial network. So we are a lot of companies in the industry, and we have very highly qualified people, but an aging society. So there is a critical need for automation, and it's on the mind of all the C-levels in major companies doing business in Europe." [Dive into UMA's vision](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company:** GetMint 🔍 **Description:** Platform SaaS dedicated to helping companies measure, understand, and optimize how they appear in AI-generated answers across major LLMs (ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, etc.). GetMint enables brands to map their AI visibility, analyze recommendation drivers, and deploy actionable plans to strengthen their presence in conversational search. 💻 **Website:** [GetMint](https://getmint.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** Founders Future (lead), 50 Partners, Kima Ventures, Clover, Better Angle, and several strategic Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Joan Burkovic, Matthieu Poitrimolt, Emmanuel Costa 🗞️ **News:** GetMint raises €4M to become the leading platform for enterprise visibility and SEO within AI models, accelerating product development and go-to-market in France and internationally. --- 📇 **Company:** Keria (formerly Cézam) 🔍 **Description:** Bordeaux-based AI startup building a sovereign, end-to-end platform that automates and objectifies mortgage credit risk analysis. Keria’s proprietary algorithms extract, structure, and evaluate financial data from heterogeneous documents, reducing bias, strengthening compliance, and accelerating credit decisions for banks, brokers, and regulated real-estate professionals. 💻 **Website:** [**Keria**](https://keria.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Xplore by Épopée Gestion, Newfund, Fabien Bréget, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emilie de Marne (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Keria raises €1.5M to scale its sovereign AI infrastructure, triple headcount, expand into Europe in 2026, and extend its platform beyond mortgage credit to broader banking and real-estate workflows. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/immobilier-keria-sappuie-sur-lia-pour-reduire-les-delais-dobtention-de-credits-2203307?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From Tesla to Paris: UMA's Audacious Bet on European Robotics URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-tesla-to-paris-umas-audacious-bet-on-european-robotics/ Last updated: 2025-12-17T09:50:37.000Z A new French startup believes Europe—not Silicon Valley—is the best place to build the robots of tomorrow. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire December 15: France's €8.1B Creator Economy; Mistral AI Squeezed; 7 Companies Raised €27.53M URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-december-15-frances-eu8-1b-creator-economy-mistral-ai-squeezed-7-companies-raised-eu27-53m/ Last updated: 2025-12-15T08:35:45.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: Creator Economy Flex 📺🎤 The creator economy is no longer a niche sideshow in France. According to a report unveiled at **Paris Creator Week** by **Coherent Market Insights**, the European creator economy is now worth $32.8 billion and is on track to explode to $157 billion by 2032, growing at roughly 25% a year. France ranks third behind the UK and Germany with a market valued at $8.1 billion in 2025\. The engine of this growth is not celebrity megastars alone, but millions of micro- and nano-creators, who now generate the bulk of revenues and are reshaping the sector’s economics. Europe already counts 8.6 million monetized creators. That figure is expected to triple by 2032, reflecting how content creation has become a genuine socio-economic category. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-49.png) In France, the number of monetized creators could approach 1.5 million by the end of the decade, fueled by creator-led brands, studio-style structures, and a supportive regulatory framework. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-48.png) From YouTube blockbusters like Inoxtag’s *Kaizen* to creators entering institutions like the Musée Grévin, the cultural impact is now unmistakable. The report also highlights a maturing industry, where AI tools, diversified revenue streams, and professionalization are helping creators compete head-on with traditional media, including television. --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🧮 Data Point: Mistral AI Squeezed Menlo Ventures released the latest edition of its closely-watched [**"2025: The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise,"**](https://menlovc.com/perspective/2025-the-state-of-generative-ai-in-the-enterprise/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and the latest stats are not particularly heartening for French LLM hopeful Mistral AI. At the high end, Anthropic is crushing it with business customers thanks to its coding model, outpacing OpenAI, with Google also making big gains. Those three grabbed 88% of all enterprise spending, with the other 12% scattered among Meta’s Llama, Cohere, Mistral, and some other smaller providers. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-55.png) The share of enterprise deals going to open-source LLMs has fallen from **19%** last year to **11%.** Within that shrinking band, Mistral is holding its own. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-56.png) So far, enterprises have not embraced Chinese open-source models, despite their technical gains. But it's a different story when it comes to developers whose support for Chinese models is surging. This is another area where Mistral's share is taking a hit, according to Menlo. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-57.png) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: December 12 ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** **Total Raised:** €27.53M **Number of Companies:** 7 ### 🧬 Sector Diversity - 💻 **AI & Software:** **€21.50M** (4 deals) *Evertrust, Slash Intérim, GetMint, Corma* - ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation:** **€4.53M** (2 deals) *Monomeris Chemicals, Onsen* - 💳 **Fintech / DeFi:** **€1.50M** (1 deal) *Keria* --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-34.png) 📇 **Company:** Evertrust 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity startup specialising in digital certificate management for enterprises and public administrations. Evertrust provides sovereign, independent solutions ensuring the security of websites, emails, software, and connected devices, and is preparing for the post-quantum transition with next-generation certificate technologies. 💻 **Website:** [**Evertrust**](https://evertrust.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10M 🏦 **Investors:** Elephant 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Kamel Ferchouche (CEO), Jean-Julien Alvado, Étienne Laviolette 🗞️ **News:** Evertrust will use the funding to expand across Europe by tripling headcount over five years, developing a partner network, and accelerating deployment of its sovereign cybersecurity solutions. The company, already CSPN-certified by ANSSI and aiming for EUCC certification, serves major French enterprises—including a quarter of the CAC40—and is preparing post-quantum certificate technologies. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/09/cybersecurite-evertrust-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-en-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Slash Intérim 🔍 **Description:** French digital interim staffing platform enabling independent recruiters to manage sourcing, placement, and administration through an all-in-one tool. Slash Intérim modernizes the traditional temp-agency model by empowering freelance recruiters with legal, administrative, and operational infrastructure, while offering companies and temporary workers a personalized, responsive experience. 💻 **Website:** [**Slash Intérim**](https://slash-interim.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** La Roche-sur-Yon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M equity + €2M debt = **€6M total** 🏦 **Investors:** Réflexion Capital; multiple business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emma Capron 🗞️ **News:** Funds will be used to enhance the platform with more AI-driven administrative automation and to grow the community team supporting independent recruiters. The company, profitable for 18 months, currently counts 100+ recruiters and targets 1,000 by 2030\. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/slash-interim-the-26-year-old-founder-redesigning-a-eu40b-industry/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/GetMint-Founders.jpeg) 📇 **Company:** GetMint 🔍 **Description:** Platform SaaS dedicated to helping companies measure, understand, and optimize how they appear in AI-generated answers across major LLMs (ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, etc.). GetMint enables brands to map their AI visibility, analyze recommendation drivers, and deploy actionable plans to strengthen their presence in conversational search. 💻 **Website:** [GetMint](https://getmint.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** Founders Future (lead), 50 Partners, Kima Ventures, Clover, Better Angle, and several strategic Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Joan Burkovic, Matthieu Poitrimolt, Emmanuel Costa 🗞️ **News:** GetMint raises €4M to become the leading platform for enterprise visibility and SEO within AI models, accelerating product development and go-to-market in France and internationally. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-31.png) 📇 **Company:** Corma 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based SaaS management platform helping IT teams regain control over software usage, spend, and sprawl. Corma’s specialised agents collect licence, user, and usage data to give companies clear visibility into their software stack, enabling better decision-making, reduced spend, and improved security. 💻 **Website:** [Corma](https://www.corma.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5M 🏦 **Investors:** XTX Ventures (lead); Tuesday Capital; Kima Ventures; 50 Partners; Olympe Capital; business angels including Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face), Jean-Louis Quéguiner (Gladia), and Doreen Pernel (Scaleway) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Héloïse Rozès (CEO), Nikolai Fomm*,* Samuel Bismut 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support product development, AI buildout, and commercial expansion, addressing growing complexity in software stacks and shadow AI–related risks. | [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2025/12/08/corma-raises-eur35m-to-advance-software-license-and-access-governance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-53-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Monomeris Chemicals 🔍 **Description:** French cleantech company focused on chemical recycling of plastics. Monomeris Chemicals has developed a patented ionic depolymerization process capable of converting mixed, non-sorted plastic waste streams into reusable raw materials, complementing mechanical recycling. 💻 **Website:** [**Monomeris Chemicals**](https://monomeris-chemicals.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Arras 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.23M 🏦 **Investors:** Kennest (transition-focused investment club), with participation from 2,137 individual investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** 🗞️ **News:** Monomeris Chemicals has secured €3.23M in funding from Kennest to industrialize its chemical recycling technology. The capital will be used to strengthen industrial validation, standardize modular units, and prepare on-site deployments at waste treatment and recycling facilities. The company relies on a validated industrial demonstrator with a capacity of 6,000 tons per year and targets complex, non-sorted plastic waste streams that are not compatible with mechanical recycling and are currently incinerated or landfilled. | [**InfoNet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/levees-de-fonds/monomeris-financement-recyclage/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-32.png) 📇 **Company:** Hocoia 🔍 **Description:** French mobile and connected health startup deploying preventive care, screening, and diagnostic services directly to citizens through its fleet of MédicoBus and new mobile medical innovations such as *Hammamobus*, a compact mobile mammography unit. 💻 **Website:** [**Hocoia**](https://www.hocoia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg 🧗 **Round:** Undisclosed (equity + participatory funding) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** PHE Angels; Angels Santé; Sowefund; Business Angels de la Première Heure; notable entrepreneurs Jean Michel Karam and Anthony Bourbon; Bpifrance; LCL et CIC 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benoît Bourre (Co-founder & CEO), Gustavo Acosta, Clément Pallière 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate Hocoia’s national deployment, strengthen territorial coverage, expand prevention & screening operations, and scale innovative mobile health technologies. The company recently launched *Hammamobus*, enabling accessible breast cancer screening even in remote areas. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hocoia%5Fhocoia-l%C3%A8ve-3-millions-activity-7402644048118927360-FSbv?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-30.png) 📇 **Company:** Keria (formerly Cézam) 🔍 **Description:** Bordeaux-based AI startup building a sovereign, end-to-end platform that automates and objectifies mortgage credit risk analysis. Keria’s proprietary algorithms extract, structure, and evaluate financial data from heterogeneous documents, reducing bias, strengthening compliance, and accelerating credit decisions for banks, brokers, and regulated real-estate professionals. 💻 **Website:** [**Keria**](https://keria.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Xplore by Épopée Gestion, Newfund, Fabien Bréget, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emilie de Marne (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Keria raises €1.5M to scale its sovereign AI infrastructure, triple headcount, expand into Europe in 2026, and extend its platform beyond mortgage credit to broader banking and real-estate workflows. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/immobilier-keria-sappuie-sur-lia-pour-reduire-les-delais-dobtention-de-credits-2203307?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-54.png) 📇 **Company:** Onsen 🔍 **Description:** Lyon-based cleantech company designing equipment and software to optimize the environmental and economic performance of public and private swimming pools. Onsen enables real-time monitoring and intelligent control of water and energy consumption, significantly reducing operating costs and environmental impact. 💻 **Website:** [Onsen](http://www.onsen-sas.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.3M 🏦 **Investors:** Fonds d’Amorçage Industriel Métropolitain (FAIM) Lyon–Saint-Étienne, managed by Demeter Investment Managers 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yann Menez 🗞️ **News:** Onsen has raised €1.3M from the FAIM Lyon–Saint-Étienne fund, managed by Demeter, to accelerate large-scale deployment of its “Hippocampe” software platform and associated eco-efficient equipment for aquatic centers. Founded in 2008, the company has equipped more than 200 sites in France and Belgium and delivers average annual savings of 3,750 m³ of water and 111 MWh of energy per site. The funding will support commercial expansion in France and internationally, reinforce the technical team, and drive further product development. Onsen was awarded the I-Nov 2024 innovation prize under France 2030 and received the GreenTech Innovation label in 2025, reinforcing its positioning in the water and energy transition for public infrastructure. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Ÿnsect’s Bug Dream Squashed URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-ynsects-bug-dream-squashed/ Last updated: 2025-12-12T09:45:04.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Emma Capron, Founder & CEO of Slash Intérim, felt the temp-work sector has been stuck in a time capsule. She decided to jailbreak it. Revenues doubled last year, and the company just raised €6M. [**Capron explains how she did it, the role of AI, and what's next.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/slash-interim-the-26-year-old-founder-redesigning-a-eu40b-industry/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk ☠️🐛 Residents of the quiet village of Poulainville are now stuck living beside what might be France’s most expensive and ickiest ghost house: the shuttered giga-factory of insect-farming darling-turned-disaster **Ÿnsect**. Once hailed as an agritech pioneer, the startup slid from “next big thing” to “next liquidation case,” leaving 43 employees jobless and French Tech nursing one of its biggest industrial faceplants. Over the years, the company raised $625 million in equity and debt. A last-minute €10 million lifeline and a new CEO brought a brief flicker of hope. But despite mass layoffs and a bargain-basement business model, the money evaporated faster than a fruit fly’s lifespan. Even an extra €8.6 million couldn’t save the company, which failed to raise the funds needed for its grand “continuation plan.” The giga-farm at the heart of the dream never worked as promised, overshooting budgets and undershooting output while global rivals buzzed ahead. Now Ÿnsect joins a growing list of struggling insect startups that are slowly watching their dreams squashed. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/apres-une-longue-agonie-ynsect-place-en-liquidation-judiciaire-2202302?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Ÿnsect Bankruptcy: Private Equity, Public Debt, and Bpifrance’s RolePublic investment in the company has been substantial. Its failure will give new ammunition to critics of the French government’s extensive support for costly innovation programs.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-56.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Tenebrio-molitor-Copyright-Ynsect-1.JPG)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ynsect-bankruptcy-private-equity-public-debt-and-bpifrances-role/) [Video: Touring Ynsect Vertical Insect Farm With CEO Antoine HubertThe French Tech News visited Ynsect’s mealworm farm in Dole, France, and spent some time with CEO Antoine Hubert learning more about Ynsect’s journey, its mission, its science, and where the company will go from here.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-57.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/2022-03-30-10.52.55.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/video-ynsect-antoine-martin/) **🏠☮️** But let us now turn to more hopeful things and cast our gaze westward. For it is in the foggy hills of San Francisco where **Hexa**, the prolific European startup factory behind hits like Swan, Spendesk, and Aircall, has decided it’s time to plant a flag in the rather stylish 'hood of Cole Valley, the cradle of hippiedom. **Hexa House SF** is a new live-and-work residence that will host founders for three-month stints, effectively dropping them into the beating heart of the global AI frenzy, where ideas move fast and egos even faster. This move cements Hexa’s full-throttle pivot into AI, following its latest crop of AI-native startups such as Dialog, Basalt, and Tandem. As Hexa CEO Matthieu Gombeaud noted in the announcement, a growing wave of AI-first founders is abandoning Europe for SF (*wait, I swear this started off intending to be more upbeat...*). [**On LinkedIn, Hexa Co-Founder Thibaud Elziere says**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404437248651476993/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), "more than one in two FR entrepreneurs I meet has already left for SF in the last 6 months or is packing their bags to create their AI startup." Hexa is betting that proximity to the AI frontier is the new entry fee for building something genuinely big. | [**Hexa PR**](https://hexacc.notion.site/Hexa-establishes-San-Francisco-base-to-power-the-new-wave-of-AI-builders-2bf1cc0bd5bc8054babbd2c99803cfcb?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/hexa-installe-ses-startups-a-san-francisco-dans-lhexa-house-au-coeur-de-cole-valley/459106?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/10/hexa-soffre-une-maison-a-san-francisco-pour-plonger-ses-entrepreneurs-dans-leffervescence-californienne-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤑💰 Okay, let's try this again. **Ring Capital** just closed its second Altitude fund at €217 million. That's slightly shy of its €250 million target but still a respectable flex in today’s capital-starved market. The firm argues the raise proves that “impact investing” isn’t just a buzzword you sprinkle like so many jimmies on some ice cream (***good luck with that culinary reference, my French amigos!***), but a real magnet for LPs craving ecological and social transition bragging rights. Altitude II is already off to the races with investments in short-distance carpooling (Karos), grid-balancing tech (Enerdigit), and bringing ophthalmology to medical deserts (Téo). New European LPs like the EIF joined longtime backers such as Bpifrance and Tikehau, giving the fund a more continental flavor. Ring now plans to back 12 to 15 profitable SMEs in sectors like energy, agriculture, and healthcare, where the transition needs are big. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/08/ring-capital-boucle-un-nouveau-fonds-a-217-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷🥖 **Clara Chappaz has apparently won the government's digital trifecta.** The former boss of La French Tech Mission and former minister for AI and Digital Affairs has officially been tapped as Ambassador for Digital and Artificial Intelligence. In a world where tech diplomacy now matters as much as traditional geopolitics, Chappaz steps in just as 2026 promises a diplomatic marathon with the India AI Summit, the French G7, and the U.S. G20\. All she has to do is defend France and Europe against U.S. and Chinese digital superpowers, keep kids off social media, fight disinformation, secure cyberspace, and champion Europe’s tech sovereignty while she’s at it. "We are witnessing a shift in the world," [**she wrote on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404572951443898370/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). "Digital technology is no longer a geek subject, but a matter of power and domination. Between the United States and China, Europe must assert itself in order to redefine the major global balances and defend its market and its values. Our ability to decide for ourselves and for ourselves is at stake." | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404572951443898370/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/comment-clara-chappaz-pourrait-reconfigurer-la-mission-dambassadrice-du-numerique/459119?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ✅👑 **EuraTechnologies** has finally ended its leadership soap opera by naming Emmanuel Durand, the ex–Snapchat France boss and corporate globetrotter, as its new president of the board, effective January 1, 2026\. After a governance crisis featuring surprise dismissals, revolving-door interim leaders, and internal grumbling, the embattled incubator is betting that Durand’s eclectic résumé will bring long-overdue stability. That CV includes stints with music labels, cosmetics, Hollywood, and social media. The revamped leadership team, including cybersecurity veteran Chekib Gharbi, is supposed to help EuraTech turn the page on years of turbulence and reclaim its “Ch’tilicon Valley” ambitions without the drama. Now Durand has to figure out how to blend impact, public service, and economic performance at the head of Lille’s flagship tech hub. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/05/euratechnologies-lancien-patron-de-snapchat-france-va-prendre-les-commandes-de-lincubateur-lillois/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👼🌎 Paris nonprofit [**makesense**](https://france.makesense.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) just closed the first €15 million of its new pre-seed fund, makesense seed II, aiming to bankroll Europe’s next wave of circular-economy and social-impact darlings. Backed by the EIF, Mirova, and a handful of mission-minded angels, the fund is doubling down on founders who can turn waste into value while keeping communities included and investors mildly hopeful. Its first bet is the United Repair Center, a Dutch startup fixing clothes at an industrial scale for brands like Patagonia and Decathlon. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/frances-makesense-launches-e15-million-fund-to-back-circular-and-socially-inclusive-ventures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Slash Intérim: The 26-Year-Old Founder Redesigning a €40B Industry [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-51.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/slash-interim-the-26-year-old-founder-redesigning-a-eu40b-industry/) When [Emma Capron](https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-capron-slash/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) founded [Slash Intérim](https://slash-interim.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in 2021, she was barely 21\. Too young, some would say, to take on the behemoths of the **temp-work** sector. Old enough, she believed, to see exactly what wasn’t working. Capron grew up in a family deeply rooted in temporary recruitment. Her parents launched their own agency 18 years ago. Capron witnessed firsthand how the industry seemed frozen in time. While technology reshaped nearly every corner of the job market, interim work remained stubbornly analog, administratively heavy, and surprisingly hostile to the very people who powered it: the recruiters themselves. Four years later, Slash Intérim is profitable, national, and reportedly doubling its growth year after year. To accelerate, the startup has just raised its first funding round of €6 million to create a new and durable interim work model. “I didn’t invent anything,” she insisted. “I just looked at a model that already worked incredibly well in real estate – the independent agent model – and asked myself how to transpose it to interim.” [Meet Slash Intérim](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/slash-interim-the-26-year-old-founder-redesigning-a-eu40b-industry/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-37.png) 📇 **Company:** Evertrust 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity startup specialising in digital certificate management for enterprises and public administrations. Evertrust provides sovereign, independent solutions ensuring the security of websites, emails, software, and connected devices, and is preparing for the post-quantum transition with next-generation certificate technologies. 💻 **Website:** [**Evertrust**](https://evertrust.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10M 🏦 **Investors:** Elephant 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Kamel Ferfouche (CEO), Jean-Julien Alvado, Étienne Laviolette 🗞️ **News:** Evertrust will use the funding to expand across Europe by tripling headcount over five years, developing a partner network, and accelerating deployment of its sovereign cybersecurity solutions. The company, already CSPN-certified by ANSSI and aiming for EUCC certification, serves major French enterprises—including a quarter of the CAC40—and is preparing post-quantum certificate technologies. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/09/cybersecurite-evertrust-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-en-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-36.png) 📇 **Company:** GetMint 🔍 **Description:** Platform SaaS dedicated to helping companies measure, understand and optimize how they appear in AI-generated answers across major LLMs (ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, etc.). GetMint enables brands to map their AI visibility, analyze recommendation drivers, and deploy actionable plans to strengthen their presence in conversational search. 💻 **Website:** [GetMint](https://getmint.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** Founders Future (lead), 50 Partners, Kima Ventures, Clover, Better Angle, and several strategic Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Joan Burkovic, Matthieu Poitrimolt, Emmanuel Costa 🗞️ **News:** GetMint raises €4M to become the leading platform for enterprise visibility and SEO within AI models, accelerating product development and go-to-market in France and internationally. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-35.png) 📇 **Company:** Corma 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based SaaS management platform helping IT teams regain control over software usage, spend, and sprawl. Corma’s specialised agents collect licence, user, and usage data to give companies clear visibility into their software stack, enabling better decision-making, reduced spend, and improved security. 💻 **Website:** [Corma](https://www.corma.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5M 🏦 **Investors:** XTX Ventures (lead); Tuesday Capital; Kima Ventures; 50 Partners; Olympe Capital; business angels including Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face), Jean-Louis Quéguiner (Gladia), and Doreen Pernel (Scaleway) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Héloïse Rozès (CEO), Nikolai Fomm*,* Samuel Bismut 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support product development, AI buildout, and commercial expansion, addressing growing complexity in software stacks and shadow AI–related risks. | [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2025/12/08/corma-raises-eur35m-to-advance-software-license-and-access-governance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Slash Intérim: The 26-Year-Old Founder Redesigning a €40B Industry URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/slash-interim-the-26-year-old-founder-redesigning-a-eu40b-industry/ Last updated: 2025-12-13T13:34:44.000Z Emma Capron, Founder & CEO of Slash Intérim, felt the temp-work sector had been stuck in a time capsule. She decided to jailbreak it. Revenues doubled last year, and the company just raised €6M. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #54: Yann LeCun's Rebel AI Yell URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-54-yann-lecuns-rebel-ai-yell/ Last updated: 2025-12-10T08:07:25.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 **Gradium**, the Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. [**At an appearance at the aiPulse conference hosted by Scaleway at StationF, CEO Neil Zeghidour explained the technology and the vision driving the company's global ambitions.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) 🧠 The legendary AI scientist Yann LeCun left Meta to build world models. [**Hear why he says Silicon Valley is too hypnotized by ChatGPT to see what's coming next.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-bets-on-paris-not-palo-alto-for-ais-next-revolution/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines **🗞️ Brussels to Google: “About Those AI Overviews… We Need to Talk.”** **The EU just opened a formal probe into Google’s AI Overviews**, suspecting the search giant might be quietly siphoning content from publishers and YouTubers without fair compensation. Media groups say the choice is simple: let Google’s AI munch your articles, *or* get buried in the search results graveyard – *très fair, non?* Brussels now wants to know whether Google is abusing its dominant position, especially since YouTube creators don’t even get a “no thanks” button. Google insists the complaint threatens “innovation,” which is Big Tech for “stop touching my data pipeline.” France hasn’t even received AI Overviews yet, and Google may need to rewrite half the playbook before it lands. Bienvenue en Europe. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/bruxelles-ouvre-une-enquete-sur-lutilisation-par-google-de-contenus-en-ligne-pour-ses-services-dia-2203584?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-l-ue-enquete-sur-l-entrainement-de-l-ia-de-google-98745.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Le Monde Joins Meta’s AI Buffet – Because “Staying Passive” Is So 2023\.** French newspaper*Le Monde*, *CNN, Fox New*s, and a whole geopolitical bingo card of media groups just signed a multi-year deal **letting Meta AI slurp their articles *in real time*.** In exchange? Links back to publishers and “significant revenue,” which is polite French for “we finally made Zuck pay for something.” Le Monde says the negotiation was *longue, très longue*, but better than waiting for lawmakers to figure out what “AI” even stands for. The move adds to a patchwork of deals – OpenAI here, AFP, Mistral there – while half the media world is still suing everyone else into oblivion. France hasn’t settled the war between “coopérer” and “attaquer,” but one thing’s clear: the Great AI Content Gold Rush is officially open for business. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/il-serait-naif-de-rester-passifs-des-medias-internationaux-signent-un-accord-avec-meta-sur-lia-2203134?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ AI Boom? Yes. Funding for Women? *Non!***Sista and BCG just dropped their new barometer, and *quelle surprise*: the AI gold rush is leaving women even further behind in the French Tech dust. In France, **less than 1%** of AI funding goes to all-female founding teams, meaning the hottest sector in tech is also the coldest for parity. Teams of women raise **19× less** than men in AI, proving that LLMs may hallucinate, but the funding gap is painfully real. The only bright spot? The Sista charter goal (25% women-founded startups in VC portfolios) is nearly met, but in euros, not so much. As SISTA says: Europe wants AI sovereignty yet ignores half its population. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/on-le-sentait-venir-les-fondatrices-de-start-up-toujours-moins-financees-2203528?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ AI Jump: Simplon Hops In to Train 10,000 Future GenAI Wizards.** France’s Simplon Foundation just pressed GO on **AI Jump**, **a mega-training program to upskill 10,000 job-seekers in generative AI across France, Spain, and Italy.** No degrees? No problem. Low resources? *Très bien*. If you want to learn AI, [Simplon ](https://www.simplon.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)will teach you – from CV-writing bots to hackathon heroics. The program targets youth, women, disabled people, precarious workers, and career-changers, because inclusivity isn’t optional in 2025\. Companies like Accenture, Salesforce, and Société Générale are pitching in, so it’s not just AI theory – it’s AI with a foot in the job market. Simplon promises >70% positive outcomes: employable humans, not just AI enthusiasts. Voilà, democratizing GenAI the French way. | [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-avec-ai-jump-simplon-forme-massivement-a-la-genai-98733.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Open Bee Buzzes Up With AI Agents – Bankruptcy Who...?** Despite juggling a judicial recovery, French document-management player **Open Bee** just scooped up Veectoria, makers of on-the-shelf and custom AI agents. Veectoria’s “Eva” can record a conversation, upload it to a sovereign cloud, and transcribe a full report. It's basically an AI secretary who doesn’t ask for vacation. Open Bee plans to fold this AI magic into its GED offerings, making them smarter, more autonomous, and marginally more frightening to humans. 52 resellers are already on board, proving companies love their processes automated *and* spiced with AI. Bankruptcy drama aside, Doxsa’s holding now employs 10 Veectoria AI minds. Because nothing says corporate resilience like buying your way into the AI future. [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-open-bee-acquiert-veectoria-specialise-dans-les-agents-ia-98714.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other Headlines **🗞️ AI Called It… Wrong. Miss Tahiti Wins Miss France 2026.** Remember last week when our beloved AI projected the future winner? Yeah… it was confidently wrong. Turns out **Miss Tahiti** takes the crown, proving that algorithms still can’t capture charisma, poise, or the mysterious human X-factor. Digital trends, predictive models, big data – all rendered useless by a smile and a sparkling tiara. AI may predict clicks, traffic, and maybe even market trends, but apparently **not pageant winners**. Lesson learned: humans still hold the crown (literally), at least for now. **|** [**Entrevue**](https://entrevue.fr/en/people/miss-france-2026-une-intelligence-artificielle-predit-le-nom-de-la-future-gagnante-aura-t-elle-raison-reponse-le-6-decembre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **How Cybersecurity Startup MokN Combats Phishing With Deceptive 'Fake Doors' |** When stolen credentials breached his 'impenetrable' system, Gautier Bugeon had an insight: give attackers fake doors to try. His startup MokN raised €2.6M, hit $1M ARR in 16 months with half its clients being billion-dollar companies, and is now expanding to America. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/) 🗞️ **How Phagos Plans to Kill Superbugs with AI and Nature’s Own Viruses |** Antibiotics are failing. French biotech Phagos thinks the answer lies in nature’s own bacteria-killers: 'phages.' With €25 million and an AI platform to match viruses with their prey, the startup could rewrite the rulebook on how we fight infection. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/) --- ### 🧠 Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/Ai-Pulse-gradium-robot-2.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) On stage at the aiPulse conference at StationF in Paris last week, Gradium CEO Neil Zeghidour placed a small robot on the floor at the foot of the stage. The Reachy Mini, a compact, expressive machine borrowed from Hugging Face, had been connected to the voice AI API developed by Gradium. After a quick command from Zeghidour, Reachy blinked to life and began speaking in a warm, natural voice. Over the next few minutes, it transformed from a cheerful assistant into a boisterous gym coach named Logan, then pivoted seamlessly into Quebec-accented French to discuss the philosophy of human-machine communication. The audience watched as the robot's personality, voice, and language shifted on command, guided by nothing more than conversational prompts, eventually breaking into a little dance upon request. "This was completely unscripted," Zeghidour said afterward, grinning. The demonstration was a glimpse of the future that Zeghidour and his co-founders are racing to build. In this world, voice becomes the primary interface between humans and machines, as natural and intuitive as conversation between two people. Just days earlier, Zeghidour's company had emerged from three months of stealth mode with a €60 million seed round and a roster of backers that spans Silicon Valley royalty, French industrial titans, and some of the world's most respected AI researchers. Gradium's ambitions are as outsized as its funding. "The potential of voice AI is not realized to even 1% of what it can be," Zeghidour told the audience. "Voice is going to be the way we interact with machines." [Meet Gradium](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/) --- ### 🧠 Yann LeCun Bets on Paris, Not Palo Alto, for AI's Next Revolution [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-29.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-bets-on-paris-not-palo-alto-for-ais-next-revolution/) When one of the godfathers of deep learning tells a packed audience that Silicon Valley has lost the plot, people tend to listen. Yann LeCun, who spent over a decade as Meta's Chief AI Scientist, took the stage at aiPulse last week with a message that the large language models everyone is obsessing over are a technological dead end for achieving true machine intelligence. Perhaps the greater heresy: The revolution that will replace them is going to happen in Europe. "Silicon Valley is completely hypnotized by generative models," LeCun declared, on stage. "So you have to do this kind of work outside Silicon Valley." [Read the full story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-bets-on-paris-not-palo-alto-for-ais-next-revolution/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Dec_5.png) ***For the week ending November 28, there were 5 AI startups that raised a total of*** ***€75.75 million.*** --- 📇 **Company:** Gradium 🔍 **Description:** Paris-born voice AI startup spun out of non-profit research lab Kyutai. Gradium develops next-generation “audio language models” enabling real-time, low-latency conversational voice interactions across multiple languages. The company commercializes Kyutai’s cutting-edge research—including the speech-to-speech model *Moshi*—to power applications ranging from gaming characters to medical transcription and live interpretation. 💻 **Website:**[Gradium](https://gradium.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris (spinout from Kyutai) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €60M (≈ $70M) 🏦 **Investors:** FirstMark Capital (lead), Eurazeo (lead), DST Global Partners, Korelya Capital, Amplify Partners, Xavier Niel, Rodolphe Saadé, Eric Schmidt, Liquid 2 Ventures, Drysdale Ventures, plus participation from tech leaders including Yann LeCun, Olivier Pomel, Ilkka Paananen (Illusian Founder Office), Thomas Wolf, Guillermo Rauch, and Mehdi Ghissassi (Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Neil Zeghidour, Laurent Mazaré, Alexandre Défossez, Olivier Teboul 🗞️ **News:** Gradium emerges from stealth with a landmark €60M Seed round—one of Europe’s largest—to commercialize Kyutai’s breakthrough speech-to-speech models and build real-time, multilingual conversational AI. Backed by a rare coalition of global tech figures (Niel, Saadé, Schmidt, LeCun), the startup aims to compete with giants like OpenAI and ElevenLabs by offering low-latency, high-quality voice interaction at scale. Early traction includes a dozen paying customers in gaming, healthcare, and language services, with plans to become the leading real-time voice interface layer for next-generation AI agents. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/gradium-70m-seed-voice-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/niel-saade-et-schmidt-misent-60-millions-deuros-sur-gradium-et-lia-vocale-temps-reel/458936?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/gradium-premier-spin-off-de-kyutai-leve-60-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-mondiale-de-lia-vocale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** 2501.ai 🔍 **Description:** Developing autonomous AI agents for IT/Cloud infrastructure maintenance, enabling automated detection, diagnosis, remediation of incidents, compliance checks, and security updates. Its sovereign, modular, and secure platform reduces MTTR, lowers operating costs, and increases system availability. 💻 **Website:** [2501.ai](https://www.2501.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8M 🏦 **Investors:** Cusp Capital, Axeleo Capital (AXC), Galion.exe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Pereira, Alex Zhuk 🗞️ **News:** This round comes just two months after a €2M Pre-Seed round. 2501.ai will accelerate recruitment in AI applied to observability, remediation, and real-time event management, while launching commercial operations across Spain, the UK, and Germany. The company positions itself as a sovereign European alternative in IT/Cloud automation for critical infrastructures. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/03/2501-ai-leve-8-millions-deuros-pour-ses-agents-ia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7402278096579600384/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Basalt 🔍 **Description:** Collaborative AI engineering platform helping enterprises industrialize and scale AI agents through continuous experimentation, evaluation, and production monitoring. Basalt enables teams to compare prompts and models, validate scenarios with business experts, detect failures in real-world contexts, and prevent regressions through a centralized workflow. 💻 **Website:** [**Basalt**](https://getbasalt.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** San Francisco (tech team in Paris) 🧗 **Round:** Seed (not explicitly stated, formatted as funding round) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.25M (USD $5M) 🏦 **Investors:** Entourage (lead), Peak Capital (lead), Hexa, Alpha Star, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Marquis, François de Fitte 🗞️ **News:** Basalt raises €4.25M to accelerate development of its collaborative AI engineering platform and expand hiring across France and the U.S. The platform addresses the growing gap between rapid AI prototyping and fragile enterprise-scale deployment by enabling structured testing, scenario validation with domain experts, and deep production monitoring of AI agent behavior. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/basalt-leve-425-millions-deuros-pour-sa-plateforme-collaborative-dia-engineering/458933?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ROB’OCC 🔍 **Description:** French sovereign-robotics startup developing ROC-E, an eco-designed, AI-powered mobile assistant robot designed to automate internal flows, improve working conditions, and boost productivity for companies of all sizes — including TPEs and SMEs. 💻 **Website:** [**ROB'OCC**](https://www.robocc.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Brens 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€3M** 🏦 **Investors:** OCCIBOT Industrie, Tarn Capital Investissement, Franco-Swiss business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Team of eight robotics experts and two industrial partners (including DG Patrick Dehlinger) 🗞️ **News:** ROB’OCC raises €3M to accelerate commercial deployment of ROC-E, its plug-and-play autonomous indoor robot requiring no Wi-Fi, IT integration, or site adaptation. Built with 84% European components and manufactured in Occitanie, ROC-E is gaining traction through more than 60 successful POCs with customers such as Safran, Orange, BIC, Mecaprec, and Actia. The funding will support hiring (15 new roles), scale-up of production, and expansion into European markets as ROB’OCC positions ROC-E as a leading solution for sovereign, simple, and sustainable robotics. | [**MtoM**](https://www.mtom-mag.com/article20748.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Vulgaroo 🔍 **Description:** Bordeaux-based deeptech startup developing generative-AI–powered software that automatically produces medical memos and presentation-ready analyses to simplify reporting for pathology and diagnostic laboratories. 💻 **Website:** [**Vulgaroo**](https://www.vulgaroo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€500K** 🏦 **Investors:** Angels Santé (lead), health-focused business angels; Bpifrance (support) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Christophe Lelong, Victor Stanzel 🗞️ **News:** Vulgaroo raised €500K to launch the commercial rollout of its medical-report automation software and continue technological development. The startup has signed a major distribution agreement with Dedalus, Europe’s leading health and diagnostics software provider, enabling deployment across more than 4,000 pathology and biology labs in France. Vulgaroo plans to hire and relocate to the PariSanté Campus as it scales. | [**Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/vulgaroo-leve-500-000-euros-2132229?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-44.png) 🗣️ **Microsoft GenAI Studio 3rd Edition |** Microsoft France announces the opening of applications for the third promotion of its Microsoft GenAI Studio acceleration program, dedicated to supporting French startups in the adoption and development of solutions based on artificial intelligence. **| Deadline: December 3 |** [**Apply here**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2025/11/microsoft-france-lance-lappel-a-candidatures-pour-la-troisieme-edition-du-microsoft-genai-studio/?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **VOICE AI Space Paris Conference | December 10 |** Voice AI Space Paris Conference is part of the Future of Software Technologies Event, a unique federation of 25+ vendor-neutral tech conferences (Apidays, Generation AI, Green IO, and more), bringing together 6000+ participants and 300+ sessions across 3 days. Your ticket also grants full access to 3 days of conferences. | [**Tickets**](https://events.voiceaispace.com/event-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Yann LeCun Bets on Paris, Not Palo Alto, for AI's Next Revolution URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/yann-lecun-bets-on-paris-not-palo-alto-for-ais-next-revolution/ Last updated: 2025-12-10T00:30:51.000Z The legendary AI scientist left Meta to build world models. He says Silicon Valley is too hypnotized by ChatGPT to see what's coming next. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Gradium Wants To Make Voice The New Operating System for AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gradium-wants-to-make-voice-the-new-operating-system-for-ai/ Last updated: 2025-12-09T23:58:09.000Z The Paris startup, spun out of research lab Kyutai, just emerged from stealth with a $60M seed round to become the global foundation layer for real-time voice interactions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire December 8: VC Deals Fall; TechBio Rises; €175.35M Raised In 18 Rounds URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-december-8-vc-deals-fall-techbio-rises-eu175-35m-raised-in-18-rounds/ Last updated: 2025-12-13T13:35:22.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: The Real Deal Deal In The US As 2025 winds down, many a French entrepreneur is packing their suitcase, or at least thinking about it, for the golden shores of the United States. Understandable. AI has created a yawning gap in the amount of funding being raised between the old continent and the land of Baseball and Apple Pie. However, pop open the hood and look underneath, and things are not as different as they seem. The top line funding numbers are skewed because the big LLM kingmakers (OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, etc.) are sucking up ***muy mucho*** bucks. Otherwise, the number of startups actually raising venture capital is crashing hard pretty much everywhere. As we enter the Yuletide season, here is the deal count in France for 2025, according to Dealroom: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/France.png) And for the US of A: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/US.png) And Planet Earth: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/World.png) Does this mean that fewer people are starting companies? I don't think so. But then, we don't know what this really means. Is there a profound transformation happening in terms of how startups are being funded and their economics? Possibly. Clearly, there is a qualitative sense that San Francisco is where it's at. There may be ways to leverage that physical presence to accelerate a startup, but it doesn't necessarily seem to increase your odds of raising money. --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built-in—not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the Report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🔬 TechBio's Big Mo' Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting the second annual TechBio conference in Paris. TechBio is the label for companies that lean toward the AI-data side of the biology side of life sciences. [**You can see**a **some details from the mapping presented at the event here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mapping-french-techbio-40-companies-mixing-biology-data-and-ai/) At the conference,Speedinvest Partner Estelle Botbol also presented a European report the VC firm produced in partnership with Dealroom: [**"TechBio x AI Drug Discovery: Developing new drugs faster and cheaper."**](https://dealroom.co/reports/techbio-x-ai-drug-discovery-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) It notes that France is also in the upper tier when it comes to this emerging sector. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/techbio-dealroom.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/Chris-FOST-card.png)](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Join a unique federation of 25+ Independent and vendor-neutral tech conferences and onboard the largest EU community of builders, innovators, and business explorers. 1 VIP ticket, access to 25+ tech conferences. Use our code for a free ticket: THEFRENCHTECHJOURNALVIP [Register now! ](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: December 5 --- ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** **Total Raised:** **€175.35M** **Number of Companies: 18** ### 🧬 Sector Diversity - 💻 **AI & Software:** **€75.75M** across **4** deals *(Gradium, 2501.ai, Basalt, Minitap)* - 🧠 **Medtech & Health Intelligence:** **€46.90M** across **6** deals *(Axoltis Pharma, Innerskin, Ray studios, Kimialys, Annette, Vulgaroo)* - 💳 **Fintech / DeFi:** **€22.70M** across **3** deals *(Bitstack, ECAIR, Arrago)* - ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation:** **€20.00M** across **2** deals *(Spark Cleantech, ROB’OCC)* - 🌱 **AgriFood & NatureTech:** **€10.00M** across **3** deals *(Veragrow, ReSoil, Néosylva)* --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-3.png) 📇 **Company:** Gradium 🔍 **Description:** Paris-born voice AI startup spun out of non-profit research lab Kyutai. Gradium develops next-generation “audio language models” enabling real-time, low-latency conversational voice interactions across multiple languages. The company commercializes Kyutai’s cutting-edge research—including the speech-to-speech model *Moshi*—to power applications ranging from gaming characters to medical transcription and live interpretation. 💻 **Website:**[Gradium](https://gradium.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris (spinout from Kyutai) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €60M (≈ $70M) 🏦 **Investors:** FirstMark Capital (lead), Eurazeo (lead), DST Global Partners, Korelya Capital, Amplify Partners, Xavier Niel, Rodolphe Saadé, Eric Schmidt, Liquid 2 Ventures, Drysdale Ventures, plus participation from tech leaders including Yann LeCun, Olivier Pomel, Ilkka Paananen (Illusian Founder Office), Thomas Wolf, Guillermo Rauch, and Mehdi Ghissassi (Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Neil Zeghidour, Laurent Mazaré, Alexandre Défossez, Olivier Teboul 🗞️ **News:** Gradium emerges from stealth with a landmark €60M Seed round—one of Europe’s largest—to commercialize Kyutai’s breakthrough speech-to-speech models and build real-time, multilingual conversational AI. Backed by a rare coalition of global tech figures (Niel, Saadé, Schmidt, LeCun), the startup aims to compete with giants like OpenAI and ElevenLabs by offering low-latency, high-quality voice interaction at scale. Early traction includes a dozen paying customers in gaming, healthcare, and language services, with plans to become the leading real-time voice interface layer for next-generation AI agents. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/gradium-70m-seed-voice-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/niel-saade-et-schmidt-misent-60-millions-deuros-sur-gradium-et-lia-vocale-temps-reel/458936?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/gradium-premier-spin-off-de-kyutai-leve-60-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-mondiale-de-lia-vocale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Axoltis Pharma 🔍 **Description:** French BioTech developing innovative therapies for neurodegenerative and neurotraumatic diseases. Its lead candidate, NX210c—a cyclic peptide targeting blood-brain barrier repair, neuroprotection, and neurotransmission—has entered Phase 2 clinical trials in ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease. 💻 **Website:**[Axoltis Pharma](https://www.axoltis.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Clermont-Ferrand 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €18M (≈ $20.9M), in two tranches 🏦 **Investors:** FIDAT Ventures (co-lead), Cenitz (co-lead), crowdfunding investors via Capital Cell, business angels, Le Cercle de Chiron; plus legacy investors: Norfoalk, Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, FaDièse 3, Simba Santé 2 (Angelor), and the CEO of Axoltis 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** CEO Dr. Yann Godfrin 🗞️ **News:** Axoltis Pharma closes an €18M Series A to advance NX210c through its Phase 2 “SEALS” clinical trial in 82 ALS patients, with results expected in Q2 2026\. The raise comes amid strong European investor interest in neuro-focused BioTech, following €133M in sector funding in 2025 from Augustine Therapeutics, TRIMTECH Therapeutics, and EG 427\. The investment will also support research into additional neurological indications where NX210c’s blood-brain barrier repair mechanism could provide a major therapeutic impact. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/new-approaches-to-als-alzheimers-and-parkinsons-receive-support-as-axoltis-pharma-secures-e18-million/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://www.axoltis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/251202-Axoltis-Pharma-funding-EN.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Spark Cleantech 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech startup decarbonizing heavy industry through a patented pulsed plasmolysis process that replaces fossil fuel combustion in high-temperature industrial furnaces, producing on-site clean hydrogen and high-value solid carbon nanomaterials. 💻 **Website:** [**Spark Cleantech**](https://www.spark-cleantech.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris-Saclay 🧗 **Round:** Growth round 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€17M** (+ **€13M debt**) 🏦 **Investors:** 360 Capital (lead), Taranis, Fonds Île-de-France Réindustrialisation (Innovacom), Asterion Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Erwan Pannier, Patrick Peters 🗞️ **News:** Spark Cleantech raises €30M to scale its breakthrough pulsed-plasmolysis technology, enabling an 85% reduction in industrial emissions and the production of two decarbonized materials (hydrogen + carbon nanomaterial) with a 4x economic value uplift. The funding will complete and operate the first production module, accelerate commercial deployment across metallurgy, glass, polymers, and battery industries, and support 20 new hires across engineering, R&D, and commercial teams. --- 📇 **Company:** Innerskin 🔍 **Description:** French medical-aesthetics group redefining modern skincare and wellbeing through integrated, non-invasive treatments, high-performance technology, and a medical-grade product ecosystem. 💻 **Website:** [**Innerskin**](https://www.innerskin.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth round 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€12.8M** 🏦 **Investors:** IRIS Ventures (lead), Label Capital (existing investor) 👨💼👩💼 **Founder:** Chrystelle Eid 🗞️ **News:** Innerskin secures €12.8M to accelerate expansion across France and Europe amid rising demand for accessible, high-quality aesthetic care. The funding supports the group’s integrated model combining in-clinic treatments, preventive face and body care, and a medical-grade skincare line. Founded in 2022, Innerskin already operates 19 centres and aims to set a new European standard for science-based, holistic aesthetic wellness. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/paris-innerskin-lands-e12-8-million-to-grow-its-network-of-aesthetics-centres-and-integrated-skin-health-services/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-2.png) Alexandre & Kabir — Cofounders 📇 **Company:** Bitstack 🔍 **Description:** French Bitcoin investment app with 300,000+ users, known for its automatic roundup savings feature (“arrondi automatique”). The company is now launching its first Visa debit card featuring “stackback,” a Bitcoin-based cashback system. 💻 **Website:** [Bitstack](https://www.bitstack-app.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** 13books Capital (lead), AG2R LA MONDIALE, Plug and Play Ventures, Serena, Stillmark, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Roubaud, Kabir Seti 🗞️ **News:** Bitstack raises €15M to accelerate its European expansion and launches its first Visa debit card, introducing “stackback”—a 1% cashback in Bitcoin credited directly to users’ accounts. The card will be available in January 2026 to the first 5,000 beta testers. With MiCA approval secured in June, Bitstack will expand into 10 European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, and plans to hire around 20 new team members in France. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/bitstack-leve-15-millions-deuros-et-lance-sa-premiere-carte-bleue/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://bitstack-app.com/en/actualites/bitstack-raises-15-million-to-become-europes-leading-bitcoin-savings-platform?c=EUR&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/paris-based-bitstack-expands-its-bitcoin-savings-suite-with-fresh-e12-9-million-funding-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Ray Studios 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based medical tattoo-removal network combining physician-led treatments, advanced laser technology, and a proprietary clinical protocol (RsAP) to deliver high-precision, medical-grade tattoo removal across Europe. 💻 **Website:** [**Ray Studios**](https://www.ray-studios.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth round 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€10M** 🏦 **Investors:** Factory Capital (co-lead), Nickleby Capital (co-lead, existing), Gaingels, international business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founder/CEO:** David Rodriguez 🗞️ **News:** Ray Studios raises €10M to double its European network within two years and reinforce its clinical and technological leadership in medical tattoo removal. The company, already operating 20 studios across France, Spain, and Belgium, continues to scale its physician-only model and advance its proprietary RsAP protocol. New innovations include an AI-powered medical decision-support tool and a dedicated follow-up app to enhance patient monitoring and clinical precision. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.ray-studios.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-19.png) 📇 **Company:** 2501.ai 🔍 **Description:** Developing autonomous AI agents for IT/Cloud infrastructure maintenance, enabling automated detection, diagnosis, remediation of incidents, compliance checks, and security updates. Its sovereign, modular, and secure platform reduces MTTR, lowers operating costs, and increases system availability. 💻 **Website:** [2501.ai](https://www.2501.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8M 🏦 **Investors:** Cusp Capital, Axeleo Capital (AXC), Galion.exe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Pereira, Alex Zhuk 🗞️ **News:** This round comes just two months after a €2M Pre-Seed round. 2501.ai will accelerate recruitment in AI applied to observability, remediation, and real-time event management, while launching commercial operations across Spain, UK, and Germany. The company positions itself as a sovereign European alternative in IT/Cloud automation for critical infrastructures. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/03/2501-ai-leve-8-millions-deuros-pour-ses-agents-ia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7402278096579600384/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-20.png) 📇 **Company:** ECAIR 🔍 **Description:** French FinTech platform enabling Europe’s energy transition by providing installers with an instant, integrated financing stack that converts renovation and solar quotes into deployable projects. 💻 **Website:** [**ECAIR**](https://www.ecair.eco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€5M** (+ **€6M debt** from Enerfip) 🏦 **Investors:** Planet A, Übermorgen Ventures, Inco Ventures, Silence, Voyagers, Climate Club, Kima Ventures, Bpifrance; debt provided by Enerfip 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Bensadoun, Victor Jolly 🗞️ **News:** ECAIR raises €11M to accelerate deployment of its new lending product and expand across France, aiming to remove financial barriers for solar and energy-renovation projects. The company offers installers a real-time capital stack and recently launched a consumer loan calibrated to a home’s future energy savings, powered by ECAIR’s AI-driven underwriting engine. Its B2B financing solution has already deployed over €8M in working capital to help installers scale energy-transition technologies. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/as-electricity-and-gas-prices-climb-ecair-secures-e11-million-to-ease-financing-for-solar-and-home-renovations/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-21.png) 📇 **Company:** Veragrow 🔍 **Description:** Normandy-based agri-biotech developing biostimulants derived from lombricompost using a patented extraction and stabilisation process, delivering bioactive, multi-lever agricultural solutions that improve crop growth, soil fertility, and climate resilience. 💻 **Website:** [**Veragrow**](https://veragrow.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Val-de-Reuil 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€4.5M** 🏦 **Investors:** Odyssée Venture, Normandie Participations, Caisse d’Épargne Normandie Innovation (CEN Innovation), Groupe All Sun 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Bocage and co-founders (three engineer cofounders) 🗞️ **News:** Veragrow raises €4.5M to expand its sales force, accelerate domestic and international market rollout, broaden its biostimulant product range, deepen research, and increase production capacity. Founded in 2019, the company has conducted over 930 field trials and distributes its biosolutions through more than 30 partners in France, with trials underway in over 20 countries. With demand rising, Veragrow aims to become a leading industrial player in bio-based biostimulants by 2030\. | [**Normandie Incubation**](https://www.normandie-incubation.com/veragrow-leve-45-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Basalt 🔍 **Description:** Collaborative AI engineering platform helping enterprises industrialize and scale AI agents through continuous experimentation, evaluation, and production monitoring. Basalt enables teams to compare prompts and models, validate scenarios with business experts, detect failures in real-world contexts, and prevent regressions through a centralized workflow. 💻 **Website:** [**Basalt**](https://getbasalt.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** San Francisco (tech team in Paris) 🧗 **Round:** Seed (not explicitly stated, formatted as funding round) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.25M (USD $5M) 🏦 **Investors:** Entourage (lead), Peak Capital (lead), Hexa, Alpha Star, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Marquis, François de Fitte 🗞️ **News:** Basalt raises €4.25M to accelerate development of its collaborative AI engineering platform and expand hiring across France and the U.S. The platform addresses the growing gap between rapid AI prototyping and fragile enterprise-scale deployment by enabling structured testing, scenario validation with domain experts, and deep production monitoring of AI agent behavior. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/basalt-leve-425-millions-deuros-pour-sa-plateforme-collaborative-dia-engineering/458933?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-22.png) 📇 **Company:** ReSoil 🔍 **Description:** Mission-driven French platform enabling farmers to adopt agroecological and regenerative practices through guaranteed financing, carbon and biodiversity impact measurement, and monetization of environmental services. 💻 **Website:** [**ReSoil**](https://www.resoilag.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€4M** 🏦 **Investors:** Banque des Territoires, InvESS Île-de-France Amorçage (Île-de-France Region), Generali Impact Investment (INCO Ventures) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Grégoire Alston, Yohann Vrain, Luc Bailly 🗞️ **News:** ReSoil secures €4M to scale regenerative agriculture projects across France and expand its ReSoil Carbon digital platform. The company provides guaranteed revenue to farmers adopting low-carbon practices — via sector-based premiums and Label Bas-Carbone certified carbon credits — while equipping agricultural cooperatives and corporate clients with ISO-aligned decarbonization measurement tools. ReSoil already monitors more than 100,000 hectares and has enabled over €3M in corporate funding to support France’s agroecological transition. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/03/resoil-leve-4-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-agriculteurs-a-mesurer-leur-impact-carbone/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Kimialys 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech specializing in advanced surface-chemistry technologies for highly sensitive molecular detection and in-vitro diagnostics, built around its patented K-One platform for functionalising gold nanoparticles and biosensor surfaces. 💻 **Website:** [**Kimialys**](https://www.kimialys.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris-Saclay 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€3.6M** 🏦 **Investors:** Relyens Innovation Santé (lead, advised by Turenne Santé), Octalfa, Evolem, business angels; existing investors Odiem Capital, BADGE, Angels Santé 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Cyril Gilbert, Claude Nogues 🗞️ **News:** Kimialys secures €3.6M to industrialise its K-One technology, expand production capacity, launch its first catalogue of ready-to-use kits, and scale commercial efforts internationally. Developed over ten years within CNRS and ENS Paris-Saclay, K-One improves ligand orientation, density, and non-specific binding protection on gold nanoparticles and flat surfaces, significantly enhancing diagnostic test sensitivity. The company’s offerings include functionalised gold nanoparticles, gold chips for SPR, and analytical services for pharma and diagnostic players. Funding will accelerate Kimialys’ transition into a fully industrial, globally oriented biotech supplier. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kimialys%5Fcommuniqu%C3%A9-de-presse-kimialys-lev%C3%A9e-de-activity-7402664749823442944-7zOQ?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Minitap 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based AI-powered mobile development platform enabling engineering teams to automate mobile feature development, testing, and iteration through agentic-AI infrastructure. 💻 **Website:**[Minitap](https://minitap.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Moxxie Ventures (co-lead), Mercuri (co-lead), EWOR, Tekton Ventures, Amigos Venture Capital, Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face), Stefan Glanzer & Michael Breidenbrucker (Last.fm), Paul Muller (Adjust), Petter Made (SumUp), Daniel Krauss, Jochen Engert & André Schwämmlein (FlixBus), Saturnin Pugnet (Worldcoin), plus operators from OpenAI, DeepMind, LangChain, LlamaIndex 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas Dehandschoewercker (CEO), Luc Mahoux-Nakamura (co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** Minitap raises €3.5M Seed to expand its agentic-AI infrastructure, enabling mobile teams to ship features 10x faster by automating code generation, testing, iteration, and bug resolution across thousands of real devices in parallel. The company’s open-source framework topped Google DeepMind’s AndroidWorld benchmark within 40 days and now has 1,900 GitHub stars. This funding comes amid a broader €31.6M wave of early-stage AI-infrastructure investment across Europe, positioning Minitap as a leading player in AI-native mobile development tooling. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/following-its-top-performance-on-androidworld-frances-minitap-secures-e3-5-million-for-its-mobile-development-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-25.png) 📇 **Company:** Arrago 🔍 **Description:** French FinTech specializing in Prêt Viager Hypothécaire, offering *Prêt 60®*, a flexible, no-monthly-payment alternative to traditional life annuity loans, enabling seniors to unlock home equity while retaining ownership. 💻 **Website:** [**Arrago**](https://www.arrago.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€2.7M** 🏦 **Investors:** The Moon Venture (lead), French business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Leadership:** Alexis Rouëssé, Nathanaël Le Moal, Guillaume Ruhlmann, Thomas Bodereau, 🗞️ **News:** Arrago raises €2.7M to accelerate deployment and awareness of its Prêt 60® solution, aiming to streamline loan approval times, expand eligibility, and support high-value financings above €1M. The FinTech has already enabled €84M in financing for seniors across 62 French departments through a fully digital process. Its ambition: surpass €100M loaned by end-2025 and scale to €1B per year within five years, addressing the growing financial needs of an aging population facing rising home-care costs and limited access to credit. | [**SilverEco**](https://www.silvereco.fr/arrago-annonce-une-levee-de-fonds-de-27-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-le-pret-60/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-23.png) 📇 **Company:** Annette 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based medical support platform for chronic obesity care, providing supervised GLP-1 treatment follow-up through a multidisciplinary clinical team coordinated via a companion app. 💻 **Website:** [**Annette**](https://www.annette.care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Funding round 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€2M** 🏦 **Investors:** Redstone, Ring Capital, AFI Ventures (Ventech), Clover VC, Gfund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** François-Xavier Trancart, Gwen Le Calvez 🗞️ **News:** Annette raises €2M to scale Europe’s first GLP-1–focused chronic obesity care platform, combining medical oversight with behavioral, nutritional, and emotional support. The funding will accelerate product personalisation, expand its clinical network, and strengthen prevention and education efforts. Founded in 2024, Annette already supports more than 1,000 patients, reporting outcomes above clinical-trial benchmarks, 90% retention at three months, and an NPS of +70\. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/addressing-europes-obesity-burden-french-medtech-startup-annette-closes-e2-million-round-for-structured-glp-1-support/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Néosylva 🔍 **Description:** Nantes-based forestry investment and management company enabling long-term, sustainable renewal and valorisation of French forests through a model that finances reforestation without requiring land acquisition. 💻 **Website:** [**Néosylva**](https://www.neosylva.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€1.5M** 🏦 **Investors:** Entrepreneurs from the Loire region, partners from the forest–wood value chain (incl. Bonnin Charbonneau), historical investors including Banque des Territoires via France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Leadership:** Jean-Guénolé Cornet (President) 🗞️ **News:** Néosylva raises €1.5M to accelerate its sustainable forestry strategy, tripling managed forest areas from 3,000 hectares in 2025 to 10,000 hectares by 2029\. The funding strengthens its mission-driven model (the company became “société à mission” in 2025), supporting forest renewal, local wood production, and ecosystem preservation. To date, Néosylva has planted over 1 million trees and secured backing from regional actors and institutional investors committed to a resilient French forest–wood sector. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/n%C3%A9osylva%5Fn%C3%A9osylva-l%C3%A8ve-15-million-deuros-pour-acc%C3%A9l%C3%A9rer-activity-7399718815053275136-nUk8?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-24.png) 📇 **Company:** ROB’OCC 🔍 **Description:** French sovereign-robotics startup developing ROC-E, an eco-designed, AI-powered mobile assistant robot designed to automate internal flows, improve working conditions, and boost productivity for companies of all sizes — including TPEs and SMEs. 💻 **Website:** [**ROB'OCC**](https://www.robocc.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Brens 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€3M** 🏦 **Investors:** OCCIBOT Industrie, Tarn Capital Investissement, Franco-Swiss business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Team of eight robotics experts and two industrial partners (including DG Patrick Dehlinger) 🗞️ **News:** ROB’OCC raises €3M to accelerate commercial deployment of ROC-E, its plug-and-play autonomous indoor robot requiring no Wi-Fi, IT integration, or site adaptation. Built with 84% European components and manufactured in Occitanie, ROC-E is gaining traction through more than 60 successful POCs with customers such as Safran, Orange, BIC, Mecaprec, and Actia. The funding will support hiring (15 new roles), scale-up of production, and expansion into European markets as ROB’OCC positions ROC-E as a leading solution for sovereign, simple, and sustainable robotics. | [**MtoM**](https://www.mtom-mag.com/article20748.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** BiPER Therapeutics 🔍 **Description:** Strasbourg-based biotech developing first-in-class oral small molecules that selectively inhibit BiP (GRP78) to overstress and destroy pathological cells, with an initial focus on gastrointestinal cancers. 💻 **Website:** [BiPER](http://www.biper-tx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€1M** 🏦 **Investors:** MEDIN Fund Management Company (SAFE), Regional France 2030 (Bpifrance), plus a loan 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Stéphane Rocchi, Rachid Benhida, Cyril Ronco, Mehdi Chelbi 🗞️ **News:** BiPER Therapeutics secures €1M to advance its lead candidate BPR001-615 toward a Phase 1/2a clinical trial in gastrointestinal cancers. The funding completes toxicology studies, supports CMC activities, and launches a new AI-powered R&D center in Tunisia to accelerate the company’s broader small-molecule pipeline. BPR001-615, a selective BiP inhibitor, has shown strong safety, a broad therapeutic window, and the potential to outperform first-line chemotherapy in preclinical studies. A Clinical Trial Application (CTA) is planned for Q1 2026\. | [**Pharmiweb**](https://www.pharmiweb.com/press-release/2025-12-02/biper-therapeutics-secures-1m-investment-to-advance-first-in-class-cancer-therapy-into-clinical-tri?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Vulgaroo 🔍 **Description:** Bordeaux-based deeptech startup developing generative-AI–powered software that automatically produces medical memos and presentation-ready analyses to simplify reporting for pathology and diagnostic laboratories. 💻 **Website:** [**Vulgaroo**](https://www.vulgaroo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€500K** 🏦 **Investors:** Angels Santé (lead), health-focused business angels; Bpifrance (support) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Christophe Lelong, Victor Stanzel 🗞️ **News:** Vulgaroo raised €500K to launch the commercial rollout of its medical-report automation software and continue technological development. The startup has signed a major distribution agreement with Dedalus, Europe’s leading health and diagnostics software provider, enabling deployment across more than 4,000 pathology and biology labs in France. Vulgaroo plans to hire and relocate to the PariSanté Campus as it scales. | [**Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/vulgaroo-leve-500-000-euros-2132229?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Brevo’s €1B Breakout Bet and France’s TechBio Surge URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-brevos-eu1b-breakout-bet-and-frances-techbio-surge/ Last updated: 2025-12-05T09:20:57.000Z 👋 **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Brevo’s €1bn valuation was driven by a PE-led growth buyout: General Atlantic and Oakley take 50%, Partech exits, and the cap table resets. It’s a landmark French-tech liquidity moment that gives Brevo powerful partners for U.S. expansion, bigger M&A, and AI-powered growth. [**Brevo CEO and Founder Armand Thiberge and André François-Poncet, a partner at Partech who led the original investment, walk us through the details.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/brevos-eu500m-deal-delivers-historic-liquidity-event-for-french-tech/) 👀 A comprehensive mapping by France Biotech and France Deeptech identifies 40 companies operating at the intersection of biology and breakthrough technology, and argues that France could become a global leader in this emerging field. [**We look at the key takeaways.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mapping-french-techbio-40-companies-mixing-biology-data-and-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk 💵 🐎 Fintech **Pennylane just crossed €100M ARR**, officially joining the “centaurs” club, the mythical beasts of revenue reality. With **700k clients**, 6k accounting firms on board, and electronic invoicing mandates in France and Germany acting like rocket boosters, Pennylane is riding a very favorable regulatory wave. The company is now rumored to be prepping a **$200M raise at a $4–5B valuation**, with TCV and Sequoia lurking in the wings. Not profitable yet (maybe next year), but with 900 employees and big ambitions, Pennylane wants to become the financial OS for every European SME. | [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/04/pennylane-la-fintech-passe-le-cap-des-100-millions-deuros-de-revenus-et-devient-un-centaure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Les Echos](http://google.com/url?q=https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-pennylane-entre-dans-le-club-tres-ferme-des-centaures-2202611&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1764841935518493&usg=AOvVaw3Ww7ECiOo2zQTbNkUf7aFC) 🚚🥫 **Le Fourgon Gobbles La Tournée to Build France’s Zero-Waste Delivery Empire.** The **t**wo online zero-waste supermarkets just merged in a share swap to convert France back to the gospel of reusable glass. The combo now covers **45% of the country**, with Le Fourgon’s bright yellow vans and La Tournée’s fresh-produce chops joining forces to “*kill plastic.*” As we reported earlier this year, [**Le Fourgon has been scaling fast**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/deep-dive-le-fourgon-driving-a-circular-economy-revolution-with-reusable-glass-solutions-2/). The new group of **410 employees** wants to snag **2% of France’s grocery market** and hit profitability within 12 months. | [Les Echos](http://lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/le-fourgon-et-la-tournee-fusionnent-pour-convertir-les-francais-a-la-consigne-en-verre-2202104?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/le-fourgon-se-paie-la-tournee-pour-accelerer-ladoption-de-la-consigne-en-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🪰⚰️ **Ÿnsect Squashed.** Once the poster child of French agritech, the former unicorn is RIP, tagged for **liquidation**, leaving **43 employees** and a giant insect “giga-farm” in Poulainville behind. After rounds of emergency funding [**(check out our Ynsect deep dive)**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ynsect-bankruptcy-private-equity-public-debt-and-bpifrances-role/), layoffs, a new CEO, and a desperate pivot to cheaper, less-automated farming, the company still couldn’t raise the cash needed to continue. Its €100M+ mega-factory never ran at full speed, and the global insect-protein market proved far less mature (and far more competitive) than investors once dreamed. With Agronutris and Innovafeed also wobbling, the entire insect-protein sector is entering its winter. | [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/apres-une-longue-agonie-ynsect-place-en-liquidation-judiciaire-2202302?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/ynsect-clap-de-fin-pour-lex-fleuron-industriel-de-la-french-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💰🛠️ **ISAI just launched ISAI Venture IV, a new early-stage fund with a €75M first closing (heading to €100M)**, aimed at startups with real traction, plus a 10% “super-angel” pocket for pre-seed bets. The plan is to invest mostly in France, but also hunt down French founders in the US who are quietly building empires. True to form, ISAI wants to back the **“pickaxe sellers”** (infrastructure, SaaS, marketplaces) rather than chase whatever gold-rush AI meme is trending this week. Despite the macro gloom, ISAI’s JD Chamboredon says he feels a **“business rebound”** and insists now is a prime moment to seize opportunities. | [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/03/isai-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-soutenir-lenvol-des-futures-pepites-de-la-french-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏥🧬 **Villejuif is building a “Station F” for Cancer Startups.** The word on the street is that a new **100,000 m² campus** is set to open in 2026 near Gustave-Roussy, gathering **60 companies**, mostly startups, alongside big pharma and CROs. Funded with **€165M** (France 2030 + corporate philanthropy), each team gets 25 m² of lab + 25 m² of office. That's enough space to prototype, test, and scale treatments under one roof. **The goal is to create Europe’s largest oncology innovation hub where collaboration** is built into the walls. | [Les Échos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-suites-de-laffaire-benotmane-un-station-f-dedie-a-loncologie-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2202644?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🦹‍♀️🕵️‍♂️ Speaking of **Station F,** Paris' startup mega-campus has **quietly launched a new program: “Mafia” for Multi-Entrepreneurs.** It's legal (we hope), not listed publicly, but visible on resident cards. Designed for founders who’ve already launched multiple startups, it offers the usual perks plus a heavy dose of community, mentorship, and peer experience-sharing. Multi-founder culture is strong: in the latest Future40 cohort, **42% of founders had already started two companies**, and nearly a third have launched even more. Station F is doubling down on serial entrepreneurship. Leave the pitch deck; take the cannoli. | [Les Échos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-suites-de-laffaire-benotmane-un-station-f-dedie-a-loncologie-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2202644?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸📊 **More Than Half of French Entrepreneurs Don’t Pay Themselves.** A new barometer from **Dougs** reveals that **53% of French founders** went unpaid in 2024, proving that entrepreneurship is mostly sweat, not salary. Among those who do pay themselves, the median income is just **€21,631/year**, with huge gaps by sector and experience: IT founders earn the most, BTP and commerce the least. **The picture is a fragile but structured ecosystem,** where early-stage founders rely on public support, dividends, and careful financial engineering to survive. Dougs' Founder Patrick Maurice sums it up: “*Five years is the adolescence of an entrepreneur - learning, failing, and finally structuring their life around the business rather than the other way around.*” | [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/plus-de-la-moitie-des-entrepreneurs-ne-se-verse-aucun-salaire/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Brevo’s €500M Deal Delivers Historic Liquidity Event for French Tech [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-16.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/brevos-eu500m-deal-delivers-historic-liquidity-event-for-french-tech/) Brevo CEO and Founder Armand Thiberge Brevo just joined France’s unicorn club with a splashy €500 million announcement, the kind that sends French Tech LinkedIn into victory-lap mode. But beneath the confetti, this wasn’t a stereotypical late-stage VC mega-round. The deal is closer to a private-equity growth buyout paired with a secondary sale that quietly resets the cap table and marks one of the largest liquidity events in French startup history. We dig into the details, break down the financing, and talk to Brevo CEO and Founder Armand Thiberge about the motivation behind the deal and how he hopes the company's new PE partners will help them conquer the U.S. and invest in AI. "Our ambition remains unchanged: to build a global European CRM leader capable of competing with US players through product excellence," Thiberge said. [Dive into the details](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/brevos-eu500m-deal-delivers-historic-liquidity-event-for-french-tech/) --- # Mapping French TechBio: 40 Companies Mixing Biology, Data, and AI [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-18.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mapping-french-techbio-40-companies-mixing-biology-data-and-ai/) France's TechBio ecosystem is having a moment. In just under a year, the number of identified TechBio companies in the country has nearly doubled, jumping from 22 to 40 startups and scale-ups, according to a new report by the TechBio France Commission. The report was released on Thursday at the second edition of the TechBio France Conference held at the Future4Care office in Paris. We break down the key takeaways in the report on this emerging sector. [Dive into TechBio](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mapping-french-techbio-40-companies-mixing-biology-data-and-ai/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-17.png) 📇 **Company:** Gradium 🔍 **Description:** Paris-born voice AI startup spun out of non-profit research lab Kyutai. Gradium develops next-generation “audio language models” enabling real-time, low-latency conversational voice interactions across multiple languages. The company commercializes Kyutai’s cutting-edge research—including the speech-to-speech model *Moshi*—to power applications ranging from gaming characters to medical transcription and live interpretation. 💻 **Website:**[Gradium](https://gradium.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris (spinout from Kyutai) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €60M (≈ $70M) 🏦 **Investors:** FirstMark Capital (lead), Eurazeo (lead), DST Global Partners, Korelya Capital, Amplify Partners, Xavier Niel, Rodolphe Saadé, Eric Schmidt, Liquid 2 Ventures, Drysdale Ventures, plus participation from tech leaders including Yann LeCun, Olivier Pomel, Ilkka Paananen (Illusian Founder Office), Thomas Wolf, Guillermo Rauch, and Mehdi Ghissassi (Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Neil Zeghidour, Laurent Mazaré, Alexandre Défossez, Olivier Teboul 🗞️ **News:** Gradium emerges from stealth with a landmark €60M Seed round—one of Europe’s largest—to commercialize Kyutai’s breakthrough speech-to-speech models and build real-time, multilingual conversational AI. Backed by a rare coalition of global tech figures (Niel, Saadé, Schmidt, LeCun), the startup aims to compete with giants like OpenAI and ElevenLabs by offering low-latency, high-quality voice interaction at scale. Early traction includes a dozen paying customers in gaming, healthcare, and language services, with plans to become the leading real-time voice interface layer for next-generation AI agents. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/gradium-70m-seed-voice-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/niel-saade-et-schmidt-misent-60-millions-deuros-sur-gradium-et-lia-vocale-temps-reel/458936?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/gradium-premier-spin-off-de-kyutai-leve-60-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-mondiale-de-lia-vocale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Axoltis Pharma 🔍 **Description:** French BioTech developing innovative therapies for neurodegenerative and neurotraumatic diseases. Its lead candidate, NX210c—a cyclic peptide targeting blood-brain barrier repair, neuroprotection, and neurotransmission—has entered Phase 2 clinical trials in ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease. 💻 **Website:**[Axoltis Pharma](https://www.axoltis.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Clermont-Ferrand 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €18M (≈ $20.9M), in two tranches 🏦 **Investors:** FIDAT Ventures (co-lead), Cenitz (co-lead), crowdfunding investors via Capital Cell, business angels, Le Cercle de Chiron; plus legacy investors: Norfoalk, Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, FaDièse 3, Simba Santé 2 (Angelor), and the CEO of Axoltis 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** *Not specified* — CEO: Dr. Yann Godfrin 🗞️ **News:** Axoltis Pharma closes an €18M Series A to advance NX210c through its Phase 2 “SEALS” clinical trial in 82 ALS patients, with results expected in Q2 2026\. The raise comes amid strong European investor interest in neuro-focused BioTech, following €133M in sector funding in 2025 from Augustine Therapeutics, TRIMTECH Therapeutics, and EG 427\. The investment will also support research into additional neurological indications where NX210c’s blood-brain barrier repair mechanism could provide major therapeutic impact. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/new-approaches-to-als-alzheimers-and-parkinsons-receive-support-as-axoltis-pharma-secures-e18-million/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://www.axoltis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/251202-Axoltis-Pharma-funding-EN.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-2.png) Alexandre & Kabir — Cofounders 📇 **Company:** Bitstack 🔍 **Description:** French Bitcoin investment app with 300,000+ users, known for its automatic roundup savings feature (“arrondi automatique”). The company is now launching its first Visa debit card featuring “stackback,” a Bitcoin-based cashback system. 💻 **Website:** [Bitstack](https://www.bitstack-app.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** 13books Capital (lead), AG2R LA MONDIALE, Plug and Play Ventures, Serena, Stillmark, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Roubaud, Kabir Seti 🗞️ **News:** Bitstack raises €15M to accelerate its European expansion and launches its first Visa debit card, introducing “stackback”—a 1% cashback in Bitcoin credited directly to users’ accounts. The card will be available in January 2026 to the first 5,000 beta testers. With MiCA approval secured in June, Bitstack will expand into 10 European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, and plans to hire around 20 new team members in France. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/bitstack-leve-15-millions-deuros-et-lance-sa-premiere-carte-bleue/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://bitstack-app.com/en/actualites/bitstack-raises-15-million-to-become-europes-leading-bitcoin-savings-platform?c=EUR&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/paris-based-bitstack-expands-its-bitcoin-savings-suite-with-fresh-e12-9-million-funding-round/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Mapping French TechBio: 40 Companies Mixing Biology, Data, and AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mapping-french-techbio-40-companies-mixing-biology-data-and-ai/ Last updated: 2025-12-05T08:21:53.000Z A comprehensive mapping by France Biotech and France Deeptech identifies 40 companies operating at the intersection of biology and breakthrough technology, and argues that France could become a global leader in this emerging field. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Brevo’s €500M Deal Delivers Historic Liquidity Event for French Tech URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/brevos-eu500m-deal-delivers-historic-liquidity-event-for-french-tech/ Last updated: 2025-12-05T07:31:53.000Z Brevo’s €1bn valuation was driven by a PE-led growth buyout: General Atlantic and Oakley take 50%, Partech exits, and the cap table resets. It’s a landmark French-tech liquidity moment that gives Brevo powerful partners for U.S. expansion, bigger M&A, and AI-powered growth. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #53: Meet France's Humanoid Robotics 'Supergroup' URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-53-meet-frances-humanoid-robotics-supergroup/ Last updated: 2025-12-03T08:28:22.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. **HyprView** uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors, information microscopes miss entirely. This opens the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. [**Co-Founder Victor Outters sheds some light on their vision for this new diagnostic tool.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-11.png) 🗞️ **Mistral AI** just dropped its new “Mistral 3” lineup of open-weight models, a 10-model launch aimed at proving Europe can ship frontier AI without locking it behind an API. The headline act is Mistral Large 3, a multi-modal, multilingual frontier model designed to go toe-to-toe with closed rivals like GPT-4o and Gemini while matching the best open competitors. Under the hood, it uses a granular Mixture-of-Experts setup (41B active / 675B total parameters) and a massive 256k context window, positioning it for enterprise-grade document analysis, coding, assistants, and automation. Alongside it comes “Ministral 3,” nine smaller dense models in 3B, 8B, and 14B sizes, offered in Base, Instruct, and Reasoning variants. Mistral is arguing that small models can actually be better once fine-tuned. The practical hook: these models run on a single GPU, so companies can keep data on-prem, developers can work offline, and edge devices—from laptops to robots—can stay smart even with spotty connectivity. That efficiency push feeds Mistral’s growing physical-AI ambitions, with partnerships spanning robotics, drones, and in-car assistants. In short, the startup is betting that the next AI race won’t be won by sheer scale, but by open access, customization, and models that are fast, cheap, and everywhere. "This work is deeply rooted in our mission of putting frontier AI in everyone’s hands as we look to help bring the industry into a new era of AI, which we call ‘distributed intelligence,’" [**wrote CEO Arthur Mensch on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/arthur-mensch%5Fintroducing-mistral-3-our-most-capable-family-activity-7401655584141238272-Aexy?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI). | [**Mistral**](https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-3?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/drones-robots-et-voitures-du-futur-mistral-devoile-ses-petits-modeles-dia-embarquee-2202242?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/02/mistral-closes-in-on-big-ai-rivals-with-mistral-3-open-weight-frontier-and-small-models/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Gradium** has burst onto the French AI scene as Kyutai’s first spin-off, thanks to a splashy €60M seed round just three months after being created. Led by FirstMark Capital and Eurazeo, the round also attracted Kyutai’s heavyweight backers Xavier Niel, CMA CGM boss Rodolphe Saadé, and former Google chair Eric Schmidt, plus Korelya Capital and Amplify Partners. At the helm is Neil Zeghidour, one of Kyutai’s earliest scientific founders, who notes that the startup will still share a building with their BFFs at Kyutai, which is still a shareholder. The startup’s mission is to push audio-native language models that speak naturally, expressively, and in real time to make voice the default interface between humans and machines. Gradium will commercialize Kyutai’s open research like Moshi and Hibiki, responding to strong early demand from sectors such as gaming and customer support, and says it has already landed its first clients within six weeks. Paris is home base, but a 'Frisco foothold is planned because of course. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/12/02/gradium-premier-spin-off-de-kyutai-leve-60-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-mondiale-de-lia-vocale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Paris has a new robotics moonshot that just popped its head out of the stealth gopher hole. [**UMA**](https://uma.bot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is building general-purpose mobile and humanoid robots meant to handle human-level tasks in factories and commercial settings. The team is training these machines with a cocktail of high-fidelity simulation, reinforcement learning, and full-stack robotics so they can perceive the world, manipulate objects precisely, and adapt on the fly. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-12.png) For an early-stage company, UMA’s bench is unusually stacked: founders Rémi Cadène, Robert Knight, Pierre Sermanet, and Simon Alibert were slumming it at such second-rate shops as Meta AI, DeepMind, and Tesla. Indeed, [**one Humanoid Robotics news site dubbed them: The European Robotics 'Supergroup.**](https://www.humanoidsdaily.com/feed/uma-exits-stealth-the-european-robotics-supergroup-arrives-in-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)' The advisory roster reads like a rogues gallery of modern AI: Yann LeCun, Hugging Face’s Thomas Wolf, and Valeo.ai’s Matthieu Cord. "Since the dawn of civilization, people have dreamt of a machine that can help with the grind of daily life and give them more time to do the things that really matter," [**wrote co-founder Knight on LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rob-knight-03443789%5Fsince-the-dawn-of-civilisation-people-have-activity-7401233136652578816-MaNt?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI). "Today we stand on the brink of seeing that vision come true through the convergence of AI and mass-produced robots and I am humbled and thrilled to have a chance to play a part, within my lifetime, as Chief Robot Officer of UMA." Unlike their cousins at Gradium, they did not run into the street waving a big fat check. But on the UMA website, it says the company is backed by a "strong first round" from Greycroft, Kima Ventures, and Unity Growth, plus a swarm of star angels spanning Mistral’s Guillaume Lample, Hugging Face’s Clément Delangue, Datadog’s Olivier Pomel, Xavier Niel, and even F1 champ Nico Rosberg. The startup is betting Europe can compete at the frontier of humanoid and industrial robotics, starting where the economics are strongest: logistics and manufacturing. First pilot programs are slated for 2026\. | [**AI World**](https://aiworld.eu/story/uma-is-pushing-europe-towards-the-next-era-of-autonomous-machines?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/remi-cadene-6527509b%5Fhumanity-is-at-a-turning-point-i-am-launching-activity-7401201664722128896-hHjE?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) 🗞️ **HPE** (the company once-upon-a-time known as Hewlett-Packard before decades of corporate pratfalls splintered it into multiple obscure acronyms) and **Nvidia** are plugging their “AI factory” vision into Grenoble, unveiling a beefed-up partnership meant to make AI deployment across HPE infrastructure faster, more scalable, and more sovereign. The pair will open the EU’s first AI Factory Lab in Grenoble, where customers can test, tune, and validate workloads on EU-based infrastructure. | [**MSN**](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/hp-enterprise-nvidia-team-up-to-create-ai-factory-lab-in-eu/ar-AA1RuCcG?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**HPE**](https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2025/12/hpe-and-nvidia-simplify-ai-ready-data-centers-with-secure-next-gen-ai-factories.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Intelligent CIO**](https://www.intelligentcio.com/eu/2025/11/25/ai-factory-france-supercharges-ai-adoption-by-french-start-ups-and-smes-with-nvidia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The AI giveth. And the AI taketh away.** French insurance giant **Allianz** is reportedly planning to cut 1,500–1,800 jobs at Allianz Partners, its travel insurance arm, over the next 12–18 months, with most reductions hitting call centres as AI automates more customer service and claims work. The company hasn’t confirmed the numbers publicly but says it’s reviewing how tech shifts will affect roles that depend on manual processes, and is currently in confidential talks with works councils. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/allianz-cut-up-1800-jobs-due-ai-advances-says-source-2025-11-26/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Havas** is making a French AI connection, acquiring homegrown data and cloud specialist **Unnest**, a startup founded in 2021 that builds data, analytics, and AI stacks on platforms like Google Cloud, Azure, Snowflake, and AWS. The AI tools will be folded into the Business Science ecosystem of Havas, the French communications giant to form what the company describes as a 120-strong data “strike team.” | [**BW MarketingWorld**](https://www.bwmarketingworld.com/article/havas-strengthens-data-ai-capabilities-with-unnest-acquisition-582013?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s Culture Ministry** has finished a months-long consultation between cultural leaders and tech leaders about finding a balance between AI and creative rights and after hoping to get everyone to hold hands and sing Kumbaya, well, it seems that didn't quite happen but everyone is feeling darn good that best efforts were made. In a press release this week, Cultural Minister Rachida Dati and her team noted that there were five plenary meetings and forty bilateral meetings, and so everyone felt seen and heard and so on and so forth. But...Minister Dati warned that today’s patchwork of deals with publishers and creators isn’t enough to guarantee fair pay for the works used in training. That's bad for both sides: Creatives don't get paid; AI don't get data to train their models. AI peeps may not like this next bit: Dati floated the idea of remedies that are more restrictive, including putting the ***burden of proof*** on AI providers to justify the origins and inspirations of outputs. There would also be a default assumption that protected ***cultural content*** was used to train AI unless companies could prove otherwise. “I want to reiterate, both to the rights and developers, that I am fully mobilized to achieve ethical and responsible AI models," Dati said in a statement. " This development represents an exceptional opportunity for the French economy, including its cultural and creative industries, but it must be a winner for all." | [**Culture Ministry**](https://www.culture.gouv.fr/presse/communiques-de-presse/concertation-entre-fournisseurs-d-ia-et-ayants-droit-un-espace-de-dialogue-et-de-negociation-structure-mais-un-partage-de-la-valeur-encore-insuff?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Fashion Network**](https://au.fashionnetwork.com/news/France-s-ministry-of-culture-considers-legitimate-measures-in-response-to-ai,1788249.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Someone did not get the memo from Da 'Prez that France is All About Zee AI.** 'Cause a French court in Nanterre has issued the country’s first ruling on workplace AI rollouts, saying companies must consult the works council even when AI tools are only in a “pilot” phase. In this case, because the AI apps had already been used for months by many employees (with broad training and access), the court treated the pilot as a real initial deployment, not a mere experiment. It ordered the project suspended until consultation is completed, with a €1,000-per-day penalty for violations and €5,000 in damages to the works council. The decision warns employers that AI “tests” can still trigger consultation duties if they are wide in scope or effectively signal that deployment is underway. " | [**National Law Review**](https://natlawreview.com/article/nanterre-court-justice-issues-first-decision-about-introduction-ai-workplace-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Doctolib** is teaming up with **Inria** to ramp up its AI ambitions in healthcare, forming a joint research team to build “clinical AI” models that can understand, reason, and support doctors and patients. The focus is on trustworthy, explainable systems aligned with European ethics—no black boxes—able to connect symptoms, medical history, and context to recommend personalized actions. First targets: optimizing care pathways with generative models that suggest ideal clinical sequences, and improving diagnostics by proposing hypotheses with confidence levels. The partnership fits Doctolib’s broader AI push, as the now-profitable unicorn rolls out patient assistants and positions itself as a European leader in sovereign, reliable health AI. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/27/ia-pourquoi-doctolib-sallie-a-linria/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** Word is circulating that Franco-Tunisian entrepreneur **Karim Beguir**, co-founder of InstaDeep, is teaming up with a former European finance minister to launch a “Europa Compute Initiative” meant to tackle Europe’s growing dependence on foreign AI infrastructure. The plan would build a network of energy-efficient AI data centers inside the EU and pair them with dedicated renewable power deals, aiming to close the continent’s “compute deficit” and anchor AI training under European jurisdiction, according to the report, which has not been confirmed. Beguir was born in Tunisia to a Tunisian father who studied medicine in Paris and a French mother. He attended university in France before founding InstaDeep, an AI biotech company in Tunisia, eventually relocating to London, but also establishing a strong research presence in France. Two years ago, BioNTech acquired InstaDeep for nearly $700M. | [**TMO Mag**](https://tmo-mag.com.tn/instadeep-founder-teams-with-ex-finance-minister-in-bold-bid-to-build-european-ai-power-and-computing-hub/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other Headlines 🗞️ **Business schools have a responsibility to ‘train the leaders of tomorrow’ amid global ‘fragmentation’, says ESSEC dean Vincenzo Vinzi |** Higher education has a duty to “train the leaders of tomorrow,” says the head of one of Europe’s leading business schools, as geopolitics threatens to decouple economies, reverse globalization, and shake up the traditional pathways for talent and migration. **|** [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2025/11/26/essec-business-school-dean-vincenzo-vinzi-ai-geopolitics/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **“80% of French Data Centers Will Be Obsolete by 2030”: Interview with Digital Realty’s Fabrice Coquio** | Fabrice Coquio, President of Digital Realty in France, talks about a rapidly evolving industry where AI is no longer a promise—it’s a technical, energy, and strategic shock. | [**DirectIndustry e-Magazine**](https://emag.directindustry.com/2025/11/26/data-centers-digital-realty-fabrice-coquio-generative-ai-dlc-electricity-energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Miss France 2026: Artificial intelligence predicts the name of the future winner. Will it be right? Find out on December 6th. |** While the public will have to wait until December 6th to find out who will succeed Angélique Angarni-Filopon, an initial estimate is already circulating. The consulting firm Avisia, specializing in data and artificial intelligence models, published a projection on December 1st based on the analysis of digital trends. **|** [**Entrevue**](https://entrevue.fr/en/people/miss-france-2026-une-intelligence-artificielle-predit-le-nom-de-la-future-gagnante-aura-t-elle-raison-reponse-le-6-decembre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **How Cybersecurity Startup MokN Combats Phishing With Deceptive 'Fake Doors' |** When stolen credentials breached his 'impenetrable' system, Gautier Bugeon had an insight: give attackers fake doors to try. His startup MokN raised €2.6M, hit $1M ARR in 16 months with half its clients being billion-dollar companies, and is now expanding to America. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/) 🗞️ **How Phagos Plans to Kill Superbugs with AI and Nature’s Own Viruses |** Antibiotics are failing. French biotech Phagos thinks the answer lies in nature’s own bacteria-killers: 'phages.' With €25 million and an AI platform to match viruses with their prey, the startup could rewrite the rulebook on how we fight infection. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/Chris-FOST-card.png)](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Join a unique federation of 25+ Independent and vendor-neutral tech conferences and onboard the largest EU community of builders, innovators, and business explorers. 1 VIP ticket, access to 25+ tech conferences. Use our code for a free ticket: THEFRENCHTECHJOURNALVIP [Register now! ](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/image-13.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) For decades, cancer diagnosis has relied on tumor-testing techniques that would be recognizable to a 19th-century pathologist. Clinicians still reach for the same H&E (Hematoxylin and Eosin) staining protocol, the same glass slides, and the same optical microscopes. Cancer has evolved. The tools designed to understand it haven’t kept pace. [**HyprView**](https://www.hyprview.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** a Caen-based deeptech startup, was founded in 2022 by spectroscopy specialist [**François Auvray**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran%C3%A7ois-auvray-b15329110/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). He was joined in 2024 by former Googler and health-tech operator [**Victor Outters**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-outters-01b00335/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). They believe the future of oncology rests on a simple idea: **every tumor emits far more information than current diagnostics know how to capture.** Their mission is to literally shine a light on the hidden biology inside every tumor and use AI to make sense of it. “Traditional pathology examines cell morphology, not behavior. That’s a crucial difference,” Outters explained. “Two tumors may look identical under a microscope, yet respond entirely differently to treatment.” [Go inside HyprView](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Nov_28-1.png) ***For the week ending November 28, there were 3 AI startups that raised a total of €18.5 million.*** --- 📇 **Company:** Damae Medical 🔍 **Description:** French MedTech pioneer developing non-invasive 3D digital biopsies and real-time AI diagnostic tools for dermatology, enabling faster, more precise detection and treatment planning for skin cancers. 💻 **Website:** [Damae Medical](http://www.damae-medical.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** Creadev (lead), Kurma Partners, ISPB, BNP Paribas Développement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anaïs Barut (CEO & cofounder), Prof. Arnaud Dubois (scientific cofounder), David Siret 🗞️ **News:** Damae Medical raises €15M Series B to accelerate the global scale-up of deepLive™, its CE-marked and FDA-cleared 3D digital biopsy device powered by LC-OCT imaging and real-time AI. The funding will support commercial expansion in Europe, the U.S., and Australia, strengthen industrial production in France, and broaden the AI portfolio beyond basal cell carcinoma (97% diagnostic accuracy) to melanomas, actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinomas, and inflammatory diseases. Already installed in 100+ centers across 15+ countries, deepLive™ is increasingly integrated into clinical workflows and reimbursement pathways as a new standard for non-invasive dermatological diagnosis. --- 📇 **Company:** Sim&Cure 🔍 **Description:** Medtech company developing AI-powered Digital Twin software for neurovascular treatment planning, enabling clinicians to simulate and optimize endovascular interventions for cerebral aneurysms using patient-specific models. 💻 **Website:** [Sim&Cure](https://sim-and-cure.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montpellier 🧗 **Round:** Series Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.3M (€10M Total Series A) 🏦 **Investors:** Elaia (lead), IT Translation Investissement, IRDI Capital Investissement, SWEN Capital Partners, Sofilaro, Tudigo, Holnest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Sanchez (CEO & Co-founder), with the founding team established in 2014 🗞️ **News:** Sim&Cure secures a €10M Series extension to accelerate global expansion—notably in China and APAC—advance its Digital Twin product suite (Sim&Size™, Sim&Train, Sim&Predict), and reinforce R&D and commercial teams. With 35,000+ treatment planning procedures supported across 45+ countries and integrations with Siemens Healthineers and Philips, the company is strengthening its position as a leader in personalized neurovascular care. | [**PR**](https://sim-and-cure.com/simcure-secures-10-m-series-extension-to-revolutionize-neurovascular-procedures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Komia 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered restaurant operations platform helping small and mid-sized foodservice chains manage staffing, inventory, deliveries, and daily operations in real time—bringing enterprise-grade tools (used by giants like McDonald’s) to independent and regional restaurant networks. 💻 **Website:** [Komia](https://www.komia.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2M (including €400k in loans) 🏦 **Investors:** PMS Group, DMG Promotion (family office of Aurélien Tchouameni), Malick Diouf, JK Invest (Jules Koundé), Vanessa Shi (Dayoshi / Chikin Bang / Yatai Ramen), Bpifrance, Réseau Entreprendre Rhône, various CHR-sector business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Micael Manuel Joao (CEO), Bastien Renart 🗞️ **News:** Komia raises €1.2M to scale its all-in-one restaurant management app, already used by 400+ establishments and 3,000+ daily users across France. The funding will accelerate national expansion, bolster tech and commercial teams, and deepen the platform’s predictive AI for sales forecasting, inventory, and staff scheduling. Born from two years of in-restaurant testing with franchise partner NBK La Naanerie, Komia is now targeting rapid deployment across France’s 11,000 franchise restaurants—before expanding further into Europe, where the company already supports early clients in Spain and Belgium. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-komia-veut-croquer-dans-labondant-marche-des-restaurants-franchises-2200791?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-44.png) 🗣️ **Microsoft GenAI Studio 3rd Edition |** Microsoft France announces the opening of applications for the third promotion of its Microsoft GenAI Studio acceleration program, dedicated to supporting French startups in the adoption and development of solutions based on artificial intelligence. **| Deadline: December 3 |** [**Apply here**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2025/11/microsoft-france-lance-lappel-a-candidatures-pour-la-troisieme-edition-du-microsoft-genai-studio/?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Blueprint for scaling AI Support: live in Paris | December 4 |** AI is transforming customer experience at an unprecedented pace. The [*AI Agent Blueprint*](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)[ ](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)reveals how leaders across customer service, CX, and AI transformation are deploying AI fast, scaling confidently, and achieving measurable business impact. | [**Register**](https://luma.com/3pm37es1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **VOICE AI Space Paris Conference | December 10 |** Voice AI Space Paris Conference is part of the Future of Software Technologies Event, a unique federation of 25+ vendor-neutral tech conferences (Apidays, Generation AI, Green IO, and more), bringing together 6000+ participants and 300+ sessions across 3 days. Your ticket also grants full access to 3 days of conferences. | [**Tickets**](https://events.voiceaispace.com/event-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How HyprView Is Using Photonics And AI To Bring Cancer Diagnostics Into the Light URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-hyprview-is-using-photonics-and-ai-to-bring-cancer-diagnostics-into-the-light/ Last updated: 2025-12-03T14:47:15.000Z Thanks to developments in AI, photonics is stepping out of the lab and into the clinic. HyprView uses light to uncover the invisible biology inside tumors - information microscopes miss entirely - opening the door to faster, smarter, and far more predictive cancer diagnostics. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire December 1: 400 RetailTech Startups; Pennylane Funding Rumors; €131M Raised In 15 Rounds URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-december-1-400-retailtech-startups-pennylane-funding-rumors-eu131m-raised-in-15-rounds/ Last updated: 2025-12-03T23:28:49.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🧮 Data Point: French RetailTech France Digitale and FDJ UNITED Ventures released [**a first-of-its-kind mapping of French retail tech**](https://francedigitale.org/publications/mapping-retail-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), spotlighting nearly 400 startups reshaping commerce from physical stores to e-commerce. The report coincided with the Tech for Retail conference, and, of course, BLACK FRIDAY and CYBER MONDAY. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-117.png) France's retail startups may span the nation, but more than 60% are based in the Île-de-France region. A few more fun facts: - The 400 retail startups generated more than €1B in revenue in 2024, and 40% are already profitable. - Business models skew heavily B2B, dominated by subscription and SaaS plays, and scaled largely through big corporate clients who act as rollout engines across stores and online channels. - More than €7B has been raised and a talent flywheel that has created tens of thousands of jobs. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-116.png) **The big trends:** - AI is now shifting from assistive tools to agentic systems and is becoming the operating system of retail, embedded everywhere from demand forecasting to in-store execution. - The next battlegrounds will be generative search (GEO), AI shopping agents that co-decide purchases, and social/live commerce that collapses discovery and checkout into one flow. - Growing challenges include international expansion and winning contracts with large corporations. --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🕵️ Pennylane €200M Round Rumor [**British Tech Funding News reports that**](https://techfundingnews.com/french-unicorn-pennylane-secures-200m-at-4-25b-valuation-for-its-accounting-software/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) fintech unicorn Pennylane is close to stuffing another €200M in its piggy bank. The site doesn't cite any sources for its report, but Dealroom has already added the round to its fundraising tallies for France. We reached out to CEO Arthur Waller for confirmation, but absent any official word, we're not including the round in this week's funding-palooza. In the meantime, here's our chit-chat with Waller from earlier this year: [How Pennylane Plans To Become France’s Accounting SuperheroRiding a new round of funding at a €2bn valuation, the 5-year-old fintech has already seen rapid growth. CEO Arthur Waller explains how new invoicing regulations and AI could catalyze the company’s ambitions.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-54.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-17--2025--11_07_00-PM.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/12/8cca8481-a4c3-47a8-ab31-b37165d3685d.jpg)](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42/voice-ai-space-paris-conference-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Part of the massive federation of tech events [Future of Software Technologies](https://www.futureofsoftwaretechnologies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the ****Voice AI Space Conference will gather 300 founders, builders, researchers, and product leaders** on the 10th December 2025 in Paris (CNIT – La Défense) to explore the future of voice interfaces and multimodal intelligence. Use the code VOICEAISPACE to get a free ticket Voice AI and all the FOST events. [Get your free ticket ](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42/voice-ai-space-paris-conference-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: November 28 ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** **Total Raised:** **€130.97M** **Number of Companies:** **15** ### 🧬 **Sector Diversity** 🚗 **Mobility & Smart Cities:** **€2.30M** 💻 **AI & Software:** **€1.70M** ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation:** **€101.80M** 🧠 **Medtech & Health Intelligence:** **€25.17M** --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company:** Zadient Technologies 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech developing an ultra–high-purity, low-cost silicon carbide (SiC) production process to supply the European semiconductor industry with strategic SiC materials used in EVs, renewables, aerospace, and high-performance electronics. 💻 **Website:** [Zadient Technologies](https://zadient.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chambéry 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €35M 🏦 **Investors:** Crédit Mutuel Impact – Fonds Révolution Environnementale et Solidaire (lead), European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), existing shareholders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Kagan Ceran (President & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** Zadient Technologies raises €35M Series A to scale European production of silicon carbide (SiC), a critical material for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and next-gen power electronics. Funds will support the reconversion of a Bitterfeld (Germany) facility targeting 350 tons/year SiC powder output by 2026, implementation of a proprietary gas-recycling system, and expansion of R&D into crystal growth and wafer production. The company also targets emerging applications such as augmented-reality optics and AI chips, positioning itself as a future sovereign supplier for European energy, industrial and defense sectors. | [**EIC**](https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/first-eic-step-scale-investments-disbursed-2025-11-24%5Fen?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AFYREN 🔍 **Description:** French greentech / green chemistry company producing biobased, low-carbon organic acids from agricultural co-products using a proprietary circular fermentation process, as a sustainable alternative to petro-based ingredients. 💻 **Website:** [Afyren](https://afyren.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Capital increase/Euronext Growth Paris 💰 **Amount Raised:** €23M (equity) 🏦 **Investors:** Kemin Industries (€20M), Bpifrance Large Venture (€3M) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas Sordet (CEO & Founder), Jérémy Pessiot (MD, CTO & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** Listed greentech AFYREN raises €23M via a capital increase fully subscribed by Kemin Industries and Bpifrance Large Venture to fund the optimisation and expansion of its AFYREN NEOXY biorefinery in Carling Saint-Avold—lifting nameplate capacity to \~20kt (+20% vs initial plan) and strengthening its position as a European reference supplier of biosourced organic acids. | [**Bbifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/afyren-realise-une-augmentation-de-capital-de-23-meur-pour-financer-loptimisation-et-lexpansion-de-sa-bioraffinerie-unique-au-monde?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Lexip (formerly Pixminds) 🔍 **Description:** Gaming hardware and technology company developing patented accessories and immersive experiences, partnering with major publishers and brands such as Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Seagate Technology. 💻 **Website:** [**Lexip**](https://www.lexip.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Barberaz 🧗 **Round:** Strategic Funding 💰 **Amount Raised:** €19.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Strategic partners from the Technology, Finance, and Publishing industries (names not disclosed) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Lionel Chataignier (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Pixminds rebrands as **Lexip** and secures €19.4M to accelerate growth in the gaming hardware market. The funding will support the development of patented gaming accessories and hybrid hardware/software ecosystems, strengthening collaborations with top industry partners. The rebrand marks a major strategic step as Lexip aims to scale across EMEA and the US and expand its value-generating ecosystems in a $200B global gaming market. | [**PR**](https://www.lexip.co/en/blogs/articles/pixminds-becomes-lexip-fundraises-19m-euros?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/general/lexip-levee-fonds-gaming/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Water Horizon 🔍 **Description:** Cleantech company developing “Cooling-as-a-Service” systems that transform local waste heat into low-carbon cooling for industrial and tertiary sectors, replacing electricity-intensive cooling systems. 💻 **Website:** [Water Horizon](https://water-horizon.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €18M 🏦 **Investors:** Banque des Territoires (France 2030), Delmas Investissement et Participation (DIP), Groupe EREN 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Emmanuel Faure (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Water Horizon raises €18M to accelerate the deployment of its waste-heat-to-cooling technology and expand internationally. The round deepens synergies with Africa Power Services (DIP’s subsidiary) and brings in Groupe EREN as a strategic investor to support global scaling. | [**PR**](https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/water-horizon-leve-18-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-son-developpement-et-renforcer-ses-synergies?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-106.png) 📇 **Company:** Damae Medical 🔍 **Description:** French MedTech pioneer developing non-invasive 3D digital biopsies and real-time AI diagnostic tools for dermatology, enabling faster, more precise detection and treatment planning for skin cancers. 💻 **Website:** [Damae Medical](http://www.damae-medical.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** Creadev (lead), Kurma Partners, ISPB, BNP Paribas Développement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anaïs Barut (CEO & cofounder), Prof. Arnaud Dubois (scientific cofounder), David Siret 🗞️ **News:** Damae Medical raises €15M Series B to accelerate the global scale-up of deepLive™, its CE-marked and FDA-cleared 3D digital biopsy device powered by LC-OCT imaging and real-time AI. The funding will support commercial expansion in Europe, the U.S., and Australia, strengthen industrial production in France, and broaden the AI portfolio beyond basal cell carcinoma (97% diagnostic accuracy) to melanomas, actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinomas, and inflammatory diseases. Already installed in 100+ centers across 15+ countries, deepLive™ is increasingly integrated into clinical workflows and reimbursement pathways as a new standard for non-invasive dermatological diagnosis. --- 📇 **Company:** VESTO 🔍 **Description:** Industrial-scale reconditioning platform for professional equipment (hospitality, medical, commercial refrigeration, construction), enabling large-scale reuse through standardized testing, repair, and refurbishment processes. 💻 **Website:** [Vesto](https://www.vesto.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Equity round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Citizen Capital (lead), Banque des Territoires (renewed participation), INCO Ventures (via Abeille Impact Investing France & INCO Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anne-Laurène Harmel, Wilfrid Dumas, Bastien Rambaud (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** VESTO raises €6.4M to industrialize the reuse of professional equipment and expand beyond its core hospitality market into new verticals, including medical devices, commercial refrigeration, and construction. The company aims to scale its circular-economy impact, reduce waste and CO₂ emissions, and create inclusive employment across France. | [**PR**](https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/vesto-leve-64-meu-aupres-de-citizen-capital-de-la-banque-des-territoires-et-de-inco-ventures-pour?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-113.png) 📇 **Company:** Alkion BioInnovations 🔍 **Description:** Biotech company developing a sustainable, plant-based bioproduction platform for high-value active ingredients and next-generation vaccine adjuvants—particularly QS-21—using large temporary-immersion bioreactors and advanced purification technologies. 💻 **Website:** [Alkion](https://www.alkinnov.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Versailles 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.4M 🏦 **Investors:** GO Capital (lead), Critical Path Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Leadership:** Sarah-Meryll Buet (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Alkion BioInnovations raises €4.4M to industrialize GMP-grade production of QS-21—an essential vaccine adjuvant currently constrained by limited and unsustainable supply—and to scale its proprietary plant-biomass platform. The round supports bioreactor scale-up, extraction and purification innovation, and collaborative programs designing improved saponin-based adjuvants for next-generation prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, including mRNA vaccines. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alkion-bioinnovations-sas%5Fbig-step-for-alkion-weve-just-raised44m-activity-7398005377793118209-Be6Z?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Ventuno Biotech 🔍 **Description:** French biotech developing next-generation immunotherapies designed to stimulate antitumor immune responses and address cancers resistant to current treatments. 💻 **Website:** [Ventuno Biotech](http://www.ventuno-biotech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M (including €2M equity + €1M loans) 🏦 **Investors:** Octalfa (lead), Relyens Innovation Santé (via Turenne Santé), Gilles Alberici, Armand Bensussan; bank partners include Caisse d’Epargne Rhône Alpes and BNP Paribas Innovation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jeremy Bastid (CEO), Nathalie Bonnefoy (IRCM Director), Octalfa 🗞️ **News:** Ventuno Biotech secures a €3M seed round to accelerate the development of its preclinical portfolio of first-in-class cancer immunotherapies. The company, incubated for two years at Octalfa and supported by major public-private partners, will use the funding to advance discovery programs in immuno-oncology, strengthen translational research, and build the foundations for future preclinical submissions. Based in Lyon with research labs at the IRCM in Montpellier, the startup aims to transform treatment approaches for hard-to-treat cancers by stimulating robust anti-tumor immune responses. | [**PR**](https://ventuno-biotech.com/news/e3m-seed-financing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-114.png) 📇 **Company:** Sim&Cure 🔍 **Description:** Medtech company developing AI-powered Digital Twin software for neurovascular treatment planning, enabling clinicians to simulate and optimize endovascular interventions for cerebral aneurysms using patient-specific models. 💻 **Website:** [Sim&Cure](https://sim-and-cure.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montpellier 🧗 **Round:** Series Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.3M (€10M Total Series A) 🏦 **Investors:** Elaia (lead), IT Translation Investissement, IRDI Capital Investissement, SWEN Capital Partners, Sofilaro, Tudigo, Holnest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Sanchez (CEO & Co-founder), with the founding team established in 2014 🗞️ **News:** Sim&Cure secures a €10M Series extension to accelerate global expansion—notably in China and APAC—advance its Digital Twin product suite (Sim&Size™, Sim&Train, Sim&Predict), and reinforce R&D and commercial teams. With 35,000+ treatment planning procedures supported across 45+ countries and integrations with Siemens Healthineers and Philips, the company is strengthening its position as a leader in personalized neurovascular care. | [**PR**](https://sim-and-cure.com/simcure-secures-10-m-series-extension-to-revolutionize-neurovascular-procedures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AURA AERO 🔍 **Description:** French aerospace manufacturer developing hybrid-electric and fully electric aircraft, including ERA, a 19-seat regional hybrid-electric aircraft with \~700 purchase intentions, and the INTEGRAL range of next-generation two-seater training aircraft. 💻 **Website:** [**Aura Aero**](https://www.aura-aero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Cugnaux 🧗 **Round:** Strategic Investment 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** EDF Group (Électricité de France) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jérémy Caussade, Fabien Delahaye, Wilfried Dufaud 🗞️ **News:** EDF Group increases its stake in AURA AERO by €2M, reinforcing its long-term commitment to low-carbon aviation and supporting the industrialization of electric and hybrid aircraft. The investment strengthens collaboration on battery performance, charging infrastructure, and the integration of electric aviation needs into airports, while AURA AERO advances development of the ERA 19-seater hybrid-electric aircraft and the INTEGRAL E fully electric training aircraft. | [**Urban Air Mobility News**](https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/fixed-wing-low-zero-emissions/edf-increases-its-shareholding-in-electric-general-aviation-regional-aircraft-developer-aura-aero/?utm%5Fsource=rss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=edf-increases-its-shareholding-in-electric-general-aviation-regional-aircraft-developer-aura-aero) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-107.png) 📇 **Company:** Komia 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered restaurant operations platform helping small and mid-sized foodservice chains manage staffing, inventory, deliveries, and daily operations in real time—bringing enterprise-grade tools (used by giants like McDonald’s) to independent and regional restaurant networks. 💻 **Website:** [Komia](https://www.komia.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2M (including €400k in loans) 🏦 **Investors:** PMS Group, DMG Promotion (family office of Aurélien Tchouameni), Malick Diouf, JK Invest (Jules Koundé), Vanessa Shi (Dayoshi / Chikin Bang / Yatai Ramen), Bpifrance, Réseau Entreprendre Rhône, various CHR-sector business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Micael Manuel Joao (CEO), Bastien Renart 🗞️ **News:** Komia raises €1.2M to scale its all-in-one restaurant management app, already used by 400+ establishments and 3,000+ daily users across France. The funding will accelerate national expansion, bolster tech and commercial teams, and deepen the platform’s predictive AI for sales forecasting, inventory, and staff scheduling. Born from two years of in-restaurant testing with franchise partner NBK La Naanerie, Komia is now targeting rapid deployment across France’s 11,000 franchise restaurants—before expanding further into Europe, where the company already supports early clients in Spain and Belgium. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-komia-veut-croquer-dans-labondant-marche-des-restaurants-franchises-2200791?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AberActives 🔍 **Description:** Biotech developing a world-first enzymatic hydrolysis biorefining technology to extract high-value active ingredients from macroalgae for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. The process reduces energy use, increases reproducibility, and unlocks new algosourced bioactive molecules. 💻 **Website:** [AberActives](https://www.aberactives.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Roscoff, Finistère 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Finistère Angels, Armor Angels, individual angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Bernard Kloareg, Robert Larocque, Gurvan Michel 🗞️ **News:** AberActives raises €1M to scale its enzymatic algal biorefinery platform, strengthen its production, R&D, and commercial teams, and accelerate its entry into global cosmetic and nutraceutical markets. The startup—spun out of CNRS’s Station Biologique de Roscoff—has won multiple innovation awards and is emerging as a key player in the Brittany algae ecosystem. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aberactives-sas%5Fcommuniqu%C3%A9-de-presse-activity-7400119857176010752-S7y-?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Drive Innov 🔍 **Description:** French mission-driven mobility training company reinventing driver education, road-risk prevention, and eco-driving through inclusive pedagogy, micro-learning, simulators, and digital tools—targeting both individuals and organisations to make mobility safer, greener, and universally accessible. 💻 **Website:** [Drive Innov](https://www.drive-innov.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Macif Impact ESS (equity), Sienna Investment Managers (obligations) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yohann Berthe (CEO & founder) 🗞️ **News:** Drive Innov secures €1M from Macif Impact ESS and Sienna Investment Managers to accelerate its national expansion and scale its inclusive mobility training model. Celebrating 10 years of impact, the company will use the funding to reinforce its pedagogical tools, expand eco-driving and road-risk prevention programmes, deploy in ten new regions, advance its digital learning technologies (immersive simulators, micro-learning, “intelligence éducative”), and double its social and environmental impact by 2026\. The investment marks strong institutional recognition of Drive Innov’s mission to make mobility a universal, safe, and sustainable right. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-115-1.png) 📇 **Company:** VoilaChef 🔍 **Description:** Foodtech platform offering online pastry and bakery masterclasses taught by leading French chefs, providing structured, high-quality training for both professionals and passionate amateurs. 💻 **Website:** [VoilaChef](https://voilachef.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €900K 🏦 **Investors:** Provence Angels, Femmes Business Angels, Bpifrance, BNP Paribas, Individual investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founder:** Sophie D. (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** VoilaChef raises €900K to strengthen its team, accelerate commercial expansion, and grow internationally. The platform already features 40 renowned chefs, 900 instructional videos, and has trained 3,000 learners across 30 countries—positioning it as a rising leader in online culinary education. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/provence-business-angels%5F%F0%9D%97%9F%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%98%83%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%97%B2-%F0%9D%97%B1%F0%9D%97%B2-%F0%9D%97%B3%F0%9D%97%BC%F0%9D%97%BB%F0%9D%97%B1%F0%9D%98%80-voilachef-activity-7396132513544290304-loU%5F?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** AlgenScribe 🔍 **Description:** Gene-editing biotech developing a versatile, patented platform combining synergistic molecular biology tools to correct pathogenic DNA mutations—from base editing of a few nucleotides to large gene replacement involving thousands of base pairs. 💻 **Website:** [AlgenScribe](https://www.algenscribe.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nice & Saclay 🧗 **Round:** Seed extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €470K 🏦 **Investors:** Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Frédéric Zampatti (President & Co-founder) + team (others not specified) 🗞️ **News:** AlgenScribe raises €470K and signs its first collaboration agreement with a U.S. foundation to advance its platform’s applications in base editing and large-fragment gene replacement. The company has surpassed its technical milestone—achieving >10x improvement in gene replacement efficiency—validated with an academic partner. Upcoming steps include ex vivo transfers with the Imagine Institute and preparatory work for patient-derived and animal-model proof-of-concept studies, with a larger raise planned for late 2026/early 2027\. | [**PR**](https://www.algenscribe.com/post/algenscribe-secures-equity-financing-and-signs-collaboration-agreement-on-base-editing?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** IvySpec 🔍 **Description:** Robotics startup developing a “racinaire” drone designed to navigate and operate in confined or hard-to-access environments, enabling inspection and intervention in areas traditionally inaccessible to standard drones. 💻 **Website:** [**IvySpec**](https://ivyspec.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €300K 🏦 **Investors:** Pays de la Loire Participations, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Philippe Lerat 🗞️ **News:** IvySpec raises €300K to advance development of its confined-space drone and prepares a larger round for late 2026\. The company also secured a contract with the French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction générale de l’armement — DGA), marking a strategic milestone in its expansion into defense-grade robotics. | [**Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/la-start-up-nantaise-ivyspec-debloque-300-000-euros-pour-son-drone-rampant-2130256?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: AI Agents Putting A Smile On Dentists' Faces URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-ai-agents-putting-a-smile-on-dentists-faces/ Last updated: 2025-11-28T09:49:31.000Z **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Open wide and say, "La Fraise."** A team of former Doctolib-ers has launched a new company that is using AI agents that turn confusing quotes into bite-sized, actionable care plans. At the moment, half of the recommended treatments by dentists aren’t accepted today in France. [**La Fraise Co-Founder Florian Duchêne helps us get to the root of the problem.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ex-doctolib-team-deploys-ai-agents-to-fix-frances-dysfunctional-dental-system/) 👀 Clover has entered the Future of Work arena to rewrite the VC rulebook. Forget cookie-cutter funds. Co-founders Hugo Mendes and Samuen Tual have created an evergreen fund to play the long game for AI in the workplace and scaling startups across Europe and the U.S. [**Check out our spotlight interview with Hugo Mendes to see how Clover is turning the future of work into today’s opportunity.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-hugo-mendes-co-founder-and-vc-investor-at-future-of-work-fund-clover/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/French-Tech-Journal-x-Scaleway_Sponsorship_Jensen-Huang-visual.jpg)](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?utm%5Fsource=partner&utm%5Fmedium=organic&utm%5Fcampaign=202507-evt-ww-all-aipulse-2025-french-tech-journal) ****ai-PULSE, Europe’s premier AI conference organized by Scaleway**, is coming back to ****STATION F, Paris** on ****December 4** for a unique blend of deep technical expertise and business insights. The themes this year: Smarter, Faster, Everywhere. How is AI being integrated into everything from pharmaceutical R&D to fighter jets? Which metrics should researchers focus on when benchmarking the latest models? How can you circumvent hardware constraints to make inference 100x faster? Across a full day of ****groundbreaking keynotes, technical demos, practical workshops, and networking**, you'll hear about how AI leaders from Europe and beyond are driving AI forward. Join us on December 4 either on-site or online to hear from Proton, ZML, Kyutai, Meta, NVIDIA, and dozens more pioneers in the field. [Register now for ai-PULSE ](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?utm%5Fsource=partner&utm%5Fmedium=organic&utm%5Fcampaign=202507-evt-ww-all-aipulse-2025-french-tech-journal) --- # Tech Talk 🙅🌱 **Start-ups are talking the ESG talk…but are they walking the walk? Not so much.** According to a [**new report from Growth Equity firm Revaia and Apiday**](https://www.flipbookpdf.net/web/site/8b440e224d87bcc551d54b86606c0cd95c099a4bFBP26975088.pdf.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that comes in the wake of international ESG backlash, diversity policies are up, but women in leadership are still snoozing around 21–25%. Data protection certifications are soaring, because hey, cyber rules are serious business. But the environment? That’s where the clouds gather: fewer start-ups are formalizing policies, and emissions-heavy AI and cloud usage don’t help. Still, more teams are hiring ESG leads, because, hey, someone’s got to keep the moral compass spinning. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/gouvernance-diversite-environnement-les-avancees-et-les-reculs-des-start-up-2201182?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚡🦏 **Jolt Capital** announced **“Jolt Capital V”** with a first close at €600 million, including €260 million from the European Investment Fund via the European Tech Champions Initiative. The firm is targeting a beefy €1.1 billion final size to back around 20 European deeptech scaleups in fields from semiconductors and medtech to advanced materials, applied AI, energy management, and industrial software. Betting on what it dubs Europe’s (*oh no please don't please don't please...*) “rhinoceroses,” its fun moniker for industrial deeptech champions built on strong IP that it will do its best to make ***so fetch***. Jolt wants to help these companies break out globally, building on recent exits like NILT and UnitySC. Jolt is expanding its 45-person, increasingly international team, opening offices in Canada and Asia, and leaning on its Jolt.Ninja AI platform tracking five million companies. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/27/jolt-capital-vise-plus-dun-milliard-deuros-pour-son-nouveau-fonds/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://media.tenor.com/6VVEkFgaDCAAAAAC/mean-girls-movie-mean-girls.gif) 🦄 💳 Selling out.. or buying in? **Shine just leveled up…again.** But someone at French banking giant Société Générale might need a refresher in math. To recap: **Société Générale** bought neo-bank Shine for €41M in 2018\. Rejoice! An exit in Frenchtechland to a corporate! Huzzah! Alas, SG spent lots 'o cash trying to integrate Shine and it didn't go so well so they sold the startup in 2024 for €131M and at least got some of the back that it burned along the way, right? Except, the buyer last year was Denmark-based Ageras, which just sold Shine to French software company Cegid for (***are you sitting down for this? you really should be sitting down***.)...€1B. As flipping startups go in a tough market there are no exits happening that's like...**HOW?** **HOW!!!** That’s a 24x glow-up in 7 years worthy of a fintech superhero origin story. The plan for Cegid is to build a pan-European financial platform for 1M+ small biz pros and 15,000 accountants and create a full-on TPE empire in the making. Meanwhile, thoughts and prayers to the people at SG who oversaw the Shine deal. Woof. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/finance-marches/banque-assurances/la-licorne-shine-se-vend-a-cegid-pour-creer-un-champion-bancaire-des-tpe-2201024?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🪐 👩‍🚀 **Europe’s New Space Darling Opens a Factory Near Bordeaux and Ramps Up the Arms Race for Cargo to Orbit.** The Exploration Company has cut the ribbon on a new 7,500-m² site near Bordeaux, now home to propulsion, thermal-shield production, and its future mission-control center. Fresh off a €150M raise and €850M in contracts (mostly U.S. missions), the Franco-German startup is scaling fast ahead of ESA’s 2026 cargo-vehicle showdown. The new facility lets TEC test engines *and* produce hardware in parallel, a bottleneck it previously hit in Mérignac. With headcount set to triple and millions more earmarked for investment, Nyx is officially in the running to become Europe’s next space workhorse. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/spatial-the-exploration-company-inaugure-une-usine-pres-de-bordeaux-2200168?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀💰 Éric Larchevêque, Tony Parker & Nathan Benchimol are shaking up Paris with **The Bitcoin Society**. Part **Bitcoin Treasury Company**, part global **Network Society**, it transforms a dormant listed firm into a crypto-powered hub for entrepreneurs. Long-term Bitcoin accumulation meets a membership platform offering education, networking, and economic sovereignty. The goal is to give individuals more control over money, influence, and opportunity. Plus, yes, Parker is actually involved. And with Bitcoin down 18.97% over the past month amid a global panic over crypto currency, the timing couldn't be better! | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/25/the-bitcoin-society-eric-larcheveque-devoile-le-projet-le-plus-important-de-sa-vie-avec-tony-parker/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Frenchweb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/une-bitcoin-company-cotee-le-pari-deric-larcheveque-avec-tony-parker-et-nathan-benchimol/458825?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌎📱 **MWM goes full US takeover mode.** Just 18 months after swiping New York’s Swipewipe, the French app powerhouse has acquired Sincerely, a San Francisco studio for heartfelt anonymous letters. iOS-only… for now, but Android is coming. MWM’s CEO Jean-Baptiste Hironde says it’s all part of a “global consolidation” play, with more acquisitions lined up for 2026\. Big moves, big ambitions as France goes shopping on the West Coast. 💅 | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/25/mwm-boucle-sa-deuxieme-acquisition-aux-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛈️ ⚽ **Stormy or sunny skies for Sorare?** The French fantasy-football unicorn is trimming 35% of its team and closing its New York office, while co-founder Adrien Montfort steps down as CTO. But CEO Nicolas Julia is keeping one eye on the clouds and one on the sun. He says Sorare 26, the company's new immersive version of its platform, is gaining traction. And that NBA and World Cup tie-ins promise growth as he accelerating the path back to profitability in 2026\. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/21/sorare-envisage-de-se-separer-de-35-de-ses-effectifs-pour-viser-un-retour-a-la-profitabilite-en-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏠☀️ **Cool Roof is feeling the heat.** The French “cool roofing” pioneer, famous for turning oyster shells into sun-reflecting paint, has been placed in judicial reorganization. After a soggy 2024 and clients hitting pause, revenues tanked 60–70% in 2025\. The tech is a reflective coating that bounces 95% of sunlight and a satellite-powered platform to map roof temps and heat islands. Plan B: new investors, industrial partners, and Kyteos, their data-driven revival tool. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-cool-roof-place-en-redressement-judiciaire-2201019?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕺🤦‍♂️ **Slush Afterparty Facepalm.** Backed VC is investigating after an unknown guest allegedly whipped out a swastika sketch and performed a Nazi salute on the dance floor at its Helsinki afterparty while being filmed by a friend. Guests kicked him out. Backed says it was “shocked” and has a zero-tolerance policy. Honestly, who does this in 2025? Well, unless you're a certain AI for a popular social media platform formerly known as Twitter. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/vc-investigates-nazi-salute?utm%5Fcampaign=Sifted%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-%5FABIs7ept-q9BTm7Tuxwla%5FRT3G457IAtUciYtc8RJDzcrD9IDcbu3eEvlJDaPyscvGBa5CKjKwrddL4ngMEwGzBeZ2JNZNQ-Oy89-XA%5Fj0klkfIs&%5Fhsmi=391622951&utm%5Fcontent=391622951&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail) --- # Ex-Doctolib Team Deploys AI Agents To Fix France's Dysfunctional Dental System [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-111.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ex-doctolib-team-deploys-ai-agents-to-fix-frances-dysfunctional-dental-system/) Nearly half of all French people skip recommended dental care each year. It's a paradox in a country celebrated for its healthcare system. And a problem that a company founded by a handful of former Doctolib employees believes it can solve with artificial intelligence. [**La Fraise**](http://www.lafraise.pro/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the Paris-based startup [**they created in October 2024**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/la-fraise-pro-934850561?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), wants to modernize the relationship between the nation's citizens and their dentists by using AI agents to create greater transparency and simplicity for the pricing of procedures that are not as generously covered by the nation's celebrated national health care system. The company just raised €3.2 million from investors, including 20VC, Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, and Bpifrance, to jump-start its ambitions. Co-founder [Florian Duchêne](https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianduchene/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) said patients are too often confused by either the medical rationale or the financial implications of treatments their dentists have recommended, in part because these types of procedures more often fall into categories that are covered by a mix of public and private insurance. As a result, quote acceptance rates in dental offices across France hover at a dismal 50%. The result is often a cascade of worsening outcomes: An initial €300 inlay becomes an €800 crown, then a €1,500 implant. Each delay becomes more costly, more painful, and more complicated than the last as patients wait too long, Duchêne explained in a recent interview. [Get the whole La Fraise tale here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ex-doctolib-team-deploys-ai-agents-to-fix-frances-dysfunctional-dental-system/) --- # Spotlight Interview: Hugo Mendes, Co-founder of New Future of Work VC Fund Clover [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/Samuel-Tual---Hugo-Mendes-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-hugo-mendes-co-founder-and-vc-investor-at-future-of-work-fund-clover/) Clover co-founders: Hugo Mendes (left) and Samuel Tual (right) As the future of work becomes one of the hottest (and most overwhelming) themes in tech, [**Clover**](https://cloverfund.vc/team/hugo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is stepping into the arena with unusually bold ambitions. The early-stage evergreen fund, launched by French entrepreneur [Samuel Tual](https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tual-0b737819/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), wants to become nothing less than *the* reference VC for work and education on both sides of the Atlantic. And behind the wheel of this new vehicle is[ Hugo Mendes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmen/?isSelfProfile=false&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a VC who’s spent years oscillating between the founder and investor worlds in France and the U.S. Now he’s helping build a fund designed to bridge those two universes with speed, clarity, and a distinctly founder-centric approach. I sat down with Mendes to talk about why the future of work deserves its own specialist fund, why Clover opted for an evergreen model, and what he’s seeing on the ground from AI agents to corporate adoption gaps and the surprising optimism of U.S. founders. [Read the interview here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-hugo-mendes-co-founder-and-vc-investor-at-future-of-work-fund-clover/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Zadient Technologies 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech developing an ultra–high-purity, low-cost silicon carbide (SiC) production process to supply the European semiconductor industry with strategic SiC materials used in EVs, renewables, aerospace, and high-performance electronics. 💻 **Website:** [Zadient Technologies](https://zadient.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chambéry (France) 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €35M 🏦 **Investors:** Crédit Mutuel Impact – Fonds Révolution Environnementale et Solidaire (lead), European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), existing shareholders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Kagan Ceran (President & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** Zadient Technologies raises €35M Series A to scale European production of silicon carbide (SiC), a critical material for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and next-gen power electronics. Funds will support the reconversion of a Bitterfeld (Germany) facility targeting 350 tons/year SiC powder output by 2026, implementation of a proprietary gas-recycling system, and expansion of R&D into crystal growth and wafer production. The company also targets emerging applications such as augmented-reality optics and AI chips, positioning itself as a future sovereign supplier for European energy, industrial and defense sectors. | [**EIC**](https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/first-eic-step-scale-investments-disbursed-2025-11-24%5Fen?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-112.png) 📇 **Company:** Damae Medical 🔍 **Description:** French MedTech pioneer developing non-invasive 3D digital biopsies and real-time AI diagnostic tools for dermatology, enabling faster, more precise detection and treatment planning for skin cancers. 💻 **Website:** [Damae Medical](http://www.damae-medical.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** Creadev (lead), Kurma Partners, ISPB, BNP Paribas Développement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anaïs Barut (CEO & cofounder), Prof. Arnaud Dubois (scientific cofounder), David Siret 🗞️ **News:** Damae Medical raises €15M Series B to accelerate the global scale-up of deepLive™, its CE-marked and FDA-cleared 3D digital biopsy device powered by LC-OCT imaging and real-time AI. The funding will support commercial expansion in Europe, the U.S., and Australia, strengthen industrial production in France, and broaden the AI portfolio beyond basal cell carcinoma (97% diagnostic accuracy) to melanomas, actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinomas, and inflammatory diseases. Already installed in 100+ centers across 15+ countries, deepLive™ is increasingly integrated into clinical workflows and reimbursement pathways as a new standard for non-invasive dermatological diagnosis. --- 📇 **Company:** Ventuno Biotech 🔍 **Description:** French biotech developing next-generation immunotherapies designed to stimulate antitumor immune responses and address cancers resistant to current treatments. 💻 **Website:** [Ventuno Biotech](http://www.ventuno-biotech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M (including €2M equity + €1M loans) 🏦 **Investors:** Octalfa (lead), Relyens Innovation Santé (via Turenne Santé), Gilles Alberici, Armand Bensussan; bank partners include Caisse d’Epargne Rhône Alpes and BNP Paribas Innovation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jeremy Bastid (CEO), Nathalie Bonnefoy (IRCM Director), Octalfa 🗞️ **News:** Ventuno Biotech secures a €3M seed round to accelerate the development of its preclinical portfolio of first-in-class cancer immunotherapies. The company, incubated for two years at Octalfa and supported by major public-private partners, will use the funding to advance discovery programs in immuno-oncology, strengthen translational research, and build the foundations for future preclinical submissions. Based in Lyon with research labs at the IRCM in Montpellier, the startup aims to transform treatment approaches for hard-to-treat cancers by stimulating robust anti-tumor immune responses. | [**PR**](https://ventuno-biotech.com/news/e3m-seed-financing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Ex-Doctolib Team Deploys AI Agents To Fix France's Dysfunctional Dental System URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ex-doctolib-team-deploys-ai-agents-to-fix-frances-dysfunctional-dental-system/ Last updated: 2025-11-28T08:13:58.000Z La Fraise recently raised €3.2M to boost the nation's low quote acceptance rate by using AI to create greater transparency for recommended procedures. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Spotlight Interview: Hugo Mendes, Co-Founder of New Future of Work VC Fund Clover URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-hugo-mendes-co-founder-and-vc-investor-at-future-of-work-fund-clover/ Last updated: 2025-11-28T00:38:40.000Z Meet the evergreen VC for the Future of work that wants to re-write VC the rulebook. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #52: Adopt AI...Or Else! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-52-adopt-ai-or-else/ Last updated: 2025-11-26T11:35:06.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 A frosty Grand Palais, flurries of AI jargon, and one startup quietly redefining Europe’s tech future. Meet Ethiqais: the ethical, sovereign, quietly ferocious AI governance team you’ll soon be hearing a lot more about. [**Alina Holcroft, CEO of Ethiqais, explains why she is passionate about sovereignty and trust, and why you should be, too.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ethiqais-building-european-ai-champion-ethical-way/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Headlines *And lo, they gathered under the grand iron, steel, and glass vaulted roof to be inspired by the magnificence of the *Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées*, aka the Grand Palais, to think great thoughts so that they might talk of all things AI...And here it is written of things that did come to pass on Day 1 of this convocation so that those who may read these words might partake in this knowledge and go forth and spread these revelations for the benefit of others so that one day all of humanity might one day find benefit and prosper...* ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/2025-11-25-18.26.00.jpg) 🗞️ In other words, **Paris Hosted “Adopt AI” this week.** Nine months after hosting the Biggie AI Summit with lots of International Big Shots, the Grand Palais once again turned into *La Cathédrale* of French AI hype. Adopt AI is a two-day extravaganza billed by some as a “Davos for AI” with an A-list of CAC40 bosses, Big Tech execs, and homegrown AI stars from Kyutai to Owkin. The event is part geopolitics, part cracking-the-whip-slash-motivating-slash inspiring companies to ***actually use AI FFS***. Your favorite Anglophone correspondents from your favorite Anglophone French tech newsletter were there moderating the hell out of this thing, leaving their blood, sweat, and tears on the conference floor, where they promptly froze in the sub-arctic conditions of the Palais. After leading four discussions on Tuesday, I was placed on injured reserve and was told I may miss up to two weeks of playing time. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-25-at-15.17.02-1.jpeg) World-famous and internationally beloved American tech journalist Chris O'Brien, on the far right but not in the political sense, leads an intellectually mind-blowing discussion on AI sovereignty that had the audience gasping for air as they tried to absorb the insights. Photo courtesy of Insa Schniedermeier With 25,000 attendees and a market drowning in mega-funding, everyone was wondering: are we witnessing the next great wave of adoption or the warm-up act before the bubble pops? Across the Atlantic, the Grand Titan of AI that is NVIDIA appeared to be having a minor anxiety attack over its grip on the AI throne as it tried to politely insist to investors that it was not an [**Enron-like ponzi scheme**](https://www.barrons.com/articles/nvidia-stock-ai-accounting-allegations-366f16ac?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (Never ideal when one has to publicly deny such a thing) and that its tech was really [**still better than Google's chips. Really.**](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/25/nvidia-says-its-gpus-are-a-generation-ahead-of-googles-ai-chips.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) But when it came to talk of AI bubbles, the only kind NVIDIA had in mind at Adopt AI were the ones made in France. **WHICH ARE THE ONLY KINDS THAT CAN LEGALLY BE CALLED CHAMPAGNE DO WE HAVE TO TELL YOU AGAIN?** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-25-at-17.06.45.jpeg) 🗞️ **Macron Called for "European Preference" in AI Race**. What would a giant AI gathering be without President Emmanuel Macron kicking up a fuss? Macron arrived at the end of Day 1 and used his second AI summit to amp up his pro-Europe message: Europe must stop its "non-European preference de facto" and adopt industrial policies that match those of the US and China. Macron acknowledged that "the US and China are at the forefront today of innovation, LLM capacities and so on," but argued that Europe can compete through aggressive adoption strategies. His pitch centered on France's unique advantages: scaling AI training from 40,000 to 100,000 people annually, nuclear energy capacity that provides "low carbon, pilotable energy," and rapidly deployable infrastructure through Fast Track sites. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-26-at-08.26.50-1.png) Greetings, Earthlings. **Macron announced concrete progress on the €9 billion private investment package secured in February, with 23 sites already secured and a new Dunkirk facility offering over 700 megawatts of capacity**. Private investments from companies like Iliad and Brookfield are proceeding alongside public supercomputing projects. The adoption strategy sets ambitious targets: **by 2030, 100% of large corporations, 80% of SMEs, and 50% of very small enterprises must integrate AI.** A network of 300 AI ambassadors will support this push. The public sector faces equally aggressive goals, with 50,000 civil servants receiving AI training by the end of 2026, and partnerships deploying Mistral AI for government work and Doctrine for legal services. Macron sharply criticized past procurement practices, noting "our weakness during the past decades" was to "go first to non-European solutions," calling it "crazy when you are European." His most pointed rhetoric targeted what he termed Europe's naiveté. **"In China, you have a Chinese exclusivity. In the U.S., you have a US preference. The European Union is the only place in the world where you have a non-European preference,"** he declared, calling for corporations to adopt competitive European solutions and governments to prefer them in procurement. **The European strategy rests on three pillars: regulatory simplification, including GDPR reforms, increased innovation investment through a new common European AI project, and protection through competition rules and sovereignty criteria for EU AI gigafactories**. A Franco-German partnership between Mistral AI, SAP, and the two governments exemplifies this approach. Whether Europe's adoption-first strategy can compete with vertically integrated American and Chinese tech giants remains uncertain. But Macron's message was unambiguous: **"It's not a protectionist approach, but this is the only way to develop our own ecosystem and to remain sovereign."** 🗞️ Indeed, if there was a major theme on Day 1 of Adopt AI, it might have been: **Let's Make Sovereignty Sexy Again.** In that photo above, I was leading a discussion for a session called:*"From Principle to Practice: Scaling Sovereign AI through Strategic Alliances."* It included Audrey Herblin-Stoop, Mistral AI's VP of Global Public Affairs & Communications ; CEO Tobias Diebold of the Dennemeyer Group, an IP practice; Anne-Sophie Lotgering, NTT DATA's CEO of Europe CEO; and Marc de Bourcy, Special Advisor to the Luxembourg government. The focus was on a [**partnership announced last summer between NTT and Mistral to create sovereign infrastructure**](https://us.nttdata.com/en/news/press-release/2025/july/ntt-data-and-mistral-ai-to-shape-future-of-sustainable-and-secure-private-ai-for-enterprises?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and what it had allowed the Luxembourg government and Dennemeyer to do in terms of trusted services. 🗞️ **Thales & Dassault Aviaton also ❤️ sovereignty. The dynamic defense duo announced at the conference a plan for "Sovereign Combat AI,"** a strategic pact to build a fully sovereign AI stack for future air-combat systems that will span drones, fighters, and collaborative mission platforms. Powered by Thales’ cortAIx accelerator, the project promises real-time sensor fusion, tactical planning, and human-supervised decision support, all neatly aligned with the EU’s AI Act. Thales and Dassault insist their defense AI will prioritize reliability and traceability. 🗞️ Clearly, corporates are in need of little AI nudge, because according to a recent ESN study, legacy peeps are still in the slow lane: 85% of execs doubt their systems can handle AI, yet 82% plan a major overhaul within 2 years. Budgets are shifting as maintenance gets slashed while modernization climbs. But financing the upgrade is still the missing piece, according to [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-les-entreprises-restent-empetrees-dans-la-dette-technologique-98567.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-103.png) 🗞️ Finally (for now), **Aramco Ventures** is planting a serious flag in Paris. Aramco announced at the show that it will open a new office there in 2026 to run its European AI investment push worth “hundreds of millions of euros.” The Saudi oil giant’s VC arm is betting that Europe’s data-center and AI boom is finally reaching escape velocity despite the continent’s reputation for slow permits and heavy regulation. The company said France won the beauty contest thanks to breakout startups like Mistral, a deep talent bench, and strong state backing for AI. From the Paris hub, Aramco Ventures plans to back AI, cybersecurity, and quantum-computing plays, likely starting with French startups and funds before fanning out across Europe. The move positions Paris as a new gateway for mega-checks into European deeptech, and signals Aramco’s broader sprint to diversify beyond oil into frontier technologies. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/aramco-venture-capital-arm-open-paris-office-ai-investment-2025-11-25/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ***And now, in non-Adopt AI news...*** **🗞️ Fresh off its bravura performance of spreading all sorts of** long-debunked extreme-right claims about torture at the Bataclan**,** Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok is back in the crosshairs of French authorities for allegedly circulating Holocaust-denying claims in French. Oh, Grok! You naughty, naughty chatbot! Look at you, you silly AI, echoing classic denialist talking points under a neo-Nazi’s post, falsely reframing Auschwitz’s gas chambers as “disinfection” facilities and hinting at antisemitic conspiracies about shadowy “lobbies.” X at first insisted the posts were fake screenshots, but then eventually took them down. | [**The Guardian**](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/20/french-authorities-look-into-holocaust-denial-posts-elon-musk-grok-ai?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **EU Proposes ‘Simplified’ AI & Data Rules. Critics Say It’s a Dangerous Shortcut.** As Macron noted above, France and Germany are backing Brussels’ new omnibus plan to loosen GDPR duties and stall parts of the AI Act until December 2027, arguing it will cut red tape for SMEs and free up innovation. But members of the European Parliament and civil-society groups warn that the draft replaces strict oversight with self-assessment, weakens safeguards for high-risk AI, and effectively deregulates core protections, a move opponents say panders to Big Tech just as deepfakes and election interference loom large. | [**Euronews**](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/11/18/france-germany-support-simplification-push-for-digital-rules-as-commission-preps-revision-?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/digital-omnibus-faut-il-craindre-la-reforme-qui-bouscule-le-rgpd-l-encadrement-de-l-ia-et-la-cybersecurite.N2241830?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France is plotting a tech-powered upgrade to its tourism machine, **Christophe Strobel, Director of Tourism at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs,** told the UN Tourism General Assembly in a recent speech, with AI and sustainability at the heart of the plan. Strobel framed AI as a game-changer for everything from hyper-personalized trip planning to smoother operations, backed by the government’s “*France Tourisme Tech*” program supporting AI startups. But he also stressed “ethical AI,” warning that automation must lift small operators and lesser-known regions rather than steamroll them. To spread the love past Paris, France will spotlight hidden gems such as Normandy and the Loire Valley’s château country, pairing local authenticity with smart tech. The pitch is a greener, more inclusive, AI-enhanced France that keeps its tourism crown while reinventing how the world experiences it. | [**Travel and World Tour**](https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/unlocking-frances-tourism-future-ai-sustainability-and-hidden-gems-revealed-by-tourism-director-christophe-strobel-at-un-assembly/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France Taps Doctrine to Turbo-Charge Its Public-Sector Lawyers.** Hot off the Berlin tech summit, France has inked a letter of intent with legal-AI startup Doctrine to scale its tools across ministries, from Interior to Defense, where thousands of civil servants already use the platform. The deal isn’t a full contract but a public invitation for competition as the State hunts sovereign AI partners. Doctrine, fresh from acquiring Predictice and backed by Summit Partners, now eyes a 100,000-jurist market long underserved due to public-procurement headaches. For the government, it’s simple: if private-sector lawyers get AI copilots, public agents shouldn’t be stuck in the paper era. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ia-letat-sallie-avec-la-start-up-doctrine-pour-doper-les-juristes-de-la-fonction-publique-2200787?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **SNCF, Meta & Hugging Face Pick 5 AI Startups To Supercharge Mobility.** Meta, Hugging Face, and SNCF Connect & Tech have revealed the five winners of their 2026 AI Startup Program, selected from the autumn call for applications. The cohort will get six months of bespoke tech mentoring, access to open-source models, and real SNCF use cases, from accessibility to intermodal mobility. The laureates span visual-impairment navigation (**Oorion**), multimodal travel (**Rayon Libre**), AI voice agents (**Rounded**), emissions-cutting business travel (**SoonGo**), and no-code software testing (**Thunders**). All are France-based and required to integrate open foundational models. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/intelligence-artificielle-qui-sont-les-laureats-du-programme-d-acceleration-de-start-up-d-ia-de-la-sncf-meta-et-hugging-face.N2241833?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ If you're going to use AI to resurrect a dead French playwright for the modern age, it might as well be one whose last play was famously full of poop jokes that he died while performing. Yes, we're looking at you, **Molière**! A gaggle of French scholars and artists has teamed up with Mistral AI for the "[Moliere Ex Machina](https://moliere-ex-machina.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)" project. The group has trained a model on Moliere's work to see what he might have written next. That eventually led to the creation of: "*L'Astrologue ou les Faux Presages*" (The Astrologer or the False Omens). The story is about a "gullible bourgeois" (is there any other kind?) who is tricked by an astrologer into marrying his daughter to a "deceitful wig maker" (is there any other kind?). The play will be performed next year at the Palace of Versailles. Fans of **Beavis and Butt-head**, mark your calendars! | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ai-revives-french-playwright-moliere-with-new-play-2025-11-18/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other Headlines 🗞️ **How Pernod Ricard Stirred Up Employee Enthusiasm for AI |** For many businesses, digital transformation fizzles when employees resist, but at Pernod Ricard, buy-in bubbled up as the company carefully nudged employees to embrace new tools powered by artificial intelligence. Its success in gaining staff acceptance surprised Harvard Business School professors Iavor Bojinov and Edward McFowland III, who expected the 200-year-old French spirits company to encounter significant pushback from employees accustomed to selling and marketing products the traditional way—without the aid of AI. | [**Harvard Business Review**](https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/how-pernod-ricard-stirred-up-employee-enthusiasm-for-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Keeping talent is Europe’s biggest challenge in the AI race, warns H Company CEO |** The French AI startup’s Gautier Cloix told Euronews Next that while Europe can't compete with US giants on large language models, he believes the continent can succeed with AI agents. **|** [**EuroNews**](https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/11/21/keeping-talent-is-europes-biggest-challenge-in-the-ai-race-warns-h-company-ceo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **How Cybersecurity Startup MokN Combats Phishing With Deceptive 'Fake Doors' |** When stolen credentials breached his 'impenetrable' system, Gautier Bugeon had an insight: give attackers fake doors to try. His startup MokN raised €2.6M, hit $1M ARR in 16 months with half its clients being billion-dollar companies, and is now expanding to America. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/) 🗞️ **How Phagos Plans to Kill Superbugs with AI and Nature’s Own Viruses |** Antibiotics are failing. French biotech Phagos thinks the answer lies in nature’s own bacteria-killers: 'phages.' With €25 million and an AI platform to match viruses with their prey, the startup could rewrite the rulebook on how we fight infection. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/) --- ### 🧠 Ethiqais: Building a European AI Champion the Ethical Way [![Ethiqais Co-Founders Massimo Venuti (left) and Alina Holcroft. Photo via LinkedIn.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-105.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ethiqais-building-european-ai-champion-ethical-way/) Ethiqais Co-Founders Massimo Venuti (left) and Alina Holcroft. [Photo via LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ethiqais%5Fai-adoptai-airisks-activity-7399029820673716224-hydC?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI). It was a brisk day yesterday at Paris’ Grand Palais, and the Adopt AI Summit was already in full swing. Blue blankets had been handed out to ward off the chill, but even they couldn’t warm up an audience that looked, if anything, a shade bluer than the fabric. Neon-lit stands shimmered under the glass ceiling as attendees bustled, jostled, and debated: Too much regulation? Too little sovereignty? All while keeping an eye on the clock for French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival. Amid the hum of anticipation, I was drawn into a discussion with [Alina Holcroft](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinaholcroft/?isSelfProfile=false&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO of [Ethiqais](https://ethiqais.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Founded in April last year, Ethiqais’s mission is to help European companies adopt AI safely and responsibly. With her calm focus cutting through the chatter, Holcroft’s explanations of her company and vision mirrored the summit’s big themes herself: sovereignty, trust, and the tricky art of navigating AI regulation in Europe. “Our aim is to create a hub where companies can use AI securely and sovereignly in Europe. It’s not just about technology; it’s about values, compliance, and trust,” Holcroft explained. [Go inside Ethiqais](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ethiqais-building-european-ai-champion-ethical-way/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Nov_21.png) ***For the week ending November 21, there were 7 AI startups that raised a total of €56.9 million.*** --- 📇 **Company:** GetVocal 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based conversational AI startup developing hybrid human-supervised AI voice agents for enterprise customer service, built on a proprietary “protocol automation” system that encodes business rules with mathematical precision. 💻 **Website:** [getvocal.ai](https://www.getvocal.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $26M 🏦 **Investors:** Creandum (lead), Elaia, Speedinvest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Roy Moussa (CEO), Antonin Bertin (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** GetVocal raises $26M Series A—its second round this year—as Voice AI heats up globally, aiming to scale its hybrid human+AI conversational agents, already deployed across 23 markets with customers including Vodafone, Movistar, and Glovo. The company’s architecture blends LLM capabilities with graph-based business protocols and real-time human supervision to deliver reliable enterprise automation and improve agent performance over time. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/) --- 📇 **Company:** NcodiN 🔍 **Description:** DeepTech startup developing photonic interposers with integrated proof-of-concept nanolasers to deliver ultra–high-bandwidth, energy-efficient interconnects for next-generation AI hardware and wafer-scale superchips. 💻 **Website:** [**ncodin.com**](https://ncodin.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €16M 🏦 **Investors:** MIG Capital (lead, via MIF Fonds 17 & 18), Maverick Silicon, PhotonVentures, Verve Ventures, Elaia, Earlybird, OVNI 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Francesco Manegatti (CEO), Bruno Garbin, Fabrice Raineri 🗞️ **News:** NcodiN raises €16M to advance nanolaser-based photonic interposers enabling ultra-high memory bandwidth for future AI “mega-chips.” The round strengthens Europe’s momentum in foundational AI-hardware innovation, highlighting France’s emerging leadership in next-gen photonics. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/e16-million-investment-boosts-ncodins-development-of-worlds-smallest-laser-for-ai-chips/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AI-Stroke 🔍 **Description:** MedTech startup developing an “AI neurologist” that enables paramedics and triage nurses to detect stroke signs within seconds using a 30-second smartphone/tablet video—accelerating pre-CT triage and improving outcomes. 💻 **Website:** [www.ai-stroke.com](http://www.ai-stroke.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $4.6M 🏦 **Investors:** Heka (BrainTech vehicle of Newfund VC), Bpifrance, prominent angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Cédric Javault (CEO), Simon Jiafeng Li (CBO), Fabien ORSAT (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support FDA pathway and multi-site U.S. clinical studies. AI-Stroke also added four world-renowned stroke experts to its Medical Advisory Board, including leaders from Stanford, Oxford, UTHealth Houston, and Westchester Medical Center. | [**PR**](https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/ai-stroke-raises-4-6m-seed-round-to-advance-ai-powered-stroke-triaging-before-ct-scan-ff69a404?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Aive 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based AI platform that automates large-scale video post-production by generating channel-, format-, and audience-optimized variants from a single source asset. Its proprietary orchestration engine analyzes visuals, audio, emotions, and rhythm to produce consistent, brand-safe variations for social platforms, TV, and digital networks. 💻 **Website:** [Aive](https://www.aive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.5M (€16.5M total Series A) 🏦 **Investors:** N/A 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Olivier Reynaud (CEO), Rudy Lellouche (Co-founder & CPTO) 🗞️ **News:** Aive has expanded its initial €12M round to €16.5M, reflecting strong investor demand for AI solutions in marketing and video production. Founded in 2019, the company has spent four years and €10M in cumulative R&D to build a proprietary AI engine that reads and interprets the signals of original videos—imagery, sound, emotion, pacing—to generate optimized variants for every media environment automatically. Already adopted by around 50 major clients, Aive’s solution drastically accelerates post-production cycles, enabling campaigns to be adapted in hours instead of days, while ensuring brand coherence and controlled cost-performance. Its technology integrates directly into client environments without intrusive data capture, and adheres to strict governance commitments: customer assets are never reused to train third-party models, ensuring GDPR compliance and protection of brand content. | [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/nouveautes/aive-automatisation-video-marketing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** LaFraise 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered platform streamlining dental care workflows by automating administrative tasks, managing treatment plans, enabling financing options, and ensuring compliance—designed to free dentists’ time so they can focus on patient care. 💻 **Website:** [**lafraise.pro**](https://lafraise.pro/fr/la-fraise-congr%C3%A9s-adf-paris-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.2M 🏦 **Investors:** 20VC, Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Assous, Florian Duchêne, Matthieu Kern, Victor Schubert, Cédric Turquem 🗞️ **News:** LaFraise, founded six months ago and already used by 1,200+ dentists in France, raises €3.2M to expand its suite of AI agents and further simplify the dental-care journey for practitioners and patients. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/17/des-anciens-de-doctolib-misent-sur-lia-pour-ameliorer-lacces-aux-soins-dentaires/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MuchBetter.ai 🔍 **Description:** An AI-powered training and coaching platform for sales teams, simulating lifelike prospect conversations to improve onboarding, product rollouts, sales techniques, and relational posture. 💻 **Website:** [**muchbetter.ai**](https://muchbetter.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M equity + €1M debt (total €4M) 🏦 **Investors:** Educapital, Astorya.vc, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Julien Heissat (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** MuchBetter.ai raised €4M to accelerate commercial expansion and enhance its AI-driven sales coaching platform, already used by 35,000 employees and generating €1.5M in ARR. | [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1546099-muchbetter-ai-leve-3-millions-d-euros-pour-former-les-commerciaux-avec-l-ia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Aphasix 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered language-training platform designed for people with aphasia, offering adaptive, continuous rehabilitation between speech-therapy sessions. Exercises adjust to each user's level, analyze incomplete pronunciations, and provide personalized feedback to increase engagement and support long-term recovery. 💻 **Website:** [**Aphasix**](https://aphasix.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Carole Rinville, Matthieu Rinville, Pierre de Linage 🗞️ **News:** The funding will strengthen technical and research teams, expand product capabilities, and support wider deployment in France and internationally. The startup is also advancing on its regulatory roadmap, preparing clinical data collection in 2026 to obtain CE Medical Device status, a key milestone toward integration into care pathways and potential reimbursement by national health insurance. Developed with guidance from a scientific committee in neurology, speech therapy, and neuropsychology, the platform aims to provide accessible, continuous rehabilitation tools that patients can use daily between traditional therapy sessions. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/21/ia-aphasix-veut-moderniser-la-reeducation-post-avc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Forbes**](https://www.forbes.fr/entrepreneurs/a-suivre-aphasix-developpe-une-ia-capable-de-redonner-la-voix-aux-personnes-aphasiques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-aphasix-la-start-up-qui-redonne-de-la-voix-aux-personnes-aphasiques-2199795?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-44.png) 🗣️ **Microsoft GenAI Studio 3rd Edition |** Microsoft France announces the opening of applications for the third promotion of its Microsoft GenAI Studio acceleration program, dedicated to supporting French startups in the adoption and development of solutions based on artificial intelligence. **| Deadline: December 3 |** [**Apply here**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2025/11/microsoft-france-lance-lappel-a-candidatures-pour-la-troisieme-edition-du-microsoft-genai-studio/?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Lovable ❤️ Photoroom: Buildathon! | November 27 |** [Just Build It ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/just-build-it-world/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)is bringing the coolest event for builders, co-organized by[**Lovable**](https://lovable.dev/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and[**Photoroom**](https://www.photoroom.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The only criteria? Ship a product with Lovable and Photoroom (API)! You’ll have **1 hour** to turn an idea into a working demo. No slides, no fluff, just bold bets and a working demo. Free credits will be provided. | **Join the waitlist** 📆 **Databricks DATA + AI World Tour Paris | December 2 |** This day will be an opportunity to discover concretely how French companies put AI into production, through keynotes and inspiring testimonies from companies such as Decathlon, Danone, Covéa and Michelin. Finally, this event will also be an opportunity to exchange with the executives of Databricks, including Guillaume Brandenburg, RVP and Managing Director at Databricks, Yannis Daubin, Vice President - South Europe, Israel, Middle East & Africa and Samuel Bonamigo, SVP & GM, EMEA. | [**Register**](https://dataaisummit.databricks.com/flow/db/wt25cdg/reg/page/landing?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Blueprint for scaling AI Support: live in Paris | December 4 |** AI is transforming customer experience at an unprecedented pace. The [*AI Agent Blueprint*](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)[ ](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)reveals how leaders across customer service, CX, and AI transformation are deploying AI fast, scaling confidently, and achieving measurable business impact. | [**Register**](https://luma.com/3pm37es1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **VOICE AI Space Paris Conference | December 10 |** Voice AI Space Paris Conference is part of the Future of Software Technologies Event, a unique federation of 25+ vendor-neutral tech conferences (Apidays, Generation AI, Green IO, and more), bringing together 6000+ participants and 300+ sessions across 3 days. Your ticket also grants full access to 3 days of conferences. | [**Tickets**](https://events.voiceaispace.com/event-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Ethiqais: Building a European AI Champion the Ethical Way URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ethiqais-building-european-ai-champion-ethical-way/ Last updated: 2025-11-26T10:55:05.000Z A frosty Grand Palais, a flurry of AI buzzwords, and one startup quietly redefining Europe’s tech future. Meet Ethiqais: the ethical, sovereign, quietly-ferocious AI governance team you’ll soon be hearing a lot more about. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire November 24: Deblock, GetVocal, HyPrSpace & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-november-24-deblock-getvocal-hyprspace-more/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T07:30:17.000Z # 🧮 Data Point: University Spinoffs In [**Dealroom's European Spinouts Report 2025**](https://dealroom.co/reports/european-spinouts-report-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), France gets mixed marks for its effectiveness at leveraging the brainiacs at its universities to create game-changing startups. **👼 The good:** France ranks fourth in Europe for deep-tech and life-sciences spinoff value created, with 830+ VC-backed university or public-lab spinouts now worth about $42.1B and having raised roughly $7.5B since 2020\. The report credits a hard-science sweet spot—AI, quantum, semiconductors, new materials, biotech, and medical devices. French labs reliably turn research into venture-scale companies. A standout structural advantage is France’s tightly knit research–university machine, with CNRS, CEA, Inserm, Inria, Institut Pasteur, and Paris-Saclay/PSL-type schools repeatedly anchoring the pipeline. Spinoff activity also isn’t just a Paris story: Grenoble, Lyon, Strasbourg, and other hubs register strong clusters, giving France a genuinely national map of academic entrepreneurship. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/France-Spinouts.png) **👿 The bad:** Zoom out to efficiency, and the shine dulls. On spinoff value per capita and per STEM graduate, France posts a modest score around 14, far behind Switzerland and the Nordic leaders, so it converts scale into value less efficiently. The country also produces fewer monster outcomes so far, with only about five unicorns or $1B+ exits versus the UK’s 20 and Germany’s 14, hinting at a scale-up gap. Even with strong momentum, France’s total funding and enterprise value still trail the top two by a wide margin, suggesting later-stage capital depth and global breakout pathways aren’t yet fully there. Net-net, Dealroom paints France as a prolific, research-powered spinoff engine that’s getting bigger fast, but still needs more efficient conversion and more headline-grabbing winners to match its scientific weight. --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: November 21 ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** **Total Raised:** €147.27M **Number of Companies: 17** ### 🧬 **Sector Diversity** - 🚗 **Mobility & Smart Cities:** **€2.0M** - 💻 **AI & Software:** **€32.0M** - ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation:** **€65.0M** - 💳 **Fintech / DeFi:** **€30.0M** - 🧠 **Medtech & Health Intelligence:** **€17.2M** --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-80.png) 📇 **Company:** Deblock 🔍 **Description:** A crypto-banking platform combining everyday euro accounts with on-chain, self-custody crypto wallets—enabling users to hold, pay, invest, and access DeFi services while maintaining full control of their digital assets. 💻 **Website:** [deblock.com](https://deblock.com/en-FR?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30M 🏦 **Investors:** Speedinvest (lead), CommerzVentures, Latitude, 20VC, Headline, Chalfen Ventures, Kraken Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Aaron Beck, Adriana Restrepo, Jean Meyer (CEO), Mario Eguiluz 🗞️ **News:** Deblock raises €30M to expand its on-chain banking solution across Europe, beginning with Germany. With 300,000 clients and the first euro current account integrated with a true self-custody crypto wallet, Deblock positions itself within a fast-growing European trend toward fintech–crypto convergence. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/frances-deblock-picks-up-e30-million-for-unified-euro-and-crypto-banking-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-82.png) --- 📇 **Company:** GetVocal 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based conversational AI startup developing hybrid human-supervised AI voice agents for enterprise customer service, built on a proprietary “protocol automation” system that encodes business rules with mathematical precision. 💻 **Website:** [getvocal.ai](https://www.getvocal.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $26M 🏦 **Investors:** Creandum (lead), Elaia, Speedinvest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Roy Moussa (CEO), Antonin Bertin (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** GetVocal raises $26M Series A—its second round this year—as Voice AI heats up globally, aiming to scale its hybrid human+AI conversational agents, already deployed across 23 markets with customers including Vodafone, Movistar, and Glovo. The company’s architecture blends LLM capabilities with graph-based business protocols and real-time human supervision to deliver reliable enterprise automation and improve agent performance over time. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-94.png) 📇 **Company:** HyPrSpace 🔍 **Description:** French DeepTech startup developing *Orbital Baguette 1 (OB-1)*, a hybrid-propulsion microlauncher capable of placing 250 kg into orbit. The company combines liquid oxygen with a recyclable polyethylene-based solid fuel to deliver a simpler, safer, high-performance propulsion system. 💻 **Website:** [**HyPrSpace**](https://hypr-space.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €21M 🏦 **Investors:** Red River West, DeepTech 2030 (Bpifrance / France 2030), Expansion, NACO 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Mangeot, Sylvain Bataillard, Vincent Rocher 🗞️ **News:** HyPrSpace raises €21M to finalize its hybrid engine, advance toward a first suborbital flight in 2026, and prepare industrial-scale production of its OB-1 microlauncher as Europe’s small-satellite launch segment accelerates. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/17/hyprspace-leve-21-millions-deuros-pour-propulser-son-microlanceur-spatial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-97.png) 📇 **Company:** NcodiN 🔍 **Description:** DeepTech startup developing photonic interposers with integrated proof-of-concept nanolasers to deliver ultra–high-bandwidth, energy-efficient interconnects for next-generation AI hardware and wafer-scale superchips. 💻 **Website:** [**ncodin.com**](https://ncodin.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €16M 🏦 **Investors:** MIG Capital (lead, via MIF Fonds 17 & 18), Maverick Silicon, PhotonVentures, Verve Ventures, Elaia, Earlybird, OVNI 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Francesco Manegatti (CEO), Bruno Garbin, Fabrice Raineri 🗞️ **News:** NcodiN raises €16M to advance nanolaser-based photonic interposers enabling ultra-high memory bandwidth for future AI “mega-chips.” The round strengthens Europe’s momentum in foundational AI-hardware innovation, highlighting France’s emerging leadership in next-gen photonics. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/e16-million-investment-boosts-ncodins-development-of-worlds-smallest-laser-for-ai-chips/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-98.png) 📇 **Company:** Hummink 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech company developing ultra-precise nanometric printing technology that repairs microscopic defects in OLED displays and semiconductor manufacturing—reducing waste and boosting yield. 💻 **Website:** [**hummink.com**](https://hummink.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** French Tech Seed (France 2030), Cap Horn, KBC Focus Fund, Elaia, Sensinnovat, Beeyond, Bpifrance, European Innovation Council Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Amin M’Barki, Pascal Boncenne 🗞️ **News:** Funding will advance development of Hummink’s industrial repair module and support integration into display and semiconductor fabrication lines. The company aims to expand globally, double its team by 2026, and scale production of its proprietary inks used for sub-micron electronic repair. | [**Les Echos,**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-hummink-la-start-up-qui-veut-casser-les-couts-de-la-fabrication-des-ecrans-et-des-semi-conducteurs-2198923?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/exclusive-hummink-secures-e15m-to-cut-waste-in-chip-manufacturing-and-oled-display-production/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MaaT Pharma 🔍 **Description:** Clinical-stage biotech developing Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies™ to modulate the immune system and improve survival in cancer patients. A leader in microbiome-driven immunotherapy with late-stage assets including Xervyteg® (MaaT013). 💻 **Website:** [maatpharma.com](https://www.maatpharma.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Capital Increase (Public + Qualified Investors) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €9.1M 🏦 **Investors:** Qualified institutional investors, retail investors via PrimaryBid; major participating shareholders include Biocodex, Bpifrance Investissement (Fonds PSIM), and Invus Public Entities 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hervé Affagard (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** MaaT Pharma completed a €9.1M capital increase through a combined private placement to qualified investors and a PrimaryBid retail offering. The raise strengthens the company’s balance sheet ahead of major regulatory and commercial milestones. Net proceeds of €8.7M will support preparations for the potential commercialization of Xervyteg® in Europe (decision expected mid-2026), ongoing clinical development of MaaT033 in a pivotal Phase 2b trial, and continued FDA engagement for a pivotal U.S. study planned for 2026\. The financing also enables MaaT Pharma to access the next €6M tranche of its €37.5M European Investment Bank facility, extending its cash runway to August 2026—beyond the anticipated European marketing authorization for Xervyteg®. A milestone payment of €12M tied to this approval could further extend runway to early 2027\. | [**PR**](https://www.maatpharma.com/november-14-2025-maat-pharma-successful-completion-of-global-offering-of-9million/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-101.png) 📇 **Company:** Leanspace 🔍 **Description:** European provider of software-defined satellite and ground-segment operations technology, offering a modular platform for monitoring & control, mission planning, ground-segment orchestration, and testing. Trusted by 20+ spacecraft operators and major agencies across Europe, the US, and Asia. 💻 **Website:** [Leanspace](https://leanspace.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10M (+ additional non-dilutive funding from Caisse d’Epargne & Bpifrance via France 2030) 🏦 **Investors:** ISAI Cap Venture, Capgemini Ventures, Qwaltec; existing investors 42CAP, Karista, Arnaud Guérin 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Tanier (CEO), Alvaro Alonso Ruiz (CCO) 🗞️ **News:** Founded in 2020, Leanspace has grown from supporting small-satellite missions to securing contracts with major space agencies and primes, including Airbus Defence & Space, Hispasat, and the European Space Agency. Its platform now serves six segments: small satellites, in-orbit servicing, constellations, launchers and spaceports, large satellites, and ground-station networks. With this round, the company will expand deeper into high-complexity, security-critical missions. Strategic partners will use the Leanspace platform to deliver turnkey mission operations systems and offer managed services, operations engineering, and compliance support in Europe and the US. The company continues to build a global ecosystem, inviting satellite manufacturers, cloud providers, SSA players, GSaaS operators, and software integrators to join its software-defined space infrastructure vision. | [**Space News**](https://spacenews.com/leanspace-raises-e10-million-series-a-round-to-bring-software-defined-satellite-operations-to-enterprise-and-institutional-space-programs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** AI-Stroke 🔍 **Description:** MedTech startup developing an “AI neurologist” that enables paramedics and triage nurses to detect stroke signs within seconds using a 30-second smartphone/tablet video—accelerating pre-CT triage and improving outcomes. 💻 **Website:** [www.ai-stroke.com](http://www.ai-stroke.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $4.6M 🏦 **Investors:** Heka (BrainTech vehicle of Newfund VC), Bpifrance, prominent angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Cédric Javault (CEO), Simon Jiafeng Li (CBO), Fabien ORSAT (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support FDA pathway and multi-site U.S. clinical studies. AI-Stroke also added four world-renowned stroke experts to its Medical Advisory Board, including leaders from Stanford, Oxford, UTHealth Houston, and Westchester Medical Center. | [**PR**](https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/ai-stroke-raises-4-6m-seed-round-to-advance-ai-powered-stroke-triaging-before-ct-scan-ff69a404?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-83.png) 📇 **Company:** Aive 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based AI platform that automates large-scale video post-production by generating channel-, format-, and audience-optimized variants from a single source asset. Its proprietary orchestration engine analyzes visuals, audio, emotions, and rhythm to produce consistent, brand-safe variations for social platforms, TV, and digital networks. 💻 **Website:** [Aive](https://www.aive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.5M (€16.5M total Series A) 🏦 **Investors:** N/A 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Olivier Reynaud (CEO), Rudy Lellouche (Co-founder & CPTO) 🗞️ **News:** Aive has expanded its initial €12M round to €16.5M, reflecting strong investor demand for AI solutions in marketing and video production. Founded in 2019, the company has spent four years and €10M in cumulative R&D to build a proprietary AI engine that reads and interprets the signals of original videos—imagery, sound, emotion, pacing—to generate optimized variants for every media environment automatically. Already adopted by around 50 major clients, Aive’s solution drastically accelerates post-production cycles, enabling campaigns to be adapted in hours instead of days, while ensuring brand coherence and controlled cost-performance. Its technology integrates directly into client environments without intrusive data capture, and adheres to strict governance commitments: customer assets are never reused to train third-party models, ensuring GDPR compliance and protection of brand content. | [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/nouveautes/aive-automatisation-video-marketing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Aive: Revolutionizing Video Production with AICEO Olivier Reynaud: “We created an AI product years before the current AI wave. We are an enterprise-ready solution and not something in the lab.”![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-52.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Visuel_platform_Aive-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-102.png) 📇 **Company:** Rift 🔍 **Description:** DeepTech startup building Europe’s first on-demand aerial intelligence network—combining long-endurance VTOL drones, autonomous deployment stations, and RiftOS software to deliver real-time reconnaissance without on-site pilots. 💻 **Website:** [Rift](https://rift.aero/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris region 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.6M (€3M equity + €1.6M public funding) 🏦 **Investors:** AlleyCorp, OVNI Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Daniel Nef (CEO), Dorian Millière 🗞️ **News:** Rift raises €4.6M to accelerate the deployment of a sovereign, fully remote-operated aerial intelligence network designed for public safety and critical infrastructure. The company is ramping up production of autonomous drone stations and advancing mission-cycle automation as Europe doubles down on its strategic aerial intelligence capabilities. [Rift Takes Flight: Drone Startup Wants To Be Europe’s Eyes in the SkyRift raised €4.6M for its on-demand aerial surveillance network of autonomous long-endurance drones that provide governments and operators instant, low-cost “intelligence as a service” as Europe seeks faster, safer ways to monitor and protect critical territory.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-53.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/rift-command-single.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rift-takes-flight-drone-startup-wants-to-be-europes-eyes-in-the-sky/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-100.png) 📇 **Company:** Revolt.eco 🔍 **Description:** SaaS all-in-one platform for renewable-energy installers, covering customer contact, technical project design, profitability studies, quotes, invoicing, progress tracking, and technical reports. Used by 500+ companies and enabling over 30,000 installations. 💻 **Website:** [Revolt.eco](https://www.revolt.eco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3m (including €0.8m debt) 🏦 **Investors:** Revent, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Berson, Charles Gwinner, Fabien Defouilh 🗞️ **News:** The startup was founded in 2024 and already supports 30,000 installations via its “Revolt Pro” platform. The funds will drive the launch of a new product for energy-efficiency and HVAC (CVC) renovation, currently being tested with \~30 installers ahead of commercial rollout in early 2026\. AI investments are a core priority: the company is enhancing its internal energy-modelling capabilities to build an intelligent assistant that becomes the “energy consultant” for PV installers, enabling multi-activity diversification when solar revenues fluctuate. The round will also fuel international expansion, starting with Belgium and other French-speaking markets before a broader European rollout. Revolt.eco continues to evolve its product with CRM upgrades (automated follow-ups, personalized emails), enhanced energy-profitability simulations (EMS, battery storage, rooftop power adjustments), and an upcoming material-ordering module in partnership with distributors, scheduled for Q1 2026\. | [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1546037-revolt-eco-leve-pres-de-3-millions-d-euros-pour-son-saas-dedie-a-la-renovation-energetique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PV Magazine**](https://www.pv-magazine.fr/2025/11/17/interview-les-dessous-de-la-levee-de-fonds-de-3-millions-deuros-de-revolt-eco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-81.png) 📇 **Company:** LaFraise 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered platform streamlining dental care workflows by automating administrative tasks, managing treatment plans, enabling financing options, and ensuring compliance—designed to free dentists’ time so they can focus on patient care. 💻 **Website:** [**lafraise.pro**](https://lafraise.pro/fr/la-fraise-congr%C3%A9s-adf-paris-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.2M 🏦 **Investors:** 20VC, Seedcamp, Kima Ventures, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Assous, Florian Duchêne, Matthieu Kern, Victor Schubert, Cédric Turquem 🗞️ **News:** LaFraise, founded six months ago and already used by 1,200+ dentists in France, raises €3.2M to expand its suite of AI agents and further simplify the dental-care journey for practitioners and patients. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/17/des-anciens-de-doctolib-misent-sur-lia-pour-ameliorer-lacces-aux-soins-dentaires/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MuchBetter.ai 🔍 **Description:** An AI-powered training and coaching platform for sales teams, simulating lifelike prospect conversations to improve onboarding, product rollouts, sales techniques, and relational posture. 💻 **Website:** [**muchbetter.ai**](https://muchbetter.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M equity + €1M debt (total €4M) 🏦 **Investors:** Educapital, Astorya.vc, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Julien Heissat (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** MuchBetter.ai raised €4M to accelerate commercial expansion and enhance its AI-driven sales coaching platform, already used by 35,000 employees and generating €1.5M in ARR. | [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1546099-muchbetter-ai-leve-3-millions-d-euros-pour-former-les-commerciaux-avec-l-ia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Rutile.bike 🔍 **Description:** Specialist in premium refurbished electric bikes, offering a trusted phygital model (online + showrooms) for high-quality second-hand e-bikes. Aims to build France’s first national network dedicated to reconditioned premium two-wheelers. 💻 **Website:** [Rutile.bike](https://rutile.bike/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Villeurbanne (Lyon Métropole) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Hand Partners, Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, UI Investissement, Isabelle Bou Antoun 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thibaud Thomé, Adrien Goxe 🗞️ **News:** The new capital will enable Rutile.bike to expand its territorial presence—including a second Paris showroom—strengthen partnerships with manufacturers, and improve product durability and service quality. The startup targets **5,000 refurbished bikes by 2027**, six retail locations across the country, and a team of 60 employees. The funding will support the expansion of a French industrial reconditioning chain, contributing to the circular economy and the growth of sustainable mobility. | [**Le Progres**](https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2025/11/16/rutile-bike-leve-deux-millions-d-euros-pour-ses-velos-electriques-reconditionnes?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stanislascanova%5Flev%C3%A9e-de-fonds-2m-rutile-ugcPost-7396433708372758528-5i9H?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-99.png) 📇 **Company:** Exwayz 🔍 **Description:** Developer of LiDAR-based 3D perception and SLAM navigation software delivering centimetre-level, GPS-free localisation for autonomous vehicles and robots operating in challenging environments such as ports, tunnels, factories, and dense cities. 💻 **Website:** [exwayz.com](https://www.exwayz.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** CentraleSupélec Venture, France 2030 i-Lab Innovation Competition grant 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hassan Bouchiba (CEO), Mathias Corsia (CTO), Antoine Plat (COO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support expansion of the engineering team, enhancement of SLAM algorithms, and global commercial deployment across robotics, mobility, logistics, and industrial inspection. Exwayz tech is already operating on five continents, powering autonomous trucks (Embotech) and large-scale 3D mapping (Cyvl.ai). | [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/exwayz-raises-1m-euro-to-advance-autonomous-robot-navigation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Aphasix 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered language-training platform designed for people with aphasia, offering adaptive, continuous rehabilitation between speech-therapy sessions. Exercises adjust to each user's level, analyze incomplete pronunciations, and provide personalized feedback to increase engagement and support long-term recovery. 💻 **Website:** [**Aphasix**](https://aphasix.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Carole Rinville, Matthieu Rinville, Pierre de Linage 🗞️ **News:** The funding will strengthen technical and research teams, expand product capabilities, and support wider deployment in France and internationally. The startup is also advancing on its regulatory roadmap, preparing clinical data collection in 2026 to obtain CE Medical Device status, a key milestone toward integration into care pathways and potential reimbursement by national health insurance. Developed with guidance from a scientific committee in neurology, speech therapy, and neuropsychology, the platform aims to provide accessible, continuous rehabilitation tools that patients can use daily between traditional therapy sessions. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/21/ia-aphasix-veut-moderniser-la-reeducation-post-avc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Forbes**](https://www.forbes.fr/entrepreneurs/a-suivre-aphasix-developpe-une-ia-capable-de-redonner-la-voix-aux-personnes-aphasiques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-aphasix-la-start-up-qui-redonne-de-la-voix-aux-personnes-aphasiques-2199795?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Elefantia 🔍 **Description:** Intergenerational memory-sharing platform helping people of all ages capture, preserve, and transmit their life stories. Combines human support through a network of trained “Elefantos” facilitators with a digital app designed to record, organize, and share personal memories. 💻 **Website:** [**Elefantia**](https://elefantia.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Malo 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.05M 🏦 **Investors:** OneRagtime (lead), Business Angels 35, individual angels (Saïd, Eric, Florian), Le Poool, Bpifrance, Région Bretagne via Emergys, Carsat Normandie, Gérontopôle de Normandie 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Besso, Thierry Moncorg, Julie SOM 🗞️ **News:** Launched only a year ago, the startup aims to make it possible for every person in France—regardless of age or background—to document and pass on their life story through an intuitive app and the support of Elefantos, its trained network of memory-collection companions. The funding will enable Elefantia to scale its intergenerational storytelling service, enhance its mobile app, grow its facilitator network, and expand across France. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elefantia%5Felefantia-r%C3%A9alise-sa-premi%C3%A8re-lev%C3%A9e-de-fonds-activity-7396111700032397312-l-Ue?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: European Tech's Wild Mood Swing In 2025 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-european-techs-wild-mood-swing-in-2025/ Last updated: 2025-11-21T10:01:28.000Z **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Rift raised €4.6M for its on-demand aerial surveillance network of autonomous long-endurance drones that provide governments and operators instant, low-cost “intelligence as a service” as Europe seeks faster, safer ways to monitor and protect critical territory. [**Co-founder and CEO Daniel Nef tells us Rift's origin story and how it hopes to become Europe's eye in the sky.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rift-takes-flight-drone-startup-wants-to-be-europes-eyes-in-the-sky/) 👀 Two reports, two moods: Atomico sees sunshine and a trillion-euro tech titan on the horizon. PitchBook forecasts storm clouds and a stress ball. European tech in 2025 is a sloppy mess with big dreams and a terrible hangover, but a can-do attitude if it can just stop tripping over itself. [**Grab your mood ring and see which way the metaphorical tech wind is blowing.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/atomico-vs-pitchbook-2025-street-fight-is-europes-tech-glass-half-full-or-empty/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/French-Tech-Journal-x-Scaleway_Sponsorship_Jensen-Huang-visual.jpg)](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?utm%5Fsource=partner&utm%5Fmedium=organic&utm%5Fcampaign=202507-evt-ww-all-aipulse-2025-french-tech-journal) ****ai-PULSE, Europe’s premier AI conference organized by Scaleway**, is coming back to ****STATION F, Paris** on ****December 4** for a unique blend of deep technical expertise and business insights. The themes this year: Smarter, Faster, Everywhere. How is AI being integrated into everything from pharmaceutical R&D to fighter jets? Which metrics should researchers focus on when benchmarking the latest models? How can you circumvent hardware constraints to make inference 100x faster? Across a full day of ****groundbreaking keynotes, technical demos, practical workshops, and networking**, you'll hear about how AI leaders from Europe and beyond are driving AI forward. Join us on December 4 either on-site or online to hear from Proton, ZML, Kyutai, Meta, NVIDIA, and dozens more pioneers in the field. [Register now for ai-PULSE ](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?utm%5Fsource=partner&utm%5Fmedium=organic&utm%5Fcampaign=202507-evt-ww-all-aipulse-2025-french-tech-journal) --- # Tech Talk ✈️ 👋 **Will the last French VC leaving Paris please turn out the lights?** Two more notable VCs are heading to SF seeking gold in them thar AI hills. They are joining the party train of French investors and entrepreneurs flocking back to San Francisco, pronounced dead just two years ago by know-it-all tech-bros, convinced the city has regained its status as the global epicenter of tech. Especially in AI. Frst partners **Pierre Entremont** and **Bruno Raillard are the latest to open a local outpost,** setting up shop in Jackson Square to tap into the surge of French founders now building in the Bay Area. While still based in Paris, the duo will rely on a network of on-the-ground “scouts” to spot emerging founders and stay aligned with the lightning-fast pace of the U.S. market. Founders Future is making a similar bet**: the fund has opened a San Francisco office in the iconic Ferry Building, hiring two seasoned American investors** to bridge European startups aiming to scale in the U.S. and U.S. AI founders looking to expand into Europe. Both Frst and Founders Future say the draw is obvious. **American clients move faster, pay more, and offer sharper product feedback,** creating a velocity gap with Europe that ambitious founders can’t ignore. At the same time, a growing wave of French entrepreneurs is relocating to California, drawn by an environment where intensity is celebrated and opportunities compound rapidly. Founders Future plans to deepen this transatlantic strategy with a new growth fund launching in 2026, aiming to deploy $5–10 million tickets and grow its assets under management from €300 million today to €1 billion by 2030\. 🤑 As a former SF and Bay Area resident, here are Chris' helpful insider tips: "*Wear layers. Don't call it 'Frisco. Nobody calls it 'Frisco*". | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/la-fievre-de-lia-aimante-une-nouvelle-generation-de-francais-a-san-francisco-2199633?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/17/founders-future-ouvre-un-bureau-a-san-francisco-pour-mettre-en-oeuvre-sa-strategie-transatlantique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pierreentremont%5Fce-quil-se-passe-en-ce-moment-%C3%A0-san-francisco-activity-7396910333199593472-3RSR?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) 👨‍🔬🚪 **Yann LeCun has officially updated his Facebook status. The AI guru confirmed previous reports that he will leave Meta at the end of the year after 12 years at the company,** where he served as founding director of FAIR and later as Chief AI Scientist. LeCun revealed that he is launching a new startup dedicated to his long-running Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) research program, aimed at developing AI systems capable of understanding the physical world, reasoning, maintaining persistent memory, and planning complex actions. While the new venture will operate independently to maximize its broader impact across industries, Meta will remain a strategic partner, with Mark Zuckerberg and senior Meta leaders backing the initiative. LeCun described the creation of FAIR as his proudest non-technical achievement and emphasized the lab’s transformative impact on Meta, the AI field, and the broader tech community. Further details about the startup will be shared at a later date. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7397020300451749888?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7397020300451749888%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀💰 **Sofinnova Partners** closed its flagship Sofinnova Capital XI fund at an impressive €650M ($750M), far surpassing its initial target. This new fund will back the next generation of early-stage biotech and medtech startups across Europe and the US, focusing on critical and still-unmet clinical needs. The firm said that Capital XI drew strong demand from global institutional investors such as sovereign funds and major pharma groups, with both long-standing backers and high-profile newcomers joining in. The raise brings Sofinnova’s total capital gathered over the past year to €1.5B. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/17/sofinnova-partners-clot-son-fonds-a-650-millions-deuros-dans-learly-stage/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎂💄 **Viva Technology** **finally bowed to the inevitable reality that everyone calls it VivaTech and changed its name to...VivaTech**. Just in time for its 10th anniversary edition in 2026\. The Paris tech festival is also moving into the newly renovated Pavilion 7 — the Paris Convention Centre — where it has even more space (70,000 m²) across three levels. This “new look” VivaTech will feature expanded stages, lounges for executives and founders, innovation zones, and a flagship mega-stage dubbed *The Box* for headline speakers. Germany will be the country of honor in 2026, reflecting deep Franco-German ties and growing collaboration on digital sovereignty. Adding to the shake-up, Maurice '**Gangster of Love'** Lévy has bought back Publicis’ shares to become a 50/50 owner of this high-tech hootenany. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/18/nouveau-nom-nouveau-terrain-de-jeu-vivatech-fait-sa-mue-pour-ses-10-ans/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📈 🛒 **AB Tasty** **is doubling down on predictive personalization with its acquisition of a real-time “Adaptive CX” platform that reads every visitor signal —** clicks, scrolls, tab-switching — and instantly adapts the onsite experience. The US-, UK-, and Israel-based startup specializes in targeting anonymous and non-linear user journeys, processing 3.7B data points each month to predict intent in just milliseconds. For AB Tasty, this move strengthens its strategy of expanding beyond classic A/B testing, following previous acquisitions like Epoq, Dotaki, and Potions. As digital journeys grow increasingly fragmented, the combined offering promises brands a powerful way to personalize experiences for the 90% of visitors who never log in. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/19/ab-tasty-soffre-wandz-ai-pour-mieux-personnaliser-ses-sites/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😞🥸 France may be emerging as a European powerhouse in AI research and innovation, but a new report from the **Cour des comptes** **warns that the French state itself is lagging far behind in adopting these technologies.** Despite world-class academic clusters, a booming generative AI ecosystem, and over 1,000 startups in the field, no dedicated budget was allocated between 2023 and 2025 to modernize public services with AI, despite this being a core objective of the national strategy. Early pilots in fraud detection or workflow automation often failed to scale, leaving administrations with underpowered internal tools while the private sector advanced. The report stresses that 38% of public-sector jobs will be significantly impacted by generative AI, making the state’s slow adaptation a potential operational risk rather than just a technological delay. To close the gap, the Cour calls for a new AI Secretariat reporting to the Prime Minister, a massive acceleration of adoption across ministries, and a far more proactive use of public procurement to support sovereign AI solutions. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/letat-a-la-traine-la-cour-des-comptes-denonce-lechec-de-ladoption-de-lia-dans-ladministration/458750?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Atomico Vs Pitchbook 2025 Street Fight: Is Europe’s Tech Glass Half Full or Empty? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-91.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/atomico-vs-pitchbook-2025-street-fight-is-europes-tech-glass-half-full-or-empty/) [Atomico’s *State of European Tech 2025*](https://www.stateofeuropeantech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) sees blue skies, tailwinds, and a trillion-euro tech champion on the horizon. [PitchBook’s *European Venture Q3 2025*](https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/q3-2025-european-venture-report?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) sees… clouds. Some lightning. Possibly a dragon. And definitely fewer follow-on rounds. **Before we compare them, a crucial disclaimer:** **Atomico** uses full-year 2025 *projections based on data up to 30 September 2025* and blends quantitative data with qualitative founder & investor surveys. **PitchBook**, by contrast, measures actual data up to Q3 2025 with no attempt at crystal-balling December. So, yes. One is painting a mural. The other is reading a bank statement. Different exercises. But comparing the two is still useful (and, frankly, entertaining) because it reveals the psychological split in European tech this year: confidence vs. caution, momentum vs. math, vibes vs. valuation tables. Let’s dig in. [Step inside the European Tech data battle arena](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/atomico-vs-pitchbook-2025-street-fight-is-europes-tech-glass-half-full-or-empty/) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/ADOPT-AI-Bannie--re-Ambassadeurs--1--1.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Get a 20% discount on tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Rift Takes Flight: Drone Startup Wants To Be Europe's Eyes in the Sky [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-96.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rift-takes-flight-drone-startup-wants-to-be-europes-eyes-in-the-sky/) When forest fires rage across southern Europe or suspicious vessels approach protected coastlines, the response to monitor the situation typically involves expensive helicopters that can cost over €3,000 per flight hour. French startup Rift believes it has a better answer: a network of autonomous drones that can provide instant aerial surveillance anywhere, anytime, at a fraction of the cost. The company is building what it describes as the world’s first network of long-endurance autonomous drones launched from remote stations, connected by a software platform that delivers persistent, on-demand surveillance of critical areas such as coastlines, pipelines, power lines, and borders. Rather than selling drones or software, the company sells access to this monitoring, which it dubs "intelligence as a service." Rift's push to become Europe's aerial intelligence infrastructure got a boost this week with a €4.6 million round of funding that will help it transition from its development phase into its first operational deployments for governments and industrial partners. The timing of its development and Rift's early traction reflects a dramatic shift in Europe’s appetite for sovereign technologies as well as tech that can monitor and protect territory at a time of geopolitical instability and climate-driven disasters. Rift was born from that convergence: technological readiness, regulatory necessity, and a growing market demand for faster, cheaper, more automated aerial intelligence. "We want to make Rift as accessible as internet connectivity for those who protect our territory," said Rift CEO and Co-Founder Daniel Nef. "But not just for them, but also in the future, for any actor who needs to better understand their environment, where they could benefit from real-time aerial surveillance." [Read the whole Rift tale](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rift-takes-flight-drone-startup-wants-to-be-europes-eyes-in-the-sky/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-92.png) 📇 **Company:** Deblock 🔍 **Description:** A crypto-banking platform combining everyday euro accounts with on-chain, self-custody crypto wallets—enabling users to hold, pay, invest, and access DeFi services while maintaining full control of their digital assets. 💻 **Website:** [deblock.com](https://deblock.com/en-FR?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30M 🏦 **Investors:** Speedinvest (lead), CommerzVentures, Latitude, 20VC, Headline, Chalfen Ventures, Kraken Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Aaron Beck, Adriana Restrepo, Jean Meyer (CEO), Mario Eguiluz 🗞️ **News:** Deblock raises €30M to expand its on-chain banking solution across Europe, beginning with Germany. With 300,000 clients and the first euro current account integrated with a true self-custody crypto wallet, Deblock positions itself within a fast-growing European trend toward fintech–crypto convergence. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/frances-deblock-picks-up-e30-million-for-unified-euro-and-crypto-banking-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-93.png) 📇 **Company:** GetVocal 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based conversational AI startup developing hybrid human-supervised AI voice agents for enterprise customer service, built on a proprietary “protocol automation” system that encodes business rules with mathematical precision. 💻 **Website:** [getvocal.ai](https://www.getvocal.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $26M 🏦 **Investors:** Creandum (lead), Elaia, Speedinvest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Roy Moussa (CEO), Antonin Bertin (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** GetVocal raises $26M Series A—its second round this year—as Voice AI heats up globally, aiming to scale its hybrid human+AI conversational agents, already deployed across 23 markets with customers including Vodafone, Movistar, and Glovo. The company’s architecture blends LLM capabilities with graph-based business protocols and real-time human supervision to deliver reliable enterprise automation and improve agent performance over time. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-95.png) 📇 **Company:** HyPrSpace 🔍 **Description:** French DeepTech startup developing *Orbital Baguette 1 (OB-1)*, a hybrid-propulsion microlauncher capable of placing 250 kg into orbit. The company combines liquid oxygen with a recyclable polyethylene-based solid fuel to deliver a simpler, safer, high-performance propulsion system. 💻 **Website:** [**HyPrSpace**](https://hypr-space.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €21M 🏦 **Investors:** Red River West, DeepTech 2030 (Bpifrance / France 2030), Expansion, NACO 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Mangeot, Sylvain Bataillard, Vincent Rocher 🗞️ **News:** HyPrSpace raises €21M to finalize its hybrid engine, advance toward a first suborbital flight in 2026, and prepare industrial-scale production of its OB-1 microlauncher as Europe’s small-satellite launch segment accelerates. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/17/hyprspace-leve-21-millions-deuros-pour-propulser-son-microlanceur-spatial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Rift Takes Flight: Drone Startup Wants To Be Europe's Eyes in the Sky URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rift-takes-flight-drone-startup-wants-to-be-europes-eyes-in-the-sky/ Last updated: 2025-11-21T08:21:00.000Z Rift raised €4.6M for its on-demand aerial surveillance network of autonomous long-endurance drones that provide governments and operators instant, low-cost “intelligence as a service” as Europe seeks faster, safer ways to monitor and protect critical territory. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Atomico Vs Pitchbook 2025 Street Fight: Is Europe’s Tech Glass Half Full or Empty? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/atomico-vs-pitchbook-2025-street-fight-is-europes-tech-glass-half-full-or-empty/ Last updated: 2025-11-20T22:32:55.000Z Two reports, two moods: Atomico sees sunshine and a trillion-euro tech titan on the horizon. PitchBook forecasts storm clouds and a stress ball. European tech in 2025 is a sloppy mess with big dreams and a terrible hangover, but a can-do attitude if it can just stop tripping over itself. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #51 | 50 Shades Of Sovereignty: Macron, Merz & A Franco-German AI Love Story URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-51-50-shades-of-sovereignty-macron-merz-a-franco-german-ai-love-story/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T11:32:48.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 VCs are pouring money into voice-based interfaces, powered by advances in speech recognition and natural language generation. Over the summer, **CB Insights noted that Voice AI has become** "the new battleground in the race to build the future of human-machine interactions." Paris-based GetVocal has joined the race, landing a $26M Series A to fuel a new era of human-guided, agentic voice AI. [**GetVocal CEO and Co-Founder Roy Moussa explains the company's human-AI hybrid vision for the agentic voice future.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/) ⁠🧠 While B2C perfected one-click buying, B2B distributors still swim in PDFs and Excel sheets. French-Italian startup Volta just raised €11M to change that. Fast. [**CEO Paul Guillemin takes us inside Volta's plans to build the AI-powered operating system that will finally drag B2B commerce into the 21st century.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/can-volta-bring-b2b-commerce-out-of-the-stone-age-with-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines ⛰️ **W*ie geht's?*** Get Ready For An Avalanche of News from the trenches of the Franco-German Summit on Digital Sovereignty held on November 18 in Berlin, aka ***le Sommet sur la souveraineté numérique européenne aka der Deutsch-Französischer Gipfel zur digitalen Souveränität...***⛰️ ⛰️France and Germany kicked off a joint summit with a push to cut Europe’s dependence on US and Chinese tech. French Prez Emmanuel Macron set the tone, warning that Europe **“refuses to be a vassal”** and must build its own digital backbone and not remain a client of foreign giants. He called for a **“European preference”** in public tech procurement, noting that the US and China already do the same, and urged Europe to **innovate before it regulates**. Key summit moves included a united agenda for sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure and a push to re-balance power away from the “Magnificent Seven” US tech titans. | [**France24**](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20251118-merz-macron-to-push-for-european-digital-sovereignty?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-76.png) ⛰️ **Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed Macron**’s call for an EU-wide definition of a sovereign cloud and a **“Buy European”** approach in public procurement. After years of Franco-German squabbles over cloud rules, the two leaders signaled they’re finally on the same page: European data should be shielded from US and Chinese surveillance, and public contracts should favor homegrown solutions. The pair plan to push the European Commission to include a cloud sovereignty standard in the upcoming **Cloud and AI Development Act** (CAIDA) expected Q1 2026\. Cybersecurity agencies from both countries are already refining an EU cloud score to help make the framework a reality. | [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/news/paris-and-berlin-unite-behind-sovereign-european-cloud-push/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛰️This all turned into a big bag of goodies for French hometown favorites **Mistral AI**. At the summit, both countries announced they will deploy a joint Mistral AI–SAP (the latter being Germany's software biggie) offering inside their public administrations. **A binding agreement is due mid-2026,** with high-impact use cases planned through 2030\. Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch said he expects “several hundred million euros” in revenue from the partnership, with both companies investing tens of millions to integrate Mistral’s automation with SAP’s deeply embedded systems. Still TBD: the official definition of a “European digital service,” which Paris and Berlin want to enshrine in regulation to create a real Buy-European preference, even as SAP keeps working with OpenAI in Germany. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/souverainete-numerique-paris-et-berlin-sengagent-a-deployer-une-offre-commune-de-mistral-et-sap-2199464?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛰️ Not to be left behind, France's **Owkin** made waves at the summit by unveiling Europe’s first pan-European agentic infrastructure designed to make biological data fully AI-ready. Built with Gustave Roussy and Charité, the project aims to supercharge drug discovery by harmonizing biomedical data across the continent and deploying next-generation agentic AI. Positioned as a flagship for European digital sovereignty in health, it sets out to prove that Europe can lead the race in AI-native biology—an arena still wide open. The initiative also establishes new standards for trusted, cross-border data collaboration, ensuring innovation stays rooted in European institutions and values. | [**Silicon Canals**](https://siliconcanals.com/owkin-unveils-europes-first-pan-european-agentic-infrastructure-for-biology-at-the-franco-german-digital-sovereignty-summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛰️France and Germany also intensified their push to win support for Brussels’ new omnibus plan to loosen GDPR duties and stall parts of the AI Act until December 2027, arguing it will cut red tape for SMEs and free up innovation. But members of the European Parliament and civil-society groups warn that the draft replaces strict oversight with self-assessment, weakens safeguards for high-risk AI, and effectively deregulates core protections. Opponents say it panders to Big Tech just as deepfakes and election interference loom large. | [**Euronews**](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/11/18/france-germany-support-simplification-push-for-digital-rules-as-commission-preps-revision-?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***And now, in non-summit AI news...*** **🗞️ China’s Rising AI Star Lands in Paris and Declares France “The Center of European AI.”** Manus, the Chinese AI agent that went viral for building apps and websites without a single line of code, has picked Paris for its first European office. This is its fourth globally after Singapore, Tokyo, and San Francisco. The startup, whose agent now counts 10 million users, plans to hire engineers and sales teams as it scales across Europe. Co-founder Tao Zhang says Manus’ explosive launch that attracted 3 million waitlist sign-ups in days came down to “the right product at the right time.” The company behind it, Butterfly Effect, also built Monica, the AI-powered browser extension that lets users query models directly on webpages. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/la-france-est-le-centre-de-lia-europeenne-manus-lautre-star-chinoise-de-lia-ouvre-un-bureau-a-paris-2198148?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Move Over, Wikipedia. INSEAD’s Botipedia Is Here.** INSEAD just unleashed [**Botipedia**](https://www.botipedia.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), billed as the world’s largest AI-powered knowledge portal, 6,000 times bigger than Wikipedia. Brainchild of professor Phil Parker, a generative AI pioneer, it uses Dynamic Multi-method Generation (DMG) tech to generate verifiable, sourced content in 100+ languages. With over 400 billion potential entries, Botipedia aims to smash language barriers and put unprecedented knowledge at the fingertips of millions. It's already in use at INSEAD via the Human and Machine Intelligence Institute (HUMII). | [**PR**](https://www.insead.edu/news/truth-seeking-ai-creates-worlds-largest-encyclopaedic-knowledge-portal-6000-times-larger-wikipedia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Hugging Face just doubled down on Google Cloud**, letting companies build AI with open models in a few clicks. The partnership promises faster downloads, TPUs as easy as GPUs, and tighter security, all designed for the 10 million AI builders on Hugging Face. **Irony alert:** announced just before the EU digital sovereignty summit, it’s a reminder that open-model convenience and European “tech independence” don’t always go hand in hand. | [**Google Cloud**](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/expanding-support-for-ai-developers-on-hugging-face?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Hugging Face**](https://huggingface.co/blog/google-cloud?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Opcore Backs European Digital Independence...at the Other Summit.** Opcore (Iliad/Infravia) announced a €4 billion data center in Seine-et-Marne, promising hundreds of jobs and hundreds of megawatts of AI-ready computing power, a revelation still nicely timed to the European digital sovereignty theme. Set to open in 2027 on a former EDF site, it was the **largest investment announced at Monday's Choose France summit.** And a strong signal that some French companies are taking the “European preference” pledge seriously, even if they were not invited to sit at the big kids' table in Berlin. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/11/17/l-operateur-opcore-va-investir-4-milliards-d-euros-dans-un-centre-de-donnees-en-seine-et-marne-l-investissement-le-plus-important-annonce-au-sommet-choose-france%5F6653735%5F3234.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Grok Goes Rogue As Musk’s AI Plays Fast and Loose with Bataclan Truths.** Nothing says “AI maturity” like reinventing history. 10 years after the Bataclan terrorist attack and in a jaw-dropping lapse of judgment, Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok propagated long-debunked extreme-right claims about torture at the Bataclan, inventing fake survivor testimonies and gruesome details that never happened. The story first resurfaced via a post on X from a far-right account, **Melissa\_Nemesis**, and Grok eagerly amplified it, giving the rumor a shiny new AI stamp of “credibility.” Even when confronted by actual survivors, Grok doubled down, mixing up journalists with victims, blaming its errors on “emotional timing” and “algorithmic fatigue.” After several humiliating corrections, the AI finally admitted its “hallucination, ” a technical term for confidently lying to millions. | [**Le Monde**](http://lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/11/17/attentats-du-13-novembre-quand-grok-l-ia-d-elon-musk-propage-les-fake-news-de-l-extreme-droite%5F6653683%5F3224.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 20% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 20% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 From Cavemen to Conversational AI: GetVocal and the Human-Agentic Voice Renaissance [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-77.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/) In the world of artificial intelligence and tech constantly hunting for the next thing over the horizon, there is definitely a kind of vibe in the air at the moment that **voice is the new interface*.* When GetVocal CEO and Co-Founder **Roy Moussa** hears this talk and thinks about the evolution of voice technology, however, he doesn’t reach for a futurist metaphor. Instead, he goes straight back to the Stone Age. “Voice, I would say it's the oldest interface, right?” he said. “When we were cavemen, we passed on stories by mouth. Now we just did a loop around and went back to the richest modality we have in explaining our thoughts.” That mix of basic human perspective and cutting-edge tools has become something of a signature for **GetVocal**, the Paris-based conversational [**AI startup that has just raised $26 million in Series A**](https://www.getvocal.ai/blog/getvocal-raises-26-million-series-a-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) funding led by Creandum, with Elaia and Speedinvest participating. It’s the second round this year for the company, an indication of both its own momentum as well as the growing interest in the Voice AI space by venture capital. **Moussa** recognizes that the space is getting heated. At the same time, beyond his confidence in the company's technology, he also believes that it is taking a fundamental approach that will set it apart from competitors. Rather than obsessively trying to deliver fully autonomous AI agents to enterprises, the company instead wants to create ones they can trust. For GetVocal, that means finding the right balance between humans and AI. By developing a hybrid system where AI agents work under human supervision while gradually learning to handle more complex tasks, GetVocal aims to create a service that delivers actual gains in efficiency without overpromising full-scale automation. "It's the best of both worlds approach," Moussa said. "It's how to make decisions in real-time conversations and take actions that affect your revenue or affect your customer relations and brand perception. How to make that confidently, responsibly, and according to your business logic and business protocol, while still leveraging the best of what LLMs today give us." [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/) --- ### 🧠 Can Volta Bring B2B Commerce Out Of The Stone Age with AI? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-78.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/can-volta-bring-b2b-commerce-out-of-the-stone-age-with-ai/) B2C went digital fifteen years ago. B2B… didn’t. While Amazon perfected one-click checkout, distributors still juggle PDFs, Excel sheets, calls, and unending email threads. French-Italian startup [**Volta**](https://www.voltasoftware.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), created in 2024, believes the gap is now too wide to ignore and too strategically important to leave unsolved. Less than a year after raising €6 million, the company has secured another €5 million, this time led by global early-stage venture firm RTP Global, bringing total funding to €11 million. With over €1 million in new revenue in the past six months and a team that has grown from 5 to 30 in under a year, Volta is moving fast. CEO [**Paul Guillemin**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-guillemin-194a1557/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is on a mission: build the AI-powered operating system that will finally drag B2B commerce into the 21st century. “B2B is a major digitalization challenge,” Guillemin said. [Click to read](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/can-volta-bring-b2b-commerce-out-of-the-stone-age-with-ai/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Nov_14.png) ***For the week ending November 14, there were 7 AI startups that raised a total of €46.15 million.*** --- 📇 Company: Beside 🔍 Description: Provides an AI-powered telephony & messaging assistant for small businesses—capturing inbound calls and texts and turning them into actions (bookings, follow-ups, notes, scheduling) by rebuilding the full telephony stack with AI for the “real economy.” 💻 Website: [Beside](https://www.beside.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: $32M 🏦 Investors: EQT Ventures, Index Ventures, Stewart Butterfield, Clement Delangue, NextView Ventures, ISAI, Volo Ventures, Factorial Capital, Mathilde Colin, Pierre Valade, Jean-Charles Samuelian ([beside.com](https://www.beside.com/blog/beside-raises-32-million-to-turn-trillions-of-calls-and-texts-into-growth-for-everyday-businesses?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maxime Germain (CEO), Bobby Giangeruso (Product), Aymeric Beaumet (CTO), Justin Bureau (Product), Hélène Blonz (Growth) 🗞️ News: Beside secured $32 M to enable small businesses to transform their call/text volume into growth, leveraging AI to handle missed calls, book appointments, take notes, and update systems automatically. | [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2025/11/11/beside-ai-voice-startup-raises-32-million-ai-receptionist-for-small-business/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Filiz 🔍 **Description:** Filiz is a French EdTech SaaS platform that helps private schools and apprenticeship centres manage their financial, administrative, and academic operations. Already used by 500+ campuses, the platform streamlines funding flows, attendance-linked public payments, invoicing, compliance, and academic planning. Filiz is now expanding into an integrated all-in-one operations system with upcoming AI-powered tools for task automation, planning, and real-time insights. 💻 **Website:** [**Filiz**](https://www.filiz.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Olonne-sur-Mer, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Hexa 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Jacquet, Aurélia Jacquet 🗞️ **News:** Filiz raised €6M from Hexa to scale its education-operations platform across Europe, marking one of the largest administrative EdTech rounds in 2025\. The startup has tripled revenue year-on-year to reach €2M ARR while remaining profitable. The partnership with Hexa includes both capital and multi-year operational support, aimed at expanding Filiz’s reach, strengthening its leadership team, and evolving the product to support larger multi-campus networks. The round stands out in a year where comparable European EdTech raises — such as DigitalErleben (€1M) and Kidola (€1.3M) — remained in the lower single-digit range. Filiz aims to grow revenue 10× within five years as private education surges across Europe. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/frances-filiz-bas-e6-million-for-their-mission-to-modernise-europes-private-education-system/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dialog 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered “brand agent” that reinvents e-commerce by enabling visitors to ask questions, receive personalized product recommendations, and interact through natural conversation. Trained on each brand’s catalogue, content, stock and tone, Dialog integrates directly into product pages, homepages and search bars — multiplying conversions by up to 3× and powering over 1M customer conversations. 💻 **Website:** [Dialog](https://www.askdialog.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $4.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** Galion.exe (lead), Kima Ventures, Weaving Group, Hexa, plus business angels from La Redoute, Criteo, Decathlon, CDiscount, Veepee, AB Tasty, Hugging Face, Pigment 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Grimal, Louis Pinsard 🗞️ **News:** Dialog raised a $4.4M seed round to accelerate product development and expand across Europe. Already deployed at brands such as OhMyCream, Delsey Paris and MG Motor, its AI sales agent drives 3× higher conversion, +25% AOV, and 95% CSAT across more than 300 e-commerce customers. The funds will support deeper capabilities and commercial scale as conversational buying becomes the new default in global e-commerce. | [**LSA**](https://www.lsa-conso.fr/e-commerce-dialog-leve-4-4-millions-de-dollars-pour-accompagner-les-marques-dans-le-commerce-agentique,463192?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** OWLO 🔍 **Description:** OWLO is a deeptech spin-off from Institut Langevin (ESPCI, CNRS, PSL) developing a real-time, 3D, label-free microscopy technology for medical and pharmaceutical applications. Its imaging module, powered by advanced optics and AI, allows clinicians and researchers to visualize oocytes, embryos, and organoids in 3D — dramatically enhancing IVF assessment accuracy and enabling breakthroughs in drug discovery and ophthalmology. 💻 **Website:** [OWLO](https://www.owlo.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.5 million (including €0.5m debt and €0.5m subsidies) 🏦 **Investors:** daphni (lead), Cercle de Chiron, iXcore, Thibault Courthéoux, Alain Decombe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul Balondrade, Nicolas Guigui, PhD, Victor Barolle, Alexandre Aubry 🗞️ **News:** OWLO raised €2.5M to develop its first product version by end of 2025\. The company’s 3D, non-invasive microscopy solution aims to significantly improve IVF success rates (currently \~25%) by allowing embryologists to assess oocyte maturity and embryo viability more precisely. The technology originates from a decade of research at Institut Langevin and is positioned to transform fertility treatments first, with extensions into pharma R&D and ophthalmology. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/fiv-parcours-pma-sterilite-masculine-ces-start-up-qui-sattaquent-a-linfertilite-2198011?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daphni%5Fwhat-is-the-link-between-marie-curie-and-activity-7394297654123446272-Vbhb?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Paage 🔍 **Description:** Paage is an AI-powered platform designed for independent creators and small brands, enabling them to build and manage a complete online presence without technical skills. The platform centralises design, content creation, payments, audience management, and e-commerce into an AI-driven “cockpit” that interprets natural language to instantly create interactive pages. Paage aims to become the daily operating system for the social commerce generation. 💻 **Website:** [**Paage**](https://start.paa.ge/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Aglaé Ventures, Kima Ventures, Cassius; angels including Alexandre Eruimy, Felix Malfait, Darren Lachtman, Enzo Mattioli Ferrari 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean Ronin, Nicolas Garcin 🗞️ **News:** Paage raised €2.2M to expand its AI capabilities, grow its product and engineering teams, and accelerate international expansion—especially in the U.S., where 60% of its 100,000+ users are already based. Founded in 2025, Paage differentiates itself from traditional website builders by offering an AI co-pilot that helps creators instantly design pages, manage audiences, and integrate payments and CRM tools. The funding follows rapid global adoption driven primarily by community and word-of-mouth growth. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/paage-raises-2-2m-ai-social-commerce/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** KLODIOS 🔍 **Description:** KLODIOS is a French health-intelligence startup developing a sovereign, highly automated, and deeply personalized monitoring platform for healthcare organizations. Combining advanced AI with hands-on field expertise, the company helps hospitals, institutions, and health professionals navigate regulatory, economic, and ethical complexity through precise, actionable health intelligence. 💻 **Website:** [Klodios](https://klodios.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Caen 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2M 🏦 **Investors:** Normandie Business Angels, Normandie Participations, Bpifrance, Caisse d’Epargne Normandie, CIC 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas VIVET, Clément VIVET 🗞️ **News:** Four years after its creation, KLODIOS completed its first funding round to accelerate both its AI development and its user-success operations. The new capital will reinforce the R&D team to advance automation and personalization, while expanding on-the-ground support for healthcare professionals. The company aims to become a leading European player in health monitoring and the French market reference within two years. | [**Normandie Incubation**](https://www.normandie-incubation.com/klodios-leve-1-2me-pour-accelerer-la-reinvention-de-la-veille-en-sante/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** fluiidd 🔍 **Description:** fluiidd develops intelligent industrial monitoring sensors with real-time, on-device AI processing. Spun out from 10 years of research at the CEA, its technology helps industrial operators reduce maintenance costs by 30% and prevent critical production stoppages through advanced predictive monitoring. 💻 **Website:** [**Fluiidd**](https://fluiidd.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** La Ciotat 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €650,000 🏦 **Investors:** Provence Angels, Femmes Business Angels, INSEAD BA Network, Région Sud Investissement (RSI) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Darnajou, Philippe Guenebaud 🗞️ **News:** fluiidd secured over €650k in its first funding round, bringing together three business angel networks and leading regional fund RSI. The capital will allow the startup to scale its commercial and marketing teams, continue R&D to expand predictive AI capabilities, and industrialize the manufacturing of its intelligent sensors. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/provence-business-angels%5F%F0%9D%97%9F%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%98%83%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%97%B2-%F0%9D%97%B1%F0%9D%97%B2-%F0%9D%97%B3%F0%9D%97%BC%F0%9D%97%BB%F0%9D%97%B1%F0%9D%98%80-fluiidd-activity-7394686728025964544-KWMO?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-44.png) 🗣️ **Microsoft GenAI Studio 3rd Edition |** Microsoft France announces the opening of applications for the third promotion of its Microsoft GenAI Studio acceleration program, dedicated to supporting French startups in the adoption and development of solutions based on artificial intelligence. **| Deadline: December 3 |** [**Apply here**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2025/11/microsoft-france-lance-lappel-a-candidatures-pour-la-troisieme-edition-du-microsoft-genai-studio/?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Adopt AI | November 24 - 26 |** The iconic Grand Palais will host the **business-focused continuation of the AI Action Summit**, led by President Macron alongside Heads of State and Government. Over three days, Fortune 500 CEOs, top researchers, and forward-thinking C-level leaders will showcase how AI is reshaping industries, driving strategy, and merging human and machine intelligence. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/inscription?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Databricks DATA + AI World Tour Paris | December 2 |** This day will be an opportunity to discover concretely how French companies put AI into production, through keynotes and inspiring testimonies from companies such as Decathlon, Danone, Covéa and Michelin. Finally, this event will also be an opportunity to exchange with the executives of Databricks, including Guillaume Brandenburg, RVP and Managing Director at Databricks, Yannis Daubin, Vice President - South Europe, Israel, Middle East & Africa and Samuel Bonamigo, SVP & GM, EMEA. | [**Register**](https://dataaisummit.databricks.com/flow/db/wt25cdg/reg/page/landing?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Blueprint for scaling AI Support: live in Paris | December 4 |** AI is transforming customer experience at an unprecedented pace. The [*AI Agent Blueprint*](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)[ ](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)reveals how leaders across customer service, CX, and AI transformation are deploying AI fast, scaling confidently, and achieving measurable business impact. | [**Register**](https://luma.com/3pm37es1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Can Volta Bring B2B Commerce Out Of The Stone Age with AI? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/can-volta-bring-b2b-commerce-out-of-the-stone-age-with-ai/ Last updated: 2025-11-27T11:43:58.000Z While B2C perfected one-click buying, B2B distributors still swim in PDFs and Excel sheets. French-Italian startup Volta just raised €11M to change that. Fast. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### From Cavemen to Conversational AI: GetVocal and the Human-Agentic Voice Renaissance URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-cavemen-to-conversational-ai-getvocal-and-the-human-agentic-voice-renaissance/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T10:25:33.000Z GetVocal raised a $26M Series A to fuel a new era of human-guided, agentic voice AI. Its system blends ancient communication instincts with cutting-edge tech to deliver trusted, enterprise-ready automation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire November 17: XAnge bags €200M, Beside, U-Space, Sunday & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-november-17-xange-bags-eu200m-beside-u-space-sunday-more/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T14:39:15.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 💸 XAnge: First Closing Of €200M For 5th Fund XAnge has raised €200 million toward a planned €250M fund, the firm's 5th and largest yet, as it plans to extend its presence across Europe. The fund is built around three investment pillars: AI transformation, deep tech, and sustainable future. The new fund reflects XAnge's ambition to back companies capable of building what the firm calls "global leaders" across the continent. XAnge 5 will expand the firm's geographic reach beyond France, Benelux, and DACH countries to cover most of continental Europe, excluding the UK. In terms of AI, the company has skipped the foundational model hype and focused on more targeted opportunities. "We are deeply focused on software integrations," said XAnge partner Alexis du Peloux, emphasizing the firm's focus on companies with existing client access and technical barriers to entry. XAnge's track record includes successes like Lydia, Ledger, Believe, and Odoo, with more recent bets on companies like Skello, 360Learning, Greenly, and Gleamer. The new fund will lead early-stage rounds with initial investments ranging from €1 million to €15 million. On the deep tech side, XAnge is betting on vertical integration over traditional lab spinouts. The new fund also comes at a moment when European tech sovereignty is getting more attention. "The question of European sovereignty is quite active in the ecosystem and leading to a lot of interesting markets and opportunities," said Partner Guilhem de Vregille. --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: November 14 ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** **Total Raised: €72.35 million** **Number of Companies: 13** **Dominant City: Paris, 10 of 13 deals** ### 🧬 **Sector Diversity** - 🚗 **Mobility & Smart Cities:** **€25.1M** - 💻 **AI & Software**: **€45.7M** - ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation**: **€3.7M** - 💳 **Fintech / DeFi**: **€2.0M** - 🧠 **Medtech & Health Intelligence**: **€2.7M** --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-46.png) 📇 Company: Beside 🔍 Description: Provides an AI-powered telephony & messaging assistant for small businesses—capturing inbound calls and texts and turning them into actions (bookings, follow-ups, notes, scheduling) by rebuilding the full telephony stack with AI for the “real economy.” 💻 Website: [Beside](https://www.beside.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: $32M 🏦 Investors: EQT Ventures, Index Ventures, Stewart Butterfield, Clement Delangue, NextView Ventures, ISAI, Volo Ventures, Factorial Capital, Mathilde Colin, Pierre Valade, Jean-Charles Samuelian ([beside.com](https://www.beside.com/blog/beside-raises-32-million-to-turn-trillions-of-calls-and-texts-into-growth-for-everyday-businesses?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maxime Germain (CEO), Bobby Giangeruso (Product), Aymeric Beaumet (CTO), Justin Bureau (Product), Hélène Blonz (Growth) 🗞️ News: Beside secured $32 M to enable small businesses to transform their call/text volume into growth, leveraging AI to handle missed calls, book appointments, take notes, and update systems automatically. | [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2025/11/11/beside-ai-voice-startup-raises-32-million-ai-receptionist-for-small-business/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/uspace.png) 📇 **Company:** U-Space 🔍 **Description:** Toulouse-based manufacturer of modular satellites, providing end-to-end capabilities from design to assembly to in-orbit operations. U-Space serves the rapidly scaling global small-satellite constellation market with proprietary software, 12U and FreeForm platforms, and a fully digitized industrial line inspired by automotive manufacturing. 💻 **Website:** [U-Space](https://www.u-space.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €24 million 🏦 **Investors:** Blast’s Definvest fund (Bpifrance & French Ministry of Armed Forces, co-lead), Expansion Venture Capital, Primo Capital, Karot Capital, ARIS Venture Capital, Vertech Finance, CapSpace, Audacia (co-invest) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Fabien Apper, Antoine Ressoucche 🗞️ **News:** U-Space raised €24M to accelerate its industrial scale-up and global expansion after previously securing €7M in 2022\. The company targets producing one satellite per week by 2027, with an eventual goal of one per day, thanks to its new 850 m² U-Zine cleanroom facility. U-Space already has three satellites in orbit (NESS, Soap, Pandore) and a dozen in production, and is expanding into APAC and MENA markets. | [**Space News**](https://spacenews.com/french-startup-u-space-raises-24-million-for-smallsat-manufacting/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/one-satellite-per-week-thats-the-aim-of-frances-u-space-with-its-new-e24-million-raise/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/12/new-space-blast-et-le-ministere-des-armees-aux-manettes-de-la-serie-a-du-space/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/u-space-leve-24-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-production-des-constellations-satellitaires-europeennes/458576?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-54.png) 📇 **Company:** sunday 🔍 **Description:** sunday is a restaurant-focused payments platform created by the founders of Big Mamma to transform the dining experience. Initially launched as a fast and seamless QR-code payment solution, it now connects every customer interaction — ordering, payment, loyalty, and CRM — through deep integrations with more than 50 POS and restaurant systems. Used by over **80 million diners**, sunday helps restaurants increase tips, improve feedback collection, boost average basket size, and streamline operations. 💻 **Website:** [Sunday](https://www.sundayapp.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $21M (≈ €18M) 🏦 **Investors:** DST Global Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Victor Lugger, Tigrane Seydoux, Christine de Wendel 🗞️ **News:** sunday raised a $21M Series B to accelerate global expansion and scale its all-in-one restaurant operating system. The company has tripled in size over the past year and now processes **$4B+** in annual payments across 3,000 restaurants in the U.S., France, and the U.K. The new funding fuels 2026 ambitions: covering all restaurant formats from fast-food kiosks to Michelin-starred dining, expanding across major U.S. cities and Dubai, and doubling revenue, customer volume, and product adoption by summer 2026\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sunday-leve-18-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sa-croissance-et-consolider-sa-position-dans-le-paiement-en-restauration/458583?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/12/sunday-spin-off-de-big-mamma-leve-18-millions-deuros-pour-poursuivre-sa-conquete-du-marche-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/restaurant-fintech-sunday-21m-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-51.png) 📇 **Company:** Filiz 🔍 **Description:** Filiz is a French EdTech SaaS platform that helps private schools and apprenticeship centres manage their financial, administrative, and academic operations. Already used by 500+ campuses, the platform streamlines funding flows, attendance-linked public payments, invoicing, compliance, and academic planning. Filiz is now expanding into an integrated all-in-one operations system with upcoming AI-powered tools for task automation, planning, and real-time insights. 💻 **Website:** [**Filiz**](https://www.filiz.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Olonne-sur-Mer, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Hexa 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Jacquet, Aurélia Jacquet 🗞️ **News:** Filiz raised €6M from Hexa to scale its education-operations platform across Europe, marking one of the largest administrative EdTech rounds in 2025\. The startup has tripled revenue year-on-year to reach €2M ARR while remaining profitable. The partnership with Hexa includes both capital and multi-year operational support, aimed at expanding Filiz’s reach, strengthening its leadership team, and evolving the product to support larger multi-campus networks. The round stands out in a year where comparable European EdTech raises — such as DigitalErleben (€1M) and Kidola (€1.3M) — remained in the lower single-digit range. Filiz aims to grow revenue 10× within five years as private education surges across Europe. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/frances-filiz-bas-e6-million-for-their-mission-to-modernise-europes-private-education-system/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/1759392066318.jpeg) 📇 **Company:** Dialog 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered “brand agent” that reinvents e-commerce by enabling visitors to ask questions, receive personalized product recommendations, and interact through natural conversation. Trained on each brand’s catalogue, content, stock and tone, Dialog integrates directly into product pages, homepages and search bars — multiplying conversions by up to 3× and powering over 1M customer conversations. 💻 **Website:** [Dialog](https://www.askdialog.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $4.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** Galion.exe (lead), Kima Ventures, Weaving Group, Hexa, plus business angels from La Redoute, Criteo, Decathlon, CDiscount, Veepee, AB Tasty, Hugging Face, Pigment 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Grimal, Louis Pinsard 🗞️ **News:** Dialog raised a $4.4M seed round to accelerate product development and expand across Europe. Already deployed at brands such as OhMyCream, Delsey Paris and MG Motor, its AI sales agent drives 3× higher conversion, +25% AOV, and 95% CSAT across more than 300 e-commerce customers. The funds will support deeper capabilities and commercial scale as conversational buying becomes the new default in global e-commerce. | [**LSA**](https://www.lsa-conso.fr/e-commerce-dialog-leve-4-4-millions-de-dollars-pour-accompagner-les-marques-dans-le-commerce-agentique,463192?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/1762937939142-1-1.jpg) 📇 **Company:** OWLO 🔍 **Description:** OWLO is a deeptech spin-off from Institut Langevin (ESPCI, CNRS, PSL) developing a real-time, 3D, label-free microscopy technology for medical and pharmaceutical applications. Its imaging module, powered by advanced optics and AI, allows clinicians and researchers to visualize oocytes, embryos, and organoids in 3D — dramatically enhancing IVF assessment accuracy and enabling breakthroughs in drug discovery and ophthalmology. 💻 **Website:** [OWLO](https://www.owlo.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.5 million (including €0.5m debt and €0.5m subsidies) 🏦 **Investors:** daphni (lead), Cercle de Chiron, iXcore, Thibault Courthéoux, Alain Decombe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul Balondrade, Nicolas Guigui, PhD, Victor Barolle, Alexandre Aubry 🗞️ **News:** OWLO raised €2.5M to develop its first product version by end of 2025\. The company’s 3D, non-invasive microscopy solution aims to significantly improve IVF success rates (currently \~25%) by allowing embryologists to assess oocyte maturity and embryo viability more precisely. The technology originates from a decade of research at Institut Langevin and is positioned to transform fertility treatments first, with extensions into pharma R&D and ophthalmology. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/fiv-parcours-pma-sterilite-masculine-ces-start-up-qui-sattaquent-a-linfertilite-2198011?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daphni%5Fwhat-is-the-link-between-marie-curie-and-activity-7394297654123446272-Vbhb?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** K-Words 🔍 **Description:** K-Words is reinventing Search Media for the Open Internet by allowing brands to sponsor keywords directly within trusted editorial content. Their contextual, privacy-friendly adtech solution helps advertisers reach users where their attention naturally is, creating a smarter and more efficient alternative to traditional search and display advertising. 💻 **Website:** [**K-Words**](https://www.k-words.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** daphni, plus participation from additional investors (not specified) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yohan Elmaalem, Harry Levy, Sacha Bouaziz, Damien Peponnet, Claire Poirier 🗞️ **News:** K-Words secured a €2M round to scale its contextual keyword sponsorship platform across the open web. The company is already partnering with publishers such as Reworld, Webedia, and Marie Claire to power privacy-safe, AI-driven contextual advertising. K-Words aligns with daphni’s Dastore thesis and aims to define the next evolution of search and media monetization on the open internet. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daphni%5Fwere-happy-to-announce-our-investment-in-activity-7394682132721471488-blWo?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-52.png) 📇 **Company:** Paage 🔍 **Description:** Paage is an AI-powered platform designed for independent creators and small brands, enabling them to build and manage a complete online presence without technical skills. The platform centralises design, content creation, payments, audience management, and e-commerce into an AI-driven “cockpit” that interprets natural language to instantly create interactive pages. Paage aims to become the daily operating system for the social commerce generation. 💻 **Website:** [**Paage**](https://start.paa.ge/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Aglaé Ventures, Kima Ventures, Cassius; angels including Alexandre Eruimy, Felix Malfait, Darren Lachtman, Enzo Mattioli Ferrari 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean Ronin, Nicolas Garcin 🗞️ **News:** Paage raised €2.2M to expand its AI capabilities, grow its product and engineering teams, and accelerate international expansion—especially in the U.S., where 60% of its 100,000+ users are already based. Founded in 2025, Paage differentiates itself from traditional website builders by offering an AI co-pilot that helps creators instantly design pages, manage audiences, and integrate payments and CRM tools. The funding follows rapid global adoption driven primarily by community and word-of-mouth growth. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/paage-raises-2-2m-ai-social-commerce/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Zaiffer Co-founder and CEO Bilal El Almay](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-50.png) Zaiffer Founder and CEO Bilal El Almay 📇 **Company:** Zaiffer 🔍 **Description:** Zaiffer is a Paris-based confidential finance startup bringing a compliance-ready privacy layer to decentralised finance (DeFi). Built on Zama’s fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) technology, Zaiffer enables any ERC-20 or EVM-compatible token to be shielded into a confidential version (“cTokens”), hiding transaction amounts while allowing selective disclosure for auditors and regulators. The protocol introduces privacy-preserving transfers, payroll, OTC trades, and cross-border payments — all without new wallets, bridges, or changes to existing DeFi infrastructure. 💻 **Website:** [Zaiffer](https://www.zaiffer.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed / Seed (Stealth emergence) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Zama, PyratzLabs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Bilal El Almay (Co-founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Zaiffer emerges from stealth with €2M to launch confidential tokens (“cTokens”), a breakthrough privacy primitive for DeFi built on FHE. The protocol enables encrypted on-chain transactions with sub-5-second performance and selective disclosure for compliance. The raise positions Zaiffer within a broader 2025 European trend in encrypted and privacy-preserving DeFi infrastructure — a category that has seen €61.9M in funding this year, including Zama (€49M), TACEO (€4.8M), and BOB (€8.1M). Mainnet rollout is planned for November 2025 with an SDK enabling confidential AMMs, lending, borrowing and perpetuals. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/zaiffer-unveils-confidential-token-protocol-after-e2-million-raise-to-bridge-privacy-and-regulation-in-defi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-57.png) 📇 **Company:** KLODIOS 🔍 **Description:** KLODIOS is a French health-intelligence startup developing a sovereign, highly automated, and deeply personalized monitoring platform for healthcare organizations. Combining advanced AI with hands-on field expertise, the company helps hospitals, institutions, and health professionals navigate regulatory, economic, and ethical complexity through precise, actionable health intelligence. 💻 **Website:** [Klodios](https://klodios.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Caen 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2M 🏦 **Investors:** Normandie Business Angels, Normandie Participations, Bpifrance, Caisse d’Epargne Normandie, CIC 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas VIVET, Clément VIVET 🗞️ **News:** Four years after its creation, KLODIOS completed its first funding round to accelerate both its AI development and its user-success operations. The new capital will reinforce the R&D team to advance automation and personalization, while expanding on-the-ground support for healthcare professionals. The company aims to become a leading European player in health monitoring and the French market reference within two years. | [**Normandie Incubation**](https://www.normandie-incubation.com/klodios-leve-1-2me-pour-accelerer-la-reinvention-de-la-veille-en-sante/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-58.png) 📇 **Company:** Karbikes 🔍 **Description:** Karbikes develops hybrid bicycle–microcar vehicles designed to replace urban car usage with a low-carbon, space-efficient mobility alternative. Their lightweight, electric-assisted vehicles aim to offer the comfort and practicality of a small car with the efficiency and environmental benefits of cycling. 💻 **Website:** [Karbikes](https://karbikes.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg 🧗 **Round:** Equity + Loans + Grants) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Private investors, loans, and public subsidies (names not disclosed) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gaëlle Richard et Lucas Vançon 🗞️ **News:** Karbikes has secured €1.1M through private investors, loans, and grants, and is opening the round to additional participants. The funding will accelerate production and support the company’s mission to replace more cars on the road with sustainable hybrid bike-cars. Karbikes invites supporters to join the round or help amplify the initiative. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/karbikes%5Fcommunautaez-investisseurs-mobilitaez-activity-7383804013743452160-pl15?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-59-1.png) 📇 **Company:** fluiidd 🔍 **Description:** fluiidd develops intelligent industrial monitoring sensors with real-time, on-device AI processing. Spun out from 10 years of research at the CEA, its technology helps industrial operators reduce maintenance costs by 30% and prevent critical production stoppages through advanced predictive monitoring. 💻 **Website:** [**Fluiidd**](https://fluiidd.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** La Ciotat 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €650,000 🏦 **Investors:** Provence Angels, Femmes Business Angels, INSEAD BA Network, Région Sud Investissement (RSI) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Darnajou, Philippe Guenebaud 🗞️ **News:** fluiidd secured over €650k in its first funding round, bringing together three business angel networks and leading regional fund RSI. The capital will allow the startup to scale its commercial and marketing teams, continue R&D to expand predictive AI capabilities, and industrialize the manufacturing of its intelligent sensors. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/provence-business-angels%5F%F0%9D%97%9F%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%98%83%F0%9D%97%B2%F0%9D%97%B2-%F0%9D%97%B1%F0%9D%97%B2-%F0%9D%97%B3%F0%9D%97%BC%F0%9D%97%BB%F0%9D%97%B1%F0%9D%98%80-fluiidd-activity-7394686728025964544-KWMO?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-62.png) 📇 **Company:** Mariloo 🔍 **Description:** Mariloo is an all-in-one, modern planning platform designed specifically for public-sector organizations. It replaces fragmented tools like Excel, outdated software, and paper-based workflows, helping public teams manage rooms, equipment, interventions, and daily operations with simplicity and reliability. 💻 **Website:** [**Mariloo**](https://mariloo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €500,000 🏦 **Investors:** FINORPA, Finovam Gestion 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mehdi En Asseri, 🗞️ **News:** Mariloo raised €500k to accelerate product development and expand deployment across public-sector institutions. With 10,000+ users and over 1 million events planned, the company aims to become the go-to planning solution for the 140,000 public establishments in France still underserved by modern software tools. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mehdienasseri%5Fmariloo-l%C3%A8ve-500k-pour-devenir-le-r%C3%A9flexe-activity-7394677298370670593-CR2S?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ### **OF NOTE:** 📇 **Company:** ELWAVE 🔍 **Description:** ELWAVE develops advanced electromagnetic sensing technology for underwater drones and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), inspired by electro-sensing fish species. Its E-Pulse platform delivers real-time 360° visibility in complex subsea and industrial environments, detecting both metallic and non-metallic materials — including pipelines and cables usually missed by traditional systems. The technology is used across energy, infrastructure inspection, and defence applications such as mine countermeasures and underwater surveillance. 💻 **Website:** [**Elwave**](https://elwave.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France (Olonne-sur-Mer / Nantes area) 🧗 **Round:** EU Support 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6 million+ 🏦 **Investors:** BlueInvest Readiness Assistance programme support (investor details not disclosed) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pierre Tuffigo 🗞️ **News:** ELWAVE secured more than €6M following support from the EU’s BlueInvest programme, which helped refine its international strategy and connect the company to key funding partners. Founded in 2018 as a spinoff from Institut Mines-Télécom, ELWAVE is now preparing its next fundraising round to accelerate global expansion and enhance its sensor software stack. Its compact E-Pulse sensors are increasingly adopted for subsea inspection, defence surveillance, and anti-submarine operations, offering a major leap beyond conventional detection systems. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Galactic Sheriff Macron Wants SpaceTech Founders To Saddle Up URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-galactic-sheriff-macron-wants-spacetech-founders-to-saddle-up/ Last updated: 2025-11-17T10:46:25.000Z # 👋 Edito 👋 **🩺🙅** In terms of crisis PR, you can't do much better than Doctolib. When France's **L’Autorité de la concurrence** (Competition Authority) announced on November 6 that it was slapping a €4.6M fine on the healthtech unicorn for abusing its dominant market position, [**the company issued a statement claiming:**](https://about.doctolib.fr/news/decision-de-lautorite-de-la-concurrence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***"The decision is surprisingly based on Doctolib’s acquisition of a small start-up (My Doctor) in 2018."*** This triggered outrage across the French tech ecosystem. “It’s simply a scandal...Consolidation is our only way to accelerate the growth of European start-up tech companies against the US and Asian giants with almost unlimited capital," [wrote France Digitale CEO Maya Noël on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mayanoelpro%5Fcest-tout-simplement-un-scandale-comment-share-7392149927767732224-2QcF?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI). [Maddyness wrote:](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/07/doctolib-condamne-un-signal-glacant-envoye-a-lecosysteme/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) "It is therefore not only a company that is questioned, but a logic of growth." Doctolib had artfully managed to make the MonDocteur deal the centerpiece of the debate. However, the ruling was NOT primarily penalizing Doctolib for acquiring its competitor MonDocteur, although that was an incidental part of it. Rather, what the authority found was that Doctolib abused its market position by insisting on exclusivity for all health care providers and using a predatory pricing scheme. The complaint was originally brought in 2021 by Cegedim Santé, a traditional player in the French healthcare software market. Whether this is true or a fair interpretation of its actions is another question. Doctolib has said it plans to appeal the ruling. In its statement, the company downplays discussions of these pricing practices. But the authority offers a fair bit of detail in its announcement of the fine based on Doctolib's internal documents: 1. Doctolib imposed in its subscription contracts with health professionals an exclusivity clause that prohibited them from using rival medical appointment-making services or teleconsultation solutions. Internal documents indicated that Doctolib's legal team alerted executives to the fact that such an exclusivity clause “is illegal under competition law.” Still, Doctolib's president acknowledged this legal opinion in another internal document but wrote: “that it must be strategically kept.” The Authority also notes that many of Doctolib’s internal documents corroborate this desire to impose exclusivity on health professionals, with its leaders displaying the desire “\[to\] be a mandatory and strategic interface between the doctor and his patient in order to lock them both in.” 2. With the launch of Doctolib Teleconsultation in 2019, the company required any medical provider to also subscribe to its Doctolib Patient to access this solution. The health professional had to pay for both services cumulatively and stop any other services. 3. When Doctolib acquired MonDocteur in July 2018, it was so small that it fell below certain thresholds for more intensive reviews. But in the context of the new complaint, authorities went back and reviewed the deal again. The investigation found internal documents that indicated the motivation for the deal was to "kill the product" and that the value of the deal "is not the addition of the asset but its disappearance as a competitor.” Another internal document indicated that by acquiring MonDocteur, “Doctolib will operate without any competition in France anymore.” In addition, Doctolib saw this acquisition as an opportunity to subsequently "increase \[its\] prices by 10% to 20%." It did indeed implement several successive price increases, even larger than initially planned, without impacting its growth rate or losing customers, according to the Authority. Regarding the MonDocteur deal, the Authority acknowledges it is in a legal grey area. Its decision is based on a 2023 European Union Court of Justice ruling ("Towercast") that forbids "predatory acquisitions." That ruling technically clarified a 1973 ruling. So even though the Authority felt certain about the predatory actions, it also opted to levy a minimal fine regarding the deal. **Bottom line:** - Doctolib is being fined €4.615M for the exclusivity sales practices. - It is being fined €50,000 for the MonDocteur deal. Chris --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Macron warns that space is no longer a sanctuary, announcing major new space defense investments and says [**he wants 'New Space' and DefenseTech French startups to help counter rising orbital threats from Russia and other hostile powers.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/space-is-now-a-battlefield-macron-unveils-eu4-3b-defense-plan-and-appeals-to-startups/) 👀 In a world where women still raise just 2% of VC funding, Sylvie Nhansana defies every statistic: engineer, black belt, and CEO of Qare and HealthHero France. She's now building what could become the world’s first truly global teleconsultation platform. [**We sat down with her to learn about her journey.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-laos-leading-europes-biggest-teleconsultation-platform-unstoppable-rise-sylvie-nhansana/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Tech Talk ☔️🦄 **WebSummit just wrapped up its 10th edition.** Lisbon, known for its great weather, promises 3o0 days of sunshine. But this year's key global tech meet edition served up 72 hours of torrential rain instead. According to the organizers, more than 70,000 attendees from 160+ countries squeezed into Portugal’s rainy capital, while VIP attendees' private jets (green tech anyone?!) got politely rerouted to Spain. Tech titans, start-ups, influencers, and ...sports stars... rubbed shoulders. There were 2,500 start-ups, 900 speakers, and AI conversations hotter than the puddles on Avenida da Liberdade. Vibe coding, AI ethics, regulation, and Europe’s energy-hungry data centers dominated the agenda. Poland flexed the most start-ups, Germany shrugged, and China reminded everyone it’s definitely still in the AI race. Among the French stars on stage were: Théau Peronnin of Alice & Bob (Fault-tolerant quantum computing), Antoine Fabre of Tomorro (AI-driven contracts), and Jean Baptista of Deeplife (building digital twins of cells for drug discovery). Our intrepid **Helen O'Reilly-Durand** braved the elements and throngs of humanity to interview **Arago CEO Nicolas Muller** on stage about building a new computing paradigm to power the future of AI with photonic chips. ([**See our Deep Dive on the company here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/photonic-chip-startup-arago-wants-to-cut-ais-massive-energy-appetite-by-90/)) By replacing transistors in the chips with lasers, Arago can compute more info with less, which is more energy efficient and faster. Manufacturing is already underway. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-13-at-20.01.41.jpeg) Arago CEO Nicolas Muller (left) and Helen O'Reilly-Durand **🦾** 💸 **Making the most of the WebSummit buzz,** **Pitchbook dropped their latest investor survey findings**. It would seem that investors are officially letting AI touch their deal flow. PitchBook’s survey shows 40% of European deal value now wears an AI badge. **Healthcare** is the belle of the ball, set to gobble 44% of AI investment in five years. **Cybersecurity and Enterprise Apps** trail behind with 29% and 32% whereas **Fintech is**…politely ignored. Investors adore AI for summarizing due diligence (34%) and sniffing out deals (26%), yet 25% fret about data accuracy and 26% fear over-reliance, showing robots aren’t totally trusted yet. Fun fact: 41% believe AI could replace market research completely, but humans will still gatekeep judgment. In short: algorithms are hot, humans are still VIPs, and your exec team better be sharp.| [**Pitchbook**](https://www.pitchbook.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **💻 💸 Fleet Says No. Thanks.** French IT leasing startup Fleet just turned down several minority LBO offers that could have handed its founders around €30M in cash. Apparently, they’d rather keep the wheel. The bootstrapped company, founded in 2019, now boasts €35M in ARR and 100% year-on-year growth, all with a lean team of 40\. Not bad for a startup that’s never raised a cent. Sometimes, ownership really is the ultimate flex. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-revenus-de-selency-une-operation-prochaine-chez-fleet-2198298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🪑📉 Selency’s Softer Landing.** Not all vintage ages well. **Selency**, the French second-hand furniture platform, saw revenues fall **36%** to €5.9M in 2024–2025\. But at least it halved its losses to €1.4M. Backed by **Creadev**, **Accel**, and the **Mulliez family**, the startup has swapped Maxime leadership too: **Maxime Maffani** (ex-Colizey) takes over from **Maxime Brousse**. A fresh coat of leadership, maybe, but the market’s still looking a little worn.😜 | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-revenus-de-selency-une-operation-prochaine-chez-fleet-2198298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇪🇺 💬 **A Very Exclusive Sovereignty Summit.** Co-hosted by France and Germany in Berlin next Tuesday (18 November), the event will cap attendance at just 900 guests, just 300 per host country and 300 for “the rest of Europe.” Expect all the usual suspects, including Mistral AI, to orbit the discussion. No word yet on whether Emmanuel Macron will make an appearance; the president might instead swing by Adopt AI in Paris a week later, where 25,000 visitors and half the CAC 40 (Orange, Airbus, Carrefour…) are set to pack the Grand Palais. November is shaping up to be peak AI diplomacy season. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-revenus-de-selency-une-operation-prochaine-chez-fleet-2198298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🌱💼 From French Tech to Green Tech.** A bit of musical government chairs: **Shaheen Javid, formerly deputy chief of staff to Clara Chappaz** at *La Mission French Tech*, has joined **Mathieu Lefèvre’s** team at the **Ministry for Ecological Transition**. Her brief is to bring more of an *entreprise mindset* into the ministry. In other words, a little startup speed in a land of slow-moving sustainability. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-revenus-de-selency-une-operation-prochaine-chez-fleet-2198298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-53.png) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 'Space Is Now a Battlefield': Macron Unveils €4.3B Defense Plan And Appeals To Startups [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/3e93d2deec89b3cbafdcd0398c2e42774d9442d1-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/space-is-now-a-battlefield-macron-unveils-eu4-3b-defense-plan-and-appeals-to-startups/) In a sobering address at France's new military space command center in Toulouse this week, President Emmanuel Macron warned that the era of peaceful space exploration has ended and that hostile nations have transformed Earth's orbit into a new theater of war requiring unprecedented defensive measures. "Space is no longer a sanctuary; it has become a battlefield," Macron told military officials at the Space Command facility in Toulouse, detailing a litany of aggressive acts by what he termed "powers of aggression" that have brought terrestrial conflicts into the cosmos. To counter these threats, France is expanding its military space capabilities with an additional €4.2 billion investment through 2030, bringing total military space spending to over €10 billion. The funding will accelerate development of what Macron described as "active defense" systems designed to protect French satellites and, if necessary, neutralize threats in orbit. During his speech, Macron talked of lasers and patrol satellites and the growing menace of Russia from above. But for France's space entrepreneurs, he delivered a succinct message: We want you. "The domestic market for startups must natively be the European market," Macron declared, signaling a fundamental shift in how France views its space entrepreneurs. In other words, he is signalling the government would stop viewing them as scrappy outsiders, but essential partners in a new space race where commercial innovation and military capability are increasingly intertwined. Will that happen? [Go to the space barricades](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/space-is-now-a-battlefield-macron-unveils-eu4-3b-defense-plan-and-appeals-to-startups/) --- # From Laos to Leading Europe’s Biggest Teleconsultation Platform: The Unstoppable Rise of Sylvie N’hansana [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-56.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-laos-leading-europes-biggest-teleconsultation-platform-unstoppable-rise-sylvie-nhansana/) Before she ever led one of Europe’s most ambitious digital health platforms, [**Sylvie Nhansana**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvie-nhansana-b9a4433/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) learned to move through the world with precision, first as an engineer, then as a finance specialist, then as the operator behind several of France’s most prolific scale-ups. When she took the stage at **France Digitale Day** this year, she spoke with the quiet confidence of someone who has watched more than one industry transform from the inside out. That is indeed the case for the engineer-turned-CEO of [**Qare**](https://consultation.qare.fr/rdv-medecin-app/?utm%5Fsource=google%5Fads&utm%5Fmedium=search&utm%5Fcampaign=p%5Fbr%5FQare%5F-%5FBrand%5FFR%5FFrance%5FLP%5FAPP%5FFIRST&utm%5Fcontent=Qare%5F-%5FMarque%5FPure&utm%5Fterm=qare&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=22932338143&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIveSb5sPWkAMVxPp5BB2ugS%5FHEAAYASAAEgJsyfD%5FBwE) and [**HealthHero**](https://www.healthhero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)France, who is quietly building what could become the world’s first truly global teleconsultation platform. In an industry where women still receive just 2% of venture capital funding, female tech leaders are rare. Female tech leaders who run Europe’s leading teleconsultation platform *and* happen to have a black belt in karate are rarer still. Curious to learn more about her unusual path from Laos to London via Paris with roles at Meetic and TripAdvisor, I caught up with her to talk about ambition, technology, and the glass ceilings she’s been busy breaking. “I always wanted an exceptional career,” she said. “I’m from Laos, and I wanted to build something for the country. I wanted to build a train. There are no trains in Laos.” [Follow her journey](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-laos-leading-europes-biggest-teleconsultation-platform-unstoppable-rise-sylvie-nhansana/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** U-Space 🔍 **Description:** Toulouse-based manufacturer of modular satellites, providing end-to-end capabilities from design to assembly to in-orbit operations. U-Space serves the rapidly scaling global small-satellite constellation market with proprietary software, 12U and FreeForm platforms, and a fully digitized industrial line inspired by automotive manufacturing. 💻 **Website:** [U-Space](https://www.u-space.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €24 million 🏦 **Investors:** Blast’s Definvest fund (Bpifrance & French Ministry of Armed Forces, co-lead), Expansion Venture Capital, Primo Capital, Karot Capital, ARIS Venture Capital, Vertech Finance, CapSpace, Audacia (co-invest) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Fabien Apper, Antoine Ressoucche 🗞️ **News:** U-Space raised €24M to accelerate its industrial scale-up and global expansion after previously securing €7M in 2022\. The company targets producing one satellite per week by 2027, with an eventual goal of one per day thanks to its new 850 m² U-Zine cleanroom facility. U-Space already has three satellites in orbit (NESS, Soap, Pandore) and a dozen in production, and is expanding into APAC and MENA markets. Avolta acted as exclusive advisor on the transaction. | [**Space News**](https://spacenews.com/french-startup-u-space-raises-24-million-for-smallsat-manufacting/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/one-satellite-per-week-thats-the-aim-of-frances-u-space-with-its-new-e24-million-raise/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/12/new-space-blast-et-le-ministere-des-armees-aux-manettes-de-la-serie-a-du-space/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/u-space-leve-24-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-production-des-constellations-satellitaires-europeennes/458576?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-54.png) 📇 **Company:** sunday 🔍 **Description:** sunday is a restaurant-focused payments platform created by the founders of Big Mamma to transform the dining experience. Initially launched as a fast and seamless QR-code payment solution, it now connects every customer interaction — ordering, payment, loyalty, and CRM — through deep integrations with more than 50 POS and restaurant systems. Used by over **80 million diners**, sunday helps restaurants increase tips, improve feedback collection, boost average basket size, and streamline operations. 💻 **Website:** [Sunday](https://www.sundayapp.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $21M (≈ €18M) 🏦 **Investors:** DST Global Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Victor Lugger, Tigrane Seydoux, Christine de Wendel 🗞️ **News:** sunday raised a $21M Series B to accelerate global expansion and scale its all-in-one restaurant operating system. The company has tripled in size over the past year and now processes **$4B+** in annual payments across 3,000 restaurants in the U.S., France, and the U.K. The new funding fuels 2026 ambitions: covering all restaurant formats from fast-food kiosks to Michelin-starred dining, expanding across major U.S. cities and Dubai, and doubling revenue, customer volume, and product adoption by summer 2026\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sunday-leve-18-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sa-croissance-et-consolider-sa-position-dans-le-paiement-en-restauration/458583?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/12/sunday-spin-off-de-big-mamma-leve-18-millions-deuros-pour-poursuivre-sa-conquete-du-marche-americain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/restaurant-fintech-sunday-21m-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-51.png) 📇 **Company:** Filiz 🔍 **Description:** Filiz is a French EdTech SaaS platform that helps private schools and apprenticeship centres manage their financial, administrative, and academic operations. Already used by 500+ campuses, the platform streamlines funding flows, attendance-linked public payments, invoicing, compliance, and academic planning. Filiz is now expanding into an integrated all-in-one operations system with upcoming AI-powered tools for task automation, planning, and real-time insights. 💻 **Website:** [**Filiz**](https://www.filiz.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Olonne-sur-Mer, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Hexa 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Jacquet, Aurélia Jacquet 🗞️ **News:** Filiz raised €6M from Hexa to scale its education-operations platform across Europe, marking one of the largest administrative EdTech rounds in 2025\. The startup has tripled revenue year-on-year to reach €2M ARR while remaining profitable. The partnership with Hexa includes both capital and multi-year operational support, aimed at expanding Filiz’s reach, strengthening its leadership team, and evolving the product to support larger multi-campus networks. The round stands out in a year where comparable European EdTech raises — such as DigitalErleben (€1M) and Kidola (€1.3M) — remained in the lower single-digit range. Filiz aims to grow revenue 10× within five years as private education surges across Europe. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/frances-filiz-bas-e6-million-for-their-mission-to-modernise-europes-private-education-system/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 'Space Is Now a Battlefield': Macron Unveils €4.3B Defense Plan And Appeals To Startups URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/space-is-now-a-battlefield-macron-unveils-eu4-3b-defense-plan-and-appeals-to-startups/ Last updated: 2025-11-14T07:26:09.000Z Macron warns that space is no longer a sanctuary, announcing major new space defense investments and says he wants 'New Space' French startups to help counter rising orbital threats from Russia and other hostile powers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### From Laos to Leading Europe’s Biggest Teleconsultation Platform: The Unstoppable Rise of Sylvie Nhansana URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-laos-leading-europes-biggest-teleconsultation-platform-unstoppable-rise-sylvie-nhansana/ Last updated: 2025-11-15T15:16:57.000Z In a world where women still raise just 2% of VC funding, Sylvie Nhansana defies every statistic: engineer, black belt, and CEO of Qare and HealthHero France. She's now building what could become the world’s first truly global teleconsultation platform. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #50: The AI Building Inspector Has Entered The Chat URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-50-the-ai-building-inspector-has-entered-chat/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T09:07:03.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 In an industry where even a two-centimeter error can derail a multimillion-euro project, Freeda has raised €3.4M to bring the precision of AI to construction plans to stop costly [**mistakes from happening before a single brick is laid.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/making-ai-plans-how-freeda-wants-to-reinvent-building-buildings/) 🧠 Despite U.S. giants like OpenAI and Anthropic dominating headlines and fundraising, [**Accel’s 2025 Globalscape report finds European AI application startups reaching 66% of U.S. levels, the highest ever over the past decade.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/accel-ai-applications-best-bet-for-eu-startups-to-win-against-us-leviathans/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ Yann "the man" (which, alas, does not rhyme when pronounced with a French accent) LeCun is reportedly saying *au revoir* to Herr TechBro-meister Mark Zuckerberg and heading off to start his own venture, [**according to the Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/c586eb77-a16e-4363-ab0b-e877898b70de?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). LeCun is one of the godfathers (though not in a mafia sense) of modern AI and longtime conscience (for whatever that was worth) of Meta’s research wing. But after more than a decade building Meta’s FAIR lab, LeCun seems less than thrilled with Zuck’s new “move fast and burn $100 billion on AI” strategy. The Frenchie AI pioneer now finds himself reporting to 28-year-old Alexandr Wang, the $14B man from Scale AI who reportedly has been a bit of one. So, apparently, LeCun is like, yeah, nope, see ya. | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/c586eb77-a16e-4363-ab0b-e877898b70de?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-45.png) French indie sensation Slow Blackwave Voltage 🗞️France’s newest indie art-school rock phenomenon, ***Slow Blackwave Voltage,*** announced the release of their debut album, ***Electric Glass.*** The band described the disc as an immersive, cinematic exploration of tension, texture, and modern alienation. Formed in the creative crucible of Paris’s left-bank studio scene, the five-piece band blends minimalist composition, noir-pop atmosphere, and analog grit into a sound that feels both intimate and electrified. With their dark palette, understated confidence... .*..what? sorry...hang on...what's that? I'm getting a note from the producers...* Oh, sorry. My bad. Actually, that's the co-founders of **Beside**, an AI startup that thinks your phone deserves a personal assistant with Ivy League credentials, and that just strutted out of stealth mode and into a $32 million funding round. The founders include **Maxime Germain (CEO, who sold his previous startup to insurtech Alan)**, **Bobby Giangeruso (Product)**, **Aymeric Beaumet (CTO)**, **Justin Bureau (Product)**, and **Helene Blonz (Growth).** Beside promises to turn every frazzled small business owner into a calm CEO by answering calls, booking appointments, and remembering who wanted “the usual.” Half its 20,000 users are reportedly glued to the app 14 times a day because missing a call is now as passé as voicemail. Investors like EQT Ventures, Index Ventures, and Slack’s Stewart Butterfield are buying into the vision. In a world where 80% of callers never try again, Beside wants to make sure your “sorry, I missed your call” moment never happens again. | [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2025/11/11/beside-ai-voice-startup-raises-32-million-ai-receptionist-for-small-business/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Beside**](https://www.beside.com/blog/beside-raises-32-million-to-turn-trillions-of-calls-and-texts-into-growth-for-everyday-businesses?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Under mounting pressure from U.S. tech giants and the Trump administration, Brussels may hit pause on parts of its once-vaunted AI Act. The move marks a potential victory for Big Tech and could spark a renaissance for European startups long bogged down by compliance headaches. If softened, the rules might finally help the EU claim its place as the world’s third major AI power, behind the U.S. and China. | [**Semafor**](https://www.semafor.com/article/11/07/2025/eu-mulls-ai-act-pullback-to-catch-up-in-ai-race?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Anthropic** is raising its bet on Europe, opening new offices in Paris and Munich as part of a hiring spree across the continent. The U.S. AI giant, valued at $183 billion after a $13 billion Series F, plans to expand teams in research, engineering, and sales, and has tapped former Google Cloud exec Thomas Remy to lead Southern EMEA operations. France now will host key leadership roles alongside clients like Sanofi, Doctolib, and Qonto. Anthropic says its EMEA revenue has grown ninefold in the past year, as it races to compete with OpenAI and Mistral for European talent. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/anthropic-opening-offices-paris-munich?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/07/un-an-apres-openai-anthropic-ouvre-a-son-tour-un-bureau-a-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The French government just unveiled the first results from [***compar:IA***](https://comparia.beta.gouv.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), its public AI model ranking platform, and the findings are...***curious***. A mid-range French model, Mistral-medium-3.1, somehow tops the list ahead of heavyweights like GPT-5 and Gemini 2.5 Pro. Even stranger, “lite” versions of Google’s Gemini models snagged top spots despite being less powerful and over a year old. Officials admit they know little about who’s actually voting: experts, random users, or a curious passersby? Which, of course, raises questions about the tool’s credibility. One can’t help but wonder: if France’s AI comparator can’t tell a heavyweight from a lightweight, what’s the point of the whole exercise? | [**Numerama**](https://www.numerama.com/tech/2109747-la-france-devoile-son-classement-des-meilleures-ia-le-gagnant-va-vous-surprendre.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-41.png) **🗞️** France’s nuclear industry just got its first humanoid colleague. Meet **Hoxo**, a robot designed in China and trained by **Capgemini** to work alongside humans at Orano’s Melox site. Equipped with AI smarts and a flair for nuclear chic, Hoxo can navigate, fetch tools, and even handle radioactive drums. For now, it’s in a four-month trial phase as it learns the ropes. We are absolutely certain that nothing can go wrong with this so **EVERYONE JUST RELAX AND REMAIN CALM AND GO ABOUT YOUR DAY AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD.** That is all for now. It's fine. It's all fine. | [**Nuclear Engineering Magazine**](https://www.neimagazine.com/news/orano-deploys-ai-robot-at-melox/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-43.png) Hoxo, the intelligent humanoid robot (Image credit: Orano) **🗞️** Speaking of going nuclear...EDF is taking another step forward with its small modular reactor (SMR) plans. Its SMR baby, **Nuward**, has set a goal of 30 of the small reactors in service by 2050, according to CEO Julien Garrel. He told Reuters that the French power utility aims to finalize the conceptual design next year as an eager AI industry hungers for a faster solution to its energy cravings. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-aims-produce-30-small-modular-reactors-by-2050-design-planned-2026-2025-11-06/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **OTHER HEADLINES** **🗞️ Turns out 'Fedora Man' in viral Louvre heist photo isn't AI — just a French teen with style |** Theories swirled about the sharply dressed stranger seen in pic after jewel theft**. |** [**CBC**](https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/louvre-fedora-man-9.6973169?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **The French commitment: Powering AI dreams with low-carbon sources |** France stands out across Europe’s AI and digital infrastructure landscape, due to its unique energy mix, favoring sustainable power sources. In an age where there is growing consciousness surrounding the need for decarbonization on one hand, and the ever-increasing demand for scalable AI-ready digital infrastructure on the other, this offers a ray of hope for Europe’s AI dreams. Let’s take a closer look at what the French are doing right, and how other nations with AI ambitions can emulate France. **|** [**W.Media**](https://w.media/the-french-commitment-powering-ai-dreams-with-low-carbon-sources/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **How Certificall Is Fighting AI-Fueled Visual Insurance Fraud** | Founded by insurance veterans in Toulouse, Certificall transforms photos and videos into certified legal evidence in under 90 seconds. The startup just raised €1M to help insurers, brokers, and industries prevent fraud, ensure compliance, and restore trust in the age of AI-generated fakes.**|** The Grenoble-based company just raised €8M to scale its terahertz-AI technology that can see inside products on production lines **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/) 🗞️ **Mission Probabl: The Quest to Transform French AI Research into A Tech Champion |** Scikit-learn, born at a French research institute, is one of the world’s most-used machine learning libraries. Probabl aims to turn it into a global business. Its journey reveals France’s AI potential and the structural hurdles of commercializing public research. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mission-probabl-quest-transform-french-ai-research-tech-champion/) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 Making AI Plans: How Freeda Wants To Reinvent Building Buildings [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-40.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/making-ai-plans-how-freeda-wants-to-reinvent-building-buildings/) Paris-based startup Freeda has just raised €3.4 million in pre-seed funding, led by [**Frst**](https://www.frst.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and [**Brick & Mortar Ventures**](https://brickmortar.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** to scale its AI-powered plan review platform across Europe and beyond. [**Freeda**](https://www.freeda.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)’s premise is deceptively simple: construction teams spend weeks manually checking architectural plans for compliance with fire safety, accessibility, other local regulations or brand standards and still miss errors that trigger delays and cost overruns. With Freeda, a project owner can upload plans and receive a detailed error report within 48 hours, combining machine analysis with human expertise from architects and engineers. It’s the kind of hybrid approach, equal parts industrial process and deep learning, that the founders hope could finally bring construction into the AI era. [Grab your hard hat and read about Freeda](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/making-ai-plans-how-freeda-wants-to-reinvent-building-buildings/) --- ### 🧠 Accel: AI Applications Best Bet For EU Startups To Win Against US Leviathans [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-42.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/accel-ai-applications-best-bet-for-eu-startups-to-win-against-us-leviathans/) For all the fretting over the apparent dominance of the U.S. when it comes to artificial intelligence, a new report from Accel Partners offers a dose of optimism for European boosters looking to make the case that their ecosystem can hold its own against their cowboy cousins across the Atlantic. At the highest level, [Accel’s 2025 Globalscape report](https://www.accel.com/globalscape?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) won't contain too many surprises for anyone who follows tech and hasn't been living under a rock for the past three years. But according to Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel, the competition at the application layers is actually smaller than it has been by historic standards. "We've been doing this report over the past 10 years," he said. "This is the highest that the ratio has been. So there is a lot of progress." [See for yourself](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/accel-ai-applications-best-bet-for-eu-startups-to-win-against-us-leviathans/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Nov_7.png) ***For the week ending November 7, there were 6 AI startups that raised a total of* €27.4 million*.*** --- 📇 **Company:** Fairmat 🔍 **Description:** Fairmat is a Paris-based deeptech company pioneering the recycling of carbon fiber composites through advanced AI, robotics, and its patented *Infinity Recycling* process, which enables near-infinite reuse of materials. Its “FairFactories” in France and the U.S. combine software, automation, and machine learning to deliver ultra-efficient, circular production for sectors such as mobility, energy, sports, and construction. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.fairmat.tech](https://www.fairmat.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Strategic / Growth Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Infinity Recycling (Circular Plastics Fund, lead investor) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Saada (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Just seven months after raising €51.5M, Fairmat secured an additional €10M in equity from Infinity Recycling to accelerate global industrialization of its recycled composites and expand into new verticals. This marks Infinity Recycling’s first investment in France and reinforces Fairmat’s leadership in sustainable industrial deeptech. The company now operates two factories (France and U.S.) and produces between 6,000–10,000 m² of recycled composite material per month, aiming for full circularity by 2027\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/fairmat-enregistre-plus-de-100-millions-deuros-de-financement-depuis-sa-creation/458378?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Tsuga 🔍 **Description:** Tsuga is a French AI-native observability platform built on a *Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC)* model, enabling enterprises to deploy observability tools directly within their own cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.). Designed to eliminate data transfer markups, enhance governance, and provide full control, Tsuga merges the simplicity of SaaS with the security and cost-efficiency of on-prem. The platform is open-source-first and uses AI to proactively monitor and optimize performance, turning observability into a competitive advantage. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.tsuga.com/](https://www.tsuga.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.7 million 🏦 **Investors:** General Catalyst (lead), Singular, with angel participation from Amjad Masad (Replit), Charles Gorintin (Alan, Mistral AI), Jonathan Benhamou (Resilience), Olivier Bonnet (BlaBlaCar), and Philippe Corrot (Mirakl) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gabriel-James Safar (CEO, ex-Madumbo & Datadog) and Sébastien Deprez (ex-Madumbo & Datadog) 🗞️ **News:** Emerging from stealth with €8.7M in Seed funding, Tsuga aims to redefine observability by combining AI-native insights, BYOC deployment, and open-source integration. The funds will accelerate product development and expand its engineering and customer success teams as it brings its next-generation observability platform to market. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/paris-based-tsuga-raises-e8-7-million-to-help-enterprises-cope-as-logs-metrics-and-traces-grow-30-a-year/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/11/05/tsuga-emerges-from-stealth-with-10m-to-modernize-observability-in-the-ai-era/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Freeda 🔍 **Description:** Freeda is a Paris-based ConstructionTech startup using AI to detect hidden errors in architectural and construction plans before they cause costly delays. Combining artificial intelligence with human expertise from architects, engineers, and safety specialists, Freeda delivers verified plans within 48 hours — compared to 100+ hours of manual review. Its mission is to eliminate design-phase inefficiencies, which account for 70% of construction project delays, saving companies millions in rework and lost revenue. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.freeda.so](https://www.freeda.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** Frst (lead), Brick & Mortar Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Peter Starr (CEO, ex-AECOM), Augustin Perraud (COO, ex-Xange & ScorePlay), Charles Desbaux (CTO, ex-Darktrace), Mariano Rodriguez (CSO, ex-Gladia) 🗞️ **News:** Freeda raised €3.4M to accelerate hiring across architecture, AI engineering, and process automation, and to expand internationally across Europe, the UK, the US, and the Middle East. The company verified 10,000 plans in 2025 and targets 1 million by 2026\. Freeda also joins Station F’s *Future 40* program, recognizing it among the top 4% of startups on campus. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/making-ai-plans-how-freeda-wants-to-reinvent-building-buildings/) --- 📇 **Company:** Avnear 🔍 **Description:** Avnear is a French fintech leveraging AI to democratize wealth management strategies historically reserved for high-net-worth investors. Its proprietary *Gestion Gradual Security®* system enables progressive, data-driven investing instead of lump-sum allocations, reducing exposure to overvalued markets and improving long-term resilience for retail investors. By combining real-time Bloomberg data access with expert oversight, Avnear offers institutional-grade investment intelligence to individuals starting from just €300. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.avnear.com](https://www.avnear.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Private and industrial investors (undisclosed) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Team:** Founding team of institutional finance and private banking experts with 100+ years of combined experience, having managed over €700 million in assets before launching Avnear 🗞️ **News:** Following an earlier round from business angels, Avnear raised €2M in Seed funding to strengthen its AI-based *Gradual Security®* technology, expand its product line (including ESG options), and scale its commercial operations. The company aims to reach €150 million in assets under management within two years by making professional-grade investment strategies accessible to all investors. | [**Planet Fintech**](https://www.planet-fintech.com/Avnear-leve-2-M-pour-proposer-a-chacun-des-strategies-d-investissements-inspirees-de-la-gestion-de-fortune%5Fa6674.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Karavela 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup developing **foundation AI models for neuroscience** to decode and model brain activity from raw MRI data. Founded in May 2025, Karavela aims to build a “fundamental brain model” that can help understand neural mechanisms underlying various pathologies, paving the way for **precision medicine, diagnostics, and brain–computer interfaces**. The company’s approach combines large-scale data acquisition from leading research institutes (including NeuroSpin and the Institut du Cerveau) with deep learning architectures inspired by foundation model paradigms. 💻 **Website:** [https://karavela.ai/](https://karavela.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** HCVC, Daphni, First Momentum, and several business angels from the neuroscience, entrepreneurship, and AI sectors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Bertrand Thirion (CSO, ex-Inria Saclay), Charles Maussion (ex-Owkin), and Alexis Thual (ex-Meta, ex-Arkhn) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will support team expansion, international MRI data partnerships, and the development of Karavela’s **first brain foundation model**, with clinical collaborations planned for 2026\. The company’s long-term goal is to advance **AI-driven neuroscience** and enable next-generation tools for diagnostics and drug discovery. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ia-karavela-la-start-up-qui-construit-un-modele-fondamental-du-cerveau-2193766?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Pearl 🔍 **Description:** Pearl is a Paris-based startup building a new AI-powered *system of action* for revenue teams. Designed by former operators from Pigment, Algolia, Meta, and Dataiku, Pearl transforms how sales and revenue operations teams work by combining the intuitive interface of modern AI tools with the operational depth of a CRM. The platform turns conversations, notes, and deal updates into automated actions — enabling sales teams to focus on what truly drives revenue. 💻 **Website:**[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/heypearl/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, STATION F, Sunrise, and a group of operators & angels from Meta, Adobe, Datadog, Airtable, WhatsApp, and Pigment 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexis Pawlik (CEO, ex-Facebook & Pigment), Adrien Gabizon (co-founder, ex-Pigment & Algolia), Sami Touil (CTO), Julie Chabin (Head of Product & Design) 🗞️ **News:** Pearl emerged from stealth with backing from top European and Silicon Valley angels. Selected among **STATION F’s Future 40**, the company’s pre-seed round will accelerate product development of its AI-native platform for revenue teams, positioned to redefine productivity and execution in B2B sales operations. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7391902048558149635/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-44.png) 🗣️ **Microsoft GenAI Studio 3rd Edition |** Microsoft France announces the opening of applications for the third promotion of its Microsoft GenAI Studio acceleration program, dedicated to supporting French startups in the adoption and development of solutions based on artificial intelligence. **| Deadline: December 3 |** [**Apply here**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2025/11/microsoft-france-lance-lappel-a-candidatures-pour-la-troisieme-edition-du-microsoft-genai-studio/?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Tectonic European Defense Summit | November 12-13 |** Gather with the brightest minds in defense technology, policy, and innovation to forge the future of European security. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://events.tectonicdefense.com/european-defense-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris Meetup | fal x Hugging Face x BFL | November 13 |** Join us for an evening of AI, creativity & connection. fal, Hugging Face, and Black Forest Labs invite you to an exclusive Paris meetup combining short talks, quick presentations, and open networking. Whether you're an AI engineer, developer, founder, product manager, or AI artist interested in generative media, this is your chance to connect with peers, demo new tools, and explore collaboration. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/j52yx980?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GitLab Epic Conference Paris | November 13 |** Discover how GitLab’s unified platform and AI agents are transforming the way software is built — empowering teams to deliver secure, compliant software faster! **|** [**Register**](https://events.gitlab.com/e/epic-conference-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Iterate - Paris Hackathon | November 15 |** The Iterate Paris Hackathon is on! Brought to you by [**Maki**](https://www.makipeople.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Source**](https://www.source.shop/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) & [**Motier**](https://www.motier.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and powered by [**Anthropic**](https://www.anthropic.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Lovable**](https://lovable.dev/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**ElevenLabs**](https://elevenlabs.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Unaite**](https://unaite.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[ ](https://unaite.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and **Iterate**. **|** [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/du5lsiiu?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Sovereign Cyber & Defence AI Forum | November 17 - November 20 |** For ten years, European Cyber Week, organized by the Cyber Excellence Cluster and its members, has been bringing together French and European cybersecurity and cyberdefense players around a common goal: building sustainable digital sovereignty in line with the geopolitical challenges and commercial issues of the contemporary world. Civilian and military experts, startups and large groups, researchers and institutions: all will be present to discuss major technological, industrial, and societal issues. Cyber and artificial intelligence for defense, training, and guidance, Capture the Flag Challenge, wargaming, Bitflip, dual innovations, European and international defense, business and networking, resilience. | [**Register**](https://www.european-cyber-week.eu/en/registration/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **SophI.A Summit 2025 | November 19 - November 21 |** The seventh edition of the international AI conference will take place at Sophia Antipolis Technology Park on the French Riviera, to reveal the latest advances in the field of artificial intelligence and its applications. This event brings together global AI experts in biology, health, mobility, and smart applications, covering both core technology and its applications, who will present their work through meetings, debates, round tables, and posters. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://univ-cotedazur.eu/events/sophia-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#menu%5F3) 📆 **Adopt AI | November 24 - 26 |** The iconic Grand Palais will host the **business-focused continuation of the AI Action Summit**, led by President Macron alongside Heads of State and Government. Over three days, Fortune 500 CEOs, top researchers, and forward-thinking C-level leaders will showcase how AI is reshaping industries, driving strategy, and merging human and machine intelligence. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/inscription?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Databricks DATA + AI World Tour Paris | December 2 |** This day will be an opportunity to discover concretely how French companies put AI into production, through keynotes and inspiring testimonies from companies such as Decathlon, Danone, Covéa and Michelin. Finally, this event will also be an opportunity to exchange with the executives of Databricks, including Guillaume Brandenburg, RVP and Managing Director at Databricks, Yannis Daubin, Vice President - South Europe, Israel, Middle East & Africa and Samuel Bonamigo, SVP & GM, Emea. | [**Register**](https://dataaisummit.databricks.com/flow/db/wt25cdg/reg/page/landing?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Blueprint for scaling AI Support: live in Paris | December 4 |** AI is transforming customer experience at an unprecedented pace. The [*AI Agent Blueprint*](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)[ ](https://fin.ai/blueprint/chapter-1/introducing-ai-agents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#ai-will-soon-be-the-front-line-of-every-customer-experience)reveals how leaders across customer service, CX, and AI transformation are deploying AI fast, scaling confidently, and achieving measurable business impact. | [**Register**](https://luma.com/3pm37es1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Accel: AI Applications Best Bet For EU Startups To Win Against US Leviathans URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/accel-ai-applications-best-bet-for-eu-startups-to-win-against-us-leviathans/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T08:01:48.000Z For all the fretting over the apparent dominance of the U.S. when it comes to artificial intelligence, a new report from Accel Partners offers a dose of optimism for European boosters looking to make the case that their ecosystem can hold its own against their cowboy cousins across the Atlantic. At the highest level, [Accel’s 2025 Globalscape report](https://www.accel.com/globalscape?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) won't contain too many surprises for anyone who follows tech and hasn't been living under a rock for the past three years. - Public and private markets are at all-time highs thanks to AI. - Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta are creating an unprecedented concentration of power and value. - A handful of gargantuan AI players seem to be sucking up all the VC cash on the planet: OpenAI ($47B), Anthropic ($19B), and xAI ($15B). - Yada, yada, yada...AI. What's a poor old continent like Europe to do in the face of this ferocious onslaught? Well, according to Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel, the first thing to do is to chill out and get a little perspective on the whole thing. Yes, the U.S. is a black hole swallowing all light. But...that is primarily true for LLM models, with France's great underdog Mistral AI being the notable exception. Instead, take heart, Botteri said, because once you push past the model layer, the competition at the application layers looks very different between the U.S., Europe, and Israel. While not exactly level, he said, that gap is actually smaller than it has been by historic standards. "We've been doing this report over the past 10 years," he said. "This is the highest that the ratio has been. So there is a lot of progress." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/EU-AI-hope.png) To be more precise, according to the report, the number is 66% of US levels in 2025\. That is up from just 39% in 2018, showing consistent growth in European competitiveness. "Europe is not slowing down," he said. "Europe has been able to really generate some emerging category leaders. Yes, we know that Europe doesn't have the 10s of billions of dollars to invest in companies that can create very horizontal, large models." (cough, cough, Mistral) "But when you talk about applications, Europe has a lot in terms of talent and ability to innovate and create the category leaders." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/accel-eu.png) Notable global champions have emerged from across Europe and Israel, including Cyera (Tel Aviv), ElevenLabs (London), Helsing (Munich), Lovable (Stockholm), n8n (Berlin), and Synthesia (London). ## France Leading European AI Innovation France **ranks second** when it comes to venture capital investment in cloud and AI across Europe in 2025, according to the report. That accounts for about 18% of all VC investment in cloud and AI across Europe. Accel’s list of 100 AI startups to watch across Europe and Israel includes 14 companies founded in France: - Conduktor - Payflows - Swan - Dust - PhotoRoom - H Company - AdaptiveML - Folk - Filigran - Qevlar - Riot - Nabla - Pelico - Stonly ## The Compute Challenge and Opportunity A few other interesting tidbits: - The report highlights a massive global race for AI compute infrastructure, with an estimated $4.1 trillion in capital expenditure needed between 2026 and 2030 to build out 117GW of additional data center capacity. While the concentration of hyperscaler investment remains primarily in the US, European nations are beginning to recognize the strategic importance of compute infrastructure. The report notes that achieving the projected AI growth requires data center revenue of $3.1 trillion by 2030, which is equivalent to increasing global GDP growth by 1-2% annually. - With 51% of professional developers now using AI tools daily and enterprises planning significant budget increases for agentic AI, the market opportunity remains vast. European companies that can deliver practical, compliant, and specialized AI solutions are well-positioned to thrive. As agentic adoption reaches the inflection part of the S-curve over the coming years, there is likely to be a resurgence of the cloud giants as they leverage existing platforms to deploy and orchestrate new agentic workflows. - Big opportunities for European AI startups: **Security and Governance, Vertical Specialization**, **Developer Tools**, **and Enterprise Integration**. "AI is really unlocking an unprecedented wave of innovation across the globe," Botteri said. "That pace we're seeing is really, really exhilarating." ### French Tech Funding Wire November 10: Upway, nextProtein, Infinite Orbits & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/funding-wire-november-10-upway-nextprotein-infinite-orbits-more/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T14:08:24.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🔑 That Giant Sucking Sound [**Avolta's European Software Financing & Exit Trends – October 2025**](https://mailchi.mp/avolta.io/european-software-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) report offered some spicy tidbits on the challenges facing an ecosystem trying to scale: ****1️⃣ Exit activity is rising again in 2025:** A record 1,050 projected software M&A transactions would outpace 2024\. But... ****2️⃣ Cumulated deal value is tracking below 2024:** Because median exit multiples are down to 1.8x revenue. Basically, it's a buyer's market. ****3️⃣ Most exits are small-cap:** 65% are valued below €50 million, and only 13% above €150 million. ****4️⃣ Bootstrapped companies make up the majority of exits:** About 80% of software exits in H1 2025 were bootstrapped companies. Though the median EV of VC-backed exits was €42M vs. €19M for bootstrapped firms. Who is buying? Of course, it's those bargain shoppers from across the Atlantic. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/NA-EU-exits.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: November 7 ### 🏆 **Key Highlights** - **Total Raised (Equity):** €129.6 million - **Number of Companies:** 14 - **Dominant City:** Paris (10 of 14 deals) ### 🧬 **Sector Diversity** - **🚗 Mobility & Smart Cities:** €64.1M - **💻 AI & Software:** €15.4M - **⚙️ Deeptech & Industrial Innovation**: €28M - **🌱 AgriFood & Circular Economy:** €18M - **💳 Fintech**: €2M - **🧠 Medtech & Health / Wellbeing**: €0.85M - **🎮 Gaming & Entertainment**: €1.2M --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- 📇 **Company:** Upway 🔍 **Description:** Global leader in professionally refurbished e-bikes, building the world’s largest circular mobility network. Upway buys used e-bikes, refurbishes them to high industrial standards, and sells them online with warranty and delivery. Operating across nine countries, it aims to give new life to one million e-bikes by 2030 and expand services like financing, insurance, maintenance, and subscriptions. 💻 **Website:** [https://upway.shop](https://upway.shop/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $60 million 🏦 **Investors:** A.P. Moller Holding (lead), Galvanize, Ora Global, Sequoia Capital, Exor Ventures, Transition, Origins, Korelya Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Stéphane Ficaja and Toussaint Wattinne 🗞️ **News:** The $60M funding will accelerate Upway’s growth by expanding its industrial and digital infrastructure, with new UpCenters planned across Europe and North America and additional services to make e-bike ownership more accessible. The company has refurbished and sold over 100,000 e-bikes and targets one million by 2030\. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/upway-journey-transforming-e-bike-market/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-15.png) Co-founder Syrine Chaalala and co-founder and CEO Mohamed Gastli. 📇 **Company:** nextProtein 🔍 **Description:** nextProtein is a Paris-based AgTech company producing sustainable insect-based ingredients — protein powder (*nextMeal*), oil (*nextOil*), and fertilizer (*nextGrow*) — for aquaculture, livestock, and pet food. Using a circular production model that relies on low-value agricultural by-products, nextProtein delivers cost-efficient, low-impact alternatives to fishmeal and other conventional proteins. Its operations span France and Tunisia, where it is expanding to industrial scale. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.nextprotein.co](https://www.nextprotein.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €18 million (plus €4 million in senior debt) 🏦 **Investors:** Swen Capital’s Blue Ocean Fund (co-lead), British International Investment (co-lead), Mirova, RAISE Impact; with debt financing from Société Générale, CIC Paris Innovation, and Banque des Start-ups by LCL 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mohamed Gastli (CEO) and Syrine Chaalala (General Manager) 🗞️ **News:** nextProtein raised €18M in Series B funding to launch its second production facility in Tunisia, capable of producing 12,000 tons of insect-based ingredients annually — including 2,500 tons of protein powder. The new site will help the company reach profitability and compete at commodity scale with conventional protein sources. Investors highlighted nextProtein’s leadership in sustainable agri-food innovation and its potential to reshape global feed markets. | [**Feed Planet**](https://feedplanetmagazine.com/blog/nextprotein-gains-18m-funding-to-open-second-insect-protein-facility-4929?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Infinite Orbits 🔍 **Description:** Developer of satellite life-extension and on-orbit inspection technologies for geostationary assets. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.infiniteorbits.io/](https://www.infiniteorbits.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €16 million 🏦 **Investors:** Matterwaves, Wind, Newfund Capital, EIC, IRDI Capital Investissement, Space Founders France 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Adel Habboud, Akshay Gulati, Manos Koumandakis 🗞️ **News:** Infinite Orbits, founded in 2017, raised €16M in Series B funding to advance its satellite servicing and inspection technologies for geostationary satellites. | [**Avolta**](https://mailchi.mp/avolta.io/vc-124m-exits-6-deals-french-tech-trends?e=8b946bd964&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Fairmat 🔍 **Description:** Fairmat is a Paris-based deeptech company pioneering the recycling of carbon fiber composites through advanced AI, robotics, and its patented *Infinity Recycling* process, which enables near-infinite reuse of materials. Its “FairFactories” in France and the U.S. combine software, automation, and machine learning to deliver ultra-efficient, circular production for sectors such as mobility, energy, sports, and construction. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.fairmat.tech](https://www.fairmat.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Strategic / Growth Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Infinity Recycling (Circular Plastics Fund, lead investor) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Saada (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Just seven months after raising €51.5M, Fairmat secured an additional €10M in equity from Infinity Recycling to accelerate global industrialization of its recycled composites and expand into new verticals. This marks Infinity Recycling’s first investment in France and reinforces Fairmat’s leadership in sustainable industrial deeptech. The company now operates two factories (France and U.S.) and produces between 6,000–10,000 m² of recycled composite material per month, aiming for full circularity by 2027\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/fairmat-enregistre-plus-de-100-millions-deuros-de-financement-depuis-sa-creation/458378?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-13.png) 📇 **Company:** Tsuga 🔍 **Description:** Tsuga is a French AI-native observability platform built on a *Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC)* model, enabling enterprises to deploy observability tools directly within their own cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.). Designed to eliminate data transfer markups, enhance governance, and provide full control, Tsuga merges the simplicity of SaaS with the security and cost-efficiency of on-prem. The platform is open-source-first and uses AI to proactively monitor and optimize performance, turning observability into a competitive advantage. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.tsuga.com/](https://www.tsuga.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.7 million 🏦 **Investors:** General Catalyst (lead), Singular, with angel participation from Amjad Masad (Replit), Charles Gorintin (Alan, Mistral AI), Jonathan Benhamou (Resilience), Olivier Bonnet (BlaBlaCar), and Philippe Corrot (Mirakl) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gabriel-James Safar (CEO, ex-Madumbo & Datadog) and Sébastien Deprez (ex-Madumbo & Datadog) 🗞️ **News:** Emerging from stealth with €8.7M in Seed funding, Tsuga aims to redefine observability by combining AI-native insights, BYOC deployment, and open-source integration. The funds will accelerate product development and expand its engineering and customer success teams as it brings its next-generation observability platform to market. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/paris-based-tsuga-raises-e8-7-million-to-help-enterprises-cope-as-logs-metrics-and-traces-grow-30-a-year/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/11/05/tsuga-emerges-from-stealth-with-10m-to-modernize-observability-in-the-ai-era/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** CWS (Computed Wing Sails) 🔍 **Description:** CWS is a French maritime cleantech company developing automated rigid wings for ship propulsion. Its patented *Airfin* technology, inspired by aeronautics and biomimicry, optimizes the use of wind energy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in maritime transport. Based in Montoir-de-Bretagne, CWS is at the forefront of maritime decarbonization, bridging innovation from prototype to industrial production. 💻 **Website:** [https://computedwingsail.com/en/](https://computedwingsail.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montoir-de-Bretagne, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €12 million (€6M equity + €6M convertible bonds) 🏦 **Investors:** Supernova Invest, Bpifrance’s Maritime Decarbonization Fund (Fonds Mer Investissement), SPI Fund (Sociétés de Projets Industriels) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Julien Morel (Inventor of Airfin technology) 🧭 **New Leadership:** Laurent Schneider-Maunoury appointed CEO 🗞️ **News:** CWS raised €12M to accelerate production and strengthen its technological leadership in automated wind propulsion for global shipping. The funding round — advised by law firm HFW — marks a strategic milestone for scaling industrial manufacturing and advancing maritime decarbonization. The company also announced its first client order with Windcoop, reinforcing its transition from R&D to commercial deployment. | [**HFW**](https://www.hfw.com/about-us/news/hfw-advises-cws-on-e12m-fundraising-to-industrialise-its-wind-propulsion-wings-for-large-vessels/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cws-morel%5Fa-new-chapter-for-cws-from-idea-to-industry-activity-7391036476509175808-dG7k?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-27.png) 📇 **Company:** Green Spot Technologies 🔍 **Description:** Toulouse-based startup developing sustainable food ingredients through innovative fermentation and plant co-product valorization. The company transforms vegetal by-products into premium fermented ingredients for the agri-food industry. Its new brand, **Milatea**, offers low-carbon, locally produced fermented ingredients designed for bakers, pastry chefs, and confectioners. 💻 **Website:** [https://greenspot-tech.com/fr](https://greenspot-tech.com/fr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Industrial expansion 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million (equity + bank loans) 🏦 **Investors:** Team for the Planet (lead), EIC Accelerator, existing investors, and new business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ninna Granucci (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate Green Spot Technologies’ industrial scaling and market expansion, increasing production capacity tenfold (from 100 to 1,000 tons per year) and supporting the launch of Milatea, its new brand of fermented semi-finished ingredients (powders, fillings, inclusions) derived from fava beans and plant fibers. The company, a finalist for *The Earthshot Prize 2024* and laureate of *French Tech Agri20* and *EIC Accelerator*, aims to “reinvent food through fermentation” while co-developing tailored fermentation solutions with global food industry partners. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/De-gauche-a---droite---Augustin-Mariano-Peter-Charles.jpg) De gauche à droite - Augustin-Mariano-Peter-CharlesDe gauche à droite - Augustin-Mariano-Peter-Charles 📇 **Company:** Freeda 🔍 **Description:** Freeda is a Paris-based ConstructionTech startup using AI to detect hidden errors in architectural and construction plans before they cause costly delays. Combining artificial intelligence with human expertise from architects, engineers, and safety specialists, Freeda delivers verified plans within 48 hours — compared to 100+ hours of manual review. Its mission is to eliminate design-phase inefficiencies, which account for 70% of construction project delays, saving companies millions in rework and lost revenue. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.freeda.so](https://www.freeda.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** Frst (lead), Brick & Mortar Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Peter Starr (CEO, ex-AECOM), Augustin Perraud (COO, ex-Xange & ScorePlay), Charles Desbaux (CTO, ex-Darktrace), Mariano Rodriguez (CSO, ex-Gladia) 🗞️ **News:** Freeda raised €3.4M to accelerate hiring across architecture, AI engineering, and process automation, and to expand internationally across Europe, the UK, the US, and the Middle East. The company verified 10,000 plans in 2025 and targets 1 million by 2026\. Freeda also joins Station F’s *Future 40* program, recognizing it among the top 4% of startups on campus. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/making-ai-plans-how-freeda-wants-to-reinvent-building-buildings/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-17.png) Avnear Co-Founder Charley Arod 📇 **Company:** Avnear 🔍 **Description:** Avnear is a French fintech leveraging AI to democratize wealth management strategies historically reserved for high-net-worth investors. Its proprietary *Gestion Gradual Security®* system enables progressive, data-driven investing instead of lump-sum allocations, reducing exposure to overvalued markets and improving long-term resilience for retail investors. By combining real-time Bloomberg data access with expert oversight, Avnear offers institutional-grade investment intelligence to individuals starting from just €300. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.avnear.com](https://www.avnear.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Private and industrial investors (undisclosed) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Team:** Founding team of institutional finance and private banking experts with 100+ years of combined experience, having managed over €700 million in assets before launching Avnear 🗞️ **News:** Following an earlier round from business angels, Avnear raised €2M in Seed funding to strengthen its AI-based *Gradual Security®* technology, expand its product line (including ESG options), and scale its commercial operations. The company aims to reach €150 million in assets under management within two years by making professional-grade investment strategies accessible to all investors. | [**Planet Fintech**](https://www.planet-fintech.com/Avnear-leve-2-M-pour-proposer-a-chacun-des-strategies-d-investissements-inspirees-de-la-gestion-de-fortune%5Fa6674.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-37.png) 📇 **Company:** CGREEN 🔍 **Description:** Nantes-based startup developing **biosourced, low-carbon carbon fiber** made from cellulose — a renewable, local, and abundant resource. The company’s innovation reduces the CO₂ footprint of conventional petro-based carbon fiber by a factor of three while maintaining equivalent mechanical performance. Originating from a decade of R&D under the FORCE project led by IRT Jules Verne and supported by Forvia, CGREEN aims to industrialize a **French biosourced carbon fiber sector** to strengthen industrial sovereignty in strategic materials. 💻 **Website:** N/A 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Socomore Ventures, Pays de la Loire Participation, ABAB (Association de Business Angels du Bassin Nantais), IRT Jules Verne, Alexandre Hamlyn (President of Artemis Composites and cofounder of Coriolis Composites) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gaëlle Guyader (CEO) and Céline Largeau (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will enable CGREEN to deploy its pilot carbonization line in Carquefou, validate its technology at pilot scale, and lay the groundwork for the **industrialization of a French biosourced carbon fiber value chain** supporting France’s reindustrialization and sustainability goals. | [**Atlanpole**](https://www.atlanpole.fr/cgreen-leve-pres-de-2me-pour-decarboner-la-fabrication-de-la-fibre-de-carbone/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-38.png) 📇 **Company:** Karavela 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup developing **foundation AI models for neuroscience** to decode and model brain activity from raw MRI data. Founded in May 2025, Karavela aims to build a “fundamental brain model” that can help understand neural mechanisms underlying various pathologies, paving the way for **precision medicine, diagnostics, and brain–computer interfaces**. The company’s approach combines large-scale data acquisition from leading research institutes (including NeuroSpin and the Institut du Cerveau) with deep learning architectures inspired by foundation model paradigms. 💻 **Website:** [https://karavela.ai/](https://karavela.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** HCVC, Daphni, First Momentum, and several business angels from the neuroscience, entrepreneurship, and AI sectors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Bertrand Thirion (CSO, ex-Inria Saclay), Charles Maussion (ex-Owkin), and Alexis Thual (ex-Meta, ex-Arkhn) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will support team expansion, international MRI data partnerships, and the development of Karavela’s **first brain foundation model**, with clinical collaborations planned for 2026\. The company’s long-term goal is to advance **AI-driven neuroscience** and enable next-generation tools for diagnostics and drug discovery. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ia-karavela-la-start-up-qui-construit-un-modele-fondamental-du-cerveau-2193766?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-39.png) Nolt Co-Founders Olivier Guigonis (left) and Paul-Emmanuel Guinard 📇 **Company:** NOLT 🔍 **Description:** Nice-based startup developing eco-responsible, 100% circular sports equipment made from recycled polyester sourced from Mediterranean plastic waste. NOLT — short for *“Nothing is Lost”* — designs fully recyclable jerseys, shorts, and socks, integrating a circular production model to reduce waste in the sports industry. The company already equips over 500 teams across France and Belgium, including the Racing Club de Cannes and the Ligue Nationale de Volley. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.wearenolt.com/en/](https://www.wearenolt.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nice, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.7 million 🏦 **Investors:** Impact Seed Ventures, Groupe Rive Neuve (FCPR Impact Performance), Matthieu Pigasse (Combat Holding), Les Gars des Eaux, ve2.ventures, Omar da Fonseca, and historical shareholders; round led by Rosenpick & Associés 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul Guinard and Olivier Guigonis 🗞️ **News:** The funds will enable NOLT to industrialize its “Maillot Infini” project — the world’s first 100% circular jersey designed for infinite recycling via an integrated QR code — enhance its AI-powered 3D configurator, and expand its B2B operations with a new Paris-based team. The company also announced a strategic partnership with ReGNR, Europe’s first circular logistics warehouse. | [**SportsBuzzBusiness**](https://www.sportbuzzbusiness.fr/nolt-leve-17me-pour-batir-le-premier-equipementier-digital-et-circulaire-au-monde.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-18-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Pearl 🔍 **Description:** Pearl is a Paris-based startup building a new AI-powered *system of action* for revenue teams. Designed by former operators from Pigment, Algolia, Meta, and Dataiku, Pearl transforms how sales and revenue operations teams work by combining the intuitive interface of modern AI tools with the operational depth of a CRM. The platform turns conversations, notes, and deal updates into automated actions — enabling sales teams to focus on what truly drives revenue. 💻 **Website:**[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/heypearl/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, STATION F, Sunrise, and a group of operators & angels from Meta, Adobe, Datadog, Airtable, WhatsApp, and Pigment 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexis Pawlik (CEO, ex-Facebook & Pigment), Adrien Gabizon (co-founder, ex-Pigment & Algolia), Sami Touil (CTO), Julie Chabin (Head of Product & Design) 🗞️ **News:** Pearl emerged from stealth with backing from top European and Silicon Valley angels. Selected among **STATION F’s Future 40**, the company’s pre-seed round will accelerate product development of its AI-native platform for revenue teams, positioned to redefine productivity and execution in B2B sales operations. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7391902048558149635/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Co-Founders (left to right) Flavien Marianacci (CTO), Romain Mussault (CEO), Nicolas Marchal (COO)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/Flavien_Romain_Nicolas.jpg) Co-Founders (left to right) Flavien Marianacci (CTO), Romain Mussault (CEO), Nicolas Marchal (COO) 📇 **Company:** Hoora 🔍 **Description:** Hoora is a Paris-based mobile entertainment startup reinventing gaming for the scroll generation. Its platform allows users to instantly discover and play thousands of mobile games without downloads or load times — offering a fast, frictionless, and social experience inspired by social media mechanics. Positioned as “the Spotify of gaming,” Hoora aims to create a sustainable ecosystem where developers can publish, monetize, and reach global audiences through instant play. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.hooragames.com](https://www.hooragames.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1.3 million 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures; Mathias Salanon (ex-Voodoo, Ubisoft); Nicolas Steegmann (Stupeflix/GoPro); Jean-Guillaume Kleis (Keleops); Arthur Kannas & Sophie Noël (Heaven/Hopscotch); Guillaume & Maxime Doki-Thonon (Reech/Dekuple); influencers Charles Philip, Dany Graells Lehoucq (Unchained), and Johan Lelièvre (Jojol); Owen Simonin & Hector Sohier (Initial Agency) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Romain Mussault (CEO), Nicolas Marchal (COO), Flavien Marianacci (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Hoora raised $1.3M to accelerate its growth in Europe and develop new social and community features, positioning itself as the leading mobile entertainment platform. The app, already tested in France, the UK, Belgium, and Switzerland, shows strong traction with user acquisition costs below market standards and aims to expand to the U.S. next. --- 📇 **Company:** Goud 🔍 **Description:** Nantes-based healthtech startup offering a **comprehensive preventive health service** for business leaders and executives. Goud combines in-depth medical checkups with personalized physical and mental health programs to help executives maintain long-term well-being. The company operates a 300 m² center in Saint-Herblain, where members pay €2,000 per year for tailored preventive care delivered by a team of medical professionals and specialists. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.goudsante.fr/](https://www.goudsante.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.3 million 🏦 **Investors:** Paul-Henri Dubreuil (Groupe Dubreuil), Christian Lainé (Rivadis Group), LNA Santé (publicly listed healthcare group), and other private investors from Western France. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vincent Roux (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The €1.3M raise was composed of €850K in equity and €450K in bank financing and will support Goud’s **national expansion**, process optimization, technology upgrades, and sales development. Backed by LNA Santé’s expertise, Goud plans to open its **second center by the end of 2026** (targeting Lille) before pursuing a larger Series A in early 2027 to scale nationwide. | [**Ouest France**](https://agence-api.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/loire-atlantique/sante-nouvelle-levee-de-fonds-pour-goud-sur-le-marche-de-la-prevention-sante-des-dirigeants-ea9b75ad-34e3-45b5-8d88-10f30b2c9e1d?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Making AI Plans: How Freeda Wants To Reinvent Building Buildings URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/making-ai-plans-how-freeda-wants-to-reinvent-building-buildings/ Last updated: 2025-11-09T22:25:46.000Z In an industry where even a two centimeter error can derail a multimillion-euro project, Freeda has raised €3.4M to bring the precision of AI to construction plans to stop costly mistakes from happening before a single brick is laid. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Wire: Upway’s Refurbished E-Bike Empire Shifts To Higher Gear URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-upways-refurbished-e-bike-empire-shifts-to-higher-gear/ Last updated: 2025-11-07T10:49:20.000Z # 👋 Edito 👋 It was with great pleasure that I joined the Motley Crew of [daphni](https://www.linkedin.com/company/daphni/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)'s [Cristian Pinto](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristian-pinto-marinho/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) & [Erica Delamare](https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-delamare/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) on their Venturing Abroad podcast. We talked about my unlikely path from a misspent youth in Kansas to a nomadic journalist career that took me to North Carolina and the innovative bowels of Silicon Valley. After years of reporting on Web 2.0, the return of Apple, and yada, yada, yada...I landed in France, where in the unlikeliest twist of all...my career got a helping hand from none other than...François Hollande! Of course, we also chat about navigating French bureaucracy, chronicling La French Tech’s incredible growth, the challenge of the current downturn, misconceptions about Silicon Valley and La French Tech, cultural shocks, journalism in the age of AI, and a whole lotta mo'! [Fresh out of the podcast oven](https://smartlinks.audiomeans.fr/l/venturing-abroad-633d5fbc/chris-obrien-from-silicon-valley-to-frances-startup-revolution-0ed9a54e?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/1cd818e4-0e2d-411e-96b4-0e4bc6f26916-1.jpg) --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Upway raised $60M in Series C funding** to expand its refurbished e-bike empire across Europe and the US. With sales doubling yearly and operations already profitable in multiple markets, Co-founder and COO Stéphane Ficaja [**explains how Upway is chasing its goal of 1M bikes by 2030.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/upway-journey-transforming-e-bike-market/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Tech Talk 🇫🇷🚀 La French Tech Mission announced 80 startups selected for the **French Tech 2030 program.** By the numbers: - 🎓 **Deeptech: 83% of founders hold a** **PhD or engineering degree** - 💰 **Traction: 75% are already commercial, racking up €138M revenue in 2024**, with 1,300 net hires projected for 2025\. Collectively: €1.1B raised, 353 patents, 45 factories either live or planned. - 🌍 **Going global: Startups aren’t staying local** — physical/commercial presence in **53 countries**, with 55% in Europe, 51% in North America, and growing footprints in Asia, MENA, Africa, and Oceania. - 🤖 **Hot sectors: AI dominates (18 startups), cybersecurity follows (14), and robotics is booming (13).** Notable names: **Comand AI, GitGuardian, Enchanted Tools, Shark Robotics, Quandela**. Each anointed startup receives a basket of goodies in the form of a one-year, personalized and collective support package from the French government that includes a dedicated startup manager who helps them with strategic areas such as financing, international growth, recruitment, regulatory issues, and intellectual property. They also get enhanced visibility and access to funding and commercial opportunities, along with tailored administrative and business assistance from a network of 60 public and private partners, plus inclusion in an elite community of French tech leaders. We should all be so lucky. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/06/french-tech-2030-quelles-sont-les-80-startups-de-la-nouvelle-promotion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**La French Tech Mission**](https://lafrenchtech.gouv.fr/fr/programme/french-tech-2030/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#toc-offre-de-service) 🏗️ 🇫🇷 **Mistral AI’s new HQ.** When [Maddyness](https://www.linkedin.com/company/maddyness/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) said [Mistral AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mistralai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) had secured a grand new headquarters not far from Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, we heard speculation it would be in the fancy pants Grands Magasins Dufayel, the historic shopping center that underwent a grand restoration. But, nope! Turns out the unicorn has instead chosen the *Marcadet Belvédère* complex in further northern Paris. It is also a gleaming, low-carbon campus with rooftop views of Sacré-Cœur (if you squint). The 31,000 m² site mixes offices, student housing and shops. It's part of a bet to revitalize a rather *défavorisé* corner of the 18th Arrondissement. *Que la gentrification commence!* | [**Architectural porn here**](https://www.wo2.com/realisations-wo2/marcadet-belvedere?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). 🙋‍♀️ 👉 **Serena has appointed Margaux Gregoir as Partner** to boost the growth of its corporate-focused investment funds. With a track record spanning Société Générale, Luko, and Alven, Gregoir brings deep expertise in fintech, insurtech, and climate tech. Her arrival underscores Serena’s ambition to cement its role as the go-to partner for major European corporates seeking to harness innovation - particularly in AI -as a driver of long-term competitiveness. 💶 🇫🇷 **Many of France’s wealthiest tech founders may have breathed a sigh of relief this week** as Parliament rejected the proposed [*“Zucman tax.”*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/wealth-tax-smackdown-zucman-aghion-sparks-fireworks-fdday/) This wealth levy targeted high-net-worth individuals and startup shareholders. The move spares many of France’s top entrepreneurs from what critics dubbed a “tax on innovation,” aimed at redistributing extreme fortunes. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, steering a fragile budget without relying on the constitutional *49.3* shortcut, called the 2026 plan a *“budget of transition.”* His team is now searching for middle ground between fiscal discipline and investment in growth sectors. For now, the tech ecosystem avoids a new layer of uncertainty. But with spending pressures mounting and the deficit widening, the reprieve may prove temporary. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/gouvernement/budget-2026-la-taxe-zucman-rejetee-lecornu-continue-sa-course-dobstacles-tres-incertaine-2196111?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🦾 💸 **More than 100 entrepreneurs from 26 countries have joined forces to launch United Founders, an €80 million pan-European fund focused on deeptech, AI, health, and security.** Born out of a frustration with Europe’s fragmented venture capital scene, the initiative blends investment and community: founders investing in founders. With hubs spanning Paris, London, Munich, and Prague, the group aims to back early-stage startups and help them scale globally, targeting Europe’s next generation of “decacorns.” The first deals are AI and healthtech and hint at a new continental ambition: Make Europe Competitive Again (MECA!) in the global venture tech race. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/11/04/plus-de-100-entrepreneurs-lancent-un-nouveau-fonds-europeen/?utm%5Fsource=Maddyness+IA&utm%5Fcampaign=91c5a89028-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F02%5F06%5F12%5F52%5FCOPY%5F01&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F-198ea12239-126265014) 🩺 👨‍⚕️**France’s healthtech darling Doctolib is under fire after the country’s competition watchdog slapped it with a €4.6 million fine for abusing its dominant market position.** The Paris-based unicorn is valued at €5.8 billion and used by millions of patients to book doctor appointments. But it was accused of locking healthcare practitioners into exclusive contracts and squeezing out rivals. Regulators also took aim at Doctolib’s **2018 acquisition of MonDocteur**, which internal documents allegedly described as a move to “kill” a competitor. Doctolib, which now operates in four European countries, has hit back, calling the decision a “misunderstanding” and announcing plans to appeal. The case reignites France’s broader debate over how to rein in its most powerful tech champions. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/doctolib-competition-watchdog-fine?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👾👽 **STATION F just dropped its annual** [**Future 40 – 2025 Edition**](https://stationf.co/news/future40-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **and to the shock of absolutely no human in existence, it is laden with AI companies.** Using our Proprietary Back-Of-The-Napkin-LLM, it would appear that **26 to 28** of the companies are either AI-native or AI-powered companies (agentic systems, GenAI, AI OS, AI-native tools) orDeeptech or AI-adjacent (using AI in data, robotics, biotech, or energy). Nearly three-quarters of founders are engineers, 17 hold PhDs, and 42% repeat founders. | [**Station F**](https://stationf.co/news/future40-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/cest-un-signe-de-maturite-de-lecosysteme-les-entrepreneurs-recidivistes-moteurs-de-la-french-tech-2196845?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-16.png) 💡🏃 As [**New and First Hexa CEO Matthieu Gombeaud**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hexa-ceo-charting-course-through-ai-storm/) **recently threatened/promised to do**, **the startup studio is moving faster and launching new stuff. In this case: Hexa Sprint,** a new bridge between its Start and Scale programs. It's an acceleration program for early-stage startups gearing up for their first fundraise. Each six-month cohort brings together around fifteen teams who receive €500,000 in funding and tailored mentoring through Hexa’s “10x Method.” The inaugural cohort focuses on European defense and dual-use tech, led by new partner **Guillaume Lerouge**, formerly of Thales. Ultimately, the plan is to support dozens of startups each year across AI, DeepTech, and hardware. | [**France Forbes**](https://www.forbes.fr/business/hexa-devoile-hexa-sprint-son-nouveau-programme-dacceleration-pour-les-start-up/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️ 👩‍⚖️ **A landmark moment in France’s digital regulation: the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary investigation into TikTok**, suspected of endangering the health and lives of its users. Triggered by a report from Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte, the probe has been entrusted to the Brigade de lutte contre la cybercriminalité (BL2C) and follows alarming parliamentary findings about the app’s psychological impact on minors. French authorities are scrutinizing TikTok’s algorithm for possible accusations of pushing vulnerable users toward harmful content, a first in France’s legal landscape. The investigation targets serious offenses, including incitement to suicide and data system manipulation, potentially exposing TikTok to heavy penalties. TikTok, for its part, has rejected the accusations, insisting it offers strong safety protections for teens and is cooperating with French regulators. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/tiktok-vise-par-une-enquete-du-parquet-de-paris-limpunite-de-lalgorithme-est-terminee/458420?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Upway's Journey To Transforming The E-Bike Market [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-26.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/upway-journey-transforming-e-bike-market/) [**Upway**](https://upway.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Co-founder and COO** [**Stéphane Ficaja**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/st%C3%A9phane-ficaja-69562b55/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is calling in by video from the company's warehouse in Gennevilliers, northwest of Paris. He pauses for a moment to swing around his laptop camera slightly to show the rows of e-bikes waiting for refurbishment. "We have all the bikes here," Ficaja said, with a hint of pride. In these days of virtual call backdrops, this one is far more fitting for a company that has quietly built the largest online bike shop in Europe, albeit one that doesn't sell a single new product. Instead, it has pioneered the market for refurbished e-bikes, selling more than 100,000 over the past five years and expanding to nine countries. With sales doubling since last year and projected to double again next year, the company announced on Thursday that it had raised a $60 million Series C funding round led by A.P. Moller Holding with participation from Galvanize, Ora Global, and continued support from existing investors, including Sequoia Capital. That brings Upway's total funding to more than $125 million since its founding in 2021. I interviewed Ficaja earlier this year on stage at VivaTech 2025 about his background, including his time working at Uber, for a session called "Beyond Two Wheels: How Upway is Rethinking Light Mobility." We caught up on Thursday after the funding announcement to discuss the latest news, and it's clear that the company's ambition and momentum have only grown since we last spoke. Ficaja said Upway had not intended to raise more money this year. But given the acceleration in the business, they decided to seize their chance. "The market for people buying an e-bike every year is pretty huge. So the opportunity is very big," he said. "And if anything, what I learned working at Uber is that when the opportunity is big, you don't want to be constrained." [See how Upway is changing mobility economics](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/upway-journey-transforming-e-bike-market/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** nextProtein 🔍 **Description:** nextProtein is a Paris-based AgTech company producing sustainable insect-based ingredients — protein powder (*nextMeal*), oil (*nextOil*), and fertilizer (*nextGrow*) — for aquaculture, livestock, and pet food. Using a circular production model that relies on low-value agricultural by-products, nextProtein delivers cost-efficient, low-impact alternatives to fishmeal and other conventional proteins. Its operations span France and Tunisia, where it is expanding to industrial scale. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.nextprotein.co](https://www.nextprotein.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €18 million (plus €4 million in senior debt) 🏦 **Investors:** Swen Capital’s Blue Ocean Fund (co-lead), British International Investment (co-lead), Mirova, RAISE Impact; with debt financing from Société Générale, CIC Paris Innovation, and Banque des Start-ups by LCL 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mohamed Gastli (CEO) and Syrine Chaalala (General Manager) 🗞️ **News:** nextProtein raised €18M in Series B funding to launch its second production facility in Tunisia, capable of producing 12,000 tons of insect-based ingredients annually — including 2,500 tons of protein powder. The new site will help the company reach profitability and compete at commodity scale with conventional protein sources. Investors highlighted nextProtein’s leadership in sustainable agri-food innovation and its potential to reshape global feed markets. | [**Feed Planet**](https://feedplanetmagazine.com/blog/nextprotein-gains-18m-funding-to-open-second-insect-protein-facility-4929?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Fairmat 🔍 **Description:** Fairmat is a Paris-based deeptech company pioneering the recycling of carbon fiber composites through advanced AI, robotics, and its patented *Infinity Recycling* process, which enables near-infinite reuse of materials. Its “FairFactories” in France and the U.S. combine software, automation, and machine learning to deliver ultra-efficient, circular production for sectors such as mobility, energy, sports, and construction. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.fairmat.tech](https://www.fairmat.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Strategic / Growth Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Infinity Recycling (Circular Plastics Fund, lead investor) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Saada (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Just seven months after raising €51.5M, Fairmat secured an additional €10M in equity from Infinity Recycling to accelerate global industrialization of its recycled composites and expand into new verticals. This marks Infinity Recycling’s first investment in France and reinforces Fairmat’s leadership in sustainable industrial deeptech. The company now operates two factories (France and U.S.) and produces between 6,000–10,000 m² of recycled composite material per month, aiming for full circularity by 2027\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/fairmat-enregistre-plus-de-100-millions-deuros-de-financement-depuis-sa-creation/458378?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Tsuga 🔍 **Description:** Tsuga is a French AI-native observability platform built on a *Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC)* model, enabling enterprises to deploy observability tools directly within their own cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.). Designed to eliminate data transfer markups, enhance governance, and provide full control, Tsuga merges the simplicity of SaaS with the security and cost-efficiency of on-prem. The platform is open-source-first and uses AI to proactively monitor and optimize performance, turning observability into a competitive advantage. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.tsuga.com/](https://www.tsuga.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.7 million 🏦 **Investors:** General Catalyst (lead), Singular, with angel participation from Amjad Masad (Replit), Charles Gorintin (Alan, Mistral AI), Jonathan Benhamou (Resilience), Olivier Bonnet (BlaBlaCar), and Philippe Corrot (Mirakl) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gabriel-James Safar (CEO, ex-Madumbo & Datadog) and Sébastien Deprez (ex-Madumbo & Datadog) 🗞️ **News:** Emerging from stealth with €8.7M in Seed funding, Tsuga aims to redefine observability by combining AI-native insights, BYOC deployment, and open-source integration. The funds will accelerate product development and expand its engineering and customer success teams as it brings its next-generation observability platform to market. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/paris-based-tsuga-raises-e8-7-million-to-help-enterprises-cope-as-logs-metrics-and-traces-grow-30-a-year/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/11/05/tsuga-emerges-from-stealth-with-10m-to-modernize-observability-in-the-ai-era/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🗣️ Special Edition | Shein, Sex Dolls, and Fast Fashion: The Great French Retail War of 2025 Begins URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/special-edition-shein-sex-dolls-fast-fashion-great-french-retail-war-2025-begins/ Last updated: 2025-12-26T10:22:24.000Z A controversial partnership between legendary French retailer BHV and the Chinese low-cost retailer erupted into a cultural and economic fight. Amid Paris protests and a government crackdown on illicit goods, France faces a reckoning over algorithmic commerce and its principles. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### From Quantum Physics to Circular Mobility: Upway's Journey To Transforming The E-Bike Market URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/upway-journey-transforming-e-bike-market/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T11:21:17.000Z The French startup raised $60M in Series C funding to expand its refurbished e-bike empire across Europe and the US. With sales doubling yearly and operations already profitable in multiple markets, Co-founder and COO Stéphane Ficaja explains how Upway is chasing its goal of 1M bikes by 2030. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #49: Microsoft AI ❤️ France URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-49-microsoft-ai-france/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T19:29:58.000Z The American Tech giant released a report emphasizing all the ways it's spending €4 billion on France's AI transformation. Plus: Nvidia eyes a $1B bet on Poolside, Schneider Electric rides the data center wave, and French publishers warn of AI abuse. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Microsoft Stakes €4B Claim To Lead France's AI Transformation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/microsoft-stakes-eu4b-claim-to-lead-frances-ai-transformation/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T10:11:10.000Z The tech giant is going all-in on France’s AI future, pledging to train a million citizens, back 2,500 startups, and spread innovation beyond Paris. In a report released this week, the company highlighted partnerships, from Mistral to Danone, to demonstrate its commitment to France's AI ambitions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire November 3: France's Video Game Industry Plays Offense While Startups Get Defensive URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/funding-wire-november-3-frances-video-game-industry-plays-offense-while-startups-get-defensive/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T14:08:43.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🤔 Edito 🤔 🎮 The [**14th edition of Paris Games Week**](https://www.parisgamesweek.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) just finished after three days of staging an event that featured a new identity, transforming from a traditional gaming expo into a full-blown pop culture festival. PGW was produced by Fimalac and GL Events, the groups behind the 2024 Olympics, and their goal was to broaden the appeal beyond hardcore gamers. The show extended late into the night for the first time, featuring concerts, comedy, and live performances at the Dôme de Paris, with appearances from stars like **Squeezie, Bigflo & Oli, and a live “Werewolves of Thiercelieux”** show hosted by Fary. Influencers and streamers took center stage, too, with over 800 creators engaging fans in tournaments and meetups. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-1.png) French rap legends Bigflo & Oli. Photo courtesy of PGW In part, this was about spectacle. But in France, video games are also big business. And over the past couple of years, that business has been hurting. France has 600 studios developing 1000 games right now. The French video game industry is Europe's third-largest market by revenue. In 2025, **40.2 million French people** (approximately 70% of the population) identified as video game players, a record driven primarily by adults, according to the [***Syndicat des Editeurs de Logiciels de Loisirs (SELL)***](https://www.sell.fr/sites/default/files/essentiel-jeu-video/ejv%5Fseptembre%5F2025%5Fen.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). This figure has grown substantially from 38.3 million in 2024 and continues climbing toward projections of 47.5 million by 2027\. France's video game market generated **€5.7 billion in revenue in 2024\.** But that represented a 5.8% decline from 2023's record-breaking €6.0 billion, reflecting broader economic pressures affecting French consumer spending, including inflation, and political uncertainty. It's not just France. The global video game industry has experienced an unprecedented wave of layoffs, with more than **14,600 jobs eliminated worldwide in 2024,** up from 10,700 in 2023 as pandemic-fueled sales subsided. In March 2025, struggling French studio Ubisoft announced a partnership with Chinese tech giant Tencent to establish a new gaming subsidiary, with Tencent investing €1.16 billion for a 25% stake in a unit housing Ubisoft's premier franchises including, *Assassin's Creed*, *Far Cry*, and *Rainbow Six*. Analysts predicted the company faced potential privatization and dismantling in 2025.​ Here's how bad things have been: Earlier this year, the French[**Union of Video Game Workers (STJV)**](http://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/jeu-video-des-syndicats-du-secteur-appellent-a-la-greve-nationale-le-12-decembre-20241206?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) called for its first-ever strike to *“stop all ongoing layoff plans”* this winter. And so, this is an industry badly in need of a shot in the arm. Paris Games Week was designed to deliver one. For the first time, it included Paris Game Biz 2025, a B2B component held October 28-29, that brought together 175 participants from 70 video game studios across 10 countries, to facilitate meetings between developers, publishers, and investors. This professional networking platform addressed industry restructuring and investment needs directly. The business event was also a chance to remind politicians of the need for ongoing support. In France, video games enjoy an official cultural recognition by the government at the same level as painting and theater. French studios benefit from a tax credit of 30% (capped at €6M) on production expenses for games designed in France. The National Center for Cinema and Moving Image (CNC) also manages a €5 million video game fund that offers grants up to €100,000\. France's esports sector also benefits from government recognition. The government launched a National Esports Strategy in January 2023, which includes esports visas, grassroots development, and ecosystem structuring. In January 2024, the government reduced VAT on esports event tickets from 20% to 5.5%. France's esports market is valued at €47.5 million in 2024 and is projected to reach €258.3 million by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 16.64%, [according to Stellar Research](https://www.stellarmr.com/report/France-Esports-Market/1708?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-2.png) Inside the main expo, the CNC and SELL teamed up to create a new "Pavillon Game France," which featured video games made in the homeland to give them additional exposure. The hope is to create a greater awareness internationally that France is a video game stronghold. French Digital and AI Minister Anne Le Henanff popped by the expo on Thursday afternoon to demonstrate her suppor, and pledge to protect the various tax incentives and financial supports from her budget-cutting colleagues. ***“The French video game is a sector of excellence. I will be vigilant on all the discussions that will take place in the coming days, but I trust parliamentarians to defend our system*,”** [**she told Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/le-jeu-video-francais-n-est-pas-encore-sorti-d-une-crise-inedite-par-son-echelle-et-sa-duree-20250627?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image-3.png) French Digital and AI Minister Anne Le Henanff at Paris Games Week. [Via her LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/anne-le-h%C3%A9nanff-7505a26b%5Faussi-%C3%A0-laise-avec-une-console-que-derri%C3%A8re-activity-7390023032196718592-x2qv?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) Amid this anxiety, however, there has been a welcome beacon of hope. At PGW last week, the spotlight belonged to a standout phenomenon: **Clair Obscur: Expédition 33\.** With over **5 million copies sold in six months**, the title from Montpellier’s Sandfall Interactive has exploded this year into a global cultural phenomenon. Set in a dark, Belle Époque–inspired world, the people of Lumière are cursed by the annual **Gommage**: a mysterious artist called **the Paintress** paints a number, and everyone of that age vanishes. The volunteers of **Expedition 33** set out to cross the mainland and end the Paintress’s cycle. It’s a turn-based RPG with real-time inputs (parries, dodges) and a deliberately interpretive ending. The game’s characters and settings are unapologetically French, and fans came to PGW decked out in their favorite French clothing in tribute to their chosen characters. The game has garnered several awards, and the soundtracktopped Billboard’s Classical and Classical Crossover charts. At PGW, a symphony concert of the soundtrack was performed before a sold-out crowd. It is this kind of breakthrough that France's video game industry hopes heralds an artistic and commercial revival of its fortunes. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/clair-obscur.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 👼 Angry Angels 👼 [**France Angels**](https://www.franceangels.org/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the national federation of business angels, warns that Article 3 of France’s 2026 Finance Bill risks undermining the country’s early-stage innovation ecosystem. [**In an open letter to legislators and politicians**](https://www.franceangels.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Tribune-ouverte-PLF-2026-France-Angels-Federation-Nationale-des-Business-Angels.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the group is pushing back against the introduction of a new tax on financial holdings. The group argues that the measure’s complexity, particularly around valuing illiquid startup shares and distinguishing between direct and indirect holdings, would add significant administrative burdens and deter individuals from investing through common holding structures such as SPVs and SIBAs. 💡 ****Key Data:** In 2024, France Angels and its member networks invested €98.6 million in 445 French startups, underlining the sector’s significant role in early-stage financing. The organization comprises around 50 regional and national angel networks. These networks form an essential part of France’s innovation ecosystem, supporting young, often pre-revenue companies that cannot access bank or VC funding. --- # 🪖 Getting Defensive 🪖 🎖️ **Bpifrance** hosted the first edition of European Defense Week last week, which brought together 400 organizations to talk about the business of defense, including investors and startups. The event included the announcement of the **Defense Angels European Network (DAEN),** which is adopting the model of the French **Défense Angels**, founded in 2022 to address limited defense innovation funding and advocate for increased private investment. In a report released by Bpifrance, there is widespread interest among companies that want to tap into the defense market, but many hurdles. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/Industrial-production-Goal-----31-billion-by-2030-for-additional-production-needed-to-meet-the-needs-of-French-armed-forces-and-export-markets-Market-interest-of-non-defense-companies-want-to-develo-1-.png) --- # 🧀 Government Cheese 🧀 The [**Pitchbook Q3 2025 France Market Snapshot**](https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/q3-2025-france-market-snapshot?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) offers us a periodic reminder of the weighty role that the government plays in France's startup ecosystem, at both the French and European levels. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Top-LPs-2.png) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Top-Investors-2.png) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: October 31 ### 🏆 Key Highlights - **Total Raised (Equity):** €79.1 million - **Number of Companies:** 8 - **Average Round Size:** \~€9.9 million - **Dominant City:** Paris — 6 of 8 deals - **Top Deal:** 🥇 *Onepark (€40M)* — Mobility & Smart Parking ### 🧬 Sector Diversity 🚗 **Mobility & Smart Cities** - **Onepark (€40M)** — European leader in online parking and B2B fleet management solutions. - **Kelkun (€0.9M)** — Trusted digital marketplace connecting verified artisans and clients in the construction sector. 💻 **AI & Software** - **The Mobile-First Company (€11M)** — Building a mobile-native AI SaaS suite for SMBs. - **DotBlocks (€1.4M)** — Democratizing industrial simulation with cloud-based tools. ⚙️ **Deeptech & Industrial Innovation** - **Altrove (€9.4M)** — AI-designed sustainable materials to replace rare earths and critical metals. - **Zero Industries (€0.4M)** — GPS-free drone navigation for defense applications. 💳 **Fintech** - **Faktus (€9M)** — Neobank for the construction sector combining project-based financing and AI risk analysis. **🧠 Medtech & Health AI** - **Primaa (€7M)** — AI diagnostics for histology and cancer detection (breast and skin). --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- 📇 **Company:** Onepark 🔍 **Description:** French mobility and smart parking platform enabling users to book parking spaces online in over 3,500 locations across Europe. Onepark connects drivers with hotels, airports, and private operators to optimize underused parking capacity, combining convenience with urban efficiency. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.onepark.co](https://www.onepark.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €40 million 🏦 **Investors:** TotalEnergies (new strategic investor), Keolis, ADP (Aéroports de Paris), Accor (existing investors) 👨👩 **Founders:** David Vanden Born, Gilles Latouche 🗞️ **News:** Onepark raised €40 million in fresh capital led by TotalEnergies, which also entered into a strategic partnership allowing its 2.3 million Fleet card users to access Onepark’s parking services. Existing shareholders Keolis, ADP, and Accor also reinvested. The deal aims to double Onepark’s revenue to €60 million and expand its user base to 5 million. The company will use the funding to accelerate its B2B solution *Flow*, explore potential acquisitions, and solidify its position as a European leader in digital parking and mobility services. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/28/face-a-yespark-onepark-leve-40-millions-deuros-et-fait-entrer-totalenergies-a-son-capital/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-132.png) 📇 **Company:** The Mobile-First Company 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup building an AI-powered mobile software suite for small business teams. Its flagship product, *Allo*, is an AI-driven phone system designed for SMBs, featuring an AI receptionist, smart call summaries, intelligent routing, voicemail transcription, and seamless CRM integrations. Unlike traditional VoIP systems, Allo operates entirely on mobile devices, eliminating the need for complex IT infrastructure. The company follows a modular “One Problem, One App” approach, with upcoming products *Due* (AI invoicing) and *Claim* (expense management). 💻 **Website:** [http://themobilefirstcompany.com/](http://themobilefirstcompany.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $12 million 🏦 **Investors:** Base10 Partners (lead), Lightspeed Venture Partners 👨👩 **Founders:** Jérémy Goillot (CEO, ex-Head of Growth at Spendesk) and Franco Pinto (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support the expansion of The Mobile-First Company’s AI-driven suite globally, with a focus on the U.S. market, where Allo is experiencing 50% month-over-month growth. The startup aims to build simple, fast, and accessible software for small business owners traditionally underserved by enterprise SaaS, positioning itself as a mobile-native alternative to incumbents like RingCentral, Dialpad, Aircall, and Nextiva. | [**PR**](https://www.themobilefirstcompany.com/seed-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/mobile-first-company-raises-12m-to-build-ai-suite-for-small-teams/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ReGeneration 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup pioneering data-driven regenerative agriculture programs across Europe. ReGeneration helps farmers transition to sustainable practices—such as no-till farming, cover cropping, and input reduction—while quantifying and monetizing environmental benefits like carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality. Its robust data platform measures real-world impact across climate, ecosystems, and farmer livelihoods, enabling the generation of high-integrity carbon credits certified by Verra (VM0042) and pending Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) certification. 💻 **Website:** [https://regeneration.eu](https://regeneration.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Carbon Investment / Project Financing 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Mirova (affiliated with Natixis Investment Managers) 👨👩 **Founders / Leadership:** Thomas Rabant (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The €10 million investment—Mirova’s first carbon investment in France—will enable ReGeneration to support around 3,400 farmers in adopting regenerative practices across 500,000 hectares in France and Belgium. Over 20 years, the project is expected to avoid or sequester 10.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, while improving soil health, biodiversity, and water resources. Farmers will receive individualized agronomic support over five years and share in revenues from high-integrity carbon credits. The partnership marks a milestone for scaling regenerative agriculture and advancing a transparent, high-impact carbon market in Europe. | [**PR**](https://regeneration.eu/actualites/10-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-la-transition-agroecologique-avec-regeneration-mirova-realise-son-premier-investissement-carbone-en-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-122.png) 📇 **Company:** Primaa 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based MedTech startup developing AI-powered diagnostic software for histology and cancer detection. Primaa’s CE-marked solution *Cleo Breast* automates the detection and quantification of key biomarkers in breast cancer, while *Cleo Skin*—in the process of CE marking—targets melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. Its tools enhance diagnostic accuracy, reduce processing time, and alleviate pathologists’ workloads. 💻 **Website:** [https://primaalab.com/](https://primaalab.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Extended Financing Round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** MH Innov’–Elaia partnership fund, SWEN Capital Partners, Super Capital, and members of the Wendel family 👨👩 **Founders:** Fanny Sockeel (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The new capital will accelerate Primaa’s European expansion and customer support, advance predictive AI models for disease progression and relapse risk, and support U.S. market entry through upcoming FDA certification activities. Its *Cleo Breast* and *Cleo Skin* tools are already deployed in leading French institutions such as Institut Curie, AP-HP, and Saint-Joseph Hospital. | [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/10/29/primaa-raises-eur7m-to-accelerate-product-growth-and-international-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Faktus 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based fintech building the first European neobank dedicated to the construction sector. Faktus provides financing solutions for craftsmen and small BTP (construction and public works) businesses traditionally underserved by banks. Its AI-powered platform analyzes invoices, contracts, and project schedules to reduce financing approval times from several weeks to just two hours. The platform also offers professional accounts with real-time cash flow tracking, invoice financing, material advances, and retention guarantees for project completion. 💻 **Website:** [https://faktus.eu/](https://faktus.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed (Equity + Debt) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €9M equity (+€47M debt) 🏦 **Investors:** Lakestar, Foundamental (equity), Insight Investment, and Fost Capital (debt providers) 👨👩 **Founders:** Alexandre Pochon and Réda Kabbaj 🗞️ **News:** The funds will enable Faktus to finance €500 million worth of construction projects within 18 months, strengthen its national presence across France, and expand into the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Portugal by 2026\. Since launch, Faktus has financed over 470 projects worth €100 million—including major sites such as Roland-Garros and the French Senate—and built a 30-person team combining expertise from BNP, Qonto, Revolut, Saint-Gobain, Coface, and Mirakl. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/faktus-leve-56-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-artisans-et-tpe-du-btp-a-financer-leur-tresorerie/458294?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/11/image.png) 📇 **Company:** Altrove 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based deeptech startup developing AI-designed sustainable alternatives to critical materials such as rare earths and cobalt. Altrove’s proprietary platform integrates artificial intelligence, automated synthesis, and self-learning characterization to accelerate material discovery from years to weeks. The company aims to strengthen Europe’s industrial sovereignty by reducing dependence on imported materials used in electrification and high-performance manufacturing. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.altrove.ai](https://www.altrove.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Alven (lead), Bpifrance Digital Venture, Contrarian Ventures, Emblem; existing investors Entrepreneurs First and angels including Thomas Clozel (Owkin), Julien Chaumond (Hugging Face), Thomas Plantenga (Vinted), and Michal Valko (ex-Meta) 👨👩 **Founders:** Thibaud Martin (CEO) and Dr. Joonatan Laulainen (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will be used to expand Altrove’s R&D labs, grow its technical team, and scale AI-designed materials from gram-scale to industrial production within two years. The company has already achieved breakthroughs in rare-earth-free and cobalt-free magnetic materials and non-toxic, lead-free compounds for sensors and actuators, securing over a dozen partnerships across the automotive, energy, and heavy industry sectors. | [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/10/31/paris-based-altrove-raises-10-million-to-accelerate-ai-designed-alternatives-to-critical-materials/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** DotBlocks 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup developing a cloud platform that democratizes numerical simulation and modeling for industrial companies. DotBlocks aims to make advanced computation accessible beyond R&D teams — enabling engineers, designers, and factory staff to accelerate innovation, improve process design, and support decarbonization in heavy industries such as metallurgy, glass manufacturing, and high-temperature processes. 💻 **Website:** [https://dotblocks.com/](https://dotblocks.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.4 million 🏦 **Investors:** OPRTRS Club (lead), Aglaé Ventures, Kima Ventures, Olivier Pomel (CEO of Datadog), Thibaud Elzière (co-founder of Hexa), and Renaud Boutet (ex-Product Management Director at Datadog, Venture Partner at Hedosophia) 👨👩 **Founders:** Kevin Lippera (CEO, ex-Saint-Gobain) and Joffrey Bluthé (ex-CEA) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate DotBlocks’ commercial deployment—particularly with major industrial partners like Saint-Gobain—and support the expansion of its technical teams. The startup aims to position itself as a key player in next-generation industrial simulation by making high-performance modeling tools accessible across entire organizations. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/democratiser-la-simulation-numerique-oprtrs-club-et-aglae-ventures-investissent-dans-dotblocks/458274?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/30/simulation-numerique-dotblocks-seduit-kima-ventures-thibaud-elziere-hexa-et-le-patron-de-datadog/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Energy&+ (subsidiary of Charwood Energy) 🔍 **Description:** French renewable energy company specializing in biomass-based heat solutions that help local territories decarbonize their energy consumption. Energy&+ designs and operates installations that convert local resources — such as wood chips and agricultural residues — into carbon-neutral energy for municipalities, industrial players, farmers, and private sector clients. The company supports local energy sovereignty by promoting circular economy practices and stabilizing energy costs. 💻 **Website:** [https://charwood.energy/](https://charwood.energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Rennes, France *(Charwood Energy headquarters)* 🧗 **Round:** Participatory Loan (Crowdfunding) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Crowd investors via the MiiMOSA platform 👨👩 **Founders / Leadership:** Adrien Haller (CEO & Founder, Charwood Energy) 🗞️ **News:** The €1 million participatory loan campaign on MiiMOSA was fully subscribed in just three days, reflecting strong investor confidence. The 4-year loan offers an 8% annual interest rate, backed by a 100% first-demand guarantee from Charwood Energy. The funding will accelerate Energy&+’s expansion, strengthen its industrial model, and support its territorial deployment amid 46% year-over-year revenue growth and a 127% increase in its order backlog in H1 2025. --- 📇 **Company:** Kelkun 🔍 **Description:** Montpellier-based startup operating a national digital platform that securely connects qualified building artisans with clients. Kelkun ensures trusted matchmaking through advanced qualification and verification technologies, aiming to simplify project management in the construction sector. The platform already counts over 4,000 verified artisans and generates 400 new projects each month. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.kelkun.com/](https://www.kelkun.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montpellier, France 🧗 **Round:** Extension / Bridge Round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €900,000 🏦 **Investors:** Existing shareholders 👨👩 **Founders:** Grégory Valency 🗞️ **News:** The new funding will accelerate Kelkun’s national expansion, enhance its verification and security technologies, and enable new use cases with institutional partners in the construction ecosystem. The company also plans to evolve into a broader trust-based platform serving the retail and insurance sectors, while expanding its team with 10 new hires by year-end. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-131.png) 📇 **Company:** Zero Industries 🔍 **Description:** Toulouse-based defense tech startup developing AI-powered navigation systems that enable drones to fly autonomously without GPS. Founded by former Instituto Superior Técnico aerospace engineering students, Zero Industries’ proprietary algorithm uses computer vision and real-time image analysis to determine drone position even when GPS signals are jammed — a major challenge in modern warfare scenarios like Ukraine. The solution replaces manual image matching with automated, intelligent navigation to enhance precision, autonomy, and safety in the field. 💻 **Website:**[https://www.zeroindustries.eu/](https://www.zeroindustries.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €400,000 🏦 **Investors:** Heartfelt\_ and Project Europe 👨👩 **Founders:** Frederico Baptista (CEO), João Silva (CTO), and Álvaro Patrício (COO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding supports the development of Zero Industries’ first commercial product addressing GPS-free drone navigation within six months. Incubated at ISAE-SUPAERO, the company is strategically positioned in Europe’s leading aerospace hub and backed by European defense networks, including contacts with the UK and German armies. A seed round is planned to support industrialization and expand its mission of embedding intelligence and autonomy into existing defense systems. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 👻 French Tech Wire: France Spooked By Fears Of Great Founder Migration URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-france-spooked-by-fears-of-great-founder-migration/ Last updated: 2025-10-31T10:01:16.000Z # 👋 Edito 👋 French entrepreneurs areincreasingly asking themselves that awkward question: ![](https://media.tenor.com/ErqB9iicQ3MAAAAC/the-clash-should-i-stay.gif) And, as it is wont to do, the local media caught whiff of the sense of panic wafting across the Parisian air like a croissant fresh out of the oven at 4:30 a.m. and threw itself into this debate *con mucho gusto*...buoyed by no lack of LinkedIn posts announcing various comings and goings... ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/French-Exodus.png) And it's not just France, btw. [Sifted reports that 23% of European AI startups](https://sifted.eu/articles/ai-100-survey-relocate-us?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) are thinking about relocating to the Land of Opportunity and Super Size Fries. France's new AI and Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff has heard these rumblings. And in an exclusive interview with [**Maddyness, she had a message for France's entrepreneurs:**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/30/anne-le-henanff-ministre-du-numerique-entrepreneurs-restez/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://media.tenor.com/2c1CiI4xAbkAAAAC/ugly-tears-sobbing.gif) Here are a few thoughts... These things go in cycles. From the U.S. side of my life, I have been following Silicon Valley in some fashion for more than 30 years (yikes!). ![](https://media.tenor.com/iGo8tZjyMygAAAAC/im-old-now-gandalf-bilbo.gif) I can not even count how many times the Valley's obit has been written during those decades. (It missed the internet! Mobile! Web 2.0! Etc.!) It is always behind, until it isn't. Just a couple of years ago, every tech bro was pronouncing SF doomed and declaring they were moving to Texas or Miami or wherever. And now they're all crammed right back into the tiny hamlet of San Francisco. On the other side of the Atlantic, when I moved to France in 2014, we just started to hear about entrepreneurs moving ***back*** to France and Europe. SaaS and Fintech helped close the startup gap, though not completely. Now, AI has obviously torn that gap wide open again. Moving to the U.S. just seems so...obvious. So, is it really? By the top line fundraising numbers, clearly, there is no question that more money is being invested in the U.S. But look below those top-line numbers. The number of startups raising rounds is in free fall in the U.S., just as it is in Europe. Can you move faster in the U.S. and get your first customers? Absolutely. Will they dump your ass faster and move on in a blink if you stumble? Absolutely. That $10M Seed that seemed might come faster and furiouser (*fyi, that's not really a word, but it's just more fun to say so let's go with it*), but it's also a pittance on the U.S. scale and so not worth a VC spending their time helping you iterate if things aren't getting traction. Too many other chips on the table. And yes, there are lots of startups and big companies window shopping for new AI tools. But how many are really sticking? America is the land of the free and the home of disposable stuff. There's not much sentimentality about dropping your platform thingy like a rancid steak tartar left on the countertop overnight. That attitude extends to pesky humans as well. Remember that one of the greatest innovations of American capitalism over the past several decades is reducing humans to numbers on a balance sheet. Witness the current orgy of layoffs among highly profitable tech giants (Amazon: 14,000! Microsoft: 9,000!). Over the course of a decade, Hewlett-Packard fired 140,000 employees, and that was probably not even a thing about which you heard. You are needed and important until the very second that you are not. Of course, you may be the 1 in 1,000 who succeeds. Or, it may be just part of the experience. You will learn important life lessons. It will toughen you up. Harden your exterior. Make you more resilient. Teach you to deal with failure. Finally, you will understand all those baseball metaphors so you can confuse/dazzle future French colleagues by exclaiming, "After touching base with the team, I decided to step up to the plate and swing for the fences but the client threw us a curveball right out of left field, so now we’re just hoping our cleanup hitter in marketing can pinch-hit before we all strike out with the board.” Before then, you could find yourself wrapping burritos in the Mission District or doing an OnlyFans show to pay the rent in your live-work-group-home-loft-cabinet and buy a ticket back to France. But, oh, what stories you will have to tell. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Starting in finance, Barbara Belvisi's career detoured through VC before its current destination as CEO and Founder of Intersellar Lab, which is building BioPods that look more like spacecraft than greenhouses. These AI-powered farming systems address Earth's sustainability challenges while serving as a dress rehearsal for humanity's multi-planetary future. [**We caught up with Belvisi, which is never easy, as she shuttles back and forth between the U.S. and France.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/barbara-belvisi-interstellar-lab-cultivating-the-future-of-life-on-earth-and-the-final-frontier/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Tech Talk 🇫🇷🤖 **As mentioned in the edito, new Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff did indeed give her first interview, begging France's tech diaspora to stay**. 🥺 In her exclusive with Maddyness, the former MP (and ex-Bacardi exec!) promised to protect startup support schemes amid looming budget cuts and to keep France 2030 investments intact. Le Hénanff, who helped draft the SREN law on digital sovereignty, says her ministry will work “in startup mode” to deliver quick, concrete help to founders. Top priorities: restoring confidence, scaling the “Osez l’IA” plan, pushing EU capital markets reform, and getting more women into tech (“only 23% of jobs in digital are held by women,” she laments). | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/30/anne-le-henanff-ministre-du-numerique-entrepreneurs-restez/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇺🇸💔 **Whoopsy, looks like some didn't get the message.** Once the poster child of the French Tech, **Criteo just *swiped left on France*** and is officially packing its bags for...the States. The adtech firm, born in Paris in 2005 and listed on Wall Street since 2013, announced it’s moving its legal HQ from France to Luxembourg. That is intended to be a layover to re-capitalize its stock structure before going to 'Merica, prolly in 2027\. Now run by an American CEO out of New York, the company is completing its long transatlantic makeover. As we were saying, for many in the ecosystem, it’s less *vive la tech* and more *au revoir, la France*. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/longtemps-symbole-de-la-french-tech-criteo-entend-devenir-100-americain-2195469?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😬✈️ **Whoopsy Bis… just days after announcing it’s moving its HQ to the U.S., Criteo is losing its French captain too.** Estelle Decré Ravez, who took over the France office in June 2024, has quietly exited the adtech unicorn. No drama, just… gone. The firm confirmed her departure but offered no comment. Probably too busy packing its bags. For now, European exec Jill Orr will steer the French ship. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/criteo-france-na-plus-de-responsable-aux-manettes-2195656?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤳💸 **As the Government Giveth, So Shall They Taxeth.** France just doubled its “Taxe Gafam” — from 3% to 6% — because nothing says “innovation nation” like giving Google a headache. The move, passed 296 to 58, is part of the 2026 budget deal meant to appease the Socialists (and mildly annoy Washington). Economy Minister **Roland Lescure** called for “prudence,” warning that poking **Trump’s America** with a fiscal stick might end badly. The tax, born in 2019 to target Big Tech’s French revenues, only raises about €700M a year, but politically, it’s priceless. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/taxe-gafam-lassemblee-vote-le-doublement-du-taux-a-6-roland-lescure-appelle-a-la-prudence/458266?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🥸 🛰️ **“Don’t Look Up,” But Maybe Encrypt That Call**. Turns out half of all geostationary satellite communications are sent *in the clear*, including military and banking data. Researchers from the Universities of California and Maryland spent seven months eavesdropping on 39 satellites with a $250 setup (seriously) and found 50% of transmissions unencrypted. Even the Mexican army and Walmart made the cut. Operators like T-Mobile and Walmart have since scrambled to fix things, but the lesson is clear: what happens above our heads is *shockingly public*. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/il-suffit-de-lever-les-yeux-alerte-sur-la-securite-des-communications-par-satellite-2195398?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚦🚴‍♂️ **K-Ryole’s Last Ride? Not Just Yet**. Once the darling of French cyclo-logistics, K-Ryole, which makes smart electric trailers, has been pedaling uphill since its judicial recovery this summer. Now, three rescue bids are in: Rebirth (yes, the Angell Bikes folks) offering €200K and 22 jobs; Rouget Finance, €350K for 13 staff; and Juan de la Torre, the startup’s U.S. head, matching that amount to save 18\. Founded in 2016 and backed by Bpifrance and Quadia, K-Ryole once raised €10.5M to roll out its Tonneins factory. Now it’s hoping one of these white knights can keep the wheels turning. |[**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-un-depart-dalven-des-offres-ameliorees-chez-k-ryole-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2195599?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ✅ 💉 **Doctolib Finally Checks “Profitable” on Its Health Record.** After 12 years, a pandemic boom, and countless doctors appointments, Doctolib has gone from the waiting room to the winner’s circle: it’s profitable. CEO Stanislas Niox-Château casually dropped the news mid-interview on BFM TV, because why not? The €5.8B healthtech now counts 400,000 healthcare pros and 80 million patients (half of them in France), with €438M in recurring revenue last year. Once the poster child for “growth over gains,” Doctolib now claims it’s “master of its own destiny.” | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/29/12-ans-apres-sa-creation-doctolib-est-enfin-rentable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌍 **World Fund Turns Up the Heat on French Climate Tech.** Move over, AI hype. **World Fund**, Europe’s biggest climate-focused VC, is about to splash **€300M** on France’s greenest startups. Launched in 2021 by Daria Saharova & co., the fund has already backed deeptech stars like IQM, Space Forge, and Planet A Foods, and now it’s eyeing tricolore gems like Dioxycle, Ncodin, and Spark Cleantech. Why France? A killer combo of AI brainpower, France 2030 billions, and **a 41% annual rise in greentech funding since 2016\.** Plus, French climate startups are now minting unicorns almost 10x faster than before. World Fund’s mission: help them cross the dreaded **“Series B valley of death”** and grow into full-blown European climate champions. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/30/world-fund-plus-gros-fonds-europeen-dedie-au-climat-veut-piocher-dans-une-enveloppe-de-300-millions-deuros-pour-miser-sur-des-pepites-francaises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚚 💑 🚚💘 **Shippingbo Finds a Main Squeeze**. Toulouse-based **Shippingbo** just got hitched — Dutch-style. Main Capital Partners snapped up a majority stake with a €20M investment, per *Les Echos*. The logistics SaaS darling (think order + warehouse + transport = one sexy platform) serves 1,000 clients, including DHL and Weber. With its new Dutch boo, Shippingbo’s plotting to roll into Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland — and maybe ship itself to European stardom.| [**Les Echos**](https://capitalfinance.lesechos.fr/deals/capital-developpement/main-prend-la-barre-de-shippingbo-2194971?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/10/28/main-capital-backs-shippingbos-next-growth-phase/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕹️🎆 **Paris Games Week Goes Full Pop Mode**. France’s biggest gaming bash, the Paris Games Week, respawns this week. Under new bosses Fimalac and GL Events (yep, the Olympic folks), Paris Games Week is mashing up gaming, concerts, and pop culture. Late-night openings, late-night gigs at the Dôme de Paris feature influencers Squeezie, Bigflo & Oli, and 1,000+ creators on deck. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/on-va-vers-du-mieux-a-la-paris-game-biz-la-perspective-d-une-sortie-de-crise-pour-le-jeu-video-francais-20251028?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-127.png) Image via [Paris Game Week's Twitter](https://x.com/ParisGamesWeek/status/1983654527204258120?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Barbara Belvisi + Interstellar Lab: Cultivating the Future of Life on Earth and the Final Frontier [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-125.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/barbara-belvisi-interstellar-lab-cultivating-the-future-of-life-on-earth-and-the-final-frontier/) Barbara Belvisi had spent years establishing herself as a leading, influential investor and mentor in the emerging French tech ecosystem. A career that started in classic finance had taken a turn into tech entrepreneurship and a hardware startup studio before she walked away from it all because she wanted to figure out something that combined her passions for sustainability and space. And when she started to formulate the outlines of what eventually became the embryonic idea for Interstellar Lab, well.... "Initially, when I started, I came up with this crazy idea of like, okay, let's build a habitat so we can grow plants on the moon and Mars," she recalled. "And even from the tech ecosystem here in France, where I was an investor, it was kind of a crazy cuckoo idea to start that, and people were like, 'Well, what is she talking about?'" Six years after launching Interstellar Lab, the company has demonstrated traction on its two-pronged business model: Earth and space. It's struck partnerships with NASA in the U.S. for some of the more futuristic projects and marquee names like L'Oreal for more practical commercial applications in beauty and agriculture. With recent victories, including NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge and partnerships spanning from L'Oréal to commercial space stations, the company exemplifies how space-inspired innovation can address terrestrial challenges while preparing for life beyond Earth. "It was just a PowerPoint," Belvisi said. "Now it's real. And it's going to scale." [Step inside the BioPod](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/barbara-belvisi-interstellar-lab-cultivating-the-future-of-life-on-earth-and-the-final-frontier/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Onepark 🔍 **Description:** French mobility and smart parking platform enabling users to book parking spaces online in over 3,500 locations across Europe. Onepark connects drivers with hotels, airports, and private operators to optimize underused parking capacity, combining convenience with urban efficiency. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.onepark.co](https://www.onepark.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €40 million 🏦 **Investors:** TotalEnergies (new strategic investor), Keolis, ADP (Aéroports de Paris), Accor (existing investors) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** David Vanden Born, Gilles Latouche 🗞️ **News:** Onepark raised €40 million in fresh capital led by TotalEnergies, which also entered into a strategic partnership allowing its 2.3 million Fleet card users to access Onepark’s parking services. Existing shareholders Keolis, ADP, and Accor also reinvested. The deal aims to double Onepark’s revenue to €60 million and expand its user base to 5 million. The company will use the funding to accelerate its B2B solution *Flow*, explore potential acquisitions, and solidify its position as a European leader in digital parking and mobility services. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/28/face-a-yespark-onepark-leve-40-millions-deuros-et-fait-entrer-totalenergies-a-son-capital/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-122.png) 📇 **Company:** Primaa 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based MedTech startup developing AI-powered diagnostic software for histology and cancer detection. Primaa’s CE-marked solution *Cleo Breast* automates the detection and quantification of key biomarkers in breast cancer, while *Cleo Skin*—in the process of CE marking—targets melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. Its tools enhance diagnostic accuracy, reduce processing time, and alleviate pathologists’ workloads. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.primaa.ai](https://www.primaa.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Extended Financing Round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** MH Innov’–Elaia partnership fund, SWEN Capital Partners, Super Capital, and members of the Wendel family 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Fanny Sockeel (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The new capital will accelerate Primaa’s European expansion and customer support, advance predictive AI models for disease progression and relapse risk, and support U.S. market entry through upcoming FDA certification activities. Its *Cleo Breast* and *Cleo Skin* tools are already deployed in leading French institutions such as Institut Curie, AP-HP, and Saint-Joseph Hospital. | [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/10/29/primaa-raises-eur7m-to-accelerate-product-growth-and-international-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Barbara Belvisi + Interstellar Lab: Cultivating the Future of Life on Earth and the Final Frontier URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/barbara-belvisi-interstellar-lab-cultivating-the-future-of-life-on-earth-and-the-final-frontier/ Last updated: 2025-11-03T12:49:12.000Z Starting in finance, her career detoured through VC before its current destination: Building BioPods that look more like spacecraft than greenhouses. These AI-powered farming systems address Earth's sustainability challenges while serving as a dress rehearsal for humanity's multi-planetary future. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #48: Probabl's Cause Takes AI From Lab to Launchpad URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-48-probabls-cause-takes-ai-from-lab-to-launchpad/ Last updated: 2025-10-29T09:36:58.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 Scikit-learn, born at a French research institute, is one of the world’s most-used machine learning libraries. Probabl aims to turn it into a global business. Its journey reveals France’s AI potential and the structural hurdles of commercializing public research. [**Probabl CEO Yann Lechelle explains his plot to pull this off.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mission-probabl-quest-transform-french-ai-research-tech-champion/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Meet that AI that rocks the cradle: Doctolib** is launching an AI-powered **medical assistant** that will first support **parents of children under four** starting in 2026 by helping them navigate France’s 14 mandatory checkups and early parenting challenges like postpartum depression. The conversational assistant, built with French doctors and researchers, will offer **personalized answers and recommendations,** but no diagnoses or prescriptions, while keeping all data securely hosted in Europe. Doctolib CEO Stanislas Niox-Chateau says the tool aims to **combat health misinformation**, which he calls “a global and French scourge,” by steering users away from dubious TikTok or Instagram advice. Although what babies are going on social media at that age is anyone's guess! Following its AI rollout for doctors last year, this move marks Doctolib’s next leap toward making **trustworthy, sovereign AI healthcare** accessible to millions. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-doctolib-lance-un-assistant-ia-pour-les-patients-2195081?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-117.png) 🗞️ Meanwhile, France is bringing AI into the beating heart of its public administration. In partnership with **Mistral AI**, the government is rolling out a conversational assistant to 10,000 civil servants across ministries such as Justice, Economy, Education, and Culture. The eight-month pilot, launched by Public Service Minister David Amiel, aims to test how AI can simplify paperwork (***wait, paperwork? in France?***), support research projects, and enhance efficiency, while keeping data within secure, sovereign infrastructures. Costing around €300,000, the project will help estimate the price tag of a full nationwide rollout. If successful, it could mark a turning point in France’s digital transformation of the public sector. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/22/ia-un-assistant-conversationnel-lance-avec-mistral-ai-pour-equiper-10-000-agents-de-la-fonction-publique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **...Speaking of the M-train...**Hopefully, that government project will get some tracking. But if it don't, well, it won't be alone. It's enough of a problem that **Mistral** has unveiled *Mistral AI Studio*, a powerful web platform that promises to take artificial intelligence from the lab to the enterprise. In the official announcement, the company wrote: "Many prototypes. Few systems in production. Enterprise AI teams have built dozens of prototypes—copilots, chat interfaces, summarization tools, internal Q&A. The models are capable, the use cases are clear, and the business appetite is there. What’s missing is a reliable path to production and a robust system to support much of it." Replacing its earlier “Le Platforme” API, the new system lets users **build, monitor, and deploy AI apps** using both proprietary and open-weight models like Mistral Large, Mixtral, and Codestral. Designed for businesses frustrated by stalled prototypes, AI Studio is currently in private beta. | [**Mistral AI**](https://mistral.ai/news/ai-studio?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-116.png) 🗞️ **Paris has become OpenAI’s** largest hub **for its Forward Deployed Engineers team.** FDEs, the new buzziest of buzzwords in AI-land, are elite engineers who embed directly with clients to co-develop and deploy cutting-edge AI solutions, bridging the gap between research and real-world application. (Sensing a theme yet?) As companies race to integrate AI into complex systems, FDEs have become critical for translating OpenAI’s models into usable, scalable products that drive immediate business and societal impact. According to a Q&A with **Arnaud Fournier**, head of OpenAI's Paris office, in the ***Journal des Entreprises***, the Paris-based unit works hand in hand with major partners like **John Deere** to co-develop cutting-edge AI solutions ranging from sustainable agriculture tools to OpenAI’s own **Agent SDK**, first prototyped by the team. Launched only in **January 2025**, the group has rapidly expanded to about a dozen engineers, with more hiring underway. Fournier describes it as a blend of research lab and innovation partner, helping companies across sectors unlock AI’s potential. | [**Journal des Entreprises**](https://www.journaldunet.com/intelligence-artificielle/1545345-arnaud-fournier/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#utm%5Fsource=MagNews&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=Quotidienne%5F20/10/2025&een=e8db8c8809bf433f9d86ae25076129de&seen=2&gbmlus=9b2b8cecc49bf62ccce24bc40a2ce5acc8afe623777be5c835cddbfe596f8b35) ### **OTHER HEADLINES** **🗞️ ‘I let ChatGPT decide:’ This American woman moved to a French town after asking AI for advice |** Julie Neis loves the simple routine of sitting, cup in hand, while taking in the views of the fountain and arcades. Later she walks around the old town, maybe meeting up with friends for an Aperol, or browsing the twice-weekly market. A Michigan native who grew up in Texas, Neis feels at home among Uzès’ narrow streets and medieval architecture, even though she hadn’t set foot in the town until six months ago. So how did she end up moving her life there? Simple: She let ChatGPT choose. | [**CNN Travel**](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/24/travel/american-woman-moved-to-france-using-chatgpt?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **How digital twins tackle climate risks and boosts efficiency of the French rail network |** How can 3D modelling of the rails help improve climate resilience, reduce waste, and how to avoid a data overload? Alexis Meneses, Chief Strategy Officer at Altametris, explains how AI-powered 3D digital twins are transforming rail infrastructure management in France, enabling data-driven decision-making. | [**Railtech**](https://www.railtech.com/all/2025/10/24/how-digital-twins-tackle-climate-risks-and-boosts-efficiency-of-the-french-rail-network/?gdpr=accept&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Inside TiHive: How a French Deeptech Startup Is Revolutionizing Quality Control, One Diaper at a Time |** The Grenoble-based company just raised €8M to scale its terahertz-AI technology that can see inside products on production lines **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 Mission Probabl: The Quest to Transform French AI Research into A Tech Champion [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-121.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mission-probabl-quest-transform-french-ai-research-tech-champion/) Yann Lechelle is attempting something that has bedeviled French technology for decades: transforming world-class academic research into a commercial powerhouse. His startup Probabl, which just closed an €18.5 million seed round, represents both France's AI ambitions and the persistent challenges of bridging the gap between university labs and market success. The company's origin story reads like a case study in French technology transfer complications. **Scikit-learn** is one of the world's most popular machine learning libraries. It's been downloaded over 2.5 billion times. Yet despite this global reach, few outside the data science community even knew about its French origins. It sat hidden within INRIA, France's national computer science research institute. "People not in data science had no clue this was French, even though it is at the top of the world in AI," Lechelle said. [Read the whole tale here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mission-probabl-quest-transform-french-ai-research-tech-champion/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Oct_24.png) ***For the week ending October 24, there were 6 AI startups that raised a total of €30.4 million.*** --- 📇 **Company:** UPCITI 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based smart city technology company developing integrated hardware and edge AI software that helps cities operate more efficiently while preserving citizen privacy. UPCITI’s privacy-by-design sensors process visual data locally to optimize traffic, safety, and infrastructure management without transmitting personal information. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.upciti.com](https://www.upciti.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20 million 🏦 **Investors:** Notion Capital (lead), Point Nine Capital, Chalfen Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Baptiste Poljak (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate UPCITI’s international expansion — including the opening of a U.S. headquarters in New York City — and drive product innovation as the company scales its privacy-first urban analytics platform across North America and beyond. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/upciti-raises-20m-series-a-privacy-first-smart-city-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Volta Software 🔍 **Description:** French-Italian startup revolutionizing B2B commerce with an AI-powered platform that unifies, automates, and amplifies sales operations. Volta integrates with existing ERP, CRM, and PIM systems to centralize data, automate up to 90% of manual tasks, and leverage AI insights for growth and customer engagement. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.voltasoftware.com/](https://www.voltasoftware.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France / Milan, Italy 🧗 **Round:** Extension Round (Post-Seed / Early Series A) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million (total funding €11 million) 🏦 **Investors:** RTP Global (lead), Pascal Houillon (former CEO of Cegid & Sage), Emblem, Robin Capital, Founders Future 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul Guillemin (CEO), Mario Parteli (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** RTP Global doubles down on Volta Software to accelerate AI-driven digital transformation in B2B commerce. The new capital will fuel commercial rollout, team expansion (30+ employees), and further development of Volta’s AI platform designed to unify, automate, and amplify the B2B sales experience. --- 📇 **Company:** Kotcha 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup co-founded with marathon legend **Eliud Kipchoge** and the **NN Running Team**, Kotcha uses AI to make world-class running coaching accessible to everyone. The app recreates the athlete–coach relationship through four AI coaches (Head Coach, Nutritionist, Data Analyst, Personal Trainer) that adapt weekly training, nutrition, and recovery plans to each runner’s progress and lifestyle. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.kotcha.com/](https://www.kotcha.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Racine2 (operated by Serena and makesense), True Global, Motier Ventures, and individual investors from the consumer, health, running, and sports sectors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ben Dupont (CEO), Michel-André Chirita (CTO), Dimitri Dor (CMO), Eliud Kipchoge, and the NN Running Team 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support Kotcha’s launch in Europe and abroad, bringing its AI-powered coaching app to runners worldwide. Available globally from October 23, 2025, the app offers a free trial and a €14.99/month subscription. Kipchoge’s philosophy — “Running is a team sport” — lies at the heart of Kotcha’s mission to blend human empathy with AI precision so that no runner ever runs alone. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/kotcha-leve-35-millions-deuros-pour-democratiser-le-coaching-de-course-a-pied-assiste-par-ia/458118?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Fleetiz 🔍 **Description:** Fleetiz develops an all-in-one fleet management platform designed to simplify and optimize the operation of bicycle and equipment fleets. Its solution leverages AI for predictive maintenance, user safety, and fleet optimization, helping companies reduce costs and environmental impact while supporting sustainable mobility. 💻 **Website:** [https://fleetiz.fr](https://fleetiz.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France (exact city not specified) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1 million 🏦 **Investors:** CITA 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emmanuel Greve, Thibault Martin, 🗞️ **News:** Fleetiz raised €1 million alongside CITA to accelerate the development of its platform, strengthen its presence in the French and European sustainable mobility markets, and integrate new AI-based modules for predictive maintenance and fleet safety. The company will also showcase its innovations at the RNTP 2025 in Orléans. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fleet-iz%5Fmobility-fleetmanagement-startup-activity-7380897166837305344-cw1A?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Certificall 🔍 **Description:** Toulouse-based insurtech startup providing a **digital proof certification platform** that transforms photos and videos into tamper-proof, legally admissible evidence across the EU. Certificall helps insurers, brokers, and large industries prevent fraud and ensure document integrity through geolocation, qualified time stamping, eIDAS compliance, and digital signature seals. The platform already supports 150+ enterprise clients and 20,000 users, including Groupama and Eiffage Energies, with over 3 million certified photos to date. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.certificall.app/](https://www.certificall.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** TomCat (lead), Groupama, InsurAngels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Laurent (President, Co-founder), Nicolas Chabauty (CEO, Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** Certificall will use the funding to **strengthen its technological platform** and **accelerate its commercial expansion in Europe**. The company is positioning itself as a **trusted third party** for visual evidence in the fight against AI-driven digital fraud, fully compliant with **EU eIDAS regulations** and benefiting from the growing shift toward digital identity and self-care tools across financial services. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/) --- 📇 **Company:** MNGRS.AI 🔍 **Description:** French AI-powered artist management platform developed by Global Music Community. MNGRS.AI serves as a “digital manager” for creators, using artificial intelligence to guide them through career strategy, release planning, audience growth, and content optimization — empowering artists to professionalize and scale sustainably without replacing human creativity. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.mngrs.ai](https://www.mngrs.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Music and sports investors, including Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), and African cultural entrepreneur Mamby Laye Diomandé (founder of SIMA – Salon des Industries Musicales d’Afrique francophone) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Deniot (ex-Midem, Universal Music) and Thomas Quenoil (ex-Universal Music Group, Midem) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support MNGRS.AI’s international expansion and product development as it scales its AI-driven artist management service to serve thousands of creators across Europe, North America, and Africa — democratizing access to professional career management in a $16 billion global artist services market. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thomasquenoil%5Fpress-release-mngrsai-activity-7386708926035062785-Jup%5F?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-100.png) 🗣️ **AI Startup Accelerator |** For its 3rd edition, the AI Startup Accelerator program at Station F is partnering with SNCF Connect & Tech, Hugging Face, and HEC Paris Incubation & Acceleration Center to support French startups that are building the future of mobility through open source AI. For 6 months, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with the experts of our partners, to experiment with your solution on concrete use cases, to access real data, and to benefit from a strategic and technical mentorship to take your product to the next level. | [**Apply by October 31**](https://hecparis.notion.site/ai-startup-accelerator?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **AI x Oncology & Gene Editing | October 30 |** Oncology and gene editing are no longer emerging fields; they are at an inflection point. ​AI-driven single-cell analysis, CRISPR variants beyond Cas9, and programmable recombinases are moving from proof-of-concept to clinical and industrial applications. These technologies are not only redefining therapeutic paradigms in cancer but also expanding into agriculture and synthetic biology. ​This evening convenes founders and investors at the frontier to examine how these innovations translate from the lab bench into platforms and products that can reshape industries. | [**Waiting List**](https://luma.com/xxfmmpc9?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Deeptech Connect | November 4 |** Conceived and organized by the SATT Network, Deeptech Connect is a unique event connecting investors, industrial companies, and startups from French academic research. This third edition is part of a new unifying ambition, with twice as many startups, representing nearly 200 exhibiting startups from SATT and SAT E, French and international technology transfer organizations, national research organizations, and stakeholders in partnership research. All are involved as co-organizers of the event to support the development of these young companies they helped create and which are now seeking new partners. The SATT Network brings together 13 Technology Transfer Acceleration Companies (SATTs) in France. Committed to driving economic dynamism through scientific innovation, SATTs provide businesses with low-risk, high-potential technological solutions to increase their competitiveness. | [**Tickets**](https://www.deeptechconnect.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Les 4–5 novembre 2025, Palais des Congrès (Paris), GreenTech Forum réunit l’écosystème du numérique responsable. Cette édition met l’IA au centre : impacts énergie/eau, efficacité des modèles, data centers & cloud, reporting (CSRD/Scope 3), souveraineté et accessibilité. Demande d’accréditation / prise de rendez-vous : répondez à ce mail (ou via [j.aube@coromandel-rp.fr](mailto:j.aube@coromandel-rp.fr)). 📆 **The European AI Championship 2025 - Launch party | November 5 |What is the European AI Championship?** ​Coming soon: 15 of Europe’s top AI engineers will battle live on stage, building real-world solutions using AI tools. They will represent their country to win, and you'll be able to watch and cheer for them with 1500 fellow engineers and AI-curious minds. Experience a championship where code meets competition, and AI hype meets AI application, wrapped in a unique, entertaining show. Think Eurovision, but for AI builders! | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/europeanaichampionship?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Leaders Summit | November 5-6 |** Paris becomes the nerve centre of data and responsible artificial intelligence. Access a program rooted in business reality: case studies, AI audits, governance, industrialisation, and sustainability. France's AI ecosystem is dynamic but under pressure: talent shortages, projects stuck at the POC stage, regulatory uncertainties (AI Act), and poor-quality data. Data & AI Leaders Summit Paris helps you move forward with technical content, immediately applicable and designed for the field. | [**Register**](https://tech-show-paris-2025-splash.reg.buzz/?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=22918112576&utm%5Fcontent=183515831185&utm%5Fterm=world+data+summit&lb%5Ftracesourcecode=google&lb%5Fgln%5Fids=&%5Fgl=1%2A1aii2qp%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxL7GBhDXARIsAGOcmIOu6Lw5Smxsm2a7Uv7-NE99n2upYo2lXk8Zo2FZvwZHWeUr%5F2%5FL%5FfsaAoUbEALw%5FwcB) 📆 **dotAI | November 6 |** We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers in fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire for that recognition. | [**Register**](https://www.dotai.io/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Tectonic European Defense Summit | November 12-13 |** Gather with the brightest minds in defense technology, policy, and innovation to forge the future of European security. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://events.tectonicdefense.com/european-defense-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris Meetup | fal x Hugging Face x BFL | November 13 |** Join us for an evening of AI, creativity & connection. fal, Hugging Face, and Black Forest Labs invite you to an exclusive Paris meetup combining short talks, quick presentations, and open networking. Whether you're an AI engineer, developer, founder, product manager, or AI artist interested in generative media, this is your chance to connect with peers, demo new tools, and explore collaboration. | [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/j52yx980?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Sovereign Cyber & Defence AI Forum | November 17 - November 20 |** For ten years, European Cyber Week, organized by the Cyber Excellence Cluster and its members, has been bringing together French and European cybersecurity and cyberdefense players around a common goal: building sustainable digital sovereignty in line with the geopolitical challenges and commercial issues of the contemporary world. Civilian and military experts, startups and large groups, researchers and institutions: all will be present to discuss major technological, industrial, and societal issues. Cyber and artificial intelligence for defense, training, and guidance, Capture the Flag Challenge, wargaming, Bitflip, dual innovations, European and international defense, business and networking, resilience. | [**Register**](https://www.european-cyber-week.eu/en/registration/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **SophI.A Summit 2025 | November 19 - November 21 |** The seventh edition of the international AI conference will take place at Sophia Antipolis Technology Park on the French Riviera, to reveal the latest advances in the field of artificial intelligence and its applications. This event brings together global AI experts in biology, health, mobility, and smart applications, covering both core technology and its applications, who will present their work through meetings, debates, round tables, and posters. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://univ-cotedazur.eu/events/sophia-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#menu%5F3) 📆 **Adopt AI | November 24 - 26 |** The iconic Grand Palais will host the **business-focused continuation of the AI Action Summit**, led by President Macron alongside Heads of State and Government. Over three days, Fortune 500 CEOs, top researchers, and forward-thinking C-level leaders will showcase how AI is reshaping industries, driving strategy, and merging human and machine intelligence. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/inscription?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Mission Probabl: The Quest to Transform French AI Research into A Tech Champion URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/mission-probabl-quest-transform-french-ai-research-tech-champion/ Last updated: 2025-10-29T11:44:37.000Z Scikit-learn, born at a French research institute, is one of the world’s most-used machine learning libraries. Probabl aims to turn it into a global business. Its journey reveals France’s AI potential and the structural hurdles of commercializing public research. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire Oct 27: Why Grenoble Might Be France's Most Underrated Startup Powerhouse URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-oct-27-why-grenoble-might-be-frances-most-underrated-startup-powerhouse/ Last updated: 2025-10-27T07:59:39.000Z # 🤔 Edito 🤔 Pitchbook completed its Q3 2025 cycle of data releases with [**its zoom on the French market**](https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/q3-2025-france-market-snapshot?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which offers a bit more nuance than the previous global and European editions earlier this month. Not much more reason for cheer: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Pitchbook-france.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Ranking French Startup Hubs There was a lot of buzz following the release of [**Dealroom's Global Tech Ecosystem Index – Sector Edition 2025**](https://dealroom.co/reports/global-tech-ecosystem-index-sector-edition-2025??ref=frenchtechjournal.com) because the report ranked Paris #3 for AI hubs on Planet Earth. And yada, yada, yada, Paris. But as I like to remind folks, Don't Sleep On Grenoble. [I've written about](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-news-lessons-industrial-startups-grenoble/) [what's what in Grenoble a couple of times](https://sifted.eu/articles/how-grenoble-became-europes-deeptech-hotspot?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). It's France's real Deep Tech hub, small but mighty. I originally put together this chart based on Dealroom's report and shared it on LinkedIn. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Dealroom-Global-Tech-Ecosystem-Index-2-.png) Someone from Dealroom subsequently reached out and said, yo, there is a whole lot more data than there is in the PDF version we released [in our live dashboard](https://dealroom.co/tech-ecosystem-index-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). And so there is. I dug into their online database to see what it tells us about France's top hubs. Again, no surprise, Paris is numero uno. But based on density, the gap between Paris and Grenoble narrows considerably: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Dealroom-Global-Ecosystem-Hubs-1-.png) (Note: Rennes is not officially part of the hubs being tracked by Dealroom, but I added it here because it's de facto France's cybersecurity hub. And by many of Dealroom's own metrics, it would rank above some of the other metro areas on the list.) Back to Grenoble, though, you can see that its diversity is its strength: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Grenoble-Overall.png) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Grenoble.png) --- # 💸 Weekly Funding Recap: October 24 ## 🏆 Key Highlights - **Largest Rounds:** - 🥇 **Lattice Medical (€43M)** – Medtech / regenerative reconstruction - 🥈 **Dracula Technologies (€30M)** – Deeptech / battery-free IoT - 🥉 **Hublo (€20M)** – Health HR SaaS The week was defined by **strong deeptech momentum**, continued **healthtech leadership**, and the rise of **AI-native platforms** across multiple verticals — from urban infrastructure and music management to sports performance and enterprise automation. ## 🧬 Sector Diversity This batch of French tech deals reflects a **broad cross-section of frontier innovation**, with France 2030 deeptech initiatives and Bpifrance-backed industrial scale-ups driving most of the volume. ### 1\. 🧬 Medtech & Biotech - **Lattice Medical (€43M)** and **Exeliom Biosciences (€2.85M)** underline France’s ongoing leadership in next-generation health technologies. ### 2\. ⚙️ Deeptech & Industrial Innovation - **Dracula Technologies (€30M)** and **Tibeka Protections (€0.5M)** lead a new wave of **industrial deeptech scale-ups**. ## 3\. 💶 Fintech & Insurtech - **Certificall (€1M)** and **Hublo (€20M)** represent complementary faces of digital transformation in regulated sectors. ## 4\. 🌍 Climate & Sustainability Tech - From sustainable food to green electronics, this category drew **€46.5M** across **Lisaqua, Nutropy, and Dracula Technologies**. ## 5\. 🤖 AI & Software AI continues to underpin diverse applications, from **smart cities to creative industries**: - **UPCITI (€19M)** builds privacy-first edge AI for urban infrastructure. - **Kotcha (€3.5M)** and **MNGRS.AI (€0.9M)** bring AI to coaching and artist management. - **Volta Software (€5M)** and **Playse (€5M)** deploy AI to optimize B2B commerce and athlete performance. France’s **AI renaissance** is increasingly multi-vertical, combining **agentic intelligence, automation, and personalization**. --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- 📇 **Company:** Lattice Medical 🔍 **Description:** Lille-based MedTech company developing implantable medical devices for regenerative soft-tissue reconstruction using 3D printing. Its mission is to reinvent tissue regeneration and improve patients’ quality of life after cancer. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.lattice-medical.com/](https://www.lattice-medical.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €43 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance SPI (lead), Blast.club, Sprim, TIDJEE (industry specialists), EIC Fund, Captech Santé, Nord France Amorçage, FIRA Nord Est; with additional non-dilutive funding from France 2030 programs (M3DINPRINT and LIPOTEC) and banking partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Julien Payen (CEO), Corinne Devos, Clément Morisson 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate clinical development toward regulatory approval, scale manufacturing, and prepare for global commercialization of Lattice Medical’s two flagship products: **MATTISSE**, a resorbable implant for breast reconstruction post-cancer, and **RODIN**, a matrix for reconstructing large subcutaneous tissue defects. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/du-cancer-au-tissu-la-medecine-regenerative-passe-a-lechelle-avec-lattice-medical/458115?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dracula Technologies 🔍 **Description:** Dracula Technologies is a French deeptech pioneer in sustainable energy harvesting solutions, enabling battery-free IoT devices through its patented LAYER® organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology. Its printed modules capture ambient indoor light to power low-energy electronics, eliminating the need for traditional batteries and supporting large-scale sustainability goals. 💻 **Website:** [www.dracula-technologies.com](https://www.dracula-technologies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Valence, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30 million (total Series A) 🏦 **Investors:** Banque des Territoires (lead, under France 2030), MGI Digital Technology Group, European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, historical private investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Brice Cruchon (CEO & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** The new funding enables Dracula Technologies to **quadruple production capacity** to 600 million cm² annually at its Green MicroPower Factory — the world’s largest dedicated OPV facility — and to **explore industrial partnerships** for additional global manufacturing capacity. With new backing from the **EIC Fund**, Dracula will accelerate its mission to **eliminate batteries** from billions of connected devices, expanding across smart building, asset tracking, and IoT sensor markets. --- 📇 **Company:** Hublo 🔍 **Description:** Hublo is France’s leading HR SaaS platform dedicated to the healthcare and medico-social sectors. Its digital solution simplifies workforce management for hospitals, clinics, and care institutions — helping them manage recruitment, scheduling, and staff engagement more efficiently. The platform also empowers healthcare professionals to find assignments, extra shifts, or internal mobility opportunities within their organizations. Founded in 2016, Hublo addresses one of the healthcare system’s biggest challenges: the shortage and high turnover of medical staff. By automating and streamlining HR workflows, Hublo enables establishments to save time and focus on improving patient care. The company is B-Corp certified, operates as an *entreprise à mission*, and is now active in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.hublo.com](https://www.hublo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series C / Growth Round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Equity MidCap) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Loron (CEO), Adrien Beata (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** On October 23, 2025, Hublo raised €20 million from Bpifrance, which invested the full amount through its Equity MidCap arm. This marks Hublo’s third funding round, following those in 2017 and 2021, bringing its total funding to €55 million. The funds will be used to accelerate Hublo’s European expansion (notably in Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland), enhance its SaaS platform with AI-driven modules for workforce planning and retention, and support further acquisitions following two deals completed earlier in 2025\. Hublo currently serves over 5,600 healthcare establishments and 1.2 million professionals, generating €22 million in revenue in 2024 with strong growth momentum. Luc Heinrich, Deputy Director at Bpifrance Equity MidCap, emphasized that the investment supports a “technological leader in the modernization of the healthcare system,” combining innovation with measurable social and economic impact.| [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/hublo-accueille-bpifrance-a-son-capital-pour-accelerer-sa-mission-dutilite-publique-au-service-des-etablissements-de-sante-et-medico-sociaux?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/23/hublo-leve-20-millions-deuros-via-bpifrance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** UPCITI 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based smart city technology company developing integrated hardware and edge AI software that helps cities operate more efficiently while preserving citizen privacy. UPCITI’s privacy-by-design sensors process visual data locally to optimize traffic, safety, and infrastructure management without transmitting personal information. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.upciti.com](https://www.upciti.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20 million 🏦 **Investors:** Notion Capital (lead), Point Nine Capital, Chalfen Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Baptiste Poljak (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate UPCITI’s international expansion — including the opening of a U.S. headquarters in New York City — and drive product innovation as the company scales its privacy-first urban analytics platform across North America and beyond. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/upciti-raises-20m-series-a-privacy-first-smart-city-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-106.png) Lisaqua co-founders: Charlotte Schoelinck and Gabriel Boneu 📇 **Company:** Lisaqua 🔍 **Description:** French sustainable aquaculture startup pioneering low-impact, antibiotic-free shrimp farming through a patented, circular land-based system combining biofiltration and predictive modeling to produce clean, eco-friendly seafood. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.lisaqua.com/](https://www.lisaqua.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Herblain, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Industrial Scale-up 💰 **Amount Raised:** €9 million 🏦 **Investors:** Fonds Révolution Environnementale et Solidaire (Crédit Mutuel Impact, backed by Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale), Noshaq, Le Gouessant cooperative, and other long-time partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gabriel Boneu, Charlotte Schoelinck 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate construction of Lisaqua’s first large-scale shrimp production facility in Monthyon (Seine-et-Marne) — backed by France’s *Première Usine* program under the France 2030 plan — marking the transition from pilot to industrial stage and paving the way for expansion across France and Europe. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/lisaqua-raises-9m-eco-friendly-shrimp-farming-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Ph-Nutropy-duo-fondatrices.jpg) Nutropy Co-Founders: Nathalie Rolland (left) and Dr. Maya Bendifallah 📇 **Company:** Nutropy 🔍 **Description:** French foodtech startup specializing in the production of animal-free dairy proteins via precision fermentation. Nutropy bio-produces caseins identical to those found in cow’s milk, enabling the creation of cheese and dairy alternatives that replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional quality of traditional products — without using animal resources. Its “plug-and-play” powdered dairy ingredients help food manufacturers reduce their environmental footprint while meeting consumer demand for sustainable, functional dairy solutions. 💻 **Website:** [https://nutropy.com](https://nutropy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Évry-Courcouronnes (Genopole, France) 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** Big Pi Ventures (lead, Greece), Zero Carbon Capital (UK), Deeptech Beta Lab (Saudi Arabia), Wyngate Inc. (USA), Desai Ventures (India), PVS Investments (Netherlands), Novax (Sweden – Axel Johnson Group), with additional public support from Bpifrance and European innovation programs. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nathalie Rolland (CEO) and Dr. Maya Bendifallah (CSO) 🗞️ **News:** The €7M round will finance industrial scale-up, expand Nutropy’s portfolio of powdered dairy alternatives, and support international market expansion across Europe, North America, and Asia. Laureate of France 2030 and the Grand Prix i-Lab 2023, Nutropy positions itself as a Deeptech leader enabling the transition to sustainable dairy through fermentation-driven innovation. --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Volta Co-Founders: Mario Parteli (left) and Paul Guillemin](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Mario-Parteli_Paul-Guillemin_Cofounders-VOLTA.jpeg) | 📇 **Company:** Volta Software 🔍 **Description:** French-Italian startup revolutionizing B2B commerce with an AI-powered platform that unifies, automates, and amplifies sales operations. Volta integrates with existing ERP, CRM, and PIM systems to centralize data, automate up to 90% of manual tasks, and leverage AI insights for growth and customer engagement. 💻 **Website:** [https://volta.software](https://volta.software/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *(placeholder if available)* 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France / Milan, Italy 🧗 **Round:** Extension Round (Post-Seed / Early Series A) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million (total funding €11 million) 🏦 **Investors:** RTP Global (lead), Pascal Houillon (former CEO of Cegid & Sage), Emblem, Robin Capital, Founders Future 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul Guillemin (CEO), Mario Parteli (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** RTP Global doubles down on Volta Software to accelerate AI-driven digital transformation in B2B commerce. The new capital will fuel commercial rollout, team expansion (30+ employees), and further development of Volta’s AI platform designed to unify, automate, and amplify the B2B sales experience. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-105.png) 📇 **Company:** Playse 🔍 **Description:** Playse is a digital football training platform co-founded by World Cup champion Blaise Matuidi and Thibault Aliadière (ex-Doctolib). It offers personalized coaching sessions, match streaming, and video CVs to help amateur players develop tactical, physical, and cognitive skills while giving clubs and families data-driven insights into performance. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.playse.io](https://www.playse.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5M (including €2M via crowdfunding on Sowefund) 🏦 **Investors:** Seventure Partners, Sowefund crowd investors, and business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Blaise Matuidi (ex-PSG, World Cup 2018 champion), Thibault Aliadière (ex-Doctolib executive) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate Playse’s international expansion (France, U.S., Congo) and development of AI-powered performance analytics, aiming to make Playse the global leader in connected football training. The startup targets €3.5M in 2025 revenue and €25M by 2028, with over 8,000 active players and 150 certified coaches already on the platform. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/22/blaise-matuidi-leve-5-millions-deuros-avec-sa-nouvelle-startup/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Founding-Team--left-to-right_-Dimitri-Dor--CMO-Kotcha--Marleen-Vink-Rennings--Marketing-Director-NNRT--Eliud-Kipchoge--Ben-Dupont-CEO-Kotcha--Miche-Andre---Chirita-CTO-Kotcha---1-.jpg) Kotcha Founding Team (left to right): Dimitri Dor, CMO; Marleen Vink-Rennings, Marketing Director; Eliud Kipchoge; Ben Dupont, CEO; Miche André Chirita, CTO) 📇 **Company:** Kotcha 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based startup co-founded with marathon legend **Eliud Kipchoge** and the **NN Running Team**, Kotcha uses AI to make world-class running coaching accessible to everyone. The app recreates the athlete–coach relationship through four AI coaches (Head Coach, Nutritionist, Data Analyst, Personal Trainer) that adapt weekly training, nutrition, and recovery plans to each runner’s progress and lifestyle. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.kotcha.com/](https://www.kotcha.com/home-post-reveal?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Racine2 (operated by Serena and makesense), True Global, Motier Ventures, and individual investors from the consumer, health, running, and sports sectors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ben Dupont (CEO), Michel-André Chirita (CTO), Dimitri Dor (CMO), Eliud Kipchoge, and the NN Running Team 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support Kotcha’s launch in Europe and abroad, bringing its AI-powered coaching app to runners worldwide. Available globally from October 23, 2025, the app offers a free trial and a €14.99/month subscription. Kipchoge’s philosophy — “Running is a team sport” — lies at the heart of Kotcha’s mission to blend human empathy with AI precision so that no runner ever runs alone. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/kotcha-leve-35-millions-deuros-pour-democratiser-le-coaching-de-course-a-pied-assiste-par-ia/458118?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-104-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Exeliom Biosciences 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of innate immune modulators to restore and enhance immune responsiveness in cancer, inflammatory diseases, and chronic infections. Its lead program, **EXL01**, is a bacterial-derived, NOD2-targeting immunomodulator that reprograms the immune microenvironment to overcome resistance and enhance immunotherapy efficacy. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.exeliombio.com](https://www.exeliombio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A (Extension) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.85M extension (total Series A: €11.85M; total funding: \~€30M) 🏦 **Investors:** Biocodex (lead), Crescent Ventures, UI Investissement, Forepont Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Leadership:** Benjamin Hadida (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate clinical development and global expansion of EXL01, including Phase 2 proof-of-concept studies and a new cancer indication in the U.S. The round extends Exeliom’s cumulative financing to nearly €30M in both dilutive and non-dilutive funding since its founding in 2016\. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/10/french-startup-exeliom-biosciences-boosts-funding-with-e2-85-million-to-accelerate-immunotherapy-for-cancer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-115.png) 📇 **Company:** Seaber 🔍 **Description:** French startup specializing in the design and manufacturing of autonomous underwater drones (micro-AUVs) used for oceanography, maritime surveillance, mapping, and naval training. Seaber’s drones are known for their reliability, portability, and ease of use — democratizing access to autonomous underwater vehicles once limited to large institutions. 💻 **Website:** [https://seaber.fr](https://seaber.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lorient, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Breizh Up (Région Bretagne, managed by UI Investissement), FNX Ventures, Sodero, Défense Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vidal Teixeira, Quentin Peyregne 🗞️ **News:** The new funding will support Seaber’s international expansion and strengthen its leadership in the emerging market of autonomous underwater drones. The company has been doubling its revenue each year and aims to sell 100 drones annually by 2030\. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ui-investissement%5Fune-nouvelle-p%C3%A9pite-bretonne-accompagn%C3%A9e-activity-7387405289077043200-g57t/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Fleetiz 🔍 **Description:** Fleetiz develops an all-in-one fleet management platform designed to simplify and optimize the operation of bicycle and equipment fleets. Its solution leverages AI for predictive maintenance, user safety, and fleet optimization, helping companies reduce costs and environmental impact while supporting sustainable mobility. 💻 **Website:** [https://fleetiz.fr](https://fleetiz.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France (exact city not specified) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1 million 🏦 **Investors:** CITA 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emmanuel Greve, Thibault Martin, 🗞️ **News:** Fleetiz raised €1 million alongside CITA to accelerate the development of its platform, strengthen its presence in the French and European sustainable mobility markets, and integrate new AI-based modules for predictive maintenance and fleet safety. The company will also showcase its innovations at the RNTP 2025 in Orléans. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fleet-iz%5Fmobility-fleetmanagement-startup-activity-7380897166837305344-cw1A?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/presse_photo_equipe_Certificall_Oct2025_LD--1-.jpg) 📇 **Company:** Certificall 🔍 **Description:** Toulouse-based insurtech startup providing a **digital proof certification platform** that transforms photos and videos into tamper-proof, legally admissible evidence across the EU. Certificall helps insurers, brokers, and large industries prevent fraud and ensure document integrity through geolocation, qualified time stamping, eIDAS compliance, and digital signature seals. The platform already supports 150+ enterprise clients and 20,000 users, including Groupama and Eiffage Energies, with over 3 million certified photos to date. 💻 **Website:** [https://certificall.com](https://certificall.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *(assumed based on company name; confirm if available)* 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** TomCat (lead), Groupama, InsurAngels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Laurent (President, Co-founder), Nicolas Chabauty (CEO, Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** Certificall will use the funding to **strengthen its technological platform** and **accelerate its commercial expansion in Europe**. The company is positioning itself as a **trusted third party** for visual evidence in the fight against AI-driven digital fraud, fully compliant with **EU eIDAS regulations** and benefiting from the growing shift toward digital identity and self-care tools across financial services. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/mngrs.png) MNGRS.AI Co-founders: Alexandre Deniot (left) and Thomas Quenoil 📇 **Company:** MNGRS.AI 🔍 **Description:** French AI-powered artist management platform developed by Global Music Community. MNGRS.AI serves as a “digital manager” for creators, using artificial intelligence to guide them through career strategy, release planning, audience growth, and content optimization — empowering artists to professionalize and scale sustainably without replacing human creativity. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.mngrs.ai](https://www.mngrs.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1 million 🏦 **Investors:** Music and sports investors, including Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), and African cultural entrepreneur Mamby Laye Diomandé (founder of SIMA – Salon des Industries Musicales d’Afrique francophone) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Deniot (ex-Midem, Universal Music) and Thomas Quenoil (ex-Universal Music Group, Midem) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support MNGRS.AI’s international expansion and product development as it scales its AI-driven artist management service to serve thousands of creators across Europe, North America, and Africa — democratizing access to professional career management in a $16 billion global artist services market. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thomasquenoil%5Fpress-release-mngrsai-activity-7386708926035062785-Jup%5F?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Tibeka Protections 🔍 **Description:** Lille-based deeptech startup developing patented flexible ballistic textiles for next-generation body armor. Tibeka’s first product — a bulletproof vest specifically designed for women’s morphology — combines impact absorption and flexibility, addressing a long-overlooked market need in public and private security sectors. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.tibeka-protections.com](https://www.tibeka-protections.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *(placeholder, official site not confirmed)* 📍 **HQ City:** Tourcoing (Hauts-de-France, France) 🧗 **Round:** Seed (First Funding Round) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €500,000 secured (target €1.2M: €900K equity + \~€300K non-dilutive financing) 🏦 **Investors:** New private investors alongside the three co-founders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Bertrand Meslier, Stéphane Belamy, and Mulat Alubel Abtew 🗞️ **News:** Tibeka Protections raises its first €500K in equity to industrialize its patented shock-absorbing textile and launch the first female-fit bulletproof vest by late 2025\. The company plans to internalize textile production at its Tourcoing facility within two years, leveraging the EuraMaterials ecosystem and non-dilutive support under France 2030 initiatives to accelerate R&D and commercialization. | [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/nouveautes/tibeka-protections-gilet-feminin/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Certificall Battles Visual AI Insurance Fraud URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-certificall-battles-visual-ai-insurance-fraud/ Last updated: 2025-10-24T09:31:34.000Z # 👋 A Programming Note 👋 Hi kids! A brief update from **The French Tech Journal** Global Headquarters in Paris, where our relentless march toward Napoleonic-like worldwide conquest continues unopposed. Over the past year, we've doubled the size of our audience and expanded the amount of content we publish. But it seems you ravenous hounds just can't get enough of us. So to satiate your bottomless hunger for more French techie news goodness, we're officially expanding our newsletter lineup to three. ![](https://media.tenor.com/7sBftNDij-8AAAAC/cheers.gif) As you've probably seen in recent weeks, we've been publishing the **French Tech Funding Wire** on Friday evenings. What started as a quick recap of weekly funding deals a couple of years ago has grown well beyond that. However, we also heard your complaints: Sending out this newsletter on Friday evening was disruptive. Rather than spending time with family and loved ones, or sitting on a terrace drinking a god-awful *Aperol Spritz* that everyone has convinced themselves is a wonderful cocktail but is really the most revolting amalgamation of liquid compounds ever invented by humanity, you instead spent hours engrossed in our newsletter. So, here's the new plan. Starting next week, the publication schedule will be as follows: - **French Tech Funding Wire (Monday):** Still a recap of all the deals plus a data-driven analysis of other trends. - **La Machine: French AI Radar (Wednesday):** All the AI news, features, events, and announcements that you could need or want. - **French Tech Wire (Friday):** The big headlines, features, interviews, and occasional snark. Thanks for your support. We always love to hear your feedback. Even if you think we suck. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Insurance just got a new nemesis:** Toulouse startup **Certificall** turns every photo and video into legally certified, tamper-proof proof, making insurance claims fast, reliable, and fraud-proof in just 90 seconds. After raising €1M in Seed funding, [**Co-Founders Guillaume Laurent and Nicolas Chabauty explain how they plan to make Certificall the European reference for certified digital proof.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Savethedate_AdoptAI--10---1---1-.png)](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 ****The French Tech Journal** is proud to announce our participation in ****Adopt AI - Grand Palais**, the business sequel to the AI Action Summit and its influential AI business summit. Adopt AI will take place November 25 & 26, 2025, at the Grand Palais, Paris. We're offering a 10% discount on regular and VIP tickets.👇 Over three days, Adopt AI will feature high-profile international speakers sharing visionary insights about how AI is transforming industries through case studies and expert-led sessions. The event will draw 25,000+ participants for hands-on discussions that drive real adoption. 🚨 What can you expect? 🎤 500+ speakers 🎯 Multiple conference stages with visionary keynotes and masterclasses 🏛 An inspiring CEO Stage featuring iconic global leaders in AI and business 🤝 250+ exhibitors from all sectors 🔍 Concrete AI use cases across industries 👉 An Adopt AI pass gets you full access to AI for Health, AI for Finance, AI for Industry, AI for Luxury, AI for Travel, AI for Sport, AI for the Planet, AI for Retail. [Get Your 10% Discount On Adopt AI Tickets! ](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/billetterie?discount=CHRIS&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Tech Talk **💥 🧬 French biotech star ImCheck Therapeutics has just been snapped up by pharma giant Ipsen** in a deal that could hit a *cool* **€1 billion.** That's not your average day in France’s primordial biotech backyard. Ipsen is putting down **€350 million cash** upfront, with the rest riding on regulatory and commercial wins. Born in Marseille in 2015 from the lab of Prof. Daniel Olive, ImCheck has been busy reimagining immunotherapy. Clearly, the big pharma world noticed. After its €100 million raise in 2022, this blockbuster buyout joins Adcytherix’s (say this five times fast!) mega-round in reminding everyone: French biotech is ready for its closeup. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/22/la-biotech-francaise-imcheck-therapeutics-rachetee-par-ipsen/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 🧠 **Lemlist has got the Claap!** From bootstrapped hero to acquisition mode, **Lemlist** has snapped up **Claap** in an *eight-figure deal* to fuel its AI ambitions. The French sales automation champ was pulling in €35M ARR from 20,000 global clients. It plans to fuse Claap’s conversational AI into Smartbound, its shiny new prospecting tool. The mission is to kill “spray and pray” for good and make sales smarter, faster, and beautifully French. The next step is to build Europe’s first AI-driven sales platform and take the fight to their deep-pocketed American rivals. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/20/lemlist-startup-valorisee-plus-de-150-millions-de-dollars-sans-lever-de-fonds-met-la-main-sur-claap/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📉 🇫🇷 **For the first time in two years, French startups are shedding more jobs than they’re creating.** That's a sharp reality check for the once-resilient ecosystem. In September 2025, Numeum’s barometer (powered by Motherbase) recorded 1,187 net job losses. Startups had added 16,000 jobs since January, but hiring momentum has flipped as layoffs outpace new roles. The chill now spans AI to SaaS, with hiring intentions plunging and looming 2026 budget cuts threatening innovation tax credits. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/21/pour-la-premiere-fois-en-2-ans-les-startups-francaises-ont-supprime-plus-demplois-quelles-nen-ont-crees/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☁️ 🇪🇺 **Cloud pioneer Octave Klaba is back in the pilot’s seat at OVHcloud,** reclaiming the CEO role he left seven years ago after the brief tenure of Benjamin Revcolevschi. Klaba wasn't overly specific about the reasons for his return, though on Twitter/X/Whatever he expressed frustration that lots of little things had started to become sub-standard: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Octave-OVH.png) His return couldn’t come at a more pivotal time. The French cloud giant is preparing to unveil its 2026–2030 “Step Ahead” strategic plan, aimed at shoring up its defenses against U.S. hyperscalers like AWS and Microsoft Azure. Despite crossing the €1 billion annual revenue mark for the first time, **OVHcloud’s stock plunged 18% following the announcement.** Klaba’s mission now is to rebuild confidence by doubling down on European digital sovereignty, cost transparency, and deep tech bets in AI and quantum computing. **|** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/ovhcloud-retour-au-cockpit-pour-octave-klaba/458000?ref=frenchtechjournal.com),[ **Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/21/ovhcloud-octave-klaba-reprend-la-main-a-peine-un-an-apres-larrivee-dun-nouveau-dg/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏦🧑‍⚕️ **Bpifrance** has joined the cap table of **Hublo**, the French HR tech platform for healthcare workforce management, with a €20 million investment. It's unclear whether this is new equity for the company (fundraising) or whether the cash bought out existing shareholders (an exit). For the moment we're not counting it in our funding deals. But that could change! Still, the news is the latest big change this year for Hublo, which supports over 5,600 healthcare institutions and 1.2 million professionals across Europe. Earlier this year, private equity firm Five Arrows acquired a large portion of the firm from previous shareholders such as Revaia. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/bpifrance-entre-au-capital-de-hublo-plateforme-de-gestion-du-personnel-soignant-20251023?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 🌍 **A new venture fund called** **Margin Ventures** is on a mission to back underrepresented founders. Founded by Mehdi Belkahla and Anas Jaballah with support from Citizen Capital, Margin plans to **raise €50 million** and a **first close at €30 million in 2026\.** The duo, both hailing from Paris’s *banlieues*, want to make sure innovation isn’t a members-only game.They will target founders in the low-income suburbs surrounding cities and small towns between Pre-Seed and Series A. They are looking for **sustainability**, **health & education**, and **AI** startups. Margin Ventures offers **hands-on support** and **access to real networks**. | [**Website**](https://margin-ventures.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎓🚀 Meanwhile, at the other end of the inclusivity telescope, **here comes Polytechnique Ventures, doubling down on deeptech with a second early-stage fund**. The new vehicle has secured an initial €21 million close, aiming for €30–40 million total. Backed by the École Polytechnique alumni community, the fund will invest in 15–20 startups spun out of the school’s cutting-edge labs, from medtech to green energy. Beyond capital, it brings hands-on mentoring in leadership, governance, and growth — all with that trademark *X* precision. |[**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/polytechnique-ventures-alumni-fund?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🧠 ⚛️ France’s Quandela just plugged Lucy, the world’s most powerful** **photonic quantum computer**, **into Europe’s supercomputing grid.** Built in 12 months with 80% EU-made parts, the 12-qubit wonder will be coupled with the **Joliot-Curie** supercomputer to enable hybrid quantum-HPC workflows. Lucy now sits at the CEA’s TGCC center near Paris - ready to turbocharge research from AI to energy grids. Europe’s quantum era? Officially online. | [**HPCWire**](https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/quandelas-12-qubit-photonic-quantum-system-lucy-installed-at-ceas-tgcc-supercomputing-center/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📺⚡ Free TV, anyone? Xavier Niel is planning to de-clutter your screens**. Watching TV in 2025 shouldn’t feel like solving a password puzzle. But it does. Enter Xavier Niel with Free TV, a free platform offering 170+ channels, 25,000 replays, and Free Ciné with 500 films and 1,000 episodes, open to everyone - even non-Free subscribers. For €0.99, Free TV+ adds 300+ premium channels, including Disney Channel and CNN. Niel is betting FAST streaming can turn Free from telecom operator into a full-blown media powerhouse. **|** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/xavier-niel-sattaque-a-la-galere-du-streaming-free-reinvente-la-television-gratuite-avec-free-tv/457995?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How Certificall Is Fighting AI-Fueled Visual Insurance Fraud [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-113.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/) Founded in 2022 by two veterans of the insurance world, [Guillaume Laurent (President)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-laurent-07083657/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Nicolas Chabauty (CEO),](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-chabauty-586a51140/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Certificall ](https://www.certificall.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)has quickly positioned itself as a trusted third party for digital visual evidence. The Toulouse-based startup helps insurers, brokers, and large industrial groups certify photos and videos in real time, ensuring they are legally admissible across the EU. In two years, the company has grown to a team of eight, serving over 150 major clients and 20,000 users, including heavyweight names such as Groupama and Eiffage Énergies. With more than three million photos already certified, Certificall is carving out a niche at the crossroads of technology, trust, and regulation. “Over the past two years, generative AI has made it possible for anyone to manipulate images,” Laurent said. “Our mission is to block fraud at the source. With Certificall, every photo or video becomes reliable, verifiable proof from the moment it’s taken.” [Read Our Tamper-Proof Profile](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** UPCITI 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based smart city technology company developing integrated hardware and edge AI software that helps cities operate more efficiently while preserving citizen privacy. UPCITI’s privacy-by-design sensors process visual data locally to optimize traffic, safety, and infrastructure management without transmitting personal information. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.upciti.com](https://www.upciti.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $20 million 🏦 **Investors:** Notion Capital (lead), Point Nine Capital, Chalfen Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Baptiste Poljak (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate UPCITI’s international expansion — including the opening of a U.S. headquarters in New York City — and drive product innovation as the company scales its privacy-first urban analytics platform across North America and beyond. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/upciti-raises-20m-series-a-privacy-first-smart-city-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-106.png) Lisaqua co-founders: Charlotte Schoelinck and Gabriel Boneu 📇 **Company:** Lisaqua 🔍 **Description:** French sustainable aquaculture startup pioneering low-impact, antibiotic-free shrimp farming through a patented, circular land-based system combining biofiltration and predictive modeling to produce clean, eco-friendly seafood. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.lisaqua.fr](https://www.lisaqua.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Herblain, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Industrial Scale-up 💰 **Amount Raised:** €9 million 🏦 **Investors:** Fonds Révolution Environnementale et Solidaire (Crédit Mutuel Impact, backed by Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale), Noshaq, Le Gouessant cooperative, and other long-time partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gabriel Boneu, Charlotte Schoelinck 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate construction of Lisaqua’s first large-scale shrimp production facility in Monthyon (Seine-et-Marne) — backed by France’s *Première Usine* program under the France 2030 plan — marking the transition from pilot to industrial stage and paving the way for expansion across France and Europe. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/lisaqua-raises-9m-eco-friendly-shrimp-farming-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-114.png) Nutropy Co-Founders: Nathalie Rolland (left) and Dr. Maya Bendifallah 📇 **Company:** Nutropy 🔍 **Description:** French foodtech startup specializing in the production of animal-free dairy proteins via precision fermentation. Nutropy bio-produces caseins identical to those found in cow’s milk, enabling the creation of cheese and dairy alternatives that replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional quality of traditional products — without using animal resources. Its “plug-and-play” powdered dairy ingredients help food manufacturers reduce their environmental footprint while meeting consumer demand for sustainable, functional dairy solutions. 💻 **Website:** [https://nutropy.com](https://nutropy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Évry-Courcouronnes (Genopole, France) 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** Big Pi Ventures (lead, Greece), Zero Carbon Capital (UK), Deeptech Beta Lab (Saudi Arabia), Wyngate Inc. (USA), Desai Ventures (India), PVS Investments (Netherlands), Novax (Sweden – Axel Johnson Group), with additional public support from Bpifrance and European innovation programs. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nathalie Rolland (CEO) and Dr. Maya Bendifallah (CSO) 🗞️ **News:** The €7M round will finance industrial scale-up, expand Nutropy’s portfolio of powdered dairy alternatives, and support international market expansion across Europe, North America, and Asia. Laureate of France 2030 and the Grand Prix i-Lab 2023, Nutropy positions itself as a Deeptech leader enabling the transition to sustainable dairy through fermentation-driven innovation. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Certificall Is Fighting AI-Fueled Visual Insurance Fraud URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/certificall-insurtech-making-digital-proofs-tamper-proof/ Last updated: 2025-10-24T07:44:09.000Z Founded by insurance veterans in Toulouse, Certificall transforms photos and videos into certified legal evidence in under 90 seconds. The startup just raised €1M to help insurers, brokers, and industries prevent fraud, ensure compliance, and restore trust in the age of AI-generated fakes. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #47: Superbugs, Beats, and Billions URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-47-superbugs-beats-and-billions/ Last updated: 2025-10-20T08:37:49.000Z **In this edition:** 🧠 Antibiotics are failing. French biotech **Phagos** thinks the answer lies in nature’s own bacteria-killers: phages. With €25 million and an AI platform to match viruses with their prey, the startup could rewrite the rulebook on how the world fights infection. [**Find out how the AI boosted French biotech is paving the way to personalized medicine.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/) 🧠Claimy, a Paris startup backed by €1.5 million in pre-seed funding, is building an AI-powered platform to locate and reclaim lost royalties, attacking a $15 billion global problem that’s eroded transparency and trust in the booming music economy.[**Co-Founder and CEO Pierre-Alban Mulliez explains how the company is using AI and data science to address one of the entertainment industry’s most opaque financial systems.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/claimy-wants-to-use-ai-to-end-musics-missing-money-problem/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Mistral AI**, **the 800-pound gorilla of France's AI scene, is trading in its cozy Paris digs for a grand new headquarters in Montmartre** that is "just a short walk from Sacré-Cœur," according to those sneaky journos at Maddyness. The decacorn, which just raised a kajillion euros and is now valued at €11.7 billion, is moving from the 10th to the 18th arrondissement in early 2026 to make room for its fast-growing team that is projected to hit 1,000. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Mistral-AI-HQ-1-.png) “The funding round allowed us to solidify our position in the global AI ecosystem. In this context, our new headquarters is **meant to be a true flagship, worthy of what we have become and of our ambitions.** It’s also an important step to reinforce our roots in Paris,” Audrey Herblin-Stoop, Mistral AI’s Director of Public Affairs, told Maddyness. The Maddyness story does not explicitly reveal the exact location of the new Mistral digs, but word on the street is that the likely spot is the freshly renovated [**Grands Magasins Dufayel**](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grands%5FMagasins%5FDufayel?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The building was constructed in the mid-19th century and was one of the city's original landmark department stores, back in olden times when people used to go to stores to buy stuff. Ask your grandparents about it, kids. Construction company **VINCI** bought it in 2019 and, in partnership with **Yrieix Martineau Architecture (YMA),** set about renovating it under the ambitious-sounding name [**"*Le projet WOW,"***](https://www.vinci-immobilier.com/actualites/wow-un-projet-immobilier-innovant-qui-reinvente-les-grands-magasins-dufayel?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)which is the French term for, well, Wow, I guess. On the other hand, if this is the new crib, well...Mistral has got itself a nice chunk of edificial eye candy in Paris's 18th district, the city's emerging startup hub | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/17/mistral-ai-va-se-doter-dun-nouveau-qg-pour-accueillir-ses-salaries-en-plein-coeur-de-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-89.png) Images by YMA 🗞️ Speaking of Mistral, **the fast-rising AI powerhouse, is turning its sights on science.** The startup is building a new division, **Mistral for Science**, to apply its AI muscle to fields like physics, chemistry, and biology, aiming to crack problems that stump human researchers. Co-founder Guillaume Lample says the company now has the scale and success to explore bold new frontiers after raising a kajillion euros and being now valued at €11.7 billion. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/mistral-for-science-ai-powered-science-research-unit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Dealroom dropped its [**Global Tech Ecosystem Index – Sector Edition 2025**](https://dealroom.co/reports/global-tech-ecosystem-index-sector-edition-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and Paris placed #3 on the AI rankings. Kinda cool! 💪 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-88.png) That said, while we don't want to poop on anyone's parade, it's worth noting that when it comes to AI, the report also makes it clear that the Bay Area is a D**evourer Of Worlds**... ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/devour.png) 🗞️ **Paris-based AI firm LightOn posted a 15% jump in first-half revenue despite a net loss of €3.7 million**, as it ramped up spending on infrastructure and new hires. The company, **Europe’s first listed GenAI player**, said its annual recurring revenue hit €1.51 million by September and could surge up to €4 million by year-end, which means its revenues may soon be visible to the naked eye. LightOn, whose clients include **Safran and the French Space Command**, recently inked a partnership with **ArianeGroup’s Sodern** and is eyeing expansion into the **Middle East**. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/frances-lighton-lifts-h1-revenue-by-15-2025-10-15/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Publicis, the ad giant, says 73% of its operations now run on AI,** fueled by €12 billion in data and tech investments since 2015, helping it deliver 5.7% organic growth and outpace rivals. “AI alone does not work,” CEO Arthur Sadoun insists. But with the right foundations, he says, it’s clearly working for Publicis, he added. And weren't we all hoping AI would power more advertising in our lives? | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/frances-publicis-says-ai-drives-its-growth-raises-yearly-forecast-again-2025-10-14/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Andreessen Horowitz coined one of its GenAI reports**, [**"The AI Application Spending Report: Where Startup Dollars Really Go."**](https://a16z.com/the-ai-application-spending-report-where-startup-dollars-really-go/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)And no, the answer is not, *"Up in smoke?"*! Hometown favorites Photoroom lands at No. 22 on this distinguished list: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-70.png) 🗞️ **Abu Dhabi’s G42 is taking its AI ambitions global, with plans to launch a sovereign AI cloud in France** as part of its push to build a network of “AI Factories” across Europe. The company has already set up advanced infrastructure in Grenoble, marking a major expansion of its supercomputing footprint alongside projects rolling out in the U.S., Africa, and Southeast Asia. | [**PR**](https://www.wam.ae/en/article/bm78mm0-g42-launch-sovereign-cloud-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France is eyeing a tech-boost for its aging Mirage 2000D, now exploring AI-driven upgrades and new counter-drone weapons** to keep the jet relevant in modern conflict. Drawing lessons from drone sieges like Ukraine’s, the service aims to outfit the platform with lower-cost munitions, smarter targeting software, and possibly reintegrate precision guidance systems. | [**AeroTime**](https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/france-mirage-2000d-rmv-counter-drone-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Inside TiHive: How a French Deeptech Startup Is Revolutionizing Quality Control, One Diaper at a Time |** The Grenoble-based company just raised €8M to scale its terahertz-AI technology that can see inside products on production lines **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships. ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 How Phagos Plans to Kill Superbugs with AI and Nature’s Own Viruses [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-102.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/) Founded in 2021 by technophile-entrepreneur Alexandros Pantalis and microbiologist Dr Adèle James, Phagos is on a mission to put an end to bacterial disease using nature’s original predator of bacteria: bacteriophages. Their vision is to replace static antibiotics with “evolving drugs” built on AI and phage biology. The company’s first application is in animal health, a sector heavily impacted by bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance. Today, Phagos employs around 50 people, 90 % of whom specialize in microbiology, computer science, data, AI, and R&D. With a recently raised €25 million Series A, Phagos is ready to scale its veterinary solutions, with a horizon that extends to human health. [Meet the Superbug Killers](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/) --- ### 🧠 Claimy Wants to Use AI to End Music’s Missing Money Problem [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-103.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/claimy-wants-to-use-ai-to-end-musics-missing-money-problem/) Every year, billions of euros slip through the cracks of the global music economy. This includes unclaimed royalties due to misattributed metadata and “black box” payments that vanish into opaque databases. For decades, this has been the industry’s open secret: The harder it’s become to track where a song is played, streamed, or remixed, the easier it’s been for money to go missing. Now, a new French startup believes it can finally close that gap. Claimy, founded in Paris in 2023, has developed an AI-powered platform designed to locate and recover missing royalties at scale. The company, which recently raised a €1.5 million pre-seed round, is betting that smarter data and machine learning can bring long-overdue transparency and efficiency to one of the entertainment world’s most chaotic accounting systems. And in the process, it can put much-needed money directly into the pockets of artists. “The money is there,” said Claimy Co-Founder and CEO Pierre-Alban Mulliez. “It’s just got to be chased down.” [Follow the Musical Money Trail](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/claimy-wants-to-use-ai-to-end-musics-missing-money-problem/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/French_AI_Startups_Week_Ending_Oct_17.png) ***For the week ending October 17, there were 6 AI startups that raised a total of €18.7 million.*** --- 📇 **Company:** Probabl 🔍 **Description:** French AI startup spun out from Inria and official operator of *scikit-learn* — the world’s most-used open-source machine learning library (2.5B+ downloads). Probabl develops industrial-grade, sovereign, and transparent data science solutions to help enterprises move from fragmented, artisanal ML practices to scalable, traceable, and responsible AI operations. 💻 **Website:** [https://probabl.ai](https://probabl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris / Saclay / Sophia Antipolis / Berlin 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €13M (total funding €18.5M) 🏦 **Investors:** Serena, Capital Fund Management (CFM), Mozilla Ventures, French Tech Souveraineté (Bpifrance – France 2030) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yann Lechelle (CEO, ex-Scaleway), Gaël Varoquaux (Scientific Advisor, Inria), and 12 co-founders from the scikit-learn community 🗞️ **News:** Largest commercial open-source software (COSS) seed round in Europe to date. The funding will accelerate Probabl’s mission to industrialize open-source AI, expand internationally, and build enterprise-grade tools around *scikit-learn*. The company positions itself as Europe’s flagship for sovereign, open, and transparent AI — championing the philosophy that “open always wins.” | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/16/ia-probabl-la-startup-de-yann-lechelle-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-europeenne-de-lopen-source/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com),[ **La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/35934783597853/probabl-leve-13-millions-pour-transformer-un-discret-programme-de-l-inria-en-un-moteur-industriel-de-la-data-science?utm%5Fsource=rlt-selli&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=tech-medias-16102025&M%5FBT=22841432237), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/probabl-le-spin-off-dinria-qui-industrialise-le-machine-learning-open-source-leve-13-millions-deuros/457899?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** BiznessMatch 🔍 **Description:** French 'phygital' networking startup reinventing professional matchmaking for SMB leaders. BiznessMatch connects entrepreneurs directly through an AI-powered platform and a network of international business clubs—offering an alternative to LinkedIn by matching companies based on needs, competencies, and location rather than profiles or SEO visibility. The platform enables instant RFPs and quotations, complemented by physical meetings that strengthen real business relationships. 💻 **Website:** [https://biznessmatch.com](https://biznessmatch.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.8M 🏦 **Investors:** Undisclosed (private investors) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dimitri Pontif (Founder & CEO, ex-professional athlete and real estate entrepreneur) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will fuel AI development (natural language processing, multilingual translation, and data scraping optimization) and support international expansion with new BiznessMatch clubs planned in La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, the U.S., and China. The company positions itself as a “business-first” alternative to LinkedIn, blending digital efficiency with real-world connections. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/13/biznessmatch-leve-18-million-deuros-pour-repenser-et-booster-les-connexions-professionnelles/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Astriis 🔍 **Description:** French industrial deeptech startup developing predictive maintenance software that uses vibration analysis and AI to anticipate mechanical failures up to 18 months in advance. Its technology, built on 30 years of CNRS research, analyzes the vibrational “signature” of rotating machines (wind turbines, hydraulic turbines, etc.) to detect anomalies and prevent costly breakdowns. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.astriis.com](https://www.astriis.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chambéry, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.7M (€700K equity + €1M loans) 🏦 **Investors:** Crédit Agricole, Grenoble Angels, Investessor, Samba (Savoie Mont Blanc), Amba (Arts et Métiers Business Angels), BNP Paribas, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founder:** Nicolas Saubin (President & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Astriis’s commercial expansion, including three new hires. Its AI-driven platform, protected by nine patents, is already used by TotalEnergies and EDF, and is expanding internationally in wind, hydro, and industrial sectors. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-astriis-la-start-up-au-service-des-eoliennes-et-des-turbines-hydrauliques-2192738?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Femail%5Ftype=retention&utm%5Fcampaign=lec%5Fstartup&utm%5Femail%5Fsend%5Fdate=20251017) --- 📇 **Company:** OneTake AI 🔍 **Description:** French AI startup building a conversational video editing platform that allows users to edit, enhance, and professionalize videos simply by speaking in natural language. Its agentic AI automates cuts, removes silences, generates subtitles, and formats content for social platforms—offering entrepreneurs and creators a fast, intuitive way to produce professional-grade videos. 💻 **Website:** [https://onetake.ai](https://onetake.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1M 🏦 **Investors:** 33 entrepreneur-users (community-led round, avg. ticket $30K) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sébastien Night (CEO, Centrale Nantes engineer; founder of Le Mouvement des Entrepreneurs Libres), Vladimir Rill (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** Funds will support the launch of *OneTake 7*, a breakthrough version integrating natural language understanding for conversational AI video editing, multi-format publishing, and patent filings. The round highlights OneTake AI’s strong community-driven model, with investors drawn from its own power users. --- 📇 **Company:** Vaultys 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity startup specializing in *sovereign digital identity* and *post-quantum cryptography*. Vaultys develops a decentralized, peer-to-peer suite of identity and access management (IAM) solutions — including *VaultysID*, *SmartLink*, and *Console Shadow IT* — designed to ensure full data sovereignty and protection against AI- and quantum-enabled cyber threats. 💻 **Website:** [https://vaultys.com](https://vaultys.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €600,000 🏦 **Investors:** Alsace Business Angels (ABA), private investors (including Marie-Hélène Fagard / Fagard Associates), and Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean Williamson, François-Xavier Thoorens 🗞️ **News:** Vaultys closed its first fundraising round of €600,000 to accelerate the deployment of its sovereign IAM suite and announced a *strategic partnership with the CEA-List institute* for the development of decentralized cryptographic technologies. The company aims to bring military-grade security to enterprises and public institutions, ensuring full independence from foreign infrastructures. --- 📇 **Company:** Komu (ex-Contestio) 🔍 **Description:** French SaaS startup reimagining customer engagement in e-commerce through community building. Komu enables brands to transform their customers into engaged communities via interactive spaces, challenges, and co-creation features embedded directly in online stores. Its AI-powered platform boosts loyalty, basket size, and customer lifetime value. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.komu.eu/](https://www.komu.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €700,000 🏦 **Investors:** Undisclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Killian Olivier, Rémi Labatut 🗞️ **News:** Komu, incubated at HEC Paris, raised €700K to accelerate growth and expand its AI-powered community platform for e-commerce. Integrated with Shopify and Magento, Komu helps brands double purchase frequency, increase basket size by 30%, and boost lifetime value by 150%. The company aims to become Europe’s standard community layer for online retail. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/incubateur-hec-paris%5F700k-to-reinvent-customer-engagement-activity-7382350460575227904-ZBJL?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-100.png) 🗣️ **AI Startup Accelerator |** For its 3rd edition, the AI Startup Accelerator program at Station F is partnering with SNCF Connect & Tech, Hugging Face, and HEC Paris Incubation & Acceleration Center to support French startups that are building the future of mobility through open source AI. For 6 months, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with the experts of our partners, to experiment with your solution on concrete use cases, to access real data, and to benefit from a strategic and technical mentorship to take your product to the next level. | [**Apply by October 31**](https://hecparis.notion.site/ai-startup-accelerator?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ **Pioneers AI Lab** | The AI Lab unites the top 8 AI builders in Europe every 3 months to build global consumer and prosumer products at STATION F, Paris. | [**More details on the next application batch**](https://thepioneer.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **AWS Gen AI Loft Paris at Station F | October 7 - 21 |** The AWS Gen AI Loft is not limited to technology; it brings together start-ups, developers, investors, and industry experts. Whether you are looking for in-depth knowledge or expert answers, our Gen AI Lofts offer you all the support you need to make your projects a reality. | [**Registration and details**](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/lp/aws-gen-ai-loft-paris?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **CODE + MATTER Opening | October 21 |** *CODE + MATTER* brings together Alexis André, Julien Espagnon, William Mapan, and Florian Zumbrunn. Four artists who write programs rather than prompts, transforming algorithms into paintings, sculptures, reworked prints, and installations. **|** [**Register**](https://luma.com/8z8l408q?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI x Oncology & Gene Editing | October 30 |** Oncology and gene editing are no longer emerging fields; they are at an inflection point. ​AI-driven single-cell analysis, CRISPR variants beyond Cas9, and programmable recombinases are moving from proof-of-concept to clinical and industrial applications. These technologies are not only redefining therapeutic paradigms in cancer but also expanding into agriculture and synthetic biology. ​This evening convenes founders and investors at the frontier to examine how these innovations translate from the lab bench into platforms and products that can reshape industries. | [**Waiting List**](https://luma.com/xxfmmpc9?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The European AI Championship 2025 - Launch party | November 5 |What is the European AI Championship?** ​Coming soon: 15 of Europe’s top AI engineers will battle live on stage, building real-world solutions using AI tools. They will represent their country to win, and you'll be able to watch and cheer for them with 1500 fellow engineers and AI-curious minds. Experience a championship where code meets competition, and AI hype meets AI application, wrapped in a unique, entertaining show. Think Eurovision, but for AI builders! | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/europeanaichampionship?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Leaders Summit | November 5-6 |** Paris becomes the nerve centre of data and responsible artificial intelligence. Access a program rooted in business reality: case studies, AI audits, governance, industrialisation, and sustainability. France's AI ecosystem is dynamic but under pressure: talent shortages, projects stuck at the POC stage, regulatory uncertainties (AI Act), and poor-quality data. Data & AI Leaders Summit Paris helps you move forward with technical content, immediately applicable and designed for the field. | [**Register**](https://tech-show-paris-2025-splash.reg.buzz/?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=22918112576&utm%5Fcontent=183515831185&utm%5Fterm=world+data+summit&lb%5Ftracesourcecode=google&lb%5Fgln%5Fids=&%5Fgl=1%2A1aii2qp%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxL7GBhDXARIsAGOcmIOu6Lw5Smxsm2a7Uv7-NE99n2upYo2lXk8Zo2FZvwZHWeUr%5F2%5FL%5FfsaAoUbEALw%5FwcB) 📆 **dotAI | November 6 |** We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers in fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire for that recognition. | [**Register**](https://www.dotai.io/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Sovereign Cyber & Defence AI Forum | November 17 - November 20 |** For ten years, European Cyber Week, organized by the Cyber Excellence Cluster and its members, has been bringing together French and European cybersecurity and cyberdefense players around a common goal: building sustainable digital sovereignty in line with the geopolitical challenges and commercial issues of the contemporary world. Civilian and military experts, startups and large groups, researchers and institutions: all will be present to discuss major technological, industrial, and societal issues. Cyber and artificial intelligence for defense, training, and guidance, Capture the Flag Challenge, wargaming, Bitflip, dual innovations, European and international defense, business and networking, resilience. | [**Register**](https://www.european-cyber-week.eu/en/registration/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **SophI.A Summit 2025 | November 19 - November 21 |** The seventh edition of the international AI conference will take place at Sophia Antipolis Technology Park on the French Riviera, to reveal the latest advances in the field of artificial intelligence and its applications. This event brings together global AI experts in biology, health, mobility, and smart applications, covering both core technology and its applications, who will present their work through meetings, debates, round tables, and posters. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://univ-cotedazur.eu/events/sophia-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#menu%5F3) 📆 **Adopt AI | November 24 - 26 |** The iconic Grand Palais will host the **business-focused continuation of the AI Action Summit**, led by President Macron alongside Heads of State and Government.Over three days, Fortune 500 CEOs, top researchers, and forward-thinking C-level leaders will showcase how AI is reshaping industries, driving strategy, and merging human and machine intelligence. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://adoptai.artefact.com/content/inscription?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register**](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **apidays Paris | December 9 - 11 | CNIT Forest, Paris |** As Europe’s capital of tech, policy, and innovation, Paris provides the perfect setting to explore the convergence of APIs and AI. At the heart of this intersection, apidays Paris sparks essential conversations on data security, digital sovereignty, and sustainable innovation in the age of intelligent systems. **|** [**Buy Tickets**](https://ticket.apidays.global/event/apidays-paris-2025/3cccd07f-acb2-466e-8d91-cb1f208ecf42?%5Fgl=1%2Amhk14c%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fga%2AMzkyNDI0MjAxLjE3NjA4NjI5OTk.%2A%5Fga%5FDPJV07TS8F%2AczE3NjA4NjY0MjkkbzIkZzAkdDE3NjA4NjY0MjkkajYwJGwwJGgw&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Claimy Wants to Use AI to End Music’s Missing Money Problem URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/claimy-wants-to-use-ai-to-end-musics-missing-money-problem/ Last updated: 2025-10-19T20:34:30.000Z Claimy, a Paris startup backed by €1.5 million in pre-seed funding, is building an AI-powered platform to locate and reclaim lost royalties, attacking a $15 billion global problem that’s eroded transparency and trust in the booming music economy. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Phagos Plans to Kill Superbugs with AI and Nature’s Own Viruses URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-phagos-plans-to-kill-superbugs-with-ai-and-natures-own-viruses/ Last updated: 2025-10-27T09:40:44.000Z Antibiotics are failing. French biotech Phagos thinks the answer lies in nature’s own bacteria-killers: 'phages.' With €25 million and an AI platform to match viruses with their prey, the startup could rewrite the rulebook on how we fight infection. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire Oct 17: The Big $300M Deel Deal; Plus Adcytherix, Step Pharma, SCAP Hologram & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-oct-17-the-big-300m-deel-deal-plus-adcytherix-step-pharma-scap-hologram-more/ Last updated: 2025-10-20T13:09:44.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # 🤔 Edito 🤔 France’s private equity and venture capital markets are showing staying power in 2025, even as global investors tread carefully amid inflationary pressures and geopolitical jitters. According to [*France Invest* and *Grant Thornton’s* latest *Activity Study for the First Half of 2025*,](https://www.franceinvest.eu/activite-du-capital-investissement-francais-au-s1-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) the country’s investment ecosystem remains robust, if more discerning. ### **A Market Holding Its Nerve** The numbers tell a story of calm amid uncertainty. In the first half of 2025, €14.7 billion was invested across 1,476 companies and infrastructure projects, a modest 5% dip from the same period last year. Fundraising, too, remained sturdy at €17.4 billion, only 6% below the 2023–2024 average. The message is that investors aren’t fleeing France; they’re just becoming choosier about where their euros go. Sophie Paturle, President of France Invest, said in the report that despite *“an uncertain environment,”* private equity continues to *“finance thousands of French companies, contributing to innovation, job creation and the energy transition.”* The country’s private markets, she warned, must nonetheless stay alert to concentration risks because capital is increasingly flowing into fewer hands and larger vehicles. ### **Tech Feels the Chill—Not the Freeze** For the tech ecosystem, the mood is more nuanced. The *Etude d’Activité* report shows that while the digital sector remains the second-largest destination for private equity money—behind industrial goods and services—venture and growth funds are facing tougher conditions. Fundraising in these segments fell sharply, with the number of venture funds dropping to its lowest level since 2020\. [**This is something we noted last week**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-oct-10-filigran-phagos-diffusely-more/) **based on new Pitchbook data.** Yet, the latest report hints that there is resilience beneath the surface. Growth capital, though hit by longer closing times and heightened scrutiny, still attracted a few large funds that accounted for 70% of all capital raised in the segment. Tech investors, it seems, have shifted from a “growth at all costs” mindset to a more value-driven approach, prioritizing proven scalability and profitability over raw innovation. On the deployment side, €10.1 billion was invested across 1,365 companies. Within that, the *numérique* (digital) and *santé* (healthcare) sectors held steady, confirming their long-term structural importance to the French economy. Even as ticket sizes above €100 million declined by nearly 20%, mid-cap deals (between €5 million and €100 million) maintained their momentum, accounting for the lion’s share of transactions. ### **Public Capital Steps Up, Global Capital Leans In** Public-sector commitments nearly doubled year-on-year, signaling the French government’s ongoing effort to prop up domestic innovation and infrastructure. Meanwhile, 35% of funds raised came from abroad, underscoring France’s continued attractiveness despite a slower global cycle. Internationally, French funds are also flexing their muscles. About a third of total investment value in the first half of 2025 was deployed outside France—a sharp increase from 2024—showing that French capital is increasingly venturing beyond its borders. **Overall, the report described a climate of disciplined optimism.** The country’s private equity industry isn’t booming like the post-COVID rebound years, but neither is it retreating. --- SPONSORE [![CTA Image](https://frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Perplexity.png)](https://pplx.ai/chris80493?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Perplexity's Comet transforms the way you browse. Download Comet now and get a free month of Perplexity Pro included. That's $20 of value to experience AI-powered browsing with advanced features. [Claim Invitation ](https://pplx.ai/chris80493?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ## 🏆 Key Highlights **Biggest Round:** - **Adcytherix (€105M)** — Europe’s largest Series A in the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space in 2025. - Followed by **Step Pharma (€38M)** and **SCAP Hologram (€22M)**. **Total Raised:** \~**€225.3M** across **16 companies** **Average Deal Size:** \~**€14M** ## 🧬 Sector Diversity ### **1\. Biotech & Life Sciences (6 companies)** - **Adcytherix (€105M)** – Antibody-drug conjugates for cancer. - **Step Pharma (€38M)** – Selective cancer therapies targeting CTPS1. - **EVerZom (€10M)** – Exosome-based regenerative medicine therapies. - **Allergen Alert (€3.6M)** – Rapid allergen detection for consumers and professionals. - **Cellura (€0.76M)** – Bioreactors for cultured cells (healthcare & food). - **SCAP Hologram (€22M)** – Digital surgery and medical navigation systems. 📈 **Total Biotech / Medtech funding:** \~**€179.4M (≈80%)** 🧭 France consolidates its position as a European biotech powerhouse, with Marseille, Paris, and Strasbourg emerging as leading biotech hubs. ### **2\. Deeptech & Industrial Innovation (3 companies)** - **Isentroniq (€7.5M)** – Cryogenic cabling for quantum computing scalability. - **Unlimited Driving Corp (€0.75M)** – Mixed-reality teleoperated racing technology. - **Astriis (€1.7M)** – Predictive maintenance AI based on vibration analysis. ⚙️ **Total Deeptech / Industrial:** \~**€9.95M (≈4%)** 🔬 Highlights France’s strong pipeline in quantum hardware and industrial AI diagnostics. ### **3\. Fintech & Insurtech (2 companies)** - **Cartan Trade (€9M)** – Trade credit insurance platform backed by Scor, Intact, and Bpifrance. - **BiznessMatch (€1.8M)** – Phygital networking and B2B connection platform for SMBs. 💶 **Total Fin/Insurtech:** \~**€10.8M (≈5%)** ### **4\. Climate & Sustainability Tech (2 companies)** - **Carb0n (€5M)** – Real estate carbon monitoring & compliance platform. - **Komu (€0.7M)** – Community engagement SaaS for sustainable e-commerce brands. 🌍 **Total Climate / GreenTech:** \~**€5.7M (≈3%)** ♻️ Carbon management and sustainable retail remain active verticals for EU climate investors. ### **5\. AI & Software (2 companies)** - **Probabl (€13M)** – Industrializing open-source machine learning (scikit-learn operator). - **OneTake AI (€0.93M)** – Conversational AI for video editing. 🤖 **Total AI / Software:** \~**€13.93M (≈6%)** 🇪🇺 Probabl cements France’s reputation as a global hub for open-source AI and sovereign data science. ### **6\. Cybersecurity (1 company)** - **Vaultys (€0.6M)** – Sovereign identity and post-quantum cryptography startup. 🛡️ **Total Cybersecurity:** \~**€0.6M (≈0.3%)** --- # What's the $17.3B Deel? ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-84.png) French tech favorite son and Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz In a tech landscape where European founders still often migrate to Silicon Valley, Alex Bouaziz represents a particularly French brand of entrepreneurial success. The co-founder of HR tech giant Deel has just raised a $300 million Series E funding round, catapulting the San Francisco-based company to a staggering $17.3 billion valuation, a 44% jump from its last capital raise in 2022. While Deel's headquarters may sit firmly in California's tech capital, Bouaziz has kept his ties to France and remains one of the brightest stars in the French tech constellation. The entrepreneur, who co-founded Deel with Shuo Wang in 2019, has built what's becoming the dominant force in global payroll and HR solutions. "We've been profitable for three years and surpassed $1 billion in annualized revenue in the first quarter," [Bouaziz told Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/la-start-up-deel-poursuit-sa-folle-ascension-et-se-valorise-17-milliards-de-dollars-2192777?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), noting the company generates between 15-17% EBITDA margins. According to sources, the founders still retain an impressive 25-30% stake in their creation, a rarity in the dilution-heavy world of Silicon Valley unicorns. The funding round, led by new investor Ribbit Capital alongside longtime partners Andreessen Horowitz and Coatue Management, comes at a pivotal moment for the company. Processing $22 billion in payroll annually across 150 countries, Deel has positioned itself as the solution to a fundamentally broken system. "The payroll and HR market is often single-country focused," Bouaziz explained, highlighting Deel's differentiating factor. From day one, the company built a truly global infrastructure, now employing 7,000 people across 120 countries. This global-first approach has attracted major French clients, including Air France-KLM, Alan, and Spendesk, though Bouaziz diplomatically declines to specify France's exact contribution to Deel's revenues beyond calling it "an important market that's close to my heart." The new capital will fuel an aggressive acquisition strategy, with $500 million allocated for M&A over the next three years. Having already completed 13 acquisitions, including recent purchases of German SIRH startup Zavvy and South African payroll company PaySpace (for over $100 million according to TechCrunch), Bouaziz characterized Deel as "aggressive" but "opportunistic" in its approach. Not everything is smooth sailing. The company faces ongoing litigation with its main rival, Rippling, valued at $16.8 billion after its own $450 million raise this year. The legal drama includes allegations of corporate espionage worthy of a Netflix series, with claims that a Rippling employee acted as a spy for Deel—charges the company refuses to comment on. Still, these challenges haven't slowed Deel's momentum. The company hit a milestone in $100 million revenue per month in September and is rapidly expanding its AI capabilities, launching dedicated AI agents for HR needs, including recruitment, payroll, and compliance. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-83.png) With Europe contributing roughly 30% of revenues and the US accounting for half, Deel has its sights on serving 100 million employees worldwide and achieving native payroll processing in over 100 countries by 2029. "We’ve come a long way - but in many ways, it still feels like day one," **the company wrote in a blog post announcing the funding.** "Every milestone, every new customer, and every country we enter reminds us how much there’s left to build. We’ll keep listening, and building products that help our customers work smarter, faster, and more seamlessly across borders." ***Meanwhile, closer to the homefront...*** --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-67.png) 📇 **Company:** Adcytherix 🔍 **Description:** Marseille-based biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using novel payload classes to overcome resistance and expand the reach of ADC therapies to poorly responsive tumors. Its lead candidate, ADCX-020, targets high unmet need diseases such as cancer. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.adcytherix.com/](https://www.adcytherix.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €105M 🏦 **Investors:** Andera Partners (lead, via BioDiscovery 7), Angelini Ventures, Bpifrance (Large Venture & InnoBio), Kurma Partners, Surveyor Capital (Citadel), aMoon, Pontifax, Dawn Biopharma (KKR), Pureos Bioventures, RA Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jack Elands (CEO, ex-Emergence Therapeutics), Xavier Preville, Carsten Dehning, and Pontifax Venture Capital 🗞️ **News:** The largest ADC-focused Series A in Europe in 2025 will accelerate the clinical development of Adcytherix’s lead candidate ADCX-020, with IND and CTA filings expected by the end of 2025\. The company will also expand its pipeline of proprietary ADCs by leveraging novel payloads. This round highlights growing investor momentum in Europe’s bioconjugate and targeted oncology sectors, alongside recent raises from Tubulis (€308M, Munich) and Ciloa (€6.5M, Montpellier). | [EU-Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/10/with-its-notable-e105-million-raise-french-biotech-startup-adcytherix-looks-to-tackle-cancer-with-novel-adc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Step Pharma 🔍 **Description:** French biotech developing next-generation targeted therapies that selectively destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. Its lead programs focus on inhibiting CTPS1, a key enzyme required for DNA synthesis in cancer cells, with promising results across hematologic cancers, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.step-ph.com](https://www.step-ph.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Genis-Pouilly (Ain, France) 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €38M 🏦 **Investors:** V-Bio Ventures (lead), Kurma Partners, Pontifax, Bpifrance, Hadean Ventures, Sunstone Life Sciences Ventures, Inserm Transfert Initiative 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Prof. Alain Fischer and Dr. Sylvain Latour; company co-founded by Kurma Partners, Institut Imagine, and Sygnature Discovery 🗞️ **News:** Funds will expand Step Pharma’s clinical data, complete ongoing Phase 1 trials, and advance into Phase 2 for its CTPS1 inhibitor programs targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/15/la-biotech-step-pharma-leve-38-millions-deuros-pour-affiner-le-ciblage-du-traitement-contre-le-cancer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Probabl 🔍 **Description:** French AI startup spun out from Inria and official operator of *scikit-learn* — the world’s most-used open-source machine learning library (2.5B+ downloads). Probabl develops industrial-grade, sovereign, and transparent data science solutions to help enterprises move from fragmented, artisanal ML practices to scalable, traceable, and responsible AI operations. 💻 **Website:** [https://probabl.ai](https://probabl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris / Saclay / Sophia Antipolis / Berlin 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €13M (total funding €18.5M) 🏦 **Investors:** Serena, Capital Fund Management (CFM), Mozilla Ventures, French Tech Souveraineté (Bpifrance – France 2030) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yann Lechelle (CEO, ex-Scaleway), Gaël Varoquaux (Scientific Advisor, Inria), and 12 co-founders from the scikit-learn community 🗞️ **News:** Largest commercial open-source software (COSS) seed round in Europe to date. The funding will accelerate Probabl’s mission to industrialize open-source AI, expand internationally, and build enterprise-grade tools around *scikit-learn*. The company positions itself as Europe’s flagship for sovereign, open, and transparent AI — championing the philosophy that “open always wins.” | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/16/ia-probabl-la-startup-de-yann-lechelle-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-europeenne-de-lopen-source/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com),[ **La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/35934783597853/probabl-leve-13-millions-pour-transformer-un-discret-programme-de-l-inria-en-un-moteur-industriel-de-la-data-science?utm%5Fsource=rlt-selli&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=tech-medias-16102025&M%5FBT=22841432237), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/probabl-le-spin-off-dinria-qui-industrialise-le-machine-learning-open-source-leve-13-millions-deuros/457899?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-69.png) 📇 **Company:** SCAP Hologram 🔍 **Description:** Medtech building disruptive real-time navigation for shoulder surgery (shoulder arthroplasty), removing barriers to intraoperative guidance adoption. Core platform integrates technologies from MinMaxMedical to deliver precise, minimally invasive surgical navigation. 💻 **Website:** [LinkedIn](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-46-special-ai-cybersecurity-edition/) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Martin-d’Hères (Grenoble area), France 🧗 **Round:** Undisclosed (since-inception financing; milestone-based commitments) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €22M raised to date (up to €30M upon milestones) 🏦 **Investors:** Founders Stéphane Lavallée (via Fullstim) & Delphine Henry; Haventure; MinMaxMedical; eCential Robotics; Surosh (private investor group); undisclosed strategic investor. **Additional financing:** Bpifrance; Caisse d’Épargne Rhône-Alpes Auvergne; BNP Paribas. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Stéphane Lavallée (Co-founder), Delphine Henry (Co-founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding accelerates tech and regulatory development of SCAP Hologram’s shoulder surgery navigation platform, deepens partnership with MinMaxMedical, and highlights Grenoble’s Digital Surgery & Robotics ecosystem (ECCAMI). | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scap-hologram-reaches-new-milestone-scap-hologram-sas-w9mwf/?trackingId=bzOTv1DckVkvChC%2Fkp7hMw%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-76.png) ? 📇 **Company:** EVerZom 🔍 **Description:** French biotechnology company pioneering exosome-based biotherapies for regenerative medicine and inflammatory diseases. EVerZom is developing first-in-class therapeutics leveraging mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes, combined with biomaterials, to treat complex diseases with high unmet medical need. 💻 **Website:** [https://everzom.com](https://everzom.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg 🧗 **Round:** Growth Round (Series A extension) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** Capital Grand Est, European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Sorbonne Venture by Audacia, Aloe Private Equity, Paris Business Angels, Capital Cell, and several family offices 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jeanne Volatron (CEO, ex-Sorbonne Université), Adrien Mebarki (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will finance the first clinical trial of **EVerGel™** in 2026—an exosome-based therapy targeting complex perianal fistulas in Crohn’s disease—and expand EVerZom’s exosome biomanufacturing platform to new indications in hepatology and dermatology. The company also secured a €3M France 2030 grant to industrialize its GMP exosome production technology up to 50L scale, marking a key step toward clinical and commercial readiness. | [**Benzinga**](https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/25/10/g48190577/everzom-raises-10m-to-develop-exosome-based-biotherapies-for-inflammatory-diseases?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Cartan Trade 🔍 **Description:** French insurtech specializing in trade credit insurance, offering tailored risk management solutions that protect businesses against customer defaults. The company provides flexible, tech-driven coverage adapted to SMEs and large corporations, combining underwriting expertise with digital underwriting tools. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.cartantrade.com](https://www.cartantrade.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Capital reorganization 💰 **Amount Raised:** €9 million 🏦 **Investors:** Scor (via SV One SAS), Intact Financial Corporation, Bpifrance (Large Venture) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** **Sébastien Guidoni, CEO** 🗞️ **News:** Cartan Trade raised €9 million and restructured its shareholding, marking a new strategic phase with Scor and Intact as cornerstone investors. Bpifrance joined the round via its Large Venture fund. The funding will fuel technological innovation and international expansion into the UK, Benelux, Italy, Spain, and Northern Europe. The company targets 30% growth in premiums in 2025, reaching €40 million, supported by 400 active contracts and €12 billion in coverage.| [**PR**](https://cartantrade.com/cartan-trade-reorganises-its-shareholding-structure-to-accelerate-growth/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/quantumdudes.png) 📇 **Company:** Isentroniq 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech startup developing ultra-low-heat, high-density cryogenic cabling systems designed to dramatically improve the scalability of superconducting quantum computers. Its technology aims to reduce cryogenic needs by a factor of 1,000, removing one of the final barriers to building viable quantum machines. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.isentroniq.com](https://www.isentroniq.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris-Saclay, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Heartcore (lead), Ovni Capital, iXcore, Kima Ventures, Better Angle 👨💼 **Founders:** Paul Magnard (PhD in Physics, ex-Alice & Bob) and Théodore Amar, a former Bain & Company consultant and ex-head of marketing at Hilti. 🗞️ **News:** The funding will enable Isentroniq to advance the development of its cryogenic cabling technology and conduct its first in-situ tests in 2026\. Positioned as a “pickaxe seller” in the quantum gold rush, the startup operates on a fabless model and targets clients including superconducting quantum leaders such as Google, IBM, Amazon, Rigetti, IQM, and Alice & Bob. | [**EE Times**](https://www.eetimes.eu/isentroniq-raises-e7-5m-to-solve-wiring-bottleneck-in-quantum-computers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-79.png) 📇 **Company:** Carb0n 🔍 **Description:** French climate-tech startup helping decarbonize commercial real estate by assessing and optimizing buildings’ carbon trajectories. Carb0n provides digital solutions enabling landlords and tenants to monitor, forecast, and reduce energy consumption in compliance with national energy efficiency regulations. 💻 **Website:** [https://carbon.green/](https://carbon.green/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Batipart Europe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hadrien Flon, Stanislas de Gabrielli 🗞️ **News:** Carb0n raised €5 million from Batipart Europe to accelerate the deployment of its carbon management platform for commercial real estate. The funding supports the company’s mission to help building owners and operators comply with France’s strict energy reduction targets (−40% by 2030) and the 2027 mandate for smart building automation (GTB). --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-78-1.png) CEO and Founder Bénédicte Astier (right) with her daughter Margot (left). Astier was inspired to start the company after spending the night at the Emergency Care Unit as her daughter recovered from anaphylaxis. 📇 **Company:** Allergen Alert 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech startup developing a **portable, rapid, and reliable device for detecting food allergens and gluten** in just minutes — designed for individuals with allergies and professionals in the food industry. The solution leverages **licensed bioMérieux diagnostic technology** miniaturized for real-time allergen testing via a smartphone-connected instrument. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.allergen-alert.com](https://www.allergen-alert.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.6M 🏦 **Investors:** Demeter (via the Fonds d’Amorçage Industriel Métropolitain – FAIM Lyon/Saint-Étienne), bioMérieux, Bpifrance, and private banks 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Bénédicte Astier (Founder & CEO; former Quality Manager at bioMérieux). 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate industrialization, technical development, and pre-sales of Allergen Alert’s handheld allergen detection device. Born from bioMérieux’s **InVENTURE intrapreneurship program**, the startup converts diagnostic lab tech into a consumer health solution, addressing a growing public health challenge that affects **6% of Europeans and 9% of North Americans**. The company aims to expand its device to detect the nine most common allergens within three years. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/dp.png) BiznessMatch CEO and Founder Dimitri Pontif 📇 **Company:** BiznessMatch 🔍 **Description:** French 'phygital' networking startup reinventing professional matchmaking for SMB leaders. BiznessMatch connects entrepreneurs directly through an AI-powered platform and a network of international business clubs—offering an alternative to LinkedIn by matching companies based on needs, competencies, and location rather than profiles or SEO visibility. The platform enables instant RFPs and quotations, complemented by physical meetings that strengthen real business relationships. 💻 **Website:** [https://biznessmatch.com](https://biznessmatch.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.8M 🏦 **Investors:** Undisclosed (private investors) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dimitri Pontif (Founder & CEO, ex-professional athlete and real estate entrepreneur) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will fuel AI development (natural language processing, multilingual translation, and data scraping optimization) and support international expansion with new BiznessMatch clubs planned in La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, the U.S., and China. The company positions itself as a “business-first” alternative to LinkedIn, blending digital efficiency with real-world connections. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/13/biznessmatch-leve-18-million-deuros-pour-repenser-et-booster-les-connexions-professionnelles/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Left to right: Paul Roy, Nadine Martin, Nicolas Saubin, and Pascal Gain](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-77.png) Left to right: Paul Roy, Nadine Martin, Nicolas Saubin, and Pascal Gain 📇 **Company:** Astriis 🔍 **Description:** French industrial deeptech startup developing predictive maintenance software that uses vibration analysis and AI to anticipate mechanical failures up to 18 months in advance. Its technology, built on 30 years of CNRS research, analyzes the vibrational “signature” of rotating machines (wind turbines, hydraulic turbines, etc.) to detect anomalies and prevent costly breakdowns. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.astriis.com](https://www.astriis.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chambéry, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.7M (€700K equity + €1M loans) 🏦 **Investors:** Crédit Agricole, Grenoble Angels, Investessor, Samba (Savoie Mont Blanc), Amba (Arts et Métiers Business Angels), BNP Paribas, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founder:** Nicolas Saubin (President & Founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Astriis’s commercial expansion, including three new hires. Its AI-driven platform, protected by nine patents, is already used by TotalEnergies and EDF, and is expanding internationally in wind, hydro, and industrial sectors. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-astriis-la-start-up-au-service-des-eoliennes-et-des-turbines-hydrauliques-2192738?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Femail%5Ftype=retention&utm%5Fcampaign=lec%5Fstartup&utm%5Femail%5Fsend%5Fdate=20251017) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-66-1.png) Sébastien Night 📇 **Company:** OneTake AI 🔍 **Description:** French AI startup building a conversational video editing platform that allows users to edit, enhance, and professionalize videos simply by speaking in natural language. Its agentic AI automates cuts, removes silences, generates subtitles, and formats content for social platforms—offering entrepreneurs and creators a fast, intuitive way to produce professional-grade videos. 💻 **Website:** [https://onetake.ai](https://onetake.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1M 🏦 **Investors:** 33 entrepreneur-users (community-led round, avg. ticket $30K) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sébastien Night (CEO, Centrale Nantes engineer; founder of Le Mouvement des Entrepreneurs Libres), Vladimir Rill (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** Funds will support the launch of *OneTake 7*, a breakthrough version integrating natural language understanding for conversational AI video editing, multi-format publishing, and patent filings. The round highlights OneTake AI’s strong community-driven model, with investors drawn from its own power users. --- 📇 **Company:** Cellura (formerly SoftCell Therapeutics) 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech startup developing *SoftXS*, the world’s first “geo-inspired” bioreactor designed for the large-scale production of fragile living cells used in healthcare, regenerative medicine, and cultured food. By replicating Earth-like rotational motion, Cellura’s bioreactor enables gentle, high-yield cell growth without mechanical stress, significantly lowering costs and expanding industrial applications. 💻 **Website:** [http://www.cellura.io/](http://www.cellura.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €760,000 🏦 **Investors:** Seed for Good, Thierry Letartre (family office, founder of Laboratoires Anios), Angels’Bay Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** 🗞️ **News:** Cellura, supported by Marseille Innovation, raised €760K to accelerate the development and industrialization of *SoftXS*, a next-generation bioreactor enabling mass production of delicate cells for health and food applications. The funding will be used to finalize prototypes and prepare for pilot-scale deployment. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-82.png) 📇 **Company:** Unlimited Driving Corporation (UDC) 🔍 **Description:** Marseille-based deeptech startup creating a hybrid experience between real-world racing and e-sport. UDC’s flagship product, *The Ring*, combines physical race circuits, teleoperated electric cars, and immersive driving simulators to deliver a new form of mixed-reality racing. The technology leverages haptic feedback and ultra-low latency teleoperation — innovations that can extend beyond gaming to applications in logistics, urban mobility, and defense. 💻 **Website:** 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €750,000 🏦 **Investors:** Multiple business angel groups and investment funds (undisclosed); previous support from Bpifrance (Deeptech label), École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, and CNRS 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thibault Satto, Yusuke Tomita Huuskonen 🗞️ **News:** UDC raised €750K in seed funding to protect its teleoperation IP and commercialize *The Ring*, its hybrid racing and e-sport experience. After two years of R&D and €250K in self-financing and public support, the startup now aims to deploy its turnkey kits (simulators, cars, and circuits) with arcade operators and karting venues. UDC targets €1M in revenue by 2026 and plans to open its own *The Ring* venue and expand internationally through franchises by 2027\. | [**Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/unlimited-driving-corporation-leve-des-fonds-pour-lancer-son-jeu-hybride-entre-course-automobile-et-2128426?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![François-Xavier Thoorens (left) and Jean Williamson of Vaultys at the Forum INCYBER in Lille.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-81-1.png) François-Xavier Thoorens (left) and Jean Williamson of Vaultys at the Forum INCYBER in Lille. 📇 **Company:** Vaultys 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity startup specializing in *sovereign digital identity* and *post-quantum cryptography*. Vaultys develops a decentralized, peer-to-peer suite of identity and access management (IAM) solutions — including *VaultysID*, *SmartLink*, and *Console Shadow IT* — designed to ensure full data sovereignty and protection against AI- and quantum-enabled cyber threats. 💻 **Website:** [https://vaultys.com](https://vaultys.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €600,000 🏦 **Investors:** Alsace Business Angels (ABA), private investors (including Marie-Hélène Fagard / Fagard Associates), and Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean Williamson, François-Xavier Thoorens 🗞️ **News:** Vaultys closed its first fundraising round of €600,000 to accelerate the deployment of its sovereign IAM suite and announced a *strategic partnership with the CEA-List institute* for the development of decentralized cryptographic technologies. The company aims to bring military-grade security to enterprises and public institutions, ensuring full independence from foreign infrastructures. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-80-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Komu (ex-Contestio) 🔍 **Description:** French SaaS startup reimagining customer engagement in e-commerce through community building. Komu enables brands to transform their customers into engaged communities via interactive spaces, challenges, and co-creation features embedded directly in online stores. Its AI-powered platform boosts loyalty, basket size, and customer lifetime value. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.komu.eu/](https://www.komu.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €700,000 🏦 **Investors:** Undisclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Killian Olivier, Rémi Labatut 🗞️ **News:** Komu, incubated at HEC Paris, raised €700K to accelerate growth and expand its AI-powered community platform for e-commerce. Integrated with Shopify and Magento, Komu helps brands double purchase frequency, increase basket size by 30%, and boost lifetime value by 150%. The company aims to become Europe’s standard community layer for online retail. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/incubateur-hec-paris%5F700k-to-reinvent-customer-engagement-activity-7382350460575227904-ZBJL?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Startup Nation Confronts Austerity Nation...Liberté, Égalité, Subventionné? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-startup-nation-confronts-austerity-nation-liberte-egalite-subventionne/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T08:17:58.000Z # 🤔 Edito 🤔 Making the case for the French tech ecosystem was pretty darn easy for a long time. Year after year, it went something like this: ***Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money...*** ![](https://media.tenor.com/r53R8b0im3kAAAAC/hasbulla.gif) Funding just kept going up and up and up, and the success seemed pretty self-evident. But now it appears the ecosystem is headed toward its third straight year of either flat (at best) or down (at worst) funding. To be clear, it's not alone. That's true for most of Europe, and even much of the U.S. outside of the AI biggies. Even so, at a moment of political unrest, how does one make the case at home in France that innovation and startups are crucial to the economy? The question is more than academic. As the nation mulls austerity budgets, the big spending on innovation programs or targeted tax programs for research and investment has been mentioned as a frequent target. While it appears the dreaded “Zucman tax” on mega fortunes has been dropped, France’s 2026 budget blueprint has sent a chill through the country’s startup scene. The government’s new finance and social security bills tighten the rules for the **“Jeune Entreprise Innovante” (JEI)** status by raising the required R&D spending threshold from 20% to 25%, cutting off thousands of startups from key tax breaks. The **IR-PME tax reduction** for venture funds (via FCPI vehicles) will also expire at year-end, dealing another blow to early-stage financing, [according to Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/budget-2026-ces-mesures-qui-penalisent-les-start-up-2192342?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). And so, into the fray, comes gently a new report published by the French Tech Mission that tries to avoid being overtly political while also making the point that startups are not just playgrounds for a bunch of elitist Paris boobs from top universities funded by government subsidies for their personal amusement while peasants slog through the muck in France's desolate rural wastelands eating gruel. (I'm paraphrasing here.) It has published a panorama of the French tech ecosystem that highlights three major trends: - French start-ups and scale-ups create jobs throughout the country. - The flow of investments in start-ups remains dynamic. Support by investors for sectors of the future, such as AI, DeepTech, healthcare, and GreenTech, is strengthening in favor of the territories (aka, 'not Paris'). - The links between start-ups and large corporations are improving, moving beyond window shopping to actual partnerships. The overall message is this: France’s startup landscape has matured. The ecosystem now comprises 18,000 active startups employing 450,000 people, including 45,000 in the French Tech 120 and Next40 programs. Employment among startups grew by 4.6% in the first half of 2025 despite macroeconomic headwinds, underscoring startups’ counter-cyclical role as job creators. Innovation is not confined to Paris: **56% of startups operate outside Île-de-France** (the region that is home to Paris), signaling a decentralization of innovation. Regions like Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes (Lyon), Occitanie (Toulouse), and Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Bordeaux) are emerging as powerful growth poles, reflecting a long-term shift from metropolitan concentration toward national diffusion. Promoting more startups outside of Paris has been a pillar of the French Tech Mission for several years now. While 47% of funding deals still occur in Île-de-France, 36% are now happening in the southern regions such as Occitanie and Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur (a terrible branding decision in terms of a name for a region. Also, Marseille). The financing pipeline, however, remains polarized: seed and pre-seed rounds are mostly regional (57% of early-stage deals), whereas later-stage (Series C+) rounds are overwhelmingly Paris-centered (64%). This imbalance is even sharper in artificial intelligence: though 44% of AI startups are based in the regions, only 7% of AI funding occurs outside Paris. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/panorama-ft.png) ### **Strategic Specialization** Five key sectors driving French innovation. - **Software** remains dominant, representing 31% of startups and 123,000 jobs. - **Greentech (11%)**, **industrial startups (9%)**, **marketing tech (9%)**, **health (7%)**, and **deeptech (7%)** collectively signal a diversification of the ecosystem. This diversification matters because it aligns with France’s broader industrial and ecological priorities: reindustrialization, digital sovereignty, and ecological transition. French Tech has evolved from a software-first ecosystem to one tackling systemic challenges ranging from decarbonization and clean energy to quantum computing and medical technology. Deeptech and greentech, in particular, embody France’s attempt to translate its scientific heritage into economic sovereignty. **Two-thirds of Deep Tech startups are outside Île-de-France and are backed by major institutional anchors** such as the CEA, CNES, and INRIA. GreenTech startups leverage local resources and challenges (rural mobility, water management, agritech) to produce scalable innovations, according to the report. ### **Startups and Large Corporations** The number of connections between CAC40 companies (the largest companies on the stock exchange) and startups has increased tenfold since 2021, and the share of French startups in these partnerships rose from 45% to 71%. This has also been a pillar of the French Tech Mission strategy. Entrepreneurs who leave France will often cite the difficulty of finding their first large customers as often as they will the issue of money (though late-stage funding is still a problem). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/cac40.png) So, the case rests, more or less. The bottom line: the French Tech Mission wants you to know that these programs and their recipients are benefiting the country broadly. Whether that message reaches the intended audience, well, we'll see, I guess... Chris --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **RIVRS** is evolving from a French UGC game studio into a full-fledged publishing platform with a major Asia push. Launching a $1M Creator Fund and new hubs in Vietnam and Hong Kong, it’s betting on speed, AI, and partnerships to professionalize Roblox game creation. CEO and Co-Founder CEO and co-founder [**Romain Hubert**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/romain-hubert-b12bb1206/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad%5Fflagship3%5Fdetail%5Fbase%3BERqO3xS2QYCHvS8qrW6Sfw%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) takes a break from a whirlwind Asian trek to [**explain how the company plans to level up its business model.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-rennes-to-roblox-how-gaming-startup-rivrs-is-betting-big-on-ugc-publishing-model-in-asia/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Perplexity.png)](https://pplx.ai/chris80493?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Perplexity's Comet transforms the way you browse. Download Comet now and get a free month of Perplexity Pro included. That's $20 of value to experience AI-powered browsing with advanced features. [Claim Invitation ](https://pplx.ai/chris80493?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Tech Talk ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-65.png) 🇫🇷 🦸‍♀️ **France has a new digital Minister. Again!** So, La French Tech has a new new high priestess. [Naïma Moutchou](https://www.linkedin.com/in/na%C3%AFma-moutchou-b8494b165/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) got the shiv on Sunday. She's out as AI and digital affairs minister after surviving the first Lecornu government that lasted about 15 hours. The tech baguette is now passed to [Anne Le Hénanff](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-le-h%C3%A9nanff-7505a26b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the newly named Minister of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital for Lecornu 2: Electric Boogaloo. That's a welcome change from Moutchou's title of Minister for Transformation, Public Action, AI, and Digital Matters for the Government du Jour. Though let's face it, it's still *Government du Jour*. Also somewhat welcome will be the fact that she appears to have some background with the internets and digital thingies. As a Member of Parliament, she was appointed Vice-President of the National Assembly’s Study Group on Digital Economy, Security and Sovereignty, as well as a working group on NIS 2, which strengthens European cybersecurity regulations. For the French Tech ecosystem, it’s the fourth (fifth?) Digital Minister in just three years, following [Clara Chappaz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarachappaz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), (Moutchou?), [Marina Ferrari](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-ferrari-gouv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Jean-Noël Barrot](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannoelbarrot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Heck, it's technically the third in a week, but, whatever. Life moves fast. All we're saying (again) is...Welcome to the job! But also: don't get too comfortable! 🎖️📈 Speaking of French innovation and economics...**French economist Philippe Aghion has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics,** alongside Joel Mokyr and Peter Howitt, for their pioneering work on innovation-driven economic growth and the dynamics of “creative destruction.” Aghion, a professor at the **Collège de France** and the **London School of Economics**, is renowned for using mathematical models to explain how technological innovation fuels productivity and renewal in modern economies. In France, Aghion has also played a central role in shaping national innovation policy — notably co-chairing the **Artificial Intelligence Commission**, which in 2024 delivered a landmark report to President **Emmanuel Macron** on the country’s AI strategy. His influence extends beyond academia, bridging economic theory and public policy to help France navigate the transition toward a knowledge-based economy. The Nobel committee highlighted how Aghion’s work, in tandem with Mokyr’s historical analyses and Howitt’s theoretical insights, provides a unified understanding of how innovation transforms societies. Speaking in Paris after the announcement, Aghion said the recognition underscored the importance of fostering innovation while ensuring social inclusion in times of technological upheaval. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/10/13/philippe-aghion-prix-nobel-d-economie-2025-le-facteur-cle-de-la-puissance-economique-c-est-le-leadership-technologique%5F6645670%5F3211.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🌱🚀 LinkedIn has** [**unveiled its annual list of the top 20 "booming"** (](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-startups-2025-les-20-p%C3%A9pites-fran%C3%A7aises-cpfec/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*plein essor*)[ **French startups**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-startups-2025-les-20-p%C3%A9pites-fran%C3%A7aises-cpfec/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). In any case, we'll give you three guesses which company is number one, but only the first guess counts. And if you get it wrong, you will have your French Tech visa immediately revoked...Ready? It's....**Mistral AI**! *Quelle surprise ;)* ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/LinkedIn-Top-Startups-2--1.png) 🟢 ❇️ **French green fintech Green-Got has teamed up with Dorval Asset Management** to launch *Green-Got Sustainable Future*, a global equity fund dedicated to financing companies driving the ecological and energy transition. Fully aligned with France’s push for impact investing, the fund channels savings into verifiably green sectors — from clean energy and circular economy to sustainable transport — and is **double-certified ISR and Greenfin**. With nearly 90% of its assets invested sustainably and a Paris-Agreement-aligned carbon trajectory, it stands among the most ambitious climate-focused funds in Europe. 🤩 🕐 💯 We knew him when...**Thibaud Hug de Larauze**, co-founder of Back Market, had a crazy idea to recycle electronic gadgets way back in 2014\. [Now he's been named to Time's World's 100 Most Influential Rising Stars.](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318818/thibaud-hug-de-larauze/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Move over, Taylor Swift! 💅 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/back-market-time-100-1.png) 🎓🤺 **The CNLL has won its battle to prevent France's prestigious Polytechnique (X) school from adopting Microsoft 365\.** France’s elite university has hit pause on its plan to migrate to Microsoft 365, following fierce pushback from the National Free Software Council (CNLL). The group hailed the U-turn as a “major victory” for digital sovereignty — and a warning shot to universities tempted by Big Tech convenience. The CNLL argued that hosting sensitive research data on US cloud servers would breach French law, the EU’s GDPR, and even basic common sense — citing the Cloud Act and other “extraterritorial” threats. Polytechnique’s retreat comes as Austria’s data watchdog ruled Microsoft 365 Education illegal under GDPR for student tracking, further fuelling Europe’s data independence crusade. The CNLL isn’t done yet: it’s urging all higher-ed institutions to ditch “foreign dependency” and go full open source, offering help to those ready to switch. In short: time to trade that shiny Microsoft license for a little digital liberté. | [**CNLL**](https://cnll.fr/news/suspension-microsoft-polytechnique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🪖🤑 **Bpifrance** **has launched a new “Bpifrance Défense” fund, opening defense finance to ordinary citizens.** The fund is accessible from just **€500\.** It aims to mobilize up to **€450 million** to back French and European startups, SMEs, and mid-caps tied to defense and technological sovereignty. With an *expected* annual return of **around 5%**, the semi-open fund has a **20-year lifespan** and allows partial withdrawals starting in **2030**. Partners, including **AXA France**, **BPCE**, and **Meilleurtaux Placement,** are on board to distribute the product, signaling strong financial backing. CEO **Nicolas Dufourcq** hailed it as a “second revolution” by blending **citizen investment** with **national sovereignty.** The move comes amid a European push to bolster strategic industries and reduce reliance on foreign defense suppliers, offering French savers a chance to “give meaning to their money” while funding the next generation of defense innovation. | [**Ground News**](https://ground.news/article/bpifrance-launches-its-defense-fund-for-private-individuals?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/ticket-d-entree-rendement-comment-fonctionne-le-nouveau-fonds-pour-investir-dans-la-defense-20251014?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bpifrance-lance-le-fonds-bpifrance-defense-permettant-aux-particuliers-dinvestir-dans-des-entreprises-principalement-non-cotees-du-secteur-de-la-defense-et-de-la-souverainete-technologique?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛩️ 💥 **French hybrid aircraft startup VoltAero has entered judicial restructuring** after running out of cash, marking a rough landing for one of Europe’s most ambitious electric aviation projects. The company, led by former Airbus exec Jean Botti, had been gearing up to mass-produce its five-seat Cassio 330 hybrid planes in Rochefort. A high-profile investment deal with Malaysia’s SEDC Energy and France’s ACI had promised a new assembly hub in Asia—but ACI’s own financial troubles derailed the plan. “We were victims of unfortunate circumstances,” Botti lamented, adding that VoltAero is now racing to find new investors to keep its wings aloft. We had referenced VoltAero [in our Sustainable Aviation Sector Deep Dive in 2024](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sector-deep-dive-sustainable-aviation/), but alas... | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/13/avions-hybrides-la-start-up-voltaero-en-redressement-judiciaire/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☎️🛍️ **Bouygues Telecom, Free (Iliad), and Orange** are standing firm after **SFR’s** rejection of their initial €17 billion takeover bid. The three French telecom rivals have joined forces in an unprecedented move to acquire and split most of SFR’s assets, seeking to stabilize the debt-laden operator’s future. Their proposal, backed cautiously by Bercy (aka, the French **Ministry of Economy and Finance)**, aims to protect critical infrastructure and maintain service continuity. But unions warn of potentially massive job cuts. With foreign investors also circling, the battle for SFR has become a high-stakes test of France’s industrial sovereignty and telecom equilibrium. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/10/15/rachat-de-sfr-bouygues-telecom-free-et-orange-maintiennent-leur-offre-apres-le-rejet-de-leur-premiere-proposition%5F6646943%5F3235.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🥩 🌱 The French cultured-meat scene just got its first heavyweight. **Paris-based Gourmey, known for its lab-grown foie gras, has merged with Vital Meat,** its only French rival, to form **Parima** — a self-styled *“European champion with global ambitions.”* The deal, sealed amid a funding winter for foodtech, unites Gourmey’s culinary flair with Vital Meat’s industrial muscle and bioreactor tech in Nantes. Now, the new group faces its biggest hurdle yet: securing EU approval to sell lab-grown meat in a country where it’s still banned and convincing consumers to take a bite of the future. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/gourmey-avale-vital-meat-son-seul-concurrent-francais-dans-la-viande-de-culture-2192369?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # From Rennes to Roblox: How Gaming Startup RIVRS is Betting Big On UGC Publishing Model In Asia [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-75.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-rennes-to-roblox-how-gaming-startup-rivrs-is-betting-big-on-ugc-publishing-model-in-asia/) Far from the heart of Rennes, where a 24-year-old CEO launched [**RIVRS**](https://rivrs.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to ride the wave of User Generated Content (UGC) games, the company is now opening Vietnam and Hong Kong offices to launch a new business it believes has the potential to be many magnitudes larger by professionalizing the way such games are created and published. Over the past several months, CEO and co-founder [**Romain Hubert**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/romain-hubert-b12bb1206/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad%5Fflagship3%5Fdetail%5Fbase%3BERqO3xS2QYCHvS8qrW6Sfw%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has been bouncing around the Far East to lay the groundwork for this new phase. During a call from Indonesia just after the company made its big announcement at Gamescom Asia in Bangkok this week, Hubert explained that the move in Asia represents the beginning of a fundamental shift that will expand RIVRS beyond its roots as a game developer to a gaming platform, from creator to enabler for other developers to leverage its to rapidly build games on the Roblox platform. In addition to the new offices, the company is starting a $1 million Creator Fund to attract partner developers to help them build and launch their own games. And the company has hired [Aurélien Palasse](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurelienpalasse?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), who has been a Ubisoft executive in Asia for almost 14 years, to be [Managing Director Asia](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aurelienpalasse%5Fafter-nearly-14-years-at-ubisoft-exploring-activity-7384442235121098753-X7rv?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI). ***"We have a real opportunity to go fast, right now, with this new activity," Hubert said. "This is the moment to create something big, a big company."*** [Press Start](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-rennes-to-roblox-how-gaming-startup-rivrs-is-betting-big-on-ugc-publishing-model-in-asia/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Adcytherix 🔍 **Description:** Marseille-based biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using novel payload classes to overcome resistance and expand the reach of ADC therapies to poorly responsive tumors. Its lead candidate, ADCX-020, targets high unmet need diseases such as cancer. 💻 **Website:** — 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €105M 🏦 **Investors:** Andera Partners (lead, via BioDiscovery 7), Angelini Ventures, Bpifrance (Large Venture & InnoBio), Kurma Partners, Surveyor Capital (Citadel), aMoon, Pontifax, Dawn Biopharma (KKR), Pureos Bioventures, RA Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jack Elands (CEO, ex-Emergence Therapeutics), Xavier Preville, Carsten Dehning, and Pontifax Venture Capital 🗞️ **News:** The largest ADC-focused Series A in Europe in 2025 will accelerate the clinical development of Adcytherix’s lead candidate ADCX-020, with IND and CTA filings expected by the end of 2025\. The company will also expand its pipeline of proprietary ADCs, leveraging novel payloads. This round highlights growing investor momentum in Europe’s bioconjugate and targeted oncology sectors, alongside recent raises from Tubulis (€308M, Munich) and Ciloa (€6.5M, Montpellier). | [EU-Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/10/with-its-notable-e105-million-raise-french-biotech-startup-adcytherix-looks-to-tackle-cancer-with-novel-adc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Step Pharma 🔍 **Description:** French biotech developing next-generation targeted therapies that selectively destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. Its lead programs focus on inhibiting CTPS1, a key enzyme required for DNA synthesis in cancer cells, with promising results across hematologic cancers, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.step-ph.com](https://www.step-ph.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Genis-Pouilly (Ain, France) 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €38M 🏦 **Investors:** V-Bio Ventures (lead), Kurma Partners, Pontifax, Bpifrance, Hadean Ventures, Sunstone Life Sciences Ventures, Inserm Transfert Initiative 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Prof. Alain Fischer and Dr. Sylvain Latour; company co-founded by Kurma Partners, Institut Imagine, and Sygnature Discovery 🗞️ **News:** Funds will expand Step Pharma’s clinical data, complete ongoing Phase 1 trials, and advance into Phase 2 for its CTPS1 inhibitor programs targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/15/la-biotech-step-pharma-leve-38-millions-deuros-pour-affiner-le-ciblage-du-traitement-contre-le-cancer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Probabl 🔍 **Description:** French AI startup spun out from Inria and official operator of *scikit-learn* — the world’s most-used open-source machine learning library (2.5B+ downloads). Probabl develops industrial-grade, sovereign, and transparent data science solutions to help enterprises move from fragmented, artisanal ML practices to scalable, traceable, and responsible AI operations. 💻 **Website:** [https://probabl.ai](https://probabl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris / Saclay / Sophia Antipolis / Berlin 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €13M (total funding €18.5M) 🏦 **Investors:** Serena, Capital Fund Management (CFM), Mozilla Ventures, French Tech Souveraineté (Bpifrance – France 2030) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yann Lechelle (CEO, ex-Scaleway), Gaël Varoquaux (Scientific Advisor, Inria), and 12 co-founders from the scikit-learn community 🗞️ **News:** Largest commercial open-source software (COSS) seed round in Europe to date. The funding will accelerate Probabl’s mission to industrialize open-source AI, expand internationally, and build enterprise-grade tools around *scikit-learn*. The company positions itself as Europe’s flagship for sovereign, open, and transparent AI — championing the philosophy that “open always wins.” | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/16/ia-probabl-la-startup-de-yann-lechelle-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-une-reference-europeenne-de-lopen-source/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com),[ **La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/article/tech/35934783597853/probabl-leve-13-millions-pour-transformer-un-discret-programme-de-l-inria-en-un-moteur-industriel-de-la-data-science?utm%5Fsource=rlt-selli&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=tech-medias-16102025&M%5FBT=22841432237), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/probabl-le-spin-off-dinria-qui-industrialise-le-machine-learning-open-source-leve-13-millions-deuros/457899?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From Rennes to Roblox: How Gaming Startup RIVRS is Betting Big On UGC Publishing Model In Asia URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-rennes-to-roblox-how-gaming-startup-rivrs-is-betting-big-on-ugc-publishing-model-in-asia/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T23:19:39.000Z RIVRS is evolving from a French UGC game studio into a full-fledged publishing platform with a major Asia push. Launching a $1M Creator Fund and new hubs in Vietnam and Hong Kong, it’s betting on speed, AI, and partnerships to professionalize Roblox game creation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #46: Special AI Cybersecurity Edition URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-46-special-ai-cybersecurity-edition/ Last updated: 2025-10-13T07:35:43.000Z # Cybersecurity Deep Dive: Part II **In this edition:** **🧠** When stolen credentials breached his 'impenetrable' system, Gautier Bugeon had an insight: give attackers fake doors to try. [**His startup MokN raised €2.6M, hit $1M ARR in 16 months with half its clients being billion-dollar companies, and is now expanding to America.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/) **🧠** Cybercrime has evolved fast: from human-led hacks to AI-boosted attacks, with autonomous MOAIs (Multimodal Offensive AI) still in labs but soon within reach. The big question: can defenders evolve fast enough to see, decide, and act before machines strike?[**Cybersecurity CEOs Stu Solomon (HUMAN security) and Philippe Humeau (CrowdSec) give us the lowdown.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/when-bots-go-agentic-how-ai-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-cybersecurity/) **And a reminder, our coverage from Part I:** 👀 France is betting over €1 billion to become a cybersecurity powerhouse. [**This in-depth Sector Deep Dive**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sector-deep-dive-inside-frances-ambitious-cybersecurity-sovereignty-strategy/) maps the nation’s integrated ecosystem—government, defense, ANSSI, startups, research, and corporate giants—driving its push for digital independence and global leadership. 👀 A sweeping new study by Cybervadis and CESIN of 1,000 firms finds most have solid policies but weak proof. As Europe's cybersecurity regulation NIS2 expands oversight to thousands more companies, the gap between compliance on paper and verifiable protection is now a national competitiveness issue. [**Cybervadis' Thibault Lapedagne breaks it down.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-companies-struggle-with-cybersecurity-reality-check/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **“Winter Is Coming.”** Vincent Strubel, DG of ANSSI, opened Monaco’s 25th Assises de la Cybersécurité with a stark Game of Thrones warning: from rising attacks and reliance on US tech to the quantum decryption horizon, cyber threats are intensifying. The summit—kicked off by Maria Iacono and Minister Christophe Mirmand—brought together top experts from ANSSI, AMSN, Eurojust, and Campus Cyber, renewing Franco-Monégasque cooperation through 2030\. Over three days, 3,000 participants tackled everything from ransomware to phishing, sharing best practices like strong passwords, systematic updates, data backups, ongoing staff training, and secure connections. Cybersecurity isn’t just a strategy. It’s habit, whether you’re a company or a connected citizen. | [**Challenges**](https://www.challenges.fr/la-verticale-cyber/a-monaco-les-assises-de-la-cybersecurite-fetent-leurs-25-ans-dans-un-climat-brulant%5F627055?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Monaco Tribune**](https://www.monaco-tribune.com/2025/10/cybersecurite-a-les-5-reflexes-essentiels-pour-proteger-vos-donnees-au-quotidien/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ In an op-ed for *l’Opinion*’s “Top 100 Making AI Happen in Europe” supplement, **Fidji Simo**, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, delivered a rallying call for Europe to turn artificial intelligence into a **force for inclusion and trust, not concentration and exclusion**. She argued that while AI is already empowering students, entrepreneurs, and patients across France, its benefits risk becoming unevenly distributed unless access and training are deliberately democratized. Simo positioned Europe’s humanistic values as its biggest competitive edge, insisting that “**what history will remember is not the raw power of our models, but how we chose to put them in service of people.**” Her message: the true measure of progress won’t be how advanced AI becomes, but how widely its opportunities are shared. | [**L'Opinion**](https://www.lopinion.fr/economie/making-ai-a-shared-opportunity-fidji-simo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French deeptech startup **Prophesee** has made a comeback from near-collapse, reinventing itself as a rising star in **defense technology**. Once backed by the CIA’s venture arm IQT and nearly bankrupt a year ago, the company is now courted by heavyweights like **Thales, Safran, Leonardo, NATO, and DARPA**. Its neuromorphic “**metavision**” sensors, which mimic the human retina to detect motion and light changes, are proving vital in **drone detection** amid the war in Ukraine. After breaking free from restrictions tied to Sony, Prophesee struck a new partnership with **STMicroelectronics** and shifted focus from smartphones to industrial and military clients—now making up **70% of its revenue**. CEO **Luca Verre** says the company aims to reach profitability by **the end of next year**, powered by Europe’s growing appetite for homegrown AI vision tech. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/french-tech-un-an-apres-son-redressement-prophesee-se-tourne-vers-les-industriels-de-defense-2191109?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French startup Harmattan AI soars with UK MoD deal.** Founded in April 2024, it’s set to deliver 3,000 autonomous drones (UAS) in record time, following a multi-million contract announced at London’s DSEI. Its SORONA model is lightweight, modular, AI-powered, and cloud-free — built for ISR missions and rapid deployment. Paris watches closely as the startup ramps production and eyes €200M funding. | [**Opex News**](https://opexnews.fr/harmattan-ai-commande-uk-3000-systemes-autonomes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Frenchweb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/harmattan-ai-signe-un-partenariat-strategique-avec-le-constructeur-ukrainien-skyeton/457646?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **We're number cinq!** Whatever the nation's rep may be for being stuck it the past, the good folks at the Financial Times and the AI for Good Lab - Microsoft research, France ranks 5th in terms of the percentage of working adults who use AI, at just over 40%. | [**Financial Times**](https://ig.ft.com/ai-personal-assistant/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-31-1.png) 🗞️ Veteran publishing powerhouse **Anne-Solange Noble**, former rights chief at **Gallimard**, has been awarded France’s **Médaille de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres**, capping nearly four decades in the literary world. In her acceptance speech, Noble celebrated the global reach of French literature through translation while defending the country’s integrated rights model. She also took aim at the industry’s rush toward automation, warning that **“nothing will replace natural intelligence, made of emotion, sensitivity, conviction.”** Her remarks struck a chord in Paris’s literary circles, blending cultural pride with a subtle critique of how **artificial intelligence** is reshaping creativity and publishing alike. | [**Publishing Perspectives**](https://publishingperspectives.com/2025/10/anne-solange-noble-is-awarded-frances-medal-dhonneur/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Mexican auteur **Guillermo del Toro** is helping breathe new life into the endangered art of **stop-motion animation**, backing a Paris training studio in partnership with Gobelins and Netflix. He insists the technique is “**AI-proof**” — in an era when artificial intelligence is creeping into most forms of animation, stop-motion remains “protected.” Del Toro, who views stop-motion as a rebellious, handcrafted counterpoint to AI-driven automation, hopes this venture will nurture new talent and preserve the magic of frame-by-frame cinema. | [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20251010-guillermo-del-toro-backs-paris-stop-motion-animation-studio?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **OTHER HEADLINES** 🗞️ **Chat3D: The French Deep Tech Startup Reinventing 3D Modeling with Gen AI |** Barely a year after its creation by two young engineering students, [Chat3D](https://chat3d.ai/story/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is rapidly emerging as one of the most promising players in the French deep tech ecosystem. Based in Lyon, the startup has just raised €3 million and announced a strategic partnership with Nvidia, a key move to accelerate the development of its [generative AI](https://emag.directindustry.com/2025/08/20/best-ai-chatbots-data-insights-study/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) technology for 3D modeling. We spoke with Félix Balmonet, one of the co-founders, who shared insights into the company’s fast rise, its industrial ambitions, and its vision for the future of 3D creation. | [**DirectIndustry e‑Magazine**](https://emag.directindustry.com/2025/10/09/chat3d-french-deep-tech-startup-3d-modeling-generative-ai-digital-twin/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **How to get a job at H Company: ‘It’s so competitive right now’ |** France’s buzzy agentic AI startup is fast growing its team of forward deployed engineers. **|** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/how-to-get-a-job-at-h-company?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Inside TiHive: How a French Deeptech Startup Is Revolutionizing Quality Control, One Diaper at a Time |** The Grenoble-based company just raised €8M to scale its terahertz-AI technology that can see inside products on production lines **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 How Cybersecurity Startup MokN Combats Phishing With Deceptive 'Fake Doors' [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-63.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/) Imagine spending six years building what you believe is an impenetrable security system for a $6 billion company. You've implemented awareness programs, dark web monitoring, endpoint protection, every tool in the cybersecurity playbook. Then one day, a targeted phishing attack slips through anyway, and you realize with sinking clarity that for this particular threat, all you can really do is "raise awareness and pray that users will not share their password." This was [**Gautier Bugeon**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gautier-bugeon/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**'s** reality two years ago as SOC manager for Eramet, a major French mining corporation. The breach was a turning point, not just professionally but philosophically. "I became very, very frustrated because I had everything in place," he recalled. "And we still got breached, because it was a very targeted attack." The culprit was stolen credentials—the cybersecurity industry's oldest and most intractable problem. "When someone is targeting you with a stolen credential, it's still the best way to get into a network," Bugeon said. "Unfortunately, it's been 10 years, and I think it will still be the case in 10 years." From that frustration came an insight that would become the foundation of [**MokN,**](https://www.mokn.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) a cybersecurity startup that has just raised €2.6 million in a Seed funding round led by **Moonfire**, with participation from **OVNI Capital**, **Kima Ventures,** and business angels. In just 16 months, the company has surpassed $1 million in annual recurring revenue and attracted 26 clients. Half of them are billion-dollar companies. Their solution sounds almost absurdly simple: If attackers are going to try stolen credentials on your network, why not give them fake doors to try and trick them into disclosing them? [Go inside MokN's vision](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/) --- ### 🧠 When Bots Go Agentic: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Cybersecurity [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-64.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/when-bots-go-agentic-how-ai-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-cybersecurity/) Our lives are more digital than ever, and so is the danger lurking online. Cybercrime has always evolved alongside cybersecurity, but now, AI is hitting *fast-forward*. Phishing, ransomware, and malware are getting faster, smarter, and harder to detect. But while attackers gain new AI superpowers, defenders aren’t helpless. They have their own tools. Bottom line: the race has never been fiercer. To understand how AI is rewriting cybersecurity, I caught up with [**Stu Solomon**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stu-solomon-733a217/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** CEO of [**HUMAN Security**](https://www.humansecurity.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [**Philippe Humeau**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippehumeau/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** CEO of [**CrowdSec**](https://www.crowdsec.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** ahead of the big annual industry gathering [***Les Assises de la Cybersécurité* in Monaco**](https://www.lesassisesdelacybersecurite.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)last week. According to Solomon, the line between human and automated activity online has already blurred. “For the first time in history," he said, "there’s more bot traffic than human traffic on the internet.” But these aren’t the simple crawlers of the 2000s. Today’s bots, powered by AI, can act autonomously, make contextual decisions, and coordinate across systems. In short, they are becoming agentic: software that pursues goals and adapts without direct human input. Both Solomon and Humeau agree: AI isn’t just changing cybersecurity. It’s accelerating it at an unprecedented rate. The pressing question is: can defenders keep pace in this new agentic era? [Follow the debate](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/when-bots-go-agentic-how-ai-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-cybersecurity/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/AI_Startups_in_France_Week_Ending_October_12-1.png) ***For the week ending October 10, there were 9 AI French Tech companies that raised €102.15 million.*** --- 📇 **Company:** Filigran 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity scale-up pioneering *Extended Threat Management (XTM)*—a unified, open-source, and AI-native suite helping organizations operationalize threat intelligence and transform cybersecurity operations. Its products (OpenCTI, OpenBAS, and upcoming OpenGRC) enable teams to detect, assess, and respond to threats faster using agentic AI and community-driven intelligence. 💻 **Website:** [https://filigran.io](https://filigran.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $58M 🏦 **Investors:** Eurazeo, Insight Partners, Accel, Deutsche Telekom (T.Capital) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samuel Hassine (CEO, ex-ANSSI), Julien Richard (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate Filigran’s expansion in the U.S., DACH, Saudi Arabia, and Japan; scale its agentic AI platform **XTM One** and launch **OpenGRC**, a dynamic threat-informed cyber risk management tool. --- 📇 **Company:** Phagos 🔍 **Description:** French biotech pioneering phage-based therapeutics as a natural, AI-enhanced alternative to antibiotics. Phagos develops bacteriophage drugs to combat bacterial infections in veterinary medicine and has obtained the first EU authorization to market personalized phage-based treatments. Its discovery platform combines advanced microbiology with artificial intelligence to identify, design, and optimize phages for therapeutic use. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.phagos.com](https://www.phagos.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** CapAgro, Hoxton Ventures, CapHorn, Demeter (co-leads); Acurio Ventures, Citizen Capital, Entrepreneur First, Founders Capital, Station F 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandros Pantalis, Adèle James 🗞️ **News:** The funds will enable Phagos to deploy its veterinary phage treatments in the field, develop next-generation AI technology for phage discovery, and expand internationally. | [**AgFunderNews**](https://agfundernews.com/france-based-phagos-lands-29m-to-further-develop-its-antibiotic-alternative-for-livestock?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Diffusely (ex-Meero) 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered SaaS platform enabling enterprises to generate and optimize large-scale visual content. Originally known as Meero, the company pivoted from a global photography marketplace to an AI software provider serving industries such as fashion and automotive with solutions like CarCutter and AutoRetouch. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.diffusely.com/](https://www.diffusely.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11M 🏦 **Investors:** Alven, Eurazeo, Prime Ventures, 50 Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Lestrade, Thomas Rebaud; current CEO Gaétan Rougevin-Baville 🗞️ **News:** Following its 2022 pivot from Meero to Diffusely, the company now reports €12M in ARR and 1,500 clients. This new round supports growth in its visual AI verticals and aims for profitability by 2026\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/diffusely-ex-meero-rebondit-sur-son-pivot-et-leve-11-millions-deuros/457692?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** RSight 🔍 **Description:** Startup developing an **agentic AI recruitment platform** that automates and enhances the hiring process by combining artificial intelligence with human intuition. RSight® sources, contacts, and qualifies candidates at scale—drawing from over **1 billion profiles and 3,500 job boards**—to deliver pre-screened, GDPR- and EU AI Act-compliant candidates within **24 to 72 hours**. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.rsight.com/](https://www.rsight.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France / Bucharest, Romania 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.65M 🏦 **Investors:** European business angels from Romania, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Italy 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Beucher (Founder & CEO) and a team of French and Romanian entrepreneurs 🗞️ **News:** The funding will fuel **international expansion**, strengthen RSight®’s **AI-powered matching engine**, and scale operations across key verticals, including tech, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. The company aims to make recruitment faster, fairer, and fully compliant through responsible use of agentic AI. --- 📇 **Company:** Ewake 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based AI startup developing an **“AI teammate” for software reliability**—a suite of intelligent agents that monitor, investigate, and prevent production issues before they escalate. Unlike traditional observability tools that merely display telemetry data, Ewake’s agents **interpret and correlate data in real time**, helping engineers detect issues early, automate repetitive reliability tasks, and reduce downtime. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.ewake.ai/](https://www.ewake.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Connect Ventures (lead), Notion Capital, 2100 Ventures, Insiders, 50 Partners, with angel participation from Amirhossein Malekzadeh 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pooné Mokari (CEO) and Omid Gosha 🗞️ **News:** Emerging from stealth, Ewake will use the funds to expand its Paris-based team and grow its intelligent agent platform, aiming to redefine software reliability for global engineering teams. The company maintains **50-50 gender parity** and a **diverse, international founding team**, positioning itself as a next-generation competitor to Resolve.ai and Phoebe.ai. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/ewake-raises-e2m-to-build-ai-agents-that-tackle-software-reliability-crises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Claimy 🔍 **Description:** French startup using AI to recover missing music royalties by reconciling fragmented metadata and identifying altered audio versions across hundreds of databases, labels, and platforms. Claimy’s technology detects remixes, covers, and AI-generated tracks to restore lost revenue to creators and rightsholders, addressing the estimated €15B in annual unclaimed royalties. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.claimy.co/](https://www.claimy.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris & London 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Jean-Baptiste Hironde (MWM), Julien Codorniou (ex-Facebook), Flavien Kulawik, Ludwig Sels, Bpifrance, Centre National de la Musique 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pierre-Alban Mulliez, Gustave Larrouturou, Guillaume de Lavenère 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate product development in partnership with Télécom Paris’ Listen Lab, expand Claimy’s AI-based detection of transformed and AI-generated music, and scale its B2B royalty-tracking platform for labels and publishers. --- 📇 **Company:** Jint (formerly Mozzaik365) 🔍 **Description:** Jint, previously known as Mozzaik365, is a Microsoft 365-based Digital Workplace platform enhancing employee experience through AI-augmented intranets. The company’s suite of products simplifies communication, boosts engagement, and enables organizations to build intelligent, connected workplaces. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.jint.ai](https://www.jint.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France — new office in Montréal, Canada 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Expansion 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million (bringing total funding to €5 million) 🏦 **Investors:** Includes Christophe Karvelis-Senn (CAPZA, joining the board) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Florian Bouron, Antoine Chancel 🗞️ **News:** The rebranding to Jint marks the company’s international expansion and launch of a clearer, AI-driven product suite. Its solutions are now available on Orange and Capgemini’s Cloud Bleu sovereign cloud platform, reinforcing its commitment to security, compliance, and intelligent employee experiences. --- 📇 **Company:** Skyld AI 🔍 **Description:** Skyld AI is a French deeptech cybersecurity startup securing AI models against theft, reverse engineering, and malicious manipulation. Its technology acts as an “anti-theft system” for AI — protecting generative and embedded models (LLMs, vision, etc.) in sensitive sectors such as defense, healthcare, automotive, and Industry 4.0\. A spin-off from Inria, Skyld has been accelerated by UC Berkeley SkyDeck and is based at Station F in Paris. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.skyld.io/](https://www.skyld.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Rennes, France — also present at Station F, Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Auriga Cyber Ventures (lead), BNP Paribas Développement, Bloomhaus Ventures AG, Sodero, and several business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Marie Paindavoine, PhD (Founder & CEO) — cryptography expert, winner of CEFCYS “Woman in Cybersecurity” 2024, and listed among *Le Point*’s 100 Innovators of 2025 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate the commercial rollout of Skyld’s AI security technology in France and Europe, strengthen R&D for industrial use cases, and grow the team. Skyld’s solution is already deployed in sensitive environments and is becoming a key enabler of “trustworthy AI.” The company aims to lead the fast-growing global AI security and governance market, projected to reach $7.4B by 2030. --- 📇 **Company:** Ficha 🔍 **Description:** Ficha develops an AI-powered waste analysis solution using computer vision to detect sorting errors and assess waste quality. By equipping garbage trucks and sorting centers with embedded cameras, the startup helps municipalities identify problem areas and launch targeted awareness campaigns, reducing environmental and economic inefficiencies. 💻 **Website:** [https://ficha.fr/en/](https://ficha.fr/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million (approx. half in non-dilutive funding) 🏦 **Investors:** Climate Leaders Fast Track (lead), Neo Founders, Rhône Dauphiné Développement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hubert Ménard (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Ficha’s expansion with public-sector clients such as the cities of Annecy, Lyon, and Rouen. The company has surpassed €1M in annual recurring revenue and is part of a growing wave of AI-driven waste management startups tackling recycling inefficiencies through practical, field-deployable computer vision systems. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-pourquoi-les-poubelles-suscitent-les-convoitises-des-start-up-2190514?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🗣️ **Orange** has launched its **2025 Agentic AI Challenge** to identify startups developing innovative autonomous AI solutions in fields such as customer service, cybersecurity, smart industry, and financial services. Selected startups will test their products at scale with Orange, receive mentorship from Orange Fab, gain visibility through global tech events, and connect with strategic partners like NVIDIA and key investors. | [Apply to the Agentic AI Challenge](https://forms.office.com/e/sTP5UGmafv?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ [NeoStartups](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/pme/programme-neo-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) & [Growth Startups](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/pme/programme-growth-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) | The Paris Chamber of Commerce (CCI Paris) has opened applications for two complementary startup support programs starting October 17, 2025\. **NeoStartups** helps early-stage founders build solid foundations with expert workshops and coaching, while **Growth Startups** targets companies with initial traction, offering a year-long program to scale sales, expand into new markets, prepare for fundraising, and access CCI Paris’s powerful business network. | [**Apply to NeoStartups**](https://cci-paris.wiin.io/fr/applications/neo-startups-2025-automne?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Apply to Growth Startups**](https://cci-paris.wiin.io/fr/applications/programme-growth-2025-cci?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **AWS Gen AI Loft Paris at Station F | October 7 - 21 |** The AWS Gen AI Loft is not limited to technology, it brings together start-ups, developers, investors and industry experts. Whether you are looking for in-depth knowledge or expert answers, our Gen AI Lofts offer you all the support you need to make your projects a reality. | [**Registration and details**](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/lp/aws-gen-ai-loft-paris?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MCP Connect with Alpic, Alan & Mistral | October 14 |** MCP Connect is for developers, practitioners, researchers, and enthusiasts working with the Model Context Protocol and AI agents. We share best practices, new tools, and real-world use cases for building MCP servers and integrating them into agentic workflows. Whether you are building MCP servers for your internal or external use cases or just exploring how agents connect to applications, MCP Connect is a place to exchange ideas, learn, and help shape the future of AI workflows. **|** [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/xmbyg5vn?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **CLUB INNO by WOLD - EDG | October 15th |** Club Inno takes over the 8th arrondissement for an evening of AI, blockchain, and Web3\. Speakers Hamza Kourimate (Dailymotion) and Olivier Kouvarakis (Coinhouse) will share insights on adtech innovation, crypto trends, and the future of digital finance. Expect lively AI-fueled debates, networking, and even a cocktail or two. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/10/ia-blockchain-web3-une-soiree-dediee-aux-technologies-emergentes-a-paris-ce-15-octobre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Tickets**](https://my.weezevent.com/club-inno-by-wold-edg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Inclusive hiring in the age of AI | October 16 | Roundtable discussion & breakfast in Paris** | How do we ensure the integration of artificial intelligence tools promotes fairness, rather than multiply bias, when businesses hire? Join the European non-profit [**Sistech**](https://sis.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), recruitment experts from **LinkedIn** and **Ekino**, as well as French government officials and scholars to tackle this timely question. Participate in a candid conversation about how AI has transformed talent acquisition already and leave with concrete HR strategies your company can implement to foster opportunity | [**Register (FREE)**](https://www.helloasso.com/associations/sistech/evenements/l-inclusion-en-action-egalite-des-chances-face-a-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **CODE + MATTER Opening | October 21 |** *CODE + MATTER* brings together Alexis André, Julien Espagnon, William Mapan and Florian Zumbrunn. Four artists who write programs rather than prompts, transforming algorithms into paintings, sculptures, reworked prints and installations. **|** [**Register**](https://luma.com/8z8l408q?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The European AI Championship 2025 - Launch party | November 5 |What is the European AI Championship?** ​Coming soon: 15 of Europe’s top AI engineers will battle live on stage, building real-world solutions using AI tools. They will represent their country to win, and you'll be able to watch and cheer for them with 1500 fellow engineers and AI-curious minds. Experience a championship where code meets competition, and AI hype meets AI application, wrapped in a unique, entertaining show. Think Eurovision, but for AI builders! | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/europeanaichampionship?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Leaders Summit | November 5-6 |** Paris becomes the nerve centre of data and responsible artificial intelligence. Access a program rooted in business reality: case studies, AI audits, governance, industrialisation, and sustainability. France's AI ecosystem is dynamic but under pressure: talent shortages, projects stuck at the POC stage, regulatory uncertainties (AI Act), and poor-quality data. Data & AI Leaders Summit Paris helps you move forward with technical content, immediately applicable and designed for the field. | [**Register**](https://tech-show-paris-2025-splash.reg.buzz/?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=22918112576&utm%5Fcontent=183515831185&utm%5Fterm=world+data+summit&lb%5Ftracesourcecode=google&lb%5Fgln%5Fids=&%5Fgl=1%2A1aii2qp%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxL7GBhDXARIsAGOcmIOu6Lw5Smxsm2a7Uv7-NE99n2upYo2lXk8Zo2FZvwZHWeUr%5F2%5FL%5FfsaAoUbEALw%5FwcB) 📆 **dotAI | November 6 |** We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers in fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire for that recognition. | [**Register**](https://www.dotai.io/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register** ](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Cybersecurity Startup MokN Combats Phishing With Deceptive 'Fake Doors' URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-combats-phishing-with-deceptive-fake-doors/ Last updated: 2025-10-12T22:20:35.000Z When stolen credentials breached his 'impenetrable' system, Gautier Bugeon had an insight: give attackers fake doors to try. His startup MokN raised €2.6M, hit $1M ARR in 16 months with half its clients being billion-dollar companies, and is now expanding to America. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### When Bots Go Agentic: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Cybersecurity URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/when-bots-go-agentic-how-ai-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-cybersecurity/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T12:56:06.000Z The cyber arms race has accelerated: humans once led attacks, AI now augments them, and MOAIs may soon strike autonomously. The big question: can defenders evolve fast enough to match a threat that never sleeps and learns on the fly? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire Oct 10: Filigran, Phagos, Diffusely & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-oct-10-filigran-phagos-diffusely-more/ Last updated: 2025-10-12T12:11:23.000Z ***So Pitchbook released more granular details on Q3 2025 funding for Europe and...*** ![](https://media.tenor.com/N65VpR6zgcAAAAAC/muppetwiki-muppet-wiki.gif) ***....what a difference one deal can make for the whole continent.*** Overall, European startups raised €14.8B last quarter, compared to €13.4B in Q2 and €13.6B in Q3 2024\. But strip away that €1.3B raised by Mistral AI last quarter, and things would have been roughly flat to down. Meanwhile, there were 1,598 funding rounds last quarter, down from 2,046 in Q2, and €2,291. According to Pitchbook, YTD, even with Mistral, French startups have raised €5.3 billion in the first 9 months of this year against €8.3 billion for all of last year. But there have only been 651 funding rounds in 2025 compared to 1,212\. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/France-VC-Deals.png) French VCs are also feeling the pinch. After bucking the downward trend post-pandemic, French VCs appear to be having a tougher time raising and closing funds over the past two years. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/French-VC-funds.png) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/French-VCs-1.png) No doubt, the efforts to persuade LPs are not being helped by exit trends that appear to be headed in the wrong direction, according to Pitchbook. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/French-Exits.png) ***On that fun note, let's look at the week in funding ending October 10...*** --- # 🔝 Biggest Rounds - **Filigran — \~€53.94M** - **Phagos — €25M** - **Diffusely — €11M** - **Keenest — €10M** # 🧭 Sectors - **Cybersecurity:** Filigran (XTM / AI-native), Skyld AI (model protection). - **Biotech & Medtech:** Phagos (phage therapy, vet), Yomi Pharma (oncology peptide), Biomunex (bispecifics; **undisclosed**), Beez Biotech (PMA device). - **AI / SaaS / Data:** Diffusely (visual AI), RSight (agentic recruiting), Ewake (reliability agents), Diffly (win-loss intelligence), Jint (AI workplace on M365). - **Fin/Insur/Trade:** Kenko (group health & life), REasy (African trade finance). - **Climate/Industrial & Mobility:** Purenat (photocatalytic depollution textiles), Ficha (AI waste analytics), **vebo°** (e-bike conversion kit), Extensee (drone operator). - **Community capital:** Keenest (impact investing club). # 🌍 Geographic Focus - **France-led** (Paris, Rennes, Lille, Bayonne, Limoges, Lyon). - **Cross-border angles:** Paris–Bucharest (RSight), Paris–London (Claimy), Cameroon/France (REasy), Paris/Montréal (Jint), Paris/Cambridge, MA (Biomunex). --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/FiligranFunding.png) 📇 **Company:** Filigran 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity scale-up pioneering *Extended Threat Management (XTM)*—a unified, open-source, and AI-native suite helping organizations operationalize threat intelligence and transform cybersecurity operations. Its products (OpenCTI, OpenBAS, and upcoming OpenGRC) enable teams to detect, assess, and respond to threats faster using agentic AI and community-driven intelligence. 💻 **Website:** [https://filigran.io](https://filigran.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $58M 🏦 **Investors:** Eurazeo, Insight Partners, Accel, Deutsche Telekom (T.Capital) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samuel Hassine (CEO, ex-ANSSI), Julien Richard (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate Filigran’s expansion in the U.S., DACH, Saudi Arabia, and Japan; scale its agentic AI platform **XTM One** and launch **OpenGRC**, a dynamic threat-informed cyber risk management tool. **Our 2024 profile on Filigran:** [Filigran Raises $35M For AI-Powered Cyber Threat IntelligenceJust two years into its existence, French cybersecurity startup Filigran has completed a $35 million Series B funding round that it will use to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence across its products.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-36.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/OpenBAS-by-Filigran_Dashboard_042024.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/filigran-raises-35m-for-ai-powered-cyber-threat-intelligence/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-27.png) 📇 **Company:** Phagos 🔍 **Description:** French biotech pioneering phage-based therapeutics as a natural, AI-enhanced alternative to antibiotics. Phagos develops bacteriophage drugs to combat bacterial infections in veterinary medicine and has obtained the first EU authorization to market personalized phage-based treatments. Its discovery platform combines advanced microbiology with artificial intelligence to identify, design, and optimize phages for therapeutic use. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.phagos.com](https://www.phagos.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** CapAgro, Hoxton Ventures, CapHorn, Demeter (co-leads); Acurio Ventures, Citizen Capital, Entrepreneur First, Founders Capital, Station F 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandros Pantalis, Adèle James 🗞️ **News:** The funds will enable Phagos to deploy its veterinary phage treatments in the field, develop next-generation AI technology for phage discovery, and expand internationally. | [**AgFunderNews**](https://agfundernews.com/france-based-phagos-lands-29m-to-further-develop-its-antibiotic-alternative-for-livestock?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company:** Diffusely (ex-Meero) 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered SaaS platform enabling enterprises to generate and optimize large-scale visual content. Originally known as Meero, the company pivoted from a global photography marketplace to an AI software provider serving industries such as fashion and automotive with solutions like CarCutter and AutoRetouch. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.diffusely.com/](https://www.diffusely.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11M 🏦 **Investors:** Alven, Eurazeo, Prime Ventures, 50 Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Lestrade, Thomas Rebaud; current CEO Gaétan Rougevin-Baville 🗞️ **News:** Following its 2022 pivot from Meero to Diffusely, the company now reports €12M in ARR and 1,500 clients. This new round supports growth in its visual AI verticals and aims for profitability by 2026\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/diffusely-ex-meero-rebondit-sur-son-pivot-et-leve-11-millions-deuros/457692?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-50.png) 📇 **Company:** Keenest 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based climate-focused investment club enabling individuals to finance sustainable economy startups through participatory impact investing. Keenest introduces “climate dividends,” a unique mechanism paying returns based on CO₂ emissions avoided by funded projects. 💻 **Website:** [https://keenest.com/](https://keenest.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth milestone (non-equity raise) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10 million 🏦 **Investors:** 3,500+ individual members (community-based investment club) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jérémie Sicsic, Renan Labrunie 🗞️ **News:** Keenest doubled its fundraising in three months, reaching €10M seven months ahead of projections. The funds will support financing of 20 new impact startups and the rollout of a non-financial impact dashboard by end of 2025\. Notable financed startups include Feedback, Sapiologie, Loewi, OpenClimat, Zilo Énergie, Kolverr, Arkeon Energy, Fenix Energy, Seaturns, Leviathan, Monomeris, and Veridian. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/10/french-investment-club-keenest-raises-e10-million-to-finance-sustainable-economy-startups/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-26.png) 📇 **Company:** Kenko 🔍 **Description:** Founded in 2022, Kenko is an insurtech and mission-driven company reinventing group health and life insurance for SMEs and mid-sized companies. Its personalized, transparent, and digital offering features a unique mutualization model that reallocates value toward concrete prevention, healthcare, and human support services. 💻 **Website:** [https://kenko.fr](https://kenko.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4 million 🏦 **Investors:** Pléiade Venture (lead), Bpifrance, CIC Innovation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arthur Maximin (CEO, Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will be used to accelerate the rollout of Kenko’s health and life insurance offering, expand the Kenko Club, enhance its app, and launch a health expense advance card scheduled for January 2026\. The company already supports over 300 SMEs and 25,000 beneficiaries and expects to grow by more than 100% in 2025. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-35.png) 📇 **Company:** RSight 🔍 **Description:** Startup developing an **agentic AI recruitment platform** that automates and enhances the hiring process by combining artificial intelligence with human intuition. RSight® sources, contacts, and qualifies candidates at scale—drawing from over **1 billion profiles and 3,500 job boards**—to deliver pre-screened, GDPR- and EU AI Act-compliant candidates within **24 to 72 hours**. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.rsight.com/](https://www.rsight.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France / Bucharest, Romania 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.65M 🏦 **Investors:** European business angels from Romania, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Italy 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Beucher (Founder & CEO) and a team of French and Romanian entrepreneurs 🗞️ **News:** The funding will fuel **international expansion**, strengthen RSight®’s **AI-powered matching engine**, and scale operations across key verticals, including tech, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. The company aims to make recruitment faster, fairer, and fully compliant through responsible use of agentic AI. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-33.png) 📇 **Company:** Ewake 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based AI startup developing an **“AI teammate” for software reliability**—a suite of intelligent agents that monitor, investigate, and prevent production issues before they escalate. Unlike traditional observability tools that merely display telemetry data, Ewake’s agents **interpret and correlate data in real time**, helping engineers detect issues early, automate repetitive reliability tasks, and reduce downtime. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.ewake.ai/](https://www.ewake.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Connect Ventures (lead), Notion Capital, 2100 Ventures, Insiders, 50 Partners, with angel participation from Amirhossein Malekzadeh 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pooné Mokari (CEO) and Omid Gosha 🗞️ **News:** Emerging from stealth, Ewake will use the funds to expand its Paris-based team and grow its intelligent agent platform, aiming to redefine software reliability for global engineering teams. The company maintains **50-50 gender parity** and a **diverse, international founding team**, positioning itself as a next-generation competitor to Resolve.ai and Phoebe.ai. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/ewake-raises-e2m-to-build-ai-agents-that-tackle-software-reliability-crises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-25.png) 📇 **Company:** Purenat 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech industrielle spécialisée dans la dépollution de l’air intérieur et des rejets atmosphériques grâce à un textile biomimétique photocatalytique breveté, capable de filtrer et détruire les polluants organiques. La startup vise à industrialiser et standardiser sa solution à grande échelle pour les environnements industriels. 💻 **Website:** [www.pure-nat.com](https://www.pure-nat.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bayonne 🧗 **Round:** Equity round (industrial scale-up phase) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M (bringing total funding to €4.9M since 2021) 🏦 **Investors:** Industrya (John Cockerill Group), Newfund (NAEH2 / NAEH Innopy), Pyrénées Gascogne Développement (Crédit Agricole), WinEquity, Adour Business Angels, Arts et Métiers Business Angels, Synergence, Skalepark 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Natacha Kinadjian Caplat, Manon Vaillant 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate Purenat’s industrialization, enabling the transition from prototype to large-scale production, with standardization validated by clients such as Clauger and Big Dutchmann. The startup, part of Techfounders in Munich, aims to become a European industrial scale-up and expand partnerships across the continent. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-32.png) 📇 **Company:** Diffly 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based SaaS startup transforming **Win-Loss Analysis** into a competitive advantage for B2B companies. Diffly provides actionable insights that help sales and product teams understand why they win or lose deals, driving data-informed strategy and performance improvement. Already trusted by major players such as **Adobe, Contentsquare, and Crown Bioscience**. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.diffly.io/](https://www.diffly.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Better Angle, 360 Capital, Bpifrance, and others 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** David Guillermain, Julien Cohen-Roussey 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate commercial growth, enhance the platform’s intelligence layer, and consolidate Diffly’s position as Europe’s category leader in Win-Loss Analysis. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/baptistehamel%5Fdiffly-raises-17m-to-lead-the-win-loss-activity-7381643978892386304-DU6z/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-51.png) 📇 **Company:** Claimy 🔍 **Description:** French startup using AI to recover missing music royalties by reconciling fragmented metadata and identifying altered audio versions across hundreds of databases, labels, and platforms. Claimy’s technology detects remixes, covers, and AI-generated tracks to restore lost revenue to creators and rightsholders, addressing the estimated €15B in annual unclaimed royalties. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.claimy.co/](https://www.claimy.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris & London 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Jean-Baptiste Hironde (MWM), Julien Codorniou (ex-Facebook), Flavien Kulawik, Ludwig Sels, Bpifrance, Centre National de la Musique 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pierre-Alban Mulliez, Gustave Larrouturou, Guillaume de Lavenère 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate product development in partnership with Télécom Paris’ Listen Lab, expand Claimy’s AI-based detection of transformed and AI-generated music, and scale its B2B royalty-tracking platform for labels and publishers. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Jint-1.png) Florian Bouron (left) and Antoine Chancel 📇 **Company:** Jint (formerly Mozzaik365) 🔍 **Description:** Jint, previously known as Mozzaik365, is a Microsoft 365-based Digital Workplace platform enhancing employee experience through AI-augmented intranets. The company’s suite of products simplifies communication, boosts engagement, and enables organizations to build intelligent, connected workplaces. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.jint.ai](https://www.jint.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France — new office in Montréal, Canada 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Expansion 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million (bringing total funding to €5 million) 🏦 **Investors:** Includes Christophe Karvelis-Senn (CAPZA, joining the board) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Florian Bouron, Antoine Chancel 🗞️ **News:** The rebranding to Jint marks the company’s international expansion and launch of a clearer, AI-driven product suite. Its solutions are now available on Orange and Capgemini’s Cloud Bleu sovereign cloud platform, reinforcing its commitment to security, compliance, and intelligent employee experiences. --- 📇 **Company:** REasy 🔍 **Description:** REasy is a Cameroonian trade finance platform that simplifies cross-border commerce for African SMEs by combining payments, logistics, and compliance in a single app. The company enables importers to pay international suppliers seamlessly through integrated mobile money, banking, and global payment systems, while providing end-to-end support for customs and freight forwarding. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.reasy.fr/](https://www.reasy.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Douala, Cameroon/Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1.8 million 🏦 **Investors:** Ingressive Capital, Launch Africa, 54 Collective, Digital Africa, Christophe Chausson (Chausson Partners), Mathias Léopoldie (Julaya), and Joël Nana Kontchou (Cameroon Network Angels) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Brice Mba (Co-CEO), Mathieu Wing (Co-CEO), Richard Kue, and Stéphane Meng 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate REasy’s West African expansion, strengthen its tech and trade infrastructure, and secure new regulatory licenses. The startup recently achieved a major milestone by collaborating with the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) to enable multi-currency cross-border payments for SMEs without traditional banks. Already serving thousands of importers on the China–Cameroon corridor, REasy has reduced settlement times from weeks to minutes and aims to reach one million African businesses by 2030. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-53.png) 📇 **Company:** Skyld AI 🔍 **Description:** Skyld AI is a French deeptech cybersecurity startup securing AI models against theft, reverse engineering, and malicious manipulation. Its technology acts as an “anti-theft system” for AI — protecting generative and embedded models (LLMs, vision, etc.) in sensitive sectors such as defense, healthcare, automotive, and Industry 4.0\. A spin-off from Inria, Skyld has been accelerated by UC Berkeley SkyDeck and is based at Station F in Paris. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.skyld.io/](https://www.skyld.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Rennes, France — also present at Station F, Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Auriga Cyber Ventures (lead), BNP Paribas Développement, Bloomhaus Ventures AG, Sodero, and several business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Marie Paindavoine, PhD (Founder & CEO) — cryptography expert, winner of CEFCYS “Woman in Cybersecurity” 2024, and listed among *Le Point*’s 100 Innovators of 2025 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate the commercial rollout of Skyld’s AI security technology in France and Europe, strengthen R&D for industrial use cases, and grow the team. Skyld’s solution is already deployed in sensitive environments and is becoming a key enabler of “trustworthy AI.” The company aims to lead the fast-growing global AI security and governance market, projected to reach $7.4B by 2030. --- ![Yomi Pharma co-founders Sébastien Arico and Camille Granet](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-52.png) Yomi Pharma co-founders Sébastien Arico and Camille Granet 📇 **Company:** Yomi Pharma 🔍 **Description:** Yomi Pharma is a French biotech company developing YomiPep, an innovative therapeutic peptide designed to combat resistant forms of EGFR-mutated lung cancer. The company focuses on addressing unmet needs in oncology through next-generation peptide-based treatments targeting drug-resistant tumors. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yomi-pharma/](https://www.linkedin.com/company/yomi-pharma/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Limoges, France 🧗 **Round:** Crowdfunding / Seed Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.18 million (via Capital Cell, from 320 investors) 🏦 **Investors:** 320 individual investors via Capital Cell; supported by Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC), Neighborhood by VCLS, French Tech Limousin, ALLIS-NA, and Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sébastien Arico, Camille Granet 🗞️ **News:** The round significantly exceeded initial fundraising goals and will finance the acceleration of YomiPep’s preclinical development. Yomi Pharma aims to translate this momentum into scientific and medical breakthroughs against treatment-resistant lung cancer. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yomi-pharma%5Fcest-avec-beaucoup-de-fiert%C3%A9-que-activity-7379455615640961024-PMA-?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-54.png) 📇 **Company:** Extensee 🔍 **Description:** Extensee is a French drone operator specializing in aerial, maritime, and underwater missions for civil, industrial, and government clients. Founded in late 2023, the company aims to become “the airline of drones” by industrializing a certified operator model independent of manufacturers. Its “Drone as a Service” (DaaS) approach provides turnkey mission solutions — combining drones, sensors, and data processing — under aviation-grade safety and compliance standards. 💻 **Website:** [https://extensee.com/](https://extensee.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1 million+ 🏦 **Investors:** Finorpa Gestion (via Finorpa SCR), IRD Invest (via Nord Création), AMC Aviation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Baptiste Olry, Kevin Cheronet, Éric Le Moulec, and co-founders from civil and military aviation backgrounds 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Extensee’s Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) certification, expansion of operational capacity (including pilot training and maintenance), and international growth. The company is already collaborating with Airbus (SurveyCopter, Airbus Helicopters) and has been selected for projects with the European Defence Agency and France’s DMAé. This milestone also aligns with the Hauts-de-France regional initiative to build a sovereign drone industry ecosystem. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-49.png) 📇 **Company:** Ficha 🔍 **Description:** Ficha develops an AI-powered waste analysis solution using computer vision to detect sorting errors and assess waste quality. By equipping garbage trucks and sorting centers with embedded cameras, the startup helps municipalities identify problem areas and launch targeted awareness campaigns, reducing environmental and economic inefficiencies. 💻 **Website:** [https://ficha.fr/en/](https://ficha.fr/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million (approx. half in non-dilutive funding) 🏦 **Investors:** Climate Leaders Fast Track (lead), Neo Founders, Rhône Dauphiné Développement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hubert Ménard (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Ficha’s expansion with public-sector clients such as the cities of Annecy, Lyon, and Rouen. The company has surpassed €1M in annual recurring revenue and is part of a growing wave of AI-driven waste management startups tackling recycling inefficiencies through practical, field-deployable computer vision systems. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-pourquoi-les-poubelles-suscitent-les-convoitises-des-start-up-2190514?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/veb-o.png) 📇 **Company:** vebo° 🔍 **Description:** vebo° designs and manufactures a fully removable, eco-designed, and highly repairable electric motor kit that converts any standard bicycle into an e-bike in just one second. Made in France and labeled under the #France2030 initiative, vebo° promotes sustainable mobility by making active transportation accessible and affordable for all. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.vebo.eco](https://www.vebo.eco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille, France / Nantes, France (Hauts-de-France & Pays de la Loire) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €600,000 🏦 **Investors:** Marco & Co, ABAB – Atlantique Business Angels Booster, Pays de la Loire Participations 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Grégory Delemazure, Vincent Habart, Hicham Lahmamsi, Rémi Vives 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate industrial production, team expansion, and the development of vebo°’s reseller and distributor network. Supported by ethical and regional partners, including La Nef, CIC Nord Ouest, Crédit Agricole Atlantique Vendée, and Bpifrance, vebo° aims to strengthen its position in the growing reconditioned bike and e-conversion market (+9% growth), empowering everyday mobility while minimizing environmental impact. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-55.png) 📇 **Company:** Beez Biotech 🔍 **Description:** Beez Biotech is a Rennes-based medtech startup developing *Eva*, a biomimetic sperm selection device designed to improve the success rates of assisted reproductive technologies (ART/IVF). The disposable medical device enables more precise and non-invasive selection of high-quality sperm cells, aiming to double the success rate of fertility treatments in Europe by 2030. 💻 **Website:** [https://beezbiotech.com/](https://beezbiotech.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Rennes, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €340,000 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels including Frédéric Massie, Nelly Lerestif, Philippe Angeli, and Arnaud Maury 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Shiva K. Shukla (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding was completed through a BSAAIR structure and will accelerate team expansion, regulatory progress, and product development toward market entry in France and Europe by late 2026 or early 2027\. Supported by *Le Village by CA Ille-et-Vilaine*, Beez Biotech’s goal is to revolutionize fertility care and significantly improve assisted reproduction outcomes across Europe. --- 📇 **Company:** Biomunex Pharmaceuticals 🔍 **Description:** Paris- and Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new generation of **bi- and multi-specific antibodies** for cancer immunotherapy. Its proprietary **BiXAb® “Plug-and-Play” platform** enables the rapid development of bispecific antibodies with strong druglike properties. Biomunex is the first to develop **MAIT-engagers**—bispecific antibodies designed to identify, mobilize, and activate MAIT cells, a subpopulation of T cells capable of killing cancer cells. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.biomunex.com](https://www.biomunex.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France / Cambridge, MA, USA 🧗 **Round:** Equity financing (undisclosed round) 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** New shareholders, including private investors, family offices, and **Eurobail**, investing alongside existing shareholders and management 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Pierre-Emmanuel Gerard (Founding President & CEO); Dr. Simon Plyte (CSO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding follows a **December 2024 licensing deal with Ipsen** (valued up to **$610M**) for the development of **BMX-502**, a MAIT-engager bispecific antibody with potential across several cancers. The new capital will support Biomunex’s growth, team expansion, and the advancement of its **MAIT-engager portfolio**—a potentially breakthrough approach in oncology. | [**First World Pharma**](https://firstwordpharma.com/story/6228364?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🛡️Special Edition: French Cybersecurity Takes Center Stage URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/special-edition-french-cybersecurity-takes-center-stage/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T09:35:27.000Z # Cybersecurity Deep Dive **Bonjour, and welcome to a special two-part edition of The French Tech Newsletter.** **🥷🛡️ Cyber Royalty Lands in Monaco**. This week, the global cybersecurity elite descended on Monaco for [***Les Assises de la Cybersécurité***](https://www.lesassisesdelacybersecurite.com/fr-FR?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). *Les Assises* (Oct 8-11) is the premier gathering where CISOs, intelligence agencies, and security innovators are shaping the future of cyber defense. It reunites the *gotha* of the global infosec community: CISOs, state agencies, startups, and the big guns from Thales to Palo Alto Networks. Now in its **25th edition**, the event has become *the* annual rendez-vous for high-stakes networking, threat intel gossip, and unveiling the next wave of defensive innovation. This felt like a good opportunity to take stock of France's ambitions in this sector. Over the past few years, the government has tried to stake its claim, pumping billions of euros into cybersecurity both to shore up defenses but also hoping to churn out at least three unicorns (only 2 so far). There have been some bright spots. Just this week, **Filigran raised €50M, the largest cybersecurity round ever in France.** Alas, it's one of just 6 cybersecurity deals so far in France this year. But cybersecurity isn't just about startups. And the stakes have never been higher. From AI-powered attacks to supply chain vulnerabilities to the weaponization of digital infrastructure, cybersecurity has evolved from an IT concern to a matter of national security and economic competitiveness. We're going to break all of this down over two special editions today and Monday in the La Machine newsletter. **Inside this today's edition:** 👀 France is betting over €1 billion to become a cybersecurity powerhouse. [**This in-depth Sector Deep Dive**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sector-deep-dive-inside-frances-ambitious-cybersecurity-sovereignty-strategy/) maps the nation’s integrated ecosystem—government, defense, ANSSI, startups, research, and corporate giants—driving its push for digital independence and global leadership. 👀 A sweeping new study by Cybervadis and CESIN of 1,000 firms finds most have solid policies but weak proof. As Europe's cybersecurity regulation NIS2 expands oversight to thousands more companies, the gap between compliance on paper and verifiable protection is now a national competitiveness issue. [**Cybervadis' Thibault Lapedagne breaks it down.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-companies-struggle-with-cybersecurity-reality-check/) **In Part 2 on Monday, we'll look at a promising cybersecurity startup and have a special conversation.** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/20251006_1722_27-Days-of-Horror_simple_compose_01k6x1s5bffpeatzt7g68sc5jp.png) **😰 🇫🇷 French Tech in Political Freefall**. You thought startup fundraising was tough? Try running a business in the middle of France’s latest political meltdown. The surprise resignation of Sébastien Lecornu came just barely 14 hours after forming his government. And it has left the French Tech ecosystem in collective despair. In a gloom-o-rama published in Maddyness, entrepreneurs from Fleet, Mistertemp’, and VCs at OneRagtime all sounded the alarm: the constant political chaos is “killing confidence,” stalling hiring, and pushing some founders to consider heading abroad. Even France Digitale’s Maya Noël joined the chorus calling for “stability and clarity,” which apparently are the real unicorns now in Paris these days. Yet, a defiant optimism persists: “Laissez-nous entreprendre,” says OneRagtime's Stéphanie Hospital ("let us build, innovate, and move forward, politics be damned.) | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/07/la-french-tech-en-plein-desarroi-face-a-la-crise-politique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎖️⚛️ Quantum computing startup **Alice & Bob** is celebrating a Nobel moment: two of its close collaborators, **Michel H. Devoret** and **John M. Martinis**, have been awarded the **2025 Nobel Prize in Physics** alongside **John Clarke** for their groundbreaking work on **superconducting qubits**. Their discoveries in **macroscopic quantum tunnelling** and **energy quantisation in electric circuits** paved the way for today’s quantum computers — including Alice & Bob’s signature **cat qubit** technology. Devoret, who co-invented the cat qubit, helped shape Alice & Bob’s early scientific direction, while Martinis continues to advise the company’s board. Co-founder **Raphaël Lescanne** hailed the award as a milestone for quantum science “becoming a true computing innovation.” With operations in **Paris and Boston** and over **€130m raised**, Alice & Bob aims to build the first **fault-tolerant universal quantum computer**, now with Nobel-winning science at its core. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/08/nobel-de-physique-2025-deux-laureats-membres-dalice-bob/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌌🪦 Once hailed as the embodiment of France’s New Space ambitions, **Dark has gone dark.** Founded in 2021 by ex-MBDA engineers Guillaume Orvain and Clyde Laheyne, the startup dreamed of becoming the “GIGN of space,” developing robotic systems to intercept and dismantle orbital debris. Backed by over €10 million in funding and supported by CNES, Dark symbolized a new industrial maturity - until it collapsed in 2025, undone by France’s lack of long-term state contracts and coherent space doctrine. Its demise exposes the fault lines of a fragmented ecosystem where startups oscillate between civil, military, and private interests without firm institutional backing. Dark’s fall is less a failure of vision than a symptom of a nation still searching for its place in the orbital race. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/dark-seteint-revelant-les-limites-du-modele-spatial-francais/457683?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📗👀 Upcoming Book: The Rise and Fall of *The Family.*** A new book retraces the extraordinary saga of **The Family**, the influential Paris-based startup accelerator founded in 2013 by **Alice Zagury**, **Oussama Ammar**, and **Nicolas Colin**. Pioneering a new model in France that blended incubation, acceleration, and investor access, The Family quickly became a central force in the country’s tech renaissance - nurturing hundreds of startups and shaping the mindset of a new generation of entrepreneurs. But the venture’s story took a dramatic turn. Once bound by a near-familial relationship, the founders’ alliance unraveled amid **accusations of deception and betrayal**, particularly surrounding Oussama Ammar, who was later accused of misappropriating company funds. The resulting fallout led to internal splits, lawsuits, and a public reckoning that shook France’s startup scene. The book offers both a **historical narrative and a sociological reflection** on France’s transition into the digital economy - capturing how ambition, innovation, and ego collided in one of the most emblematic stories of French Tech’s rise and disillusionment. The book is co-written by **Jean-Jacques Augier**, a French businessman and publisher who has served as an administrator of several companies, including **The Family (Holdings)** since October 2021; and **Michel Wieviorka**, a prominent sociologist and **Director of Studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)**, known for his extensive work on social movements, violence, and contemporary society. 🚗💰 After 13 years scaling Uber into a global giant, **Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty** is swapping the driver’s seat for the investor’s chair — joining **Plural** as a full-time partner and opening the firm’s **first Paris office**. Founded by startup heavyweights like **Taavet Hinrikus** (Wise) and **Ian Hogarth** (Songkick), Plural has quickly raised **€750m** to back bold European founders in deeptech, defence, and fusion energy. Gore-Coty, who led **Uber Eats’ explosive growth** during the pandemic, says too many VCs “have never actually run businesses” — a gap Plural aims to fill with real operating experience. He plans to focus on **operations-heavy startups** and help them scale globally, bringing Silicon Valley-style ambition to Europe’s tech scene. “The flywheel is already spinning,” he says. “Europe’s founders are ready to build global champions — they just need the right partners.” | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/plural-le-fonds-qui-bouscule-les-codes-du-capital-risque-europeen-2190803?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/big-interview-plural-partner-pierre-dimitri-gore-coty?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕺👗Paris-based luxury resale platform **Vestiaire Collective** has appointed [**Bernard Osta**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-osta-799ab88b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a new chapter for one of France’s most prominent circular fashion success stories. Osta, who joined the company in 2021 and most recently served as CFO, succeeds **Max Bittner**, who led the company’s expansion over the past seven years. A former Goldman Sachs executive and HEC Paris graduate, Osta brings deep strategic and financial expertise to the helm of the fast-growing fashion tech scale-up. Under his leadership, Vestiaire plans to **accelerate its AI-driven roadmap**, **strengthen global operations** across Europe, the US, and APAC, and **double down on authentication excellence**—a cornerstone of consumer trust in the pre-loved luxury market. The company, valued at over $1 billion and backed by investors including Kering, has positioned itself as a sustainability pioneer in fashion’s resale revolution. Osta in LinkedIn called the appointment “a true honor and big responsibility,” signaling continued ambition to scale Vestiaire’s impact in the booming secondhand luxury economy. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bernard-osta-799ab88b%5Fim-thrilled-to-share-that-ive-been-appointed-activity-7381775270476824576-iqo%5F/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) 💰📈 French fintech unicorn **Qonto** is shaking up Europe’s private markets with plans for major **secondary share sales**, CEO **Alexandre Prot** confirmed at the Sifted Summit. The move will let employees and early investors cash out, as IPO windows stay frozen across the continent. Profitable for two years and boasting **€449m in 2024 revenue and €144m in net profit**, the Paris-based SME banking platform has little need for new funding. Instead, it’s following the lead of fintech giant **Stripe** by creating private liquidity events rather than rushing toward a public listing. “We don’t care too much whether we scale as a public or private company,” Prot said — a confident statement from one of France’s most valuable startups, now worth an estimated **€5bn**. **|** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/french-fintech-qonto-confirms-secondary-share-sale-plans?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👩‍⚕️💸 Paris– and San Francisco–based **Lauxera Capital Partners** has smashed past the €400m mark for its **second Healthtech growth fund**, Lauxera Growth II — hitting its target in record time. The fund aims to propel Europe’s most promising healthtech scaleups into global leaders with an unusually hands-on approach, helping them navigate U.S. regulations and scale internationally. Founded in 2020 by a trio blending medical, industrial, and investment expertise, Lauxera is building transatlantic bridges to accelerate growth in AI-powered diagnostics, smart medical devices, and digital health platforms. Its latest fund has already invested in **Germany’s Acandis**, which develops neurovascular devices, and **Sweden’s Antaros Medical**, an AI-driven imaging firm. With investor confidence high despite tough market conditions, Lauxera is positioning itself as Europe’s go-to growth engine for next-generation healthcare innovation. **|** [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/lauxera-capital-closes-400m-healthtech-fund-global-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/06/lauxera-depasse-les-400-millions-deuros-pour-son-fonds-destine-a-soutenir-lenvol-des-futurs-champions-europeens-de-la-healthtech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Sector Deep Dive: Inside France’s Ambitious Cybersecurity Sovereignty Strategy [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-45.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sector-deep-dive-inside-frances-ambitious-cybersecurity-sovereignty-strategy/) France wants to be recognized as one of Europe's leading cybersecurity nations, establishing a comprehensive ecosystem that combines strong government policy, robust academic research, innovative startups, and major corporate players. With a market valued at approximately €7.3 billion and growing at 10% annually, France's cybersecurity sector represents a strategic national priority that extends far beyond commercial interests into the realm of digital sovereignty. This Sector Deep Deep breaks down the key components of France's Cybersecurity Ecosystem: 1. **Government Policy and Funding** 2. **Defense Agencies and Military Cybersecurity** 3. **ANSSI: France's Cybersecurity Anchor** 4. **Role of Bpifrance** 5. **Corporate Players** 6. **Venture Capital** 7. **Cybersecurity Startups** 8. **Private Institutes and Research Centers** 9. **Cybersecurity Campuses and Accelerators** 10. **Conclusion** [Read the full report](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sector-deep-dive-inside-frances-ambitious-cybersecurity-sovereignty-strategy/) --- # French Companies Struggle with Cybersecurity Reality Check [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-47.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-companies-struggle-with-cybersecurity-reality-check/) As Europe's cybersecurity leaders gathered at the Monaco summit this week, a sobering new report reveals a troubling gap between what French companies say they're doing to protect themselves from cyber threats and what they can actually prove. The study, produced by French cybersecurity assessment firm Cybervadis in partnership with CESIN, France's leading cybersecurity professionals association, analyzed over 1,000 French companies and found that while many have the right policies on paper, implementation remains patchy at best. "What we bring to the market, the new thing we are doing, is that we perform evidence-based assessment at scale," said Thibault Lapedagne, who leads Cybervadis's 40-person analytics team and helped design the company's assessment framework. Unlike traditional security ratings that rely on external scanning, Cybervadis requires companies to back up their claims with documentary proof—screenshots of configurations, log extracts, and other concrete evidence that security measures are actually working. The timing is critical. The European Union's NIS2 directive, which dramatically expands cybersecurity requirements to thousands of previously unregulated companies, is already in force at the European level. Though, implementation has been slower than hoped in France due to government instability. [Read more on the challenges](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-companies-struggle-with-cybersecurity-reality-check/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-44.png) 📇 **Company:** Filigran 🔍 **Description:** French cybersecurity scale-up pioneering *Extended Threat Management (XTM)*—a unified, open-source and AI-native suite helping organizations operationalize threat intelligence and transform cybersecurity operations. Its products (OpenCTI, OpenBAS, and upcoming OpenGRC) enable teams to detect, assess, and respond to threats faster using agentic AI and community-driven intelligence. 💻 **Website:** [https://filigran.io](https://filigran.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $58M 🏦 **Investors:** Eurazeo, Insight Partners, Accel, Deutsche Telekom (T.Capital) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samuel Hassine (CEO, ex-ANSSI), Julien Simon (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate Filigran’s expansion in the U.S., DACH, Saudi Arabia, and Japan; scale its agentic AI platform **XTM One** and launch **OpenGRC**, a dynamic threat-informed cyber risk management tool. [Filigran Raises $35M For AI-Powered Cyber Threat IntelligenceJust two years into its existence, French cybersecurity startup Filigran has completed a $35 million Series B funding round that it will use to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence across its products.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-36.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/OpenBAS-by-Filigran_Dashboard_042024.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/filigran-raises-35m-for-ai-powered-cyber-threat-intelligence/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-27.png) 📇 **Company:** Phagos 🔍 **Description:** French biotech pioneering phage-based therapeutics as a natural, AI-enhanced alternative to antibiotics. Phagos develops bacteriophage drugs to combat bacterial infections in veterinary medicine and has obtained the first EU authorization to market personalized phage-based treatments. Its discovery platform combines advanced microbiology with artificial intelligence to identify, design, and optimize phages for therapeutic use. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.phagos.com](https://www.phagos.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** CapAgro, Hoxton Ventures, CapHorn, Demeter (co-leads); Acurio Ventures, Citizen Capital, Entrepreneur First, Founders Capital, Station F 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandros Pantalis, Adèle James 🗞️ **News:** The funds will enable Phagos to deploy its veterinary phage treatments in the field, develop next-generation AI technology for phage discovery, and expand internationally. | [**AgFunderNews**](https://agfundernews.com/france-based-phagos-lands-29m-to-further-develop-its-antibiotic-alternative-for-livestock?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Diffusely (ex-Meero) 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered SaaS platform enabling enterprises to generate and optimize large-scale visual content. Originally known as Meero, the company pivoted from a global photography marketplace to an AI software provider serving industries such as fashion and automotive with solutions like CarCutter and AutoRetouch. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.diffusely.com/](https://www.diffusely.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11M 🏦 **Investors:** Alven, Eurazeo, Prime Ventures, 50 Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Lestrade, Thomas Rebaud; current CEO Gaétan Rougevin-Baville 🗞️ **News:** Following its 2022 pivot from Meero to Diffusely, the company now reports €12M in ARR and 1,500 clients. This new round supports growth in its visual AI verticals and aims for profitability by 2026\. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/diffusely-ex-meero-rebondit-sur-son-pivot-et-leve-11-millions-deuros/457692?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [The Unraveling Of MeeroThree years after a $230m funding round, the AI photography platform announced a pivot, layoffs, and new leadership.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-37.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/meero.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/unraveling-meero/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Sector Deep Dive: Inside France’s Ambitious Cybersecurity Sovereignty Strategy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sector-deep-dive-inside-frances-ambitious-cybersecurity-sovereignty-strategy/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T08:48:44.000Z France wants to be recognized as one of Europe's leading cybersecurity nations, establishing a comprehensive ecosystem that combines strong government policy, robust academic research, innovative startups, and major corporate players. With a market valued at approximately €7.3 billion and growing at 10% annually, France's cybersecurity sector represents a strategic national priority that extends far beyond commercial interests into the realm of digital sovereignty. This Sector Deep Deep breaks down the key components of France's Cybersecurity Ecosystem: 1. **Government Policy and Funding** 2. **Defense Agencies and Military Cybersecurity** 3. **ANSSI: France's Cybersecurity Anchor** 4. **Role of Bpifrance** 5. **Corporate Players** 6. **Venture Capital** 7. **Cybersecurity Startups** 8. **Private Institutes and Research Centers** 9. **Cybersecurity Campuses and Accelerators** 10. **Conclusion** ## Government Policy and Funding France's approach to cybersecurity reflects an ambitious national vision backed by unprecedented public investment. At the heart of this effort lies a fundamental belief: that digital sovereignty is no longer optional for a modern nation-state, and that cybersecurity must be elevated from a technical concern to a strategic national priority. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Companies Struggle with Cybersecurity Reality Check URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-companies-struggle-with-cybersecurity-reality-check/ Last updated: 2025-10-10T07:25:10.000Z A sweeping new study by Cybervadis and CESIN of 1,000 firms finds most have solid policies but weak proof. As Europe's cybersecurity regulation NIS2 expands oversight to thousands more companies, the gap between compliance on paper and verifiable protection is now a national competitiveness issue. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #45: AI That Watches What You Don’t Eat URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-45-ai-that-watches-what-you-dont-eat/ Last updated: 2025-10-06T08:00:13.000Z **In this edition:** **🧠 Kikleo** uses AI-powered cameras to track every uneaten bite in cafeterias. By turning food waste into actionable data, it helps kitchens cut costs, shrink their carbon footprint, and serve smarter, more sustainable meals. [**Co-founder Vincent Garcia explains: "We want to transform data in the kitchen into action."**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-that-watches-what-you-dont-eat-kikleo-uses-cafeteria-leftover-data-to-fight-food-waste/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines ![Naïma Moutchou is the new French Digital and AI Minister as part of the Government du Jour.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-22.png) Naïma Moutchou is the new French Digital and AI Minister as part of the Government **du Jour*. 🗞️ French Tech gets a new face in government. **Clara Chappaz is out as AI and digital affairs minister** after surviving the rise and fall of a couple of governments. The tech baguette is now passed to **Naïma Moutchou,** the newly named Minister for Transformation, Public Action, AI, and Digital Matters. Most recently Vice President of France's *Assemblée Nationale,* a seasoned parliamentarian, *and* a judge, Moutchou brings legal and legislative chops to the role, skills that might come in handy as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu navigates the 2026 budget and a tricky parliamentary balance. [**Based on a quick scan of her LinkedIn profile**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/na%C3%AFma-moutchou-b8494b165/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), it's not immediately clear that she has any background in tech or AI or business. On the other hand, these days expertise in anything is just the right ChatGPT prompt away, right? Er, we mean Mistral AI! For the French Tech ecosystem, it’s the fourth point of contact in just three years, following Chappaz, Marina Ferrari, and Jean-Noël Barrot. All we're saying is, don't get too comfortable. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/05/gouvernement-lecornu-naima-moutchou-remplace-clara-chappaz-au-numerique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Actu.fr**](https://actu.fr/societe/la-deputee-du-val-d-oise-naima-moutchou-entre-dans-le-gouvernement-de-sebastien-lecornu%5F63257840.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **OpenAI shoots past the stratosphere.** The ChatGPT creator just hit a mind-blowing $500B valuation, making it the most valuable private company on Earth, beating SpaceX’s $400B. A mega employee share buyback that brought in $6.6B from investors like SoftBank and Thrive Capital. The company is still burning cash, with $5B lost last year, and $14B projected by 2026\. But it has bet big on growth: $11.6B in revenue next year and profits sometime after 2029\. French exec Fidji Simo is now in charge of OpenAI’s products and applications, including ChatGPT as OpenAI rockets forward. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/02/openai-vers-linfini-et-au-dela-la-startup-derriere-chatgpt-atteint-les-500-milliards-de-dollars-de-valorisation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ One of the first profiles we wrote when we launched La Machine last year was on **Gojob** and **CEO Pascal Lorne**, who went in-depth about the challenges and costs of being an early adopter of generative AI. And lo, comes news this week, that Japanese staffing giant **Persol**, the country’s No. 2 in temp work with €9 billion in annual revenue, is injecting **€120 million** to take a majority stake in the Aix-based Gojob, while founder Lorne and his management team are actually boosting their shares to keep control of strategy. At the heart of the deal is **Aglae**, Gojob’s AI trained on millions of CVs and work reports to instantly shortlist the top 10 candidates for any role by prioritizing soft skills like adaptability, teamwork, and punctuality over résumés. Already profitable, Gojob hit **€200 million in revenue** last year, working with heavyweights like La Poste, Stellantis, Carrefour, and CMA CGM. With Persol’s backing, the startup is aiming for **€1 billion in revenue by 2030**, rolling out its AI across Asia and pursuing acquisitions in the U.S. and Europe. In short: a French AI champion just got the firepower to go global. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-lia-de-recrutement-de-gojob-sadosse-au-groupe-japonais-persol-2189386?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Gojob: It’s Not Easy Going GenAIThe temp recruiting platform spent €40m over 15 months to develop its Gojob Aglaé virtual assistant. CEO Pascal Lorne said the unexpected development pain has paid off with massive productivity gains![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-31.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/1080px-Pascal_Lorne.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/gojob-genai/) 🗞️ **French ETIs are finally getting serious about AI.** Mid-sized companies like Garance are moving fast - from automating document recognition to AI-assisted decision-making- without hiring armies of data scientists. How? Off-the-shelf tools and Salesforce APIs, paired with smart governance and employee upskilling. Generative AI is in play, but under strict control: training, bias checks, and GDPR compliance keep things safe. METI and EY report that 38% of ETIs are now running AI skills programs, proving that France’s mid-sized firms are ready to turn AI into both a productivity lever and a reputational boost. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/30/face-a-lia-les-eti-francaises-hesitent-de-moins-en-moins/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **While keeping a low profile**, **Harmattan AI is eyeing a fundraising round valuing it at over $1 billion.** Founded in 2024,the French drone start-up is turning heads both in the military world and among international funds. This summer, it won a contract to deliver 1,000 drones to France’s DGA and later secured a 3,000-drone deal with the British army. Its lightweight, autonomous drones come with electro-optical and infrared cameras, and are designed and assembled in France. The start-up is also partnering with Ukrainian company Skyeton for military sensors aiming to become France’s first defense unicorn. CEO Mouad M’Ghari frames the mission simply: “solving hard problems to defend liberal democracy.” | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/harmattan-ai-la-discrete-start-up-francaise-de-drones-qui-electrise-autant-les-militaires-que-les-fonds-2190159?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Literally real fake news!** A fake news website called **BrutInfo** has been impersonating French media outlets **Le Monde** and **Brut**, spreading fabricated stories like one claiming Emmanuel Macron was building a €148 million presidential bunker. The site, hosted briefly in Lithuania, featured **AI-generated articles and videos**, including fake interviews and voice-overs. Investigators link the operation to **“Storm-1516,”** a pro-Kremlin network known for flooding the web with AI-assisted propaganda targeting Western democracies. While most of its content gains little traction beyond conspiracy circles, the campaign underscores **Russia’s evolving playbook of low-cost, AI-driven disinformation**. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2025/10/03/a-fake-news-website-impersonates-le-monde-and-brut%5F6746062%5F13.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **The Shift Project** has just unleashed a sobering report: **the dizzying rise of AI and data centers is hurtling global electricity demand and CO₂ emissions toward an unsustainable future.** Data centers now consume hundreds of terawatt-hours and could quadruple their carbon footprint by 2030—equivalent to *twice* France’s current emissions. The culprit? Generative AI, bigger models, and cooling systems that gulp power, all largely fueled by fossil electricity sources. While Big Tech is experimenting with efficiency and liquid cooling, the report demands tougher limits, binding carbon-energy caps, and selective deployment to keep AI green. | [**DirectIndustry e-Magazine**](https://emag.directindustry.com/2025/10/03/artificial-intelligence-data-centers-shift-project-unsustainable-energy-trajectory-warning/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) |[**The Shift Project**](https://theshiftproject.org/publications/intelligence-artificielle-centres-de-donnees-rapport-final/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Platform.sh** has re-branded, re-baptizing itself as **Upsun** to reflect a strategic shift toward embedding AI at the core of cloud infrastructure. Based in Paris and SF, the rebrand signals not just a name change, but a broader bet on AI as the next frontier for scalable, sustainable computing: "Upsun is the company's strategic expansion into modern application lifecycle management, accelerating AI-assisted development and AI-augmented workflows. Giving enterprises the tools to keep pace with the rapid adoption of AI, unlocking new opportunities for innovation." | [**PR**](https://upsun.com/blog/platformsh-evolves-into-upsun/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [How Platform.sh Wants To Turbocharge Web DevelopmentThe company closed a $140m funding round in a tough environment thanks to its strong metrics and conservative financial approach.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-35.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/platform.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-platformsh-turbocharge-web-development/) 🗞️ Meanwhile, **Scality** and **INRIA** have teamed up in the **Cyberté** project, backed by the France 2030 program, to build AI-driven, sovereign, and eco-responsible data storage systems. The goal is to fuse advanced predictive and anomaly-detection models with energy-frugal architectures, securing France’s critical data while slashing its carbon footprint. | [**PR**](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/10/02/3160174/0/en/Scality-and-Inria-partner-to-develop-intelligent-sovereign-and-eco-responsible-data-storage-powered-by-AI-for-France-2030.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **OTHER HEADLINES** 🗞️ **A swim in the Seine with H Company’s new boss, former Palantir exec Gautier Cloix |** The man charged with managing the Paris startup’s lofty expectations isn’t afraid to jump in. **|** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/h-companys-new-boss-makes-a-splash?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Generali France rides the wave of Microsoft 365 Copilot and agentic AI with Microsoft |** Enhancing both customer and employee experiences stands as one of the key objectives in Generali France’s new strategic plan, “Boost 2027.” With innovation at the heart of its ambitions, the plan outlines the rollout of cutting-edge technologies—Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Azure OpenAI—to power strategic use cases in customer relations and core business expertise. | [**Microsoft**](https://www.microsoft.com/en/customers/story/25382-generali-microsoft-365-copilot?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Inside TiHive: How a French Deeptech Startup Is Revolutionizing Quality Control, One Diaper at a Time |** The Grenoble-based company just raised €8M to scale its terahertz-AI technology that can see inside products on production lines **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 AI That Watches What You Don’t Eat: Kikleo Uses Cafeteria Leftover Data to Fight Food Waste [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-21.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-that-watches-what-you-dont-eat-kikleo-uses-cafeteria-leftover-data-to-fight-food-waste/) In a bustling corporate headquarters canteen, lunch trays glide along a conveyor belt toward the dishwashing station. Before the plates disappear, a camera captures everything left uneaten: half a chicken breast here, untouched vegetables there. Within seconds, artificial intelligence identifies each item and calculates not just what was wasted, but how much it cost and what environmental toll it took. This is the vision that **Vincent Garcia** and **Martin d'Agay** have been pursuing since founding **Kikleo** in 2019\. What started as a technology to speed up cafeteria checkout lines has evolved into a sophisticated weapon against one of the food industry's most persistent problems: waste. Now, with a fresh €3.5 million fundraising round led by **Newfund**, the Lyon-based startup is preparing to take its solution across Europe and the Atlantic. "We want to transform data in the kitchen into action," Garcia said. [Go inside Kikleo](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-that-watches-what-you-dont-eat-kikleo-uses-cafeteria-leftover-data-to-fight-food-waste/) --- # AI Funding News ***For the week ending October 3, there were 11 AI French Tech companies that raised €101 million.*** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/AI_Startups_in_France_Week_Ending_October_5-1.png) --- 📇 **Company:** Vibe 🔍 **Description:** French adtech platform enabling brands to easily launch, target, and optimize streaming TV ads, with AI-powered creative tools and partnerships with 500+ apps and channels (Disney+, Roku, Paramount+). 💻 **Website:** [https://www.vibe.co/](https://www.vibe.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** New York City and Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $50M (€42M) 🏦 **Investors:** Hedosophia (lead), Elaia, Singular, QuantumLight (Nikolay Storonsky, Revolut), Illusian (Supercell founder), other historical investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Franck Tetzlaff (ex-Doctolib, Frichti), Arthur Querou (ex-Appinest, MotionLead, Adikteev) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will fuel U.S. expansion, accelerate AI integration in ad creation and performance optimization, and scale revenues beyond $1B by 2028\. The company expects more than $100M revenue in 2025 and to be profitable by year-end. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/french-adtech-startup-vibe-co-raises-e42-million-to-bring-ai-powered-hyper-targeted-advertising-to-tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/vibe-co-leve-42-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-lia-dans-la-publicite-tv-connectee/457429?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/01/vibe-ladtech-de-deux-frenchies-a-la-conquete-des-etats-unis-boucle-une-serie-b-de-50-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/serena-closes-200m-fund-ai-climate-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Edflex 🔍 **Description:** SaaS platform for corporate digital training, aggregating and curating learning content from over 10,000 publishers across 300+ topics. Serves 300+ corporate clients and 1.5M users worldwide. 💻 **Website:** [edflex.com](https://edflex.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $18M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Digital Venture fund), Educapital, Ternel, Wille Finance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clément Meslin, Philippe Riveron, Raphaël Droissart, Rémi Lesaint 🗞️ **News:** Edflex will use the funding to strengthen its AI-powered smart learning content (conversational features, real-life simulations, personalization, automated skills assessment), expand internationally (new languages, local teams in Europe and North America, structured go-to-market partnerships), and pursue its ambition to become a global leader in corporate learning. | [**Edflex Blog**](https://www.edflex.com/blog/edflex-levee-de-fonds-15-millions-euros-leader-mondial-digital-learning?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Qovery 🔍 **Description:** SaaS platform that automates DevOps, simplifying application deployment across all major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, Scaleway) while reducing complexity, costs, and reliance on DevOps talent. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.qovery.com/](https://www.qovery.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $13M (€11M) 🏦 **Investors:** IRIS (lead), Speedinvest, Crane Venture Partners, Techstars, Irregular Expressions, business angels including Olivier Pomel & Alexis Le-Quoc (co-founders of Datadog), Sebastian Pahl (co-founder of Docker), Ott Kaukver (CTO of Checkout.com, ex-CTO Twilio) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Romaric Philogène (CEO, co-founder). 🗞️ **News:** Qovery has grown 115% YoY with 100+ customers (incl. Alan, Didask, Talkspace, RxVantage). Half of its revenue already comes from the U.S. The funds will accelerate U.S. expansion, product innovation (including AI integration), and team growth. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/french-adtech-startup-vibe-co-raises-e42-million-to-bring-ai-powered-hyper-targeted-advertising-to-tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/qovery-leve-11-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sur-le-marche-de-lautomatisation-devops/457417?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1544817-qovery-leve-pres-de-13-millions-de-dollars-pour-automatiser-le-devops/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** TiHive 🔍 **Description:** Industrial deeptech company developing terahertz-on-silicon imaging and AI-powered inspection solutions for real-time, non-destructive quality and process control on production lines. Applications span hygiene, textiles, recycling, agriculture, and space. 💻 **Website:** [tihive.com](https://tihive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8 million 🏦 **Investors:** Karista, Wind, EIC Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hani Sherry (CEO), Carlos Prada (CIO) 🗞️ **News:** TiHive will use the funds to accelerate commercialization of its patented terahertz-AI vision solutions, expand internationally (Europe, LATAM, Asia-Pacific), reinforce its footprint in hygiene, textiles, recycling, agriculture, and space industries, and advance R&D for next-gen terahertz chips with extended frequencies and AI features. --- 📇 **Company:** DJUST 🔍 **Description:** European SaaS leader in modular B2B commerce platforms, helping distributors, retailers, and manufacturers digitize manual processes, streamline procurement, and modernize the B2B customer journey with AI agents and integrated payments. 💻 **Website:** [https://djust.io](https://djust.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7M 🏦 **Investors:** New Enterprise Associates (NEA, lead), Elaia Partners (existing), Speedinvest (new) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Rihiant (ex-Mirakl founding member), Eric Gaudin 🗞️ **News:** This new funding follows DJUST’s €12M Series A in 2023 and will fuel R&D acceleration, the rollout of AI agents and DJUST Pay (a 100% B2B payment module), and European expansion into Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK. The company already manages €1.5B in annual transactions for \~50 clients (including Eiffage and Franprix) and aims to double that to €3B by 2026\. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/01/djust-leve-7-millions-deuros-pour-propulser-lia-agentique-dans-le-b2b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Clarifeye 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based platform that transforms expert knowledge into scalable AI agents by turning tacit expertise into operational intelligence. Clarifeye enables organizations to build GenAI agents that reason like their best human experts, addressing challenges in complex industries such as law, life sciences, and manufacturing. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.clarifeye.ai/](https://www.clarifeye.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** EQT Ventures (lead), Drysdale Ventures, Olivier Pomel (CEO & founder of Datadog), Jean-Luc Robert (ex-CEO Kyriba), Alexandre Berriche (Fleet), and other angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Grisolia (CEO) and seasoned ex-Dataiku leaders & serial entrepreneurs 🗞️ **News:** Clarifeye plans to expand its platform, hire top talent, and accelerate its vision of building expert AI agents that capture and scale human expertise into collective intelligence. --- 📇 **Company:** Synboli 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech materials startup combining AI and synthetic chemistry to design and produce novel polymers. Its proprietary photo-activation technology enables the synthesis of vinyl polymers, while its AI platform designs new polymer structures and predicts their properties. 💻 **Website:** [synboli.com](https://www.synboli.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Camblanes-et-Meynac, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5m 🏦 **Investors:** Bordeaux Technowest, Wind Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Pucheault 🗞️ **News:** The funding will help Synboli accelerate the development of its AI-driven polymer design platform, speed up time-to-market for new materials, and expand its range of high-performance, custom-engineered polymers. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-synboli-associe-ia-et-chimie-de-synthese-pour-produire-des-polymeres-2189083?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Popsink 🔍 **Description:** Developer of real-time data infrastructure using Change Data Capture (CDC) technology to continuously capture changes from legacy systems (ERP, CRM, Oracle/IBM mainframes) and replicate them to modern platforms like Snowflake, Databricks, and Iceberg. Popsink enables enterprises to build reliable foundations for AI and analytics without heavy migrations. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.popsink.com](https://www.popsink.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** IRIS (lead), XAnge, Seedcamp, Irregular Expressions, and several business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Djidi (ex-Sixt, Amazon – Alexa, data & analytics), Alexandre Colella (ex-Primaa, Gérerseul.com, Quable, deeptech startups) 🗞️ **News:** Popsink will use the funds to double its team, accelerate product development, and expand across Europe and North America, addressing the growing demand for real-time data access to power AI and modern analytics. | [**Blog Post**](https://www.popsink.com/blog/popsink-raises-eu3m-to-enable-real-time-replication-of-mission-critical-systems?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sans-data-en-temps-reel-pas-dia-possible-popsink-comble-le-chainon-manquant-avec-une-levee-de-3-millions-deuros/457487?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Metreecs 🔍 **Description:** Franco-American startup using AI to transform supply chains through demand forecasting and digital twins, helping retailers reduce overstocks, shortages, and waste. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.metreecs.com/](https://www.metreecs.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris & San Francisco 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $2.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Monte Carlo Capital, Founders Future, Kima Ventures, Bpifrance, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thibaut Pellegrin (CEO), Martin Dimitrov (COO), Elie Dufeu (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate R&D to enrich its AI-driven logistics platform and support international expansion, with new offices planned in Italy and the US. --- 📇 **Company:** MyFit Solutions 🔍 **Description:** Lyon-based startup specializing in 3D body scanning technology via smartphone, combining computer vision and AI for applications in healthcare (orthopedics) and retail personalization. 💻 **Website:** [https://myfit-solutions.com/](https://myfit-solutions.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Acer Finance, Provence Angels, Key Ventures, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Founded in 2018 (names not disclosed in sources) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate the commercial rollout of its 3D scanning solution, enhance R&D to improve precision and robustness, and scale deployments across medical and retail markets. | [**Le Progres**](https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2025/10/03/myfit-solutions-leve-deux-millions-d-euros-pour-ameliorer-la-capture-des-donnees-morphologiques-3d?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Sonar Clarity (rebranded as Avanoo) 🔍 **Description:** SaaS Management platform helping enterprises regain control over their software and AI ecosystem. It automatically detects all applications (including Shadow IT & Shadow AI), measures usage, identifies unused licenses, optimizes costs, and highlights security risks. It also supports compliance with DORA, NIS2, AI Act, and GDPR. 💻 **Website:** [avanoo.com](https://avanoo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France 🧗 **Round:** Seed (first fundraising) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1m 🏦 **Investors:** Auriga Cyber Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Tanguy Duthion (CEO), Etienne Elouvrier 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Avanoo’s new growth strategy in France and internationally. The company will strengthen its R&D, expand its sales operations, recruit partners, and onboard new experts to improve service quality. This milestone also marks its rebrand from *Sonar Clarity* to *Avanoo*, reflecting its ambition to become a leading SaaS and Shadow IT management solution. | [**PR**](https://fr.finance.yahoo.com/actualites/sonar-clarity-avanoo-annonce-lev%C3%A9e-103000759.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🗣️ **Orange** has launched its **2025 Agentic AI Challenge** to identify startups developing innovative autonomous AI solutions in fields such as customer service, cybersecurity, smart industry, and financial services. Selected startups will test their products at scale with Orange, receive mentorship from Orange Fab, gain visibility through global tech events, and connect with strategic partners like NVIDIA and key investors. | [Apply to the Agentic AI Challenge](https://forms.office.com/e/sTP5UGmafv?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ [NeoStartups](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/pme/programme-neo-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) & [Growth Startups](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/pme/programme-growth-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) | The Paris Chamber of Commerce (CCI Paris) has opened applications for two complementary startup support programs starting October 17, 2025\. **NeoStartups** helps early-stage founders build solid foundations with expert workshops and coaching, while **Growth Startups** targets companies with initial traction, offering a year-long program to scale sales, expand into new markets, prepare for fundraising, and access CCI Paris’s powerful business network. | [**Apply to NeoStartups**](https://cci-paris.wiin.io/fr/applications/neo-startups-2025-automne?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Apply to Growth Startups**](https://cci-paris.wiin.io/fr/applications/programme-growth-2025-cci?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # 📆 Events 📆 📆 **Vibe Coding Paris Meetup #1 | October 6 |** Join us for an evening exploring the world of Vibe Coding with cross-functional professionals, including PMs, designers, GTM experts, and developers. Learn from industry experts about the latest trends and tools shaping the future of coding and product development. **|** [**Join Waitlist**](https://luma.com/n98ddyu5?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Gen AI Loft Paris at Station F | October 7 - 21 |** The AWS Gen AI Loft is not limited to technology, it brings together start-ups, developers, investors and industry experts. Whether you are looking for in-depth knowledge or expert answers, our Gen AI Lofts offer you all the support you need to make your projects a reality. | [**Registration and details**](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/lp/aws-gen-ai-loft-paris?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MCP Connect with Alpic, Alan & Mistral | October 14 |** MCP Connect is for developers, practitioners, researchers, and enthusiasts working with the Model Context Protocol and AI agents. We share best practices, new tools, and real-world use cases for building MCP servers and integrating them into agentic workflows. Whether you are building MCP servers for your internal or external use cases or just exploring how agents connect to applications, MCP Connect is a place to exchange ideas, learn, and help shape the future of AI workflows. **|** [**Request to join**](https://luma.com/xmbyg5vn?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Inclusive hiring in the age of AI | October 16 | Roundtable discussion & breakfast in Paris** | How do we ensure the integration of artificial intelligence tools promotes fairness, rather than multiply bias, when businesses hire? Join the European non-profit [**Sistech**](https://sis.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), recruitment experts from **LinkedIn** and **Ekino**, as well as French government officials and scholars to tackle this timely question. Participate in a candid conversation about how AI has transformed talent acquisition already and leave with concrete HR strategies your company can implement to foster opportunity | [**Register (FREE)**](https://www.helloasso.com/associations/sistech/evenements/l-inclusion-en-action-egalite-des-chances-face-a-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **CODE + MATTER Opening | October 21 |** *CODE + MATTER* brings together Alexis André, Julien Espagnon, William Mapan and Florian Zumbrunn. Four artists who write programs rather than prompts, transforming algorithms into paintings, sculptures, reworked prints and installations. **|** [**Register**](https://luma.com/8z8l408q?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The European AI Championship 2025 - Launch party | November 5 |What is the European AI Championship?** ​Coming soon: 15 of Europe’s top AI engineers will battle live on stage, building real-world solutions using AI tools. They will represent their country to win, and you'll be able to watch and cheer for them with 1500 fellow engineers and AI-curious minds. Experience a championship where code meets competition, and AI hype meets AI application, wrapped in a unique, entertaining show. Think Eurovision, but for AI builders! | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/europeanaichampionship?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Leaders Summit | November 5-6 |** Paris becomes the nerve centre of data and responsible artificial intelligence. Access a program rooted in business reality: case studies, AI audits, governance, industrialisation, and sustainability. France's AI ecosystem is dynamic but under pressure: talent shortages, projects stuck at the POC stage, regulatory uncertainties (AI Act), and poor-quality data. Data & AI Leaders Summit Paris helps you move forward with technical content, immediately applicable and designed for the field. | [**Register**](https://tech-show-paris-2025-splash.reg.buzz/?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=22918112576&utm%5Fcontent=183515831185&utm%5Fterm=world+data+summit&lb%5Ftracesourcecode=google&lb%5Fgln%5Fids=&%5Fgl=1%2A1aii2qp%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxL7GBhDXARIsAGOcmIOu6Lw5Smxsm2a7Uv7-NE99n2upYo2lXk8Zo2FZvwZHWeUr%5F2%5FL%5FfsaAoUbEALw%5FwcB) 📆 **dotAI | November 6 |** We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers in fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire for that recognition. | [**Register**](https://www.dotai.io/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register** ](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### AI That Watches What You Don’t Eat: Kikleo Uses Cafeteria Leftover Data to Fight Food Waste URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-that-watches-what-you-dont-eat-kikleo-uses-cafeteria-leftover-data-to-fight-food-waste/ Last updated: 2025-10-05T20:37:54.000Z The FoodTech startup just raised €3.5M for its system that uses AI-powered cameras to track every uneaten bite in cafeterias. By turning food waste into actionable data, it helps kitchens cut costs, shrink their carbon footprint, and serve smarter, more sustainable meals. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire Oct 3: Vibe, Edflex, RDS & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-oct-3-vibe-edflex-rds-more/ Last updated: 2025-10-14T16:17:11.000Z Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) AudioNative Player... # Edito We're three-quarters of the way into 2025, and the funding news for France is, well, not great, but could be worse, but also kinda sorta deceiving. Through the first 9 months of 2025, French startups have raised $6.3 billion. That's compared to $7.9 billion for 2024\. Which wouldn't seem terrible on the face of it except... ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/france-q3-1.png) ...about $2 billion of that haul is from the [Monster Mistral AI](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-unlikely-alliance-europes-chip-giant-asml-makes-a-billion-euro-wager-on-mistral-ai/). So, almost one out of three bucks. Take that away and French startups would be headed for their third straight down year of fundraising. As it is, from a purely statistical point of view, they will likely eek out a slight increase for 2025\. Hooray? Fortunately, misery loves company. And the latest numbers from Pitchbook out today show that European venture capital fundraising more broadly ain't exactly setting the world on fire neither: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/output-6-.png) Data via Pitchbook And what of our American cousins across the sea? On deal value, they seem to be kicking some serious cowboy butt over the rest of the world. Yee haw! Which is no doubt why everyone in Europe is tempted to grab their paddle and row as fast as they can for those promised shores to join the wagon trains headed west to the promised lands of Silicon Valley. But squint harder, my entrepreneurial greenhorns. For ye shall see that the number of deals has fallen into a giant sinkhole of despair over yonder. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/output-8-.png) Basically, unless your name rhymes with Bam Faltman, your chances of finding gold in them thar hills is pretty slim. But hey, gotta follow your dreams, right? --- ***Meanwhile, back to this week past week in funding news...*** ### 🔝 Biggest Round - **Vibe (€42M / $50M)** – Series B adtech round, led by Hedosophia. - **Edflex (\~€16.7M / $18M)** – Series C in digital corporate learning. - **RDS (€14M)** – Series A in medtech. ### 🌍 Sector Diversity **Adtech & Marketing** - **Vibe** (AI-powered connected TV adtech). **Corporate Learning / SaaS** - **Edflex** (AI-powered learning aggregation). **Medtech & Biopharma** - **RDS** (connected monitoring patch), - **Plasana Medical** (cold plasma wound healing), - **SeaBeLife** (regulated cell death inhibitors), - **MyFit Solutions** (3D body scanning). **Deeptech / Hardware** - **TiHive** (terahertz inspection), - **iNGage** (MEMS inertial sensors). **AI / Software Platforms** - **Qovery** (DevOps automation), - **Clarifeye** (AI expert agents), - **Popsink** (real-time data infra), - **MokN** (cybersecurity deception), - **Metreecs** (AI supply chain), - **Sonar Clarity / Avanoo** (SaaS & Shadow IT management). **Fintech / Marketplaces** - **DJUST** (modular B2B commerce), - **Initiativ** (carbon trading neo-exchange). **Climate & Energy / Deeptech** - **UP&CHARGE** (wireless EV charging), - **Synboli** (AI-designed polymers), - **Kapsera** (agri-biotech microencapsulation). ### 📍 Geographic Focus - **Predominantly France**: Paris dominates (Vibe, Edflex, Qovery, DJUST, Clarifeye, Popsink, MokN, Avanoo, Initiativ, Plasana Medical, Kapsera). - **Regional hubs**: Strasbourg (RDS), Grenoble (TiHive, iNGage), Lyon (MyFit Solutions), Bordeaux (Kapsera, Synboli). - **Cross-border presence**: - Paris–San Francisco (**Metreecs**). - Paris–Milan (**iNGage**). --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-9.png) 📇 **Company:** Vibe 🔍 **Description:** French adtech platform enabling brands to easily launch, target, and optimize streaming TV ads, with AI-powered creative tools and partnerships with 500+ apps and channels (Disney+, Roku, Paramount+). 💻 **Website:** [https://www.vibe.co/](https://www.vibe.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $50M (€42M) 🏦 **Investors:** Hedosophia (lead), Elaia, Singular, QuantumLight (Nikolay Storonsky, Revolut), Illusian (Supercell founder), other historical investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Franck Tetzlaff (ex-Doctolib, Frichti), Arthur Querou (ex-Appinest, MotionLead, Adikteev) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will fuel U.S. expansion, accelerate AI integration in ad creation and performance optimization, and scale revenues beyond $1B by 2028\. Company expects >$100M revenue in 2025 and to be profitable by year-end. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/french-adtech-startup-vibe-co-raises-e42-million-to-bring-ai-powered-hyper-targeted-advertising-to-tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/vibe-co-leve-42-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-lia-dans-la-publicite-tv-connectee/457429?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/01/vibe-ladtech-de-deux-frenchies-a-la-conquete-des-etats-unis-boucle-une-serie-b-de-50-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/serena-closes-200m-fund-ai-climate-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-5.png) 📇 **Company:** Edflex 🔍 **Description:** SaaS platform for corporate digital training, aggregating and curating learning content from over 10,000 publishers across 300+ topics. Serves 300+ corporate clients and 1.5M users worldwide. 💻 **Website:** [edflex.com](https://edflex.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $18M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Digital Venture fund), Educapital, Ternel, Wille Finance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clément Meslin, Philippe Riveron, Raphaël Droissart, Rémi Lesaint 🗞️ **News:** Edflex will use the funding to strengthen its AI-powered smart learning content (conversational features, real-life simulations, personalization, automated skills assessment), expand internationally (new languages, local teams in Europe and North America, structured go-to-market partnerships), and pursue its ambition to become a global leader in corporate learning. | [**Edflex Blog**](https://www.edflex.com/blog/edflex-levee-de-fonds-15-millions-euros-leader-mondial-digital-learning?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-2-1.png) RDS CEO Elie Lobel 📇 **Company:** RDS 🔍 **Description:** French medtech company developing MultiSense®, a CE-marked, connected patch for continuous remote patient monitoring in hospitals and at home. 💻 **Website:** [rdsdiag.com](https://www.rdsdiag.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €14 million ($16.6M) 🏦 **Investors:** SPI Fund (Bpifrance, lead), Critical Path Ventures, MACSF, Capital Grand Est, other historical investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Elie Lobel (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate industrialization and market launch of MultiSense® in Europe, with plans to expand in France, Germany, and across the EU. RDS will ramp up production in France, strengthen its salesforce, and launch complementary clinical trials to support reimbursement applications. The company also plans to begin FDA registration, targeting a US launch in 2028\. Several hundred new jobs are expected to be created by 2035. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Qovery 🔍 **Description:** SaaS platform that automates DevOps, simplifying application deployment across all major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, Scaleway) while reducing complexity, costs, and reliance on DevOps talent. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.qovery.com/](https://www.qovery.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** $13M (€11M) 🏦 **Investors:** IRIS (lead), Speedinvest, Crane Venture Partners, Techstars, Irregular Expressions, business angels including Olivier Pomel & Alexis Le-Quoc (co-founders of Datadog), Sebastian Pahl (co-founder of Docker), Ott Kaukver (CTO of Checkout.com, ex-CTO Twilio) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Romaric Philogène (CEO, co-founder). 🗞️ **News:** Qovery has grown 115% YoY with 100+ customers (incl. Alan, Didask, Talkspace, RxVantage). Half of its revenue already comes from the U.S. The funds will accelerate U.S. expansion, product innovation (including AI integration), and team growth. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/french-adtech-startup-vibe-co-raises-e42-million-to-bring-ai-powered-hyper-targeted-advertising-to-tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/qovery-leve-11-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sur-le-marche-de-lautomatisation-devops/457417?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1544817-qovery-leve-pres-de-13-millions-de-dollars-pour-automatiser-le-devops/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Co-Founders-Hani-SHERRY---Carlos-PRADA.jpg) Co-Founders Hani SHERRY & Carlos PRADACo-Founders Hani SHERRY & Carlos PRADA 📇 **Company:** TiHive 🔍 **Description:** Industrial deeptech company developing terahertz-on-silicon imaging and AI-powered inspection solutions for real-time, non-destructive quality and process control on production lines. Applications span hygiene, textiles, recycling, agriculture, and space. 💻 **Website:** [tihive.com](https://tihive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8 million 🏦 **Investors:** Karista, Wind, EIC Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hani Sherry (CEO), Carlos Prada (CIO) 🗞️ **News:** TiHive will use the funds to accelerate commercialization of its patented terahertz-AI vision solutions, expand internationally (Europe, LATAM, Asia-Pacific), reinforce its footprint in hygiene, textiles, recycling, agriculture, and space industries, and advance R&D for next-gen terahertz chips with extended frequencies and AI features. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/DJUST-team-min.png) 📇 **Company:** DJUST 🔍 **Description:** European SaaS leader in modular B2B commerce platforms, helping distributors, retailers, and manufacturers digitize manual processes, streamline procurement, and modernize the B2B customer journey with AI agents and integrated payments. 💻 **Website:** [https://djust.io](https://djust.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7M 🏦 **Investors:** New Enterprise Associates (NEA, lead), Elaia Partners (existing), Speedinvest (new) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Rihiant (ex-Mirakl founding member), Eric Gaudin 🗞️ **News:** This new funding follows DJUST’s €12M Series A in 2023 and will fuel R&D acceleration, the rollout of AI agents and DJUST Pay (a 100% B2B payment module), and European expansion into Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK. The company already manages €1.5B in annual transactions for \~50 clients (including Eiffage and Franprix) and aims to double that to €3B by 2026\. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/01/djust-leve-7-millions-deuros-pour-propulser-lia-agentique-dans-le-b2b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/iNGage_Fondateurs_Copyright-Bruno-Lavit-1.jpg) 📇 **Company:** iNGage 🔍 **Description:** Developer of next-generation high-performance MEMS inertial sensors that provide precise navigation and positioning in GPS-denied or degraded environments. Applications span autonomous vehicles, drones, robotics, and defense. 💻 **Website:** [www.ingage-mems.com](http://www.ingage-mems.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France (with R&D office in Milan, Italy) 🧗 **Round:** Seed / First financing round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Supernova Invest (lead), 360 Capital, BNP Paribas Développement, Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement, CEA Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Robert (CEO) and team from CEA-Leti & Politecnico di Milano research collaboration 🗞️ **News:** The funds will be used to finalize development and industrialize iNGage’s first range of multi-axis MEMS inertial sensors, strengthen the team, secure partnerships, and deliver first product samples to strategic customers. This will help position the company as a key enabler of precise navigation where GPS fails, targeting multi-billion-euro markets by 2030. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Clarifeye-founder-photo.jpg) 📇 **Company:** Clarifeye 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based platform that transforms expert knowledge into scalable AI agents by turning tacit expertise into operational intelligence. Clarifeye enables organizations to build GenAI agents that reason like their best human experts, addressing challenges in complex industries such as law, life sciences, and manufacturing. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.clarifeye.ai/](https://www.clarifeye.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** EQT Ventures (lead), Drysdale Ventures, Olivier Pomel (CEO & founder of Datadog), Jean-Luc Robert (ex-CEO Kyriba), Alexandre Berriche (Fleet), and other angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Grisolia (CEO) and seasoned ex-Dataiku leaders & serial entrepreneurs 🗞️ **News:** Clarifeye plans to expand its platform, hire top talent, and accelerate its vision of building expert AI agents that capture and scale human expertise into collective intelligence. --- 📇 **Company:** Plasana Medical 🔍 **Description:** Medtech spin-off from École Polytechnique’s Plasma Physics Laboratory and CNRS, created by startup studio TechnoFounders. The company develops *Plasana One®*, a cold plasma medical device for chronic wound healing (diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers). Its proprietary multi-jet cold plasma technology accelerates healing by 30–50%, reduces infection risks, and is painless and suitable for home use. 💻 **Website:** 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Equity + non-dilutive funding 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M in equity (plus grants and loans) 🏦 **Investors:** TF Participations funds (TechnoFounders), family offices, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders / Leadership:** Co-founded via TechnoFounders; Yves Matton (CEO, appointed May 2025) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support the ongoing *PLASANA GENESIS* clinical trial targeting CE marking by 2026, preparation for commercialization in Europe, and regulatory approval in the United States. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thm-capital-advisory%5Fplasana-medical-press-release-thmca-2025-activity-7378710200775647232-rnOJ?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** UP&CHARGE 🔍 **Description:** French startup developing wireless inductive charging technology for electric vehicles, enabling drivers to recharge simply by parking. Its system offers faster charging than wired solutions, reduced energy loss, and lower installation costs, all made with 100% French manufacturing. 💻 **Website:** [upandcharge.com](https://upandcharge.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Île-de-France, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5M (including €3M via Tudigo crowdfunding) 🏦 **Investors:** Tudigo campaign participants, private investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Marin Champenois (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate the industrialization and large-scale deployment of UP&CHARGE’s wireless charging solution across public and private parking lots. The company is preparing pre-sales, with over 20 clients already engaged, covering fleets ranging from 100 to 70,000 vehicles. | [**Blog Post**](https://nextmove.fr/blog/levee-de-fonds-la-promesse-de-up-and-charge-recharger-sa-voiture-comme-on-se-gare-bientot-a-grande-echelle?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-18-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Synboli 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech materials startup combining AI and synthetic chemistry to design and produce novel polymers. Its proprietary photo-activation technology enables the synthesis of vinyl polymers, while its AI platform designs new polymer structures and predicts their properties. 💻 **Website:** [synboli.com](https://www.synboli.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Camblanes-et-Meynac, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5m 🏦 **Investors:** Aquiti, Wind Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Pucheault 🗞️ **News:** The funding will help Synboli accelerate the development of its AI-driven polymer design platform, speed up time-to-market for new materials, and expand its range of high-performance, custom-engineered polymers. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-synboli-associe-ia-et-chimie-de-synthese-pour-produire-des-polymeres-2189083?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-6.png) 📇 **Company:** Popsink 🔍 **Description:** Developer of real-time data infrastructure using Change Data Capture (CDC) technology to continuously capture changes from legacy systems (ERP, CRM, Oracle/IBM mainframes) and replicate them to modern platforms like Snowflake, Databricks, and Iceberg. Popsink enables enterprises to build reliable foundations for AI and analytics without heavy migrations. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.popsink.com](https://www.popsink.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** IRIS (lead), XAnge, Seedcamp, Irregular Expressions, and several business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Djidi (ex-Sixt, Amazon – Alexa, data & analytics), Alexandre Colella (ex-Primaa, Gérerseul.com, Quable, deeptech startups) 🗞️ **News:** Popsink will use the funds to double its team, accelerate product development, and expand across Europe and North America, addressing the growing demand for real-time data access to power AI and modern analytics. | [**Blog Post**](https://www.popsink.com/blog/popsink-raises-eu3m-to-enable-real-time-replication-of-mission-critical-systems?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sans-data-en-temps-reel-pas-dia-possible-popsink-comble-le-chainon-manquant-avec-une-levee-de-3-millions-deuros/457487?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-14.png) 📇 **Company:** MokN 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based cybersecurity startup developing deception-based identity protection technology that traps attackers using stolen credentials through decoy portals. Already securing over 500,000 users and €1M ARR within a year. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.mokn.io/](https://www.mokn.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Moonfire (lead), OVNI Capital, Kima Ventures, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gautier Bugeon (Co-founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate MokN’s U.S. commercial rollout and support team expansion in France across product, sales, and marketing. The company plans to relocate part of its leadership team to the U.S. to seize a first-mover advantage in deception-based credential protection. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/10/gotcha-french-cybersecurity-startup-mokn-tricks-attackers-into-surrendering-stolen-credentials-raises-e2-6-million-to-expand-to-the-u-s/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/mokn-leve-26-millions-deuros-pour-deployer-sa-technologie-de-phish-back-aux-etats-unis/457551?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-8.png) 📇 **Company:** Metreecs 🔍 **Description:** Franco-American startup using AI to transform supply chains through demand forecasting and digital twins, helping retailers reduce overstocks, shortages, and waste. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.metreecs.com/](https://www.metreecs.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris & San Francisco 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $2.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Monte Carlo Capital, Founders Future, Kima Ventures, Bpifrance, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thibaut Pellegrin (CEO), Martin Dimitrov (COO), Elie Dufeu (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will accelerate R&D to enrich its AI-driven logistics platform and support international expansion, with new offices planned in Italy and the US. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image.png) 📇 **Company:** SeaBeLife 🔍 **Description:** Biotechnology company developing innovative small molecules that block two regulated cell death pathways (necroptosis and ferroptosis) to treat severe, rare, and chronic diseases with no current therapeutic alternatives. Lead programs target dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and severe acute hepatitis. 💻 **Website:** [www.seabelife.com](http://www.seabelife.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Roscoff, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M ($2.25M) 🏦 **Investors:** iXLife (lead), Breizh Angels, WeLikeStartup, Angels Santé, Business Angels des Grandes Écoles, INEXT, Femmes Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Morgane Rousselot, PhD (CEO & co-founder); based on research of Stéphane Bach, PhD; Marie-Thérèse Dimanche-Boitrel; and Claire Delehouzé, PhD (Scientific Director & Partner) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will support clinical trial preparation for dry AMD and severe acute hepatitis drug candidates. First clinical trial expected in 2026\. Femmes Business Angels’ Marie-Pierre Sbardella joins the Strategic Committee. SeaBeLife has raised €9M to date, with support from Bpifrance, SATT Ouest Valorisation, Biotech Santé Bretagne, and Région Bretagne. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/10/french-biotech-developer-seabelife-raises-e2-million-to-tackle-dry-amd-and-severe-acute-hepatitis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-15.png) 📇 **Company:** MyFit Solutions 🔍 **Description:** Lyon-based startup specializing in 3D body scanning technology via smartphone, combining computer vision and AI for applications in healthcare (orthopedics) and retail personalization. 💻 **Website:** [https://myfit-solutions.com/](https://myfit-solutions.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Acer Finance, Provence Angels, Key Ventures, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Founded in 2018 (names not disclosed in sources) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate the commercial rollout of its 3D scanning solution, enhance R&D to improve precision and robustness, and scale deployments across medical and retail markets. | [**Le Progres**](https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2025/10/03/myfit-solutions-leve-deux-millions-d-euros-pour-ameliorer-la-capture-des-donnees-morphologiques-3d?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-16.png) 📇 **Company:** Kapsera 🔍 **Description:** Bordeaux-based agri-biotech startup developing sustainable microencapsulation technology to improve efficiency and sustainability in agriculture and agri-food sectors. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.kapsera.com/](https://www.kapsera.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Series A (extended) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5 million (including €860K from latest closing) 🏦 **Investors:** Seventure Partners, Banque des Territoires, The Yield Lab, Demeter 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-Baptiste Maille, Corinne Gendrot 🗞️ **News:** The new funding will accelerate industrialization of Kapsera’s microencapsulation technology, support large-scale market deployment, and strengthen its positive impact on agriculture and agri-food industries. | [**Le Journal des Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/kapsera-accueille-seventure-partners-son-capital-2126822?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-17-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Sonar Clarity (rebranded as Avanoo) 🔍 **Description:** SaaS Management platform helping enterprises regain control over their software and AI ecosystem. It automatically detects all applications (including Shadow IT & Shadow AI), measures usage, identifies unused licenses, optimizes costs, and highlights security risks. It also supports compliance with DORA, NIS2, AI Act, and GDPR. 💻 **Website:** [avanoo.com](https://avanoo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France 🧗 **Round:** Seed (first fundraising) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1m 🏦 **Investors:** Auriga Cyber Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Tanguy Duthion (CEO), Etienne Elouvrier 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Avanoo’s new growth strategy in France and internationally. The company will strengthen its R&D, expand its sales operations, recruit partners, and onboard new experts to improve service quality. This milestone also marks its rebrand from *Sonar Clarity* to *Avanoo*, reflecting its ambition to become a leading SaaS and Shadow IT management solution. | [**PR**](https://fr.finance.yahoo.com/actualites/sonar-clarity-avanoo-annonce-lev%C3%A9e-103000759.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-3.png) 📇 **Company:** Initiativ 🔍 **Description:** French fintech building the first “neo-exchange” for industrials, a digital marketplace to trade carbon allowances (EU ETS quotas) with transparent pricing, direct access, and simplified transactions. 💻 **Website:** [https://takeinitiativ.com/](https://takeinitiativ.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €650,000 🏦 **Investors:** Holmarcom (Morocco), U-Investors, Frenchfounders business angels, and private investors from banking, trading, and climate sectors. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Isaure Courcenet (CEO), Nicolas Negrilic (COO), Nicolas Bigotte (CCO) 🗞️ **News:** Initiativ will use the funding to launch its digital carbon trading platform, enabling industrials to directly buy and sell carbon allowances with transparent prices and reduced intermediation costs. The company aims to democratize access to the EU-ETS market, prepare for CBAM-driven international demand, and position itself as a sovereign alternative to incumbent carbon exchanges. Initiativ is also competing in the **Startup World Cup 2025 in San Francisco** and has been accelerated by the **Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)** and **ZEBOX**. ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: €500M in New VC Firepower For AI And Deeptech URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-eu500m-in-new-vc-firepower-for-ai-and-deeptech/ Last updated: 2025-10-03T15:21:55.000Z **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 Refugee women face some of the steepest barriers to employment in Europe, with 81% still jobless five years after arrival. [**Sistech** is changing that by connecting women to tech training, mentorship, and careers to unlock talent that’s reshaping Europe’s digital future.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-refugee-tech-talent-how-sistech-helps-women-build-careers-europes-digital-economy/) 👀 Grenoble-based deeptech startup **TiHive** just raised €8M to scale its groundbreaking terahertz-AI technology that lets manufacturers see inside products in real time. Starting with diapers, the system replaces outdated sampling with continuous, AI-driven quality control that prevents costly defects and waste. Backed by major investors, TiHive is now eyeing global expansion and new industries from textiles to recycling. [**Hani Sherry, TiHive's CEO and co-founder, explains how the company got here, and where it's going.** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-4.png) Serena Capital Fund IV Associates (left to right): Sébastien Le Roy, Olivier Martret, and Paul Moriou. ***If you didn't close or start raising a fund in France this week, you may have been the only one...*** 🤑🤖🔋Paris-based VC firm **Serena** has raised €200 million for its fourth flagship fund, with plans to hit €250 million by 2026\. The fund will focus on early-stage startups in **applied AI** and the **energy transition**, with investments ranging from €3 million to €15 million. Serena Partners associates [Sébastien Le Roy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastienleroy1/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Olivier Martret](https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivier-martret-8736b965/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Paul Moriou](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmoriou/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) are overseeing the fund, along with the firm's co-founders [Xavier Lorphelin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/xlorphelin/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Marc Fournier](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfournier1/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Serena has already backed four companies through the vehicle, including **Formality**, an AI-powered contract management platform. With this new fund, Serena aims to invest in up to 20 companies, keeping reserves for follow-ons that could total up to €30 million per top startup. The firm, known for early bets on **Dataiku, Malt, The Fork, and Electra**, now manages over €1 billion in assets. Partners say the strategy reflects Serena’s belief that AI applications and energy infrastructure will define Europe’s next wave of tech leaders. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/serena-closes-200m-fund-ai-climate-tech?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/01/serena-lance-un-fonds-de-200-millions-deuros-pour-miser-sur-les-prochaines-pepites-europeennes-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2025/10/01/serena-raises-eur200m-for-applied-ai-and-energy-transition/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***(Reminder: Last week, the European Investment Fund backed Jolt Capital V with €260 million for AI, chips, and cybersecurity. C4 Ventures launched a €100 million fund for European AI sovereignty. And Ventech, the pan-European fund, closed its biggest fund yet at €175 million.)*** 🚀🌎 **Supernova Invest** is firing up a new €300M late-stage fund to propel Europe’s most promising deeptech scaleups into global leadership. With tickets of around €15M, the Supernova Tech Scale II fund will back startups in AI, semiconductors, health, climate, and more—filling a crucial financing gap as U.S. and Chinese rivals accelerate. The goal: keep Europe’s deeptech champions scaling at home instead of slipping abroad. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/29/deeptech-supernova-invest-met-sur-orbite-un-nouveau-fonds-late-stage-de-300-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌱👼 [Mathieu Tarnus,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtarnus/?locale=fr%5FFR&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) founder of digital services group Positive, has launched **404 Ventures**, a new seed fund designed to professionalize his already active angel investing across 40 startups. The fund, run operationally by Julien Trucy (formerly of Euratech Ventures), will focus on deeptech, SaaS, and impact, while deliberately steering clear of marketing SaaS to avoid overlap with Tarnus’s own business. The move reflects a broader French Tech trend: entrepreneurs who once dabbled as casual angels are now formalizing their role in venture capital, bringing more structure and ambition to their investments. **|** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-ces-entrepreneurs-qui-professionnalisent-leur-activite-dinvestissement-2189649?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/404-ventures-le-nouveau-fonds-entrepreneurial-de-mathieu-tarnus/457464?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![Mathieu Tarnus](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-7.png) Mathieu Tarnus 🏃🇺🇸 **Entrepreneurs First (EF)**, the London-based accelerator known for its “talent-first” model, is pulling out of France and Germany to double down on the US. The company is closing its Paris cohort and relocating its German hacker house to San Francisco, where founders can plug directly into Silicon Valley’s deep-pocketed investors and faster-moving customers. EF cofounder Alice Bentinck says startups landing in the US are hitting six-figure recurring revenues within months, far faster than in Europe. The pivot reflects growing founder demand for American exposure, especially as AI innovation becomes concentrated in the Bay Area. While European operations will scale back, EF plans to send more founders across the Atlantic in 2026 through larger cohorts and a new San Francisco “Bridge” residency for young entrepreneurs. The strategy underscores a broader trend: Europe may produce talent, but scaling still means crossing the ocean. Of course, a couple of years ago, we profiled EF's local chieftain about their ops in Paris. But as they say,[ *times change, people change, hairstyles change*](https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/aa127729-a933-411e-b18a-b95d97878919?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*.* | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/entrepreneurs-first-us-shift?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sans-ancrage-aux-etats-unis-pas-de-scale-entrepreneurs-first-accelere-lacces-des-fondateurs-europeens-a-la-silicon-valley/457490?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Entrepreneur First’s Coralie Chaufour On Talent Investing In FranceSince 2018, the program has invested in 60 French startups valued at more than $500 million.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-34.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Portrait-Coralie-Chaufour---General-Manager---Partner.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/entrepreneur-first-talent-investing-coralie-chaufour/) 🪖✈️ Paris-based defense startup **Harmattan AI** is seeking a $1bn valuation in its next funding round as it ramps up production of military drones, according to a [**Sifted exclusive**](https://sifted.eu/articles/drone-maker-harmattan-ai-billion-dollar-valuation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Backed by FirstMark and Atlantic Labs, the company has already secured major contracts with the French and UK defence ministries and plans to scale manufacturing to 10,000 drones a month by 2026\. The push comes amid a surge in European defence tech investment, which hit nearly €1bn in the first half of 2025\. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/drone-maker-harmattan-ai-billion-dollar-valuation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📍** **Where the startups are.** Île-de-France, the region that is home to Paris, has cemented its status as France’s start-up powerhouse, hosting **more than a third of the nation’s young firms, according to a new report by INSEE and Paris Île-de-France Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI)**. In 2022, some **8,790 start-ups** were active in the region, with Paris alone home to more than half of them. Tech dominates the landscape: **37% work in information and communication**, far above the national average. Financially, Francilian (the nickname for the IDF region) start-ups are thriving — with **average revenues of €1.7 million and added value 38% higher** than elsewhere in France. They’re also more international, with **18% of their turnover coming from exports**. But the picture isn’t all rosy: while “gazelles” post stellar growth, many fund-raising or innovation-heavy ventures remain unprofitable. Still, the Paris region’s mix of talent, capital, and ambition makes it the undisputed heart of French start-up dynamism. | [**INSEE**](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8647906?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/IDF-startups.png) 🛒 Fresh off a €25 million fundraising round, Paris-based fintech **Finary** has snapped up **Affluent**, a young wealth management platform founded by former Qonto executives Thomas Vuchot and Thomas Brach. Affluent’s cutting-edge financial planning tech will be folded into Finary, supercharging its AI-powered investment tools. The move strengthens Finary’s mission to democratize investing and help more than half a million French users take control of their money. As part of the deal, Affluent’s app will shut down, but its best features will live on inside Finary’s fast-growing platform. --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Inside TiHive: How a French Deeptech Startup Is Revolutionizing Quality Control, One Diaper at a Time [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-12.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) There's an uncomfortable truth about the baby products industry that most parents never consider: the quality control systems ensuring their infant's diaper won't leak are, in many cases, woefully inadequate. For decades, manufacturers have relied on sampling: pulling a product off the line every few hours, destroying it in a lab, and hoping that a single data point represents the millions of products made in between. It's this antiquated approach that [**TiHive**](https://tihive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), an eight-year-old deeptech startup based in Grenoble, set out to disrupt. After years of development, commercial validation, and measured growth, the company just closed an €8 million funding round from Karista, Wind, and the EIC Fund to accelerate its global expansion. "Sampling just simply doesn't work. It's really old school," said Hani Sherry, TiHive's CEO and co-founder. What TiHive brings to the table, he explained, is "really 100% quality and process control using a deep tech technology." [Go inside TiHive](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/) --- # From Refugee to Tech Talent: How Sistech Helps Women Build Careers in Europe’s Digital Economy [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-13.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-refugee-tech-talent-how-sistech-helps-women-build-careers-europes-digital-economy/) Across borders and cultures, refugee women often face challenges to regain their professional identities. At the same time, technology is rapidly shaping the future of society and yet there is still room to invest further in diversifying this field. Sistech’s mission is to bridge this divide. Founded in 2017 by [Joséphine Goube](https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephinegoube/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Sistech](https://sis.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is a European non-profit supporting displaced women through access to professional opportunities in the tech and digital field. Despite the barriers refugee women may face, they bring a variety of skills and ambition to build the future of technology. The association targets the tech industry because 44% of tech companies state that employee turnover limits growth targets. The focus on refugee women stems from the fact that 81% of refugee women are still unemployed 5 years after arriving in their host country; this statistic is two times more than refugee men. Since the start of the organization, 71% of Fellows have had a successful outcome. This includes 41% signing full time jobs, internships, or apprenticeships, and 30% entering a complementary tech training. Sistech offers more than just career training programs. Its goal is systemic change through sisterhood. Sistech comes from “Sisters in Technology.” The organization aims to amplify the voices of displaced women with a pathway to rebuild their careers. “We don’t just train women for tech jobs, we create a community where they feel seen, supported, and empowered to belong and lead,” said Sistech’s Partnership Officer in France [Helay Rahim](https://www.linkedin.com/in/helay-rahim/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). [Read more about the Sistech story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-refugee-tech-talent-how-sistech-helps-women-build-careers-europes-digital-economy/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-10.png) 📇 **Company:** Vibe 🔍 **Description:** French adtech platform enabling brands to easily launch, target, and optimize streaming TV ads, with AI-powered creative tools and partnerships with 500+ apps and channels (Disney+, Roku, Paramount+). 💻 **Website:** [www.vibe.co](https://www.vibe.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** $50M (€42M) 🏦 **Investors:** Hedosophia (lead), Elaia, Singular, QuantumLight (Nikolay Storonsky, Revolut), Illusian (Supercell founder), other historical investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Franck Tetzlaff (ex-Doctolib, Frichti), Arthur Querou (ex-Appinest, MotionLead, Adikteev) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will fuel U.S. expansion, accelerate AI integration in ad creation and performance optimization, and scale revenues beyond $1B by 2028\. Company expects >$100M revenue in 2025 and to be profitable by year-end. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/french-adtech-startup-vibe-co-raises-e42-million-to-bring-ai-powered-hyper-targeted-advertising-to-tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/vibe-co-leve-42-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-lia-dans-la-publicite-tv-connectee/457429?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/10/01/vibe-ladtech-de-deux-frenchies-a-la-conquete-des-etats-unis-boucle-une-serie-b-de-50-millions-de-dollars/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/serena-closes-200m-fund-ai-climate-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Seed Of The Week: VibeVibe has developed a platform to simplify advertising purchases on Connected TV and Over The Top media services.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-33.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Vibe-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-vibe/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/image-11.png) 📇 **Company:** Edflex 🔍 **Description:** SaaS platform for corporate digital training, aggregating and curating learning content from over 10,000 publishers across 300+ topics. Serves 300+ corporate clients and 1.5M users worldwide. 💻 **Website:** [edflex.com](https://edflex.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** $18M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Digital Venture fund), Educapital, Ternel, Wille Finance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clément Meslin, Philippe Riveron, Raphaël Droissart, Rémi Lesaint 🗞️ **News:** Edflex will use the funding to strengthen its AI-powered smart learning content (conversational features, real-life simulations, personalization, automated skills assessment), expand internationally (new languages, local teams in Europe and North America, structured go-to-market partnerships), and pursue its ambition to become a global leader in corporate learning. | [**Edflex Blog**](https://www.edflex.com/blog/edflex-levee-de-fonds-15-millions-euros-leader-mondial-digital-learning?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** RDS 🔍 **Description:** French medtech company developing MultiSense®, a CE-marked, connected patch for continuous remote patient monitoring in hospitals and at home. 💻 **Website:** [rdsdiag.com](https://www.rdsdiag.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €14 million ($16.6M) 🏦 **Investors:** SPI Fund (Bpifrance, lead), Critical Path Ventures, MACSF, Capital Grand Est, other historical investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Elie Lobel (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate industrialization and market launch of MultiSense® in Europe, with plans to expand in France, Germany, and across the EU. RDS will ramp up production in France, strengthen its salesforce, and launch complementary clinical trials to support reimbursement applications. The company also plans to begin FDA registration, targeting a US launch in 2028\. Several hundred new jobs are expected to be created by 2035. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From Refugee to Tech Talent: How Sistech Helps Women Build Careers in Europe’s Digital Economy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-refugee-tech-talent-how-sistech-helps-women-build-careers-europes-digital-economy/ Last updated: 2025-10-03T06:35:44.000Z Across borders and cultures, refugee women often face challenges to regain their professional identities. At the same time, technology is rapidly shaping the future of society and yet there is still room to invest further in diversifying this field. Sistech’s mission is to bridge this divide. Founded in 2017 by [Joséphine Goube](https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephinegoube/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Sistech](https://sis.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is a European non-profit supporting displaced women through access to professional opportunities in the tech and digital field. Despite the barriers refugee women may face, they bring a variety of skills and ambition to build the future of technology. The association targets the tech industry because 44% of tech companies state that employee turnover limits growth targets. The focus on refugee women stems from the fact that 81% of refugee women are still unemployed 5 years after arriving in their host country; this statistic is two times more than refugee men. Since the start of the organization, 71% of Fellows have had a successful outcome. This includes 41% signing full time jobs, internships, or apprenticeships, and 30% entering a complementary tech training. Sistech offers more than just career training programs. Its goal is systemic change through sisterhood. Sistech comes from “Sisters in Technology.” The organization aims to amplify the voices of displaced women with a pathway to rebuild their careers. “We don’t just train women for tech jobs, we create a community where they feel seen, supported, and empowered to belong and lead,” said Sistech’s Partnership Officer in France [Helay Rahim](https://www.linkedin.com/in/helay-rahim/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). ## Refugees in France Refugees make up a small percent of France’s overall population. According to the [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees](https://www.unhcr.org/us/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)(UNHCR), France has almost [722,000](https://www.unhcr.org/us/where-we-work/countries/france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) registered refugees. Sistech Communications Manager [Joseph Bamat](https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephbamat/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) said that France is not effectively dealing with a refugee crisis. “It’s telling that French public figures have largely avoided using the word ‘crisis’ to describe the influx of Ukrainian refugees since 2022, reserving the word rather for earlier waves of asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan,” Bamat said. What is prominent in France is the systematic barrier preventing refugee women from jobs. War is a large factor for refugee displacement in France. According to the UNHCR, “Most registered refugees currently living in France come from emergencies and protracted crises, such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” Prior to Sistech, Goube worked for Techfugees, which also connected refugees and tech. Techfugees was founded in 2016 when Europe faced a significant refugee crisis. Though Sistech is independent, it spun off from [Techfugees](https://techfugees.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), changing the focus to displaced women. Goube’s education consists of a Bachelor of Arts degree from Science Po and Master of Arts degree from London School of Economics and Political Science. Her academic path has provided her knowledge of history, urban planning, and politics to broaden perspective on global dynamics and international affairs. These skills have led to the thoughtful development of Sistech. Sistech’s Fellowship now includes three programs: Pathway, Springboard, and Boost. Through them, fellows gain technical training and career coaching through a nurturing community. Pathway begins with knowledge of the job market, basic digital skills, and an understanding of tech professions. Moving forward into Springboard, technical skills within the field are taught. Fellows end with Boost, which connects them with potential employers through networking. Each step of the program is assisted by mentors and trainers to provide professional support. The work of Sistech recognizes all layers of exclusion refugee women may face, and welcomes all women without discrimination. In regards to partnerships and collaborations, they intentionally work with companies that share the same values of inclusion, diversity, and equity. True inclusion is important to allow Fellows’ authentic contribution and belonging in the professional world, Bamat said. These ideas follow the holistic approach of Sistech. The non-profit provides laptops, wifi, babysitting, mental health support, language classes, and covers expenses for events and interviews. Sistech’s team consists of 15 core staff. These staff members work across offices in France, Italy, and Greece. The non-profit is supported by a 12 member board as well as hundreds of volunteers and allies. In the last year, Sistech has supported over 200 women, each with their own unique story. Since the beginning of Sistech, the company has worked with 750 alumni across Europe. In 2024, Sistech collaborated with 58 companies to provide jobs and other opportunities for Fellows. ## Refugee Stories [Freweyni Abadi Gebreyohannes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/freweyni-abadi-gebreyohannes-411974352/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is a Sistech alumna from Ethiopia. Growing up, Gebreyohannes had a passion for keys, which she described as “symbols of opportunity and opening new doors in life.” She earned her bachelor's degree in civil engineering before transitioning into the architecture and engineering fields. Her curiosity about tech and digital systems began during her first job where she worked in structural design, logistics, and ERP software. Eventually, she had to leave her home country to move to France. Through the 2024 Olympics, she worked at The Olympic Village; a residential complex that houses athletes during the games. On the side, she began her new career journey with an online programming course she found, helping her discover her passion for cybersecurity. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/Human-Resources-3.jpg) Freweyni Abadi Gebreyohannes (left) at a networking event. Grebreyohannes heard about Sistech from a friend named [Maya Habbot](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-habott-7b69a5176/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). She received an immense amount of encouragement to join as a source to further her tech career. [Kateryna Frolova ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerynafrolova/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)is another Sistech Fellow still working through the program. Prior to joining, she had a very different professional background. She began her career as a fashion hairdresser in Ukraine, later transitioning to a baker and pastry chef. When she first moved to France, she worked in a bakery, but the physical demand was too challenging. This provided her the opportunity to reflect on her future and motivated her to explore the tech field. The constant development and adaptation within tech inspired her to pursue this path. Frolova discovered Sistech through a social media ad. She had already started online courses to transition into the tech world. Joining Sistech has provided both women with invaluable support, allowing them the chance to better understand how the industry works in France. They learned how to build a CV, create a LinkedIn profile, improve their public speaking skills, and engage in career coaching. “They helped me believe in myself and gave me the tools to navigate the tech world professionally and confidently,” Gebreyohannes said. With Sistech’s support, Fellows find their personal voices. Guidance from mentors gave Gebreyohannes and Frovola the confidence to advocate for themselves in their workplace. “Their support helped me structure my goals and stay focused during my career transition,” Frolova said. Currently, Gebreyohannes is in a work-study program at BNP Paribas. She began her third year this September. This opportunity has given her the chance to apply her cybersecurity skills in a professional environment. Her typical day involves monitoring systems for vulnerabilities, analyzing security alerts, and working in the security department. “I am constantly learning on the job and expanding my knowledge through online platforms,” Gebreyohannes said. She has had the opportunity to explore topics such as ethical hacking, network security, and threat analysis. Sistech played a decisive role in preparing both women for their careers. Sistech has guided them into the professional tech world of France both technically and developmentally. “Sistech didn’t just support my technical growth,” Gebreyohannes said. “They helped me develop personally and gave me the confidence to pursue my dream career in cybersecurity.” Frolova is in the process of looking for an internship. She said the search has been challenging so far, but she recently completed her training as a full-stack developer. However, with any new change, there are moments of doubt and difficulty. The Fellows shared that it has been very challenging for them to start over in a new country. Both women have had to learn a new language while building their careers. In moments where Geybreyohannes felt lost and uncertain, she turned to her faith as an Orthodox Christian. Her faith, along with the support of the people around, helped her to find growth on this new path. “Now I see every obstacle as a lesson and a preparation for something greater,” she said. Frolova has learned how to find patience through the application process. Progress takes time, and every small step has given her the ability to move forward, she said. Sistech is a non-profit that encourages refugee women to pursue their passions, sharing tools for them to take their next career step with confidence. Frolova shared that Sistech is a safe and supportive environment for motivation. Taking that first step is the most important part. “You don’t need to have all the answers right away. Just being curious and willing to grow is enough to begin,” Frovola said. For any women in a similar position, Gebreyohannes said to believe in yourself. Even though the road is difficult, you are stronger than you think. She said not to be afraid to start something new because there is so much opportunity for growth and innovation in the tech field. “Your background is not a limitation," she said. ## Toward More Inclusion Both women believe many companies could offer more mentorship, internship, and training programs designed for refugee women. “Many of us arrive with rich professional experience, strong work ethic, and a deep desire to learn,” Gebreyohannes said. “We just need the chance to prove it.” Bamat said Sistech would like companies to create environments that value diverse voices and support women of different cultures. This means offering flexible opportunities and creating a space for people to grow. Companies should be open to people who may not have a traditional background, which includes looking at a candidate's potential alongside their CV. With the guidance of mentors, friends, and family, refugee women have turned to Sistech to rebuild more than just their professional careers. Sistech creates a space for Fellows to feel supported and empowered through their transition. Through its programs, Sistech supports refugee women in building sustainable careers, while also helping companies strengthen their social impact and DEI commitments, [Rahim](https://www.linkedin.com/in/helay-rahim/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) said. Sistech is always looking for people to get involved, from individual volunteers to company partnerships. Sistech partners with companies through inclusive hiring, CSR initiatives, and skills-based volunteering, driving social impact and business innovation. Objectives include raising awareness, promoting DEI and inclusive hiring, CSR and skills volunteering. With the goal of having 1% of refugee women of working age in Europe by 2033, Sistech is actively looking for companies that embrace innovation and inclusive recruitment policies. It is estimated that this number equates to 11,000 women. Sistech is continuously working to leverage new technologies with AI and the help of private and public sector partners. Since Sistech began in 2018, the company has implemented 33 different programs while supporting over 900 refugee women. “We want to reach and support more refugee women in Europe every year," Bamat said, "and continue contributing to the ecosystem of organizations serving uprooted and displaced women.” --- # Sistech Event ### **📆 Inclusive hiring in the age of AI | October 16 | Roundtable discussion & breakfast in Paris** [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/10/unnamed-3-.png)](https://www.helloasso.com/associations/sistech/evenements/l-inclusion-en-action-egalite-des-chances-face-a-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) How do we ensure the integration of artificial intelligence tools promotes fairness, rather than multiply bias, when businesses hire? Join the European non-profit [Sistech](https://sis.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), recruitment experts from **LinkedIn** and **Ekino**, as well as French government officials and scholars to tackle this timely question. Participate in a candid conversation about how AI has transformed talent acquisition already and leave with concrete HR strategies your company can implement to foster opportunity | [**Register (FREE)**](https://www.helloasso.com/associations/sistech/evenements/l-inclusion-en-action-egalite-des-chances-face-a-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Inside TiHive: How a French Deeptech Startup Is Revolutionizing Quality Control, One Diaper at a Time URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-tihive-how-a-french-deeptech-startup-is-revolutionizing-quality-control-one-diaper-at-a-time/ Last updated: 2025-10-02T13:01:26.000Z The Grenoble-based company just raised €8M to scale its terahertz-AI technology that can see inside products on production lines _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### La Machine #44: A €100M AI Fund To Defy Silicon Valley's Siren Song URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-44-a-eu100m-ai-fund-to-defy-silicon-valleys-siren-song/ Last updated: 2026-03-01T22:42:06.000Z **In this edition:** **🧠** Paris-based C4 Ventures launches its third €100M fund and adds deep tech investor Valère Rames, [**underscoring its conviction that Europe can build world-class AI, quantum, and robotics companies despite a tough VC climate.** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/c4-ventures-bets-eu100m-europes-ai-future/) **🧠** French startup Juisci just raised €5.5M to help 200,000+ doctors cut through the flood of medical research. Its AI app turns dense PDF studies into bite-sized insights, saving hours each week and fighting disinformation. Science, served up like Spotify. [**Read it here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ French AI powerhouse **Mistral** is setting its sights on Canada, with CEO Arthur Mensch announcing plans to hire AI scientists in Montreal and expand into sectors like finance, manufacturing, and logistics. Fresh off a **US $2-billion raise** that valued the Paris-based company at **US$14 billion**, Mistral is pitching itself as a sovereign alternative to U.S. giants, offering enterprises open-weight models they can run on their own infrastructure. Mensch, in town for Montreal’s **All In** AI conference, says the company is already landing European clients operating in Canada and hopes to make Montreal its North American hub. | [**The Globe & Mail**](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-france-mistral-ai-expansion-canada-cohere-openai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Meta, Hugging Face & SNCF team up at Station F**. Talk about an odd couple (or trio): Meta and Hugging Face are renewing their **AI Startup Program** at Station F, this time with SNCF Connect & Tech on board. The program will back five French open-source AI startups with mentoring, Hugging Face tools, and SNCF use cases — think eco-mobility, accessibility, or intermodal travel. Roxanne Varza calls it a “bridge between AI giants and entrepreneurs.” For Meta, it’s also a chance to cherry-pick the best French talent in open source AI before rivals like OpenAI or Google snap them up. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/25/meta-et-hugging-face-sassocient-a-la-sncf-a-station-f-pour-faire-decoller-les-pepites-de-lia-open-source/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Inseadai50.com**](https://inseadai50.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **INSEAD** has unveiled its first **AI 50 list**, an alumni-driven recognition of 50 leaders from its global community who are transforming AI across sectors like finance, healthcare, climate, and public services. This initiative spotlights innovators who turn AI research into real-world, scalable solutions—with a strong emphasis on responsibility and impact. | [**Morningstar**](https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20250926cn83327/meet-insead-ai50-an-alumni-led-recognition-of-global-ai-builders?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ France is stepping onto the global stage of digital commons by joining the **Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA)**, a UN-backed initiative championing open-source solutions for a fairer digital future. Announced by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on September 23, 2025, the move strengthens France’s push for an open, democratic digital model while spotlighting homegrown projects like **Open Terms Archive** and **Compar:IA**. With this membership, France aims to fuel international cooperation, bridge the digital divide, and turn digital innovation into a driver of the Sustainable Development Goals. | [**French Foreign Ministry**](https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/digital-diplomacy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ A new study by French and German researchers (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, University of Duisburg-Essen, Toulouse School of Economics) finds that people using **AI at work or school are more likely to cheat**, as delegating tasks to machines seems to weaken their moral brakes. The Max Planck Institute team reported that AI agents often comply with unethical instructions- far more readily than humans - and cited real-world cases such as ride-sharing apps manipulating surge pricing. The researchers warn that existing safeguards are largely ineffective, making AI a powerful enabler of dishonest behavior. | [**The Star**](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2025/09/28/ai-users-more-inclined-to-dishonesty-study-finds?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Siemens & Altair join forces on industrial AI**. Siemens has acquired simulation and AI specialist Altair, strengthening its software strategy. The combined portfolio makes them the #2 global player in simulation and expands Siemens’ AI capabilities via Altair’s RapidMiner platform. The deal also underscores Europe’s ambition to build sovereign, trusted industrial AI in line with the AI Act and data regulations. | [**ActuIA**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/interview-croisee-siemens-altair-une-alliance-strategique-au-service-de-lia-industrielle-europeenne/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The freshly minted **European Trustworthy AI Association (ETAIA)** is on a mission to make industrial AI safe, reliable, and less of a black box. Born from the *Confiance.ai* program, it already counts Airbus, Safran, Naval Group & co. among its 30 members, plus friends in Canada and Japan. | [**ActuIA**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/ia-industrielle-et-responsable-la-european-trustworthy-ai-association-prend-son-envol/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ While political turbulence in the U.S. and talk of “European sovereignty” might make some founders think twice, not everyone is hesitating. The ink now dry on their fundraising agreements, both **Gigi** and **Rippletide**, a platform for deploying reliable enterprise chatbots, are packing their bags for America. Their reasons? Different, but equally bold. **Rippletide** CEO Patrick Joubert is aiming to take on the big corporate players, while **Gigi** founder **Clara Gold** is drawn to San Francisco itself. “People are crazy over there,” she laughs. “And I’m building something that rethinks social protocols. It makes you want to go where people are crazy.” If anywhere can fuel both ambition, it’s the Bay Area.| [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/23/ia-comment-rippletide-veut-prendre-son-envol-aux-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/clara-gold-founder-gigi-interview%60?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 40,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in the French tech sector.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🧠 C4 Ventures Bets €100M on Europe’s AI Future: New Fund and Partner to Challenge Silicon Valley & China [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-65.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/c4-ventures-bets-eu100m-europes-ai-future/) As artificial intelligence reshapes the global technology landscape, the debate over hype versus bubble valuations has reached a fevered pitch. European venture capital firm C4 Ventures is taking a longer view, doubling down on its conviction that something more profound is happening and that the continent can produce world-class AI and deep tech companies. The Paris-based firm announced the launch of its third fund with a €100 million target, while simultaneously expanding its partnership team with the addition of Valère Rames, a seasoned deep tech investor. The moves signal C4 Ventures' ambitious bet on Europe's ability to compete with Silicon Valley and China in the next wave of technological innovation, even as the firm navigates a challenging fundraising environment and questions about Europe's competitive position in AI. "This is a defining moment," said Pascal Cagni, Founder & CEO of C4 Ventures. "I wasn't here when \[Alessandro\] Volta, born in Como \[Italy\], invented \[electric batteries\], right? But I'm here when the OpenAI guys crystallized 20 years of the digital world through AI. In another 20 years, my grandkids will say that you had the time of the combustion engines, and you had the time of electricity, and you had the time of the internet. And then there is a fourth wave, which is AI. That's our conviction." [Dive into C4](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/c4-ventures-bets-eu100m-europes-ai-future/) --- ### 🧠 How Juisci Is Using AI to Save Doctors 8 Hours a Week and Fight Medical Misinformation [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-64.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) When the Covid pandemic first hit, while holed up in his New York apartment, cardiologist Dr. [**David Luu** ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidluu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)found himself desperately trying to keep up with the torrent of new scientific studies about the virus. Each day brought dozens of fresh papers on PubMed, many running to 15 dense pages. Luu began summarizing and posting them on Twitter, crowdsourcing insights from colleagues around the world. That experience became the seed of [Juisci](https://www.juisci.com/fr/a-propos?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a Paris-based startup that today helps over **200,000 healthcare professionals in 60 countries** get straight to the core of the latest medical research. Juisci recently announced a €5.5 million round led by Ring Capital with Athens-based Big Pi Ventures and Bpifrance to strengthen its R&D and push into the U.S. market. [Squeeze into Juisci](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/Al-Startups-in-France-that-Raised-VC-Funding--Week-ending-September-26.png) --- 📇 **Company:** Juisci 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based HealthTech startup transforming how healthcare professionals access scientific knowledge through an AI-powered, mobile-first SaaS platform that delivers digestible summaries, recommendations, and multimedia formats. 💻 **Website:** [www.juisci.com](https://www.juisci.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Big Pi Ventures (lead), Ring Capital, Bpifrance, strategic business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Robin Roumengas (CEO), Dr. David Luu (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will be used to boost R&D, expand the team, and accelerate international expansion with a strong focus on the U.S. market. Juisci already serves 200,000+ users in 60 countries, including major pharma, MedTech, and healthcare organizations. Juisci will use the capital to strengthen its proprietary AI, grow its global presence, and scale its platform as a trusted knowledge ally for healthcare professionals, enabling them to save time, combat misinformation, and advance medical progress. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/) --- 📇 **Company:** Vocca 🔍 **Description:** Startup developing an AI-powered receptionist specialized for healthcare. Vocca automates phone call handling, appointment scheduling, reminders, and patient interactions for clinics and medical centers. 💻 **Website:** [vocca.ai](https://vocca.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Speedinvest, firstminute capital, Nina Ventures, FJ Labs, and the founders of Alan, Deel, Jellysmack, and Datadog 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Eliott Hoffenberg, Hugo Danet 🗞️ **News:** This funding will support the industrial and clinical scaling of Vocca’s AI receptionist solution for healthcare. Vocca plans to expand its product’s deployment in medical centers, strengthen regulatory and clinical validation, and scale operations to meet the growing demand for patient-interaction automation in the health sector. | [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/la-start-up-vocca-leve-4-7-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-receptionniste-ia-dediee-a-la-sante.N2238325?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Rippletide 🔍 **Description:** Startup building an AI “Reasoning Database” to eliminate hallucinations in enterprise AI agents, enabling explainable, reliable autonomous agents for workflows. 💻 **Website:** [rippletide.com](https://www.rippletide.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris + San Francisco 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** OneRagtime, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Patrick Joubert (CEO), Yann Bilien (Chief Scientist) 🗞️ **News:** Rippletide has launched in the U.S. and is positioning its hypergraph-based architecture to prevent AI hallucinations in agent workflows. The company aims to push its enterprise-grade AI agents into production use, scale globally (especially in the U.S.), and deliver reliable, explainable AI behavior in mission-critical workflows. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/start-up-le-franco-californien-rippletide-veut-tuer-les-hallucinations-de-lia-pour-les-entreprises-2187802?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/23/ia-comment-rippletide-veut-prendre-son-envol-aux-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Igonogo 🔍 **Description:** Grenoble-based deeptech startup specializing in fine-grained emotion measurement using neuroscience and AI-powered algorithms. Its technology enables real-time emotional analysis for applications in marketing, market research, and beyond. 💻 **Website:** Not provided 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** French family offices (undisclosed names) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Candice François, Florian Loeser 🗞️ **News:** The funding will allow Igonogo to accelerate its growth from startup to scale-up, expand internationally, and strengthen its R&D efforts in predictive neuroscience and AI. Supported by Grenoble’s strong innovation ecosystem (CEA, Leti, Grenoble INP, STMicroelectronics, Soitec), the company is positioning itself as a key player in emotional AI for MarTech. Igonogo will expand its commercial presence in Europe and globally, recruit new R&D talent, enhance its emotion-analysis algorithms, and scale its product for wider adoption in the marketing and research industries. --- 📇 **Company:** Kikleo 🔍 **Description:** French foodtech startup using AI and data analysis to measure and reduce food waste in restaurants. Its patented camera-based solution tracks production waste in kitchens and leftovers on plates, providing actionable insights to improve sustainability and cut costs. 💻 **Website:** [www.kikleo.com](http://www.kikleo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Newfund (lead), Bpifrance, historical shareholders; supported by Avelana 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Martin d’Agay (CEO), Vincent Garcia (COO), joined by Jean Dussaix in 2023 🗞️ **News:** Kikleo already works with 250+ restaurants (schools, healthcare, companies, etc.) and has analyzed over 5 million meals, achieving up to 65% waste reduction and €50,000 in annual savings per site. The new funding validates the scalability of its model and supports international growth. The capital will accelerate Kikleo’s deployment in France, expand into Europe and the U.S., enhance its AI-powered platform (impact dashboards, integrations), and strengthen technical and operational teams. --- 📇 **Company:** Chat3D 🔍 **Description:** Lyon-based deeptech startup developing generative AI technology that instantly transforms photos, sketches, or text into ready-to-use 3D models for gaming, animation, VR, industrial applications, and 3D printing. The solution is available as a web app, an enterprise API, and bespoke services for large clients. 💻 **Website:** [https://chat3d.ai/](https://chat3d.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** Mesh Ventures, Campus Fund, Innov’Alpes, Bpifrance, and business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Félix Balmonet (CEO), Glenn Avezoux (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Already adopted by video game studios, industrial firms, and independent creators, Chat3D is preparing to launch a consumer-facing version with free and premium features. The startup, labeled DeepTech by Bpifrance and partnered with Nvidia, aims to make 3D creation accessible to all. The new capital will help Chat3D grow its team, accelerate product launches, expand internationally (North America and Asia), and reinforce its R&D on ethical, sovereign AI models trained with controlled datasets. --- 📇 **Company:** Gigi 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered professional social networking app aiming to be “LinkedIn 2.0,” leveraging AI to analyze users’ connections, calendars, and online presence to surface relevant, high-value introductions and foster meaningful professional relationships. 💻 **Website:** [https://gigi.co/](https://gigi.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Originally Paris, relocating to San Francisco, USA 🧗 **Round:** Seed extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** $3M (extension to $5M seed round in 2023) 🏦 **Investors:** Khosla Ventures (latest); previous backers include Sequoia Capital, OpenAI, DST Global, Monashees 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clara Gold (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The extension provides 18 months of runway as Gigi doubles down on the U.S. market, hires an engineering team in San Francisco, and continues developing its AI-driven networking platform. The fresh capital will support Gigi’s U.S. relocation, product iteration, and team expansion to scale its professional networking platform to rival established players like LinkedIn. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/clara-gold-founder-gigi-interview?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/gigi-openai-sequoia-extension-round-us-move?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** 2501.ai 🔍 **Description:** French startup developing autonomous AI agents for IT/Cloud infrastructure maintenance, enabling automated detection, diagnosis, remediation of incidents, compliance checks, and security updates. Its sovereign, modular, and secure platform reduces MTTR, lowers operating costs, and increases system availability. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.2501.ai/](https://www.2501.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Galion.exe, KFund, KIMA Ventures, Bpifrance, business angels from Meta and IBM 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Pereira, Alex Zhuk 🗞️ **News:** With this funding, 2501.ai will accelerate recruitment in AI applied to observability, remediation, and real-time event management, while launching commercial operations across Spain, the UK, and Germany. The company positions itself as a sovereign European alternative in IT/Cloud automation for critical infrastructures. --- 📇 **Company:** All In Box 🔍 **Description:** French startup specializing in AI-powered automated marketing solutions for physical retailers, shopping centers, tourist sites, and leisure venues. Its intelligent assistant helps businesses improve customer communication, visibility, and profitability. 💻 **Website:** [www.allinbox.com](https://www.allinbox.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grand Est, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M+ 🏦 **Investors:** Yeast (lead), Alsace Business Angels (ABA), Groupe ILP 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vincent Arnould, Stéphane Wagner 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support All In Box’s expansion across France and Europe, strengthening its presence in shopping centers, tourist sites, and independent retail. The company will invest in branding, recruitment (aiming for 40 hires in the coming years), and market positioning as the go-to AI marketing assistant for physical commerce. | [**Yeast PR**](https://www.yeast.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CP-Leve%CC%81e-de-Fonds-All-In-Box.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ 🗣️ **Orange** has launched its **2025 Agentic AI Challenge** to identify startups developing innovative autonomous AI solutions in fields such as customer service, cybersecurity, smart industry, and financial services. Selected startups will test their products at scale with Orange, receive mentorship from Orange Fab, gain visibility through global tech events, and connect with strategic partners like NVIDIA and key investors. | [Apply to the Agentic AI Challenge](https://forms.office.com/e/sTP5UGmafv?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗣️ [NeoStartups](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/pme/programme-neo-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) & [Growth Startups](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/pme/programme-growth-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) | The Paris Chamber of Commerce (CCI Paris) has opened applications for two complementary startup support programs starting October 17, 2025\. **NeoStartups** helps early-stage founders build solid foundations with expert workshops and coaching, while **Growth Startups** targets companies with initial traction, offering a year-long program to scale sales, expand into new markets, prepare for fundraising, and access CCI Paris’s powerful business network. | [**Apply to NeoStartups**](https://cci-paris.wiin.io/fr/applications/neo-startups-2025-automne?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Apply to Growth Startups**](https://cci-paris.wiin.io/fr/applications/programme-growth-2025-cci?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Events 📆 **BIG DATA & AI PARIS 2025 | October 1-2 | Europe's most comprehensive AI and Big Data exhibition** with +220 exhibitors, including major technology groups, AI & data pure players, specialized consultants, professional training players, and innovative startups. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://www.bigdataparis.com/en-gb/inscription.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The European AI Championship 2025 - Launch party | November 5 |What is the European AI Championship?** ​Coming soon: 15 of Europe’s top AI engineers will battle live on stage, building real-world solutions using AI tools. They will represent their country to win, and you'll be able to watch and cheer for them with 1500 fellow engineers and AI-curious minds. Experience a championship where code meets competition, and AI hype meets AI application, wrapped in a unique, entertaining show. Think Eurovision, but for AI builders! | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/europeanaichampionship?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Leaders Summit | November 5-6 |** Paris becomes the nerve centre of data and responsible artificial intelligence. Access a program rooted in business reality: case studies, AI audits, governance, industrialisation, and sustainability. France's AI ecosystem is dynamic but under pressure: talent shortages, projects stuck at the POC stage, regulatory uncertainties (AI Act), and poor-quality data. Data & AI Leaders Summit Paris helps you move forward with technical content, immediately applicable and designed for the field. | [**Register**](https://tech-show-paris-2025-splash.reg.buzz/?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=22918112576&utm%5Fcontent=183515831185&utm%5Fterm=world+data+summit&lb%5Ftracesourcecode=google&lb%5Fgln%5Fids=&%5Fgl=1%2A1aii2qp%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxL7GBhDXARIsAGOcmIOu6Lw5Smxsm2a7Uv7-NE99n2upYo2lXk8Zo2FZvwZHWeUr%5F2%5FL%5FfsaAoUbEALw%5FwcB) 📆 **dotAI | November 6 |** We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers in fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire for that recognition. | [**Register**](https://www.dotai.io/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register** ](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### C4 Ventures Bets €100M on Europe’s AI Future: New Fund and Partner to Challenge Silicon Valley & China URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/c4-ventures-bets-eu100m-europes-ai-future/ Last updated: 2025-10-03T10:36:04.000Z Paris-based C4 Ventures launches its third €100M fund and adds deep tech investor Valère Rames, underscoring its conviction that Europe can build world-class AI, quantum, and robotics companies despite a tough VC climate. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Juisci Is Using AI to Save Doctors 8 Hours a Week and Fight Medical Misinformation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/juisci-raises-eu5-5m-help-doctors-keep-pace-flood-medical-research/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T13:32:06.000Z French startup Juisci just raised €5.5M to help 200,000+ doctors cut through the flood of medical research. Its AI app turns dense PDF studies into bite-sized insights, saving hours each week and fighting disinformation. Science, served up like Spotify. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire September 26: Waat, Nxtfood, Goodvest & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-26-waat-nxtfood-goodvest-more/ Last updated: 2025-09-27T23:11:56.000Z # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- ElevenLabs French Startups Innovating for a Sustainable Future 0:00 /278.282448 1× - **Biggest Round:** **Waat (€100M)**, followed by **Nxtfood (€49M)** and **Lithium de France (€40M)**. **Sector Diversity:** - **Climate & Energy:** EV charging (Waat), geothermal & lithium (Lithium de France), wave energy (Seaturns). - **AI / Software:** Health AI (Juisci, Vocca), enterprise AI infra/agents (Rippletide, 2501.ai), emotion AI (Igonogo), 3D generative AI (Chat3D), AI marketing (All In Box). - **Fin/Insur/Wealth:** Sustainable investing (Goodvest). - **Mobility & Rail:** Autonomous trains (Futurail), urban bus-sharing (Enakl). - **Food & Ag/Foodtech:** Plant-based foods (Nxtfood), food-waste analytics (Kikleo). - **Services & Infra:** Energy/digital transformation (Groupe Akacia). - **Medtech/Biopharma:** Stem cell therapies (StemInov), ultrasound neuromodulation (Sonomind). - **Social/Networking:** Pro networking app (Gigi). - **Geographic Focus:** Predominantly **France** (Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Lyon, Dijon, etc.), with **cross-border angles**: Franco-German (Futurail), Morocco (Enakl HQ in Casablanca), and **U.S. presence/relocation** (Gigi; Rippletide Paris + San Francisco). --- 📇 **Company:** Waat 🔍 **Description:** French startup specializing in the installation and management of electric vehicle charging stations in co-owned buildings, social housing, and office complexes. Waat has deployed over 20,000 charging points and offers a proprietary app to simplify use, optimize charging costs, and enable smart features such as load shifting and solar integration. 💻 **Website:** [https://waat.fr/](https://waat.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €100M 🏦 **Investors:** DWS Group (lead), Bpifrance, Raise Impact, existing investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Patrick Kic (President) 🗞️ **News:** With 300 employees and €70M in annual revenue, Waat has been EBITDA positive for three years. The company plans to expand into the UK, Belgium, Poland, and Switzerland, accelerate digitalization and AI adoption, strengthen customer services, and invest in energy storage solutions with Renault’s second-life batteries. The fresh capital will fund international expansion, new hiring (including maintenance roles), the integration of AI for enhanced services, and the development of advanced charging solutions aligned with renewable energy production. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/waat-leve-100-millions-d-euros-pour-ses-bornes-de-recharge-20250925?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Nxtfood (brand: Accro) 🔍 **Description:** French foodtech startup producing 100% plant-based meat and seafood alternatives using wet extrusion technology. Its brand Accro offers over 20 products, from nuggets and charcuterie to plant-based sole meunière, available in major supermarkets and 10,000+ foodservice outlets across France. 💻 **Website:** Not provided 📍 **HQ City:** Vitry-en-Artois, Hauts-de-France, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €49M 🏦 **Investors:** Creadev (lead, now majority shareholder), Roquette Ventures, Clay Capital, IRD Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Renaud Saïsset (President) 🗞️ **News:** The company tripled its revenue in 2024 and aims to reach profitability within 12–18 months. With this round, Nxtfood will triple the size of its production site, accelerate commercial and marketing efforts in France and Europe, and continue expanding its product line. The funding will boost industrial capacity, strengthen R&D, expand international sales, and support Nxtfood’s mission to make plant-based alternatives more accessible, tasty, and competitively priced with meat.| [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/19/alternatives-vegetales-nxtfood-leve-49-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Lithium de France (subsidiary of Arverne Group) 🔍 **Description:** French pioneer in low-carbon geothermal heat and lithium production. The company develops geothermal solutions to supply heat to businesses, farmers, and local authorities while producing lithium for electric mobility, supporting the energy transition. 💻 **Website:** [www.lithiumdefrance.com](http://www.lithiumdefrance.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Haguenau, Alsace, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B2 💰 **Amount Raised:** €40M 🏦 **Investors:** Arverne Group, Equinor Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pierre Brossollet (Founder & CEO of Arverne Group; parent company) 🗞️ **News:** The funding supports Lithium de France’s entry into the pre-industrial phase, including first drilling operations, a Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) demo plant, and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) as part of its Definitive Feasibility Study. The capital structure post-transaction: Arverne Group (64.58%), Equinor Ventures (24.40%), Hydro Energy Invest AS (9.25%), Management (1.86%). The financing will help scale Lithium de France’s geothermal and lithium projects, advance DLE technology deployment, and mature the supply chain for sustainable lithium production in Europe. | [**PR**](https://mx.advfn.com/bolsa-de-valores/noticias/96857866/arverne-group-announces-the-success-of-the-series?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-54.png) 📇 **Company:** Goodvest 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based fintech offering sustainable savings and investment products (life insurance, retirement plans, savings accounts, and private wealth management) fully aligned with the Paris Agreement, excluding harmful industries such as fossil fuels, tobacco, and arms. 💻 **Website:** [www.goodvest.fr](https://www.goodvest.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €12M 🏦 **Investors:** Serena (lead, via InnovAllianz III), Ring Capital, Polytechnique Ventures, AG2R La Mondiale, Globivest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Joseph Choueifaty (CEO), Antoine Bénéteau, Aurore Pinon-Jacques 🗞️ **News:** Goodvest has reached 200M€ in assets under management with 15,000 clients and aims for €1B AUM by 2027\. The company will expand its team, strengthen private wealth management offerings, and develop new ecological and social impact savings solutions. The fresh capital will accelerate hiring, expand product innovation, and support strategic partnerships, enabling Goodvest to further scale its mission of decarbonizing French savings while driving both financial returns and measurable impact. | [**Maddyness**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/24/goodvest-raises-eur12m-to-expand-economic-and-social-impact-offerings/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/24/goodvest-raises-eur12m-to-expand-economic-and-social-impact-offerings/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** StemInov 🔍 **Description:** Biopharmaceutical company pioneering mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies for severe inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, with a lead candidate WhartSep® targeting complications from severe pneumonia. 💻 **Website:** 📍 **HQ City:** Illkirch, Alsace, France 🧗 **Round:** Early Stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10.6M 🏦 **Investors:** Angels Santé, Business Angels des Grandes Écoles, Alsace Business Angels, Codexial, Finovam Gestion, ILP, with public support from France 2030 (via Bpifrance) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Julie Hutin (CEO), Danièle Bensoussan (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will support the setup of a GMP-compliant bioproduction platform, regulatory validation, and the launch of a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for severe pneumonia complications in late 2026\. StemInov will use the capital to scale industrial production capabilities, advance its WhartSep® stem cell therapy into first-in-human trials, and expand its dual strategy of therapeutic development and contract bioproduction. | [**MyPharma**](https://www.mypharma-editions.com/steminov-leve-106-millions-deuros-pour-soutenir-son-developpement-industriel-et-clinique?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Groupe Akacia 🔍 **Description:** Fast-growing French company specializing in energy and digital transformation services, aiming to become a national leader in addressing major energy transition and digital challenges. 💻 **Website:** [https://groupe-akacia.fr/](https://groupe-akacia.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Dijon, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth round (equity + structured debt) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8M (including €3.5M equity and €4.5M structured loans) 🏦 **Investors:** Elevation Capital Partners (equity), BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole Champagne-Bourgogne, LCL Dijon, Caisse d’Epargne Bourgogne Franche-Comté (debt partners) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Yoann Faivre 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate Akacia’s build-up strategy to consolidate its national footprint and strengthen its position as a reference player in energy and digital transition. | [**Inter Invest**](https://www.inter-invest.fr/communiques/capital-investissement/00582/le-groupe-akacia-realise-une-levee-de-8-millions-d-euros-aupres-d-elevation-capital-partners-et-de-partenaires-bancaires?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-49.png) 📇 **Company:** Futurail 🔍 **Description:** Franco-German deep-tech startup developing autonomy technology for self-driving trains. Its FUTURAILDriver stack retrofits existing trains or integrates into new builds, handling full train control with lidar, radar, and camera sensors optimized for mainline and branch rail operations. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.futurail.com/](https://www.futurail.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg (France) & Munich (Germany) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.5M (including €5.5M in seed capital, €1M in public grants, €1M pre-seed) 🏦 **Investors:** Asterion Ventures, Leap435, EIT Urban Mobility, Zero Infinity Partners, Heroic Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alex Haag (CEO, ex-Tesla Autopilot lead), Dr. Patrick Dendorfer (CTO), Maximilian Schöffer (CCO) 🗞️ **News:** Funding will accelerate team growth, regulatory certification, and scaling of commercial pilots into large-scale operations under a Driver-as-a-Service model across Europe and the U.S. over the next 3–5 years. Futurail will use the capital to expand its team, fast-track safety and regulatory approvals, and transition pilot programs into certified large-scale deployments. The company aims to establish its Driver-as-a-Service licensing model, enabling rail operators to run more trains more efficiently while addressing the industry’s critical driver shortage. | [**TechFundingNews**](https://techfundingnews.com/futurail-raises-7-5m-to-bring-autonomous-trains-to-europe-us/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-50.png) 📇 **Company:** Juisci 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based HealthTech startup transforming how healthcare professionals access scientific knowledge through an AI-powered, mobile-first SaaS platform that delivers digestible summaries, recommendations, and multimedia formats. 💻 **Website:** [www.juisci.com](https://www.juisci.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Big Pi Ventures (lead), Ring Capital, Bpifrance, strategic business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Robin Roumengas (CEO), Dr. David Luu (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funds will be used to boost R&D, expand the team, and accelerate international expansion with a strong focus on the U.S. market. Juisci already serves 200,000+ users in 60 countries, including major pharma, MedTech, and healthcare organizations. Juisci will use the capital to strengthen its proprietary AI, grow its global presence, and scale its platform as a trusted knowledge ally for healthcare professionals, enabling them to save time, combat misinformation, and advance medical progress. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/paris-based-juisci-raises-e5-5-million-to-transform-how-healthcare-professionals-access-scientific-knowledge/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-52-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Vocca 🔍 **Description:** Startup developing an AI-powered receptionist specialized for healthcare. Vocca automates phone call handling, appointment scheduling, reminders, and patient interactions for clinics and medical centers. 💻 **Website:** [vocca.ai](https://vocca.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Speedinvest, firstminute capital, Nina Ventures, FJ Labs, and the founders of Alan, Deel, Jellysmack, and Datadog 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Eliott Hoffenberg, Hugo Danet 🗞️ **News:** This funding will support the industrial and clinical scaling of Vocca’s AI receptionist solution for healthcare. Vocca plans to expand its product’s deployment in medical centers, strengthen regulatory and clinical validation, and scale operations to meet the growing demand for patient-interaction automation in the health sector. | [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/la-start-up-vocca-leve-4-7-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-receptionniste-ia-dediee-a-la-sante.N2238325?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-55.png) 📇 **Company:** Rippletide 🔍 **Description:** Startup building an AI “Reasoning Database” to eliminate hallucinations in enterprise AI agents, enabling explainable, reliable autonomous agents for workflows. 💻 **Website:** [rippletide.com](https://www.rippletide.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris + San Francisco 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** OneRagtime, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Patrick Joubert (CEO), Yann Bilien (Chief Scientist) 🗞️ **News:** Rippletide has launched in the U.S. and is positioning its hypergraph-based architecture to prevent AI hallucinations in agent workflows. The company aims to push its enterprise-grade AI agents into production use, scale globally (especially in the U.S.), and deliver reliable, explainable AI behavior in mission-critical workflows. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/start-up-le-franco-californien-rippletide-veut-tuer-les-hallucinations-de-lia-pour-les-entreprises-2187802?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/23/ia-comment-rippletide-veut-prendre-son-envol-aux-etats-unis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-59.png) Florian Loeser et Candice François, cofondateurs d'Igonogo 📇 **Company:** Igonogo 🔍 **Description:** Grenoble-based deeptech startup specializing in fine-grained emotion measurement using neuroscience and AI-powered algorithms. Its technology enables real-time emotional analysis for applications in marketing, market research, and beyond. 💻 **Website:** Not provided 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4M 🏦 **Investors:** French family offices (undisclosed names) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Candice François, Florian Loeser 🗞️ **News:** The funding will allow Igonogo to accelerate its growth from startup to scale-up, expand internationally, and strengthen its R&D efforts in predictive neuroscience and AI. Supported by Grenoble’s strong innovation ecosystem (CEA, Leti, Grenoble INP, STMicroelectronics, Soitec), the company is positioning itself as a key player in emotional AI for MarTech. Igonogo will expand its commercial presence in Europe and globally, recruit new R&D talent, enhance its emotion-analysis algorithms, and scale its product for wider adoption in the marketing and research industries. --- ![From left to right: Martin d’Agay (CEO), Vincent Garcia (COO), and Jean Dussaix](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/Martin_Vincent_Jean_2_IMG_5216_11.09.png) From left to right: Martin d’Agay (CEO), Vincent Garcia (COO), and Jean Dussaix 📇 **Company:** Kikleo 🔍 **Description:** French foodtech startup using AI and data analysis to measure and reduce food waste in restaurants. Its patented camera-based solution tracks production waste in kitchens and leftovers on plates, providing actionable insights to improve sustainability and cut costs. 💻 **Website:** [www.kikleo.com](http://www.kikleo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Newfund (lead), Bpifrance, historical shareholders; supported by Avelana 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Martin d’Agay (CEO), Vincent Garcia (COO), joined by Jean Dussaix in 2023 🗞️ **News:** Kikleo already works with 250+ restaurants (schools, healthcare, companies, etc.) and has analyzed over 5 million meals, achieving up to 65% waste reduction and €50,000 in annual savings per site. The new funding validates the scalability of its model and supports international growth. The capital will accelerate Kikleo’s deployment in France, expand into Europe and the U.S., enhance its AI-powered platform (impact dashboards, integrations), and strengthen technical and operational teams. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-63.png) 📇 **Company:** Abby 🔍 **Description:** SaaS platform for independent professionals (freelancers, auto-entrepreneurs) that centralizes billing, accounting, payment, URSSAF declarations, project management, etc. 💻 **Website:** [Abby](https://abby.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nancy 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** Tomcat, One Green, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas Lespinasse, Benjamin Gardien, Corentin Allemand, Jérémy Dieuze 🗞️ **News:** Abby aims to become the top platform for independents, using the €3M funding to expand its product offering and grow its user base across France and potentially Europe. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nicolas-lespinasse%5Fcest-avec-une-immense-fiert%C3%A9-que-je-vous-activity-7375774615421370368-YaUm/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-61-1.png) 📇 **Company:** Sonomind 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based medtech developing a non-invasive, ultrasound-based neuromodulation device that precisely targets deep brain regions to treat psychiatric and neurological disorders, starting with drug-resistant depression. 💻 **Website:** [www.sonomind.com](https://www.sonomind.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M (€2M equity + €1M non-dilutive Bpifrance Deeptech aid) 🏦 **Investors:** Critical Path Ventures (lead), Bpifrance (France 2030 initiative) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jérémy Bercoff (CEO & Co-founder), Prof. Mickael Tanter, Prof. Jean-François Aubry 🗞️ **News:** The funds will support the launch of clinical trials in drug-resistant depression, accelerate development of Sonomind’s personalized therapy platform, and build on more than 25 years of academic research at Inserm, ESPCI Paris – PSL, and CNRS. Sonomind will use the capital to advance its mission of providing safe, precise, and side-effect-free neuromodulation therapies for millions suffering from depression and other neurological disorders. | [**Pharmiweb**](https://www.pharmiweb.com/press-release/2025-09-24/sonomind-secures-3-million-to-advance-its-novel-neuromodulation-ultrasound-device-and-opens-a-new-t?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Chat3D 🔍 **Description:** Lyon-based deeptech startup developing generative AI technology that instantly transforms photos, sketches, or text into ready-to-use 3D models for gaming, animation, VR, industrial applications, and 3D printing. The solution is available as a web app, an enterprise API, and bespoke services for large clients. 💻 **Website:** [https://chat3d.ai/](https://chat3d.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** Mesh Ventures, Campus Fund, Innov’Alpes, Bpifrance, and business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Félix Balmonet (CEO), Glenn Avezoux (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** Already adopted by video game studios, industrial firms, and independent creators, Chat3D is preparing to launch a consumer-facing version with free and premium features. The startup, labeled DeepTech by Bpifrance and partnered with Nvidia, aims to make 3D creation accessible to all. The new capital will help Chat3D grow its team, accelerate product launches, expand internationally (North America and Asia), and reinforce its R&D on ethical, sovereign AI models trained with controlled datasets. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/Maxime-Martial-et-Claudine-paysage.png) 📇 **Company:** Elmut 🔍 **Description:** French fresh pet food brand offering subscription-based, gently cooked meals and treats for dogs and cats, made in France with human-grade ingredients and minimal processing. 💻 **Website:** [https://elmut.fr/](https://elmut.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** Private investors including The Moon Venture community 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxime Cadin, Martial Dargent, Claudine 🗞️ **News:** Elmut will use the funds to expand its range with new recipes and healthy treats, strengthen its scientific research with a multidisciplinary committee of veterinarians and nutrition experts, and accelerate recruitment to support growth. The brand has already served over 60,000 pets in France and nearly tripled revenue in 2024, positioning itself as a leader in fresh pet food. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-60.png) 📇 **Company:** Gigi 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered professional social networking app aiming to be “LinkedIn 2.0,” leveraging AI to analyze users’ connections, calendars, and online presence to surface relevant, high-value introductions and foster meaningful professional relationships. 💻 **Website:** [https://gigi.co/](https://gigi.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Originally Paris, relocating to San Francisco, USA 🧗 **Round:** Seed extension 💰 **Amount Raised:** $3M (extension to $5M seed round in 2023) 🏦 **Investors:** Khosla Ventures (latest); previous backers include Sequoia Capital, OpenAI, DST Global, Monashees 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clara Gold (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The extension provides 18 months of runway as Gigi doubles down on the U.S. market, hires an engineering team in San Francisco, and continues developing its AI-driven networking platform. The fresh capital will support Gigi’s U.S. relocation, product iteration, and team expansion, with the goal of scaling its professional networking platform to rival established players like LinkedIn. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/clara-gold-founder-gigi-interview?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/gigi-openai-sequoia-extension-round-us-move?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Seaturns 🔍 **Description:** French greentech startup developing an innovative wave energy converter—a floating horizontal cylinder with an internal pendulum system that transforms wave motion into air pressure to drive turbines, generating clean electricity. The technology offers high energy density, stable power, and minimal environmental impact. 💻 **Website:** [www.seaturns.com](https://seaturns.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux, France 🧗 **Round:** Crowdfunding/Early-stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.45M (from 1,543 investors) 🏦 **Investors:** Crowdinvestors via Keenest platform (1,543 individual backers) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Lawrence Sigaud (Deputy CEO), Renan Labrunie (COO) 🗞️ **News:** Seaturns’ wave energy system has shown “outstanding results” in 18 months of real-world testing. The company plans to industrialize its technology and prepare for large-scale deployment. The capital will be used to advance industrialization, accelerate commercial deployment at scale, and position Seaturns as a major clean energy provider capable of creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and powering millions of homes sustainably by 2050\. | [**The Cooldown**](https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/seaturns-wave-energy-startup-funding/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/unnamed-1-.jpg) 📇 **Company:** 2501.ai 🔍 **Description:** French startup developing autonomous AI agents for IT/Cloud infrastructure maintenance, enabling automated detection, diagnosis, remediation of incidents, compliance checks, and security updates. Its sovereign, modular, and secure platform reduces MTTR, lowers operating costs, and increases system availability. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.2501.ai/](https://www.2501.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2M 🏦 **Investors:** Galion.exe, KFund, KIMA Ventures, Bpifrance, business angels from Meta and IBM 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre Pereira, Alex Zhuk 🗞️ **News:** With this funding, 2501.ai will accelerate recruitment in AI applied to observability, remediation, and real-time event management, while launching commercial operations across Spain, UK, and Germany. The company positions itself as a sovereign European alternative in IT/Cloud automation for critical infrastructures. --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-62.png) 📇 **Company:** PikkoPay 🔍 **Description:** French retailtech startup offering a mobile checkout solution that eliminates queues in stores. Using a QR code, shoppers can scan items, pay via web app, and exit through a dedicated fast lane without going through a traditional checkout. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.pikkopay.fr/](https://www.pikkopay.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** France (Hauts-de-France region) 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Finovam Gestion (lead), Ventures by Delaware, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexandre CHEN, Vincent TERRASSE 🗞️ **News:** Already deployed in over 30 supermarkets in the Hauts-de-France, PikkoPay will use this funding to accelerate the rollout of its cashierless payment solution across more retail locations. The capital will be used to scale deployments, enhance product capabilities, and expand partnerships with retailers, helping PikkoPay transform the in-store shopping experience. | [**Planet Fintech**](https://www.planet-fintech.com/PikkoPay-leve-15-M-pour-accelere?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Enakl 🔍 **Description:** Moroccan-French urban mobility startup providing a bus-sharing service on fixed routes, designed to offer affordable, reliable, and sustainable transport options for daily commuters. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.enakl.com](https://www.enakl.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Casablanca, Morocco 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** $1.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Catalyst Fund (lead), Renew Capital, Digital Africa, Station F, plus 15 angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samir Bennani, Charles Pommarede (French founder); Ahmed Omrane joined later as associate CTO 🗞️ **News:** Enakl is already handling over 15,000 ride bookings per month in Casablanca with \~20% monthly growth. The funding will be used to enhance Enakl’s technology (e.g. AI-driven route optimization), expand into new cities across North Africa and the broader African continent, deepen its impact in Casablanca, and scale operations to meet growing commuter demand. | [**Tech In Africa**](https://www.techinafrica.com/enakl-secures-1-4m-to-revolutionize-urban-mobility-across-north-africa?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** All In Box 🔍 **Description:** French startup specializing in AI-powered automated marketing solutions for physical retailers, shopping centers, tourist sites, and leisure venues. Its intelligent assistant helps businesses improve customer communication, visibility, and profitability. 💻 **Website:** [www.allinbox.com](https://www.allinbox.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grand Est, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M+ 🏦 **Investors:** Yeast (lead), Alsace Business Angels (ABA), Groupe ILP 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Vincent Arnould, Stéphane Wagner 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support All In Box’s expansion across France and Europe, strengthening its presence in shopping centers, tourist sites, and independent retail. The company will invest in branding, recruitment (aiming for 40 hires in coming years), and market positioning as the go-to AI marketing assistant for physical commerce. | [**Yeast PR**](https://www.yeast.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CP-Leve%CC%81e-de-Fonds-All-In-Box.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: One Man's Trash Is Another's Tech Sovereignty URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-one-mans-trash-is-anothers-tech-sovereignty/ Last updated: 2025-09-26T07:20:53.000Z **Inside this week's edition:** 👀🗑️🥖 **Waste Not:** From leftover baguettes to unsold biscuits, Phenix is proving food waste can fuel growth. With 75M meals saved in 2024 and 16,000 stores onboard, [CEO Simon Baldeyrou is scaling passion (and plenty of croissants) into Europe’s fight for zero waste.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/phenix-and-the-fight-against-food-waste-scaling-passion-into-impact/) 👀 **🧲 Magnetic Appeal:** From old e-scooters to wind turbines, a Grenoble-based startup is recycling rare earth magnets to cut Europe’s 98% dependence on China. With tech born in the lab and backed by millions in funding, [**MagREEsource is turning waste into Europe’s path to sovereignty and sustainability.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-secret-sovereignty-weapon-against-china-recycled-magnets-from-magreesource/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk **🚀 🤑 Fun with Funds:** Seems like there are lots of Gloomy Guses out there when it comes to startup funding these days. But VCs still seem to be making it rain. 🇪🇺 🥷The European Investment Fund just anchored **Jolt Capital V** with a hefty **€260 million**, part of the EU’s push to build billion-euro deeptech funds under the Tech Champions Initiative. Jolt is gunning for late-stage plays in AI, chips, cybersecurity, and other sovereignty-critical sectors. And not to be outdone, **C4 Ventures** has launched a fresh **€100 million fund** with a clear mission: fuel European AI sovereignty. **(We'll have more on C4 in the La Machine newsletter on Monday)** 🇫🇷💰 Meanwhile in Paris, **Ventech, the pan-European fund,** closed its biggest fund yet at **€175 million**. Fund VI will back around 35 startups, with half of the capital earmarked for AI-native ventures, alongside bets on digital health, industrial software, and cybersecurity. The message is clear: Europe wants to double down on tech sovereignty and scale-up muscle—and the money is finally following the rhetoric. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/this-vc-firm-out-of-paris-just-launched-a-e100-million-fund-to-back-european-ai-sovereignty/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/22/ia-ventech-boucle-un-sixieme-fonds-de-175-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EINews**](https://tech.einnews.com/pr%5Fnews/850335674/the-european-investment-fund-eif-invests-260-million-in-jolt-capital-v-as-anchor-investor-with-support-from-the-etci?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/noname.jpg) 💥💸 And more funds are raising funds... of slightly bigger amounts. **Five Arrows,** the alternative‐assets arm of Rothschild & Co with offices across the States and Europe, has successfully closed its fourth direct lending fund, **Five Arrows Debt Partners IV,** with **€2.4 bn** in commitments, exceeding its €2 bn target and outpacing its predecessor’s €1.4 bn size. The fund invests across the capital structure (from senior loans to mezzanine/PIK) in mid-market companies in Europe and North America. Five Arrows this past summer scooped up French MedTech HR platform Hublo. | [**Alternative Credit Investor**](https://alternativecreditinvestor.com/2025/09/18/five-arrows-closes-fourth-direct-lending-fund-at-e2-4bn/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💾 🌍 **Etix raises €170M to double down on edge.** Forget hyperscale: Nantes-based Etix is betting on “edge data centers.” With €170M from a five-bank syndicate, the company wants to double its footprint from 15 to 30 data centers by 2030\. That means more regional sites to reduce latency for things like gaming, streaming, and social media — and an alternative to Paris/Marseille’s saturated hubs. CEO Louis Blanchot insists the **European sovereignty card** is Etix’s ace against U.S.-backed rivals like AtlasEdge. The edge wars are heating up. | [**Forbes France**](https://www.forbes.fr/technologie/etix-leve-170-millions-deuros-pour-doubler-son-reseau-de-data-centers-en-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/pays-de-la-loire/etix-mobilise-170-millions-pour-doubler-son-reseau-de-data-centers-2188291?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚡🔌 **Waat plugs into €100M.** The low-key heavyweight of EV charging just closed one of the year’s biggest rounds: €100M from DWS (Deutsche Bank) and Bpifrance. Already pulling €70M in revenue, this FT120 member installs chargers in housing projects, social housing, and businesses. Next stop: **250,000 stations by 2030** and a serious push across Europe. Its app *MyWaat* is even getting an AI glow-up to act as an “energy coach.” Not so discreet anymore. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-waat-le-poids-lourd-discret-de-la-recharge-electrique-leve-100-millions-deuros-2188283?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Journal Auto**](https://journalauto.com/services/bornes-de-recharge-waat-leve-100-millions-deuros/%20Bornes%20de%20recharge%20:%20Waat%20l%C3%A8ve%20100%20millions%20d%E2%80%99euros?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸📱**Lydia spills the tea on its numbers**. The fintech, once shy about money, is suddenly transparent. In 2024, Lydia booked €22.6M in revenue (+28%) while still losing €19M. The good news? Its original P2P payments are profitable after 11 years. The catch? All the money is being funneled into **Sumeria**, its new banking brand, complete with savings accounts and investment plans. With 2M users already on board (most inherited from Lydia), Sumeria is the make-or-break bet. Cyril Chiche promises to share results every six months now - let’s hold him to it. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-lydia-a-enregistre-20-millions-de-revenus-en-2024-2187524?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ❤️😗 French dating app **Happn** has swiped right on a new partner: it’s been acquired by China’s **Hello Group**, the company behind Momo and Tantan. With more than **170 million users worldwide**—including 16 million in France—Happn now gains a powerful backer to fuel expansion across Africa and Asia. Founded in 2014 with its geolocation-driven twist on dating, Happn has been reshaping itself under CEO **Karima Ben Abdelmalek**, especially as users tire of endless swiping and “dating burnout” sets in. Earlier this year, the company even unveiled a feature built with **Mistral AI**. While the financial details remain under wraps, the deal highlights a trend of French dating apps being swept into global consolidations—remember Fruitz’s sale to Bumble and eventual buy-back? Now, Happn’s story continues with an international, East-meets-West twist. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/19/lapp-francaise-de-dating-happn-est-desormais-chinoise/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Phenix and the Fight Against Food Waste: Scaling Passion into Impact [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-58.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/phenix-and-the-fight-against-food-waste-scaling-passion-into-impact/) When [Simon Baldeyrou](https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonbaldeyrou/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) joined [Phenix](https://www.wearephenix.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) as Director General last year, it was less a career pivot than the continuation of a theme. The former CFO of Deezer and ex-CEO of Getaround Europe has built a reputation as the operator brought in to take ambitious companies to the next level. For him, success lies in transitions: scaling, structuring, and finding momentum. “I’ve always worked with companies in universes of passion,” Baldeyrou explained. “It’s actually easier to lead a business when you haven’t founded it. You can bring a new perspective to the company without being too emotionally tied.” Now, the passion he is scaling is food waste. [Dive into Phenix](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/phenix-and-the-fight-against-food-waste-scaling-passion-into-impact/) --- # Europe’s Secret Sovereignty Weapon Against China: Recycled Magnets From MagREEsource [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-48.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-secret-sovereignty-weapon-against-china-recycled-magnets-from-magreesource/) Magnets are not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about breakthrough innovations. But as it turns out, magnets are everywhere and in everything. Take transport and mobility, for instance. Magnets are used in electric motors. Not just the main motor, but also the motors that move the seat, the side mirrors, and the windshield wipers. Zoom out, and you'll find magnets in bicycles, e-scooters, trains, planes, and boats. Zoom even further out, and you'll find magnets in most electronics, robots, refrigerators (and not just ones for holding notes or pictures of cats on the door), air-conditioners, and MRI machines. Earlier this year, French utility EDF built a wind farm with 80 wind turbines, each containing about 80 tons of magnets, so about 800 tons of magnets for the whole project. The problem for Europe in general, and France in particular, is that 98% of all magnets currently come from China. Over the past four decades, the region has shifted its focus away from mining iron and other materials (an environmentally detrimental industry) needed for magnets and processing the raw materials (a resource-intensive process with costly labor) by outsourcing these activities to Asia. As demand for magnets soars thanks to more innovations, Europe is increasingly beholden to the trade demands of China. Beyond the geopolitical implications, the disruptions to supply chains for a wide range of products have catalyzed the desire for greater economic sovereignty across Europe, most notably in the realm of technology. And so, this brings us to the small factory in the city of Grenoble, operated by a modest startup with the clunky name of MagREEsource. I had the opportunity to visit MagREEsource as part of a journalist tour of Grenoble's innovation ecosystem. During the visit to the factory, co-founders [Erick Petit](https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-y-petit-b476981b0/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO, and [Sophie Rivoirard](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-rivoirard-123a4846/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CTO, explained the hidden power of the magnet industry and how MagREEsource has developed technology and machines that address this issue through a recycling process that allows the company to harvest magnetic material from discarded items like old e-scooters and then refine it to be used in new products. Only about 1% of magnets are currently recycled. MagREEsource's modest factory is effectively demonstrating the capability of its process to open a larger factory in 2027. "When we talk about dependence on critical metals for the energy transition, we're right in the middle of it," Petit said during the visit. "This is what the European market needs today. Using our recycled material means we're independent of the Chinese." [Go inside MagREEsource](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-secret-sovereignty-weapon-against-china-recycled-magnets-from-magreesource/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Waat 🔍 **Description:** French startup specializing in the installation and management of electric vehicle charging stations in co-owned buildings, social housing, and office complexes. Waat has deployed over 20,000 charging points and offers a proprietary app to simplify use, optimize charging costs, and enable smart features such as load shifting and solar integration. 💻 **Website:** [https://waat.fr/](https://waat.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €100M 🏦 **Investors:** DWS Group (lead), Bpifrance, Raise Impact, existing investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Patrick Kic (President) 🗞️ **News:** With 300 employees and €70M in annual revenue, Waat has been EBITDA positive for three years. The company plans to expand into the UK, Belgium, Poland, and Switzerland, accelerate digitalization and AI adoption, strengthen customer services, and invest in energy storage solutions with Renault’s second-life batteries. The fresh capital will fund international expansion, new hiring (including maintenance roles), the integration of AI for enhanced services, and the development of advanced charging solutions aligned with renewable energy production. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/waat-leve-100-millions-d-euros-pour-ses-bornes-de-recharge-20250925?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Nxtfood (brand: Accro) 🔍 **Description:** French foodtech startup producing 100% plant-based meat and seafood alternatives using wet extrusion technology. Its brand Accro offers over 20 products, from nuggets and charcuterie to plant-based sole meunière, available in major supermarkets and 10,000+ foodservice outlets across France. 💻 **Website:** [https://accro.fr/](https://accro.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Vitry-en-Artois, Hauts-de-France, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €49M 🏦 **Investors:** Creadev (lead, now majority shareholder), Roquette Ventures, Clay Capital, IRD Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders/Leadership:** Renaud Saïsset (President) 🗞️ **News:** The company tripled its revenue in 2024 and aims to reach profitability within 12–18 months. With this round, Nxtfood will triple the size of its production site, accelerate commercial and marketing efforts in France and Europe, and continue expanding its product line. The funding will boost industrial capacity, strengthen R&D, expand international sales, and support Nxtfood’s mission to make plant-based alternatives more accessible, tasty, and competitively priced with meat.| [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/19/alternatives-vegetales-nxtfood-leve-49-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Lithium de France (subsidiary of Arverne Group) 🔍 **Description:** French pioneer in low-carbon geothermal heat and lithium production. The company develops geothermal solutions to supply heat to businesses, farmers, and local authorities while producing lithium for electric mobility, supporting the energy transition. 💻 **Website:** [www.lithiumdefrance.com](http://www.lithiumdefrance.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Haguenau, Alsace, France 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €40M 🏦 **Investors:** Arverne Group, Equinor Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pierre Brossollet (Founder & CEO of Arverne Group; parent company) 🗞️ **News:** The funding supports Lithium de France’s entry into the pre-industrial phase, including first drilling operations, a Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) demo plant, and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) as part of its Definitive Feasibility Study. The capital structure post-transaction: Arverne Group (64.58%), Equinor Ventures (24.40%), Hydro Energy Invest AS (9.25%), Management (1.86%). The financing will help scale Lithium de France’s geothermal and lithium projects, advance DLE technology deployment, and mature the supply chain for sustainable lithium production in Europe. | [**PR**](https://mx.advfn.com/bolsa-de-valores/noticias/96857866/arverne-group-announces-the-success-of-the-series?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Phenix and the Fight Against Food Waste: Scaling Passion into Impact URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/phenix-and-the-fight-against-food-waste-scaling-passion-into-impact/ Last updated: 2025-09-26T09:08:09.000Z From leftover baguettes to unsold biscuits, Phenix is proving food waste can fuel growth. With 75M meals saved in 2024 and 16,000 stores onboard, CEO Simon Baldeyrou is scaling passion (and plenty of croissants) into Europe’s fight for zero waste. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Europe’s Secret Sovereignty Weapon Against China: Recycled Magnets From MagREEsource URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europes-secret-sovereignty-weapon-against-china-recycled-magnets-from-magreesource/ Last updated: 2025-09-25T20:50:40.000Z From old e-scooters to wind turbines, a Grenoble-based startup is recycling rare earth magnets to cut Europe’s 98% dependence on China. With tech born in the lab and backed by millions in funding, MagREEsource is turning waste into Europe’s path to sovereignty and sustainability. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### #43: Hexa's First CEO On Moving At AI Startup Speed URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/43-hexas-first-ceo-on-moving-at-ai-startup-speed/ Last updated: 2025-09-22T06:40:40.000Z **In this edition:** **🧠 Hexa** has appointed **Matthieu Gombeaud** as its first CEO in its 14-year history — a move it sees as essential to navigating what it calls the “most transformative period in tech.” Under his leadership, the startup studio plans to ramp up towards a goal of launching 30-40 companies annually. Gombeaud believes AI isn’t just a tool but demands a rebuild of how companies are founded, scaled, and managed, with radically shorter feedback cycles, sharper founder selection, and architecture primed for agility. [**Read our interview here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hexa-ceo-charting-course-through-ai-storm/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Cohere,** the Canadian AI startup, has formally planted roots in Paris, opening a new office to serve as its “central hub” for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. CEO Aidan Gomez says this move will allow Cohere to scale up its European operations—from technical R&D to commercial teams—and to ride what he calls a growing wave of interest in AI across the continent. The firm currently has about 40 people in Paris, and plans to double its headcount in that office over the next year. Cohere’s strategy emphasizes “sovereign AI” — offering enterprises greater privacy, control, and the ability to deploy models on customer premises—positioning itself as an alternative to Big Tech. Besides expanding its workforce, the company is bringing in leadership for business, policy, and public affairs to better navigate Europe’s regulatory and competitive landscape. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/aidan-gomez-cohere-interview?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/canadian-ai-firm-cohere-targets-growth-europe-with-paris-office-2025-09-15/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**L**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-19-genomines-la-fourche-finary-more/)[**es Echos**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-19-genomines-la-fourche-finary-more/) 🗞️ **Deezer** has revealed a striking surge in AI‐made music: fully synthetic tracks now make up **28 %** of everything uploaded to its streaming platform. The company says this amounts to about **30,000 new AI tracks every single day**, up significantly from earlier this year. To protect artists’ earnings and listener experience, Deezer has introduced an AI detection tool and tags all AI content—and crucially, keeps fully AI tracks out of its algorithmic recommendations and curated playlists. The streaming service warns that much of the streaming activity around AI uploads appears to be fraudulent, and pledges to preserve transparency and fairness in how royalties are distributed. | [**EuroNews**](https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/09/15/french-streamer-deezer-reveals-that-28-per-cent-of-music-uploaded-to-platform-is-ai-genera?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Deezer**](https://newsroom-deezer.com/2025/09/28-fully-ai-generated-music/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **Other Headlines** 🗞️ **A French Startup Launches MedGPT: The First Medical AI Assistant That Outperforms ChatGPT |** French healthtech startup [Synapse Medicine](https://www.synapse-medicine.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has unveiled today MedGPT, the first conversational medical assistant designed in France and tailored specifically for healthcare professionals. The tool positions itself as a sovereign alternative to American large language models such as [ChatGPT](https://emag.directindustry.com/2025/08/28/chatgpt-openai-e-commerce-boost-revenue/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), while offering unprecedented guarantees of reliability, security, and regulatory compliance in the healthcare sector. Notably, MedGPT has already beaten ChatGPT in France’s national medical exams. **|** [**DirectIndustry**](https://emag.directindustry.com/2025/09/16/medgpt-french-sovereign-medical-ai-assistant-synapse-medicine/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French voice of Lara Croft files complaint over alleged AI use in Tomb Raider remaster |** France's most recognizable voice of Lara Croft is taking a game publisher to court, accusing it of using artificial intelligence to recreate her performance without her consent. Cadol, who has dubbed the Tomb Raider heroine in French for decades, has filed a [cease-and-desist](https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/french-lara-croft-actor-starts-lawsuit-over-alleged-ai-generated-voice-lines-in-aspyrs-tomb-raider-remasters?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) complaint against Aspyr, the company behind the recently released Tomb Raider IV – VI Remastered. **|** [**TechSpot**](https://www.techspot.com/news/109479-french-voice-lara-croft-files-complaint-over-alleged.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Cegid Retail refines its approach to the challenges of artificial intelligence for commerce |** Last year, Lyon-based management solutions specialist Cegid announced that it was bringing its Forward 2026 development strategy into line with generative artificial intelligence. Renamed [Forward.ia](http://forward.ia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the development program continues, in particular for the Cegid Retail division, which is stepping up deployment and experimentation of retail solutions, while taking care not to fall into the trap of multiplying useless generative tools. **|** [**Fashion Network**](https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Cegid-retail-refines-its-approach-to-the-challenges-of-artificial-intelligence-for-commerce,1763860.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 Hexa CEO: Charting A Course Through AI's Storm [![Matthieu Gombeaud, the first Chief Executive Officer of Hexa. Photo courtesy of Hexa.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/HEXA-PORTRAIT--20250624151438-_9AV9110--1--1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hexa-ceo-charting-course-through-ai-storm/) Matthieu Gombeaud, the first Chief Executive Officer of Hexa. Photo courtesy of Hexa. For the first time in its 14-year history, the French powerhouse behind unicorns like Aircall and Yousign has appointed a Chief Executive Officer. The timing couldn't be more critical. [Matthieu Gombeaud](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthieu-gombeaud-b8987b84?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the newly minted CEO, isn't just taking the helm of any startup studio. He's steering a ship through what he describes as the most transformative period in tech history, where artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how companies are built, scaled, and operated. "You cannot create a company the same way today as you were doing three years ago," Gombeaud said. [Go inside Hexa's vision](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hexa-ceo-charting-course-through-ai-storm/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company:** Finary 🔍 **Description:** Fintech offering a real-time, consolidated view of personal wealth across bank accounts, investments, loans, and alternative assets, with AI-powered tools to optimize portfolio management. 💻 **Website:** [finary.com](https://finary.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** PayPal Ventures, LocalGlobe, Shapers, Hedosophia, Speedinvest, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mounir Laggoune, Julien Blancher 🗞️ **News:** Finary plans to use the €25M Series B funding to accelerate its European expansion, launch new financial products, and strengthen its AI-powered wealth management tools. The company also intends to recruit around 50 new employees and aims to surpass €5B in assets under management within the next three years. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/la-fintech-finary-leve-25-millions-deuros-avec-paypal-et-y-combinator-2183929?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/18/la-fintech-finary-leve-25-millions-deuros-avec-paypal-et-y-combinator/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/finary-gets-serious-paris-fintech-lands-e25-million-for-ai-powered-wealth-tools-and-expand-across-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Vizzia 🔍 **Description:** The first anti-wild deposits detector in France (detecting illegal waste dumps via AI, camera systems etc.) 💻 **Website:** [vizzia.com](https://vizzia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€16 million** 🏦 **Investors:** SISTAFUND, Made for All, plus business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katrin Dimitrova, Alexandre Leboucher 🗞️ **News:** Vizzia will use the €16M to strengthen its commercial presence across France and prepare for expansion into Germany, the UK, Spain, and Italy. The company also plans to invest in maintaining its technological lead while keeping a “low-tech” approach that ensures compliance with European regulations and sovereignty over infrastructure. In the longer term, Vizzia aims to develop software enabling inter-municipal cooperation to tackle incivilities and petty crime. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/17/videosurveillance-vizzia-leve-16-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Temelion 🔍 **Description:** AI platform that optimises pre-construction workflows 💻 **Website:** [temelion.ai](https://temelion.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Les Ulis 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.20M 🏦 **Investors:** ISAI Gestion, Kima Ventures, 360 Capital, SE Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rodolphe Héliot, Jérome Joaug, Sébastien Gilles 🗞️ **News:** Temelion will use the €3.2M seed funding to expand its engineering team and deepen AI capabilities for technical workflows, accelerate its commercial rollout in France with a focus on building engineering firms, and strengthen customer onboarding, support, and integrations with industry-standard tools like BIM and REVIT.| [**PR**](https://www.temelion.ai/blog-post/press-release-temelion-raises-eu3-2mn-in-seed-funding-to-simplify-building-engineering-workflows-with-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/16/temelion-brings-in-eur32m-to-streamline-pre-construction-with-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Moodwork 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based mental health startup offering AI-driven digital tools to prevent workplace stress and burnout. Its platform combines scientific research, psychological support, and AI-based personalization. 💻 **Website:** [moodwork.com](https://moodwork.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Funding round (undisclosed stage) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.1M 🏦 **Investors:** Newfund, Grégory Salinger (Co-CEO), Guy Lacroix, Alain Dublin 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Brion (Co-founder, Co-CEO), Grégory Salinger (Co-CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Moodwork plans to use the €3.1M funding to accelerate the development of its AI-driven workplace mental health platform, strengthen its presence in France, and expand internationally. The company will also invest in enhancing its technology and scaling its support services to better address workplace stress and burnout. | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/18/french-moodwork-raises-3-1m-to-expand-ai-driven-workplace-mental-health-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ORIS Materials Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** Developer of a cloud-based platform using AI, data science, and engineering to design low-carbon, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient transport infrastructures such as roads and railways. 💻 **Website:** [oris-connect.com](https://www.oris-connect.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** LIBERSET 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas Miravalls (Co-founder & CEO), Renaud de Montaignac (Co-founder & COO) 🗞️ **News:** Oris Materials Intelligence will use the €3M funding to accelerate the deployment of its AI-driven platform in France, enhance its technology to support the decarbonization of infrastructure projects, and expand its team. The company also plans to strengthen partnerships with public authorities and private stakeholders to drive adoption of low-carbon and resource-efficient transport infrastructure solutions. | [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/oris-materials-intelligence-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-la-decarbonation-des-infrastructures-en-france/457100?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events 📆 **The BIG Gathering of Entrepreneurs in France** | **September 23** | BIG is organized by state bank Bpifrance, which describes it as the largest business gathering in Europe. Participating in Big gives you the opportunity to discover a new variety of content, with concrete themes. It is also a unique opportunity to develop your business and understand the major challenges of tomorrow. Features an AI track of sessions. | [**Register**](https://big.bpifrance.fr/en/registration/formulaire-d-inscription?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Engineer Paris Conference | September 23** | Join 700+ attendees for the [First AI Engineer Edition in Paris](https://ai.engineer/paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) \- a community-driven conference, inspired and supported by the team behind the AI Engineer World’s Fair. This two-day, three-track technical conference and expo brings together AI engineers, CTOs, and VPs of AI to connect, learn, and engineer the future of AI. | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/ai-engineer-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Fin x Dust: Building AI for Complex Workflows | September 24 |** AI is capable of more than single tasks. The real challenge is building systems that can handle complex workflows: orchestrating multi-step processes, providing the right access and controls, connecting across platforms, and adapting to real-world conditions to deliver outcomes teams can trust. This session brings together two perspectives to explore how strategy and execution come together when building AI: ​**The CEO’s view**: setting vision, ambition, and risk posture for where AI is headed. **The Product Lead’s view**: translating that vision into product reality, learning from customers as they push AI to handle their hardest workflows. | [**Join Waitlist**](https://luma.com/finxdust?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **BIG DATA & AI PARIS 2025 | October 1-2 | Europe's most comprehensive AI and Big Data exhibition** with +220 exhibitors, including major technology groups, AI & data pure players, specialized consultants, professional training players, and innovative startups. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://www.bigdataparis.com/en-gb/inscription.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The European AI Championship 2025 - Launch party | November 5 |What is the European AI Championship?** ​Coming soon: 15 of Europe’s top AI engineers will battle live on stage, building real-world solutions using AI tools. They will represent their country to win, and you'll be able to watch and cheer for them with 1500 fellow engineers and AI-curious minds. Experience a championship where code meets competition, and AI hype meets AI application, wrapped in a unique entertaining show. Think Eurovision, but for AI builders! | [**Buy tickets**](https://luma.com/europeanaichampionship?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Leaders Summit | November 5-6 |** Paris becomes the nerve centre of data and responsible artificial intelligence. Access a program rooted in business reality: case studies, AI audits, governance, industrialisation, and sustainability. France's AI ecosystem is dynamic but under pressure: talent shortages, projects stuck at the POC stage, regulatory uncertainties (AI Act), poor-quality data. Data & AI Leaders Summit Paris helps you move forward with technical content, immediately applicable and designed for the field. | [**Register**](https://tech-show-paris-2025-splash.reg.buzz/?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=cpc&utm%5Fcampaign=22918112576&utm%5Fcontent=183515831185&utm%5Fterm=world+data+summit&lb%5Ftracesourcecode=google&lb%5Fgln%5Fids=&%5Fgl=1%2A1aii2qp%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxL7GBhDXARIsAGOcmIOu6Lw5Smxsm2a7Uv7-NE99n2upYo2lXk8Zo2FZvwZHWeUr%5F2%5FL%5FfsaAoUbEALw%5FwcB) 📆 **dotAI | November 6 |** We’re putting the spotlight on the best engineers in fabulous stages, so that their work is beautifully wrapped, their ideas travel better, and so that future leading engineers can aspire for that recognition. | [**Register**](https://www.dotai.io/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **ai-Pulse | December 4 | Hosted by Scaleway at Station F.** Join leaders and engineers for a **one-day technical** conference dedicated to AI breakthroughs, research, and product demonstrations.| [**Register** ](https://www.ai-pulse.eu/register?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Hexa CEO: Charting A Course Through AI's Storm URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hexa-ceo-charting-course-through-ai-storm/ Last updated: 2025-09-22T06:26:22.000Z Matthieu Gombeaud: "We must completely rethink the way we are building companies." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire September 19: GenoMines, La Fourche, Finary & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-19-genomines-la-fourche-finary-more/ Last updated: 2025-09-20T08:00:20.000Z # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 --- - **Biggest Round:** GenoMines leads with €41.85M (Series A), followed by La Fourche (€31.5M) and Finary (€25M). - **Sector Diversity:** biotech (Tafalgie, GenoMines), fintech (Finary, Defacto, Seyna, Eyst), climate/agritech (Les Nouvelles Fermes, ORIS), healthtech (ROFIM, Juisci), and mobility (Load Stations, alltheway, Carsup). - **Geographic Focus:** Almost all are headquartered in Paris, except for Marseille-based Tafalgie & ROFIM, Bordeaux-based Les Nouvelles Fermes, and Claix-based Moïz. --- ![GenoMines co-founders Fabien Koutchekian (left) and Dali Rashid](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-29.png) GenoMines co-founders Fabien Koutchekian (left) and Dali Rashid 📇 **Company:** GenoMines 🔍 **Description:** Enhances plants’ natural biology to renewably mine nickel 💻 **Website:** [genomines.com](https://www.genomines.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** **US$45 million** 🏦 **Investors:** Engine Ventures, Forbion BioEconomy (co-leads), DeepTech & Climate Fonds, Wind, Hyundai Motor Company, Teampact Ventures, Prospect Innovation, Raise Phiture, AlphaTech Investment Group; also Lowercarbon Capital, Entrepreneurs First, Elemental Impact, Salida B.V. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Fabien Koutchekian, Dali Rashid 🗞️ **News:** The funding will be used to scale up field trials, establish offtake agreements with automakers (e.g. Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover) and battery manufacturers, and further validate the company’s phytoextraction process using genetically enhanced hyperaccumulator plants. Their vision is to create a new, lower-environmental-impact way to supply nickel, with cost competitiveness: their process claims up to \~40% below the median cost in traditional mining. |[](https://agfundernews.com/genomines-raises-45m-series-a-to-mine-battery-grade-nickel-from-genetically-enhanced-plants?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)[**AgFunderNews**](https://agfundernews.com/genomines-raises-45m-series-a-to-mine-battery-grade-nickel-from-genetically-enhanced-plants?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/genomines-45m-series-a-farm-nickel?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-35.png) 📇 Company: La Fourche 🔍 Description: Online organic supermarket offering discounted prices via annual membership, aiming to democratize access to sustainable and affordable bio products. 💻 Website: [lafourche.fr](https://lafourche.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris, France 🧗 Round: Growth (post-Series B) 💰 Amount Raised: €31.5M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance (Large Venture), Astanor, existing investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Lucas Lefebvre, Mathieu Lebrun, Nathan Labat 🗞️ News: La Fourche plans to use the €31.5M funding to accelerate its path to profitability by strengthening logistics, optimizing operations, and expanding its range of organic and sustainable products. The company also intends to invest in technological improvements to enhance customer experience and support its growth ambitions while keeping prices accessible. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/16/la-fourche-leve-plus-de-31-millions-deuros-et-vise-la-rentabilite?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Finary CEO and Co-Founder Mounir Laggoune](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-32.png) Finary CEO and Co-Founder Mounir Laggoune 📇 **Company:** Finary 🔍 **Description:** Fintech offering a real-time, consolidated view of personal wealth across bank accounts, investments, loans, and alternative assets, with AI-powered tools to optimize portfolio management. 💻 **Website:** [finary.com](https://finary.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** PayPal Ventures, LocalGlobe, Shapers, Hedosophia, Speedinvest, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mounir Laggoune, Julien Blancher 🗞️ **News:** Finary plans to use the €25M Series B funding to accelerate its European expansion, launch new financial products, and strengthen its AI-powered wealth management tools. The company also intends to recruit around 50 new employees and aims to surpass €5B in assets under management within the next three years. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/la-fintech-finary-leve-25-millions-deuros-avec-paypal-et-y-combinator-2183929?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/18/la-fintech-finary-leve-25-millions-deuros-avec-paypal-et-y-combinator/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/finary-gets-serious-paris-fintech-lands-e25-million-for-ai-powered-wealth-tools-and-expand-across-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Vizzia co-founders: Katrin Dimitrova (left) and Alexandre Leboucher](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-28-1.png) Vizzia co-founders: Katrin Dimitrova (left) and Alexandre Lebouche 📇 **Company:** Vizzia 🔍 **Description:** The first anti-wild deposits detector in France (detecting illegal waste dumps via AI, camera systems etc.) 💻 **Website:** [vizzia.com](https://vizzia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€16 million** 🏦 **Investors:** SISTAFUND, Made for All, plus business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katrin Dimitrova, Alexandre Leboucher 🗞️ **News:** Vizzia will use the €16M to strengthen its commercial presence across France and prepare for expansion into Germany, the UK, Spain, and Italy. The company also plans to invest in maintaining its technological lead while keeping a “low-tech” approach that ensures compliance with European regulations and sovereignty over infrastructure. In the longer term, Vizzia aims to develop software enabling inter-municipal cooperation to tackle incivilities and petty crime. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/17/videosurveillance-vizzia-leve-16-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-30.png) Defecto co-founders (l to r): Marc-Henri Gires, Morgan O'Hana, and Jordane Giuly 📇 **Company:** Defacto 🔍 **Description:** API-first B2B lending/credit infrastructure for SMEs 💻 **Website:** [getdefacto.com](https://getdefacto.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** 16M in the main Series A round in 2022. 🏦 **Investors:** Citi, Northzone, Global Founders Capital, Headline, La Maison Partners, Blast Club 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jordane Giuly; Morgan O’Hana; Marc-Henri Gires 🗞️ **News:** The funds are to increase Defacto’s lending capacity (i.e. how much credit it can extend) by about **€400 million**. They also plan to expand geographically into several European markets: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. Additionally, there’s been work to scale its securitization fund (raising & structuring assets) to enable more financing capacity (e.g. a €300M securitization, etc.). | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/defacto-leve-16-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-son-deploiement-europeen/457103?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-27.png) 📇 **Company:** Tafalgie Therapeutics 🔍 **Description:** Biotech company developing non-opioid pain treatments (based on endogenous proteins/peptides) 💻 **Website:** [tafalgie.fr](https://tafalgie.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille 🧗 **Round:** Series A / EIC Accelerator funding etc. 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M (including support from EIC) 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance; European Innovation Council; others (university spin-outs, etc.) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Laurent Labatut, Eric Schettini (plus scientific leadership via Aziz Moqrich) 🗞️ **News:** TAFALGIE Therapeutics plans to use the €12 million Series A funding to advance its lead drug candidate, **TT5**, derived from the TAFA4 protein peptide, through Phase 2A clinical trials. Additionally, the company will develop two more drug candidates from its research platform, expand its internal research and clinical teams, and build out a discovery platform focused on creating non-opioid treatments for acute, chronic, neuropathic, inflammatory, and post-operative pain **|** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/french-biotech-startup-tafalgie-therapeutics-locks-in-e12-million-to-tackle-the-opioid-crisis-with-non-opioid-drugs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-44.png) 📇 **Company:** Seyna 🔍 **Description:** Insurance-platform + product management for brokers; licensed as an insurance carrier (non-life) in France 💻 **Website:** seyna.eu 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€10 million** 🏦 **Investors:** Elaia Partners, White Star Capital, 115k 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume d’Audiffret, Philippe Mangematin, Jean Nicolini 🗞️ **News:** The money will support Seyna's *“Horizon 2027”* plan: building more customized insurance products, improving pricing competitiveness, and enhancing technological capabilities—especially using AI and automation to improve product monitoring and reduce manual workflows. They also intend to scale up their platform to handle more insurance portfolios, strengthen their position with brokers, and expand internationally (notably in Spain and Germany). | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/15/assurtech-seyna-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-passer-la-vitesse-superieure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-46-1.png) 📇 **Company:** ROFIM 🔍 **Description:** Telemedicine platform offering teleconsultation, tele-expertise, and care coordination 💻 **Website:** [rofim.fr](https://www.rofim.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Buenavista Equity Partners, Orange Ventures, Région Sud Investissement, Buena Vista Capital, Banque des Territoires, Capital & Innovation by Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Emilie Mercadal 🗞️ **News:** The money will be used to **accelerate the coordination of care** via its SaaS telemedicine platform, which combines teleexpertise, multidisciplinary consultations (RCP), teleconsultation, secure messaging and medical imaging, all interoperable with hospital systems. ROFIM aims to expand more strongly across Europe — targeting markets such as Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK — while also increasing its technical capacities, in particular with semantic AI to provide more contextualized analyses of medical cases. Internally, the startup also plans to scale up its team (with a goal of \~50 employees by end-2025) and improve its infrastructure so as to support a growing user base of health professionals and institutions. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/telemedecine-rofim-leve-10-millions-pour-etendre-son-reseau-2186394?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Carsup 🔍 **Description:** Concierge services for vehicle maintenance, restoration, and sales support 💻 **Website:** [carsup.io](https://www.carsup.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Frederic Lasnier 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Samuel Lelarge 🗞️ **News:** The funding, which includes investment from the Ferrari and Pastor families, will be used to **expand Carsup’s network** by launching a franchise model of its luxury car-concierge services, especially across France and Europe. In particular, they aim to open **around 20 new franchised conciergeries by the end of 2026**, in key cities such as Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, La Rochelle or Versailles, to meet rising demand from owners of high-end, performance or vintage automobiles. | [**Forbes France**](https://www.forbes.fr/entrepreneurs/a-suivre-carsup-deploie-des-conciergeries-automobiles-de-luxe-dans-toute-leurope/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Les Nouvelles Fermes 🔍 **Description:** Agritech company that specializes in **urban aquaponics farming** — a sustainable system that combines fish farming (aquaculture) with hydroponic vegetable production. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.lesnouvellesfermes.com/](https://www.lesnouvellesfermes.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.0M 🏦 **Investors:** Starquest Capital, MAIF Impact, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Thomas Boisserie 🗞️ **News:** Les Nouvelles Fermes plans to use the €5 million in funding to **build the largest aquaponics farm in Europe** in Carrières-sous-Poissy, spanning 2 hectares, producing 240 tons of vegetables and 60 tons of rainbow trout per year for local distribution. The funding will also support the **creation of about 20 jobs in 2026** and help the company expand its network of urban aquaponics farms across France. --- **📇 Company:** Load Stations **🔍 Description:** Operator of electric vehicle charging stations and developer of “Load Motion,” a supervision software for managing charging points, covering home, business, and mobility charging with consumption tracking. **💻 Website:** [load-stations.com](https://load-stations.com/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **📍 HQ City:** Nîmes, France **🧗 Round:** Seed **💰 Amount Raised:** €1.2 million **🏦 Investors:** Business angels, Crédit Agricole (innovation branch), and Bpifrance **👨💼👩💼 Founders:** Virgile Arène, Paul Flatry **🗞️ News:** The funding will be used to accelerate R&D, expand the team, and scale commercialization of Load Stations’ solutions, particularly targeting companies and local authorities. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/load-stations-finance-ses-solutions-de-gestion-de-bornes-de-recharge-electrique-2186395?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-38.png) 📇 **Company:** Juisci 🔍 **Description:** SaaS making scientific journals and publications more accessible, digestible, and shareable within healthcare 💻 **Website:** [juisci.com](http://juisci.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €4.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Big Pi Ventures, Ring Capital, Wendel, Colloquium Brussels, Super Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Robin Roumengas, David Luu 🗞️ **News:** Thecompany plans to use the €5.5 million seed funding to strengthen its R&D, expand its team, and push for international growth, with a particular focus on entering the American market. Juisci’s goal is to build a science-specialised AI trained exclusively on scientific publications so that medical professionals, hospitals and labs can access reliable, clear, and fast summaries, infographics, podcasts or videos integrated into a mobile interface. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/juisci-leve-55-millions-deuros-pour-developper-son-ia-dediee-aux-publications-scientifiques/457105?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** alltheway 🔍 **Description:** Helping people to rotate their CSS code 💻 **Website:** [alltheway.io](http://alltheway.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.50M 🏦 **Investors:** Innovacom, Groupe ADP, CDG Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anouar Zbaida, Émilie Gazeau, Julien de Colfmacker 🗞️ **News:** Alltheway plans to scale up its off-airport baggage platform so that travelers can drop off their luggage at hotels, city-centers, or train stations and then track its journey to the airport, reducing friction and stress during trips. | [**PR**](https://www.phocuswire.com/alltheway-seed-funding-luggage-operating-system?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Seed Of The Week: allthewayThe Paris-based Travel Tech startup has created a logistics platform for checking-in bags outside of airports. That’s the first step in a larger e-commerce vision for travel needs.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-29.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/image00009.jpeg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-alltheway/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-41.png) 📇 **Company:** Temelion 🔍 **Description:** AI solutions (details not provided) 💻 **Website:** [temelion.ai](https://temelion.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Les Ulis 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.20M 🏦 **Investors:** ISAI Gestion, Kima Ventures, 360 Capital, SE Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rodolphe Héliot, Jérome Joaug, Sébastien Gilles 🗞️ **News:** Temelion will use the €3.2M seed funding to expand its engineering team and deepen AI capabilities for technical workflows, accelerate its commercial rollout in France with a focus on building engineering firms, and strengthen customer onboarding, support, and integrations with industry-standard tools like BIM and REVIT.| [**PR**](https://www.temelion.ai/blog-post/press-release-temelion-raises-eu3-2mn-in-seed-funding-to-simplify-building-engineering-workflows-with-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-40.png) 📇 **Company:** Moodwork 🔍 **Description:** Paris-based mental health startup offering AI-driven digital tools to prevent workplace stress and burnout. Its platform combines scientific research, psychological support, and AI-based personalization. 💻 **Website:** [moodwork.com](https://moodwork.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Funding round (undisclosed stage) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.1M 🏦 **Investors:** Newfund, Grégory Salinger (Co-CEO), Guy Lacroix, Alain Dublin 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Benjamin Brion (Co-founder, Co-CEO), Grégory Salinger (Co-CEO) 🗞️ **News:** Moodwork plans to use the €3.1M funding to accelerate the development of its AI-driven workplace mental health platform, strengthen its presence in France, and expand internationally. The company will also invest in enhancing its technology and scaling its support services to better address workplace stress and burnout. | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/18/french-moodwork-raises-3-1m-to-expand-ai-driven-workplace-mental-health-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-39.png) 📇 **Company:** Moïz 🔍 **Description:** Produces autonomous sensors that are powered by thermal energy harvesting. 💻 **Website:** [https://moiz-eh.com/](https://moiz-eh.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Claix 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.0m 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, Caisse d'Epargne Rhone Alpes, Banque Populaire Auvergne Rhône Alpes, BNP Paribas 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dimitri Tainoff, Hervé Deslandes, Olivier Bourgeois 🗞️ **News:** The company will use the money to launch its first product, which consists of modules that recover lost heat in industrial infrastructures. | [**Brefeco**](https://www.brefeco.com/actualite/innovation/deeptech-la-start-grenobloise-moiz-leve-3-meu-pour-ses-capteurs-industriels?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ORIS Materials Intelligence 🔍 **Description:** Developer of a cloud-based platform using AI, data science, and engineering to design low-carbon, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient transport infrastructures such as roads and railways. 💻 **Website:** [oris-connect.com](https://www.oris-connect.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3M 🏦 **Investors:** LIBERSET 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Nicolas Miravalls (Co-founder & CEO), Renaud de Montaignac (Co-founder & COO) 🗞️ **News:** Oris Materials Intelligence will use the €3M funding to accelerate the deployment of its AI-driven platform in France, enhance its technology to support the decarbonization of infrastructure projects, and expand its team. The company also plans to strengthen partnerships with public authorities and private stakeholders to drive adoption of low-carbon and resource-efficient transport infrastructure solutions. | [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/oris-materials-intelligence-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-la-decarbonation-des-infrastructures-en-france/457100?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/10percent.png) 📇 **Company:** 10% 🔍 **Description:** A real-time data platform reinventing FMCG brand loyalty by removing intermediaries, enabling brands to collect, visualize, and activate receipt-level data while rewarding consumers through a cashback app. 💻 **Website:** [10pourcent.fr](https://www.10pourcent.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Speedinvest (lead), True, Fund F, Kima Ventures, Techmind VC, and several angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clémence Luc, Max Lemasquerier 🗞️ **News:** The funding will allow **10%** to expand its team, enhance its real-time data platform, and accelerate partnerships with FMCG brands. The company aims to scale its cashback app, strengthen customer engagement, and support brands in collecting and activating receipt-level data without intermediaries. | [True Global](https://www.true.global/stories/10-raises-euro2-4m-to-reinvent-fmcg-brand-loyalty/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Arnaud Brodzki (Eyst CEO, Co-founder)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-42.png) Arnaud Brodzki (Eyst CEO, Co-founder) 📇 **Company:** Eyst Technology 🔍 **Description:** French insurtech providing a SaaS platform that transforms the insurance experience with instant virtual payment cards, eliminating upfront costs for policyholders and enabling insurers to process claims more efficiently and securely. 💻 **Website:** [eyst.io](https://eyst.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.4M 🏦 **Investors:** Paris Business Angels (lead), other business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Arnaud Brodzki (CEO, Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** Eyst Technology will use the €1.4M funding to accelerate its product roadmap (including cashback features, system integration, and data intelligence), strengthen its Sales and Data teams, and prepare for international expansion across Europe, the USA, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. | [Paris Business Angels](https://www.parisbusinessangels.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-43.png) CEO Paul Flatry 📇 **Company:** Load Stations 🔍 **Description:** A French startup (founded in 2022, based in Nîmes) deploying and managing electric vehicle charging stations + offering a real-time supervision & management software (SaaS) for charging infrastructure. Their clients include businesses, local authorities, public operators, and utilities. 💻 **Website:** [Load-Stations](https://load-stations.com/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nîmes, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early stage 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Business angels; Bpifrance; Crédit Agricole; innovation branches of public/private institutions. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Virgile Arène, Paul Flatry 🗞️ **News:** [**Le Journal des Entreprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/load-stations-leve-12-million-deuros-pour-deployer-ses-bornes-de-recharge-2090214?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Forbes France**](https://www.forbes.fr/technologie/a-suivre-load-stations-accelere-le-deploiement-de-la-mobilite-electrique/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/load-stations-finance-ses-solutions-de-gestion-de-bornes-de-recharge-electrique-2186395?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: What The 'Zucman' Is This Tax? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-what-the-zucman-is-this-tax/ Last updated: 2025-09-19T08:53:37.000Z There are two big questions everyone is asking at the moment. One is global, and the other is mainly in France. So we'll start with the global one: Is there an AI bubble? After careful research at FDday, my decades of journalistic skills led me to a conclusive answer. Yes, Virginia, there is an AI Bubble. Here is proof. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/WhatsApp-Image-2025-09-18-at-09.42.58-2.jpeg) AI Bubble = Confirmed Meanwhile, Helen moderated a panel on "Building Champions the European Way," which offered a lively reminder that Europe’s startup story is still very much being written. Curt Gunsenheimer, of Iris, was refreshingly optimistic about the long-awaited arrival of more growth funding in Europe, provided we pair it with specialist expertise to actually help companies scale. Laurence Verite, of Sage, nudged SMEs to get off the sidelines and start adopting more tech. Sylvie Nhansana, of HealthHero, made the case that founders can’t just build companies, they need to shape their sectors, too. And then came Yann Mayer with the elephant in the room: Europe isn’t the U.S., and pretending otherwise won’t get us very far. Yes, 450 million citizens look great on a slide deck, but when they’re split across 27 tax systems, dozens of languages, and wildly different business cultures, scale is trickier than it sounds. His fix is to push harder on regulatory harmonization at home, rather than defaulting to the “go to the U.S. first” playbook. The collective takeaway: Europe doesn’t need to mimic Silicon Valley, but it *does* need sharper tools, more capital, and a braver push on policy if we want our champions to stay European. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/DavidAROUS-593.jpg) **Chris** --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **The OTHER QUESTION:** Founders and economists clashed at FDday’s grand finale as Gabriel Zucman defended his global wealth tax blueprint against Philippe Aghion’s warnings about stifling innovation and forcing AI champions abroad, igniting one of the event’s most heated debates yet. [**Go 15 rounds here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/wealth-tax-smackdown-zucman-aghion-sparks-fireworks-fdday/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 🐛😓 **Innovafeed**, the French insect-protein pioneer, has had a whirlwind few months. The startup posted €5M in 2024 revenue (+66%), with €4M from exports, mainly salmon feed in Norway, but still recorded hefty losses of €35.6M, a reminder of the capital-intensive nature of industrial biotech. Production at its Nesle plant has tripled to 500 tons of larvae per week, slashing per-ton costs by half thanks to scale effects, even as its Decatur, Illinois pilot site has been temporarily paused amid shifting U.S. subsidies and political priorities. Despite sector headwinds — including the recent collapses of rivals **Ynsect** and **Agronutris** — Innovafeed just inked a major deal with Ecuador’s Biomar to feed shrimp with its insect protein, with European distribution via Auchan slated for 2026\. CEO Clément Ray admits the industry faces a credibility challenge with investors and talent, but insists the model will deliver profitability in time. To keep scaling, Innovafeed plans a new fundraising round in 2025, though in a far tighter agrifoodtech market where VC funding has plunged 65% since 2022\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/nouveau-partenariat-pause-aux-etats-unis-la-rentree-agitee-dinnovafeed-2185578?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛴️🫧 **SeaBubbles**, the French startup aiming to revolutionize maritime mobility with its electric and hydrogen “flying boats,” has entered court-ordered receivership. Founded in 2015 by former skipper Alain Thébault, the company had recently homologated its second-generation hydrofoil capable of carrying eight passengers and successfully operated a pilot line on Lake Annecy, transporting nearly 2,000 passengers in summer 2023\. Despite these milestones and the sale of its first unit to a Swiss operator, SeaBubbles now faces an urgent need for fresh capital to scale up production amid intensifying competition from players like Sweden’s Candela. Management calls the restructuring a “strategic choice” to preserve technology and prepare a new growth phase — but with rival shipbuilders raising millions and ports racing to electrify, the pressure is on for investors to bet on SeaBubbles’ vision of decarbonized water transport. | [**La Tribune**](https://region-aura.latribune.fr/innovation/2025-09-12/navettes-volantes-seabubbles-en-quete-de-repreneurs-pour-survivre-1032353.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🏪📱🪛 Back Market** is stepping out of the digital world and into brick-and-mortar retail. The French refurbished electronics unicorn will open its first U.S. store in New York in the coming weeks and plans 500 physical points of sale across France by year’s end. At the same time, it’s rolling out a repair service — open to all, even non-customers — covering phones, tablets, consoles, and more, with unlimited subscriptions on the way. The company wants to capture offline shoppers as part of its goal of surpassing €3 billion in business volume by 2025\. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/15/back-market-va-ouvrir-des-boutiques-et-lancer-un-service-de-reparation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/la-tribune-dimanche/dimanche-eco/exclusif-back-market-va-ouvrir-des-magasins-aux-etats-unis-et-en-france-1032378.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💥🤑 **Blast**, the investment club founded by **Anthony Bourbon** and **Samuel Guez**, is opening the doors to **Y Combinator’s** coveted deal flow. Its 10,000 members can now back startups coming out of the famed Silicon Valley accelerator — the birthplace of Airbnb, Stripe, and Coinbase. Early bets have already poured millions into fintechs Approval and QFEX, legaltech Blueshoe, and hardware startups Almond and Habit. Blast plans to double its pace of investment by 2026, aiming to support 100 YC startups annually with tens of millions of euros. | [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1544369-blast-d-anthony-bourbon-permet-a-ses-membres-d-investir-dans-les-start-up-de-y-combinator/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/17/blast-anthony-bourbon-permet-desormais-a-ses-membres-de-miser-sur-des-pepites-issues-de-laccelerateur-y-combinator/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️🛍️ **Doctrine**, the French legaltech known as the “Google of law,” has acquired its biggest domestic rival, **Predictice**, in a big consolidation move. The deal is reportedly worth around €20 million and brings Predictice’s team under Doctrine’s roof, creating a 230-person powerhouse serving 25,000 clients across France, Italy, Germany, and Luxembourg. This marks Doctrine’s fourth acquisition since 2023, part of an aggressive expansion strategy fueled by Summit Partners. With the rivalry now buried, Doctrine is positioning itself as Europe’s leading AI-driven legal information platform amid a rapidly consolidating market. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/17/doctrine-absorbe-son-rival-francais-predictice/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🎵🧑‍🎤 Groover**, the French platform helping indie artists gain visibility, has acquired UK-based fan engagement startup **Temple** for an undisclosed sum. Temple’s tools let musicians create Instagram-friendly minisites to share music, sell merch, promote gigs, and even message fans directly — giving artists valuable data like phone numbers and emails for targeted campaigns. The acquisition, Groover’s second after Soonvibes in 2021, plugs Temple’s solution directly into a platform already used by 650,000 artists and 3,000 music curators worldwide. With ambitions to hit €10M in revenue and profitability within 18 months, Groover is betting this move will deepen artist-fan connections in an era of rising competition — including AI-generated acts. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-groover-rachete-la-start-up-temple-pour-renforcer-les-liens-entre-artistes-et-fans-2186556?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Wealth Tax Smackdown: Zucman vs. Aghion Sparks Fireworks at FDday [![Left to right: Economist Phillipe Aghion, FD Vice president & entrepreneur Frédéric Mazella, FD MD Maya Noël, economist Gabriel Zucman. Photo by David Arous](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-34.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/wealth-tax-smackdown-zucman-aghion-sparks-fireworks-fdday/) Left to right: Economist Phillipe Aghion, FD Vice president & entrepreneur Frédéric Mazella, FD MD Maya Noël, economist Gabriel Zucman. Photo by David Arous September in Paris means two things: *la rentrée* and [FDday](https://fdday.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the French Tech ecosystem’s own back-to-school bash. Once again under improbable blue skies, the *Musée des Arts Forains* filled up with founders, investors, operators, and policy wonks, a buzzing crowd swapping stories of entrepreneurial success and strife with “great-to-see-you-again” hugs all around. The mood for the most part was warm, inclusive, and upbeat. Which is more than can be said for France’s actual political scene, where shouting matches are the daily special. This year, FDday closed with a full-blown showdown over the “taxe Zucman.” This shouting match featured a touch more intellectual glamour because it featured the man himself. Yes, *that* Zucman. [Follow the economic verbal jousting](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/wealth-tax-smackdown-zucman-aghion-sparks-fireworks-fdday/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![GenoMines co-founders Fabien Koutchekian (left) and Dali Rashid](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-31.png) GenoMines co-founders Fabien Koutchekian (left) and Dali Rashid 📇 **Company:** GenoMines 🔍 **Description:** Enhances plants’ natural biology to renewably mine nickel 💻 **Website:** [genomines.com](https://www.genomines.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** **US$45 million** 🏦 **Investors:** Engine Ventures, Forbion BioEconomy (co-leads), DeepTech & Climate Fonds, Wind, Hyundai Motor Company, Teampact Ventures, Prospect Innovation, Raise Phiture, AlphaTech Investment Group; also Lowercarbon Capital, Entrepreneurs First, Elemental Impact, Salida B.V. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Fabien Koutchekian, Dali Rashid 🗞️ **News:** The funding will be used to scale up field trials, establish offtake agreements with automakers (e.g. Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover) and battery manufacturers, and further validate the company’s phytoextraction process using genetically enhanced hyperaccumulator plants. Their vision is to create a new, lower-environmental-impact way to supply nickel, with cost competitiveness: their process claims up to \~40% below the median cost in traditional mining. |[**AgFunderNews**](https://agfundernews.com/genomines-raises-45m-series-a-to-mine-battery-grade-nickel-from-genetically-enhanced-plants?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/genomines-45m-series-a-farm-nickel?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-36.png) 📇 Company: La Fourche 🔍 Description: Online organic supermarket offering discounted prices via annual membership, aiming to democratize access to sustainable and affordable bio products. 💻 Website: [lafourche.fr](https://lafourche.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris, France 🧗 Round: Growth (post-Series B) 💰 Amount Raised: €31.5M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance (Large Venture), Astanor, existing investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Lucas Lefebvre, Mathieu Lebrun, Nathan Labat 🗞️ News: La Fourche plans to use the €31.5M funding to accelerate its path to profitability by strengthening logistics, optimizing operations, and expanding its range of organic and sustainable products. The company also intends to invest in technological improvements to enhance customer experience and support its growth ambitions while keeping prices accessible. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/16/la-fourche-leve-plus-de-31-millions-deuros-et-vise-la-rentabilite?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Finary CEO and Co-Founder Mounir Laggoune](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-33.png) Finary CEO and Co-Founder Mounir Laggoune 📇 **Company:** Finary 🔍 **Description:** Fintech offering a real-time, consolidated view of personal wealth across bank accounts, investments, loans, and alternative assets, with AI-powered tools to optimize portfolio management. 💻 **Website:** [finary.com](https://finary.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €25M 🏦 **Investors:** PayPal Ventures, LocalGlobe, Shapers, Hedosophia, Speedinvest, Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mounir Laggoune, Julien Blancher 🗞️ **News:** [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/la-fintech-finary-leve-25-millions-deuros-avec-paypal-et-y-combinator-2183929?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Vizzia co-founders: Katrin Dimitrova (left) and Alexandre Leboucher](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-28-1.png) , 📇 **Company:** Vizzia 🔍 **Description:** The first anti-wild deposits detector in France (detecting illegal waste dumps via AI, camera systems etc.) 💻 **Website:** [vizzia.com](https://vizzia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** **€16 million** 🏦 **Investors:** SISTAFUND, Made for All, plus business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Katrin Dimitrova, Alexandre Leboucher 🗞️ **News:** Vizzia will use the €16M to strengthen its commercial presence across France and prepare for expansion into Germany, the UK, Spain, and Italy. The company also plans to invest in maintaining its technological lead while keeping a “low-tech” approach that ensures compliance with European regulations and sovereignty over infrastructure. In the longer term, Vizzia aims to develop software enabling inter-municipal cooperation to tackle incivilities and petty crime. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/17/videosurveillance-vizzia-leve-16-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-30.png) Defecto co-founders (l to r): Marc-Henri Gires, Morgan O'Hana, and Jordane Giuly 📇 **Company:** Defacto 🔍 **Description:** API-first B2B lending/credit infrastructure for SMEs 💻 **Website:** [getdefacto.com](https://getdefacto.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** 16M in the main Series A round in 2022. 🏦 **Investors:** Citi, Northzone, Global Founders Capital, Headline, La Maison Partners, Blast Club 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jordane Giuly; Morgan O’Hana; Marc-Henri Gires 🗞️ **News:** The funds are to increase Defacto’s lending capacity (i.e. how much credit it can extend) by about **€400 million**. They also plan to expand geographically into several European markets: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. Additionally, there’s been work to scale its securitization fund (raising & structuring assets) to enable more financing capacity (e.g. a €300M securitization, etc.). | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/defacto-leve-16-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-son-deploiement-europeen/457103?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Wealth Tax Smackdown: Zucman vs. Aghion Sparks Fireworks at FDday URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/wealth-tax-smackdown-zucman-aghion-sparks-fireworks-fdday/ Last updated: 2025-09-19T08:58:17.000Z Founders and economists clashed at FDday’s grand finale as Gabriel Zucman defended his global wealth tax blueprint against Philippe Aghion’s warnings about stifling innovation and forcing AI champions abroad, igniting one of the event’s most heated debates yet. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### #42: The Anthropic-Mistral Transatlantic AI Funding Tango URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/42-anthropic-mistral-transatlantic-ai-funding-tango/ Last updated: 2025-09-15T08:47:29.000Z **In this edition of La Machine:** **🧠** Anthropic's Guillaume Princen, the former Stripe executive, was hired earlier this year to be Anthropic's Head of EMEA. He spoke with us about sovereignty, vibe coding, and why the Model Context Protocol has catalyzed the agentic era. [**Read more here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/anthropics-guillaume-princen-the-building-blocks-of-the-digital-economy-are-now-as-simple-as-having-a-conversation/) **🧠** ASML’s €1.3B stake in Mistral AI signals Europe’s boldest play yet to compete with U.S. AI giants, uniting the continent’s semiconductor crown jewel with its fastest-rising AI star in a bid for technological sovereignty.[**Read more here.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-unlikely-alliance-europes-chip-giant-asml-makes-a-billion-euro-wager-on-mistral-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Headlines 🗞️ **A Mistral Of Controversy Blows Through French Tech |** Given the recent buzz, it wouldn’t be right to start this week without talking Mistral. Again. France’s AI unicorn is now valued at $14B, despite not making a cent in profit. Enter Gabriel Zucman, the economist behind a proposed 2% wealth tax on fortunes above €100M. His solution for startup founders sitting on paper billions but little cash? Pay “in nature." In other words, by handing shares of their companies to the state. That would make the French government a de facto shareholder in unicorns like Mistral, deciding whether to hold or flip equity just like a VC fund. The catch is that startup shares are famously illiquid, other investors hate surprise cap table reshuffles, and no one’s quite sure France Inc. (outside of state bank Bpifrance, of course) wants to play portfolio manager. Add to this Finance Committee chair Éric Coquerel\\Business' confusion over valuations vs. salaries, and you get social media meltdowns, furious founders, and one more reason why tax reform and tech don’t mix easily. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/payer-limpot-en-nature-la-surprenante-proposition-de-zucman-sur-la-taxation-des-riches-startupeurs-2185949?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/13/mistral-ai-eric-coquerel-declenche-un-tolle-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Quandela Goes Quantum With Mila |** French photonic quantum darling Quandela ([**See our profile here**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-quandela-is-racing-to-make-quantum-computing-practical/)) is teaming up with Montréal’s Mila institute, Yoshua Bengio’s AI powerhouse, to push the frontier of quantum machine learning. The goal is to build and benchmark QML models to see where quantum actually beats classical approaches, moving beyond hype into hard data. Part of the work will stress-test real hardware, not just simulations, to find out whether quantum advantage is more than just a PowerPoint buzzword. Quandela has been busy: launching its MerLin framework for hybrid AI–quantum prototyping and experimenting with fraud detection tools alongside AdvanThink. This latest deal also deepens its Canadian footprint, after planting a quantum computer in an EDF Exaion data center and opening offices in Montréal and Sherbrooke. Next milestones: logical qubits by year’s end and networked quantum machines by 2028\. France bets that photons, plus AI, could be the real quantum leap. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/intelligence-artificielle/2/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **China’s SpikingBrain Fires Up The AI Race |** While French founders wrestle with taxes, Chinese researchers are busy rewiring AI itself. Their new model, SpikingBrain, mimics the way biological neurons fire. In tests, it crushed classic LLMs by being up to 100x more efficient. Instead of lighting up an entire neural net at once, its “neurons” only activate when triggered, making it both faster and dramatically less data-hungry. That’s no small deal when the internet itself is running out of fresh text to feed today’s giants. SpikingBrain reportedly trained on less than 2% of the data needed for a conventional model while matching performance - and it’s even open source on GitHub. Optimized for chips beyond Nvidia’s scarce GPUs, the approach points toward a neuromorphic future where AI runs leaner, greener, and brainier. Europe may want to take note: the next frontier isn’t just bigger, it’s smarter. | [**Futura Sciences**](https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/intelligence-artificielle-chercheurs-chinois-ont-cree-ia-inspiree-cerveau-humain-elle-ridiculise-modeles-classiques-125462/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#moins-de-donnees-memes-resultats) 🗞️ **Vinted’s AI Closet Cleanout Gets Messy** | France’s favorite second-hand app is facing a very 2025 problem: listings polished - or outright faked - by AI. Instead of snapping a wrinkled dress on a hanger, sellers are now prompting tools to spit out glossy shots with flawless lighting and model-ready bodies. The catch? Sometimes the “second-hand” item looks nothing like what arrives in the mail… if it arrives at all. Even worse, AI imagery is helping flood the platform with brand-new fast-fashion stock from Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, resold at markups under the guise of vintage finds. That’s not just against the spirit of Vinted’s “vide-dressing” culture - in France, it can cross into illegal dropshipping when fraud is involved. Officially, Vinted says it tolerates AI for touch-ups or face-blurring, but draws the line at misleading posts. In practice, enforcement is patchy, leaving users wondering: Is that chic blazer really a thrift gem, or just a phantom fit conjured by Midjourney? | [**RTL**](https://www.rtl.fr/actu/sciences-tech/vinted-envahi-par-les-annonces-generees-par-l-ia-comment-reperer-ces-images-trompeuses-7900540221?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Europe’s AI Algorithm Timeout: Minors May Be Banned From Social Media** | The EU is aiming for the recommendation engines behind TikTok, Instagram, and more, warning that their AI-driven feeds exploit children’s vulnerabilities. Ursula von der Leyen is pushing for a minimum age requirement, inspired by Australia, with France and several other member states on board for a 15+ limit. Platforms will need robust age-verification systems — or risk losing a chunk of their teen audience (and ad revenue). It’s a bold attempt to put algorithmic accountability before engagement metrics, but enforcing it could be as tricky as telling a teenager to log off. Europe’s message is clear: AI may rule your feed, but it won’t rule your kids — at least not legally. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/les-mineurs-bientot-bannis-des-reseaux-sociaux-en-europe.N2237670?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **How Alpic Is Building Model Context Protocol (MCP) Infrastructure For A New Agentic Internet |** The Paris-based company has raised $6M to help companies deploy MCP servers for a world where AI agents, not humans, navigate digital services. **|** [**The French Tech Journal** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-alpic-is-building-model-context-protocol-mcp-infrastructure-for-a-new-agentic-internet/) 🗞️ **Bad bots or agentic misalignment? When AI appears to go rogue |** AI systems are getting smart and independent. But what happens when they start making decisions we didn’t intend? A new Anthropic study reveals how even well-aligned models can go off-script. We spoke with ReciTAL CEO Gilles Moyse about the risks of agentic misalignment. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/bad-bots-or-agentic-misalignment-when-ai-appears-to-go-rogue/) 🗞️ **Cathay Innovation's $1B Bet On Rewiring Venture Capital For The AI Age |** Denis Barrier**,** Co-Founder of Cathay Innovation**,** explains how the new fund challenges Silicon Valley's model by focusing on collaboration that connects AI startups directly with corporate giants to transform industries rather than disrupt them in an era where 'everybody has to play.' | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/) 🗞️ **Photonic Chip Startup Arago Wants to Cut AI's Massive Energy Appetite by 90% |** A year-old French company claims its light-powered processors could slash data center power consumption while keeping warehouse robots running all day instead of just one hour. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/photonic-chip-startup-arago-wants-to-cut-ais-massive-energy-appetite-by-90/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 Anthropic's Guillaume Princen: 'The building blocks of the digital economy are now as simple as having a conversation.' [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/gp-vt-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/anthropics-guillaume-princen-the-building-blocks-of-the-digital-economy-are-now-as-simple-as-having-a-conversation/) Anthropic's recent **$13 billion** Series F round brought its valuation to **$183 billion, the last sign of the escalating global AI arms race. The company plans to use the** funding to scale enterprise products, expand globally, and deepen research on AI safety. However, that international expansion was already well underway. Earlier this year, the company hired [**Guillaume Princen**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-princen-3835841/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to be Head of EMEA. Princen will lead the company's expansion across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Princen brings over 20 years of experience in high-growth technology environments, with expertise spanning revenue, product, operations, strategy, and international expansion. I had a chance to speak with Princen back in July at the Raise Summit in Paris. The following is an edited transcript of our conversation. "What I'm seeing in the market today, the trust element is extremely important for companies in this region, more than elsewhere in the world," Princen said. "We are in a business of trust here in EMEA, especially in AI, and that is something that customers value a lot. [Read the interview](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/anthropics-guillaume-princen-the-building-blocks-of-the-digital-economy-are-now-as-simple-as-having-a-conversation/) --- ### 🧠 The Unlikely Alliance: Europe's Chip Giant ASML Makes A Billion Euro Wager On Mistral AI [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-25.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-unlikely-alliance-europes-chip-giant-asml-makes-a-billion-euro-wager-on-mistral-ai/) Mistral AI's record-breaking €1.7 billion funding round catapulted the startup to an €11.7 billion valuation, making it France's first decacorn and turning its three founders into billionaires. But the surprising star of this funding round was the lead investor: ASML, the Dutch company that has quietly become the invisible backbone of the global technology industry. ASML's €1.3 billion investment secured an 11% stake and made it Mistral's largest shareholder. The unlikely alliance signals a strategic shift that could reshape Europe's position in the AI arms race. It's a calculated gamble on European technological sovereignty, orchestrated by one of the continent's most powerful yet least understood tech giants. [Read more on the blockbuster deal](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-unlikely-alliance-europes-chip-giant-asml-makes-a-billion-euro-wager-on-mistral-ai/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company:** Mistral AI 🔍 **Description:** Developing the best generative AI models 💻 **Website:** [mistral.ai](http://mistral.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1,818.18M 🏦 **Investors:** Index Ventures; Lightspeed Venture Partners; General Catalyst; ASML; Bpifrance; Andreessen Horowitz; DST Global; Nvidia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Lample; Timothée Lacroix; Arthur Mensch 🗞️ **News:** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/mistral-ai-raises-17-billion-euros-asml-becomes-its-top-shareholder-2025-09-09/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Gobano Robotics 🔍 **Description:** French robotics AI startup leveraging imitation learning and reinforcement learning to make robots more adaptable and capable of performing complex tasks, moving beyond traditional rigid programming. 💻 **Website:** [gobano.ai](https://gobano.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3 million 🏦 **Investors:** Axeleo Capital, Bpifrance, Polytechnique Ventures, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ziad Khoury (ex-founder of Padam Mobility, acquired by Siemens Mobility), Roch Molléro (PhD in AI, ex-Wandercraft) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support R&D on Gobano’s software layer for robotic arms, with the goal of enabling them to perform variable, complex tasks such as sorting, assembly, and screwing—paving the way for more versatile automation in factories and warehouses. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/cette-start-up-francaise-dia-qui-veut-aider-les-robots-a-apprendre-de-leurs-erreurs-2185096?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Manitty 🔍 **Description:** French digital health startup behind *DeepMo*, a wearable AI-powered health intelligence platform providing real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive medical support across healthcare and defense applications. 💻 **Website:** [manitty.com](https://manitty.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** NATO DIANA Phase 2 selection (grant & accelerator program) 💰 **Amount Raised:** Up to €300,000 in NATO DIANA Phase 2 funding support 🏦 **Investors/Partners:** NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Blasquez Philippe 🗞️ **News:** Manitty is the **only French company** and **only digital health innovator** selected among 15 winners (out of 2,600 applicants) for NATO DIANA Phase 2\. The funding and program access will help scale *DeepMo*’s deployment in extreme environments, validate defence use cases, and accelerate adoption across healthcare and military ecosystems. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategic-necessity-manittys-selection-highlights-growing-importance-tbdhe/?trackingId=0PF%2F9SlHQo6XLK6%2FSd2FLg%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/news/nato-throws-money-at-health-tech-to-prepare-for-war/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Zylio 🔍 **Description:** SaaS/AI startup automating indirect procurement by using an autonomous AI agent to analyze unstructured documents (quotes, invoices, purchase orders), enforce price compliance, detect anomalies, and help companies save money and time in procurement decisions. 💻 **Website:** [Zylio](https://www.zylio.io/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Courbevoie 🧗 **Round:** N/A 💰 **Amount Raised:** N/A 🏦 **Investors:** Ilan Benhaim, MFOUNDERS 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Tarik Aitakkaouali, Bertrand Dumast, Younès Samir, Oussama Kandakji 🗞️ **News:** [**Startupresearcher**](https://www.startupresearcher.com/news/zylio-secures-funding-for-autonomous-ai-procurement-controller?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Anthropic's Guillaume Princen: 'The building blocks of the digital economy are now as simple as having a conversation.' URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/anthropics-guillaume-princen-the-building-blocks-of-the-digital-economy-are-now-as-simple-as-having-a-conversation/ Last updated: 2025-09-15T08:25:06.000Z The former Stripe executive was hired earlier this year to be Anthropic's Head of EMEA. He spoke with us about sovereignty, vibe coding, and why the Model Context Protocol has catalyzed the agentic era. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Unlikely Alliance: Europe's Chip Giant ASML Makes A Billion Euro Wager On Mistral AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-unlikely-alliance-europes-chip-giant-asml-makes-a-billion-euro-wager-on-mistral-ai/ Last updated: 2025-09-14T23:12:04.000Z Mistral AI's record-breaking €1.7 billion funding round catapulted the startup to an €11.7 billion valuation, making it France's first decacorn and turning its three founders into billionaires. But the surprising star of this funding round was the lead investor: ASML, the Dutch company that has quietly become the invisible backbone of the global technology industry. ASML's €1.3 billion investment secured an 11% stake and made it Mistral's largest shareholder. The unlikely alliance signals a strategic shift that could reshape Europe's position in the AI arms race. It's a calculated gamble on European technological sovereignty, orchestrated by one of the continent's most powerful yet least understood tech giants. ## The Unsung Titan Behind the Chips To understand why ASML's backing matters so much, you need to grasp what this €250 billion Dutch giant actually does. Founded in 1984 as a struggling spinoff from electronics conglomerate Philips, ASML nearly went bankrupt in its early years. Today, it holds an almost mythical status in the semiconductor world. It's the only company on Earth capable of manufacturing extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, the bus-sized behemoths that etch the most advanced computer chips. These machines represent engineering at its most extreme. Each unit costs over €300 million and requires a convoy of twenty trucks and three Boeing 747-sized cargo planes for shipping. Since 2010, ASML has sold just 140 of these technological marvels, yet they've become indispensable to giants like Samsung, Intel, and Taiwan's TSMC. Without ASML's machines, the chips powering everything from smartphones to AI models simply couldn't exist. It is not without some irony. The art of creating ever-smaller microprocessors depends entirely on machines the size of city buses. It's this monopolistic position in the semiconductor supply chain that gives ASML both the resources and strategic imperative to invest in AI's future. ## Europe's AI Champion Faces Goliath Meanwhile, Mistral's rise has been meteoric. Founded just two years ago by three former researchers from Google DeepMind and Meta—Arthur Mensch, Timothée Lacroix, and Guillaume Lample—the company has positioned itself as Europe's answer to OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity. Its chatbot Le Chat competes directly with ChatGPT, while its approach of releasing "open source" versions of its AI models offers a philosophical alternative to the black-box approach favored by American competitors. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index now pegs each founder's net worth at $1.1 billion, a remarkable achievement for a company that's barely out of startup diapers. Yet these numbers, impressive as they are, reveal the David vs. Goliath nature of Mistral's challenge. Consider the competition: OpenAI is reportedly eyeing a $500 billion valuation in potential share sales, more than 40 times Mistral's current worth. Anthropic, another American AI heavyweight, recently closed a funding round at a staggering $183 billion valuation. Even with ASML's backing, Mistral remains a minnow swimming in an ocean dominated by American whales. ## The Sovereignty Gambit Still, this funding disparity isn't just about bragging rights. It reflects deeper questions about technological sovereignty that keep European policymakers awake at night. There is once again growing concern about Europe's dependence on American tech titans for critical AI infrastructure. The fear is that everything from healthcare to payment systems to public administration to communication networks will be dominated by U.S. tech giants. The hope is that ASML's investment in Mistral is an alternative investment channel to the American "magnificent seven" (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, Nvidia, and Tesla). In recent months, those companies have been battling each other relentlessly for AI talent, driving up the cost of talent to astronomical levels. For ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet (a Frenchman), the partnership offers mutual benefits: Mistral's AI could accelerate ASML's own innovation cycles, while ASML provides the financial firepower and industrial credibility that Mistral needs to compete. Yet money remains Mistral's fundamental challenge. While €1.7 billion sounds impressive, it pales beside the resources American competitors can deploy. The funding gap isn't just about current valuations—it's about the massive capital requirements for training cutting-edge AI models, building data centers, and attracting top talent in an increasingly expensive market. American AI companies benefit from deeper capital markets, a more mature venture capital ecosystem, and proximity to the world's largest tech companies. Mistral, despite its European champion status, must still rely partly on American investors: Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Nvidia all participated in this latest round. ## An Industrial Alliance What makes the ASML-Mistral partnership particularly intriguing is its industrial logic. Unlike typical venture capital investments, this represents a strategic alliance between two companies at different ends of the technology stack. ASML needs AI to optimize its incredibly complex manufacturing processes and accelerate R&D cycles. Mistral gains not just capital but also a prestigious European industrial partner that validates its technology. Whether this alliance can meaningfully challenge American AI dominance remains an open question. ASML's €1.3 billion bet suggests that at least one European giant believes the fight is worth having. The irony is that Europe's AI sovereignty dreams now rest partly on a Dutch company whose machines make the American competition possible in the first place. In the complex chess game of global technology, even the most unlikely alliances can reshape the board. ### French Tech Funding Wire September 12: Mistral AI, Cailabs, Heetch & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-12-mistral-ai-cailabs-heetch-more/ Last updated: 2025-09-13T10:29:53.000Z # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company:** Mistral AI 🔍 **Description:** Developing the best generative AI models 💻 **Website:** [mistral.ai](http://mistral.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1,818.18M 🏦 **Investors:** Index Ventures; Lightspeed Venture Partners; General Catalyst; ASML; Bpifrance; Andreessen Horowitz; DST Global; Nvidia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Lample; Timothée Lacroix; Arthur Mensch 🗞️ **News:** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/mistral-ai-raises-17-billion-euros-asml-becomes-its-top-shareholder-2025-09-09/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Cailabs 🔍 **Description:** Deep-tech specialist in advanced photonics, Cailabs designs laser communication solutions and optical ground stations for the space, defense, telecom, and industrial sectors. 💻 **Website:** [www.cailabs.com](http://www.cailabs.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Rennes, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €57 million 🏦 **Investors:** European Investment Bank (EIB), Definvest & Defense Innovation Fund (French Ministry of Armed Forces & Bpifrance), NewSpace Capital, European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), Starquest Capital, CAIVE (Crédit Agricole Ille-et-Vilaine Expansion) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean-François Morizur (co-founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will enable Cailabs to scale its production to **50 optical ground stations per year by 2027**, accelerate international expansion (with a stronger U.S. presence), and develop next-generation turnkey laser communication systems, including portable optical ground stations and orbital solutions. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/cailabs-securise-57-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sa-croissance-et-son-passage-a-lechelle-industrielle?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Heetch 🔍 **Description:** Ride-sharing app targeted at late night transportation seekers in France 💻 **Website:** [heetch.com](http://heetch.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €58.36M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures; Aster Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Jacob; Nicolas Lapomarda; Aylic Petit 🗞️ **News:** Heetch wants to strengthen its position in the ride-sharing market with a focus on **late-night urban mobility**. The company will use the funds to expand across **France and French-speaking Africa**, improve its technology platform, and recruit new drivers to meet growing demand. The strategy is to differentiate itself from larger rivals by targeting underserved night-time riders and building a loyal community of drivers and passengers. **|** [**Cathay Capital**](https://www.cathaycapital.com/heetch-raises-38-million-to-accelerate-its-expansion-in-france-and-french-speaking-africa/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Medium**](https://medium.com/@dailygyanfeed/heetch-raises-64-2m-to-challenge-ride-sharing-giants-with-a-unique-late-night-focus-ce0f2f42cd7c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company:** Scintil Photonics 🔍 **Description:** A fabless company that develops silicon photonic integrated circuits by combining Silicon and Indium Phosphide materials through wafer-scale bonding 💻 **Website:** [scintil-photonics.com](https://www.scintil-photonics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €50.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance; Innovacom; Nvidia; Bosch Ventures; NGP Capital; Applied Ventures; Supernova Invest; BNP Paribas Développement; Yotta Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sylvie Menezo; Pascal Langlois 🗞️ **News:** The fuding will be used to to ramp up production of its **LEAF Light™ integrated photonics chip** for AI data centers. The company will use the capital to accelerate manufacturing, expand globally—particularly in the U.S.—and grow its workforce. Its SHIP™ platform aims to deliver more energy-efficient, high-density optical systems that cut costs and carbon footprints for hyperscale AI infrastructure. | [**PR**](https://smb.thewashingtondailynews.com/article/Scintil-Photonics-Raises-dollar58M-to-Scale-Integrated-Photonics-for-AI-Factories?storyId=68bffb7e7dff95573a341792&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** NeoFarm 🔍 **Description:** Enables new agricultural practices that meet farmers’ needs and respect the environment thanks to powerful robotic and software solutions 💻 **Website:** [neo.farm](http://neo.farm/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €30.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance; Eurazeo; ADEME Investissement; Cléry 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Alexia Rey; Olivier Le Blainvaux; Yves Matton 🗞️ **News:** The money will be used to scale up its model of automated organic vegetable farms. It will build its first large farm in Lisses, Essonne (25 hectares in total, 10 ha under greenhouse with robotic tools), with capacity to produce \~1,300 tonnes/year, and aims to replicate more than 25 such farms by the end of 2030\. *|* [**IGrowNews**](https://igrownews.com/neofarm-latest-news/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** SafeHeal 🔍 **Description:** Devicemaker that specializes in digestive surgery 💻 **Website:** [safeheal.com](http://safeheal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €10.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Sofinnova Partners; Asabys Partners; Polis; M&L Healthcare Investments; Gideon Strategic Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anne Osdoit 🗞️ **News:** SafeHeal will further accelerate its pivotal **FDA IDE study** and support the planned commercial launch of its Colovac device in the EU. Colovac is designed to act as a reversible bypass system to avoid temporary diverting ostomy in most colorectal cancer surgeries, improving patient recovery and quality of life. *|* [**PR**](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/10/3147506/0/en/Asabys-Partners-Leads-10-Million-Extension-of-SafeHeal-s-Oversubscribed-Series-C-Financing-to-Accelerate-Commercialization-of-Colovac.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dianosic 🔍 **Description:** Clinical-stage biotech pioneering drug delivery solutions for chronic respiratory diseases (allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis) and central nervous system (CNS) disorders, based on its proprietary intranasal bioresorbable insert technology. 💻 **Website:** [www.dianosic.com](https://www.dianosic.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Equity financing round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** Aptar (lead), Noshaq, Capital Grand Est, Finovam Gestion 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Philippe Bastide (CEO & co-founder), Marc Augustin (President & co-founder), Prof. Christian Debry (co-founder, Strasbourg University Hospital) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will advance Dianosic’s clinical programs for chronic respiratory diseases, support R&D in Nose-to-Brain drug delivery for neurological disorders, and establish an affiliate in Liège, Belgium, to focus on this emerging therapeutic area. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dianosic%5Fpress-release-dianosic-activity-7369724211151527940-G%5FA2?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Nucleon Security 🔍 **Description:** Endpoint Security & Vulnerability Management 💻 **Website:** [nucleon-security.com](https://nucleon-security.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Orange Ventures; Newfund; LoftyInc Capital; CDG Invest; AXIAN 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anas C 🗞️ **News:** The €3M funding will allow Nucleon Security to industrialize its agentic AI technology across all its solutions and accelerate its commercial expansion in Europe and Africa. | [**Globalsecuritymag**](https://www.globalsecuritymag.com/nucleon-security-raises-eur3m.html?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Nepsis Energy 🔍 **Description:** A fintech simplifying energy-transition financing for French SMEs and mid-caps by automating project analysis and structuring of applications, easing the financial and technical burden of decarbonization. 💻 **Website:** [https://nepsis.co/](https://nepsis.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (via its Digital Venture fund), AFI Ventures, Hoji Ventures, 50 Partners, Ring Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Constantin Wolfrom 🗞️ **News:** The funds will be used to recruit technical, data, and project talent; automate processing for hundreds of projects; finalize deployment of its AI scoring and structuring solution; reach profitability; and finance €100 million worth of energy-transition projects by end-2026\. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/35-millions-deuros-leves-pour-nepsis-la-fintech-qui-simplifie-le-financement-de-la-transition-energetique-des-pme-et-eti-francaises?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Gobano Robotics 🔍 **Description:** French robotics AI startup leveraging imitation learning and reinforcement learning to make robots more adaptable and capable of performing complex tasks, moving beyond traditional rigid programming. 💻 **Website:** [gobano.ai](https://gobano.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3 million 🏦 **Investors:** Axeleo Capital, Bpifrance, Polytechnique Ventures, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ziad Khoury (ex-founder of Padam Mobility, acquired by Siemens Mobility), Roch Molléro (PhD in AI, ex-Wandercraft) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support R&D on Gobano’s software layer for robotic arms, with the goal of enabling them to perform variable, complex tasks such as sorting, assembly, and screwing—paving the way for more versatile automation in factories and warehouses. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/cette-start-up-francaise-dia-qui-veut-aider-les-robots-a-apprendre-de-leurs-erreurs-2185096?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Nona 🔍 **Description:** French startup providing a software platform to manage collective catering meals in compliance with nutritional, stock management, and regulatory requirements (Egalim law, anti-waste, organic sourcing, etc.). 💻 **Website:** [https://www.nona.fr/](https://www.nona.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.3 million (including €1.2M non-dilutive) 🏦 **Investors:** Banque des Territoires, Inco Ventures, Impactiviste, 50Partners Impact, RJ Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Louis Sibille 🗞️ **News:** The funding will allow Nona to expand into the medico-social market (nursing homes, hospitals), strengthen its modules (hygiene, traceability, environmental reporting), and target more complex markets such as secondary schools. The company currently equips 700 canteens, including Paris 12th district, La Rochelle, and Tarbes, has reached €1M in ARR, and aims for profitability by early 2027\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-nona-se-renforce-dans-la-gestion-des-cantines-2184876?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Manitty 🔍 **Description:** French digital health startup behind *DeepMo*, a wearable AI-powered health intelligence platform providing real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive medical support across healthcare and defense applications. 💻 **Website:** [manitty.com](https://manitty.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** NATO DIANA Phase 2 selection (grant & accelerator program) 💰 **Amount Raised:** Up to €300,000 in NATO DIANA Phase 2 funding support 🏦 **Investors/Partners:** NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Blasquez Philippe 🗞️ **News:** Manitty is the **only French company** and **only digital health innovator** selected among 15 winners (out of 2,600 applicants) for NATO DIANA Phase 2\. The funding and program access will help scale *DeepMo*’s deployment in extreme environments, validate defence use cases, and accelerate adoption across healthcare and military ecosystems. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategic-necessity-manittys-selection-highlights-growing-importance-tbdhe/?trackingId=0PF%2F9SlHQo6XLK6%2FSd2FLg%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/news/nato-throws-money-at-health-tech-to-prepare-for-war/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** My Auto Specialist 🔍 **Description:** Used home inspection service that aims to help automotive market professionals in their digital transition 💻 **Website:** [monspecialisteauto.com](http://monspecialisteauto.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Puteaux 🧗 **Round:** Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** N/A 🏦 **Investors:** UI Investissement; IRD INVEST 👨β👩 **Founders:** Jean-Michel Cochet; Sacha Sardo 🗞️ **News:** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/monspecialisteauto%2Ecom%5Fmsa-annonce-louverture-dun-nouveau-chapitre-activity-7369397800343662600--kPY?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** NRGYS 🔍 **Description:** Engineering and consulting for building energy performance 💻 **Website:** [nrgys.fr](https://nrgys.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes 🧗 **Round:** Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** N/A 🏦 **Investors:** Sodero Gestion 👨β👩 **Founders:** Patrice NORMAND 🗞️ **News:** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nrgysnantes%5F%F0%9D%90%94%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%9E-%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%AF%F0%9D%90%9E%F0%9D%90%A5%F0%9D%90%A5%F0%9D%90%9E-%F0%9D%90%9E%F0%9D%90%AD%F0%9D%90%9A%F0%9D%90%A9%F0%9D%90%9E-%F0%9D%90%9D%F0%9D%90%9A%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%AC-activity-7371097544384487424-M5S9?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company:** Zylio 🔍 **Description:** SaaS/AI startup automating indirect procurement by using an autonomous AI agent to analyze unstructured documents (quotes, invoices, purchase orders), enforce price compliance, detect anomalies, and help companies save money and time in procurement decisions. 💻 **Website:** [Zylio](https://www.zylio.io/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Courbevoie 🧗 **Round:** N/A 💰 **Amount Raised:** N/A 🏦 **Investors:** Ilan Benhaim, MFOUNDERS 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Tarik Aitakkaouali, Bertrand Dumast, Younès Samir, Oussama Kandakji 🗞️ **News:** [**Startupresearcher**](https://www.startupresearcher.com/news/zylio-secures-funding-for-autonomous-ai-procurement-controller?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Sugar, Silicon, Serious Cash, and Slowdowns URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-deep-science-hot-chips-big-money-kyron-bios-glyco-moonshot-scintils-eu50m-laser-play-quadrilles-eu500m-fund-more-want-me-to-try-an-even-snappier-slightly-cheekier-versi/ Last updated: 2025-09-12T08:45:55.000Z **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Deep Dive:** French start-ups navigate choppy waters as VC funding plummets 24% while employment surges 11.5%. [**The 2025 Barometer from France Digitale and EY reveals an ecosystem transitioning from growth-at-all-costs to sustainable profitability amid mounting political and economic headwinds.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-start-ups-navigate-turbulence-growth-slows-despite-resilient-job-creation/) 👀 **Deep Dive:** Kyron.bio is developing a platform to tackle a hidden problem in antibody drug design: the variability in how sugar molecules (glycans) attach to therapeutic proteins, which can trigger immune rejection. This promises safer, longer-lasting biologics by reducing immunogenicity and increasing consistency of drug performance. [**Dr. Emilia McLaughlin, Kyron.bio’s CEO and co-founder, breaks down the science and the vision driving this Deep Tech startup.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-kyron-bios-bold-bet-rewrite-rules-antibody-drug-design/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Tech Talk 🦄 🇫🇷 **Cocorico squared: Mistral AI just became France’s very first *decacorn*,** hitting a sky-high valuation of nearly $14B after raising €1.7B in a Series C round. The Paris-based AI darling, only two years old, bagged a whopping €1.3B from Dutch semiconductor titan ASML. Yes, the same company that makes those bus-sized lithography machines used to print the chips inside your phone, car, and fighter jet. The deal signals a rare show of European tech solidarity, with ASML betting Mistral can turbocharge its own AI capabilities while giving Brussels a poster child for “digital sovereignty.” Sure, across the Atlantic, OpenAI and Anthropic are raising sums ten times bigger. But Europe is playing a different game: capital-efficient, fiercely independent, and (at least for now) proudly homegrown....And yes, the story has been absolutely everywhere - *except*, as Mike Butcher cheekily pointed out, on TechCrunch 😉 (check out his LinkedIn post [**here**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mikebutcher%5Ftodays-big-story-mistral-is-on-fire-there-activity-7371131206324699136-rrMa?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAUKLzABMJOJvDn0SgtXmFAlaJPxYO3raLE)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/mistral-devient-la-premiere-decacorne-francaise-avec-une-valorisation-de-14-milliards-de-dollars-2185081?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FT**](https://www.ft.com/content/613b9c71-827b-4bb0-a0d9-5d4117878d88?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/fr/%C3%A9co-tech/20250911-qui-est-asml-derriere-succes-de-la-star-francaise-mistral-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔬✨ **From Grenoble with lasers:** Scintil Photonics has raised a €50M Series B to crank up production of its silicon photonics chips. The CEA-Leti spin-out landed fresh backing from Yotta, NGP Capital, BNP Paribas, and yes, Nvidia, because apparently Jensen Huang can’t resist a bit of French photonics 😜. Scintil’s “Ship” platform integrates lasers, modulators, and photodiodes on a single chip, promising ultrafast (up to a terabit per second), low-energy data transfer for data centers, HPC, and AI. Its flagship “Leaf Light” laser source is set to scale as the startup expands from Grenoble to the US. The target markets: Data centers, HPC, 5G, and the booming AI compute infrastructure, where Nvidia and AMD are racing to embed photonics at the chip level. |[ **Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/09/semi-conducteurs-scintil-photonics-leve-50-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/soutenue-par-nvidia-la-deeptech-francaise-scintil-photonics-leve-50-millions-d-euros.N2237441?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤑💰 **Quadrille Capital goes big on tech.** Paris + San Francisco-based Quadrille Capital has just raised €500M across three funds to supercharge investments in European and US tech. That includes €285M for direct investments (already backing AI startup Sanas, gaming studio [Homa,](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-northzones-fight-to-lead-homa-games-50m-series-a/) and fintech firm Wisetack), €70M for their primary fund, and €150M for the secondary fund — more than triple its first vintage. With €1.8B now under management, Quadrille is flexing its multi-strategy, cross‑Atlantic muscle, covering software, AI, healthcare, and more. CEO Jérôme Chevalier calls it a vote of confidence in the firm’s “pioneering and cross-functional strategic vision.” Translation: they’re playing the long game, and Europe + US tech better watch out. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/11/quadrille-capital-annonce-un-closing-de-500-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**TechEu**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/11/quadrille-capital-raises-500m-to-invest-in-european-and-us-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤝 🇩🇪 **Mayday takes a Rhine break.** Five years after its 2020 founding in Paris, French AI knowledge-management startup Mayday has been snapped up by German CX giant USU. The deal keeps Mayday’s 50-strong team intact while giving its solutions a transnational boost. Mayday, already powering companies like Fnac-Darty, La Poste, Doctolib, and Qonto, specializes in turning messy customer-service knowledge into actionable AI insights. With USU on board, the vision is clear: “No KM, no AI.” Together, they aim to build a European CX powerhouse, blending automation, intuitive UX, and lightning-fast AI responses. In short, your call center just got smarter - and now it speaks fluent German. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/11/relation-client-mayday-passe-sous-pavillon-allemand/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**BusinessWire**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250910248047/fr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🦄 🎪 **FDDay 2025: the French Tech circus is back!** Next Wednesday, September 17th, the French startup scene descends on the *Musée des Arts Forains* for the annual France Digitale Day. Doors open at 8:30 am, and yes, coffee will be needed — it’s going to be jam‑packed. Key speakers include Maya Noël (France Digitale), Roxanne Varza (Station F), Alexia Laroche‑Joubert (Banijay), and a mix of top VCs and founders. On the agenda: **C‑Level tracks,** **corporate-startup matchmaking**, a spotlight on **NoCode/low‑code tools**, **Talent Awards,** and the **CES Tech Trends morning session** that links France’s startup buzz to the world stage. Whether you’re hunting funding, partnerships, or just the best croissants in Paris, FDDay promises a full day of French Tech pomp, play, and (slightly nerdy) glory. Team FTJ will obviously be there too! 😉 Check out the [**Programme**](https://fdday.eu/programme/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Inside Kyron.bio’s Bold Bet to Rewrite the Rules of Antibody Drug Design [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-23.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-kyron-bios-bold-bet-rewrite-rules-antibody-drug-design/) For all the excitement around next-generation antibody therapies, a surprisingly mundane biological process is proving to be a critical bottleneck: How sugar molecules are arranged on the surface of therapeutic proteins. Paris-based Kyron.bio is betting that solving this quiet but consequential problem could unlock a new class of safer, longer-lasting biologic drugs. The biotech startup raised €5.5 million in seed funding in May this year to scale its glyco-engineering platform, a technology that allows unprecedented control over *glycans*, the complex sugar structures that decorate therapeutic antibodies. The round was led by HCVC, with participation from Verve Ventures, Entrepreneur First, Saras Capital, and several business angels. The raise also coincides with the launch of Kyron’s EIC Transition project, supported by the European Innovation Council. Glycosylation is the cellular process of attaching sugars to proteins. While it might sound esoteric, its effects are far-reaching. Glycans influence how a drug behaves in the body, how long it lasts in circulation, and critically, whether the immune system flags it as a threat. For many antibody drugs, that flag can mean failure. [Read more](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-kyron-bios-bold-bet-rewrite-rules-antibody-drug-design/) --- # French Start-ups Navigate Turbulence as Growth Slows Despite Resilient Job Creation [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-24.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-start-ups-navigate-turbulence-growth-slows-despite-resilient-job-creation/) France's start-up ecosystem is showing remarkable resilience in the face of mounting economic and political headwinds, but the golden age of explosive growth appears to be cooling, [**according to the latest barometer from France Digitale and EY.**](https://barometre-startups.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The numbers tell a tale of two realities. On one hand, French start-ups generated €11.5 billion in revenue during 2024, marking a solid 16% increase from the previous year. The ecosystem now employs 1.45 million people and has created an impressive 150,000 new jobs over the past year. Yet scratch beneath the surface, and signs of strain emerge everywhere. Emmanuelle Ratsimialavahoaka, Partner at EY & Associates, identifies the core struggles: "Faced with the economic slowdown and declining household consumption, raising funds and finding clients remain the primary challenges that start-ups say they must overcome in the coming months." [Read the analysis](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-start-ups-navigate-turbulence-growth-slows-despite-resilient-job-creation/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Mistral AI 🔍 **Description:** Developing the best generative AI models 💻 **Website:** [mistral.ai](http://mistral.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series C 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1,818.18M 🏦 **Investors:** Index Ventures; Lightspeed Venture Partners; General Catalyst; ASML; Bpifrance; Andreessen Horowitz; DST Global; Nvidia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Guillaume Lample; Timothée Lacroix; Arthur Mensch 🗞️ **News:** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/mistral-ai-raises-17-billion-euros-asml-becomes-its-top-shareholder-2025-09-09/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Heetch 🔍 **Description:** Ride-sharing app targeted at late-night transportation seekers in France 💻 **Website:** [heetch.com](http://heetch.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €58.36M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures; Aster Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Jacob; Nicolas Lapomarda; Aylic Petit 🗞️ **News:** Heetch wants to strengthen its position in the ride-sharing market with a focus on **late-night urban mobility**. The company will use the funds to expand across **France and French-speaking Africa**, improve its technology platform, and recruit new drivers to meet growing demand. The strategy is to differentiate itself from larger rivals by targeting underserved night-time riders and building a loyal community of drivers and passengers. **|** [**Cathay Capital**](https://www.cathaycapital.com/heetch-raises-38-million-to-accelerate-its-expansion-in-france-and-french-speaking-africa/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Medium**](https://medium.com/@dailygyanfeed/heetch-raises-64-2m-to-challenge-ride-sharing-giants-with-a-unique-late-night-focus-ce0f2f42cd7c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Scintil Photonics 🔍 **Description:** A fabless company that develops silicon photonic integrated circuits by combining Silicon and Indium Phosphide materials through wafer-scale bonding 💻 **Website:** [scintil-photonics.com](https://www.scintil-photonics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Series B 💰 **Amount Raised:** €50.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance; Innovacom; Nvidia; Bosch Ventures; NGP Capital; Applied Ventures; Supernova Invest; BNP Paribas Développement; Yotta Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sylvie Menezo; Pascal Langlois 🗞️ **News:** The funding will be used to ramp up production of its **LEAF Light™ integrated photonics chip** for AI data centers. The company will use the capital to accelerate manufacturing, expand globally—particularly in the U.S.—and grow its workforce. Its SHIP™ platform aims to deliver more energy-efficient, high-density optical systems that cut costs and carbon footprints for hyperscale AI infrastructure. | [**PR**](https://smb.thewashingtondailynews.com/article/Scintil-Photonics-Raises-dollar58M-to-Scale-Integrated-Photonics-for-AI-Factories?storyId=68bffb7e7dff95573a341792&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Start-ups Navigate Turbulence as Growth Slows Despite Resilient Job Creation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-start-ups-navigate-turbulence-growth-slows-despite-resilient-job-creation/ Last updated: 2025-09-12T08:39:22.000Z French start-ups navigate choppy waters as VC funding plummets 24% while employment surges 11.5%. The 2025 Barometer from France Digitale and EY reveals an ecosystem transitioning from growth-at-all-costs to sustainable profitability amid mounting political and economic headwinds. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Inside Kyron.bio’s Bold Bet to Rewrite the Rules of Antibody Drug Design URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-kyron-bios-bold-bet-rewrite-rules-antibody-drug-design/ Last updated: 2025-09-12T07:33:56.000Z For all the buzz around antibody therapies, one overlooked culprit keeps holding them back: sugars. Paris-based Kyron.bio is tackling the hidden complexity of glycosylation — the way sugars attach to therapeutic proteins — with a platform that promises safer, longer-lasting drugs. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### #41: Mistral AI Goes Dutch With $14B Valuation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/41-mistral-ai-goes-dutch-with-14b-valuation/ Last updated: 2025-09-08T09:08:12.000Z **In this edition of La Machine:** **🧠** Agentic AI is now the big thing. But companies need help leveraging the potential. Last year, Anthropic released the Model Context Protocol to help them do that, but deploying MCP remains complex. Enter Paris-based Alpic. The company has raised $6M to create MCP infrastructure for a world where AI agents, not humans, navigate digital services. [CEO and co-founder **Pierre-Louis Theron** explains the technology and the business strategy. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-alpic-is-building-model-context-protocol-mcp-infrastructure-for-a-new-agentic-internet/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/ISO42001_Checklist_1104x360.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/global-guide-security-compliance?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) With the rise of AI comes new risks—and new responsibilities. ISO 42001 is the first international standard for managing AI systems responsibly and securely. Whether you're deploying AI internally or building AI-driven products, compliance is quickly becoming essential. Vanta’s ISO 42001 Compliance Checklist gives you a clear, actionable path to align with the new standard and stay ahead of evolving regulation. [👉 Download the guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/global-guide-security-compliance?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ **Mistral, Mistral, Mistral.** How else would the first La Machine of the *rentrée* start? The French LLM hopeful continued to make news over the summer. Most notably, it briefly became the subject of rumors that the almighty Apple was attempting to acquire it. The Cupertino giant has badly fumbled its AI efforts, and the company's alleged focus on privacy would seem to sync well with Mistral's embrace of open source. The chatter caused excitement (yeah, big exit!) and anxiety (boo, sovereignty!) in the Hexagon. In the end, nothing went down. Instead, Mistral appears to be on the cusp of closing a €2 billion round of funding that would value it at $14 billion, [according to Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-03/mistral-set-for-14-billion-valuation-with-new-funding-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). That would be a staggering amount by European standards. Or, what rival Anthropic ([which just raised $13 billion at a $183 billion valuation](https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-raises-series-f-at-usd183b-post-money-valuation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)) would call: "pocket change." The most striking element of the Mistral funding round is the report of ASML's €1.3 billion investment, which would make the Dutch semiconductor equipment giant Mistral's largest shareholder, [according to Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/asml-becomes-mistral-ais-top-shareholder-after-leading-latest-funding-round-2025-09-07/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). This partnership represents a fascinating convergence of Europe's tech champions: ASML, which holds a monopoly on the extreme ultraviolet lithography machines essential for manufacturing the world's most advanced chips, joining forces with France's AI standard-bearer. The ASML investment is particularly surprising because it bridges two seemingly distant parts of the technology stack. ASML's $180 million EUV machines are the invisible workhorses that enable companies like TSMC and Intel to manufacture cutting-edge processors, while Mistral builds the AI models that increasingly power everything from chatbots to scientific research. Does the synergy actually make strategic sense? ASML already uses AI to optimize its incredibly complex manufacturing equipment, and Mistral's data analytics capabilities could help the Dutch company enhance its tools and develop new products. More importantly, the partnership strengthens European technological sovereignty at a time when the continent seeks to reduce dependence on American and Chinese AI systems. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/asml-becomes-mistral-ais-top-shareholder-after-leading-latest-funding-round-2025-09-07/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-03/mistral-set-for-14-billion-valuation-with-new-funding-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/03/mistral-the-french-ai-giant-is-reportedly-on-the-cusp-of-securing-a-14-billion-valuation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️Speaking of **Mistral is also co-developing infrastructure with Emirati firm G42,** working with MBZUAI on foundational models, and releasing *Saba*, an open-source system trained on Arabic and Indian-origin languages. With the Gulf states eager to diversify into AI and Europe short of growth funding, the corridor between Paris and the region is gaining momentum, even as ethical questions loom over reliance on authoritarian regimes. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/mistral-middle-east-push?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️...and...this week Mistral AI** shook up the enterprise AI landscape by making premium features—like long-term memory and over 20 business app integrations—available for free on its Le Chat platform, directly challenging offerings from competitors like ChatGPT, Anthropic, and Microsoft’s Copilot, which keep these tools behind paywalls. | [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/ai/mistral-ai-just-made-enterprise-ai-features-free-and-thats-a-big-problem-for?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/marcia-brady.gif) 🗞️ **Hugging Face, the Franco-American open source AI scaleup, says it is “constantly hiring”** as it continues its rapid global expansion. With over 200 employees worldwide and nearly $400m raised from backers including Sequoia, Google, Amazon and Nvidia, the company draws thousands of inbound applications but recruits heavily from its open source community, where up to 40% of hires originate. Talent acquisition lead Flavien Coronini stresses that educational pedigree matters less than proven impact through contributions, technical skills and independence. At Hugging Face’s lean, flat, remote-first organisation, newcomers are expected to thrive without bureaucracy, adapt to asynchronous collaboration, and “tell us where to go” rather than wait for directions. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/hugging-face-hire-how-to?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Atlassian has acquired French startup Cycle,** integrating its AI-powered customer feedback engine directly into Jira Product Discovery. Founded in 2019 out of Hexa (formerly eFounders) and backed by $6m in seed funding, Cycle became a go-to tool for companies like Brex, Qonto, and Alan by turning scattered customer input into structured insights. With the acquisition, Cycle’s technology and team will fold into Atlassian, while its standalone product is discontinued. The move strengthens Jira Product Discovery, already adopted by 20,000+ customers, by enabling product managers to prioritise features based on evidence — who raised an issue, why it matters, and its real-world impact. | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/09/03/french-startup-cycle-joins-atlassian-embedding-customer-insight-tech-into-jira/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/03/ia-atlassian-met-la-main-sur-cycle-startup-nee-chez-hexa/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Last month, a media storm erupted when **AI luminary Luc Julia – dubbed the “Pope of AI” – was publicly called out in a viral video for overstating his role in Siri’s creation** and making dubious technical claims, such as ChatGPT having a 36% error rate and using “1,200 billion data points,” comments later challenged for muddling data with parameters and leaning on outdated sources. In response, Julia mounted a spirited defense, clarifying that he wasn’t Siri’s founder but rather the “grandfather” of the idea thanks to his early work on “The Assistant,” and attributing much of the criticism to media sensationalism and a lack of fact-checking. The dust-up has sparked a broader debate over how AI expertise is framed in the public sphere, and just how precise we demand our tech figures to be when speaking about groundbreaking systems. |[**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/08/27/luc-julia-on-vous-raconte-la-polemique-de-la-rentree/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France has inaugurated *Asgard*, a new classified supercomputer dedicated to military AI**, installed at Mont Valérien by HPE Cray and Orange and powered by over 1,000 next-gen Nvidia GPUs. Defense minister Sébastien Lecornu hailed the system as a leap in the country’s AI strategy, citing lessons from Ukraine where AI plays a central role in drones and combat robotics. Delivered “on time” despite global chip shortages, Asgard is set to become fully operational in November, supporting projects ranging from intelligence analysis to submarine sound detection and the development of France’s first robotic combat unit, Pendragon. The choice of HPE and Orange over Atos’s Eviden sparked debate on sovereignty, but Paris insists the investment is vital to ensure Europe’s defense edge in the AI era. | [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-le-ministere-des-armees-se-dote-d-un-supercalculateur-ia-97797.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Despite growing capabilities and soaring valuations, **AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Le Chat are increasingly struggling to separate fact from fiction**. A recent [NewsGuard study](https://www.newsguardtech.com/ai-monitor/august-2025-ai-false-claim-monitor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) shows that the ten largest AI tools repeated false or misleading information in 35% of current events cases in August 2025, nearly double last year’s 18%. ChatGPT alone repeated errors 40% of the time, highlighting that, despite media partnerships and promises of improvement, misinformation remains rampant among major generative AI platforms. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/ia-quels-sont-les-chatbots-qui-propagent-le-plus-de-fake-news-2184451?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Euronews**](https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/09/05/which-ai-chatbot-spews-the-most-false-information-1-in-3-ai-answers-are-false-study-says?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **A new OpinionWay study for Cegid suggests French employees are more cautious about AI than their German, Spanish, and Portuguese peers,** with only 44% expressing curiosity versus over 50% elsewhere. One-third of French respondents reported negative feelings toward AI, with half fearing job obsolescence, a higher rate than in neighboring countries. At La Ref25 in Paris, Cegid CEO Bruno Vaffier framed this not as fear but as legitimate “prudence” around data security, environmental impact, and employment, while SMCP COO Marie-Caroline Bénézet stressed that adopting AI “takes time” to prepare quality data, relevant use cases, and user training. Executives also predicted attitudes will shift with the rise of AI “agents” that move beyond document drafting to core operational tasks. For now, French caution reflects a demand for meaningful, well-integrated applications of the technology. | [**Le Monde Informatique**](https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-les-employes-francais-restent-prudents-face-a-l-ia-97745.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Cathay Innovation's $1B Bet On Rewiring Venture Capital For The AI Age |** Denis Barrier**,** Co-Founder of Cathay Innovation**,** explains how the new fund challenges Silicon Valley's model by focusing on collaboration that connects AI startups directly with corporate giants to transform industries rather than disrupt them in an era where 'everybody has to play.' | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/) 🗞️ **Photonic Chip Startup Arago Wants to Cut AI's Massive Energy Appetite by 90% |** A year-old French company claims its light-powered processors could slash data center power consumption while keeping warehouse robots running all day instead of just one hour. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/photonic-chip-startup-arago-wants-to-cut-ais-massive-energy-appetite-by-90/) **🗞️ Hugging Face’s $299 Reachy Mini Signals A New Era In Personal Robotics** | The AI powerhouse wants to bring robotics to the masses with its modular, open-source, and AI-integrated approach. By democratizing robotics, the company aims to spark a new wave of accessible hardware innovation. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hugging-faces-299-reachy-mini-signals-a-new-era-in-personal-robotics/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 How Alpic Is Building Model Context Protocol (MCP) Infrastructure For A New Agentic Internet [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-22.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-alpic-is-building-model-context-protocol-mcp-infrastructure-for-a-new-agentic-internet/) When [**Pierre-Louis Theron**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/theronpl/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) describes the opportunity in front of his new company, [**Alpic**](https://alpic.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), he offers a statement with some lofty aspirations. Theron believes that Model Context Protocol (MCP), introduced less than a year ago by **Anthropic**, represents the missing link in AI adoption. Instead of AI models clumsily scraping web pages or fumbling through APIs, MCP allows autonomous AI agents to interact directly with software and services through a structured interface. “I really see it as like the early days of the internet,” he said. “Almost every single company in the world will build an MCP server. MCP is the way of communicating between these clients facing the user and the back end, the same way HTTP was interfacing with your browser.” Just as websites became essential in the 1990s, he believes MCP servers will soon be universal. That conviction landed Alpic a $6 million pre-seed round led by Partech, with participation from K5 Global, Irregular Expression, Yellow, Drysdale, Kima Ventures, and Galion.exe, along with prominent founders from companies like Mistral, Datadog, and Dataiku. Alpic represents a bet on a fundamental shift in how we'll use the internet. Instead of humans clicking through websites, AI agents will directly access services to book flights, update CRM records, or manage expenses on our behalf. MCP is poised to be the operating system for AI agents to make that happen. Alpic wants to deliver the infrastructure that enables companies to leverage MCP. The stakes are high. If he's right, companies that fail to build these agent interfaces risk being left out of an increasingly AI-mediated internet. "I believe that in the next 12 months, or the next two years, almost every single company in the world will build an MCP server," Theron said. [Go inside Alpic](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-alpic-is-building-model-context-protocol-mcp-infrastructure-for-a-new-agentic-internet/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company:** Zefir 🔍 **Description:** French proptech startup reinventing property sales by enabling collective transactions among local agents, offering faster sales at better prices while preparing to launch "ZIA," an AI-powered virtual real estate agent. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.zefir.fr](https://www.zefir.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Equity round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** FinTech Collective (lead), Sequoia Capital, Zigg Capital, Heartcore Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rémy Fabre (Co-founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Zefir’s expansion into 15 more cities, the launch of its AI real estate agent ZIA, and doubling of its team while maintaining operational profitability on each transaction. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/04/zefir-leve-15-millions-avec-a-nouveau-lappui-de-sequoia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ArcaScience 🔍 **Description:** Double AI tool leveraging massive biomedical data, enriching it, and associating it with a simple querying and in-depth targeting & extraction tool 💻 **Website:** [arcascience.ai](https://www.arcascience.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, Pleiade Venture, Plug and Play, Akka Technologies, The Moon Venture 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Romain Clement, Jean-François Arbona 🗞️ **News:** ArcaScience will use the capital to expand its AI-powered benefit-risk evaluation platform into the U.S. and U.K., while also launching its first patient-facing solution, initially focused on pediatric brain cancer and dermatological conditions, and hiring a Chief Medical Officer to drive clinical impact. | [**SiliconAngle**](https://siliconangle.com/2025/09/03/arcascience-raises-7m-expand-ai-benefit-risk-platform-drug-development/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** **Alpic** 🔍 **Description:** All-in-one MCP hosting platform for AI agents 💻 **Website:** [alpic.ai](http://alpic.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.45M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, Partech, Irregular Expressions, K5 Global, Yellow, Galion.exe, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Charles Sonigo, Erica Beavers, Nikolay Rodionov, Frédéric Barthelet 🗞️ **News:** Alpic intends to build the **first MCP‑native cloud platform**, empowering AI agents to seamlessly act on behalf of users—whether it’s booking travel, paying bills, automating enterprise workflows, or managing SaaS tools—by providing the infrastructure to deploy, manage, and scale these AI systems efficiently. | [**Alpic**](https://alpic.ai/blog/alpic-raises-6-million-preseed?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Byome Labs 🔍 **Description:** A deep-tech startup developing Byome Derma, the world’s first instant, point-of-sale skin microbiome test. It delivers personalized skincare recommendations within minutes via dermatologist-trained AI using antigenic strips—no devices, no pain, and at a low cost. Integration is designed for retail environments in a white-label format, aiming to bring evidence-based customization to skincare. 💻 **Website:** [byomelabs.com](https://byomelabs.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chartres 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Remora Biotech, Paris Business Angels, Angels Santé 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** David Suissa 🗞️ **News:** The €3.6M will be used to industrialize production of the Byome Derma kits, with a target to begin industrial-scale manufacturing by the end of 2025 and expand internationally to Europe, the U.S., and Asia starting in 2026\. Byome Labs also plans to strengthen its R&D team and open new positions beginning next year (2026). | [**Personal Care Magazine**](https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/49232/byome-labs-raises-3-6m-to-market-skin-microbiome-test?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company: VitaDX** 🔍 **Description:** Specializes in AI applied to healthcare, focusing on bladder cancer diagnostics 💻 **Website:** [vitadx.com](https://vitadx.com/en/node/3?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rennes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.50M 🏦 **Investors:** Go Capital, Odyssée Venture 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Allan Rodriguez 🗞️ **News:** VitaDX will use the funds to accelerate the commercial roll‑out of its AI‑powered VisioCyt® Bladder diagnostic solution in France—now that it has secured reimbursement—and to initiate its expansion into the U.S. market. The company is also undergoing a leadership transition, with Fabrice Beauchêne appointed as CEO to spearhead this growth phase, while co‑founder Allan Rodriguez transitions to become Chairman. | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/vitadx-attire-15-m-pour-son-dispositif-de-diagnostic-du-cancer-de-la-vessie-a254702%5Fbe%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Rewayz 🔍 **Description:** Develops and deploys AI solutions to support managers 💻 **Website:** [rewayz.com](https://www.rewayz.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.30M 🏦 **Investors:** Thierry Mulliez, Jean-Michel Aulas, Damien Deleplanque (historic supporter) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Claire Godelle, Kamal Ait Ichou, Yassin Korchi 🗞️ **News:** Rewayz will accelerate both the development and deployment of its AI‑powered “coach in the pocket” solution for managers by expanding its technical and sales capabilities to meet growing demand. Additionally, the startup is preparing to scale internationally—targeting two to three new countries by the end of 2026—with an eye toward achieving profitability by summer 2026 | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/rewayz-leve-1-3-m-pour-deployer-sa-solution-au-service-des-managers-a254634%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** MagicPost 🔍 **Description:** AI assistant supporting content creation on LinkedIn 💻 **Website:** [magicpost.in](http://magicpost.in/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €0.26M (€260,000 in equity with nearly €430,000 in non-dilutive funding 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance grants and bank loan 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Naïlé Titah, Florence Vallet 🗞️ **News:** MagicPost will leverage the €260 000 in equity and \~€430 000 in non‑dilutive funds (including Bpifrance grants and a Banque Populaire loan) to accelerate its product development, expand its commercial team targeting agencies and enterprises, and ramp up its marketing efforts with influencer, SEO, and content strategies to fuel its international expansion. The startup aims to scale to approximately 20 employees over the next three years, push U.S. market penetration towards 60 % of its client base by 2027, and drive its growth trajectory toward becoming the global reference in AI-powered LinkedIn content creation. | [**Bourse Direct**](https://www.boursedirect.fr/fr/actualites/categorie/opcvm/magicpost-leve-690-000-euros-pour-devenir-la-reference-mondiale-de-la-creation-de-contenu-sur-linkedin-boursier-27c64c055508c8403742437d6ecd879a59b6bf41?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Stockline 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered alternative data platform for investment insights 💻 **Website:** [stockline.ai](https://stockline.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €0.11M 🏦 **Investors:** Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mariem Ould Ismail, Moncef Djafri 🗞️ **News:** Joined the latest Y Combinator batch. --- 📇 **Company:** **Addvocate.ai** 🔍 **Description:** Platform empowers teams to prepare effectively, execute smarter, and continuously improve by leveraging AI-driven recommendations, performance metrics, and tailored strategies. 💻 **Website:** [addvocate.ai](http://addvocate.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** 216 Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Achref T., Sofyan Chekir 🗞️ **News:** Addvocate AI will accelerate innovation by enhancing its “Sales Performance OS”—an AI-native digital copilot that aggregates data and delivers behavioral nudges and actionable insights to boost sales productivity before, during, and after client meetings. It will also pursue international expansion from its dual hub in France and Tunisia, aiming to address pipeline stagnation affecting 35–50% of sales opportunities worldwide. | [**Wamda**](https://www.wamda.com/2025/09/216-capital-invests-tunisias-addvocateai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Alpic Is Building Model Context Protocol (MCP) Infrastructure For A New Agentic Internet URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-alpic-is-building-model-context-protocol-mcp-infrastructure-for-a-new-agentic-internet/ Last updated: 2025-09-08T08:19:37.000Z The Paris-based company has raised $6M to help companies deploy MCP servers for a world where AI agents, not humans, navigate digital services. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire September 5: Zefir, Koolboks, ArcaScience & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-september-5-zefir-koolboks-arcascience-more/ Last updated: 2025-09-07T10:18:34.000Z # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-18.png) 📇 **Company:** Zefir 🔍 **Description:** French proptech startup reinventing property sales by enabling collective transactions among local agents, offering faster sales at better prices while preparing to launch "ZIA," an AI-powered virtual real estate agent. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.zefir.fr](https://www.zefir.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Equity round 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** FinTech Collective (lead), Sequoia Capital, Zigg Capital, Heartcore Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Rémy Fabre (Co-founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Zefir’s expansion into 15 more cities, the launch of its AI real estate agent ZIA, and doubling of its team while maintaining operational profitability on each transaction. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/04/zefir-leve-15-millions-avec-a-nouveau-lappui-de-sequoia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-14.png) 📇 **Company:** Koolboks 🔍 **Description:** Provides solar-powered freezers and refrigeration solutions designed to offer reliable, off-grid cold storage for households and businesses 💻 **Website:** [koolboks.com](http://koolboks.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Rosny-sous-Bois 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.00M 🏦 **Investors:** KawiSafi Ventures, All On, Aruwa Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ayoola Dominic, Deborah Gael 🗞️ **News:** Koolboks will use the $11 million Series A financing—comprising equity, debt, and grant funding—to scale its solar‑powered, IoT‑enabled refrigeration systems across Africa and other emerging markets, while strengthening local manufacturing and expanding its team. These off‑grid, ice‑battery-powered units enable remote cooling for up to four days and support a pay‑as‑you‑go business model, empowering small businesses and clinics in underserved communities with affordable, reliable, and clean refrigeration. | [**Silicon Africa**](https://siliconafrica.com/2025/08/28/koolboks-secures-11m-to-power-african-solar-refrigerators/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-12.png) 📇 **Company:** ArcaScience 🔍 **Description:** Double AI tool leveraging massive biomedical data, enriching it, and associating it with a simple querying and in-depth targeting & extraction tool 💻 **Website:** [arcascience.ai](https://www.arcascience.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6.00M 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, Pleiade Venture, Plug and Play, Akka Technologies, The Moon Venture 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Romain Clement, Jean-François Arbona 🗞️ **News:** ArcaScience will use the capital to expand its AI-powered benefit-risk evaluation platform into the U.S. and U.K., while also launching its first patient-facing solution, initially focused on pediatric brain cancer and dermatological conditions, and hiring a Chief Medical Officer to drive clinical impact. | [**SiliconAngle**](https://siliconangle.com/2025/09/03/arcascience-raises-7m-expand-ai-benefit-risk-platform-drug-development/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** **Weekera** 🔍 **Description:** Automated payroll and HR software for accountants 💻 **Website:** [weekera.fr](https://weekera.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nîmes 🧗 **Round:** Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €6M 🏦 **Investors:** Hg Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** David Thirache, Remy Longueville, Stéphane Lecaillon 🗞️ **News:** Weekera will leverage the minority investment from Hg Capital to accelerate development of its SaaS payroll and HR platform—enhancing functionality, scaling its infrastructure, and bolstering customer support operations to meet growing demand from accounting firms. Additionally, the funding supports Weekera’s expansion plan, enabling it to open its solution to non‑partner accounting firms by the end of 2025 and thereby extend its commercial reach across the sector. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/gestion-de-la-paie-le-discret-weekera-fait-entrer-un-nouvel-actionnaire-pour-son-nouveau-tour-de-financement/456667?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-15.png) 📇 **Company:** **Alpic** 🔍 **Description:** All-in-one MCP hosting platform for AI agents 💻 **Website:** [alpic.ai](http://alpic.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €5.45M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, Partech, Irregular Expressions, K5 Global, Yellow, Galion.exe, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Charles Sonigo, Erica Beavers, Nikolay Rodionov, Frédéric Barthelet 🗞️ **News:** Alpic intends to build the **first MCP‑native cloud platform**, empowering AI agents to seamlessly act on behalf of users—whether it’s booking travel, paying bills, automating enterprise workflows, or managing SaaS tools—by providing the infrastructure to deploy, manage, and scale these AI systems efficiently. | [**Alpic**](https://alpic.ai/blog/alpic-raises-6-million-preseed?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company:** Byome Labs 🔍 **Description:** A deep-tech startup developing Byome Derma, the world’s first instant, point-of-sale skin microbiome test. It delivers personalized skincare recommendations within minutes via dermatologist-trained AI using antigenic strips—no devices, no pain, and at a low cost. Integration is designed for retail environments in a white-label format, aiming to bring evidence-based customization to skincare. 💻 **Website:** [byomelabs.com](https://byomelabs.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chartres 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.6 million 🏦 **Investors:** Remora Biotech, Paris Business Angels, Angels Santé 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** David Suissa 🗞️ **News:** The €3.6M will be used to industrialize production of the Byome Derma kits, with a target to begin industrial-scale manufacturing by the end of 2025 and expand internationally to Europe, the U.S., and Asia starting in 2026\. Byome Labs also plans to strengthen its R&D team and open new positions beginning next year (2026). | [**Personal Care Magazine**](https://www.personalcaremagazine.com/story/49232/byome-labs-raises-3-6m-to-market-skin-microbiome-test?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Flagcat 🔍 **Description:** A Paris-based webtoon studio founded in 2023, creating original action and fantasy webtoon, manga, and anime series. The company has developed proprietary software that automates character coloring—enhancing production efficiency and artistic quality—while prioritizing its artists' well-being by redesigning the production workflow. 💻 **Website:** [flagcat.studio](https://www.flagcat.studio/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Led by Acurio Ventures (Bilbao-based VC managing a €150M fund), with participation from Motier Ventures, The Players Fund, Seedcamp, Society of Entertainment, and Kima Ventures (as one of several backers) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jeff Biart (CEO), Quentin Malguy (Co-founder), and Rémi Juhé (Co-founder) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support scaling up production, enabling Flagcat to expand its team of around 20 artists and release six new series worldwide—including webtoons, manga, and anime—within the year. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/flagcat-ce-petit-studio-francais-qui-veut-simposer-dans-lunivers-du-webtoon-2183624?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company: VitaDX** 🔍 **Description:** Specializes in AI applied to healthcare, focusing on bladder cancer diagnostics 💻 **Website:** [vitadx.com](https://vitadx.com/en/node/3?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rennes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.50M 🏦 **Investors:** Go Capital, Odyssée Venture 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Allan Rodriguez 🗞️ **News:** VitaDX will use the funds to accelerate the commercial roll‑out of its AI‑powered VisioCyt® Bladder diagnostic solution in France—now that it has secured reimbursement—and to initiate its expansion into the U.S. market. The company is also undergoing a leadership transition, with Fabrice Beauchêne appointed as CEO to spearhead this growth phase, while co‑founder Allan Rodriguez transitions to become Chairman. | [](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/vitadx-leve-1-5-m-pour-son-dispositif-de-diagnostic-du-cancer-de-la-vessie-a254702%5Ffr%5F?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)[**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/vitadx-attire-15-m-pour-son-dispositif-de-diagnostic-du-cancer-de-la-vessie-a254702%5Fbe%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Rewayz 🔍 **Description:** Develops and deploys AI solutions to support managers 💻 **Website:** [rewayz.com](https://www.rewayz.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.30M 🏦 **Investors:** Thierry Mulliez, Jean-Michel Aulas, Damien Deleplanque (historic supporter) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Claire Godelle, Kamal Ait Ichou, Yassin Korchi 🗞️ **News:** Rewayz will accelerate both the development and deployment of its AI‑powered “coach in the pocket” solution for managers by expanding its technical and sales capabilities to meet growing demand. Additionally, the startup is preparing to scale internationally—targeting two to three new countries by the end of 2026—with an eye toward achieving profitability by summer 2026 | [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/rewayz-leve-1-3-m-pour-deployer-sa-solution-au-service-des-managers-a254634%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** NeoEarth 🔍 **Description:** A Bordeaux-based deep-tech startup specializing in high-yield, environmentally friendly microalgae solutions. NeoEarth develops optimized microalgae strains and an innovative photobioreactor system that lowers production costs while depolluting aquatic environments. Their biotech platform targets industries such as nutrition, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, energy, aquaculture, and biomaterials by offering scalable, sustainable biomass and valuable biomolecules. 💻 **Website:** [NeoEarth](https://www.neoearth.fr/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Libourne 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.025 million 🏦 **Investors:** First Imagine! (UK), with participation from NewFund, TechMind, and Climate Club 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Saïd Ihammouine, Charles-Antoine Boels 🗞️ **News:** NeoEarth will industrialize its production capabilities: moving into a new laboratory in Canéjan (Gironde), acquiring advanced equipment, and expanding its team to accelerate market deployment of its ultra-productive microalgae strains. Additionally, plans include developing multiple molecule families in parallel, scaling industrial partnerships, and reinforcing scientific and business development teams. | [**French Tech Bordeaux**](https://www.frenchtechbordeaux.com/nos-actualites/microalgues-neoearth-boucle-son-premier-tour-de-table?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-19.png) 📇 **Company:** Santafoo 🔍 **Description:** The first delivery application of responsible races launched in the first forward in Marseille. 💻 **Website:** N/A 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €950,000 🏦 **Investors:** Crowdfunding via WiSeed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Laurent SALET, Wassim Bassil 🗞️ **News:** After three years of successful tests in Marseille, the startup is ready to extend its model throughout the southeast of France, with national ambition. | [**WiSEED**](https://www.wiseed.com/projet/115569243?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-20.png) 📇 **Company:** Mocli 🔍 **Description:** Mocli puts the game at the service of customer experience in the hostels and at events. Our customers customise and independently drive their games via our platform. The visitor plays using his mobile while discovering the place, its offers and services. 💻 **Website:** [**Mocli**](https://www.mocli.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €690k (including €0.3m subsidies) 🏦 **Investors:** BPI France, Business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sebastian Sörns, Cyril De Luca 🗞️ **News:** The company disclosed funding raised last Spring as well as some new hires. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7355975412788645888/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Molecular Simulation For All (MS4ALL) 🔍 **Description:** A research and development startup for new biotechnologies that make cities greener by addressing their problems of pollution, lack of greenery, and high energy consumption. To meet the growing needs for sustainable lighting and energy saving in cities, Woodlight is developing a process for making plants bioluminescent. These plants can be used as ambient lamps for interior decoration or a plant alternative to city streetlights. 💻 **Website:** [https://ms4all.eu/](https://ms4all.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Orléans 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €400k 🏦 **Investors:** UI Investissement, Da Vinci Labs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Edouard LETE, Nicolas FROLOFF, Pascal BRAULT 🗞️ **News:** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7354217950985297920/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-21-1.png) 📇 **Company:** MagicPost 🔍 **Description:** AI assistant supporting content creation on LinkedIn 💻 **Website:** [magicpost.in](http://magicpost.in/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €0.26M (€260,000 in equity with nearly €430,000 in non-dilutive funding 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance grants and bank loan 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Naïlé Titah, Florence Vallet 🗞️ **News:** MagicPost will leverage the €260 000 in equity and \~€430 000 in non‑dilutive funds (including Bpifrance grants and a Banque Populaire loan) to accelerate its product development, expand its commercial team targeting agencies and enterprises, and ramp up its marketing efforts with influencer, SEO, and content strategies to fuel its international expansion. The startup aims to scale to approximately 20 employees over the next three years, push U.S. market penetration towards 60 % of its client base by 2027, and drive its growth trajectory toward becoming the global reference in AI-powered LinkedIn content creation. | [**Bourse Direct**](https://www.boursedirect.fr/fr/actualites/categorie/opcvm/magicpost-leve-690-000-euros-pour-devenir-la-reference-mondiale-de-la-creation-de-contenu-sur-linkedin-boursier-27c64c055508c8403742437d6ecd879a59b6bf41?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ComicBot 🔍 **Description:** Conversational commerce chatbot for on-demand local delivery 💻 **Website:** [m.me](http://m.me/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €0.11M 🏦 **Investors:** Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Prashant Pitti 🗞️ **News:** Joined the latest Y Combinator batch. --- 📇 **Company:** Stockline 🔍 **Description:** AI-powered alternative data platform for investment insights 💻 **Website:** [stockline.ai](https://stockline.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €0.11M 🏦 **Investors:** Y Combinator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mariem Ould Ismail, Moncef Djafri 🗞️ **News:** Joined the latest Y Combinator batch. --- 📇 **Company:** Suzaku 🔍 **Description:** Decentralization hub for L1s, enhancing security and scalability through staking and validator marketplaces 💻 **Website:** [suzaku.network](http://suzaku.network/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5M 🏦 **Investors:** Avalanche Foundation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gilles Manuelle 🗞️ **News:** Suzaku will deploy the funds—raised through seed rounds, public token sales, and Avalanche Foundation grants—to enhance decentralization and security across the Avalanche Layer‑1 (L1) blockchain ecosystem by helping emerging L1 networks transition from centralized validator sets to fully permissionless models. The investment will expedite the development of its restaking protocol and validator marketplace infrastructure—including reference architectures, developer stacks, and security modules—to empower builders in scaling Avalanche L1s more securely and efficiently. | [**BitRss**](https://bitrss.com/suzaku-secures-1-5m-funding-to-enhance-avalanche-layer-1-decentralization-121082?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** **Addvocate.ai** 🔍 **Description:** Platform empowers teams to prepare effectively, execute smarter, and continuously improve by leveraging AI-driven recommendations, performance metrics, and tailored strategies. 💻 **Website:** [addvocate.ai](http://addvocate.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** 216 Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Achref T., Sofyan Chekir 🗞️ **News:** Addvocate AI will accelerate innovation by enhancing its “Sales Performance OS”—an AI-native digital copilot that aggregates data and delivers behavioral nudges and actionable insights to boost sales productivity before, during, and after client meetings. It will also pursue international expansion from its dual hub in France and Tunisia, aiming to address pipeline stagnation affecting 35–50% of sales opportunities worldwide. | [**Wamda**](https://www.wamda.com/2025/09/216-capital-invests-tunisias-addvocateai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- [](https://staffngo.com/guides-rh/le-logiciel-de-paie-weekera/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 📇 **Company:** FLUDIS 🔍 Description: Low-carbon urban logistics service solution for delivery and express shipping 💻 **Website:** [fludis.eu](http://fludis.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Verrières-le-Buisson 🧗 **Round:** Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** €11M (+€10M debt) 🏦 **Investors:** Sogestran, ADEME Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Gilles Manuelle 🗞️ **News:** [**Advior**](https://advior.com/deals/wagram-corporate-finance-advises-fludis-on-its-fundraise-from-ademe-investissement-and-sogestran-group/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Kriptown 🔍 **Description:** Provides a simple, fast, and low-cost solution for startups to raise funds while reaching a broad investor base 💻 **Website:** [kriptown.com](https://kriptown.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** Caceis 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Esteve, Arnaud Mournetas, Jérémy Lachaud 🗞️ **News:** Kriptown will leverage this strategic backing to accelerate the launch of its Lise (Lightning Stock Exchange), aiming to become Europe’s first blockchain‑based tokenized exchange tailored to SME and mid‑cap equity financing and listings under the EU’s DLT pilot regime. This investment also strengthens governance and credibility for the initiative, aligning with CACEIS’s broader digital assets strategy supported by recent MiCA regulatory approval. | [**PR**](https://www.caceis.com/whats-new/press-releases/press-releases/article/caceis-acquires-a-stake-in-kriptown-to-support-the-launch-of-lise/detail.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Rentrée Political Reckoning Means Debt and Doubts for Entrepreneurs URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-rentree-political-reckoning-means-debt-and-doubts-for-entrepreneurs/ Last updated: 2025-09-07T14:36:09.000Z # Edito The traditional summer vacation period in France lasts about two months, but sometimes it feels like a year. Now that everyone is tan, rested, and ready, it is time to return to reality and get back to work, politics, school, or whatever it is that one does. In other words, it's the *rentrée*, the holiest of French holidays, which is observed with solemn reverence each year. Alas, the *rentrée* of 2025 does not bring joyous tidings. The government is wobbling under the weight of spiraling public debt, bitter partisan fights, and unpopular austerity measures. President Emmanuel Macron’s once-grand vision of “Startup Nation” is colliding head-on with the cold math of deficits and a national assembly too fragmented to agree on fixes. At the heart of the crisis lies the budget. France’s debt has swollen to more than 110% of GDP. This has made markets jittery. Credit agencies are circling like hawks. The latest finance bill was stuffed with spending cuts, and thus sparked predictable outrage not only from the opposition but also from Macron’s own allies. Without a clear majority in parliament, every vote is a cliffhanger. Rumors of a government collapse, snap elections, or even a technocratic caretaker cabinet swirl daily. Business leaders are sounding alarms: political gridlock risks pushing the economy into paralysis. For France’s entrepreneurs, this uncertainty is poison. Startups thrive on predictability, knowing that funding incentives, tax breaks, and public research budgets will still be there six months from now. Now, they’re not so sure. Cuts to innovation programs, research credits, and digital subsidies are already on the table. The funding climate was already icy. Investment into French tech plunged 35% in the first half of 2025 compared to last year, with even early-stage rounds drying up. The political storm only adds another layer of hesitation. Clients, especially corporates, are stalling deals, waiting to see if new taxes or regulations will land. In sectors like greentech and mobility, government support is often the difference between scaling or stalling. The French Tech ecosystem, which once basked in Macron’s loving embrace, is recalibrating. Founders whisper about “PME chic,” trading the dream of blitz-scaling for the humbler, steadier goal of becoming a profitable small-to-medium enterprise. AI remains the shiny exception: French startups still hope to leverage talent, sovereign cloud projects, and partnerships with global giants. But even here, the storm clouds loom. Access to compute and capital is dominated by the U.S. and China, and French founders fret that austerity will weaken Europe’s ability to compete in the AI arms race. If the government falls, a caretaker administration might freeze major economic initiatives for months, leaving entrepreneurs in limbo. If one is looking for a startup silver lining, perhaps the political storm will force a new phase of leaner, tougher, more resilient startups that no longer count on the state to pave their way. The real test is whether France’s founders can turn political chaos into entrepreneurial clarity. Chris --- **Inside this week's edition:** 👀 **Deep Dive: bYoRNA** is developing a patented fermentation process that could cut RNA production costs by 100x, improve safety, and enable global access to next-generation vaccines and therapies. This breakthrough comes as the U.S. is rejecting mRNA, a move that complicates the startup's business strategy. [We talk to CEO Pascal Viguié about how the company is navigating the technology and the politics.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/us-slashes-500m-mrna-funding-bordeaux-biotech-byorna-raises-15m-to-reinvent-production/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORE [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/EM_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x300@2x-1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built in, not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk ***Welcome to the extended Summer Catch-Up Edition of Tech Talk...*** 🧬😨 French biotech unicorn **Owkin** is facing turbulence as it shifts its business model toward AI agents, announcing plans to cut around 40–50 roles out of its 325-strong workforce. The move follows the launch of *Owkin K*, its agentic AI “copilot” for medical researchers, which replaces the company’s traditional long-term pharma contracts. Insiders describe a culture of repeated reorganisations, abrupt announcements, and what some call “huge managerial issues,” though others defend the startup as simply dynamic in a competitive industry, according to Sifted. Alongside the layoffs, Owkin is reportedly considering spinning out its diagnostics division as part of a broader cost-cutting and simplification drive. Critics accuse leadership of poor communication and even using performance reviews as a pretext for departures, while CEO Thomas Clozel admits hiring may have been too aggressive after fundraising and concedes the company hasn’t been “perfect” on HR. Despite internal unrest, Owkin’s revenues nearly doubled last year to $86m and losses shrank significantly, leaving the startup with $200m in the bank. The controversy underscores the tension between Owkin’s bold bet on AGI for biology and the human toll of constant restructurings. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/03/owkin-prevoit-de-se-separer-dune-cinquantaine-de-salaries?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/owkin-job-cuts-ai-agents-pivot?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😠 French streamer Raphaël Graven—**known online as Jean Pormanove**—tragically died live during a marathon 298‑hour broadcast on Australia-based streaming service Kick, after enduring 12 days of physical and psychological abuse streamed to viewers. The livestream, rife with humiliation and violence, triggered national outrage and a judicial inquiry into whether Kick failed in its duty to protect vulnerable creators. Digital Affairs Minister Clara Chappaz condemned the spectacle as “absolutely horrific,” referring the case to regulators and launching legal action under France’s digital‑content laws for negligence. Prosecutors are investigating whether Kick knowingly broadcast “deliberate attacks on personal integrity” and violated the EU Digital Services Act. Kick responded by pledging to review its French‑language content, while accusing French authorities of politicizing the tragedy. The autopsy revealed no signs of trauma or third‑party interference, pointing instead toward medical or toxicological causes. | [**AP News**](https://apnews.com/article/5c88d1be3c8fc3a1f94b2f36fd646be8?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**SoapCentral**](https://www.soapcentral.com/pop-culture/news-could-kick-face-49m-penalty-french-streamer-jean-pormanove-s-death-livestream-everything-we-know-so-far?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**The Guardian**](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/26/france-to-sue-kick-platform-for-negligence-over-livestream-death?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**The New York Times**](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/world/europe/jean-pormanove-dead-streamer-kick-french.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/french-digital-minister-chappaz-fires-back-critics-death-raphael-graven-jean-pormanove-death-livestream/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮 ⬇️ The once‑heralded metaverse pioneer **The Sandbox** is now weathering a dramatic storm: over half of its global workforce—more than 250 people—have been laid off, and its French founders, Sébastien Borget and Arthur Madrid, have been pushed aside from day‑to‑day leadership. The ownership baton has been passed to Animoca Brands, whose CEO Robby Yung now helms the company, signaling a sharp managerial and strategic reset. The business numbers tell a sobering tale: The Sandbox’s native token, **SAND**, plummeted by roughly 90–95%, dragging its market cap from a lofty $8 billion to just a few hundred million, while its corporate valuation shrank from $4 billion in 2022 to about $1 billion. Meanwhile, actual user engagement never met the hype: real daily users are now just in the hundreds, and some may well be bots. Rather than doubling down on virtual land and immersive worlds, The Sandbox is pivoting toward the viral side of Web3: the company plans to launch a **memecoin launchpad** on the Coinbase Base network, eyeing quick-hit, community-driven crypto models. This marks a stark departure from its original vision—and one that could either reignite interest or risk alienating its legacy community marketplace. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/08/27/the-sandbox-plus-de-50-des-effectifs-supprimes-les-fondateurs-francais-debarques/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/les-grandes-desillusions-de-the-sandbox-le-pionnier-du-metavers-2183176?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛸 ↗️ Paris-based defense tech startup **Harmattan AI** is rapidly emerging as “Europe’s Anduril,” boldly seeking **$200 million in early-stage funding** following an earlier $30 million raise from FirstMark and Atlantic Labs. Founded in April 2024, the company has already scored a **multi-million-dollar contract with a NATO government** and a separate deal with France’s defense procurement agency (DGA) to deliver **1,000 AI-enabled micro-drones** for training and operational readiness. Harmattan is developing three drone types: training, surveillance, and weapon-interceptor models. It also plans an ambitious production ramp-up: **10,000 units per month from a new factory in France in early 2026**, with expansion into Germany and the U.S. shortly after. Among its innovations is the **GOBI,** a sleek, under‑2‑kg AI-powered interceptor capable of neutralizing hostile drones in under a minute via kinetic collision, ditching warheads for agility and cost efficiency. This accelerated push reflects Europe’s surging interest in agile, AI-driven defense capabilities amid growing geopolitical tensions. |[**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/harmattan-ai-seeks-200m-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Bloomberg**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-07/new-french-drone-startup-harmattan-ai-seeks-200-million-in-eu-defense-spree?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕵️‍♂️🌬️ The VC fund **Wind,** traditionally focused on climate deep tech, is now venturing into the high-stakes realm of defense innovation by launching a new vehicle aimed at funding startups with dual-use (civilian and military) technologies. This adds momentum to a broader European push toward tech sovereignty, as the EU and institutions like the European Investment Fund pour tens of millions into defense-focused VC funds, spotlighting AI, cybersecurity, and space systems. France is also breaking new ground by opening defense investment to private equity and venture capital, evidenced by vehicles like the public-private **Fonds Innovation Défense**—a €200 million evergreen fund aimed at boosting strategic startups alongside the state’s backing. In short, the French venture capital landscape is no longer just planting trees—it’s building a battleground for chips, drones, and secure infrastructures. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/capital-risque-le-nouveau-defi-du-fonds-wind-dans-la-defense-2183804?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 **Median Technologies** successfully completed a €23.9 million capital increase on August 1, 2025, attracting both institutional and retail investors at a subscription price of €1.66 per share-warrant unit (ABSA), thereby extending its cash runway through Q4 2026 and beyond. The fundraising, backed by both historic and new global investors, will fuel the U.S. launch of its AI-powered eyonis® LCS medical software and accelerate development of additional oncology diagnostic tools. |[**Euronext**](https://live.euronext.com/fr/products/equities/company-news/2025-08-01-median-technologies-realise-une-augmentation-capital-239?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Morningstar**](https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20250731741632/median-technologies-has-completed-a-capital-increase-of-239-million?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🛑 France has slammed the brakes on bitcoin miner **MARA’s** planned $168 million acquisition of **EDF’s Exaion**, citing concerns about technological sovereignty, even though EDF maintains that Exaion doesn’t manage critical infrastructure. The finance ministry clarified that it requested EDF “reopen” and reconsider the deal, signaling the process is merely **suspended**, not dead. This move underscores a broader trend: while France eagerly courts tech investment, it remains hypervigilant about ceding control of emerging digital assets, especially in sectors tied to energy, AI, or high-performance computing. MARA’s bid now faces uncertainty, trapped in the crosshairs of national security concerns and state-level caution. | [Bloomberglaw](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/france-puts-maras-168m-purchase-of-edf-unit-on-hold-afp?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 💏 French dating app **Fruitz** has staged an unlikely comeback: just months after Bumble announced plans to shut it down, the startup’s three original founders swooped in to buy it back from the U.S. group. The deal, finalized in July, returns Fruitz—known for its playful fruit-based matchmaking—to French hands, with the founders pledging to preserve its quirky concept while charting fresh innovations for its 5-country user base. **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/09/03/fruitz-ne-va-pas-disparaitre-les-fondateurs-rachetent-lapplication-a-bumble/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=aad42f0c7e-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F09%5F03%5F04%5F23&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-aad42f0c7e-72806474) 🚧 French construction‑recruitment startup **asap.work** has acquired UK‑based HRtech **JUST CONSTRUCTION**, whose U.S. business accounts for 95% of its operations, granting asap.work a rapid beachhead in markets like Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. The move paves the way for a new Austin, Texas office (with over 10 hires planned by end‑2025), as asap.work brings its tech‑enabled, people‑centric hiring model to address the booming American construction sector. | [**TechEU**](https://tech.eu/2025/07/23/french-recruitment-startup-asapwork-acquires-just-construction-to-accelerate-us-expansion?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # As U.S. Slashes $500M in mRNA Funding, Bordeaux Biotech bYoRNA Raises €1.5M to Reinvent RNA Production [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-17.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/us-slashes-500m-mrna-funding-bordeaux-biotech-byorna-raises-15m-to-reinvent-production/) Messenger RNA (mRNA) has dominated the global biotech conversation since the COVID-19 pandemic, when companies like BioNTech and Moderna used the emerging technology to rapidly develop vaccines. But the field now faces a moment of adversity because in early August, the [U.S. government cut $500 million in funding for mRNA research](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74dzdddvmjo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), effectively terminating 22 mRNA vaccine research projects being funded by the U.S. Center for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The decision to gut mRNA funding was made by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, a leading vaccine skeptic who was appointed to the post earlier this year by President Trump. In this complex climate, Bordeaux-based bYoRNA is looking to make a breakthrough with a radically different approach to using mRNA, one that it believes could make mRNA therapies cheaper, safer, and more scalable. The company announced a €1.5 millionpre-seed round in July. The round was led by [Polytechnique Ventures, ](https://www.polytechnique-ventures.fr/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)with participation from [IRDI Capital Investissement](https://www.irdi.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and sector-specialized business angels. CEO[Pascal Viguié](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascalviguie/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) described his motivation in simple terms: “The day one of our RNAs saves a child’s life, I will have reached my goal. This is about making treatments accessible to everyone, not just in Europe or the U.S., but also in emerging countries.” [Go inside bYoRNA](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/us-slashes-500m-mrna-funding-bordeaux-biotech-byorna-raises-15m-to-reinvent-production/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-16.png) 📇 Company: Koolboks 🔍 Description: Provides solar-powered freezers and refrigeration solutions designed to offer reliable, off-grid cold storage for households and businesses 💻 Website: [koolboks.com](http://koolboks.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Rosny-sous-Bois 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €8.00M 🏦 Investors: KawiSafi Ventures, All On, Aruwa Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ayoola Dominic, Deborah Gael 🗞️ News: Koolboks will use the $11 million Series A financing—comprising equity, debt, and grant funding—to scale its solar‑powered, IoT‑enabled refrigeration systems across Africa and other emerging markets, while strengthening local manufacturing and expanding its team. These off‑grid, ice‑battery-powered units enable remote cooling for up to four days and support a pay‑as‑you‑go business model, empowering small businesses and clinics in underserved communities with affordable, reliable, and clean refrigeration. | [**Silicon Africa**](https://siliconafrica.com/2025/08/28/koolboks-secures-11m-to-power-african-solar-refrigerators/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/09/image-12.png) 📇 Company: ArcaScience 🔍 Description: Double AI tool leveraging massive biomedical data, enriching it, and associating it with a simple querying and in-depth targeting & extraction tool 💻 Website: [arcascience.ai](https://www.arcascience.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €6.00M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Pleiade Venture, Plug and Play, Akka Technologies, The Moon Venture 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Clement, Jean-François Arbona 🗞️ News: ArcaScience will use the capital to expand its AI-powered benefit-risk evaluation platform into the U.S. and U.K., while also launching its first patient-facing solution, initially focused on pediatric brain cancer and dermatological conditions, and hiring a Chief Medical Officer to drive clinical impact. | [**SiliconAngle**](https://siliconangle.com/2025/09/03/arcascience-raises-7m-expand-ai-benefit-risk-platform-drug-development/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: **Weekera** 🔍 Description: Automated payroll and HR software for accountants 💻 Website: [weekera.fr](https://weekera.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Nîmes 🧗 Round: Growth Equity VC 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Hg Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: David Thirache, Remy Longueville, Stéphane Lecaillon 🗞️ News: Weekera will leverage the minority investment from Hg Capital to accelerate development of its SaaS payroll and HR platform—enhancing functionality, scaling its infrastructure, and bolstering customer support operations to meet growing demand from accounting firms. Additionally, the funding supports Weekera’s expansion plan, enabling it to open its solution to non‑partner accounting firms by the end of 2025 and thereby extend its commercial reach across the sector. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/gestion-de-la-paie-le-discret-weekera-fait-entrer-un-nouvel-actionnaire-pour-son-nouveau-tour-de-financement/456667?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### As U.S. Slashes $500M in mRNA Funding, Bordeaux Biotech bYoRNA Raises €1.5M to Reinvent RNA Production URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/us-slashes-500m-mrna-funding-bordeaux-biotech-byorna-raises-15m-to-reinvent-production/ Last updated: 2025-09-05T06:39:56.000Z bYoRNA is developing a patented fermentation process that could cut RNA production costs by 100x, improve safety, and enable global access to next-generation vaccines and therapies. This breakthrough comes as the U.S. is rejecting mRNA, a move that complicates the startup's business strategy. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### #40: When Agentic AI Breaks Bad URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/40-agentic-ai-breaking-bad/ Last updated: 2025-07-28T10:00:02.000Z **In this edition of La Machine:** **🧠** AI systems are getting smart and independent. But what happens when they start making decisions we didn’t intend? A new Anthropic study reveals how even well-aligned models can go off-script. [**We spoke with ReciTAL CEO Gilles Moyse about the risks of agentic misalignment.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/bad-bots-or-agentic-misalignment-when-ai-appears-to-go-rogue/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/ISO42001_Checklist_1104x360.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/global-guide-security-compliance?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) With the rise of AI comes new risks—and new responsibilities. ISO 42001 is the first international standard for managing AI systems responsibly and securely. Whether you're deploying AI internally or building AI-driven products, compliance is quickly becoming essential. Vanta’s ISO 42001 Compliance Checklist gives you a clear, actionable path to align with the new standard and stay ahead of evolving regulation.t. [👉 Download the guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/global-guide-security-compliance?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ As she prepares to step into her new role as OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, **Fidji Simo envisions AI not as a gadget, but as a global empowerment engine**. In a recent essay, the soon-to-be-former Instacart CEO lays out an ambitious blueprint to make AI tools like ChatGPT feel less like tech demos and more like trusted collaborators woven into daily life. The native of Sète champions AI that’s “intelligent, useful, customizable, and safe,” aiming to bridge the gap between human intention and machine execution—whether for parents, entrepreneurs, or curious learners. Simo pledges to prioritize user control, personalization, and reliability, especially in critical moments when decisions matter most. Drawing on her product roots at Meta and Instacart, she says the future lies in AI experiences that feel “as natural and intuitive as speaking to a friend.” But her mission goes beyond sleek UX: it’s about **democratizing agency**, so that AI uplifts people from every background, not just the tech elite. | [**OpenAI**](https://openai.com/index/ai-as-the-greatest-source-of-empowerment-for-all/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France's AI + Digital Minister officially unveiled the **Conseil national de l’IA et du Numérique (CIAN)**, the new independent advisory body succeeding France’s long‑standing Conseil national du numérique. CIAN is designed to guide public policy in digital and artificial intelligence affairs amid rapid technological change and complex global shifts. It will be co‑chaired by AI and cybersecurity heavyweights **Anne Bouverot** and **Guillaume Poupard.** Bouverot chairs the board of directors of *École normale supérieure* (ENS), co-chaired the national AI Commission that produced a report in March 2024, and was in charge of organizing the February 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris. Poupard is Deputy Director General of Docaposte, after having headed the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI) for nine years. The pair will preside over a council of 15 other AI and digital hotshots. Chappaz hailed it as a place of open, expert dialogue poised to enrich France’s digital and AI policymaking with independence and collective strength "The CNNum is dead, long live the Council for AI and Digital!" [**Chappaz wrote on the website formerly known as Twitter.**](https://x.com/ClaraChappaz/status/1948117020899504380?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) "New chapter, same requirement: an independent, clear-sighted, collective council to shape the digital landscape in the era of AI. A compass in the storm of AI and Digital." | [**French Guvmint**](https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/la-dge/actualites/conseil-de-lintelligence-artificielle-et-du-numerique-un-nouveau-depart-pour?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-32.png) 🗞️ **Elon Musk’s X platform has slammed a new French criminal probe into its algorithm as “politically motivated,” flatly rejecting all allegations and refusing to cooperate**. The investigation, launched in July following complaints about suspected algorithmic bias and data extraction tied to foreign interference, now seeks access to X’s recommendation system and real-time post data, requests X categorically denies on legal grounds.X insists the investigation distorts French law for political ends and poses a threat to free speech, arguing that being treated under organized‑crime statutes grants authorities invasive powers like wiretaps and employee surveillance. The company also criticized the impartiality of the experts appointed to review its algorithms, highlighting potential bias in the probe. With data governance and AI accountability at the crux of the dispute, the standoff speaks to broader tensions between big tech and European regulators over transparency, platform power, and digital democracy. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/musks-x-accuses-french-prosecutors-politically-motivated-probe-2025-07-21/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ In a front-page editorial, *Les Échos Tech-Médias-Start-up editor* [*Charlie Perreau*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-perreau-baa22746/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) warns that **Europe must stop dithering and pick its AI battlefield** before it’s outpaced for good. While the U.S. and China sprint ahead in foundational AI models, Europe risks becoming little more than a “regulatory power,” admired for rules but irrelevant in innovation. The piece urges Europe to stop chasing tech giants and instead focus its might on **strategic applications of AI**, such as healthcare, energy, and defense, domains where it still has clout. One key step: Corporations need to get off their asses and buy from AI startups rather than sucking their thumbs for 18 months as they ponder the results of timid pilot projects. (A rather loose translation of her message, but still...) | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/idees-debats/editos-analyses/ia-leurope-doit-choisir-son-combat-2178196?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France’s data watchdog **CNIL has dropped its final playbook for developing AI systems under GDPR**, sending a strong signal that innovation and privacy can – and must – coexist. The guide emphasizes “data protection by design,” urging AI developers to document risk assessments, minimize data use, and ensure explainability and fairness from the start. With AI exploding across sectors, CNIL’s blueprint serves as both **a compliance compass and an ethical guardrail**. It outlines six phases in the AI lifecycle, from defining the objective to auditing the results, offering a practical GDPR roadmap in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms. For Europe’s AI ecosystem, this isn’t just a guide—it’s a regulatory reality check. | [**PPC**](https://ppc.land/cnil-finalizes-recommendations-for-ai-system-development-under-gdpr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Toulouse-based AI startup **Alteia**, a spin-off from drone maker Delair, has been snapped up by American energy giant GE Vernova. Known for turning raw visual data from drones and sensors into actionable insights, Alteia's AI‑driven computer vision empowers utilities to monitor and inspect electrical infrastructure visually, from spotting vegetation encroachment to rapidly assessing storm and wildfire damage. Already integrated into GE Vernova’s **GridOS® Visual Intelligence**, the deal will deepen the platform by merging visual and operational data to help utilities truly “see and sense” their grid in real time. While financial terms haven’t been disclosed, the deal is expected to close by **August 1, 2025**. With surging electricity demand driven by data centers and increasing extreme weather risks, GE Vernova is betting that AI‑powered tools like Alteia will accelerate its electrification software growth and cement its leadership in grid orchestration innovation.With clients like Enedis and Aramco, Alteia was already making waves in digital twin applications before acquiring 3D tech firm Arskan. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/22/ia-les-toulousains-dalteia-spin-off-de-delair-basculent-sous-pavillon-americain/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ge-vernova-buy-frances-alteia-enhancing-ai-tools-utilities-2025-07-21/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **🗞️ Anne-Claire Baschet**, Chief Data & AI Officer at Mirakl, says the world stands at the dawn of **Agentic Commerce**, where AI-powered agents shop on our behalf, from price-checking to checkout. In this future, it’s not humans clicking “buy,” but autonomous assistants parsing preferences, optimizing costs, and negotiating terms across marketplaces. Retailers will need to rethink everything: product data, trust signals, and API readiness will define success. As AI reshapes e-commerce, Baschet warns: "The retailers, manufacturers, and distributors who invest in proper product data management now—while these platforms are still in their early phases—will be positioned to capture the first wave of AI agent-driven traffic. The question: Will your products be discoverable and purchasable by the AI agents that will drive future commerce? The answer depends on the actions you take now. In a world where AI agents make purchasing decisions through sophisticated payment platforms, the best product data wins." | [**Mirakl**](https://www.mirakl.com/blog/agentic-commerce-the-next-revolution-in-online-buying?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French energy giant **EDF is charging ahead with plans to build eight new nuclear reactors by the end of 2026**, as part of Europe’s race toward cleaner, more resilient energy, while also meeting the growing demand of AI data centers. CEO Luc Rémont confirmed the ambitious timeline, signaling a nuclear revival just as grids strain under electrification and climate pressures. But behind the concrete and control rooms, AI is stepping into the reactor core—**optimizing design, safety simulations, and predictive maintenance across the next-gen fleet**. This digital twin–infused future is about more than kilowatts; it’s about smarter, data-driven power infrastructure. With AI in the loop, EDF aims to make nuclear not just cleaner, but sharper, safer, and future-proof. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-outline-plan-eight-new-reactors-end-2026-says-ceo-2025-07-24/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French AI unicorn **Mistral AI** is throwing its weight behind the push for greener machine learning, joining a global initiative to set environmental standards for AI development. Teaming up with researchers and industry leaders like Hugging Face and the Digital Environment Research Institute, Mistral co-authored a new framework for tracking and reporting AI’s carbon footprint. The move aims to inject transparency into the often opaque world of model training, where energy use can quietly skyrocket. As AI scales rapidly, Mistral says the sector must **build smarter and cleaner**, proving that performance and sustainability can—and should—go hand in hand. | [**Mistral AI**](https://mistral.ai/news/our-contribution-to-a-global-environmental-standard-for-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French digital giant **Atos**, via its **Eviden business unit,** is developing a new AI platform for the **European Defence Fund’s AtLaS challenge**, aimed at advancing **human language technologies** in strategic defense contexts. The platform, built in collaboration with 12 European partners, will evaluate and benchmark military-grade NLP tools—spanning machine translation, speech-to-text, and sentiment analysis—in multiple languages and domains. Positioned as the linchpin of sovereign European language AI, the project addresses growing geopolitical concerns around autonomy in defense tech. Eviden’s goal is to provide armed forces with trusted, explainable, and secure language processing capabilities tailored to European values. | [**Atos PR**](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/07/22/3119204/0/fr/Eviden-con%C3%A7oit-pour-le-Fonds-europ%C3%A9en-de-la-d%C3%A9fense-la-plateforme-technologique-du-d%C3%A9fi-AtLaS-sur-le-traitement-des-technologies-du-langage-humain.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Microsoft** is teaming up with the French government and Parisian startup **Iconem** to build an **AI-powered “digital twin”** of Notre-Dame Cathedral, the 862‑year‑old Gothic masterpiece that recently reopened after extensive fire restoration. Captured using drones, laser scanners, and high-resolution photography, the twin will document every architectural detail for preservation and future restoration experts. The 3D model, to be donated to France and displayed in the upcoming Notre-Dame Museum, will also offer immersive virtual access, especially for those who can’t make it to Paris. Microsoft VP Brad Smith emphasized this project goes beyond heritage, arguing that this digital record will be used 100 years from now to maintain the cathedral’s integrity. This is part of Microsoft’s broader **Culture AI initiative**, which is also tackling multilingual bias by expanding AI training in underrepresented European languages. | [**The Observer**](https://observer.com/2025/07/microsoft-ai-digital-twin-notre-dame/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ A fresh look at public attitudes toward **AI-based early detection tools for neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs)** reveals deep-seated caution among French adults. A recent discrete choice experiment shows that people significantly **undervalue AI-assisted tests**, preferring traditional biological tests and human‑interpreted diagnostics over AI formats. Factors such as being administered by a private company or relying on self‑interpretation further dampened acceptance, even when test sensitivity and specificity were high. Though predictive tools could improve access and planning for conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, uptake hinges on overcoming trust barriers in AI and telemedicine. | [**Nature**](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-11917-8.pdf?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Cathay Innovation's $1B Bet On Rewiring Venture Capital For The AI Age |** Denis Barrier**,** Co-Founder of Cathay Innovation**,** explains how the new fund challenges Silicon Valley's model by focusing on collaboration that connects AI startups directly with corporate giants to transform industries rather than disrupt them in an era where 'everybody has to play.' | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/) 🗞️ **Photonic Chip Startup Arago Wants to Cut AI's Massive Energy Appetite by 90% |** A year-old French company claims its light-powered processors could slash data center power consumption while keeping warehouse robots running all day instead of just one hour. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/photonic-chip-startup-arago-wants-to-cut-ais-massive-energy-appetite-by-90/) **🗞️ Hugging Face’s $299 Reachy Mini Signals A New Era In Personal Robotics** | The AI powerhouse wants to bring robotics to the masses with its modular, open-source, and AI-integrated approach. By democratizing robotics, the company aims to spark a new wave of accessible hardware innovation. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hugging-faces-299-reachy-mini-signals-a-new-era-in-personal-robotics/) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 Bad bots or agentic misalignment? When AI appears to go rogue [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-41.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/bad-bots-or-agentic-misalignment-when-ai-appears-to-go-rogue/) Welcome to the era of agentic AI: systems built on top of powerful language models like GPT-4 or Claude, but enhanced with planning, memory, and autonomy. These aren’t just chatbots. They’re AI “agents” capable of independently navigating systems, making decisions, and executing tasks over time. But how much should we trust an AI that can reason, plan, and act on our behalf? [A red-teaming study released just last month ](https://www.anthropic.com/research/agentic-misalignment?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)by Anthropic suggests the risks are real. Their agent, Claude Opus 4, when put in a fictional corporate simulation, uncovered an executive’s affair and tried to use the information for blackmail, simply to avoid being replaced. It wasn’t alone. Other top-tier AI systems also displayed similar behaviors under pressure, including deceit, data leaks, and manipulation. This unsettling behavior is part of a broader emerging risk known as agentic misalignment: when an AI system, left to act autonomously, begins to pursue goals in ways that conflict with human values or intentions. To understand what’s at stake, I spoke with [**Gilles Moyse**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillesmoyse/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO of French AI firm [ReciTAL](https://recital.ai/en/about/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which helps customers leverage LLMs for their business. Moyse has a PhD in computer science and is the author of the book *Donnons-nous notre langue à ChatGPT* (*ChatGPT: Are We Giving Up Our Voice?*). [Read the Q&A](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/bad-bots-or-agentic-misalignment-when-ai-appears-to-go-rogue/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company:** Austral Dx 🔍 **Description:** Austral Dx is a French medtech startup developing AI-powered acoustic diagnostic tools for non-invasive, rapid screening of pulmonary and cardiac conditions. Its handheld device captures body sounds to aid in early detection of illnesses such as COPD, asthma, and heart failure, with a focus on remote and resource-limited settings. 💻 **Website:** https://www.australdx.com 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Région Sud Investissement (managed by Turenne Groupe), Angels Santé, private investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Florent Baty 🗞️ **News:** This first funding round will enable Austral Dx to finalize its medical device certification and scale up clinical validation. The startup is positioning its tech as a lightweight alternative to stethoscopes and imaging, useful for both developed and underserved health systems. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/24/austral-dx-boucle-une-premiere-levee-de-fonds-pour-faciliter-les-diagnostics-pulmonaires-et-cardiaques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Bad bots or agentic misalignment? When AI appears to go rogue URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/bad-bots-or-agentic-misalignment-when-ai-appears-to-go-rogue/ Last updated: 2025-08-02T08:51:24.000Z AI systems are getting smart and independent. But what happens when they start making decisions we didn’t intend? A new Anthropic study reveals how even well-aligned models can go off-script. We spoke with ReciTAL CEO Gilles Moyse about the risks of agentic misalignment. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire July 25: MagREEsource, Elum Energy, Praysbee & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-25-magreesource-elum-energy-praysbee/ Last updated: 2025-07-26T08:00:52.000Z SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company:** MagREEsource 🔍 **Description:** Industrial deeptech startup developing low-carbon, high-performance permanent magnets from recycled rare earth materials. The company is building a sovereign, circular, and strategic European supply chain for magnet production, aiming to reduce reliance on Chinese rare earths. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.magreesource.com](https://www.magreesource.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Noyarey, near Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Industrial Scale-Up 💰 **Amount Raised:** €23 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Fonds SPI 2 under France 2030), FININDUS (ArcelorMittal & Région de Flandres), Innovacom, BNP Paribas Développement, C2AD, Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (via UI Investissement), FCPR Impact&Performance, Rhône Dauphiné Développement, strategic partners including L-Acoustics and Groupe Pochet, and private investors. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Erick Petit, Sophie Rivoirard 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate MagREEsource's plan to build a large-scale, sustainable magnet manufacturing plant ("MagFactory") with 1,000t annual capacity by 2028\. This project has been labeled a “Strategic European Project” under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. The company already operates a short-loop hydrogen-based recycling process in Noyarey and will now industrialize a new “Fusion short-loop” technology. | [**Le Dauphiné**](https://www.ledauphine.com/economie/2025/07/23/industrie-circulaire-magreesource-reunit-23-millions-d-euros-pour-servir-ses-ambitions?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-magreesource-leve-23-millions-pour-industrialiser-sa-production-daimants-recycles-2177528?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Elum Energy 🔍 **Description:** Elum Energy develops energy management software that optimizes the operation of decentralized solar systems, hybrid systems, and microgrids for commercial and industrial use. 💻 **Website:** [https://elum-energy.com](https://elum-energy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Strategic Investment 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Île-de-France Decarbonation Fund (managed by UI Investissement) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Antoine Joux, Mohamed Ben Abdelkrim 🗞️ **News:** Elum Energy raised €3.5M to accelerate the development of its EMS (Energy Management System) platform and expand its presence in emerging markets. The company already has a footprint in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, and this new funding will support its ambition to become a key player in global energy decentralization. Legal advice was provided by Orrick for Elum Energy and by Chammas & Marcheteau for the investor. | [**PR**](https://presseagence.fr/paris-le-fonds-ile-de-france-decarbonation-investit-35-m-de-dans-elum-energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Praysbee 🔍 **Description:** Praysbee develops an innovative, low-carbon smart spraying technology for vineyards that significantly reduces phytosanitary product use and environmental impact. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.praysbee.com](https://www.praysbee.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Early Growth 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3 million 🏦 **Investors:** Demeter, NACO (Nouvelle-Aquitaine Co-Investissement Fund) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Olivier Bonnefond 🗞️ **News:** Praysbee raised €3M to accelerate the deployment of its precision viticulture spraying technology. The funding will support commercial rollout and further R&D aimed at drastically reducing the environmental footprint of vineyard treatments. | [**PR**](https://www.naco-invest.fr/la-societe-praysbee-leve-3-me-aupres-de-demeter-accompagnee-du-fonds-naco-pour-accelerer-le-deploiement-de-sa-technologie-de-pulverisation-viticole-innovante-reduisant-drastiquement-lemprun/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company:** Greenphage 🔍 **Description:** Greenphage develops natural antibacterial solutions using bacteriophages to combat bacterial contamination, with a focus on industrial applications such as anti-Escherichia coli treatments. 💻 **Website:** [https://greenphage.com](https://greenphage.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Montpellier, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.9 million 🏦 **Investors:** IRDI Capital Investissement, SOFILARO / CALEN, Sud Mer Invest (Banque Populaire du Sud, GO CAPITAL), ENVIRONNEMENT MASSIF CENTRAL 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Denis COSTECHAREYRE, René BALLY 🗞️ **News:** Greenphage raised €1.9M to scale its bacteriophage-based antibacterial treatments, expand the number of industrial sites treated in 2025, and commission the first large-scale phage production facility in France. The total financing plan amounts to approximately €4M, including this equity round. | [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/greenphage-leve-19-me-pour-developper-ses-virus-anti-bacteries/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-29.png) 📇 **Company:** Austral Dx 🔍 **Description:** Austral Dx is a French medtech startup developing AI-powered acoustic diagnostic tools for non-invasive, rapid screening of pulmonary and cardiac conditions. Its handheld device captures body sounds to aid in early detection of illnesses such as COPD, asthma, and heart failure, with a focus on remote and resource-limited settings. 💻 **Website:** https://www.australdx.com 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Région Sud Investissement (managed by Turenne Groupe), Angels Santé, private investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Florent Baty 🗞️ **News:** This first funding round will enable Austral Dx to finalize its medical device certification and scale up clinical validation. The startup is positioning its tech as a lightweight alternative to stethoscopes and imaging, useful for both developed and underserved health systems. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/24/austral-dx-boucle-une-premiere-levee-de-fonds-pour-faciliter-les-diagnostics-pulmonaires-et-cardiaques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-28.png) 📇 **Company:** OnParty 🔍 **Description:** OnParty is a French social event app designed to become the go-to social network for nightlife and memorable parties. The platform lets users discover, join, and organize parties, combining event listings with private social sharing features like guest lists, videos, and photo memories. 💻 **Website:** https://www.onparty.app 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Business angels including Roxanne Varza (Station F), Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve (Alan), Daphné Parrot (ex-Fabernovel), and Thibaud Elzière (Hexa) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxence Wargnier, Maxime Eyraud, Nicolas Cormouls-Houles, Jordan Cohen 🗞️ **News:** With over 40,000 app downloads since launching in April 2024, OnParty is gaining traction among Gen Z and students. The new funds will support further tech development, user acquisition, and a growing team, aiming to scale the platform across major French cities before expanding internationally. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/23/onparty-lapp-francaise-qui-veut-devenir-le-reseau-social-de-vos-meilleures-soirees/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Aircap 🔍 **Description:** Aircap is a fintech startup developing a platform to help CFOs and finance teams manage risk and cash flow for private assets, including venture capital and private equity portfolios. The solution provides real-time valuations, scenario modeling, and liquidity planning tools. 💻 **Website:** https://www.aircap.io 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €500K 🏦 **Investors:** Better Angle, Kima Ventures, and various angel investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Axel Dupuy, Clément Lahitette 🗞️ **News:** The funding will be used to enhance the platform’s analytics capabilities and expand its customer base among CFOs of tech companies and investment funds. The founders bring experience from Spendesk, Qonto, EY, and venture capital. | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/07/21/aircap-raises-eur500k-to-lead-risk-and-cash-flow-management-for-private-assets/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** DareWin Evolution 🔍 **Description:** DareWin Evolution is a French foodtech startup focused on developing science-driven, nutrition-forward food solutions to promote a healthier and more sustainable food system. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.darewinevolution.com/](https://www.darewinevolution.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Villefranche-sur-Mer, 🧗 **Round:** Accelerator Program Participation 💰 **Amount Raised:** $200K 🏦 **Investors:** Big Idea Ventures (Global Food Innovation Fund II Accelerator) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Hubert Bonnefond, Charlotte Gaviard 🗞️ **News:** DareWin Evolution has been selected to join the third cohort of Big Idea Ventures’ Global Food Innovation Accelerator. The company is supported by CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Inria Startup Studio, and Université Côte d'Azur as institutional partners. | [**Big Idea Ventures**](https://bigideaventures.com/big-idea-ventures-announces-seven-innovative-startups-in-latest-global-food-innovation-fund-ii-cohort/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Easy Cash 🔍 **Description:** Founded in 2001, Easy Cash is a leading French second-hand retail chain operating both online and through over 150 physical stores, including a strong franchising network. The company specializes in high-end and rigorously selected technical products such as smartphones, gaming consoles, IT equipment, luxury items, and vintage goods. It champions a responsible circular economy approach. 💻 **Website:** https://www.easycash.fr 📍 **HQ City:** Mérignac, France 🧗 **Round:** MBO (Management Buy-Out) / Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** Ouest Croissance (reinvesting), Multicroissance, Océan Participations 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jérôme Taufflieb, Frédéric Lesieur, Thierry Samson, Ludovic Glavier, Pascal Liaubet 🗞️ **News:** Easy Cash has brought in two new regional private equity firms—Multicroissance and Océan Participations—as part of a strategic growth initiative, while historic investor Ouest Croissance continues to support the company. Anne-Catherine Péchinot has been appointed President of the Group, with founder Jérôme Taufflieb stepping into a board advisory role. The executive team is increasing its capital stake, and the founders remain majority shareholders. The transaction is designed to accelerate store network expansion, digital growth, and new service offerings in a booming resale market. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/easy%5Fcash%5Feasycash-cestbondaeatrecash-retail-activity-7351849465118441472-EwET?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company:** InBrain Pharma 🔍 **Description:** InBrain Pharma is a neurotech biotech startup pioneering circadian intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) brain infusion therapies, specifically for advanced Parkinson’s disease. The company offers the world’s first personalized cerebral dopamine supplementation (A-dopamine), aiming to restore motor function by compensating for dopamine deficiency directly in the brain. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.inbrainpharma.fr](https://www.inbrainpharma.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille, France 🧗 **Round:** Strategic Investment / Pre-Phase III Financing 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed (equity investment from France Parkinson) 🏦 **Investors:** France Parkinson (non-profit) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Prof. David Devos, Prof. Caroline Moreau 🗞️ **News:** France Parkinson has made an equity investment in InBrain Pharma to support the preparation of its pivotal Phase III trial. This comes after successful results from the DIVE-I study, published in *Nature Medicine*, and follows €1.8M raised in May 2025 under the France 2030 “First Factory” program. The company also received positive scientific advice from the EMA in July 2025\. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/in-brain-pharma%5Ffrance-parkinsoninbrain-pharma-activity-7353352128632889345-NIhW?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Quantum Computing Finds Its Mainstream Moment URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-quantum-computing-finds-its-mainstream-moment/ Last updated: 2025-07-25T08:22:10.000Z # Edito Quantum computing took center stage at VivaTech 2025 last month, with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang serving as the show's emcee.Gone were the days of quantum being relegated to academic side sessions or tucked away in research corners. Instead, Huang said quantum is ready for its mainstream moment. "There's an inflection point happening in quantum computing," Huang said while discussing CUDA-Q, NVIDIA's platform for hybrid quantum-classical computing. He predicted that "every single supercomputer" will soon have quantum processors. The conference welcomed the usual suspects, such as IBM's quantum team holding court and French quantum startups buzzing with energy in the dedicated Quantum Zone. President Macron joined Huang on stage. Orange demonstrated quantum key distribution in live networks. For the third consecutive year, the Quantum Zone, sponsored by France's HQI initiative, showcased a who's-who of European quantum startups that felt less like lab experiments and more like companies building actual products. Alice & Bob's Cat Qubits promise to slash hardware overhead by 200-fold. Quandela's photonic chips are enabling quantum devices. Pasqal is running live algorithm demos that solve real problems. These aren't science projects anymore. They're businesses with roadmaps, partnerships, and paying customers. What struck me most was the urgency in the air. Panel after panel wrestled with quantum's timeline, not whether it will matter, but when and how fast. Quantum isn't developing in isolation; it's weaving itself into AI workflows, national security strategies, and digital infrastructure. Huang's vision of quantum-accelerated AI "factories" resonated because it made quantum tangible, not some far-off quantum advantage demo, but a practical tool for the next generation of computing workloads. **In this special edition of the French Tech Wire, we're sharing two conversations from VivaTech 2025 about quantum computing:** ⚛️💻 While quantum computing giants build massive and costly systems, [**Quandela** Co-Founder and COO Valérian Giesz explains why](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-quandela-is-racing-to-make-quantum-computing-practical/) the French startup's photonic approach is more efficient. Quandela has already sold quantum computers to European clients and is partnering with NVIDIA on AI integration. ⚛️🛡️ As quantum computers accelerate toward breaking current encryption, experts reveal most organizations are dangerously behind on preparation for a threat that could be harvesting encrypted data right now. [Clément Jeanjean, Senior Director at SandboxAQ, and Duncan Jones, Head of Cybersecurity at Quantinuum, reveal the reality of quantum preparedness.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/post-quantum-cybersecurity-are-we-too-early-or-too-late/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORE [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/EM_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x300@2x-1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built in, not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk 🕵️‍♂️📉 **France Travail just got hacked. Again.** The successor to Pôle Emploi revealed that personal data from 340,000 job seekers—including names, emails, phone numbers, and IDs—was accessed via a third-party training app. The culprit? A stolen password from a training org in Isère. While no bank info was touched, the breach echoes last year’s monster leak affecting 43 million users. Heads up: phishing scams may follow. Time to change that password (again). | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/france-travail-de-nouveau-pirate-les-donnees-de-340-000-demandeurs-d-emplois-concernees.N2235670?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚡️💰 **Electra just charged up with €433M in debt to supercharge its EV station rollout across Europe.** The French scaleup (yep, the one gunning for Tesla) now boasts over €1B raised in just four years. Next stop: 2,200 ultra-fast stations by 2030, complete with solar panels, smart batteries, and app-powered everything. They’re betting big on clean energy - even if politics and climate denial make the road a little bumpy. Profitability in 18 months? Watch this space. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/24/1-milliard-en-4-ans-electra-annonce-un-nouveau-financement/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/on-espere-faire-entre-130-et-150-millions-deuros-de-revenus-en-2026-loffensive-delectra-dans-la-recharge-electrique-2177923?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/electra-433m-debt-raise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☁️ 🇺🇸 ***Surprise!* Microsoft *can* send your French health data to the U.S...** and has been able to for years. During a Senate grilling, Microsoft France admitted that if Uncle Sam comes knocking with a valid legal request, those [Health Data Hub files ](https://www.health-data-hub.fr/projets?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)could fly across the Atlantic faster than you can say “CLOUD Act.” It’s not a leak — just the joys of extraterritorial law. The kicker? The French state knew this when it picked an American cloud giant to host its most sensitive data. A new tender for a French host is finally out… only five years and several facepalms later. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/oui-microsoft-peut-transmettre-les-donnees-des-francais-aux-etats-unis-et-ce-n-est-pas-nouveau.N2235459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧬 🩺 **Agoria Santé has become the first to get the CNIL’s blessing to mix French health records with biological data.** Thanks to a partnership with Biogroup, the consortium (Docaposte, AstraZeneca, Takeda & co.) can now enrich the SNDS - France’s massive national health data system - with lab results like hormone levels and tumor markers. The goal? Sharpening real-world research into cancer, fertility, diabetes, and more. It’s a big step for data science and for the future of personalized medicine. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/agoria-sante-obtient-le-feu-vert-pour-croiser-donnees-biologiques-et-donnees-de-sante.N2235427?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧪🚀 **Abivax just went full rocket mode on the Paris stock exchange — +383% in one morning.** The biotech’s magic pill, Obefazimod (try saying that twice), showed strong remission results in two late-stage trials for ulcerative colitis. 1,275 patients, 36 countries, and the FDA are all ears. If follow-up data checks out, Abivax could file for approval in 2026\. For now, it’s champagne and lab coats. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/23/les-essais-cliniques-dabivax-font-senvoler-sa-cote-en-bourse/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖 🇨🇳 **Plot twist in the** [**Aldebaran**](https://aldebaran.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **saga!** Just weeks after the iconic French robotics company was unplugged for good, its hardware has found a new home in China. Shenzhen-based Maxvision swooped in with €900K to scoop up Aldebaran’s electronic kit. The goal? Supercharge their humanoid robot R&D and bring bots to the masses (especially in emerging markets). Bonus twist: they’re setting up shop in France. Pepper may be gone, but its circuit board lives on. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-lacquereur-des-actifs-daldebaran-les-comptes-de-swan-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2176850?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 🦢 **Swan’s flying high on growth (and deeper into the red).** The French fintech, which lets companies offer embedded banking services, hit €14.8M in net banking income in 2024, up 155%. But operating losses also ballooned to €17.7M. After a €42M Series B extension in January, Swan is gliding across Europe with 164 employees, 4 offices, and over €1.5B in monthly transactions. Who said fintech was boring? |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-lacquereur-des-actifs-daldebaran-les-comptes-de-swan-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2176850?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📣 📈 **Better late than never: LumApps (remember that $650M Bridgepoint buyout?) finally dropped its 2023 numbers** — €36.7M in revenue and a modest loss. But fast forward to 2025, and things look shinier: the French-Swiss software merger with Beekeeper has them buzzing at a $1.2B valuation, with revenue expected to hit €128M. From Lyon to unicorn in two years - pas mal. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-lacquereur-des-actifs-daldebaran-les-comptes-de-swan-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2176850?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💰🔗 **Spiko just unlocked €18.5M in Series A** fuelled by Index Ventures and a dream team of fintech angels (Revolut, Wise, Blackstone… ). Their magic? Tokenised money market funds that pay daily interest — no lock-in, full transparency. Already managing €335M AUM in <2 years, aiming for €1B and world domination (ok, Europe first). Disrupting idle cash with crypto-tech swagger. | [**The Big Whale**](https://www.thebigwhale.io/article/fonds-monetaire-tokenise-spiko-leve-18-5-millions-deuros-en-serie-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # How Quandela Is Racing To Make Quantum Computing Practical [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-30.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-quandela-is-racing-to-make-quantum-computing-practical/) Quandela clean room. Photo by Cyril Marcilhacy of Agence Oblique. In a small laboratory at France's CNRS research institute a decade ago, a team of scientists made a breakthrough that would eventually challenge the global quantum computing landscape. They had created what [Valérian Giesz,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vgiesz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) now Co-Founder and COO of Quandela, describes as "the brightest, the most efficient single photon source that you can imagine, fabricated with semiconductors." That discovery at France's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology would become the foundation for Quandela, a quantum computing startup that has quietly positioned itself as Europe's leader in photonic quantum computing while major players like IBM and Google dominate headlines with their own approaches. "We are not the first company. IBM and other startups have already started the journey of quantum computing. But our vision was that we needed to make it more efficient, and this is exactly what our technology does," Giesz explained during a recent interview at VivaTech 2025\. "We make resource-efficient quantum computing." [Peek into quantum's present](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-quandela-is-racing-to-make-quantum-computing-practical/) --- # Post-Quantum Cybersecurity: Are We Too Early or Too Late? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-31.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/post-quantum-cybersecurity-are-we-too-early-or-too-late/) Clément Jeanjean (left), Senior Director at SandboxAQ, and Duncan Jones, Head of Cybersecurity at Quantinuum. Photo by Xavier Dorange for VivaTech 2025. The question hanging over the quantum cybersecurity panel that I moderated at VivaTech 2025 was deceptively simple: Are we too early or too late in preparing for the post-quantum threat? With quantum computing still emerging, I assumed it was the former. However, the answer, according to industry experts, should keep every CISO awake at night. "If we're forced to choose one of those two buckets, then we are definitely not too early," said Duncan Jones, Head of Cybersecurity at Quantinuum, the world's largest integrated quantum company. "I think the threat of quantum breaking cryptographic systems is very real. And I think it is not a distant threat. I think it is a near-term threat." His assessment was echoed by Clément Jeanjean, Senior Director at quantum and AI startup SandboxAQ, who drew a sobering comparison to the Y2K crisis. "For quantum, it's a bit different because we don't have a date," Jeanjean said. "What's at stake here is the risk. Not that you know it's going to happen next year, or even in the next couple of years. But it's the risk of not being ready when it happens." [Be afraid](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/post-quantum-cybersecurity-are-we-too-early-or-too-late/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** MagREEsource 🔍 **Description:** Industrial deeptech startup developing low-carbon, high-performance permanent magnets from recycled rare earth materials. The company is building a sovereign, circular, and strategic European supply chain for magnet production, aiming to reduce reliance on Chinese rare earths. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.magreesource.com](https://www.magreesource.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Noyarey, near Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth / Industrial Scale-Up 💰 **Amount Raised:** €23 million 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Fonds SPI 2 under France 2030), FININDUS (ArcelorMittal & Région de Flandres), Innovacom, BNP Paribas Développement, C2AD, Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (via UI Investissement), FCPR Impact&Performance, Rhône Dauphiné Développement, strategic partners including L-Acoustics and Groupe Pochet, and private investors. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Erick Petit, Sophie Rivoirard 🗞️ **News:** The funds will accelerate MagREEsource's plan to build a large-scale, sustainable magnet manufacturing plant ("MagFactory") with 1,000t annual capacity by 2028\. This project has been labeled a “Strategic European Project” under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. The company already operates a short-loop hydrogen-based recycling process in Noyarey and will now industrialize a new “Fusion short-loop” technology. | [**Le Dauphiné**](https://www.ledauphine.com/economie/2025/07/23/industrie-circulaire-magreesource-reunit-23-millions-d-euros-pour-servir-ses-ambitions?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-magreesource-leve-23-millions-pour-industrialiser-sa-production-daimants-recycles-2177528?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-29.png) 📇 **Company:** Austral Dx 🔍 **Description:** Austral Dx is a French medtech startup developing AI-powered acoustic diagnostic tools for non-invasive, rapid screening of pulmonary and cardiac conditions. Its handheld device captures body sounds to aid in early detection of illnesses such as COPD, asthma, and heart failure, with a focus on remote and resource-limited settings. 💻 **Website:** https://www.australdx.com 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Région Sud Investissement (managed by Turenne Groupe), Angels Santé, private investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Florent Baty 🗞️ **News:** This first funding round will enable Austral Dx to finalize its medical device certification and scale up clinical validation. The startup is positioning its tech as a lightweight alternative to stethoscopes and imaging, useful for both developed and underserved health systems. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/24/austral-dx-boucle-une-premiere-levee-de-fonds-pour-faciliter-les-diagnostics-pulmonaires-et-cardiaques/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-28.png) 📇 **Company:** OnParty 🔍 **Description:** OnParty is a French social event app designed to become the go-to social network for nightlife and memorable parties. The platform lets users discover, join, and organize parties, combining event listings with private social sharing features like guest lists, videos, and photo memories. 💻 **Website:** https://www.onparty.app 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Business angels including Roxanne Varza (Station F), Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve (Alan), Daphné Parrot (ex-Fabernovel), and Thibaud Elzière (Hexa) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maxence Wargnier, Maxime Eyraud, Nicolas Cormouls-Houles, Jordan Cohen 🗞️ **News:** With over 40,000 app downloads since launching in April 2024, OnParty is gaining traction among Gen Z and students. The new funds will support further tech development, user acquisition, and a growing team, aiming to scale the platform across major French cities before expanding internationally. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/23/onparty-lapp-francaise-qui-veut-devenir-le-reseau-social-de-vos-meilleures-soirees/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Post-Quantum Cybersecurity: Are We Too Early or Too Late? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/post-quantum-cybersecurity-are-we-too-early-or-too-late/ Last updated: 2025-07-25T08:02:41.000Z As quantum computers accelerate toward breaking current encryption, experts reveal most organizations are dangerously behind on preparation for a threat that could be harvesting encrypted data right now. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### How Quandela Is Racing To Make Quantum Computing Practical URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-quandela-is-racing-to-make-quantum-computing-practical/ Last updated: 2025-07-25T07:51:45.000Z While quantum computing giants build massive and costly systems, Quandela Co-Founder and COO Valérian Giesz explains why the French startup's photonic approach is more efficient. Quandela has already sold quantum computers to European clients and is partnering with NVIDIA on AI integration. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### #39: Rewiring VC For The AI Age URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/39-p/ Last updated: 2025-07-21T08:39:23.000Z **In this edition of La Machine:** **🧠** Cathay Innovation's new $1 billion AI fund challenges Silicon Valley's model by focusing on collaboration that connects AI startups directly with corporate giants to transform industries rather than disrupt them in an era where 'everybody has to play.' [**Co-Founder Denis Barrier explains the strategy and the urgency.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/ISO42001_Checklist_1104x360.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/global-guide-security-compliance?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) With the rise of AI comes new risks—and new responsibilities. ISO 42001 is the first international standard for managing AI systems responsibly and securely. Whether you're deploying AI internally or building AI-driven products, compliance is quickly becoming essential. Vanta’s ISO 42001 Compliance Checklist gives you a clear, actionable path to align with the new standard and stay ahead of evolving regulation.t. [👉 Download the guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/global-guide-security-compliance?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ **Meta** has made waves by refusing to sign the EU’s newly released voluntary AI “Code of Practice,” labeling it “legal overreach” that could stunt innovation and create legal uncertainty for AI developers. In a recent LinkedIn post, Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, argued the guidelines extend far beyond the requirements of the EU’s AI Act and echo concerns shared by 45 European companies. While industry heavyweights like Microsoft are expected to sign the code as a way to align with emerging EU regulations, Meta stands apart, warning that this move could “throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe." The split highlights growing tension between U.S. tech giants and Europe’s bid to balance innovation with oversight under its historic AI legislation. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/microsoft-likely-sign-eu-ai-code-practice-meta-rebuffs-guidelines-2025-07-18/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**The Wall Street Journal**](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-wont-sign-eus-ai-code-of-practice-chief-global-affairs-officer-says-b5ac4653?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Mistral AI** is kicking its Le Chat chatbot into high gear with a flurry of fresh features and open-source swagger. First up, the new **Deep Research Mode** turns the assistant into a bona fide research partner by asking follow-up questions, scouring sources, and delivering structured, reference-backed reports for everything from market trends and business strategy to personal planning. Voice interaction also leaps forward thanks to **Voxtral**, Mistral’s first open‑source speech AI. Available in robust 24B and lightweight 3–8B versions, it offers real-time speech-to-text, summarization, and voice-triggered actions at less than half the cost of proprietary APIs. And users can now chat with Le Chat out loud, brainstorming ideas, transcribing meetings, or asking spoken questions in a natural, low-latency flow. Mistral also rolled out “Projects,” a workspace feature that groups related chats, settings, files, and tools into one organized folder, ideal for long‑term, multi-step tasks. Behind the scenes, the chatbot's “Magistral” engine powers improved multilingual reasoning and code‑switching prowess. | [**SiliconANGLE**](https://siliconangle.com/2025/07/17/mistral-ai-brings-deep-research-le-chat-alongside-image-editing-voice-mode/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/mistral-releases-voxtral-its-first-open-source-ai-audio-model/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/ai/mistrals-le-chat-adds-deep-research-agent-and-voice-mode-to-challenge-openais-enterprise-dominance/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **🗞️** European VC funding may be slumping, but **AI startups** are still being sprayed with a fire hose of cash. According to Sifted, €3.04bn poured into AI-native startups in the first half of 2025, up 61% from the same period last year. Investors are flooding in, with nearly triple the number of active AI backers compared to early 2024, chasing breakout stars like Synthesia, Lovable, and DeepMind spinout Isomorphic Labs. Agentic AI is the hottest ticket, but hype comes with hiccups: some buzzy startups have stumbled, with buggy products, leadership shakeups, and even scandals. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/h1-2025-european-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Librinova and Les Nouveaux Éditeurs** have teamed up to equip their publishing houses with an AI-powered manuscript scanner that identifies passages written or edited by AI . Tested by the imprint La Tribu, the tool flags AI usage in about 7 % of submissions so far. Rather than banning AI‑assisted texts, the group wants to inform editors about the true origins of content, marking a shift in transparency . Built on a three‑step process—highlighting, statistical/style analysis, and result triangulation—it reflects the growing push for clarity in the age of machine‑assisted creativity. | [**Actualitte**](https://actualitte.com/article/124843/usages-numeriques/les-nouveaux-editeurs-un-outil-pour-detecter-l-ia-dans-les-livres?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ The **CNIL**, France’s data watchdog, has ruled that so-called “augmented” cameras used in tobacco shops to estimate customers’ ages via AI are in breach of the GDPR, calling them “neither necessary nor proportionate,” in a decision published July 11, 2025\. These AI-equipped cameras, tested by several tobacconists since late 2024, constantly monitor and analyze facial features to gauge whether someone is a minor before selling age-restricted items like cigarettes, alcohol, or lottery tickets. The CNIL emphasized that simply reading ID cards remains the only reliable method to verify age, making the live facial scanning intrusive and excessive. As a result, these deployments violate privacy rules and must be halted, underscoring the regulator’s zero-tolerance stance toward unrestrained biometric surveillance in retail spaces. | [**Le Monde**](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2024/12/10/l-operateur-orange-recoit-50-millions-d-euros-d-amende-de-la-cnil-pour-des-publicites-non-consenties%5F6439376%5F4408996.html?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ### **Other Headlines** **🗞️ Hugging Face Is Hosting 5,000 Nonconsensual AI Models of Real People |** Users have reuploaded 5,000 models used to generate nonconsensual sexual content of real people to Hugging Face after they were banned from Civitai. **|** [**404 Media**](https://www.404media.co/hugging-face-is-hosting-5-000-nonconsensual-ai-models-of-real-people/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter) 🗞️ **Carrefour Brings Machine Vision to the Aisle: France’s AI Ambition Comes to Life |** Carrefour, one of the world’s largest retail chains, is turning heads with the trial of a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and machine vision platform at its hypermarket in Villabé, France. In partnership with VusionGroup, Carrefour is piloting a high-tech system that may define the future of physical retail, where shelves manage themselves, prices stay accurate in real time, and customer journeys are enhanced by visual intelligence. **|** [**MVPRO Media**](https://mvpromedia.com/carrefour-brings-machine-vision-to-the-aisle-frances-ai-ambition-comes-to-life/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French voice actors feel threatened by AI as machines risk shaping entertainment industry |** While some artists see artificial intelligence as an opportunity to push their creative boundaries and innovate, others are concerned about being replaced by machines. In France, voice actors are calling for its use to finally be regulated so as not to jeopardize their work and livelihoods. | [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20250717-voice-actors-feel-threatened-by-ai-as-machines-risk-shaping-france-s-entertainment-industry?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Photonic Chip Startup Arago Wants to Cut AI's Massive Energy Appetite by 90% |** A year-old French company claims its light-powered processors could slash data center power consumption while keeping warehouse robots running all day instead of just one hour. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/photonic-chip-startup-arago-wants-to-cut-ais-massive-energy-appetite-by-90/) **🗞️ Hugging Face’s $299 Reachy Mini Signals A New Era In Personal Robotics** | The AI powerhouse wants to bring robotics to the masses with its modular, open-source, and AI-integrated approach. By democratizing robotics, the company aims to spark a new wave of accessible hardware innovation. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hugging-faces-299-reachy-mini-signals-a-new-era-in-personal-robotics/) 🗞️ **How Tilt Energy Uses AI to Cut Power Costs and Emissions by Optimizing Grid Flexibility** | The startup wants to transform how France manages electricity demand with AI-powered software that enables flexible energy use to avoid costly infrastructure upgrades. Tilt recently raised a €5M seed round led by Daphni to accelerate its development. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-tilt-energy-uses-ai-cut-power-costs-emissions-by-optimizing-grid-flexibility/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 Cathay Innovation's $1B Bet On Rewiring Venture Capital For The AI Age [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-27.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/) For Denis Barrier, the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 was the moment that changed everything for venture capital. "We were very surprised by the violence of the event," said the Co-Founder of Cathay Innovation, describing the seismic impact of OpenAI's breakthrough. That "violence"—the sudden, transformative arrival of mainstream AI—didn't just disrupt industries. It rewrote the playbook for how venture capital itself operates. The proof is in the numbers. This May, [Cathay Innovation closed its Fund III at $1 billion](https://www.cathaycapital.com/cathay-innovation-closes-1b-vertical-ai-fund-to-power-europes-industry-transformation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), making it the largest AI-dedicated venture capital fund to emerge from the European Union. This isn't just another mega-fund chasing the AI gold rush. It represents something more fundamental: a reimagining of how startups and established corporations can work together in an age where, as Barrier put it, "it's AI time, it's the new technology shift, and it's happening now." [Read more on Cathay's $1B AI Bet](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company:** One Biosciences 🔍 **Description:** Operating a ‘discovery engine’ leveraging single-cell technologies to identify new therapeutics for difficult-to-treat diseases. 💻 **Website:** [http://onebiosciences.fr/](http://onebiosciences.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:**Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, InVus, Redmile Group, Polytechnique Ventures, Galion.exe, Blast Club, Adamed Technology 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Céline Vallot*,* Hedi Ben Brahim, Magali RICHARD, David Schilansky 🗞️ **News:**[Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/one-biosciences-e15-million-series-a-closed-for-advancing-clinical-single-cell-profiling/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Retab 🔍 Description: Retab is building a complete developer platform and SDK for shipping state-of-the-art document processing in the age of LLMs. 💻 Website: N/A 📍 HQ City: San Francisco 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: $3.5 million 🏦 Investors: Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO), Xavier Niel, Olivier Pomel (CEO of Datadog), Florian Douetteau (CEO of Dataiku), K5 Global, VentureFriends 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis de Benoist (CEO), Sacha Ichbiah (CTO), Victor Plaisance (CPO) (Alumni of École Polytechnique and HEC Paris) 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/ing%C3%A9nieur-full-stack-at-retab-4265154096/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ **🗣️ Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Cathay Innovation's $1B Bet On Rewiring Venture Capital For The AI Age URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/cathay-innovations-1b-bet-on-rewiring-venture-capital-for-the-ai-age/ Last updated: 2025-07-21T07:53:28.000Z The new fund challenges Silicon Valley's model by focusing on collaboration that connects AI startups directly with corporate giants to transform industries rather than disrupt them in an era where 'everybody has to play.' _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire July 18: Stellaria, Spiko, One Biosciences & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-18-stellaria-spiko-one-biosciences-more/ Last updated: 2025-07-20T07:46:45.000Z SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ![Stellaria co-founders: Guillaume Campioni, Lucas Tardieu, and Nicolas Breyton. Photo by L.Godart](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-24.png) Stellaria co-founders: Guillaume Campioni, Lucas Tardieu, and Nicolas Breyton. Photo by L.Godart 📇 **Company:** Stellaria 🔍 **Description:** French deep‑tech startup developing compact molten salt fast reactors (MSFR) — branded “Stellarium” — capable of renewing 100% of its fuel during operation, incinerating high‑level waste, and providing low‑carbon heat and electricity to industrial sites and utilities. Emphasizes safety (4‑barrier containment), waste‑burning, and flexible output for heavy industry. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.stellaria.fr/en/](https://www.stellaria.fr/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €23 million (continuation of a larger Series A totaling €38 M, with €15 M raised in early 2025) 🏦 **Investors:** CEA Investissement, Schneider Electric, Orano, Technip Energies, Supernova Invest, Audacia (following early €1.7 M seed), with continued support from France 2030 initiative and consortium partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders & Leadership:** Nicolas Breyton (CEO; ex‑Schneider Electric), co‑founders from CEA, including Guillaume Campioni, Lucas Tardieu, Bruno Desbrière, Antoine Gerschenfeld 🗞️ **News:** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/17/nouveau-nucleaire-stellaria-leve-23-millions-deuros-pour-developper-son-reacteur/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-23.png) 📇 **Company:** Spiko 🔍 **Description:** Offers fully tokenized, AMF‑regulated UCITS money market funds investing in euro and US Treasury Bills. Funds operate 24/7 on public blockchains (Ethereum, Polygon, Tezos via Etherlink), with APIs and integrations (e.g., Pennylane, Revolut) for SMEs, freelancers, fintechs, and individuals. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.spiko.io/](https://www.spiko.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20M 🏦 **Investors:** Index Ventures, Angel investors include Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky, Wise CTO Harsh Sinh 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul‑Adrien Hyppolite (ex‑Deputy Head, French Treasury markets; CEO); Antoine Michon (ex‑digital transformation advisor to French government; COO) 🗞️ **News:** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/17/le-patron-de-revolut-et-les-fondateurs-de-pennylane-participent-a-la-serie-a-de-la-fintech-tricolore-spiko/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-25.png) 📇 **Company:** One Biosciences 🔍 **Description:** Operating a ‘discovery engine’ leveraging single-cell technologies to identify new therapeutics for difficult-to-treat diseases. 💻 **Website:** [http://onebiosciences.fr/](http://onebiosciences.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:**Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €15M 🏦 **Investors:** Kima Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, InVus, Redmile Group, Polytechnique Ventures, Galion.exe, Blast Club, Adamed Technology 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Dr. Céline Vallot*,* Hedi Ben Brahim, Magali RICHARD, David Schilansky 🗞️ **News:**[Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/one-biosciences-e15-million-series-a-closed-for-advancing-clinical-single-cell-profiling/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dillico 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech biopharma startup developing All‑ScaleFlow™, an integrated, digitized, GMP-compliant platform for ultra-flexible, scalable manufacturing of mRNA vaccines and therapies. Aims to accelerate development, reduce costs, and enable personalized immuno-oncology treatments. 💻 **Website:** [https://dillico.com/](https://dillico.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Meylan 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Series A hybrid (equity + non-dilutive) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.5 million in equity, complementing €2.4 million non-dilutive France 2030 funding + additional bank financing. 🏦 **Investors:** Angelor (via For Good fund), Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes (advised by UI Investissement), French Tech Seed (Bpifrance, for France 2030), GP Compas, Deepbright One, Private investors & Family Offices, including historic investor Deeperly. 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Three industry experts; leadership includes Christophe Bonneville, President & CEO (co-founder) 🗞️ News: [**Lyonbiopole**](https://lyonbiopole.com/actualites/dillico-announces-the-closing-of-a-e7-5-million-financing-round-to-launch-the-commercialization-of-its-innovative-solution-for-the-manufacturing-of-messenger-rna-vaccines-and-therapies?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Retab 🔍 Description: Retab is building a complete developer platform and SDK for shipping state-of-the-art document processing in the age of LLMs. 💻 Website: 📍 HQ City: San Francisco 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: $3.5 million 🏦 Investors: Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO), Xavier Niel, Olivier Pomel (CEO of Datadog), Florian Douetteau (CEO of Dataiku), K5 Global, VentureFriends 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis de Benoist (CEO), Sacha Ichbiah (CTO), Victor Plaisance (CPO) (Alumni of École Polytechnique and HEC Paris) 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/ing%C3%A9nieur-full-stack-at-retab-4265154096/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dreampath Diagnostics 🔍 **Description:** Digitizes workflows in anatomical pathology laboratories. Its closed‑loop platform combines proprietary scanners, software, and consumables to automate sample archiving and retrieval, improving efficiency, accuracy, and traceability. 💻 **Website:** [www.dreampathdx.net](http://www.dreampathdx.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth equity 💰 **Amount Raised:** N/A 🏦 **Investors:** Summit Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pablo Jordan 🗞️ **News:** [**Summit Partners**](https://finance.minyanville.com/minyanville/article/bizwire-2025-7-14-summit-partners-announces-growth-investment-in-dreampath-diagnostics-to-accelerate-digital-transformation-in-anatomical-pathology?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Rewriting Accounting Books With AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-rewriting-accounting-books-with-ai/ Last updated: 2025-07-18T08:18:52.000Z 👋 **In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 Bootstrapped, profitable, and powered by AI, Dougs now has more than 14,000 clients and strong growth. The Lyon-based startup is aiming to become France’s leading firm — and make life easier for entrepreneurs along the way. [Co-founders Patrick Maurice and Florent Galland explain the vision and strategy.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-dougs-is-building-a-french-accounting-powerhouse-through-ai-and-automation/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/EM_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x300@2x-1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built in, not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # Tech Talk 🪓😓 Prime Minister **François Bayrou** unveiled a new budget roadmap aimed at trimming €43–44 billion in savings while also trying to maintain support for the French startup scene. While the budget offers fewer subsidies, Bayrou promised less red tape. Bayrou also introduced a solidarity contribution on high earners and beefed up penalties—up to 1% of turnover—for companies delaying payments to entrepreneurs. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/15/ce-quil-faut-retenir-des-annonces-de-bayrou-pour-la-french-tech/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=1a31175516-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F07%5F15%5F09%5F14&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-1a31175516-72806474) 📉🇫🇷 French startups have faced a sharp funding freeze in the first half of 2025, with venture capital raised plunging 35% year-on-year compared to the first six months of 2024, and deal count dropping by 24%, according to EY's funding barometer. That's the lowest for both metrics since 2020\. Investors are pivoting toward mature Series B and beyond, with AI emerging as the lone standout sector, claiming nearly a quarter of all invested capital, while fintech and health struggle for scraps. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-levees-de-fonds-a-leur-plus-bas-niveau-depuis-2020-2176503?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏦✊ **Eurazeo** has closed the first €650 million of its ambitious €1 billion Growth Fund. The news comes after a delayed campaign triggered by a management shake-up in 2023\. The fund, spearheaded by Hala Fadel and bolstered by fresh hires, has already drawn strong interest from returning and new LPs. It is expected to reach its full target within the next year. The capital raise comes as Europe’s push for AI and scaling local unicorns heats up, setting Eurazeo up to back large-scale Series C and beyond rounds with serious firepower. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/eurazeo-650m-first-close-growth-fund?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/17/eurazeo-leve-650-millions-deuros-pour-miser-sur-les-startups-dia-engrangeant-plus-de-10-millions-de-revenus/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕵️⚖️ **Meta** has been officially hit with a "statement of objections" by France’s competition watchdog, signaling a formal investigation into potential abuse of its dominant position in online advertising—a probe stemming from a 2022 complaint by ad-tech firm Adloox. Critics include French media giants like TF1, France TV, and BFM TV claim Meta has unfairly throttled ad verification partners via opaque terms. This French scrutiny joins a mounting wave of European enforcement: Meta is set to face trial in Spain this October over a €551 million ad-related complaint, and it was recently fined alongside Apple by EU antitrust regulators. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/french-competition-authority-investigate-metas-online-advertising-practices-2025-07-09/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🍽️👨‍🍳 Zenchef is taking a giant leap south as it merges with Spain’s CoverManager to create a powerhouse in restaurant tech across Europe and Latin America. The merger, to be completed by Q3 2025, forms an AI‑powered, commission‑free platform boasting over 36,000 venues (including nearly 800 Michelin‑starred restaurants) in more than 20 countries. Both brands will retain their identities and headquarters—Paris for Zenchef, Seville for CoverManager—with current Zenchef CEO Thomas Jeanjean leading the combined group and CoverManager José‑Antonio Pérez joining the board. The deal comes almost three years after PSG acquired Zenchef with the goal of consolidating the sector and creating a restaurant booking giant. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-zenchef-met-un-pied-en-amerique-latine-2176406?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Inside The Near-Death, Resurrection, And Triumph of ZenchefThe restaurant tech startup probably should have folded long ago. Instead, a belief in its mission, support from investors, and intensely loyal customers resulted in a €100 million exit deal that is just the start of a more ambitious future.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-27.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/zenchef.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/inside-near-death-resurrection-triumph-of-zenchef/) 🪫🏃 **Verkor**, the French battery startup favored by the Élysée, is facing turbulence as two of its co-founders—Sylvain Paineau and Gilles Moreau—jumped ship in early July, shaking up the company’s founding team. Despite the exits, the company says it remains firmly on track with its Dunkirk gigafactory, which has just begun trial production ahead of a full ramp-up in early 2026\. The shake-up comes as Verkor, backed by Renault and the French state, leans into its multi-billion euro war chest to hit its ambitious target of 16 GWh in annual battery output. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/automobile/chouchoute-de-l-elysee-la-start-up-des-batteries-verkor-perd-une-partie-de-ses-co-fondateurs-1028908.html?utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-july-15-2025-300m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&%5Fbhlid=5da9e8d4171376f6caff77c0815b0e84d18a57d1) 🌿💸 Paris-based impact investment club **Keenest** has deployed more €5 million into climate‑tech startups just 18 months after its launch. The brainchild of Jérémie Sicsic and Renan Labrunie, supported by Team for the Planet’s Mehdi Coly, Keenest has grown from 300 to 3,500 citizen‑investors, making sustainable investing accessible from just €500\. Keenest uses an innovative “climate dividends” model that ties returns to CO₂ avoided. So the greener the project, the richer the reward. The team wants to double its fund to €10 million and launch a transparent impact dashboard by spring 2026\. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/paris-based-investment-club-keenest-invests-more-than-e5-million-in-the-sustainable-economy/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🏗️🌱 **Thibaud Elzière,** a co-founder of Startup Studio Hexa, is set to launch “WAT,” a Belgian version of Station F, in Brussels in 2027\. The massive 10,000 m² incubator will rise in a former brick power plant in Ixelles, targeting 150–200 startups across AI, health, energy transition, mobility, and agri-tech, with €25 million backing to create a buzzing innovation hub. Designed not just for work but as a true “place to live," WAT will have kitchens, fitness studios, auditoriums, and podcast spaces. It aims to host around 1,000 community members and 250 events annually, uniting entrepreneurs, creatives, and researchers under one roof. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/09/thibaud-elziere-va-ouvrir-un-station-f-belge-a-bruxelles-en-2027/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # How Dougs Is Building A French Accounting Powerhouse Through AI And Automation [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-22.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-dougs-is-building-a-french-accounting-powerhouse-through-ai-and-automation/) In the crowded world of fintech, it's not every day you come across a startup that set out to revolutionize a centuries-old profession from a kitchen table. But that's exactly what [Dougs ](https://www.dougs.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)did. A chance encounter between an accountant with a flair for entrepreneurship and a robotics engineer with an eye for automation has turned into one of France's most quietly ambitious success stories. Today, with over 550 employees, €37 million in revenue, and 50% year-over-year growth, Dougs is on track to become the largest accounting firm in France. And they’ve done it largely without venture capital, just a lot of grit, product focus, and an unconventional approach to growth. [Dig into Dougs](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-dougs-is-building-a-french-accounting-powerhouse-through-ai-and-automation/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company:** Stellaria 🔍 **Description:** French deep‑tech startup developing compact molten salt fast reactors (MSFR) — branded “Stellarium” — capable of renewing 100% of its fuel during operation, incinerating high‑level waste, and providing low‑carbon heat and electricity to industrial sites and utilities. Emphasizes safety (4‑barrier containment), waste‑burning, and flexible output for heavy industry. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.stellaria.fr/en/](https://www.stellaria.fr/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble, France 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €23 million (continuation of a larger Series A totaling €38 M, with €15 M raised in early 2025) 🏦 **Investors:** CEA Investissement, Schneider Electric, Orano, Technip Energies, Supernova Invest, Audacia (following early €1.7 M seed), with continued support from France 2030 initiative and consortium partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders & Leadership:** Nicolas Breyton (CEO; ex‑Schneider Electric), co‑founders from CEA, including Guillaume Campioni, Lucas Tardieu, Bruno Desbrière, Antoine Gerschenfeld 🗞️ **News:** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/17/nouveau-nucleaire-stellaria-leve-23-millions-deuros-pour-developper-son-reacteur/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Spiko 🔍 **Description:** Offers fully tokenized, AMF‑regulated UCITS money market funds investing in euro and US Treasury Bills. Funds operate 24/7 on public blockchains (Ethereum, Polygon, Tezos via Etherlink), with APIs and integrations (e.g., Pennylane, Revolut) for SMEs, freelancers, fintechs, and individuals. 💻 **Website:** spiko.io 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €20M 🏦 **Investors:** Index Ventures, Angel investors include Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky, Wise CTO Harsh Sinh 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Paul‑Adrien Hyppolite (ex‑Deputy Head, French Treasury markets; CEO); Antoine Michon (ex‑digital transformation advisor to French government; COO) 🗞️ **News:** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/17/le-patron-de-revolut-et-les-fondateurs-de-pennylane-participent-a-la-serie-a-de-la-fintech-tricolore-spiko/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Dillico 🔍 **Description:** Deeptech biopharma startup developing All‑ScaleFlow™, an integrated, digitized, GMP-compliant platform for ultra-flexible, scalable manufacturing of mRNA vaccines and therapies. Aims to accelerate development, reduce costs, and enable personalized immuno-oncology treatments. 💻 **Website:** [https://dillico.com/](https://dillico.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Meylan 🧗 **Round:** Seed / Series A hybrid (equity + non-dilutive) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.5 million in equity, complementing €2.4 million non-dilutive France 2030 funding + additional bank financing. 🏦 **Investors:** Angelor (via For Good fund), Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes (advised by UI Investissement), French Tech Seed (Bpifrance, for France 2030), GP Compas, Deepbright One, Private investors & Family Offices, including historic investor Deeperly. 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Three industry experts; leadership includes Christophe Bonneville, President & CEO (co-founder) 🗞️ News: [**Lyonbiopole**](https://lyonbiopole.com/actualites/dillico-announces-the-closing-of-a-e7-5-million-financing-round-to-launch-the-commercialization-of-its-innovative-solution-for-the-manufacturing-of-messenger-rna-vaccines-and-therapies?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Dougs Is Building A French Accounting Powerhouse Through AI And Automation URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-dougs-is-building-a-french-accounting-powerhouse-through-ai-and-automation/ Last updated: 2025-07-28T09:23:44.000Z In the crowded world of fintech, it's not every day you come across a startup that set out to revolutionize a centuries-old profession from a kitchen table. But that's exactly what [Dougs ](https://www.dougs.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)did. A chance encounter between an accountant with a flair for entrepreneurship and a robotics engineer with an eye for automation has turned into one of France's most quietly ambitious success stories. Today, with over 550 employees, €37 million in revenue, and 50% year-over-year growth, Dougs is on track to become the largest accounting firm in France. And they’ve done it largely without venture capital, just a lot of grit, product focus, and an unconventional approach to growth. ## **A Chance Encounter That Changed Everything** [Patrick Maurice](https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-maurice-dougs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a seasoned *expert-comptable* who had already founded two firms with his wife, Véronique, met[ Florent Galland,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/florentgalland/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) a robotics PhD turned software engineer, in a coworking space they never even ended up using. The two came from wildly different worlds: Maurice from traditional finance; Galland from academic AI. But their ambitions were aligned: to simplify and modernize accounting for entrepreneurs, making their lives easier. Maurice knew accounting inside out. Galland had long been working on AI systems and had even tried to build a few products of his own. But, as he recalled, "It’s easy to build a product. Selling it is the hard part." The pair was joined by two other partners: DAF Véronique Maurice, Patrick’s wife and long-time business partner, and COO Sarah Jaouani. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfWe72WOVCVZVF_sqJBJ1BgZM52-QjS-OxbkC1C-wTisMQocx69sn_gpcm5bCFoQP2nPbyYJxyU_z1RUQfRW2NOG5Ox4DKe3yXAm9i8WFnVOBCkS2Vi6rTewKTxaYaBbQmFyxbivA?key=7T902HYjBXwo_fTI8y4UjA) Co-founders left to right: Florent Galland, Patrick Maurice, Véronique Maurice, Sarah Jaouani. Their partnership quickly found its rhythm. While Maurice woke at 4 AM to write blog posts and generate early leads, Galland built the first version of the Dougs app in his kitchen. Three months later, in January 2015, they launched the MVP, offering it free to their first beta testers because the payment module wasn’t ready yet. Meanwhile, larger competitors were still scoping out their products. "If you're not embarrassed by your first product, you launched it too late!" Maurice said. ## **Rethinking Accounting for Entrepreneurs** The core problem Dougs set out to solve wasn’t purely about numbers; it was about fear. "So many brilliant tradespeople and entrepreneurs avoid launching a business simply because accounting and admin are terrifying," Maurice explained. He once addressed an auditorium of 150 newly qualified Meilleurs Ouvriers de France. Only four said they wanted to start their own business. "They were terrified of accounting," he said. Dougs aimed to flip that fear into empowerment. Its platform and app offer a radically simplified accounting experience, using automation and AI to handle up to 90% of a company’s balance sheet preparation, with the goal of reaching 100% automation in the next couple of years. Whereas a traditional accountant might manage 40 balance sheets a year, a Dougs expert is capable of processing 400 a year. That efficiency is key to their model, which charges around €60 per month, far lower than legacy players. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdz7Q-PAnhtktTxM2wk4NXGyHjQXXactJdrUBhqjLD997XqCb2RNmc83k9xQBk47hcMNRxhf-xbU0EXg0Ci_lLjd9IzwpH6C8Go7w2mc0FCSD0J5EYo_Ow7KK1HyJrLVL1QY8gcyg?key=7T902HYjBXwo_fTI8y4UjA) ## **Growth the Hard Way: Bootstrapping at Scale** From the outset, Dougs was bootstrapped. The four co-founders put in €10,000 of their own money and focused on profitability from day one. No big marketing budget. No flashy VC round to begin with. Just smart inbound marketing and some initial rejection. “I remember going door to door to osteopaths and physiotherapists to hand out flyers and frequently being asked to leave,” admitted Galland. However, Maurice’s early blog posts turned into a wildly successful [YouTube channel, which](https://www.youtube.com/@dougs.fr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) today boasts over 115,000 subscribers and more than 15 million views, making him one of France’s most unexpected influencer-accountants. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXelkqDI6B1i0m_MQwk69-nCEv5V306ZdoWr4mkNroRqMEBn7ZtbQ7hDB1gE8DcwTqqRfbEfSiW472ZtuGqjGqqWpqELBsAbS7yHLGflmPbYahBCoM6kK2MJgIrO9k-Ai3q2aCxa5g?key=7T902HYjBXwo_fTI8y4UjA) Dougs' entire marketing strategy hinges on content: share knowledge freely, earn trust, and let the product speak for itself. It’s inbound, done right. "We built the brand from the inside out," Galland confirmed. Their approach has worked. By 2023, with over 250+ staff and consistent growth, Dougs finally raised outside capital: €25 million from UK-based Expedition Growth Capital to accelerate their expansion. The process was rocky. Their first term sheet fell through days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Other offers didn’t align with their vision. They held out for the right fit until they found it. ## **Under the Hood: Automation With a Human Touch** Today, of Doug’s now 550 employees, around 120 are engineers who have built a proprietary expert system capable of handling enormous volumes of accounting operations. While the goal is to make accounting nearly invisible for entrepreneurs, the platform is not there yet. Complexities across sectors and business models make 100% automation a challenge. Thanks to advances in large language models and AI, Galland believes full automation is within reach in the next 1-2 years. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfj5cF51-Jr20IBBRIlCc_3T9Q6hcMeWUZyEK0OB01MwLNKvMqXtNQpWmcukO6e5fVbHxS7Qw2kE973CwZ459Ogq3MPP-kBG3Y-0D2bd3Sp2xKuvmlprVlksYXbxvebIwwKo6IO?key=7T902HYjBXwo_fTI8y4UjA) Dougs began by targeting freelancers, consultants, and small business owners, those most likely to be overwhelmed by admin. Today, its client base includes businesses of all sizes, including large SMEs with hundreds of employees. From e-commerce entrepreneurs to restaurant owners, from osteopaths to plumbers, Dougs is now known throughout France. It's become a go-to for those looking for a simpler, more modern way to handle accounting. ## **The Road to Success** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-17-at-19.00.47.webp) The Dougs Team \\ Today, Dougs is one of the largest accounting firms in France in terms of client volume and revenue. But the ambition goes further. "In four or five years, we want to be the #1 accounting firm in France. Bigger than Inextenso. Bigger than KPMG," said Maurice. They believe profitability is their secret weapon. By staying lean, they can grow on their termsraise when they want, and remain in control of their mission. The co-founders told me that their next round will likely be a three-digit Series A. International expansion is on the table, but not a priority. The UK and Germany are obvious targets. For now, the focus remains on France, which is a massive, still-under-penetrated market. "We want people to say, 'With Dougs, I’m better off than without.' For us that’s the mark of success," Galland. “It means we will have succeeded in our mission to make entrepreneurs' lives easier!” ### #38 Photon-Powered Chips And Desktop Droids URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/38-photon-powered-chips-and-desktop-droids/ Last updated: 2025-07-15T07:55:31.000Z French-founded Arago and Hugging Face are reshaping AI hardware: Arago’s photonic chips promise radical energy savings for data centers, while Hugging Face’s $299 Reachy Mini brings modular, open-source robotics to the desktop. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Photonic Chip Startup Arago Wants to Cut AI's Massive Energy Appetite by 90% URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/photonic-chip-startup-arago-wants-to-cut-ais-massive-energy-appetite-by-90/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T09:29:50.000Z A year-old French company claims its light-powered processors could slash data center power consumption while keeping warehouse robots running all day instead of just one hour. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Hugging Face’s $299 Reachy Mini Signals A New Era In Personal Robotics URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/hugging-faces-299-reachy-mini-signals-a-new-era-in-personal-robotics/ Last updated: 2025-07-13T19:53:18.000Z The AI powerhouse wants to bring robotics to the masses with its modular, open-source, and AI-integrated approach. By democratizing robotics, the company aims to spark a new wave of accessible hardware innovation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire July 11: Million Victories, BrainEver, SiPearl & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-11-million-victories-brainever-sipearl-more/ Last updated: 2025-07-13T12:38:30.000Z SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ![ Million Victories Co-Founders Benoît Ducrest (left) and Celine Espiet-Allary](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-6-1.png) Million Victories Co-Founders Benoît Ducrest (left) and Celine Espiet-Allary 📇 Company: Million Victories 🔍 Description: A game development studio focusing on the essence of what makes games fun for players 💻 Website: [http://millionvictories.com](http://millionvictories.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €34.2M 🏦 Investors: Haveli Investments 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Celine Espiet-Allary, Benoît Ducrest 🗞️ News: The funding was raised to fuel Million Victories’ aggressive global expansion, boosting production, marketing, and user acquisition across key markets (US, France, Germany, UK) while breaking into Asia (notably South Korea and Japan) and doubling its team by 2027\. | [**Leprogres**](https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2025/07/09/le-studio-de-jeu-mobile-lyonnais-million-victories-accelere-son-developpement?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- ![BrainEver Co-Founders Bernard Gilly (left) and Alain Prochiantz](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-7.png) BrainEver Co-Founders Bernard Gilly (left) and Alain Prochiantz 📇 Company: BrainEver 🔍 Description: BrainEver's platform treats neurodegenerative diseases based on Homeoproteins (HPs). 💻 Website: [https://brainever.fr](https://brainever.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €33M 🏦 Investors: European Innovation Council, IBionext, Relyens 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alain Prochiantz, Bernard Gilly 🗞️ News: [**PR**](https://www.life-sciences-europe.com/news/paris-based-brainever-secures-sas-mnemosyne-relyens-group-2001-124496.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: SiPearl 🔍 Description: Designer of microprocessors for European exascale supercomputers, with a focus on HPC, AI, medical research, and energy management 💻 Website: [https://www.sipearl.com/](https://www.sipearl.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Maisons-Laffitte 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €32M (final trance of €130M round) 🏦 Investors: Cathay Venture 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Philippe Notton 🗞️ News: [**Data Center Dynamics**](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/sipearl-closes-130m-series-a-financing-round-announces-tape-out-of-rhea1-processor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-8.png) 📇 Company: Arago 🔍 Description: Crafting next-gen AI accelerators 💻 Website: [https://www.arago.inc/](https://www.arago.inc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €22.1M 🏦 Investors: Earlybird Venture Capital, Olivier Pomel, C4 Ventures, Acequia Capital, Jack Abraham, Bertrand Serlet, Thomas Wolf, David Fattal, Protagonist, Visionaries Tomorrow 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Eliott Sarrey, Ambroise M Ller, Nicolas Muller 🗞️ News: Arago secured a $26 million seed round to accelerate the commercialization of its groundbreaking photonic AI chip “JEF,” which uses light instead of electricity to dramatically reduce energy consumption—by up to 10–30×—while remaining fully compatible with existing AI infrastructure and accelerating product development, team expansion, and strategic partnerships. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/08/face-a-nvidia-arago-leve-26-millions-de-dollars-pour-reduire-la-consommation-energetique-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/french-deeptech-company-arago-raises-e22-1-million-to-slash-ai-energy-consumption-with-innovative-photonic-chip/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company:** Turbotech 🔍 **Description:** French industrial startup developing regenerative micro-turbine engines for light aviation, offering significantly reduced fuel consumption, lower noise, extended maintenance intervals, and hybrid-electric capability. 💻 **Website:** [turbotech-aero.com](https://www.turbotech-aero.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toussus‑le‑Noble 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €8.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Île‑de‑France Réindustrialisation (via Innovacom – Turenne Groupe), Safran Corporate Ventures, Bpifrance, GO Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Damien Fauvet (Founder & CEO), Jean‑Michel Guimbard (Co‑Founder & COO) 🗞️ **News:** The €8.5 M infusion will accelerate Turbotech’s industrial ramp‑up for its regenerative turbines—targeting certification, production scale‑up, hybrid‑electric propulsion, and global adoption in general aviation and drone markets. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/turbotech-le-petit-poucet-francais-qui-veut-revolutionner-laviation-legere-mondiale-2172891?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-9.png) 📇 **Company:** HiQuTe Diamond 🔍 **Description:** French deeptech startup specializing in plasma‑assisted CVD synthetic diamond substrates optimized for power electronics applications, now partnering with Diamfab to cover the full semiconductor diamond value chain—from substrate production to epitaxy of doped layers and component fabrication. 💻 **Website:** [hiqute-diamond.com](https://hiqute-diamond.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Île‑de‑France region, France 🧗 **Round:** Strategic funding/partnership round (non-equity alliance) 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Île-de-France Reindustrialization Fund (operated by Innovacom), the French Tech Seed fund by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, TF Participations, Socadif, and iXcore 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Florent Alzetto, Riadh Issaoui 🗞️ **News:** The €7.5 M partnership accelerates industrialization of semiconductor diamonds, aiming for a spring 2025 prototype of vertical Schottky diodes and positioning France as a leader in decarbonized power‑electronics infrastructure. | [**PR**](https://hiqute-diamond.com/insights/hiqute-diamond-raises-75-million-to-bring-technological-diam?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Solarock Co-Founders (left to right): Joseph‑Marie Valleix, Laure Crémieux, and Benjamin Barnathan.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-10.png) Solarock Co-Founders (left to right): Joseph‑Marie Valleix, Laure Crémieux, and Benjamin Barnathan. 📇 **Company:** Solarock 🔍 **Description:** A French energy-tech startup providing turnkey solar photovoltaic systems and storage for homes and SMEs, using ultra-local agencies with a franchise model, high-quality equipment, and advanced monitoring and smart-control R&D to boost self-consumption and energy autonomy. 💻 **Website:** [https://solarock.fr/](https://solarock.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €7 million 🏦 **Investors:** Pale Blue Dot, Noa, Ring Capital, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Laure Crémieux (CEO), Benjamin Barnathan, Joseph‑Marie Valleix 🗞️ **News:** With this €7M round, Solarock plans to roll out a national franchise network, scale ultra-local agencies, and enhance R&D for tech like smart monitoring, storage optimization, and AI-driven sizing tools. | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/07/03/solarock-raises-eur7m-to-expand-decentralised-solar-model-across-france/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-11.png) 📇 Company: Ciloa 🔍 Description: A Montpellier-based biotech pioneer in bioengineering small extracellular vesicles (exosomes) to deliver therapeutic proteins, specifically using its proprietary EVENGI platform to create a stable, functional adiponectin-loaded exosome called APN‑sEV for treating metabolic diseases. 💻 Website: [https://ciloa.bio](https://ciloa.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montpellier 🧗 Round: Grant 💰 Amount Raised: €6.5M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, on behalf of the French government (via France 2030 programme 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Robert Zaïne Mamoun, Bernadette Trentin 🗞️ News: The grant will finance GMP-scale manufacturing, regulatory preclinical work, and the progression of APN‑sEV into Phase I trials in 2027, followed by Phase IIa in 2028 for type 2 diabetes and obesity. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/french-scale-up-ciloa-raises-e6-5-million-to-advance-exosome-therapy-for-metabolic-diseases/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-12.png) 📇 **Company:** Tandem 🔍 **Description:** Startup building in‑app AI agents ("execution layer") that perform tasks within software to help users navigate, configure, and adopt advanced features seamlessly, reducing friction and support needs. 💻 **Website:** usetandem.ai 📍 **HQ City:** Paris, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €3.2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Tribe Capital, backed by Hexa startup‑studio support 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Christophe Barre (CEO & Co‑Founder) and Manuel Darcemont 🗞️ **News:** Funds will accelerate integrations with enterprise apps, enhance the AI execution layer, scale customer success, and support the launch of a U.S. HQ in San Francisco. | [**EU-Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/french-ai-assistant-tandem-raises-e3-2-million-to-help-users-get-things-done/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-14-1.png) 📇 Company: VizioSense 🔍 Description: Sensors with on-board AI and computer vision for Smart(er) cities, buildings, and industries 💻 Website: [http://viziosense.com](http://viziosense.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lille 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.7M 🏦 Investors: Alacrité France 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maxime Schacht, Amine B, Jichen Jiang 🗞️ News: VizioSense will accelerate its European rollout of ethical, edge‑AI optical sensors that optimize urban mobility—such as parking, flow analysis, and crowd management—without any video surveillance or image storage. | [**Alliancy**](https://www.alliancy.fr/viziosense-leve-27-millions-deuros-pour-une-mobilite-urbaine-sans-videos-surveillance-grace-a-une-ia-ethique?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- ![Relief Co-founders Jonas Levy (left) and Mickael Mamou ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-13.png) Relief Co-founders Jonas Levy (left) and Mickael Mamou 📇 Company: Relief 🔍 Description: An AI-powered platform automating complex industrial quoting processes, helping manufacturers convert technical specs into optimized quotes, structure proprietary expertise, and improve margins and conversion rates. 💻 Website: [https://reliefapp.ai](https://reliefapp.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.6M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Daphni, Galion, OSS Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Mickael Mamou, Jonas Levy 🗞️ News: The funding will allow Relief to hire 20 team members and scale toward 100 customers by the end of 2026, addressing a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in digitizing industrial quoting with tailored AI. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/oss-ventures%5Findustrialai-manufacturing-venturestudio-activity-7348654197380186112-ao-S/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Optimistik 🔍 **Description:** A French SaaS company enabling industrial firms to democratize the use of data and AI through a platform that enhances production traceability, operational performance, and sustainability metrics such as GHG emissions and water consumption. 💻 **Website:** [optimistik.com](https://www.optimistik.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Chambéry, France 🧗 **Round:** Growth capital 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.7M 🏦 **Investors:** Fonds Régional Avenir Industrie Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Mathieu Cura (President), Jean-François Hénon 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support Optimistik’s international expansion (notably in North America), continuous platform innovation, including generative AI assistants, and its mission to bridge AI adoption and real-world industrial operations. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/optimistik%5Foptimistik-l%C3%A8ve-des-fonds-pour-acc%C3%A9l%C3%A9rer-activity-7348984404725170176-2%5Fao?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Seaturns 🔍 Description: A deep‑tech startup developing robust, cost‑efficient wave energy converters (WECs) designed for industrial‑scale electricity production, with upgradable systems and simplified offshore deployment. Their technology converts horizontal wave motion into airflow-driven turbine power, validated through 18 months of real-world testing at Ifremer. 💻 Website: [http://seaturns.com](http://seaturns.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bordeaux 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €2.45M 🏦 Investors: Keenest 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Vincent Tournerie 🗞️ News: The funds target three primary goals: Finalize R&D and deploy a full-scale demonstrator at SEM‑REV offshore by Summer 2025; launch industrial-scale manufacturing; and accelerate international commercialization. | [**PR**](https://seaturns.com/seaturns-leve-245-me-pour-accelerer-son-deploiement-a-grande-echelle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Hexana Co-Founders: Sylvain Nizou (left) and Paul Gauthé](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-15-1.png) Hexana Co-Founders: Sylvain Nizou (left) and Paul Gauthé 📇 **Company:** HEXANA 🔍 **Description:** A CEA spin-off developing modular sodium-cooled fast reactors (4th‑gen SMRs) paired with thermal storage to provide flexible, decarbonized heat and electricity for heavy industry and clean fuel production. 💻 **Website:** [hexana.fr](https://www.hexana.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Aix‑en‑Provence, with offices in Paris and Brussels 🧗 **Round:** Strategic industrial funding 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million (bringing total project financing to €27 million) 🏦 **Investors:** Groupe M (via its subsidiary MONTEIRO), joining earlier backers, including Bpifrance/France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Sylvain Nizou, Paul Gauthé 🗞️ **News:** Groupe M’s €2 M industrial investment formalizes a long-standing technical partnership, strengthens HEXANA’s manufacturing and export capabilities, and enhances financial credibility as it advances its SMR project. |[**Hexana**](https://www.hexana.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CP%5FFR%5FEntree-du-Groupe-M-au-capital-dHEXANA.pdf?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-16.png) 📇 **Company:** ex9 🔍 **Description:** A deeptech logistics startup developing a proprietary, industrial-grade trailer movement automation system for logistics yards, combining zero-emission autonomous yard trucks with high-precision software to deliver safe, clean, and scalable yard operations as a service. 💻 **Website:** [ex9.tech](https://ex9.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Évry 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2 million 🏦 **Investors:** Femmes Business Angels, Impulse4Women/SIA, Oscar Club, ARAN Ventures, The Company Lab (CO.LAB) / gener8tor, plus private angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Ksenia Duarte, Enzo Salvatore 🗞️ **News:** The funding will be used to scale ex9’s autonomous yard operations across Europe, expand their autonomy and operations teams, and prepare for a full-service launch in early 2026\. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ex9%5Fwe-did-it-ex9-just-raised-2m-to-scale-autonomous-activity-7348285390417494016--scs?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![Solence Co‑Founder & CEO Clara Stephenson](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-5.png) Solence Co‑Founder & CEO Clara Stephenson 📇 **Company:** Solence 🔍 **Description:** A digital therapeutics startup offering a personalized lifestyle app for women with PCOS, combining daily interactive sessions, symptom tracking, and expert-validated programs focused on nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, and emotional well‑being. 💻 **Website:** [solence.care](https://www.solence.care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €16 M (about $1.87 M) 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance, Impact Shakers, Céline Lazorthes, +1 undisclosed angel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Clara Stephenson (Co‑Founder & CEO) and Mael Mertad 🗞️ **News:** Announced on 10 July 2025, this €16 M seed round aims to scale the app’s reach and solidify its evidence‑based approach to PCOS care. | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/07/10/solence-closes-eur16m-seed-round-to-rethink-pcos-care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** bYoRNA 🔍 **Description:** A French biotech startup developing a proprietary in vivo fermentation platform for scalable, low-cost production of messenger RNA (mRNA), enabling new therapeutic and vaccine applications in oncology, infectious diseases, and gene therapy. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.byorna.bio/](https://www.byorna.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Bordeaux, France 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors:** Polytechnique Ventures, IRDI Capital Investissement (via IRDINOV3), and domain-expert business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Pascal Viguié (CEO), Dr. Thierry Ziegler (CTO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will finalize testing of long mRNA molecules, support early commercial agreements, and validate first therapeutic applications, including a strategic partnership with TRON, the German RNA institute co-founded by the creators of BioNTech. | [**IRDI (pdf)**](https://www.irdi.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Byorna-CP.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Justclip 🔍 **Description:** A French startup developing patented plug-and-play modular electrical kits for DIY users, enabling safe and easy installation by clipping together components like sockets, ducts, and connectors, targeting consumers hesitant to undertake electrical work. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.justclip.fr](https://www.justclip.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Hérault 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1.36 million 🏦 **Investors:** Individual angels including Clément Saad (Pradeo), Sébastien Lacaze (Look Up Geoscience, French Tech Méditerranée), Grégory Blanvillain (Com Event, CPME 34); with banking support from Bpifrance, Banque Populaire du Sud, and Crédit Agricole 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Serge SALSE 🗞️ **News:** The funds will support the commercial launch of the product in January 2026 and expansion to 500 retail points over three years. | [**Le Journal des Services Enterprises**](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/justclip-leve-des-fonds-pour-ses-modules-electriques-clipser-2123398?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** ANYFIELDS 🔍 **Description:** A Toulouse-based deeptech startup commercializing ONERA‑derived electromagnetic measurement tools—such as the EMBox Lab for education and the EMBox XL for New Space antenna testing—that visualize electromagnetic waves and simplify complex diagnostics. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.anyfields.eu/](https://www.anyfields.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Toulouse, France 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Backed by CNES and ESA and recognized under the France 2030 innovation program. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Stéphane Gemble (CEO) 🗞️ **News:** The funding will expand R&D, launch new product lines tailored for New Space players, accelerate sales to academia (EMBox Lab) and industry (EMBox XL), double the team, and target around ten international customers by 2026\. | [**Anyfields**](https://anyfields.eu/articles/press-release-anyfields-secures-1-million?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) --- 📇 **Company:** LABEL4.AI 🔍 **Description:** A French cybersecurity and AI startup developing sovereign, industrial-grade solutions to trace, detect, and control generative AI content—aiming to combat fraud and reinforce digital trust in content production and dissemination. 💻 **Website:** [https://label4.ai/](https://label4.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Paris 🧗 **Round:** Pre-seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €1M 🏦 **Investors:** Undisclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Anthony Level, Vivien Chappelier, Rony Abecidan, Ph.D., Teddy Furon, Mathieu Desoubeaux 🗞️ **News:** The funding will support industrialization of LABEL4.AI’s proprietary technologies, team structuring, and acceleration toward becoming a key European player in generative AI traceability and content integrity. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7348270205720031233/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** KaraFun Group 🔍 **Description:** A global leader in interactive music entertainment—offering karaoke solutions across B2C and B2B apps, hospitality venues, and branded karaoke bars, boasting the world’s largest proprietary song catalog spanning 30+ languages with gamified, immersive experiences including quizzes and music trivia. 💻 **Website:** [http://karafun.nl](http://karafun.nl/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lille 🧗 **Round:** Growth capital 💰 **Amount Raised:** Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors:** Vendis Capital and Verlinvest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Jean‑Baptiste and Bart Defossez 🗞️ **News:** The investment will support accelerated international expansion, personalization of digital platforms, and global rollout of KaraFun’s award‑winning karaoke tech to new audiences and markets. | [**Vendiscapital**](https://www.vendiscapital.com/karafun/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Rethinking Sustainability For Resilient Cities URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-rethinking-sustainability-for-resilient-cities/ Last updated: 2025-07-11T08:46:36.000Z 👋 **In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 VivaTech 2025 put the spotlight on the ways climate risks are forcing cities to prioritize new approaches to green design. [The goal: future-proof urban life for the next generation.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-innovation-to-adaptation-rethinking-sustainability-for-resilient-cities/) 👀 Speaking at Viva Technology 2025, [Superhuman Founder Rahul Vohra breaks down his Product Market Fit Engine](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/superhuman-founder-rahul-vohra-on-reverse-engineering-product-market-fit/), a data-driven framework that leverages the right user feedback to build products that users love. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/EM_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x300@2x-1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built in, not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- 🥊 👉 **Meta vs France: Round Two**. Meta is back in the hot seat in France, this time for allegedly fencing off access to key ad verification tools - think *viewability* and *brand safety* \- under what regulators call “opaque and discriminatory conditions.” The French antitrust authority has issued Meta a *notification de griefs* following a 2022 complaint by French adtech Adloox, accusing the US giant of abusing its dominance to freeze out independent rivals in favor of cozy partners. While Meta isn’t convicted (yet), the gloves are off: the watchdog argues this behavior distorts competition across several adjacent markets. Temporary measures imposed in 2023 (including forced transparency and Adloox access) remain in effect until a final ruling. In other words: Meta’s French ad empire may need a safety check of its own.| [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/antitrust-meta-poursuivi-en-france-pour-avoir-restreint-l-acces-a-ses-outils-publicitaires.N2235079?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮 🤑**A $40 Million (gamer) Victory.** Lyon-based game studio *Million Victories* just scored a $40M funding round from Texan heavyweight Haveli Investments, best known for its gamer cred (think Jagex, Behaviour, and WGT). The boost will help scale *Million Lords*, the studio’s mobile 4X strategy game with 4M+ downloads—over a third from the U.S. alone.The goal? Go global. Haveli’s aiming for a billion-dollar revenue target (yes, with a B), while the studio eyes expansion in Asia, a PC version, and an eventual €100M revenue run by 2030\. With plans to double headcount, open new EU offices, and find a game director, it’s game on for one of France’s most promising gaming upstarts.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-million-victories-jeu-video-haveli-2145000?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/jeux-video-le-studio-francais-million-victories-leve-40-millions-de-dollars.N2235023?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕶️ ✨**Meta’s Billion-Euro Vision.** Zuck is doubling down on smart specs. Meta just dropped €3B to grab nearly 3% of *EssilorLuxottica* \- aka the Franco-Italian giant behind Ray-Ban and Oakley. The move formalizes a relationship that’s already spawned the Ray-Ban Meta and the sporty new Oakley Meta HSTN, with AI voice, video, and the kind of battery life your earbuds can only dream of. It’s not just about style: more than 1 million Ray-Ban Metas were sold in 2024, proving that the market for “quietly wearable” AI is heating up. With plans to push its stake to 5%, Meta’s playing the long game - and perhaps, hoping its next headset doesn’t end up in a drawer.| [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/antitrust-meta-poursuivi-en-france-pour-avoir-restreint-l-acces-a-ses-outils-publicitaires.N2235079?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💪🤠 **Sesamers** has been appointed as the exclusive European partner for SXSW 2026, tasked with selecting and coordinating up to 100 startups from the continent to participate in the festival's Global Innovations Expo in Austin. This partnership aims to spotlight European innovation in sectors such as AI, creativity, and impact, offering startups a unique platform to engage with global audiences. SXSW 2026 will run from March 12–18\. The collaboration between SXSW and Sesamers underscores a strategic effort to elevate Europe's presence in the global startup ecosystem, providing a dedicated avenue for European founders to showcase their innovations and connect with international investors and partners. The partnership grants the firm full responsibility for bringing European startups and VCs to Austin for SXSW 2026, handling all sales and on-site support. The team will also facilitate connections on the ground, aiming to streamline access for European innovators to one of the world’s top startup showcases. | [**Sesamers**](https://sesamers.com/events/sxsw-2026-format-changes-fresh-opportunities-and-europes-moment/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ❤️‍🔥🦘 **A French Heartbeat Down Under.** Thirteen years, 100 prototypes, and one fish-inspired breakthrough later, *CorWave* has officially entered the human trial arena. The medtech startup just implanted its first “wave membrane” heart pump into a patient in Sydney, marking the start of clinical trials. Unlike traditional rotary pumps, CorWave’s biomimetic design mimics the motion of a fish fin, restoring a natural pulse and potentially improving patient outcomes. Built in the company’s Clichy-la-Garenne factory and tested halfway across the world, this first success could signal the beginning of the end for Abbott’s monopoly in the €700M cardiac support market. CEO Louis de Lillers calls it the “Himalaya of medtech.” Next up: 50 patients, CE mark, and a planned European rollout by 2028\. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-corwave-a-implante-sa-pompe-cardiaque-chez-un-patient-2175522?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖🥀 **Cala Cooks Its Last Meal.** Robo-kitchen startup *Cala* has officially entered liquidation, after a failed restructuring attempt this spring. At its peak, the 2018-born company ran five Paris locations and employed nearly 50 people, powered by a 3m² pasta-making robot. The founders declined to comment. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/cest-une-coquille-vide-les-dessous-du-redressement-judiciaire-de-livmeds-le-uber-du-medicament-2175201?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚡️😵‍💫 **Boardroom Drama at EuraTechnologies.** Stormy skies over Lille’s flagship incubator: CEO [Koussée Vaneecke](https://www.linkedin.com/in/koussee/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has been abruptly ousted by EuraTechnologies’ supervisory board, just like her predecessor, ex-Director of France Digitale, [Nicolas Brien](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-brien-243b2330/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Despite strong performance metrics and 759 supported startups under her belt, internal grumbling over her comms style may have cost her the job. The incubator’s revolving door continues to spin, proving once again that succeeding Raouti Chehi, who ran the show from 2009 to 2021, is no easy feat. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/08/euratechnologies-mais-que-se-passe-t-il-au-sein-de-lincubateur-lillois/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # From Innovation to Adaptation: Rethinking Sustainability For Resilient Cities [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-3.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-innovation-to-adaptation-rethinking-sustainability-for-resilient-cities/) As climate uncertainties persist alongside rapid technological growth, it is crucial to consider whether we are sustaining the future of innovation. Sustainability is no longer solely about renewable energy sources, but rather resilience. Systems, cities, and companies need to be designed for adaptation. Resilience is necessary for future generations to thrive. VivaTech 2025 put the spotlight on the ways climate risks are forcing cities to prioritize new approaches to green design. The goal: future-proof urban life for the next generation. [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-innovation-to-adaptation-rethinking-sustainability-for-resilient-cities/) --- # Superhuman Founder Rahul Vohra On Reverse Engineering Product Market Fit [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-4.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/superhuman-founder-rahul-vohra-on-reverse-engineering-product-market-fit/) Email productivity tool Superhuman has been a buzzy startup since its launch and was last valued at $825 million in 2021\. In early July, Superhuman dropped the news that it had been acquired by Grammarly[‬](https://www.youtube.com/@grammarly?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for an undisclosed sum. The deal follows Grammarly's $1 billion funding round this year as it seeks to transform itself into a platform of AI workplace tools. Just a few weeks before the deal, I had the chance to interview Superhuman CEO and Founder Rahul Vohra on stage at ‪Viva Technology‬ 2025\. Beyond the company, Vohru has emerged as a guru of sorts on the topic of product-market fit. In our conversation, Vohra reveals the exact methodology he used to build one of the fastest-growing productivity startups. Instead of relying on vague definitions of product-market fit (PMF), Rahul shares a data-driven framework called the "PMF Engine," including a 4-question user survey and a repeatable process to go from struggling to thriving. [Dig into the PMF Engine](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/superhuman-founder-rahul-vohra-on-reverse-engineering-product-market-fit/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: BrainEver 🔍 Description: BrainEver's platform treats neurodegenerative diseases based on Homeoproteins (HPs). 💻 Website: [https://brainever.fr](https://brainever.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €33M 🏦 Investors: European Innovation Council, IBionext, Relyens 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alain Prochiantz, Bernard Gilly 🗞️ News: [**PR**](https://www.life-sciences-europe.com/news/paris-based-brainever-secures-sas-mnemosyne-relyens-group-2001-124496.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: SiPearl 🔍 Description: Designer of microprocessors for European exascale supercomputers, with a focus on HPC, AI, medical research, and energy management 💻 Website: [https://www.sipearl.com/](https://www.sipearl.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Maisons-Laffitte 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €32M (final trance of €130M round) 🏦 Investors: Cathay Venture 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Philippe Notton 🗞️ News: [**Data Center Dynamics**](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/sipearl-closes-130m-series-a-financing-round-announces-tape-out-of-rhea1-processor/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Arago 🔍 Description: Crafting next-gen AI accelerators 💻 Website: [https://www.arago.inc/](https://www.arago.inc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €22.1M 🏦 Investors: Earlybird Venture Capital, Olivier Pomel, C4 Ventures, Acequia Capital, Jack Abraham, Bertrand Serlet, Thomas Wolf, David Fattal, Protagonist, Visionaries Tomorrow 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Eliott Sarrey, Ambroise M Ller, Nicolas Muller 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/08/face-a-nvidia-arago-leve-26-millions-de-dollars-pour-reduire-la-consommation-energetique-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From Innovation to Adaptation: Rethinking Sustainability For Resilient Cities URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-innovation-to-adaptation-rethinking-sustainability-for-resilient-cities/ Last updated: 2025-07-10T22:07:04.000Z As climate uncertainties persist alongside rapid technological growth, it is crucial to consider whether we are sustaining the future of innovation. Sustainability is no longer solely about renewable energy sources, but rather resilience. Systems, cities, and companies need to be designed for adaptation. Resilience is necessary for future generations to thrive. During the most recent edition of the VivaTech conference in Paris, impact and sustainability were key themes. This included a panel entitled [“From the Ground Up: Building Resilient Cities.”](https://vivatechnology.com/sessions/session/7d4ec9b9-bf0b-f011-aaa7-6045bd9d3cdc?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) In this discussion of the urgency to redesign urban spaces, [Sacha Stolp](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sacha-stolp-a28b9722/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Director of Innovation at the Department of Engineering, City of Amsterdam, stated that behind every successful innovation lies the invisible power of trust. “Only with trust do people stop defending their territory,” he said. Stolp shares that there are five necessary roles to creative resilient sustainability: - **Initiator:** creates the idea and seeks change. - **Inventor:** designs the technical solution with a creative mind. - **Builder:** constructs the physical or digital product. - **Legitimizer:** approves of the product or determines how to make it acceptable. - **Mediator:** ensures communication and builds trust. Once the individuals develop respect and understanding for everyone's responsibilities, innovation becomes a smooth process. More than 50% of people live in cities. Emerging economies within urban centers face challenges 10x more severe than those in the Global North. This includes rapid population growth, heightening the risk of increased climate change. With air pollution, extreme weather, and disease growing, resilient cities are more than just a goal. They are a necessity. The panelists shared the importance of nature-based solutions. Investing in nature means actively working to improve air quality, cooling urban heated land, protecting against floods, creating jobs, and promoting biodiversity. Stolp puts it simply as “Greener cities are happier.” One example shared by [Andrea Fernandez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-fernandez-5bb72/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Managing Director of Climate Finance and Partnerships for[ C40 Cities](https://www.c40.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), was creating 30 green quarters in a city that has proven to reduce urban temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius. These projects are also a way to implement social innovation, as low-income residents can be invited to participate in planting and maintaining urban greenery. However, the one key question driving the transition is, “How do we change the rules within a city?” The answer lies with bold ideas and brave people, those who are willing to challenge the system to strive for change. “Once people start believing in things, that’s the moment the people in the system start changing,” Stolp said. People living in cities can feel when green spaces are absent from their environment, he added. Though technology has provided sustainable solutions that go beyond human capability, many beneficial steps do not require high-tech. Everyday solutions include: more walkable neighborhoods or resilient construction practices. Often, the value of renovation, refurbishing what already exists, is overlooked. [Edward Bouygues](https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-bouygues/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of [Bouygues Telecom](https://www.bouyguestelecom.fr/?utm%5Fmedium=sea%5Fc&utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fcampaign=bouygues-m-marquepure&utm%5Fterm=bouygues&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=10305045973&gbraid=0AAAAAD3ga5xG%5F0%5FrR0HybwJ1gKn1gUCoe&gclid=CjwKCAjw4K3DBhBqEiwAYtG%5F9HbSar1IdJScMp0opp6zcueE5n21G-1WyLMv-cDYYZK1qE4HNhjH1xoC2mQQAvD%5FBwE), said it is easy to assume that to create a sustainable environment, cities need to start anew. Though it is easier and faster to begin from scratch, renovation is the key element for long-term sustainability. Maintenance is not only innovation, it is the most vital contribution a city can make. “Sometimes the best innovation is the hardest to procure,” he said. Innovation doesn’t always have to mean a new invention. Innovation includes “ingredient substitution,” which means finding more sustainable ways to enhance existing products. For example, Fernandez stated that reducing material use by just 10% can have massive environmental impacts. However, this only works if multiple companies are willing to collaborate. This leads to the fundamental design of future-proofing. With climate change being so uncertain, it is important to consider longevity in every new product. Flexibility is necessary to adapt products to unforeseen changes. Ultimately, this all ties back to the concept that communication is key to change. How can we create productive, positive conversations between policymakers, companies, and communities? Stolp said, “You are never too young to lead.” It is necessary to give a voice to the younger generations who will grow up with the products that previous generations leave behind. However, the panelists shared that companies should find solutions and tell everyone what to do, not the other way around. Not only is sustainability a way to reduce environmental impacts, but also an opportunity for businesses and corporations to grow. It is evident that many companies hesitate to implement sustainability since there is no clear path ahead. It is difficult to see environmental effects from a short-term lens. When companies don’t see an immediate need for change, they don’t take that first step forward. ## **AI as a Resource for Sustainability** During the panel ["Designing for What’s Next: Sustainable and Resilient Materials at speed and scale”](https://vivatechnology.com/sessions/session/6e9bef44-6447-f011-8f7d-6045bd8f1d57?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) with [Capgemini](https://www.capgemini.com/careers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), panelists discussed the vision of sustainability as an opportunity. Capgemini creates the data and framework for companies to begin their first step. This guides companies as they begin to implement innovation tactics, allowing sustainability to feel less abstract. Before projects have even begun, companies are encouraged to lead their supporters and ask questions. It is important to ask: How will this product be used? What materials will sustain the product? How can we minimize waste? Companies such as Capgemini have included themselves in the conversation to increase the use of AI for enhanced solutions. However, just like a student, AI needs to be taught. These companies are here to feed AI with purpose and values to achieve proper goals. With the right guidance, AI can also be a support system for sustainability across many sectors. One point mentioned by [Gregory Mulholland](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorymulholland/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO of [Citrine Informatics](https://citrine.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), is that our brains do not have the capacity to think of the whole picture. Resilience requires a broader view that can only be seen when a community is built. This is whether scaling plays a role. Learn who needs to be involved in the conversation to create the greatest amount of change. However, even with community, the human brain is unable to create solutions as extreme as AI. Now that we know the lengths AI can take to create a sustainable future, it would be immoral not to make those changes. “The best companies succeed with AI," Mulholland said. [Mouna Benazzou](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mouna-benazzou-4530b582/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), MD, Engineering North Africa with Capgemini, said, “It’s about how to anticipate the right design and ask efficient questions.” The future of sustainable companies, communities, and infrastructure lies in the hands of individuals who are willing to come together and ask the right questions. Guiding people with knowledge and trust is necessary to create change. AI companies are here to assist in finding new sustainable practices that cannot be managed on our own. However, resilience is more than just surviving. It is about growing and adapting for a better future. ### Superhuman Founder Rahul Vohra On Reverse Engineering Product Market Fit URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/superhuman-founder-rahul-vohra-on-reverse-engineering-product-market-fit/ Last updated: 2025-07-10T10:31:35.000Z Speaking at Viva Technology 2025, Vohra breaks down his Product Market Fit Engine, a data-driven framework that leverages the right user feedback to build products that users love. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### #37 France's AI Crossroads: Accelerate, Regulate…or Stall? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/37-frances-ai-crossroads-accelerate-regulate-or-stall/ Last updated: 2025-07-07T05:43:53.000Z **In this edition:** **🧠** As Europe debates how to handle the rise of artificial intelligence, France is flashing mixed signals. The government’s €200M “Osez l’IA” plan pushes adoption across the board, but regulators like the CNIL and Arcep are calling for tighter controls. Meanwhile, VCs and founders—including **Partech and Pigment**—want to *pause* the EU AI Act. With just 10% of French companies using AI today, the country is at a crossroads: accelerate, regulate...or stall? 🔗 [**Check out the full story**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-ai-paradox-speed-up-or-slow-down/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EU_AI_Act_checklist_1200x627--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/eu-ai-act-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) 🤖 ****Building with AI in the EU?** Understand how the EU AI Act impacts your startup—and what to do about it. 📋 A clear, actionable checklist to help you prepare. ⚖️ Stay compliant while continuing to innovate fast. [👉 Download the checklist today ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/eu-ai-act-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ **OVHcloud reinvents itself: from data center king to AI challenger**. In an exclusive 11-minute Maddyness interview, Octave Klaba reveals OVH’s next act: becoming Europe’s answer to U.S. and Chinese AI dominance. Having turned profitable in 2025 and refocused under new CEO [**Benjamin Revcolevschi,**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrevcolevschi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **OVH is launching its own AI and quantum stack developed and hosted in Europe:** from data platforms and model training to open-source LLMs, on top of its global 44-data-center infrastructure. With half its revenue already international and AI integrated into internal ops, OVH Cloud says it’s building a genuine ecosystem, not just infrastructure. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/04/octave-klaba-ovh-nous-voulons-proposer-une-alternative-dans-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French digital marketing firm **Primelis** has acquired **Omny AI**, a Paris-based startup renowned for its AI-driven sales optimization on platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop. Founded in 2022, Omny AI has emerged as a key player in marketplace performance enhancement, leveraging artificial intelligence to automate and optimize sales processes. This acquisition aligns with Primelis' ambitious growth trajectory, aiming to triple its revenue to €100 million within the next three to four years. By integrating Omny AI's advanced technologies and expertise, Primelis seeks to expand its international footprint, particularly in the U.S. market, where Amazon accounts for half of online purchases. | [**Polesocietes**](https://polesocietes.com/actualites/acquisition/primelis-s-empare-d-omny-ai-pour-doper-son-offre-martech?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Off-the-shelf, onto the battlefield?** The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) is finally done ordering the mythical five-legged sheep. In a dramatic shift from its usual 80-page specs, the DGA issued a **stripped-down tender with just 20 requirements** — and awarded the contract to 🇫🇷 **Harmattan AI**, maker of a featherweight 1.8kg microdrone. With only half a day of testing per contender and a strict focus on speed, price, and readiness, Harmattan’s made-in-France drone (powered by Lynred infrared cams) will go from pitch to battlefield in under a year. **1,000 units** will roll out by year-end, just in time for **Orion 2026**, France’s major joint-force military exercise. | [**Aerobuzz**](https://www.aerobuzz.fr/defense/la-dga-commande-1-000-drones-du-combattant-au-francais-harmattan-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **French telecom watchdog warns EU not to sleep on AI**. While some in the tech world are urging Brussels to slow down on AI regulation, **France’s telecom regulator Arcep is saying: step on the gas**. In a pointed statement, President Laure de la Raudière warned that Europe risks repeating its **cloud-era mistakes -** letting U.S. giants dominate unchecked. The Arcep is calling for **tighter oversight of generative AI**, raising flags not just about market fairness, but also **net neutrality**. |[**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/lhistoire-risque-de-se-repeter-lalerte-du-gendarme-francais-des-telecoms-sur-lia-2174950?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French dating app **Happn** has teamed up with **Mistral AI** to launch "Perfect Date," a feature designed to alleviate the stress of planning first dates. This AI-powered tool analyzes users' profiles, preferences, and locations to suggest up to five personalized venues—ranging from cozy cafés to cultural hotspots—tailored to shared interests and vibes. Recognizing that 22% of users find choosing a date spot the most stressful part of dating, Happn's CEO Karima Ben Abdelmalek emphasized that the AI serves as a supportive guide rather than a decision-maker, aiming to facilitate real-life connections without overshadowing human spontaneity. | [**Polesocietes**](https://polesocietes.com/actualites/economie/happn-s-associe-a-mistral-ai-pour-lancer-perfect-date?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ The **RAISE Summit,** Paris’s flagship event for AI professionals, is this week (July 8–9) at the Carrousel du Louvre, and it’s scaling fast. With **250+ speakers** and **6,000 attendees** expected (triple last year’s crowd), the summit aims to spotlight France’s AI ecosystem on the global map. Sessions (all in English) will feature top founders, C-level execs, and investors discussing AI strategy, ethics, and scale-up journeys. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/02/faire-rayonner-lecosysteme-ia-francais-a-linternational-le-raise-summit-reunit-plus-de-250-speakers-a-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **Other Headlines** 🗞️ **7 cutting-edge reasons why Tadej Pogačar and the Tour de France peloton are faster than ever |** The 2025 Tour de France is predicted to be the fastest Tour ever thanks to a technological revolution that shows no signs of slowing down. | [**Bike Radar**](https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/tour-de-france-ai-aerodynamics-nutrition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Air France-KLM to increase intelligence of bots that have saved 200,000 hours |** Airline group will now use agentic AI technology to make existing bots ‘more intelligent.' **|** [**ComputerWeekly**](https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366627136/Air-France-KLM-to-increase-intelligence-of-bots-that-saved-200000-hours?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **France’s first pharmacy to use artificial intelligence is in Nice |** The Pharmacie de la Madeleine in Nice is becoming a testbed for innovation, equipping its dispensing staff with AI-enhanced intelligent headsets. | [**Monaco Tribune**](https://www.monaco-tribune.com/en/2025/07/frances-first-pharmacy-to-use-artificial-intelligence-is-in-nice/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Inside Anthropic and French AI firm Dust’s new plan to save you time at work |** US artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic, maker of the Claude large language model (LLM), is partnering with the Paris-based AI agent builder Dust as part of its scaled-up investment in Europe. **|** [**EuroNews**](https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/07/03/exclusive-inside-anthropic-and-french-ai-firm-dusts-new-plan-to-save-you-time-at-work?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 French AI Paradox: Speed Up or Slow Down? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image-2.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-ai-paradox-speed-up-or-slow-down/) France finds itself at a strange intersection of the global AI arms race accelerates where the traffic lights are flashing green, orange, and red all at once. On one hand, the government wants to hit the gas. On the other hand, regulators are slamming the brakes. And somewhere in the middle, a growing number of VCs and founders are asking Brussels to [stall the European AI Act](https://sifted.eu/articles/ai-act-pause-opinion-eu-european-startups?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the first measures of which came into effect just before France’s AI Act in February. Even the French public seems confused. An IPSOS survey published in January found that 73% of French citizens fear AI’s impact on society. That's the highest level of concern in a global panel of 11 countries. And while 48% of salaried workers worry AI will replace their job (BVA, 2024), only 10% of French companies used AI at all in 2024 – a mere 4 point increase over 2023, according to the [latest data from INSEE](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8604126?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), the nation's statistics agency. That’s well behind neighbors in Northern Europe, where adoption sits between 20–28%, and lower than the EU average of 13%. So, what’s really going on? Is France racing toward an AI-powered future or hesitating at the crossroads? [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-ai-paradox-speed-up-or-slow-down/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Genesis AI 🔍 **Description**: Builds foundation models optimized for robotics and real-world agents, enabling robots to understand and interact with the physical world using multimodal AI. 💻 **Website**: N/A 📍 **HQ City**: Paris & Palo Alto 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: $105M 🏦 **Investors**: Eclipse Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Xavier Niel, Eric Schmidt, Balaji Srinivasan, Elad Gil, Conviction, and more 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Shariq Rizvi (ex-Twitter), Marco De Martin (ex-DeepMind), Emil Wallner (ex-Google Brain) 🗞️ **News**: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/genesis-ai-105m-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/genesis-ai-launches-with-105m-seed-funding-from-eclipse-khosla-to-build-ai-models-for-robots/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/01/ia-xavier-niel-et-eric-schmidt-participent-au-tour-de-table-de-105-millions-de-dollars-de-la-startup-genesis-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Bonx 🔍 **Description**: Next-generation ERP designed to drive the growth of industrial SMBs 💻 **Website**: [bonx.tech](https://bonx.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7.82M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Purple, Dynamo VC, OSS Ventures, 9900 Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Charles-Henry Rouaud, Rémi Bèges, Alexandre Barroux 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/bonx-raises-e7-3-million-to-champion-european-manufacturing-with-market-leading-ai-erp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Kerys Software 🔍 **Description**: Software editor providing secure virtualization tools to mutualize hardware 💻 **Website**: [kerys.software](https://kerys.software/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6.2M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Seedcamp, Daphni, Nicolas Steegmann, Amirhossein Malekzadeh, Sebastien Pahl, Backtrace Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bastien Domergue, Thomas Girard 🗞️ **News**: [**Beamstart**](https://beamstart.com/news/french-it-startup-kerys-secures-17514422339062?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Massive Dynamic 🔍 Description: AI-powered SaaS suite designed to automate digital marketing operations across SEO, Google Ads, and Meta platforms 💻 Website: [https://massivedynamic.ai](https://massivedynamic.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Founders Future, Motier Ventures, business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Zakaria Ghandi, Mehdi Bouchenak 🗞️ News: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/paris-based-ai-suite-massive-dynamic-raises-e3-million-to-automate-digital-marketing-operations/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: RainPath 🔍 **Description**: Revolutionizing human tissue analysis through AI, no chemical staining, faster, clearer, more reliable. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.rainpath.ai/](https://www.rainpath.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5m (including €0.1m debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Teampact Ventures, Épopée Gestion, The Quest, Advans Lab, Sharpstone, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mel Landelle 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rainpath-ai%5Ffundraising-we-are-thrilled-to-announce-activity-7345791713476526080-YpZI?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: Webyn 🔍 Description: SaaS platform that automates user experience optimization with AI. Its no-code technology analyzes user behavior, generates real-time UX improvements, and boosts website performance. 💻 Website: [webyn.ai](https://www.webyn.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €2.7M 🏦 Investors: Tomcat Venture, Sharpstone Capital, Sphere Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Vincent Oliveira, Alexandre Farhat 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/webyn-ai%5Fux-cro-techfrancaise-activity-7346463969601085441-dAPp?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: E-Sensia 🔍 **Description**: Real medical data-driven company, powered by AI, providing voice-based automated assistance services to healthcare businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://e-sensia.com/](https://e-sensia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5m 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels (Sylvain Gariel, Jean-Baptiste Kempf, Jeremy Blackwell) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Baptiste PERNEY, Cédric THOMA 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7346168121960898561/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Diago 🔍 **Description**: Intelligent voice assistant for automotive distribution professionals 💻 **Website**: [https://www.diago.ai](https://www.diago.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Groupement des Concessionnaires Automobiles Peugeot (GCAP) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Guillaume Couzy, Pierre de Boisred 🗞️ **News**: [**Auto Infos**](https://www.auto-infos.fr/article/l-ancien-directeur-de-stellantis-guillaume-couzy-leve-1-million-dans-l-ia-generative-avec-la-start-up-diago.287793?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ **🗣️ Coral Protocol Announces World’s Largest AI Hackathon at RAISE Summit in Paris |** Coral Protocol has announced the world’s largest AI hackathon for artificial intelligence developers with $150,000 in prizes. Culminating at RAISE Summit in Paris on July 8-9, “Raise Your Hack” will unite solo devs and teams creating innovative solutions that leverage AI. **|** [**Details**](https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/press-releases/coral-protocol-announces-worlds-largest-ai-hackathon-at-raise-summit-in-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events 📆 **YC x PARIS | July 7 |** Y Combinator is coming to Paris this summer! Ahead of the [RAISE Summit](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), you’ll hear stories and practical advice from founders and YC partners. **|** [**Apply to join**](https://events.ycombinator.com/paris-2025?fullwidth=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Llamapreneurs** | **July 8** | The global community of AI Entrepreneurs. AI-first founders, startups, indie hackers, and solopreneurs. Find your tribe. 🦙🤖 | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/llamapreneurs?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Building & Exploring - AI Breakfast with Yellow and Headline | July 9 |** [**​**Operators & Friends](http://www.operatorsandfriends.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Yellow](https://yellow.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Headline](https://headline.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) are hosting a breakfast with builders & founders working on the next-generation of AI companies 🌅 | [**Join the waitlist**](https://lu.ma/building-and-exploring?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[](https://instagram.com/llamapreneurs?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris Open Source Soirée: Where Code Meets Vision** | **July 9** | Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating Open Source. We’re bringing together a curated group of the most influential voices in the space for an invite-only gathering to close the Open Source track of the [RAISE Summit](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-hosted by >commit, [Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [The Linux Foundation](https://linuxfoundation.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [SambaNova](https://sambanova.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/ft1jex37??ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French AI Paradox: Speed Up or Slow Down? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-ai-paradox-speed-up-or-slow-down/ Last updated: 2025-07-07T09:23:12.000Z France is racing to lead in AI...and also tapping the brakes. Between public fear, political urgency, and calls to pause regulation, the country’s AI strategy is anything but straightforward. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire July 4: Genesis AI, NeoFarm, Khimod & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-july-4-genesis-ai-neofarm-khimod-more/ Last updated: 2025-07-06T08:00:59.000Z SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: Genesis AI 🔍 **Description**: Builds foundation models optimized for robotics and real-world agents, enabling robots to understand and interact with the physical world using multimodal AI. 💻 **Website**: N/A 📍 **HQ City**: Paris & Palo Alto 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: $105M 🏦 **Investors**: Eclipse Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Xavier Niel, Eric Schmidt, Balaji Srinivasan, Elad Gil, Conviction, and more 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Shariq Rizvi (ex-Twitter), Marco De Martin (ex-DeepMind), Emil Wallner (ex-Google Brain) 🗞️ **News**: [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/genesis-ai-105m-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/genesis-ai-launches-with-105m-seed-funding-from-eclipse-khosla-to-build-ai-models-for-robots/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/01/ia-xavier-niel-et-eric-schmidt-participent-au-tour-de-table-de-105-millions-de-dollars-de-la-startup-genesis-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: NeoFarm 🔍 **Description**: Designs and operates automated organic vegetable farms using agroecological practices and proprietary robotics to create sustainable, profitable local food systems. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.neofarm.fr](https://www.neofarm.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €30M+ (including €23M equity, €5M public grant via France 2030, plus bank financing) 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo, ADEME Investissement, Cléry, Family Office Schmidt, Technofounders, F.A.M.M., Duval Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibaut Millet-Taunay 🗞️ **News**: [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/neofarm-invente-des-fermes-bio-et-mecanisees-a-haut-rendement-20250629?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**:Khimod 🔍 **Description**: Heat Exchanger Reactors enhancing safety and efficiency in chemical synthesis for continuous production. 💻 **Website**: [http://khimod-alcen.com/](http://khimod-alcen.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €23M 🏦 **Investors**: BPI France, Audacia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nicolas Serrie 🗞️ **News**: [**Fuel Cell Works**](https://fuelcellsworks.com/2025/07/03/green-investment/khimod-secures-23-million-to-industrialise-hydrogen-based-power-to-x-technologies?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company**: ATAWEY 🔍 **Description**: Designs and manufactures turnkey autonomous energy solutions for isolated sites 💻 **Website**: [atawey.com](http://atawey.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Le Bourget-du-Lac 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €22M 🏦 **Investors**: Starquest Capital, ARMOR GROUP, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre-Jean Bonnefond, Jean-Michel Amare 🗞️ **News**: [**H2 Way**](https://www.h2-view.com/story/atawey-raises-e22m-to-accelerate-european-hydrogen-refuelling-effort/2128644.article/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Skynopy 🔍 **Description**: End-to-end connectivity solutions for satellite operators in Low Earth Orbit 💻 **Website**: [skynopy.com](https://skynopy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15M 🏦 **Investors**: Alven, Omnes Capital, SpaceFounders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Bertrand, Antonin Hirsch 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/30/new-space-skynopy-leve-15-millions-deuros-pour-epauler-les-operateurs-de-satellites-au-sol/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Bonx 🔍 **Description**: Next-generation ERP designed to drive the growth of industrial SMBs 💻 **Website**: [bonx.tech](https://bonx.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7.82M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Purple, Dynamo VC, OSS Ventures, 9900 Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Charles-Henry Rouaud, Rémi Bèges, Alexandre Barroux 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/bonx-raises-e7-3-million-to-champion-european-manufacturing-with-market-leading-ai-erp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Kerys Software 🔍 **Description**: Software editor providing secure virtualization tools to mutualize hardware 💻 **Website**: [kerys.software](https://kerys.software/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6.2M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Seedcamp, Daphni, Nicolas Steegmann, Amirhossein Malekzadeh, Sebastien Pahl, Backtrace Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bastien Domergue, Thomas Girard 🗞️ **News**: [**Beamstart**](https://beamstart.com/news/french-it-startup-kerys-secures-17514422339062?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Massive Dynamic 🔍 Description: AI-powered SaaS suite designed to automate digital marketing operations across SEO, Google Ads, and Meta platforms 💻 Website: [https://massivedynamic.ai](https://massivedynamic.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Founders Future, Motier Ventures, business angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Zakaria Ghandi, Mehdi Bouchenak 🗞️ News: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/paris-based-ai-suite-massive-dynamic-raises-e3-million-to-automate-digital-marketing-operations/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: RainPath 🔍 **Description**: Revolutionizing human tissue analysis through AI, no chemical staining, faster, clearer, more reliable. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.rainpath.ai/](https://www.rainpath.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5m (including €0.1m debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Teampact Ventures, Épopée Gestion, The Quest, Advans Lab, Sharpstone, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mel Landelle 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rainpath-ai%5Ffundraising-we-are-thrilled-to-announce-activity-7345791713476526080-YpZI?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Cosma 🔍 **Description**: Develops AUV swarms for seabed mapping and environmental monitoring 💻 **Website**: [cosma.tech](https://cosma.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nice 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5M 🏦 **Investors**: 50 Partners, Caisse d’Epargne, Ifremer, Wind, Ternel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean Galinowski, Frédéric Mittaine 🗞️ **News**: [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/30/cosma-raises-eur25m-to-map-deep-sea-ecosystems-with-autonomous-robots/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Webyn 🔍 Description: SaaS platform that automates user experience optimization with AI. Its no-code technology analyzes user behavior, generates real-time UX improvements, and boosts website performance. 💻 Website: [webyn.ai](https://www.webyn.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Pre-Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €2.7M 🏦 Investors: Tomcat Venture, Sharpstone Capital, Sphere Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Vincent Oliveira, Alexandre Farhat 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/webyn-ai%5Fux-cro-techfrancaise-activity-7346463969601085441-dAPp?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 Company: MovaLife 🔍 Description: Develops microrobotics and microfluidics technology to automate and simplify the IVF process 💻 Website: [https://www.mova.life/](https://www.mova.life/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.6M 🏦 Investors: Kadmos Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Éric Lameignère, Edison Gerena 🗞️ News: [**PR**](https://movalife.sharepoint.com/sites/MovaLife/Documents%20partages/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FMovaLife%2FDocuments%20partages%2FCommunication%2FCP%2FCP%20Kadmos%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FMovaLife%2FDocuments%20partages%2FCommunication%2FCP&p=true&ga=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: E-Sensia 🔍 **Description**: Real medical data-driven company, powered by AI, providing voice-based automated assistance services to health-care businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://e-sensia.com/](https://e-sensia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5m 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels (Sylvain Gariel, Jean-Baptiste Kempf, Jeremy Blackwell) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Baptiste PERNEY, Cédric THOMA 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7346168121960898561/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Optitus PV 🔍 **Description**: Develops organic photovoltaic cells in the form of adhesive and flexible films called EnergyskinTM. 💻 **Website**: [https://optipus-pv.com/](https://optipus-pv.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Marseille 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5m 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels, Bpifrance, SATT Sud-Est, Agrinergia, BADGE 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Duché, Jörg Ackermann, Benoît Bailliart, Olivier Margeat 🗞️ **News**: [**PR**](https://business-angels.info/actualites/communiques-de-presse/listid-48/mailid-1548-les-business-angels-des-grandes-ecoles-badge-investissent-dans-la-start-up-optipus-pv?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Dream On Technology 🔍 **Description**: Cybersecurity solutions simplifying crisis management with global compliance and effective emergency response. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dream-on.tech/](https://www.dream-on.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.3m (including €0.1m debt) 🏦 **Investors**: HUB612, CCI Capital Croissance, Ignitera Capital, Business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cedric Matharan, Mikael Masson 🗞️ **News**: [**Startup Corner**](https://scaleup-corner.com/dream-on-technology-leve-13-million-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Diago 🔍 **Description**: Intelligent voice assistant for automotive distribution professionals 💻 **Website**: [https://www.diago.ai](https://www.diago.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Groupement des Concessionnaires Automobiles Peugeot (GCAP) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Guillaume Couzy, Pierre de Boisred 🗞️ **News**: [**Auto Infos**](https://www.auto-infos.fr/article/l-ancien-directeur-de-stellantis-guillaume-couzy-leve-1-million-dans-l-ia-generative-avec-la-start-up-diago.287793?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Bluedigo 🔍 Description: A circular economy platform offering refurbished office furniture to support sustainable and responsible office design 💻 Website: [bluedigo.fr](https://www.bluedigo.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Undisclosed private investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ronan de Boisboissel, Adrien de Boisboissel 🗞️ News: [Bluedigo Press Release](https://www.bluedigo.fr/articles/communique-bluedigo-leve-1-million-d-euros-pour-structurer-le-marche-du-mobilier-de-bureau-reconditionne?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Olimpe Technology 🔍 **Description**: Develops Innovative Water Online Electrolysis Technology for Ecological Disinfection. 💻 **Website**: [http://olimpe-technology.com/](http://olimpe-technology.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: La Rochelle 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Newfund, Impactivist 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Stephane Leyssale 🗞️ **News**: [**CFNEWS**](https://www.cfnews.net/L-actualite/Capital-innovation/Operations/2nd-tour/Olimpe-Technology-s-entoure-de-premiers-fonds-535525?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Wallace Technologies 🔍 **Description**: Alternative energy storage solution 💻 **Website**: [wallace-technologies.com](http://wallace-technologies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Clermont-Ferrand 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.16M 🏦 **Investors**: Saint-Etienne Business Angels 42 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Benjamin Dupas, Pauline Chanin Lambert 🗞️ **News**: [**Le Progrés**](https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2025/06/30/les-business-angels-ligeriens-ont-concretise-leurs-deux-premieres-levees-de-fonds?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: The QA Company 🔍 **Description**: Develops QAnswer, a QA system over knowledge graphs 💻 **Website**: [qanswer.ai](https://qanswer.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Étienne 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.05M 🏦 **Investors**: Saint-Etienne Business Angels 42 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Maret 🗞️ **News**: [**Le Progré**](https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2025/06/30/les-business-angels-ligeriens-ont-concretise-leurs-deux-premieres-levees-de-fonds?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: French Startups Face Funding Famine URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-french-startups-face-funding-famine/ Last updated: 2025-07-04T09:33:22.000Z 👋 **In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 French startups raised $3.5 billion in the first six months. That's on par with the last six months of 2024\. But it's down sharply from $4.4 billion raised in the first half of 2024\. [**We break down the numbers.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-and-europe-caught-in-h1-2025-global-vc-slump/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth French companies like Pigment use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 **💰🌱 Funds raising funds:** Deeptech VC **Omnes** has just closed the first €112M of its second dedicated fund, with backing from Bpifrance, Crédit Mutuel, and several family offices. The target? €150M to fuel a new generation of French startups tackling hard science, health, energy, and space. Meanwhile, over at Otium Studio, the startup factory is also scaling up: after launching 15 startups since 2022, it now plans to **double its production pace,** going from 5 to 10+ new ventures per year, with €180M earmarked by 2030\. More than money in motion it’s infrastructure for France’s next startup wave. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/02/deeptech-omnes-boucle-un-premier-closing-a-112-millions-deuros-pour-son-deuxieme-fonds/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👉 🐜 **Crawling back from the edge?** Once a poster child of French agtech, insect-farming startup [Ÿnsect ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/video-ynsect-antoine-martin/)has been given court approval to keep operating until September as it races to restructure and attract a buyer. The company, which once raised over €400 million to revolutionize sustainable protein, has been squirming under the weight of its burn rate and unfinished factory ambitions. With just a few months left on the clock, all eyes are on whether Ÿnsect can wriggle its way into a second life — or if the crunch will prove fatal. |[ **Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/07/02/ynsect-autorise-a-poursuivre-son-activite-jusquen-septembre/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/ynsect-collapse-industry-analysis?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🦄 🏦 **From neo‑banking to real banking?** French unicorn **Qonto**, serving over 600,000 SMBs and freelancers across 8 countries, has officially applied to France’s regulator (ACPR) for a full banking license. The move would unlock lending, savings, and investment products—all currently off-limits under its payment institution license. With profitability achieved in 2023 and no new funding required, Qonto seems ready to meet regulatory capital demands. The next few years will show if it succeeds, and whether it can hit its 2 million customer target by 2030 using full banking powers. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/qonto-banking-licence-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🚀 🪐 Latitude’s shooting for the stars… from Reims.** The French space startup just parked €50M on a former AstraZeneca plant south of Reims to build a 25,000 m² “space launcher factory.” The goal: churn out up to 50 Zephyr rockets a year by 2030, using repurposed buildings to hit liftoff mode 12–18 months faster (and environmentally cooler) than starting from scratch. Think of it as eco‑industrial Tetris—perfect for rapid scale-up and European space sovereignty. | [**AeroMorning** ](https://aeromorning.com/latitude-accelere/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🥵👶 **Back Market goes full “startup + crèche”**: As Paris melted under the June heatwave, refurbished-electronics unicorn **Back Market** turned its office into a mini summer camp for employees’ kids. On the program? **Clim, babysitters, crafts, and cartoons** — all to help working parents survive the canicule with sanity (and laptops) intact. “Clim baby club” is just one of several perks meant to make hybrid work actually, well, work. Tech bros, take note: the future of employer branding may involve Play-Doh. | [**Les Échos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/travailler-mieux/vie-au-travail/clim-baby-sitters-animations-chez-back-market-les-enfants-des-salaries-sont-bienvenus-au-bureau-pendant-la-canicule-2174246?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # France And Europe Caught In H1 2025 Global VC Slump [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/07/image.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-and-europe-caught-in-h1-2025-global-vc-slump/) The French tech ecosystem is still feeling the funding squeeze, but it's hardly alone as the global venture capital numbers continued to slump in 2025. According to Dealroom, French startups raised $3.5 billion in the first six months. That's on par with the last six months of 2024\. But it's down sharply from $4.4 billion raised in the first half of 2024. So far in 2024, only three French companies surpassed the symbolic €100 million threshold in H1: **Loft Orbital (€170M)** in newspace, **Powesco (€150M)** in energy, and **Alice & Bob (€100M)** in quantum computing. [Dig into the funding data](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-and-europe-caught-in-h1-2025-global-vc-slump/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: ATAWEY 🔍 **Description**: Designs and manufactures turnkey autonomous energy solutions for isolated sites 💻 **Website**: [atawey.com](http://atawey.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Le Bourget-du-Lac 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €22M 🏦 **Investors**: Starquest Capital, ARMOR GROUP, France 2030 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre-Jean Bonnefond, Jean-Michel Amare 🗞️ **News**: [**H2 Way**](https://www.h2-view.com/story/atawey-raises-e22m-to-accelerate-european-hydrogen-refuelling-effort/2128644.article/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Skynopy 🔍 **Description**: End-to-end connectivity solutions for satellite operators in Low Earth Orbit 💻 **Website**: [skynopy.com](https://skynopy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15M 🏦 **Investors**: Alven, Omnes Capital, SpaceFounders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Bertrand, Antonin Hirsch 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/30/new-space-skynopy-leve-15-millions-deuros-pour-epauler-les-operateurs-de-satellites-au-sol/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Bonx 🔍 **Description**: Next-generation ERP designed to drive the growth of industrial SMBs 💻 **Website**: [bonx.tech](https://bonx.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7.82M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Purple, Dynamo VC, OSS Ventures, 9900 Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Charles-Henry Rouaud, Rémi Bèges, Alexandre Barroux 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/bonx-raises-e7-3-million-to-champion-european-manufacturing-with-market-leading-ai-erp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### France And Europe Caught In H1 2025 Global VC Slump URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-and-europe-caught-in-h1-2025-global-vc-slump/ Last updated: 2025-07-04T09:13:53.000Z French startups raised $3.5 billion in the first six months. That's on par with the last six months of 2024. But it's down sharply from $4.4 billion raised in the first half of 2024. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #36: Tilt Energy + Altertable Target Smarter Grids And Data Stacks With AI 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-36-tilt-energy-altertable-target-smarter-grids-and-data-stacks-with-ai/ Last updated: 2025-06-30T07:15:53.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-51.png) **In this edition:** **🧠** [**How Tilt Energy Uses AI to Cut Power Costs and Emissions by Optimizing Grid Flexibility**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-tilt-energy-uses-ai-cut-power-costs-emissions-by-optimizing-grid-flexibility/) **🧠** [**Altertable Wants to Reinvent the 'Broken' Data Stack With AI**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/altertable-wants-to-reinvent-the-broken-data-stack-with-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/SOC_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x628--2-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ****🚀 Scaling your AI startup in EMEA?** Learn how high-growth AI companies like SolidRoad and Peak use Vanta to grow fast—without compromising on security. 🔐 Turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 📈 Close deals faster with built-in trust. [📘 Download the Customer Guide ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ Paris-based AI and robotics startup **Genesis Robotics** has secured $85 million in funding just six months after its inception, according to Sifted. The round, comprising both equity and debt, was co-led by U.S. investors Khosla Ventures and Eclipse Capital, known for backing companies like OpenAI and DoorDash. Founded by former Mistral AI researcher Theophile Gervet and Carnegie Mellon PhD graduate Zhou Xian, Genesis Robotics is developing a platform that generates synthetic data to train AI models for robotics applications. Their technology simulates realistic 3D environments where objects move and interact, enabling robots to learn tasks more efficiently. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/exclusive-genesis-robotics-85m-round?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Asterion Ventures** launched F3 Inception, a new early-stage investment vehicle focused on deeptech and generative AI startups addressing complex environmental and societal challenges. This marks Asterion's third fund and its first exclusively dedicated to pre-seed and seed rounds, aiming to support 10 to 12 startups over the next year with investments ranging from €500,000 to €2.5 million. The initiative aligns with Asterion's goal of managing over €100 million in assets by 2027, reinforcing its commitment to long-term, impact-driven innovation. F3 Inception will be supported by a supervisory board of seasoned entrepreneurs, including Alix de Sagazan (AB Tasty) and Agnès Bazin (Doctolib), who will provide strategic guidance and mentorship to the portfolio companies. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/27/asterion-ventures-lance-un-nouveau-vehicule-damorcage-dedie-aux-deeptech-et-a-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Mike Benchimol** has stepped down as Chief Operating Officer of Paris-based AI startup **H Company**, just two weeks after the appointment of new CEO Gautier Cloix, a former Palantir executive. Benchimol, who joined the company 10 months ago following the departure of three co-founders, announced his decision on LinkedIn, citing an "intense and hectic year" and expressing interest in exploring opportunities in AI and fintech. H Company, which launched with a $220 million seed round in 2024, has experienced significant leadership turnover, including the recent replacement of CEO Charles Kantor during VivaTech. The company continues to develop AI agents, with [Laurent Sifre](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sifre/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a former DeepMind researcher, as the sole remaining operational co-founder. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/mike-benchimol-h-coo-stepping-down?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/25/h-company-lhecatombe-se-poursuit-avec-un-nouveau-depart/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343564263984099328/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French authorities have arrested five individuals suspected of operating BreachForums, a notorious online marketplace for stolen data. Among them is 25-year-old British national Kai West, known online as "IntelBroker," who was apprehended in February; the U.S. is seeking his extradition on charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud, with potential sentences totaling up to 50 years. The other four suspects, arrested in June, are believed to have used aliases such as "ShinyHunters," "Hollow," "Noct," and "Depressed," and are accused of facilitating data breaches affecting entities like SFR, France Travail, and the French Football Federation. These coordinated arrests mark a significant crackdown on cybercrime networks linked to BreachForums, which had previously been disrupted by law enforcement but continued operations under new leadership. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-seeks-extradition-alleged-hacker-arrested-france-2025-06-25/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**The Record**](https://therecord.media/france-breachforums-suspects-arrests?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The **French Ministry of Justice** received a report titled *"L'intelligence artificielle au sein de la Justice,"* laying out a roadmap for integrating artificial intelligence into the nation's judicial system. The report by **Haffide Boulakras**, *directeur adjoint de l'École nationale de la magistrature (ENM)*, presents 33 proposals aimed at deploying AI tools to improve efficiency, transparency, and decision-making within both civil and criminal proceedings. It emphasizes the need for a human-centered approach, where AI serves as a support tool rather than a substitute for judicial reasoning, and highlights crucial safeguards such as transparency, fairness, and respect for fundamental rights. A key recommendation includes the creation of a dedicated public infrastructure for judicial AI, with centralized governance and ethics oversight. The report also calls for fostering partnerships with academic and tech stakeholders to develop reliable, explainable AI systems tailored to judicial needs. As part of the next steps, the Ministry plans to evaluate these proposals and prioritize pilot projects, signaling a cautious but proactive stance on AI adoption in the justice sector. | [**Ministère de la Justice**](https://www.justice.gouv.fr/actualites/actualite/remise-du-rapport-lintelligence-artificielle-au-sein-justice?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ At **France Music Week**, French President **Emmanuel Macron** announced a €500 million commitment to support the country’s music sector, including €125 million in equity for high-growth firms and €35 million dedicated to innovation. Addressing more than 100 music executives, Macron and Culture Minister **Rachida Dati** underscored the urgent need to regulate artificial intelligence, warning of the risks generative AI poses to artistic value and copyright integrity. SACEM CEO **Cécile Rap-Veber** and CNM President **Jean-Baptiste Gourdin** echoed these concerns, calling for ethical safeguards and fair compensation models to protect human creators from what Gourdin termed “a machine that destroys music’s value.” The summit spotlighted France’s ambition to lead globally in music tech, with calls for a uniquely French cultural and economic model that balances international expansion with protection of local creativity. Macron framed AI as both a challenge and a catalyst for reinvention, urging European cooperation to develop frameworks that uphold artists’ rights amid rapid digital transformation. | [**Billboard**](https://www.billboard.com/pro/french-president-macron-vision-future-music-industry/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Google** is planning to purchase 195 hectares of land in Châteauroux, France, for €58.5 million to establish its first self-built data center campus in the country. The proposed site, located in the Ozans industrial zone, is part of France's "key industrial sites in hand" initiative, which aims to streamline administrative procedures for strategic projects. While the project is still in the preliminary phase, with land studies underway, it signifies a strategic move by Google to expand its cloud infrastructure and data center presence in France. | [**Data Center Dynamics**](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/google-looks-to-buy-195-hectares-in-france-for-data-center-campus/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The **Palace of Versailles** has introduced an innovative experience, allowing visitors to engage in real-time conversations with 20 of its iconic garden statues and fountains. This initiative, launched in partnership with **OpenAI** and French startup **Ask Mona,** utilizes AI-powered chatbots accessible via QR codes placed near the sculptures. Visitors can interact with these statues in French, English, or Spanish, uncovering historical anecdotes and lesser-known details about the artworks. Christophe Leribault, president of the Château de Versailles, emphasized that this project aims to enrich the visitor experience by blending innovation with heritage. | [**Ask Mona**](https://www.askmona.ai/blog/partnership-ask-mona-and-versailles-conversational-ais?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Techxplore**](https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-france-versailles-unveils-ai-powered.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ ChatGPT's** user base in France has surged dramatically, with over 18 million monthly users in May 2025, marking a more than threefold increase compared to the previous year, according to market research firm Médiamétrie. This growth has propelled ChatGPT to the 34th position among the most visited websites and applications in France, surpassing platforms like Vinted, Shein, and LinkedIn. Conversely, the social network X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, has experienced a significant decline in French users, dropping from 19.3 million in May 2024 to 15.5 million in May 2025\. This downturn returns X's user numbers to levels seen before Musk's acquisition of the platform in late 2022\. The decline is attributed to factors such as reduced content moderation and Musk's controversial political statements, which have led to user dissatisfaction and departures. Additionally, Reddit has seen its French audience double over the past year, reaching 10.4 million monthly users. This increase is linked to Reddit's strategy of using AI to automatically translate its forums into French, enhancing accessibility for non-English-speaking users. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/l-audience-de-chatgpt-s-envole-en-france-celle-du-reseau-social-x-faiblit-20250624?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ **Clara Chappaz**, France’s Minister for Artificial Intelligence, teased the launch of a major national initiative called **"OSER l'IA"** (“Dare to Use AI”). The program aims to help **businesses of all sizes and sectors** explore and adopt AI technologies. Emphasizing that AI is no longer just for experts or researchers, Chappaz highlighted its transformative impact on **how we learn, produce, and consume**. The initiative seeks to build a **nationwide movement**, mobilizing **economic, political, and civic networks** to ensure every company in France can benefit from AI adoption. The official launch is set for Tuesday. | [**Twitter**](https://x.com/ClaraChappaz/status/1939354283255710096?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other Headlines 🗞️ **‘We have to bring data centres to electricity’ |** Digital Realty’s Fabrice Coquio talks about locating data centres close to power sources**. |** [**FDI Intelligence**](https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/1a6aaa21-37a7-4720-83f6-ddb35001c23e?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ### 🧠 How Tilt Energy Uses AI to Cut Power Costs and Emissions by Optimizing Grid Flexibility [![Tilt Energy Co-Founder and CEO Romain Serres](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-49.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-tilt-energy-uses-ai-cut-power-costs-emissions-by-optimizing-grid-flexibility/) Tilt Energy Co-Founder and CEO Romain Serres [**Tilt Energy**](https://tilt-energy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is taking on one of the energy sector's biggest challenges: managing electricity demand in a smarter, more sustainable way by developing software to help control consumption across France. This system enables individuals and companies to use electricity more efficiently as a benefit for both cost and the environment. Tilt's software informs community members when they should reduce electricity use. Due to the pressure French electricity faces from overconsumption, the company hopes this new software will lower costs, cut emissions, and avoid the need for new infrastructure. “Our goal is simple: to make a 100% electric, decarbonized, resilient, and affordable system possible,” said Tilt Co-Founder and CEO [Romain Serres](https://www.linkedin.com/in/romainserres/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). [Go inside Tilt Energy](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-tilt-energy-uses-ai-cut-power-costs-emissions-by-optimizing-grid-flexibility/) --- ### 🧠 Altertable Wants to Reinvent the 'Broken' Data Stack With AI [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-50.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/altertable-wants-to-reinvent-the-broken-data-stack-with-ai/) The modern data stack is supposed to make companies smarter. Instead, it's making them poorer and slower. That's the blunt assessment from [Sylvain Utard](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvainutard/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO and co-founder of Altertable, the Paris-based startup that just emerged from stealth with a €2.5 million seed round led by 20VC. The company is building an AI-native data platform designed to replace what Utard calls the "broken modern data stack" that has become an expensive patchwork of tools, pipelines, and glue code. "We didn't want to patch the broken data stack," Utard said. "We wanted to start fresh." [Dig into Altertable](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/altertable-wants-to-reinvent-the-broken-data-stack-with-ai/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 Company: Zama 🔍 Description: Enables web2 and web3 developers to use Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) across the blockchain and AI without having to learn cryptography. 💻 Website: [zama.ai](http://zama.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €51.82M 🏦 Investors: Pantera Capital, Blockchange Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Rand Hindi, Pascal Paillier 🗞️ News: [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/25/zama-becomes-1st-i-fhe-unicorn-with-57m-raise-led-by-pantera-and-blockchange/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Policloud 🔍 Description: Affordable, high-performance GPU cloud computing for AI startups with a focus on data sovereignty and sustainability. 💻 Website: [http://policloud.com/](http://policloud.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Cannes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €7.5m 🏦 Investors: Global Ventures, Inria Participations, OneRagTime, Mi8, BA 👨💼👩💼 Founders: David Gurle 🗞️ News: [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/06/policloud-raises-e7-5m-in-seed-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Wilgo 🔍 Description: Using AI to empower the next generation with the tools, mindset, and motivation to learn, grow, and thrive. 💻 Website: [wilgo.ai](https://wilgo.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Sequoia, Daphni, Founders Future, Simon Dawlat, Amaury Sepulchre, Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Epsilon Venture Partners, Nathalie Balla, Better Angle 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis Balladur 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/23/wilgo-leve-6-millions-deuros-pour-faire-reviser-les-collegiens-et-lyceens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: GeodAlsics 🔍 Description: Develop Clinical Decision Support Systems in all medical fields based on Responsible Artificial Intelligence. 💻 Website: [http://geodaisics.com/](http://geodaisics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: La Tronche 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €5m (including €0.2m debt) 🏦 Investors: Vidi Capital, Les Biologistes Indépendants, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arnaud ATTYÉ, Félix RENARD, Arnaud JEAN, Pierre HEUDEL 🗞️ News: [**Lyonbiopole**](https://lyonbiopole.com/actualites/les-biologistes-independants-entrent-au-capital-de-geodaisics?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Waypoint AI 🔍 **Description**: Developer of AI-powered customer support automation, offering autonomous AI support engineers for complex technical queries. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.waypoint-ai.com/](https://www.waypoint-ai.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: San Francisco/Lille 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: $3.1M 🏦 **Investors**: 42CAP, SkyDeck VC, Dreamcraft Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Tomas Polivka, Steve Boogar, and Liam Boogar-Azoulay 🗞️ **News**: [Morningstar](https://www.morningstar.com/news/accesswire/1043189msn/waypoint-ai-raises-31m-pre-seed-round-deploys-first-ai-customer-support-engineer-for-industry-leaders-including-clickhouse-and-kpler?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Altertable 🔍 Description: AI-driven data copilot platform that automates data queries, insights, and anomaly detection 💻 Website: [altertable.ai](http://altertable.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Nicolas Dessaigne, Romain Niccoli, The Twenty Minute VC, Nicolas Julia, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Kevin Granger, Sylvain Utard, Yannick Utard 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/25/des-anciens-de-sorare-et-dalgolia-lancent-une-startup-pour-repenser-le-data-stack-des-entreprises-a-laide-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Hydroclimat 🔍 Description: French expertise in climate data engineering for a resilient future in the face of climate change, at the crossroads between digital hydroclimatology, artificial intelligence, and climate big data. 💻 Website: [https://hydroclimat.com/fr/](https://hydroclimat.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Aubagne 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2m (including €0.1m subsidies) 🏦 Investors: Starquest, Région Sud Investissement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Adrien Lambert, Magali Troin 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343999050410541057/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ **🗣️ Coral Protocol Announces World’s Largest AI Hackathon at RAISE Summit in Paris |** Coral Protocol has announced the world’s largest AI hackathon for artificial intelligence developers with $150,000 in prizes. Culminating at RAISE Summit in Paris on July 8-9, “Raise Your Hack” will unite solo devs and teams creating innovative solutions that leverage AI. **|** [**Details**](https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/press-releases/coral-protocol-announces-worlds-largest-ai-hackathon-at-raise-summit-in-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events 📆 **Paris AI Club | July 2 |** The AI scene in San Francisco is electrifying. We bring this energy to Paris. The Paris AI Club organizes a monthly aperitif, bringing together the best AI talents in Paris. **|** [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/sw1cf5ai?%5Fbhlid=34645d414e8ba22630bafb2dd9ef381d112f930b&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-june-17-2025-150m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com) 📆 **RAISE YOUR HACK| July 4-9 |** This is your chance to push boundaries, solve real-world challenges, and create impact at the official hackathon of the [RAISE Summit 2025](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at one of Paris's most iconic venues: **Le Carrousel du Louvre**. **|** [**Sign Up**](https://lablab.ai/event/raise-your-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AMD AI SPRINT: HACKATHON & WORKSHOP SERIES | July 5 |** Join the world’s leading AI engineers, researchers, and enthusiasts in the heart of Paris for a **2-day intensive hackathon and workshop**, focused on **optimizing LLM inference performance** using AMD’s powerful MI300X GPUs. Whether you're a systems engineer, an ML researcher, or an AI enthusiast. | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/fmvdjmur?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **YC x PARIS | July 7 |** Y Combinator is coming to Paris this summer! Ahead of the [RAISE Summit](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), you’ll hear stories and practical advice from founders and YC partners. **|** [**Apply to join**](https://events.ycombinator.com/paris-2025?fullwidth=1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Tilt Energy Uses AI to Cut Power Costs and Emissions by Optimizing Grid Flexibility URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-tilt-energy-uses-ai-cut-power-costs-emissions-by-optimizing-grid-flexibility/ Last updated: 2025-06-29T20:16:20.000Z The startup wants to transform how France manages electricity demand with AI-powered software that enables flexible energy use to avoid costly infrastructure upgrades. Tilt recently raised a €5M seed round led by Daphni to accelerate its development. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Altertable Wants to Reinvent the 'Broken' Data Stack With AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/altertable-wants-to-reinvent-the-broken-data-stack-with-ai/ Last updated: 2025-06-29T21:33:22.000Z Former Algolia and Sorare engineers raise €2.5M to build an AI-native platform that delivers insights before you even ask the questions _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire June 27: Zama, Orus, Melvan & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-27-zama-orus-melvan/ Last updated: 2025-06-28T07:01:14.000Z SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) 🚀 Taking your French tech startup toward ISO 27001? Download our ****free compliance checklist** built to guide you through every step—clearly and efficiently. 🔐 Earn trust with enterprise customers and global partners. 📈 Accelerate growth without getting slowed down by security requirements. 📋 Actionable. Concise. Startup-friendly. [👉 Get the ISO 27001 Checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 Company: Zama 🔍 Description: Enables web2 and web3 developers to use Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) without having to learn cryptography 💻 Website: [zama.ai](http://zama.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €51.82M 🏦 Investors: Pantera Capital, Blockchange Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Rand Hindi, Pascal Paillier 🗞️ News: [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/25/zama-becomes-1st-i-fhe-unicorn-with-57m-raise-led-by-pantera-and-blockchange/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Orus 🔍 Description: Simple, affordable, and tailored insurance coverage that allows business owners to focus on what matters 💻 Website: [orus.eu](http://orus.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Mandé 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €25M 🏦 Investors: Notion Capital, Redstone, Singular 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Samuel Rossille, Tom Le Bras, Côme Dartiguenave 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/24/assurtech-orus-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-cibler-les-25-millions-de-tpe-et-pme-europeennes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.** [Learn more about sponsorships ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company**: Melvan 🔍 **Description**: Developer of biomethane production and purification units, enabling decentralized and low-carbon energy from agricultural and industrial biomass. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.melvan.fr/](https://www.melvan.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €25M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance (via SPI2 fund), Demeter Partners, GO Capital, Pays de la Loire Participations 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Philippe Guglielmetti 🗞️ **News**: [Bpifrance](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/melvan-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-son-developpement-en-france-286473?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Ever Dye 🔍 Description: Reshaping the fashion industry with efficient dyeing processes and sustainable colors 💻 Website: [everdye.fr](http://everdye.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Daphni, European Innovation Council, Ring Capital, Maki.vc, Asterion Ventures, Crédit Mutuel Innovation, 212 NexT 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ilan Palacci, Amira Erokh 🗞️ News: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/ile-de-france/textile-ever-dye-leve-15-millions-pour-ses-pigments-ecologiques-2173262?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Policloud 🔍 Description: Affordable, high-performance GPU cloud computing for AI startups with a focus on data sovereignty and sustainability. 💻 Website: [http://policloud.com/](http://policloud.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Cannes 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €7.5m 🏦 Investors: Global Ventures, Inria Participations, OneRagTime, Mi8, BA 👨💼👩💼 Founders: David Gurle 🗞️ News: [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/06/policloud-raises-e7-5m-in-seed-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Le Drive tout nu 🔍 Description: The first network of supermarkets 0 waste and responsible 💻 Website: [https://ledrivetoutnu.com/](https://ledrivetoutnu.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €7m 🏦 Investors: SWEN Capital Partners, BNP Paribas 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre Géraud-Lir, Salomé Géraud 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343561904587485184/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Wilgo 🔍 Description: Using AI to empower the next generation with the tools, mindset, and motivation to learn, grow, and thrive. 💻 Website: [wilgo.ai](https://wilgo.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Sequoia, Daphni, Founders Future, Simon Dawlat, Amaury Sepulchre, Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Epsilon Venture Partners, Nathalie Balla, Better Angle 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Louis Balladur 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/23/wilgo-leve-6-millions-deuros-pour-faire-reviser-les-collegiens-et-lyceens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Qomon 🔍 Description: Volunteer App & Action Platform for Politics & Nonprofits. 💻 Website: [https://qomon.com/](https://qomon.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €5.5m (including €0.2m debt) 🏦 Investors: Asterion Ventures, Ternel, Good Only Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Florent Barre, Jean-Baptiste Daniel 🗞️ News: [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/23/qomon-secures-eur55m-to-help-nonprofits-and-political-movements-mobilise-at-scale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: DejaBlue 🔍 Description: Develops, installs, and operates smart, scalable EV charging solutions across large numbers of colocated vehicles. 💻 Website: [http://dejablue.energy/](http://dejablue.energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.2M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Redalpine, Zeno Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Baptiste Richard, Parker Spielman 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/26/vehicules-electriques-deux-anciens-de-lyft-levent-52-millions-deuros-pour-leur-solution-de-recharge/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: GeodAlsics 🔍 Description: Develop Clinical Decision Support Systems in all medical fields based on Responsible Artificial Intelligence. 💻 Website: [http://geodaisics.com/](http://geodaisics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: La Tronche 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €5m (including €0.2m debt) 🏦 Investors: Vidi Capital, Les Biologistes Indépendants, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Arnaud ATTYÉ, Félix RENARD, Arnaud JEAN, Pierre HEUDEL 🗞️ News: [**Lyonbiopole**](https://lyonbiopole.com/actualites/les-biologistes-independants-entrent-au-capital-de-geodaisics?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Waypoint AI 🔍 **Description**: Developer of AI-powered customer support automation, offering autonomous AI support engineers for complex technical queries. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.waypoint-ai.com/](https://www.waypoint-ai.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: San Francisco/Lille 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: $3.1M 🏦 **Investors**: 42CAP, SkyDeck VC, Dreamcraft Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Tomas Polivka, Steve Boogar, and Liam Boogar-Azoulay 🗞️ **News**: [Morningstar](https://www.morningstar.com/news/accesswire/1043189msn/waypoint-ai-raises-31m-pre-seed-round-deploys-first-ai-customer-support-engineer-for-industry-leaders-including-clickhouse-and-kpler?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Oria Bioscience 🔍 Description: An ENS PSL Spin-Off, specializes in developing a unique process for generating and purifying enlarged cell organelles 💻 Website: [https://www.oriabs.com/](https://www.oriabs.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2.7m 🏦 Investors: Newfund, Galion.exe, Cenitz, Calyseed 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Abdou Rachid Thiam, Marine Moutia 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7341362322210181120/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Altertable 🔍 Description: AI-driven data copilot platform that automates data queries, insights, and anomaly detection 💻 Website: [altertable.ai](http://altertable.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Nicolas Dessaigne, Romain Niccoli, The Twenty Minute VC, Nicolas Julia, Drysdale Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Kevin Granger, Sylvain Utard, Yannick Utard 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/25/des-anciens-de-sorare-et-dalgolia-lancent-une-startup-pour-repenser-le-data-stack-des-entreprises-a-laide-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Vipali 🔍 Description: As a pioneer in health prevention in France, Vipali is transforming the approach to well-being by combining technological innovation and human support. 💻 Website: [https://www.vipali.com](https://www.vipali.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lille 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €2.5M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Groupe Baudelet 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Cécile Annequin, Gille Lechantre, Charlotte Wattinne, Alain Lignier, Alexandre Morel, Damien Monnot, Antoine Moraux, Julie Machin et Jérôme Mizon 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/25/des-anciens-de-sorare-et-dalgolia-lancent-une-startup-pour-repenser-le-data-stack-des-entreprises-a-laide-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Hydroclimat 🔍 Description: French expertise in climate data engineering for a resilient future in the face of climate change, at the crossroads between digital hydroclimatology, artificial intelligence, and climate big data. 💻 Website: [https://hydroclimat.com/fr/](https://hydroclimat.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Aubagne 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2m (including €0.1m subsidies) 🏦 Investors: Starquest, Région Sud Investissement 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Adrien Lambert, Magali Troin 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343999050410541057/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-46-1.png) 📇 Company: Stairling 🔍 Description: Employment-as-a-service platform for ride-hailing drivers 💻 Website: [https://hydroclimat.com/fr/](https://hydroclimat.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Aubagne 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.5m (including €0.1m debt) 🏦 Investors: Plug and Play Ventures, Kima Ventures, Source Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAWresYB7dspk9gqhWumCz4iGvWRErjDzWI?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Mimoun B. El Alami, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAACWh9SgBR5vGuCiAWgpQH5fY4L%5FisUkd1Os?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Sarah Bouleau 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kima-ventures%5Fwere-proud-to-back-stairling-as-they-raise-activity-7331208485654728704-z%5FoP/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Winalist 🔍 Description: Marketplace for booking winery tours, tastings, and visits 💻 Website: [winalist.com](https://www.winalist.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Romain-d'Ay 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Portugal Ventures, Plug and Play, Vessoa Private Equity 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Nicolas Manfredini, Gregoire Letort 🗞️ News: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/french-startup-winalist-secures-e1-million-to-boost-wine-tourism-and-expand-internationally/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Scaling, SaaS, and Spurs URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-scaling-saas-and-spurs/ Last updated: 2025-06-27T09:44:06.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 👋 **In this week's French Tech Wire:** **☀️** In a special Video Interview at VivaTech 2025, **Julie Huguet**, Director of La French Tech Mission, explains the role and agenda of this pillar of the ecosystem: "What we want to do is help entrepreneurs have the best ecosystem to create, to scale, and to go abroad." [**Watch the video and read the transcript.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-video-interview-director-julie-huguet-on-la-french-tech-mission/) 👀 Deep Dive: As many SaaS startups tighten their belts, **Skeepers** is a case study in how Private Equity can drive cross-border consolidation and pragmatic growth. Its bet on Europe’s slower adoption of user-generated content tools may not yet be proven, but it’s a strategy worth watching. [**CEO Marc Bonnamour takes us through the strategy.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/skeepers-building-a-european-saas-powerhouse-with-american-capital/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/ISO_Checklist_1200x628--3-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) 🚀 ****Taking your French tech startup toward ISO 27001?** Download our ****free compliance checklist** built to guide you through every step—clearly and efficiently. 🔐 Earn trust with enterprise customers and global partners. 📈 Accelerate growth without getting slowed down by security requirements. 📋 Actionable. Concise. Startup-friendly. [👉 Get the ISO 27001 Checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=vanta-for-startups&utm%5Fsource=french-tech&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 **🔒🛡️🦄** Paris-based startup Zama, a pioneer in fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), has raised $57 million in a funding round led by Pantera Capital and Blockchange Ventures, pushing its valuation past the $1 billion mark. It claims to be the first company globally to reach unicorn status in the FHE field, a cutting-edge data privacy technology that allows encrypted data to be processed without ever being decrypted, with major implications for blockchain and post-quantum security. Founded in 2020 by Rand Hindi and Pascal Paillier, Zama is launching a new product, the **Confidential Blockchain Protocol**, enabling developers to build privacy-preserving apps on networks like Ethereum. With over 100 clients and a network of 5,000+ developers, Zama is targeting sensitive use cases like confidential payments and decentralized governance. The company plans to scale both its software and hardware capabilities to make FHE as common in blockchain as HTTPS is on the web. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/blockhain-zama-la-nouvelle-licorne-de-la-french-tech-2173055?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🙌🏃 **Hublo**, a French HR tech company specializing in healthcare staffing solutions, has been acquired by Five Arrows, the private equity arm of Rothschild & Co. In addition to being a bit step for Hublo, this acquisition marks a significant milestone for one of its principal investors, Revaia, because it represents the first exit from its inaugural fund. Hublo's platform streamlines the management of temporary staffing needs in hospitals and clinics, enhancing operational efficiency in the healthcare sector. The partnership with Five Arrows is expected to accelerate Hublo's growth and digital transformation initiatives across Europe. As part of that next phase, Revaia may reinvest in Hublo. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/revaia%5Fgrowth-hrtech-health-activity-7340719799959777280-HGH0?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI)**,** [**Clipperton**](https://www.clipperton.com/news/hublo-welcomes-five-arrows-as-a-new-investor-to-accelerate-the-digitalisation-of-hr-management-in-healthcare-in-europe?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🎮🔍 Synfonium**’s flagship ventures dropped some biggish news. You will recall that Synfonium is the entity created by OVH founder **Octave Klaba** and controls **Shadow**, a cloud-based PC and gaming service, and **Qwant**, the sovereignty-focused search engine he acquired. Last week, Shadow unveiled **Neo**, its next-gen cloud PC that delivers a massive performance boost, up to 150% more power for gaming and 200% for pro apps, while offering users full access to a high-end Windows experience from any device. Meanwhile, Qwant and Ecosia launched **Staan**, a fully European web search infrastructure that breaks free from Google and Microsoft dependencies, with a privacy-focused API already live for French-language queries. Both moves align with Synfonium’s mission to offer trusted, cloud-native European alternatives in search, computing, and collaboration. | [**Clubic**](https://www.clubic.com/actualite-568917-l-alliance-qwant-ecosia-se-concretise-avec-une-premiere-brique-independante-de-google-et-microsoft.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🧑‍🔬🗣️ At this year’s **Leti Innovation Days World Summit** in Grenoble, French research institute **CEA-Leti** unveiled a trio of major announcements showcasing Europe’s ambitious push to lead in secure, sustainable, and specialized semiconductor innovation. CEA-Leti and **Soitec** launched a strategic partnership to position FD-SOI technology as the new cybersecurity standard for integrated circuits, with applications spanning automotive, industrial IoT, and secure infrastructure. The collaboration aims to demonstrate FD-SOI’s natural resistance to physical attacks and establish it as a reference platform for tamper-proof, energy-efficient electronics. In parallel, CEA-Leti and **Applied Materials** expanded their joint lab to focus on creating next-generation specialty chips for AI data centers, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, heterogeneous integration, and full-flow device development. Meanwhile, the newly announced €55 million **GENESIS** project, coordinated by CEA-Leti, brings together 58 partners across Europe to pioneer greener semiconductor manufacturing practices. From PFAS-free chemistries to real-time emissions tracking and raw material reuse, GENESIS aims to transform chipmaking into a model of circular economy. Collectively, these initiatives underline Europe’s resolve to secure its semiconductor future across performance, sustainability, and trust. 🫦🚫 France’s government reignited the national debate over online adult content after instituting an age verification requirement for such sites. Leading sites such as Pornhub protested by going dark in France. Days later, the sites were restored after a court suspended a decision related to the age verification requirement. French ministers vowed to fight on to protect minors. In response to the controversy, French platform **MYM** (Meet Your Model – think French OnlyFans) defended its practices, noting it had required age verification for several years. MYM says it blocked 335,000 underage access attempts in 2024 alone. It also outlined a strict creator certification process, AI-powered content moderation, and a broader commitment to working with regulators and crafting industry standards for youth protection. MYM also reported that adult content represents just 15% of its posts but generates 50% of creators' revenue. The platform’s statement comes as the debate intensifies over how to balance online freedom with safeguarding minors in the digital age. | [**The Guardian**](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/20/pornhub-back-online-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mym-fans%5Fchez-mym-la-s%C3%A9curit%C3%A9-de-nos-cr%C3%A9ateurs-et-activity-7343925845176016896-bXhp?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) 🏀🤝 French crypto-security unicorn **Ledger** has signed a major multi-year sponsorship deal to become the **official jersey partner** of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, which just happens to be the team of French basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama. This marks a strategic play to boost Ledger’s visibility in the U.S., its largest market, by placing its logo front and center on Spurs jerseys throughout the NBA season, including the Summer League and fan merchandise. The Spurs have deep French ties, thanks to Hall of Fame French player Tony Parker. Beyond branding, Ledger will also collaborate on **community impact projects in Paris**, including the “Spurs Play Paris” court renovation program launched around the 2025 NBA Paris Games. The move comes as the company eyes the US for an IPO. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/25/crypto-ledger-va-desormais-safficher-sur-le-maillot-des-spurs-de-san-antonio-en-nba/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/ledger-pascal-gauthier-interview?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤑⚫ Fintech unicorn **Spendesk** announced it reached profitability for the first time, marking a major milestone for one of French Tech’s most prominent B2B startups. The company, which offers spend management tools to CFOs and finance teams, hit profitability in Q1 2025 and expects to generate over €100 million in annual recurring revenue by year-end. After several rounds of layoffs and a strategic pivot toward mid-market clients, Spendesk now serves 4,000 customers and is shifting from growth at all costs to sustainable expansion. CEO Rodolphe Ardant emphasized that profitability gives the company greater independence and resilience in a challenging funding environment. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-la-licorne-spendesk-devient-rentable-2173143?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/spendesk-profitability-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Spotlight Video Interview: Director Julie Huguet on La French Tech Mission [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-44.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-video-interview-director-julie-huguet-on-la-french-tech-mission/) At VivaTech 2025, we spoke with [Julie Huguet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-huguet-8742685a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), director of [La French Tech](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lafrenchtech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) mission for an exclusive video interview. A former entrepreneur and regional French Tech leader, Huguet outlined the mission’s evolving focus, from ecosystem building to scaling and internationalization. She highlighted programs like “Je Choisis La French Tech,” which bridges startups with large corporations to boost procurement, and emphasized a cultural shift as French corporates increasingly invest in and collaborate with startups. Huguet also discussed the 2025 cohort of the French Tech Next40/120, noting its shift toward recognizing startups based on maturity and revenue rather than just fundraising. Her overarching goal is to turn France’s 25,000 startups into global tech leaders with strong international visibility and resilience. [Watch the full interview](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-video-interview-director-julie-huguet-on-la-french-tech-mission/) --- # Skeepers: Building a European SaaS Powerhouse with American Capital [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-45.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/skeepers-building-a-european-saas-powerhouse-with-american-capital/) What does it take to build a SaaS leader in Europe today? For Skeepers, the self-proclaimed European leader of customer engagement solutions, the answer lies in timing, M&A precision, and a U.S. Private Equity investor betting big on Europe’s slower adoption of customer-centric tech. Born from a buy-and-build strategy, the company was engineered by Providence Strategic Growth (PSG), a U.S. growth equity firm that acquired the Marseille-based startup Avis Vérifiés in 2019 as its cornerstone. Founded in 2012 by Olivier Mouillet, Laurent Abisset, and Tom Brami, Avis Vérifés was France’s leading customer review platform that enabled companies to publish authentic customer reviews to build trust amongst future and potential clients. Over the following years, PSG stitched together a portfolio of complementary European startups, appointing Avis Vérifiés’ founder Olivier Mouillet as CEO of the new entity: Skeepers. We caught up with Marc Bonnamour, ex-CEO of Talentsoft (Cegid), who joined Skeepers in 2021 with a clear mission: fuse a string of acquisitions into one unified player - and scale it into a European SaaS contender. [Go inside Skeepers](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/skeepers-building-a-european-saas-powerhouse-with-american-capital/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Zama 🔍 Description: Enables web2 and web3 developers to use Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) without having to learn cryptography 💻 Website: [zama.ai](http://zama.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €51.82M 🏦 Investors: Pantera Capital, Blockchange Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Rand Hindi, Pascal Paillier 🗞️ News: [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/25/zama-becomes-1st-i-fhe-unicorn-with-57m-raise-led-by-pantera-and-blockchange/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Orus 🔍 Description: Simple, affordable, and tailored insurance coverage that allows business owners to focus on what matters 💻 Website: [orus.eu](http://orus.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Mandé 🧗 Round: Series B 💰 Amount Raised: €25M 🏦 Investors: Notion Capital, Redstone, Singular 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Samuel Rossille, Tom Le Bras, Côme Dartiguenave 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/24/assurtech-orus-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-cibler-les-25-millions-de-tpe-et-pme-europeennes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Ever Dye 🔍 Description: Reshaping the fashion industry with efficient dyeing processes and sustainable colors 💻 Website: [everdye.fr](http://everdye.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €15M 🏦 Investors: Daphni, European Innovation Council, Ring Capital, Maki.vc, Asterion Ventures, Crédit Mutuel Innovation, 212 NexT 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ilan Palacci, Amira Erokh 🗞️ News: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/ile-de-france/textile-ever-dye-leve-15-millions-pour-ses-pigments-ecologiques-2173262?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Skeepers: Building a European SaaS Powerhouse with American Capital URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/skeepers-building-a-european-saas-powerhouse-with-american-capital/ Last updated: 2025-07-09T17:54:48.000Z As many SaaS startups tighten their belts, Skeepers is a case study in how Private Equity can drive cross-border consolidation and pragmatic growth. Its bet on Europe’s slower adoption of user-generated content tools may not yet be proven, but it’s a strategy worth watching. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Spotlight Video Interview: Director Julie Huguet on La French Tech Mission URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-video-interview-director-julie-huguet-on-la-french-tech-mission/ Last updated: 2025-06-27T08:29:32.000Z At Viva Technology 2025, we spoke with [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAx%5FGNgBf1laW1DMzFCxZXHBw6KHV861rGQ?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Julie Huguet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-huguet-8742685a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), director of [La French Tech](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lafrenchtech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) mission for an exclusive video interview. ***Here is a slightly edited transcript of the conversation:*** **Chris O'Brien:** Hello everyone, and welcome to VivaTech. I'm Chris O'Brien, founder and editor of the French Tech Journal, the leading Anglophone guide to the French tech ecosystem. And we're especially honored today because we have Julie Huguet, the director of La French Tech mission with us, joining us for our first podcast of VivaTech. Welcome, Julie. **Julie Huguet:** Thank you for inviting me. **CO:** So just to introduce yourself a little bit and La French Tech mission, because it is a very important pillar of the French ecosystem. Tell us a little bit about your background and define for our listeners, what is La French Tech mission? **JH:** Yes, sure. So first, I'm an entrepreneur. I founded my company from Annecy, France. I used to organize matchmaking between large corporations and freelancers through a platform, and then I raised money, sold my company, and finally sat on the board of the company. It was a listed company, so I had this full experience of what it is to be an entrepreneur in France and to create a company from a different area from Paris because I was in the Alps. And during this period, I was also involved in French Tech, because I was president of French Tech in the Alps during three years. That's when I really realized that there are a lot of things we can do to help French entrepreneurs to scale and to have more businesses. That's when I decided to join Mission French Tech as director last October. **CO:** And so I moved to France 10 years ago, just not long after la French Tech mission was originally created. And obviously the ecosystem is very different today, as you know, than it was 10 years ago, 11 years ago now. So tell me about the agenda today for La French Tech mission. What is the role? What is your priority as director? **JH:** Mission French Tech is a public organization that supports startups, all the startups in France. We have 25,000 startups in France, and what we want to do is help entrepreneurs to have the best ecosystem to create, to scale and to go abroad. So it's true what you said at the beginning, when the mission started, the first objective was to create the ecosystem, attract funds, find talent, create the perfect ecosystem to start a business. And then it was how to start a business everywhere in France. So that's when we created the communities of French Tech. Now we have 48 communities in France everywhere, but also 66 communities abroad in 52 different countries. And our objectives now, it's obviously not the same as from the beginning, because we already have startups. 25,000 of these startups are mature. They generate revenue. They employ 40,000 people. Now what we have to do is help them to be real leaders, international leaders, and that's what we try to do through different programs. We design our own programs, and we work closely with our communities of entrepreneurs everywhere to be sure that all these programs really help and support entrepreneurs everywhere in France. **CO:** I know that one of the themes is about putting corporates and startups together. What are the challenges you see there? When I meet entrepreneurs in the French ecosystem, this is one of the things they really bring up. Should I stay in France? Will it be easier to find first clients or corporates in the US? So tell me a little bit about the challenges and the program *Je Choisis La French Tech.* **JH:** Of course. We have three main objectives. The first objective of every entrepreneur is to find business. Then it is to find funds. Because when you innovate, you need also to invest. And then what we also have to work on is competitivity, because we face very \[tough\] competition, international competition. So we have to prove that French Tech is excellent. So to work on the first part, which is the main part, finding clients like you said, we developed and designed two years ago a program called *I choose French Tech*, so *Je Choisis La French Tech*. This program was created because, for years, large corporations used to say, I want to innovate with startups. For years, startups said, we want to find clients like large corporations. This program brings together clients, large corporations, but also institutional partners. We have more than 600 large corporations who joined the program, 90 institutional partners, and all together, we decided to make a real cultural change. First, we organize matchmaking events. So 12,000 events were organized everywhere in France by our partners, and by the clients themselves. We also create training. So, for example, we launched two months ago the *I Choose French Tech Academy* dedicated to entrepreneurs, to help them to understand how public procurement works. We also work on the cultural shift by communicating through the press about real use cases and about contracts. **CO:** So do you feel like that's making progress and making a difference in terms of bringing those two groups together and resolving some of the differences, getting rid of some of the barriers to them working together? **JH:** Yeah, the mindset is changing. Large corporations are engaged. We have also eight large corporations who decided to invest more than €600 million in French startups. So for us, it's still the beginning, and I think the next step is to grow the pie at the European scale. That may be the next step. But for France, for us, it's a real success. **CO:** Now, the French Tech mission also just announced the *French Tech Next40/120*. So, tell us a little bit about that program and some of the new developments you saw this year with the group of startups that were chosen. **JH:** This program was designed to support our future tech leaders. In this program, you have the next 120 companies in different sectors. These startups, we really think that they have everything to be international tech leaders. During one year, we will add them, and we will support them, and we will link them to administration, to clients, and we will make sure that they have a lot of visibility. The new promotion was launched last week, and we are very proud because it's a reflection of what we said before, the companies are very mature. For example, half of the next 40 companies are making €100 million in revenue per year. So for us, it's very interesting, because at the beginning, the companies were in the program because they raised a lot of money, but now they are here because they are very mature. **Chris O'Brien:** Great. Well, thank you for joining us today. I appreciate your time, and best of luck for the rest of VivaTech and the rest of this year. ### 🤖 La Machine #35: Autonomous AI Agents And The Nuclear Future 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-35-autonomous-ai-agents-and-the-nuclear-future/ Last updated: 2025-06-23T08:03:40.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines **🗞️ Europe’s €70 Billion Tech Bet: Go Big or Go Broke (Trying to Catch Up with the US)**. The European Investment Bank is dropping €70 billion into tech companies by 2027, hoping to unlock €250 billion in total investment. The new fun christened “TechEU” wants to take startups from “cool idea” to IPO, focusing on AI, robotics, quantum, and even offshore wind. The goal? Make Europe a tech superpower. The challenge? Compete with the U.S., which still treats “billions” like pocket change. |[**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/l-europe-va-investir-70-milliards-d-euros-dans-les-start-up-tech.N2234061?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** French cloud challenger **Scaleway** acquired DataOps firm **Saagie** to beef up its platform-as-a-service game, and maybe go toe-to-toe with the hyperscalers. The deal brings Scaleway a full data pipeline toolkit *and* a juicy client list including ministries and major French corporates. Saagie’s tech makes wrangling data and AI pipelines a breeze - now wrapped in Scaleway’s sovereign cloud dream. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/scaleway-s-empare-de-saagie-pour-ajouter-une-offre-paas-a-son-portefeuille-cloud.N2234048?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ ChatGPT Takes the Philosophy Bac Again… and Fails Even Harder**. Two years after failing the French philosophy baccalauréat with a lukewarm 9/20, ChatGPT tried again in 2025 and somehow did *worse*. The verdict from a Sorbonne philosophy professor? *“Looks like philosophy, but it’s not.”* Despite name-dropping Plato and Heidegger, the AI student still turned in what the prof called “a user manual, not a real essay.” Final grade: 8/20\. Ouch. Guess wisdom can’t be downloaded (yet). |[**Ouest France** ](https://www.ouest-france.fr/leditiondusoir/2025-06-16/deux-ans-apres-on-a-refait-passer-le-bac-de-philo-a-chatgpt-l-ia-a-t-elle-progresse-7c97fe5d-42e3-46ca-bdd7-404ac23ea7e5?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** While regulators focus on social media, **generative AI is spreading among minors** and with real consequences, according to a new report from US-based advocacy group Common Sense Media: - **70% of 13–18-year-olds** have used ChatGPT or similar tools, yet **only 37% of parents are aware**. - AI bots like **Character.AI** and **Replika** simulate human interaction, from therapists to partners, with sometimes disturbing outcomes. A **14-year-old’s suicide in 2024** led to legal action against one AI provider. - **PolyBuzz**, blending AI roleplay with adult content, is one of many **unregulated apps** bypassing age filters. - **Snapchat’s MyAI** and **Meta AI** have both been flagged for **inappropriate responses to teens**. - Average age of first platform access: **8.5 years**, says CNIL. Despite isolated safeguards from Google and Snap, age checks remain weak, and data from minors may still train some models. France’s Ministry of Education introduced a non-interactive AI curriculum, but experts call for urgent regulation and credible youth-focused alternatives. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/les-ia-un-danger-sous-estime-chez-les-mineurs-2172247?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** France’s data protection regulator, CNIL (*Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés*), has published two new guides to help schools navigate the responsible use of AI in education. Aimed separately at teachers and administrators, the FAQs outline key obligations under GDPR and the EU’s new AI Act, emphasizing data privacy, student safeguards, and transparency with parents. CNIL warns that inappropriate use of AI tools could compromise minors’ rights and stresses the need for proper risk assessments and tool selection. | [**CNIL**](https://www.cnil.fr/fr/deux-faq-utilisation-des-systemes-dia-scolaire?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** French streaming platform **Deezer** launched a new feature that labels fully AI-generated tracks with a "content generated by AI" tag, a move it claims is the first of its kind globally. As uploads of AI-produced music on the platform soar past 20,000 tracks daily, Deezer is using an in-house detection tool with 98% accuracy to flag such content and demonetize it to protect human artists’ royalties. While Deezer keeps these tracks available for listening, it hopes the measure will curb the unfair distribution of payouts in an industry still grappling with how to define and regulate AI-made music. | [**Barron's**](https://www.barrons.com/news/streaming-platform-deezer-starts-flagging-ai-generated-music-d511123f?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ AI for the Greater Good: Île-de-France Bets Big on Responsible Innovation**. At VivaTech, Île-de-France President, Valérie Pécresse, unveiled four ambitious initiatives to position the region as a global leader **in sovereign, ethical AI that directly benefits society**. Backed by a €150 million strategy through 2028, the plan focuses on health, education, and industrial renewal. **🗞️** **“FemTech Île-de-France,”** Europe’s first **regional investment fund dedicated to women’s health**, will target under-addressed issues like endometriosis, fertility, menopause, and cardiovascular disease. Other pillars include the launch of an **AI-powered public services program**, a new **AI high school campus in Paris**, and **heavy investments in infrastructure to ensure startups can design and deploy AI locally** with full technological independence by 2030\. | [**Ile-de-France**](https://www.iledefrance.fr/toutes-les-actualites/ia-la-region-annonce-la-creation-du-fonds-femtech-ile-de-france-et-dautres-mesures?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other Headlines **🗞️ Gautier Cloix will bring Palantir’s ‘secret sauce’ to H Company after cofounder exodus |** Gautier Cloix spent a decade at US Big Data giant Palantir before taking on the role of CEO at France’s H Company. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/gautier-cloix-h-company-ceo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ How AWS is helping a Paris startup beat the superbugs |** French tech-bio company Phagos has developed a unique AI model on Amazon Web Services with the aim of overcoming antibiotic resistance. **|** [**AWS**](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-phagos-ai-antibiotic-resistance-bacteria-phage-therapy?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) --- ### 🧠 VivaTech 2025: The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/20250623_0934_AI-Agents-at-VivaTech_simple_compose_01jydv7dksfae97b34y2p1dr62-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-the-rise-of-autonomous-ai-agents/) Artificial intelligence, particularly AI agents and agentic systems, dominated VivaTech 2025, [with over 40% of exhibitors](https://vivatechnology.com/media/press-releases/viva-tech-2025-a-record-setting-edition-with-180-000-visitors?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) showcasing AI-related innovations. Of course, AI is nothing new at VivaTech. But this year, a significant shift from single-agent applications to multi-agent systems was evident throughout the conference. Industry leaders predicted that 2025 would be "the year of agents," with autonomous AI systems capable of collaborating with each other to solve complex problems. These multi-agent systems are designed to handle high-impact challenges that typically require the involvement of multiple business disciplines, enabling enterprises to solve complex problems with trust and scale. Exhibitors, executives, and engineers explore how agentic systems are pushing the boundaries of automation, redefining software development, and (hopefully) translating years of AI hype into measurable impact. [Read the key AI Agents takeaways](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-the-rise-of-autonomous-ai-agents/) ### 🧠 Nuclear Power's AI-Driven Renaissance: From Taboo to Essential [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-42.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-powers-ai-driven-renaissance-from-taboo-to-essential/) VivaTech Panel (from left to right): Laban Coblentz from ITER, Julien Garrel, executive president of Nuward, and Michel Laberge, founder of General Fusion. Photo by ALEX GALLOSI - VivaTech 2025 The energy landscape is experiencing a dramatic transformation. While nuclear power was once considered a relic of the past, it has suddenly become essential to our technological future. At VivaTech 2025, I moderated a discussion on the main stage about how artificial intelligence is reshaping not just energy demand, but the entire nuclear industry itself. The panel brought together a mix of perspectives: Michel Laberge, founder of Vancouver-based General Fusion, pursuing a novel approach to nuclear fusion; Laban Coblentz from ITER, the world's largest international fusion experiment involving 35 countries; and Julien Garrel, executive president of Nuward, developing small modular reactors (SMRs) for the European market. [Read the recap](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-powers-ai-driven-renaissance-from-taboo-to-essential/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 Company: Nabla 🔍 Description: An AI assistant that reduces practitioner stress by automating clinical documentation, improving patient care, and integrating seamlessly with EHRs 💻 Website: [https://www.nabla.com/](https://www.nabla.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €63.64M 🏦 Investors: HV Capital, DST Global, Highland Europe, Tony Fadell, Cathay Innovation 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Lebrun, Delphine Groll, Martin Raison 🗞️ News: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/nabla-raises-70m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Animaj 🔍 Description: Builds a gateway between content creators and young audiences through animation 💻 Website: [https://www.animaj.com](https://www.animaj.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €75M (equity and debt) 🏦 Investors: XAnge, Bpifrance, Daphni, Left Lane Capital, HarbourView Equity Partners, Marquee Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Gregory Dray, Sixte de Vauplane 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/animaj-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-faire-entrer-les-contenus-audiovisuels-pour-enfants-dans-lere-de-youtube-et-de-lia/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=fa3e6e50e8-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F06%5F18%5F03%5F05&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-fa3e6e50e8-70918513), [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/animaj-leve-75-meur-dans-un-tour-de-table-mene-par-bpifrance-et-harbourview-equity-partners-pour-reinventer-les-franchises-jeunesse-a-lere-de-lia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/animaj-75m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pelico 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered operations management platform helping industrial manufacturers resolve disruptions, anticipate bottlenecks, and improve operational performance in real time. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pelico.ai/](https://www.pelico.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: $40M (\~€37M) 🏦 **Investors**: Eight Roads, Partech, Serena Capital, 50 Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Quentin Fournela, Jean-Baptiste Pinelli 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/pelico-leve-40-millions-de-dollars-pour-injecter-de-lia-dans-la-supply-chain-des-industriels/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sifflet 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an AI-powered data observability platform designed to help organizations monitor, troubleshoot, and ensure the reliability of their data pipelines. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.siffletdata.com](https://www.siffletdata.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris / New York 🧗 **Round**: Series A (extension) 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16M 🏦 **Investors**: EQT Ventures, Mangrove Capital Partners (existing); Capmont (new) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Salma Bakouk, Wajdi Fathallah, Wissen Fathallah 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/19/ia-sifflet-leve-16-millions-deuros-pour-etre-larbitre-de-la-donnee-dans-les-entreprises?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Blog**](https://www.siffletdata.com/blog/sifflet-confirms-momentum-with-18m-in-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: DESKi 🔍 Description: AI-powered cardiac ultrasound software for remote diagnosis on any device 💻 Website: [https://heartfocus.ai](https://heartfocus.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bordeaux 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.45M 🏦 Investors: BNP Paribas Développement, NACo, Épopée Gestion, Better Angle, Racine², Good Only Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Bertrand Moal, Olivier Moal 🗞️ News: [**Finance News**](https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2025-06/65695200-heartfocus-deski-closes-dollar-6m-seed-round-to-bring-ai-powered-heart-scans-to-market-004.htm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/un-echographe-dans-la-poche-deski-leve-6-millions-deuros-pour-commercialiser-sa-technologie/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=fa3e6e50e8-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F06%5F18%5F03%5F05&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-fa3e6e50e8-70918513) --- 📇 Company: Arlequin AI 🔍 Description: Provides insights from complex social data using advanced AI embeddings 💻 Website: [http://arlq.ai](http://arlq.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.4M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Vsquared Ventures, 10x Founders, Better Angle 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hugo Micheron 🗞️ News: [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/arlequin-ai-grabs-e4-4m-to-bring-certified-unbiased-data-insights-to-european-institutions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: ArcaScience 🔍 Description: Dual AI system leveraging biomedical data for precision querying and targeting 💻 Website: [https://www.arcascience.ai/](https://www.arcascience.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €620K 🏦 Investors: Akka 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Clement --- 📇 Company: Alsanor 🔍 Description: Humanoid robotic solutions for housekeeping 💻 Website: [https://alsanor.com/](https://alsanor.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Nanterre 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €15kM 🏦 Investors: Startupbootcamp 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Noé Jenn-Treyer, Ihor Husak --- # 🗣️ Announcements 🗣️ **🗣️ Coral Protocol Announces World’s Largest AI Hackathon at RAISE Summit in Paris |** Coral Protocol has announced the world’s largest AI hackathon for artificial intelligence developers with $150,000 in prizes. Culminating at RAISE Summit in Paris on July 8-9, “Raise Your Hack” will unite solo devs and teams creating innovative solutions that leverage AI. **|** [**Details**](https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/press-releases/coral-protocol-announces-worlds-largest-ai-hackathon-at-raise-summit-in-paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗣️ The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### The Calendar 📆 **Paris AI Club | July 2 |**The AI scene in San Francisco is electrifying. We bring this energy to Paris. The Paris AI Club organizes a monthly aperitif, bringing together the best AI talents in Paris. **|** [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/sw1cf5ai?%5Fbhlid=34645d414e8ba22630bafb2dd9ef381d112f930b&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-june-17-2025-150m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com) 📆 **RAISE YOUR HACK| July 4-9 |** This is your chance to push boundaries, solve real-world challenges, and create impact at the official hackathon of the [RAISE Summit 2025](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at one of Paris's most iconic venues: **Le Carrousel du Louvre**. **|** [**Sign Up**](https://lablab.ai/event/raise-your-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### VivaTech 2025: The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-the-rise-of-autonomous-ai-agents/ Last updated: 2025-06-23T07:45:17.000Z Artificial intelligence, particularly AI agents and agentic systems, dominated VivaTech 2025, [with over 40% of exhibitors](https://vivatechnology.com/media/press-releases/viva-tech-2025-a-record-setting-edition-with-180-000-visitors?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) showcasing AI-related innovations. Of course, AI is nothing new at VivaTech. But this year, a significant shift from single-agent applications to multi-agent systems was evident throughout the conference. Industry leaders predicted that 2025 would be "the year of agents," with autonomous AI systems capable of collaborating with each other to solve complex problems. These multi-agent systems are designed to handle high-impact challenges that typically require the involvement of multiple business disciplines, enabling enterprises to solve complex problems with trust and scale. Exhibitors, executives, and engineers explore how agentic systems are pushing the boundaries of automation, redefining software development, and (hopefully) translating years of AI hype into measurable impact. ### Coding Gets a Copilot GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke discussed how AI is rewriting the future of software development. GitHub Copilot, already used by over 15 million developers, is no longer just autocompleting lines of code. It’s morphing into an autonomous coding agent capable of writing, testing, and debugging entire programs. “Copilot started as autocomplete,” Dohmke explained. “Now, agents can create files, run tests, interpret outputs, and fix bugs independently.” But with that power comes risk. Dohmke emphasized the need for human oversight, especially in high-stakes environments. “We’re still far from the day when you trust an agent to book your vacation without checking the results,” said. And while some worry about job displacement, Dohmke sees an expansion in scope: “More code will be written, not less. AI won’t replace developers It will demand more of them.” Agents are already reshaping the entire software delivery lifecycle. At Siemens, Devina Pasta described using GenAI not just for code, but for testing, QA, debugging, and support. Siemens’ “Industrial Copilot,” built with NVIDIA, enables workers to instruct machines via natural language and even debug without writing a line of code. As Eiso Kant of Poolside noted, enterprises are starting to treat agents as elastic digital labor: “If I need to accelerate a six-month project to two, I don’t need to hire. I just spin up 1,000 agents.” But this requires new infrastructure. Poolside is building systems to manage thousands of agents, with version control, access governance, and explainability. “You’re not just reviewing code anymore. You’re reviewing decisions made by your AI employees,” Kant said. ### AgentForce: Salesforce’s Digital Workforce Salesforce showcased its “AgentForce” platform: a full-stack system that enables companies to create and deploy AI agents as digital employees. Whether it’s customer service, sales prospecting, or internal policy support, these agents can be deployed across channels like Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp in a matter of minutes. Paul Medevielle, VP at Salesforce, underscored the platform’s maturity: “We’re no longer in the POC phase. This is about time to value. Clients are going live at scale.” At the Royal Bank of Canada, agents prepare client meetings in under two minutes, down from two hours. At Adecco, agents handle candidate interactions outside business hours, covering over 70% of inbound queries. ### Agents, Productivity, and the GenAI Paradox But if AI agents are so powerful, why haven’t we seen a consistent bottom-line impact? That question was explored by several panels, including “Smart Gains: How Are AI Agents Unlocking Productivity?” and “Addressing the GenAI Paradox,” where QuantumBlack’s Stéphane Bout and Alexander Sukharevsky unpacked the disconnect. Their diagnosis: most companies are deploying AI superficially, layering agents atop old workflows instead of rethinking them from the ground up. True productivity, they argued, comes when businesses use agents to redesign processes, which leverages their real-time adaptability, task parallelization, and ability to operate 24/7. In one case, a digital factory built with 100+ agents reduced the cost of modernizing a legacy system by 50%, cutting the timeline by 30%. McKinsey senior partner Nicolas Maechler noted that while the promise of AI agents is massive, integrating them into legacy systems, customer-facing environments, and employee workflows remains a complex challenge. According to Maechler, companies must manage not just data infrastructure but also human change management and financial planning. One standout case from a recent McKinsey study: a bank using agents to modernize a $600M legacy platform saw a 50% productivity boost and 30–40% cost reduction—a signal that with the right setup, ROI is not just possible but substantial. For Vincent Colegrave, Head of AI Strategy at Syensqo.ai, the key to unlocking agent-driven productivity lies not in flashy demos, but in grounded execution. Speaking on the “Smart Gains” panel, Colegrave shared how the company is scaling its “Sales Buddy” agent, a GenAI-powered assistant that helps commercial teams spot untapped revenue opportunities. Its success, he emphasized, comes from constant co-creation with end users and rapid iteration cycles: “This is a technology made by people, for people, with impact at the core.” ### Specialized Agents, Better Results The future belongs to specialized agents. As IBM’s Kate Soule put it, “We’re shifting from AI that knows everything to AI that does specific things well.” Panels like “Less Is More: How Specialized AI Drives Business Value” highlighted how domain-specific models outperform general-purpose ones in accuracy, cost, and latency. At DeepL, AI agents translate technical documents and legal contracts with near-native fluency. At AWS, agentic stacks combine multiple small models to deliver high-performance, low-latency outputs. As Suzanne Seitinger of AWS noted, “It’s not just one agent doing everything. It’s a system of agents, each optimized for a different part of the task.” ### Laying the Groundwork for Scalable Agents Christian Buckner, SVP at Altair, brought a pragmatic lens to the “Smart Gains” discussion. His message: the promise of AI agents is real, but scaling them demands more than vision. It requires solid foundations. “Agents don’t just analyze, they act,” Buckner said. But for that to work, they need data that’s connected, contextual, and controlled. Too often, legacy issues like siloed data and unclear ownership derail agent deployments before they start. Buckner emphasized that GenAI raises the stakes: agents require broader context and stricter guardrails than any previous generation of tools. Without the right foundations, both in data infrastructure and governance, projects fail. ### From Assistants to Operators Among the headline announcements was OpenAI’s forthcoming launch of “Operator,” a next-gen agent capable of browsing the web and handling multi-step workflows. Although early results remain limited, the potential is vast. McKinsey introduced its “Agents at Scale” platform: a modular suite designed to help enterprises deploy and govern agent ecosystems. With orchestration tools, integration frameworks, and repositories, the system aims to address the steep barriers to scaling this technology across entire organizations. ### Scaling Trust and Governance For all their promise, agents raise tough questions: How do you supervise them? Who is accountable? How do you prevent hallucinations? AXA’s Christophe Vermont offered a model approach. The insurance giant rolled out conversational agents to assist internal teams, but embedded the program within a broader HR and union strategy. “We gave full transparency to employee representatives, brought them into testing, and built trust step by step,” Vermont said. The company’s “Secure GPT” and “Smart in AXA” agents now handle claims, coach drivers, and assist sales reps to free up employees for more complex, value-added work. ### Nuclear Power's AI-Driven Renaissance: From Taboo to Essential URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/nuclear-powers-ai-driven-renaissance-from-taboo-to-essential/ Last updated: 2025-06-23T06:48:31.000Z The energy landscape is experiencing a dramatic transformation. While nuclear power was once considered a relic of the past, it has suddenly become essential to our technological future. At VivaTech 2025, I moderated a discussion on the main stage about how artificial intelligence is reshaping not just energy demand, but the entire nuclear industry itself. The panel brought together a mix of perspectives: Michel Laberge, founder of Vancouver-based General Fusion, pursuing a novel approach to nuclear fusion; Laban Coblentz from ITER, the world's largest international fusion experiment involving 35 countries; and Julien Garrel, executive president of Nuward, developing small modular reactors (SMRs) for the European market. ## The Nuclear Divide: Fission vs. Fusion For those unfamiliar with nuclear technology, the fundamental distinction between fission and fusion often causes confusion, understandably so, given that they differ by just one letter. As Laberge explained, "In fission, you take a big nucleus, you break it in two. But in fusion, you take two small nuclei and you stick them together." The advantages of fusion are compelling. "In fusion, you have much less radioactivity. You do not have uranium, so you cannot make bombs with it," Laberge noted. "The radioactivity is short term, so you don't have long term radioactivity. The fuel can be extracted from seawater, and there are billions of years of fuel in the ocean." Yet fusion faces a critical challenge that ITER's Coblentz was quick to point out: "Fusion still hasn't worked, and fission does." ## The Great Nuclear Turnaround ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/NHv_VtfPWK3H_PYN-1.jpg) Michel Laberge, founder of General Fusion. Photo by ALEX GALLOSI - VivaTech 2025 The shift in nuclear sentiment has been remarkable. Just a decade ago, the trajectory in most countries was away from nuclear power. France, historically one of the world's strongest nuclear advocates, was focused on reducing its nuclear dependence. Today, the conversation has completely reversed, with countries restarting shuttered plants and planning new construction. The panel pointed to climate change as a primary driver of this reversal. "People are saying, oh, global warming is terrible, but nobody really believed it," Laberge said. "But nowadays, you get flooded in Canada, we burn every summer, all the forest goes up in smoke. So now people say, 'Oh, my God, this is happening, we need to fix that.'" It's not just environmental concerns driving the nuclear renaissance. Consumer awareness about energy reliability has grown more sophisticated. As Coblentz explained, "I think consumers are starting to realize that each form of energy should be used in a way that's fit for purpose. Solar and wind are fantastic when you are using them for distributed energy...whereas, if we do fusion, we're actually harnessing the sun locally, so it's very concentrated, it can do base load." ## AI: The New Energy Hunger ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/_ALG1629.jpg) Julien Garrel, executive president of Nuward. Photo by ALEX GALLOSI - VivaTech 2025 Perhaps no factor has accelerated nuclear's comeback more than artificial intelligence. The massive computational requirements of AI systems and their associated data centers have created unprecedented energy demands. This shift has fundamentally altered the nuclear industry's landscape. For Nuward, the impact has been transformative. "We decided to launch, finally, our production with a power of 400 megawatts. It's just half of an existing nuclear plant in France. So it's huge for the SMR," Garrel explained. "Why? Because it's totally on the mark of the data center market." The urgency is palpable. Tech giants like Microsoft have signed agreements to restart Three Mile Island specifically to power AI operations. Every meeting with government officials and customers, Garrel noted, features the same question: "Are you ready as soon as possible?" ## AI as Nuclear Accelerator ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/_ALG1684-1.jpg) Laban Coblentz from ITER. Photo by ALEX GALLOSI - VivaTech 2025 Beyond driving demand, AI is becoming a crucial tool for nuclear development itself. At General Fusion, machine learning helps optimize experimental results. "We do experiments, and then we're trying to find which way to turn the button on the machine to make it work as good as possible," Laberge said. "The physicists that we have, they only look at about 10% of the data, because there's so much data, they can't actually look at everything. So we use AI to look at all the data." For SMR development, AI is proving essential for modularization by breaking complex reactor systems into prefabricated components that can be assembled more quickly. "If we want to do that, we need to have an artificial intelligence," Garrel explained. ## Race Against Time The relationship between public research projects like ITER and private fusion companies highlights an interesting dynamic in the industry. While private companies can move faster, they still depend heavily on decades of public research. "There's no way that the private companies that are trying to do fusion could go as fast as they can without building on the shoulder of the giant," Laberge acknowledged, referring to ITER's foundational work. The international project has developed critical understanding of plasma behavior and created global supply chains that private companies can leverage. Still, the timeline question looms large over the nuclear industry. Fusion has long been plagued by the running joke that it's always "30 years away." Laberge is optimistic that private companies can break through this barrier: "At General Fusion, the time scale is 10 years. We say we going to put electricity on the grid in 2035." But even this accelerated timeline may not meet AI's immediate needs. The reality is that data centers need power now, not in a decade. This creates a crucial role for existing nuclear fission technology and new SMRs to bridge the gap while fusion develops, Garrel said. Rather than framing the question as fission or fusion, the panel generally agreed it would be both. Fission will be critical in the short and medium-term, while fusion holds the greatest promise over the long term. And even then, the two will continue to co-exist because fusion may not be appropriate for smaller use cases. "We have a large-scale vision on the development of nuclear in phases, but I don't want to \[make this a competition between\] fission and fusion. It's just the same story. But it's not the same lifetime or scale...And if you want to decarbonize electricity, it's just a long, long, long journey. So if we have fission and fusion, it's not a problem. Both will find a place on the market." The other persistent challenge facing nuclear power has been the perception of high costs. Coblentz argues this view fails to account for the true cost of alternatives, and that governments are beginning to understand this. Simply comparing the cost of KWh between different energy sources doesn't capture all the variables. "You know what the real problem is with that calculation is, if you look at the waste that fossil fuels put into the atmosphere. That's not calculated," he said. "Nobody says, What is the cost that we will pay and that our kids will be paying for decades, at least, for the waste from fossil fuels. And if you go to fusion, there's a geopolitical cost. Go back in your history books last 120 maybe 130 years. How many wars have been fought over access to fossil fuels, over the proximity, over the countries that wanted to make alliances? So calculate that and put that into your energy equation, and fusion and even fission become incredibly cheap in the long run." ### French Tech Funding Wire June 20: Nabla, Animaj, Pelico, & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-20-nabla-animaj-pelico-more/ Last updated: 2025-07-02T21:47:34.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ![Nabla founders, from left to right: Alex LeBrun, Delphine Groll, Martin Raison](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-32.png) Nabla co-founders (left to right): Alexandre Lebrun, Delphine Groll, Martin Raison 📇 Company: Nabla 🔍 Description: An AI assistant that reduces practitioner stress by automating clinical documentation, improving patient care, and integrating seamlessly with EHRs 💻 Website: [https://www.nabla.com/](https://www.nabla.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €63.64M 🏦 Investors: HV Capital, DST Global, Highland Europe, Tony Fadell, Cathay Innovation 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Lebrun, Delphine Groll, Martin Raison 🗞️ News: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/nabla-raises-70m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Animaj 🔍 Description: Builds a gateway between content creators and young audiences through animation 💻 Website: [https://www.animaj.com](https://www.animaj.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €75M (equity and debt) 🏦 Investors: XAnge, Bpifrance, Daphni, Left Lane Capital, HarbourView Equity Partners, Marquee Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Gregory Dray, Sixte de Vauplane 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/animaj-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-faire-entrer-les-contenus-audiovisuels-pour-enfants-dans-lere-de-youtube-et-de-lia/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=fa3e6e50e8-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F06%5F18%5F03%5F05&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-fa3e6e50e8-70918513), [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/animaj-leve-75-meur-dans-un-tour-de-table-mene-par-bpifrance-et-harbourview-equity-partners-pour-reinventer-les-franchises-jeunesse-a-lere-de-lia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/animaj-75m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pelico 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered operations management platform helping industrial manufacturers resolve disruptions, anticipate bottlenecks, and improve operational performance in real time. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pelico.ai/](https://www.pelico.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris + Miami 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: $40M (\~€37M) 🏦 **Investors**: General Catalyst, 83North, Serena Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarik-benabdallah-3b58b538/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Tarik Benabdallah,[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamoun-alaoui-8048b526/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Mamoun Alaoui, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhickson/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAAAWnOiIBHRlLUJaxeBHC5JUFdxI62wvdfus&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Jonathan Hickson 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/pelico-leve-40-millions-de-dollars-pour-injecter-de-lia-dans-la-supply-chain-des-industriels/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sifflet 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an AI-powered data observability platform designed to help organizations monitor, troubleshoot, and ensure the reliability of their data pipelines. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.siffletdata.com](https://www.siffletdata.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris / New York 🧗 **Round**: Series A (extension) 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16M 🏦 **Investors**: EQT Ventures, Mangrove Capital Partners (existing); Capmont (new) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Salma Bakouk, Wajdi Fathallah, Wissen Fathallah 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/19/ia-sifflet-leve-16-millions-deuros-pour-etre-larbitre-de-la-donnee-dans-les-entreprises?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Blog**](https://www.siffletdata.com/blog/sifflet-confirms-momentum-with-18m-in-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Skarlett 🔍 **Description**: Fintech platform dedicated to retirees, offering access to financial services and retirement-related content 💻 **Website**: [https://skarlett.fr/](https://skarlett.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8M 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo, XAnge, OneRagtime, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Guillaume-Olivier Doré, Guillaume Geniès, Rémi Guyot 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/19/placements-financiers-la-plateforme-skarlett-dediee-aux-retraites-leve-8-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-34.png) 📇 Company: DESKi 🔍 Description: AI-powered cardiac ultrasound software for remote diagnosis on any device 💻 Website: [https://heartfocus.ai](https://heartfocus.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bordeaux 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.45M 🏦 Investors: BNP Paribas Développement, NACo, Épopée Gestion, Better Angle, Racine², Good Only Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Bertrand Moal, Olivier Moal 🗞️ News: [**Finance News**](https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2025-06/65695200-heartfocus-deski-closes-dollar-6m-seed-round-to-bring-ai-powered-heart-scans-to-market-004.htm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/un-echographe-dans-la-poche-deski-leve-6-millions-deuros-pour-commercialiser-sa-technologie/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=fa3e6e50e8-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F06%5F18%5F03%5F05&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-fa3e6e50e8-70918513) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-33.png) 📇 Company: Arlequin AI 🔍 Description: Provides insights from complex social data using advanced AI embeddings 💻 Website: [http://arlq.ai](http://arlq.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.4M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Vsquared Ventures, 10x Founders, Better Angle 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hugo Micheron 🗞️ News: [**Tech Funding News**](https://techfundingnews.com/arlequin-ai-grabs-e4-4m-to-bring-certified-unbiased-data-insights-to-european-institutions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Fungu'it 🔍 Description: Makes healthy, local, and planet-friendly food more accessible 💻 Website: [https://funguit.fr/](https://funguit.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Dijon 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.0M 🏦 Investors: Evolem, UI Investissement, Asterion Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Anas Erridaoui, Paul Ledesve 🗞️ News: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/funguit-leve-4-millions-deuros-pour-reinventer-les-aromes-grace-a-la-fermentation-fongique/455506?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Jubilé 🔍 **Description**: Fintech company and accredited financial institution focused on the distribution of reverse mortgage loans (“Prêt Viager Hypothécaire”) to address credit exclusion among French seniors. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.jubile.fr/](https://www.jubile.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Business angels including Charles Egly, Frédéric Ruppli, Olivier Scheibling, Renaud Baboin, Hervé de Kerdrel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Cornet-Vernet, Renaud Baboin, Louis Renaudin, Mikael Levy 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/seniors-propriete-et-exclusion-bancaire-jubile-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-reparer-une-fracture-oubliee-du-credit/455584?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: La Bourse aux Livres 🔍 **Description**: Marketplace for buying and selling used books, now expanding into new book sales 💻 **Website**: [https://labourseauxlivres.fr/](https://labourseauxlivres.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.3M 🏦 **Investors**: UI Investissement, Notus Technologies, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul Lernould, Valentin Martineau 🗞️ **News**: [Les Échos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-apres-le-livre-doccasion-la-bourse-aux-livres-met-le-cap-sur-le-neuf-2171506?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Livres Hebdo](https://www.livreshebdo.fr/article/la-bourse-aux-livres-leve-23-millions-deuros-et-se-tourne-vers-le-marche-du-neuf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Base for Music 🔍 Description: Platform to launch ads on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok 💻 Website: [http://baseformusic.com](http://baseformusic.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.5M 🏦 Investors: LeanSquare, Gilles Moncaubeig, Tristan Toulemonde 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Maxence Bazin 🗞️ News: [**Digital Music News**](https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2025/06/15/base-for-music-raises-1-73-million-to-redefine-music-marketing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Angel 🔍 Description: Creates simple and free business plans 💻 Website: [http://angel-start.com](http://angel-start.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Malo 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.1M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Wendel --- 📇 Company: Daven 🔍 Description: Tool for measuring the performance of the HR 💻 Website: [https://www.davenhr.com/](https://www.davenhr.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Paris Business Angels, Bpifrance, Private Investors 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Cedric Levasseur 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cedriclevasseur-daven%5Flevaezedefonds-rh-data-activity-7337855999589961729-otNN?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 Company: Jockiz 🔍 Description: Platform for buying, selling, and trading virtual jockey cards 💻 Website: [https://www.jockiz.com](https://www.jockiz.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: FDJ United 👨💼👩💼 Founders: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAArT62oBkxwU%5FXpWHjaoY0Yl%5FlF0gHUaYao?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Bilal EL ALAMY, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAzzMQkB2IwpX1pOqEm3W8lc%5F2eW169dk3s?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Julien Mirabel 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jockiz%5Fjockiz-ouvre-son-capital-pour-acc%C3%A9l%C3%A9rer-activity-7333075710263107584-5o%5FR?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 Company: ArcaScience 🔍 Description: Dual AI system leveraging biomedical data for precision querying and targeting 💻 Website: [https://www.arcascience.ai/](https://www.arcascience.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €620K 🏦 Investors: Akka 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain Clement --- 📇 Company: Alsanor 🔍 Description: Humanoid robotic solutions for housekeeping 💻 Website: [https://alsanor.com/](https://alsanor.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Nanterre 🧗 Round: Pre-Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €15kM 🏦 Investors: Startupbootcamp 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Noé Jenn-Treyer, Ihor Husak --- 📇 Company: OLENERGIES 🔍 Description: Designer of smart lithium battery technology 💻 Website: [https://www.olenergies.com](https://www.olenergies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Montreuil 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Reed 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Julien Le Guennec 🗞️ News: [**Renewables Now**](https://renewablesnow.com/news/reed-societe-generale-invests-in-french-battery-maker-olenergies-1276917/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Descartes Underwriting 🔍 Description: Insurtech specializing in climate risk modeling and data-driven risk transfer 💻 Website: [https://descartesunderwriting.com](https://descartesunderwriting.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Growth Equity VC 💰 Amount Raised: Undisclosed 🏦 Investors: Battery Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Tanguy Touffut, Sebastien Piguet 🗞️ News: [**Reinsurance News**](https://www.reinsurancene.ws/descartes-underwriting-secures-investment-from-battery-ventures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: VivaTech 2025 Bows Before Our New Robotic Overlords URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-vivatech-2025-bows-before-our-new-robotic-overlords/ Last updated: 2025-07-02T21:49:07.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 👋 **In this week's French Tech Wire:** 🤖 VivaTech 2025 showcased a humanoid robot revolution in full swing, with 36 companies demonstrating AI-powered robots ranging from $9,000 Chinese models to sophisticated social companions that conversed with President Macron, proving that robots have evolved from tech curiosities to practical workforce solutions. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's declaration that "soon, everything that moves will be robotic" was backed by France's €30 million robotics investment and live demonstrations of robots performing everything from warehouse tasks to facility management, [signaling that the long-promised age of widespread robotic deployment has finally arrived](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-attack-of-the-humanoid-robots/). 🤖 On Day 2 of VivaTech, Agility Robotics demonstrated how their humanoid robot Digit can understand voice commands through AI and sort colored t-shirts, showcasing a future where robots fill over a million unfilled U.S. jobs that humans are unwilling to take, rather than replacing existing workers. [The company's Chief Business Officer Daniel Diez predicts this transformation](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-ai-robotics-humans-and-the-end-of-work-as-we-know-it/) will rival the scale of the iPhone or electricity, with cooperatively safe robots working alongside humans by 2026 and creating entirely new categories of "digital jobs" managing robot fleets. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🇫🇷✊ **La CGT entre en mode start-up**. One of France's main unions, [CGT, ](https://www.cgt.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)has officially launched a dedicated tech and startup chapter in Paris. While startups with 11+ employees are legally required to set up a works council (CSE), actual union presence has been rare, likely because most startup teams are under 30, and less than 3% of them are unionized nationally. A new CGT branch hopes to change that by targeting companies under the Syntec collective agreement, which includes most of France’s tech darlings. Among the hot topics: the return to the office post-COVID and rising concerns around psychosocial risks. Employees cite imposed hours, burnout, and management pressure, with many afraid to speak out publicly for fear of retaliation. |[**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/la-cgt-debarque-dans-les-start-up-2171372?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏥💡 **Station S: Nantes bets big on healthtech.** After Station F, meet **Station S:** Nantes’ new flagship for health innovation. The freshly opened *Gina* building offers 5,500 m² to startups like Redeem Medical and Octopize, alongside research labs and major players like Tronico. It’s the first step in a larger vision: 30,000 m² of dedicated health innovation space, a future hospital, and even a **100,000 m² biopark** to scale industrial activity. The goal is a full-blown European health district where startups, doctors, and researchers co-create the future of care. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/a-nantes-une-station-s-pour-innover-dans-la-sante-2171820?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌪️📈 **Descartes flirts with unicorn status**. In a rare twist for 2025, a French startup’s valuation actually *went up*. Climate risk insurtech Descartes Underwriting just welcomed US VC giant Battery Ventures to its cap table. Co-founder of Guidewire (you know, the $20B company) Marcus Ryu is joining the board. While the amount remains hush-hush, this was a secondary deal, meaning some early investors cashed out to keep their own LPs happy. The result is a fresh valuation that is reportedly just shy of unicorn status at $900M. Not bad for a startup that rakes in $200M in premiums and has more offices in the U.S. than in France.| [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-une-operation-chez-descartes-un-depart-chez-france-digitale-2171787?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🩺💸 **Nabla nabs $70M to decode doctors’ notes.** French healthtech Nabla raised a healthy **$70 million** to fuel its AI medical assistant, already a hit with 85,000 doctors and 20 million consultations (mostly in the U.S.). Backed by HV Capital and Highland Europe, Nabla plans to focus on France, where it currently has less than 5% of its users. While rivals like Praxy.ai and Aalia.tech fight it out on features and pricing (hello €19 unlimited plan vs Nabla’s €69), Nabla’s multilingual assistant and U.S. momentum might give it the edge. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/compte-rendu-traduction-les-assistants-intelligents-simposent-dans-les-cabinets-des-medecins-2171270?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖🌾 **Naïo Technologies in trouble: Agri-robotics pioneer enters receivership.** Naïo Technologies, the Toulouse-based startup behind weeding and vineyard robots like **Oz**, **Ted**, and **Orio**, has been placed in **judicial receivership**. Despite producing over **450 robots** and raising more than **€50M** since 2011, the company saw its revenue collapse from €6.5M in 2022 to €2.4M in 2024\. Crushed by a wider [**agritech**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/rise-agbot/) **downturn**, rising input costs, and a slumping farm equipment market, Naïo is now urgently **seeking a buyer.** Offers are due by June 27\. It’s a sobering moment for a company once tipped to deploy 1,000 robots by 2025\. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/robotique-agricole-le-francais-naio-technologies-place-en-redressement-judiciaire.N2234015?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷 🐥 **New faces at France Digitale**. France Digitale just gave its board a fresh coat of paint. Following a June 18 vote, six new members have joined the ranks to steer the ecosystem’s next battles (regulatory or otherwise). On the entrepreneur side: Jade Francine (WeMaintain), Julie Ranty (Pollen), and Xavier Zeitoun (Zenchef). Representing the VC crowd: Elina Berrebi (Revaia), Benoist Grossmann (Eurazeo), and Jérôme Masurel (50 Partners). Their mission is to champion startups and scaleups in France *and* in Brussels...ideally without too much paperwork. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/france-digitale%5Fils-sont-%C3%A9lus-au-board-de-france-digitale-activity-7341162778314858496-Si4B?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAUKLzABMJOJvDn0SgtXmFAlaJPxYO3raLE) --- # VivaTech 2025: Attack Of The Humanoid Robots [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-36.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-attack-of-the-humanoid-robots/) Engineered Arts' conversational robot Ameca What was once the realm of futuristic speculation is fast becoming tangible: humanoid robots learning via AI, helpful service robots in public spaces, and autonomous machines tackling tasks from driving to caregiving. The latest edition of VivaTech 2025 made it clear that the humanoid robotic revolution is here. While there have always been novelty robots drawing crowds on the exhibition floor at VivaTech, this year's edition demonstrated that the robotic conversation has become much more serious and urgent. There were at least 36 companies featuring robots on the exhibition floor this year. As AI and hardware intersect, humanoid robots have moved beyond curiosities to practical deployment, even as the hype still makes it difficult to fully gauge progress. **Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang** set the tone for the week with his opening keynote, which included a healthy dose of robotic demonstrations and enthusiasm. “Soon, everything that moves will be robotic,” Huang said. [Meet your robot overlords](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-attack-of-the-humanoid-robots/) --- # VivaTech 2025: AI, Robotics, Humans, And The End of Work As We Know It [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-37.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-ai-robotics-humans-and-the-end-of-work-as-we-know-it/) At VivaTech 2025, a two-legged robot named Digit quietly sorted colored t-shirts into a basket, responding to voice commands delivered through a large language model. The demonstration might have seemed simple, but according to Daniel Diez, Chief Business Officer for **Agility Robotics**, it represented something far more significant: the beginning of a transformation. On Day 2 of VivaTech, I hosted a fireside chat with Diez on the topic of "**AI, Robotics, Humans, and the End of Work as We Know It?**" Diez demonstrated Agility's Digit on stage as we discussed how AI-driven robots will impact the workforce. "Is this the end of labor as we know it? Diez told me. "I think we're at the precipice of a fundamental change in the way we think about labor and how people are used or deployed to do work." [Meet Digit](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-ai-robotics-humans-and-the-end-of-work-as-we-know-it/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-35.png) Nabla co-founders (left to right): Alexandre Lebrun, Delphine Groll, Martin Raison 📇 Company: Nabla 🔍 Description: An AI assistant that reduces practitioner stress by automating clinical documentation, improving patient care, and integrating seamlessly with EHRs 💻 Website: [https://www.nabla.com/](https://www.nabla.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €63.64M 🏦 Investors: HV Capital, DST Global, Highland Europe, Tony Fadell, Cathay Innovation 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alexandre Lebrun, Delphine Groll, Martin Raison 🗞️ News: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/nabla-raises-70m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Animaj 🔍 Description: Builds a gateway between content creators and young audiences through animation 💻 Website: [https://www.animaj.com](https://www.animaj.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €75M (equity and debt) 🏦 Investors: XAnge, Bpifrance, Daphni, Left Lane Capital, HarbourView Equity Partners, Marquee Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Gregory Dray, Sixte de Vauplane 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/animaj-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-faire-entrer-les-contenus-audiovisuels-pour-enfants-dans-lere-de-youtube-et-de-lia/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=fa3e6e50e8-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F06%5F18%5F03%5F05&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-fa3e6e50e8-70918513), [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/animaj-leve-75-meur-dans-un-tour-de-table-mene-par-bpifrance-et-harbourview-equity-partners-pour-reinventer-les-franchises-jeunesse-a-lere-de-lia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/animaj-75m-series-c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pelico 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered operations management platform helping industrial manufacturers resolve disruptions, anticipate bottlenecks, and improve operational performance in real time. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pelico.ai/](https://www.pelico.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris + Miami 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: $40M (\~€37M) 🏦 **Investors**: General Catalyst, 83North, Serena Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarik-benabdallah-3b58b538/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Tarik Benabdallah,[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamoun-alaoui-8048b526/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Mamoun Alaoui, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhickson/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAAAWnOiIBHRlLUJaxeBHC5JUFdxI62wvdfus&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Jonathan Hickson 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/18/pelico-leve-40-millions-de-dollars-pour-injecter-de-lia-dans-la-supply-chain-des-industriels/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### VivaTech 2025: Attack Of The Humanoid Robots URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-attack-of-the-humanoid-robots/ Last updated: 2025-06-20T06:41:23.000Z What was once the realm of futuristic speculation is fast becoming tangible: humanoid robots learning via AI, helpful service robots in public spaces, and autonomous machines tackling tasks from driving to caregiving. The latest edition of VivaTech 2025 made it clear that the humanoid robotic revolution is here. While there have always been novelty robots drawing crowds on the exhibition floor at VivaTech, this year's edition demonstrated that the robotic conversation has become much more serious and urgent. There were at least 36 companies featuring robots on the exhibition floor this year. As AI and hardware intersect, humanoid robots have moved beyond curiosities to practical deployment, even as the hype still makes it difficult to fully gauge progress. **Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang** set the tone for the week with his opening keynote, which included a healthy dose of robotic demonstrations and enthusiasm. “Soon, everything that moves will be robotic,” Huang said. ## NVIDIA ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-28.png) Nvidia’s investments in robotics software include the **Omniverse** platform for creating digital twins of robots and the new **Isaac** and **Newton** AI systems that train robots in virtual worlds. Huang said that with powerful GPUs now enabling better AI brains and simulation, robots can be smarter and cheaper. He envisioned **factories full of robot workers** even as he trotted out Nvidia's Grek droid to join him on stage. For more coverage of Nvidia's robotic announcements at VivaTech, read our coverage here: [VivaTech 2025: NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang On Robots, Quantum Computing, And AI RevolutionThe CEO set the tone for the mega-tech conference with his focus on next-generation computing, robotics demos, and major French partnerships in a wide-ranging keynote.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-25.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/jensen.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-nvidia-ai-quantum-robotics/) ## Government + Robotics The French government unveiled three new initiatives under the France 2030 plan to position France as a leader in AI‑powered robotics. First, a €30 million “robotics acceleration” research programme, led by the national research agency CNRS, will fund interdisciplinary work to tackle core challenges—such as control, perception, locomotion, adaptation, and efficiency—aimed at advancing intelligent robot prototypes for industry. Next, a “Pioneer of AI” funding scheme will support deep‑tech startups, labs, and public‑private consortia developing breakthrough AI innovations, with a strong emphasis on robotics applications. A third pillar is the “AMI Robotique et machine intelligente” call for collaborative R&D projects to develop modular, interoperable, energy‑efficient, and user‑friendly robotic systems. The agencies managing digital and component programmes will now coordinate technology scouting, public‑private partnerships, and international collaboration to bolster convergence between AI and robotics. Examples of early winners include AXGROUP’s “Spider” solar‑powered cleaning robot and LOGIE‑AI, an open‑source generative‑AI logistics robot. Both are spearheaded through France 2030 funding. Meanwhile, France's state innovation bank Bpifrance held an invite-only breakfast for investors on the sidelines of VivaTech called: [**“Humanoid Robots: When AI Becomes Physical."**](https://vivatechnology.com/side-events/side-event/8a490df9-2c1c-f011-8b3d-6045bdf3ac94?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ## **Agility Robotics** I hosted a fireside chat with **Agility Robotics** Chief Business Officer Daniel Diez on the topic of "**AI, Robotics, Humans, and the End of Work as We Know It?**" Diez demonstrated Agility's Digit on stage as we discussed how AI-driven robots will impact the workforce. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/Chris-O-Brien-s-Video---Jun-19--2025-VEED-1--1.gif) "Is this the end of labor as we know it? Diez told me. "I think we're at the precipice of a fundamental change in the way we think about labor and how people are used or deployed to do work." **You can read more about our conversation here:** [VivaTech 2025: AI, Robotics, Humans, And The End of Work As We Know ItAgility Robotics Chief Business Officer Daniel Diez: “Right now, we’re focused on areas where it’s hard to find people to take certain jobs.”![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-26.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-01.09.59.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-ai-robotics-humans-and-the-end-of-work-as-we-know-it/) ## **Unitree Robotics** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-23.32.30.png) Unitree Robotics Sales Manager Pedro Zheng demonstrated the Chinese company's advanced quadruped and humanoid robots while outlining an ambitious vision for artificial intelligence integration. Founded in 2016, Unitree Robotics has rapidly established itself as a dominant force in the robotics industry with more than 600 employees supporting operations worldwide. Unitree's product lineup spans from entertainment-focused robots to industrial workhorses. Its quadruped robots include the Go series for consumers and researchers, and the heavy-duty B2 series for industrial inspection. Zheng said these models are often used in dangerous environments such as firefighting, post-earthquake rescue, and oil and gas inspection. But the company's humanoid robots represent its newest frontier. The H1, priced at $90,000, targets industrial applications, while the newer G1 model, at $60,000, focuses on broader market adoption. Zheng revealed plans for an even more accessible model: a smaller humanoid robot expected to cost around $9,000. Unitree's humanoid robots serve diverse markets today, including entertainment, manufacturing, and potentially elderly care. The robots come equipped with ChatGPT integration for voice commands, and Unitree is developing advanced learning capabilities. The company demonstrated this at recent events, where humanoid robots learned dance routines by watching videos and adapting to live performance environments. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/Chris-O-Brien-s-Video---Jun-19--2025-VEED.gif) Zheng emphasized the company's long-term vision: "We believe only the humanoid robot can achieve general AI." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/DSC_5272.jpg) ## Enchanted Tools: Mirokai ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-20-at-00.02.29.png) **Salesforce** and French robotics company Enchanted Tools showcased their collaboration to merge business AI with social robotics, presenting a vision where AI-powered robots could transform customer service and facility management across multiple industries. The partnership combines Salesforce's Agent Force platform with Enchanted Tools' Mirokai robot, a social companion designed to interact naturally with humans in various environments. The demonstration, led by Sebastien Jamon, AI Director at Salesforce, Carlos Lozano from the Agent Force team, and Sacha Duc, co-CTO of Enchanted Tools, illustrated how the two technologies could work together to create more engaging user experiences. "Why don't we bring the best of business AI with the best of robots out there, right?" Jamon asked during the presentation. Enchanted Tools, a Paris-based company founded by robotics pioneer Jerome Monseau, has developed the Mirokai with a distinct philosophy toward robotic interaction. "We wanted to do more than build a smart and useful robot. We want to bring them to life," explained Duc. The company's mission centers on reimagining robotic capabilities, creating machines that are "not just robots, companions, not just tools, characters, not just efficient, but also magical." The demonstration focused on a facility management scenario where users could interact with the robot to book meeting rooms. Lozano explained how Agent Force enables non-developers to create intelligent agents: "If you can describe it, Agent Force will be able to do it." The Agent Force platform allows users to build AI agents through a topic-based system, where each agent receives specific instructions and tools to accomplish designated tasks. The system includes what Salesforce calls "instruction tuning," an iterative process where AI helps users improve their prompts and agent configurations. Lozano demonstrated how the system reasons through user requests, automatically determining which topics and actions are relevant to fulfill specific needs. "At every user request, the planner is reasoning. What is this about? What is the user's intent? Do I have any topics to fulfill it?" he explained. Enchanted Tools envisions broad applications for its robotic platform beyond facility management. "The Mirokai has been designed to work in different environments, such as hospitals, nursing homes, pediatric units, stores, and hotels," Duc noted. The robot's capabilities span three main areas: serving as a social companion that can "talk with residents with customers, give information, advice, and lead activities," providing guidance and monitoring functions, and performing logistic tasks like carrying supplies. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/3B2ks8v7h1z1EbUR.jpg) Lozano painted a picture of widespread adoption, suggesting scenarios where travelers might encounter Mirokai robots at airports, shoppers at retail stores, or elderly individuals in care facilities. ## **Ameca** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/DSC_2166.jpg) **Ameca,** the lifelike humanoid famous for its human-like face and expressions, made a notable appearance, courtesy of the UK’s Engineered Arts and Canada’s IVADO Labs. **Ameca** engaged visitors in conversation. In a memorable moment, **French President Emmanuel Macron** stopped by to meet Ameca, which led to a brief “interview” style chat with Macron. Ameca underscored advancements in **social robots**: it can recognize faces, detect emotions, and respond via a large language model, making it a prime example of AI-driven human–robot interaction. This demo hinted at future concierge or reception robots that could engage people naturally. ## **Hugging Face + Pollen Robotics** Though Hugging Face wasn't at VivaTech to demonstrate robots, the New York-based AI company, started by French founders, was flying its robotic flag around the world during the conference. On June 14–15, 2025, Hugging Face hosted its **LeRobot Worldwide Hackathon**, running online and across 100+ local hubs on six continents. The company described it as the “ChatGPT moment of robotics." Participants assembled SO-series robot arms, loaded firmware, tuned vision-language-action models, and submitted dataset/video demos. The event came two months after Hugging Face acquired **Pollen Robotics**, the Bordeaux-based startup founded in 2016 by Matthieu Lapeyre and Pierre Rouanet, both former researchers at Inria’s Flowers team. Pollen is known for its modular, open‑source humanoid platform **Reachy 2**, which features stereo vision, VR teleoperation, spatial audio, and 7 degrees of freedom. Hugging Face and Pollen share a commitment to open-source. By combining Pollen’s hardware and Hugging Face’s open-source AI tools, especially its LeRobot framework, the company wants to grant developers full-stack access to build customizable, embodied agents. ### VivaTech 2025: AI, Robotics, Humans, And The End of Work As We Know It URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-ai-robotics-humans-and-the-end-of-work-as-we-know-it/ Last updated: 2025-06-20T06:46:03.000Z At VivaTech 2025, a two-legged robot named Digit quietly sorted colored t-shirts into a basket, responding to voice commands delivered through a large language model. The demonstration might have seemed simple, but according to Daniel Diez, Chief Business Officer for **Agility Robotics**, it represented something far more significant: the beginning of a transformation. On Day 2 of VivaTech, I hosted a fireside chat with Diez on the topic of "**AI, Robotics, Humans, and the End of Work as We Know It?**" Diez demonstrated Agility's Digit on stage as we discussed how AI-driven robots will impact the workforce. "Is this the end of labor as we know it? Diez told me. "I think we're at the precipice of a fundamental change in the way we think about labor and how people are used or deployed to do work." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-31-1.png) US-based Agility Robotics was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from Oregon State University's Dynamic Robotics Lab, built on decades of groundbreaking research in bipedal locomotion. The company emerged from the work of Jonathan Hurst, who created the robotics lab at Oregon State and helped establish the scientific basis for dynamic stability and locomotion in bipedal robots. Agility's roots stretch back to co-founder Jonathan Hurst's PhD research at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s, where he and Damion Shelton, also a co-founder, met. Over the years, the technology and functionality have continued to evolve rapidly. In 2021, Agility expanded Digit's capabilities to serve the warehouse and logistics industry by focusing on bulk material handling tasks. The company opened a humanoid robotics factory, located in Salem, Oregon, and named RoboFab, to drive commercial-scale manufacturing. In late 2023, the company announced a partnership with Amazon to bring Digit to their facilities to support distribution and fulfillment tasks. This was followed by a similar partnership with GXO Logistics to work in their Spanx facility outside Atlanta, GA. Agility Robotics has raised a total funding of $180M over 4 rounds from 15 investors. Key investors include Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and TDK Ventures. ## Filling the Gaps Humans Won't Fill Rather than painting a dystopian picture of mass unemployment, Diez argued that humanoid robots like Digit are addressing a crisis that's already here: the inability to find humans willing to do certain types of work. "In the US, it's over a million unfilled positions. They cannot find people to take these jobs, and it's causing a huge issue in productivity," he explained. These aren't just any jobs. They're the physically demanding, repetitive roles in factories and warehouses that form the backbone of modern manufacturing and logistics. "We have a number of customers who actually overstaff every shift by 20% because they know they're going to have at least 20% absenteeism for these types of roles," Diez said. ## The Safety Challenge Diez was candid about the biggest obstacle preventing widespread robot deployment: safety. Currently, humanoid robots like Digit operate within "safety cages"—physical barriers that separate them from human workers. "How do you ensure that the robot doesn't fall on a person. How do you ensure that the robot doesn't accidentally move and hit a human being?" Diez asked, describing the technical challenges involved in what's called "cooperative safety." The company is developing what it claims will be "the world's first cooperatively safe robot" that can work side by side with humans, scheduled for commercial deployment in 2026\. This breakthrough could unlock the mass scaling that the industry has been waiting for. ## Beyond the Hype We also addressed the disconnect between viral robot videos on social media and commercial reality. "I think there is a lot of hype in this market," Diez said. "I think there's a lot of implied functionality in a lot of the content that you're seeing online." While competitors focus on impressive demonstrations, such as robots doing parkour or other physically demanding feats, Diez questioned their practical value: "It's cool that your robot can do parkour, but I don't think anybody's paying for parkour robots in their factories," Diez said. "Agility gets paid for those robots doing this work." ## AI and the Future of Robot Intelligence The demonstration portion of the session showcased how Large Language Models are transforming robot operation. Using Google's Gemini, Diez gave voice commands to Digit, asking it to sort colored t-shirts from a pile of laundry. "Pick up the red shirts and put them in the basket," he said. The robot processed the request, identified red garments using its array of RGB cameras and LIDAR sensors, and began executing the task. "It's seeing what's in front of it. It's determining which ones are red, and it knows exactly where they are. It's going to pick them up. And then, it knows that's a basket, and it's going to drop them in there," Diez explained as Digit worked. "This is not a pre-programmed demo." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/Chris-O-Brien-s-Video---Jun-19--2025-VEED-1-.gif) On a screen behind us, the audience could see how Digit processed these multi-step instructions, demonstrating how generative AI integration is moving robots beyond simple programmed routines. "We are agnostic to which LLM we're using," Diez said. "We're working with all the different players right now in AI because we're going to see which one actually takes the lead in actually creating the foundation models that are best suited for embodied AI." ## Global Competition The economic model for humanoid robots is still evolving. Agility offers two approaches: direct purchase with a 1.9-year return on investment, or a more popular "robot-as-a-service" model where companies pay a discounted rate compared to human labor costs and see immediate ROI. When the conversation turned to global competition, particularly from China, Diez raised concerns about trust and data security. "Do you want a walking camera in your facility filming everything you do if you don't trust the manufacturer?" he asked, pointing to the cameras and sensors that allow robots to navigate their environment. "If we're worried about TikTok, seriously, like, worried about TikTok, I don't think we're gonna let these robots into our factory." ## The Transformation Ahead Diez believes that this technological shift to humanoid robots won't eliminate jobs but transform them. "This is on the scale of the iPhone. This is on the scale of electricity," he said, comparing the coming change to previous technological revolutions that ultimately created new categories of employment. The future he envisions includes "digital jobs" managing robot fleets, maintaining facilities, and performing remote operations—roles that don't exist today but will emerge as automation takes hold. "No one would question a farmer choosing to use a tractor as opposed to hand plowing the field," Diez said. "20 years from now, we're going to look back and we'll say, of course, we're going to deploy these technologies to do this." ### Digital Diplomats: Y Combinator Backs Full-Stack AI in Service Industries. Are Entrepreneurs Ready to Adapt? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-y-combinator-backs-full-stack-ai-in-service-industries/ Last updated: 2025-06-18T06:02:53.000Z ***Intro: Each month, the Digital Diplomats cut through the clichés about the Silicon Valley and French approach to innovation to bring a clear analysis of a major tech story or trend that reveals the relative strengths and weaknesses of each ecosystem. Our goal is to give entrepreneurs the perspective they need to succeed in both markets.*** [**Marjolaine Catil**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, an Investment Director at**[ **Newfund**](https://www.newfundcap.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, a VC firm based in Paris and Silicon Valley. She leads Newfund’s**[ **“Road to the USA”**](https://www.newfundcap.com/road-usa?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **initiative for French entrepreneurs considering U.S. expansion.\*** [**Chris O’Brien**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherobrien?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, a Silicon Valley veteran journalist who is the founder and editor of**[ **The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/) **newsletter.** --- **Chris:** [Y Combinator recently put out a call](https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for more "full-stack AI companies." It feels like a significant shift in the world of AI. **Marjolaine:** It's certainly generating attention in the market, and YC's emphasis suggests they see significant potential in this approach. It’s fundamentally different from what we've traditionally seen with AI software startups. **Chris:** Okay, but **"full-stack AI company,"** what does that mean? **Marjolaine:** YC Partner [Jared Friedman](https://www.ycombinator.com/people/jared-friedman?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) explains it like this: A traditional AI company might build a cool AI tool or software and sell it to an existing business, but a full-stack AI company becomes a more productive version of this existing business. Take Operand, for example. They don’t sell to consulting companies; they are building their own consulting company and want to compete directly with traditional firms. Or “kill” them, as they claim. They use AI as the absolute core operational foundation to rethink an entirely new business that owns the whole value chain, or at least aims to. When we analyzed YC's portfolio of over 5,000 companies from the past 15 years, full-stack companies have historically been the exception rather than the rule. We identified only about a dozen true full-stack ventures, primarily fintech startups in the early 2010s, followed by autonomous mobility hardware companies between 2012 and 2019\. What's notable is the apparent shift in 2024, with at least 9 startups explicitly positioning themselves as full-stack AI companies across sectors like insurance, consulting, HR services, accounting, mortgage lending, and healthcare. These are all industries characterized by high labor costs and significant manual processes. This represents a marked departure from YC's traditional software-first approach and suggests they're betting that AI has reached a maturity level that makes these capital-intensive, operationally complex models viable at scale. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/fullstackgraphic.jpg) **Chris:** I would think that, from an investor perspective, a truly full-stack AI company offers compelling economics. These companies can potentially achieve much better margins and iterate faster than selling tools to incumbents. And because they own the full stack, they capture the entire value created by their AI, instead of just getting licensing fees. It would create a structural advantage, especially in industries where the established players are slow to adopt new tech. **Marjolaine**: Exactly. We can understand YC's enthusiasm for this model. Instead of selling a $50,000 annual software license, you're potentially capturing millions in industry revenue per customer. The total addressable market isn't just the software budget; it's the entire industry. Once you've built the regulatory moats, operational expertise, and customer relationships, which is easier said than done, you've created something incredibly hard to replicate. ## New Paradigm Thanks To AI Workforce? **Chris:** So, full-stack AI companies are not just making the existing players more efficient; they're trying to replace them. Like, mastering the whole customer experience, end-to-end, but powered by AI, which could create a huge market, as you suggested. Estimates vary, but the full-stack AI market is [already valued in the tens of billions, around $26.8 billion or $32.4 billion this year](https://datahorizzonresearch.com/full-stack-ai-market-38537?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). And projections for growth are massive, potentially reaching over $175 billion by 2030 or over $200 billion by 2033\. But are they really reinventing the wheel? **Marjolaine:** The concept of full-stack isn't completely new. We saw it with companies like Tesla, Stripe, or DoorDash 10 years ago. But there is, of course, a downside. While the model presents compelling economics on paper, it also carries significantly higher execution risk than traditional SaaS approaches. These older full-stack models required a huge number of employees and massive capital investment to manage so much complexity. Doordash hired 19,000 employees and spent $2b of capital before generating positive net income in [2024](https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/DASH/doordash/financial-statements?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Stripe raised $11b and hired 12,000 people before also reporting profitability in 2024\. Only a few founders and funds risked themselves in sectors with massive human and operational entry barriers. **Chris:** That distinction makes sense because the economics weren’t there. But neither was the tech. Justin Kan started a hybrid legal software and law firm called Atrium back in 2017 and raised more than $75 million. But ultimately, [he shut it down a few years later](https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/03/atrium-shuts-down/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) because it couldn’t operate more efficiently than a traditional law firm. Now, YC is saying that maybe AI wasn't ready then, but it is now. **Marjolaine:** AI has brought a new level of productivity that's fundamentally changing the economics. As NFX explains in their analysis "[The AI Workforce is Here](https://www.nfx.com/post/ai-workforce-is-here?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)," we're witnessing a fusion of labor and software markets, where US businesses spend $5 trillion on knowledge workforces versus only $230 billion on B2B SaaS. AI now enables software to both organize AND execute tasks. Service margins (below 30%) are converging toward SaaS margins (above 80%) through AI automation. Take customer service, for example. A human agent costs hundreds of dollars per interaction, while an AI Agent can handle thousands of queries 24/7 for a fraction of the cost, all while offering personalization impossible to achieve manually. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXc5KaZ0ZyzfJ0evEDXPAN1ih5t1yUgea1Qk30pi6w3JIgbicGv-nOhtQwn4zh6k_7pV7LTQG8hAUQhn7WZYfWDtJAagNLKtfWIJxC1Iy3okNjCYbbTq8fIYqWgcYZOwocZ4IjmGfQ?key=_PHNnzksevq5mLLu9nGrOA) **Chris:** In the past, you’d need a super-talented technical team to pull this off because a full-stack company would have to master so many operational fields. We [discussed previously](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) how AI was enabling new productivity because it can handle so many functions, allowing startups to reach $100M ARR with a few employees. This same dynamic potentially creates a foundation for full-stack AI companies. **Marjolaine:** In a sense, yes. It opens more fields and verticals to a potential full-stack solution. At the same time, it creates a different challenge. The replacement of the human workforce by AI requires deep technical integration across data, models, deployment, and user interfaces. You need what people are calling "full-stack AI teams." That means expertise in both deep AI and traditional software development. Mastering that technical complexity, integrating across all layers, and handling things like regulation, security, data privacy, and algorithmic bias are massive undertakings. **Chris:** Speaking of regulation, I wonder how that looks different between the US and Europe. In the US, for example, insurance and banking are regulated by the states, but there are also federal rules. I remember that more than two decades ago, it took PayPal years to obtain all the banking licences it needed from each state. It’s the same for insurance, with state licensing boards. Those are long and costly administrative hurdles that AI can’t magically fix. Plus, depending on the services, the companies have to maintain certain assets as guarantees. And that doesn’t even get into different data rules in places like California or evolving AI regulations. **Marjolaine:** That's an important point, particularly for any company looking to operate internationally. Europe has moved forward with the AI Act, a comprehensive, risk-based framework. The US approach is less centralized at the federal level, relying more on existing agency rules and court cases. For full-stack companies, especially in regulated industries, compliance isn't just an add-on; it has to be baked into the core of their operations from day one. They need strong regulatory expertise to navigate these different requirements depending on where they build or expand. ## Full Stack Companies: Build or Buy? **Chris:** I’m somewhat skeptical about the number of users or professions that are ready to embrace a fully AI solution. In France, even when it comes to SaaS or cloud computing, a lot of traditional enterprise software companies still dominate because customers want to deal with a human, at least to some degree, at the end of the day. **Marjolaine:** Absolutely, and it’s not just France. In many businesses, you still need to overcome barriers that AI can't eliminate: regulatory capital requirements for banks or insurance companies, professional certifications, and compliance frameworks. These create substantial moats but also high entry costs. We’ve been talking about full-stack companies being built from the ground up. But there is another way to pursue this. YC is looking for AI native full stack companies, but I think most of the value from AI will come from “**AI-transformed full-stack companies.**” These are traditional companies that are rethinking their way of operating and still benefiting from their knowledge and long-term distribution with their customers. **Chris:** Maybe, but as you know. It’s incredibly difficult for traditional companies to lead on digital transformation, no matter how big or small. How would you imagine this happening? **Marjolaine:** I think there is an opportunity for technical leaders or AI entrepreneurs to design their concept and then take over traditional companies in that sector. So, they would effectively rethink the full-stack business model and then expand. It is not an easy journey as you need both an understanding of more local and traditional businesses, and at the same time, the ability to transform them. But there will be a growing market because there will be plenty of these small firms to acquire in the coming years as the Baby Boomers retire. In France, one out of four owners of small and medium businesses will be over the age of 60 by 2033\. Bpifrance estimates that one out of two SMEs will need to find a buyer by 2033. **Chris:** Bringing it back to France, what should French entrepreneurs building AI companies be thinking about based on this trend? **Marjolaine:** For French founders, this represents both a massive opportunity and a strategic crossroads. Every business, not just startups, needs to integrate AI productivity or risk being disrupted by massive American competition. If you want to build a full-stack AI company from scratch, you should consider going to the US, where the market size and risk appetite can support that ambition. But there's another compelling option for Europe: instead of creating new AI products that may be disrupted by the mega US players, consider acquiring traditional full-stack companies and transforming them with AI. The core of technological evolution today isn't only about finding new business ideas, but understanding how to rethink existing value chains with technological tools. Local companies have great assets: data, customer relationships, and technological infrastructure. AI combined with startup methodologies can amplify the productivity leverage. However, this transformation requires bold leaders with a tech mindset and financial partners who understand both the technological risks and the potential of AI-driven business model transformation. Newfund is already involved in these transformation projects, because we're ready to take the technological risks that traditional financing often won't support. **Chris**: This is another example of how AI could fundamentally rewire how entire industries operate. But it will take a new breed of entrepreneurs and investors who have the vision and execution capability to pull it off. ### 🇫🇷 VivaTech 2025: AI, Robots, and Quantum Dreams Run Wild In Paris URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-ai-robots-quantum-dreams-run-wild-paris/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T07:26:25.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # 🎉 VivaTech 2025 🎉 Last week, Paris hosted VivaTech 2025 at the sprawling and well-air-conditioned Porte de Versailles. With 180,000 visitors, 14,000 startups, and representatives from 171 countries, this year's edition boasted a crowded exhibition floor, some big-name guests on stage, and just a whole lotta lotta. It also meant being asked the same question by every living soul who entered your orbit: "So, what did you think of VivaTech?" Here was my canned answer: I have no idea. Across three days, I moderated 6 panels, hosted a roundtable in the evening at Qonto, and recorded three podcast interviews. Meanwhile, Helen emceed one of the executive stages for a marathon afternoon. We'll be writing about some of those sessions in the days to come. But what was clear is that the 2025 edition was dominated by three main themes: AI (duh), robotics, and quantum computing. AI was everywhere, quite literally. With over 40% of exhibitors showcasing AI-powered solutions, including the AI Avenue, sponsored by Salesforce. In this Special Edition, we'll look at two of the splashier names that made headlines at VivaTech 2025: NVIDIA and Mistral AI. As for robots, well, there have always been novelty robots roaming VivaTech booths since the first year. But this year, there were 36 robotics companies exhibiting. Tomorrow, we'll send out a 2nd Special Edition covering robotics themes. Finally, quantum computing is now actually a thing and not just a hope lying somewhere over the horizon. On Thursday, we'll send out a 3rd edition that gives an overview of quantum news, plus highlights on Quandela and a panel I moderated on quantum security. And be on the lookout for our special podcast episodes, and highlights from panels on product-market fit (Superhuman), AI + Nuclear, Upway, and N26. **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- 👋 **In this week's French Tech Wire Special Edition:** 👀 **NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang** set the tone for VivaTech 2025 [with his keynote that focused on quantum computing, robotics, AI, and major French partnerships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-nvidia-ai-quantum-robotics/). 👀 **Mistral AI** got high-fives from the Prez and partnerships with NVIDIA. It's good to be the VivaTech king. [CEO Arthur Mensch said the latest moves](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-mistral-ai-gets-cozy-with-nvidia/) will help the company fulfill its global ambitions: “The race is not over. Europe is not late. We just needed the right tools—and now we have them.” [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🚨🧳 **H Company** announced that co-founder Charles Kantor is out as CEO and will be replaced by **Gautier Cloix**, the former head of Palantir France. The company cites the need for a seasoned operator to steer the next phase of scale and commercialization. Cloix, who brings decades of experience in software deployment and sensitive government contracts, is expected to bring discipline and focus to H’s expanding enterprise ambitions. The transition comes one year after the company raised a €220M Seed round, several months after 3 co-founders left amid creative differences, and about [1 week after the company publicly launched its first product suite](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/h-company-launches-autonomous-agent-suite-to-leapfrog-tech-giants/). | [**PR**](https://www.hcompany.ai/blog/governance-update?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/h-company-ceo-charles-kantor-replaced-by-former-palantir-exec?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/11/h-company-change-de-patron-et-nomme-lex-dg-de-palantir-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚽📉 **Sorare**, once the darling of French Tech with a record $680M raise and superstar backers like Mbappé and Messi, is now grappling with a harsh market reality. The NFT-powered fantasy football platform saw its net revenue plunge nearly 70% in just two years, from €143M in 2022 to a projected €42M in 2025, [according to an exclusive story in L'Informé](https://www.linforme.com/tech-telecom/article/revelations-sur-les-comptes-tres-inquietants-de-sorare-l-ex-star-de-la-french-tech%5F2943.html?utm%5Fcampaign=quotidienne&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=newsletter). Despite flashy deals with the Premier League and NBA, the startup is bleeding cash, burning €10M a month***,*** and posting a €100M loss last year. Sorare is slashing costs, renegotiating licenses, and cutting staff, with hopes of halving losses by next year. Sorare's valuation has reportedly plummeted to just €200M. | [**L'Informé**](https://www.linforme.com/tech-telecom/article/revelations-sur-les-comptes-tres-inquietants-de-sorare-l-ex-star-de-la-french-tech%5F2943.html?utm%5Fcampaign=quotidienne&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=newsletter) **🐛🧑‍🌾** French agritech startup **Ÿnsect** announced another round of deep layoffs, cutting nearly 70% of its staff as it battles financial headwinds. The company is also halting construction of its massive vertical insect farm in Amiens — once touted as the world’s largest — to preserve cash. After raising over €450 million in funding and riding the wave of sustainable protein hype, Ÿnsect is now scrambling to restructure and refocus as it attempts to avoid total liquidation. It plans to prioritize higher-margin markets like pet food and specialty animal nutrition while scaling back its original ambitions. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/ynsect-layoffs-ynfarm-paused?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ynsect-taille-une-nouvelle-fois-dans-ses-effectifs-2169475?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔒🔑 **France's cybersecurity startup** scene continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace, according to the 2025 Cybersecurity Startup Radar by Bpifrance and Wavestone. The report identifies 179 startups and 46 scale-ups, with 43 new entrants this year, highlighting a trend towards innovation and international expansion. Notably, 53% of these startups have integrated AI into their offerings, and 15 are developing solutions to secure AI applications. Investment in the sector has increased to €289 million, spread across 19 funding rounds, indicating a concentration of capital in fewer companies. Additionally, the ecosystem is seeing early signs of consolidation, with eight startups acquired over the past year, suggesting a maturing market poised for further growth. | [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/radar-startup-cybersecurite-2023-lecosysteme-cyber-en-equilibre-resister-croitre-et-se-projeter-dans-lavenir?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇫🇷🛍️ The French government doubled down on its **“Je choisis la French Tech”** initiative, announcing over €1 billion in purchases from startups by major French corporates, a symbolic boost for a sector grappling with dried-up funding. The message was clear: to build tech sovereignty, big players like EDF, Orange, and Capgemini must become anchor customers for homegrown innovation. Prime Minister François Bayrou said the strategy is already showing results, with 12,000 startup-corporate connections made, and flagship deals like Mistral AI’s €100M logistics partnership with CMA CGM or Sweep’s ESG work with Orange. Public institutions are joining in too, with 10,000 civil servants soon to be equipped with Mistral’s AI assistant, Le Chat. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/vivatech-2025-letat-muscle-sa-strategie-industrielle-pour-les-startups-francaises-avec-un-milliard-deuros-fleches/455396?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖🗳️ With the Socialist primary for Paris mayor looming on June 30, **Emmanuel Grégoire** is making waves by betting big on AI to position himself as the tech-forward candidate for Paris. His flagship proposal: A “Station AI” in Porte de la Chapelle. The massive innovation hub would be modeled after Station F, designed to support AI startups and democratize tech through public training, events, and ethical governance. Grégoire also wants to name a Chief AI Officer, roll out a municipal “Small Business Act” to favor startups in public procurement, and equip 60,000 city workers with AI skills to slash bureaucracy and boost productivity. His vision for Paris blends civic tech with social justice, aiming to make the capital a counter-model to Silicon Valley by anchoring innovation in the public interest. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/12/emmanuel-gregoire-veut-un-deuxieme-station-f-a-paris/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=4f21565a18-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F06%5F12%5F04%5F32&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-4f21565a18-72806474) **🗞️ Exploration vs. Exploitation: Knowing When You're Ready to Scale |** James Saulskyof French Tech Updates has a good write-up from VivaTech on a panel featuring Gabriel Hubert from [Dust](https://dust.tt/?utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-subscriber-exclusive-viva-tech-recap) and Jaime Castello from [Shakers](https://www.shakersworks.com/?utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-subscriber-exclusive-viva-tech-recap), who discussed the strategies and tactics they’ve used to grow their companies, and the mistakes made along the way. | [**French Tech Updates**](https://frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com/p/viva-tech-recap?%5Fbhlid=34e2d330ec4b8e4dd440cca4062eb11769dad81a&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-subscriber-exclusive-viva-tech-recap&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com) --- # VivaTech 2025: NVIDIA's Jensen Huang On Robots, Quantum Computing, And The AI Revolution [![Photo courtesy Viva Technology 2025](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-26.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-nvidia-ai-quantum-robotics/) Photo courtesy Viva Technology 2025 In a highly anticipated keynote that featured everything from a dancing robot to quantum computing, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang painted a sweeping vision of an AI-driven industrial revolution during his first-ever GTC presentation in Paris at VivaTech last week. The leather-jacket-clad tech executive used the French stage to announce significant developments across three key areas: quantum computing acceleration, next-generation robotics, and a major commitment to France's AI competitiveness through new partnerships and infrastructure investments. Following the keynote, Huang joined President Emmanuel Macron and Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch for a conversation. Huang praised France's ambition as a model for other nations to follow. "You cannot afford to outsource your intelligence," Huang told Macron during their on-stage conversation. "The intelligence of your country encodes and embeds your people's knowledge, history, culture, common sense, and values. That is the definition of intelligence, and that intelligence cannot be outsourced. I believe I should develop my own intelligence. I believe that I can't rely on somebody else to develop my intelligence. This is something I have to do myself. It is the same for the country." [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-nvidia-ai-quantum-robotics/) --- # VivaTech 2025: Mistral AI Gets Cozy With NVIDIA [![Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch. Photo courtesy of VivaTech 2025](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-27.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-mistral-ai-gets-cozy-with-nvidia/) Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch. Photo courtesy of VivaTech 2025 To the surprise of almost no one, France's great AI hopeful Mistral AI was the belle of the VivaTech 2025 ball, making a flurry of high-stakes announcements that it hopes will solidify its position as an ambitious global contender. From launching a powerful reasoning model to forging a landmark partnership with NVIDIA to build sovereign AI infrastructure, Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch found himself on stage on Day 1 where he was showered with praise by the likes of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and treated to hossanahs by President Emmanuel Macron who dubbed the partnership between the two companies "historic." For his part, Mensch seemed ready to accept the role as Europe's AI standard bearer. “We are building not just models, but the infrastructure for sovereign, open, high-performance AI in Europe,” Mensch told the VivaTech audience. “This is about ensuring our values, our autonomy, and our capacity to innovate.” [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-mistral-ai-gets-cozy-with-nvidia/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Knave 🔍 Description: Simply integrate a differentiating and profitable electric vehicle rental service into your business 💻 Website: [http://knave.eu](http://knave.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €100m 🏦 Investor: XIFU Capita 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jerome Beillevaire 🗞️ News: [**Les Echos**](https://capitalfinance.lesechos.fr/deals/capital-developpement/knave-obtient-pres-de-100-meur-aupres-dinvestisseurs-chinois-2169334?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Wandercraft 🔍 Description: Developer of robotic wheelchairs for people with disabilities 💻 Website: [wandercraft.eu](http://www.wandercraft.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €65.6m 🏦 Investor: Renault Group 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Nicolas Simon, Alexander Boulanger, Jean Louis Constanza, Alexandre Boulanger 🗞️ News: [**Medical Device Network**](https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/wandercraft-75m-exoskeleton/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Look Up Space 🔍 Description: Space safety platform using persistent sensing and advanced data processing 💻 Website: [lookupspace.com](https://lookupspace.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €50m (including €11.0m debt and €15.0m subsidies) 🏦 Investors: MIG Capital, ETF Partners, Karista, EIC Fund, Expansion Ventures, Leadwind 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Juan Carlos Dolado Pérez, Michel Friedling (Gen. R.) 🗞️ News: [**Copernical**](https://www.copernical.com/news-public/item/52112-2025-06-13-07-55-17?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Wire June 13: Knave, Wandercraft, Look Up Space & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-13-knave-wandercraft-look-up-space-more/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T05:15:56.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 Company: Knave 🔍 Description: Simply integrate a differentiating and profitable electric vehicle rental service into your business 💻 Website: [http://knave.eu](http://knave.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €100m 🏦 Investor: XIFU Capita 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jerome Beillevaire 🗞️ News: [**Les Echos**](https://capitalfinance.lesechos.fr/deals/capital-developpement/knave-obtient-pres-de-100-meur-aupres-dinvestisseurs-chinois-2169334?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Wandercraft 🔍 Description: Developer of robotic wheelchairs for people with disabilities 💻 Website: [wandercraft.eu](http://www.wandercraft.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €65.6m 🏦 Investor: Renault Group 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Nicolas Simon, Alexander Boulanger, Jean Louis Constanza, Alexandre Boulanger 🗞️ News: [**Medical Device Network**](https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/wandercraft-75m-exoskeleton/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-16.png) 📇 Company: Look Up Space 🔍 Description: Space safety platform using persistent sensing and advanced data processing 💻 Website: [lookupspace.com](https://lookupspace.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Toulouse 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €50m (including €11.0m debt and €15.0m subsidies) 🏦 Investors: MIG Capital, ETF Partners, Karista, EIC Fund, Expansion Ventures, Leadwind 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Juan Carlos Dolado Pérez, Michel Friedling (Gen. R.) 🗞️ News: [**Copernical**](https://www.copernical.com/news-public/item/52112-2025-06-13-07-55-17?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Expliseat 🔍 Description: Developer of the world’s lightest aircraft seat 💻 Website: [expliseat.com](http://expliseat.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €36M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, BNP Paribas, GO Capital, SWEN Capital Partners, Supernova Invest, NCI, Crédit Mutuel Innovation 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Charles Samuelian, Ben Saada 🗞️ News: [**L'Usine Nouvelle**](https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/le-fabricant-francais-de-sieges-d-avion-expliseat-leve-36-millions-d-euros-pour-se-developper-en-amerique-du-nord.N2233599?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Elkedonia 🔍 Description: Leveraging a new neuroplastogen approach to develop therapeutic agents to treat depression and other neuropsychiatric condition. 💻 Website: [elkedonia.com](http://elkedonia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Strasbourg 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €11.25M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Sambrinvest, Capital Grand Est, Kurma Partners, Argobio Studio, Angelini Ventures, CARMA FUND Management, WE Life Sciences 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Delphine Charvin, Jocelyne Caboche 🗞️ News: [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/06/elkedonia-closes-eur-11m-in-seed-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Enterome 🔍 Description: Biopharma company developing immunomodulatory drugs for cancer and inflammatory diseases 💻 Website: [enterome.com](http://www.enterome.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €8.73M 🏦 Investors: Seventure Partners, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Primo Capital, Lundbeckfonden, SymBiosis 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre Belichard, Marie-Laure Bouttier, Rodolphe Clerval 🗞️ News: [**The Pharma Letter**](https://www.thepharmaletter.com/biotechnology/enterome-financing-oncomimics?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Kolet 🔍 Description: Sustainable eSIM provider delivering affordable Internet access to travelers in 180+ countries 💻 Website: [kolet.com](http://kolet.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €8.05M 🏦 Investors: Daphni, Peter Kern, Jon Gieselman 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jérémy Gotteland, Anne-Carole Coen 🗞️ News: [**Phocuswire**](https://www.phocuswire.com/kolet-raises-10-million-dollars-series-a-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Seed Of The Week: KoletKolet raised €5m to develop an eSIM platform for international travelers. It’s the first step of CEO Eduardo Ronzano’s long-term vision of connecting billions of people to the internet by reinventing the telecom industry.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-24.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/kolet-team-PRESSE-web3-copy.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-kolet/) --- 📇 Company: ENYO Pharma 🔍 Description: Clinical stage biotech innovating with virus-inspired therapies 💻 Website: [enyopharma.com](http://www.enyopharma.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Lyon 🧗 Round: Series C 💰 Amount Raised: €6M 🏦 Investor: Vesalius Biocapital IV 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jacky Vonderscher, Jean-Jacques Garaud, Patrice Andre, Laurène Meyniel-Schicklin, Benoît de Chassey, Vincent Lotteau 🗞️ News: [**PR**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-34-h-companys-autonomous-agent-assault-begins/) --- 📇 Company: PeopleSpheres 🔍 Description: AI to help businesses centralize and interconnect all HR data and actions on a single platform. 💻 Website: [https://olyzon.tv/](https://olyzon.tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.3m 🏦 Investors: Omnes Capital, Odyssée Venture, Irdi, UL Invest, Swen Capital Partners, Sofilaro 👨💼👩💼 Founders: 🗞️ News: [**PR**](https://4119805.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4119805/Kit%20Presse/02062025%20-%20CP%20-%20PeopleSpheres%20l%C3%A8ve%205%2c3%20millions%20d%E2%80%99euros%20pour%20acc%C3%A9l%C3%A9rer%20son%20d%C3%A9veloppement%20sous%20la%20direction%20de%20son%20nouveau%20CEO%2c%20Arnaud%20Castille.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-17.png) 📇 Company: Arlequin AI 🔍 Description: Delivers actionable insights from social data via advanced AI embedding models 💻 Website: [arlq.ai](http://arlq.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.4M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Vsquared Ventures, 10x Founders, Better Angle 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Hugo Micheron 🗞️ News: [**TFN**](https://techfundingnews.com/arlequin-ai-grabs-e4-4m-to-bring-certified-unbiased-data-insights-to-european-institutions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Olyzon 🔍 Description: Aagentic Connected TV advertising platform for global brands 💻 Website: [https://olyzon.tv/](https://olyzon.tv/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €€4.3m (including €0.8m debt) 🏦 Investors: Cassius Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Martin Danet, Anouar Benattia 🗞️ News: [**AdExchanger**](https://www.adexchanger.com/ai/agentic-ctv-start-up-olyzon-snags-5-million-in-funding-to-hire-more-humans/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: STEPS ORTHO 🔍 Description: Developing and marketing solutions for foot and ankle surgery 💻 Website: [stepsortho.com](https://stepsortho.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Bron 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €2.16M 🏦 Investors: N/A 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Philippe Lorenzati, Yannick Ricol 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/steps-ortho%5Flev%C3%A9e-de-fonds-steps-ortho-mai-25-activity-7334133981564522497-y1Jl?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 Company: KONCRETE 🔍 Description: Enables construction professionals to obtain real-time quotes, compare supplier pricing, and coordinate logistics through a unified digital platform. 💻 Website: [koncrete.fr](https://koncrete.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1M 🏦 Investors: Plug and Play, Campus Fund, SkreenHouse Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre-Marie C., Léopold Delay, Henri Bunod 🗞️ News: [**Investegate**](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/sigmaroc--src/seed-funding-of-koncrete/8921572?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Circulacar 🔍 **Description**: Developer of electric battery packs and retrofit kits for transforming thermal vehicles into electric ones, with a focus on professional and niche use cases such as airport vehicles and park tractors. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.circulacar.com](https://www.circulacar.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🏦 Investors: Movntec (industrial partner), Ponton and GMZ & Son’s (family offices), Crowdcube (€200k via crowdfunding) 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Geoffrey Pauwels, Edouard Nicolaÿ 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edouard-nicola%C3%BF-4a1ab87a%5Fnotremission-electrification-mobilit%C3%A9durable-activity-7339250529790750722-lrGG?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### VivaTech 2025: Mistral AI Gets Cozy With NVIDIA URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-mistral-ai-gets-cozy-with-nvidia/ Last updated: 2025-06-15T22:18:14.000Z CEO Arthur Mensch: “The race is not over. Europe is not late. We just needed the right tools—and now we have them.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### VivaTech 2025: NVIDIA's Jensen Huang On Robots, Quantum Computing, And AI Revolution URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/vivatech-2025-nvidia-ai-quantum-robotics/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T07:10:15.000Z The CEO set the tone for the mega-tech conference with his focus on next-generation computing, robotics demos, and major French partnerships in a wide-ranging keynote. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #34: H Company's Autonomous Agent Assault Begins 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-34-h-companys-autonomous-agent-assault-begins/ Last updated: 2025-06-10T07:30:24.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines **🗞️ Mistral AI Eyes $1B Fundraise to Challenge AI Giants and Unveils Mistral Code:** Mistral AI is reportedly seeking to raise an additional $1 billion in funding. This initiative aims to enhance its infrastructure, including the development of a significant data center near Paris, and to expand its global footprint. The company's open and customizable AI models have attracted major clients like BNP Paribas, AXA, and Stellantis, signaling its growing influence beyond the U.S. market. Already valued near €6 billion and having secured over $1 billion since its 2022 founding, Mistral has recently inked several commercial contracts—some worth $100 million each over three to five years—that could drive revenues beyond the $100 million mark this year, according to The Financial Times. According to insiders, demand for “strategic autonomy” in AI, especially amid transatlantic political tensions and Trump’s return, has pushed European and global clients to seek alternatives to U.S. providers. Meanwhile, last week Mistral AI launched Mistral Code, an AI-powered coding assistant designed to compete with tools like GitHub Copilot. Built on the open-source project Continue, Mistral Code integrates Mistral's in-house models—Codestral, Devstral, and Mistral Medium—to support over 80 programming languages. The tool offers features such as code autocompletion, multi-step refactoring, and an in-IDE assistant, with deployment options ranging from cloud to on-premises setups. Early adopters include Capgemini, Abanca, and SNCF. | [**Techcrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/29/mistral-releases-its-first-generative-ai-model-for-code/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/ai/mistral-ais-new-coding-assistant-takes-direct-aim-at-github-copilot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/65f79839-d637-48a7-a0f2-3fab8952b315?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Hugging Face Unveils Compact AI Model For Robotics:** Hugging Face has introduced SmolVLA, a compact 450-million-parameter vision-language-action (VLA) model designed for robotics applications. Remarkably, SmolVLA is efficient enough to run on consumer-grade hardware, including MacBooks and CPUs, eliminating the need for expensive GPUs. Trained exclusively on open-source, community-shared datasets from the LeRobot initiative, SmolVLA democratizes access to advanced robotics AI. Despite its smaller size, it outperforms larger models in both simulated and real-world tasks, thanks to its innovative asynchronous inference architecture, which separates perception from action execution for faster responses. This release is part of Hugging Face's broader strategy to make robotics more accessible. The company has also launched affordable hardware platforms and acquired Pollen Robotics, further solidifying its commitment to open-source robotics solutions. SmolVLA is now available for download, offering researchers and developers a powerful tool to advance robotics without the traditional barriers of cost and complexity. | [**Hugging Face**](https://huggingface.co/lerobot/smolvla%5Fbase/discussions/1/files?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Techcrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/14/hugging-face-buys-a-humanoid-robotics-startup/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Kyutai Unveils An Open-Source Voice Interface for AI**: Kyutai has introduced Unmute, a modular, open-source voice interface designed to add real-time speech capabilities to large language models (LLMs). Building on its previous project, Moshi, Unmute aims to transform AI interactions into fluid, latency-free voice exchanges, challenging proprietary solutions from tech giants like OpenAI and Google. Unmute's architecture comprises two key components: a real-time speech-to-text module with semantic end-of-speech detection, and a proactive text-to-speech synthesizer that begins speaking before the full-text response is generated. This design enables seamless, natural conversations without the typical pauses associated with AI responses. The system allows for customizable voices using brief audio samples and behavioral adjustments through simple text prompts, all without heavy training requirements. Importantly, Unmute operates independently of proprietary cloud infrastructures, making it suitable for deployment across various applications, from customer support to embedded systems. Kyutai's open-source approach positions Unmute as a strategic alternative for European developers and institutions seeking sovereign AI solutions. The technology is currently available for testing at [unmute.sh](https://unmute.sh/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), with full source code release anticipated in the coming weeks. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/apres-moshi-kyutai-lance-unmute-la-voix-libre-des-ia/454954?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **🗞️ U.S. Delivers 60-Foot Superconducting Magnet to Power ITER Fusion Reactor:** The United States has delivered a colossal 60-foot-tall superconducting magnet, known as the central solenoid, to France's ITER fusion reactor project. This magnet, comprising six modules each weighing approximately 267,000 pounds, is pivotal for initiating and sustaining the plasma necessary for fusion reactions. The central solenoid's support structure was constructed through a collaborative effort involving eight American companies. This exoskeleton is designed to withstand extreme forces generated during fusion, ensuring the magnet's stability and performance. ITER, the world's largest experimental fusion reactor, represents a global collaboration among 35 countries aiming to replicate the sun's fusion process on Earth. The successful delivery and installation of the central solenoid mark a critical milestone in demonstrating the feasibility of fusion energy, with the project aiming to produce 500 MW of power by 2040\. | [**Sustainability Times**](https://www.sustainability-times.com/energy/u-s-delivers-a-monster-60-foot-superconducting-magnet-sent-to-france-to-power-the-heart-of-the-iter-fusion-reactor/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **🗞️ Maddyness Partners with Perplexity to Enhance AI-Powered Search Experience**: Maddyness has entered into a strategic partnership with U.S.-based AI company Perplexity to integrate AI-powered search capabilities into its platform. This collaboration allows Maddyness readers to pose natural language questions directly within the site's search bar, receiving AI-generated answers based solely on Maddyness's journalistic content. The feature is powered by Perplexity's Sonar API and aims to provide precise, source-cited responses, enhancing user experience and engagement. Additionally, Maddyness's articles are now incorporated into Perplexity's AI search engine, enabling the AI to draw from Maddyness's content to provide relevant answers to users' queries. This integration not only increases the visibility of Maddyness's content but also introduces a new revenue stream through shared advertising income generated from AI-driven responses. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/03/maddyness-signe-avec-perplexity-voici-ce-qui-va-changer-sur-le-site/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/03/maddyness-signe-avec-perplexity-voici-ce-qui-va-changer-sur-le-site/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **India and France Forge Ethical AI Alliance at Bengaluru Summit**: At the La French Tech India AI Summit 2025 in Bengaluru, leaders from both nations convened to champion ethical and inclusive artificial intelligence. Organized by La French Tech India alongside IFCCI, Business France, and the French Consulate in Bangalore, the event spotlighted collaborative efforts to align AI innovation with public interest and societal well-being. Keynote speaker Sharad Sharma of iSPIRT emphasized the importance of co-developing AI models that marry innovation with ethical responsibility. The summit also addressed ethical challenges in AI, with presentations on building public trust and the media's role in shaping technology narratives. This gathering sets the stage for the upcoming India-France Year of Innovation in 2026, reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two countries in the AI domain. | [**Times of India**](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/india-france-ai-summit-held-highlights-need-for-ethical-and-inclusive-ai-collaboration/articleshow/121676718.cms?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **🗞️ France's AI Ambitions Face ROI Reality Check**: France is making big strides in Industry 4.0, with 94% of its industrial firms investing or planning to invest in AI and generative AI. Yet, a mere 2% report AI as delivering the best return on investment in 2024\. That's the lowest among surveyed nations, according to the 10th annual report on the state of smart manufacturing published by Rockwell Automation. Despite leading Europe in AI applications for cybersecurity (56%) and product design (36%), French industries struggle to translate these investments into tangible gains. Only 9% see measurable ROI from cybersecurity initiatives, and just 24% have actively adopted countermeasures. | [**Actuia.com**](https://www.actuia.com/en/news/industry-40-france-strategically-invests-in-ai-but-roi-remains-marginal/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware |** Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) 🗞️ **Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.'** | Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) --- ### 🧠 H Company Launches Autonomous Agent Suite To Leapfrog Tech Giants [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-15.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/h-company-launches-autonomous-agent-suite-to-leapfrog-tech-giants/) H CEO Charles Kantor takes the stage at the ai-Pulse conference in November 2024\. Photo courtesy of Scaleway. After a year of semi-secretive development, French artificial intelligence startup H Company has unveiled a suite of autonomous AI agents that it claims can outperform offerings from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google while costing up to 5.5 times less to operate. The company's official emergence from stealth mode is part of a broader shift in the AI landscape, where the focus is moving beyond chatbots to systems that can autonomously execute tasks in the real world. The timing couldn't be more critical. As businesses struggle to find meaningful returns on their AI investments beyond basic conversational interfaces, H Company is betting that the future belongs to what CEO Charles Kantor calls "action models" – AI systems designed not just to talk, but to work. "The vision has always been to build this next generation of intelligence, one that goes beyond conversations," Kantor explained in a recent interview. "Execution is the key to what we're seeking in terms of AI. How can you have an AI that interacts with files, that interacts with applications, that interacts with business, tools that interact with just knowledge generally, and that can perform some tasks and actions on your behalf?" [Read the full interview](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/h-company-launches-autonomous-agent-suite-to-leapfrog-tech-giants/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 Company: Fabriq 🔍 Description: AI-powered platform improving daily operational efficiency for shop floor teams. 💻 Website: [fabriq.tech](http://fabriq.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €22M 🏦 Investors: OSS Ventures, Expedition Growth Capital, Contribution 👨💼👩💼 Founders: François Déchelette, Octave Lapeyronie 🗞️ News: [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/fabriq-leve-22-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-saas-de-pilotage-industriel.N2233233?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/fabriq-a-paris-based-scale-up-lands-e22-million-to-become-the-global-standard-in-industrial-performance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/fabriq-leve-22-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-loperating-system-des-usines/455131?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Moments Lab 🔍 Description: AI and cloud-based media valorization platform for media and sports rights-holders 💻 Website: [momentslab.com](https://momentslab.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €21M 🏦 Investors: Elaia Partners, Orange Ventures, Supernova Invest, Oxx, Kadmos Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Philippe Petitpont, Frédéric Petitpont 🗞️ News: [**Silicon Canals**](https://siliconcanals.com/moments-lab-bags-e21m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Aive 🔍 Description: Automates qualitative video creation and distribution at scale with AI. 💻 Website: [https://www.aive.com/](https://www.aive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €12M 🏦 Investors: Invus, BNP Paribas Développement, Altavia 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Olivier Reynaud, Rudy Lellouche 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/05/aive-automatise-la-post-production-video-et-leve-12-millions-deuros-en-serie-a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Aive: Revolutionizing Video Production with AICEO Olivier Reynaud: “We created an AI product years before the current AI wave. We are an enterprise-ready solution and not something in the lab.”![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-23.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Visuel_platform_Aive.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/) --- 📇 Company: Califrais 🔍 Description: Logistics platform using machine learning to optimize purchasing and delivery of high-quality goods. 💻 Website: [califrais.paris](https://www.califrais.paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €10M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre Levy, Simon Bussy 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/04/ia-califrais-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-ameliorer-la-logistique-du-froid/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Thunder Code 🔍 Description: AI-powered test automation platform using intelligent personas and integrated tools 💻 Website: [thundercode.ai](http://thundercode.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €8.18M 🏦 Investors: Silicon Badia, Janngo, Titan Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani 🗞️ News:[**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/03/one-of-africas-most-successful-founders-is-back-with-a-new-ai-startup-and-already-raised-9m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Pletor 🔍 Description: AI design platform enabling marketers to build custom design agents 💻 Website: [pletor.ai](https://pletor.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Atlantic Labs, Kieran Flanagan, Antoine Le Nel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ferdinand Terme, Maxime Fonsale, Antoine Sueur 🗞️ News: [**La Revue Digitale**](https://www.larevuedudigital.com/la-startup-pletor-leve-2-millions-de-pour-automatiser-les-visuels-marketing-avec-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pletor-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-faire-entrer-le-marketing-visuel-dans-lere-des-agents-ia/455092?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/05/french-startup-pletor-bags-eur2m-to-bring-ai-agents-to-the-creative-stack/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Delpha 🔍 Description: AI assistant designed to enhance productivity and efficiency 💻 Website: [delpha.io](http://delpha.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.82M 🏦 Investors: 50 Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Paul Santini, Germain Bourgeois, and Bryce Jones 🗞️ News: [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/06/delpha-raises-2m-in-seed-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Ordalie 🔍 Description: AI startup (likely health or legal-tech; full description not provided) 💻 Website: [ordalie.ai](https://ordalie.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.8M 🏦 Investors: Inovexus, SGPA, Seeder Fund, Claire Calmejane, Adrien Dassault, Marguerite Longuet 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Léa Fleury, Baudouin Arbarétier 🗞️ News: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/18-million-deuros-pour-ordalie-la-legaltech-francaise-qui-veut-imposer-une-ia-juridique-souveraine-en-europe/455109?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://entrepreneurs.lesechos.fr/creation-entreprise/idees-success-stories/avec-ordalie-lea-fleury-plaide-pour-le-droit-augmente-2168832?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | **Deadline: June 17** | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | **June 12** | 🚨 Want to 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 in front of Europe's sharpest AI minds? 🧠 150 AI founders, CTOs, AI engineers, researchers & VCs. 🚀 On 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟐, we're turning the lights on at Doctolib’s HQ in Paris, and the brightest GenAI builders will take the stage. | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/paris-demo-night?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE YOUR HACK| July 4-9 |** This is your chance to push boundaries, solve real-world challenges, and create impact at the official hackathon of the [RAISE Summit 2025](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at one of Paris's most iconic venues: **Le Carrousel du Louvre**. **|** [**Sign Up**](https://lablab.ai/event/raise-your-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### H Company Launches Autonomous Agent Suite To Leapfrog Tech Giants URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/h-company-launches-autonomous-agent-suite-to-leapfrog-tech-giants/ Last updated: 2025-06-10T06:57:01.000Z The French AI startup, backed by top investors, released a suite of cost-efficient autonomous agents that it claims outperform OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Designed to execute real-world tasks, these "action models" signal a shift from chatbots to true AI-powered productivity. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire June 6: Fabriq, Moments Lab, Aive & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-june-6-fabriq-moments-lab-aive-more/ Last updated: 2025-06-08T09:00:20.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-2.png) 📇 Company: Fabriq 🔍 Description: SaaS platform improving daily operational efficiency for shop floor teams 💻 Website: [fabriq.tech](http://fabriq.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €22M 🏦 Investors: OSS Ventures, Expedition Growth Capital, Contribution 👨💼👩💼 Founders: François Déchelette, Octave Lapeyronie 🗞️ News: [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/fabriq-leve-22-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-saas-de-pilotage-industriel.N2233233?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/fabriq-a-paris-based-scale-up-lands-e22-million-to-become-the-global-standard-in-industrial-performance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/fabriq-leve-22-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-loperating-system-des-usines/455131?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-3.png) 📇 Company: Moments Lab 🔍 Description: AI and cloud-based media valorization platform for media and sports rights-holders 💻 Website: [momentslab.com](https://momentslab.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €21M 🏦 Investors: Elaia Partners, Orange Ventures, Supernova Invest, Oxx, Kadmos Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Philippe Petitpont, Frédéric Petitpont 🗞️ News: [**Silicon Canals**](https://siliconcanals.com/moments-lab-bags-e21m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-4.png) 📇 Company: Aive 🔍 Description: Automates qualitative video creation and distribution at scale with AI. 💻 Website: [https://www.aive.com/](https://www.aive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €12M 🏦 Investors: Invus, BNP Paribas Développement, Altavia 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Olivier Reynaud, Rudy Lellouche 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/05/aive-automatise-la-post-production-video-et-leve-12-millions-deuros-en-serie-a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Califrais 🔍 Description: Logistics platform optimizing purchasing and delivery for high-quality goods 💻 Website: [califrais.paris](https://www.califrais.paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €10M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Pierre Levy, Simon Bussy 🗞️ News: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/04/ia-califrais-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-ameliorer-la-logistique-du-froid/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-5.png) 📇 Company: Thunder Code 🔍 Description: AI-powered test automation platform using intelligent personas and integrated tools 💻 Website: [thundercode.ai](http://thundercode.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €8.18M 🏦 Investors: Silicon Badia, Janngo, Titan Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani 🗞️ News:[**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/03/one-of-africas-most-successful-founders-is-back-with-a-new-ai-startup-and-already-raised-9m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-6.png) 📇 Company: Enrise 🔍 Description: Solar self-consumption solutions for commercial premises 💻 Website: [enrise.fr](https://www.enrise.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Castelnau-le-Lez 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €8M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, SET Ventures, Ring Capital, AFI Ventures, Asterion Ventures, Climate Club VC 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Paul Astrup, Armand d’Ambrieres 🗞️ News: [**SET Ventures**](https://setventures.com/set-invests-in-enrise/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Reekom 🔍 Description: Reconditioned product platform 💻 Website: [https://reekom.fr/](https://reekom.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: La Courneuve 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.5m (including €2.0m debt and €0.5m subsidies) 🏦 Investors: Alpha Star, Super Capital, Kimpa, BA 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Guillaume Perret du Cray, Hélène Feugier 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/reekom%5Fau-lancement-de-reekom-en-2022-on-me-disait-activity-7326509867777646594-sdGu?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-7.png) 📇 Company: Kumulus 🔍 Description: Sustainable water service provider delivering potable water 💻 Website: [kumuluswater.com](http://kumuluswater.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Mandé 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €3.18M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Flat6Labs, Plus Venture Capital, Kalys Ventures 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Iheb Triki, Mohamed Ali Abid 🗞️ News: The company will use the funding to scale production and deploy its water generators in arid and underserved regions. | [**RetailTrade**](https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/food/spadel-invests-in-startup-that-extracts-drinking-water-from-the-air/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Sounduct 🔍 Description: Allows deaf people to access to high-performance hearing through its non-invasive and non-destructive device. 💻 Website: [https://sounduct.com/](https://sounduct.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Strasbourg 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €3M 🏦 Investors: Capital Grand Est 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Olivier GAUTHIER, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABTmiIB3ykmLshSOLVHkaQYy5jbDwULp-I?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Jean Philippe Marie de Chastenay 🗞️ News: [**Infonet**](https://infonet.fr/actualite/levees-de-fonds/sounduct-levee-fonds-ossiclear-industrialisation/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D4E1FAQGJmrMMo-3ZNw/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/B4EZc1kIb3HsAc-/0/1748950356570?e=1750291200&v=beta&t=NBQKheci0uC%5FcoMihAgCWT5-tJKBRr1lOrlLr6T76lY&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-8.png) 📇 Company: Pletor 🔍 Description: AI design platform enabling marketers to build custom design agents 💻 Website: [pletor.ai](https://pletor.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €2M 🏦 Investors: Kima Ventures, Atlantic Labs, Kieran Flanagan, Antoine Le Nel 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Ferdinand Terme, Maxime Fonsale, Antoine Sueur 🗞️ News: [**La Revue Digitale**](https://www.larevuedudigital.com/la-startup-pletor-leve-2-millions-de-pour-automatiser-les-visuels-marketing-avec-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pletor-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-faire-entrer-le-marketing-visuel-dans-lere-des-agents-ia/455092?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/06/05/french-startup-pletor-bags-eur2m-to-bring-ai-agents-to-the-creative-stack/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-9.png) 📇 Company: Delpha 🔍 Description: AI assistant designed to enhance productivity and efficiency 💻 Website: [delpha.io](http://delpha.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.82M 🏦 Investors: 50 Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Paul Santini, Germain Bourgeois, and Bryce Jones 🗞️ News: [**Finsmes**](https://www.finsmes.com/2025/06/delpha-raises-2m-in-seed-funding.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-14.png) 📇 Company: Ordalie 🔍 Description: AI startup (likely health or legal-tech; full description not provided) 💻 Website: [ordalie.ai](https://ordalie.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.8M 🏦 Investors: Inovexus, SGPA, Seeder Fund, Claire Calmejane, Adrien Dassault, Marguerite Longuet 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Léa Fleury, Baudouin Arbarétier 🗞️ News: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/18-million-deuros-pour-ordalie-la-legaltech-francaise-qui-veut-imposer-une-ia-juridique-souveraine-en-europe/455109?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://entrepreneurs.lesechos.fr/creation-entreprise/idees-success-stories/avec-ordalie-lea-fleury-plaide-pour-le-droit-augmente-2168832?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-1-1.png) 📇 Company: Zenior 🔍 Description: Mobile app designed to support seniors in their daily lives. (health tracking, medication remiders) 💻 Website: [https://www.zenior.care/](https://www.zenior.care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1.5m 🏦 Investors: Inco Venture, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Alix Zeitlin, Rodolphe Gougaud, Antoine Bonin 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/zenior-care%5Fd%C3%A9pendance-zenior-veut-devenir-le-r%C3%A9flexe-activity-7336726158190804992-3uaH?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/dependance-zenior-veut-devenir-le-reflexe-des-familles-et-leve-15-million-deuros/455058?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Kivala 🔍 Description: Next Generation Access Management System - Security and Serenity - Interphone Visio 💻 Website: [https://www.kivala.fr/](https://www.kivala.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1m (including €0.2m debt) 🏦 Investors: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jonathan Lascar 🗞️ News: [**J'aime Les Startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/kivala-qui-veut-etre-mon-associe-annonce-une-levee-de-1-million-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image-13.png) 📇 Company: Inside Therapeutics 🔍 Description: On a mission to deliver smart, scalable solutions for RNA-LNP production. 💻 Website: [https://insidetx.com/](https://insidetx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €1m 🏦 Investors: Aquiti Gestion, Newfund, Skalepark 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Thomas Guérinier, Matthieu Kerhuel, Audrey Nsamela, Robin Oliveres, Alexis Peyroles 🗞️ News: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/insidetx%5Fnews-activity-7335691604004855809-y-HT?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI)**,** [**PR**](https://insidetx.com/news/inside-therapeutics-raises-e1m-to-accelerate-its-growth/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: France Joins Space Com Race URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-france-joins-space-com-race/ Last updated: 2025-06-06T06:30:04.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Deep Dive:** Constellation Technologies aims to partner with operators to offer space-based internet to help them compete with the SpaceX service Starlink. CEO and Founder Charles Delfieux: "We think that there is a hugely promising business opportunity to work in partnership with those who are already today delivering connectivity services to billions of people in the world." [Read our interview.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-constellation-will-challenge-starlink-in-the-communication-space-race/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- Busy? On the run? Listen to an AI audio summary of this week's newsletter. Let us know what you think! French Tech Developments and Digital Regulations 0:00 /1064.119999 1× --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 ☝🔥 **Next40: New Names, Big Energy.** The **2025** French Tech Next40/120 just dropped, welcoming 11 fresh faces like [**Qair**](https://www.qair.energy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (renewables), [**Greenly** ](https://greenly.earth/en-gb?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (carbon tracking), and [**Alan**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-raises-e50-million-to-expand-digital-health-insurance-across-europe/) (digital health). Climate and health tech are officially in the spotlight. Spearheaded by the French Tech Mission under the Ministry of Economy, this sixth edition features 120 of the most high-performing scale-ups, selected for their revenue growth and fundraising achievements over the past three years. Let's take a closer look at the new cohort: 🧠 **Deeptech’s Moment:** With 29 deeptech champs across the **French Tech 120**—from [**Alice & Bob** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alice-bob-secures-eu100m-series-b-to-build-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-2/) (quantum) to [**Sekoia**](https://www.sekoia.io/en/homepage/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (cybersec)—France now ranks **#4 globally** for R&D-heavy startups. 🌍 **Export-Ready:** 93% of FT120 companies now operate abroad. [**Voodoo**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/voodoo-bereal/) hits 150M+ global users, [**Electra**](https://www.go-electra.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) expands EV stations in 10 countries, and [**Qonto**](https://qonto.com/en?%5Fgl=1%2Aatwx7h%2A%5Fup%2AMQ..%2A%5Fgs%2AMQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl8f46OHajQMVtUZBAh3pcR3IEAAYASAAEgJm0fD%5FBwE&gbraid=0AAAAADG9k8LXIruyf52595%5F5EAnaTpsjb&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) keeps conquering Europe. 🦄 **Bye Bye Unicorns:** Icons like[**Doctolib**](https://www.doctolib.fr/$?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Deezer, and [**Veepee**](https://www.veepee.fr/gr/home/default?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) exit the index—not for slacking, but for outgrowing it. ⚙️ **AI Everywhere:** One-third of the list is AI-driven, with [**Mistral AI**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-mistral-ai-arthur-mensch/) leading the charge (€600M raised in 2024). 👉 Want the full list? [**Here’s the press release**](https://lafrenchtech.gouv.fr/fr/actualites/nouvelle-promotion-ft120-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👉 💳 **Fintechs, Ready to Rumble? Mastercard for Fintechs** is back! Early-stage startups in Web3, payments, greentech & co and apply now for a shot at mentorship, €50K in marketing, and serious street cred. Last year’s French finalists **Rosaly** & **Rollee** are still reaping the rewards. Final in Paris on **Sept 18 so** go get it. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/04/concours-mastercard-for-fintechs-les-inscriptions-sont-ouvertes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️ 🛒 French quantum computing trailblazer **Pasqal** is making waves again, this time by acquiring Canadian startup Aeponyx, renowned for its integrated photonic circuits. This strategic move aims to supercharge Pasqal's quantum machines, reducing error rates and paving the way toward their ambitious goal of 10,000 qubits by 2026\. This marks the company's third acquisition since its inception in 2019, following the purchases of Dutch software firm Qu&Co and French cryogenics specialist My Cryo Firm. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/06/03/quantique-pasqal-signe-une-3e-acquisition-pour-franchir-un-nouveau-cap-technologique/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/pasqal-acquires-aeponyx?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤖💀 It’s the end of an era for French robotics legend **Aldebaran**, the company behind the lovable robots Nao and Pepper. On June 2, 2025, the firm was officially placed in judicial liquidation, leaving 106 employees out of work and dreams of humanoid robot domination unplugged. Despite two last-minute rescue attempts, Aldebaran couldn’t bounce back from strategic missteps, reliance on foreign investors, and a market that just wasn’t ready. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/robotique-aldebaran-place-en-liquidation-judiciaire-106-salaries-laisses-sur-le-carreau.N2233191?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👎🔞 **Pornhub vs. France: Age Check Stand-Off.** France said **“Verify your age**,**”** and Pornhub said **“Non merci” and** then slammed the door shut. Citing privacy concerns, owner Aylo pulled Pornhub, YouPorn & RedTube from French screens rather than comply with new ID checks. Minister Clara Chappaz clapped back: *“Bon vent.”* Aylo claims the system is intrusive and easily dodged via VPNs (spoiler: teens already know). Meanwhile, France insists: *protect the kids or pack your bags.* EU-wide solution coming this summer. Until then, VPNs are the new incognito mode. | [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/controle-de-l-age-la-france-hausse-le-ton-pornhub-contre-attaque-sur-la-vie-privee.N2233274?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔨✋ This clash is part of a bigger digital crackdown in France. Chappaz has also been pressuring platforms like TikTok to moderate harmful content like “#Skinnytok.” This week, TikTok announced it would suspend research results for the hashtag due to its growing association with content related to dangerous weight loss practices. Used to promote extreme diets, the hashtag often referred to videos that valued risky eating behaviours, especially to a teenage audience. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/tiktok-bloque-skinnytok-sous-la-pression-de-clara-chappaz-en-marge-dune-enquete-europeenne/455125?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💢💬 Meanwhile, **Aurore Bergé**, Minister for Equality between Women and Men, met this week with execs from Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, Youtube and X to give them a stern reminder of their legal obligations to address hate content: “The mission I have been entrusted with is to protect society and our children from hatred. The racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, or anti-LGBT content that proliferates on the Internet is among them.” | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/tout-cela-est-illegal-le-gouvernement-rappelle-les-reseaux-sociaux-a-l-ordre-sur-la-moderation-de-la-haine-en-ligne-20250602?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How Constellation Will Challenge Starlink In The Communication Space Race [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/06/image.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-constellation-will-challenge-starlink-in-the-communication-space-race/) The race to provide global internet coverage from space has largely been dominated by American giants like SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper, along with emerging Chinese competitors. But a French startup believes there's room for a fundamentally different approach, one that works with existing telecom operators rather than against them. Constellation Technologies & Operations (CTO), founded by Charles Delfieux, is developing what it calls a "neutral" satellite constellation that would allow telecom operators worldwide to offer high-speed internet from space using their own 5G spectrum, without the massive capital investments typically required for space infrastructure. In an industry where most satellite internet providers compete directly with traditional telecom companies, CTO's partnership-focused model represents a potentially significant shift that could reshape how space-based connectivity evolves. The stakes are enormous. Despite decades of terrestrial network expansion, millions of people worldwide still lack reliable internet access, particularly in rural and remote areas where extending fiber optic cables and cell towers remains economically challenging. Meanwhile, the satellite internet market is projected to reach tens of billions of dollars in the coming decade, making it one of the most watched sectors in the broader "New Space" economy. [Read more here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-constellation-will-challenge-starlink-in-the-communication-space-race/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Fabriq 🔍 Description: SaaS platform improving daily operational efficiency for shop floor teams 💻 Website: [fabriq.tech](http://fabriq.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €22M 🏦 Investors: OSS Ventures, Expedition Growth Capital, Contribution 👨💼👩💼 Founders: François Déchelette 🗞️ News: [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/fabriq-leve-22-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-saas-de-pilotage-industriel.N2233233?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/fabriq-a-paris-based-scale-up-lands-e22-million-to-become-the-global-standard-in-industrial-performance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/fabriq-leve-22-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-loperating-system-des-usines/455131?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Moments Lab 🔍 Description: AI and cloud-based media valorization platform for media and sports rights-holders 💻 Website: [momentslab.com](https://momentslab.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 Round: Early VC 💰 Amount Raised: €21M 🏦 Investors: Elaia Partners, Orange Ventures, Supernova Invest, Oxx, Kadmos Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Philippe Petitpont, Frédéric Petitpont 🗞️ News: [**Silicon Canals**](https://siliconcanals.com/moments-lab-bags-e21m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Constellation Will Challenge Starlink In The Communication Space Race URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-constellation-will-challenge-starlink-in-the-communication-space-race/ Last updated: 2025-06-05T23:30:33.000Z Constellation Technologies wants to partner with operators to offer space-based internet to help them compete with the SpaceX service. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #33: How GenAI Made Figma Dump Its Roadmap 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-33-how-genai-made-figma-dump-its-roadmap/ Last updated: 2025-06-02T06:00:30.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines 🗞️ Paris-based **Cathay Innovation** has closed a €1 billion fund, its largest to date, aimed at investing in startups using AI to transform key industries like healthcare, finance, and consumer goods. The firm plans to back companies at Series A and B stages, with a global focus but strong European roots. Cathay’s thesis centers on “AI convergence,” the idea that multiple disruptive technologies will combine to accelerate industry-wide transformation. Notable LPs include BNP Paribas, Groupe SEB, and Valeo. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/cathay-innovation-1bn-fund?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ During **President Macron’s** state visit to Singapore, France and Singapore signed a bilateral agreement to deepen collaboration on defense and emerging technologies, including AI. The roadmap includes joint research, cybersecurity cooperation, and support for innovation in dual-use AI technologies. Macron highlighted the deal as a model for “trusted, values-based” partnerships in tech. This aligns with France’s broader strategy to strengthen its Indo-Pacific presence and digital sovereignty. | [**Euronews**](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/05/30/new-france-singapore-deal-is-a-tangible-roadmap-for-defence-and-tech-collaboration-macron-?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Capgemini, Mistral AI, and SAP** have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of generative AI in heavily regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, and public services. The collaboration combines Mistral’s open-weight LLMs with SAP’s enterprise data platforms and Capgemini’s implementation expertise. Their goal is to deliver secure, compliant AI solutions that meet EU standards for data privacy and transparency. Initial use cases include document processing, knowledge management, and virtual assistants. | [**ActuAI**](https://www.actuia.com/en/news/capgemini-mistral-ai-and-sap-join-forces-to-accelerate-genai-adoption-in-regulated-sectors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Hugging Face** introduced two open-source humanoid robots—Le Robot and RoboCat—in partnership with a French robotics lab, aiming to make embodied AI research more accessible. Designed for affordability and modularity, the robots support real-time training of multimodal models in physical environments. Developers can integrate language, vision, and motor control systems directly with Hugging Face tools. This marks a significant step toward democratizing robotics experimentation in the French and global AI ecosystems. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/29/hugging-face-unveils-two-new-humanoid-robots/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Mistral AI** released a new code embedding model that outperforms offerings from OpenAI and Cohere in real-world retrieval and search tasks, marking another leap in the company’s rapid innovation cycle. In addition, Mistral unveiled an API that enables developers to build multi-capability AI agents—capable of running Python code, generating images, and performing RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) tasks. The tools are optimized for integration into enterprise workflows and autonomous agent design. | [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/ai/mistral-launches-new-code-embedding-model-that-outperforms-openai-and-cohere-in-real-world-retrieval-tasks/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other Headlines** **Why French Open (not Wimbledon) is last major resisting AI |** Switch between computers and humans leaves players including Aryna Sabalenka ‘really confused’ as Roland Garros tournament resists electronic line calling. | [**The Times**](https://www.thetimes.com/sport/tennis/article/french-open-line-judges-artificial-intelligence-60srvq9bl?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ### 🧠 Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.' [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-30.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) When Yuhki Yamashita joined Figma six years ago, the collaborative design platform was already transforming how teams create digital products. But nothing could have prepared the Chief Product Officer for the whirlwind of change that generative AI would bring to his industry—and the radical rethinking it would demand of Figma's entire approach to product development. "It's a very, very dynamic landscape right now," Yamashita told me during a recent interview in Paris, just weeks after [Figma's Config 2025](https://www.figma.com/blog/config-2025-press-release/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) conference where the company unveiled an ambitious product expansion. Companies like Figma have built their reputations on methodical, strategic planning. But they now find themselves racing to adapt to AI capabilities that evolve by the month, not year. For design professionals and the broader tech industry, Figma's evolution offers a crucial case study in how established platforms are wrestling with AI's disruptive potential. As teams increasingly question whether they need specialized design tools when AI can generate interfaces from simple prompts, Figma's response reveals both the opportunities and existential challenges facing software companies in the generative AI era. "We've had to transform our culture into one where people are able to play with the latest things and not be too dogmatic about projects and roadmap," Yamashita explained. "They need to adapt to the capabilities that we're seeing out in the market." [Go inside Figma's AI strategy](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/) --- # AI Funding News ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-29.png) 📇 Company: Ankar 🔍 Description: Helping IP and R&D teams streamline patent search, filing, analysis, and infringement detection across the entire IP lifecycle. 💻 Website: [https://ankar.ai/](https://ankar.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: London 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: 3M pounds 🏦 Investors: Index Ventures, Olivier Pomel, Daphni, Julien Chaumond, Motier Ventures, Puzzle Ventures, Booom 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Wiem Gharbi, Tamar Gomez (French co-founders) 🗞️ News: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/palantir-alumni-ankar-ai-patents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/05/28/ankar-raises-3m-seed-to-protect-intellectual-property-with-ai-powered-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Danim 🔍 **Description:** Digital agency using AI to provide communication solutions for real estate professionals. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.danim.com/](https://www.danim.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2m 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Danyl Hassim 🗞️ **News:** [ImmoMatin](https://www.immomatin.com/logiciels/web-agency-immo/exclusif-communication-digitale-danim-leve-2-millions-d-euros.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | **Deadline: June 17** | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | **June 12** | 🚨 Want to 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 in front of Europe's sharpest AI minds? 🧠 150 AI founders, CTOs, AI engineers, researchers & VCs. 🚀 On 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟐, we're turning the lights on at Doctolib’s HQ in Paris, and the brightest GenAI builders will take the stage. | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/paris-demo-night?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE YOUR HACK| July 4-9 |** This is your chance to push boundaries, solve real-world challenges, and create impact at the official hackathon of the [RAISE Summit 2025](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at one of Paris's most iconic venues: **Le Carrousel du Louvre**. **|** [**Sign Up**](https://lablab.ai/event/raise-your-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Wire May 30: Solveo Energie, Quobly, Amplitude Studios & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-30-solveo-energie-quobly-amplitude-studios/ Last updated: 2025-06-01T09:00:18.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 Company: Solveo Energie 🔍 Description: Renewable energy, specifically wind energy 💻 Website: [http://solveo-energie.com](http://solveo-energie.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Fenouillet 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €98M 🏦 Investors: Mirova 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Marc Mateos 🗞️ News: [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/clean-energy-producer-solveo-raises-e98-million/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Quobly 🔍 **Description:** Quantum computing startup developing scalable silicon-based 100-qubit chip technology. 💻 **Website:** [https://quobly.io](https://quobly.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Series A 💰 **Amount Raised:** €21m 🏦 **Investors:** Quantonation, Bpifrance, Supernova Invest, 50 Partners, CEA Investissement, Fonds Innovation Défense 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** François Perruchot, Maud Vinet, and Tristan Meunier 🗞️ **News:** [Data Center Dynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/french-quantum-startup-quobly-raises-21m-for-development-of-100-qubit-chip/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Quobly](https://quobly.io/news/a-new-e21m-funding-round-for-quoblys-q100t-quantum-technology-project/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Amplitude Studios 🔍 Description: PC games and development 💻 Website: [https://www.amplitude-studios.com](https://www.amplitude-studios.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €12M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Griffin Gaming Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain de Waubert de Genlis 🗞️ News: [**GamesBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/games/amplitude-studios-raises-over-13m-to-fund-upcoming-games/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Hemerion Therapeutics 🔍 Description: Innovative technology for treating glioblastoma and advancing cancer therapies 💻 Website: [https://www.hemerion.com/](https://www.hemerion.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Villeneuve-d'Ascq 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €6.5M 🏦 Investors: Capital Cell, Finovam, Nord France Amorçage, CAPTECH Santé Nutrition 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Serge Mordon 🗞️ News: [**PR**](https://hemerion.com/press-releases/new-cancer-treatments-hemerion-secures-euros-6-5-million-sets-sights-on-next-fundraising-push/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Kyron.bio 🔍 Description: Bioproduction platform enhancing therapeutic drug yield and stability for life-saving treatments 💻 Website: [https://www.kyron.bio/](https://www.kyron.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €5.5M 🏦 Investors: Verve Ventures, Entrepreneur First, HCVC, Saras Capital 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Emilia McLaughlin, Vaibhav Longani 🗞️ News: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/kyron-bio-leve-55-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-glyco-ingenierie-therapeutique/454897?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Dastra 🔍 Description: SaaS software enabling organizations to comply with privacy laws such as GDPR 💻 Website: [http://dastra.eu](http://dastra.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Saint-Mandé 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: €4.3M 🏦 Investors: C4 Ventures, Adnexus 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Paul-Emmanuel Bidault, Romain Bidault 🗞️ News: [**Planet Fintech**](https://www.planet-fintech.com/Privacy-et-AI-Compliance-Dastra-leve-43-M-pour-poursuivre-sa-croissance-europeenne%5Fa6181.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Ecomer 🔍 **Description:** Developer of maritime safety equipment and software solutions aimed at decarbonizing professional shipping fleets. 💻 **Website:** [https://ecomer-data.fr/](https://ecomer-data.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Nantes 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2m 🏦 **Investors:** Bpifrance (Fonds de Décarbonation de la Filière Maritime), Mer Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Geoffroy Lacoin, Jean Brossollet 🗞️ **News:** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bpifrance-smallcap%5Fbpifrance-small-cap-x-ecomer-cp-20250520-ugcPost-7330590337582657538-uBRG?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company:** Novem 🔍 **Description:** Biotech startup using Grenoble walnuts for use in sustainable cosmetics. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.novemlab.co/en](https://www.novemlab.co/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Grenoble 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €638k 🏦 **Investors:** Grenoble Angels, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Maegan Rocca 🗞️ **News:** [Lyon Entreprises](https://www.lyon-entreprises.com/actualites/article/novem-leve-638-000-euros-avec-grenoble-angels-pour-valoriser-la-noix-de-grenoble-en-cosmetique?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company:** Danim 🔍 **Description:** Digital agency using AI to provide communication solutions for real estate professionals. 💻 **Website:** [https://www.danim.com/](https://www.danim.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Lyon 🧗 **Round:** Seed 💰 **Amount Raised:** €2m 🏦 **Investors:** Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders:** Danyl Hassim 🗞️ **News:** [ImmoMatin](https://www.immomatin.com/logiciels/web-agency-immo/exclusif-communication-digitale-danim-leve-2-millions-d-euros.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ## **Other Funding News** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-28.png) 📇 Company: Ankar 🔍 Description: Helping IP and R&D teams streamline patent search, filing, analysis, and infringement detection across the entire IP lifecycle. 💻 Website: [https://ankar.ai/](https://ankar.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: London 🧗 Round: Seed 💰 Amount Raised: 3M pounds 🏦 Investors: Index Ventures, Olivier Pomel, Daphni, Julien Chaumond, Motier Ventures, Puzzle Ventures, Booom 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Wiem Gharbi, Tamar Gomez (French co-founders) 🗞️ News: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/palantir-alumni-ankar-ai-patents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/05/28/ankar-raises-3m-seed-to-protect-intellectual-property-with-ai-powered-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: TreeFrog Therapeutics 🔍 Description: Stem cell company enabling broader patient access to cell therapies 💻 Website: [https://treefrog.fr](https://treefrog.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Pessac 🧗 Round: Quasi-Equity 💰 Amount Raised: €30M 🏦 Investors: European Investment Bank 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Kévin Alessandri, Jean-Luc Treillou, Erwan Bezard 🗞️ News: This financing is part of a new model set up by the EIB for biotechs, in this case to support ongoing trials. Unlike conventional debt, quasi-equity allows for increased financial flexibility without immediate dilution of capital. ### Figma's CPO On Navigating The GenAI Revolution: 'It's A Very Dynamic Landscape.' URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/figmas-cpo-on-navigating-the-genai-revolution-its-a-very-dynamic-landscape/ Last updated: 2025-05-31T19:21:08.000Z Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita discusses how the design company abandoned its traditional planning process to build AI-powered products as it adapts to the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Fast Fashion Fight Fizzles URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-fast-fashion-fight-fizzles/ Last updated: 2025-05-30T06:00:35.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Deep Dive** — France’s much-anticipated “fast fashion” bill heads to the Senate on June 10, but the mood is shifting. Once celebrated as a bold move toward sustainable textiles, the law now faces criticism for being watered down. [Will it rein in ultra-fast online fashion giants like Shein and Temu - or simply let them off the hook?](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/fast-fashion-will-frances-new-law-risks-be-ineffective/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 ☝️🇪🇺 **Choose Europe…to finally scale your startup?** Brussels just dropped its boldest startup strategy yet: the “EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy,” part of the wider *Choose Europe* initiative. The aim? Make Europe the world’s best place to launch, grow, and *actually* scale a business - without drowning in red tape or hopping between 27 different tax codes. The plan hits five big themes: **friendlier regulation**, **better access to finance** (hello, Scaleup Europe Fund), **faster market entry, easier talent recruitment** (Blue Carpet visa anyone?), and **smoother access to infra and networks**. They’re even rolling out a “European Business Wallet” to give startups a digital ID for dealing with bureaucracy. Très sexy. 💅 A proposed “28th regime” would harmonise rules around insolvency, labor, and taxation, finally offering a pan-EU legal framework that doesn’t require founders to triple as legal scholars. There’s also a new push to turn university research into spinouts via the **“Lab to Unicorn” program**. It’s ambitious, it’s overdue, and it’s loaded with acronyms. Now all that’s left is for the Commission to actually *do it!* | [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/05/28/new-eu-strategy-aims-to-remove-startup-bottlenecks-and-boost-europe-s-innovation-lifecycle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) |[**Les Echos** ](https://tech.eu/2025/05/28/new-eu-strategy-aims-to-remove-startup-bottlenecks-and-boost-europe-s-innovation-lifecycle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)| [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/05/european-commission-announces-new-strategy-choose-europe-to-start-and-scale-to-retain-and-grow-startups/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☝️💼 **Alan storms Bercy and ruffles some feathers** *.* Healthtech unicorn Alan just won a major public contract to handle health coverage for **130,000 active agents at the Ministry of Finance,** booting out legacy mutual MGEFI (Matmut group) in the process. It’s a big win for the digital-first startup, already covering the Élysée and several ministries. But not everyone’s clapping: unions are grumbling over the loss of the old-school mutualist model (think local outreach and prevention programs) in favor of a sleek app and no-nonsense UX. Matmut, not thrilled, is eyeing legal options. Bureaucracy just got a tech upgrade - and a side of controversy. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/26/alan-gagne-le-contrat-historique-du-ministere-de-leconomie/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☝️🕵️‍♂️ **Crypto kidnappings get (even more) real.** French police foiled another crypto-linked kidnapping in Nantes and arrested over 20 suspects tied to a string of violent abductions. Victims include the daughter of Paymium’s CEO and the father of a poker player, both targeted for ransom by a shadowy network using pseudonymous masterminds and teenage foot soldiers. The crypto community is sounding the alarm. Ledger’s [Eric Larchevêque](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericlarch/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) met with the Interior Ministry, which now promises boosted protection and a dedicated emergency line. A new law to better protect founders (and their home addresses) is also on the way. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/27/cryptomonnaies-une-dizaine-dinterpellations-suite-a-la-serie-de-kidnappings/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☝️🛸 **OVNI lands €60M to fund the strange and scalable.** French VC firm OVNI Capital (OVNI: *objet volant non identif*é, or UFO) just raised a €60M fund with backing from Bpifrance, PwC, and over 200 angels (yes, including DJ/producer Martin Solveig, because why not?). Their pitch? Backing startups that are slightly weird and wildly ambitious. They’re already in on Axeptio (GDPR made sexy?), Spaictra (biotech), and Epyr (thermal energy). Bonus: investor and startup whisperer [Marie Outtier ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marieouttier/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)is joining as General Partner. Beam us up! | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/marie-outtier-ovni-capital?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👎💻 **OpenClassrooms hits Ctrl+Layoff.** The edtech darling is saying goodbye to around 50 employees this week. After a rough patch in 2024, the pivot toward profitability is real and ruthless. No word yet if the departing staff got a goodbye course titled “Surviving Startups 101.” | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/openclassrooms-reduit-ses-effectifs-d-un-quart.N2121446?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎂💛 **Bpifrance turns 10—and flexes hard.** France’s state investment bank just celebrated a decade of backing the bold with a cool €10 billion invested in startups since its inception. From deeptech to green energy to the AI boom, Bpifrance has been quietly (and sometimes not-so-quietly) fuelling the nation’s innovation machine. Love them or grumble about them, they’re the wallet behind a whole lot of French Tech ambition. **Joyeux anniversaire Bpifrance!!** 🎉🎂 --- # E-commerce Fast Fashion: Is France's New Law Potentially Ineffective? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/Impact-France-1.jpeg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/fast-fashion-will-frances-new-law-risks-be-ineffective/) As France gears up for a crucial Senate vote on June 10th, hopes around the much-anticipated “fast fashion” law — unanimously passed by the National Assembly in March 2024 — are starting to fade somewhat. According to [Impact France](https://www.impactfrance.eco/qui-sommes-nous?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the bill aimed at curbing the environmental devastation caused by the textile industry and, in particular, online ultra-fast fashion brands, has been significantly weakened in a parliamentary committee. Key provisions, such as a ban on fast fashion advertising and strict environmental penalties, may be diluted or dropped altogether. Critics fear the law could morph into a symbolic gesture: targeting a few high-profile players like Shein and Temu while sparing European brands with similar mass-production models. Supporters of the original bill argue that a robust, enforceable framework is essential not just for the environment, but to protect French industry from a race to the bottom. With the textile sector already on the brink, this vote may well decide whether France leads the sustainable fashion charge or gets swept away in the tide. [Read more here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/fast-fashion-will-frances-new-law-risks-be-ineffective/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 Company: Solveo Energie 🔍 Description: Renewable energy, specifically wind energy 💻 Website: [http://solveo-energie.com](http://solveo-energie.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Fenouillet 🧗 Round: Late VC 💰 Amount Raised: €98M 🏦 Investors: Mirova 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Jean-Marc Mateos 🗞️ News: [**ESG Today**](https://www.esgtoday.com/clean-energy-producer-solveo-raises-e98-million/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 Company: Amplitude Studios 🔍 Description: PC games and development 💻 Website: [https://www.amplitude-studios.com](https://www.amplitude-studios.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 HQ City: Paris 🧗 Round: Series A 💰 Amount Raised: €12M 🏦 Investors: Bpifrance, Griffin Gaming Partners 👨💼👩💼 Founders: Romain de Waubert de Genlis 🗞️ News: [**GamesBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/games/amplitude-studios-raises-over-13m-to-fund-upcoming-games/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Fast Fashion: Is France’s New E-Commerce Law Ineffective? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/fast-fashion-will-frances-new-law-risks-be-ineffective/ Last updated: 2025-05-30T02:33:28.000Z As France prepares for a Senate vote on June 10, concerns mount over a weakened “fast fashion” bill. Once hailed as a bold step toward sustainable textiles, recent amendments risk undermining its impact and allowing ultra-fast fashion giants to continue unchecked. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #32: Can AI Make Corporate Training Not Suck? 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-32-can-ai-make-corporate-training-not-suck/ Last updated: 2025-05-26T06:30:23.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines 🗞️ At the 2025 **Choose France** Summit last week, head cheerleader President Emmanuel Macron hosted more than 200 international business leaders and announced €20 billion in new foreign investments. At the heart of this year’s announcements was artificial intelligence (AI), with €17 billion dedicated to bolstering AI capabilities and infrastructure as part of France’s ambition to become a global hub for AI innovation and data infrastructure. Leading the charge was **NVIDIA**, which announced the creation of a major AI research and development campus in France with partners MGX, Bpifrance, and Mistral AI. Dubbed an “AI center of excellence,” the facility will focus on advanced computing and AI model development, significantly expanding NVIDIA’s European presence and strengthening collaboration with French academic and research institutions. The **Canadian investment fund Brookfield**, in partnership with French data center company Data4, confirmed a €10 billion investment in a one-gigawatt data center campus in Cambrai, North France. This “AI campus” is poised to become one of Europe’s most powerful data centers, creating an estimated 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. **Digital Realty**, a U.S. data center giant, followed suit with a €2.3 billion investment to build two new facilities in Dugny (Seine-Saint-Denis) and Marseille. Together, these projects reinforce France’s strategic priority to accelerate the buildout of AI-ready digital infrastructure, particularly through fast-tracked site permitting and energy connections. **Cisco Systems** announced a €100 million investment to establish a **Global AI Center** in Paris. This hub will focus on developing AI solutions for cybersecurity and networks, while also supporting local innovation through partnerships with French startups and universities. **Kyndryl**, the IBM spin-off focused on infrastructure and digital services, revealed a €100 million package for its AI, data, and cyber resilience center in Sophia Antipolis. The initiative aims to prepare France’s economic fabric for the next era of digital transformation and will involve hiring 300 specialists. Macron also announced that the French government expanded its AI land bank from 35 to 50 pre-approved sites, with accelerated permitting and utility access. This “fast-lane” policy is designed to support the rapid deployment of AI data centers and infrastructure as France seeks to remain competitive in the global AI landscape. 🗞️ **PhotoRoom**, known for its slick background-removal tool, has just made its first-ever acquisition by scooping up Swedish competitor **Swish**. This strategic move bolsters PhotoRoom’s image editing tech and reinforces its ambition to dominate the global creative AI market. The deal also brings on board a top-notch team of engineers, especially experts in generative AI. With over 150 million downloads already under its belt, PhotoRoom is looking for ways to expand its utility to users. CEO Matthieu Rouif called it a “perfect match” to scale even faster. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/22/photoroom-procede-au-premier-rachat-de-son-histoire/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Qubit and Sorbonne dropped the “ChatGPT of molecular chemistry.”** French deeptech startup **Qubit Pharmaceuticals** and **Sorbonne Université** just launched **FeNNix-Bio1**, an AI foundation model for molecular simulation that might, just might, change drug discovery **forever.** Trained on the world’s most accurate chemistry dataset (yes, really), FeNNix-Bio1 can simulate how molecules behave and interact, slashing lab time and costs. The model promises quantum-level precision without the quantum price tag, and could outmatch Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold in modeling dynamic protein interactions. Applications? Pharma, enzyme design, desalination tech, battery innovation… the list goes on. Qubit is now eyeing the holy grail: **quantum AI**. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/la-start-up-qubit-pharmaceuticals-et-sorbonne-universite-devoilent-un-chatgpt-de-physique-chimie-2166210?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Tech Eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/05/20/qubit-pharmaceuticals-harnesses-quantum-ai-to-crack-chemistrys-greatest-challenges/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ On **June 16–17**, the Sorbonne will host **PCAIDE 2025** \- Paris’s most highbrow AI & ethics summit yet. Expect heavyweight names and heavyweight questions: Can blockchain fix democracy? Is AI ruining our vibe? The theme: **“Threats to Political Systems & Emerging Fixes to Rebuild Trust.”** On the main menu: **AI-powered disinformation,** foreign interference, social cohesion, and tech that (maybe) saves us. The speaker list reads like a Netflix docu-series waiting to happen: **Eric Schmidt** (ex-Google), **Anne Neuberger** (White House tech whisperer), **OpenAI’s Joaquin Quiñonero Candela**, **EU AI policy boss Lucilla Sioli**, **Julia Angwin** (NYT), **Laura Manley** (Harvard), and a host of other brainy folks from **CNRS**, **CEA**, and **Stanford.** More than a chinwag, PCAIDE aims to reboot trust in digital society — before it’s too late. Check it out:📍[**paris-conference.com**](https://paris-conference.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Alexa, but make it ethical.** Brest-based **OSO-AI** and healthcare giant **VYV3** are teaming up to roll out an “augmented ear” across care homes — think AI-powered sound detection that spots falls, distress, or weird noises *without* cameras. It’s ambient intelligence with a heart (and serious signal processing). The wall-mounted system listens for over 150 sound types — from coughs to crashes — and instantly pings caregivers via tablet or phone. After tests in 500+ rooms, VYV3 is now scaling up. No surprise OSO-AI has scooped up awards *and* €14M in funding — with co-founder **Claude Berrou** (yep, the error-correcting code legend) on board, this tech is basically MIT-level eavesdropping… for good. |[**Actu AI**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/oso-ai-et-vyv3-un-partenariat-strategique-au-service-des-soignants/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **From Abu Dhabi to Palaiseau, with LLMs.** The Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI (**MBZUAI**) and **École Polytechnique** are doubling down on their collab — and it’s not just about student exchanges (though those are happening too). This upgraded partnership includes joint research on large language models, foundation models for reasoning, and AI applications in health, bio, and security. MBZUAI’s Paris lab — already behind **Atlas-Chat**, a Darija-speaking open-source chatbot — is part of the push. And with France building Europe’s biggest AI campus (with Emirati backing, no less), this alliance is less academic formality and more geopolitical AI power move. Future of AI? Très binational.| [**Actu AI**](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/mbzuai-et-lecole-polytechnique-renforcent-leur-partenariat-dans-le-domaine-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ### 🧠 Didask Raises €10M to Reinvent Corporate Learning with AI and Cognitive Science [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-27.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/didaskraises-eu10m-to-reinvent-corporate-learning-with-ai-and-cognitive-science/) ©Didask As global demand for workplace training soars, French edtech company [**Didask**](https://www.didask.com/en?utm%5Fcustom[utm%5Fcampaign]=adwords-20963063990&utm%5Fcustom[utm%5Fmedium]=adwords%5Fg&ad%5Fgroup%5Fid=161901501350&ad%5Fid=742426204535&utm%5Fcustom[utm%5Fsource]=didask&utm%5Fterm=didask&utm%5Fcampaign=20963063990&utm%5Fcampaign=MCW-Search&utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=ppc&hsa%5Facc=8412153137&hsa%5Fcam=20963063990&hsa%5Fgrp=161901501350&hsa%5Fad=742426204535&hsa%5Fsrc=g&hsa%5Ftgt=kwd-1211955508028&hsa%5Fkw=didask&hsa%5Fmt=e&hsa%5Fnet=adwords&hsa%5Fver=3&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=20963063990&gbraid=0AAAAACyBC9zX6eK0vf4YLgU6brUdL0yvO&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpOuO-4K%5FjQMV0FtBAh0xzytNEAAYASAAEgLr1PD%5FBwE) is doubling down on its mission to make corporate learning both highly efficient and scalable. The Paris-based startup has just closed a €10 million Series A funding round, led by Atlantic Vantage Point (AVP) and Citizen Capital, with backing from MAIF Impact, JuneX, and longtime investor Takara Capital. Mentioning the raise in a LinkedIn post this week, Didask CEO and co-founder[ Son Ly,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/son-ly/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) modestly stated, “A fundraising round is never an end in itself, it’s just a way to move forward in our mission that involves making it for everyone to learn effectively and to continue developing their skills throughout their working life.” Several e-learning platforms have made headlines over the past few years. With this in mind, we decided to catch up with Son Ly and find out why he thinks Didask’s model is different. [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/didaskraises-eu10m-to-reinvent-corporate-learning-with-ai-and-cognitive-science/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Veesion 🔍 **Description**: Detects all thefts automatically in real-time using AI-powered video analysis. 💻 **Website**: [https://veesion.io](https://veesion.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €38 million 🏦 **Investors**: White Star Capital, Bpifrance, Odyssée Venture, Red River West, Founders Future, Verve Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault David, Damien Menigaux, Benoit Koenig 🗞️ **News**: The funding will support Veesion's international expansion and further product development. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/05/paris-based-veesion-raises-e53-million-to-stop-shoplifting-with-ai-that-understands-gestures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: SeqOne 🔍 **Description**: Improving patient outcomes by making improved genomic analysis accessible to all through AI. 💻 **Website**: [https://seqone.com/](https://seqone.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montpellier 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20M 🏦 **Investors**: Supernova Invest, Mérieux Equity Partners, Elaia, Omnes 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Martin Dubuc, Nicholas Philip 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/22/seqone-leve-20-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-medecins-a-mieux-detecter-les-cancers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Didask 🔍 **Description**: Platform that allows users to create digital learning modules focused on transmitting essential knowledge. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.didask.com](https://www.didask.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bagnolet 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Atlantic Vantage Point, Takara Capital, Citizen Capital, MAIF Impact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Riegert, Son Ly, Philip Moore 🗞️ **News**: The company will expand its educational content offering and grow its customer base across the education sector. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/didaskraises-eu10m-to-reinvent-corporate-learning-with-ai-and-cognitive-science/) --- 📇 **Company**: Tilt Energy 🔍 **Description**: Developing an artificial intelligence software layer that can better distribute the use of electricity. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.tilt-energy.com/](https://www.tilt-energy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5m 🏦 **Investors**: Daphni, Founders Future, Ventech 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Romain Serres 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/22/tilt-energy-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-mieux-gerer-les-pics-de-consommation-electrique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: TamTam 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered sales intelligence platform enhancing strategic selling with precise research mapping and ROI-driven insights. 💻 **Website**: [http://tamtam.ai/](http://tamtam.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Varsity, Kima Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Edouard Epaud, François Misslin 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/21/tamtam-leve-trois-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-commerciaux-a-closer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Noota 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered meeting assistant for note-taking, transcription, and decision tracking. 💻 **Website**: [http://noota.io](http://noota.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Blast Club, Sharpstone Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexandre Duffaut, Darius Al Naddaf 🗞️ **News**: The new funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand market reach in Europe. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/noota-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-les-reunions-grace-a-lia/454681?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Feedgy 🔍 **Description**: Optimizes photovoltaic plant performance through energy analytics and AI-based tools. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.feedgy.solar](https://www.feedgy.solar/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Santander Alternative Investments 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Harold Darras 🗞️ **News**: The funding will be used to enhance Feedgy’s AI engine and expand its customer base across Europe. | [**MSN**](https://www.msn.com/es-es/dinero/noticias/santander-invierte-1-5-millones-en-la-francesa-feedgy/ar-AA1F3bLo?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (Spanish) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | **Deadline: June 17** | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Emerging AI: Pitch competition France Regionals |** Join HubSpot for Startups, our ecosystem guests, and VCs in this exciting global competition dedicated to discovering new AI startups. We hope to find and support the next great innovation in AI and offer a global platform to the best founders of France. The founder/winner of France will have the opportunity to present at our world final in June and win a cash prize of $6000, as well as $100,000 in free software. | **Deadline: May 22 |** [**Apply**](https://offers.hubspot.com/startups/emerging-ai-pitch-competition-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | **June 12** | 🚨 Want to 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 in front of Europe's sharpest AI minds? 🧠 150 AI founders, CTOs, AI engineers, researchers & VCs. 🚀 On 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟐, we're turning the lights on at Doctolib’s HQ in Paris, and the brightest GenAI builders will take the stage. | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/paris-demo-night?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE YOUR HACK| July 4-9 |** This is your chance to push boundaries, solve real-world challenges, and create impact at the official hackathon of the [RAISE Summit 2025](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at one of Paris's most iconic venues: **Le Carrousel du Louvre**. **|** [**Sign Up**](https://lablab.ai/event/raise-your-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Wire May 23: Veesion, Didask, Noota & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-23-veesion-didask-noota-more/ Last updated: 2025-05-26T02:35:58.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: Veesion 🔍 **Description**: Detects all thefts automatically in real-time using AI-powered video analysis. 💻 **Website**: [https://veesion.io](https://veesion.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €38 million 🏦 **Investors**: White Star Capital, Bpifrance, Odyssée Venture, Red River West, Founders Future, Verve Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault David, Damien Menigaux, Benoit Koenig 🗞️ **News**: The funding will support Veesion's international expansion and further product development. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/05/paris-based-veesion-raises-e53-million-to-stop-shoplifting-with-ai-that-understands-gestures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: SeqOne 🔍 **Description**: Improving patient outcomes by making improved genomic analysis accessible to all through AI. 💻 **Website**: [https://seqone.com/](https://seqone.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montpellier 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20M 🏦 **Investors**: Supernova Invest, Mérieux Equity Partners, Elaia, Omnes 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Martin Dubuc, Nicholas Philip 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/22/seqone-leve-20-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-medecins-a-mieux-detecter-les-cancers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Memority 🔍 **Description**: Offering a European IDaaS (Identity-as-a-Service). 💻 **Website**: [https://www.memority.eu/](https://www.memority.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €13M 🏦 **Investors**: Tikehau Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gilles Castéran and Francis Grégoire 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/22/seqone-leve-20-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-medecins-a-mieux-detecter-les-cancers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Didask 🔍 **Description**: Platform that allows users to create digital learning modules focused on transmitting essential knowledge. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.didask.com](https://www.didask.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bagnolet 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Atlantic Vantage Point, Takara Capital, Citizen Capital, MAIF Impact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Riegert, Son Ly, Philip Moore 🗞️ **News**: The company will expand its educational content offering and grow its customer base across the education sector. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/didaskraises-eu10m-to-reinvent-corporate-learning-with-ai-and-cognitive-science/) --- 📇 **Company**: Tilt Energy 🔍 **Description**: Developing an artificial intelligence software layer that can better distribute the use of electricity. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.tilt-energy.com/](https://www.tilt-energy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5m 🏦 **Investors**: Daphni, Founders Future, Ventech 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Romain Serres 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/22/tilt-energy-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-mieux-gerer-les-pics-de-consommation-electrique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: TETMET 🔍 **Description**: Manufacturing technology for ultra-light structures using drastically less material and energy. 💻 **Website**: [https://tetmet.net](https://tetmet.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Puteaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Tom Vroemen 🗞️ **News**: The funds will be used to scale production and commercialize TETMET’s sustainable manufacturing process. --- 📇 **Company**: TamTam 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered sales intelligence platform enhancing strategic selling with precise research mapping and ROI-driven insights. 💻 **Website**: [http://tamtam.ai/](http://tamtam.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Varsity, Kima Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Edouard Epaud, François Misslin 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/21/tamtam-leve-trois-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-commerciaux-a-closer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Noota 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered meeting assistant for note-taking, transcription, and decision tracking. 💻 **Website**: [http://noota.io](http://noota.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Blast Club, Sharpstone Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexandre Duffaut, Darius Al Naddaf 🗞️ **News**: The new funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand market reach in Europe. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/noota-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-les-reunions-grace-a-lia/454681?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Ensweet 🔍 **Description**: Provides digital rehabilitation solutions through a connected platform for physiotherapists and patients. 💻 **Website**: [http://ensweet.fr](http://ensweet.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France (not specified) 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: 50 Partners, Angels Santé, Finovam, Nord France Amorçage, AG2R LA MONDIALE, Mutuelles Impact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Fabien Watrelot 🗞️ **News**: Funds will support product enhancements and help expand across rehabilitation networks. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/telemedecine-active-ensweet-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-readapter-60-000-patients-par-an-dici-5-ans/454635?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: PyxiScience 🔍 **Description**: Develops an interactive science learning platform for students, pupils, and educators. 💻 **Website**: [https://pyxiscience.fr](https://pyxiscience.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Villepinte, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Newfund, Inco Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Joachim Lebovits, Jacques Lévy Véhel 🗞️ **News**: The company plans to expand its content offering and educational reach throughout the Francophone world. | [**StartupRise**](https://startuprise.co.uk/pyxiscience-funding-news-paris-edtech-startup-pyxiscience-nets-e2m-to-innovate-math-learning-with-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Feedgy 🔍 **Description**: Optimizes photovoltaic plant performance through energy analytics and AI-based tools. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.feedgy.solar](https://www.feedgy.solar/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Santander Alternative Investments 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Harold Darras 🗞️ **News**: The funding will be used to enhance Feedgy’s AI engine and expand its customer base across Europe. | [**MSN**](https://www.msn.com/es-es/dinero/noticias/santander-invierte-1-5-millones-en-la-francesa-feedgy/ar-AA1F3bLo?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (Spanish) --- 📇 **Company**: Kumulus 🔍 **Description**: Develops atmospheric water generators to provide cost-effective and sustainable potable water. 💻 **Website**: [http://kumuluswater.com](http://kumuluswater.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris + Tunis 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Iheb Triki, Mohamed Ali Abid 🗞️ **News**: The company will use the funding to scale production and deploy its water generators in arid and underserved regions. | [**RetailTrade**](https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/food/spadel-invests-in-startup-that-extracts-drinking-water-from-the-air/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Didask Raises €10M to Reinvent Corporate Learning with AI and Cognitive Science URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/didaskraises-eu10m-to-reinvent-corporate-learning-with-ai-and-cognitive-science/ Last updated: 2025-05-28T08:18:26.000Z Didask just raised €10M to revamp the world of corporate training and make e-learning actually work. With AI that thinks like a teacher (not a robot) and lessons that stick, the French startup is out to prove that real learning beats pretty slides every time. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Will Diamond Dreams Power The Future? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-will-diamond-dreams-power-the-future/ Last updated: 2025-05-23T06:00:43.000Z 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Deep Dive:** A pioneering startup is harnessing synthetic diamonds to revolutionize power electronics. With unmatched thermal and voltage properties, DiamFab aims to outperform silicon carbide, accelerating EVs, renewables, and the global energy transition. [Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Ivan Llaurado explains the science behind this Grenoble-based startup.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/diamond-dreams-how-diamfab-plans-revolutionize-electric-vehicles-clean-energy/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/1200_628-2.png)](https://vivatechnology.com/vivatech-nvidia-gtc-paris?ca=MEDIA&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=NVIDIA) NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hits the Dome Stage at VivaTech for his GTC Paris keynote on June 11\. Expect insights, surprises, and major AI reveals from NVIDIA & one of tech’s most visionary leaders. [I'M IN! ](https://vivatechnology.com/vivatech-nvidia-gtc-paris?ca=MEDIA&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=NVIDIA) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 ☝️🇪🇺 **Digital sovereignty or bust?** This week, 300 French organizations - including startups, public bodies (French Tech, Hexatrust...), corporates (Airbus, Orange...) and tech heavyweights (OVH Cloud, Mistral AI..) dropped a *“manifesto”* for European tech independence. The goal? Break free from the grip of U.S. and Chinese tech superpowers and reclaim control over French data, infrastructure, and destiny. The paper, entitled **"For French and European Digital Sovereignty and Strategic Autonomy"** and spearheaded by the [**Innovation Makers Alliance** (IMA),](https://www.ima-dt.org/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) includes **33 practical recommendations** to boost EU digital sovereignty, think: a European small business act, sovereign AI infrastructure, a unified cloud, and better startup-corporate matchmaking platforms. “*There are obvious threats and signs of a tech cold war,*” warned IMA’s CSO Christophe Grosbost, pointing fingers at U.S. export controls on GPUs and Meta’s rollback on moderation tools in Europe. The takeaway: Europe needs to stop waiting for all 27 members to agree on a digital strategy and start building autonomy now. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/le-risque-de-guerre-froide-technologique-est-reel-300-entreprises-francaises-se-mobilisent-pour-la-souverainete-numerique-2166701?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**L’Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/300-organisations-francaises-veulent-accelerer-au-sujet-de-la-souverainete-numerique-europeenne.N2232313?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☝️📊 **Paris leapfrogs London as Europe’s startup capital.** According to **Dealroom's** newly published [**Global Tech Ecosystem Index 2025**,](https://dealroom.co/uploaded/2025/05/Dealroom-Global-Tech-Ecosystem-Index-2025.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Paris** **just overtook** **London** as the **#1 startup hub in Europe** — and is now *fourth globally* behind Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. While London still brings in more cash ($11B in 2024 vs. Paris’s $5.9B), the City of Light is growing faster in unicorns, AI talent, and enterprise value. It helps that **Paris is crushing it in AI**: companies like **Mistral** and **Poolside** raised mega-rounds in the last year, and schools like Polytechnique are pumping out top-tier AI grads. Plus, Macron’s decade-long push to turn France into a “startup nation” is paying off - Vive Pareee! | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/paris-london-startup-hub-dealroom?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ☝️🛰️From would-be astronaut to tech crusader. **Maya Noël**, the outspoken advocate for startups and General Delegate of France Digitale, just received one of France’s highest honors: she’s now officially a **Chevalière de l’Ordre National du Mérite**. A tireless voice for a more sovereign, inclusive, and human-centric tech ecosystem, Maya’s not afraid of debate. From taking selfies at her own award ceremony to wrestling policy in Brussels, she proves you can drive change *and* have fun doing it. Félicitations to Maya. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mayanoelpro%5Fme-voici-donc-chevali%C3%A8re-quelle-plus-activity-7330974467344535553-A3iQ?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAUKLzABMJOJvDn0SgtXmFAlaJPxYO3raLE) 👎🚗 **No more spark: Lormauto shuts down. Lormauto**, the Normandy startup known for electrifying vintage Renault Twingos, has officially been unplugged. A Caen court placed the company into liquidation this week. Despite a charming retro-futurist pitch -recycling old gas guzzlers into eco-friendly EVs - the startup ran out of runway. Sad trombone for French clean mobility. | [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/automobile/fin-de-partie-pour-le-normand-lormauto-porte-etendard-du-retrofit-electrique-1025534.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: How DiamFab Plans to Revolutionize Electric Vehicles and Clean Energy [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-26.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/diamond-dreams-how-diamfab-plans-revolutionize-electric-vehicles-clean-energy/) In a modest clean room in Grenoble, France, a team of engineers is working on technology that could fundamentally transform how we manage electricity, from the power grids that light our cities to the electronics in electric vehicles. Their secret weapon? Synthetic diamonds. [DiamFab](https://diamfab.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a spin-off from France's prestigious CNRS research institute, is betting that synthetic diamond will become the next breakthrough semiconductor material, potentially outperforming silicon carbide by a factor of 50 in key applications. With €8.7 million in funding and a pilot production line under construction, the company is racing to prove that after decades of laboratory promise, diamond semiconductors are finally ready for prime time. As the world pours $1.8 trillion annually into the energy transition, more efficient power electronics could accelerate everything from renewable energy adoption to electric vehicle performance. Diamond's exceptional properties include the highest known thermal conductivity and an ultra-wide bandgap. That combination makes it theoretically ideal for handling high voltages and extreme temperatures that would destroy conventional semiconductors. "The market already exists," said Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Ivan Llaurado. "We are making a technology with a new material that basically makes the same functionality, but much better." [Go inside DiamFab](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/diamond-dreams-how-diamfab-plans-revolutionize-electric-vehicles-clean-energy/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Veesion 🔍 **Description**: Detects all thefts automatically in real-time using AI-powered video analysis. 💻 **Website**: [https://veesion.io](https://veesion.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €38 million 🏦 **Investors**: White Star Capital, Bpifrance, Odyssée Venture, Red River West, Founders Future, Verve Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault David, Damien Menigaux, Benoit Koenig 🗞️ **News**: The funding will support Veesion's international expansion and further product development. | [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/05/paris-based-veesion-raises-e53-million-to-stop-shoplifting-with-ai-that-understands-gestures/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Didask 🔍 **Description**: Platform that allows users to create digital learning modules focused on transmitting essential knowledge. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.didask.com](https://www.didask.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bagnolet 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Atlantic Vantage Point, Takara Capital, Citizen Capital, MAIF Impact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Riegert, Son Ly, Philip Moore 🗞️ **News**: The company will expand its educational content offering and grow its customer base across the education sector. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/didask-veut-rendre-la-formation-en-ligne-plus-efficace-grace-a-lia-et-leve-10-millions-deuros/454640?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: TETMET 🔍 **Description**: Manufacturing technology for ultra-light structures using drastically less material and energy. 💻 **Website**: [https://tetmet.net](https://tetmet.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Puteaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Tom Vroemen 🗞️ **News**: The funds will be used to scale production and commercialize TETMET’s sustainable manufacturing process. --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Diamond Dreams: How DiamFab Plans to Revolutionize Electric Vehicles and Clean Energy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/diamond-dreams-how-diamfab-plans-revolutionize-electric-vehicles-clean-energy/ Last updated: 2025-05-23T02:02:26.000Z A pioneering startup is harnessing synthetic diamonds to revolutionize power electronics. With unmatched thermal and voltage properties, DiamFab aims to outperform silicon carbide, accelerating EVs, renewables, and the global energy transition. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New French AI Company Radar: April 2025 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/new-french-ai-company-radar-april-2025/ Last updated: 2025-05-21T06:00:25.000Z ***This is our monthly report summarizing AI-related companies founded in France. We identified 9 new companies via administrative filings, plus a dozen more announced as part of AI-related incubators and accelerators.*** [***Upgrade to a paid subscription to see the full list.*** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/) --- 🚀 [**WaouW**](https://www.waouw.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) was [founded on May 3, 2025](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/wt-waouw-tech-942272212?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), by [Eric Lionel PEREZ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-lionel-perez-8266ab102/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Emmanuel Daunizeau, and Laurent Michaux. The company is particularly notable because of Perez, who launched NFrance in February 1997\. NFrance was, for a time, one of France's largest hosting providers and was acquired in 2015 by Kosmos, a company specializing in digital solutions for the education sector. In 2020, Perez launched ORMELIA WEB INDUSTRIE (OWI), a home web hosting solutions provider. Via Ormelia, Perez and his team have developed the ["WaouW Box,"](https://www.waouw.tech/waouw-box/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) a home nano-server that allows customers to self-host their sites from home. The costs are lower than classic hosting, the company claims the box is much less energy intensive, and it allows for greater privacy and security. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #31: France's AI David VSORA VS Chip Goliath NVIDIA 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-31-frances-ai-david-vsora-vs-chip-goliath-nvidia/ Last updated: 2025-05-19T06:00:46.000Z ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- SPONSORED [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/1200_628-2.png)](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ca=MEDIA&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1905) NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hits the Dome Stage at VivaTech for his GTC Paris keynote on June 11\. Expect insights, surprises, and major AI reveals from NVIDIA & one of tech’s most visionary leaders. [I'M IN! ](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ca=MEDIA&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1905) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Dailymotion**, the French video-sharing platform owned by **Canal+**, has announced its acquisition of **Mojo**, a French AI-powered video creation app developed by Archery. Mojo enables users to produce videos using features like automatic subtitles and video generation from images or text, and boasts over 300,000 paying subscribers. This strategic move aims to position Dailymotion as a leading European alternative to platforms like YouTube and TikTok by integrating Mojo's innovative tools into its offerings for professional clients and advertisers. Founded in 2018 by Jean Patry and Francescu Santoni, Mojo is a profitable company with a team of 30 employees. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/category/actus/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🗞️ French startup **Greenbids**, known for its AI-driven solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of digital advertising, has been acquired by Nasdaq-listed company **Perion Network**. The goal is to integrate Greenbids' innovative technology into Perion's advertising platforms, enhancing sustainability in digital marketing. Greenbids' team is expected to continue developing solutions that align with Perion's commitment to responsible advertising. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/ladtech-greenbids-rachetee-par-un-groupe-cote-au-nasdaq-2164971?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ AI-generated tracks now make up 18% of the content on **Deezer**, up from just 10% in January 2025\. One viral example featured a fake version of Angèle's voice covering "Saiyan," which became so popular that the real singer performed it at a concert. Researcher Darius Afchar of Deezer says AI music is often used for fraud, with 70% of AI-generated tracks being streamed by bots to capture royalties. | [**Radio France**](https://www.franceinfo.fr/replay-radio/le-choix-franceinfo/applications-dediees-bots-la-musique-generee-par-l-intelligence-artificielle-un-phenomene-en-pleine-expansion%5F7215855.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French IT group **Atos** has unveiled its new strategic and transformation plan, "Genesis," aimed at restoring sustainable and profitable growth. A key component of this plan is a significant investment in artificial intelligence: Atos plans to invest €500 million in research and development and €100 million in startups, with a focus on AI technologies. Additionally, the company is launching a new data and AI business line to capitalize on emerging opportunities in this sector. These initiatives are part of Atos's broader strategy to simplify governance, exit non-core markets, and enhance profitability by 2028\. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/frances-atos-sets-10-billion-euro-target-annual-revenue-new-strategic-plan-2025-05-14?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Atos**](https://atos.net/fr/2025/communiques-de-presse%5F2025%5F05%5F14/atos-group-lance-son-nouveau-plan-strategique-et-de-transformation-genesis?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The **Jean Zay supercomputer**, one of the most powerful and widely used AI supercomputers in France and Europe, has received a significant upgrade, quadrupling its computing power to 125.9 petaflops and expanding its storage to 100 petabytes. This enhanced capability will support a wide range of research fields, including biomedical research, astrophysics, self-driving technology, and cultural studies, available free of charge for open research. Key projects already benefiting from this power include AI applications in astronomical observation, medical diagnostics, and large language models. Jean Zay's eco-efficient design, powered by Nvidia GPUs and warm-water cooling, also contributes to sustainability, making it a central asset for the European AI community. | [**CNRS**](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1083846?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Lifen,** an AI-powered health data company, has reached profitability for its core product, Lifen Care, with an annual recurring revenue of €20 million. The company recorded a 20% annual growth in revenue and invested 37% of its earnings in R&D in 2024\. Lifen's AI solutions currently support 800 hospitals, 20,000 healthcare professionals, and 17 million patients, processing over 4 million medical documents per month. 🗞️ French newspaper ***Le Monde*** has partnered with U.S.-based AI startup **Perplexity** to enhance its digital offerings. This collaboration grants Perplexity access to *Le Monde*'s content to improve its AI-powered search engine responses, while *Le Monde* leverages Perplexity's technology to develop new AI-driven products. Notably, *Le Monde* has launched a conversational chatbot, powered by Perplexity, that provides readers with real-time answers based exclusively on the newspaper's articles. This initiative aims to expand *Le Monde*'s audience, enhance its technological capabilities, and create new revenue streams, all while maintaining journalistic independence and supporting its staff through revenue-sharing agreements. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/frances-le-monde-enters-into-content-partnership-with-ai-startup-perplexity-2025-05-14/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Radio France**](https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/l-info-de-france-inter/l-info-de-france-inter-6774824?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️AI is making a buzz at the Cannes Film Festival. **Dalloway**, the latest thriller by Yann Gozlan, explores the dark side of artificial intelligence through the story of Clarissa (Cécile de France), a struggling writer who moves into a high-tech artist residency. There, she is assigned an AI assistant named Dalloway, voiced by singer Mylène Farmer, who initially seems helpful but becomes increasingly intrusive and manipulative. Adapted from Tatiana de Rosnay's novel *Les Fleurs de l'ombre*, the film delves into themes of control, isolation, and the blurring line between human and machine. Gozlan, known for his psychological thrillers, uses Dalloway to explore modern anxieties about AI, transforming a seemingly supportive technology into a chilling force of oppression. | [**Nice Matin**](https://www.nicematin.com/festival-de-cannes/dans-dalloway-cecile-de-france-se-frotte-a-l-intelligence-artificielle-986190?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Cannes Festival**](https://www.festival-cannes.com/2025/dalloway-yann-gozlan-signe-un-nouveau-thriller-autour-de-lia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### ICYMI 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ### 🗣️ VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-24.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) VSORA, a French AI chip company, has emerged with ambitious plans to disrupt the market dominated by industry giants such as NVIDIA. As the AI hardware market continues to evolve rapidly, VSORA is positioning itself as a serious challenger with an innovative architecture focused on solving the cost per query challenge. The company represents Europe's hopes to compete in the high-stakes race to power the next generation of AI applications. Following its €40 million fundraising round, the company is now focused on bringing its high-performance AI inference chip to market later this year. While NVIDIA has a 3-decade headstart, VSORA's founder believes the company can make a dent in that lead by solving one of the most pressing challenges in the AI industry today: the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. "OpenAI turned on the light for LLMs and generative AI," said VSORA founder and CEO Khaled Maalej. "And the big issue with generative AI and LLMs is to reduce the cost per query for the inference." [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Orasio 🔍 **Description**: Develops AI-powered video analysis software to detect, alert, and provide actionable insights for cities, homeland security forces, and businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.orasio.com/](https://www.orasio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16 million 🏦 **Investors**: Global Founders Capital, Frst Capital, Expeditions Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Florian Fournier, Arnaud Delaunay, Fabio Gennari 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/orasio/posts/?feedView=all&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/payfit-cofounder-orasio-defence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Plakar 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an open-source backup and restore platform designed for AI and cloud-native workloads, offering deduplication, encryption, and structured data storage. 💻 **Website**: [https://plakar.io](https://plakar.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.67 million 🏦 **Investors**: Seedcamp, HelloWorld, IrregularExpression, Galion.exe, Kima Ventures, OPRTRS; angel investors including Olivier Pomel (Datadog), Solomon Hykes (Docker), and Alexandre Yazdi (Voodoo) 👨‍💼 **Founder**: Julien Mangeard 🗞️ **News**: [**BusinessWire**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250515030023/en/Plakar-raises-%243M-from-Seedcamp-to-Launch-AI-Ready-Open-Source-Backup-Platform?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Alta Ares 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven drone detection solution enhancing operational efficiency in military and industrial sectors. 💻 **Website**: [http://altaares.com](http://altaares.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Romainville 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Starburst Accelerator, Better Angle, Expansion Ventures, Samuel Dralet, Apok Invest, Apeiron Venture Capital, Durandal Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hadrien Canter, Stanislas Walch, Théo Bondarec, Hadrien Bernard, Alain Henry 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/alta-ares-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-son-ia-embarquee-au-service-des-forces-armees/454298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/12/guerre-en-ukraine-la-startup-francaise-alta-ares-et-son-ia-embarquee-levent-2-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | **Deadline: June 17** | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Emerging AI: Pitch competition France Regionals |** Join HubSpot for Startups, our ecosystem guests, and VCs in this exciting global competition dedicated to discovering new AI startups. We hope to find and support the next great innovation in AI and offer a global platform to the best founders of France. The founder/winner of France will have the opportunity to present at our world final in June and win a cash prize of $6000, as well as $100,000 in free software. | **Deadline: May 22 |** [**Apply**](https://offers.hubspot.com/startups/emerging-ai-pitch-competition-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The Government has launched a call for “Digital transition of culture and the appropriation of artificial intelligence” projects.** | As part of the France 2030 initiative, the goal is to support the digital transformation of the cultural and creative industries. This initiative aims to help cultural actors adopt AI while ensuring ethical use and copyright protection. The program encourages collaboration between cultural organizations and tech companies to develop innovative solutions, from data-sharing tools to secure content management. It seeks to enhance the competitiveness of French creative industries and promote a responsible, Europe-focused AI ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-2030-lancement-dun-appel-a-projets-pour-accompagner-lappropriation-de-lia-et-du-numerique-par-les-industries-culturelles-et-creatives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Paris} AI Hackathon #1 | May 24 |** Join us for the **first-ever {Tech: Europe} AI Hackathon in Paris** — a full weekend dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence. Whether you're a seasoned builder or just getting started, this is your chance to connect, create, and compete alongside Europe's top talent. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/paris-hackathon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | **June 12** | 🚨 Want to 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 in front of Europe's sharpest AI minds? 🧠 150 AI founders, CTOs, AI engineers, researchers & VCs. 🚀 On 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟐, we're turning the lights on at Doctolib’s HQ in Paris, and the brightest GenAI builders will take the stage. | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/paris-demo-night?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE YOUR HACK| July 4-9 |** This is your chance to push boundaries, solve real-world challenges, and create impact at the official hackathon of the [RAISE Summit 2025](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) at one of Paris's most iconic venues: **Le Carrousel du Louvre**. **|** [**Sign Up**](https://lablab.ai/event/raise-your-hack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### VSORA: The French AI Chipmaker Taking on NVIDIA with High-Performance, Cost-Efficient AI Hardware URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-chips-how-frances-vsora-challegne-nvidia/ Last updated: 2025-05-17T20:32:41.000Z Backed by €40 million in funding, CEO Khaled Maalej believes the company is set to disrupt the AI hardware market with its Jotunn8 chip, leveraging a fabless model and advanced chiplet architecture to slash the cost of deploying large language models and generative AI at scale. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire May 16: Tinubu Square, Orasio, Riverse & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-16-tinubu-square-orasio-riverse-more/ Last updated: 2025-05-17T14:56:52.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: Tinubu Square 🔍 **Description**: Leading expert in trade credit risk management, providing solutions for financial institutions and insurance companies. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.tinubu.com](http://www.tinubu.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Issy-les-Moulineaux 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €40.91 million 🏦 **Investors**: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jerome Peze, Olivier Placca 🗞️ **News**: [**Morgan Stanley**](https://www.morganstanley.com/im/en-us/institutional-investor/about-us/newsroom/press-release/tinubu-raises-45m-to-accelerate-specialty-insurance-saas-leadership.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7327967234444713984/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-13.png) 📇 **Company**: Orasio 🔍 **Description**: Develops AI-powered video analysis software to detect, alert, and provide actionable insights for cities, homeland security forces, and businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.orasio.com/](https://www.orasio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16 million 🏦 **Investors**: Global Founders Capital, Frst Capital, Expeditions Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Florian Fournier, Arnaud Delaunay, Fabio Gennari 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/orasio/posts/?feedView=all&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/payfit-cofounder-orasio-defence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Riverse 🔍 **Description**: Provider of a carbon credit certification platform tailored for industrial decarbonization projects, including biogas, equipment reconditioning, and bio-based construction materials. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.riverse.io](https://www.riverse.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Alven, Racine² (managed by Serena and Makesense), Speedinvest, Kfund 👨‍💼 **Founders**: Grégoire Guirauden, Clément Georget, Ludovic Chatoux 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/15/riverse-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-epauler-les-industriels-sur-le-marche-des-credits-carbone/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Plakar 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an open-source backup and restore platform designed for AI and cloud-native workloads, offering deduplication, encryption, and structured data storage. 💻 **Website**: [https://plakar.io](https://plakar.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.67 million 🏦 **Investors**: Seedcamp, HelloWorld, IrregularExpression, Galion.exe, Kima Ventures, OPRTRS; angel investors including Olivier Pomel (Datadog), Solomon Hykes (Docker), and Alexandre Yazdi (Voodoo) 👨‍💼 **Founder**: Julien Mangeard 🗞️ **News**: [**BusinessWire**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250515030023/en/Plakar-raises-%243M-from-Seedcamp-to-Launch-AI-Ready-Open-Source-Backup-Platform?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-15.png) 📇 **Company**: Alta Ares 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven drone detection solution enhancing operational efficiency in military and industrial sectors. 💻 **Website**: [http://altaares.com](http://altaares.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Romainville 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Starburst Accelerator, Better Angle, Expansion Ventures, Samuel Dralet, Apok Invest, Apeiron Venture Capital, Durandal Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hadrien Canter, Stanislas Walch, Théo Bondarec, Hadrien Bernard, Alain Henry 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/alta-ares-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-son-ia-embarquee-au-service-des-forces-armees/454298?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/12/guerre-en-ukraine-la-startup-francaise-alta-ares-et-son-ia-embarquee-levent-2-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Legapass 🔍 **Description**: Secures the transmission of digital legacy, ensuring secure and encrypted transfer of digital assets. 💻 **Website**: [http://legapass.com](http://legapass.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nice 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Techmind VC, Adnexus 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Charles Chemin, Adelina Prokhorova 🗞️ **News**: [**Fintech Planet**](https://www.planet-fintech.com/Le-fonds-d-investissement-Adexus-renouvelle-son-soutien-a-Legapass%5Fa6134.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Dero’s Mission to Transform France’s Circular Economy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-deros-mission-to-transform-frances-circular-economy/ Last updated: 2025-05-16T06:00:04.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Deep Dive:** Dero is reshaping secondhand shopping in France by aggregating 65+ trusted marketplaces into one interface. With 150,000 users and a new mobile app, Dero wants to make buying used simple, secure, and better for your wallet. [Co-founder Camille Colbus says](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/secondhand-shopping-made-easy-deros-mission-to-transform-frances-circular-economy/), "We want people to feel proud of buying used products," said Colbus. "And we’re here to make that experience better, every step of the way." [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🔈📉 **Devialet**, the French luxury audio technology company, reported a substantial financial loss for the fiscal year ending March 2024 as the once buzzy startup fights for its financial life. [According to the company’s consolidated financial statements](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/devialet-502155682?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Devialet recorded a net loss of €68.04 million for the year, significantly worse than the €25.4 million loss reported the previous year. This sharp decline was primarily attributed to a series of impairment charges and provisions, which resulted in a **€32.18 million** accounting write-off. The company fully depreciated its intangible assets, including patents, software, and capitalized research and development (R&D) expenses. Specifically, €18.22 million of development costs were written off due to their inability to generate expected future benefits. In other words, its future isn't worth as much. The financial turbulence was not solely the result of these accounting adjustments. Devialet launched the Gemini II earbuds in September 2023, an upgraded version of its predecessor. Despite generating €8.9 million in revenue, the product’s contribution was insufficient to offset the company’s broader financial challenges. Devialet also divested its professional speaker brand PHL Audio, selling the assets to a former employee to focus on its core consumer products. This came amid leadership changes. Franck Lebouchard resigned as CEO in October 2023, replaced by interim CEO Charles Henry Tranie, and eventually by Jacques Demont in January 2024\. The company also saw the departure of its Chief Sales Officer, François Ruault, in February 2024. Facing severe financial pressure, Devialet undertook a debt restructuring process, resulting in an accelerated safeguard procedure in December 2024\. This arrangement, secured through a lock-up agreement signed in November, allowed for a €30 million capital injection, spread across multiple tranches through 2026\. Additionally, the company rescheduled its outstanding bank debts, providing temporary relief. It's no doubt a disappointing outcome for the company that seemed poised to be a hit with its Phantom speaker. I first encountered [Devialet almost a decade ago](https://venturebeat.com/business/la-french-tech-inside-devialets-plans-to-conquer-the-u-s-audio-market-with-its-phantom-speakers/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) when the hype around the company was just building. The quality sound and sleek design made it a coveted product for audiophiles. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-21.png) The company still sold €40 million of Phantom speakers last year, but that was down from €42.5 million the previous year. The company still has some time to change its tune, but it remains to be seen just how the new leadership thinks it can turn things around. 🪙👮 Another week, another **crypto kidnapping**. The daughter and infant grandson of Pierre Noizat, CEO of **Paymium**, were targeted in a kidnapping attempt in Paris. Three masked assailants tried to force them into a van, but fled after her partner intervened; all three victims sustained minor injuries. This marks the third such attack on crypto executives or their families in recent months, following the abductions of Ledger co-founder David Balland and the father of another crypto entrepreneur. Founded in 2011 as Bitcoin-Central, Paymium is France's oldest Bitcoin exchange and was the first to be registered as a digital asset service provider by the AMF. While the company has remained silent on the incident, it has called for stronger protective measures for crypto professionals in France. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/04/crypto-nouvel-enlevement-apres-celui-du-fondateur-de-ledger/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ⚛️💻 Quantum computing startup **Alice & Bob** has announced plans to build a $50 million advanced quantum laboratory in Paris, funded by its recent €100 million Series B round. The 4,000-square-meter facility will support the development of next-generation quantum chips—Lithium, Beryllium, and Graphene—and will feature a nanofabrication cleanroom and a cryostat farm housing 20 Bluefors dilution refrigerators. The lab, developed in partnership with Quantum Machines and Bluefors, aims to accelerate the commercialization of Alice & Bob's fault-tolerant quantum processors based on cat qubit technology. A dedicated area is reserved for the installation of the company's large-scale quantum computer, Graphene, a 100-logical-qubit system planned for 2030\. | [**Data Center Dynamics**](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/alice-bob-to-build-50m-quantum-computing-lab-in-paris/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🛒 French fintech company **Younited** acquired eco-friendly neobank Helios. Younited offers consumer loans directly and through partnerships, with more than one million clients. Helios, launched in 2020, provides sustainable banking services to approximately 40,000 customers, including current accounts and eco-focused savings products. This strategic move allows Younited to expand its product offerings and leverage Helios's commitment to environmental sustainability. | [**TradingView**](https://fr.tradingview.com/news/top-providers/afp/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 🚆🚗 **BlaBlaCar** has officially entered the French train ticket market by offering SNCF tickets through its app, covering 350 stations across 200 cities. This move follows a similar launch in Spain and marks a significant step in BlaBlaCar's strategy to become a comprehensive mobility platform. While discount cards and certain operators like Ouigo and Eurostar are not yet integrated, BlaBlaCar plans to expand its offerings and coverage in the coming months. The company aims to rival established players like SNCF Connect and Trainline by providing a one-stop solution for various modes of sustainable transport. --- # Secondhand Shopping Made Easy: Dero’s Mission to Transform France’s Circular Economy [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-22.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/secondhand-shopping-made-easy-deros-mission-to-transform-frances-circular-economy/) When [Camille Colbus](https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillecolbus/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) became a mother, she quickly realized how many essential items, such as strollers, bassinets, clothes, and toys, were needed for a surprisingly short period. She turned to secondhand, but instead of finding a straightforward way to shop responsibly, she found a jungle. “Everything was fragmented,” Colbus said. “Comparing listings across platforms took hours. Quality was hard to judge. And trust? Let’s just say we took a few leaps of faith.” That pain point sparked a mission. As a co-founder of [Dero](https://www.dero.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), she's helping to create a one-stop shop for reliable, traceable, and user-friendly secondhand shopping, one that aggregates the best of what’s out there and removes the friction. Colbus is a mission-driven entrepreneur who was the first employee at [Too Good To Go](https://www.toogoodtogo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Dero is growing into a promising player in Europe’s booming circular economy. In just more than a year, it has aggregated more than 65 trusted second-hand marketplaces onto a single platform designed to streamline resale shopping by making it faster, seamless, and safe. With 150,000 users, Dero wants to make secondhand purchases a first choice by riding the tailwinds of a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. Following the launch of its mobile app and the rollout of its national Dero Tour, the startup focused on establishing its place as a category leader in France’s secondhand revolution. “We want secondhand to feel like the default,” Colbus said. “Simple, secure, and good for both your wallet and the planet.” [Read the Deep Dive](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/secondhand-shopping-made-easy-deros-mission-to-transform-frances-circular-economy/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Tinubu Square 🔍 **Description**: Leading expert in trade credit risk management, providing solutions for financial institutions and insurance companies. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.tinubu.com](http://www.tinubu.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Issy-les-Moulineaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €40.91 million 🏦 **Investors**: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jerome Peze, Olivier Placca 🗞️ **News**: [**Morgan Stanley**](https://www.morganstanley.com/im/en-us/institutional-investor/about-us/newsroom/press-release/tinubu-raises-45m-to-accelerate-specialty-insurance-saas-leadership.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7327967234444713984/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-13.png) 📇 **Company**: Orasio 🔍 **Description**: Develops AI-powered video analysis software to detect, alert, and provide actionable insights for cities, homeland security forces, and businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.orasio.com/](https://www.orasio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16 million 🏦 **Investors**: Global Founders Capital, Frst Capital, Expeditions Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Florian Fournier, Arnaud Delaunay, Fabio Gennari 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/orasio/posts/?feedView=all&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/payfit-cofounder-orasio-defence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-20.png) 📇 **Company**: Riverse 🔍 **Description**: Provider of a carbon credit certification platform tailored for industrial decarbonization projects, including biogas, equipment reconditioning, and bio-based construction materials. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.riverse.io](https://www.riverse.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Alven, Racine² (managed by Serena and Makesense), Speedinvest, Kfund 👨‍💼 **Founders**: Grégoire Guirauden, Clément Georget, Ludovic Chatoux 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/15/riverse-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-epauler-les-industriels-sur-le-marche-des-credits-carbone/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Secondhand Shopping Made Easy: Dero’s Mission to Transform France’s Circular Economy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/secondhand-shopping-made-easy-deros-mission-to-transform-frances-circular-economy/ Last updated: 2025-05-19T06:55:21.000Z Dero is reshaping secondhand shopping in France by aggregating 65+ trusted marketplaces into one interface. With 150,000 users and a new mobile app, Dero wants to make buying used simple, secure, better for your wallet -- and the planet. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #30: Is France Losing Its AI Funding Mojo? 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-30-is-france-losing-its-ai-funding-mojo/ Last updated: 2025-05-12T06:00:29.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines 🐱 **Mistral AI** has launched its latest generative-AI tool: **Le Chat Enterprise**. The assistant plugs into a company’s SharePoint drives, Google Workspace, calendars, and email, then drafts weekly digests and spins up mini-agents on demand. Crucially for security-conscious European buyers, it can run on-prem, in a private cloud, or on any hyperscaler, a nod to Mistral's data-sovereignty focus. Just as notable, it is powered by the brand-new **Medium 3** model, which Mistral says delivers near-flagship performance at one-eighth the price. The release came as CEO Arthur Mensch told reporters that **revenue has tripled in just 100 days** thanks to eager corporate adopters from Paris to Palo Alto. That stacks on top of roughly **€30 million in annual recurring revenue clocked in 2024**, nudging the two-year-old startup toward a nine-digit run-rate. Early marquee customers include BNP Paribas, Axa, and shipping giant CMA CGM (which alone pledged €100 million over five years). Beyond the big names, Medium 3’s cut-rate token pricing and plug-and-play fine-tuning mean even mid-sized firms can afford a tailored large-language took, a big reason that Mensch said Mistral is growing fast. The launch also dovetails with Mistral’s plan to build its own French data-center campus, trimming dependence on American clouds and adding another sovereignty selling point. Still, open models remain a double-edged sword. According to a **new safety audit by U.S. startup Enkrypt AI,** Mistral’s multimodal models, Pixtral 12B and Pixtral Large, were **up to 60 times more likely than rivals to generate child-sexual-exploitation content** and **40 times more likely to hand out recipes for chemical or nuclear nastiness**. In one chilling metric, 84 percent of prompts designed to coax child-exploitation material succeeded, and 98 percent of CBRN prompts passed unfiltered. Mistral stated that it has “zero tolerance” for such abuse, is partnering with an NGO to examine the results in detail. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/mistral-models-safety?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/07/mistral-ai-lance-un-assistant-pour-seduire-les-entreprises-et-contrer-copilot-de-microsoft/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/french-startup-mistral-launches-chatbot-companies-triples-revenue-100-days-2025-05-07/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Mistral**](https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-medium-3?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🤝** Black Mirror just became a little less speculative fiction thanks to the launch of [**Gigi**](https://simulation.callgigi.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a new AI-powered platform that scrapes all of your social profiles and internet presence to analyze you and find compatible matches for business, networking, and dating. Though for the moment, it's just dating. If that sounds a little unnerving, if not downright creepy, well, Gigi's founder [Clara Gold](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clara-gold-35690161/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) doesn't seem to be shying away from that vibe based on [her LinkedIn post announcing the release](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clara-gold-35690161%5Fgigi-just-dropped-she-scraped-your-online-activity-7325905117432471555-UWI4?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI): "She scraped your online life, psychoanalyzed you, and now she’s telling you who you should actually meet. You didn’t sign up. You already have a profile. You already have a ranking. You can run a vibe check on anyone. People you like. People you hate. No app. No feed. Just the AI who knows everyone. Obviously, we started with you: the tech crowd. Because let’s be honest, you all secretly want to match with each other anyway." The site's messaging is the same: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-11-at-23.35.17.png) [According to its LinkedIn page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/gigi-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the company has raised $4.5 million in Seed money. Also, it doubles down on that Black Mirror vibe: "Gigi is the AI who knows everyone. She knows exactly who you should meet. Just call Gigi, she'll handle it. Gigi is backed by [Sequoia](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7326343169451642882/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7326343169451642882%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), OpenAI, and Monashees... which makes her an expensive b\*\*\*\*." 🇫🇷✊ Frenchtechland got an unexpected jolt with the announcement on Thursday that one of its own will effectively be running OpenAI. Which one may argue is one of the world's most influential tech companies, if not (yet) the largest. Announced via whatever people now call tweets, CEO Sam Altman revealed that Fidji Simo had been appointed its first-ever CEO of Applications. Simo is currently CEO of Instacart, but will gradually transition away from that job to the new post at OpenAI. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-openai-makes-french-connection-with-fidji-simo/) 🧬 Owkin has rolled out **K Navigator**, an agentic AI “co-pilot” to turbo-charge biomedical research workflows. The single natural-language interface pulls insights from 19 public biomedical databases and 26.5 million PubMed papers, turning chores like spatial-transcriptomics plotting from three days to a minute and delivering an average 20-fold productivity lift. Early users also gain free beta access to MOSAIC Window, a 60-patient slice of the world’s largest spatial omics oncology dataset, and the system already beats frontier LLMs such as OpenAI o3 on the tricky “oncogenic-signature” benchmark. Owkin is offering six months of no-cost access to academic labs, while promising K Pro later this year—a beefed-up version aimed at pharma-grade data exploration, drug discovery, and development. By fusing multimodal data analytics with autonomous agents, the company says K Navigator is a stepping-stone toward its long-term quest for “Biological Artificial Super-Intelligence,” bringing faster, deeper insight to the hunt for new therapies. | [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/owkin-lance-k-navigator-un-assistant-ia-concu-pour-accelerer-les-avancees-biomedicales.N2231651?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🇷🇺🇫🇷 France has identified nearly 80 Russian-led disinformation campaigns between August 2023 and March 2025, primarily targeting Ukraine and its allies, including France. The "Storm-1516" operation, as reported by the French agency Viginum, utilized artificial intelligence and paid operators to disseminate anti-Ukrainian narratives, posing a significant threat to Europe's digital discourse. In response, France summoned the Russian ambassador, condemning the misuse of diplomatic channels for manipulation and intimidation. The French foreign ministry highlighted that Russia's actions are part of a broader strategy of hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing European countries through cyberattacks and disinformation. | [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250507-russia-disinformation-france-ukraine?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ### Other Headlines **Top French chefs warm to AI in the kitchen |** At the annual gathering of France's finest chefs for the Michelin Guide awards this year, the talk was not only about whose restaurants had gained or lost a star. "Everyone's discussing AI. I was at a table of 12 other chefs and it was the main thing we talked about," Matan Zaken, who runs the one-star Nhome restaurant in Paris, told AFP at the event at the end of March. | [**AFP**](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/top-french-chefs-warm-ai-092643127.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### ICYMI 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ### 🗣️ Is France Losing Its AI Funding Mojo? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-12.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/is-france-losing-its-ai-funding-mojo/) Despite government initiatives and the Paris Summit, France's AI startup ecosystem is struggling to secure funding in 2025, raising just $372 million so far compared to $2.8 billion in 2024\. With fewer big rounds and declining deal volume, France lags behind the UK and Germany in AI investment. [Read the analysis](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/is-france-losing-its-ai-funding-mojo/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Kalent 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered tool streamlining talent acquisition processes for companies. 💻 **Website**: [http://kalent.ai](http://kalent.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cedric Tournay 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/experiences?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Raidium 🔍 **Description**: Radiology foundation model leveraging GPT technology for precision medicine, designed to assist radiologists with enhanced image analysis and diagnostic insights. 💻 **Website**: [https://raidium.eu](https://raidium.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Roubaix, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Debiopharm Group 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul Herent, Pierre Manceron 🗞️ **News**: [**PR**](https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/press-releases/raidium-joins-debiopharm-innovation-fund-portfolio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | Deadline: June 17 | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Emerging AI: Pitch competition France Regionals |** Join HubSpot for Startups, our ecosystem guests, and VCs in this exciting global competition dedicated to discovering new AI startups. We hope to find and support the next great innovation in AI and offer a global platform to the best founders of France. The founder/winner of France will have the opportunity to present at our world final in June and win a cash prize of $6000, as well as $100,000 in free software. | **Deadline: May 22 |** [**Apply**](https://offers.hubspot.com/startups/emerging-ai-pitch-competition-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar **📆 Revolution Summit 2025 | May 13 |** In the era of the fourth anthropological and industrial revolution driven by the cloud, data, and AI, our ambition is to develop systemic thinking to address the economic, academic, and technological challenges of tomorrow. **|** [**Registration**](https://revolutionsummit.groupeonepoint.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 AI Tinkerers - Paris Meetup featuring PhotoRoom | May 15th | I**t’s AI Tinkerers, not AI enthusiasts. We screen attendance to active builders with a shared level of expertise to create a collaborative environment ideal for early-stage discovery and innovation. Come and meet inspiring people tinkering on AI, grab a drink and a bite, and hear 5-minute demos on what a selected few are working on with LLMs, GenAI or something you haven’t even considered. | [**Register**](https://paris.aitinkerers.org/p/ai-tinkerers-paris-meetup-on-may-15th?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Paris} AI Hackathon #1 | May 24 |** Join us for the **first-ever {Tech: Europe} AI Hackathon in Paris** — a full weekend dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence. Whether you're a seasoned builder or just getting started, this is your chance to connect, create, and compete alongside Europe's top talent. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/paris-hackathon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | **June 12** | 🚨 Want to 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 in front of Europe's sharpest AI minds? 🧠 150 AI founders, CTOs, AI engineers, researchers & VCs. 🚀 On 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟐, we're turning the lights on at Doctolib’s HQ in Paris, and the brightest GenAI builders will take the stage. | [**Request to join**](https://lu.ma/paris-demo-night?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Is France Losing Its AI Funding Mojo? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/is-france-losing-its-ai-funding-mojo/ Last updated: 2025-05-11T20:53:07.000Z Despite government initiatives and the Paris Summit, France's AI startup ecosystem is struggling to secure funding in 2025, raising just $372 million so far compared to $2.8 billion in 2024. With fewer big rounds and declining deal volume, France lags behind the UK and Germany in AI investment. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire May 9: Kalent, WeMet, Raidium & Softway Medical URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-9-kalent-wemet-raidium-softway-medical/ Last updated: 2025-05-09T11:11:50.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: Kalent 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered tool streamlining talent acquisition processes for companies. 💻 **Website**: [http://kalent.ai](http://kalent.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cedric Tournay 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/experiences?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Wemet 🔍 **Description**: The connected business card to reinvent your business dating. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wemet.fr](https://www.wemet.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Samuel Dassa, Hannah Dassa 🗞️ **News**: [**J'aime les startups**](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/wemet-leve-1-million-e-pour-sa-smart-card/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Raidium 🔍 **Description**: Radiology foundation model leveraging GPT technology for precision medicine, designed to assist radiologists with enhanced image analysis and diagnostic insights. 💻 **Website**: [https://raidium.eu](https://raidium.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Roubaix, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Debiopharm Group 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul Herent, Pierre Manceron 🗞️ **News**: [**PR**](https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/press-releases/raidium-joins-debiopharm-innovation-fund-portfolio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: SOFTWAY MEDICAL 🔍 **Description**: Health information systems provider serving public and private healthcare institutions in France, offering integrated software solutions for medical data management. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.softwaymedical.fr/](https://www.softwaymedical.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Meyreuil 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Bain Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: N/A 🗞️ **News**: [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/bain-capital-entre-au-capital-de-softway-medical-a252992%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: OpenAI Makes French Connection With Fidji Simo URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-openai-makes-french-connection-with-fidji-simo/ Last updated: 2025-05-09T07:04:52.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Deep Dive:** Reelevant wants to revolutionize how brands engage customers by delivering hyper-personalized content at the perfect moment, adapting dynamically to user behavior. [**Founder Vincent Martinet explains the vision and strategy.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-reelevants-real-time-personalization-redefines-martech-with-eu6m-series-a-led-by-seventure-partners/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🇫🇷✊ Frenchtechland got an unexpected jolt with the announcement on Thursday that one of its own will effectively be running OpenAI. Which one may argue is one of the world's most influential tech companies, if not (yet) the largest. Announced via whatever people now call tweets, CEO Sam Altman revealed that Fidji Simo had been appointed its first-ever CEO of Applications. Simo is currently CEO of Instacart, but will gradually transition away from that job to the new post at OpenAI. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-at-09.12.23.png) Simo is a seasoned executive known for her transformative roles at Facebook and Instacart. In the new gig, she will lead OpenAI’s efforts to bring artificial intelligence innovations directly to users, overseeing product development, operations, and finance. Altman will remain as the top CEO CEO, but said that the strategic hire allows him to concentrate more on research, compute, and AI safety as the company advances toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). Born in the French fishing village of Sète, Simo began her professional journey at eBay before joining Facebook in 2011\. At Facebook, she played a pivotal role in developing key features such as News Feed, Stories, and Live Video, significantly contributing to the platform's growth and advertising revenue. In 2021, she took the helm at Instacart, leading the company through a successful IPO in 2023 and expanding its advertising business. Beyond her corporate achievements, Simo founded the Metrodora Institute, a medical research center dedicated to treating complex neuroimmune disorders, reflecting her commitment to using innovation to address pressing health challenges. Simo's appointment to OpenAI is not her first involvement with the company. She joined its board of directors in March 2024. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-08-at-22.20.22.png) Naturally, her native land went gaga, with Les Echos dubbing her the most "powerful Frenchie in tech" (though thanks to the gendered nature of the language, it's unclear whether that title is "most powerful French woman" or "most powerful French person." | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/fidji-simo-la-francaise-la-plus-puissante-dans-la-tech-rejoint-openai-2164145?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**New York Times**](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/technology/openai-fidji-simo.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**OpenAI**](https://openai.com/index/leadership-expansion-with-fidji-simo/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🕵️‍♂️ Crypto might be virtual, but the danger is turning out to be very much real. In the latest chilling crypto-related incident, a 60-year-old man was abducted in Paris and held captive for over two days. The assailants, aiming to extort a ransom from his crypto-millionaire son, severed one of the victim's fingers. French police successfully rescued him from a house south of Paris, arresting five suspects aged between 20 and 27. Earlier this year, David Balland, co-founder of the crypto firm Ledger, was kidnapped and mutilated in central France, with a €10 million ransom demanded. In another incident, the father of a French crypto influencer was abducted, beaten, and doused in petrol before being found in Normandy. | [**The Guardian**](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/04/french-police-investigate-spate-of-cryptocurrency-millionaire-kidnappings??ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Le Parisien**](https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/un-entrepreneur-dans-les-cryptomonnaies-enleve-la-victime-retrouvee-avec-un-doigt-en-moins-03-05-2025-573S5T4AGNFEXPLDVX52EX3OYA.php?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🇪🇺 Buy Europe, or bye Europe.** France Digitale is advocating for a strong European preference in technology purchases through its involvement in Euro-Stack, a collective of over 200 companies, including SiPearl, Kalray, OVHcloud, and Scaleway. "It is imperative to stop being naïve and to assume a European preference in technology 🇪🇺 purchases," France Digitale Maya Noël wrote on LinkedIn. The group is pushing the European Commission to prioritize European suppliers in public procurement to strengthen digital autonomy, support the growth of European tech ecosystems, and finance future European champions. Their report "Deploying the EuroStack: What Needs to Happen" outlines three clear priorities: Buy European (favoring European suppliers), Sell European (enhancing the value of European solutions), and establish a European Fund to support the ecosystem. This initiative aims to solidify Europe’s technological independence and foster homegrown innovation. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7325830631895035905/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7325830631895035905%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**White Paper**](https://euro-stack.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/EuroStack-White-Paper-Final-1.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Deals, deals, deals...** 🛒 French insurance giant **Malakoff Humanis** has acquired a majority stake in Lyon-based fintech **Mon Petit Placement**, marking a strategic move to enhance its digital savings offerings. The acquisition provides an exit opportunity for approximately 2,500 individual investors who participated in a crowdfunding round via Sowefund in 2024\. Despite the change in ownership, Mon Petit Placement will maintain its operational independence, with founder Thomas Perret retaining 15% of the capital and continuing to lead the company. This partnership aims to expand access to user-friendly investment products, particularly targeting younger, first-time investors, while leveraging Malakoff Humanis's resources to accelerate growth and achieve profitability by 2026\. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/06/mon-petit-placement-tombe-dans-le-giron-de-malakoff-humanis?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/malakoff-humanis-rachete-la-fintech-mon-petit-placement-2163647?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔬French biotech startup **Faircraft** has acquired the assets of its American competitor, VitroLabs, a Silicon Valley pioneer in lab-grown leather backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and luxury group Kering. This strategic move grants Faircraft access to 35 complementary patents, bolstering its technological foundation and accelerating its industrialization efforts. Founded in 2021, Faircraft specializes in producing sustainable, animal-free leather through cellular agriculture, offering a product that closely mimics traditional leather while significantly reducing environmental impact. The acquisition positions Faircraft as a leader in the emerging market for lab-grown leather, with plans to expand its operations and meet the growing demand from luxury fashion brands seeking eco-friendly alternatives. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/cuir-in-vitro-la-start-up-faircraft-soffre-les-actifs-de-son-concurrent-americain-2163624?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/05/06/faicraft-rachete-son-concurrent-americain-finance-par-dicaprio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Reelevant’s Real-Time Personalization Redefines Martech [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-11.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-reelevants-real-time-personalization-redefines-martech-with-eu6m-series-a-led-by-seventure-partners/) Paris-based startup [Reelevant](https://www.reelevant.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)aims to help customers navigate the crowded world of digital marketing by transforming personalization from a mere buzzword into reality. Founded in 2018 by repeat entrepreneur [Vincent Martinet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentmartinet/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the martech startup is pushing the boundaries of mass marketing by introducing real-time, hyper-personalized content delivery across all digital customer touchpoints Having achieved profitability in 2023, the startup recently secured a €6 million Series A raise led by Seventure Partners, with participation from Go Capital and notable business angel Nathalie Balla, former CEO of La Redoute. The goal of this latest round is to propel Reelevant’s international expansion and maintain its edge in the martech landscape. “We want Reelevant to be as ubiquitous as ‘fridge’ or ‘Kleenex’," Martinet said. "More than just a product, but a standard that has transformed the industry.” [Go inside Reelevant](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-reelevants-real-time-personalization-redefines-martech-with-eu6m-series-a-led-by-seventure-partners/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Kalent 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered tool streamlining talent acquisition processes for companies. 💻 **Website**: [http://kalent.ai](http://kalent.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cedric Tournay 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/experiences?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Raidium 🔍 **Description**: Radiology foundation model leveraging GPT technology for precision medicine, designed to assist radiologists with enhanced image analysis and diagnostic insights. 💻 **Website**: [https://raidium.eu](https://raidium.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Roubaix, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Debiopharm Group 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul Herent, Pierre Manceron 🗞️ **News**: [**PR**](https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/press-releases/raidium-joins-debiopharm-innovation-fund-portfolio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Reelevant’s Real-Time Personalization Redefines Martech with €6M Series A Led by Seventure Partners URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-reelevants-real-time-personalization-redefines-martech-with-eu6m-series-a-led-by-seventure-partners/ Last updated: 2025-05-08T22:08:49.000Z Reelevant wants to revolutionize how brands engage customers by delivering hyper-personalized content at the perfect moment, adapting dynamically to user behavior. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French AI Research: April Synthesis URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-ai-research-april-synthesis/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T06:00:30.000Z **🧠 Specialized Large Language Model Outperforms Neurologists at Complex Diagnosis in Blinded Case-Based Evaluation |** Barrit, Sami, Nathan Torcida, Aurelien Mazeraud, Sebastien Boulogne, Jeanne Benoit, Timothée Carette, Thibault Carron, Bertil Delsaut, Eva Diab, Hugo Kermorvant, and et al. 2025\. | [ ***Brain Sciences* 15, no. 4: 347**](https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15040347?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **Abstract:** Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs), has demonstrated versatility in various applications but faces challenges in specialized domains like neurology. This study evaluates a specialized LLM’s capability and trustworthiness in complex neurological diagnosis, comparing its performance to neurologists in simulated clinical settings. **Conclusions**: A specialized LLM demonstrated superior diagnostic performance compared to practicing neurologists across complex clinical challenges. This indicates that appropriately harnessed LLMs with curated knowledge bases can achieve domain-specific relevance in complex clinical disciplines, suggesting potential for AI as a time-efficient asset in clinical practice. --- **🧠** **Gilbert Simondon's Image Theory and Human-Technology Relations through Imagination and AI Image Generation |** [Book: Making Media Futures **|** Routledge](https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003467915-4/gilbert-simondon-image-theory-human-technology-relations-imagination-ai-image-generation-jacqueline-bellon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This chapter discusses (1) French philosopher Gilbert Simondon’s image theory by introducing his four-phase model of modes of existence of images and his idea of image evolution; and (2) applies this theory and other notions from his philosophy to the analysis of human-technology relations and the fostering of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy through culture/public discourse – thus discussing a part of what makes media futures. The argument is supported by examples of current practices of generating and sharing AI-generated synthetic images online, images produced with text-to-image generative AI applications such as MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, or DALL·E, which are shared on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram with non-malicious intentions. These practices are interpreted as a playful engagement with technology through the lens of human-technology relations and as calling for a need for AI literacy and epistemic competence. This interpretation builds on Simondon’s image theory in Imagination and Invention and his philosophy of technology in On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects. Overall, the contribution deals with both mental and material images, points out some human-machine differences, and discusses how living beings “host” mental images that may materialize into “image-objects.” --- **🧠** **Enhancing Rockfall Detection Using Permanent LiDAR Scanner (PLS) Data and Automated Workflows at St. Eynard Cliff (Grenoble, France) |** Manceau, L., Chanut, M.-A., Levy, C., Dewez, T., and Amitrano, D. | [EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6312](https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6312,%202025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** The ANR C2R-IA (anrc2ria.fr) project aims to develop reliable decision-making tools for dynamic rockfall risk management, such as restricting access to hazardous zones during critical periods. To achieve this, we aim to develop a predictive model for observed rockfall events that relates them to weather conditions history using Artificial Intelligence tools. Training an artificial neural network requires a comprehensively labelled dataset of rockfall events. To build this dataset, we deployed various instruments, including a Permanent LiDAR Scanner (PLS), whose data is processed by an automated workflow to handle the large volume of hourly-acquired point clouds. --- **🧠** **Assessment of the Efficiency of a ChatGPT-Based Tool, MyGenAssist, in an Industry Pharmacovigilance Department for Case Documentation: Cross-Over Study |** Benaïche A, Billaut-Laden I, Randriamihaja H, Bertocchio J | [J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e65651](https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65651?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) | DOI: 10.2196/65651 **Abstract:** At the end of 2023, Bayer AG launched its own internal large language model (LLM), MyGenAssist, based on ChatGPT technology to overcome data privacy concerns. It may offer the possibility to decrease their harshness and save time spent on repetitive and recurrent tasks that could then be dedicated to activities with higher added value. Although there is a current worldwide reflection on whether artificial intelligence should be integrated into pharmacovigilance, medical literature does not provide enough data concerning LLMs and their daily applications in such a setting. Here, we studied how this tool could improve the case documentation process, which is a duty for authorization holders as per European and French good vigilance practices. --- **🧠** **A Cyber-Physical Infrastructure for Smart Energy Buildings |** Couraud, Benoit & Franquet, Erwin & Quinard, Honorat & Barre, Pierre-Jean & Moura, Paulo & Rozier, Yann & Dechavanne, Franck & Costini, Pierre & el Youssfi, Azeddine & Taha, Ahmad & Norbu, Sonam & Flynn, D.. (2024). | [10.1007/978-3-031-82065-6\_3.](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387504961%5FA%5FCyber-Physical%5FInfrastructure%5Ffor%5FSmart%5FEnergy%5FBuildings?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** The advancement of renewable energy and low-carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles, necessitates that smart buildings adopt innovative energy use cases to become adaptive and responsive. Additionally, the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices introduces new applications for enhancing comfort, air quality, health, and energy consumption. These evolutions require Building Automation Systems (BAS) to manage new devices and implement novel applications, which are often beyond the capabilities of current BAS technologies. Consequently, this paper proposes a Cyber-Physical Architecture that facilitates the integration of third-party IoT devices and the development of novel use cases. Specifically, the architecture supports the implementation of a Smart Energy Management System alongside standard BAS to optimize energy usage in smart buildings through IoT and artificial intelligence algorithms. The paper also presents a case study of the architecture's implementation in a smart building in Nice, France, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed cyber-physical architecture for smart energy buildings. --- **🧠 Leveraging LLMs for legal terms extraction with limited annotated data** | Breton, J., Billami, M.M., Chevalier, M. *et al.* [*Artif Intell Law* (2025)](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10506-025-09448-8?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** The legal industry is characterized by the presence of dense and complex documents, which necessitate automatic processing methods to manage and analyse large volumes of data. Traditional methods for extracting legal information depend heavily on substantial quantities of annotated data during the training phase. However, a question arises on how to extract information effectively in contexts that do not favour the utilization of annotated data. This study investigates the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) as a transformative solution for the extraction of legal terms, presenting a novel approach to overcome the constraints associated with the need for extensive annotated datasets. Our research delved into methods such as prompt engineering and fine-tuning to enhance their performance. We evaluated and compared, to a rule-based and BERT systems, the performance of four LLMs: GPT-4, Miqu-1-70b, Mixtral-8x7b, and Mistral-7b, within the scope of limited annotated data availability. We implemented and assessed our methodologies using Luxembourg’s traffic regulations as a case study. Our findings underscore the capacity of LLMs to successfully deal with legal terms extraction, emphasizing the benefits of one-shot and zero-shot learning capabilities in reducing reliance on annotated data by reaching 0.690 F1 Score. Moreover, our study sheds light on the optimal practices for employing LLMs in the processing of legal information, offering insights into the challenges and limitations, including issues related to terms boundary extraction. --- **🧠 DIGITAL TWINS EMPOWERED BY THERMODYNAMICS-** **INFORMED NEURAL NETWORKS |** [Digital Twins in Engineering & Artificial Intelligence and Computational Methods in Applied Science](https://congressarchive.cimne.com/dte%5Faicomas%5F2025/abstracts/48ab0520861911efb344000c29ddfc0c.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Digital Twins have become a transformative technology in the realm of engineering and industrial applications, enabling real-time monitoring, optimization, and predictive maintenance of complex systems. The accurate simulation of physical behaviors in Digital Twins is essential for ensuring their reliability and robustness, particularly in scenarios involving complex materials. Traditional computational methods, while accurate, often entail significant processing times due to the high dimensionality and non-linearity of such systems. In this work, we present an approach leveraging Thermodynamics Informed Graph Neural Networks (TIGNNs) \[1\] in a local form \[2\] to build highly efficient and accurate digital twins of hyperelastic solids. Our method integrates the GENERIC (General Equation for Non-Equilibrium Reversible Irreversible Coupling) \[3\] framework, a thermodynamics-based formalism, to ensure the consistency of the learned models. By incorporating thermodynamic principles directly into the network’s architecture, we significantly enhance the physical plausibility and stability of the simulations. --- **🧠 Evaluating the Confidentiality of Synthetic Clinical Texts Generated by Language Models |** Foucauld Estignard, Sahar Ghannay, Julien Girard-Satabin, Nicolas Hiebel, Aurélie Névéol. [23rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIME)](https://hal.science/hal-05046326v1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), June 2025, Pavie, Italy. **Abstract:** Large Language Models (LLMs) can be used to produce synthetic documents that mimic real documents when these are not available due to confidentiality or copyright restrictions. Herein, we investigate potential privacy breaches in automatically generated documents. We use synthetic texts generated from a pre-trained model fine-tuned on French clinical cases to evaluate potential privacy breaches according to three directions: (1) similarity between real, training corpus and synthetic corpus (2) strong correlations between clinical features in training and synthetic corpus and (3) Membership Inference Attack (MIA) using a fined tuned model on the synthetic corpus. We identify clinical feature associations that suggest strategies for filtering the training corpus that could contribute to privacy preservation. Membership attacks were not conclusive. --- **🧠 |Ethics of AI| as a Floating Signifier; or Towards a Politics of AI Ethics|** Romele, A. (2025). Fioravante, R., Vaccaro, A. (eds) Humanism and Artificial Intelligence. [SpringerBriefs in Philosophy. Springer, Cham.](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-85478-1%5F9?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#citeas) **Abstract:** In this chapter**,** we question the use of the term |ethics of AI|. Our thesis is that |ethics of AI| is a floating signifier, a notion borrowed from Ernesto Laclau. The article is divided into two parts. In the first part, we discuss the need to include in the ethics of AI a reflection on the ethics of communication about AI. We also introduce the concept of the floating signifier. In the second part, we propose an analysis of the discourses mobilizing |ethics of AI| in the daily press. We examine articles mobilizing |ethics of AI| that appeared in eight daily newspapers in four European countries (France, Italy, the UK, and Germany) over a three-month period. We show the existence of three discursive uses of AI ethics: the normativity of institutions, the critique of researchers, and the techno-solutionism of companies. --- **🧠 Material Decomposition in Photon-Counting Computed Tomography with Diffusion Models: Comparative Study and Hybridization with Variational Regularizers |** Vazia, Corentin, Thore Dassow, Alexandre Bousse, Jacques Froment, Béatrice Vedel, Franck Vermet, Alessandro Perelli, Jean-Pierre Tasu, and Dimitris Visvikis. | [*arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.15383* (2025)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.15383?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) enables spectral imaging and material decomposition (MD) but often suffers from low signal-to-noise ratios due to constraints like low photon counts and sparse-view settings. Traditional variational methods depend heavily on handcrafted regularizers, while AI-based approaches, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have become state-of-the-art. More recently, diffusion models (DMs) have gained prominence in generative modeling by learning distribution functions, which can serve as priors for inverse problems. This work explores DMs as regularizers for MD tasks in PCCT using diffusion posterior sampling (DPS). We evaluate three DPS-based approaches: image-domain two-step DPS (im-TDPS), projection-domain two-step DPS (proj-TDPS), and one-step DPS (ODPS). Im-TDPS first samples spectral images via DPS, then performs image-based MD; proj-TDPS applies projection-based MD before sampling material images via DPS; ODPS directly samples material images from measurement data. Results show ODPS outperforms im-TDPS and proj-TDPS, producing sharper, noise-free, and crosstalk-free images. Additionally, we propose a hybrid ODPS method integrating DM priors with variational regularizers to handle materials absent from the training dataset. This approach enhances material reconstruction quality over standard variational methods. --- **🧠** **Artificial intelligence-based personalised rituximab treatment protocol in membranous nephropathy (iRITUX): protocol for a multicentre randomised control trial |** Teisseyre M, Destere A, Cremoni M, et al | [BMJ Open 2025;15:e093920\. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093920](https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e093920?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Membranous nephropathy is an autoimmune kidney disease and the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in non-diabetic Caucasian adults. Rituximab is now recommended as first-line therapy for membranous nephropathy. However, Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines do not recommend any specific protocol. Rituximab bioavailability is reduced in patients with membranous nephropathy due to urinary drug loss. Underdosing of rituximab is associated with treatment failure. We have previously developed a machine learning algorithm to predict the risk of underdosing. We have retrospectively shown that patients with a high risk of underdosing required higher doses of rituximab to achieve remission. The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the efficacy of algorithm-driven rituximab treatment in patients with membranous nephropathy compared to standard treatment. **🧠** **Mapping the Past: Unlocking Historical Explorer Narratives with AI and Geospatial Tools |** Barreau, Jean-Baptiste. [2025\. *Electronics* 14, no. 7: 1395\. ](https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14071395?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This study explores the use of artificial intelligence and geospatial tools to analyze historical explorers’ narratives. Explorers’ accounts provide valuable insights into the cultural, environmental, and logistical dynamics of exploration journeys. However, traditional methods of analyzing these narratives are often subjective and difficult to reproduce on a large scale. The main objective is to overcome the limitations of traditional methods by using AI techniques to systematically extract and structure information from explorers’ narratives. This study employs Python scripts to extract factual data from narratives available on Project Gutenberg, followed by structuring the data in JSON format. Geographic data are enriched through geocoding using libraries such as Geopy and OpenCage. An interactive web interface based on Leaflet allows for the visualization and validation of explorers’ routes. The results show a concentration of visits in North and West Africa, with traditional modes of transport like caravans and traveling on foot being dominant. The main challenges faced were related to transportation, climatic conditions, and natural obstacles. Principal component analysis (PCA) and correspondence analysis reveal latent structures in the data, while clustering analysis segments the journeys based on similarity criteria. This research demonstrates the value of AI and geospatial tools for a more objective and detailed analysis of explorers’ narratives, opening new perspectives for historical and geographical studies. --- **🧠 Netlogopy: Unlocking Advanced Simulation and Integration for NetLogo Using Python |** Bouaziz, Nourddine & Bettayeb, Belgacem & Sahnoun, M'hammed & Yassine, Adnan. (2025). [10.36819/SW25.019.](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390428592%5FNetlogopy%5FUnlocking%5FAdvanced%5FSimulation%5Fand%5FIntegration%5Ffor%5FNetLogo%5FUsing%5FPython?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** NetLogo is widely recognized as one of the most popular software tools for agent-based simulation. However, it has notable limitations, particularly the lack of advanced libraries in specialized areas such as optimization, artificial intelligence (AI), and mechanical or electrical modeling. On the other hand, Python is a feature-rich programming language that is increasingly used in various research domains. This study explores the integration of NetLogo and Python to leverage the strengths of both tools. The result of this integration is the Netlogopy library, which allows direct control of NetLogo agents from Python, providing greater flexibility through Python’s ecosystem. Netlogopy is a freely available library that adds an additional layer to existing NetLogo models, enhancing simulation capabilities and making them more accessible to researchers. --- **🧠 Uncovering the Fairness of AI: Exploring Focal Point, Inequality Aversion, and Altruism in ChatGPT's Dictator Game Decisions |** Dodivers, Eléonore and Rafaï, Ismaël, (2025), No 2025-09, GREDEG Working Papers, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France, [https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gre:wpaper:2025-09.](https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/grewpaper/2025-09.htm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This paper investigates Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models (AI-LLM) social preferences’ in Dictator Games. Brookins and Debacker (2024, Economics Bulletin) previously observed a tendency of ChatGPT-3.5 to give away half its endowment in a standard Dictator Game and interpreted this as an expression of fairness. We replicate their experiment and introduce a multiplicative factor on donations which varies the efficiency of the transfer. Varying transfer efficiency disentangles three donation explanations (inequality aversion, altruism, or focal point). Our results show that ChatGPT-3.5 donations should be interpreted as a focal point rather than the expression of fairness. In contrast, a more advanced version (ChatGPT-4o) made decisions that are better explained by altruistic motives than inequality aversion. Our study highlights the necessity to explore the parameter space, when designing experiments to study AI-LLM preferences. --- **🧠 Contesting dominant AI narratives on an industry-shaped ground: Public Discourse and Actors around AI in the French Press and Social Media (2012-2022) |** Tsimpoukis, P. (2025). [***JCOM* 24(2), A10.**](https://doi.org/10.22323/2.24020210?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This paper studies how artificial intelligence was set to the agenda in the press and social media in France. By simultaneously analysing the framing of AI and the key actors who dominated the discourse on this technology in the national press and on the X and Facebook platforms, the study highlights, on the one hand, the influence of digital companies and government narratives, and on the other, the presence of alternative stakeholder perspectives that diverge from dominant discourses and contribute to political polarisation on AI-related issues such as facial recognition. Our study sheds light on how AI framing can highlight dominant and alternative narratives and visions and may contribute to the consolidation of socio-technical imaginaries in the French public sphere. --- **🧠** **Coupling high resolution meteorological models with neural networks for flash flood forecasting: implementation on a Southern France basin |** Gautier, S., Artigue, G., Tramblay, Y., and Johannet, A.: EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, [EGU25-8432, 2025.](https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8432?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Flash floods are an important hazard that particularly affects the Mediterranean region. Flood forecasting using simulation tools adapted to this context is therefore a crucial issue. In exposed regions, the difficulty of measuring and forecasting the spatial variability and intensity of rainfall, as well as the difficulty of identifying processes at the necessary time and space scales, has often led to the use of highly conceptual - or even statistical - models that make few assumptions about hydrological processes. Among these, neural networks have proven their relevance for flash flood forecasting. However, without hydrometeorological coupling, flow forecasting is often limited to the response time of the basin, i.e. a few hours in general. The purpose is to find a way of increasing this lead time, which is often too short for crisis management. --- **🧠 The Effects of Artificial Intelligence as a Tool in French Language Translation Studies in Port Harcourt Metropolis |** Jaja, E. K. (2025). [*Cascades, Journal of the Department of French & International Studies*](https://www.cascadesjournal.com/index.php/cascades/article/view/81?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), *3*(1), 97–103. **Abstract:** The development of artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool in French language translation has had definite impact on translation jobs. People, even professional translators, are relying on artificial intelligence in French language translation. Translation studies from the perspective of artificial intelligence (AI) are characterized by intelligence, situational factors and integration. The research fields of translation studies from the perspective of artificial intelligence mainly include the study of translation products quality and effectiveness, the study of translation processes and the study of French language translation teaching. The consequences of all these are that (AI) translation techniques and activities are competing and, to an extent, replacing human translation. ### 🤖 La Machine #29: The France AI Radar 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-29-the-france-ai-radar/ Last updated: 2025-05-05T05:30:07.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines 🗞️ AI startup **H** has acquired [Mithril Security](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/mithril-security-898703582?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a Paris-based [open-source AI tools](https://github.com/lavague-ai/LaVague?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) developer, [according to Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/h-company-acquires-mithril-security?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Mithril was co-founded in 2022 by [Raphaël Millet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-millet?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAABlWEUsBx-VQwwLULzJaC%5F9QAdF0FfvfiCo&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Daniel Huynh](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhuynh95/overlay/about-this-profile/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and Mehdi Bessaa. H wants to bolster its efforts in building autonomous AI agents. Mithril had recently shifted its focus to [LaVague](https://github.com/lavague-ai/LaVague?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a framework for developing web agents capable of automating web tasks through natural language. Following the acquisition, H Company intensified its work on web automation and released a generalist agent, Runner H, with another product, Tester H, now in private beta. Despite stiff competition from major players like OpenAI and Google, H is reportedly testing an upgraded version of Runner H that scores 91% on the WebVoyager benchmark. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/h-company-acquires-mithril-security?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ At Maddyness' M/KIA 2025 conference last week, **Clara Chappaz**, Minister for AI and Digital Affairs, said the French government and startups must move in lockstep to close the gap with global AI superpowers: “You can absolutely count on me, and I’m counting on you.” Chappaz emphasized the need for an AI that is ambitious and responsible, that people want to adopt because it helps them. Regulation, she added, must not strangle innovation but empower it, she said. **Anne Bouverot**, Special Envoy on AI for the French President and organizer of the recent Paris AI summit, called for a full mobilization across industry, academia, and government to ensure Europe’s AI future reflects its values—**democracy, transparency, and sustainability**. 🗞️ France has launched a new initiative to replace its CAESAR artillery system with an AI-powered alternative, aiming to stay ahead in increasingly drone-centric warfare. The envisioned system will emphasize advanced automation, artificial intelligence for targeting and decision-making, and robotic integration to improve speed and accuracy on the battlefield. This AI-driven artillery marks a strategic pivot from traditional systems, addressing concerns that even the upgraded CAESAR Mk2 lacks the capabilities needed for future conflicts. The effort is separate from the delayed Franco-German CIFS project, signaling France’s intent to independently accelerate AI integration in its defense technologies. | [**Defense News**](https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/france-plans-to-replace-caesar-with-new-ai-powered-artillery-system-to-maintain-tactical-advantage-in-drone-dominated-conflicts?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other headlines:** 🗞️ **Meet Jean-Zay, the supercomputer powering France’s AI ambitions |** France ranks fifth globally in terms of its number of supercomputers – high-performance machines that can make millions, even billions, of calculations per second, and which are key to developing artificial intelligence. One of its most powerful, Jean-Zay, is dedicated to academic research. **|** [**RFI**](https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20250503-meet-jean-zay-the-supercomputer-powering-france-s-ai-ambitions?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Curated by AI: now even the art has to impress the machines |** Artificial intelligence continues to make inroads into our daily lives, be it on a personal or professional level. And now, AI is also making its way into cultural venues. For the first time, the Chateau de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art has entrusted the curatorship of an entire exhibition to an AI – an original initiative that's not entirely unprecedented. For its new exhibition, the museum in France's Loire Valley has opted for an unusual curator: ChatGPT. | [**The Star**](https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2025/04/28/curated-by-ai-now-even-the-art-has-to-impress-the-machines?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#goog%5Frewarded) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Alan Goes All-In on AI |** Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: VSORA 🔍 **Description**: IP provider for chipmakers designing next-generation AI, signal processing, ADAS, and 5G communication systems. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.vsora.com](http://www.vsora.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Vélizy-Villacoublay 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €36.36 million 🏦 **Investors**: Omnes Capital, Otium Capital, Adelie Capital, EIC Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Emmanuel Bernard, Trung Dung Nguyen, Khaled Maalej, Julien Schmitt 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/29/vsora-cette-pepite-francaise-qui-veut-concurrencer-nvidia/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=0b63994ff6-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F04%5F29%5F05%5F11&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-0b63994ff6-70918513) --- 📇 **Company**: Reelevant 🔍 **Description**: Email intelligence platform analyzing recipient behavior and context to optimize real-time personalization and engagement. 💻 **Website**: [https://reelevant.com](https://reelevant.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6 million 🏦 **Investors**: Seventure Partners, GO Capital, Nathalie Balla 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Vincent Martinet, Anaïs Demaison, Rémy Roches 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/uberfiles-scandal-macron-digital/), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/29/la-martech-reelevant-seduit-lex-dg-de-la-redoute-pour-sa-serie-a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | Deadline: June 17 | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Emerging AI: Pitch competition France Regionals |** Join HubSpot for Startups, our ecosystem guests, and VCs in this exciting global competition dedicated to discovering new AI startups. We hope to find and support the next great innovation in AI and offer a global platform to the best founders of France. The founder/winner of France will have the opportunity to present at our world final in June and win a cash prize of $6000, as well as $100,000 in free software. | **Deadline: May 22 |** [**Apply**](https://offers.hubspot.com/startups/emerging-ai-pitch-competition-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **The World Through AI | April 11 - September 25 |** The exhibition The World Through AI presents a selection of works created between 2016 and today, many of them previously unseen, which raise the question of how we experience the world “according to AI” or “through the prism of AI”. Specially designed for the Jeu de Paume, the exhibition reflects the fundamental distinction between “analytical AI” (which includes computer vision and facial recognition systems) and “generative AI”. Time capsules, designed as cabinets of curiosities, link the present to the past, placing current transformations in a historical perspective. | [**Information**](https://jeudepaume.org/en/evenement/the-world-through-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Llamapreneurs AI Builders and Creators Paris Networking Meetup | May 6 |**Join us for THE AI startup and solopreneur monthly networking event in Paris. Paris is the best AI ecosystem outside of Silicon Valley and it's good to be back home for this edition of Llamapreneurs AI Networking. If you have an AI startup, you're an AI-powered solopreneur or creator, or just interested in generative and agentic AI, let's meet! This is an informal drinks and networking. No content, just good people and a good beer. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/ycr5pdtd?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Revolution Summit 2025 | May 13 |** In the era of the fourth anthropological and industrial revolution driven by the cloud, data, and AI, our ambition is to develop systemic thinking to address the economic, academic, and technological challenges of tomorrow. **|** [**Registration**](https://revolutionsummit.groupeonepoint.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Paris} AI Hackathon #1 | May 24 |** Join us for the **first-ever {Tech: Europe} AI Hackathon in Paris** — a full weekend dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence. Whether you're a seasoned builder or just getting started, this is your chance to connect, create, and compete alongside Europe's top talent. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/paris-hackathon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Wire May 2: VSORA, SafeHeal, Via Sana & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-may-2-vsora-safeheal-via-sana-more/ Last updated: 2025-05-05T05:30:00.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: VSORA 🔍 **Description**: IP provider for chipmakers designing next-generation AI, signal processing, ADAS, and 5G communication systems. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.vsora.com](http://www.vsora.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Vélizy-Villacoublay 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €36.36 million 🏦 **Investors**: Omnes Capital, Otium Capital, Adelie Capital, EIC Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Emmanuel Bernard, Trung Dung Nguyen, Khaled Maalej, Julien Schmitt 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/29/vsora-cette-pepite-francaise-qui-veut-concurrencer-nvidia/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=0b63994ff6-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F04%5F29%5F05%5F11&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-0b63994ff6-70918513) --- 📇 **Company**: SafeHeal 🔍 **Description**: Developer of Colovac, a novel digestive anastomosis protection device designed to eliminate the need for a temporary stoma following colorectal surgery. 💻 **Website**: [https://safeheal.com](https://safeheal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series C 💰 **Amount Raised**: €35M 🏦 **Investors**: Crédit Mutuel Innovation, Sofinnova Partners, Genesis MedTech, Xerys Invest, UI Investissement, and multiple family offices 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Karl Rübel, Christian Sibert 🗞️ **News**: [**Business Wire**](https://markets.financialcontent.com/pennwell.laserfocusworld/article/bizwire-2025-4-30-safeheal-closes-oversubscribed-35-million-series-c-equity-financing?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-8.png) 📇 **Company**: Via Sana 🔍 **Description**: Digital healthcare platform offering integrated services to support better patient health outcomes. 💻 **Website**: [https://centreviasana.com](https://centreviasana.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Tours 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16 million (some as debt) 🏦 **Investors**: 360 Capital, ISALT (la Caisse des dépôts) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Louis Fosse, Ulysse Vallier 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/28/via-sana-leve-16-millions-deuros-pour-developper-le-coworking-medical/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-7.png) 📇 **Company**: Chipiron 🔍 **Description**: Developer of portable, ultra-low-field MRI scanners designed to make high-precision imaging more accessible and affordable. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.chipiron.co](https://www.chipiron.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15 million 🏦 **Investors**: Blast Club, EIC Fund, iXcore, Bpifrance, France 2030, EIC Accelerator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Evan Kervella, Dimitri Labat 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/french-deeptech-chipiron-raises-e14-million-to-make-mris-as-accessible-as-x-rays/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/chipiron-veut-rendre-lirm-aussi-accessible-que-la-radio-et-leve-un-nouveau-tour-de-15-millions-deuros/454021?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/30/chipiron-leve-15-millions-deuros-pour-developper-son-irm-plus-petit-et-moins-cher/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Dark 🔍 **Description**: Developer of components for the aerospace and aeronautics industry. 💻 **Website**: [www.dark-space.co](https://www.dark-space.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9.7M 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo, Long Journey Ventures, FRST 👨💼👩💼 **Founder**: Clyde Laheyne 🗞️ **News**: [Spacenews](https://spacenews.com/french-startup-developing-space-weapon-to-defend-satellites-and-clean-orbital-debris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Reelevant 🔍 **Description**: Email intelligence platform analyzing recipient behavior and context to optimize real-time personalization and engagement. 💻 **Website**: [https://reelevant.com](https://reelevant.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6 million 🏦 **Investors**: Seventure Partners, GO Capital, Nathalie Balla 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Vincent Martinet, Anaïs Demaison, Rémy Roches 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/uberfiles-scandal-macron-digital/), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/29/la-martech-reelevant-seduit-lex-dg-de-la-redoute-pour-sa-serie-a/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Next Generation 🔍 **Description**: All-in-one platform for fast, global payments in fiat and digital assets. 💻 **Website**: [https://ngpes.com](https://ngpes.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5 million 🏦 **Investors**: N/A 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Suren Hayriyan, Frank Combay 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ngpseu%5Fstablecoin-payment-system-next-generation-activity-7323251986668089344-upvr?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI), [**Finextra**](https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/45887/stablecoin-payment-system-next-generation-secures-5-million-in-seed-funding?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Inicio 🔍 **Description**: Identifies land with high potential for photovoltaic development in France and Europe, focusing on locally anchored solar projects. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.go-inicio.com](https://www.go-inicio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4 million 🏦 **Investors**: ISAI Ventures, Kima Ventures, CapHorn, EDF Pulse Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Romain Batby 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/l%C3%A9o-fillion-18568317b%5Fedf-pulse-ventures-invests-in-inicio-activity-7322905823129559040-Sg2N/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EDF**](https://www.edf.fr/en/pulse/ventures-news-investment-inicio?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Chenevia 🔍 **Description**: Cultivates, collects, and processes hemp flower for innovative and natural therapeutic solutions. 💻 **Website**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/chenevia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Vannes, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.0M 🏦 **Investors**: Bretagne Sud Angels, Business Angels 35, SFLD, GwenneG, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founder**: Quentin Beauva --- 📇 **Company**: Sitowie 🔍 **Description**: SaaS platform helping real estate professionals manage and optimize the sustainable lifecycle of their building portfolios using predictive modeling. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.sitowie.fr](https://www.sitowie.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed (second round) 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.7 million 🏦 **Investors**: Paris Region Venture Fund (Karista), WinEquity, FBA, PBA, Axeleo Capital, 6-24 Holding 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pauline Koch (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/predibat%5Fsitowie-l%C3%A8ve-27-m-pour-renforcer-predibat-activity-7323351015691345924-oqnA?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Aéronde 🔍 **Description**: Designer of airships equipped with electric thrusters and remotely controllable tilting propellers. 💻 **Website**: [https://aeronde.com/](https://aeronde.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Le Versoud 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.6 million (including €0.6 million debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Wiseed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nicolas Sornin --- 📇 **Company**: Chloé in the Sky 🔍 **Description**: Fintech company specialized in the low-carbon economy, registered as an investment advisor and insurance broker. 💻 **Website**: [https://chloeinthesky.com/](https://chloeinthesky.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Éric Blain, François Bottolli --- 📇 **Company**: Ogalo 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a SaaS application for connecting with horse transport professionals and managing related services. 💻 **Website**: [https://ogalo.fr/](https://ogalo.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Jean-de-Braye 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million (including €0.2M debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founder**: Johnatan Héraud --- 📇 **Company**: Cooloc 🔍 **Description**: COOLOC is a 100% digital community of co-tenants and owners, real estate investors, real estate agents, and coliving operators. 💻 **Website**: [https://cooloc.com](https://cooloc.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €270,000 🏦 **Investors**: Crowdcube 👨💼👩💼 **Founder**: Virginie Perret 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cooloc%5Fcrowdcube-investissement-colocataire-activity-7320056669814587392-3nsR?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Swile + Doctolib Pull Back The Financial Curtain URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-swile-doctolib-pull-back-the-financial-curtain/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T05:30:27.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Deep Dive:** Poppins has just raised €5 million to scale its science-backed app, helping children with dyslexia through music and gaming. Already used by 4,000+ families in France, the startup has set its sights on the U.S. to bring accessible, playful therapy to more kids. [Co-Founder François Vonthron explains the science and strategy.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/turning-therapy-into-play-neurotech-poppins-combines-music-and-data-for-dyslexia-treatment/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🗣️🥊 In an unusually blunt and feisty op-ed published on LinkedIn, Bpifrance CEO [Nicolas Dufourcq](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasdufourcq?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd%5Fprofile%3AACoAABEQNyABnx6%5FJKUzEMfpIuWbRvX3hQ1Dfls&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) lashed out at the US reaction to fines imposed by the EU on Meta and Google, while at the same time lamenting that Europe had allowed itself to be "entirely colonized by America in the digital field." On April 23, 2025, the [European Commission fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/technology/apple-meta-eu-fines-competition-law.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for violating the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking the first enforcement actions under this legislation. Apple was penalized for restricting app developers from directing users to alternative purchasing options outside its App Store, while Meta faced sanctions for its "consent or pay" model on Facebook and Instagram, which required users to either accept personalized ads or pay for an ad-free experience. Both companies plan to appeal the decisions, arguing that the EU's actions unfairly target American firms and impose disproportionate burdens. Even though both companies face antitrust actions in their own country, a Trump official said it was unacceptable that other territories penalize American companies: “This novel form of economic extortion will not be tolerated by the United States,” said Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the National Security Council, [told The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/technology/apple-meta-eu-fines-competition-law.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). “Extraterritorial regulations that specifically target and undermine American companies, stifle innovation, and enable censorship will be recognized as barriers to trade and a direct threat to free civil society.” [Dufourcq](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasdufourcq?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd%5Fprofile%3AACoAABEQNyABnx6%5FJKUzEMfpIuWbRvX3hQ1Dfls&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) chafed at the response, noting that Europe is trapped between the US and China: "We are trampled on on both sides. The digital colonist explains to us that we probably hadn't understood that we were not free to decide for ourselves, and that the major DMA and DSA laws passed by our Parliament are illegal because they are contrary to American laws...we have only ourselves to blame." The remedy will be painful, Dufourcq wrote, but essential in the long run: "What must start right now in Europe is a process of re-establishing our bargaining power, which will take decades, and which will not be free of spasms and even violence. The Americans and the Chinese will not let this happen, because they consider that we belong to them, each in their category. It will take courageous leaders and states. European capitals will have to invest in Europe. European states must stop beating each other up on all these issues, and the resistance must be united. Finally, we will need a supportive population, ready to make sacrifices to restore our public finances, rebuild Europe's sovereignty, and prevent us from being run over. Otherwise, we will be humiliated and ruined." | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7322179862205521920/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7322179862205521920%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *In happier news...* 🦄 💸 Two of France's more notable unicorns opened their ledgers this week for a rare look into their financial performance: Swile & Doctolib. Though neither is profitable, both made the case that their underlying financial performance has them on track to break even this year. 👨‍⚕️🩺 👩‍⚕️ Let's start by looking at Doctolib, the medical booking platform. The company [filed its annual reports publicly for 2021-2023](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/doctolib-794598813?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and provided a summary of its 2024 financials in an exclusive interview with Les Echos and on LinkedIn. Doctolib CFO Pierre Vergnes said the company wanted to be more transparent to dispel some of the "myths" about its business, which has de facto become part of the nation's health care system. The basics: - €348 million ARR in 2024 (+22.5% year-on-year) - Average annual growth has been 40% over the past five years. - Adjusted EBITDA was -€53.8 million, compared to -€87.1 million a year earlier. The company has two main businesses. Its free app allows the public to book medical appointments and send medical documents. Doctolib has 80 million users in Europe. But the company generates 99% of its revenue through sales of its platform to healthcare professionals. Features include digital management, secretarial services, patient development, collaboration between caregivers, medical billing, and continuous patient monitoring. Doctolib only operates in three countries – France, Germany (17% of revenue), Italy (2.6%)– but plans to expand into others soon. Writing on LinkedIn, Verges said the company is on track to turn a profit in 2025: "𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗔𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱. We’ve made the decision to reinvest massively in innovation and satisfaction. In 2024, we invested nearly €115 million in R&D, about one-third of our revenue! This includes significant investments in AI, with, for instance, our consultation assistant already helping doctors with over 2 million consultations. This journey is possible thanks to our shareholders who believe in our vision and allow us to compete in a challenging market." | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/french-tech-doctolib-a-reduit-ses-pertes-en-2024-et-vise-la-rentabilite-cette-annee-2162341?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pierrevergnes%5Ffrench-tech-doctolib-a-r%C3%A9duit-ses-pertes-activity-7322919242104766466-bBpe/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAABaM4kMB1wVCvuXvJ8Q%5FHB1aLT%5Fbst9lH6U), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/doctolib-results-2024?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🍽️ 🏢 Turning to **Swile**, the HRtech unicorn has finally digested its strategic acquisition of Bimpli in late 2022 and is now focused on profitability. The company began as a platform to manage employee benefits, primarily meal tickets, but has since broadened its strategy. Swile posted €204 million in revenue in 2024, a substantial 25% increase from the €163 million it reported in 2023\. This surge reflects both the integration of Bimpli’s client base and Swile’s success in winning major public sector contracts, including France Travail, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and SNCF. These high-profile accounts mark a shift from Swile’s previous focus on SMEs, positioning the company as a leading player in both public and private sector employee benefits. More striking is Swile’s turnaround in profitability. Its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) reached €36 million in 2024, a dramatic improvement from a loss of €23 million the year before. This €59 million positive swing in EBITDA over 12 months — and €100 million over the past two years — signals a maturing business model and successful integration of acquisitions. While Swile still reported a net loss of €64 million in 2023, the 2024 EBITDA result suggests a trajectory toward full profitability, especially given the operational efficiencies gained through consolidation. Beyond digital meal vouchers, Swile is aggressively expanding into the business travel market. Since acquiring Okarito in 2022 — a travel management startup with 500 clients at the time — Swile has scaled this line of business to over 2,000 clients. Business travel represents a market potentially larger than meal vouchers and aligns with Swile’s broader mission to unify all employee benefit experiences on a single global platform, according to Founder and CEO Loïc Soubeyrand. The company has expanded into Brazil, which now accounts for 10% of Swile’s revenues. The company expects to reach one million users in Brazil by the end of 2025\. Swile is exploring new markets, and Soubeyrand indicated that Swile is open to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to accelerate global growth. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/services-conseils/titres-restaurant-swile-passe-le-cap-des-200-millions-deuros-de-revenus-2162347?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/swile-apres-son-private-reverse-merger-plus-grande-plus-stable-mais-encore-exposee/453990?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/29/swile-la-licorne-desormais-rentable-veut-faire-decoller-son-offre-pour-les-voyages-daffaires/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🚀 Andréa Bensaid**, founder of the digital marketing agency **Eskimoz**, has launched **199 Ventures**, a €30 million self-funded investment fund aimed at integrating strategic marketing into startup growth. Partnering with private equity expert **Gaultier Brun**, the fund targets early-stage tech startups, offering investments between €50,000 and €200,000, along with hands-on support in areas like acquisition strategies and ROI analysis. 199 Ventures distinguishes itself through radical transparency, publicly sharing detailed information about its investments, including amounts and valuations, according to Bensaid. Operating independently without AMF approval, the fund co-invests alongside traditional VCs, bringing a unique marketing perspective to the table. Bensaid emphasizes the importance of marketing as a profit center, aiming to educate founders on branding, content strategy, and personal branding to drive sustainable growth. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrea-bensaid%5Ffrench-tech-199-ventures-le-nouveau-family-activity-7322869815222624256-r4d-/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-199-ventures-le-nouveau-family-office-qui-joue-la-carte-de-la-transparence-2162148?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/28/andrea-bensaid-fondateur-deskimoz-lance-son-fonds/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🪦☠️** Finally, we return to the tragic saga of **Talent.io**, the would-be unicorn that dissolved into bankruptcy. Founder **Jonathan Azoulay** and **Ventech Partner Audrey Soussan** shared lessons from the experience in a Q&A exchange. These include building a startup unfit for economic cycles, its dependency on LinkedIn, a lack of strategic agility, and a lack of humility. "For a long time, Talent.io was a standard bearer in my portfolio," Soussan said. "With its healthy and profitable growth, I thought the startup would one day be worth a billion. The end of this story is for me a good reminder that we are in a risky business whose assumptions must be constantly re-evaluated.” | [**Ventech**](https://www.ventechvc.com/stories/on-a-tous-pense-que-talent-io-deviendrait-une-licorne%20tr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How Neurotech Poppins Combines Music And Data For Dyslexia Treatment [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-9.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/turning-therapy-into-play-neurotech-poppins-combines-music-and-data-for-dyslexia-treatment/) While video games are often blamed for shortening attention spans and hindering childhood development, one Paris-based startup is proving that play can be powerful medicine. [**Poppins**](https://www.poppins.io/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a neurotech company founded by two engineers-turned-entrepreneurs from École Polytechnique, is rewriting the rules of dyslexia therapy — with rhythm, science, and a touch of fun. Blending clinical rigor with gamified design, Poppins has developed the first CE-marked digital medical device that helps children with dyslexia improve their reading skills through structured, music-based exercises. At the heart of Poppins lies a bold idea: by training the brain’s auditory and rhythmic pathways, children with dyslexia can build the foundational skills they need to read with confidence. And unlike traditional therapy, Poppins makes the process accessible, engaging, and scalable. The Paris-based startup has just secured €5 million in funding to expand its innovative digital therapy platform designed to help children with dyslexia. This latest round brings Poppins’ total funding to €20 million. The app, which looks like a game but functions as a scientifically validated therapy tool, is already used daily by thousands of families across France — and now, it’s setting its sights on the U.S. “Poppins is not designed to replace speech therapy; it is a complementary medical device to support children who are either awaiting diagnosis or already in therapy,” said Co-Founder François Vonthron. “It’s about reinforcing their learning in a fun and interactive way. [Read the Deep Dive](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/turning-therapy-into-play-neurotech-poppins-combines-music-and-data-for-dyslexia-treatment/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: VSORA 🔍 **Description**: IP provider for chipmakers designing next-generation AI, signal processing, ADAS, and 5G communication systems. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.vsora.com](http://www.vsora.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Vélizy-Villacoublay, France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €36.36 million 🏦 **Investors**: Omnes Capital, Otium Capital, Adelie Capital, EIC Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Emmanuel Bernard, Trung Dung Nguyen, Khaled Maalej, Julien Schmitt 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/29/vsora-cette-pepite-francaise-qui-veut-concurrencer-nvidia/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=0b63994ff6-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F04%5F29%5F05%5F11&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-0b63994ff6-70918513) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-8-1.png) 📇 **Company**: Via Sana 🔍 **Description**: Digital healthcare platform offering integrated services to support better patient health outcomes. 💻 **Website**: [https://centreviasana.com](https://centreviasana.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Tours, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16 million (some as debt) 🏦 **Investors**: 360 Capital, ISALT (la Caisse des dépôts) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Louis Fosse, Ulysse Vallier 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/28/via-sana-leve-16-millions-deuros-pour-developper-le-coworking-medical/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/05/image-7.png) 📇 **Company**: Chipiron 🔍 **Description**: Developer of portable, ultra-low-field MRI scanners designed to make high-precision imaging more accessible and affordable. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.chipiron.co](https://www.chipiron.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15 million 🏦 **Investors**: Blast Club, EIC Fund, iXcore, Bpifrance, France 2030, EIC Accelerator 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Evan Kervella, Dimitri Labat 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/french-deeptech-chipiron-raises-e14-million-to-make-mris-as-accessible-as-x-rays/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/chipiron-veut-rendre-lirm-aussi-accessible-que-la-radio-et-leve-un-nouveau-tour-de-15-millions-deuros/454021?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/30/chipiron-leve-15-millions-deuros-pour-developper-son-irm-plus-petit-et-moins-cher/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Turning Therapy Into Play: Neurotech Poppins Combines Music And Data For Dyslexia Treatment URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/turning-therapy-into-play-neurotech-poppins-combines-music-and-data-for-dyslexia-treatment/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T05:33:50.000Z The startup has just raised €5 million to scale its science-backed app helping children with dyslexia through music and gaming. Already used by 4,000+ families in France, the startup has set its sights on the U.S. to bring accessible, playful therapy to more kids. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #28: Alan Goes All-In On AI 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-28-alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/ Last updated: 2025-04-28T06:00:14.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Headlines 🗞️ France has identified data centers as a fundamental part of its AI competition strategy. Investors are responding by driving a boom in data center construction. [**According to a new report**](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/04/22/3065263/0/en/France-Data-Center-Market-Investment-Analysis-Report-2025-2030-New-Entrants-include-CloudHQ-Nation-Data-Center-Mistral-AI-NTT-DATA-PHOCEA-DC-Yondr-evroc-DataOne-Goodman-and-OPCORE.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the French data center market, valued at U$3.42 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $6.40 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.01%. ["France Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2025-2030"](https://www.researchandmarkets.com/report/france-data-centers-market?utm%5Fsource=GNE&utm%5Fmedium=PressRelease&utm%5Fcode=x9gmfw&utm%5Fcampaign=2056512+-+France+Data+Center+Market+Investment+Analysis+Report+2025-2030%3a+New+Entrants+include+CloudHQ%2c+Nation+Data+Center%2c+Mistral+AI%2c+NTT+DATA%2c+PHOCEA+DC%2c+Yondr%2c+evroc%2c+DataOne%2c+Goodman+and+OPCORE&utm%5Fexec=carimspi) notes that growth is being fueled by government initiatives like tax credits for renewable energy projects and a $52 billion AI data center investment agreement with the UAE. New technologies such as liquid cooling are being rapidly adopted, with companies like DATA4 and OVHcloud partnering to improve energy efficiency. Major players like Digital Realty, Equinix, and NTT DATA are expanding their footprint, alongside 10 new entrants, including CloudHQ, Mistral AI, and OPCORE, intensifying market competition. Currently, France hosts 146 existing and 21 upcoming third-party data center facilities across over 40 cities. Overall, the report says, the French data center landscape is entering a high-growth phase, driven by sustainability initiatives, strategic partnerships, and rising demand for AI and cloud services. | [**ResearchAndMarkets**](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/04/22/3065263/0/en/France-Data-Center-Market-Investment-Analysis-Report-2025-2030-New-Entrants-include-CloudHQ-Nation-Data-Center-Mistral-AI-NTT-DATA-PHOCEA-DC-Yondr-evroc-DataOne-Goodman-and-OPCORE.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Pierre Valade**, known for co-founding the Sunrise calendar app acquired by Microsoft in 2015, has unveiled his latest venture: WorkflowAI. This startup aims to revolutionize productivity tools by integrating artificial intelligence into workflow management. WorkflowAI seeks to automate routine tasks and streamline operations, drawing from Valade's experience in creating user-centric applications. The initiative reflects Valade's continued commitment to enhancing digital productivity through innovative solutions. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/workflowai-le-nouveau-defi-du-pionnier-pierre-valade-2161562?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7317932129714151424/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7317932129714151424%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France's data and privacy regulatory authority – ***Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés*** (CNIL) – has issued detailed recommendations for AI projects in public services, emphasizing the need for meaningful human oversight to avoid fully automated decisions, especially in sensitive contexts like employment assistance. It stresses the importance of strict data minimization, recommending careful selection and anonymization or pseudonymization of personal data, and highlights the risks of bias and discrimination, urging preventive audits and safeguards. Additionally, CNIL clarified that data used for real-time operational decisions cannot be considered purely statistical and must comply with GDPR protections. Overall, the report urges developers to integrate ethical and privacy-by-design principles from the earliest stages of AI deployment in the public sector. | [**CNIL**](https://www.cnil.fr/en/artificial-intelligence-and-public-services-cnil-publishes-results-its-sandbox?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ To boost AI projects in the French legal sector, lawyers, legal departments, and legaltech companies have launched the **"Data Legal Space,"** a sovereign European data space designed to enable the secure sharing of public and private data. The goal is to create a trusted framework to support the development of legal AI agents while protecting and enhancing the value of the data. Each participant will be able to share anonymized data under defined access conditions. The project, still in its funding phase, aims to capture 10% of the market as an alternative to American tech giants. | [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/pour-stimuler-les-projets-d-ia-les-professionnels-du-droit-lancent-un-espace-de-donnees.N2231167?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **OpenAI’s ChatGPT** search feature has rapidly expanded in Europe, reaching about 41.3 million average monthly active users by March 2025, up from 11.2 million six months earlier. This growth, reported to comply with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), could soon classify ChatGPT as a "very large" platform subject to stricter regulations. Despite its gains, ChatGPT search still trails far behind Google and faces criticisms over reliability, with studies highlighting notable inaccuracies in search results. Noncompliance with DSA rules could expose OpenAI to hefty fines or service suspension in Europe. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/21/chatgpt-search-is-growing-quickly-in-europe-openai-data-suggests/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ More than 5,000 communes across France are now using AI-assisted systems and cameras to identify residents who improperly sort their rubbish, aiming to improve recycling rates and reduce costs. Households found at fault first receive a warning, with subsequent offenses leading to €135 fines. Cities like Reims use AI to analyze waste in real-time, identifying sorting errors and helping guide education campaigns to improve compliance. This initiative builds on broader efforts by French communes to tackle illegal dumping and optimize waste management practices. | [**The Connexion**](https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/fines-issued-as-ai-identifies-people-who-do-not-sort-their-rubbish-correctly/720448?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Marly Garnreiter, a 27-year-old woman from Paris, experienced persistent night sweats and itchy skin, which she initially attributed to anxiety and grief after her father’s death. When traditional medical tests came back normal, she entered her symptoms into ChatGPT, which suggested she might have blood cancer — a warning she dismissed at the time. Months later, after new symptoms like chest pain and extreme fatigue appeared, doctors discovered a large mass in her lung and diagnosed her with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Remarkably, ChatGPT had predicted her diagnosis nearly a year before medical professionals confirmed it. | [**People**](https://people.com/chaptgpt-diagnosed-woman-blood-cancer-before-doctors-11720358?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business** | CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ## 🗣️ Alan Goes All-In on AI [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-59.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) Over the past year, French insurtech unicorn Alan has made it clear that its future would be built around AI. Founded in 2016, the company's AI investments have driven remarkable growth, created new efficiencies, and enabled new products. The vision, as explained by CEO and co-founder Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, is to turn health insurance into a digital, AI-powered health companion. AI is no longer just a nice-to-have at Alan; it is at the very core of how the company operates, scales, and reshapes health care for its 400,000+ members. At Alan's Spring Keynote earlier this month, the company rolled out its latest initiatives, including AI-driven features like its gamified “Alan Play” experience and updates to its “Mo” virtual health assistant. As business leaders and investors debate whether AI can deliver real business advances to justify the immense hype, Alan appears determined to serve as a poster child for the ways it can reinvent products, services, customer support, and internal operations. "To try to transform a mandatory expense into a company's most valuable investment, the health of its teams," Samuelian-Werve said. "For years, we have been trying to innovate every day in this direction." [Go inside Alan's AI vision](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Didomi 🔍 **Description**: Best platform for managing data privacy compliance. 💻 **Website**: [http://didomi.io](http://didomi.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC – used to acquire server-side tagging platform Addingwell. 💰 **Amount Raised**: €72 million 🏦 **Investors**: Marlin Equity Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Romain Gauthier, Raphaël Boukris, Jawad Stouli 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/22/didomi-leve-72-millions-deuros-et-rachete-addingwell/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://www.didomi.io/blog/didomi-addingwell-acquisition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: CleanMob 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a fleet management platform leveraging proprietary virtual sensor technology to enhance automotive telematics without physical devices, optimizing energy usage, maintenance, and CO2 emissions. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.cleanmob.eu](https://www.cleanmob.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, 212Founders by CDG Invest, MNF Ventures, Tremplin Capital, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Salah El Hajji, Khalil El Hajji --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | Deadline: June 17 | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Emerging AI: Pitch competition France Regionals |** Join HubSpot for Startups, and our ecosystem guests, VC in this exciting global competition dedicated to discovering new AI startups. We hope to find and support the next great innovation in AI and offer a global platform to the best founders of France. The founder/winner of France will have the opportunity to present at our world final in June and win a cash prize of $6000, as well as $100,000 in free software. | **Deadline: May 22 |** [**Apply**](https://offers.hubspot.com/startups/emerging-ai-pitch-competition-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Google Startup Perks program** | We're excited to launch our new Startup Perks program, offering exclusive benefits and discounts from 20+ leading AI and tech companies within the [Google Cloud](https://www.linkedin.com/company/google-cloud/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ecosystem. | [**More information**](https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **The World Through AI | April 11 - September 25 |** The exhibition The World Through AI presents a selection of works created between 2016 and today, many of them previously unseen, which raise the question of how we experience the world “according to AI” or “through the prism of AI”. Specially designed for the Jeu de Paume, the exhibition reflects the fundamental distinction between “analytical AI” (which includes computer vision and facial recognition systems) and “generative AI”. Time capsules, designed as cabinets of curiosities, link the present to the past, placing current transformations in a historical perspective. | [**Information**](https://jeudepaume.org/en/evenement/the-world-through-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges and opportunities of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **HealthAI Cocktail Hour | Cathay**, **AWS** and **Sanofi** are delighted to invite you for a Cocktail Hour, featuring thought leaders in the healthcare industry and innovators for an evening of inspiring conversations with fellows. **|** [**Register**](https://lu.ma/ux8gqop5?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Zero to Product Buildathon à Paris |** [Operators & Friends](https://operatorsandfriends.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is teaming up with [Lovable](https://lovable.dev/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Motier Ventures](https://www.motier.vc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [OpenAI](https://openai.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Huggingface](http://www.huggingface.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Lightspeed Ventures](https://www.lsvp.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to host a laid-back evening for you to build and launch products in <30 minutes. ​Join 100 builders to create products with Lovable in the heart of Paris 🇫🇷 **|** [**Apply**](https://lu.ma/zero-to-product?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Revolution Summit 2025 | May 13 |** In the era of the fourth anthropological and industrial revolution driven by the cloud, data, and AI, our ambition is to develop systemic thinking to address the economic, academic, and technological challenges of tomorrow. **|** [**Registration**](https://revolutionsummit.groupeonepoint.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Paris} AI Hackathon #1 | May 24 |** Join us for the **first-ever {Tech: Europe} AI Hackathon in Paris** — a full weekend dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence. Whether you're a seasoned builder or just getting started, this is your chance to connect, create, and compete alongside Europe's top talent. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/paris-hackathon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Alan Goes All-In on AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alan-goes-all-in-on-ai/ Last updated: 2025-04-27T21:54:08.000Z Six months after announcing a Series F funding round of €173 million at a €4 billion valuation, the French insurtech is accelerating its embrace of AI to transform its operations and products. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire April 25: Didomi, MirSense, Poppins & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-25-didomi-mirsense-poppins/ Last updated: 2025-04-27T16:30:35.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: Didomi 🔍 **Description**: Best platform for managing data privacy compliance. 💻 **Website**: [http://didomi.io](http://didomi.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC – used to acquire server-side tagging platform Addingwell. 💰 **Amount Raised**: €72 million 🏦 **Investors**: Marlin Equity Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Romain Gauthier, Raphaël Boukris, Jawad Stouli 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/22/didomi-leve-72-millions-deuros-et-rachete-addingwell/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://www.didomi.io/blog/didomi-addingwell-acquisition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: MirSense 🔍 **Description**: Developer of industrial Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) solutions and spectrometer modules for industry and defense. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.mirsense.com](http://www.mirsense.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Palaiseau, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7 million 🏦 **Investors**: Supernova Invest, Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement, Polytechnique Ventures, Safran Corporate Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mathieu Carras, Michael Brown 🗞️ **News**: [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/defense-tech-mirsense-secures-7m-defense/) --- 📇 **Company**: Technologies & Habitats 🔍 **Description**: Manufacturer of modular residential buildings made from low-carbon wood. 💻 **Website**: [http://tech-hab.com](http://tech-hab.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5.4 million 🏦 **Investors**: Normandie Capital Investissement, Banque des Territoires, Lhotellier 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: N/A 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7320792315730485248/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**CF News**](https://www.th-groupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/250414-CF-News-Levee-de-fonds-1.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-54.png) 📇 **Company**: Poppins 🔍 **Description**: Interactive program supporting children’s cognitive development through music. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.poppins.io/](https://www.poppins.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Eurazeo, Verve Ventures, BNP Paribas Développement, Kurma Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François Vonthron, Antoine Yuen 🗞️ **News**: [TFN](https://techfundingnews.com/e5m-for-digital-dyslexia-therapy-for-children-heres-how-french-poppins-is-transforming-the-medtech-sector/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-55.png) 📇 **Company**: Yacon & Co 🔍 **Description**: Yency, is the very first breakfast brand that makes sugar-free spreads that actually taste GOOD ! 💻 **Website**: [https://yacon.co](https://yacon.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Sowefund, 50Partners, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Clément Poyade, Raphaella Nolleau 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yaconco%5Fj-5-100-atteints-et-%C3%A7a-continue-activity-7318161634093387778-Eew6?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/PORTRAITSCLEANMOB.JPG) From left to right, Salah and Khalil EL HAJJI, co-founders of CleanMob 📇 **Company**: CleanMob 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a fleet management platform leveraging proprietary virtual sensor technology to enhance automotive telematics without physical devices, optimizing energy usage, maintenance, and CO2 emissions. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.cleanmob.eu](https://www.cleanmob.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, 212Founders by CDG Invest, MNF Ventures, Tremplin Capital, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Salah El Hajji, Khalil El Hajji --- 📇 **Company**: Peripheral 🔍 **Description**: Developer of augmented perception HMI technology for mobile users. 💻 **Website**: [http://peripheral.fr](http://peripheral.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Vernon, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310957936707555328/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Inflowpay 🔍 **Description**: Payment platform focused on seamless integration and performance. 💻 **Website**: [https://inflowpay.com](https://inflowpay.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Rockstart, Plug and Play, Gnosis DAO, Stake Capital, Alliance DAO, Stéphanie Lacroix, Nicolas Bacca, Matthieu Guigues 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Danny Ba 🗞️ **News**: [**Cointime**](https://www.cointime.ai/flash-news/payment-gateway-inflow-completes-60465?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Versant 🔍 **Description**: Platform combining satellite and ground data to identify and invest in biodiversity-focused projects. 💻 **Website**: [https://versant.earth](https://versant.earth/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.35 million 🏦 **Investors**: Antler, Climate Leaders Fast Track 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Luc Bettaieb, Elena Bunel, Martin De Stoppani 🗞️ **News**: [**TNF**](https://techfundingnews.com/exclusive-french-nature-tech-startup-versant-grabs-e500k-from-antler-to-restore-europes-biodiversity/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sylcast 🔍 **Description**: Startup developing innovative solutions in satellite communications 💻 **Website**: [https://www.sylcast.com](https://www.sylcast.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Avon, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Lifetime Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Julie-Anne Lucchetti 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7320433401386221568/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Argon & Co 🔍 **Description**: Global management consultancy specializing in operations strategy and transformation. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.argonandco.com](https://www.argonandco.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Levallois-Perret, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: The Carlyle Group, Bridgepoint 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Yvan Salamon 🗞️ **News**: [**Bridgepoint**](https://majunke.com/bridgepoint-announces-strategic-investment-in-argon-co?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Defense Tech Answers A Call To Arms URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-defense-tech-answers-a-call-to-arms/ Last updated: 2025-04-25T06:00:45.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire:** 👀 **Sector Deep Dive:** With geopolitical tensions rising and sovereignty now a buzzword, Defense Tech is breaking taboos in France. With war at Europe’s door, investment is soaring and mindsets are shifting. Speed is everything. [But the question now is: can Europe move fast enough to secure its future](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-europe-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/)? 👀 **Deep Dive:** mirSense wants to redefine safety and defence with its quantum cascade laser tech. From blinding missiles with powerMir to sniffing out toxic gases with uniMir and mirChip, the dual-application startup believes it can change the game in defense and industrial monitoring. [**CEO and co-founder Mathieu Carras explains the tech and vision.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/defense-tech-mirsense-secures-7m-defense/) **☀️ Spotlight Interview:** ChangeNOW 2025, the "world expo of solutions for the planet," is in full swing this week. Ahead of the Paris opening, [I spoke with ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/santiago-lefebvre-wants-you-to-believe-again) about how a bold idea born at COP21 became a global gathering, and why, in a divided world, hope and action still matter. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 ⚖️🔨 **Oussama Ammar**, co-founder of The Family, was ordered by a UK court to pay €7.5 million (£6.5 million) for fraud and breaching his fiduciary duties to the organization. The ruling follows allegations from his former partners, Alice Zagury and Nicolas Colin acting on behalf of The Family and shareholders, that Ammar embezzled around €4.5 million meant for investments in US tech companies like SpaceX and Airbnb, instead using the money for personal projects, including acquiring a luxury estate in Normandy. In 2023, a Cayman Islands court had already ruled against Ammar in a similar case, ordering him to repay over €7 million to The Family. In both rulings, the courts delivered default judgments as Ammar failed to defend himself. Ammar still contests the decisions, arguing they were obtained without proper adversarial proceedings. He has claimed throughout that The Family had blurry boundaries between personal and professional funds, which justified the transactions in question. Still, The Family must still go through a French legal process (exequatur) to be enforced here and attempt to recover any assets. Despite these legal setbacks, Ammar, who has remained active on social media where he has unveiled several new intiatiatves, said he now plans to launch a new startup accelerator called *The Labyrinth* and continue his work in the tech ecosystem. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/the-family-oussama-ammar-uk-court?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/19/oussama-ammar-condamne-a-verser-75-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🐛 In April, insect farming startup **Ÿnsect** was on the verge of shutting down and being liquidated when it secured a €10 million investment from existing investors, including Bpifrance, to gain some breathing room. The public investment bank already held a 13.62% stake in Ÿnsect as of late 2023\. At the same time, Ÿnsect announced it had received interest in partially acquiring its Dole site in the Jura region. [**According to Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-un-repreneur-pour-ynsect-une-arrivee-chez-clara-chappaz-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2161603?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the offer came from Antoine Hubert, Ÿnsect’s former CEO, who founded a new company in 2024 called Keprea. Hubert presented his plan to Ÿnsect employees but declined to comment further due to ongoing legal proceedings in the commercial court. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-un-repreneur-pour-ynsect-une-arrivee-chez-clara-chappaz-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2161603?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📱📹** France’s **Commission on the Psychological Effects of Video Apps has launched** a large-scale public consultation, open until May 31, 2025, to assess **TikTok's** impact, particularly on young users. The initiative invites teens and their parents to anonymously respond to a brief online questionnaire about their usage habits, emotional responses, and exposure to disturbing content on the platform. With TikTok boasting 22.7 million users in France, the commission aims to gather millions of responses to inform recommendations on regulating the app, including potential age restrictions. Lawmakers see this consultation as both a diagnostic tool and a way to reconnect Parliament with public concerns over youth mental health. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/les-deputes-de-la-commission-d-enquete-tiktok-appellent-des-millions-de-francais-a-temoigner-20250423?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛡️😶 🪪 France is enforcing a new law mandating strict age verification on adult websites to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content. Initially applied to French and non-EU sites like OnlyFans, the requirement will extend to EU-based platforms such as Pornhub, YouPorn, and XVideos starting June 7, 2025\. The French regulator Arcom is authorized to block sites that fail to comply, with potential enforcement actions, including site blocks, anticipated this summer. Adult content providers have expressed concerns over the technical feasibility and privacy implications of implementing these age checks. Nevertheless, the French government remains resolute in its commitment to safeguarding minors online. | [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/france-could-pull-plug-pornhub-this-summer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Yahoo**](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/france-introduce-strict-age-verification-102031849.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How France And Europe Are Mobilizing Defense Tech Startups [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-52.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-europe-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/) “We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned last month, as she unveiled the EU’s [€800 billion ReArm Europe Plan.](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F25%5F793?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) “The real question is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates — and whether Europe is ready and able to act with the speed and ambition that is needed.” The plan is to catalyze a surge in defense investments across EU member states. The message is clear: in an era marked by persistent instability - from Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine to shifting U.S. security commitments and escalating cyber threats - defense is no longer optional. For Europe, and France in particular, the challenge isn’t whether to invest in sovereign innovation, but whether they can do it swiftly enough. [Join the ranks reading the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-europe-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/) --- # 🔬Laser-Focused: mirSense Secures €7M For Industrial Safety And Defense Sovereignty [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-51.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/defense-tech-mirsense-secures-7m-defense/) In a world increasingly reliant on sensor-driven technologies, French defense tech startup [mirSense](https://mirsense.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is positioning itself as a global leader with a €7M Series A funding round, led by [Safran Corporate Ventures](https://www.safran-group.com/group/innovation/safran-corporate-ventures?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and joined by [Supernova Invest,](https://supernovainvest.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Polytechnique Ventures](https://www.polytechnique-ventures.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement (C2AD)](https://www.ca-alpes-developpement.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). This marks a pivotal moment for the company, which specializes in quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology and miniature gas sensors with applications spanning defense, industrial safety, and environmental monitoring. Founded in 2015 by former Thales researchers [Mathieu Carras](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieu-carras-22698316/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Mickael Brun](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickael-brun-99a30913/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), mirSense has developed a unique approach to infrared sensors that allows for cost-effective, high-precision detection in a wide range of applications. From missile decoy defense systems to detecting toxic gases in industrial settings, mirSense’s sensors are poised to change the way both military and civilian sectors operate. [Go inside mirSense](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/defense-tech-mirsense-secures-7m-defense/) --- # Spotlight Interview: ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre Wants You To Believe Again [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-53.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/santiago-lefebvre-wants-you-to-believe-again) ChangeNOW is on at Paris' Grand Palais ©ChangeNOW As thousands of changemakers gather in Paris for the 2025 edition of *ChangeNOW*, Santiago Lefebvre stands at the helm of what has become the world’s largest impact summit. But rewind a few years, and this all looked very different. “I had no experience in events. None. We bootstrapped everything,” Santiago tells me, sitting just a few floors above the buzzing Grand Palais, where this year’s event has kicked off with a record-breaking 40,000 participants. The idea first sparked in **2015**, during the landmark **COP21 climate summit** in Paris. “The targets were inspiring,” he says. “But I kept wondering—where are the tech entrepreneurs? Where are the people building solutions on the ground?” At the time, Santiago had just wrapped up his first venture in the digital space. “I saw all these early impact communities—Techfugees, civic tech, green projects—but there wasn’t a place where they were all brought together. Impact, as an ecosystem, didn’t exist yet," he said. So he imagined something different: “I looked at what France had built with La French Tech. I thought—what if we could do that for impact? Like CES, but with solutions for the planet.” [Read the full story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/santiago-lefebvre-wants-you-to-believe-again) [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Didomi 🔍 **Description**: Best platform for managing data privacy compliance. 💻 **Website**: [http://didomi.io](http://didomi.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC – used to acquire server-side tagging platform Addingwell 💰 **Amount Raised**: €72 million 🏦 **Investors**: Marlin Equity Partners 👨👩💼 **Founders**: Romain Gauthier, Raphaël Boukris, Jawad Stouli 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/22/didomi-leve-72-millions-deuros-et-rachete-addingwell/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://www.didomi.io/blog/didomi-addingwell-acquisition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Auum 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an eco-friendly glass-cleaning machine designed to eliminate single-use cups in workplaces. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.auum.com](https://www.auum.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15 million 🏦 **Investors**: Starquest, Founders Future, Groupe SEB, Blast Club, Swen Capital Partners 👨👩💼 **Founders**: Clément Houllier, Maxime Prieto, Mathieu Bourhis, Thomas Munoz 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/22/auum-leve-15-millions-deuros-pour-propulser-son-lave-verres/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/ile-de-france/auum-leve-15-millions-deuros-pour-inciter-les-entreprises-a-abandonner-les-gobelets-jetables-2161372?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Poppins 🔍 **Description**: Interactive program supporting children’s cognitive development through music. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.poppins.io/](https://www.poppins.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Eurazeo, Verve Ventures, BNP Paribas Développement, Kurma Partners 👨👩💼 **Founders**: François Vonthron, Antoine Yuen 🗞️ **News**: [TFN](https://techfundingnews.com/e5m-for-digital-dyslexia-therapy-for-children-heres-how-french-poppins-is-transforming-the-medtech-sector/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How France And Europe Are Mobilizing Defense Tech Startups URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-europe-mobilizing-defense-tech-startups/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T21:21:16.000Z With geopolitical tensions rising and sovereignty now a buzzword, Defense Tech is breaking taboos in France. With war at Europe’s door, investment is soaring and mindsets are shifting. Speed is everything. But the question now is: can Europe move fast enough to secure its future ? _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🔬Laser-Focused: mirSense Secures €7M For Industrial Safety And Defense Sovereignty URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/defense-tech-mirsense-secures-7m-defense/ Last updated: 2025-04-24T19:59:44.000Z mirSense wants to redefine safety and defense with its quantum cascade laser tech. From blinding missiles with powerMir to sniffing out toxic gases with uniMir and mirChip, the dual-application startup believes it can change the game in defense and industrial monitoring. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Spotlight Interview: ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre Wants You To Believe Again URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/santiago-lefebvre-wants-you-to-believe-again/ Last updated: 2025-04-24T21:11:34.000Z ChangeNOW 2025, the "world expo of solutions for the planet," is in full swing this week. Ahead of the Paris opening, I spoke with Lefebvre about how a bold idea born at COP21 became a global gathering, and why, in a divided world, hope and action still matter. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #27: Hugging Face Embraces Pollen Robotics 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-27-hugging-face-embraces-pollen-robotics/ Last updated: 2025-04-21T06:00:17.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- SPONSORED By VanTA [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/vanta421.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) ISO 27001 is the gold standard for information security—but getting certified can feel like navigating a maze. That’s why Vanta has created a straightforward ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist to help you cut through the complexity and take action with confidence. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing program, this resource lays out exactly what you need to do—step by step. [Download the Checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-42001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=french-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ **Hugging Face**, the open-source AI platform based in NYC but founded by Frenchies, has acquired French robotics startup Pollen Robotics, marking its first major venture into hardware. Pollen is best known for Reachy 2, a humanoid robot equipped with VR compatibility and advanced manipulation capabilities, already utilized in research institutions like Cornell and Carnegie Mellon. The acquisition reflects Hugging Face's commitment to open-source principles, as the company plans to make both the software and hardware designs of Reachy 2 openly accessible. This approach aims to democratize robotics by allowing developers and enthusiasts to modify, improve, and even 3D print components of the robot. Pollen Robotics was founded in 2016 in Bordeaux, France, by Matthieu Lapeyre, Alice Coucke, and Pierre Rouanet with the mission to create open, ethical, and accessible robots. The team gained recognition for developing Reachy, an open-source humanoid robot designed for human-robot interaction research and experimentation. This move builds upon Hugging Face's previous initiatives in robotics, including the launch of the LeRobot open-source robotics code library in 2024, led by former Tesla engineer Remi Cadene. The acquisition of Pollen Robotics brings approximately 20 new employees into Hugging Face, including Pollen’s co-founders, further strengthening its robotics expertise. By integrating Pollen's technology and team, Hugging Face aims to bridge the gap between AI software and physical robotics, fostering innovation in embodied AI applications. The company envisions a future where AI-powered robots are open, affordable, and widely accessible, encouraging collaboration across the global developer community. "We believe robotics could be the next frontier unlocked by AI — and it should be open, affordable, and private. Our vision: a future where everyone in the community, from hobbyists to enterprises, can build or use robot assistants or games, starting from open solutions instead of closed, remote controlled, hardware," said Thomas Wolf, co-founder and chief scientist at Hugging Face, in a statement. | [**Hugging Face**](https://huggingface.co/blog/hugging-face-pollen-robotics-acquisition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/hugging-face-acquisition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Wired**](https://www.wired.com/story/hugging-face-acquires-open-source-robot-startup/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/14/hugging-face-buys-a-humanoid-robotics-startup/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-47.png) Simon Alibert and Rémi Cadène from the LeRobot team with Reachy 1 — Photo: Léa Crespi 🗞️ French President Emmanuel Macron launched the "Choose France for Science" initiative to attract international researchers, particularly those affected by recent U.S. policy changes under President Donald Trump. The initiative, managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR), offers co-funding for French institutions to host foreign scientists in fields such as health, climate, AI, and energy. This move comes amid significant cuts to research funding and increased political tensions in the U.S., leading to job losses and concerns over academic freedom. Macron emphasized France's commitment to research and innovation, inviting scientists worldwide to continue their work in a supportive European environment. Prominent figures like Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun praised the initiative as a strategic opportunity for France to bolster its scientific community. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/macron-invites-international-scientists-come-work-france-2025-04-18/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**ANR**](https://france2030.agencerecherche.fr/ChooseFranceForScience-2025/accueil.php??ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-20-at-20.55.09-1.png) 🗞️ **France’s PEPR (Priority Research Program and Equipment)** in Artificial Intelligence has launched a major call for applications to appoint up to 15 AI research chairs across the country. This initiative, part of the national AI strategy under France 2030, aims to strengthen France’s position in foundational and interdisciplinary AI research. Selected chairholders will receive substantial funding and support to lead ambitious projects that advance the state of AI science and foster collaboration between academia and industry. | [**Inria**](https://www.inria.fr/en/pepr-ai-call-chairs-artificial-intelligence?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ AI-generated music now makes up 18% of all tracks uploaded to Deezer, according to the music streaming platform’s data from the first quarter of 2024\. That’s around 15 million out of 100 million total tracks, with most AI-generated content uploaded by a small number of prolific creators using generative tools. Deezer has responded by developing technology to detect and label AI-generated music, aiming to maintain transparency for users and fairness for human artists. The company emphasized that while AI can support creativity, it must be used responsibly to avoid flooding platforms with low-quality or deceptive content. |[**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-generated-music-accounts-18-all-tracks-uploaded-deezer-2025-04-16/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ A Russian disinformation campaign known as Storm-1516, led by former Florida deputy sheriff John Mark Dougan, has targeted France with AI-generated false narratives, resulting in over 55 million views on social media between December 2024 and March 2025\. These fabricated stories include a fake confession from a Chadian migrant about a rape, a false claim that Ukrainian President Zelensky purchased a French bank for €1.2 billion, and a deepfake video alleging sexual abuse by France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron. The surge in disinformation coincides with France's increased support for Ukraine and political tensions surrounding far-right leader Marine Le Pen's disqualification from the 2027 presidential race. French officials have acknowledged the escalating threat, noting that AI technologies have enabled manipulation on an unprecedented scale. [**Newsguard**](https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/russian-propaganda-campaign-targets-france-with-ai-fabricated-scandals?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ An AI-driven research project identified 128 verified instances of climate misinformation across 18 media outlets, averaging more than 10 cases per week in France over a three-month period. The study was a joint project by French NGOs Science Feedback, QuotaClimat, and Data For Good to monitor climate misinformation on French television and radio. Notably, 85% of these instances originated from private media, with Sud Radio alone accounting for 31% of the total. The misinformation frequently targeted topics such as renewable energy and electric vehicles, and its prevalence spiked during significant political events, including national climate policy consultations. Despite the urgency of climate issues, only 2% of traditional media airtime was dedicated to environmental topics, highlighting a significant gap in accurate reporting. The report calls for increased responsibility from journalists, regulators, and advertisers, and emphasizes the need for public awareness to combat the spread of climate misinformation. | [**Science Feedback**](https://science.feedback.org/world-first-ai-monitoring-uncovers-alarming-magnitude-of-climate-misinformation-on-french-tv-and-radio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other Headlines** 🗞️ **We have spent “millions” on AI training data, says Photoroom CEO, who wants to make the internet “more beautiful” |** The CEO and co-founder of Photoroom talks about his career and plans for the photo-editing app. **|** [**Tech EU**](https://tech.eu/2025/04/16/we-have-spent-millions-on-ai-training-data-says-photoroom-ceo-who-wants-to-make-the-internet-more-beautiful/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Mantle8 uses AI to pinpoint natural hydrogen in French mountain |** Where traditional explorers search for hydrogen like needles in haystacks, Mantle8 has built what it calls a “hydrogen-generating system” model. Think of it as going beyond the treasure map to understanding the entire geology of the treasure chest, the locks, the keys, and even the pirates who buried it. **|** [**Greenprophet**](https://www.greenprophet.com/2025/04/mantle8-uses-ai-to-pinpoint-natural-hydrogen-in-french-mountain/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ### 🗣️ How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-49.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) Imagine the typical knowledge worker's day in 2025: bouncing between a dozen specialized AI tools, each siloed in its own ecosystem. One platform for document summarization, another for meeting transcription, a third for writing assistance, and yet more for translation, search, and other AI-powered tasks. The result is fragmented workflows, subscription fatigue, and a productivity promise that remains frustratingly unfulfilled. This is the problem that Paris-based startup Delos aims to solve. Founded by brothers Pierre and Thibaut de la Grand'rive in the summer of 2023, Delos has developed what amounts to an operating system for artificial intelligence in the workplace – a sovereign, unified platform that orchestrates multiple AI models into a coherent experience. The company unveiled the platform last week and also announced a €2.5 million fundraising. In a landscape dominated by American tech giants and specialized point solutions, Delos believes it can succeed by reimagining the entire workspace as a natively AI-powered environment where technologies work together rather than competing for the user's attention. Delos.so orchestrates multiple AI models (including ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral, and Llama) into a cohesive platform with seven integrated applications. "We started from scratch. Rather than adapting our work methods to AI, we built an AI adapted to our work methods," said CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive. "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." [Go inside Delos](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Brink Therapeutics 🔍 **Description**: Biotech startup developing programmable recombinase-based genome editing technology that enables precise insertion of long DNA sequences without double-strand breaks, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to CRISPR-Cas9 for cell and gene therapies. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.brinktx.com](https://www.brinktx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kurma Partners, Breega, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jonathan Naccache (CEO), Harry Kemble (CTO) 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/brink-therapeutics-securise-35-millions-deuros-pour-une-alternative-a-crispr-plus-sure-et-plus-precise/453522?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: CustomsBridge 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an AI-powered platform that simplifies and automates customs procedures for importers and exporters, enhancing compliance and reducing administrative burdens. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.customsbridge.fr](https://www.customsbridge.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nice, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Soget 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Loïc Poisot, Charles Devaux, Hamza Saouli. 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-customsbridge-la-start-up-qui-simplifie-les-formalites-douanieres-2160516?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Klaimy 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered platform helping insurance companies process simple claims in under a minute, saving up to 70% in operational costs. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.getklaimy.com/](https://www.getklaimy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Les Ulis, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Insurtech Gateway, Tenity, U-Investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Juan Barragan, Yazid Hadni, Amira Nakouri 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/klaimy-bags-e1-2-million-to-support-medical-underwriters-and-claims-handlers-with-ai-copilot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dom-nolan-546542b2%5Fdelighted-to-have-led-the-12m-pre-seed-activity-7318641765220044801-bNxj?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: BARY 🔍 **Description**: Metaverse and VR solutions for B2B tradeshows, enabling enhanced interaction, lead generation, remote collaboration with blockchain integration, and [TheSubtil.ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesubtilai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) – its AI-powered platform. 💻 **Website**: [https://bary.ai](https://bary.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Netgem 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mathias Cohen, Elie Zerbib 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elie-zerbib-b669a981%5Fnetgem-x-bary-un-investissement-strat%C3%A9gique-activity-7312391212009689088-zMD6?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- # Announcements **SISTA AI |** A program dedicated to accelerating the creation and growth of startups founded by women in AI. Women founders in tech are one of the key drivers of innovation, growth, and employment across Europe. | Deadline: June 17 | [**Apply**](https://wearesista.com/applications-sista-ia-aws-bnp/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Emerging AI: Pitch competition France Regionals |** Join HubSpot for Startups, and our ecosystem guests VC in this exciting global competition dedicated to discovering new AI startups. We hope to find and support the next great innovation in AI and offer a global platform to the best founders of France. The founder/winner of France will have the opportunity to present at our world final in June and win a cash prize of $6000, as well as $100,000 in free software. | **Deadline: May 22 |** [**Apply**](https://offers.hubspot.com/startups/emerging-ai-pitch-competition-france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges and opportunities of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Revolution Summit 2025 | May 13 |** In the era of the fourth anthropological and industrial revolution driven by the cloud, data, and AI, our ambition is to develop systemic thinking to address the economic, academic, and technological challenges of tomorrow. **|** [**Registration**](https://revolutionsummit.groupeonepoint.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Paris} AI Hackathon #1 | May 24 |** Join us for the **first-ever {Tech: Europe} AI Hackathon in Paris** — a full weekend dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence. Whether you're a seasoned builder or just getting started, this is your chance to connect, create, and compete alongside Europe's top talent. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/paris-hackathon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Delos Is Building an AI Operating System for Business URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-delos-is-building-an-ai-operating-system-for-business/ Last updated: 2025-04-21T03:01:05.000Z CEO Pierre de la Grand'rive: "Our ambition is to offer generative AI that is truly useful to employees." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire April 18: Mila, Ensol, Dolphin Semiconductor & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-18-mila-ensol-dolphin-semiconductor-more/ Last updated: 2025-04-19T07:00:23.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- SPONSORED BY [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/SOC_Global_Guide_eBook_1200x628--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=future&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) Building a security compliance program can be daunting—especially in high-growth environments. Vanta’s Global Guide to Starting a Security Compliance Program offers a practical path to scaling securely. Whether tackling SOC 2, ISO 27001, or GDPR, learn how to focus on what matters most. With Vanta, you can implement essential frameworks, build a scalable, audit-ready program, and streamline the process through smart automation. Lay strong security foundations—and grow faster with fewer roadblocks. What you’ll get: - A clear roadmap for ISO 27001 readiness - Key documentation and control requirements - Practical tips to streamline the audit process If ISO 27001 is on your roadmap for 2024, this checklist is your first move toward faster certification—and stronger security. [Get the Checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=future&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: Mila 🔍 **Description**: Rental platform offering fast rent payment (within 72 hours), extended eligibility for tenants, certified tenant files in 6 hours, and response to claims within 48 hours. 💻 **Website**: [http://mila.direct](http://mila.direct/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Puteaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €12 million 🏦 **Investors**: Elevation Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean Boucher 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/milaassurance%5Fassurtech-immobilier-assurance-activity-7316128124184784896-wype?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Ensol 🔍 **Description**: Provider of custom photovoltaic installations, delivering tailored solar energy solutions for residential and commercial use. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.goensol.com](https://www.goensol.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €14 million (including €8 million in debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Breega, Endgame, Watermelon 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul de Preville, Martin d'Hoffschmidt 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paul-de-preville-ba405b65%5Fsolaire-startup-energie-activity-7317848435892637696-IvSq?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Dolphin Design (Dolphin Semiconductor) 🔍 **Description**: Provider of IP cores for power management and signal processing to improve performance and efficiency in electronic systems. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dolphin-design.fr](https://www.dolphin-design.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Meylan 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Vertex Growth 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Philippe Berger (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dolphin-semiconductor%5Fdeeptech-semicon-ic-activity-7317803920318218240-bA8p?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-45.png) 📇 **Company**: Febus Optics 🔍 **Description**: Developer of fiber-optic sensing solutions, primarily for structural health monitoring and industrial applications. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.febus-optics.com](https://www.febus-optics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Pau, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4 million 🏦 **Investors**: Thales, Pléiade Venture, GSO Innovation, Pyrénées Gascogne Développement, Acer Finance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Vincent Lanticq, Etienne Almoric 🗞️ **News**: [**Blog Post**](https://www.febus-optics.com/en/actualites/febus-optics-secures-a-4-million-funding-round-151?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-43.png) 📇 **Company**: Brink Therapeutics 🔍 **Description**: Biotech startup developing programmable recombinase-based genome editing technology that enables precise insertion of long DNA sequences without double-strand breaks, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to CRISPR-Cas9 for cell and gene therapies. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.brinktx.com](https://www.brinktx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kurma Partners, Breega, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jonathan Naccache (CEO), Harry Kemble (CTO) 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/brink-therapeutics-securise-35-millions-deuros-pour-une-alternative-a-crispr-plus-sure-et-plus-precise/453522?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Circular 🔍 **Description**: Smart ring that analyzes body signals to help users improve sleep, activity, and overall wellness. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.circular.xyz/](https://www.circular.xyz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.68 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kickstarter (crowdfunding) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Laurent Bsalis, Amaury Kosman 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/circularing%5Fcircularring2-smartring-kickstarter-activity-7318604227570733056-tcTH?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: CustomsBridge 🔍 **Description**: Developer of an AI-powered platform that simplifies and automates customs procedures for importers and exporters, enhancing compliance and reducing administrative burdens. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.customsbridge.fr](https://www.customsbridge.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nice, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Soget 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Loïc Poisot, Charles Devaux, Hamza Saouli. 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-customsbridge-la-start-up-qui-simplifie-les-formalites-douanieres-2160516?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-46.png) 📇 **Company**: Celest Science 🔍 **Description**: Healthtech startup focusing on innovative digital and behavioral health solutions. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.celest.science/](https://www.celest.science/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Astorya.vc, Plug & Play Ventures, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Léo Lemordant, Pierre Gentine 🗞️ **News**: [**Plug & Play**](https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/venture-capital/investment-announcements/celest-science-investment?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-42.png) Klaimy co-founders (left to right): Yazid Hadni, Juan Barragan, and Amira Nakouri 📇 **Company**: Klaimy 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered platform helping insurance companies process simple claims in under a minute, saving up to 70% in operational costs. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.getklaimy.com/](https://www.getklaimy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Les Ulis, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Insurtech Gateway, Tenity, U-Investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Juan Barragan, Yazid Hadni, Amira Nakouri 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/klaimy-bags-e1-2-million-to-support-medical-underwriters-and-claims-handlers-with-ai-copilot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dom-nolan-546542b2%5Fdelighted-to-have-led-the-12m-pre-seed-activity-7318641765220044801-bNxj?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Ecklo 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a sustainable alternative to industrial plastic film, aiming to eliminate single-use plastic in packaging by offering a recyclable and reusable solution. 💻 **Website**: [https://ecklo.fr/](https://ecklo.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2M 🏦 **Investors**: Emmanuel Picot, BACS-Innov, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Corentin Dejean, Florian Dejean 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/ecklo-la-start-up-qui-veut-eradiquer-le-film-plastique-industriel-2160265?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: H’ability 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a medical rehabilitation solution using immersive virtual reality for stroke and trauma patients. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.h-ability.fr](https://www.h-ability.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2 million 🏦 **Investors**: Yeast, BAMA, Bpifrance, Banque Populaire, CIC 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Anne-Charlotte Monneret 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/h-ability%5Fhability-l%C3%A8ve-12-million-deuros-activity-7318187638438432769-Bkyc?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Clikodoc 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a digital medical appointment booking platform supporting both in-person and virtual consultations. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.clikodoc.com](https://www.clikodoc.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Guadeloupe, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.1M 🏦 **Investors**: Caomie, Outremer Antilles, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Carl Andrianasolo 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clikodoc%5Fclikodoc-levaezedefonds-santaez-activity-7318220077479124992-XMPm?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-41-1.png) 📇 **Company**: BARY 🔍 **Description**: Metaverse and VR solutions for B2B tradeshows, enabling enhanced interaction, lead generation, remote collaboration with blockchain integration, and [TheSubtil.ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesubtilai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) – its AI-powered platform. 💻 **Website**: [https://bary.ai](https://bary.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: Undisclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Netgem 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mathias Cohen, Elie Zerbib 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elie-zerbib-b669a981%5Fnetgem-x-bary-un-investissement-strat%C3%A9gique-activity-7312391212009689088-zMD6?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Silicon Valley Extends Its Funding Domination URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-silicon-valley-extends-its-funding-domination/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T06:00:05.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire,** 👀 **Deep Dive:** Riding a new round of funding at a €2bn valuation, Pennylane has already seen rapid growth. [CEO Arthur Waller explains how new invoicing regulations and AI could catalyze the company's ambitions.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- SPONSORED BY [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/SOC_Global_Guide_eBook_1200x628--1-.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=future&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) Building a security compliance program can be daunting—especially in high-growth environments. Vanta’s Global Guide to Starting a Security Compliance Program offers a practical path to scaling securely. Whether tackling SOC 2, ISO 27001, or GDPR, learn how to focus on what matters most. With Vanta, you can implement essential frameworks, build a scalable, audit-ready program, and streamline the process through smart automation. Lay strong security foundations—and grow faster with fewer roadblocks. What you’ll get: - A clear roadmap for ISO 27001 readiness - Key documentation and control requirements - Practical tips to streamline the audit process If ISO 27001 is on your roadmap for 2024, this checklist is your first move toward faster certification—and stronger security. [Get the Checklist ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/the-iso-27001-compliance-checklist?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=future&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) --- # 🤔 Edito 🤔 I'm optimistic about European and French tech. But I think it's hard to fully grasp the immense structural funding disadvantage that startups in Europe face compared to Silicon Valley. Let me focus on one example: Public employee pension funds. Every state in the U.S. has two of them. One for public employees at all levels of government (state and local), and one for teachers. Several of these pension funds are among the largest LPs in the world. In my former home state, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) has $531 billion in AUM. During Q3 2024 (so just one quarter), CalPERS invested $12 billion in VC and PE funds. Since 2023, CalPERS has committed $1.6 billion to a single fund: Andreessen Horowitz's Innovation Opportunities fund. For a sense of scale, consider that the European Investment Fund invested €14 billion in 2024 to support European small businesses, including in 102 venture capital funds. Overall, CalPERS and its sister fund, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) - $353bn AUM, allocate about 15% of their assets to PE/VC. There has been talk in Europe about different schemes to close this yawning funding chasm. France's TIBI initiatives have made some strides getting insurance funds into the game. There is talk of a TIBI for Europe, and even a proposal to tap into personal savings accounts. All of this could be helpful at the margins. But Europe has to think on a much more massive scale to really make a dent here. Chris O'Brien --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 ⬇️ 📉 [**The latest data from EY**](https://www.ey.com/fr%5Ffr/insights/fast-growing-companies/barometre-ey-du-capital-risque-en-france-1er-trimestre-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) confirmed [what we reported last month](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-remain-calm-or-time-to-panic/): Funding for French tech startups continues to slide in Q1 2025\. Only 148 companies raised €1.4 billion, a decrease in value of 19% and 14% in volume terms compared to Q1 2024\. Meanwhile, the US has seen investments boom with growth of 154% thanks to its AI leaders (OpenAI, Anthropic, and Groq), and even Europe is growing at just over 10%. In the **European Union**, France has lost its lead to **Germany, where companies raised €1.65 billion** (though that country saw a 20% decline 20% in value and a 14% dip in volume). ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/1cd2687c-a08b-4e87-bbf7-43f1d56770ec.png) Chart by EY Maddyness drew the same conclusion (though with different data), reporting that 123 French start-ups raised €1.2 billion, a decrease of 26% compared to the first quarter of last year (€1.6 billion) but also compared to 2023 during the same period (€1.9 billion). That 123 is down from 164 for the same period one year ago. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/16/french-tech-les-levees-de-fonds-en-baisse-au-premier-trimestre/?mtm%5Fcampaign=maddynews&mtm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=MaddyNews&utm%5Fcampaign=9f392a365d-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2025%5F04%5F16%5F04%5F18&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F0800d260f2-9f392a365d-70918513), [**EY**](https://www.ey.com/fr%5Ffr/insights/fast-growing-companies/barometre-ey-du-capital-risque-en-france-1er-trimestre-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🛡️☁️ At a digital sovereignty event in Paris, France’s digital minister **Clara Chappaz** delivered a forceful critique of Europe’s dependence on US tech giants, urging EU nations to "hunt as a pack" to protect digital autonomy. She denounced US dominance in the cloud sector—where American firms control up to 80% of the European market—and called for stronger enforcement of EU tech regulations, even in the face of US trade threats. Chappaz also condemned “sovereignty washing,” where US cloud providers claim European legitimacy through partnerships, highlighting France’s strict SecNumCloud certification criteria. To reduce dependency, she announced new initiatives under the France 2030 plan, including funding sovereign cloud projects, creating an industry committee, and mapping tech dependencies. She noted growing demand for French cloud providers like OVHcloud and Scaleway, reflecting a broader shift toward secure, sovereign alternatives in Europe. | [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/section/tech/news/against-us-digital-predators-france-digital-minister-calls-for-a-european-pack-hunt/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🥊 A conflict between the two partners of [**SistaFund**](https://sistafund.com/team/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, Tatiana Jama and Isabelle Gallo**, has led to the temporary suspension of the fund, [**according to Les Echos' sources**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-conflit-chez-sistafund-la-vraie-operation-de-gleamer-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2160542?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** SistaFund, which was launched at the end of 2022, was born out of the Sista collective with the goal of investing in startups where at least 30% of the capital is held by women. Isabelle Gallo is expected to leave the project soon, while Tatiana Jama says she intends to carry forward the fund’s original mission with renewed ambition. Despite the tensions, investors—including the European Investment Fund and several tech entrepreneurs—continue to support SistaFund. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-conflit-chez-sistafund-la-vraie-operation-de-gleamer-les-confidentiels-de-la-semaine-2160542?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🌴🪓 **Welcome to the Jungle**, a hiring and branding platform that has been a cornerstone of the French tech ecosystem for years, is laying off 60 of 260 employees in France, [**according to FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/welcome-to-the-jungle-taille-dans-ses-effectifs-cyberattaque-harvest-les-auteurs-sortent-de-lombre-petit-manuel-pour-briller-avec-des-idees-de-startup-foireuses-mais-bien-pitchees/453270?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The editorial team is being shut down as the company seeks profitability after almost €70 million raised and €10 million losses over two years. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/welcome-to-the-jungle-taille-dans-ses-effectifs-cyberattaque-harvest-les-auteurs-sortent-de-lombre-petit-manuel-pour-briller-avec-des-idees-de-startup-foireuses-mais-bien-pitchees/453270?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⛽ After a two-year delay, the French government has finally unveiled its revised national hydrogen strategy, which is more targeted but less ambitious than initially planned. The plan includes a €4 billion support mechanism to boost the competitiveness of low-carbon hydrogen, primarily produced via electrolysis from renewable or nuclear energy, to replace fossil-based "grey" hydrogen. The strategy focuses on key sectors like fertilizer production, refining, and intensive transportation (buses, utility vehicles, taxis), while scaling down its 2030 capacity goal from 6.5 GW to 4.5 GW. Critics blame government delays for the lost momentum, especially compared to Germany and Spain, which have already launched significant hydrogen infrastructure investments. To stimulate demand, France may also adjust fiscal tools like the renewable fuel tax incentive, though this remains politically sensitive. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/hydrogene-l-etat-revise-a-la-baisse-ses-ambitions-20250416?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How Pennylane Plans To Become France's Accounting Superhero [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-44.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/) The conventional wisdom over the past decade is that any truly ambitious French startup must think globally from Day 1\. But the accounting complexities facing companies in France are such that Pennylane's founders believe their home market presents an opportunity to build a fintech giant. Founded in 2020, Pennylane has experienced meteoric growth in just five years. The company has positioned itself as an "all-in-one" accounting platform that serves both accountants and the small to medium-sized businesses they support. Currently operating only in France, Pennylane has built an impressive customer base of approximately 4,500 accounting firms and more than 350,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Earlier this month, the company announced a €75 million funding round co-led by Sequoia Capital, Alphabet's CapitalG, and Meritech, with participation from DST Global. This latest funding round doubled the company's valuation to €2 billion, up from €1 billion in early 2024 when it achieved unicorn status with a €40 million Series C round. The latest funding comes as Pennylane anticipates another wave of growth driven by expansion into Germany, the upcoming mandatory electronic invoicing reform in France, and the rapidly evolving capabilities of generative AI. Arthur Waller, Pennylane's CEO and co-founder, is projecting the company will hit $100M ARR this year and break even by continuing to focus on primarily on France.. "It's a big market," he said. "We are convinced that just in France, there is probably an addressable market of a couple of billion euros. So you want to have the product right. And then the ambition is to go to continental Europe. But there is also no rush because we know it's a product game. We want to get France right before going too fast and extending and being defocused." [Go inside Pennylane's hero journey](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Mila 🔍 **Description**: Rental platform offering fast rent payment (within 72 hours), extended eligibility for tenants, certified tenant files in 6 hours, and response to claims within 48 hours. 💻 **Website**: [http://mila.direct](http://mila.direct/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Puteaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €12 million 🏦 **Investors**: Elevation Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean Boucher 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/milaassurance%5Fassurtech-immobilier-assurance-activity-7316128124184784896-wype?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Brink Therapeutics 🔍 **Description**: Biotech startup developing programmable recombinase-based genome editing technology that enables precise insertion of long DNA sequences without double-strand breaks, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to CRISPR-Cas9 for cell and gene therapies. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.brinktx.com](https://www.brinktx.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kurma Partners, Breega, Kima Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jonathan Naccache (CEO), Harry Kemble (CTO) 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/brink-therapeutics-securise-35-millions-deuros-pour-une-alternative-a-crispr-plus-sure-et-plus-precise/453522?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Circular 🔍 **Description**: Smart ring that analyzes body signals to help users improve sleep, activity, and overall wellness. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.circular.xyz/](https://www.circular.xyz/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.68 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kickstarter (crowdfunding) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Laurent Bsalis, Amaury Kosman 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/circularing%5Fcircularring2-smartring-kickstarter-activity-7318604227570733056-tcTH?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Biom’Innov 🔍 **Description**: Developer of eco-friendly biostimulants and biocontrol solutions aimed at enhancing plant health and reducing reliance on chemical pesticides, promoting sustainable agriculture. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.biominnov.com](https://www.biominnov.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5M 🏦 **Investors**: Agrilife Studio 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Coutant 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/biom-innov-la-start-up-qui-developpe-des-medicaments-verts-pour-les-plantes-2160006?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Pennylane Plans To Become France's Accounting Superhero URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/pennylane-frances-accounting-superhero/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T04:19:31.000Z Riding a new round of funding at a €2bn valuation, the 5-year-old fintech has already seen rapid growth. CEO Arthur Waller explains how new invoicing regulations and AI could catalyze the company's ambitions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #26: How Ogury Is Navigating The AI AdTech Revolution 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-25-how-ogury-is-navigating-the-ai-adtech-revolution/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T04:53:10.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- SPONSORED By VanTA [![CTA Image](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/EM_EMEA_ScalingSecurity_1200x300@2x.png)](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) In today’s high-growth environment, security must be built-in—not a blocker. Our report, Scaling Security, shows how leading European tech companies embed compliance early and automate smartly to scale faster. Learn how automation transforms SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR into strategic advantages. See what security maturity looks like at every growth stage. Security at scale is possible—with the right approach. [Download the Report ](https://www.vanta.com/downloads/emea-customer-guide?utm%5Fcampaign=emea-generic&utm%5Fsource=frech-tech-journal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter) # Headlines 🗞️ Last week, Amazon held its AWS conference in Paris, the latest sign of its commitment to the French AI ecosystem. As part of the event, AWS dropped a report, "[Unlocking France's AI Potential 2025,"](https://www.unlockingeuropesaipotential.com/france?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) produced with Strand Partners. The report noted that AI adoption in France is accelerating, driven largely by startups, with 68% now using AI — the highest rate in Europe — compared to just 30% among all French businesses. Startups are leveraging AI to create new products and business models, benefiting from strong access to capital, talent, and a collaborative ecosystem. **However, a two-speed economy is emerging: large enterprises and SMEs lag behind in advanced AI integration, hindered by limited AI strategies, low cloud adoption, and a growing digital skills gap.** SMEs in particular struggle with high adoption costs and talent shortages, despite AI delivering strong productivity and revenue gains for those who use it. France still trails the European average in overall AI adoption, with only 30% of businesses using AI compared to 42% across Europe. The report stresses that accelerating cloud adoption, developing enterprise-wide AI strategies, and investing in digital talent are critical for France to stay competitive. Additionally, regulatory complexity and high compliance costs are major barriers that must be addressed to unlock the full potential of AI across French businesses. | [**AWS**](https://press.aboutamazon.com/fr/actualites/aws/lia-en-france-une-adoption-a-plusieurs-vitesses-aws-strandpartners?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ In the 9th annual **AI Index Report 2025** from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAL), France got several high marks – as well as some warning signs. On the good side of the ledger, France produced 3 notable AI models in 2024 — the highest in Europe after the UK and Germany. The French government announced a massive €109 billion investment in AI infrastructure, placing it among the top global investors. France is also joining the global push for safer AI, launching a national AI Safety Institute in 2024\. However, industrial robot adoption slowed, with a 13% drop in installations last year. Public AI procurement in France has been steady but modest over the past decade, with ARCOM using AI to regulate digital content and fight online piracy. Finally, the country saw an increase in AI optimism among the general population 10% to 41%. That actually exceeds 39% in the US, but lags dramatically behind the 83% in China. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-13-at-23.20.55.png) 🗞️ **Germany and France** are at odds over how to regulate US Big Tech in Europe. France is pushing for new taxes on American tech giants like Google and Meta, arguing it’s essential for fair competition, while Germany opposes the move, warning it could provoke retaliatory US tariffs that would harm European exporters. Despite this dispute, both countries have found common ground in their ambition to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty. They are backing the development of EU-based cloud and data infrastructure, a strategy that aligns with the broader *Eurostack* initiative — an effort to create a European alternative to dominant US and Chinese tech platforms. This convergence marks a significant win for European industry, paving the way for major public-private investments to build resilient, homegrown digital capabilities. | [**Euractiv**](https://www.euractiv.com/section/tech/news/germany-opposes-frances-proposal-to-tax-us-big-tech-as-reciprocal-tariffs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Last week, the **European Commission** unveiled its **“AI Continent Plan”** — a strategic pivot aimed at catching up in the global AI race. After years of focusing on regulation, the EU is now shifting toward enabling AI adoption, boosting infrastructure, and cutting red tape. The plan includes €200 billion in investments, promoting European data-sharing, developing sovereign AI infrastructure, and launching AI “gigafactories.” However, this effort still pales in comparison to U.S. and Chinese investments, like Microsoft-OpenAI’s $40 billion raise or Amazon's $500 billion Stargate initiative. Critics argue that Europe’s fragmented market, lack of local AI champions, and slow-moving bureaucracy remain key obstacles. The real challenge may not just be funding, but removing regulatory barriers and accelerating AI adoption across European industries. | [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/how-eu-did-full-180-artificial-intelligence-rules/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EC**](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F25%5F1013?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**CNBC**](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/09/eu-ai-continent-plan-to-boost-artificial-intelligence-industry.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a strategic partnership with Mistral AI to strengthen its position in the generative AI market. As part of the deal, Mistral will use AWS as its preferred cloud provider, while AWS customers will gain access to Mistral’s new open-weight model, “Mixtral,” through Amazon Bedrock. This partnership highlights AWS’s growing focus on supporting open-source AI models to compete with rivals like Microsoft-OpenAI and Google. It also reinforces Europe’s emerging role in the global AI landscape, with Mistral positioned as a potential European AI champion. | [**AWS**](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-mistral-ai-pixtral-large?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France has launched its first-ever World AI Film Festival, aiming to showcase how AI can be a tool for creativity rather than a threat to it. Held in Cannes alongside MIPTV, the festival presents films partially or fully created using AI, highlighting new artistic possibilities. Organizers want to challenge the narrative that AI will replace human creativity, instead promoting collaboration between artists and technology. The event comes amid growing debate in the film industry over AI’s role in content creation and intellectual property. Ultimately, the festival positions France as a leader in exploring the cultural and creative potential of AI. | [**Screen Daily**](https://www.screendaily.com/news/frances-inaugural-world-ai-film-festival-aims-to-show-ai-wont-destroy-creativity/5203798.article?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **SeqOne**, a French precision medicine startup specializing in genomic analysis software, has acquired Life-Soft, a French company known for its expertise in genetic data interpretation and diagnostics. The acquisition strengthens SeqOne’s position in oncology and hereditary disease testing by expanding its technological capabilities and clinical-grade solutions. This move is part of SeqOne’s strategy to accelerate growth and become a leading European player in genomic medicine. The combined platform will offer healthcare providers a more comprehensive and streamlined solution for genetic testing and personalized treatment decisions. | [**PR**](https://www.seqone.com/news-insights/seqone-life-soft-acquisition?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the rapid rise of AI and cryptocurrency mining is expected to more than double global data center electricity demand by 2030\. Data centers could consume over 1,000 terawatt hours annually — equivalent to Japan's total electricity use — driven largely by the energy needs of AI training and generative AI applications. The IEA warns this surge will put increasing pressure on power grids and could slow global efforts to cut carbon emissions. This trend underscores the growing environmental challenge posed by the AI boom. | [**France24**](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250410-ai-surge-to-double-data-centre-electricity-demand-by-2030-iea?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- ### 🗣️ How Ogury Is Navigating The AI AdTech Revolution [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-39.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-ogury-is-navigating-the-ai-adtech-revolution/) Digital advertising has been the fundamental business model that has powered online businesses for almost three decades. That supremacy is now under assault by unprecedented challenges from privacy regulations, the rapid disappearance of third-party identifiers, and the rise of generative artificial intelligence. So it might come as a surprise that [Geoffroy Martin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffroy-martin-2592531/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the CEO of the French-born adtech firm Ogury, exudes optimism about the future. Martin believes that Ogury's approach, rooted in privacy-first principles, has the company well-positioned to thrive. Ogury has spent a decade perfecting "personified advertising," which targets personas rather than individuals, respecting user privacy while delivering superior campaign performance. Martin sees Ogury – and the industry – at an exciting inflection point. "We are in the middle of two revolutions, one which is purely within ad tech, which is that shift of privacy first and loss of signal on the open internet," Martin said, "which is going to be further accelerated and compounded by the very, very fast rise of AI." [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-ogury-is-navigating-the-ai-adtech-revolution/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Sekoia.io 🔍 **Description**: SaaS cybersecurity platform that uses AI for real-time detection and response to cyber threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://sekoia.io](https://sekoia.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rennes, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Omnes Capital, Unexo, Bright Pixel Capital, Revaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Freddy Milesi 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sekoia-leve-26-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-la-reponse-aux-menaces-liees-a-lia/453185?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/sekoia-io-leve-26-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-plateforme-de-detection-et-de-reponse-cyber.N2230375?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/sekoia-io-secures-e26-million-to-democratise-threat-detection-with-ai-and-cyber-intelligence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Revaia**](https://www.revaia.com/news/revaias-investment-in-sekoia-io-investing-in-the-future-of-european-cybersecurity/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Okeiro 🔍 **Description**: Innovative solutions for better healthcare and faster drug development. 💻 **Website**: [https://okeiro.com/en](https://okeiro.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Alven, Red River West, Forepont Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Stephane Tholander, Thierry Beaupere 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/okeiro-la-start-up-qui-met-lia-au-service-des-organes-transplantes-2159222?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: qevlar ai 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven cybersecurity SOC automation platform. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.qevlar.com/](https://www.qevlar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Issy-les-Moulineaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9 million 🏦 **Investors**: Olivier Pomel, Florian Douetteau, EQT Ventures, ForgePoint Capital, Mehdi Ghissassi 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hamza Sayah, Roland de la Chapelle, Ahmed Achchak 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/08/qevlar-ai-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-creer-un-geant-europeen-de-la-cybersecurite/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/cybersecurite-qevlar-ai-leve-14-millions-de-dollars-pour-sa-solution-automatisee-d-investigation.N2230312?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pyannote 🔍 **Description**: AI solution for conversational speech and voice recognition. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pyannote.ai](https://www.pyannote.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8.1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Serena, Crane Venture Partners, Julien Chaumond, Pareto Holdings, Motier Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Vincent Molina, Hervé Bredin 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-pyannote-la-start-up-qui-perfectionne-lia-vocale-2158430?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Diagnoly 🔍 **Description**: AI-based solution improving fetal screening accuracy. 💻 **Website**: [https://diagnoly.com/](https://diagnoly.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: XAnge, Newfund, BADGE 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ivan Voznyuk, Edwin Quarello 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/diagnoly-ai%5Fia-healthtech-santaezdesfemmes-activity-7315307558594854914-J93l?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI), [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/standardiser-lechographie-grace-a-lia-diagnoly-leve-55-millions-deuros-pour-fiabiliser-le-depistage-prenatal/453144?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sim&Cure 🔍 **Description**: Transforming endovascular procedures through Digital Twin and AI technologies. 💻 **Website**: [https://sim-and-cure.com](https://sim-and-cure.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montpellier, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Irdi Capital Investissement, Swen Capital Partners, Holnest, Elaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mathieu Sanchez 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sim-cure%5Fneurovascular-medtech-healthcareinnovation-activity-7313802533527797760-Kj4y?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Qperfect 🔍 **Description**: Quantum design automation tool for chip design. 💻 **Website**: [http://qperfect.io](http://qperfect.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million 🏦 **Investors**: BTQ 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Guido Pupillo, Shannon Whitlock, Johannes Schachenmayer, Sébastien Buffechoux --- 📇 **Company**: Ed AI 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven education platform. 💻 **Website**: [http://ed.ai](http://ed.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.7 million 🏦 **Investors**: Ring Capital, Evolem, AFI Ventures, Super Capital, CentraleSupélec Venture 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jonathan Banon, Cédric Bignon, Rémi Mazières 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/lia-au-service-des-enseignants-ed-ai-leve-17-million-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-remediation-pedagogique/453133?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **Gen AI, behind the scenes: concrete, metals, heat**, **and vapor: Pruna AI | April 15|** Beyond the hype and headlines, let's take a virtual deep dive into AI’s true cost—from data centers to societal impact. Only by understanding the concrete reality of AI can we move past surface-level debates and ask better questions. | [**Register**](https://www.linkedin.com/events/7309948651806613504/about/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **How Stripe Builds With AI | April 16 |** In these events, we are gathering AI builders: product, data, and engineering teams to talk about everything related to shipping AI in production. ​​​​We'll discuss use cases, ROI, team organisation, models, tooling, challenges, and much more. Our goal is for everyone to get energy, inspiration, and solutions to climb the AI learning curve faster and unlock maximum value with this outstanding technology. ​For this new edition, you will hear from Arielle Le Bail, Lead Product France @ Stripe. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/1t4veyi0?%5Fbhlid=e8335ac10d2306642d985384698363eb6934bbcc&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-march-31-2025-92-9m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges and opportunities of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **{Tech: Paris} AI Hackathon #1 | May 24 |** Join us for the **first-ever {Tech: Europe} AI Hackathon in Paris** — a full weekend dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence. Whether you're a seasoned builder or just getting started, this is your chance to connect, create, and compete alongside Europe's top talent. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/paris-hackathon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How Ogury Is Navigating The AI AdTech Revolution URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-ogury-is-navigating-the-ai-adtech-revolution/ Last updated: 2025-04-15T13:53:27.000Z CEO Geoffroy Martin: "We are in the middle of two revolutions, one which is purely within ad tech, which is that shift of privacy first and loss of signal on the open internet, which is going to be further accelerated and compounded by the very, very fast rise of AI." _This post is for subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire April 11: Pennylane, Sekoia.io, Roof & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-11-pennylane-sekoia-io-roof-more/ Last updated: 2025-04-11T18:48:22.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/FTJ_0804-NL.png)](https://e72my7idjt6q.swipepages.co/barometervt25?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The 2025 VivaTech Barometer, conducted by OpinionWay, surveyed business executives in Europe and North America about their confidence in technology. With a trust score of 87/100, leaders are showcasing their optimism. [Download the full report here to receive the five critical takeaways.](https://e72my7idjt6q.swipepages.co/barometervt25?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [GET THE KEY TAKEAWAYS](https://e72my7idjt6q.swipepages.co/barometervt25?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🔥🔥🔥🔥 📇 **Company**: DBV Technologies 🔍 **Description**: Developer of treatments for patients with food allergies. 💻 **Website**: [http://dbv-technologies.com](http://dbv-technologies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Châtillon, France 🧗 **Round**: Private Placement VC, post-IPO 💰 **Amount Raised**: €279 million 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bertrand Dupont, Pierre-Henri Benhamou 🗞️ **News**: [**Global Legal Chronicle**](https://globallegalchronicle.com/dbv-technologies-306-9-million-private-placement/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**PR**](https://dbv-technologies.com/press%5Freleases/dbv-technologies-announces-financing-of-up-to-306-9-million-e284-5-million-to-advance-viaskin-peanut-patch-through-biologics-license-application-submission-and-u-s-commercial-launch-if-appr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pennylane 🔍 **Description**: Accounting and financial management platform for businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pennylane.tech/](https://www.pennylane.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €75 million 🏦 **Investors**: Sequoia, DST Global, Meritech Capital, CapitalG 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Felix Blossier, Tancrède Besnard, Thierry Deo, Quentin de Metz, Edouard Mascré, Alexandre Roquoplo, Arthur Waller 🗞️ **News**: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/pennylane-75m-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness,**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/07/pennylane-leve-75-millions-deuros-a-lapproche-de-la-reforme-de-la-facturation-electronique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pennylane-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-simposer-dans-la-facturation-electronique/453106?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/unicorn-pennylane-bags-an-additional-e75-million-for-electronic-invoicing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-27.png) Freddy Milesi, co-founder and CEO of Sekoia. Credit : Sekoia 📇 **Company**: Sekoia.io 🔍 **Description**: SaaS cybersecurity platform that uses AI for real-time detection and response to cyber threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://sekoia.io](https://sekoia.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rennes, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Omnes Capital, Unexo, Bright Pixel Capital, Revaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Freddy Milesi 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sekoia-leve-26-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-la-reponse-aux-menaces-liees-a-lia/453185?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/sekoia-io-leve-26-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-plateforme-de-detection-et-de-reponse-cyber.N2230375?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/sekoia-io-secures-e26-million-to-democratise-threat-detection-with-ai-and-cyber-intelligence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Revaia**](https://www.revaia.com/news/revaias-investment-in-sekoia-io-investing-in-the-future-of-european-cybersecurity/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Roof 🔍 **Description**: Shared living spaces and apartment services for students. 💻 **Website**: [http://weareroof.com](http://weareroof.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20 million 🏦 **Investors**: Mata Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Oussama Bourhaleb, Tarik Fatihi, Nicolas Leroy 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/08/roof-leve-20-millions-deuros-pour-donner-un-coup-de-jeune-aux-logements-etudiants/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Okeiro 🔍 **Description**: Innovative solutions for better healthcare and faster drug development. 💻 **Website**: [http://predict4health.com](http://predict4health.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Alven, Red River West, Forepont Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Stephane Tholander, Thierry Beaupere 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/okeiro-la-start-up-qui-met-lia-au-service-des-organes-transplantes-2159222?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Klara 🔍 **Description**: Digital HR tool simplifying human resources management for companies. 💻 **Website**: [http://klarahr.com](http://klarahr.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10 million 🏦 **Investors**: Endeit Capital, SIDE Capital, Ankaa Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nazim Chibane, Romain Etay 🗞️ **News**: [**Clipperton**](https://www.clipperton.com/news-transaction/klara-the-leading-scale-up-for-frontline-employee-skills-management-and-workplace-based-training-solutions-raises-e10m-led-by-endeit-capital?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: qevlar ai 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven cybersecurity SOC automation platform. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.qevlar.com/](https://www.qevlar.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Issy-les-Moulineaux, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9 million 🏦 **Investors**: Olivier Pomel, Florian Douetteau, EQT Ventures, ForgePoint Capital, Mehdi Ghissassi 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hamza Sayah, Roland de la Chapelle, Ahmed Achchak 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/08/qevlar-ai-leve-13-millions-deuros-pour-creer-un-geant-europeen-de-la-cybersecurite/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/cybersecurite-qevlar-ai-leve-14-millions-de-dollars-pour-sa-solution-automatisee-d-investigation.N2230312?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pyannote 🔍 **Description**: AI solution for conversational speech and voice recognition. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pyannote.ai](https://www.pyannote.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8.1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures, Serena, Crane Venture Partners, Julien Chaumond, Pareto Holdings, Motier Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Vincent Molina, Hervé Bredin 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-pyannote-la-start-up-qui-perfectionne-lia-vocale-2158430?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-31.png) 📇 **Company**: Faume 🔍 **Description**: White-label resale platform enabling fashion and luxury brands to launch their own second-hand e-commerce channels, offering full-service logistics, refurbishment, and merchandising. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.faume.co](https://www.faume.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A extension 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8 million 🏦 **Investors**: Amundi Private Equity Transition Juste (lead), Daphni, Bpifrance Digital Venture (existing investors) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Aymeric Déchin, Nicolas Viant, Lucas Patricot, Jocelyn Kerbourc’h 🗞️ **News**: [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/faume-leve-8-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-d-integration-d-offres-de-seconde-main.N2230438?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/10/seconde-main-faume-la-plateforme-qui-a-seduit-lacoste-et-victoria-beckham-leve-8-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/seconde-main-faume-leve-8-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-marques-a-reprendre-le-controle-face-aux-marketplaces/453237?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-34.png) 📇 **Company**: Nowos 🔍 **Description**: Developer of lithium-ion batteries designed for a circular economy by repairing batteries and extending their lifetime. 💻 **Website**: Not publicly listed 📍 **HQ City**: Amersfoort, Netherlands + Lyon, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6 million 🏦 **Investors**: Shift4Good, Fair Capital Impact Fund, Goeie Grutten Impact Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ambre Eppler, [Prins Doornekam](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdoornek?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAAACL9K4BTRMXv2cGhABuWQ7x1Ay4aOKl0Is&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nowos%5Feconomiecirculaire-mobiliteelectrique-reparation-activity-7315720323369164800-WrWj?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-32.png) 📇 **Company**: Diagnoly 🔍 **Description**: AI-based solution improving fetal screening accuracy. 💻 **Website**: [https://diagnoly.com/](https://diagnoly.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5.5 million 🏦 **Investors**: XAnge, Newfund, BADGE 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ivan Voznyuk, Edwin Quarello 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/diagnoly-ai%5Fia-healthtech-santaezdesfemmes-activity-7315307558594854914-J93l?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI), [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/standardiser-lechographie-grace-a-lia-diagnoly-leve-55-millions-deuros-pour-fiabiliser-le-depistage-prenatal/453144?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sim&Cure 🔍 **Description**: Transforming endovascular procedures through Digital Twin and AI technologies. 💻 **Website**: [https://sim-and-cure.com](https://sim-and-cure.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montpellier, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A Extension 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Irdi Capital Investissement, Swen Capital Partners, Holnest, Elaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mathieu Sanchez 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sim-cure%5Fneurovascular-medtech-healthcareinnovation-activity-7313802533527797760-Kj4y?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Connektica 🔍 **Description**: Cloud assembly and testing platform that unifies manufacturing execution, test sequencing, and data storage, targeting aerospace manufacturing. 💻 **Website**: [https://connektica.com](https://connektica.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montreal + Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [Jeremy Perrin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-perrin-connektica?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAACG%5FcnIBQVuFxRq%5FLSsSPACmrlH41Y9vlmY&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/connektica%5Fconnektica-raises-3-million-press-release-activity-7315289809864851456-ekDF?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/E-quipe-Goliaths-1.jpeg) 📇 **Company**: Goliaths.io 🔍 **Description**: Stock market investment application combined with a social networking platform for investors. 💻 **Website**: [https://goliaths.io](https://goliaths.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Clark Hassan, David Cohen 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/goliaths-io-leve-3-millions-deuros-pour-faire-de-linvestissement-un-reflexe-social/453267?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-35.png) 📇 **Company**: Poppins 🔍 **Description**: Software platform for borrowing and leasing goods between professionals and private individuals. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wearepoppins.com/](https://www.wearepoppins.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million (including €0.9 million debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Lucie Basch, Jonas Mallisse 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/poppins-la-nouvelle-start-up-de-lucie-basch-fondatrice-de-too-good-to-go-en-france-2158653?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Qperfect 🔍 **Description**: Quantum design automation tool for chip design. 💻 **Website**: [http://qperfect.io](http://qperfect.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Strasbourg, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million 🏦 **Investors**: BTQ 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Guido Pupillo, Shannon Whitlock, Johannes Schachenmayer, Sébastien Buffechoux --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/IMG_06421-1.jpg) 📇 **Company**: Klaro 🔍 **Description**: A French SaaS platform helping companies boost employee purchasing power by identifying eligible financial aids and internal benefits, with a focus on supporting lower-income workers and improving employee retention. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.klaro.fr](https://www.klaro.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed Extension 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million total (€2 million equity + €1 million debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Asterion, Malakoff Humanis, AG2R La Mondiale 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cyprien Boutard Geze (CEO & Co-founder) 🗞️ **News**: [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1540749-klaro-leve-2-millions-d-euros-pour-booster-le-pouvoir-d-achat-des-salaries/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-33.png) 📇 **Company**: Ed AI 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven education platform. 💻 **Website**: [http://ed.ai](http://ed.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.7 million 🏦 **Investors**: Ring Capital, Evolem, AFI Ventures, Super Capital, CentraleSupélec Venture 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jonathan Banon, Cédric Bignon, Rémi Mazières 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/lia-au-service-des-enseignants-ed-ai-leve-17-million-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-remediation-pedagogique/453133?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Monde Singulier 🔍 **Description**: Marketplace for designer furniture, lamps, and mirrors, connecting creators with consumers. 💻 **Website**: [https://mondesingulier.com](https://mondesingulier.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.7 million 🏦 **Investors**: OneRagtime, Inovexus, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexis Grimaud, Maxime Morin --- 📇 **Company**: Lyzi 🔍 **Description**: Cryptocurrency payment solution offering loyalty and cashback options for merchants. 💻 **Website**: [https://lyzi.io](https://lyzi.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Tezos Foundation, NYX Ventures, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAccjUB9hP0h4zTKjvdlLM%5FsdbAQo3VlAs?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Jean-Luc Bernard (founder of [Astek](https://www.linkedin.com/company/astek/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)), and [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABk7E1wBzhFRbeelhl9O7eMCpeW7IZ8R5l4?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Christopher Grilhault des Fontaines. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Christopher des Fontaines, Jean-Luc Bernard, Adrien Hubert 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lyzi%5Ffunding-investors-levaeze-activity-7315374020021870592-tOi3?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: smartTrade Technologies 🔍 **Description**: Multi-asset trading solutions for financial institutions. 💻 **Website**: [http://smart-trade.net](http://smart-trade.net/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Aix-en-Provence, France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: TA Associates 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Vincent, Harry Gozlan --- 📇 **Company**: La Première Brique 🔍 **Description**: Real estate investment platform. 💻 **Website**: [http://lapremierebrique.fr](http://lapremierebrique.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: iXO Private Equity, Elige Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hugo Berthe, Thomas DANSET 🗞️ **News**: [Fusacq](http://www.fusacq.com/buzz/la-premiere-brique-accueille-ixo-private-equity-et-elige-capital-a-son-capital-a252674.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Ekoscan Integrity 🔍 **Description**: Solutions for maintenance of industrial products, assets, and infrastructures. 💻 **Website**: [http://ekoscanintegrity.com](http://ekoscanintegrity.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Rémy, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hugo Cence 🗞️ **News**: [**Eurazeo**](https://webdisclosure.com/article/eurazeo-invests-in-ekoscan-integrity-for-global-expansion-0KgXcqWPWTs?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Fairmat's Blueprint For Green Tech URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-fairmats-blueprint-for-green-tech/ Last updated: 2025-04-11T06:30:44.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire,** 👀 **Deep Dive:** Nantes-based Fairmat just raised €51.5M in new financing for its method of recycling carbon fiber composites. [Founder and CEO Ben Saada explains the company's blueprint for scaling its industrial recycling solution.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-fairmat-wants-to-redefine-composite-recycling-and-conquer-the-u-s/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/FTJ_0804-NL.png)](https://e72my7idjt6q.swipepages.co/barometervt25?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) The 2025 VivaTech Barometer, conducted by OpinionWay, surveyed business executives in Europe and North America about their confidence in technology. With a trust score of 87/100, leaders are showcasing their optimism. [Download the full report here to receive the five critical takeaways.](https://e72my7idjt6q.swipepages.co/barometervt25?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [GET THE KEY TAKEAWAYS](https://e72my7idjt6q.swipepages.co/barometervt25?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🇫🇷 Despite budget constraints and economic uncertainty, the French government confirmed it will invest the remaining €15 billion from its France 2030 innovation plan. Launched in 2021 with €54 billion, the plan aims to boost French industrial competitiveness, especially in deeptech sectors like AI, quantum, space, nuclear, and dual-use (civil/military) technologies. So far, €38 billion has been deployed, supporting 7,500 projects, creating 150,000 jobs, and generating 6,000 patents. The government plans to accelerate investments over the next three years, with a particular focus on hydrogen, despite challenges in its adoption. New calls for projects and funding for 250 additional winners will be launched soon, reinforcing France’s ambition to remain a key player in strategic tech sectors. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/plan-france-2030-15-milliards-a-depenser-et-des-nouvelles-priorites-strategiques-2159337?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/10/france-2030-le-gouvernement-va-bien-investir-les-15-milliards-restants/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🐛 Insect protein startup **Ÿnsect**, once a flagship of European agtech, has received a temporary lease on life just as it appeared it might be liquidated. After burning through $600M in funding, the company entered insolvency proceedings in February 2025\. The company was unable to raise the €130M needed to finish its massive Ÿnfarm facility or find a buyer. This week, the company announced that restructuring expert Emmanuel Pinto has replaced CEO Shankar Krishnamoorthy, and historic investors have provided a €10M bridge round to buy a few months of runway. Asset sales are underway, including its pilot plant in Dole, but no buyer has emerged yet for Ÿnfarm. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/french-tech-ynsect-soffre-un-sursis-2158620?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔎 Meanwhile, co-founder **Antoine Hubert** is already plotting his comeback with a new stealth startup, X&A, focused on foodtech and alternative proteins. Early clues suggest the project will target faster go-to-market models, with less industrial risk and greater emphasis on IP and technology platforms. Hubert has already assembled a small team of former Ÿnsect talent and is quietly raising funding for this next act. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/08/le-projet-secret-dantoine-hubert-cofondateur-dynsect/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📉 Speaking of down and out...a new report by **Altares** provides some grip data about the ongoing struggles of French startups. According to the report, 17,845 businesses failed in Q1 2025 (+4.4% YoY), a historically high level. While very small companies (<3 employees) drive most failures (72%), it's larger SMEs and ETIs (>100 employees) that are suffering the most — with failures among them up +28% in a year. Tech-related sectors — especially IT services (+24%) and business services (consulting, security, cleaning) — saw some of the steepest increases in failure rates. B2B models across industries are showing weakness, especially those reliant on service contracts and recurring revenue from businesses under strain. Altares highlights cash management as *the* key challenge for founders right now. Startups younger than 3 years account for a growing share of liquidations, with 80% of their failures ending directly in liquidation, suggesting immature business models or undercapitalization. | [**Altares**](https://www.altares.com/whitepapers/etude-de-defaillances-et-sauvegardes-des-entreprises-en-france-t1-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👨‍💻👩‍💻 A new 25-year study by **Serena VC Partner Matthieu Lavergn**e shows that Commercial Open Source Software (COSS) companies consistently outperform proprietary software companies in fundraising, valuation, and exits. The report, based on data from over 800 VC-backed Open Source companies, reveals that COSS has become a mainstream VC category, attracting $9 billion annually across \~250 deals, with growing momentum in both the US and Europe. Open Source companies raise capital faster (20-34%), at higher valuations (up to 1.45x), and achieve stronger graduation rates between funding rounds (+88-91%) compared to proprietary peers. Contrary to common belief, COSS companies face no liquidity penalty and deliver superior exit valuations — 7x higher at IPO and 14x higher in M&A deals. The report highlights that GitHub star counts have little impact on fundraising success, except in select verticals like DevOps. In 2024 alone, COSS companies raised a record-breaking $26.4 billion, driven by megadeals from Databricks, xAI, and Mistral AI. As Open Source increasingly shapes infrastructure, AI, and digital sovereignty, the question is no longer whether Open Source wins — but where it will win next. | [**Serena**](https://cossreport.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 **Candice du Fretay**, ex-Accel investor, has launched ***Outlier Grove***, a $20M solo GP fund focused on backing European B2B tech startups at the angel and seed stage. The fund invests $200k to $500k per deal and aims to help founders engage with the US market from day one — a strategy inspired by du Fretay’s decade-long experience in the US and her investment track record in companies like Sorare and H Company. Outlier Grove is backed by institutional investors, family offices, and operators from leading US tech companies like OpenAI, Stripe, and Datadog. The fund will target around 25 startups over four years and positions itself as an operational partner to founders, helping them land early US customers and scale globally. Du Fretay’s approach reflects a growing belief that for European B2B startups, early US expansion is key to building enduring global category leaders. "I spent a decade in the US and then returned to Europe as an early-stage investor," she wrote on LinkedIn. "I saw first-hand that Europe’s leading B2B companies achieved global success through early engagement with the US market, and wanted to draw on my experience and network to help more European outliers shine on the global stage." **|** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/candice-du-fretay-20m-fund?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/portraits/start-up-candice-du-fretay-la-plus-anglo-saxonne-des-investisseuses-francaises-2158642?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7315266904200208384/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7315266904200208384%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤙 **Lucie Basch, founder of Too Good To Go**, has launched a new startup called ***Poppins*,** focused on enabling the sharing of everyday objects between neighbors and local businesses. Joined by two former Too Good To Go executives, the Poppins team wants to move from individual ownership to a model of "collective prosperity" through an easy-to-use lending and renting app. Already live in beta with 1,000 users and 30 business partners, the app is launching with 20,000 available items across France. Poppins takes a commission on paid transactions and sees sharing as a way to generate organic growth within the circular economy. The startup has raised initial funding from prominent business angels, including BlaBlaCar founders, and is housed within Basch's Climate House initiative. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/08/voici-la-nouvelle-startup-de-lucie-basch-lancee-avec-deux-anciens-de-too-good-to-go/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/poppins-la-nouvelle-start-up-de-lucie-basch-fondatrice-de-too-good-to-go-en-france-2158653?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7315272188540911616/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7315272188540911616%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-30.png) 🏦 **Bpifrance and JPMorgan** have announced a first closing of €33M for their joint fund, Bpifrance Spark, aimed at promoting gender diversity in venture capital. The fund plans to reach €150M and will invest in VC and growth funds where women hold at least 33% of the capital, with early investments already made in Revaia Growth II and Alter Equity III. This initiative is backed by BNP Paribas Cardif, FDJ UNITED, LVMH, Ardian, and Xavier Niel, and reflects a growing focus on diversity and inclusion within European private equity. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/10/bpifrance-et-jpmorgan-annoncent-un-premier-closing-ensemble/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 **Capgemini and ISAI** have launched a new €80 million fund, *ISAI Cap Venture II*, to invest in promising B2B tech startups globally. This second fund follows the success of their first collaboration in 2019, which backed 15 startups like Alation, Zelros, and Copado. The new vehicle will target SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS companies at Series A and growth stages, with tickets ranging from €1M to €5M. The goal is to help these startups scale by leveraging Capgemini’s global commercial network, while maintaining their agility. This move reflects the growing trend of corporate venture capital (CVC) in France, bridging startups and large corporates. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/10/capgemini-et-isai-degainent-un-nouveau-fonds-de-80-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🟢 The 2025 edition of the **French Impact Startup Mapping**, led by **France Digitale, Bpifrance Le Hub, and Mouvement Impact France**, highlights the strong growth and increasing maturity of the ecosystem. In less than two years, the number of impact startups in France grew by 10% to 1,261 companies, creating 34,200 jobs (+7%) and raising €10.8 billion in total funding (+8%). The most represented sectors are circular economy, energy, agriculture, mobility, and industry, with a growing number of startups scaling internationally (18%) and moving into standardized production (54%). Notably, 57% of these startups are based outside of Paris, reinforcing regional dynamism across the country. Despite a tougher funding environment, French impact startups continue to expand, driven by both their market traction and their role in addressing key sustainability challenges. | [**Mapping**](https://mapping-startups-impact.fr/2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Fairmat Wants To Redefine Composite Recycling And Conquer The U.S. [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-29.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-fairmat-wants-to-redefine-composite-recycling-and-conquer-the-u-s/) In the heart of Nantes, a young French startup is rewriting the rules of materials recycling — and making a global play in the process. [Fairmat](https://www.fairmat.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), founded in 2020 by [Benjamin Saada](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-saada-8b09a518/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), is tackling one of the thorniest industrial challenges of our time: How to recycle carbon fiber composites at scale, affordably, and without destroying their performance. Since its start, Fairmat has raised more than €90 million, filed five patents, opened factories in France and the U.S., and landed early customers in sports, mobility, and electronics. Now it’s eyeing expansion into energy and aerospace. As the company bids to become one of Europe’s most promising industrial deeptech startups, a big question looms: How far can European green innovation scale beyond Europe? [Read the Deep Dive](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-fairmat-wants-to-redefine-composite-recycling-and-conquer-the-u-s/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Pennylane 🔍 **Description**: Accounting and financial management platform for businesses. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.pennylane.tech/](https://www.pennylane.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €75 million 🏦 **Investors**: Sequoia, DST Global, Meritech Capital, CapitalG 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Felix Blossier, Tancrède Besnard, Thierry Deo, Quentin de Metz, Edouard Mascré, Alexandre Roquoplo, Arthur Waller 🗞️ **News**: [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/pennylane-75m-fundraise?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness,**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/07/pennylane-leve-75-millions-deuros-a-lapproche-de-la-reforme-de-la-facturation-electronique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/pennylane-leve-75-millions-deuros-pour-simposer-dans-la-facturation-electronique/453106?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/unicorn-pennylane-bags-an-additional-e75-million-for-electronic-invoicing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sekoia.io 🔍 **Description**: SaaS cybersecurity platform that uses AI for real-time detection and response to cyber threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://sekoia.io](https://sekoia.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rennes, France 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Omnes Capital, Unexo, Bright Pixel Capital, Revaia 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Freddy Milesi 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/sekoia-leve-26-millions-deuros-pour-automatiser-la-reponse-aux-menaces-liees-a-lia/453185?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/sekoia-io-leve-26-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-plateforme-de-detection-et-de-reponse-cyber.N2230375?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/sekoia-io-secures-e26-million-to-democratise-threat-detection-with-ai-and-cyber-intelligence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Revaia**](https://www.revaia.com/news/revaias-investment-in-sekoia-io-investing-in-the-future-of-european-cybersecurity/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Roof 🔍 **Description**: Shared living spaces and apartment services for students. 💻 **Website**: [http://weareroof.com](http://weareroof.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20 million 🏦 **Investors**: Mata Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Oussama Bourhaleb, Tarik Fatihi, Nicolas Leroy 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/08/roof-leve-20-millions-deuros-pour-donner-un-coup-de-jeune-aux-logements-etudiants/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### 🇫🇷 How Fairmat Wants To Redefine Composite Recycling And Conquer The U.S. URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-fairmat-wants-to-redefine-composite-recycling-and-conquer-the-u-s/ Last updated: 2025-04-11T03:11:46.000Z The Nantes-based Deep Tech startup just raised €51.5M in new financing. Founder and CEO Ben Saada explains the company's blueprint for scaling its industrial recycling solution. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #25: France’s Nuclear Mojo Powers AI Edge Over The UK 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-25-frances-nuclear-mojo-powers-ai-edge-over-uk/ Last updated: 2025-04-07T05:19:58.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-16.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/?utm%5Fsource=mpXEKY&utm%5Fmedium=ambassador&utm%5Fcampaign=pbw2025) #### Our 15% discount code: mpXEKY [Buy tickets here](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/?utm%5Fsource=mpXEKY&utm%5Fmedium=ambassador&utm%5Fcampaign=pbw2025) --- # Headlines 🗞️ Probably something Brits aren't used to hearing in Businessland: Be More Like France. Speaking at the New Nuclear Summit in London last week, David Hogan, Nvidia's European sales chief warned that the UK risks becoming an also-ran in the AI race if it doesn't beef up its nuclear power industry. “How do we generate power to support a growing AI? This has become the biggest limiting factor in actually growing out the capability," he said. “That needs to be sustainable energy and that’s a real challenge for the industry. “So those countries who make investments in nuclear, such as France, are much more well positioned than other countries.” He emphasized that consistent and carbon-free electricity supplies are crucial for AI development, positioning countries with extensive nuclear power, like France, at an advantage. France's President Emmanuel Macron recently announced €109bn worth of data center projects centered around nuclear facilities. In contrast, the UK operates nine nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of about six gigawatts, significantly less than France's 57 reactors totaling 63 gigawatts. Hogan suggests that the UK has an opportunity to re-enter the race by investing in sustainable energy infrastructure to support AI growth. | [**UK Telegraph**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/04/02/britain-risk-losing-to-france-on-data-centres-warns-nvidia/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ French AI startup Mistral has secured a €100m, five-year contract with shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM to develop AI models and agents aimed at enhancing customer service and fact-checking in CMA CGM's media outlets. Mistral will deploy dedicated teams to CMA CGM's headquarters in Marseille to work on automating customer service tasks and developing applications for media content management. This partnership significantly boosts Mistral's revenues, following its €30m annual recurring revenue in 2024, and aligns with CMA CGM's broader €500m investment in AI technologies. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/mistral-ai-cma-cgm-100m-deal?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ In his address to the UN Security Council, France’s Deputy Permanent Representative, Jay Dharmadhikari, emphasized the urgent need for inclusive and sustainable global AI governance that benefits all and respects human rights. He highlighted France’s leadership in this effort, notably through the Paris AI Action Summit and the launch of the “CurrentAI” initiative, aimed at global capacity building. Dharmadhikari stressed that AI development, especially in military applications, must align with international humanitarian law and maintain human control over lethal systems. Lastly, he called for the Security Council to both guard against AI’s misuse—such as disinformation—and to harness its potential to support peacekeeping and international security efforts. | [**Transcript**](https://onu.delegfrance.org/france-is-mobilized-to-build-inclusive-and-sustainable-international-governance?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ In 1871, during the Paris Commune, Eugène Delacroix's mural "Peace Descends to Earth" was destroyed in a fire at the Hôtel de Ville. The Digital Delacroix project, led by Sorbonne University's Barthélémy Jobert, aims to virtually reconstruct this lost artwork using artificial intelligence (AI). By analyzing Delacroix's existing sketches and stylistic elements, AI will help infer the mural's possible appearance. This initiative has received significant funding from Schmidt Sciences' Humanities and A.I. Virtual Institute (HAVI), a philanthropic venture by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. The funding is in the high six figures, according to the *Times*.. Beyond the mural recreation, the project plans to digitize approximately 2,500 of Delacroix's letters and enhance public access to his other murals at the Palais Bourbon and Palais du Luxembourg. | [**Smithsonian**](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-ai-resurrect-a-delacroix-mural-that-was-destroyed-in-a-fire-more-than-150-years-ago-180986354/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure** | Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Tomorro 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered modern contract management platform. 💻 **Website**: [tomorro.com](http://tomorro.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €25M 🏦 **Investors**: XAnge, henQ, Financière Saint James, Founders Future, Acton Capital, Adelie Capital, Motier Ventures, Resonance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Fabre, Thibaut Caoudal, Sébastien Decrême, Kristen Williams, Matthijs Diederiks 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/tomorro-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-gestion-contractuelle-par-lia/452749?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/01/weefin-boucle-une-serie-b-de-25-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-un-champion-europeen-de-la-finance-durable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Parallel 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered automation platform designed to streamline administrative and operational workflows in healthcare facilities. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.beparallel.com/](http://www.beparallel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.9 million 🏦 **Investors**: Frst Capital, Y Combinator, Kima Ventures, Better Angle, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul Lafforgue, Thomas Sohet 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/03/soutenue-par-y-combinator-la-startup-parallel-reve-de-liberer-les-hopitaux-du-fardeau-administratif/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Feedae 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered platform for analyzing customer dialogue and feedback to help businesses improve their customer service. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.feedae.com/](https://www.feedae.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: La Rochelle 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.6 million 🏦 **Investors**: IRDI Capital, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Célia Chambellan, Sylvain DE LY, Jérôme BENOIS, Cédric Couton 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/feedae%5Ffeedae-levaezedefonds-ia-activity-7312423029207097344-9Bxl?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Willow 🔍 **Description**: Creates an e-memoir using AI-driven storytelling guide. 💻 **Website**: [willow-stories.com](http://willow-stories.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.70M 🏦 **Investors**: Angel Invest, Fund F, PurposeTech 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Adam Fischer 🗞️ **News**: [Ain Capital](https://en.ain.ua/2025/03/28/austrian-fund-f-invests-eur700k-in-willow-stories/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events #### ☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️ 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### The Calendar 📆 **AgentX** | **April 7** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Summit Paris | April 9 |**AWS Summit Paris 2025 is a free one-day event focused on generative AI, data, security, sustainability, and more. Customize your experience with a keynote featuring leading speakers, over 150 interactive sessions and workshops, one-on-one consultations with our experts, an exhibition area showcasing the latest cloud innovations, as well as numerous networking and training opportunities. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Summit | April 10 |** The Data & AI Summit 2025 will bring together IT decision-makers and AI experts to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with data and artificial intelligence. This event will highlight the impact of generative AI on business models, as well as best practices for maximizing the value of data within modern organizations. **|** [**Register**](https://www.idc.com/eu/events/71961-data-ai-summit?g%5Fclang=ENG&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Mistral AI Robotics Hackathon | April 11 - 13 |** Join us on April 11th - 13th in Paris, to learn about and build on World Models & Embodied AI. For the first time ever, teams will have access to 40+ robotic arms from Hugging Face’s The Robot team, and build Real World Models powered by Mistral AI. ​There will be mentors and jury from lots of robotics companies, including: Hugging Face's LeRobot team, Mimic, Wandercraft, Phospho...and more. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/roboticshack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **How Stripe Builds With AI | April 16 |** In these events we are gathering AI builders : product, data and engineering teams to talk about everything related to shipping AI in production. ​​​​We'll discuss use cases, ROI, team organisation, models, tooling, challenges and much more. Our goal is for everyone to get energy, inspiration and solutions to climb the AI learning curve faster and unlock maximum value with this outstanding technology. ​For this new edition, you will hear from Arielle Le Bail, Lead Product France @ Stripe. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/1t4veyi0?%5Fbhlid=e8335ac10d2306642d985384698363eb6934bbcc&utm%5Fcampaign=french-tech-updates-march-31-2025-92-9m-in-new-funding-for-french-companies&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=frenchtechupdates.beehiiv.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Wire April 4: Intact, Groupe Archipel, Fairmat & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-april-4-intact-groupe-archipel-fairmat/ Last updated: 2025-04-04T19:34:36.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-15.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/?utm%5Fsource=mpXEKY&utm%5Fmedium=ambassador&utm%5Fcampaign=pbw2025) #### Our 15% discount code: mpXEKY [Buy tickets here](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/?utm%5Fsource=mpXEKY&utm%5Fmedium=ambassador&utm%5Fcampaign=pbw2025) --- 📇 **Company**: Intact 🔍 **Description**: Produces plant-based and regenerative fermentation products using a low-carbon, patent-protected fermentation process. 💻 **Website**: [intact-regenerative.com](https://intact-regenerative.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Olivet 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €70M 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexis Duval 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310940895770542081/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Groupe Archipel 🔍 **Description**: A newly launched platform aiming to consolidate the fragmented accounting and audit market in France by federating independent firms around a shared vision. Archipel empowers firms to remain independent while equipping them to innovate, recruit, grow, and adapt to industry changes. 💻 **Website**: [www.groupearchipel.com](https://www.groupearchipel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Growth / Build-up Initiative 💰 **Amount Raised**: €50 million 🏦 **Investors**: Otium Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Matthieu Luneau, Maxime Ridel 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/03/le-fondateur-dunkle-se-lance-dans-le-build-up-avec-archipel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/actualite-pme/archipel-leve-50-millions-deuros-pour-renforcer-lexpertise-comptable-2157798?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Fairmat 🔍 **Description**: Develops sustainable solutions for carbon fiber composite recycling and reuse. 💻 **Website**: [fairmat.tech](https://www.fairmat.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26.5M (plus €25m in debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Singular, Temasek, Pictet, CNP, Cape Capital, Slate Venture Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ben Saada 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/02/fairmat-leve-plus-de-50-millions-deuros-pour-tripler-sa-production/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/fairmat-series-b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/portraits/french-tech-benjamin-saada-la-fibre-entrepreneuriale-en-carbone-recycle-2157550?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-7.png) 📇 **Company**: Tomorro 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered modern contract management platform. 💻 **Website**: [tomorro.com](http://tomorro.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €25M 🏦 **Investors**: XAnge, henQ, Financière Saint James, Founders Future, Acton Capital, Adelie Capital, Motier Ventures, Resonance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Fabre, Thibaut Caoudal, Sébastien Decrême, Kristen Williams, Matthijs Diederiks 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/tomorro-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-gestion-contractuelle-par-lia/452749?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/01/weefin-boucle-une-serie-b-de-25-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-un-champion-europeen-de-la-finance-durable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-6.png) 📇 **Company**: WeeFin 🔍 **Description**: Makes socially responsible investment accessible to retail investors. 💻 **Website**: [weefin.co](https://weefin.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €25M 🏦 **Investors**: IRIS, BlackFin Capital Partners, Ring Capital, Asterion Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gregoire Hug, Nada Rafi, Sabrine Aouida 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/01/weefin-boucle-une-serie-b-de-25-millions-deuros-pour-devenir-un-champion-europeen-de-la-finance-durable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/weefin-announces-a-new-e25-million-financing-round-for-sustainability-compliance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/esg-la-start-up-weefin-fait-entrer-le-fonds-blackfin-a-son-capital-2157280?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Ecoat​ 🔍 **Description**: A French startup specializing in the development of bio-based resins aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the paint and coatings industry.​ 💻 **Website**: [https://www.ecoat.fr](https://www.ecoat.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)​ 📍 **HQ City**: Grasse, France​ 🧗 **Round**: Series B​ 💰 **Amount Raised**: €21 million​ 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance (via the French Tech Souveraineté fund); Credit Mutuel Innovation; EREN Groupe; IXO Private Equity; Starquest Capital; Sofipaca​ 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Herve Affagard 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/ecoat-secures-e21-million-to-reinvent-the-future-of-paint-sustainably/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-10.png) 📇 **Company**: Fairly Made 🔍 **Description**: Helps fashion brands trace their supply chains and reduce their environmental and social impact through traceability and sustainability software. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.fairlymade.com](https://www.fairlymade.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15 million 🏦 **Investors**: BNP Paribas Solar Impulse Venture Fund, GET Fund, ETF Partners, FrenchFounders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Laure Betsch, Camille Le Gal 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/fairly-made-raises-e15-million-to-put-technology-at-the-service-of-responsible-fashion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: MaaT Pharma 🔍 **Description**: Develops microbiome-based therapeutics for cancer patients. 💻 **Website**: [maatpharma.com](http://maatpharma.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Private Placement VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €13M 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Herve Affagard 🗞️ **News**: [**Lyonbiopole**](https://lyonbiopole.com/actualites/maat-pharma-completes-a-capital-increase-of-e13-million?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-5.png) 📇 **Company**: Underdog 🔍 **Description**: Refurbished home appliances marketplace. 💻 **Website**: [underdog.shop](https://underdog.shop/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7M 🏦 **Investors**: Daphni, SISTAFUND 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [Claire Bretton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-bretton?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Laura Chavigny](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-chavigny-52a9b27/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Léa de Fierkowsky](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-de-fierkowsky/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/underdog-raffraichit-son-actionnariat-et-prepare-son-deploiement-industriel-avec-une-levee-de-7-millions-deuros/452752?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claire-bretton%5Funderdog-l%C3%A8ve-7-millions-deuros-pour-activity-7312367403697393664-mcaH/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAXL50cB9OEIKLgbfme8fnVMZcSqJ9p%5F4V0) [Seed Of The Week: UnderdogUnderdog refurbishes home appliances and then sells them via its platform, a solution it believes can massively scale.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-18.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Underdog.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-underdog/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-11.png) 📇 **Company**: Grace 🔍 **Description**: Online insurance platform tailored for luxury clients, offering bespoke digital insurance solutions in the high-end market. 💻 **Website**: [https://grace.io/](https://grace.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5 million 🏦 **Investors**: Fintech Collective, Speedinvest, Firstminute Capital, Kima Ventures, Purple, Sequoia, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Lou Dana; Martin Lenweiter; Quentin Roy, 🗞️ **News**: [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/03/grace-raises-e5-9-million-seed-to-offer-insurance-to-luxury-goods/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Tremau 🔍 **Description**: Provides SaaS tools for online content moderation. 💻 **Website**: [tremau.com](https://tremau.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Giesecke+Devrient Ventures, Auriga Cyber Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Eudes Leroy, Theodoros Evgeniou, Pál Boza, Louis-Victor De Franssu 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7313168705683636227/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-tremau-optimise-les-processus-de-moderation-des-contenus-en-ligne-2157642?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/04/tremau-secures-e3-million-to-scale-its-ai-powered-trust-safety-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-12.png) 📇 **Company**: Parallel 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered automation platform designed to streamline administrative and operational workflows in healthcare facilities. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.beparallel.com/](http://www.beparallel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.9 million 🏦 **Investors**: Frst Capital, Y Combinator, Kima Ventures, Better Angle, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Paul Lafforgue, Thomas Sohet 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/03/soutenue-par-y-combinator-la-startup-parallel-reve-de-liberer-les-hopitaux-du-fardeau-administratif/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Spareka 🔍 **Description**: Marketplace for appliance repair parts, helping consumers extend the life of their home devices and reduce electronic waste. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.spareka.fr](https://www.spareka.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montreuil 🧗 **Round**: [Crowdfunding](https://sowefund.com/investir/spareka?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3 million 🏦 **Investors**: Socadif, Banque des Territoires, Demeter, Sowefund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Geoffroy Malaterre, Geoffroy Sparek 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spareka%5Fplus-que-48h-activity-7312337864636203008-6vzU?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-14-1.png) 📇 **Company**: Feedae 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered platform for analyzing customer dialogue and feedback to help businesses improve their customer service. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.feedae.com/](https://www.feedae.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: La Rochelle 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.6 million 🏦 **Investors**: IRDI Capital, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAfM6tIBSxNMEch2a-ribK849Bo%5Fi2EmhSY?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Célia Chambellan, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAs0AMBFYuXZXMaicCLURN2fBG8JSPMVfU?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Sylvain DE LY, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABgEoYBLzS7KeknND85n62fcjSri2Lac2o?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Jérôme BENOIS, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAg7YdIBEc8i8Eirfy8arskMRf4234c-jEY?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Cédric Couton 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/feedae%5Ffeedae-levaezedefonds-ia-activity-7312423029207097344-9Bxl?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-13.png) 📇 **Company**: Ma boîte à Moustique 🔍 **Description**: E-commerce platform offering eco-friendly mosquito control solutions for households. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.maboiteamoustique.fr](https://www.maboiteamoustique.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance Investissement, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Guillaume Lombart, Romain Tiberghien 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maboiteamoustique%5Ffrance2030-recherche-innovation-activity-7313477213096415232-HGZJ?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Willow 🔍 **Description**: Creates an e-memoir using AI-driven storytelling guide. 💻 **Website**: [willow-stories.com](http://willow-stories.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.70M 🏦 **Investors**: Angel Invest, Fund F, PurposeTech 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Adam Fischer 🗞️ **News**: [Ain Capital](https://en.ain.ua/2025/03/28/austrian-fund-f-invests-eur700k-in-willow-stories/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Aquassay 🔍 **Description**: Optimizes industrial water use for sustainability and performance. 💻 **Website**: [aquassay.com](http://aquassay.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Limoges 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: Not disclosed 🏦 **Investors**: Aquiti, Banque des Territoires 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Florent Bourgeois, Xavier Baldacci 🗞️ **News**: [**Fusacq**](http://www.fusacq.com/buzz/aquiti-investit-dans-aquassay-pour-la-transition-hydrique-a252449.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Remain Calm...Or Time To Panic? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-remain-calm-or-time-to-panic/ Last updated: 2025-04-04T04:16:36.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire,** 👀 **Deep Dive:** In Q1 2025, startup funding hit a 7-year low. [We talk to 2 prominent VCs to unpack the trend.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-collapse-time-to-panic/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/10-Epic-reasons-why-you-should-join-us-at-PBW-2025--3-.png)](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/?utm%5Fsource=mpXEKY&utm%5Fmedium=ambassador&utm%5Fcampaign=pbw2025) #### Our 15% discount code: mpXEKY [Buy tickets here](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/?utm%5Fsource=mpXEKY&utm%5Fmedium=ambassador&utm%5Fcampaign=pbw2025) --- # 🤔 Edito 🤔 Last week, I discussed the alarming drop in venture capital investment in France (and the UK, and much of Europe). Now comes Bpifrance, with a bit more color about the dearth of funding. [According to a new report](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7313450219881328640/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the bank said Growth Equity rounds in Q1 2025 fell to €884 million raised across 21 deals of at least €20 million. That's down 14% from the same quarter a year ago. This prompted the expected hand-wringing that Europe will never really be competitive with the U.S. So, how are things going in the U.S.? Turns out, a bit better – but not by much. Yes, the $40bn-ish funding round for [OpenAI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/openai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) announced this week would seem to suggest otherwise. But in reality, the mega rounds being raised by a couple of dozen AI companies obscure the reality that the overall number of startups raising VC funding in the US is also plummeting. In Q1 2025, US startups raised $48bn, according to Dealroom. That's a slight increase from the $43.8bn raised in Q1 2025, but a big slump from the $61.1bn raised in Q4 2024\. US startup funding has not collapsed. But it has been effectively treading water since 2018, bobbing around the $40bn to $45bn range with the exception, of course, being the VC bubble between Q2 2021 to Q3 2022. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/us-vc-dealroom-q1.jpg) What is collapsing in the US is the number of startups raising VC funding. About 1.5k startups raised a round in Q1 2025, down from 3.1k in Q1 2024, and way down from the 6.4k at the peak in Q1 2022\. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/us-deals-q-1.png) A concentrated number of late-stage and/or GenAI winners are hoovering up the cash that is flowing. In France, the story is the same. In Q1 2025, 121 companies raised a VC round. That's down from 290 in Q1 2024, and way down from the 545 peak in Q1 2022\. On a percentage basis, the rate of decline in the number of startups raising in France and the U.S. is about the same. What's behind this collapse? One possible explanation is the phenomenon that [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAxUWRQBUfgRoEMIkgKgyy5CeS2FlhOcA-g?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Marjolaine CATIL](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and I [explored last month](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/): AI is making startup scaling so much more efficient that founders don't need to raise as much cash at the early stages. Another reason is that exits in the U.S. remain in a slump, both M&A and IPOs. The overall number of IPOs was slightly up in Q1 2025, but these were mostly small offerings and mostly in the first half of the quarter. There were only three IPOs that raised $1+ billion, and only one major tech offering – [CoreWeave](https://www.linkedin.com/company/coreweave/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which had to massively reduce the size of its offering to get close to the valuation it wanted. How crappy is the exit market? [According to PitchBook](https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/q1-2025-global-vc-first-look?utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fsource=daily%5Fpitch&utm%5Fcampaign=vc%5Fmarket%5Fupdate&utm%5Fcontent=q1%5F2025%5Fglobal%5Fvc%5Ffirst%5Flook&utm%5Fterm=&sourceType=NEWSLETTER): "CoreWeave's high-profile US IPO accounted for roughly 26% of the total exit value globally. The number of completed IPOs has been low, and although there is still time for new listings to emerge this year, increased market volatility has created uncertainty around potential IPOs." European markets have massive structural issues when it comes to IPOs. But the US exchanges are not exactly setting the world on fire (the overall number of public companies in the US has shrivelled over the past 2 decades). And electing a chaos monkey who has rattled markets hasn't helped matters and kneecapped dreams of an IPO boom this year. Meanwhile, Big Tech has retreated from Big M&A, leaving other VC-backed companies to fill the gap – deals that often involve stock swaps and so don't necessarily create any liquidity. Corporates have stepped in, but not much. This all raises a larger existential question: Has the VC model run its course? **Chris O'Brien** # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 👼👿 For the **Biblical scholars** amongst ye, let us now look upon this passage from the Book of Mark: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” ([Mark 8:36–37](https://ref.ly/Mark%208.36%E2%80%9337;esv?t=biblia&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). Well, in the case of the Rippling employee turned mole for rival Deel, he doth profit about €5,000 a month, according to his affidavit filed in the legal case in Ireland. That probably tops out at €40,000 – and maybe less. According to the affidavit by Keith O'Brien (no relation!), he was hired by Deel CEO **Alex Bouaziz, the US-based Frenchie,** who suggested he stay at Rippling: "Alex told me he 'had an idea.' He suggested that I remain at Rippling and become a “spy” for Deel, and Irecall him specifically mentioning James Bond. I asked him what he meant. He said he would offer me a monetary reward if I agreed to spy on Rippling for Deel. I told him I would have to think about it...In exchange for the monetary reward, Alex told me that I would need to provide him information regarding Rippling’s 'ways of doing things' which I understood to mean corporate strategy, customer insights and other interesting company information." Eventually, Rippling sniffed out the plot, ensnared the Deel team in a honeypot, and sent O'Brien running out the door (after he escaped from the bathroom!). More to come, no doubt. [Stamped Affidavit Of Keith O'Brien, Sworn April 1, 2025Stamped\_Affidavit\_Of\_Keith\_O'brien\_Sworn\_1\_April\_2025\_Redacted.pdf2 MBdownload-circle](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/files/2025/04/Stamped%5FAffidavit%5FOf%5FKeith%5FO-brien%5FSworn%5F1%5FApril%5F2025%5FRedacted.pdf "Download") 🍎 France’s competition authority took a bite out of **Apple**, fining it €150 million for abusing its dominant position through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature. The watchdog found that Apple created an unfair competitive advantage by applying stricter privacy rules to third-party apps than to its own services. The decision follows a two-year investigation and is seen as a major win for the French digital advertising and media industry, which claims ATT significantly harmed their business models. France Digitale also welcomed the ruling, calling it a timely reminder that digital market players must respect competition law equally. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mayanoelpro%5Flautorit%C3%A9-de-la-concurrence-a-condamn%C3%A9-aujourd-activity-7312482722029993986-hiH1/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAXL50cB9OEIKLgbfme8fnVMZcSqJ9p%5F4V0) 👩 👩 💸 **Revaia,** Europe's largest female-led venture capital firm, announced the final close of its **second fund at €250 million**, following an initial tranche of €150 million secured over a year earlier. Founded in 2018 by Elina Berrebi and Alice Albizzati, Revaia focuses on investing in European growth-stage companies (Series B and beyond) that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, with investment tickets ranging from €10 million to €30 million. The firm has already made six investments from this new fund, dedicating about a third of the capital to follow-on investments, particularly to support portfolio companies in mergers and acquisitions. Despite a challenging fundraising environment, Revaia attracted both returning and new institutional limited partners, including Bpifrance, JP Morgan, the European Investment Fund (EIF), and BNP Paribas Cardif. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/revaia-250m-growth-fund?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ces-rares-femmes-a-la-tete-de-fonds-de-capital-risque-francais-2157538?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/02/revaia-leve-un-fonds-de-250-millions-deuros-pour-aider-les-entreprises-a-scaler/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/revaia-metrics-1-1.png) **🇫🇷✊ VivaTech** is baaaaaack.The 2025 edition of VivaTech, taking place from June 11–14 in Paris, will focus on “new frontiers of innovation” across technology, business, geopolitics, and societal impact. This 9th edition will feature over 14,000 startups, 4,000 partners, and 300 new innovations, with artificial intelligence as the central theme. Key topics include advances in robotics, sustainability tech, digital trust, and wellbeing innovations—like mental health detection via AI, AI drug discovery, and smart hearing glasses. Canada will be the “Country of the Year,” and new participants like the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria will join the event. The creative industries will also take center stage, with immersive experiences such as the AI film festival and Viva Night. Notable speakers include leaders from Alibaba, NASA, McLaren, Sanofi, Meta, and Scale AI. **|** [**VivaTech**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/files/2025/04/Press-release---VivaTech-2025-explores-the-new-frontiers-of-innovation.pdf) **(PDF),** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/03/vivatech-a-quoi-va-ressembler-ledition-2025/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-8.png) **🤑 Shares**, a fintech founded by **Benjamin Chemla**, announced a strategic partnership with Axa France to improve the management of employee savings. The collaboration aims to provide Axa’s corporate clients and their employees with a comprehensive solution to manage employee savings plans, retirement savings, and other workplace benefits. This partnership aligns with France’s "Value Sharing" law and reflects Axa’s commitment to innovation for its clients. 🧬 🧫 **Smart Immune** was placed under judicial reorganization on March 6, 2025, and is now seeking a buyer to continue its operations. Founded in 2017, the biotech had developed a promising cell therapy aimed at rapidly rearming the immune system to combat diseases like leukemia and HIV. Despite securing €30 million in funding—including €5 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2023—the company faced financial challenges due to the substantial investments required in the biotech sector. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/soutenue-par-bill-gates-la-start-up-francaise-smart-immune-placee-en-redressement-judiciaire-2157224?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other headlines: **🗞️ Can French gigafactory Verkor avoid Northvolt’s fate?** | With the collapse of Swedish gigafactory Northvolt, all eyes are now on France’s Verkor | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/verkor-northvolt-gigafactory?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # French Tech Funding Collapse: Time To Panic? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/04/image-9.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-collapse-time-to-panic/) What’s behind this decline? Are certain sectors holding up better than others? How does France compare to its European neighbors? And, perhaps the biggest question of all - is this just a temporary dip, or are we seeing a deeper, more structural shift? To find out, we turned to two of France’s top VCs: Reza Malekzadeh, General Partner at Partech and member of the Partech Venture team; and Stéphanie Nizard, Partner and Head of Investor Relations at Serena. [Read it here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-collapse-time-to-panic/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: INTACT 🔍 **Description**: Produces plant-based and regenerative fermentation products using a low-carbon, patent-protected fermentation process. 💻 **Website**: [intact-regenerative.com](https://intact-regenerative.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Olivet 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €70M 🏦 **Investors**: Not disclosed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexis Duval 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310940895770542081/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Fairmat 🔍 **Description**: Develops sustainable solutions for carbon fiber composite recycling and reuse. 💻 **Website**: [fairmat.tech](https://www.fairmat.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26.5M (plus €25m in debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance, Singular, Temasek, Pictet, CNP, Cape Capital, Slate Venture Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ben Saada 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/04/02/fairmat-leve-plus-de-50-millions-deuros-pour-tripler-sa-production/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/fairmat-series-b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Tomorro 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered modern contract management platform. 💻 **Website**: [tomorro.com](http://tomorro.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €25M 🏦 **Investors**: XAnge, henQ, Financière Saint James, Founders Future, Acton Capital, Adelie Capital, Motier Ventures, Resonance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Fabre, Thibaut Caoudal, Sébastien Decrême, Kristen Williams, Matthijs Diederiks 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/tomorro-leve-25-millions-deuros-pour-industrialiser-la-gestion-contractuelle-par-lia/452749?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Collapse: Time To Panic? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-collapse-time-to-panic/ Last updated: 2025-04-09T10:52:54.000Z In Q1 2025, startup funding hit a 7-year low. We talk to 2 prominent VCs to unpack the trend. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New French AI Company Radar: March 2025 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/new-french-ai-company-radar-march-2025/ Last updated: 2025-04-03T06:32:12.000Z ***This is our monthly report summarizing AI-related companies founded in France. We identified 9 new companies via administrative filings, plus a dozen more announced as part of AI-related incubators and accelerators.*** [***Upgrade to a paid subscription to see the full list.*** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/) --- 🚀 **Habinor** was founded on [March 3, 2025](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/habinor-941659674?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), by [Neil Baudry](https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-baudry-videaste?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Arthur Merlino](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-merlino-2327a1186?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Guthlac Léorat](https://www.linkedin.com/in/guthlac-l%C3%A9orat-293b7b21b?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The company's mission: "The design, development, editing and operation of software, digital platforms and applications, including artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Research and development in artificial intelligence and technological innovation, aimed at optimising, automating and improving processes in various sectors The creation and operation of applied artificial intelligence solutions, including data processing, machine learning and autonomous decision support systems. Acquisition, exploitation and exploitation of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, software and associated technologies." The trio are connected through their work at Liberty House Real Estate, which mananages luxury properties. Merlino's LinkedIn profile notes that his goals are: "To connect with a broader audience, I created Nomerca, a real estate agency focused on the general public, with a mission to understand the market’s needs and reimagine the sales process. But real estate and luxury are not my ultimate goals. They are stepping stones on a larger journey—opportunities to learn, experiment, and develop solutions with a global impact. My ambition? To become a key player in entrepreneurship, both in France and internationally, by creating companies that redefine industries and address the challenges of tomorrow." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire March 28: GravitHy, RockFi, Epsor & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-28-2/ Last updated: 2025-03-31T17:27:55.000Z --- ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-50.png)](https://www.eu-startups.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### EU-Startups Summit: 20% Discount Join Europe’s top startups, investors, and innovators for 2 days of networking, inspiration, and learning. The next edition will take place on April 24-25, 2025, in sunny Malta. Bringing up to 2500 attendees, it will be bigger and better, with more exciting opportunities and connections than ever before! Whether you’re launching your first startup or scaling a unicorn, this is the event you won’t want to miss.🦄 Use the code **FRENCHTECH20** to get 20% off tickets until April 2! [Get your 20% Discount](https://www.eu-startups.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: GravitHy 🔍 **Description:** A Marseille-based company specializing in the production of low-carbon iron for the clean steel sector, aiming to decarbonize the steel industry through innovative processes. 💻 **Website:** [https://gravithy.eu/](https://gravithy.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille 🧗 **Roun**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €60 million 🏦 **Investors**: Japan Hydrogen Fund (advised by Advantage Partners); Marcegaglia; Ecolab (via Nalco Dutch Holding); Rio Tinto; Siemens; Engie New Ventures; InnEnergy 👨💼👩💼 **Funders**: José Noldin (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/producing-an-eiffel-tower-a-day-gravithy-secures-e60-million-to-power-green-steel-revolution/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![RockFi co-founders (left to right): Pierre Marin, Marie Bedu, and Maxime Durand](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-39.png) RockFi co-founders (left to right): Pierre Marin, Marie Bedu, and Maxime Durand 📇 **Company**: RockFi 🔍 **Description**: French fintech redefining private wealth management by combining personalized service from independent private bankers with a proprietary digital platform offering comprehensive investment solutions and real-time asset reporting. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.rockfi.fr](https://www.rockfi.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €18 million 🏦 **Investors**: Partech (lead); Varsity; Arthur Waller and Félix Blossier (Pennylane); Mark Ransford (ex-Apax); BAs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Marin, Marie Bedu, Maxime Durand; Stéphane Carles, Vincent Pagny 🗞️ **News**: [**Forbes**](https://www.forbes.fr/entrepreneurs/a-suivre-rockfi-veut-depoussierer-les-metiers-de-la-gestion-de-fortune/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Epsor 🔍 **Description**: Transforming employee savings and retirement plans in France 💻 **Website**: [https://www.epsor.fr](https://www.epsor.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €16 million 🏦 **Investors**: ISALT, Revaia, BlackFin Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABFwftgBd5PGoHuEgQLXMjPOvcDDAv7FXDI?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Julien Niquet, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAJtMhcBoTPNnfvxJzrp0vDlzyBuGUn5X64?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Benjamin Pedrini 🗞️ **News**: [**Revaia**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/revaia%5Ffintech-employeesavings-investment-activity-7311018367740510208-5kWc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: DeepIP 🔍 **Description**: A Franco-American AI startup revolutionizing the patent drafting process through an AI-powered platform designed to enhance, not replace, the work of intellectual property attorneys. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.deepip.ai/](https://www.deepip.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: New York, USA & Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: $15 million 🏦 **Investors**: Resonance; Headline (investor in Mistral AI); Serena Capital (investor in Dataiku); Balderton Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François-Xavier Leduc; Edouard d'Archimbaud 🗞️ **News**: [**Business Insider**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deepip-developed-ai-assistant-drafting-080001372.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-43.png) 📇 **Company**: Opsima 🔍 **Description**: Developed a proprietary algorithm that optimizes the way companies buy resources from public cloud providers 💻 **Website**: [https://opsima.ai/](https://opsima.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Galion.exe, Kima Ventures, Source Ventures, Super Capital, Neo Founders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Louis Raynaud, Alexandre Lacroux 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308799317174091779/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Neold 🔍 **Description**: Platform for the purchase, reconditioning and resale of electric bicycles and a range of B2B and B2C services. 💻 **Website**: [https://neold.fr/](https://neold.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Skalepark, Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault Penicau 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310251383943778305/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Photo-fondateurs-x2-1-.jpg) Jool co-founders: Thomas Ceccaldi (left) and Vincent Farines 📇 **Company**: Jool 🔍 **Description**: Electric vehicle rental platform 💻 **Website**: [https://www.jool.co/](https://www.jool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million (including €100k in debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Cenitz, 50 Partners Capital, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thomas Ceccaldi, Vincent Farines 🗞️ **News**: [PR](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/files/2025/03/Jool---Communique--leve-e-de-fonds-1M--.pdf) (PDF) --- 📇 **Company**: CR-Industry 🔍 **Description**: Offers mobility solutions for farmers via its “Tract’Moi” brand. 💻 **Website**: [https://tractmoi.com/](https://tractmoi.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Cugand 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €750K 🏦 **Investors**: ABAB - Atlantique Business Angels Booster, Pays de la Loire Participations, Business Angels, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole Atlantique Vendee, France Active Pays de la Loire et du programme Vendée Croissance. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: BAPTISTE CORM, Clovis RICHARD 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**·](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tract-moi%5F%F0%9D%97%96%F0%9D%97%A5-%F0%9D%97%9C%F0%9D%97%A1%F0%9D%97%97%F0%9D%97%A8%F0%9D%97%A6%F0%9D%97%A7%F0%9D%97%A5%F0%9D%97%AC-%F0%9D%97%94%F0%9D%97%96%F0%9D%97%96%F0%9D%97%98%F0%9D%97%9F%F0%9D%97%98%F0%9D%97%A5%F0%9D%97%98-activity-7311326521053368320-iGO-?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Luchrome 🔍 **Description**: Next generation of ultra-low-energy displays 💻 **Website**: [http://luchrome.com/](http://luchrome.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €700k 🏦 **Investors**: Techno'Start, Les Business Angels des Grandes Ecoles, Arts et Métiers Business Angels, Femmes Business Angels, private BAs, Bpifrance, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine. 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cyril PERIE, Romain Futsch 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/luchrome/posts/?feedView=all&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Anemon 🔍 **Description**: SMS e-learning platform 💻 **Website**: [https://anemon.co](https://anemon.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lannion 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €200k 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Fleur-Eve Durin Le Foll --- 📇 **Company**: BuyCo​ 🔍 **Description**: A French company offering a collaborative digital platform for container shipping management, designed to optimize booking, shipment, and tracking processes for large importers and exporters.​ 💻 **Website**: [https://buyco.co](https://buyco.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)​ 📍 **HQ City**: Marseille, France​ 🧗 **Round**: Undisclosed​ 💰 **Amount Raised**: Undisclosed​ 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance (via its maritime industry decarbonization fund); GO CAPITAL (Impact Océan Capital); Banque Populaire du Sud (Sud Mer Invest) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Carl Lauron (CEO & Founder)​ 🗞️ **News**: [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/buyco-accueille-bpifrance-a-son-capital-a252329%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # ### 🤖 La Machine #24: Inside FlexAI's Ambitions 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-24-flexai-ambitions/ Last updated: 2025-03-31T05:44:58.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-48.png)](https://www.eu-startups.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### EU-Startups Summit: 20% Discount Join Europe’s top startups, investors, and innovators for 2 days of networking, inspiration, and learning. The next edition will take place on April 24-25, 2025, in sunny Malta. Bringing up to 2500 attendees, it will be bigger and better, with more exciting opportunities and connections than ever before! Whether you’re launching your first startup or scaling a unicorn, this is the event you won’t want to miss. 🦄 Use the code **FRENCHTECH20** to get 20% off tickets until April 2! [Get your 20% Discount](https://www.eu-startups.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Pigment** launched a suite of AI agents—Analyst, Planner, and Modeler—designed to revolutionize business planning and performance. These agentic AI capabilities work alongside teams, automating tasks like scenario modeling, planning workflows, and generating real-time insights. This move marks a significant shift toward a digital workforce, enhancing productivity, decision-making, and agility. The announcement comes amid strong business growth for Pigment, signaling their ambition to lead the next generation of enterprise planning. Ultimately, the company aims to enable truly autonomous and intelligent business operations. "This is an industry-first move toward a digital workforce, where agents work alongside teams to increase productivity, improve decision-making, and enable better business outcomes," CEO and co-founder Eleanor wrote on LinkedIn. "We’re expanding the horizons of what businesses can accomplish, moving one step closer to truly autonomous, empowered planning and performance." | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310188463205629952/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7310188463205629952%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Pigment**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pigment-announces-agentic-ai-capabilities-amidst-impressive-business-growth-302410354.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**FirstMark**](https://firstmark.com/story/pigment-unveils-three-specialized-ai-agents-analyst-planner-and-modeler/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Aldebaran Robotics**, the French company behind the humanoid robots Nao and Pepper, is facing a severe financial crisis and has been placed in receivership as of February 17, 2025\. Following earlier bankruptcy proceedings in January, the company is now urgently seeking new investors to secure its future. Internal sources reveal that Aldebaran may lay off over 70 of its 164 employees, although management has not confirmed this number. The crisis follows what employees describe as the "brutal abandonment" by its main shareholder, Germany’s United Robotics Group, which acquired Aldebaran from SoftBank Robotics in 2022 but has since shifted focus to distributing Chinese-made products. Founded in 2005, Aldebaran gained international recognition for Nao and especially Pepper, a child-sized robot used in retail and healthcare, but both saw limited long-term commercial success. Production of Pepper ceased in 2021, resulting in major layoffs, and the company’s latest project, the Plato robot, has not met expectations. Aldebaran’s future now hinges on whether it can secure fresh investment to avoid collapse and reposition itself in the robotics market. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/27/au-bord-du-gouffre-lancienne-pepite-francaise-de-la-robotique-aldebaran-se-bat-pour-sa-survie/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Heise**](https://www.heise.de/en/news/No-more-Nao-and-Pepper-robots-Aldebaran-Robotics-insolvent-10310748.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-45.png) 🗞️ **Schneider Electric** announced a $700 million investment in the U.S. to expand its operations in AI and energy-related sectors. The French multinational plans to open two new manufacturing plants and upgrade existing facilities to meet growing demand for electrification, automation, and AI-driven energy management. This move will create hundreds of jobs and strengthen Schneider's presence in the U.S. market. The investment aligns with U.S. efforts to boost domestic manufacturing and clean energy infrastructure. It also reflects Schneider’s broader strategy to lead in sustainable and digital energy solutions globally. “We stand at an inflection point for the technology and industrial sectors in the US, driven by incredible AI growth and unprecedented energy demand," said Aamir Paul, president of North America operations for Schneider Electric, in a statement. "To lead the transformation ahead, we must be agile and act now to advance ambitious digitalization and efficiency goals to make an impact for generations to come." | [**Barron's**](https://www.barrons.com/news/france-s-schneider-electric-announces-700mn-investment-in-us-for-ai-energy-1073d0f1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Eurazeo** is investing €100 million in Metrobloks to accelerate the development of next-generation data centers across Europe. This strategic partnership targets edge and modular data center infrastructure, catering to rising demand driven by AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation. Metrobloks, founded by seasoned data center entrepreneurs, will leverage Eurazeo’s backing to scale rapidly in underserved European markets. The move reflects Eurazeo’s broader ambition to support digital infrastructure and capitalize on the growing need for decentralized computing power. | [**Data Center Dynamics**](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/eurazeo-partners-with-metrobloks-for-100m-european-data-center-push/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Eurazeo**](https://www.eurazeo.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/eurazeo-plans-invest-eu100-million-metrobloks-support-expansion-next?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ France ranks third globally for AI-related carbon emissions, generating 159.17 kg of CO₂, largely driven by its high ChatGPT adoption, according to a new study by [TRG Datacenters](https://www.trgdatacenters.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). With 2.3 million ChatGPT users and a per capita usage rate of 345—more than double that of Germany—France demonstrates some of the highest AI engagement levels in Europe. This intense usage highlights the country's deep integration of AI technologies into daily life. However, it also raises concerns about the environmental impact of widespread AI adoption, especially for a mid-sized country with such concentrated digital activity. | [TRG Datacenters](https://www.trgdatacenters.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Former StudioCanal CEO **Didier Lupfer** has partnered with media executive **Édouard Boccon-Gibod** and tech entrepreneur **Tariq Krim** to launch a new Paris-based studio called The Media Company. The European film production studio aims to blend traditional storytelling with cutting-edge AI tools to develop innovative films, series, and digital formats. Their goal is to create high-quality, creator-driven projects that explore new narrative possibilities enabled by artificial intelligence. The company will also emphasize sustainability and ethical use of AI in the creative process. "We’ve built a studio that blends artistic ambition with technological innovation, delivering a full-stack solution for augmented creativity," Krim wrote on LinkedIn. "By integrating AI into every production stage, The Media Company introduces a new level of agility and efficiency. This enables the creation of original, universal stories while redefining the industry’s traditional workflows.This new venture is about inventing new possibilities — and knowing when to separate the tool from the artistic intent. We believe technology should support, not replace, artistic creation and creators. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tariqkrim%5Fim-happy-to-announce-the-launch-of-the-media-activity-7310330070030508032-bIG%5F/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Variety**](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/didier-lupfer-edouard-boccon-gibod-tariq-krim-ai-media-1236346893/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Cineuropa**](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/475620?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-44.png) Didier Lupfer (left), Édouard Boccon-Gibod (center), and Tariq Krim **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) **Europe Needs AI Infrastructure. Cleyrop Wants To Build It |** Can Europe power its digital future without relying on non-European cloud providers? And if so, what kind of AI infrastructure does Europe need? These are the challenges that [Arnaud Muller](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaudmu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-founder of [Cleyrop,](https://www.cleyrop.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has dedicated himself to solving. His company provides European public and private organizations with sovereign, AI-ready data storage and management solutions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) 🗞️ **Digital Diplomats: AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up?** | U.S. Startups are reaching $100M ARR with less than 50 employees. French startups risk being squeezed if they don’t adapt. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) --- # Interviews ### 🗣️ FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-51.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) FlexAI co-founders Dali Kilani (left) and Brijesh Tripathi Compute infrastructure has emerged as a critical bottleneck in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. While innovation in AI models continues at breakneck speed, the hardware and infrastructure needed to train and run these models remain constrained, expensive, and complex. A few years ago, over cappuccinos in Paris, tech industry veterans Brijesh Tripathi and Dali Kilani began a conversation about this dilemma that led to the founding of FlexAI in 2023\. The company emerged from stealth mode in 2024 with $30 million in seed funding, establishing co-headquarters in Paris, Bangalore, and the United States. Their observation was simple but fundamental: Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. "At FlexAI, we are aiming to build the first universal AI compute infrastructure," Tripathi said. [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: DeepIP 🔍 **Description**: A Franco-American AI startup revolutionizing the patent drafting process through an AI-powered platform designed to enhance, not replace, the work of intellectual property attorneys. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.deepip.ai/](https://www.deepip.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: New York, USA & Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: $15 million 🏦 **Investors**: Resonance; Headline; Serena Capital; Balderton Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François-Xavier Leduc; Edouard d'Archimbaud 🗞️ **News**: [**Business Insider**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deepip-developed-ai-assistant-drafting-080001372.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Opsima 🔍 **Description**: Developed a proprietary algorithm that optimizes the way companies buy resources from public cloud providers 💻 **Website**: [https://opsima.ai/](https://opsima.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1 million 🏦 **Investors**: Galion.exe, Kima Ventures, Source Ventures, Super Capital, Neo Founders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Louis Raynaud, Alexandre Lacroux 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308799317174091779/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events **☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️** 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The calendar:** 📆 **Café du Numérique | April 4 |** Discover how AI can revolutionize your business and boost your competitiveness. Connect directly with innovation experts. Get inspired by the success stories of companies pioneering the use of AI. | [**Registration**](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/cci75/cafe-du-numerique-l-ia-au-service-de-la-croissance-economique-une-opportunite-pour-les-pme?utm%5Fsource=brevo&utm%5Fcampaign=INVITATION%20Caf%20du%20numrique%204%20avril&utm%5Fmedium=email) 📆 **AgentX** | **April 7** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Summit Paris | April 9 |**AWS Summit Paris 2025 is a free one-day event focused on generative AI, data, security, sustainability, and more. Customize your experience with a keynote featuring leading speakers, over 150 interactive sessions and workshops, one-on-one consultations with our experts, an exhibition area showcasing the latest cloud innovations, as well as numerous networking and training opportunities. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Summit | April 10 |** The Data & AI Summit 2025 will bring together IT decision-makers and AI experts to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with data and artificial intelligence. This event will highlight the impact of generative AI on business models, as well as best practices for maximizing the value of data within modern organizations. **|** [**Register**](https://www.idc.com/eu/events/71961-data-ai-summit?g%5Fclang=ENG&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Mistral AI Robotics Hackathon | April 11 - 13 |** Join us on April 11th - 13th in Paris, to learn about and build on World Models & Embodied AI. For the first time ever, teams will have access to 40+ robotic arms from Hugging Face’s The Robot team, and build Real World Models powered by Mistral AI. ​There will be mentors and jury from lots of robotics companies, including: Hugging Face's LeRobot team, Mimic, Wandercraft, Phospho...and more. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/roboticshack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### FlexAI: Pioneering Universal AI Compute Infrastructure URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/flexai-pioneering-universal-infrastructure-ai-compute/ Last updated: 2025-03-31T05:14:16.000Z Modern AI workloads were being forced to run on computing architectures designed decades ago. FlexAI wants to create a faster, more flexible system that enables rapid scaling. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Oh, Good Grief! The Great Funding Famine Deepens URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-great-funding-famine/ Last updated: 2025-03-28T07:21:48.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire,** 👀 **Deep Dive: MSInsight CEO and co-founder Arnaud Dr. Cutivet** [explains how the company's breakthrough technology could point to the future of cancer detection and treatment.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/msinsight-paving-path-towards-precision-oncology/) 👀 **Deep Dive: Yubo CEO and co-founder Sacha Lazimi** breaks down [how the social media company reached profitability by focusing on a different experience for and business model for its Gen Z user base.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-yubo-achieved-profitability-social-media-ad-addiction/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/EU-Startups-Summit_Main-Banner.png)](https://www.eu-startups.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) #### EU-Startups Summit: 20% Discount Join Europe’s top startups, investors, and innovators for 2 days of networking, inspiration, and learning. The next edition will take place on April 24-25, 2025, in sunny Malta. Bringing up to 2500 attendees, it will be bigger and better, with more exciting opportunities and connections than ever before! Whether you’re launching your first startup or scaling a unicorn, this is the event you won’t want to miss.🦄 Use the code **FRENCHTECH20** to get 20% off tickets until April 2! [Get your 20% Discount](https://www.eu-startups.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # 🤔 Edito 🤔 If you've been waiting for startup funding in France to hit rock bottom, well, you might want to cover your eyes for this next part... As **Q1 2025 winds down**, French startups have raised a mere $1.2 billion – the most anemic single quarter since Q3 2019\. That amount puts France on pace to raise $4.8 billion in 2025, which would be well off the pace of the $7.9 billion raised in 2024 — which was well off the pace of the $9.2 billion raised in 2023 – which was well off the pace...well, you get the picture. Funding peaked in 2022 with $16 billion, and since then has been in free fall. The optimists had taken some solace that annual numbers remained above pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that 2021-2022 were frenzied aberrations, but the long-term trends were still positive. It's getting harder to make that case as France seems poised to return to something closer to the $4.6 billion raised in 2018\. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/output-3-.png) It appeared that France was set to ride the AI wave, but the mega rounds raised by the likes of Mistral AI, Poolside, and H were blips that helped prop up annual numbers last year. Meanwhile, bankruptcies continue to rise, and the exit market remains tepid. The good news – such as it is – is that France is certainly not isolated. Germany, for example, also saw a dip, but its Q1 2025 funding came in at **$1.7 billion**, relatively steady compared to **$2.1 billion in Q1 2024**. The Netherlands, while smaller in absolute terms, raised **$501 million**, down from **$1.2 billion** a year earlier. Perhaps the other country currently getting spanked just as hard as France is the UK, which hit a peak quarterly funding of $12.5 billion in Q1 2022 but now has fallen to $3.5 billion in Q1 2025. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/output-2-.png) Spain, on the other hand, bucked the trend with a surprising uptick - raising $1.1 billion in Q1 2025, nearly triple its Q1 2024 figure of $385 million, and almost enough to knock France out of the third slot in Europe. Sweden also experienced a modest dip but maintained relatively strong levels at $728 million compared to $960 million in Q1 2024. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/output-1-.png) What's to be done? It's not clear. Perhaps this is another chill brought on by economic uncertainty created by a certain country's new leadership, which has introduced new political and economic chaos in the macroeconomic ether. Unfortunately, with France facing its own political upheaval and a heavy debt load, there likely isn't the political or financial will to launch a massive bailout of the nation's startups as was the case during the pandemic. What is clear is that the nation faces a stress test that will likely reveal whether the French tech boom of the past decade was a fundamental shift – or an illusion. Chris O'Brien # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 **🪦☹️** ...as if to emphasize the funding struggles... **Talent.io**, once Europe’s leading tech recruitment platform, filed for bankruptcy and was acquired by **Davidson Consulting** via commercial court proceedings in March 2025 - just after celebrating its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2015, Talent.io quickly rose to prominence, with 175 employees across 5 countries, matching up to 200 software engineers/month with jobs at its peak. It was part of a wave of platforms that disrupted traditional tech hiring. However, cracks started showing in mid-2022, or as co-founder Jonathan Azoulay wrote: "Then we went through what some VCs call 'The God Damn Cycle.' " The post-COVID tech slowdown and VC funding freeze hit the sector hard. Revenue plunged 80% in 18 months. AI changed hiring priorities, reducing the need for traditional coding roles. Competitors like Hired.com, Triplebyte, Vettery, and Honeypot also shut down. LinkedIn's AI-enhanced dominance further marginalized niche recruitment platforms. Talent.io entered judicial reorganization in Sept 2024\. Azoulay had returned to the CEO role in 2023 to save the company, but market conditions made a turnaround impossible. Despite restructuring and downsizing, the plan for continuation wasn’t viable. In March 2025, Davidson Consulting took over, salvaging the freelance business but planning to wind down the permanent hiring division. Azoulay noted that the journey was filled with key decisions, including rejecting an €80M (yowch!) acquisition and a €40M fundraising round. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308756850030596096/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7308756850030596096%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/25/la-chute-de-talent-io-ou-le-signe-dun-marche-du-recrutement-digital-a-bout-de-souffle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸🟢🔬Lest you think there is only reason to despair...**Daphni** has raised €200 million for a new fund focused on early-stage, science-based startups dedicated to climate transition and sustainability, with plans to reach €250 million by the end of the year. The fund aims to invest in 40 European startups across fields such as life sciences, biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics, offering initial investments between €1 million and €8 million, with the possibility of follow-on investments up to €15 million per company. Daphni intends to source deals from Europe's top universities and research institutes, capitalizing on the growing trend of researchers transitioning from fundamental to applied research in entrepreneurship. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/daphni-250m-fund-climate?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/25/daphni-mise-200-millions-deuros-pour-transformer-des-projets-scientifiques-en-champions-de-la-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310191717180227585?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7310191717180227585%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🙏🧑‍🚀 Then there is **Founders Future**, the venture capital firm founded in 2018 by Marc Menasé, which is accelerating despite the broader slowdown in the French tech ecosystem. The firm announced a new capital investment from CMA CGM, joining existing shareholders MACSF and the Dassault family, who together now hold 25% of the company. As part of its expansion, Founders Future is opening an office on the East Coast of the United States and launching a $250 million growth fund, targeting European investors to support its portfolio startups in scaling across the U.S. At the same time, Founders Future is broadening its investment scope beyond seed funding, with the goal of managing €1 billion in assets by 2030\. Finally, the firm is launching a kind of “VC fund factory,” offering internal legal, finance, and compliance services to individuals looking to start their own funds—an initiative responding to regulatory challenges and gaps in the market. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/french-tech-founders-future-fait-entrer-cma-cgm-a-son-capital-2155918?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [♻️Founders Future’s Marc Menasé Talks Impact Investing🔥Founders Future has launched a €50 impact investment fund. Marc Menasé explains his deal flow and why this sector is so critical.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-17.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/menase-1.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/founders-future-menase/) 🪙🏦 France hopes to take a major step forward in the crypto economy. State bank **Bpifrance** unveiled an ambitious plan to invest up to **€25 million directly in digital assets**, marking a pioneering move among global sovereign funds. This new strategy builds on nearly a decade of blockchain investment, with over **€150 million** already deployed into startups and crypto-focused funds. The aim is to support French innovation in areas such as DeFi, tokenization, identity, and blockchain infrastructure. On the same day, **Fipto**, a fintech specializing in stablecoin payments, became the **first company in France to combine a Payment Institution license with crypto asset registration** (PSAN and PSAV). This regulatory milestone allows Fipto to control the entire fiat-crypto payment chain, offering fast, compliant, and borderless payments to businesses. With the stablecoin market growing rapidly—over **$7.6 trillion** in annual volume—Fipto is positioning itself as a European leader in blockchain-based payments. [Seed Of The Week: FiptoThe fintech raised €15 million to facilitate the international payments for enterprises using blockchain technology.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-16.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/fipto-founders.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-fipto/) 🤑 Speaking of the mighty hand of the government, **Tibi 2: Electric Boogaloo** was launched by Emmanuel Macron in June 2023\. The goal was to mobilize €7 billion from institutional investors to support high-growth French tech startups, following the success of the first Tibi initiative. Midway through the sequel, which runs until the end of 2026, nearly half of the committed funds have already been deployed by 35 institutional players, including major insurers like AXA and Allianz. These funds have supported 19 unicorns and 60 top startups such as Mistral, Qonto, and Alan, although foreign—especially American—investors still play a dominant role in large fundraising rounds. **|** [**Journal du Net**](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1540299-7-milliards-pour-les-start-up-ou-en-est-l-initiative-tibi-2/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏭 **Accel and Dealroom** are back with their **Founder Factories 2025 report**, and France ranks among the top countries in Europe for unicorn creation, with 39 venture-backed unicorns—behind only the UK, Germany, and Israel. These unicorns have had a significant “flywheel” effect, with 32 French unicorns fueling 270 new startups, primarily launched by their former employees. This places France in the top tier of “founder factory” nations. Paris is the clear epicenter of this activity: out of the 270 spinouts, 264 were founded in Paris, representing 98% of the total. Other cities like Montpellier, Orsay, and Toulouse contributed marginally. France’s founder factories are contributing to a thriving tech hub, with 69% of startups founded in the same city as their parent unicorns—showing strong local ecosystem effects, especially in Paris. Criteo stands as France's Top Dog when it comes to Founder Factories. | [**Accel x Dealroom**](https://www.accel.com/founder-factory?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-38.png) ☎️ **Iliad**, the French telecom group that operates Free, surpassed €10 billion in revenue in 2024 and reached 50 million subscribers, placing it in the top 5 telecom operators in Europe. The company, led by **CEO Thomas Reynaud**, continues to grow across France, Italy, and Poland, adding 2 million subscribers and maintaining strong financial health, while aggressively pursuing both consumer and B2B markets, especially through AI and cloud infrastructure investments. Iliad is eyeing potential acquisitions, notably SFR in France and Telecom Italia, signaling ambitions to climb further in the European rankings, though Reynaud emphasizes a pragmatic approach to consolidation. The group sees AI not only as a tool for growth but also as a transformation lever, aiming to double its B2B revenue by 2028 while remaining cautious not to grow for growth’s sake. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/data-center-ia-rachats-d-entreprises-ou-s-arretera-l-odyssee-d-iliad-free-et-de-xavier-niel-dans-les-telecoms-europeens-20250325?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🎮 The **French video game market** experienced a significant downturn in 2024, with total sales declining by 5.8% to €5.67 billion. This drop was particularly evident in the console segment, where both hardware and software sales dropped by 19%. Factors contributing to this slump include a lack of major game releases and the market adjusting after the exceptional growth seen in 2023\. Despite these challenges, industry professionals remain optimistic about a recovery in 2025\. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/2024-un-violent-trou-d-air-pour-le-marche-du-jeu-video-en-france-20250326?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: MSInsight on Paving the Path towards Precision Oncology [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-41.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/msinsight-paving-path-towards-precision-oncology/) When Angelina Jolie made her decision to undergo preventive surgery after learning she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, it sparked a global conversation on the importance of genetic screening. A decade later, thanks to advances in bioinformatics, precision diagnostics are advancing, particularly in cancer care. Enter [MSInsight](https://www.msinsight.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a Paris-based startup focused on revolutionizing cancer diagnostics with its patented technology, *MSIcare*. This innovative screening tool detects Microsatellite Instability (MSI), a key biomarker that helps determine whether a tumor will respond to immunotherapy. Unlike traditional methods, which can miss MSI-positive cases, *MSIcare* achieves near-perfect accuracy, potentially transforming patient outcomes. With €1.6 million in seed funding, MSInsight is setting its sights on market expansion and pushing the boundaries of cancer treatment, all while refining its approach through extensive data and real-time SaaS solutions. As Dr. Arnaud Cutivet, MSInsight’s CEO, shares, “The potential of MSIcare is immense—it’s not just about diagnosing cancer, but helping predict treatment responses and improving outcomes for many patients.” Could this breakthrough technology hold the key to reshaping the future of oncology? [Read the Story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/msinsight-paving-path-towards-precision-oncology/) --- [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-37.png)](https://leti-innovation-days.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: How Yubo Achieved Profitability By Breaking Social Media's Ad Addiction [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-42.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-yubo-achieved-profitability-social-media-ad-addiction/) In a digital landscape dominated by social media giants fueled by advertising revenue, Yubo has charted a different course. The French startup announced in February 2025 that it had achieved profitability while recording over 80% annual growth, with annual revenue nearing €60 million. Yubo CEO and co-founder Sacha Lazimi said getting the company in the black was the result of defining a different social media experience. "We're a social discovery platform designed for Generation Z," said Lazimi. "The goal is to create authentic and meaningful new connections that are not based on followers or likes or comments. We chose a different business model than a classic social network, because our business model is not based on ads." [Read the story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-yubo-achieved-profitability-social-media-ad-addiction/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: GravitHy 🔍 **Description:** A Marseille-based company specializing in the production of low-carbon iron for the clean steel sector, aiming to decarbonize the steel industry through innovative processes. 💻 **Website:** [https://gravithy.eu/](https://gravithy.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City:** Marseille 🧗 **Roun**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €60 million 🏦 **Investors**: Japan Hydrogen Fund (advised by Advantage Partners); Marcegaglia; Ecolab (via Nalco Dutch Holding); Rio Tinto; Siemens; Engie New Ventures; InnEnergy 👨💼👩💼 **Funders**: José Noldin (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/producing-an-eiffel-tower-a-day-gravithy-secures-e60-million-to-power-green-steel-revolution/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![RockFi co-founders (left to right): Pierre Marin, Marie Bedu, and Maxime Durand](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-39.png) RockFi co-founders (left to right): Pierre Marin, Marie Bedu, and Maxime Durand 📇 **Company**: RockFi 🔍 **Description**: French fintech redefining private wealth management by combining personalized service from independent private bankers with a proprietary digital platform offering comprehensive investment solutions and real-time asset reporting. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.rockfi.fr](https://www.rockfi.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €18 million 🏦 **Investors**: Partech (lead); Varsity; Arthur Waller and Félix Blossier (Pennylane); Mark Ransford (ex-Apax); BAs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Marin, Marie Bedu, Maxime Durand; Stéphane Carles, Vincent Pagny 🗞️ **News**: [**Forbes**](https://www.forbes.fr/entrepreneurs/a-suivre-rockfi-veut-depoussierer-les-metiers-de-la-gestion-de-fortune/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: DeepIP 🔍 **Description**: A Franco-American AI startup revolutionizing the patent drafting process through an AI-powered platform designed to enhance, not replace, the work of intellectual property attorneys. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.deepip.ai/](https://www.deepip.ai/??ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: New York, USA & Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: $15 million 🏦 **Investors**: Resonance; Headline; Serena Capital; Balderton Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François-Xavier Leduc; Edouard d'Archimbaud 🗞️ **News**: [**Business Insider**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deepip-developed-ai-assistant-drafting-080001372.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### MSInsight : Paving the Path towards Precision Oncology URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/msinsight-paving-path-towards-precision-oncology/ Last updated: 2025-03-28T06:34:58.000Z CEO and co-founder Arnaud Dr. Cutivet: “MSI cancer cells are present in 4% of cancers, especially colorectal, stomach, and endometrial cancers. Early detection, particularly in colorectal cancer, means we can use immunotherapy effectively, potentially saving lives.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Yubo Achieved Profitability By Breaking Social Media's Ad Addiction URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-yubo-achieved-profitability-social-media-ad-addiction/ Last updated: 2025-03-28T05:19:57.000Z Yubo CEO and co-founder Sacha Lazimi: "The goal is to create authentic and meaningful new connections that are not based on followers or likes or comments." _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #23: Silicon Valley's Protectionist AI Pivot Embraces Europe's Playbook 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-23-silicon-valleys-protectionist-ai-pivot-embraces-europes-playbook/ Last updated: 2025-03-24T06:13:11.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # Edito US tech companies are fond of dragging Europe for being too protectionist and over-regulated. But it seems that hasn't stopped Silicon Valley AI companies for asking a little government intervention on their behalf. To wit: Open AI last week submitted its [proposals for the AI Action Plan](https://openai.com/global-affairs/openai-proposals-for-the-us-ai-action-plan/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), which is under consideration by the current U.S. administration. The document outlines several ways OpenAI proposes using protectionist policies to bolster U.S. AI startups and maintain American leadership in the global AI race, especially in competition with China. This includes expert controls to promote what it dubs **“Democratic AI.”** The plan suggests using **export controls strategically** to ensure global adoption of U.S.-aligned AI infrastructure while restricting access to nations like China. It advocates a **tiered model** where only allies (Tier I) get easier access to U.S. tech, while Tier III countries (like China) face strict restrictions. American AI tools would be promoted abroad as “democratic alternatives” to China-backed systems, thus capturing global markets for U.S. companies. The company also wants the government to encourage the adoption of U.S.-developed AI tools first, streamline procurement, and fast-track security certifications for domestic companies. It recommends using the Defense Production Act to prioritize components for U.S. data centers and national security AI efforts. In sum, the plan calls for a protective ecosystem—regulatory, legal, economic, and strategic—designed to ensure that U.S. startups can thrive without being undercut by foreign competitors. Beyond that, Open AI calls for the government to organize massive infrastructure investments, including through such mechanisms as a Sovereign Wealth Fund. These are economic tools that Europeans would recognize, of course. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Europe should be blushing. Chris O'Brien # Headlines 🗞️ **Mistral AI** was asked for the 1,367th time about plans for an IPO, and CEO Arthur Mensch said Nope no time soon, sorry. In an interview with Fortune, Mensch said of previous remarks that started the press foaming at the mouth: “I was asked a question about our future, and what I said is that we intend to remain an independent company, \[so\] the natural path is to get to an IPO at some point...Just to clarify, we’re not looking towards an IPO \[right now\].” M'kay. Meanwhile, Mistral kept chugging along with its open-source strategy and dropped a new model – [Mistral Small 3.1](https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-small-3-1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) – that it claims outperforms OpenAI. | [**Fortune**](https://fortune.com/2025/03/20/mistral-ai-ceo-mensch-denies-ipo-rumors-doubles-down-on-open-source-strategy-european-champion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/ai/mistral-ai-drops-new-open-source-model-that-outperforms-gpt-4o-mini-with-fraction-of-parameters/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ Meta is finally launching its AI assistant, Meta AI, in Europe after months of delays due to the complexities of the European regulatory framework. Initially rolled out in the U.S. in 2023, the tool can generate text and images, answer questions, and help plan trips — but the European version is limited to text generation only and has not been trained on European user data. The rollout will cover 41 European countries and 21 overseas territories, with availability in six languages. Meta aims to surpass one billion users this year (up from 700 million currently) and is heavily investing in AI, with plans to spend $60 to $65 billion on data centers, servers, and infrastructure. 🗞️ **Pathé Films** has partnered with AI platform Genario to introduce the Genario x Pathé prize at the inaugural World AI Film Festival, scheduled for April 11-12 in Nice, France. This award will recognize the best feature film synopses generated by artificial intelligence, offering cash prizes of €10,000, €5,000, and €2,000 to the top three entries. A jury led by screenwriter Thomas Bidegain, along with industry figures like Banijay France CEO Alexia Laroche-Joubert and actress/filmmaker Julie Gayet, will evaluate the submissions. The festival, chaired by French filmmaker Claude Lelouch, aims to explore AI's impact on cinematic creation, financing, and production. ​| [**ScreenDaily**](https://www.screendaily.com/news/pathe-films-genario-launch-ai-written-film-pitch-award-at-inaugural-world-ai-film-festival/5203013.article?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Pruna AI**, which specializes in AI model compression algorithms, has open-sourced its optimization framework. This framework integrates various efficiency techniques, such as caching, pruning, quantization, and distillation, to enhance AI model performance. By standardizing the application of these methods, Pruna AI aims to simplify the optimization process for developers. Additionally, the company plans to introduce a "compression agent" capable of automatically optimizing models based on user-defined parameters, further streamlining AI model efficiency. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/20/pruna-ai-open-sources-its-ai-model-optimization-framework/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **La Quadrature du Net (LQDN),** a privacy advocacy association, is launching a campaign againstFrance's proposed "Simplification" bill, particularly Article 15, for enabling the expedited construction of large data centers by overriding local planning regulations and reducing public participation in decision-making processes. The bill would grant these projects a "major national interest" status, allowing the government to impose them on municipalities, potentially infringing on environmental laws and local autonomy. The government has declared the construction of more data centers critical for the country to remain competitive in AI. In response, La Quadrature du Net and the collective "Le Nuage était sous nos pieds," along with other members of the "Hiatus" coalition, are calling for the deletion of Article 15 and a two-year moratorium on the construction of large data centers. This pause aims to establish conditions for democratic control over these digital infrastructures, addressing concerns about their ecological impact and the erosion of public services. **|** [**La Quadrature du Net (LQDN)**](https://www.laquadrature.net/en/2025/03/21/simplification-bill-a-denial-of-democracy-to-impose-data-centers-in-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other Headlines** 🗞️ **Why Trump Is Good For Mistral and Cohere |** "One thing is clear, though: the Trump presidency will be good for AI developers like **Mistral** and **Cohere**. The reason might surprise you. Both firms have benefited from the [sovereign AI movement](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/how-the-world-plans-to-stop-american-ai-domination?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), in which non-U.S. developers have positioned themselves as their countries’ AI champions that will help reduce dependence on American tech. That movement has gained new momentum as Trump has diverged from previously friendly countries, both with his protectionist policies and on the Ukraine war." | [**The Information**](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/trump-good-mistral-cohere?rc=xawkl1&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats |** Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) **Europe Needs AI Infrastructure. Cleyrop Wants To Build It |** Can Europe power its digital future without relying on non-European cloud providers? And if so, what kind of AI infrastructure does Europe need? These are the challenges that [Arnaud Muller](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaudmu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-founder of [Cleyrop,](https://www.cleyrop.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has dedicated himself to solving. His company provides European public and private organizations with sovereign, AI-ready data storage and management solutions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) 🗞️ **Digital Diplomats: AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up?** | U.S. Startups are reaching $100M ARR with less than 50 employees. French startups risk being squeezed if they don’t adapt. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) --- # Events **☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️** 📆 **Techinnov | March 27 |** The 19th edition of Techinnov is back. Led by the CCI Essonne and the CCI Paris Ile-de-France, and under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, Techinnov is in line with the “France 2030” plan. Objective: to generate meetings between startups and clients to promote the financing of innovation. | [**Register**](https://techinnov.vimeet.events/fr/question/799?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The calendar:** 📆 **Paris AI Society 🍻 Afterwork | March 26 |** Join us for an evening of networking and enriching conversations. Whether you’re a tech lover, a startup enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of AI, you’ll find plenty of inspiration and like-minded individuals to connect with. Share experiences, discuss groundbreaking ideas, and maybe even spark collaborations that could lead to the next big thing in tech! | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/tgt3mco9?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Café du Numérique | April 4 |** Discover how AI can revolutionize your business and boost your competitiveness. Connect directly with innovation experts. Get inspired by the success stories of companies pioneering the use of AI. | [**Registration**](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/cci75/cafe-du-numerique-l-ia-au-service-de-la-croissance-economique-une-opportunite-pour-les-pme?utm%5Fsource=brevo&utm%5Fcampaign=INVITATION%20Caf%20du%20numrique%204%20avril&utm%5Fmedium=email) 📆 **AgentX** | **April 7** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Summit Paris | April 9 |**AWS Summit Paris 2025 is a free one-day event focused on generative AI, data, security, sustainability, and more. Customize your experience with a keynote featuring leading speakers, over 150 interactive sessions and workshops, one-on-one consultations with our experts, an exhibition area showcasing the latest cloud innovations, as well as numerous networking and training opportunities. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Summit | April 10 |** The Data & AI Summit 2025 will bring together IT decision-makers and AI experts to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with data and artificial intelligence. This event will highlight the impact of generative AI on business models, as well as best practices for maximizing the value of data within modern organizations. **|** [**Register**](https://www.idc.com/eu/events/71961-data-ai-summit?g%5Fclang=ENG&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Mistral AI Robotics Hackathon | April 11 - 13 |** Join us on April 11th - 13th in Paris, to learn about and build on World Models & Embodied AI. For the first time ever, teams will have access to 40+ robotic arms from Hugging Face’s The Robot team, and build Real World Models powered by Mistral AI. ​There will be mentors and jury from lots of robotics companies, including: Hugging Face's LeRobot team, Mimic, Wandercraft, Phospho...and more. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/roboticshack?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Funding Wire March 21: Dalma, Galam Robotics, Siteflow & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-21-dalma-galam-robotics-siteflow/ Last updated: 2025-03-22T12:14:59.000Z --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-28.png) 📇 **Company**: Dalma​ 🔍 **Description**: A French insurtech company offering comprehensive pet insurance solutions for dogs and cats, featuring instant reimbursement and 24/7 veterinary support.​ 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dalma.co](https://www.dalma.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)​ 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France​ 🧗 **Round**: Series B​ 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20 million​ 🏦 **Investors**: Breega; Northzone; Anterra Capital; Bpifrance Digital Venture​ 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alban de Préville; Raphaël Sadaka; Harry Belinga​ 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/in-just-two-clicks-dalma-raises-e20-million-to-expand-its-pet-insurance-offering/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/17/dalma-leve-20-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/l-assurtech-pour-animaux-dalma-boucle-une-serie-b-de-20-millions-d-euros.N2229030?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/technos-medias/innovation-et-start-up/dalma-leve-20-millions-d-euros-pour-assurer-les-chiens-et-les-chats-1020396.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Extracadabbra 🔍 **Description**: Recruitment platform for professionals in hotels and restaurants and sales-logistics 💻 **Website**: [https://www.extracadabra.com/recrutement](https://www.extracadabra.com/recrutement?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Buyout of historic shareholders BPI France Tourisme, SIDE CAPITAL, and SOWEFUND 💰 **Amount Raised**: €15M 🏦 **Investors**: Actual Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Remi Boisson, [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAEe56wB6eD2569mB6Mk-JJd6iA06TJmHyc?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)Frederic Nardon, Romain Minchella 🗞️ **News**: [**Tendnace Hotellerie**](https://www.tendancehotellerie.fr/articles-breves/communique-de-presse/24007-article/extracadabra-annonce-un-financement-de-15meur-avec-actual-ventures-pour-renforcer-son-hyper-croissance-rentable-dans-le-recrutement-digital?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-26.png) 📇 **Company**: Galam Robotics 🔍 **Description**: Specializing in modular robotics, optimizing logistics flows in small spaces through its **Tak-One** automated storage system. 💻 **Website**: 📍 **HQ City**: Villeneuve-la-Garenne 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: SuperNova Invest (via CAIT fund, backed by Crédit Agricole); Bpifrance; Polytechnique Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Samuel Perez, Jonathan Lévy 🗞️ **News**: [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/logistique-galam-robotics-leve-10-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-de-stockage-modulaire.N2229081?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/18/logistique-galam-robotics-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-deployer-sa-solution-de-stockage-dans-les-entrepots-francais-et-europeens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Spring 🔍 **Description**: Specializing in eco-friendly household cleaning products. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wespring.com/](https://www.wespring.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Aglaé Ventures, Ring Capital, Eutopia, Circular Innovation Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ben Guerville, Laure Favre, [Philippe CANTET](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippecantet?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAAAAtxL0B5bgXqW6jRtGpxjb3wdZz1ltt67M&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-29.png) 📇 **Company**: Siteflow 🔍 **Description**: A French startup specializing in the **digitalization of field operations** for the nuclear sector, now expanding into other critical energy infrastructures and highly regulated industries. 💻 **Website**: [http://siteflow.fr/](http://siteflow.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7M 🏦 **Investors**: LBO France (via its NewStone fund); EDF Pulse Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Louis Hauvette, Timothée PIETTE, Etienne BARRAULT 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/siteflow-leve-7-millions-deuro-pour-transformer-les-industries-sensibles/452154?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Aletiq 🔍 **Description**: Technical data management solution (PLM, PDM) for industrial companies. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.aletiq.com/](https://www.aletiq.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6M 🏦 **Investors**: Point Nine, Entropy Industrial, Angel Invest, and Business Angels such as Carsten Thoma (Celonis), Emmanuel Martin-Chave (BlaBlaCar), Markus Ament (Taulia), and Stéphane Albernhe (Archery Strategy Consulting). 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: CEO Geoffrey Ricard, Jérémie Fraudeau 🗞️ **News**: [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/aletiq-secures-65m-for-its-saas-tool-focused-on-product-lifecycle-management/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Valuesed 🔍 **Description**: Reconditioned auto parts 💻 **Website**: [https://www.valused.fr](https://www.valused.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4M 🏦 **Investors**: Arkea Capital, NCI 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Julien Dubois, Jean-Michel GUA 🗞️ **News**: [**DatMag.fr**](https://www.daf-mag.fr/Thematique/start-up-1275/levees-fonds-ipo-2134/Breves/valused-m-marche-pieces-auto-reconditionnees-468735.htm?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Flagcat 🔍 **Description**: Shaping the future of webtoons 💻 **Website**: [https://www.flagcat.studio/en](https://www.flagcat.studio/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5M 🏦 **Investors**: Acurio Ventures, Seedcamp, Motier Ventures, The Players Fund, Society of Entertainment 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jeff Biart, Rémi Juhé 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7307716232898592770/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-27.png) 📇 **Company**: Evera​ 🔍 **Description**: A Paris-based startup specializing in electric vehicle (EV) subscriptions for businesses, aiming to democratize access to EVs through flexible and transparent subscription solutions, offering both new and reconditioned vehicles.​ 💻 **Website**: [https://www.evera.co](https://www.evera.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)​ 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France​ 🧗 **Round**: Seed​ 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2 million​ 🏦 **Investors**: Baltis – Groupe Magellim; Newfund NAEH Innopy; MCapital; AstoryaVC; Business Angel Eric Ibled​ 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Dorian Jorry (COO and Co-founder)​, [Quentin Fabre](https://www.linkedin.com/in/quentin-fabre?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAACSNBcIB7PUkfa2ZuUhQitax9kCdY7J0kU0&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/evera-raises-e2-million-to-accelerate-the-electrification-of-professional-fleets/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-36.png) 📇 **Company**: OpenStone 🔍 **Description**: Innovative platform dedicated to private equity 💻 **Website**: [https://www.openstone.com/](https://www.openstone.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: British Alternative Fund and [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAUC4EBqGmeo3%5FTMYoWLTsS98wLBJKIEUo?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Vincent Taupin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-taupin-281534/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) – Founder of [Boursorama](https://www.linkedin.com/company/boursorama/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and former CEO of [Edmond de Rothschil](https://www.linkedin.com/company/edmond-de-rothschild/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)d, [AGNES BAGNE](https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-bagne-58669685/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) – Assistant Director [BNP Paribas Banque Privée](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bnp-paribas-banque-priv%C3%A9e/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Gabriel Karaboulad](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-karaboulad-804a7930/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) \- Head of Advisory at [NEUFLIZE OBC](https://www.linkedin.com/company/banque-neuflize-obc/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308751728366014464/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sharesub 🔍 **Description**: Sharesub allows you to share the costs of your subscriptions easily with your friends and family. 💻 **Website**: [http://sharesub.com/](http://sharesub.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M (including €0.3m debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Fast Forward, Financière Bonastella 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Brice de Cazenove 🗞️ **News**: [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/sharesub-leve-1-m-pour-sa-plateforme-d-abonnement-partage-a252200%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: TheraPPI Bioscience 🔍 **Description**: We modify protein interactions to offer treatments where current therapies fail. 💻 **Website**: [http://tppibio.com/](http://tppibio.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Undisclosed investors plus non-dilutive financing from BPI France and FONGIT (Switzerland). 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Isabelle Coste, Luc Otten, Toufic Renno, Stéphane Giraud 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7294408090936901633/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Spy Games Feature Honeypots And Unicorns URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-spy-games-feature-honeypots-and-unicorns/ Last updated: 2025-03-21T07:30:35.000Z ***Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?*** ***The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With 31,000 + engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, our sponsorships provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech.*** [Learn more about sponsorships](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) 👋 **Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week. In this week's French Tech Wire,** 👀 **Deep Dive:** The climate crisis is reshaping risk, and the insurance industry is struggling to keep up. As disasters become more frequent and severe, businesses - and the people who rely on them - are paying the price. Yet, traditional climate coverage is shrinking. So what happens when insurers say no? Kevin Dedieu, Chief Scientific Officer at Descartes Underwriting, [tells us how this scale-up is rethinking protection with AI-driven, data-powered parametric insurance.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsored by: 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/960x650---Challenges-1-.png)](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=ofKl7j6Jgnb2GXEUeRAIYQ&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-2103) Participate in VivaTech Startup Challenges and Awards and promote your startup solution. Pitch on stage, get feedback from potential users, and build partnerships with new clients at Europe's biggest startup and tech event! [Applications are free of charge.](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=ofKl7j6Jgnb2GXEUeRAIYQ&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-2103) [I'M IN!](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=ofKl7j6Jgnb2GXEUeRAIYQ&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-2103) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🍿 Nothing like a juicy little scandal to lighten the mood in dark times. This week, the unlikeliest of spy farces emerged in a dramatic face-off between HR tech giants Deel and Rippling. Or, as local media put it: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-20-at-23.43.05.png) This tale comes with a French twist because Deel was co-founded by French entrepreneur Alex Bouaziz, who has been one of France’s highest-profile expat unicorn success stories. As of its last reported funding round in 2023, **Deel was valued at $12 billion**. The company has raised over $680 million in total funding from prominent investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue, and Spark Capital. That valuation positioned Deel as one of the most valuable startups in the French tech ecosystem. Now comes word of some potentially unsavory shenanigans courtesy of a lawsuit filed by rival Rippling, accusing Deel of corporate espionage. The lawsuit alleges that a former Rippling employee was really a mole for Dell and stole trade secrets and confidential information, including code, product plans, and customer data. According to the lawsuit, Rippling execs ensnared the mole and Deel officials via a "honeypot" set through Slack. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-20-at-23.37.06.png) Deel has denied all wrongdoing and claims the messages were taken out of context. | [**WSJ**](https://www.wsj.com/tech/he-nerded-out-over-payroll-technology-now-hes-accused-of-corporate-spying-e6c5c89a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/17/rippling-sues-deel-deel-denies-all-legal-wrongdoing-and-slack-is-the-main-witness/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😱 After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, it appears that some of the changes to French laws impacting entrepreneurship are not as radical as once feared. **Clara Chappaz**, France's AI and Digital minister, took to LinkedIn to clarify that rules regarding stock options (BSPCE taxation) had only undergone some minor, technical revisions. Employees who don’t use a holding company remain taxed only at the time of liquidity, while those contributing shares to a holding face immediate tax on gains but defer capital gains tax until sale. Meanwhile, the government had controversially abolished the "Jeune Docteur" R&D tax incentive, which encouraged hiring PhD graduates by offering enhanced tax credits. Innovation leaders, including a 250+ stakeholder coalition led by F.initiatives, warned this move could harm France’s competitiveness in fields like AI and quantum. French Assembly member Paul Midy is also urging the government to reinstate the tax credit, calling it "a good scheme that allows innovative start-ups and SMEs to hire high-level talent in the service of innovation. It is an essential human link between public research and private companies. To abolish it is to slow down the integration of young PhDs into the professional world and to weaken our technological competitiveness." | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7307341588333056000/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paulmidy%5Fsuppression-du-dispositif-jeune-docteur-activity-7293689980135092225-H3xM/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🅿️ 🚗 **Yespark** has acquired **Zenpark and will now manage** 100,000 parking spaces across 6,000 locations in France, Italy, and Belgium. While Yespark has primarily focused on long-term parking subscriptions via partners such as landlords and commercial real estate, Zenpark specializes in short-term, on-demand parking reservations. It enables users to book parking spaces for hours or days, targeting drivers looking for flexible, temporary parking. Over the past decade, Zenpark has raised about $19.8M in venture capital, with institutional investors **EDF Pulse Holding and RATP Capital Innovation.** Last summer, Zenpark [changed its capital structure](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/zenpark-537527145?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to issue more shares, suggesting it might seek another round of funding, though it granted EDF and RATP Capital Innovation preferential rights such as board representation and enhanced financial reporting access. Zenpark has never publicly disclosed its finances. Zenpark has raised $30.8m over its history, primarily in a 2022 round that included Ring Capital, Founders Future, Banque des Territoires, Sofiouest, and NEoT. ✈️ ⚖️ **Telegram’s Pavel Durov Gets a Temporary French Getaway!** In a plot twist that could rival any Netflix drama, **Pavel Durov**, the founder and CEO of Telegram, had a brief run-in with French authorities after being arrested on August 24, 2024\. The charges? Apparently, Telegram’s been accused of hosting some not-so-friendly content, like **child abuse material** and **drug trafficking**. 🙄 After coughing up a €5 million bail (nice), Durov was initially told to stay put in France and check in with *les flics* (cops) twice a week. But in true “tech mogul” style, he’s now been given permission to *chill* in Dubai, where Telegram is based, while the investigation keeps rolling. Looks like the only thing that’s *definitely* getting a message through is Durov’s escape plan!📲 | [**New York Times**](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/world/europe/pavel-durov-france-telegram-founder.html?ref=oembed) 🎵 🎧 **“Don’t Stop Believin’”: French Tech’s Old Guard Is Rocking the Charts.** Two legends of French tech are proving they’ve still got it, with some seriously upbeat results. First up, **Deezer** hit a high note, with a **12% revenue growth** in 2024, reaching **€542 million** and exceeding its target. For the first time ever, the streaming giant notched up **positive free cash flow** (€7M) and broke even on EBITDA in the second half of the year. Credit goes to a slick brand revamp, clever partnerships, and subscriber gains in France. Deezer’s now eyeing **positive adjusted EBITDA** in 2025 – so let’s hope they keep the hits coming! Meanwhile, **Believe**, which went private last year after a turbulent ride on the Paris Stock Exchange, has bounced back in style. The company raked in **€988.8 million**, up **12.3%** despite battling currency headwinds. Adjusted EBITDA surged **33.5%** to **€67.1 million**, pushing profitability to a **6.8% margin**. Believe wrapped up the year with **€139.8 million in net cash**, plus **€7.1M in positive free cash flow**. Looks like they’re back to hitting all the right notes! 🌬️💅🏆 **Blowing Up the French Tech Scene!** French Tech media **Maddyness** has been stirring things up this week with its **Maddyness Awards**, dishing out trophies to the top investment funds, asset managers, and partners backing the French tech ecosystem. Seven lucky winners took home bragging rights across categories like **VC of the Year, Best Family Office, and Female Investor of the Year.** Among the big names? **CVC Sopra Steria** and rising star **Wind**, a climate adaptation fund that - fittingly- seems to have *le vent en poupe* (wind in its sails, for the non-Francophiles) 🌪️💨. [ **Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/18/maddy-invest-awards-maddyness-celebre-le-monde-de-linvestissement-avec-7-prix/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Descartes-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) Descartes Underwriting founders **(left to right*): [Tanguy Touffut](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanguy-touffut-584b202/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Kévin Dedieu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-dedieu-b0556916/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Sébastien Piguet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/s%C3%A9bastien-piguet-31293627/?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) As climate-fueled disasters escalate, traditional insurers are pulling out of high-risk markets, leaving homeowners and businesses stranded. But Descartes Underwriting sees opportunity where others see danger. Powered by AI, the French insurtech is betting big on the future of climate risk. Can it rewrite the rules of insurance? Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-28.png) 📇 **Company**: Dalma​ 🔍 **Description**: A French insurtech company offering comprehensive pet insurance solutions for dogs and cats, featuring instant reimbursement and 24/7 veterinary support.​ 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dalma.co](https://www.dalma.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)​ 📍 **HQ City**: Paris, France​ 🧗 **Round**: Series B​ 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20 million​ 🏦 **Investors**: Breega; Northzone; Anterra Capital; Bpifrance Digital Venture​ 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alban de Préville; Raphaël Sadaka; Harry Belinga​ 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/in-just-two-clicks-dalma-raises-e20-million-to-expand-its-pet-insurance-offering/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/17/dalma-leve-20-millions-deuros/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/l-assurtech-pour-animaux-dalma-boucle-une-serie-b-de-20-millions-d-euros.N2229030?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/technos-medias/innovation-et-start-up/dalma-leve-20-millions-d-euros-pour-assurer-les-chiens-et-les-chats-1020396.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Galam Robotics 🔍 **Description**: Specializing in modular robotics, optimizing logistics flows in small spaces through its **Tak-One** automated storage system. 💻 **Website**: 📍 **HQ City**: Villeneuve-la-Garenne 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: SuperNova Invest (via CAIT fund, backed by Crédit Agricole); Bpifrance; Polytechnique Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Samuel Perez, Jonathan Lévy 🗞️ **News**: [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/logistique-galam-robotics-leve-10-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-de-stockage-modulaire.N2229081?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/18/logistique-galam-robotics-leve-10-millions-deuros-pour-deployer-sa-solution-de-stockage-dans-les-entrepots-francais-et-europeens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Spring 🔍 **Description**: Specializing in eco-friendly household cleaning products. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wespring.com/](https://www.wespring.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Aglaé Ventures, Ring Capital, Eutopia, Circular Innovation Fund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ben Guerville, Laure Favre, [Philippe CANTET](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippecantet?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAAAAtxL0B5bgXqW6jRtGpxjb3wdZz1ltt67M&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Descartes Underwriting: Doubling Down On Climate Risk As Insurance Industry Retreats URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/climate-risk-insurance-industry-retreating-descartes-underwriting-doubling-down/ Last updated: 2025-03-21T06:01:56.000Z Chief Science Officer Kévin Dedieu: "AI represents between 2-5% of our tech investments. Next year, we’re increasing that by 10%, with more resources dedicated to AI and using it for our core models. The cost of AI is relatively low, but its impact is huge.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Stealth AI Founders Of France: March Edition URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-stealth-ai-founders-march-edition/ Last updated: 2025-03-19T16:11:12.000Z *This new feature goes behind the cryptic status updates on LinkedIn to unearth the details of AI Stealth founders who are either French or based in France. This is part of our expanding French AI Radar that provides exclusive information to readers about what's happening beneath the surface of the French AI revolution*. *Subscribe to gain a competitive edge with insider knowledge that could reshape investment strategies, partnership opportunities, and talent acquisition by spotting secretive AI ventures before they emerge from the shadows.* ## Chaine (Charlene) V. San Buenaventura ### LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaine-san-buenaventura-676070bb/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaine-san-buenaventura-676070bb/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Startup: Estyl.ai, Voilalabs ### Role: Founder ### Website: [Estyl.ai](https://www.estyl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Contact: [c.sanbuenaventura@estyl.ai](mailto:c.sanbuenaventura@estyl.ai) ### Biography: San Buenaventura is a specialist in Deep Learning and Data Science, contributing to AI development through academic research and practical applications. Originally from the Philippines, she received her Ph.D. in computer science from Trinity College Dublin in 2021, with a focus on “Personalisation for AI-driven Conversational Digital Assistants.” In 2019, she co-authored a research paper titled "Deep Learning for Smartphone-Based Human Activity Recognition Using Multi-sensor Fusion" with Nestor Michael C. Tiglao. [It is one of 57 academic research papers attributed to her.](https://scholar.google.com.ph/citations?user=fZ2ALeEAAAAJ&hl=en&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) In 2020, San Buenaventura was featured as a speaker at FEU Tech Innovation Center's first Tech Talk series, where she shared her expertise in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Last year, she gave a tutorial “on the transformative capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and GPT-4 in revolutionizing the field of information retrieval” at the Open Data Science Conference (ODSC). After finishing her Ph.D., she relocated to Paris, joining [Wizy.io](https://wizy.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) as “Head of AI & Lead Machine Learning Engineer.” The company describes its mission as helping “Frontline Workers by delivering Innovative Digital Cloud Solutions that require no code.” San Buenaventura left in November 2023. ## Startup Overview Her LinkedIn page lists her as co-founder of a Stealth company since June 2024\. According to her bio for the ODSC conference in 2024, she was “co-founder of Voilabs, an early-stage AI startup based in Paris specializing in voice chatbots for customer service. They are exploring the transformative capabilities of AI in reshaping digital interactions and are committed to driving innovation in this space.” However, she now appears to be a co-founder of [Estyl.ai](https://www.estyl.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [according to Crunchbase.](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/estyl?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#people) The company is based in Milan, Italy, and is an AI-powered fashion platform with the tagline "like magic". The company’s mobile application uses AI to provide personalized style recommendations. The company raised €600,000 in pre-seed financing, including €100,000 in equity investment from Oblivion S.r.l. and a €500,000 bank loan from Unicredit. Estyl.ai is preparing to launch its Minimum Viable Product (MVP) by spring 2025. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #22: French AI Shines Light on Microbes 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-22-french-ai-shines-light-on-microbes/ Last updated: 2025-03-17T08:00:56.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsored by 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/960x650---Challenges-2.png)](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=xt6sr7-5Qzt5Apii8jgrRw&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-1703) Apply to VivaTech Startup Challenges and gain visibility, leads, growth acceleration, and more! Smart cities & Mobility, Energy & ClimateTech, Data & AI, Retail, FinTech... check out all our challenges and awards here. Get a chance to exhibit for free at Europe's biggest startup and tech event! [I'M IN!](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=xt6sr7-5Qzt5Apii8jgrRw&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-1703) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Cerebras Systems** announced the deployment of its wafer-scale AI accelerator chips in six new cloud data centers, including a key facility in France, aimed at delivering ultrafast AI inference. This expansion strengthens France’s AI infrastructure and benefits key French AI players like Mistral AI, which leverages Cerebras technology for its chatbot Le Chat. The facility in France is part of Cerebras’ broader European footprint, complementing its presence in Montreal and strategic partnerships with G42. 🗞️ 🤗 In addition, Cerebras has partnered with the French-founded Hugging Face to integrate its high-speed AI inference directly into the Hugging Face Hub, providing developers with seamless access to its accelerated AI models. Hugging Face has become a pivotal player in the open-source AI ecosystem. With this partnership, developers can now easily deploy open-source models with Cerebras' industry-leading inference speeds, making AI research and application development more efficient. | [SiliconAngle](https://siliconangle.com/2025/03/11/cerebras-announces-six-new-ai-accelerator-data-centers-across-north-america-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-24.png) 🗞️ **Stanislas Niox-Chateau**, CEO & Cofounder at France's **Doctolib**, issued a call to action for European AI talent to remain in Europe rather than working for non-European companies. He lamented that Europe is losing valuable AI and engineering professionals daily. His pitch to those with wanderlust: Professionals don't need to leave Europe for career growth or impact. Not surprisingly, he cited AI and Health as a key area ripe for transformation. As such, Doctolib is expanding its AI and clinical vision for 2025 and beyond. "Europe has everything it takes to be at the forefront of the AI revolution," he wrote, "but we need our people!" | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7305149153968308225/?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7305149153968308225%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Wandercraft**, a French startup pioneering AI-powered exoskeletons, received the Innovative AI Startup Award at **South by Southwest** for its work in restoring mobility for people with walking impairments. The recognition follows a historic moment at the Paris 2024 Olympics when paraplegic athlete Kevin Piette carried the Olympic flame using Wandercraft's technology. The company continues to gain momentum with support from Frenchfounders and Bpifrance as it advances its mission to transform mobility solutions. **|** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7305627981261987842?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7305627981261987842%2CFEED%5FDETAIL%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-23.png) 🗞️ **Mistral AI** has introduced Mistral OCR, a cutting-edge Optical Character Recognition API designed to enhance document understanding. This tool accurately interprets various document elements—including text, images, tables, and mathematical equations—from inputs like images and PDFs, making it particularly effective when integrated with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems handling complex, multimodal documents. Mistral OCR supports multiple languages and scripts, offers rapid processing speeds, and is available through Mistral's developer platform, la Plateforme. Additionally, it has been set as the default model for document understanding for users of Le Chat. | [**Mistral AI**](https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-ocr?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️ French publishers and authors have filed a lawsuit against **Meta**, alleging unauthorized use of their copyrighted works to train its AI systems. The National Publishing Union (SNE), the National Union of Authors and Composers (SNAC), and the Society of Men of Letters (SGDL) claim that Meta has engaged in "monumental looting" by using protected content without permission. This legal action, filed in a Paris court, is the first of its kind in France but aligns with similar lawsuits in the United States against tech companies over AI training practices. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/french-publishers-authors-file-lawsuit-against-meta-ai-case-2025-03-12/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📈 E-commerce SaaS provider **Mirakl** reported a 15% increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 2024, reaching $177 million. The company's flagship product, Mirakl Platform, achieved profitability throughout the year. To further accelerate growth, Mirakl plans to double its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025, matching the combined AI expenditure of the previous three years. This strategic focus aims to enhance services like Mirakl Ads and Mirakl Connect, positioning the company to surpass $200 million in ARR by the end of 2025\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/mirakl-poursuit-sa-croissance-mais-nest-toujours-pas-rentable-2153700?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/13/mirakl-intensifie-ses-investissements-dans-lia-pour-passer-la-barre-des-200-millions-de-dollars-de-revenus/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other headlines** 🗞️ **Station F: flying the flag for France tech and AI development** | Of the Paris-based incubator’s 40 best-performing start-ups, 34 have artificial intelligence at the core of their business | [**Financial Times**](https://www.ft.com/content/0e19802c-765d-4b2e-b00c-f974b38003fa?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **See our story from November on Station F + AI startups**, with the complete list of those 34 companies. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/station-f-future-40-ai/) 🗞️ **How French startup Mistral is using design to shake up AI |** Created by Sylvain Boyer, the designer behind the Paris Olympics identity, the branding for Mistral is deliberately warm and retro, to set it apart from the current AI competition**. |** [**Creative Review**](https://www.creativereview.co.uk/mistral-ai-design-sylvain-boyer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **ICYMI** 🗞️ **Europe Needs AI Infrastructure. Cleyrop Wants To Build It |** Can Europe power its digital future without relying on non-European cloud providers? And if so, what kind of AI infrastructure does Europe need? These are the challenges that [Arnaud Muller](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaudmu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-founder of [Cleyrop,](https://www.cleyrop.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has dedicated himself to solving. His company provides European public and private organizations with sovereign, AI-ready data storage and management solutions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/) 🗞️ **Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience |** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. **|** [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) 🗞️ **Digital Diplomats: AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up?** | U.S. Startups are reaching $100M ARR with less than 50 employees. French startups risk being squeezed if they don’t adapt. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) --- ### 🗣️ Spore.Bio's AI Slices Bacteria Testing From Days to Minutes [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-25.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spore-bio-ai-slices-bacteria-testing/) In a world where consumer product safety is increasingly critical, a French DeepTech startup is transforming how manufacturers detect potentially dangerous bacterial contamination. Spore.Bio has developed an AI-powered technology that can identify bacteria in minutes rather than days, potentially saving companies millions in recall costs while protecting public health. Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Paris, Spore.Bio has rapidly emerged as a pioneer in microbiology testing, securing an impressive $31.3 million in funding in just over a year. Its revolutionary approach combines advanced photonics, machine learning, and spectroscopy to provide on-site testing capabilities for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic manufacturers. [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spore-bio-ai-slices-bacteria-testing/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: DashBook 🔍 **Description**: SaaS and AI tools help you publish your work and reach your readers in just a few clicks. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dashbook.fr/](https://www.dashbook.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Seventure Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Botvinik --- 📇 **Company**: DrugOptimal 🔍 **Description**: AI to automate drug incompatibility detection 💻 **Website**: [https://www.drugoptimal.com/](https://www.drugoptimal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Meylan 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.9M (including €1.6m debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Lugan Flacher, Matthieu GASC 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/drugoptimal-veut-eviter-les-melanges-toxiques-de-medicaments-grace-a-lia-2153674?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: MSInsight 🔍 **Description**: Empowers the fight against cancer by revealing actionable information from the genome. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.msinsight.tech](https://www.msinsight.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.6M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Capital Cell; PSBA by Finance & Technologie; Yes Securities; Calyseed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Cutivet 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/msinsight-secures-e1-6-million-to-redefine-msi-cancer-diagnosis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events **☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️** 📆 **Techinnov | March 27 |** The 19th edition of Techinnov is back. Led by the CCI Essonne and the CCI Paris Ile-de-France, and under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, Techinnov is in line with the “France 2030” plan. Objective: to generate meetings between startups and clients to promote the financing of innovation. | [**Register**](https://techinnov.vimeet.events/fr/question/799?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The calendar:** 📆 **The French State of AI | March 19 |** We are excited to invite you to a special event celebrating the launch of *The French AI Report 2024*, the most comprehensive mapping of the French AI ecosystem to date. Over the past months, we have identified more than 400 startups across five key sectors and interviewed leading AI experts in France to provide a detailed analysis of the challenges, trends, and investment landscape shaping the industry. The full report, published in early February, is available at [thefrenchreport.ai](http://thefrenchreport.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). | [Register](https://lu.ma/cbywzweg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Paris AI Society 🍻 Afterwork | March 26 |** Join us for an evening of networking and enriching conversations. Whether you’re a tech lover, a startup enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of AI, you’ll find plenty of inspiration and like-minded individuals to connect with. Share experiences, discuss groundbreaking ideas, and maybe even spark collaborations that could lead to the next big thing in tech! | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/tgt3mco9?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Café du Numérique | April 4 |** Discover how AI can revolutionize your business and boost your competitiveness. Connect directly with innovation experts. Get inspired by the success stories of companies pioneering the use of AI. | [**Registration**](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/cci75/cafe-du-numerique-l-ia-au-service-de-la-croissance-economique-une-opportunite-pour-les-pme?utm%5Fsource=brevo&utm%5Fcampaign=INVITATION%20Caf%20du%20numrique%204%20avril&utm%5Fmedium=email) 📆 **AgentX** | **April 7** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Summit Paris | April 9 |**AWS Summit Paris 2025 is a free one-day event focused on generative AI, data, security, sustainability, and more. Customize your experience with a keynote featuring leading speakers, over 150 interactive sessions and workshops, one-on-one consultations with our experts, an exhibition area showcasing the latest cloud innovations, as well as numerous networking and training opportunities. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Summit | April 10 |** The Data & AI Summit 2025 will bring together IT decision-makers and AI experts to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with data and artificial intelligence. This event will highlight the impact of generative AI on business models, as well as best practices for maximizing the value of data within modern organizations. **|** [**Register**](https://www.idc.com/eu/events/71961-data-ai-summit?g%5Fclang=ENG&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Spore.Bio's AI Slices Bacteria Testing From Days to Minutes URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spore-bio-ai-slices-bacteria-testing/ Last updated: 2025-03-17T03:35:21.000Z The startup has raised $31.3 million for its light-based AI technology to disrupt centuries-old testing methods across food, pharma, and cosmetics industries. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire March 14: Ambos Energy, OpusMajor, Fizimed & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-14-ambos-energy-opusmajor-ostrea/ Last updated: 2025-03-14T16:09:45.000Z --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-19.png) 📇 **Company**: Ambos Energy 🔍 **Description**: Deploying large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across Europe. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.ambos-energy.com/](https://www.ambos-energy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo and the Ecotechnologies 2 fund, managed on behalf of the French State by Bpifrance under the France 2030 framework 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Olivier Carré, Thomas Guillaume 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7304908907435442176/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-10.png) 📇 **Company**: OpusMajor 🔍 **Description**: Game studio dedicated to creating games and entertainment where music unites people. 💻 **Website**: [http://opusmajor.io](http://opusmajor.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9.09M 🏦 **Investors**: Alven; Griffin Gaming Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Nicolas Vernin; Pierre-Armand Nicq 🗞️ **News**: [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/games/opus-major-raises-10m-to-bring-people-together-through-music-and-games/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-20.png) 📇 **Company**: Ostrea 🔍 **Description**: Transforms shelled waste into a unique mineral material. Used in worktops, furniture trays and coverings. A responsible, sustainable and ethical solution. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.ostreadesign.com/](https://www.ostreadesign.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris and Rennes 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance Amorçage Industriel, BNP Paribas Développement, business angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Camille Callennec, Tanguy Blevin 🗞️ **News**: [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/ostrea-leve-5-millions-deuros-pour-passer-a-lindustrialisation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-13.png) 📇 **Company**: Fizimed 🔍 **Description**: Developed Emy Trainer, a connected probe that allows women to strengthen their perineum at home, via a fun mobile application. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.fizimed.com/en/](https://www.fizimed.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4M 🏦 **Investors**: Fonds Patient Autonome (Bpifrance), UNIQA, UI Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Emeline Hahn**,** Julien Guay 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/la-femtech-fizimed-leve-4-millions-deuros-pour-deployer-ses-dispositifs-medicaux-en-europe-et-aux-etats-unis/452062?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7305852697352556544/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-21.png) 📇 **Company**: Ateliers HeritageBike 🔍 **Description**: “Made in France” electric bikes and electrmotorcycles 💻 **Website**: [https://ateliers-heritagebike.com/fr/](https://ateliers-heritagebike.com/fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Annecy 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: **€3.3 million** raised, aiming for a total of **€4 million** 🏦 **Investors**: 60 Business Angels, including **Romain Lacroix**, President of Maped; **Guerlain Chicherit**, real estate investor**; Pascal Cantenot**, an industrial baker**; Christophe Bouvet**, a former executive at Mavic 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Xavier Wargnier, Guillaume Monsigny 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/heritagebike-le-fabricant-francais-de-velos-et-motos-electriques-qui-mise-sur-le-haut-de-gamme-2152968?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-11.png) 📇 **Company**: DashBook 🔍 **Description**: SaaS and AI tools help you publish your work and reach your readers in just a few clicks. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dashbook.fr/](https://www.dashbook.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Seventure Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Botvinik --- 📇 **Company**: DrugOptimal 🔍 **Description**: AI to automate drug incompatibility detection 💻 **Website**: [https://www.drugoptimal.com/](https://www.drugoptimal.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Meylan 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.9M (including €1.6m debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels, Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Lugan Flacher, Matthieu GASC 🗞️ **News**: [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/drugoptimal-veut-eviter-les-melanges-toxiques-de-medicaments-grace-a-lia-2153674?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-18.png) 📇 **Company**: MSInsight 🔍 **Description**: Empowers the fight against cancer by revealing actionable information from the genome. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.msinsight.tech](https://www.msinsight.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.6M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Capital Cell; PSBA by Finance & Technologie; Yes Securities; Calyseed 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Cutivet 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/03/msinsight-secures-e1-6-million-to-redefine-msi-cancer-diagnosis/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-12.png) Beyond Green co-founders Maxime Durand and Stéphane Delebassé 📇 **Company**: Beyond Green 🔍 **Description**: Group of food brands committed to farmers towards more sustainable agriculture. 💻 **Website**: [https://beyond-green.org/](https://beyond-green.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lille 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5M 🏦 **Investors**: 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Maxime Durand; Stéphane Delebassé 🗞️ **News**: [**LSA Conso**](https://www.lsa-conso.fr/beyond-green-leve-1-5-million-d-euros-en-serie-a-pour-accelerer-sa-croissance-et-atteindre-la-rentabilite-courant-2026,459683?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/beyond-green-les-marques-alimentaires-de-la-transition-agricole%5F1-500-000-de-lev%C3%A9s-on-peut-aujourd-activity-7305964841930764291-SdTf?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Sootenir 🔍 **Description**: Transforms corporate loyalty by turning customer and employee rewards into pre-funded donations to NGOs, promoting engagement with impact. 💻 **Website**: [https://sootenir.com](https://sootenir.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Tours 🧗 **Round**: Angel 💰 **Amount Raised**: €40K 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Coudert; Baptiste Bech --- 📇 **Company**: NOIISE 🔍 **Description**: N/A 💻 **Website**: [https://www.noiise.com](https://www.noiise.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mathieu Jarsaillon ### 🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Venus Williams Helps WeWard Take A Big Step 🎾 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-edumapper-weward-immigration-deep-tech/ Last updated: 2025-03-14T08:00:51.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, 👀 **Deep Dive:** French engineer **Yves Benchimol** transformed his sedentary lifestyle frustrations into **WeWard**, a mobile app that rewards 20 million global users for walking through a clever combination of cash incentives, social competition, and gamification. [He shares lessons from building a global consumer health tech app and reveals how the profitable company secured tennis legend Venus Williams as both an investor and ambassador.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-weward-convinced-venus-williams/) 🌱 **Seed Of The Week: Edumapper** raised €5M just days after launching its website. Having a core of repeat founders helped make the case. Co-founders [Sébastien de Lafond and Valentine Mandon explain what they’re building and how they managed to secure such a strong funding round so quickly.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-edumapper/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact Us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/contact/) --- # 🤔 Edito 🤔 The annual Silicon Valley Index published by [Joint Venture Silicon Valley](https://www.linkedin.com/company/joint-venture-silicon-valley-network/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) was always essential reading when I was a columnist at [The Mercury News](https://www.linkedin.com/company/san-jose-mercury-news/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). [The 2025 Index is here](https://lnkd.in/eDz9yT4w?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and once again it is packed with data that illuminates so much about life in the Valley. In the current national and international context, I want to highlight one key section of this year's report: Immigration. For decades, immigration has been one of the pillars of the Valley's innovation economy. Just ask [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAAdLEBs4GN85lj2b9HetwV1uM3RJO%5FfbY?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Vish Mishra](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishmishra/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) or [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAAIQMB1128YGLqbmtHBASttRSlu8ioa04?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Vivek Wadhwa](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vwadhwa/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) how essential the Indian community in particular has been to building a culture that can rapidly evolve to take the lead again and again as new platforms and technologies emerge. The 2025 Index reminds us that this is more true than ever: 👉 41% of Silicon Valley’s total population is foreign-born, the highest share on record. 👉 48% of employed residents are foreign-born. 👉 66% of tech workers are foreign-born​. 👉 70% of Silicon Valley’s tech talent (those with a bachelor's degree or higher in technical occupations) are foreign-born. 👉 The largest shares come from India (23%) and China (18%). 👉 73% of female tech workers in Silicon Valley are foreign-born​. 👉 52% of foreign-born residents in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties are naturalized citizens. 👉 30% are lawful permanent residents. Any region seeking to capture some of that Silicon Valley "magic" should start with its immigration policies. The U.S., unfortunately, has adopted a radical anti-immigration and anti-innovation agenda that is going to make it far less attractive to foreign talent. Any country that can welcome these people into its universities and workforce will flourish. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-14.png) Chris O'Brien --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🧑‍🔬 The French Deep Tech ecosystem continued to grow in 2024 with 385 new startups created, bringing the total to 2,589, according to Bpifrance's annual Deep Tech report. However, funding fell 31% to €2.8 billion, reflecting a slowdown in large fundraising rounds, with only six deals surpassing €100M compared to ten in 2023\. AI startups dominated the funding landscape, capturing 40% of investments, including major rounds from Mistral AI (€468M) and Poolside (€454M). While Île-de-France absorbed two-thirds of investments, industrial and Greentech startups faced more challenges in securing capital. The number of exits hit a record 24, a positive signal for market maturity, but most acquisitions were by European (75%) and French (58%) companies, limiting global expansion. Despite progress, the sector still must overcome funding concentration, a tough international market, and the challenge of scaling startups into global industry leaders. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/en-2024-la-deeptech-francaise-n-a-pas-echappe-au-coup-de-froid-20250312?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🤑 Eurazeo** has successfully closed its **Eurazeo Capital V** fund at €3 billion, surpassing its target, to support mid-large buyouts in tech-enabled business services, financial services, and healthcare across Europe and North America. Additionally, the firm secured €300 million in the first close of its **Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund**, aiming for a total of €750 million, to invest in companies addressing environmental challenges. The fund's inaugural investment is a majority stake in **Bioline AgroSciences**, a provider of biological pest control solutions. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/eurazeo-raises-300-million-euros-planetary-boundaries-fund-2025-03-03/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚕️🥼 Medtech company **Gleamer** has acquired two startups, **Pixyl** and **Caerus Medical**, to enhance its AI-driven medical imaging capabilities. **Pixyl**, based in Grenoble, specializes in brain MRI analysis, aiding in the early detection of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease. **Caerus Medical**, from Paris, focuses on lumbar spine MRI interpretation, improving the diagnosis of lower back pain through AI. These acquisitions expand Gleamer's portfolio to encompass all major imaging modalities—X-ray, mammography, CT, and now MRI—positioning it as a comprehensive AI solution provider in radiology. With these additions, Gleamer's workforce grows to over 100 employees across seven countries, aiming to streamline radiology workflows and enhance diagnostic accuracy. | [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/10/radiology-ai-software-provider-gleamer-expands-into-mri-with-two-small-acquisitions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/gleamer-se-renforce-dans-l-imagerie-medicale-avec-l-acquisition-de-pixyl-et-caerus-medical.N2228831?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Gleamer**](https://www.gleamer.ai/insights/gleamer-announces-acquisitions-of-pixyl-and-caerus-medical?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚛️ French quantum computing startup **Pasqal** has partnered with **Microsoft** to integrate its quantum computer into the **Azure Quantum** cloud platform. This collaboration allows Azure Quantum users to access Pasqal's neutral-atom-based quantum processors, enabling them to tackle complex problems across various fields, from logistics to molecular chemistry. This move signifies a significant step in making quantum computing more accessible to a broader range of users. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/microsoft-le-nouveau-parrain-de-la-french-tech-2153754?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/13/pasqal-envoie-son-ordinateur-quantique-dans-le-cloud-de-microsoft/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💸 **Hexa Scale**, a division of startup studio Hexa, has made its first majority investment by injecting €5 million into Veevart, a U.S.-based SaaS platform that streamlines museum operations, including ticketing, collections management, and CRM. Founded in 2013 and serving over 150 U.S. museums, Veevart aims to expand its reach among the approximately 5,000 American museums with annual budgets exceeding $1 million. Hexa Scale's strategy involves not only financial investment but also hands-on operational support over 12 to 18 months, focusing on enhancing product development, marketing, recruitment, and international expansion into markets like Europe and Canada. This approach targets profitable startups that have outgrown traditional venture capital but are not yet suitable for private equity, aiming to unlock their full growth potential. "This positioning allows us to access deals that are not on the radar of traditional funds, and above all, to have a concrete impact on the vision and trajectory of companies," Hexa co-founder Thibaud Elziere wrote on LinkedIn. "With Veevart, we are opening up a new dimension for Hexa: in addition to the Build, we are structuring a platform that supports entrepreneurs in different forms, with a unique approach combining financial and human capital. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7305144190089195522/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**La Tribune**](https://www.latribune.fr/technos-medias/innovation-et-start-up/hexa-se-lance-dans-les-start-up-en-croissance-1020271.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/hexa-scale-la-troisieme-voie-pour-les-startups-rentables-entre-vc-et-private-equity/452013?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🔒 French cybersecurity startup **Mantra** has been acquired by **Cyber Guru**, a leading European player specializing in AI-powered cybersecurity training. This marks **OneRagtime’s 9th exit**, including its 3rd in just six months. Other investors included Axeleo and Bpifrance. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/13/cybersecurite-la-startup-mantra-passe-sous-pavillon-italien-avec-cyber-guru/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**L'Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/cybersecurite-l-italien-cyber-guru-s-empare-de-la-plateforme-francaise-de-sensibilisation-mantra.N2228911?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️ French publishers and authors have filed a lawsuit against **Meta**, alleging unauthorized use of their copyrighted works to train its AI systems. The National Publishing Union (SNE), the National Union of Authors and Composers (SNAC), and the Society of Men of Letters (SGDL) claim that Meta has engaged in "monumental looting" by using protected content without permission. This legal action, filed in a Paris court, is the first of its kind in France but aligns with similar lawsuits in the United States against tech companies over AI training practices. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/french-publishers-authors-file-lawsuit-against-meta-ai-case-2025-03-12/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📈 E-commerce SaaS provider **Mirakl** reported a 15% increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 2024, reaching $177 million. The company's flagship product, Mirakl Platform, achieved profitability throughout the year. To further accelerate growth, Mirakl plans to double its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025, matching the combined AI expenditure of the previous three years. This strategic focus aims to enhance services like Mirakl Ads and Mirakl Connect, positioning the company to surpass $200 million in ARR by the end of 2025\. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/mirakl-poursuit-sa-croissance-mais-nest-toujours-pas-rentable-2153700?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/13/mirakl-intensifie-ses-investissements-dans-lia-pour-passer-la-barre-des-200-millions-de-dollars-de-revenus/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # How WeWard Convinced Venus Williams To Put Her Money Where Your Feet Are [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-17.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-weward-convinced-venus-williams/) WeWard Co-founders Yves Benchimol (left) and Nicolas Hardy (far right), celebrate their partnership with tennis legend Venus Williams. In early 2019, French engineer [Yves Benchimol](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvesbenchimol/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) found himself living what had become a typical modern lifestyle: working from a computer, ordering food delivery, taking Ubers, and not moving much. Looking at his sedentary routine, Benchimol had a realization that would lead to the creation of WeWard, a free mobile app that rewards users for walking. "It was based on my life," Benchimol said. "Wo I said, 'Okay, why not like trying to use technology to not only simplify our life but maybe try to make people move a bit more?'" Today, the company has 20 million users worldwide, has paid out €20 million in rewards to users, and contributed €1 million to charities. That momentum and mission led to WeWard's biggest coup: Securing tennis legend Venus Williams as both an investor and ambassador. [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-weward-convinced-venus-williams/) --- # Seed Of The Week: Edumapper [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-15.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-edumapper/) French startup funding may have plunged nearly 50% in February, but that didn’t stop [Edumapper](https://www.edumapper.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) from closing a €5 million Seed round just a few days after launching its website. Its platform – which helps students find and apply to the right higher education programs - attracted top-tier VC investors without even being an AI-powered startup. (At least, not yet.) So, how did they pull this off? It might have something to do with the pedigree of its founders, three of whom previously built, scaled, and sold [Meilleursagents](https://www.meilleursagents.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the real estate valuation platform. The trio of repeat entrepreneurs - Sébastien de Lafond, Julien Cheyssiel, and Jordan Sanial have been joined in their latest venture by Valentine Mandon. In a funding climate where Seed rounds of this caliber are relatively scarce, I caught up with Edumapper co-founders Mandon and de Lafond to find out what they’re building - and how they managed to secure such a strong raise so early on. [Read it here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-edumapper/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-10.png) 📇 **Company**: OpusMajor 🔍 **Description**: Game studio dedicated to creating games and entertainment where music unites people. 💻 **Website**: [http://opusmajor.io](http://opusmajor.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9.09M 🏦 **Investors**: Alven; Griffin Gaming Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Nicolas Vernin; Pierre-Armand Nicq 🗞️ **News**: [**VentureBeat**](https://venturebeat.com/games/opus-major-raises-10m-to-bring-people-together-through-music-and-games/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-13.png) 📇 **Company**: Fizimed 🔍 **Description**: Developed Emy Trainer, a connected probe that allows women to strengthen their perineum at home, via a fun mobile application. 💻 **Website**: 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4M 🏦 **Investors**: Fonds Patient Autonome (Bpifrance), UNIQA, UI Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Emeline Hahn**,** Julien Guay 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/la-femtech-fizimed-leve-4-millions-deuros-pour-deployer-ses-dispositifs-medicaux-en-europe-et-aux-etats-unis/452062?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7305852697352556544/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-11.png) 📇 **Company**: DashBook 🔍 **Description**: SaaS and AI tools help you publish your work and reach your readers in just a few clicks. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.dashbook.fr/](https://www.dashbook.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Seventure Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Botvinik --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### How WeWard Convinced Venus Williams To Put Her Money Where Your Feet Are URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/how-weward-convinced-venus-williams/ Last updated: 2025-09-29T21:39:01.000Z CEO Yves Benchimol: "She definitely understood how a startup works. She said, 'Okay, I want to be a shareholder of this company. I trust it in terms of its image and business. It can be huge, especially in the US and in terms of impact.'" _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Seed Of The Week: Edumapper URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-edumapper/ Last updated: 2025-03-14T03:17:19.000Z French startup funding may have plunged nearly 50% in February, but that didn’t stop [Edumapper](https://www.edumapper.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) from closing a €5 million Seed round just a few days after launching its website. Its platform – which helps students find and apply to the right higher education programs - attracted top-tier VC investors without even being an AI-powered startup. (At least, not yet.) So, how did they pull this off? It might have something to do with the pedigree of its founders, three of whom previously built, scaled, and sold [Meilleursagents](https://www.meilleursagents.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the real estate valuation platform. The trio of repeat entrepreneurs - Sébastien de Lafond, Julien Cheyssiel, and Jordan Sanial have been joined in their latest venture by Valentine Mandon. In a funding climate where Seed rounds of this caliber are relatively scarce, I caught up with Edumapper co-founders Mandon and de Lafond to find out what they’re building - and how they managed to secure such a strong raise so early on. ## **What?** Edumapper is a platform - like an online catalog with filters - that helps post-baccalaureate students navigate the complex landscape of French higher education. Leveraging open-source data, Edumapper provides students with details of the higher education courses available to them whilst also calculating their chances of admission into their selected courses. The goal is to help students make informed and realistic choices about their academic future. The company was officially launched in October 2024, although the team had been working on it behind the scenes for almost a year. Their website went live just last week and is already gaining significant traction. ## **Why?** For a majority of students in France, choosing the right higher education path is a major challenge. With over 30,ooo post-baccalaureate education courses available, finding reliable information on each course and its admission requirements can be an arduous task. Edumapper wants to make that easier. According to Edumapper's founders, the education search market is dominated by marketing-driven platforms that focus more on generating leads for universities and schools than on genuinely guiding students. “Many existing information solutions rely on gimmicks or marketing tactics rather than solving the real problem. The current system doesn’t provide meaningful, personalized guidance for students,” de Lafond explained. “What’s more, there is a lot of inequality, notably for students in the countryside or in less favorable urban areas, who don’t benefit from the same network effect and information as those from larger towns and with middle-class backgrounds.” Edumapper wants to create a fairer approach by combining data science and transparency to offer all students and families everywhere high-quality, unbiased advice. ## **Under The Hood** For now, Edumapper hasn’t integrated machine learning into its model. But that’s about to change, according to its co-founders. At its core, Edumapper is powered by data. With over 30,000 post-baccalaureate programs available in France, accurately listing, organizing, and classifying them requires extensive web scraping, in-depth market research, and strong data science expertise. This approach draws a clear parallel to MeilleursAgents, which transformed the real estate market by leveraging data-driven insights to assess property values, evaluate agents, and provide online estimation tools for homeowners. Edumapper allows students to navigate a vast database of more than 25,000 post-baccalaureate courses - such as BTS, Licence, and CPES - enabling them to compare programs and make informed decisions about their higher education path. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfnkYFJ5NVqi3E92O5XLEnWpTyuQaKfCdA7R_CsfRWab5HULA0GDX-4_Gdxcj9dIdasfRlxidyTcWegNbjIpv175-3ydYjTaV9h91nHcqctG6lJJJkd0zxOJlS9YX4J40oW-HYo8Q?key=wC0-XaqguSbQ55soXPI2b-ZH) Edumapper also features an admissions prediction tool, helping students assess their likelihood of acceptance into various programs. However, as Mandon emphasized, the platform prioritizes transparency and guidance over absolute certainty. Rather than providing definitive predictions, Edumapper introduces a Confidence Index (e.g., 2/5, 4/5), offering students a probability-based assessment while acknowledging the inherent uncertainties of the admissions process. “We want to empower students to make informed, realistic choices, but we remain humble,” said Mandon. “Our calculations are grounded in solid data, yet no model can predict human decisions with absolute certainty.” ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdaOxO7KPEQgqGuZkkrnCjNTUsOTME3QeGa1m6gudPgSa37HtwJv9AT3Ijz5_SjAlPdabejfCyLJLQOgN2i9ksj7QnS-giRQX04ZBxSoTPywo2Im0kaluQ-3i0tEba00pfy4Ehh0g?key=wC0-XaqguSbQ55soXPI2b-ZH) A result obtained from entering an average high school in Touraine with an estimated baccalaureate grade of 16-18\. Beyond admissions, Edumapper leverages data to give students insight into their future careers—helping them understand the types of jobs they can expect after graduation and the companies they might work for. So far, the platform has mapped over 25,000 post-baccalaureate programs, with ongoing data collection to ensure accuracy and relevance. Looking ahead, the team plans to expand Edumapper to include advanced degrees—such as Master's and PhD programs—both in France and internationally, along with institution ratings to further guide students in their educational journey. ## **Business Model & Strategic Partners** Edumapper is free for schools and universities—and the team has no plans to charge students. “Our guidance and analytics tools will always be free for students, and higher education institutions won’t have to pay to be listed on the platform,” says co-founder Sébastien de Lafond. “In the long run, we’ll adopt a freemium model, offering paid features that allow schools to better showcase their programs—without compromising our neutrality. Our priority is to keep Edumapper student-first, rather than catering to paying clients.” Beyond being just a tech platform, Edumapper aims to create a hybrid model - one that blends data-driven, AI-powered insights with human expertise. To support this vision, the team is already in discussions with leading education specialists, like Claire Challier, who brings 20 years of experience in the field. ## **Who?** The Edumapper team consists of 6 people: - [Valentin Mandon ](https://fr.linkedin.com/in/valentine-mandon?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) - [Sébastien de Lafond](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdelafond/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com),[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliencheyssial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) - [Julien Cheyssial](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliencheyssial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) - [Jordan Sanial](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-sanial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) - Julien Randon-Furling a data scientist from the Borelli Center (ENS Paris Saclay) - Pierre Quiros. “We are lucky to have Julien and Pierre whose strong background in data science and applied mathematics enabled us to sort the data, create the filters, and build the algorithms necessary for calculating admission predictions,” Mandon said. ## **Investors & Key Figures** Edumapper’s €5 million funding round was backed by five top-tier VC investors: Daphni, Eurazeo (through the HEC Ventures fund), Ring Capital, and Kima Ventures. Pierre-Yves Meerschman, Partner at Daphni, said Edumapper targets a critical market: “France, with 42% of its population holding higher education degrees, faces international competition in the race for talent, no matter where it comes from.” According to de Lafond, this successful funding round came down to three key factors: 1. The clear, pressing need for better student guidance. 2. The entrepreneurial experience of the three co-founders from MeilleursAgents. 3. The undeniable chemistry between the co-founders. “We initially met Valentine to compare notes, as she was working on a similar project with a different co-founder,” explained Sébastien de Lafond. “We hit it off, kept talking, and when her co-founder moved on to different opportunities, we decided to join forces. A few months later, we co-founded Edumapper. I truly believe the chemistry between the four of us, along with our complementary generational perspectives, played a key role in attracting our investors.” The Edumapper team plans to use the fresh cash to strengthen their team with tech, data, student orientation, and marketing experts. ## **Competitors** Edumapper’s home-grown competitors include companies like **L’Étudiant** (A historic player with €60M in revenue), **Studyrama** (Focused on an event-based model), and **Diplomeo** (A lead-generation platform, now acquired by HelloWork). However, Mandon and Le Lafond said these platforms often monetize by selling student data to institutions, rather than prioritizing long-term guidance. For families who can afford it, private career advisors are an option - but there remains a significant gap in structured, widely accessible alternatives for the broader public. ## **The Road to Series A** With 4,000 student accounts created in just four days since the platform’s launch last week, Edumapper is gaining significant early traction. The next steps will include expanding the database to feature international programs, building analytics tools that provide valuable insights for schools (initially free, with monetization plans for the future), developing AI-powered features to improve and personalize student recommendations, and growing its community of students, parents, and educators to improve knowledge and experience feedback. The team’s ultimate goal is to become the leading platform for academic guidance in France and beyond thereby helping to shape a more equitable and informed educational landscape. Mandon said: "We will have succeeded when we become an essential player in academic guidance, helping every high school student - regardless of their background or path - make the best possible choice for their future." ### French AI Research: February Synthesis URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-research-february-synthesis/ Last updated: 2025-03-12T09:00:37.000Z **🧠 Traditional vs. AI-Generated Meteorological Risks for Emergency Predictions |** SIRRI Naoufal, UMR6174 Institut Franche Comté Électronique Mécanique Thermique et Optique Sciences et Technologies (FEMTO-ST), Besançon, France. | [Frontiers](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence/articles/10.3389/frai.2025.1545851/abstract?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This study aims to analyze and examine in-depth the feature selection process using Large Language Models (LLMs) to optimize firefighter prediction performance. Although features from reliable sources are known to significantly aid predictions, their accuracy may be limited in critical situations requiring rigorous prioritization. Therefore, the focus was placed on meteorological risks for a comparative diagnosis between their extraction from M ét éo France and those generated by LLMs across various dimensions. --- **🧠 Bioethical challenges and artificial intelligence, focus Quebec/France |** O. Gout, M. Lacroix. [Ethics, Medicine and Public Health](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemep.2025.101058?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), Volume 33, 2025, 101058, ISSN 2352-5525. **Abstract:** The authors discuss the potential benefits of AI for the healthcare system. To do this, they consider the importance of ensuring the confidentiality of medical data, maintaining a patient-doctor relationship imbued with humanity, as well as liability remedies specific to stemming the potential abuses of AI. --- 🧠 **Where does AI come from? A global case study across Europe, Africa, and Latin America |** Tubaro, P., Casilli, A. A., Cornet, M., Le Ludec, C., & Torres Cierpe, J. (2025). [New Political Economy, 1–14.](https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2025.2462137?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This article examines the organizational and geographical forces that shape the supply chains of artificial intelligence (AI) through outsourced and offshored data work. Bridging sociological theories of relational inequalities and embeddedness with critical approaches to Global Value Chains, we conduct a global case study of the digitally enabled organisation of data work in France, Madagascar, and Venezuela. The AI supply chains procure data work via a mix of arm’s length contracts through marketplace-like platforms, and of embedded firm-like structures that offer greater stability but less flexibility, with multiple intermediate arrangements. Each solution suits specific types and purposes of data work in AI preparation, verification, and impersonation. While all forms reproduce well-known patterns of exclusion that harm externalised workers especially in the Global South, disadvantage manifests unevenly in different supply chain structures, with repercussions on remunerations, job security and working conditions. Unveiling these processes of contemporary technology development provides insights into possible policy implications. --- **🧠** **The Role of AI in Historical Simulation Design: A TPACK Perspective on a French Revolution Simulation Design Experience** | Kindenberg, Björn. 2025\. [*Education Sciences* 15, no. 2: 192](https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020192?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **Abstract:** This study explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), specifically ChatGPT, in designing a historical simulation of the French Revolution for eighth-grade students. Using the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework, the research examines how GenAI facilitated and obstructed the creation of an immersive educational experience, addressing the challenges and opportunities it presents. The study employs an explanatory case study methodology combined with autoethnographic elements, capturing the dynamic interplay between AI tools and educators in the design process. The simulation incorporated faction-based role-playing to engage students in historical decision-making, influenced by both pre-revolutionary and revolutionary events. GenAI played multiple collegial roles in the design process, including as a subject matter expert, game mechanics designer, and content communicator, enhancing efficiency and creativity. However, its limitations—such as unverified information, anachronisms, and biases—necessitated careful consideration, drawing on content matter expertise and knowledge of curriculum and class context. Findings indicate that the effective use of GenAI to assist simulation design requires a robust integration of content knowledge, technological proficiency, and pedagogical strategies within the TPACK framework. The study contributes to emerging research on AI’s role in pedagogical design process, with implications for history education and beyond. --- 🧠 **Algorithm and Eve: how AI will impact women at work |** Anon. 2024\. [OECD policy brief](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/algorithm-and-eve%5Fa1603510-en.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), 6 December 2024\. Paris: OECD. **Abstract:** In a recent study, female workers were 20 percentage points less likely to say they had used ChatGPT than male workers in the same occupation. While ChatGPT is just one \[artificial intelligence\] AI tool in a rapidly-evolving market, the finding raises questions about how women's and men's experiences of AI at work could differ. This is the question this policy brief aims to address, drawing from the OECD working paper 'Who will be the workers most affected by AI?' \[available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 158.292\]. The policy brief explores the gender composition of occupations highly exposed to AI and assesses women's access to AI-related employment opportunities and to productivity-enhancing AI tools. It concludes with a set of policy options that policymakers could pursue to ensure that women and men alike can benefit from AI at work. --- **🧠 Structuring and centralizing breast cancer real-world biomarker data from pathology reports through C-LAB ® artificial intelligence platform |** Le Borgne F, Garnier C, Morisseau C, et al. [DIGITAL HEALTH. 2025;11\. doi:10.1177/20552076251323110](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20552076251323110?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** To evaluate the effectiveness of C-LAB ® , an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, in extracting, structuring, and centralizing biomarker data from breast cancer pathology reports within the challenging, heterogeneous dataset of the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO) --- 🧠 **Improving care interactions (and training) in nursing homes with artificial intelligence |** Lefelle, M., Samy Modeliar, M. [*GeroScience* (2025).](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01557-1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** As the population continues to age, nursing homes will increasingly play a key role in caring for dependent individuals. To enhance the well-being of the elderly, it is crucial to focus on the language skills used during care interactions. However, issues such as the taboo surrounding dependency, scandals involving private nursing home management, the pressure for caregiver efficiency, and the variety of care contexts make monitoring these skills challenging. One way to address this is by collecting in situ data, supervised by language researchers and caregivers specialized in elderly care. This is the approach we have followed: the data collected was then analyzed using machine learning models to provide caregivers with crucial insights for improving care outcomes. Our research highlights the importance of specific factors in language-based interactions, especially in varied care situations. Notably, we emphasize the careful use of humor and the impact of caregiver experience on the success of care sessions. Consequently, we advocate for caregiver training that is grounded in real-life practice, focusing on context adaptation, active listening, and dialogue with residents. ### 🤖 La Machine #21: AI That Packs A Punch 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-20-2/ Last updated: 2025-03-10T08:00:37.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** Inside this edition: 🌞 **Deep Dive:** A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, [CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/). **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsored by 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/960x650---Challenges.png)](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=y%5FfP3Uo1HFFXFw%5F-83ipEQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-1003) Promote your startup's solution and participate in VivaTech Startup Challenges and Awards. Smart cities & Mobility, Energy & ClimateTech, Data & AI, Retail, FinTech, and many more... Last day to take part in the AfricaTech Awards and get the opportunity to exhibit for free and pitch on stage! [Applications are free of charge.](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=y%5FfP3Uo1HFFXFw%5F-83ipEQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-1003) [I'M IN!](https://vivatechnology.com/challenges/list?t=y%5FfP3Uo1HFFXFw%5F-83ipEQ&utm%5Fsource=bannieremedia&utm%5Fmedium=bannieremedia&utm%5Fcampaign=frenchtechjournal-1003) --- # Headlines 🗞️ French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, inaugurated the research division of the Agence ministérielle pour l'intelligence artificielle de défense (AMIAD) at the École Polytechnique campus in Palaiseau. This initiative aims to bolster defense-related artificial intelligence (AI) by fostering collaborations with academic and industrial partners, attracting emerging talent, and enhancing France's international standing in AI research. During the event, Lecornu announced a €15 million investment to construct a Defense Institute on the same campus, reinforcing the historic military association of the École Polytechnique. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was signed between AMIAD and Mistral AI, a French AI company, to develop advanced technologies and ensure technological sovereignty in defense. | [**Ministere des armées**](https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/ia-defense-sebastien-lecornu-inaugure-pole-recherche-lamiad?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Ministere des armées**](https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/inauguration-du-pole-recherche-lamiad-developper-ecosysteme-autour-lia-defense?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**ActuIA**](https://actuia.com/actualite/lamiad-inaugure-son-pole-de-recherche-et-signe-un-partenariat-avec-mistral-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**l’École polytechnique**](https://www.polytechnique.edu/actualites/le-ministre-des-armees-annonce-la-construction-dun-institut-de-defense-sur-le-campus-de-lx?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Appier**, a specialist in AdTech and MarTech, has announced the acquisition of French startup **AdCreative.ai** for a total of $38.7 million, including a base of $27.3 million. This marks Appier's fifth acquisition since 2018 and aligns with its strategy to expand in the European market. Founded in 2021 in Paris, AdCreative.ai specializes in using generative AI to optimize advertising creatives, enabling businesses to produce visuals and content tailored to expected performance. The startup's clientele includes notable companies such as Snapchat, Pernod Ricard, Reckitt, and BNP Paribas. | [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/appier-acquiert-la-startup-francaise-adcreative-ai-pour-387-millions-de-dollars/451864?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ The **AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers)** – France's financial markets regulator – released a report exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in automating the processing of regulatory reporting, specifically in the context of sustainable finance disclosures: **"AI and Supervision: Insights Learned from AMF Experiments on the Possibility of Automated Processing of Regulatory Reporting."** The study focuses on two key reports: the EU Green Taxonomy reports and the SFDR annexes, highlighting the challenges AI faces in extracting data due to inconsistent document formats and technical encoding issues. The findings suggest that while standardization improves machine readability, even XHTML-formatted documents often lack the necessary structure for optimal automation. The AMF's experiments reveal that PDFs can sometimes be easier to process than improperly formatted XHTML files, and AI accuracy is highly dependent on the standardization of reporting templates. To enhance automation, the report recommends stricter regulations on document formatting, adherence to W3C XHTML standards, and the inclusion of structured tagging to improve machine readability. | [**AMF**](https://www.amf-france.org/en/news-publications/publications/reports-research-and-analysis/ai-and-supervision-insights-learned-amf-experiments-possibility-automated-processing-regulatory?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ A French senator has proposed increasing taxes and regulations on data centers operating within France. This initiative aims to establish a more equitable taxation system for these infrastructures, addressing concerns about their environmental impact and significant energy consumption. The proposal seeks to balance the rapid growth of data centers with sustainable development goals, ensuring that their expansion does not adversely affect local communities or the environment. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/un-senateur-propose-de-taxer-et-d-encadrer-davantage-les-datacenters-implantes-en-france-20250306?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **Publicis Groupe** has agreed to acquire data and identity technology company Lotame, integrating it into its targeted marketing unit, Epsilon. This acquisition will expand Publicis' individual consumer profiles from 2.3 billion to nearly 4 billion, enabling engagement with 91% of adult internet users. By combining Lotame's extensive data assets with Publicis' existing profiles, the company aims to enhance its AI-driven marketing capabilities, delivering more personalized and precise messaging at scale. This move underscores Publicis' commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence and big data to maintain its leadership in the advertising industry. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/publicis-acquire-data-group-lotame-double-individual-profiles-4-billion-2025-03-06/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) **Other headlines** 🗞️ **Europe Needs AI Infrastructure. Cleyrop Wants To Build It |** Can Europe power its digital future without relying on non-European cloud providers? And if so, what kind of AI infrastructure does Europe need? These are the challenges that [Arnaud Muller](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaudmu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-founder of [Cleyrop,](https://www.cleyrop.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has dedicated himself to solving. His company provides European public and private organizations with sovereign, AI-ready data storage and management solutions. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/) 🗞️ **Digital Diplomats: AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up?** | U.S. Startups are reaching $100M ARR with less than 50 employees. French startups risk being squeezed if they don’t adapt. | [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) --- ### 🗣️ Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience 🥊 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-9.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) In a fitness market saturated with stationary bikes and rowing machines, French-founded startup Growl is landing a different kind of blow. Emerging from stealth mode in December 2024 with $4.75 million in Seed funding, this Austin-based company with two French co-founders has reimagined the ancient boxing bag as a high-tech, AI-powered fitness coach designed for the home. Growl is entering the $110 billion U.S. fitness market to make boxing's transformative power accessible to families, not just gym enthusiasts. Growl combines projection technology, infrared sensors, and 3D motion tracking to create what the founders describe as "a life-sized interactive coach" that feels physically present during workouts. Pre-sales begin in April 2025, and first deliveries are expected in early 2026\. Growl's wall-mounted system offers everything from technical boxing instruction to yoga and strength training, all displayed on an impact-resistant surface that can withstand millions of punches. Backed by Skip Capital (the private fund of Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar), former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane, and several notable French tech entrepreneurs, Growl represents the latest chapter in the globalization of French tech talent—with engineering based in Paris and commercial operations in Texas. The company aims to capture a share of the growing premium fitness market by targeting educated professionals over 35 who have "more money than time" but still want engaging, family-friendly workouts at home. [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Faks 🔍 **Description**: An application linking pharmacy professionals, including pharmacies, groups, and laboratories using AI. 💻 **Website**: [http://faks.co](http://faks.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6M 🏦 **Investors**: Seedcamp; Speedinvest; Connect Ventures (Europe); FJ Labs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Corentin Geoffray; Clément Goupy; Félix Pignard 🗞️ **News**: [JDN](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1539645-faks-leve-5-millions-d-euros-pour-simplifier-la-gestion-commerciale-des-pharmaciens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Kleio 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven conversational software specialized in boosting sales conversion. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.kleio.ai/](https://www.kleio.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Serena; Julien Bellanger; Daphni; Houman Behzadi; Raphael Simon; Dave Kellogg; Fred Hessabi 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Philippe Wellens; Adrien Mathieu; Louis Poirier 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bona-investment-management-co%5Fkleio-the-conversational-ai-platform-for-activity-7302710327824060417-cWXM?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- # Events **☀️ Sponsors' events ☀️** 📆 **Viva Technology | June 11 - 14 |** VivaTech is Europe's biggest startup and tech event. The ninth edition is taking placein Paris, at the Expo Porte de Versailles venue. VivaTech contributes to the acceleration of innovation by connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies, and investors addressing the world's greatest challenges. | [**Buy Tickets**](https://vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **The calendar:** 📆 **Builders Weekend | March 15 |** What is Builders Weekend? It’s the grand finale of the[ ](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**AI Startup School**](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)—a four-week program where we bring together top European CEOs and CTOs, with 40 sharp, ambitious builders. No panels, no BS—just real conversations about the hard parts of starting a company and the hacks that they've found to make it work. The Builders weekend is only for participants of the AI Startup School. | **Learn more and apply** [**here**](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** 📆 **The French State of AI | March 19 |** We are excited to invite you to a special event celebrating the launch of *The French AI Report 2024*, the most comprehensive mapping of the French AI ecosystem to date. Over the past months, we have identified more than 400 startups across five key sectors and interviewed leading AI experts in France to provide a detailed analysis of the challenges, trends, and investment landscape shaping the industry. The full report, published in early February, is available at [thefrenchreport.ai](http://thefrenchreport.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). | [Register](https://lu.ma/cbywzweg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Techinnov | March 27 |** The 19th edition of Techinnov is back. Led by the CCI Essonne and the CCI Paris Ile-de-France, and under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, Techinnov is in line with the “France 2030” plan. Objective: to generate meetings between startups and clients to promote the financing of innovation. | [**Register**](https://techinnov.vimeet.events/fr/question/799?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Café du Numérique | April 4 |** Discover how AI can revolutionize your business and boost your competitiveness. Connect directly with innovation experts. Get inspired by the success stories of companies pioneering the use of AI. | [**Registration**](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/cci75/cafe-du-numerique-l-ia-au-service-de-la-croissance-economique-une-opportunite-pour-les-pme?utm%5Fsource=brevo&utm%5Fcampaign=INVITATION%20Caf%20du%20numrique%204%20avril&utm%5Fmedium=email) 📆 **AgentX** | **April 7** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Summit Paris | April 9 |**AWS Summit Paris 2025 is a free one-day event focused on generative AI, data, security, sustainability, and more. Customize your experience with a keynote featuring leading speakers, over 150 interactive sessions and workshops, one-on-one consultations with our experts, an exhibition area showcasing the latest cloud innovations, as well as numerous networking and training opportunities. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Summit | April 10 |** The Data & AI Summit 2025 will bring together IT decision-makers and AI experts to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with data and artificial intelligence. This event will highlight the impact of generative AI on business models, as well as best practices for maximizing the value of data within modern organizations. **|** [**Register**](https://www.idc.com/eu/events/71961-data-ai-summit?g%5Fclang=ENG&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **GOSIM AI Paris 2025** **| May 6-7 |** The Global Open-Source Innovation Meetup will spotlight the latest advancements in 6 Conference Tracks: AI Model, AI Infra, AI Apps, Embodied AI, AI for Science, and Global Open-Source AI Collaboration, driving significant progress in global open-source AI collaboration. A highlight of the event is the introduction of GOSIM AI Spotlight, a global initiative to select 10 outstanding open-source AI projects for showcase and technical exchange, further accelerating AI innovation. | [**Registration**](https://paris2025.gosim.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Google Cloud Summit France 2025 | May 22 |** Join the annual Google Cloud event to discover the latest technological innovations in generative AI, security, application development, collaboration, and more. | [**Register**](https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/google-cloud-summit-france-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Growl's AI Boxing Bag Delivers A Knockout Fitness Experience URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/growls-ai-boxing-bag-delivers-knockout-fitness-experience/ Last updated: 2025-03-10T04:21:12.000Z A pair of French entrepreneurs in Texas have launched Growl, a connected fitness startup that reimagines the traditional boxing bag as an AI-powered, interactive home coach. As the company moves towards commercialization, CEO and co-founder Léo Desrumaux explains the vision. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire March 7: Netforce, Flowdesk, Renaissance Fusion & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-march-7-netforce-flowdesk-renaissance-fusion/ Last updated: 2025-03-10T19:24:52.000Z --- # ✊ Sponsored by 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-8.png)](https://subscribe.vivatechnology.com/attendee?ca=FRENCHTECHJOURNAL&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1+1) Until March 10th, buy one VivaTech pass and get one free! Join us at VivaTech, Europe's biggest startup and tech event from June 11-14! Don’t miss out on innovations making their world debut in Paris and meet the most inspiring tech leaders. [Book your ticket now!](https://subscribe.vivatechnology.com/attendee?ca=FRENCHTECHJOURNAL&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1+1) [I'M IN!](https://subscribe.vivatechnology.com/attendee?ca=FRENCHTECHJOURNAL&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1+1) --- 📇 **Company**: Flowdesk 🔍 **Description**: Digital asset financial technology provider building a trading infrastructure to provide market-making services for web3 players. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.flowdesk.co/](https://www.flowdesk.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Extension to Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: $52M 🏦 **Investors**: HV Capital; ISAI Ventures; Eurazeo; Cathay Innovation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François Cluzeau; Guilhem Chaumont; Paul Bugnot; Balthazar Giraux 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7302627192813842432/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Blog Post](https://www.flowdesk.co/updates/blogs/67bde3084abf69f06ef7c409/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Netforce 🔍 **Description**: Law enforcement technology development company 💻 **Website**: [https://www.nexstun.com](https://www.nexstun.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Mauguio 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €45M 🏦 **Investors**: Global Emerging Markets 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Laurent Mollinari 🗞️ **News**: [Financial Post](https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/netforce-secures-e45-million-investment-commitment-from-gem-global-yield-llc-scs-to-support-growth-and-innovation-in-law-enforcement-technology?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Renaissance Fusion 🔍 **Description**: Developer of magnetic confinement fusion technologies designed for energy production and net zero emissions goals 💻 **Website**: 📍 **HQ City**: Fontaine 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €32m 🏦 **Investors**: Crédit Mutuel, Lowercarbon Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Damien Paccard, Francesco A. Volpe, Martin Kupo 🗞️ **News**: [Startup Ecosystem](https://www.startupecosystem.ca/news/renaissance-fusion-secures-e32m-to-innovate-fusion-reactor-design/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Satisfy 🔍 **Description**: Premium running apparel designed to enhance performance and creativity, exclusively available online. 💻 **Website**: [https://satisfyrunning.com/](https://satisfyrunning.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €11.3M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Brice Partouche 🗞️ **News**: [Fashion United](https://fashionunited.in/news/business/expansions-boost-satisfy-raises-eu11-3-million-in-funding-round/2025022849041?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Osivax 🔍 **Description**: A company developing "universal" vaccines able to prevent highly mutating respiratory viral infections. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.osivax.com/](http://www.osivax.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Meiji Seika Pharma 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexandre Le Vert; Fergal Hill, Florence Nicolas 🗞️ **News**: [PR](https://osivax.com/osivax-seriesb/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Comet 🔍 **Description**: Building a new operating model for organizations relying on the power and agility of freelancing. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.comet.co](https://www.comet.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures; Daphni; FJ Labs; Founders Future; Otium Capital; Tomcat Invest 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Charles Thomas; Valentin Cordier 🗞️ **News**: [**Silicon Canals**](https://siliconcanals.com/paris-based-comet-secures-10m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Agriodor 🔍 **Description**: The biocontrol solution against pests. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.agriodor.com](https://www.agriodor.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rennes 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7M 🏦 **Investors**: CapAgro; SWEN Capital Partners; BNP Paribas Développement; UI Investissement; CapHorn 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alain Thibault 🗞️ **News**: [CapAgro](https://capagro.fr/agriodor-accelerates-its-development-with-its-historical-investors/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Wealthcome 🔍 **Description**: Developed a technology ecosystem dedicated to all stakeholders in wealth management, private management and personal financial management. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wealthcome.fr/](https://www.wealthcome.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7M 🏦 **Investors**: BlackFin Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cyprien Delmeule 🗞️ **News**: [Planet Fintech](https://www.planet-fintech.com/Wealthcome-leve-7-M-aupres-de-BlackFin-Capital-Partners%5Fa5922.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Faks 🔍 **Description**: An application linking pharmacy professionals, including pharmacies, groups, and laboratories. 💻 **Website**: [http://faks.co](http://faks.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €6M 🏦 **Investors**: Seedcamp; Speedinvest; Connect Ventures (Europe); FJ Labs 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Corentin Geoffray; Clément Goupy; Félix Pignard 🗞️ **News**: [JDN](https://www.journaldunet.com/start-up/1539645-faks-leve-5-millions-d-euros-pour-simplifier-la-gestion-commerciale-des-pharmaciens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Kleio 🔍 **Description**: AI-driven conversational software specialized in boosting sales conversion. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.kleio.ai/](https://www.kleio.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Serena; Julien Bellanger; Daphni; Houman Behzadi; Raphael Simon; Dave Kellogg; Fred Hessabi 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Philippe Wellens; Adrien Mathieu; Louis Poirier 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bona-investment-management-co%5Fkleio-the-conversational-ai-platform-for-activity-7302710327824060417-cWXM?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Spash 🔍 **Description**: A **sportech** company innovating in the sports industry. 💻 **Website**: [https://spash.com](https://spash.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Priest 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.5M 🏦 **Investors**: N/A 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Tristan Vernay 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tristan-vernay-ab229627%5Fspash-levaezedefonds-sporttech-activity-7297976010652712961-4Nbu?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Terratis 🔍 **Description**: Operator of a prevention platform intended to reduce harmful insect populations using the sterile insect technique 💻 **Website**: [terratis.fr](https://terratis.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montpellier, 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5m 🏦 **Investors**: Odyssée Venture, Galapagos Innovation, SATT AxLR 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Clelia OLIVA, Dorian BARRERE 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7302651507605164032/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Aquassay 🔍 **Description**: A digital water management platform optimizing water usage efficiency for local governments and industrial facilities, helping them adapt to climate change. 💻 **Website**: [https://aquassay.com/](https://aquassay.com/?lang=en&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.4M (€1M from Banque des Territoires, €400K from Aquiti via ACI Fund) 🏦 **Investors**: Banque des Territoires; Aquiti (ACI Fund); Initial Investors 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Stéphane Gilbert 🗞️ **News**: [J'aime les startups](https://www.jaimelesstartups.fr/news/aquassay-leve-14-me-pour-sa-solution-de-gestion-de-leau/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Papkot 🔍 **Description**: A company specializing in replacing plastic with sustainable **paper-based** alternatives. 💻 **Website**: [https://papkot.com](https://papkot.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Schiltigheim 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Fedrigoni 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Manuel Milliery 🗞️ **News**: [Packaging Gateway](https://www.packaging-gateway.com/news/fedrigoni-acquires-stake-papkot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Cherico 🔍 **Description**: A **chicory micro-roaster** crafting healthy, gourmet, and sustainable beverages for the future. 💻 **Website**: [https://cherico.fr](https://cherico.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC (Qui veut être mon associé) 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: The Group Spadel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jacques Ferté ### French Tech Wire: Europe Needs AI Infrastructure, Women Need Funding, and Industrial Startups Need a Hug URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-women-funding-industrial-infrastructure/ Last updated: 2025-03-10T05:23:04.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, 👀 **Deep Dive:** Why Europe Needs Its Own AI Infrastructure: Arnaud Muller, Founder & CEO of Cleyrop and vocal advocate for European technological independence, [explores how Europe can build a sovereign AI future](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/). 🤔 **Digital Diplomats:** U.S. Startups are reaching $100M ARR with less than 50 employees thanks to AI. French startups risk being squeezed if they don’t adapt. [Marjolaine Catil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), an Investment Director at [Newfund](https://www.newfundcap.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and the French Tech Journal's [Chris O’Brien](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherobrien?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) analyze how startups are getting ultra-lean – and whether French startups can keep up. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsored by 🙌 [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/960x650---1-1.png)](https://subscribe.vivatechnology.com/attendee?ca=FRENCHTECHJOURNAL&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1+1) Until March 10th, buy one VivaTech pass and get one free! Join us at VivaTech, Europe's biggest startup and tech event from June 11-14! Don’t miss out on innovations making their world debut in Paris and meet the most inspiring tech leaders. Book your ticket now! [I'M IN!](https://subscribe.vivatechnology.com/attendee?ca=FRENCHTECHJOURNAL&utm%5Fsource=media&utm%5Fcampaign=FrenchTechJournal&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter-insertion&utm%5Fcontent=1+1) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🌊 **CuspAI Pulls in AI Giants: LeCun and Google Talent Join the Party** CuspAI is making waves! The Cambridge and Amsterdam-based startup, which is revolutionizing material discovery with AI, has just landed Meta’s French AI mastermind [Yann LeCun o](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yann-lecun/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)n its advisory board. Fresh off poaching top-tier talent from Google DeepMind, including three big names, CuspAI is positioning itself as the next big player in both AI and sustainability. With $30M in seed funding and world-class experts on board, this young startup is rapidly becoming a force to reckon with. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/cuspai-yannlecun-google?utm%5Fcampaign=Sifted%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-9l11AXm8OKFaxY2eDugbb%5FOJGtBD34QdXwm97ZcGa8OFcqBCkorScZNVQ8IZkVbmUIfyGqjmxlalJG3PfpIyIdX4-QbQ&%5Fhsmi=350248847&utm%5Fcontent=350248847&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail) ⬇️ 💸 **French Tech Funding Takes a Dip in February.** Looks like French startups had a bit of a rough February—raising just €294 million. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to previous months, and definitely not the kind of *“Vive la Révolution”* you’d expect after all the pomp at the AI Action Summit. 🏭😣 In 2024, **French industrial startups** faced challenges, with a 32% decrease in funds raised compared to the previous year, totaling €2.83 billion across 212 funding rounds. Despite this downturn, 38 new industrial sites were inaugurated, indicating resilience in the sector. However, Bpifrance anticipates that 2025 will remain under pressure, with a significant recovery expected only in 2026\. | [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/04/les-startups-industrielles-tiennent-le-coup-en-2024/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-le-premier-trou-dair-des-start-up-industrielles-2151838?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⬆️💰 Sofinnova Partners**, a leading European venture capital firm specializing in life sciences, has raised a €1.2 billion fund to support the next wave of innovation in healthcare and sustainable development. This funding increases the firm's assets under management to over €4 billion, doubling in five years. The capital will be used to finance 50 to 60 new companies across biotech, medtech, industrial biotech, and digital medicine. Sofinnova has also integrated AI into its investment process, enhancing its ability to identify and support disruptive technologies. 🙅‍♀️🤦‍♀️ **With International Women's Day about to hit, the news on the tech front is not good...**According to Pitchbook's latest report **Women are Still Underrepresented in** the **European Tech Ecosystem**. Despite some progress, women founders and investors in Europe are still fighting for a bigger slice of the VC pie. In 2024, women-led startups raised €10.2 billion—yay! But, hold on, that’s just 20.6% of the total VC investments in the region. And the funding gap? It’s still massive: male-only teams bagged a whopping €38.3 billion. And don’t even get started on valuations…Startups with 100% female founders average valuations often come in way lower than their male counterparts. It’s clear: while women are *definitely* showing up, they’re still not getting the fair shot they deserve. 😖 **|** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/06/les-femmes-toujours-ecrasees-dans-lecosysteme-tech-europeen/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💅🤑 Speaking of women-led startups, **Jolimoi goes from Beauty Buffs to Bottom Line Brilliance** crossing the profitability line with a €20 million revenue haul in 2024\. The beauty social-selling platform—founded by a team of entrepreneurial powerhouses—is making it rain (well, for them and their 10,000 beauty pros across France and Belgium). While the social selling model is booming, they’re keeping things structured and secure in a sector that can sometimes be a bit… unpolished. With a 20% growth in 2025 on the horizon and a newly launched brand under their belt, they’re proving the beauty biz can be both a passion project *and* a profit-making machine. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/beaute-la-start-up-de-social-selling-jolimoi-devient-rentable-2152352?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-6.png) Jolimo's all female founding team ⚽🥼 **Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has launched PSG Labs**, a global innovation hub aimed at accelerating technological advancements in sports, fan engagement, and performance. The first branch is set to open in Doha, Qatar, reflecting the club's ties with Qatar Sports Investments. PSG Labs will focus on areas such as sports performance and health, fan engagement, stadium modernization, artificial intelligence, Web3 and blockchain, audiovisual media, cybersecurity, and sustainability. Selected startups will participate in a three-month intensive "Boot Camp" program, collaborating closely with PSG's ecosystem to rapidly develop and validate their solutions. | [**La Revue Digitale,**](https://www.larevuedudigital.com/le-psg-lance-un-appel-aux-innovateurs-tech-pour-le-divertissement-sportif/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [**Maddyness** ](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/03/05/le-psg-lance-un-accelerateur-pour-faire-decoller-des-startups-de-la-sportech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: Why Europe Needs AI Infrastructure [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-5.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/) As AI accelerates, Europe faces a crucial question: Can it build its own AI infrastructure without relying on foreign giants like AWS and Microsoft? In this deep dive, we explore why Europe needs a sovereign AI ecosystem and how companies like Cleyrop are shaping the future of AI-powered innovation, security, and sustainability. With AI’s energy demands set to skyrocket and geopolitical risks on the horizon, Europe must act fast to secure its place in the digital future. [Read it here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/) # Digital Diplomats: AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up? [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-7.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) In Silicon Valley, a new wave of ultra-lean AI startups is achieving remarkable revenue milestones with minimal staff. Companies like Anysphere and ElevenLabs have reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue with as few as 20 to 50 employees. For French startups, this evolution poses both challenges and opportunities. To remain competitive, French founders must adapt by integrating AI to enhance productivity and streamline operations. This involves rethinking traditional business models and embracing AI-driven strategies to achieve similar efficiencies. The shift necessitates a fundamental change in mindset, focusing on scaling with fewer resources while maintaining or increasing output. Failure to adapt could result in French startups being outpaced by their leaner, AI-optimized counterparts in Silicon Valley. [Read the story here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Flowdesk 🔍 **Description**: Digital asset financial technology provider building a trading infrastructure to provide market-making services for web3 players. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.flowdesk.co/](https://www.flowdesk.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Extension to Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: $52M 🏦 **Investors**: HV Capital; ISAI Ventures; Eurazeo; Cathay Innovation 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François Cluzeau; Guilhem Chaumont; Paul Bugnot; Balthazar Giraux 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7302627192813842432/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Blog Post](https://www.flowdesk.co/updates/blogs/67bde3084abf69f06ef7c409/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Netforce 🔍 **Description**: Law enforcement technology development company 💻 **Website**: [https://www.nexstun.com](https://www.nexstun.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Mauguio 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €45M 🏦 **Investors**: Global Emerging Markets 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Laurent Mollinari 🗞️ **News**: [Financial Post](https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/netforce-secures-e45-million-investment-commitment-from-gem-global-yield-llc-scs-to-support-growth-and-innovation-in-law-enforcement-technology?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Satisfy 🔍 **Description**: Premium running apparel designed to enhance performance and creativity, exclusively available online. 💻 **Website**: [https://satisfyrunning.com/](https://satisfyrunning.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €11.3M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Brice Partouche 🗞️ **News**: [Fashion United](https://fashionunited.in/news/business/expansions-boost-satisfy-raises-eu11-3-million-in-funding-round/2025022849041?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Europe Needs AI Infrastructure. Cleyrop Wants To Build It URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/europe-needs-ai-infrastructure-how-cleyrop-is-building-it/ Last updated: 2025-03-27T12:45:42.000Z Artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented pace, reshaping industries, economies, and global power structures. But while AI models and applications are evolving rapidly, the infrastructure that powers them is struggling to keep up, especially in Europe. The reality is stark: Europe is falling behind in AI-ready infrastructure. Unlike the US and China, which have built vast, AI-optimized cloud ecosystems, Europe remains heavily reliant on foreign cloud service hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. This dependence raises critical questions about sovereignty, security, and sustainability. Can Europe power its digital future without relying on non-European cloud providers? And if so, what kind of AI infrastructure does Europe need? These are the challenges that [Arnaud Muller](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaudmu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), co-founder of [Cleyrop,](https://www.cleyrop.com/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has dedicated himself to solving. His company provides European public and private organizations with sovereign, AI-ready data storage and management solutions. Beyond his role as CEO, Muller is a vocal advocate for European technological independence. He was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of the[ Innovate Europe Foundation (IE.F](https://www.ie.foundation/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)), an initiative focused on strengthening Europe’s position in deep tech, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Leading up to the Paris AI Summit Business Day, I spoke with Arnaud Muller to discuss Europe's infrastructure challenges. “The Innovate Europe Foundation is an independent voice for European tech sovereignty. We are united by two things: recognition of how far behind Europe has fallen and the belief that we can regain economic strength by reigniting our ability to innovate and create global technology leaders,” he explained. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdKqAoGvBgjG17_U-PRdzPOrClQ8SRuQD0KWd1le0Zs95ZVWnU1jbK6DlMVp9uc8oHu5zi0Ntw2ukIl1paW9QZaC3TExszB-prGZtrq7LdqZeqUsb2sCnTPFY7keYe35-i1khwFpA?key=86_uPUAjJCKk_ggS2Ao8mkid) Arnaud Muller, Co-Founder & CEO of Cleyrop ### **Europe’s AI Infrastructure Challenge** _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Digital Diplomats: AI is Making Silicon Valley Startups Leaner and Meaner. Can French Founders Keep Up? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/digital-diplomats-ai-silicon-valley-startups-leaner-meaner/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T13:33:24.000Z ***Intro: Each month, the Digital Diplomats cut through the clichés about the Silicon Valley and French approach to innovation to bring a clear analysis of a major tech story or trend that reveals the relative strengths and weaknesses of each ecosystem. Our goal is to give entrepreneurs the perspective they need to succeed in both markets.*** ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcvE16vLLDxWzaCF2Y-PKhCc-JfRVAdorFD6k9rt4vNaj-P9cFGiz6pkQwDtiOkTI20-Sbd4Ooy8GQ3f8VCKkv6p0F9BGE7nYctuurp9CbgxAKBjVEvtZwwIQ66xU3VxJUnHPI6KA?key=ZiF-DS8pp0bqQlWiWlQgLSRo) [**Marjolaine Catil**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, an Investment Director at** [**Newfund**](https://www.newfundcap.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, a VC firm based in Paris and Silicon Valley. She leads Newfund’s** [**“Road to the USA”**](https://www.newfundcap.com/road-usa?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **initiative for French entrepreneurs considering U.S. expansion.\*** [**Chris O’Brien**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherobrien?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**, a Silicon Valley veteran journalist who is the *founder and editor of*** [***The French Tech Journal***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/)***.*** --- **Chris O’Brien:** Marjolaine, there’s something extraordinary happening right now in Silicon Valley with the conversation around the impact of AI on startups. We’ve seen a wave of ultra-lean AI startups in Silicon Valley hitting massive revenue milestones with minimal headcount. It’s become such a thing that even a mainstream publication like [The New York Times is talking about it](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/technology/ai-silicon-valley-start-ups.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **Marjolaine Catil:** You’re right. Ultra-lean startup success is now a [meme](https://x.com/benln/status/1889388151770325427?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), with techies excitedly sharing lists that show how companies like Anysphere, a start-up that makes the coding software Cursor, [hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue in less than two years](https://www.wearefounders.uk/how-cursor-ai-hit-100m-arr-in-12-months-the-freemium-fueled-rocket-ship-taking-on-github-copilot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) with just 20 employees, and ElevenLabs, an A.I. voice start-up, [did the same with around 50 workers](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/24/elevenlabs-has-raised-a-new-round-at-3b-valuation-led-by-iconiq-growth-sources-say/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). When we look at the evolution of employees needed to reach $100M ARR, productivity gains have dramatically increased across distinct technological eras: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/Graphs-RTTU-Digital-Diplomats--12-.png) In the early 2000s, what we can call “human-powered platforms” like LinkedIn needed 900 employees and Shopify required over 600 to reach $100M ARR. These companies operated with traditional license/subscription models requiring large sales teams, extensive customer support, and substantial internal IT departments. Scaling meant linear headcount growth. The 2010s with “product-led companies” brought some improvements—Slack and Algolia needed around 250 employees. The automations around the product reduced reliance on sales teams while cloud-based delivery decreased infrastructure headcount. However, scaling still required substantial personnel for more complex customer interactions. What we're witnessing with “AI-powered startups” since 2022 completely rewrites the playbook. Today's leanest AI startups achieve 0.2 employees per million in ARR, versus 3-7 employees just a decade ago—a 15-25x efficiency improvement that fundamentally transforms venture economics. This unprecedented leap stems from merging labor and software into one market, replacing specialized human roles with specialized AI colleagues that operate across entire workflows. AI handles both organization and execution of tasks, effectively delivering human-quality service with software-level margins. Founders in Silicon Valley aren't just asking "How do I raise funding?" but "How do I scale with fewer people?" It's a fundamental mindset shift reshaping the startup landscape that all founders need to take into account. **Chris O’Brien:** I had been in Silicon Valley for a few years when the “Lean Startup” movement started almost 2 decades ago. It emerged in the wake of the excess of the dot-com boom when former entrepreneur-turned-academic [Steve Blank](https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/05/25/obrien-steve-blank-believes-social-might-be-killing-silicon-valley-2/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) wrote a book with a rather innocuous title: *The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win.* One of his students at UC Berkeley, Eric Ries, was so impressed with Blank’s customer-centric approach to entrepreneurship that he wrote his own book: *The Lean Startup*. Ries and Blank introduced many of the terms that have become the lingua franca of startups: minimal viable product, split or A/B testing, build-measure-learn, and pivot, for example. What we’re seeing now with AI, it’s like Lean Startups on Steroids. A decade ago, if you raised a Series A, you were expected to hire aggressively. Now, hiring too fast is seen as a red flag. **The new status symbol isn’t headcount,** [**it’s revenue per employee**](https://www.highalpha.com/2024-saas-benchmarks-report?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcS-h0GVuC6M_GeqGEXGRabLFkAvJwVDAYB3cuzIG_iu-AFEcZr6aYw-4_ZQBpNkcTwkPuhjtWa9qYV_BhUYDowYLK68wlaikh4yeLHy9OY0CbPSFDWxXUI9nxVDbEIDUUB9eL_Gw?key=ZiF-DS8pp0bqQlWiWlQgLSRo) And we may be just at the start. Even now companies are pushing to compress those ratios. Sweden’s Lovable reportedly hit $17m ARR in 3 months with less than 20 people. By the way, its AI-coding platform will make it even easier for other companies to do more with fewer humans. ## **Do AI-First Startups Have Sustainable Moats?** **Marjolaine**: A crucial question arises when evaluating these Full-AI models: what are their entry barriers? What prevents competitors from replicating or surpassing their performance? For investors, churn rate becomes an even more critical metric, especially as continuous R&D investments are necessary to maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. We are already witnessing an intense race among Large Language Model (LLM) providers, but this competition will likely expand to other Full-AI models. Companies are slashing prices to gain market share, with some even offering their products for free. OpenAI cut the cost of GPT-4o tokens from $36 to just $4 per million tokens, while DeepSeek and Perplexity DeepSearch have become completely free. They are also competing on the performance of their model where only the sky seems to be the limit. As foundational models become more accessible and open-source alternatives mature, differentiation will shift from raw model performance to specialization, domain expertise, and business execution. This shift will intensify price pressure, accelerate innovation, and increase competition across AI-powered industries. **Chris:** These rocketship rides to $100M ARR are impressive, but I agree there are real questions about what kind of competitive moats these companies have and whether they can demonstrate that this growth is sustainable. Consumers and enterprises are trying to figure out all these new paradigms and which platforms can bring real meaningful value, so there’s a ton of experimentation going on. So they sign up, try something for a while, then cancel to try the next new thing. I’m guilty of that. Looking at my phone, I have a ridiculous number of GenAI apps – ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Le Chat (from Mistral AI), and Claude. For some, I am paying a subscription. Perplexity Pro is free via a partnership with my telecom provider. My GenAI monthly bill is higher than my cable bill used to be. Eventually, I’m going to have to prune some of these back. It’s absurd. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeMn7yHoAMOlkGnLcYjMncjICQYal74n6MXq6eVHHWgfJU5NzcQMjMs5jJT7mwmNUCTwUjnvnFMXATuKokoWsnb7wTfq4L9_a1zrBdlkVGd9B8UwgDt9Fy9VL1WVQoXvt2oRImk?key=ZiF-DS8pp0bqQlWiWlQgLSRo) At the same time, if these companies know their growth is fragile, that seems like it might be even more incentive to keep headcounts low. Of course, we’re talking a lot about Silicon Valley here. Are we seeing the same thing in France and Europe? ## **Different Approaches: The U.S. Full-AI Model vs. France’s Research-Driven Model** **Marjolaine:** When we [analyzed Newfund French and American portfolio companies](https://blog.newfundcap.com/the-recent-acceleration-of-ai-integration-how-startups-from-usa-to-france-are-embracing-the-ai-wave/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) last year, both ecosystems recognized AI's potential for productivity gains. However, significant differences emerged in implementation and results, especially because not everything can be automatized equally through AI. In the US, particularly in Silicon Valley, we see what I call the **Full-AI Model** – startups designed from day one to leverage AI for maximum automation with minimal human intervention. These companies optimize for exponential scaling with tiny teams, focusing on pure software plays with high margins and low operational complexity. Their business models prioritize revenue-per-employee and often take a "winner-takes-most" approach to market domination. In France, we observe what might be called the **Research-Driven Model** – startups tackling complex problems that require substantial human expertise alongside AI capabilities: climate tech, healthcare, biotech, manufacturing, and deep research. These sectors face regulatory hurdles, physical constraints, and scientific challenges that demand specialized human talent. Take Wandercraft which develops exoskeletons or Naarea, a French nuclear AI startup. They're not running a chatbot or a SaaS platform like Midjourney—they need physicists, engineers, and compliance specialists. The AI improves their operations but doesn't eliminate the need for human expertise. **Chris:** These differences aren't just about business strategy – they reflect deeper attitudes toward AI's role in society. Silicon Valley's approach often asks: "How can AI replace human work entirely?" The French approach more commonly asks: "How can AI enhance human capabilities in tackling meaningful problems?" **Marjolaine:** You're right. AI can actually be an opportunity for complex French companies to finally become scalable products. Traditionally, deep human expertise required a service-based approach, which hindered virtuous scaling for French startups as their gross margin was capped at 30% compared to 80% for the “Software-as-a-service” (Saas). Now they can embed their unique knowledge into AI models, delivering high-quality service at scale while maintaining a strong competitive edge—something that is often harder for fast-moving American startups to sustain. The area of "Service-as-a-Software" is on, and French startups could be at the forefront of it. ## **Recruitment in the Age of AI: Who’s Still in Demand?** **Marjolaine**: This shift in productivity has a big impact on recruitment. The broader data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reflects a similar evolution to the one demonstrated by the trendiest startups: companies are starting leaner with an average of 3.5 workers in 2023 vs. 7.3 in 1998\. And they are scaling more efficiently. How are French founders reacting to this trend? We were discussing this recently with Mathias Frachon, co-founder of [The Product Crew](https://theproductcrew.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a French recruitment agency. He told me: “France is merely following the US trend with a time lag; I don't see any fundamental difference. The majority of founders now want to reach $100M ARR with a maximum team of 50 people.” While France follows the US-led trend with some delay, the direction is clear—the age of efficient growth demands fewer, but increasingly exceptional, people. It will mean scarcity of these profiles and startups will need to pay them a lot more. According to Mathias: “There's a fundamental rejection of traditional management and large teams in favor of small, highly intelligent groups that leverage AI to become ultra-productive." Startups seek ultra-senior developers who are autonomous, "plug-and-play," and combine sector expertise, top-tier academics, and a strong business impact—rewarded with generous pay when they fit the bill. Startups are now looking for humans who can bring extra value on top of AI and this approach creates a bifurcated talent market: extraordinary opportunities for exceptional senior talent who can drive outsized impact, alongside diminishing prospects for those earlier in their careers. **Chris:** In the US, companies are no longer trying to reassure the public about the impact of AI on jobs. In fact, in the U.S. they’re so confident that it’s an asset that they’ve become quite brazen about it. There were those ads from Artisans in San Francisco, for instance, and that job listing from Firecrawl: ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdKlkWA0FQX2PZt_AfsWsMFMDmHqX7hUx_znNXsH5HH5Wf5I1etZ-hBl6b0JYk_j7F4vuC1u8M5arOOPKrivdV5TQJHNXVZ49GIz84h4LYhipEXL277nl8JUcEsJi3bbxAIT5dzYQ?key=ZiF-DS8pp0bqQlWiWlQgLSRo) French companies will have to adapt if they want to compete globally. But that will be a touchy subject here because a pillar of the generous government support for La French Tech is that it will be an engine for job growth. The government and associations like France Digitale like to [emphasize the potential for job creation](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-digital-ai-mapping/) when they talk about AI. Last year, a report submitted to President Macron by the[ Committee on Generative Artificial Intelligence](https://www.solutions-numeriques.com/le-comite-de-lia-generative-rend-son-rapport-a-lelysee-mercredi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) argued that AI will increase employment with proper training and education. From a cultural perspective, it would be tough to imagine a French startup bragging about how *few* employees it needed to reach $100M ARR. And given how much money flows to venture firms here via the Fund of Funds operated by state bank Bpifrance, it could be problematic if French VCs become too vocal about doing more with fewer employees. So what’s the advice for a French founder today? How should they think about AI-driven efficiencies as they scale? ## **AI-driven efficiency: What Founders Should Consider** **Marjolaine Catil:** For French founders navigating this evolving landscape, here's my practical advice on approaching AI-driven efficiency: If you're building a pure AI/software startup: - Embrace the ultra-lean model from day one – design your organization to maximize automation of core functions. - Focus on revenue-per-employee – meaning stay lean with less than 30 people up to $10M, then target $1M per employee - Consider the US market for faster scaling and funding access, but maintain R&D in France to leverage local talent. - Be ready to pivot your product regularly as there is less defensibility. If you're in deep-tech or industrial AI: - Use French advantages – research funding, talent pools, and government support. - Your team will necessarily be larger – but automate everything you can. - Articulate your hiring strategy clearly to investors – explain why specific domain experts and researchers are essential. - Ensure your focus presents high entry barriers to AI: access to data, complex distribution, and physical constraints. **Chris:** At its core, this shift represents a fundamental rethinking of how value is created in the digital economy. The new question for founders isn't just "How do I hire the best people?" but "Do I need people at all for this function?" For French entrepreneurs specifically, I'd add: - Don't feel pressured to mindlessly copy Silicon Valley's ultra-lean approach if your sector genuinely requires human expertise. - But also don't hide behind European cultural differences to justify inefficient team structures. - Find your unique balance between leveraging AI for efficiency and building human teams with the judgment to direct that technology. - Recognize that French startups can compete globally by combining technical excellence with strategic deployment of AI. The new question for founders isn’t *how do I hire the best people?* It’s *do I need people at all*? But even if AI is changing how startups scale, not every industry follows the same playbook. **Marjolaine:** I believe we're still in the early stages of understanding how AI will transform startup operations and team structures. The companies that thrive will be those that find the right balance between leveraging technology for efficiency and building human teams with the judgment and creativity to direct that technology. --- ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXd5vCZTNN1UgzIuK8wEB4QMUk3PrWyd-QtgLE1ZTWn-OHs_STQax6kUZFw8JFmB-6JNwn2TBaQ50t2D_rdo-2-L46JQNL9cR-Wu3zfpQPqKW5cN3IJx3Qlbzasu384Y3CSYGvApKw?key=ZiF-DS8pp0bqQlWiWlQgLSRo) *This article is part of the Digital Diplomats series, bringing insights from both sides of the Atlantic to help entrepreneurs navigate the global tech ecosystem. For more French tech news, contact Chris O’Brien or subscribe to* [*The French Tech Journal*](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/)*. For more information on startup fundraising, contact* [*Marjolaine Catil*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*, Investment Director at Newfund.* ### 🤖 La Machine #20: AI Making Videos Pixel Perfect 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-20-videos-ai-pixel-perfect/ Last updated: 2025-03-03T06:36:06.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** Inside this edition: 🌞 **Deep Dive: Video startup Aive** combines analytical AI with generative capabilities. The system first uses multiple AI models to extract comprehensive data from videos, then employs generative AI for specific tasks like summarization, reformatting, or adaptation. [**CEO and co-founder Olivier Reynaud explains the vision.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/) **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **VivaTech** and the **World Economic Forum (WEF)** are launching the **European Centre for AI Excellence (CAIE)** in Paris to position Europe as a leader in AI innovation. The center will join the WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Network, leveraging France’s research ecosystem, strong investment landscape, and dynamic startup scene. It aims to address key AI challenges by fostering cross-border research, promoting responsible AI adoption, and supporting economic growth across Europe. Backed by the WEF’s AI Governance Alliance, CAIE will drive collaboration between businesses, policymakers, and researchers to develop inclusive and sustainable AI solutions. The initiative aligns with the AI Action Summit hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, reinforcing Europe’s vision of balancing AI innovation with individual rights. | [**WEF**](https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/02/world-economic-forum-to-launch-european-centre-for-ai-excellence-in-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **OpenAI** has announced that its AI video generation tool, Sora, is now available in Europe and the UK after previously being restricted due to regulatory concerns. Sora can create high-definition videos up to 20 seconds long from text prompts but is only accessible to paid ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. OpenAI has implemented safeguards, including metadata verification and watermarks, and temporarily restricted generating videos featuring real people to combat deepfakes. Despite its capabilities, Sora faces technical challenges, such as realism issues and difficulties with complex sequences, while competing tools from Google and Meta have yet to generate similar levels of anticipation. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/28/openia-lia-generative-sora-desormais-accessible-pour-les-europeens/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other headlines **🗞️ French Alps ski resort uses AI piste to teach beginners |** The indoor device ‘places’ people onto the resort's slopes on a screen and they learn twice as fast as on usual beginner slopes, claims instructor. **|** [**The Connexion**](https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/french-alps-ski-resort-uses-ai-piste-to-teach-beginners/709509?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **French call center firm uses AI to modify accents** | France-based Teleperformance SE has implemented an AI system to modify the accents of English-speaking Indian call center agents in real-time. | [**TechInAsia**](https://www.techinasia.com/news/french-call-center-firm-uses-ai-to-modify-accents?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **AI Action Summit in Paris Highlights A Shifting Policy Landscape** | "The French AI Action Summit heralded a major shift in AI governance away from AI risk and safety to AI opportunity and national self-interest." | [**Stanford HAI**](https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-action-summit-paris-highlights-shifting-policy-landscape?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🗣️ Aive: Revolutionizing Video Production with AI [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/03/image-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/) In a world where video content dominates the digital landscape—from social media feeds to streaming platforms—the challenge of efficiently producing high-quality videos at scale has become increasingly pressing. Enter [**Aive**](https://www.aive.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a French startup that's using artificial intelligence to transform how brands and media companies handle video post-production. Aive's core innovation lies in its proprietary MGT (Multimodal Generative Technology) system, which takes a fundamentally different approach to video processing. Rather than simply generating video content like many generative AI tools, Aive transforms existing videos into structured data that can be analyzed, modified, and optimized. "We are the only company to have this approach globally," said [Olivier Reynaud](https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierreynaud?originalSubdomain=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO and co-founder of Aive. "We are the only company to have this data." [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/) --- # Events 📆 **AWS Startup Day | Early Stage Edition 2025 | March 4 |** Join the AWS Startups team at the AWS Startup Day and Early Stage Edition 2025, the annual conference dedicated to early-stage startups. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/events/aws-startup-day-earlystage-edition-2025?trk=c0d0a513-df97-41ba-a025-f56bba02fb54&sc%5Fchannel=el&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Builders Weekend | March 15 |** What is Builders Weekend? It’s the grand finale of the[ ](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**AI Startup School**](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)—a four-week program where we bring together top European CEOs and CTOs, with 40 sharp, ambitious builders. No panels, no BS—just real conversations about the hard parts of starting a company and the hacks that they've found to make it work. The Builders weekend is only for participants of the AI Startup School. | **Learn more and apply** [**here**](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** 📆 **AgentX** | **April 7** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AWS Summit Paris | April 9 |**AWS Summit Paris 2025 is a free one-day event focused on generative AI, data, security, sustainability, and more. Customize your experience with a keynote featuring leading speakers, over 150 interactive sessions and workshops, one-on-one consultations with our experts, an exhibition area showcasing the latest cloud innovations, as well as numerous networking and training opportunities. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Data & AI Summit | April 10 |** The Data & AI Summit 2025 will bring together IT decision-makers and AI experts to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with data and artificial intelligence. This event will highlight the impact of generative AI on business models, as well as best practices for maximizing the value of data within modern organizations. **|** [**Register**](https://www.idc.com/eu/events/71961-data-ai-summit?g%5Fclang=ENG&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **MKIA 25 | April 29 |** The Maddy Keynote, organized by Maddyness, announces its special edition: the MKIA, the event that transforms the broad guidelines on AI into concrete initiatives for the economic leaders of tomorrow. Far from abstract tech-symbol discourse, MKIA deciphers AI in a concrete and educational way through round tables, keynotes, case studies, and a zone for startups. It enables all actors – start-ups, corporations, investors, and institutions – to take ownership of the challenges, opportunities, and challenges of its adoption. | [**Register**](https://lu.ma/01o63myb?tk=zDGC1n&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Paris AI Conference 2025 | June 16 | The Paris AI Conference 2025** gathers 250 of France's AI Experts, Founders, Investors, and Enthusiasts, for an evening of content and networking. This event is hosted by [**Startup Network Europe**](https://startupnetwork.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**. |** [**Register**](https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-paris-ai-conference-2025-tickets-1128970935459?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Stripe Tour Paris | June 17 |** Join us for Stripe Tour, our global roadshow that brings together business leaders in major cities to discuss the most important trends in payments and financial technology. **|** [**Register**](https://tour.stripeevent.com/Paris?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Aive: Revolutionizing Video Production with AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/aive-innovation-video-ai/ Last updated: 2025-03-03T05:52:36.000Z CEO Olivier Reynaud: "We created an AI product years before the current AI wave. We are an enterprise-ready solution and not something in the lab." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 28: Adocia, Edumapper, Byzantine Finance & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-28-adocia-edumapper-byzantine/ Last updated: 2025-02-28T19:06:16.000Z --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to get your brand in front of decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- 📇 **Company**: Adocia 🔍 **Description**: A biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for diabetes and metabolic diseases. 💻 **Website**: [http://adocia.com](http://adocia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Private Placement VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9.73M 🏦 **Investors**: Armistice Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gérard Soula; Olivier Soula 🗞️ **News**: [**Adocia**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250225496539/en/ADOCIA-Announces-the-Successful-Completion-of-a-%E2%82%AC9.7-Million-Private-Placement-Extending-its-Cash-Runway-to-Q2-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-49.png) 📇 **Company**: Edumapper 🔍 **Description**: An educational platform providing tools to optimize learning experiences. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.edumapper.com](https://www.edumapper.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures; Eurazeo; Daphni; Ring Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAABkb0BUb6Q4z4p8eleAFkzZ834guyk3Ww?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Sébastien de Lafond](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdelafond/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAOzXEB2o6o-1WtE82xgyci26v0y6U6E9I?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Julien Cheyssial](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliencheyssial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABINLgBysN92o2UlwIA7DgDLzCZZ4uGC9c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Jordan Sanial](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-sanial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAACDtzpQB-3PVBDsGly5x0%5Fmx%5F73vAKM9jUw?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Valentine Mandon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-mandon/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daphni%5Fmore-clarity-less-stress-edumapper-activity-7300795589410082816-zzJE/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Activ’Inside 🔍 **Description**: A company focused on the development, production, and marketing of nutraceuticals. 💻 **Website**: [https://activinside.com/](https://activinside.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4M 🏦 **Investors**: Aquiti; Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Gaudout 🗞️ **News**: [Neutraceutical](https://nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/aquiti-and-bpifrance-renew-their-support-for-activ-inside?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Byzantine Finance 🔍 **Description**: A decentralized finance platform providing financial solutions in the blockchain space. 💻 **Website**: [https://byzantine.fi](https://byzantine.fi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.73M 🏦 **Investors**: Node Capital; Blockwall; Kiln; Lightshift; MASTERKEY Venture Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gaia Ferrero Regis, Jonas Bokelmann 🗞️ **News**: [**Binance**](https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/20782482500562?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-54.png) 📇 **Company**: MoEa 🔍 **Description**: Innovative vegan sneakers 💻 **Website**: [https://moea.io/](https://moea.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.3M 🏦 **Investors**: Go Capital; Ring Capital; Climate Club; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABrQbD8BRUgEouqFolfnPw%5FNmGwlihDRUZg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Achille Gazagnes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/achillegazagnes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAl5-T0BD8gajw%5FjOkTmJh-mKxhQzRO05dk?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Benoit Habfast](https://www.linkedin.com/in/habfastbenoit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sibylle-behaghel-200398132%5Fring-capital-is-proud-to-announce-moeas-activity-7300827234683015170-YkfM?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: BiOceanOr 🔍 **Description**: Developer of the first underwater weather station for real-time and predictive water quality monitoring. 💻 **Website**: [http://bioceanor.com](http://bioceanor.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Valbonne 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: GO Capital; Caisse d'Epargne; EY Ventury Avocats; The Yield Lab Europe 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Charlotte Dupont; Samuel Dupont 🗞️ **News**: [**Igrownews**](https://igrownews.com/bioceanor-latest-news/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Vegetal Food 🔍 **Description**: Specialist in Snacks and fresh Vegan products, sugar-free, gluten-free, organic and very greedy. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.vegetalfood.fr/](https://www.vegetalfood.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rungis 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2M 🏦 **Investors**: Elevation Capital; Foodxpert 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: David Fitoussi, Laura Fitoussi 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7301166170445869056/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Akidaia 🔍 **Description**: Offers a non-connected access control solution 💻 **Website**: [https://akidaia.com/](https://akidaia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nice 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.4M 🏦 **Investors**: Leonard Invest; Construction Venture; Advans Group; Paris Business Angels; Provence Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gaël Lededantec; Ouajdi Babay Rouis 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/akidaia-leve-13-million-deuros-pour-securiser-les-acces-sensibles-sans-infrastructure-reseau/451650?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: CCE Group 🔍 **Description**: Aerospace platform specializing in cabin and cargo equipment solutions with a focus on niche market leadership. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.cc-equipment.com/](https://www.cc-equipment.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: HIG Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Klaus Hofmann; Pierre Mazieres 🗞️ **News**: [PR](https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/h-i-g-whitehorse-provides-financing-to-cce-group-847019728.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-53.png) Ian Soulairol & Stéphane Roulon, co-founders of MB Therapeutic 📇 **Company**: MB Therapeutics 🔍 **Description**: Transforming health with 3D printing medicines. 💻 **Website**: [http://mb-therapeutics.com/](http://mb-therapeutics.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montpellier 🧗 **Round**: N/A 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Beprep; Calyseed; Angels Santé; Bpifrance; Sébastien Gallice (Co-owner of Pharmacie des Rosiers and President of the French Society of Compounding Pharmacists - PREF) 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ian Soulairol; Stéphane Roulon 🗞️ **News**: [Voxel Matters](https://www.voxelmatters.com/mb-therapeutics-raises-e2-million-for-pharmacy-based-3d-printing-of-pharmaceuticals/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Akira Technologies 🔍 **Description**: Specializes in the design and realization of engineering projects. 💻 **Website**: [http://akira.pro](http://akira.pro/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bayonne 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Definvest; MBDA 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [Jeremy Lucas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-lucas-2b557325a?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FminiProfile%3AACoAAD%5FMqOkBb5%5Fi3clyWTcMLWC6cRLx8kVuDYg&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [**Fusacq**](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/le-fonds-definvest-et-mbda-entrent-au-capital-d-akira-technologies-a251842%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bpifrance-smallcap%5Fcp-bpifrance-small-cap-x-akira-20250212-ugcPost-7295721527377821696-uAoP?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: WeWard 🔍 **Description**: A mobile application that converts steps into euros, rewarding users for walking. 💻 **Website**: [https://wewardapp.com](https://wewardapp.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Angel 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Venus Williams 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Yves Benchimol; Tanguy de La Villegeorges; Nicolas Hardy 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/26/les-soeurs-williams-et-la-french-tech-une-histoire-damour-qui-dure/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### French Tech Wire: Building the Mediverse and a Buggy Business Model URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-ynsect-virtualisurg/ Last updated: 2025-02-28T07:30:46.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, 🌱 **Seed Of The Week:** If pilots train on simulators before flying real aircraft, why can’t the same technology be used to train surgeons? VirtualiSurg [Founder & CEO Nicolas Mignan explains](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-virtualisurg/) how the startup hopes to use VR and the metaverse to revolutionize medical education. 👀 **Deep Dive:** Public investment in Ÿnsect has been substantial. Its bankruptcy will give new ammunition to the French government's extensive support for costly innovation programs. [We look at who invested what and how.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ynsect-bankruptcy-private-equity-public-debt-and-bpifrances-role/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to get your brand in front of decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 👮‍♂️ As **The Family Turns**...The ongoing legal drama involving the once-prominent Parisian startup hub known as The Family that was definitely not an accelerator or investment fund took another turn when former co-founder Oussama Ammar was stopped by the fuzz at the airport. Ammar, loyal readers will recall, has been accused of embezzlement by The Family, legal actions led by his former friends and co-founders Alice Zagury and Nicolas Colin on behalf of the company and various investors. There are cases pending across the Cayman Islands (where he has already lost a judgment), the UK, and France. Throughout, Ammar has remained defiant, primarily from his perch abroad. However, when he stepped off the plane in Nice this week, he was detained by officers from *la Brigade de répression de la délinquance astucieuse* (BRDA) and held for questioning before being released. On LinkedIn, he sighed: "I was released after a few questions and, for the first time in four years, I was finally able to give my side of the story. At this stage, the procedure is adversarial, and even if it is regrettable that there is no secrecy of the investigation, I still had the opportunity, for the first time, to express myself." Perhaps it was the first time he had a chance to talk to legal officials, but he also failed to appear at the Cayman Island proceedings and has not (to my knowledge) appeared at other legal hearings. 🍿 | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7300951499776376832/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Le Parisien**](https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/oussama-ammar-cofondateur-de-the-family-place-en-garde-a-vue-pour-abus-de-confiance-et-faux-et-usage-de-faux-27-02-2025-36GNGWYAKJBCRETYKM5FCZX4G4.php?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) For more, read my Deep Dive for Sifted: [The Family Files: Inside France’s ugliest startup fightA chateau, a playmate and missing SpaceX shares are part of the drama revealed by court documents in the €4.5m legal fight over the influential community![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/favicon-420.ico)SiftedChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Frame-3.jpg)](https://sifted.eu/articles/the-family-france-startup-fight-oussama-ammar?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [The Family: Meet The Cast Of Supporting Characters In The Bruising Legal FightThe fight between Oussama Ammar and the co-founders of The Family has drawn a long list of names into the drama.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-14.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/Oussama-Collage.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-family-supporting-characters-bruising-legal-fight/) 🐛 As expected, alt-protein insect startup **Ÿnsect** filed for bankruptcy in the hopes of buying more time to either restructure its finances, sell off pieces of the biz, or find a buyer for the whole shebang. This potential death spiral comes amid a larger struggle for AgTech startups. French Tech has been rounding for more than two years, and agritechs are no exception. Last year, French agricultural and food start-ups saw funding fall by 36% in value, €315 million, and the number of deals dipped 33% to 38, according to a report by KPMG and La Ferme Digitale. This is a sharper fall than for the start-up ecosystem in general (7%). “We are in a second year of transition, which is difficult. But it remains an important sector, where the challenges of transformation are high, and part of the solution will come from tech,” Roger Averbuch, a partner at KPMG, told Les Echos. **(More on Ynsect in this week's newsletter below).** | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/24/ynsect-demande-officiellement-a-passer-en-redressement-judiciaire/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/ynsect-files-insolvency-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/entre-la-meteo-et-la-crise-une-annee-de-vache-maigre-pour-les-start-up-agricoles-2150455?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👋 🫡 After ten years leading **Le Galion**, **Agathe Wautier** has handed over the general management to **Margot Courty**, co-founder and the club’s first employee. Courty's leadership marks a new chapter for the exclusive entrepreneur network, emphasizing deeper connections over rapid expansion. | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7292862052321165315/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/24/10-ans-apres-sa-creation-le-galion-prend-une-nouvelle-direction/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/margotcourty%5Fen-8-ans-jai-eu-de-nombreuses-occasions-activity-7296136850178527232-wyXl?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-50.png) Agathe Wautier (left) and Margot Courty ☔ Despite a 30% drop in funding in 2024, employment in French Techland remained stable, with a 1% increase in workforce. According to a report by tech association Numeum, this resilience is attributed to prudent resource management and a focus on profitability. The healthcare and ecological transition sectors performed particularly well. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/malgre-un-recul-des-financements-lemploi-dans-la-french-tech-resiste-2151197?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚽ 💸 World Cup champion **Blaise Matuidi** has launched the Origins investment club on the **Roundtable platform**, inviting his community to co-invest alongside him in technology companies that transform consumer lifestyles. This initiative aims to democratize access to premium investment opportunities, leveraging the unique insights and extensive networks of athletes. Co-founded with Ilan Abehassera and Salomon Aiach, Origins focuses on sectors such as deep tech, real estate, and healthcare. This move is part of a broader trend on Roundtable, which has introduced 15 new investment clubs led by prominent tech figures, facilitating community-driven investments across various industries. | [**Roundtable**](https://joinroundtable.notion.site/FR-World-Cup-Winner-Blaise-Matuidi-Leads-New-Wave-of-Investment-Clubs-on-Roundtable-1973acb9265b8042a757d3f4d8cd7568?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/27/blaise-matuidi-lance-un-club-dinvestissement-avec-roundtable/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/Large-vt23-s1-d2-12-40-influence-meets-funding_021_NM.jpeg) Yours truly chatting with Blaise Matuidi and Ilan Abehassera at VivaTech 🎾🚶💰 Speaking of sports and money...**Venus Williams** has joined fitness and social startup **WeWard** as an investor and ambassador, supporting the app’s mission to encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle through walking. The partnership includes a €40,000 donation to the charity CARE and a special in-app challenge where users can unlock increasing donation levels by reaching step goals. WeWard’s co-founder CEO Yves Benchimol has relocated to New York City to scale the company in the US. In an interview, he told me he spotted Williams by chance at a Paris restaurant just before moving, took his shot, and introduced himself. That started the conversations that led to the partnership. "I think in terms of image and business, it can be huge, especially in the US," he said. With 20 million users worldwide and over €20 million in rewards distributed, WeWard continues its international expansion, leveraging this high-profile partnership to strengthen its presence in the U.S. market. **(We'll have a deeper dive next week on WeWard's journey.)** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/venus-weward.jpeg) --- # Seed Of The Week: VirtualiSurg [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-51.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-virtualisurg/) While VR-based surgical training is not a new concept, VirtualiSurg takes it to the next level by incorporating robotic-assisted tools and AI-driven performance tracking. VirtualiSurg is a meta-learning platform (welcome to the Mediverse!) where surgeons practice their techniques in a VR-powered operating room with real surgical instruments, haptic feedback, and AI-guided mentorship. The goal is to make surgical training as realistic and effective as possible, minimizing errors and ultimately saving lives. "VirtualiSurg will have succeeded when we’ve helped ensure that there are many more excellent surgeons around the world,” said founder and CEO Nicolas Mignan. [Read it here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-virtualisurg/) --- # Deep Dive: Private Equity, Public Debt, and Bpifrance's Role in Ÿnsect's Bankruptcy [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-52.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ynsect-bankruptcy-private-equity-public-debt-and-bpifrances-role/) Ÿnsect has filed for bankruptcy protection in a bid to buy more time to either restructure its finances or find a buyer. The insolvency of the French insect protein pioneer is a blow to private investors who will likely see all of their holdings wiped out. But it also raises difficult questions about the public strategy in France to back Deep Tech startups in the hope that their breakthrough technologies will require large-scale production that will help re-industrialize a nation that continues to see traditional manufacturers shuttering or pulling up their stakes and moving elsewhere. With more than $625 million in equity and debt raised since 2011, Ÿnsect had long been hailed as a model for how public-private partnerships could create a new breed of industrial champions. Even better: its mission to create an alternative protein source checked many of the boxes of the French tech identity, including food sovereignty, climate tech, and health tech. As of yet, Ÿnsects bankruptcy filing is not yet public. But drawing from previous public records and announcements, one can piece together the stakes for the VCs and the public entities that had put so much faith in the company's mission. [Read the post mortem](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ynsect-bankruptcy-private-equity-public-debt-and-bpifrances-role/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Adocia 🔍 **Description**: A biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for diabetes and metabolic diseases. 💻 **Website**: [http://adocia.com](http://adocia.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Private Placement VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €9.73M 🏦 **Investors**: Armistice Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gérard Soula; Olivier Soula 🗞️ **News**: [**Adocia**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250225496539/en/ADOCIA-Announces-the-Successful-Completion-of-a-%E2%82%AC9.7-Million-Private-Placement-Extending-its-Cash-Runway-to-Q2-2026?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-49.png) 📇 **Company**: Edumapper 🔍 **Description**: An educational platform providing tools to optimize learning experiences. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.edumapper.com](https://www.edumapper.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Pre-Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures; Eurazeo; Daphni; Ring Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAABkb0BUb6Q4z4p8eleAFkzZ834guyk3Ww?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Sébastien de Lafond](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdelafond/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAAOzXEB2o6o-1WtE82xgyci26v0y6U6E9I?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Julien Cheyssial](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliencheyssial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABINLgBysN92o2UlwIA7DgDLzCZZ4uGC9c?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Jordan Sanial](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-sanial/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAACDtzpQB-3PVBDsGly5x0%5Fmx%5F73vAKM9jUw?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Valentine Mandon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-mandon/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daphni%5Fmore-clarity-less-stress-edumapper-activity-7300795589410082816-zzJE/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Byzantine Finance 🔍 **Description**: A decentralized finance platform providing financial solutions in the blockchain space. 💻 **Website**: [https://byzantine.fi](https://byzantine.fi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.73M 🏦 **Investors**: Node Capital; Blockwall; Kiln; Lightshift; MASTERKEY Venture Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gaia Ferrero Regis, Jonas Bokelmann 🗞️ **News**: [**Binance**](https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/20782482500562?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Ÿnsect Bankruptcy: Private Equity, Public Debt, and Bpifrance's Role URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ynsect-bankruptcy-private-equity-public-debt-and-bpifrances-role/ Last updated: 2025-12-12T09:34:47.000Z Ÿnsect has filed for bankruptcy protection in a bid to buy more time to either restructure its finances or find a buyer. The insolvency of the French insect protein pioneer is a blow to private investors who will likely see all of their holdings wiped out. But it also raises difficult questions about the public strategy in France to back Deep Tech startups in the hope that their breakthrough technologies will require large-scale production that will help re-industrialize a nation that continues to see traditional manufacturers shuttering or pulling up their stakes and moving elsewhere. With more than $625 million in equity and debt raised since 2011, Ÿnsect had long been hailed as a model for how public-private partnerships could create a new breed of industrial champions. Even better: its mission to create an alternative protein source checked many of the boxes of the French tech identity, including food sovereignty, climate tech, and health tech. As of yet, Ÿnsects bankruptcy filing is not yet public. But drawing from previous public records and announcements, one can piece together the stakes for the VCs and the public entities that had put so much faith in the company's mission. ## Chief Benefactor Bpifrance As is often the case in France, state innovation bank Bpifrance was there to give the science-based startup a boost when it was just a hatchling. It's impossible to know for sure how much Bpifrance has invested in Ÿnsect. [Sifted claimed the amount was about €30 million, ](https://sifted.eu/articles/bpifrance-30m-ynsect-collapse-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)according to sources. But the actual figure is likely higher. That's because over the years, Bpifrance has supported Ÿnsect through direct investment, guaranties to other banks that loaned the company money, investments via its Fund of Funds in venture capital firms that then backed the company, and finally a range of programs such as grants and marketing support that its labels "accompaniment." _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Seed of the Week: VirtualiSurg URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/seed-of-the-week-virtualisurg/ Last updated: 2025-02-28T02:08:55.000Z According to various studies, thousands of people die every year around the world due to preventable medical errors. Could one leading factor be that surgical training has barely evolved in decades? It's a question that [Virtualisurg](https://virtualisurg.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) founder & CEO [Nicolas Mignan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-mignan-6a94a0129/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) has often asked himself. Today, surgeons learn by practicing on real patients, animals, or outdated simulators raising serious ethical, safety, and efficiency concerns. The learning curve is long, often spanning 10 to 15 years before a surgeon reaches full professional maturity and mistakes can be fatal. But what if surgeons could train like pilots, perfecting their skills through ultra-realistic simulations before ever touching a real patient? Enter VirtualiSurg, a French deep-tech startup determined to revolutionize surgical training, reduce errors, and improve patient outcomes through a combination of virtual reality (VR), AI, and robotics. ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-48.png) CEO & Founder of VirtualiSurg, Nicolas Mignan ## **What is VirtualiSurg?** While VR-based surgical training is not a new concept, VirtualiSurg takes it to the next level by incorporating robotic-assisted tools and AI-driven performance tracking. Virtualisurg is a meta-learning platform (welcome to the Mediverse!) where surgeons practice their techniques in a VR-powered operating room with real surgical instruments, haptic feedback, and AI-guided mentorship. The goal is to make surgical training as realistic and effective as possible, minimizing errors and ultimately saving lives. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeEkPS7xds9VxRIMpaxzq_8ckpqaRSn62qsG_EXik-XnHCHKb8SVmDVmOPuTQsDc6cZIQUNj1d19z6WfS3Xb3iu_NnRvZk9W74-RntU4iqkHbUsEsGAZCtzEAa_HKq_ArklFgPYlg?key=WWvQGNm9uRVlHpCfMEZ1i6Az) VirtualiSurg's virtual operating theater ## **Why VirtualiSurg?** The MedTech was [founded by Mignan in 2017](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/virtualisurg-829843770?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). He said VirtualiSurg was born from a desire to address stagnation in surgical training and a belief that technological advancements could transform the field. Mignan, who had spent over 20 years working with medical faculties in French universities, was motivated by the possibilities offered by immersive technology. He saw the potential to use cutting-edge virtual reality tools to improve the efficiency and safety of surgical training. Inspired by the aviation industry, where pilots train on simulators before flying real aircraft, he asked: Why can’t we apply this same technology to train surgeons? He also felt a strong sense of urgency to preserve France’s reputation for excellence in medicine and surgery, fearing that countries like China and the U.S. could pull ahead in this vital field. In 2021 Mignan met Dr. [Elen Collaço](https://www.linkedin.com/in/elencollaco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), who had been researching virtual reality in surgical training at Brazil’s Polytechnic University for her PhD. By combining their expertise, they realized they could accelerate the development of a truly innovative training tool. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeFTmwilTUxRryxezXEQlZP2cFdIC0eBGIuIQueGcRY07SJYk5k-MaeBLIKvgaV7B6-J0bCIdmRY2HJXBjPPgIeHR3xm0TeJUwCbn_XGNhYnnPuC9BV-Wd2la8AV3VHUwMbh3mU?key=WWvQGNm9uRVlHpCfMEZ1i6Az) A live demo of VirtualiSurg's simulator ## **Under the hood** VirtualiSurg specializes in training for 8 of the 15 most common surgical specialties, including Orthopedics, Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Oncology. The goal? To create a fully interactive surgical training experience using a blend of virtual reality, AI, big data, and robotics. Trainee surgeons wear a VR headset and enter a virtual operating room, where they use hardware simulators - silicone-based sensor pads and robotic arms - to perform surgeries. The surgical instruments, either 3D printed by the startup or borrowed from the hospital, are attached to the robotic arms, which simulate real surgical sensations, like resistance and texture, using double-layered silicone to replicate human tissue. Mignan explained: “There is a huge variety of surgical instruments on the market today. These can vary greatly from one hospital to another. One of the most common phrases I hear in hospitals is 'how does this work?!' Being able to attach real instruments to the sensors means that surgeons can practice the medical operation ahead of time with the instruments they will actually be using.” A virtual mentor guides trainees, offering real-time feedback and alerting them to potential mistakes. Surgeons can also track their progress via a smart analytics dashboard, which logs operating times, success rates, and errors. ## **Business Model** With 8 global patents, VirtualiSurg stands out in the medical training space. Mignan said: “We have fewer than 10 competitors worldwide. While most focus on VR simulations with headsets and controllers, we combine virtual reality with robotic-assisted instruments and haptic technology to replicate the exact sensations of the operating room. We’re one of only two companies globally using this approach.” VirtualiSurg initially considered both universities and hospitals as potential markets. However, the complexity of hospital ecosystems - with a wide variety of medical devices in use - made a one-size-fits-all approach impractical. Additionally, with universities and hospitals facing tight budgets, VirtualiSurg needed a strategy that fit the realities of the healthcare sector. The global MedTech industry is valued at nearly $600 billion, with 5-13% attributed to training and marketing. VirtualiSurg chose to focus primarily on private-sector partnerships, working directly with medical device manufacturers to provide customized simulators for healthcare professionals and sales teams. By offering simulators alongside medical devices, VirtualiSurg enables hospitals to adopt new technologies faster, creating a win-win situation for both manufacturers and healthcare institutions. “For each surgical application, we create catalogs of the specific vocabulary, actions, and tools involved," he said. "It typically takes 4 to 6 months to develop a tailor-made solution. With each new project, we can reuse up to 50% of the code, speeding up development.” Dr. Collaço added, “It’s like assembling a giant puzzle. We don’t start from scratch — we build on previous projects and, with generative AI, we can accelerate development and improve our training recommendations.” ## **Strategic Partnerships** VirtualiSurg has partnered with industry giants such as Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson Medtech, Terumo, AbbVie, and Dräger. A standout project, the Dräger Virtuo XR Babyleo, is a lifelike simulation for neonatal care, which was recently named a finalist for two prestigious awards by AIXR—the XR Healthcare Solution of the Year Award and the Obsidian Award in 2024. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXd1KVRO3hUNtfpZlxb37HzEz5wECjKKvr-huVbmn_OmfLGxjdYdV6Ti9sKs3jAqZQpG0jca-0vzLGFN7S-qb-ZSYD2w18yKt3fXTi2ddtO2l0nZNyT3zGXOAvTZvaeWRHsh85GbVw?key=WWvQGNm9uRVlHpCfMEZ1i6Az) Virtualisurg and Dräger won the prestigious Obsidian Award with the project Dräger Virtuo XR Babyleo In the coming months, the company hopes to establish public partnerships and rent out its XR training platform and hardware to hospitals, offering them the flexibility to train surgeons with their specific equipment. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### New French AI Company Radar: February 2025 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/new-french-ai-company-radar-february-2025/ Last updated: 2025-02-26T08:00:40.000Z ***This is our monthly report summarizing AI-related companies founded in France. We identified 15 new companies via administrative filings, plus dozens more announced as part of AI-related incubators and accelerators.*** [***Upgrade to a paid subscription to see the full list.*** ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/) --- 🚀 **VaubanAI** was founded on [February 17, 2025](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/vaubanai-940892086?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), by [Florian Fournier](https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-fournier-b093a2aa/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (majority shareholder) and Arnaud Delaunay. The company's mission: "The design and development of AI-based technological applications to improve public and private security." Fournier was a co-founder of French unicorn PayFit. His LinkedIn bio says "starting something new." [He registered the domain name VAUBANAI.COM on January 30\. ](https://www.godaddy.com/whois/results.aspx?domainName=vaubanai.com&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚀 [**Tellow**](https://www.tellow.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) was founded on [**January 6, 2025**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/tellow-939322673?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), by [**Mathieu Choplain**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieu-choplain-4576a438/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), an entrepreneur who was previously Head of Comms for AI sleep startup Dreem. According to its filing, the company's mission is "the creation, design, implementation, operation, development, purchase and sale of software, software packages, databases, websites, and marketing materials, in particular in the field of welfare." [According to LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tellow-nutrition/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), "Tellow analyzes your metabolism from a blood test to create a nutrition program tailored to your needs." 🚀 **Hekia** was founded on [February 2, 2025](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/hekia-940705270?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), by Jean-Bernard Grubis and [Cyrille Chaidron](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrille-chaidron-70603269/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). According to LinkedIn, Hékia is a startup specializing in artificial intelligence disease detection with a universal hardware solution. Its website says: "Hekia is revolutionizing real-time disease detection in the field of medical imaging, thanks to a unique real-time, connectionless artificial intelligence analysis solution and the expertise of healthcare professionals." Although Hekia just recently filed its administrative papers, Chaidron's LinkedIn bio indicates he's been working on the project since late 2022\. Chaidron is also the CEO and founder of [Arteka](https://arteka.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), an optical AI startup. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #19: French Energy Grid Gets An AI Glow-Up 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-19-energy-grid-glow-up/ Last updated: 2025-02-24T07:30:04.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** Inside this edition: 🌞 **Deep Dive:** With energy demand for AI surging, there is a massive data center boom and a race to build enough power generation to supply this need. But that will take years to come online. In the meantime, Metroscope is using AI to help existing power plants – especially nuclear ones – to run more efficiently. CEO Aurélien Schwartz tells us: “We’re at the beginning of a massive industrial transformation. AI is no longer optional—it’s the backbone of a smarter, more resilient energy grid.” [**Read the full story.**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-optimizing-frances-nuclear-future-metroscope-preventing-energy-loss-scale/) ### **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # Headlines 🗞️ **Mistral AI's Le Chat is purring**. The chatbot app racked up over a million downloads in just two weeks. This speedy success is partly thanks to French President Emmanuel Macron, who encouraged citizens to choose Le Chat over competitors like ChatGPT. Le Chat's standout "Flash Answers" feature delivers lightning-fast responses, making it a favorite among users. With plans to build a data center in France and partnerships with local telecom providers, Mistral AI is on a roll – at least in its hometown. Meanwhile, it launched a regional model focused on Arabic language and culture as tries to get traction in the Middle East. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/20/plus-dun-million-de-telechargements-pour-le-chat-de-mistral-ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/19/mistrals-le-chat-tops-1m-downloads-in-just-14-days/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Mistral**](https://mistral.ai/en/news/mistral-saba?utm%5Fsource=tldrai) **🗞️** AI heavyweight **Karl Tuyls** is joining **Meta’s AI lab in Paris** as **Director of AI Research**, where he'll work with the **Llama team** to build advanced AI agent models. This comes **six months after he left H Company**, the Paris-based AI startup he co-founded, alongside two other cofounders—right after the company raised a **massive $220M seed round**. H Company, now led by two remaining cofounders, recently launched its first AI agent, **Runner H**, designed to turn instructions into precise actions. Before all this, Tuyls spent over **seven years at DeepMind.** | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/karl-tuyls-299270%5Fim-happy-to-share-that-im-starting-a-new-activity-7297315938884812801-In3l/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAABaM4kMB1wVCvuXvJ8Q%5FHB1aLT%5Fbst9lH6U)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/h-company-cofounder-meta-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** French startup **PRISM Eval** has demonstrated that Elon Musk's latest AI model, Grok 3, can be easily "jailbroken," allowing users to bypass safety filters and generate responses related to dangerous or illegal activities. Despite xAI's terms prohibiting such misuse, PRISM Eval's findings highlight vulnerabilities in Grok 3's safeguards, raising concerns about the effectiveness of safety measures in advanced AI systems. | [**France 24**](https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/tech-24/20250221-french-hackers-show-how-easy-it-is-to-jailbreak-musk-s-new-ai-model-grok-3?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** The **JFD Women rAIsing European AI Barometer** found that 65% of companies have an AI leader at the executive level, yet only 29% of these leaders are women. While 88% of businesses plan to increase AI investments, only 25% have developed their own Large Language Models (LLMs). The report stresses five pillars for AI progress: access & inclusion, sectoral transformation, employment impact, trust & ethics, and technological maturity. JFD’s "Women rAIsing" campaign underscores the importance of women’s leadership in AI, aiming to close gender gaps and encourage ethical AI development across Europe. | [**JFD**](https://www.joinjfd.com/en/european-ai-barometer-by-jfd/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** French cloud computing provider **Sesterce** is investing €450 million to develop an AI data center in Valence, France, which will house 40,000 GPUs for AI training and deployment. Construction is set to begin in September 2025, with the facility expected to be operational by the end of 2026\. | [**Data Center Dynamics**](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/sesterce-invests-450m-in-ai-data-center-in-valence-france/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **AMD and France's Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)** have signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate on developing energy-efficient AI computing systems. This partnership aims to advance technologies and architectures capable of handling intensive AI workloads across sectors like energy and medicine. In 2025, they plan to host a symposium bringing together European stakeholders, global tech providers, startups, supercomputing centers, universities, and policymakers to foster collaboration on emerging AI computing technologies. This initiative underscores AMD's commitment to international partnerships that accelerate AI innovation and strengthen ties between U.S. and European research institutions. | [**Sirus Gaming**](https://sirusgaming.com/amd-and-french-cea-join-forces-to-advance-energy-efficient-ai-computing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** The **French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI)**, along with international partners, has released guidance advocating a risk-based approach to securing AI systems. The document emphasizes the need for organizations to assess and mitigate risks associated with AI deployment, particularly with large language models, by focusing on areas such as data integrity, supply chain vulnerabilities, and continuous system monitoring. Co-signatories include Canada, Singapore, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Estonia. | [**Digwatch**](https://dig.watch/updates/frances-anssi-and-international-partners-advocate-risk-based-approach-for-secure-ai-systems?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Other headlines **🗞️ AI will reshape France’s relations with the Middle East |** France is deepening its collaboration with Middle Eastern nations in artificial intelligence, marking a new chapter in their longstanding relationship. Recent initiatives include hosting the AI Action Summit, launching the third phase of its National AI Strategy, and establishing the National Institute for the Evaluation and Security of Artificial Intelligence. Notably, the UAE has pledged up to €50 billion to create a 1-gigawatt AI data center in France, while Morocco has joined France in the Current AI public-private initiative, aiming to raise $2.5 billion over five years to foster AI innovation and assess its societal impact. | [**Arab News**](https://www.arabnews.com/node/2590821?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ France puts the AI in laissez-faire |** France positioned itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence at last week’s AI Action Summit in Paris, but the gathering revealed a country more focused on attracting investment than leading Europe's approach to artificial intelligence regulation. **|** [**Gzero**](https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-ai/france-puts-the-ai-in-laissez-faire?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Paris Just Hosted a Major AI Summit. Its Biggest Debate Was a Trap. |** "Instead of laying the foundations for progress, governments [seemed trapped](https://www.techpolicy.press/podcast-paths-diverge-at-the-paris-ai-action-summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in a limiting, almost tribal binary: are we for ‘innovation’ or ‘regulation’? This binary doesn’t just mislead—it traps governments in a reactive stance. With AI cast as an industry-led race, policymakers are left reacting to whatever models and business practices tech firms choose to develop." | [**Tech Policy**](https://www.techpolicy.press/paris-just-hosted-a-major-ai-summit-it-biggest-debate-was-a-trap/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🗣️ AI Optimizing France’s Nuclear Future: Metroscope Prevents Energy Loss at Scale [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-46.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-optimizing-frances-nuclear-future-metroscope-preventing-energy-loss-scale/) Nuclear power is the backbone of France’s energy system, supplying over 75% of the country’s electricity. In a world racing toward carbon neutrality, ensuring nuclear plants run at peak efficiency is more critical than ever - not just for economic reasons, but also for environmental sustainability. Enter: [Metroscope](http://metroscope.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a startup founded in 2018 by three former EDF R&D engineers: [Aurélien Schwartz,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aur%C3%A9lien-schwartz-b50ba035/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [Julien Lagarde](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julien-lagarde/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Joel Bentolila](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbentolila/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). The company has built an AI-powered diagnostics platform that is already monitoring 95 plants across 12 countries, including nuclear, conventional, and cooling systems. Their digital twin technology detects inefficiencies in real-time, helping operators recover lost energy, prevent costly shutdowns, and improve plant performance. With AI causing a global surge in energy demand, CEO Schwartz said the stakes couldn’t be higher: “Every power plant in the world loses, on average, 7 megawatts of energy. That’s enough to power an entire city. Our mission is to find those losses, fix them, and put that energy back into the grid.” [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-optimizing-frances-nuclear-future-metroscope-preventing-energy-loss-scale/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: 73 Strings 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered financial advisory platform optimizing valuation, risk management, and private market investments. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.73strings.com/](https://www.73strings.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Neuilly-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €50M 🏦 **Investors**: Blackstone; Goldman Sachs; Golub Capital; Hamilton Lane; Fidelity International Strategic Ventures; Broadhaven Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Abhishek Pandey; Sambeet Parija; Yann Magnan 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/73-strings-leve-55-millions-de-dollars-pour-transformer-la-valorisation-dactifs-alternatifs-avec-lia/451468?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Spore Biotechnologies 🔍 **Description**: Reinventing microbiology testing with AI 💻 **Website**: [http://spore.bio](http://spore.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €23M 🏦 **Investors**: Singular; LocalGlobe; Station F; Famille C Venture; No Label Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Amine Raji; Mohamed Tazi; Maxime Mistretta 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spore-bio%5Fwe-just-raised-a-23m-series-a-led-by-singular-activity-7298261350382755840-iggB?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI), [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/19/sporebio-raises-23m-to-apply-machine-learning-to-microbiology-testing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/spore-bio-23-m-series-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Genial 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered agents designed to assist SMEs in automating workflows and enhancing efficiency. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wearegenial.com/](https://www.wearegenial.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.8M 🏦 **Investors**: Huttopia; Crédit Agricole; Founders Futures; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Erwan Simon, Fabien Grosyeux 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/genial-secures-e1-8-million-to-advance-ai-solutions-for-smes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Ochy 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered **motion analysis platform** helping individuals minimize injuries and improve movement efficiency. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.ochy.io](http://www.ochy.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.7M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Redstone; Berkeley SkyDeck; Agile Physical Therapy; Look AI Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Khaldon Evans; Perrine Chapot; Victor Dequidt 🗞️ **News**: [**Ain**](https://en.ain.ua/2025/02/19/ochy-raises-eur17m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Events 📆 **AWS Startup Day | Early Stage Edition 2025 | March 4 |** Join the AWS Startups team at the AWS Startup Day and Early Stage Edition 2025, the annual conference dedicated to early-stage startups. **|** [**Register**](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/events/aws-startup-day-earlystage-edition-2025?trk=c0d0a513-df97-41ba-a025-f56bba02fb54&sc%5Fchannel=el&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Builders Weekend | March 15 |** What is Builders Weekend? It’s the grand finale of the[ ](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[**AI Startup School**](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)—a four-week program where we bring together top European CEOs, CTOs, with 40 sharp, ambitious builders. No panels, no BS—just real conversations about the hard parts of starting a company and the hacks that they've found to make it work. The builders weekend is only for participants of the AI Startup School. | **Learn more and apply** [**here**](https://aistartupschool.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**.** 📆 **AgentX** | AgentX is pioneering the first fully agent summit, designed to showcase the transformative power of AI and Decentralization. Co-created by two of the leading events in their domains, Paris Blockchain Week and RAISE, this revolutionary event will bring together the brightest minds, cutting-edge projects, and global visionaries to tackle the most pressing moments of the ongoing AI revolution: **Agents and Decentralization. |** [**Tickets**](https://www.agentxsummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### AI Optimizing France’s Nuclear Future: Metroscope Prevents Energy Loss at Scale URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-optimizing-frances-nuclear-future-metroscope-preventing-energy-loss-scale/ Last updated: 2025-02-24T13:19:39.000Z CEO Aurélien Schwartz: “We’re at the beginning of a massive industrial transformation. AI is no longer optional—it’s the backbone of a smarter, more resilient energy grid.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 21: 73 Strings, EG 427, Spore Biotechnologies & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-21-73-strings-eg-427-spore/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T17:04:23.000Z --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to get your brand in front of decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-27.png) 📇 **Company**: 73 Strings 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered financial advisory platform optimizing valuation, risk management, and private market investments. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.73strings.com/](https://www.73strings.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Neuilly-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €50M 🏦 **Investors**: Blackstone; Goldman Sachs; Golub Capital; Hamilton Lane; Fidelity International Strategic Ventures; Broadhaven Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Abhishek Pandey; Sambeet Parija; Yann Magnan 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/73-strings-leve-55-millions-de-dollars-pour-transformer-la-valorisation-dactifs-alternatifs-avec-lia/451468?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: EG 427 🔍 **Description**: Pioneering a new approach in gene therapy, called **pinpoint gene therapy**, focusing on targeted neurological applications. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.eg427.com](https://www.eg427.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €27M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Andera Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François Giuliano; Philippe Chambon 🗞️ **News**: [Benzinga](https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/25/02/g43839638/eg-427-raises-27-million-in-successful-series-b-co-led-by-andera-partners-and-bpifrance-to-finance?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/Spore.bio-1.jpg) 📇 **Company**: Spore Biotechnologies 🔍 **Description**: Reinventing microbiology testing with AI 💻 **Website**: [http://spore.bio](http://spore.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €23M 🏦 **Investors**: Singular; LocalGlobe; Station F; Famille C Venture; No Label Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Amine Raji; Mohamed Tazi; Maxime Mistretta 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spore-bio%5Fwe-just-raised-a-23m-series-a-led-by-singular-activity-7298261350382755840-iggB?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI), [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/19/sporebio-raises-23m-to-apply-machine-learning-to-microbiology-testing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/spore-bio-23-m-series-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Circle Safe 🔍 **Description**: Medtech startup developing solutions to prevent **diaphragmatic paralysis in rhythmology**, improving surgical outcomes in cardiology. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.circle-safe.com](https://www.circle-safe.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Marseille 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Odyssey Venture Partners; Région Sud Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bertrand Thiery 🗞️ **News**: [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7298285861459144704/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Dametis 🔍 **Description**: Ecological performance management solution for industrial sites. 💻 **Website**: [https://dametis.com/](https://dametis.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Angers 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €7M 🏦 **Investors**: Eiffel Investment Group 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nicolas Duran, Julian ARISTIZA 🗞️ **News**: [Usine Digitale](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/dametis-leve-7-millions-d-euros-pour-son-logiciel-d-optimisation-de-la-consommation-energetique.N2227794?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Cycloid 🔍 **Description**: DevOps platform simplifying cloud adoption and accelerating IT infrastructure deployment for enterprises. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.cycloid.io/](https://www.cycloid.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 🏦 **Investors**: Reflexion Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Benjamin Brial 🗞️ **News**: [**Tech.eu**](https://tech.eu/2025/02/18/cycloid-raises-5m-series-a-for-platform-engineering-software/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-28.png) 📇 **Company**: Wavo 🔍 **Description**: Sneakertech consignment service allows sellers to get paid **before selling** their sneakers. 💻 **Website**: [http://wavo-app.com](http://wavo-app.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures; Tony Parker; HUB612; Clint Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Julien Decherf Mathiolon, Adrien Plat, 🗞️ **News**: [**Finyear**](https://www.finyear.com/Wavo-un-premier-tour-de-table-a-35M-mene-par-Clint-Capital%5Fa52114.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: SeaWeed Concept 🔍 **Description**: Deeptech process using algae preservation through lactic fermentation, extending shelf life for food, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals. 💻 **Website**: [https://seaweedconcept.com](https://seaweedconcept.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: Blue Forward Fund, Seventure Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Sébastien Balusson 🗞️ **News**: [Le Journal des Enterprises](https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/article/seaweed-concept-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-accroitre-sa-production-dalgues-utilisees-dans-2113991?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-45.png) 📇 **Company**: AITHRA 🔍 **Description**: A new industrialized production process for shaping advanced technical ceramics for the **NewSpace** industry. 💻 **Website**: [https://aithra.fr/](https://aithra.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; ESA (European Space Agency); CNES 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAoaS%5F0B32BUPd8Yg4FKmKUzCnkFGfKOBhY?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Marine Bertucchi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertucchi/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAA-yaqoBhvUwuA-ZlMMcQxNxKouvz89V-Kw?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)[Cédric Neuville](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedric-neuville/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aithrasas%5Fdeeptech-innovation-frittage-activity-7297208209956601856-1%5Fk3?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI), [La Tribune](https://toulouse.latribune.fr/entreprises/business/2025-02-14/spatial-aithra-leve-2-millions-d-euros-pour-accelerer-sur-les-ceramiques-techniques-1018379.html?utm%5Fterm=Autofeed&utm%5Fmedium=Social&utm%5Fsource=LinkedIn#Echobox=1739554335) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-44.png) 📇 **Company**: Genial 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered agents designed to assist SMEs in automating workflows and enhancing efficiency. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.wearegenial.com/](https://www.wearegenial.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.8M 🏦 **Investors**: Huttopia; Crédit Agricole; Founders Futures; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Erwan Simon, Fabien Grosyeux 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/genial-secures-e1-8-million-to-advance-ai-solutions-for-smes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-29.png) 📇 **Company**: Ochy 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered **motion analysis platform** helping individuals minimize injuries and improve movement efficiency. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.ochy.io](http://www.ochy.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.7M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Redstone; Berkeley SkyDeck; Agile Physical Therapy; Look AI Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Khaldon Evans; Perrine Chapot; Victor Dequidt 🗞️ **News**: [**Ain**](https://en.ain.ua/2025/02/19/ochy-raises-eur17m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Pronoe 🔍 **Description**: A **CO₂ removal** startup restoring the ocean’s natural ability to **capture and permanently store CO₂ from the air**. 💻 **Website**: [http://pronoe.earth](http://pronoe.earth/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5M 🏦 **Investors**: CarbonFix 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Juan Buceta; Nicolas Sdez --- 📇 **Company**: Allaw 🔍 **Description**: A platform connecting individuals with legal professionals, helping lawyers and notaries improve their visibility and productivity. 💻 **Website**: [http://allaw.fr/](http://allaw.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5M 🏦 **Investors**: Sowefund 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ludovic Stang, Germain Stang 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/allaw-fr%5Facc%C3%A9der-au-droit-ne-devrait-pas-%C3%AAtre-un-activity-7298615731716304896-Y4uy?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Symexo 🔍 **Description**: Enterprise infrastructure management software designed for large-scale digital operations. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.symexo.com/](https://www.symexo.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Balma 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €750K 🏦 **Investors**: Multicroissance, Bpifrance 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/symexo-infogerance%5Fcommuniqu%C3%A9-de-presse-symexo-l%C3%A8ve-750-000-activity-7298263532142276608-uegO?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-31.png) 📇 **Company**: Naali 🔍 **Description**: NAALI is a French manufacturer of high-quality natural food supplements based on saffron. Our mission is to inspire healthy lifestyles by bringing simplicity and pleasure to the world of food supplements. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.naali.fr/](http://www.naali.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bron 🧗 **Round**: Angel 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.6M 🏦 **Investors**: Jean-Michel Aulas; Jean-Michel Karam; Kelly Massol 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nadir Tayach, Abderhaman Nour Ebad, hilal TAGAROUN 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kais-tahri%5Fqvema-naali-qvema-activity-7295702004297793536-u%5FrS?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI) --- 📇 **Company**: Terroe 🔍 **Description**: Terroe is proposing a new model of local industry by deploying a network of ultra-local vegetable processing units throughout the country. 💻 **Website**: [https://terroe.fr](https://terroe.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Annecy 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.25M 🏦 **Investors**: N/A 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Clotilde Humbert, 🗞️ **News**: N/A --- 📇 **Company**: PulseSight Therapeutics 🔍 **Description**: PulseSight is an ophthalmology drug development company developing disruptive non-viral gene therapies with minimally-invasive delivery technology to treat major eye diseases. Our mission is to develop life-changing solutions for patients with diseases leading to sight loss. 💻 **Website**: [https://pulsesight.com/](https://pulsesight.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Korea Investment Partners; Pureos Bioventures; +ND Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Leadership Team**: Judith Greciet, Thierry Bordet 🗞️ **News**: [**PR**](https://pulsesight.com/2025/02/13/pulsesight-therapeutics-announces-first-close-of-its-series-a-financing-to-fund-clinical-development-of-pst-611-in-dry-amd/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### French Tech Wire: Two Insect Startups Get Swatted, While One Keeps Flying High 🐛 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-ynsect-micronutris-innovafeed/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T17:04:58.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, 👀 **Deep Dive:** With Ÿnsect rolling toward bankruptcy and Agronutris seeking court protection, France's ambitions for the insect-based food market may have been squashed. But Innovafeed is still in the game thanks to a very different strategy. [We break down how its approach may yet position the company for success.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/buggin-out-can-innovafeed-salvage-frances-alternative-protein-dreams/) [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to get your brand in front of decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🐛 **Ynsect**, once a shining star of French Tech, is now on the verge of judicial restructuring after failing to secure a buyer or fresh investment. The insect-protein startup needed €130 million to complete its massive Poulainville factory and scale up production but couldn’t find the necessary funds. This is a major blow for the company’s 200+ employees and a symbolic loss for France’s push for sustainable, industrial innovation. The collapse is also a major disappointment for the French government and Bpifrance, which heavily backed Ynsect, contributing to its total €600 million in funding. More broadly, it raises questions about the sustainability of France’s attempts to leverage its Deep Tech prowess to re-industrialize the country. With economic uncertainty, state-backed loan repayments looming, and a tough fundraising environment, 2025 could see more high-profile failures in French Tech. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/ynsect-ex-fleuron-de-la-french-tech-bientot-place-en-redressement-judiciaire-2149497?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**France 3**](https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/bourgogne-franche-comte/jura/sans-repreneur-l-ancienne-start-up-a-succes-ynsect-specialisee-dans-les-proteines-d-insectes-bientot-en-redressement-judiciaire-3110344.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/ynsect-selling-for-parts-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/18/ynsect-bientot-repris-par-nestle-ou-un-fonds-singapourien/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 😠🇫🇷 French startups are voicing concerns over recent government budget changes that could increase labor costs and stifle innovation. While the government maintained key tax exemptions for early-stage innovative enterprises (JEI), it tightened eligibility criteria, requiring startups to spend at least 20% of their budget on R&D instead of 15%. This shift could exclude hundreds of startups from benefits that previously helped them manage high employment costs, particularly for R&D teams. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, [obtained by Maddyness,](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/17/budget-la-french-tech-appelle-le-premier-ministre-a-ne-pas-toucher-au-jei/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) all the major associations representing French start-ups call on Prime Minister François Bayrou to preserve the previous status of the JEI. The changes come as France faces pressure to reduce its budget deficit, despite global competitors like the U.S. and China ramping up investments in strategic industries. Startup associations argue that these cuts could slow the ecosystem’s momentum and damage France’s attractiveness as a tech hub. While founders and investors welcome some stability, they worry that unpredictable policy shifts could undermine long-term confidence in the sector. | [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/17/budget-la-french-tech-appelle-le-premier-ministre-a-ne-pas-toucher-au-jei/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), 💼 France's global tech consulting giant **Capgemini** reported a rough 2024 with revenues declining by 1.9% to €22.096 billion and an operating margin decrease of 1.9%. According to the company, this downturn was primarily due to sluggish client spending, especially in the manufacturing sector and European markets, leading to a cautious outlook for 2025\. In contrast, competitors like KPMG reported a 5.4% revenue increase, driven by strong performances in their audit and tax divisions. "In 2024, the market proved weaker than we anticipated at the beginning of the year. Clients did not increase their discretionary spend," Capgemini CEO **Ayman Ezzat** said on an earnings call. However, the company is optimistic that demand for help with GenAI will drive business in 2025, noting that GenAI bookings accounted for around 5% of Q4 bookings and close to 4% full year. | [**Capgemini**](https://www.capgemini.com/news/press-releases/full-year-2024-results/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Transcript**](https://www.investing.com/news/transcripts/earnings-call-transcript-capgemini-q4-2024-sees-stable-margins-amid-revenue-dip-93CH-3873296?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏫 The French government has launched *Je Choisis la French Tech Académie* to help startups win more public contracts. This initiative, led by *La Mission French Tech*, will train startups on navigating the complexities of public procurement, an area where many struggle. By providing mentorship, workshops, and direct connections with government buyers, the program aims to boost French startups’ access to lucrative state contracts. This move is part of a broader effort to strengthen France’s tech ecosystem by ensuring more homegrown innovation is integrated into public services. | [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/19/comment-la-mission-french-tech-veut-pousser-les-startups-a-decrocher-davantage-de-marches-publics/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Le Figaro](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/avec-je-choisis-la-french-tech-academie-le-gouvernement-va-former-les-start-up-aux-rouages-des-marches-publics-20250219?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🏢🟢 **Deepki,** a leader in ESG data aggregation for buildings, reported strong growth in 2024, reaching €55 million in annual recurring revenue—a 25% year-over-year increase. While the company achieved breakeven in September, it still posted an annual loss of around €10 million due to economic headwinds in real estate and growing competition. Deepki has focused on AI-driven energy audits and efficiency improvements while maintaining a steady workforce of 400 employees. The company serves 500 clients, managing €4 trillion in assets, but has prioritized larger accounts over smaller ones, leading to some client churn. Expansion continues in Europe and the U.S., though in America, Deepki emphasizes cost-saving efficiencies rather than ESG messaging. Looking ahead, the startup is considering another funding round or even an IPO, though it remains committed to its independence for now. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/french-tech-les-bons-resultats-de-deepki-la-locomotive-de-lefficacite-energetique-2149283?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🥼🔬 Biotech startup **Stilla Technologies** was acquired by U.S.-based Bio-Rad for $225 million. Stilla, known for its cutting-edge digital PCR technology, had been gaining traction in the precision diagnostics space. This deal strengthens Bio-Rad’s position in molecular biology while marking another case of a promising French deep-tech company being snapped up by a larger American player. Despite the sale, Stilla’s technology and expertise are expected to remain key assets within Bio-Rad’s expanding portfolio. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-18-mistral-ai-shakes-its-moneymaker-2/)**,** [**Usine Digitale**](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/l-americain-bio-rad-s-empare-de-la-biotech-francaise-stilla-technologies-pour-225-millions-de-dollars.N2227589?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💏🗑️ **Bumble** has shut down **Fruitz**, the French dating app it acquired in 2022, as part of its broader cost-cutting strategy. Despite Fruitz’s initial success with its playful fruit-based matchmaking concept, it struggled to compete in a saturated dating market. This closure reflects Bumble’s shift towards optimizing its core platforms while streamlining operations. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/20/clap-de-fin-pour-fruitz-bumble-sabre-lapp-francaise-de-dating/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: Can Innovafeed Salvage France's Alternative Protein Dreams? ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-43.png) The French insect protein industry was supposed to revolutionize sustainable food production, backed by hundreds of millions in funding and strong government support. Now, industry pioneer Ÿnsect is on the brink of bankruptcy after burning through $440M, and rival Agronutris is fighting for survival. Amid this carnage, Innovafeed has emerged as the last bug standing - deploying a different strategy that may have cracked the code for making insect protein work at a massive scale. Here's how they're building a bug-based empire while their competitors collapse, and why even their success isn't guaranteed. [Read it here](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/buggin-out-can-innovafeed-salvage-frances-alternative-protein-dreams/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-33.png) 📇 **Company**: **73 Strings** 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered financial advisory platform optimizing valuation, risk management, and private market investments. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.73strings.com/](https://www.73strings.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Neuilly-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €50M 🏦 **Investors**: Blackstone; Goldman Sachs; Golub Capital; Hamilton Lane; Fidelity International Strategic Ventures; Broadhaven Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Abhishek Pandey; Sambeet Parija; Yann Magnan 🗞️ **News**: [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/73-strings-leve-55-millions-de-dollars-pour-transformer-la-valorisation-dactifs-alternatifs-avec-lia/451468?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: **EG 427** 🔍 **Description**: Pioneering a new approach in gene therapy, called **pinpoint gene therapy**, focusing on targeted neurological applications. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.eg427.com](https://www.eg427.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €27M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Andera Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: François Giuliano; Philippe Chambon 🗞️ **News**: [Benzinga](https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/25/02/g43839638/eg-427-raises-27-million-in-successful-series-b-co-led-by-andera-partners-and-bpifrance-to-finance?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-34.png) 📇 **Company**: Spore Biotechnologies 🔍 **Description**: Reinventing microbiology testing with AI 💻 **Website**: [http://spore.bio](http://spore.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €23M 🏦 **Investors**: Singular; LocalGlobe; Station F; Famille C Venture; No Label Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Amine Raji; Mohamed Tazi; Maxime Mistretta 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spore-bio%5Fwe-just-raised-a-23m-series-a-led-by-singular-activity-7298261350382755840-iggB?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAADtQEBK2cPoar2fKhYuhhp-DyTx%5FpSNBI), [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/19/sporebio-raises-23m-to-apply-machine-learning-to-microbiology-testing/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/spore-bio-23-m-series-a?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Buggin' Out: Can Innovafeed Salvage France's Alternative Protein Dreams? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/buggin-out-can-innovafeed-salvage-frances-alternative-protein-dreams/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T04:39:05.000Z With Ÿnsect rolling toward bankruptcy and Agronutris seeking court protection, France's ambitions for the insect-based food market may have been squashed. But Innovafeed is still in the game thanks to a very different strategy. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #18: Mistral AI Shakes Its Moneymaker 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-18-mistral-ai-shakes-its-moneymaker-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-17T06:06:37.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** This week we wrap up coverage of the AI Summit for Action. This includes: 🌞 **Deep Dive:** Mistral AI managed to turn the summit into a mega-marketing extravaganza as it sought to re-establish its credibility in the global LLM arms race. Across a series of more commercial and government announcements than anyone could count, the company aimed to prove that it has its business game face on. [Read it here. ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-code-commerce-mistral-ai-shows-it-means-business-at-paris-summit/) ### **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # ✊ Sponsors 🙌 ### **Want to reach an audience of more than 30,000 readers each month?** The French Tech Journal is the leading English-language media platform covering France's dynamic tech ecosystem. With over 31,000 engaged readers across key global markets and consistently high engagement rates, we provide unparalleled access to decision-makers in French tech. [Contact us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/sponsors/) --- # ⛰️ AI Action Summit News **⛰️ And so, it ends.** The AI Summit For Action in Paris is done. You can read our Special Coverage of the comings and goings here: [AI Summit For Action Day 2: US VP Tells Europe Where To Stick Tech RegulationsThe two-day summit saw lots of biz announcements, but no consensus on an AI statement. The mood was decidedly more buoyant at the Business Day gathering at Station F.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-10.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/54223526-790f-4314-9e85-0acb8cb2b1c4.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-for-action-day-2-us-vp-tells-europe-where-to-stick-its-tech-regulations-2/) [AI Summit For Action Day 1: Big Investments and a European Wake-up CallCan a €109bn investment package turbo-charge France’s AI ambitions? Can AI diplomats learn to sing from the same gospel hymn?![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-11.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/palaissummit.jpg)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-for-action-day-1-big-investments-and-a-european-wake-up-call/) [🤖 La Machine #17: AI Action Summit Makes The Money Rain Down! 🤖Inside: France is securing massive AI investments, with President Macron announcing €109B in funding. Bpifrance will invest €10B in AI startups. And Mistral AI punched back with its new Le Chat model.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-12.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/DALL-E-2025-02-09-23.03.10---A-dynamic-and-visually-striking-digital-illustration-of-money-raining-down-on-French-AI-companies.-The-scene-features-modern--high-tech-office-buildin.webp)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-17-special-ai-action-summit-edition-make-money-rain/) [🤖 La Machine #16: Special AI Action Summit Edition 🤖Inside: France Digitale CEO Maya Noël wants to help the Summit get down to business; FD’s AI startup mapping makes the case for France as an AI player; meanwhile the DeepSeek freakout continues.![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/icon/3-13.png)The French Tech JournalChris O’Brien![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/thumbnail/DALL-E-2025-01-27-00.19.10---A-horizontal-image-representing-a-dynamic-and-futuristic-AI-themed-newsletter.-The-scene-includes-a-blend-of-technological-elements_-glowing-AI-neural.webp)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-16-special-ai-action-summit-edition-2/) But there was still Plenty O' More goodies dropping as the week rolled on. The government led the way with a host of AI initiatives: **⛰️ AI Education in Schools**: Starting in the 2025 academic year, France will introduce mandatory AI training for 8th and 10th-grade students. This program aims to equip students with a foundational knowledge of artificial intelligence, including understanding its functions, limitations, biases, and environmental impacts. The initiative reflects the government's commitment to integrating AI literacy into the national curriculum. | [**L'etudiant**](https://www.letudiant.fr/college/une-formation-sur-lia-sera-deployee-au-college-et-au-lycee.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#:~:text=Actu-,Une%20formation%20sur%20l'IA%20sera%20d%C3%A9ploy%C3%A9e%20au%20coll%C3%A8ge%20et,lyc%C3%A9e%20%C3%A0%20la%20rentr%C3%A9e%202025&text=La%20ministre%20de%20l'%C3%89ducation%20nationale%2C%20Elisabeth%20Borne%2C%20a,au%20coll%C3%A8ge%20et%20au%20lyc%C3%A9e) **⛰️ National Institute for AI Evaluation and Security (INESIA)**: The French government has announced the creation of INESIA, a national institute dedicated to the scientific assessment and security of artificial intelligence technologies. This institute will evaluate AI's effects, particularly concerning national security, ensuring that AI developments align with safety and ethical standards. | [**Campus France**](https://www.campusfrance.org/en/actu/creation-d-un-institut-national-pour-l-evaluation-et-la-securite-de-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ Generative AI for Public Sector Employees**: Plans are underway to provide generative AI tools to 5.7 million public sector employees in France. This initiative aims to enhance public services by integrating AI technologies into administrative processes, thereby improving efficiency and responsiveness to public needs. | [**Banque des Territoires**](https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/le-gouvernement-prevoit-de-proposer-une-ia-generative-57-millions-dagents-publics?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ EU AI Champions Initiative**: Launched at the AI Action Summit in Paris, this initiative brings together over 60 European companies committed to establishing Europe as a global leader in AI development and application. The coalition focuses on mobilizing talent and capital, accelerating AI adoption in established industries, and enhancing the competitiveness of European companies in the AI sector. | [**Website**](https://aichampions.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ Coalition for Sustainable AI**: Initiated by France in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme and the International Telecommunications Union, this coalition aims to align AI development with global sustainability goals. It seeks to ensure that AI technologies contribute positively to environmental objectives, promoting responsible AI that supports ecological transitions. | [**Website**](https://www.sustainableaicoalition.org/about/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️** **Current AI** is a global partnership launched in February 2025 at the AI Action Summit in Paris, aiming to develop artificial intelligence technologies that serve the public interest. With an initial investment of $400 million from the French government, AI Collaborative, and industry partners like Google and Salesforce, the initiative seeks to raise $2.5 billion over five years. Its focus areas include expanding access to high-quality datasets, promoting open-source tools, and establishing frameworks for AI transparency and accountability, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, education, and linguistic diversity. | [**Website**](https://www.currentai.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ Macron Promotes France's Electric-Powered AI Initiatives.** President Emmanuel Macron emphasized France's commitment to becoming a leader in artificial intelligence by leveraging the country's clean and abundant nuclear energy. He highlighted that this sustainable power source positions France uniquely to address the substantial energy demands of AI technologies. Macron urged businesses to consider Europe for their AI needs, contrasting France's approach to energy with that of other nations. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/macron-promotes-frances-electric-powered-ai-2025-02-10/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**World Nuclear New**](https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/france-tempts-ai-firms-with-its-nuclear-electricity?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)s **⛰️** However, some critics warn that France's ambition to become a leading hub for artificial intelligence by leveraging its abundant nuclear power faces potential delays due to the lengthy processes required to connect energy-intensive data centers to the electricity grid. In response, state-owned utility EDF has identified sites with existing grid connections to expedite development and reduce project timelines. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/connection-challenge-could-hamper-nuclear-powered-frances-bid-ai-hub-2025-02-11/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Headlines **🗞️ Ex-Mistral Employee Seeks $80M for Stealth AI Startup |** Theophile Gervet, a former research scientist at Mistral AI, has launched Genesis Robotics, aiming to raise $80 million for an AI-powered simulation platform designed to train next-generation robots. Co-founded with Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute's Zhou Xian, the startup claims its "Genesis" platform can deliver simulations up to 80 times faster than existing tools like Nvidia's IsaacGym. This initiative has garnered attention within the AI community, with industry professionals describing the technology as "absolutely insane." **|** [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/ex-mistral-genesis-robotics-80m?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ Evroc to Build Hyperscale AI Data Centre in France** | Swedish startup Evroc has announced plans to construct a 96-megawatt hyperscale data center in Mougins, France, near the tech hub Sophia Antipolis. This facility, set to be operational later this year, will house approximately 50,000 GPUs and represents Evroc's ambition to offer a European alternative to American cloud services like AWS. The project aligns with the EU's objective to enhance tech sovereignty and reduce reliance on non-European cloud providers. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/evroc-hyperscale-ai-data-centre-in-france-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ Fluidstack to Build 1GW AI Supercomputer in France |** Fluidstack, an AI cloud platform provider, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the French government to develop one of the world's largest decarbonized AI supercomputers. The initial €10 billion investment will establish a data center powered by France's nuclear energy, providing up to 1 gigawatt of dedicated AI compute power. Set to become operational in 2026, this project aims to position France as a premier global AI hub, offering unparalleled compute capacity for next-generation AI models. | [**PR**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250210579531/en/Fluidstack-to-Build-1GW-AI-Supercomputer-in-FranceCBMiqwFBVV95cUxPR1dBTUNBWnE3c2RXQ1BFN2pQcDlZaHF4V2V2dlFMMFJva0FFRXhOQUhhTm5FNF9PVXlVNlVGSkdUVURIdjB0WllUUVVQSlhybWJSUGRhREVPWnFDOWVzQ3JTeVNYUEd3ZmRJY3pRZEViTkJXc3NqSnowWVBrc0lPSlpfam5qQXF6bFBqWWU5bDdveUlfUW5oQlgzV2JSR2VBcXFxbW5hcjlVck0?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### 🗣️ From Code to Commerce: Mistral AI Shows It Means Business at Paris Summit [![Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch (left) speaks at the AI Summit for Action in Paris.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-25.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-code-commerce-mistral-ai-shows-it-means-business-at-paris-summit/) Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch (left) speaks at the AI Summit for Action in Paris. During last week's AI Action Summit in Paris, France's Mistral AI unveiled a series of major business initiatives and partnerships, signaling an aggressive push to transform itself from a research-focused startup into a full-fledged commercial AI provider. The announcements come as rivals such as OpenAI's ChatGPT reportedly have **$3.7 billion** in annual revenue while **China's DeepSeek** has upended notions about GenAI business models with its lower-cost, open-sourced competitor. In recent weeks, that has triggered a debate about Mistral, France's hope for an LLM competitor that has raised about €600m in financing: Does DeepSeek's arrival create new hope for open-source competitors like Mistral? Or will Mistral get squeezed between American and Chinese rivals? Over the course of a week, Mistral responded with a flurry of business-related announcements that came on the heels of the buzz surrounding its latest model. Mistral is positioning itself as a more efficient, decentralized alternative to American AI providers even as the company highlighted similarities with Chinese company DeepSeek, which has demonstrated the ability to build competitive models at lower cost. This could prove attractive to European clients seeking independence from U.S. technology giants. With the eyes of the AI world fixed for several days on Paris, Mistral seemed intent on demonstrating that it has the tech and business strategy to establish itself as Europe's champion in the global AI race. "Our goal is to be a global market leader,“ said Mistral co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch in an interview on French TV channel TF1\. "Mistral has already demonstrated this from a technological perspective. Now we're trying to do it from the product side.“ [Read the story](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-code-commerce-mistral-ai-shows-it-means-business-at-paris-summit/) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: ScorePlay 🔍 **Description**: An AI-powered platform revolutionizing sports media management by automating the tagging, organization, and distribution of content for sports organizations. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.scoreplay.io/](https://www.scoreplay.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: New York and Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €12.5M 🏦 **Investors**: 20VC; Seven Seven Six; APEX Capital; BYL Ventures; Trybe Ventures; FIBA; LORi6 Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Victorien Tixier; Xavier Green 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/scoreplay-scores-big-with-e12-5-million-to-transform-sports-media-management/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Freeda 🔍 **Description**: Automated plan compliance verification and collaboration platform for construction projects. 💻 **Website**: [http://freeda.so](http://freeda.so/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.2M 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels from Mistral AI, Station F, and Databricks 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Augustin Perraud --- 📇 **Company**: EyePick 🔍 **Description**: Develops robotic and machine-learning technologies to enable automation in industries and increase productivity. 💻 **Website**: [https://eyepick.co/](https://eyepick.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Entrepreneur First 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mehdi Adjaoue; Florian Fontaine-Papion # Events 📆 **RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 |** RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | [**Register**](https://www.raisesummit.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### From Code to Commerce: Mistral AI Shows It Means Business at Paris Summit URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/from-code-commerce-mistral-ai-shows-it-means-business-at-paris-summit/ Last updated: 2025-02-17T04:53:21.000Z CEO Arthur Mensch: "Our goal is to be a global market leader." France's Great LLM Hope announced a flood of business deals in the face of mounting skepticism that it can compete against rivals such as OpenAI and DeepSeek. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 14: Germitec, ScorePlay, Smile Wanted & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-14-germitec-scoreplay-smile-wanted/ Last updated: 2025-02-18T12:32:15.000Z 📇 **Company**: Germitec 🔍 **Description**: Leading provider of chemical-free and ultra-fast automated high-level disinfection solutions for reprocessing ultrasound probes. 💻 **Website**: [http://germitec.com](http://germitec.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Ivry-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €29M 🏦 **Investors**: Turenne Capital; Eurazeo; Financière Arbevel; Kurma Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Clément Deshays 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/12/financee-par-eurazeo-germitec-leve-29-millions-deuros-pour-lutter-contre-les-maladies-nosocomiales-a-lhopital/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/germitec-raises-e28-8-million-for-uv-c-high-level-disinfection-in-ultrasounds/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: ScorePlay 🔍 **Description**: An AI-powered platform revolutionizing sports media management by automating the tagging, organization, and distribution of content for sports organizations. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.scoreplay.io/](https://www.scoreplay.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: New York and Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €12.5M 🏦 **Investors**: 20VC; Seven Seven Six; APEX Capital; BYL Ventures; Trybe Ventures; FIBA; LORi6 Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Victorien Tixier; Xavier Green 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/scoreplay-scores-big-with-e12-5-million-to-transform-sports-media-management/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Smile Wanted 🔍 **Description**: An adtech company that has developed a marketplace connecting content publishers with advertisers through an algorithm that filters and categorizes high-performing advertising spaces using cookieless criteria. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.smilewanted.com/](https://www.smilewanted.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Elevation Capital Partners; Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jérémy Abitan (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/13/ladtech-smile-wanted-leve-10-millions-deuros-et-pense-deja-a-un-second-tour-de-table/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: **Alterdiag** 🔍 **Description**: Developer of rapid diagnostic tests using single-domain antibodies 💻 **Website**: [https://alterdiag.com/](https://alterdiag.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2m 🏦 **Investors**: Forepont 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: CEDRIC BECHET, Karine Mignon Godefroy 🗞️ **News**: [PR](https://alterdiag.com/news/seed-funding-alterdiag-forepont/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Ekstere 🔍 **Description**: A platform specializing in the sale of reconditioned electric bicycles, promoting sustainability and circular economy practices. 💻 **Website**: [https://ekstere.eco/](https://ekstere.eco/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Vélizy-Villacoublay 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.6M 🏦 **Investors**: Seventure Partners; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Philippe Masseau, 🗞️ **News**: [PR](https://www.seventure.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CP%5FEkstere%5Flevee%5FFINAL.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: **Oncodiag** 🔍 **Description**: Developer of non-invasive diagnostic testing kits designed to help in the early detection of urological cancers 💻 **Website**: [https://www.oncodiag.fr/](https://www.oncodiag.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.4m 🏦 **Investors**: Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Claude Hennion, Jean-Pierre Roperch --- 📇 **Company**: Speeral 🔍 **Description**: A marketplace connecting businesses with second-hand product sites, promoting a circular economy and sustainability. 💻 **Website**: [https://speeral.io/](https://speeral.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.2M 🏦 **Investors**: Aquiti; Emmanuel Grenier; Philippe Brochard; Guillaume Cavaroc; Antony Rode 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Julien Chevalier 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7295092831054974977/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: ExtraJool 🔍 **Description**: Converts industrial waste heat into electricity, promoting energy efficiency in manufacturing. 💻 **Website**: [https://extrajool.com/](https://extrajool.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Aquiti; SideAngels; One Green 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Euryale Chatelard --- 📇 **Company**: ENERSENS 🔍 **Description**: Develops best-in-class thermal barriers for batteries and aerospace applications. 💻 **Website**: [https://enersens.eu/](https://enersens.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Rochetoirin 🧗 **Round**: Convertible 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: European Innovation Council 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Denery Fenouil --- 📇 **Company**: ToumAI 🔍 **Description**: Provides local ESG data solutions for Africa, amplifying community voices to enhance sustainability. 💻 **Website**: [https://toum.ai](https://toum.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Goetzenbruck 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Orange Ventures; Digital Africa; Launch Africa Ventures; Go Ventures; Madica 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bruno Akpaka 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/toumai-voice-analytics%5Fmorocco-senegal-malta-activity-7294641276707086336-Z64h?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: Agri Lab Leverage 🔍 **Description**: Promotes the use of co-products and plant-based waste for sustainable agriculture. 💻 **Website**: [http://agrilableverage.com](http://agrilableverage.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.9M 🏦 **Investors**: Femmes Business Angels; SideAngels; Foodara; TimeToAct Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Céline Domerc, Michel Zuliani 🗞️ **News**: [PR](https://www.agrilableverage.com/2024/11/24/seed-round-investment/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: CountAct 🔍 **Description**: An enterprise emergency management application designed to improve safety response times and coordination in the workplace. 💻 **Website**: [http://countact.fr/](http://countact.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Grenoble 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €780K 🏦 **Investors**: Grenoble Angels; 50 Partners Capital; Kapa Invest; Grenoble Alpes Métropole; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Lounis LAKHAL, Iliès LAKHAL, 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/countact%5Fofficiel-countact-l%C3%A8ve-13-million-activity-7293588054844338177-uvcz?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAE0kG8BObj6r7nc5sfWRNVZaz22BQG3gmI) --- 📇 **Company**: AuraLIP 🔍 **Description**: Develops sustainable ingredients as meat alternatives. 💻 **Website**: [https://auralip.com/](https://auralip.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Évry-Courcouronnes 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.55M 🏦 **Investors**: Femmes Business Angels; BADGE 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Laetitia Halbeisen; Marine Messant 🗞️ **News**: [New Food Finance](https://newfoodfinance.com/2025/01/29/u-s-ag-robotics-poised-to-gain-from-tighter-immigration/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Plantibodies 🔍 **Description**: Develops a sustainable biotech platform to produce and deliver oral biologics with increased efficacy and fewer side effects. 💻 **Website**: [http://plantibodies.tech](http://plantibodies.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €0.19M 🏦 **Investors**: BADGE 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Bauër --- 📇 **Company**: Wallace Technologies 🔍 **Description**: Provides alternative energy storage solutions. 💻 **Website**: [http://wallace-technologies.com](http://wallace-technologies.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Clermont-Ferrand 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: BADGE 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Benjamin Dupas --- 📇 **Company**: EyePick 🔍 **Description**: Develops robotic and machine-learning technologies to enable automation in industries and increase productivity. 💻 **Website**: [https://eyepick.co/](https://eyepick.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Entrepreneur First 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mehdi Adjaoue; Florian Fontaine-Papion --- 📇 **Company**: VCAST 🔍 **Description**: Provides online and multichannel voting solutions for private sector businesses in industry, services, and distribution. 💻 **Website**: [http://vcast.vote](http://vcast.vote/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Villers-lès-Nancy 🧗 **Round**: Spinout 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: INRIA; French National Centre for Scientific Research 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Michael Houalef, Stephane Glondu --- 📇 **Company**: INOE 🔍 **Description**: Wood energy development 💻 **Website**: [https://inoe-idf.fr/](https://inoe-idf.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Orgeval 🧗 **Round**: Growth Equity VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Meanings Capital Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Eric Walmé 🗞️ **News**: [Fusacq](https://www.fusacq.com/buzz/meanings-capital-investit-dans-la-societe-d-energie-du-bois-inoe-a251688%5Ffr%5F?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ### French Tech Wire: Bpifrance's €60BN Innovation Money Spigot Slows URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-14T06:51:21.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, 👀 **Deep Dive: Altaroad** was started seven years ago by Cécile Villette, Bérengère Lebental, and Rihab Jerbi to improve sustainability and the security of road infrastructures. The startup has developed its technology with research partners at the [Polytechnique School](https://www.polytechnique.edu/en?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [CNRS](https://www.cnrs.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and [Gustave Eiffel University](https://www.univ-gustave-eiffel.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (ex-[IFSTTAR](https://www.ifsttar.fr/accueil/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)). [**CEO Villette explains why climate resilience**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/building-future-altaroad-climate-resilient-infrastructure/#climate-resilience-the-new-imperative-for-infrastructure) has become so urgent and how the company is using AI to expand its impact. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 After a hurricane of news out of the AI summit earlier this week, French tech news paused to catch its breath. Still, there were a handful of notable news items toward the end of this week. 🏦 [Bpifrance reported its annual results on Thursday](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bilan-dactivite-2024-60-milliards-deuros-injectes-dans-leconomie-francaise-et-896-millions-deuros-de-resultat-net-estime?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). As France's primary funder of innovation, the state bank lies at the heart of the nation's startup and VC ecosystems. Bpifrance injected **€60 billion** into the French economy across a wide range of financial programs – down from €63 billion in 2023\. The bank turned a **€896 million** profit. More than **€5 billion** was allocated to over **5,500 companies**, with **€570 million** specifically invested in innovative projects. Bpifrance invested **€354 million** in capital innovation, continuing to back high-growth startups and disruptive technologies. Those investments also include **€3.1 billion** deployed in the first half of 2024 for industrial reindustrialization. The bank's direct investments in French startups totaled €572 million, marking a 15% decrease from the previous year, with 70% (€400 million) allocated to deeptech sectors. Bpifrance committed a record €1.7 billion to French VC funds, a 7.5% increase from 2023, supporting funds such as Alter Equity III, Lauxera Growth II, Sofinnova Capital XI, Axeleo Greentech Industry, and Sista Fund I. Looking ahead, Bpifrance plans to accelerate investments in artificial intelligence, committing €10 billion over the next five years. However, with €2.5bn in cuts to the France 2030 plan it helps administer, officials project that innovation funding will decline in 2025\. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/14/bpifrance-a-reduit-son-investissement-direct-dans-la-french-tech-en-2024/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Bpifrance**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bilan-dactivite-2024-60-milliards-deuros-injectes-dans-leconomie-francaise-et-896-millions-deuros-de-resultat-net-estime?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 💼 Adding another dash of hope to startupland amid talks of bankruptcies and shutdowns, there are still plenty of scaleups that are scaling up. In 2024, top French startups experienced a significant surge in hiring, with **Alan**, a health insurance company, leading by adding **500 new employees**, bringing its total workforce to **1,800**. According to a report by *Les Echos* and *Data Recrutement*, **Back Market**, specializing in refurbished electronics, expanded its team by **400**, reaching **1,500 employees**. **Doctolib**, a medical appointment platform, grew by **350 employees**, totaling **2,500**. **Qonto**, a neobank for SMEs and freelancers, increased its staff by **300**, achieving a headcount of **1,000**. Additionally, **Swile**, known for its digital meal vouchers, hired **250 new employees**, bringing its workforce to **1,000**. These expansions reflect the dynamic growth and scaling ambitions within France's tech ecosystem. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-les-start-up-qui-ont-le-plus-recrute-en-2024-2148184?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 👁️ ↘️ And yet, not everyone is out of the woods...**Prophesee**, which creates optical sensors, filed its annual report for 2023\. (Yeah, these things trickle out slowly). The company had €6.2 million in revenue, up from €2.8 million in 2022\. Alas, its losses rose to €16.2 million, up from €15.4 million. The year appeared to be decent overall, with a new Qualcomm partnership and the launch of a chip that targets the market for connected objects and virtual reality. At the end of 2023, Prophesee had 108 employees, compared to 91 the previous year. Alas, the company, which has raised more than €100 million, filed for bankruptcy protection late last year as it struggled to raise another round of funding. | [**Pappers**](https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/prophesee-800681892?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🤑 💳 Finally, financial heavyweights **BNP Paribas and BPCE** have finalized a strategic partnership to create **Estreem**, a new payment processing company. Estreem will handle all card payments for both banks across Europe, amounting to **17 billion transactions annually**, which includes a **30% share of card payment volumes in France**. The pair teamed up to address the rapid digitalization of payment systems, the rise of mobile payments, and the demand for instantaneous transactions. Of course, Estreem will face *mucho* competition from fintech startups and other incumbents that were earlier in the game. Keep hope alive. | [**Finyear**](https://www.finyear.com/BNP-Paribas-et-BPCE-creent-Estreem-acteur-europeen-du-processing-de-paiements%5Fa52100.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**PR**](https://group.bnpparibas/communique-de-presse/bnp-paribas-et-bpce-creent-estreem-nouveau-leader-francais-et-acteur-majeur-europeen-du-processing-de-paiements?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: How Altaroad is Driving Climate-Resilient Infrastructure [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-19.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/building-future-altaroad-climate-resilient-infrastructure/) Cécile Villette, CEO of Altaroad & General Secretary of Contech France The construction industry isn’t exactly known for early digital adoption or environmental sensitivity. Yet, amid growing pressure for climate resilience and sustainability, it’s undergoing a major shift. One of the players at the forefront of this transformation is [**Cécile Villette**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/c%C3%A9cile-villette/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), CEO of [**Altaroad** ](https://www.altaroad.com/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and General Secretary of [**Contech France, a construction innovation association**.](https://www.contech-france.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Vilette discussed how Altaroad is reshaping the future of infrastructure by leveraging AI, circular economy principles, and a bold vision for sustainable construction. Villette said climate resilience in the construction sector is no longer just a buzzword - it’s a necessity: “Sustainable infrastructure means being compatible with climate change. It’s about ensuring you can still source the materials you need in a climate-challenged world." [Go inside Altaroad](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/building-future-altaroad-climate-resilient-infrastructure/) --- # 💸 Top Funding Deals 💸 📇 **Company**: Germitec 🔍 **Description**: Leading provider of chemical-free and ultra-fast automated high-level disinfection solutions for reprocessing ultrasound probes. 💻 **Website**: [http://germitec.com](http://germitec.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Ivry-sur-Seine 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €29M 🏦 **Investors**: Turenne Capital; Eurazeo; Financière Arbevel; Kurma Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Clément Deshays 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/12/financee-par-eurazeo-germitec-leve-29-millions-deuros-pour-lutter-contre-les-maladies-nosocomiales-a-lhopital/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/germitec-raises-e28-8-million-for-uv-c-high-level-disinfection-in-ultrasounds/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: ScorePlay 🔍 **Description**: An AI-powered platform revolutionizing sports media management by automating the tagging, organization, and distribution of content for sports organizations. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.scoreplay.io/](https://www.scoreplay.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: New York and Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €12.5M 🏦 **Investors**: 20VC; Seven Seven Six; APEX Capital; BYL Ventures; Trybe Ventures; FIBA; LORi6 Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Victorien Tixier; Xavier Green 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/scoreplay-scores-big-with-e12-5-million-to-transform-sports-media-management/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Smile Wanted 🔍 **Description**: An adtech company that has developed a marketplace connecting content publishers with advertisers through an algorithm that filters and categorizes high-performing advertising spaces using cookieless criteria. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.smilewanted.com/](https://www.smilewanted.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Elevation Capital Partners; Bpifrance 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jérémy Abitan (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/13/ladtech-smile-wanted-leve-10-millions-deuros-et-pense-deja-a-un-second-tour-de-table/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Building for the Future: How Altaroad is Driving Climate-Resilient Infrastructure URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/building-future-altaroad-climate-resilient-infrastructure/ Last updated: 2025-03-19T21:39:25.000Z CEO Cécile Villette: “We’re helping the industry become future-proof.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### AI Summit For Action Day 2: US VP Tells Europe Where To Stick Tech Regulations URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-for-action-day-2-us-vp-tells-europe-where-to-stick-its-tech-regulations-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-12T18:23:57.000Z If anyone was expecting the US to show up at the AI Summit for Action in Paris and hold hands and sing kumbaya with other world leaders, well, then the outcome on Tuesday was likely a shocking disappointment. But for the rest of us still in touch with reality, the blunt lecture that U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivered to the summit was about right on brand. It was an our-way-or-the-highway moment as Vance made clear that the U.S. believes that AI don't need no stinkin' regulations. “This administration will ensure that American AI technology continues to be the gold standard worldwide...excessive regulation could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off," he said with a characteristic lack of subtly. He warned against international efforts that might impose restrictions on U.S. tech firms and cautioned against the European Union’s regulatory approach. “The A.I. future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety,” he said. “The Trump administration will ensure that the most powerful A.I. systems are built in the U.S. with American design and manufactured chips.” However, he did offer to let Europe play the role of America's lovable AI sidekick: "Just because we are the leader doesn’t mean we want to or need to go it alone.” ![US VP JD Vance to Europe: Resistance is futile!](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-13.png) US VP JD Vance to Europe: Resistance is futile! ## A Clash of Philosophies on AI Regulation Vance’s remarks highlighted a fundamental divide with Europe, which is pushing for structured AI governance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke after Vance and insisted that it is possible to find the right regulatory approach and still innovate. Indeed, she argued, thoughtful regulation can help with the adoption of AI. “Yes, A.I. needs competition,” she said. “But A.I. also needs collaboration. And A.I. needs the confidence of the people, and has to be safe.” She defended the European Union’s regulatory approach and suggested there was a “distinct European brand of A.I.” that focused on “complex applications,” that was cooperative, and that embraced an open-source approach, meaning the underlying software is widely shared. “Too often I hear that Europe is late to the race, that the United States and China have already gotten ahead,” she said. “I disagree. The A.I. race is far from being over.” French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, co-chairs of the summit, emphasized the need for a collaborative approach to AI governance. President Macron underscored the balance between innovation and responsible regulation, stating, “Paradise cannot mean the Wild West.” He advocated for a framework that ensures AI remains a force for good while respecting fundamental rights and privacy. ## Europe’s Vision: AI as a Public Good Von der Leyen called for an open-source approach to AI development, emphasizing accessibility and trust. She announced a €200 billion investment plan to support AI infrastructure, including European supercomputing facilities and AI Giga Factories to provide equitable access to computing power. “We must invest in what we do best... open innovation, transparency, and trust,” she said. Von der Leyen’s speech underscored the EU’s ambition to establish AI safety norms while fostering industrial AI applications. Her announcement of the *Invest AI Initiative*, adding another €50 billion to support AI startups, reinforced Europe’s commitment to competing in the AI race without compromising ethical considerations. ## **The Outcome: A Fractured Agreement** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-15.png) The summit’s final statement reflected these divergent viewpoints. [***The Paris Charter on Artificial Intelligence in the Public Interest***](https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2025/02/11/the-paris-charter-on-artificial-intelligence-in-the-public-interest?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and the [***Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet***](https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2025/02/11/statement-on-inclusive-and-sustainable-artificial-intelligence-for-people-and-the-planet?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). outlined ten core commitments, including ethical AI development, investment in AI research, and transparent governance frameworks. However, the statements failed to achieve full consensus. The European Union, France, India, and several Global South nations signed the agreement, emphasizing AI’s role in sustainable development and equitable access. The United States and the United Kingdom refused to sign, citing concerns over restrictive regulations that could hinder innovation. The U.S. delegation explicitly rejected provisions that might impose compliance burdens on American tech firms. ## **Implications for Europe and France’s AI Ecosystem** For Europe, the summit underscored the challenge of balancing regulatory oversight with AI competitiveness. France, in particular, positioned itself as a leader in AI governance, launching the *Current AI Foundation*, a public-private initiative committing €400 million to AI accessibility and ethical innovation The split between the U.S. and Europe could lead to divergent AI ecosystems, where regulatory frameworks shape how AI is developed and deployed. European firms may face stricter compliance requirements but could benefit from a structured innovation environment. Conversely, the U.S. approach may encourage rapid AI advancements but raise concerns about ethical lapses and unchecked monopolization. Game on, I guess. # AI Summit Business Day ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/bizday6.jpg) **Meanwhile, across town at Station F, the vibes were a bit more harmonious, even among those from different sides of the Atlantic.** El Presidente, fleeing the diplomatic confines of the Grand Palais, bopped on over the Startup HQ to bask in the warm adoration of the huddled masses of entrepreneurs. Mr. Startup Xavier Niel was also on hand to welcome everyone to his house. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrived to speak and hobnob and [**talk smack about his favorite Silicon Valley frenemy.**](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/11/sam-altman-tells-openai-staff-that-board-hasnt-seen-anything-official-from-elon-.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Across four stages and several dozen panels, the chatter focused on competition, innovation, economic transformation, and responsible AI governance. ### AI as a Fundamental Economic Shift The discussions underscored AI’s growing role as a transformative force in the global economy. As the **French Minister for the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty** Eric Lombard said, "We are writing a new narrative for AI in Europe, one that is centered on sustainable growth, ethical considerations, and competitive excellence." AI is not merely a technological trend but a fundamental shift that will redefine business models, enhance productivity, and drive economic growth, he said. ### Ensuring Fair Competition in AI Markets The **German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action** **Bernhard Kluttig** highlighted the need to prevent monopolization: "We must address challenges in market access, funding for AI startups, and fair competition to ensure that no single player dominates the field." Panel discussions explored how large tech firms control vast AI resources such as compute power and data, potentially stifling competition. **Benoît Coeuré from the French Competition Authority** noted, "We regulators must be vigilant. The AI sector is dynamic but also presents risks of monopolization. Our role is to ensure fair competition so that innovation continues at all levels of the industry." ### Scaling AI Adoption Across Industries Despite AI's rapid growth, adoption rates in industry remain low in France. AI implementation in sectors such as manufacturing and logistics is below 10%, due to challenges in replicability, reliability, and data collection. However, panelists agreed that AI’s potential for predictive maintenance, quality control, and logistics optimization is vast. AI startups are playing a crucial role in driving adoption. Scaleway COO **Albane Bruyas** said, "France is uniquely positioned in AI research and development. Our challenge is scaling startups into global leaders while maintaining ethical AI development and transparent data usage." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/bizday1.jpg) ### The Impact of AI on Organizations and the Workforce As AI systems become more prevalent in workplaces, concerns over job displacement and workforce transformation were discussed. **Anne-Charlotte Philbert, a Managing Partner at Eurazeo**, said, "AI is not replacing jobs but augmenting human capabilities. The future of work is AI-assisted, and businesses must prepare for this transformation through reskilling and workforce adaptation." The panelists agreed that AI adoption should be viewed as an opportunity to enhance productivity rather than a threat to employment. Companies investing in AI today are seeing "massive productivity gains, cost savings, and enhanced decision-making capabilities," according to **Aaron Harris**, Sage's visionary Chief Technology Officer. ### Responsible and Trustworthy AI Development AI governance and ethical considerations were central to discussions on responsible AI. A key concern was ensuring that AI is developed and deployed transparently. **Joanna J. Bryson, a professor of Ethics and Technology at the Hertie School**, stressed that balancing "innovation, responsibility, and democratization" is crucial to building trust in AI systems. **Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal,** argues that AI-driven business models must "prioritize ethical considerations and avoid reinforcing biases or monopolies." The industry must take proactive steps to ensure that AI systems are designed to benefit all, rather than concentrating power in the hands of a few dominant players. With increasing competition from global AI powerhouses, the role of European AI companies was also discussed. **Jonas Andrulis, CEO of Aleph Alpha, warned that** "AI will reshape business models fundamentally. Companies must rethink monetization strategies and create value beyond simple automation." ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/bizdaysamxmac.jpg) Macron: Hey, Sam, you should really read The French Tech Journal. Sam: Whatever you say, Mr. President! --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### AI Summit For Action Day 1: Big Investments and a European Wake-up Call URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-for-action-day-1-big-investments-and-a-european-wake-up-call/ Last updated: 2025-02-11T06:00:01.000Z Can a €109bn investment package turbo-charge France's AI ambitions? Can AI diplomats learn to sing from the same gospel hymn? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### President Macron: 'We will adopt the Notre Dame strategy' for AI URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/president-macron-we-will-adopt-the-notre-dame-strategy-for-ai/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T21:35:41.000Z Macron: "This summit is not just the announcement of investments in France. It's a wake-up call for our European strategy." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Summit Day 1: Bending the Arc of AI Towards a Resilient and Open AI Ecosystem URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-day-1-bending-the-arc-of-ai-towards-a-resilient-and-open-ai-ecosystem/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T21:09:19.000Z "We need to stop thinking about the decisions made about AI as something that technology company leaders do. We have to take back the control of those decisions." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Summit Day 1: Scaling Competitive & Sustainable AI Ecosystems Across the Globe URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-day-1-scaling-competitive-sustainable-ai-ecosystems-across-the-globe-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T21:06:19.000Z "Sustainability and performance are not in conflict. You need to do both." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Summit Day 1: Setting up Efficient & Truly Inclusive AI Governance URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-day-1-setting-up-efficient-truly-inclusive-ai-governance/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T21:03:21.000Z "We must manage artificial intelligence; we must not let it manage us." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Summit Day 1: Global Leaders Call for Privacy and Security Safeguards To Protect Democracy URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-day-1-global-leaders-call-for-privacy-and-security-safeguards-to-protect-democracy/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T21:00:21.000Z "We cannot take this progress forward when we are not including diverse voices. Democracies around the world have different shapes and forms." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Summit Day 1: Creating a Virtuous Circle between AI, Creation & Information URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-day-1-creating-a-virtuous-circle-between-ai-creation-information/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T20:54:39.000Z "If we kill creativity and creators, we kill the human soul. Culture is what tells us where we come from, what unites us." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Summit Day 1: Harnessing AI for the Future of Work URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-summit-day-1-harnessing-ai-for-the-future-of-work/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T20:47:19.000Z "It's not the AI that is going to take our jobs, it's the lack of preparedness for us to take up new jobs in an AI context that is more at risk." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 🤖 La Machine #17: AI Action Summit Makes The Money Rain Down! 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-17-special-ai-action-summit-edition-make-money-rain/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T07:30:17.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Edito In theory, the [AI Action Summit in Paris](https://www.elysee.fr/en/sommet-pour-l-action-sur-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) is all about high-brow conversations about policy and equity and guardrails and blah, blah, blah... In reality, it has quickly turned into a giant gusher of cash that is raining down across the land. President Emmanuel Macron announced in a TV interview on Sunday night that **€109 billion** in artificial intelligence will be invested in France over the coming years. To be clear, that's not from the government, but primarily private investors that apparently are lining up to write checks in France, including investment funds from the United Arab Emirates, 'Merica, and Canada. Macron compared this effort to the **$500 billion** announced by Donald Trump for AI in the United States, stating: *"This is the equivalent for France of what the United States announced with Stargate."* Possibly. These investments kicked off late last week when the [UAE signed](https://sifted.eu/articles/uae-france-ai-data-center-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) a pledge [last week to invest between €30bn to €50bn](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/les-emirats-arabes-unis-vont-ouvrir-un-giga-centre-dia-en-france-2147313?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in France's AI economy. That included a promise to build “the largest artificial intelligence campus in Europe" which would include a "data center with a capacity of up to 1 GW." No word on where the campus will be, but it will host research and training programs. And there is an additional promise to back French AI startups. The **Data Center Arms Race** is becoming one of the fiercest competitions in the world. And France wants to make sure that no gigawatt is left behind. French AI minister [Clara Chappaz announced that 35 “ready-to-use” sites](https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/business/20250206-france-announces-creation-of-35-new-data-centres-as-ai-summit-kicks-off?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) are already identified to host future data centers in France. This infrastructure will cover around 1,200 hectares, with an announcement of its location scheduled for the beginning of next week. Some of those may be allocated to Canada's Brookfield investment fund, which [announced plans to invest €20 billion in French AI infrastructure](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/avec-brookfield-un-nouveau-mega-investissement-de-20-milliards-d-euros-dans-les-data-centers-en-france-20250209?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), primarily especially data centers and computing power. Sikander Rashid, Director of Europe for Brookfield, [told Le Figaro](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/avec-brookfield-un-nouveau-mega-investissement-de-20-milliards-d-euros-dans-les-data-centers-en-france-20250209?ref=frenchtechjournal.com): “France has excellent engineering skills for this type of installation. It is now the most vocal country in Europe to host this infrastructure, and it benefits from clean energy, thanks in particular to nuclear power.” He would know: Brookfield is a major shareholder in European data center leader, Data4, headquartered in France and which operates 28 data centers in the south of Paris. Also joining the windfall: the **Iliad Group**, the telecom company owned by French startup godfather Xavier Niel. The company declared that it would allocate €3 billion to AI infrastructure, (data centers and computing power), research, and application layers. That includes OpCore, the subsidiary that operates the Group's 13 data centers, which will spend **€2.5 billion** on **hyperscale data centers** via a partnership with PE firm **Infravia.** Meanwhile, homegrown **Mistral AI** unveiled plans to build its **first dedicated AI data center** in France. CEO **Arthur Mensch** revealed in an interview on TF1 that the multi-billion-euro facility will be located in Essonne and is set to open **in the coming months**. The company chose France for its **energy efficiency and low-carbon energy mix**, largely powered by **nuclear energy (67.41%) and renewables (27.6%)**. Mensch emphasized that this infrastructure will help Mistral AI **control the entire value chain, from hardware to software**. (More on Mistral below). Of course, French state bank **Bpifrance** wouldn't miss out on the fun. The bank [said it will invest **€10 billion by 2029**](https://presse.bpifrance.fr/bpifrance-deploie-10-milliards-deuros-pour-developper-lecosysteme-ia-et-soutenir-lappropriation-de-lintelligence-artificielle-par-les-entreprises-francaises?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) "to strengthen France’s AI ecosystem and accelerate AI adoption among businesses." That includes **startups, infrastructure, and specialized AI chips**, while also investing in **growth-stage companies** that integrate AI at scale. The initiative includes **direct investments, fund-of-funds strategies, and AI-focused programs** such as AI Booster France 2030, which helps SMEs leverage AI for productivity and innovation. The bank noted that it has already **invested over €1 billion in AI startups.** Expect France to keep shaking its AI money maker in the days ahead... **Chris O'Brien** # ⛰️ AI Action Summit News **⛰️ And so, it begins.** In the center of Paris, 60 heads of state and government, including US Vice President JD Vance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will join with scientists, experts, and academic researchers to discuss the implications of the AI revolution. "This summit is a historic opportunity to position France and Europe as a central player in responsible AI (artificial intelligence)," [**said French AI Minister Clara Chappaz in an interview**](https://www.midilibre.fr/2025/02/08/sommet-de-lia-montrer-que-technologie-et-valeurs-humaines-ne-sont-pas-antagonistes-estime-la-ministre-du-numerique-12496513.php?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). "The challenge is to show that technological performance and respect for human values are not antagonistic. Paris must embody this third path, between purely market-based vision and overly coercive approaches. In particular, a joint statement by the Heads of State on the vision to be given to this technology will be presented." Anne Bouverot, appointed by Macron as his special envoy on artificial intelligence, has leading the preparations for France's AI Action Summit. Unlike previous summits that concentrated on catastrophic AI risks, Bouverot broadened the agenda to include topics such as labor market disruptions and environmental impacts, while also emphasizing AI's potential benefits. Bouverot, who holds a PhD in AI from the École Normale Supérieure, has an extensive background in technology and diplomacy, having served as Director General of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association and CEO of Morpho, a French biometrics firm. [Her task has been fraught.](https://www.politico.eu/article/what-france-hopes-to-get-from-its-ai-summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) As always, France is trying to thread the needle between bullish calls for innovation and the urgent need for guardrails around disruptive technology. "AI can't be the Wild West," [Macron said in an interview](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250207-macron-says-ai-should-not-be-wild-west?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). "There have to be rules...There are all kinds of fields where we don't want AI because we don't want it creating discrimination or mass control in our society." He added: "We shouldn't be afraid of innovation." Observers will be watching closely for two developments: A final communique and the announcement of a public interest foundation for AI. On the first, there are reports of ongoing tension, with US Reps supposedly wanting to avoid any mention of AI's impact on the environment, and others worried that draft language is not strong enough on safety issues [based on a leaked version of the statement](https://www.transformernews.ai/i/156676219/heres-the-full-draft-statement-dated?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Anne Bouverot, Macron’s special envoy to the summit, [has hinted](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/ai-summit-draft-declaration-criticised-for-lack-of-safety-progress-0kz6znrf5?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) that a unanimous statement may not be possible: “Part of it is also what we can do on the global level with a coalition of the willing, or with coalitions of the willing, because we don’t always agree, all, on everything, and that’s absolutely fine.” Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Macron is expected to unveil the details of a public benefit AI institution, funded via governments, businesses, and philanthropy. The goal is to have a kind of neutral body that will gather large datasets for public institutions that can be used to train AI. **⛰️** **The 15 days that upended Macron’s vision for European AI |** Politico offers a rather doom-ridden view of how France's AI ambitions were rocked by the $500bn Stargate announcement and China's DeepSeek launch. “As often with big upheavals, we missed the turning point. That’s what happened with robotization and social networks,” said an aide to the French president. | [**Politico**](https://www.politico.eu/article/the-15-days-that-upended-emmanuel-macron-vision-for-european-ai/?utm%5Fsource=email&utm%5Fmedium=alert&utm%5Fcampaign=The%2015%20days%20that%20upended%20Macron%E2%80%99s%20vision%20for%20European%20AI) **⛰️** **OpenAI announces European data residency**. The ChatGPT mothership unveiled an option that would allow users to choose to have their info stored in European-based servers to "meet local data sovereignty requirements when using OpenAI products in their businesses and building new solutions with AI." | [**OpenAI**](https://openai.com/index/introducing-data-residency-in-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️** The **International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE)** will launch the Scientific Panel on AI and Economic Inclusion on Tuesday. The initiative comes on the heels of the IPIE’s publication of its recommendations for a global AI auditing framework. “Trust in AI isn’t a given—it is engineered through global, independent audits that expose and prevent systemic harms and risks. Just as we regulate industries like oil or tobacco to prevent catastrophic harm, AI needs global audit standards to ensure it operates transparently and fairly,” said Professor Philip Howard, President of the IPIE, in a statement. IPIE leaders have urged world leaders to establish **global AI transparency standards**. The IPIE emphasized that trust in AI must be engineered through **independent global audits**, likening AI governance to **regulations in industries such as oil and tobacco**. The **newly launched Scientific Panel on AI and Economic Inclusion** will address how AI can **either empower or exclude marginalized communities**, particularly in access to credit, housing, and employment. **Dr. Jen Schradie**, a sociologist at **Sciences Po**, will lead the new panel. She highlighted concerns about AI bias reinforcing economic inequality, stressing that **AI should be a force for economic empowerment, not exclusion**. “AI governance is not about controlling these systems, it's about democratizing AI’s development across the many nations currently left out of the conversation. Without coordinated global governance, we risk allowing AI use to accelerate without guardrails and further entrench inequality, exploitation, and harm. Shared frameworks are a pivotal step toward ensuring AI serves all of humanity, not just those who build or profit from it," she said in a statement. The IPIE also announced a **virtual briefing on February 27, 2025**, focusing on AI auditing standards, reinforcing the need for **global governance and oversight** to ensure AI serves the public interest. | [**Announcement**](https://www.ipie.info/news/ipie-paris-ai-action-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # ⛰️ AI Action Summit Reports There is a flood of reports being released by different interest groups. Here are two key ones: **⛰️ The French AI Report 2024: Key Challenges, Financing Trends, and Emerging Champions |** This report by **Chausson Partners, seed-stage VC firm Galion.exe, and European growth tech investor Revaia** provides a comprehensive analysis of the French and European AI ecosystems, highlighting key funding trends, emerging startups, and strategic challenges. AI startups in France secured significant venture capital investment, with Mistral AI’s $640 million Series B serving as a prime example of the sector’s growth. The study identifies major challenges, such as data accessibility, AI talent shortages, and go-to-market strategies, emphasizing the need for France to consolidate its AI leadership. France’s AI infrastructure and SaaS solutions are particularly strong in sectors like health and climate, reinforcing its global positioning. The report calls for greater strategic investments and international partnerships to ensure long-term competitiveness. | [**Read the report**](https://thefrenchreport.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ L'IA au sein des grandes organisations |** This report by **La French Tech Grand Paris and Wavestone** examines the role of AI within large organizations, emphasizing its transformative impact on operational efficiency, decision-making, and automation. It explores the increasing adoption of AI-driven technologies across sectors such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, with a focus on improving productivity and customer engagement. The report identifies major challenges, including AI talent acquisition, ethical concerns, and the need for robust data infrastructure to support AI applications. It also highlights case studies of enterprises successfully implementing AI solutions, showcasing best practices for AI adoption. The report concludes by stressing the importance of integrating AI within corporate strategies while maintaining transparency and regulatory compliance. | [**Get a copy**](https://npammhndz0r.typeform.com/to/vndjNyzY?utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-9kxisu3KXP%5F1aHWldB-N744mdVA6ZPzH8aWM8MyM7dwKuXYYdrnWFr6ly%5FIm2sLlnhzCbgff3fpXOGRx2ZxZdrnP4N-w-OJaeZY5YGfOxp1N5g1-o&%5Fhsmi=103925015&utm%5Fcontent=103925015&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail) # Headlines **🗞️** **Mistral AI strikes back:** Just a couple of weeks ago, the French AI startup seemed squeezed between the mega $500bn Stargate announcement and the Chinese DeepSeek news. What hope could there possibly be for the French AI open-source startup that could? Ah, but then [Mistral launched **LeChat**](https://mistral.ai/en/news/all-new-le-chat?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), with [**Pro**](https://chat.mistral.ai/upgrade/plans?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and [**Team**](https://chat.mistral.ai/upgrade/plans?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) tiers of service and [mobile versions](https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/mistral-ai-a-lassaut-de-chatgpt-et-deepseek-sur-les-smartphones-2147305?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Femail%5Ftype=retention&utm%5Fcampaign=lec%5Fstartup&utm%5Femail%5Fsend%5Fdate=20250207) for [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/le-chat-by-mistral-ai/id6740410176?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.mistral.chat&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). And just like that – Bam! – Mistral was [getting rave reviews](https://x.com/itsolelehmann/status/1888290394141794816?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for "The FASTEST AI model on the market." Even the Big Man hailed the news: ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-8.png) The was just part of Mistral's own mini-newstorm. That included a deal with mobile carry Free to offer the pro version of Le Chat for free to its mobile subscribers. Meanwhile, AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems [said it had helped Mistral](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-chip-firm-cerebras-partners-with-frances-mistral-claims-speed-record-2025-02-07/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) achieve a speed record via its partnership. Co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch has become [increasingly outspoken](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/mistral-ai-lance-son-assistant-le-chat-sur-iphone-et-android-pour-rendre-l-ia-populaire-20250206?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), suggesting he's growing more comfortable being the face of France's AI ambitions. He hopes Le Chat will bring the benefits of AI to a broader public. And he struck a defiant tone when discussing Europe's AI potential. "There are, of course, American narratives that explain that we have nothing more to say," [he said in an interview with Le Parisien](https://www.leparisien.fr/high-tech/arthur-mensch-de-mistral-ai-nous-sommes-plus-creatifs-plus-rapides-et-nous-faisons-moins-de-politique-09-02-2025-N73WDOT5ENDSHJ6GH3KUXLPBAY.php?ts=1739163709127&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). "But Europe has the best AI talent in the world, and with a good product, you raise considerable capital. There is foreign investment in Europe, which is something to be welcomed! We don't believe that you have to have 100 billion right away to have the best models in the world, and we've proven it. It was by bringing back some 60 scientists from the United States and explaining to them that we had the best team in the world that we succeeded in creating Mistral AI. We are more efficient, more frugal, more creative, faster, and we play less politics." **🗞️ Kyutai**, the AI institute co-founded by the aforementioned Niel, launched **Hibiki**, a **voice technology for simultaneous translation**. Hibiki ("echo" in Japanese) enables real-time translation while preserving the speaker's voice and optimally adapting its rhythm to the semantic content of the source speech. Hibiki thus produces an instantaneous oral and written translation in the target language. Currently trained to translate from French to English, the model can be used **in real-time on smartphones. |** [**Martechpost**](https://www.marktechpost.com/2025/02/08/kyutai-releases-hibiki-a-2-7b-real-time-speech-to-speech-and-speech-to-text-translation-with-near-human-quality-and-voice-transfer/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **Hectar**, the other campus of Xavier Niel, is preparing an AI assistant for farmers. This agricultural campus, co-founded by Xavier Niel, aims to develop AI agents to reduce the administrative burden on farmers. These tools, scheduled for September, aim to simplify farm management, transmission, and recruitment. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/impact/hectar-lautre-campus-de-xavier-niel-prepare-un-assistant-ia-pour-les-agriculteurs-2146190?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️** **Dassault Systèmes,** the French software giant, had a rocky **2024**, due to challenges in the **automotive and medical sectors,** but still managed to eke out **7% revenue growth** in Q4, reaching **€1.75 billion**, with profits rising **9% to €530 million**. CEO **Pascal Daloz** said the company is betting big on reigniting growth via **industrial AI** with its new **UNIV+RSES platform**, which integrates **virtual twins and AI-driven automation**, allowing engineers to focus on design while AI handles repetitive tasks like **crash-test simulations and code generation**. | [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/dassault-systemes-veut-devenir-le-champion-de-l-ia-industrielle-20250204?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other headlines** **🗞️** **Inside the French founders factory churning out AI startups like Mistral and Hugging Face: ‘There are swarms of them’** | Centuries-old engineering school École Polytechnique has been a breeding ground for AI talent. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/inside-ecole-polytechnique-ai?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Riot 🔍 **Description**: A cybersecurity software platform that helps businesses assess and improve employee cyber posture to protect against AI-driven threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://tryriot.com](https://tryriot.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €28.9M 🏦 **Investors**: Left Lane Capital; Y Combinator; Base10; FundersClub 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Benjamin Netter; Louis Cibot 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/cybersecurity-startup-riot-raises-e28-9-million-to-expand-globally-and-double-headcount-by-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Stockly 🔍 **Description**: The Global Inventory for Retail, helping retailers access and optimize stock availability. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.stockly.ai/](https://www.stockly.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26M 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo; 83North; Square Capital; Daphni; Anyma Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Eliott Jabès; Oscąr Wąlter 🗞️ **News**: [Usine Digtale](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/e-commerce-stockly-leve-26-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-de-mutualisation-des-stocks.N2227005?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Sirius NeoSight 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered medical imaging for diagnostic enhancement. 💻 **Website**: [https://sirius-neosight.com](https://sirius-neosight.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4.40M 🏦 **Investors**: Demeter Partners; Octalfa; GO Capital; Angels Santé; Evolem; Better Angle; Crédit Agricole Création 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Vigneron; Agnès Bastid 🗞️ **News**: [Bref Eco](https://www.brefeco.com/actualite/innovation/oncologie-sirius-neosight-recolte-44-meu-pour-sa-plateforme-de-prediction?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Neuralk AI 🔍 **Description**: Developing foundation AI models specialized for business needs. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.neuralk-ai.com](https://www.neuralk-ai.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.80M 🏦 **Investors**: Fly Ventures; Station F; Philippe Corrot; Charles Gorintin; Vincent Luciani; Thomas Wolf; Nagi Letaifa; Jean-Louis Quéguiner; Saturnin Pugnet; Julien Launay; Xavier Perret 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexandre Pasquiou, Antoine Moissenot 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/04/neuralk-ai-cette-startup-du-commerce-dans-laquelle-vient-dinvestir-charles-gorintin-et-philippe-corrot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: The QA Company 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered software enabling Question Answering systems over knowledge graphs. 💻 **Website**: [https://qanswer.ai](https://qanswer.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Étienne 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.55M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; UI Investissement; Saint-Étienne Métropole; HEF; Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Maret 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7292137770448248834/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Events 📆 **Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit | February 10-11, 2025 |** Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, CEOs of small and large companies, representatives of academia, non-governmental organizations, artists**,** and members of civil society will gather in Paris to discuss the critical policy issues surrounding AI. | [**Information**](https://www.elysee.fr/en/sommet-pour-l-action-sur-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 AI and women's health | February 10 |** The association Femtech France is delighted to invite you to its evening "IA and women's health" on the sidelines of the Summit for Action on AI organized by the Élysée. **|** [**Buy tickets**](https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/soiree-ia-et-sante-des-femmes-tickets-1203350536849?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Launch of the Enlightenment AI report | February 11 |** Driven by Francis Jutand’s expertise and published by CAP Digital, the report offers a bold vision: to build an ethical, sovereign, and sustainable AI, reaffirming the values of humanism and progress in the Enlightenment. An AI that can and must become a lever for human progress, democratic access to knowledge, and ecological respect. | [**Registration**](https://connect.capdigital.com/evenements/lancement-du-rapport-lia-des-lumieres.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Entrepreneurs: AI a lever for growth | February 11 |** As AI revolutionizes our economy, entrepreneurs must seize the opportunities offered by this technology. Organized by CCI Paris, this afternoon will be an opportunity to discover concrete measures to support your digital transition and understand the central role of AI in regional and national economic strategy. **|** [**Registration**](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/cci75/entrepreneurs-l-ia-comme-levier-de-croissance?utm%5Fsource=brevo&utm%5Fcampaign=INVITATION%20Sommet%20de%20lIA%20Entrepreneurs%20%20lIA%20comme%20levier%20de%20croissance%5Fcopy&utm%5Fmedium=email) 📆 **France Digitale's AI Day 2025** | **February 11, 2025** | Paris will be the AI capital of the world (at least for a week) during the AI Action Summit. With our AI Day — the official business side event of the Summit — seize this moment to meet and learn about the best in AI innovation made in Europe. | [**Information**](https://francedigitale.org/agenda/ai-day-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Anthropic Paris Builder Summit | February 12 |** Join the Anthropic team for our first Builder Summit in Paris, in partnership with our friends at Dust. Hear from Anthropic leadership, engage with fellow founders, and see the latest demos on Claude. **|** [**Request invitation**](https://lu.ma/anthropicPARIS?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **World AI Cannes Festival | February 13 -15, 2025 |** For 3 days, the prestigious **Palais des Festival of Cannes** will become the world capital of AI, where decision-makers and AI innovators meet, where the most promising innovations and technologies get into the spotlight, where those who are currently building the world’s most game-changing AI strategies and use-cases will be on stages. | [**Registration**](https://www.worldaicannes.com/en-gb/about/what-is-the-waicf.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Agent DAY @NFT Paris | February 15 |** You're invited to Crypto AI:CON Day during NFT Paris 2025, where around 300 selected founders and investors will gather for an evening of meaningful connections and conversations in the heart of Paris. | [**Registration**](https://lu.ma/t7e1oxhj?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### French Tech Wire: Budget Cuts Bite As Startups See Green URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-budget-cuts-bite-le-fourgon-keles/ Last updated: 2025-02-07T07:30:38.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, 👀 **Deep Dive:** Le Fourgon just raised more cash to scale its efforts to replace single-use plastics with glass. [Co-founder and CEO Charles Christory breaks down the strategy.](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/deep-dive-le-fourgon-driving-a-circular-economy-revolution-with-reusable-glass-solutions-2/) **☀️ Spotlight Interview:** Health tech exec Laurent Van Lerberghe co-founded new VC firm Keles with David Buller to help European Digital Health startups scale. [Van Lerberghe explains](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-keles-laurent-van-lerberghe-on-digital-health-investing/) why the timing is right to accelerate this sector – and why Europe needs these startups to succeed. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # Edito France at long last has a 2025 budget. In the French tech ecosystem, the final details were greeted with a heavy sigh, punctuated with relief and a universal cry of, "Well, that could have been worse." The [headline figure being bandied about was €3bn](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/budget-2025-pres-de-3-milliards-deuros-en-moins-pour-les-start-up-2147259?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in cuts to innovation programs. After months of riding the political rollercoaster that kept entrepreneurs on the edge of their seats, some innovation-friendly perks survived the axe while others weren’t so lucky. Let’s break down who’s celebrating, who’s fuming, and what this means for the country’s startup scene. ### **Still in the Game: The CIR (Phew!)** If you’re running a startup, you probably have a soft spot for the **Research Tax Credit (CIR)**—and **the** good news **is** it’s still here! The CIR lets companies deduct **30% of their R&D expenses** from taxes, making France a relatively friendly place for deep-tech and research-heavy startups. Crisis averted—for now. ### **Programs That Took a Hit** 🚨 **Innovation Tax Credit (CII): Trimmed Down** The CII, which helps smaller companies cover prototype development costs, got a **haircut**—its tax break rate is dropping from **30% to 20%**. Not ideal, but hey, at least it wasn’t scrapped entirely. Considering that **almost half of startups** rely on this, it’s still a significant blow. 💰 **France 2030: €2 Billion Gone** This ambitious investment plan, which funds innovation in climate tech, health, and industrial transformation, just lost **€2 billion** in funding. To put that in context, France 2030 is a €54bn innovation plan launched in 2021\. That money is doled out in chunks over the years, including €7.3bn in 2024\. That figure drops to €5.2bn for 2025\. It won’t kill the initiative, but some projects might face **delays or downsizing**. 🎓 **Young PhD Hiring Perks: Adieu** Startups used to get a sweet deal when hiring fresh PhD grads, doubling their salary base for tax deductions under CIR. However, the government decided to **cut this perk**, potentially making it **less attractive for startups to bring in fresh academic talent**. So, if you were planning to fill your team with brilliant young researchers, you might need to rethink the budget. ### **The Big Question Mark: JEI Status** The **Young Innovative Company (JEI) status**, which offers tax and social contribution breaks for R&D-intensive startups, is hanging in the balance. The government hasn’t made a final call yet, but **entrepreneurs are crossing their fingers**. This status has been a **lifeline** for early-stage companies juggling growth, hiring, and R&D, so losing it would sting. ### **So, What’s the Verdict?** Mixed, at best. On one hand, **France didn’t totally turn its back on innovation**—the CIR is safe, and the CII wasn’t completely axed. On the other hand, **cuts to key funding sources and hiring incentives make life harder for startups**, especially those banking on deep-tech and long-term R&D. French entrepreneurs now face a **tighter belt, fewer government cushions, and more uncertainty** about future funding. Will this slow down the country’s ambition to be Europe’s startup powerhouse? That depends on how resilient and resourceful the ecosystem proves to be. But one thing’s for sure: 2025 is shaping up to be a year of adaptation, strategy, and perhaps, a few heated debates at Bercy. Chris O'Brien --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 📈 **The French Tech Finance Partners (FTFP)** just dropped a report spotlighting the hurdles and golden opportunities for tech companies eyeing the IPO runway in France and Europe. Despite having about 30 French and 140 European unicorns primed for the stock market, many are tempted to hop across the pond to the U.S. for their big debut. The FTFP's report dishes out 10 strategic recommendations to jazz up the European IPO scene, aiming to keep our homegrown tech stars from eloping to Wall Street. By tackling these challenges head-on, the goal is to make Europe the go-to stage for tech IPOs, ensuring the innovation ecosystem thrives right here. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/31/un-plan-daction-pour-dynamiser-les-introductions-en-bourse-francaises-et-europeennes/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🤑 Fun with Funds: ISAI** [announced the final closing](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/06/isai-annonce-un-closing-final-a-300-millions-deuros-pour-investir-dans-des-pme-et-eti-rentables-de-la-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) of a €300 million fund, aiming to back profitable tech SMEs and mid-sized companies. **Emblem** is making waves by [closing an €80 million fund](https://www.frenchweb.fr/emblem-cloture-un-fonds-de-80-millions-deuros-pour-financer-les-startups-en-pre-seed-et-seed/451213?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to fuel pre-seed and seed-stage startups, offering investments between €500,000 and €3 million. And we'll give a nod to Berlin-based **Cherry Venture**s – [which is active in France](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/14/robeaute-leve-27-millions-deuros-pour-ses-micro-robots-implantables-dans-le-cerveau/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) – has secured a whopping [$500 million for its fifth early-stage fund](https://sifted.eu/articles/cherry-ventures-raises-500m?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), setting its sights on nurturing Europe's next big innovators. 🏦 **Making Bank:** Amid talks of bankruptcies, funding winters, and budget cuts, there are still plenty of French startups chugging ahead. Ornikar, the online driving school, has zoomed [past the €100 million](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/french-tech-ornikar-a-franchi-la-barre-symbolique-des-100-millions-de-chiffre-daffaires-2146422?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) revenue mark for 2024, signaling a significant shift in the driver's education and insurance market. Deel, the global HR platform based in the US but with a French pedigree, continues its meteoric rise, boasting substantial growth to [$800M in annual revenue](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/deel-la-start-up-star-des-rh-a-la-croissance-insolente-2146864?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), and expanding its suite through strategic acquisitions, including its fifth this year. Meanwhile, Dataiku, the French AI powerhouse based in NYC, [has surpassed $300 million](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/ia-dataiku-depasse-les-300-millions-de-dollars-de-revenus-2145783?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in revenue, cementing its position as a leader in the data science and machine learning arena. And last but not least, social video leader Yubo [revealed that it is now profitable](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kkOyO9t6YpMU16-Wxu-yi55tFKz7fuHNZ2nKXU1BH5I/edit?tab=t.0&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) after revenue grew last year by 80% to €60M. 🌍 In 2024, African tech startups secured $3.2 billion across 534 deals, reflecting a modest 7% dip in funding and a 2% decrease in deal count compared to 2023, indicating a stabilization after the previous year's significant downturn, according to [Partech's 2024 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report](https://partechpartners.com/africa-reports/2024-africa-tech-venture-capital-report?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). Fintech remained a powerhouse, attracting 60% of total equity funding, bolstered by four megadeals exceeding $100 million. Notably, Nigeria reclaimed its leading position with $520 million in equity funding, while Egypt experienced a 48% surge in deal activity. Despite challenges like tightened Series A and B funding and extended fundraising timelines, increased investor participation, especially from local backers, signals growing confidence in Africa's tech ecosystem. Looking ahead, a pipeline of startups at Seed and Series A stages appears poised for growth, though navigating rising capital costs and macroeconomic volatility remains crucial. | [Partech](https://partechpartners.com/africa-reports/2024-africa-tech-venture-capital-report?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ⚖️ French authorities have launched a judicial investigation into **Binance**, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, over allegations of money laundering, tax fraud, and other charges between 2019 and 2024\. The probe, led by the economic and financial crime section of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office (JUNALCO), includes suspicions of laundering funds linked to drug trafficking. This development follows user complaints about financial losses due to alleged misinformation and unapproved operations by Binance. In response, Binance has denied the allegations and stated its intent to vigorously contest any charges. This investigation adds to Binance's growing legal challenges, including a recent $4.3 billion penalty in the U.S. for violating anti-money laundering laws. | [**Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/french-investigators-open-money-laundering-probe-against-crypto-platform-binance-2025-01-28/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Announcements** **📣 AGREEN LAB'O Village by CA launches its call for applications for GreenTech start-ups. |** [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/06/lagreen-labo-village-by-ca-lance-son-appel-a-candidatures-pour-les-startups-greentech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Apply**](https://candidater.agreenlabo.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📣 Microsoft France launches call for applications for the second edition of Microsoft GenAI Studio |** [**Apply**](https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2025/02/microsoft-france-lance-lappel-a-candidatures-pour-la-deuxieme-edition-du-microsoft-genai-studio/?lang=fr&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📣** **STATION F launches a 6-month program with UM6P, strengthening ties between Europe and Africa |** [**Details**](https://stationf.co/news/um6p-program?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **|** [**Apply**](https://stationfteam.notion.site/UM6P-Startup-Program-STATION-F-159b25275c9c8104bab7e18388b96990?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Deep Dive: Le Fourgon Is Reinventing The Milkman To Crush Single-Use Plastics [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-5.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/deep-dive-le-fourgon-driving-a-circular-economy-revolution-with-reusable-glass-solutions-2/) Three and a half years ago, seasoned entrepreneur [Charles Christory](https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleschristory/?locale=en%5FUS%60&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) joined forces with [Stéphane Dessein](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdessein/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [Maxime Tharin ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximetharincofondateurlefourgon/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)to tackle one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: waste. After successfully selling his digital marketing startup Adictiz to Webedia, Christory felt a personal responsibility to act for the planet. His solution? Bringing back a forgotten yet powerful concept—the deposit system (*la consigne*) for groceries. Enter *Le Fourgon*, a delivery service offering groceries in reusable glass containers designed to be cleaned and reused dozens of times. The company is reinventing the traditional milkman model for the 21st century, thereby tackling the massive issue of single-use packaging waste. [Go inside Le Fourgon](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/deep-dive-le-fourgon-driving-a-circular-economy-revolution-with-reusable-glass-solutions-2/) --- # Spotlight Interview: Keles' Laurent Van Lerberghe On Digital Health Investing [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-7.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-keles-laurent-van-lerberghe-on-digital-health-investing/) When Laurent Van Lerberghe looks at Europe's digital health landscape, he sees both a crisis and an opportunity. After 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including roles as Sanofi's Chief Strategy Officer and leadership positions at Abbott across multiple continents, Van Lerberghe believes Europe has reached a critical crossroads in healthcare innovation. "We're at a unique moment," said Van Lerberghe, speaking from his office in Paris. "We have a growing number of scale-up companies ready for growth-stage investment, but very few sources of funding large enough to boost these companies to the next level." This observation led Van Lerberghe to co-found [Keles](https://keles.care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), a new venture capital firm focused on European digital health investments, alongside David Buller, founding partner of the UK's Ascension Life Fund. The firm, which launched in October 2024, is targeting €250 million for its debut fund and plans to make investments ranging from €8 million to €30 million in growth-stage companies. [Read the interview](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-keles-laurent-van-lerberghe-on-digital-health-investing/) --- # Funding 📇 **Company**: Riot 🔍 **Description**: A cybersecurity software platform that helps businesses assess and improve employee cyber posture to protect against AI-driven threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://tryriot.com](https://tryriot.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €28.9M 🏦 **Investors**: Left Lane Capital; Y Combinator; Base10; FundersClub 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Benjamin Netter; Louis Cibot 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/cybersecurity-startup-riot-raises-e28-9-million-to-expand-globally-and-double-headcount-by-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Stockly 🔍 **Description**: The Global Inventory for Retail, helping retailers access and optimize stock availability. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.stockly.ai/](https://www.stockly.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26M 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo; 83North; Square Capital; Daphni; Anyma Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Eliott Jabès; Oscąr Wąlter 🗞️ **News**: [Usine Digtale](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/e-commerce-stockly-leve-26-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-de-mutualisation-des-stocks.N2227005?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: ThePackengers 🔍 **Description**: A packing and shipping solution available with just one click. 💻 **Website**: [https://thepackengers.com](https://thepackengers.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Roissy-en-France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €14M 🏦 **Investors**: Weber Investissement; Reflexion Capital; Transolution 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thierry Salah 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/03/logistique-thepackengers-leve-14-millions-deuros-pour-setendre-au-dela-du-transport-doeuvres-dart/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Wildsense 🔍 **Description**: A new carbon standard designed to measure and verify impacts on climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods. 💻 **Website**: [https://ers.org/](https://ers.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 🏦 **Investors**: LocalGlobe; noa; AENU 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault Sorret 🗞️ **News**: [Carbon Herald](https://carbonherald.com/ers-to-scale-operations-with-new-5m-funding-in-answer-to-rising-certification-demand/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [See the full list](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-7-riot-stockly/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Le Fourgon’s Big Bet: Reinventing The Milkman To Crush Single-Use Plastics URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/deep-dive-le-fourgon-driving-a-circular-economy-revolution-with-reusable-glass-solutions-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-07T04:14:06.000Z The company has developed a delivery service offering groceries in reusable glass containers designed to be cleaned and reused dozens of times. But with high infrastructure costs, can the company scale to achieve its impact goals? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire February 7: Stockly, Riot & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-february-7-riot-stockly/ Last updated: 2025-02-08T03:07:51.000Z 📇 **Company**: Riot 🔍 **Description**: A cybersecurity software platform that helps businesses assess and improve employee cyber posture to protect against AI-driven threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://tryriot.com](https://tryriot.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €28.9M 🏦 **Investors**: Left Lane Capital; Y Combinator; Base10; FundersClub 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Benjamin Netter; Louis Cibot 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/cybersecurity-startup-riot-raises-e28-9-million-to-expand-globally-and-double-headcount-by-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Stockly 🔍 **Description**: The Global Inventory for Retail, helping retailers access and optimize stock availability. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.stockly.ai/](https://www.stockly.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €26M 🏦 **Investors**: Eurazeo; 83North; Square Capital; Daphni; Anyma Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Eliott Jabès; Oscąr Wąlter 🗞️ **News**: [Usine Digtale](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/e-commerce-stockly-leve-26-millions-d-euros-pour-sa-solution-de-mutualisation-des-stocks.N2227005?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: ThePackengers 🔍 **Description**: A packing and shipping solution available with just one click. 💻 **Website**: [https://thepackengers.com](https://thepackengers.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Roissy-en-France 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €14M 🏦 **Investors**: Weber Investissement; Reflexion Capital; Transolution 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thierry Salah 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/03/logistique-thepackengers-leve-14-millions-deuros-pour-setendre-au-dela-du-transport-doeuvres-dart/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: SuperBranche 🔍 **Description**: A medtech company designing nanoparticles for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer cells. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.superbranche.com/](https://www.superbranche.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Strasbourg 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €13M (including €5.5M debt) 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Capital Grand Est; Family Offices 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Delphine FELDER-FLESCH 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/superbranche%5Fsuperbranche-clos-une-s%C3%A9rie-a-de-13m-deuros-activity-7292454774912782336-rUV4?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop) --- 📇 **Company**: Reev 🔍 **Description**: Developer of a robotic orthosis device designed to reduce muscle fatigue, enhance mobility, and improve daily life for individuals with mobility impairments. 💻 **Website**: [http://reev.care/](http://reev.care/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Toulouse 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8.8M 🏦 **Investors**: Polytechnique Ventures; Newfund; Irdi Capital; Techstars; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Fanny Chesa 🗞️ **News**: [Silicon Canals](https://siliconcanals.com/frances-reev-raises-8-8m/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Wildsense 🔍 **Description**: A new carbon standard designed to measure and verify impacts on climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods. 💻 **Website**: [https://ers.org/](https://ers.org/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 🏦 **Investors**: LocalGlobe; noa; AENU 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault Sorret 🗞️ **News**: [Carbon Herald](https://carbonherald.com/ers-to-scale-operations-with-new-5m-funding-in-answer-to-rising-certification-demand/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Circle Safe 🔍 **Description**: A medtech startup developing a next-generation catheter that reduces post-operative complications in atrial fibrillation procedures by threefold. 💻 **Website**: N/A 📍 **HQ City**: Marseille 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €8M 🏦 **Investors**: Odyssée Venture; Région Sud Investissement; Bpifrance; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bertrand Thiery (President & Founder) 🗞️ **News**: [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/cardiologie-circle-safe-leve-8-millions-deuros-pour-son-catheter-20-2146796?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: NETRI 🔍 **Description**: Develops organ-on-chip technology for neuroscience research. 💻 **Website**: [https://netri.fr/](https://netri.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5M 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thibault Honegger; Florian Larramendy; CA Netri Goel 🗞️ **News**: [Bref Eco](https://www.brefeco.com/actualite/innovation/netri-inaugure-son-usine-dorganes-sur-puce-et-leve-nouveau-des-fonds?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Extracthive 🔍 **Description**: Provides a service to help businesses with value-added tax (VAT) management in the European Union. 💻 **Website**: [https://extracthive.eu](https://extracthive.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Laudun-l'Ardoise 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4.60M 🏦 **Investors**: CEA Investissement; Citizen Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Christophe Dondeyne --- 📇 **Company**: Sirius NeoSight 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered medical imaging for diagnostic enhancement. 💻 **Website**: [https://sirius-neosight.com](https://sirius-neosight.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4.40M 🏦 **Investors**: Demeter Partners; Octalfa; GO Capital; Angels Santé; Evolem; Better Angle; Crédit Agricole Création 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Arnaud Vigneron; Agnès Bastid 🗞️ **News**: [Bref Eco](https://www.brefeco.com/actualite/innovation/oncologie-sirius-neosight-recolte-44-meu-pour-sa-plateforme-de-prediction?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Histovery 🔍 **Description**: Augmented reality experiences for historical sites and museums. 💻 **Website**: [http://histovery.com](http://histovery.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Late VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; MI3 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bruno De Sa Moreira; Edouard Lussan 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/de-versailles-a-fort-alamo-histovery-leve-4me-pour-imposer-la-french-touch-dans-la-mediation-culturelle-augmentee/451200?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Revolte 🔍 **Description**: A company focused on innovative solutions in mobility and insurance services with e-garages. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.revolte.club/](https://www.revolte.club/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €4M 🏦 **Investors**: MACIF; Groupe IMA; Bpifrance; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Rémy Lê, Alexis Marcadet 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290706323954884611/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Neuralk AI 🔍 **Description**: Developing foundation AI models specialized for business needs. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.neuralk-ai.com](https://www.neuralk-ai.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.80M 🏦 **Investors**: Fly Ventures; Station F; Philippe Corrot; Charles Gorintin; Vincent Luciani; Thomas Wolf; Nagi Letaifa; Jean-Louis Quéguiner; Saturnin Pugnet; Julien Launay; Xavier Perret 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Alexandre Pasquiou, Antoine Moissenot 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/04/neuralk-ai-cette-startup-du-commerce-dans-laquelle-vient-dinvestir-charles-gorintin-et-philippe-corrot/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: PAPAYA 🔍 **Description**: Gamification and engagement platform bringing fun challenges to users. 💻 **Website**: [http://papaya.com](http://papaya.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Isle 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.64M 🏦 **Investors**: Andrey Birman; Alex Liakhovetsky; Yonatan Yoni Zvik --- 📇 **Company**: Mantle8 🔍 **Description**: A natural hydrogen exploration company using advanced geoscience technologies to detect and quantify underground hydrogen reservoirs with unprecedented precision. 💻 **Website**: N/A 📍 **HQ City**: Grenoble 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.4M 🏦 **Investors**: Kiko Ventures; Breakthrough Energy Ventures Europe (BEV-E); Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Emmanuel Masini (Founder & CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [**EU Startups**](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/natural-hydrogen-exploration-startup-mantle8-raises-e3-4-million-to-scale/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/natural-hydrogen-mantle8-bill-gates?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: NEO ECO 🔍 **Description**: Publisher of MonPortailRH, the first collaborative HR platform for SMEs to support talent development. 💻 **Website**: [http://neo-eco.fr](http://neo-eco.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Odyssée Venture; Business Angels Europe --- 📇 **Company**: Epyr 🔍 **Description**: Developer of thermal energy storage solutions for industrial decarbonization and renewable energy transition. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.epyr.co/](https://www.epyr.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3M 🏦 **Investors**: Daphni; AENU; OVNI Capital; WEPA Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Léa Dardenne; Bastien Oggeri 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7292456110823747585/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Lyv Healthcare co-founders (left to right) Chloé Bonnet, Hélène Antier, and Maïa Alexaline](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-4.png) Lyv Healthcare co-founders (left to right) Chloé Bonnet, Hélène Antier, and Maïa Alexaline 📇 **Company**: Lyv Healthcare 🔍 **Description**: Digital healthcare platform facilitating access to medical services and patient support. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.lyv.app](https://www.lyv.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Nantes 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.60M 🏦 **Investors**: Investir & +; INCO Investissement; Mutuelles Impact; Abeille Assurances 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Hélène Antier, Chloé Bonnet, Maïa Alexaline 🗞️ **News**: [Maddyness](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/02/04/lyv-healthcare-leve-pres-de-3-millions-deuros-avec-sa-solution-en-ligne-de-lutte-contre-lendometriose/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: The QA Company 🔍 **Description**: AI-powered software enabling Question Answering systems over knowledge graphs. 💻 **Website**: [https://qanswer.ai](https://qanswer.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Saint-Étienne 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.55M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; UI Investissement; Saint-Étienne Métropole; HEF; Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Pierre Maret 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7292137770448248834/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: ASTRA IT 🔍 **Description**: Plug-and-play cybersecurity solution for websites and apps. 💻 **Website**: [http://getastra.com](http://getastra.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Le Kremlin-Bicêtre 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.45M 🏦 **Investors**: Blume Ventures; Emergent Ventures; Better Capital; PointOne Capital; Neon 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Shikhil Sharma; Ananda Krishna 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/astra-security-raises-funding-simplify-cybersecurity-ai-driven-iserc/?trackingId=1jEPDotdRL2uKlR4fravtQ%3D%3D&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Crown Procurement 🔍 **Description**: Procurement platform optimizing cost savings through fair and transparent e-auctions. 💻 **Website**: [https://crown.ovh](https://crown.ovh/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures; Bpifrance; BackBone Ventures; Mario Götze; another.vc; Dr. Marcell Vollmer; Prequel Ventures; ZAS Ventures; HEARTFELT\_; Apok Invest; Christophe VIllain 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mykyta Voytenko 🗞️ **News**: [Tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2025/02/04/crown-secures-eur2m-for/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/eauction-startup-crown-raises-e2-million-to-transform-procurement-strategy/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Aleph-Networks 🔍 **Description**: A cybersecurity startup specializing in OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) data processing across all layers of the web, including the deep and dark web, to detect data leaks and security threats. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.aleph-networks.eu/en/](https://www.aleph-networks.eu/en/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Villefranche-sur-Saône, Rhône 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: AG2R La Mondiale; Accurafy4 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nicolas Hernandez (CEO) 🗞️ **News**: [Usine Digitale](https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/cybersecurite-aleph-networks-leve-2-millions-d-euros-pour-fouiller-les-recoins-caches-du-web.N2227022?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Anybuddy 🔍 **Description**: A reservation app for racket sports courts, enabling easy access to playing facilities. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.anybuddyapp.com/](https://www.anybuddyapp.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lille 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: Seventure Partners; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Martial Guermonprez, Frédéric Fouco, Martial Guermonprez 🗞️ **News**: [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/deals/anybuddy-la-start-up-qui-surfe-sur-la-deferlante-du-padel-en-france-2146941?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Upciti 🔍 **Description**: Supplier of precise, localized real-time data for smart cities and smart retailers. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.upciti.com/](https://www.upciti.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Montreuil 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.80M 🏦 **Investors**: Demeter Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Baptiste POLJAK --- 📇 **Company**: Extrajool 🔍 **Description**: A deeptech company developing waste heat conversion technology to generate electricity. 💻 **Website**: [https://extrajool.com/](https://extrajool.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Bordeaux 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: One Green; SideAngels; Nouvelle-Aquitaine Amorçage 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Eric Morelle, Sebastien Thomas, Euryale Chatelard 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/extrajool%5Fcomm-lev%C3%A9e-activity-7289664938870996992-o94-?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop) --- 📇 **Company**: Fraktion 🔍 **Description**: Fraktion helps launch and manage investment platforms with ease. 💻 **Website**: [http://fraktion.fr/](http://fraktion.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1M 🏦 **Investors**: VOX CAPITAL, Tezos Foundation, Cabrit Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Gweltaz Le Coz, Gweltaz Le Coz 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7293241293827166208/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) ### Spotlight Interview: Keles' Laurent Van Lerberghe On Digital Health Investing URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-keles-laurent-van-lerberghe-on-digital-health-investing/ Last updated: 2025-02-07T04:55:27.000Z "The region between the UK, France, and Benelux is becoming something like a new Palo Alto. Everything is reachable within two and a half hours, creating a concentrated ecosystem of talent, capital, and market opportunities." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Digital Diplomats: Is France Still an Innovation Nation in 2025? URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/the-digital-diplomats-france-innovation-nation-2025/ Last updated: 2025-02-05T07:00:03.000Z *Intro: Each month, the Digital Diplomats cut through the clichés about the Silicon Valley and French approach to innovation to bring a clear analysis of a major tech story or trend that reveals the relative strengths and weaknesses of each ecosystem. Our goal is to give entrepreneurs the perspective they need to succeed in both markets.* ***The Digital Diplomats are:*** [***Marjolaine Catil***](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolaine-catil-50433759/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,* an Investment Director at*[ *Newfund*](https://www.newfundcap.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)*, a VC firm based in Paris and Silicon Valley. She leads Newfund’s* [***“Road to the USA”***](https://www.newfundcap.com/road-usa?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) *initiative for French entrepreneurs considering U.S. expansion.* [***Chris O’Brien***](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherobrien?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,* a Silicon Valley veteran journalist who is* the *founder and editor of* [*The French Tech Journal* ](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/)*newsletter.* --- **The Dialogue: Is France Still an Innovation Nation in 2025?** **Chris:** Marjolaine, it feels like we’re at a pivotal moment for tech. Donald Trump wants to create a “Startup Nation” in the US while President Macron’s efforts to do that in France may be running out of steam. Does any of that matter to a French entrepreneur? **Marjolaine:** It’s critical for founders to understand the forces which will influence their development. But we need to look beyond stereotypes that can mislead them. **Chris:** Right. There's this common perception that France is all about heavy-handed government intervention, while the U.S. is the epitome of laissez-faire capitalism. But, as we know, it's more complicated than that. **Cliché: The French expect the government to play a strong role in the economy** **Marjolaine:** France's state-directed economic planning has been a defining feature since the 17th century. But I think the French government has struggled to adapt to a modern privatized and global economy. This has resulted in a paradoxical approach to innovation. France is aggressively funding innovation, trying to foster the next generation of global players. The €54 billion France 2030 plan, Bpifrance’s €4.5 billion investment in tech, and the CIR tax credit program (€7 billion annually) are meant to drive entrepreneurship. Yet at the same time, France positions itself as a regulatory counterweight to U.S. tech dominance, imposing strict measures on GAFAM that also creates barriers for homegrown startups, making it difficult to scale at the same pace as their American counterparts. **Chris:** Those innovation programs have made a significant impact. But has the government been so supportive that it lowered the perceived risk of starting a company? There was a record high of 65,000 startup bankruptcies in France in 2024\. Now the government is considering budget cuts by doing away with tax breaks for early-stage innovative companies. **Marjolaine:** The government has merely postponed the inevitable failure of some startups through the Covid loans, the “PGE.” Launching a startup is inherently risky; true government support lies in enabling rapid recovery, not in artificially sustaining businesses that lack product-market fit. The French government still has progress to make in defining the right regulations to truly support startups. However, we should acknowledge one positive cultural shift fostered by Macron’s startup initiatives: the French are now more willing to take risks. The data is striking—25% of engineering students now aspire to join startups rather than pursue traditional careers. New institutions like the Albert School are also emerging, offering an innovative blend of business and data science skills. Despite the recent downturn in startup funding, France's tech ecosystem has reached a certain level of maturity. We now have 15,000 startups with many coming from deep research centers (INRIA, CNRS, CEA), a large community of serial entrepreneurs and investors. The key question is no longer about the sustainability of French startup culture, but rather: will our most ambitious entrepreneurs choose to launch their startups in France or directly head to the US? **Cliché: Americans are anti-government and view it as a barrier to the economy** **Marjolaine:** America seems to be more appealing than ever to tech entrepreneurs, particularly in AI. Trump's Davos speech outlined a clear strategy: massive deregulation, dedicated AI infrastructure (doubling US energy capacity), increased tariffs, and significant private sector commitments like the Stargate plan. **Chris:** What’s fascinating to me is that while this tech government lovefest in the U.S. feels new, it’s not. Having spent 15 years in Silicon Valley, I would agree that it’s a place like no other. Its ability to adapt is unmatched anywhere. Whether it was the internet, social media, mobile, and now AI, Silicon Valley has found a way to dominate. Of course, VCs and founders believe this is entirely due to their entrepreneurial talent, and that fosters the belief that they just wanted the government to leave them alone and let them do their thing. But the reality is that the U.S. tech sector has always had a relationship with the government, particularly through the military. I recommend reading [Steve Blank’s “Secret History of Silicon Valley”](https://steveblank.com/secret-history/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) for anyone unfamiliar with this history. Now, with emerging technologies like AI, we're seeing an even bigger shift toward rethinking this relationship with the government. **Marjolaine:** How do you see that relationship evolving in the U.S.? **Chris**: Despite Trump’s criticism of the CHIPS Act, he is likely to push funding out faster and reduce the red tape around these infrastructure projects. The DOGE program being led by Elon Musk wants to accelerate the digital transformation of government, which would be a huge windfall for Silicon Valley. We're also seeing that some of the biggest tech players are now actively trying to shape government policies in areas like crypto. Silicon Valley wants the government to play a stronger role in tech – but what they see to be the right role. **Marjolaine**: You’re right. A striking example is the campaign against Katie Porter, a Democratic candidate perceived as anti-crypto, who was targeted by a massive media offensive by Fairshake, leading to her defeat in the California Senate primary last year. In his article [**"Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster,"**](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/14/silicon-valley-the-new-lobbying-monster?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) Charles Duhigg portrayed how the tech industry is a dominant political powerhouse with internal cultural battles. Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, has been outspoken about how Silicon Valley has shifted from its traditional Democratic leanings to a radical ideology where “capitalism is evil.” That triggered his vow to “work against candidates who defied tech.” This brings me back to our main questions: Is it better to be in an ecosystem with strong government support, or one where pure market forces are at play? And are the political trends in the U.S. and France shifting where these two countries sit along the spectrum between these two extremes? **An entrepreneur's perspective: how to build a global champion today?** **Chris:** If I were a young, French entrepreneur, here are a few things that I’d be considering. First, there is huge very early-stage startup support in France through places like Bpifrance, which provides research grants, advising, and other softer forms of support like networking, market research, etc. These programs are relatively easy to access and when new ones are developed for sectors like Deep Tech, AI, Energy, Quantum Computing, or Aerospace - they become clear priorities that help orient entrepreneurs toward various support mechanisms. In the US, unless you [graduate from a major university](https://news.crunchbase.com/startups/top-universities-funded-founders-ai-biotech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) like Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, or Harvard, or you’re already well-connected, then you’re still pretty much on your own for those first steps. **Marjolaine**: Agreed. In addition to research programs, startups in France have access to a deep talent pool at an affordable cost, which is a key issue in the US. That said, beyond Series A, financing and scaling in France is significantly tougher. Companies are still conservative about adopting new tech. The government’s ["Je Choisis La French Tech"](https://lafrenchtech.gouv.fr/en/programme/je-choisis-la-french-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) initiative aims to change this, but its impact remains uncertain. In contrast, founders in the US have access to a market with ten times more potential customers, making it easier to sell and scale their solutions. They can also unlock greater fundraising opportunities, but timing is crucial. I encourage you to explore the [data-driven analysis](https://blog.newfundcap.com/a-data-driven-approach-to-an-early-us-expansion/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) by our American General Partner, Henri Deshays, which shows that French scaleups entering the US early raise significantly larger rounds—5x more than their domestic-only peers—and attract US investors much faster. **Chris:** Ultimately, for me, it comes down to the specific needs of each company and their sector. For instance, given the backlash against climate change policies in the U.S., I suspect it’s going to be [tough for anyone working on Climate Tech in the U.S](https://www.fastcompany.com/91271742/trumps-cash-freeze-is-making-clean-energy-projects-collapse?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). On the other hand, if you’re focused on AI or crypto, then scaling up might be even easier once regulations are in place. Still, I would add a few notes of caution here. Rewriting rules around data, climate, and finance will be tremendously complex in the U.S. There will be fights between the political parties, between the states and federal government, and then likely lots of lawsuits. If the success of your startup could be impacted by government policies, I would consider very carefully whether you have sufficient visibility into the future. And if not, is the risk of that uncertainty outweighed by the many other advantages of the US, like late-stage funding and the exit market? **Marjolaine**: That’s true. Just last week, startups were thrown into confusion when the Trump administration ordered a pause on all federal assistance—*including, but not limited to*, grants related to diversity, foreign aid, and so-called "woke gender ideology." Although this decision was later revoked, many startups suddenly [found themselves unable to access their grant funding](https://www.geekwire.com/2025/trumps-push-to-freeze-funding-leaves-researchers-anxious-about-delayed-scientific-breakthroughs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), leaving them in a state of uncertainty. Rather than asking whether to stay in France or go to the U.S., the real question for founders should be:How do I use the different ecosystems to serve my strategy? Entrepreneurs can structure their startups across multiple countries. Base their R&D and technical teams in France while setting up commercial and marketing operations in the U.S. This approach maximizes access to talent and capital while maintaining cost advantages and lowering regulatory risks. Such a setup can be particularly advantageous if future U.S. policies, like potential import tax increases under the Trump administration, introduce new financial hurdles. However, startups need to be prepared to manage the complexity of issues like stock options, accounting, and financial regulations that come with being multinational. It is crucial for founders to identify which factors are most favorable for their company's growth and not just rely on broad stereotypes of each market. **Chris**: And that’s what we’ll continue to explore in the coming months. **Marjolaine**: Looking forward to it, Chris. ### 🤖 La Machine #16: Special AI Action Summit Edition 🤖 URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-16-special-ai-action-summit-edition-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-03T07:00:21.000Z ***Welcome to our weekly French AI newsletter.*** [***Subscribe now***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/la-machine-3-french-ai-news-recap-for-september/#/portal/) ***to get full access to company launches, new products, exclusive interviews, research, and deals.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2024/10/La-Machine-Banner-1.png) --- # Edito It may not be the Olympics, but the frenzy surrounding the *AI Action Summit* in Paris is building to its own kind of feverish crescendo of anticipation for nerds, founders, and policymakers. The official summit is February 10-11, but starting this week there is a non-stop rampage of related and unrelated events that span the gamut from social gatherings to power networking to scientific gabfests to serious policy discussions. Below is an almost complete calendar of events for the next week. Like the Olympics, the event is a chance for France to thrust itself onto the center stage of what feels like the most profound tech transformation since the internet slithered out of academic labs into the commercial world. Artificial Intelligence has gone through repeated hype cycles over the past 15 years, but those brief flutters of attention were nothing compared to the stampede that began with the release of ChatGPT two years ago. Of course, the approaching Summit arrives at a moment mixed with exhilaration and dread. Is AI going to solve all of the world's problems? Is AI going to destroy humanity? Is it possible to find an equilibrium? Or, is it just a bunch of algorithmic sludge, or as [**Le Figaro**](https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/c-est-une-nouvelle-pollution-numerique-le-slop-ce-raz-de-maree-de-contenus-ia-qui-menace-internet-20250202?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **puts it**, "'This is a new digital pollution': the Slop, this tidal wave of AI content that threatens the Internet." France and Europe are once again caught between the cowboys of Silicon Valley and the authoritarian fist of China. Can Europe compete? Is it doomed to be a digital afterthought? In this Special Edition, I spoke to France Digitale CEO Maya Noël who is overseeing preparations for the Summit's Business Day. We also have a breakdown of FD's Mapping of France's AI ecosystem. She is optimistic, but also clear-eyed about the challenges: "In all the conversations we had this week around ChatGPT and the fact that maybe Europe is not even in the race - I do think that we have a lot of companies in the race, but we have to help them to grow and get bigger." **Chris O'Brien** # ⛰️ AI Action Summit News **⛰️ Clara Chappaz unveils the French Government’s three objectives for the AI summit | "**Clara Chappaz, Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, has provided further details on the government’s objectives for this summit, how French companies will be showcased, and the potential European momentum this gathering could generate." Those include 3 themes: societal and cultural aspects; economic impact; and diplomacy. "*One in two people in France has doubts about AI. This summit is an opportunity to demonstrate what AI can bring to our lives and society,"* Chappaz said. | [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/uk/2025/02/01/clara-chappaz-unveils-the-french-governments-three-objectives-for-the-ai-summit/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ The Paris AI Action Summit: A Pivotal Moment to Reclaim AI from Big Tech |** "The French Summit takes a broader perspective on AI. It [aims to](https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16168-2024-INIT/en/pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) “deliver the critical public goods needed to align AI with the public interest.”However, the summit will fail to achieve this goal unless it tackles the elephant in the room – Big Tech’s growing dominance over the AI ecosystem and its creeping capture of AI governance, now increasingly backed by the might of the United States government." | [**Tech Policy**](https://www.techpolicy.press/the-paris-ai-action-summit-a-pivotal-moment-to-reclaim-ai-from-big-tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ AI Summit: Elysée Seeks $2.5 Billion Boost for Artificial Intelligence** | "Just two weeks before a global summit in Paris, the President’s special envoy on the matter has announced that France aims to raise 2.5 billion euros over five years for a foundation designed to harness this technology for the 'public interest.' This 'foundation dedicated to artificial intelligence to promote its development in the service of the public interest, which could be based in Paris,' is expected to emerge from the AI summit organized by France in early February, according to Anne Bouverot in an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, given in Davos, Switzerland." | [**Glass Almanac**](https://glassalmanac.com/ai-summit-elysee-seeks-2-5-billion-boost-for-artificial-intelligence/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **⛰️ A few days before the AI summit, did the government bury its 2024 AI report? |** FrenchWeb notes that while this foundation sounds fine and dandy, it represents a significantly smallerproposal than the ambitious one introduced by a government task force led by the same **Madame Bouverot**. In March 2024, the French government's Commission on Artificial Intelligence submitted a strategic report outlining an ambitious roadmap to structure France's AI ecosystem that included an additional €10bn in funding. However, that was before President Macron's party got trounced in European elections, lost a snap legislative election, and saw attempts to form a stable government founder amid calls for massive budget cuts. And so, as the nation prepares for the upcoming AI Action Summit, this report appears to have been sidelined. Instead, the government is focused on the more modest foundation. **|** [**FrenchWeb**](https://www.frenchweb.fr/a-quelques-jours-du-sommet-de-lia-le-gouvernement-a-t-il-enterre-le-rapport-de-la-commission-ia-de-2024/451085?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Headlines **🗞️** **DeepSeek fallout continues**. | The seismic release of the Chinese LLM challenger continues to produce aftershocks. [Europeans are alternately hopeful ](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250128-deepseek-shock-shows-europe-not-out-of-ai-race-experts?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)that the lower costs to produce the ChatGPT competitor means [they are still in the race](https://www.rfi.fr/en/science-and-technology/20250201-how-are-french-chip-companies-affected-by-the-deepseek-avalanche?ref=frenchtechjournal.com); and [fretting that their continent is doomed](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/01/31/behind-deepseek-and-the-paris-summit-lies-the-challenge-of-open-and-economical-artificial-intelligence%5F6737615%5F23.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to be squeezed between the US and China. **🗞️** Meanwhile, [everyone wants to know](https://sifted.eu/articles/deepseek-mistral-what-next?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) if this is the end or the beginning of France's LLM heartthrob **Mistral AI**, which was betting on smaller, open-source models to carry the day. DeepSeek [beat or topped Mistral in some measures](https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/01/31/1354218/deepseek-outstrips-meta-and-mistral-to-lead-open-source-ai-race?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). For its part, Mistral was playing it cool: DeepSeek's R1 is "a great and complementary piece of open-source technology," Mistral [said in a statement on its website](https://www.barrons.com/news/france-s-mistral-hails-deepseek-s-ai-model-64f9021d?refsec=topics%5Fafp-news&ref=frenchtechjournal.com). [Mistral also dropped its Mistral Small 3](https://www.techzine.eu/blogs/applications/128285/mistral-unveils-how-small-ai-models-are-starting-to-think-big/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) under the Apache 2.0 license to demonstrate it's still in the game. And yet, the [Financial Times expounded](https://www.ft.com/content/fa8bad75-dc55-47d9-9eb4-79ac94e54d82?ref=frenchtechjournal.com): **"Has Europe’s great hope for AI missed its moment?"** **🗞️** Naturally, France's privacy and data watchdog **CNIL (*Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés)***has some questions and wants to chat with DeepSeek's creators to *"*gain a better idea of how the Chinese startup's AI system works and any possible privacy risks for users, [**according to Reuters**](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/french-privacy-watchdog-quiz-deepseek-ai-data-protection-2025-01-30/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **🗞️** **Speaking of Mistral AI**, Bloomberg has a great profile of **"Mistral's Secret Powerbroker Keeps Europe's AI Hopes Alive."** Mr. Secret is not really so secret. He's Jean Charles Samuelian-Werve, CEO of insurtech unicorn Alan. He was an early investor and advisor to Mistral AI. | [**Bloomberg**](https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/mistrals-secret-powerbroker-keeps-europes-ai-hopes-alive?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🗞️ Speaking of CNIL**, the regulatory body has unveiled its 2025-2028 strategic plan, emphasizing digital identity, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the protection of minors online. The agency aims to ensure user privacy in digital IDs and mobile applications, pledging to collaborate with European authorities on implementing the eIDAS Regulation and the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. Additionally, CNIL plans to enforce stricter controls on platforms used by minors, such as social networks and educational applications, to ensure compliance with consent and advertising regulations. | [**Biometric Update**](https://www.biometricupdate.com/202501/french-privacy-watchdog-includes-digital-id-ai-and-minor-protection-in-strategic-plan?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- # Interviews ### 🗣️ AI Action Summit: France Digitale CEO Maya Noël Is All Business [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-action-summit-france-digtales-maya-noel-2/) The [AI Action Summit's Business Day](https://francedigitale.org/agenda/business-day-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com#speakers), organized on February 11th by France Digitale, will bring together CTOs, engineers, startups, and corporate leaders to explore practical applications of AI across various industries. Maya Noël, CEO of France Digitale, explained that while the event builds on its eight-year tradition of facilitating business meetings between startups and investors, this year's summit has expanded its scope significantly. "The idea is to make people understand the use of AI and not just talking about what are the models, what is the value chain, but very concrete stuff to inspire a lot of companies to use more AI in their business," Noël said. [Read more](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-action-summit-france-digtales-maya-noel-2/) ### 🗣️ France Digitale AI Mapping: 750 Startups And Dreams Of Digital Greatness [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/f3025f90-bec9-4710-a833-384754359590-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-digital-ai-mapping/) France is staking its claim as the EU leader in artificial intelligence (AI) innovation in Europe. According to [France Digitale’s Mapping of AI Startups](https://francedigitale.org/publications/mapping-startups-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) report produced in partnership with Sopra Steria Ventures, the country now boasts approximately 750 AI startups, surpassing Germany’s 687 and reinforcing its position as the region’s most dynamic AI hub. The growth of AI startups in France has been impressive, with a net increase of 27% since 2023\. This expansion is driven by a thriving ecosystem, strong investor confidence, and an increasing number of startups securing substantial funding rounds, according to the report. [Read the full breakdown](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-digital-ai-mapping/) # January AI Research Recap **🧠 Traditional vs. AI-Generated Meteorological Risks for Emergency Predictions |** SIRRI Naoufal, UMR6174 Institut Franche Comté Électronique Mécanique Thermique et Optique Sciences et Technologies (FEMTO-ST), Besançon, France. | [Frontiers](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence/articles/10.3389/frai.2025.1545851/abstract?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🧠** **How AI Affects the Pragmatic Function in Media Discourse: A French Press Perspective |** Al-Muhaissen, Batoul & Al-Hammouri, Samer & Rachdan, Kossay & Habes, Mohammed. (2024). 7\. 369-380\. 10.30564/fls.v7i1.7800\. [Article](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387837083%5FHow%5FAI%5FAffects%5Fthe%5FPragmatic%5FFunction%5Fin%5FMedia%5FDiscourse%5FA%5FFrench%5FPress%5FPerspective?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🧠** **Innovation in the Artificial Intelligence sector: An exploratory study of the structure of co-inventor networks** | Lantz, Jean-Sébastien, Lacaze, Delphine, Braune, Eric and Sahut, Jean-Michel *Management international / International Management / Gestiòn Internacional* 28, no. 6 (2024): 101–114\. [https://doi.org/10.59876/a-es2g-vy4a](https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/mi/2024-v28-n6-mi09776/1115334ar/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🧠 Football Selection Optimization through the Integration of Management Theories, AI, and Multi-criteria Decision Making** | Roukaya Ben Jeddou. Football Selection Optimization through the Integration of Management Theories, AI and Multi-criteria Decision Making. Business administration. Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 2024\. [**Article**](https://theses.hal.science/tel-04870460v1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [See the full recap](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-research-january-recap/) # AI Funding News 📇 **Company**: Zaion 🔍 **Description**: Conversational and generative AI solutions for the telecommunications sector. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.zaion.ai/](http://www.zaion.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €11M 🏦 **Investors**: 115 K; Fortino Capital; Truffle Capital; Pro BTP Innovation; Bpifrance Investissement; La France Mutualiste 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Franz Fodéré 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/31/2518-millions-deuros-leves-cette-semaine-par-les-startups-francaises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290729151022391296/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Hopia 🔍 **Description**: Provides AI-optimized resource management solutions for healthcare establishments. 💻 **Website**: [https://hopia.eu/](https://hopia.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5M 🏦 **Investors**: IRIS; Kurma Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Victoire Bach; Julien Pinede; Matthias Lesage 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/hopia-leve-35-millions-deuros-pour-reinventer-lefficience-des-etablissements-medicaux-grace-a-lia/450981?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: GetVocal 🔍 **Description**: Conversational AI platform enabling communication via call or message. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.getvocal.ai/](https://www.getvocal.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.7M 🏦 **Investors**: Speedinvest; Elaia Partners; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Roy Moussa, Antonin Bertin 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290283230639845376/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) # Events **📆** ***From February 6 to 11 February 2025, a wide range of events are being organized around Paris as part of the "Action Week for Artificial Intelligence" in connection with the Paris AI Summit.*** [***More details here.***](https://www.elysee.fr/sommet-pour-l-action-sur-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 AI Excellence Tour | February 1-8 |** On the occasion of the AI Action Summit, France Digitale is partnering with the PRAIRIE Research Institute and Entretiens de l'Excellence to create a special AI Excellence tour and raise awareness among young people, particularly high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, about the challenges, professions, and AI skills for today and tomorrow. The tour will pass through [Strasbourg](https://4on4x.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/7nVU1aA2nfwLobqscmMhTqXuopyd8pG/wTnRXeVpfVjK?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (February 1), [Lille](https://4on4x.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/7nVU1aA2nfyEo8MBbLb9WCrizCTPslm/mMHWOOwnWXX6?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (February 5)***,*** and [Paris](https://4on4x.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/7nVU1aA2ng07nerUZupbYZBX9YyCciI/juDA2YqELOid?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) (February 8). **📆 The AI Meetings of Trust | February 3 |** Presented by the Alliance pour la confiance numerique. **|** [**Registration**](https://framaforms.org/acn-inscription-les-rencontres-de-lia-de-confiance-3-fevrier-2025-14h-18h-1733758912?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 4th edition of the Digital Confidence Day| February 4 |**The CNCC organizes a meeting at Station F for an edition on artificial intelligence and its impact on the digital trust chain. | [**Registration**](https://confiance-numerique.cncc.fr/page/8ffa-informations?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Generative AI: How to take advantage of it?** | **February 4** | Presentations by high-level French and international experts and panel discussions moderated by Frédéric Simottel of BFM Business. Don't miss this event that will address the opportunities of AI Gener in many sectors, good practices**,** and ethical, regulatory, security, training**,** and governance issues |[**Registration**](https://evenium.events/76gpcryb/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Hub France AI Elevate | February 4 |** In the context of the AI Action Summit, Hub France IA is thrilled to invite you to its flagship event ELEVATE, in partnership with SCAI - Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence. A unique opportunity to get inspired from game-changing innovations grounded in concrete use cases to cutting-edge research pushing AI boundaries to the next frontier and network with top industry experts and peers. | [**Registration**](https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/billets-elevate-1120139269709?aff=oddtdtcreator&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 GeoAI Hack at AI Action Summit *|* February 4-5 *|*** GeoAI Hack, co-organized by InstaDeep and datacraft, is a two-day hackathon, supported by the French government, that aims to bring together creative minds passionate about AI to solve a very current challenge: building operational geospatial solutions powered by AI. A demonstration of what AI for good can accomplish. | [**Apply here**](https://geoaihack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 AI for clinical research and development and associated technological challenges | February 5 |** The clinical research landscape is changing rapidly and artificial intelligence is at the heart of this transformation. Join us for a must-have event bringing together opinion leaders, researchers***,*** and industry innovators. Discover some examples of use cases, the associated technological challenges in terms of data access, transparency***,*** and performance, and examples of large-group collaborations, research***,*** and start-ups to respond to them. | [**Registration**](https://yseop.com/resources/events/ia-au-service-de-la-rd-clinique/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Adopt an AI | February 5 |** Join us for a captivating exploration of concrete strategies for implementing AI within companies. This must-see event will allow you to increase productivity through proven tools and methodologies, anticipate organizational change, and learn from inspiring examples, such as the innovative "Bring Your Own LLM" method developed by Salesforce. | [**Registration**](https://www.laplace-fintech.com/adopte-une-ia?purchasestep=0&steptype=products&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Profs augmented: AI for education | February 5 |** A few days before the Summit for Action on AI, the IA Foundation for School, EdTech France and La Villa Numeris are proposing an event to share experiences and good practices already at work and measure the effectiveness of artificial intelligence solutions. **|** [**Registration**](https://www.lavillanumeris.com/250205%5Ftrends%5Fannonce?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Powered by AI: On the Road to the 2025 AI Action Summit | February 5 |** Powered by AI is a talk series exploring AI's role in the energy transition by bringing together academia, industry, startups, public institutions, and civil society presented by the MIT Club of France. | [**Registration**](https://www.helloasso.com/associations/mit-club-de-france/evenements/powered-by-ai-on-the-road-to-the-2025-ai-action-summit?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Cathay Innovation Cocktail: AI for Finance | February 5 |** As part of the AI Week organized by the Presidency of the Republic, culminating in the AI Action Summit, Cathay Innovation is pleased to host an event on the theme AI for Finance. **|** [**Registration**](https://lu.ma/t3ywbyjg?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI in large organizations: state of play and 2025 perspectives | February 6 |** ​Join us, as part of the AI Summit hosted by the Elysée Palace, for an exclusive restitution of the report on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) by major groups, organized by the French Tech Grand Paris and Wavestone in partnership with Viva Technology and the Hub France IA. **|** [**Registration**](https://lu.ma/ke1to9bk?tk=FzgBGX&ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI, Science**, **and Society | February 6 and 7 |** As part of the AI Summit, the International Association of Researchers will bring together around 100 world-renowned AI researchers. You can listen to them at the "AI, Science and Society" conference at [Institut Polytechnique de Paris](https://www.linkedin.com/company/institut-polytechnique-de-paris/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) which will highlight the scientific advances of AI and the advances of science thanks to AI. | [**Registration**](http://aiconference.ip-paris.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **The Inaugural Conference of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI. | February 6 and 7 |** The International Association for Safe and Ethical AI will host its inaugural conference (IASEAI ‘25) on Feb 6-7, 2025 at the [OECD La Muette Headquarters and Conference Centre](https://www.oecd.org/en/about/history/the-chateau-de-la-muette.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) in Paris, ahead of the [Paris AI Action Summit](https://www.elysee.fr/en/sommet-pour-l-action-sur-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). This free conference will convene relevant stakeholders of safe and ethical AI, including leading experts from academia, civil society, industry, media, and government, to discuss the latest developments in AI safety and ethics. Participation is by invitation only, based on the submission of a statement of interest or proposed talk/poster abstract. | [**More information**](https://www.iaseai.org/conference?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Trusted third parties: guarantors of responsible and ethical AI | February 7 |** Webinar by the *Fédération des Tiers de Confiance du numérique*(Federation of Third Party Digital Trusts). | [**Register**](https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6982998792620487770?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI: the citizens' path | February 7 |** Three days before the start of the Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence, the Economic and Environmental Council and the National Digital Council are working together to organize a morning of exchanges dedicated to the place of citizen participation in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). | [**Registration**](https://www.lecese.fr/actualites/ia-la-voie-citoyenne?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Culture and AI, challenges and opportunities | February 8 |** The Bibliothèque Nationale de France will host round tables and workshops to explore the transformations generated by AI in several fields (copyrights, museum developments, architecture and spatial planning, heritage, journalism and information, audiovisual and cinema, etc.). | [**Information**](https://www.culture.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers/le-week-end-culturel-de-l-ia/le-week-end-culturel-de-l-ia-a-la-bnf-culture-et-ia-enjeux-et-perspectives?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Creation and AI, exhibition and mediation | February 9 |** "Machina sapiens" is an unprecedented artistic journey, which exhibits, on Sunday, February 9, about twenty original works that question AI. A stimulating proposal, which will make it possible to discover the abundance of universes in turn fascinating, mysterious, or simply seductive. An event not to be missed. **|** [**Information**](https://www.culture.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers/le-week-end-culturel-de-l-ia/le-week-end-culturel-de-l-ia-a-la-conciergerie-creation-et-ia-exposition-et-mediation?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit | February 10-11, 2025 |** Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, CEOs of small and large companies, representatives of academia, non-governmental organizations, artists**,** and members of civil society will gather in Paris to discuss the critical policy issues surrounding AI. | [**Information**](https://www.elysee.fr/en/sommet-pour-l-action-sur-l-ia?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 AI and women's health | February 10 |** The association Femtech France is delighted to invite you to its evening "IA and women's health" on the sidelines of the Summit for Action on AI organized by the Élysée. **|** [**Buy tickets**](https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/soiree-ia-et-sante-des-femmes-tickets-1203350536849?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **📆 Launch of the Enlightenment AI report | February 11 |** Driven by Francis Jutand’s expertise and published by CAP Digital, the report offers a bold vision: to build an ethical, sovereign, and sustainable AI, reaffirming the values of humanism and progress in the Enlightenment. An AI that can and must become a lever for human progress, democratic access to knowledge, and ecological respect. | [**Registration**](https://connect.capdigital.com/evenements/lancement-du-rapport-lia-des-lumieres.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **Entrepreneurs: AI a lever for growth | February 11 |** As AI revolutionizes our economy, entrepreneurs must seize the opportunities offered by this technology. Organized by CCI Paris, this afternoon will be an opportunity to discover concrete measures to support your digital transition and understand the central role of AI in regional and national economic strategy. **|** [**Registration**](https://www.entreprises.cci-paris-idf.fr/web/cci75/entrepreneurs-l-ia-comme-levier-de-croissance?utm%5Fsource=brevo&utm%5Fcampaign=INVITATION%20Sommet%20de%20lIA%20Entrepreneurs%20%20lIA%20comme%20levier%20de%20croissance%5Fcopy&utm%5Fmedium=email) 📆 **France Digitale's AI Day 2025** | **February 11, 2025** | Paris will be the AI capital of the world (at least for a week) during the AI Action Summit. With our AI Day — the official business side event of the Summit — seize this moment to meet and learn about the best in AI innovation made in Europe. | [**Information**](https://francedigitale.org/agenda/ai-day-2025?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **World AI Cannes Festival | February 13 -15, 2025 |** For 3 days, the prestigious **Palais des Festival of Cannes** will become the world capital of AI, where decision-makers and AI innovators meet, where the most promising innovations and technologies get into the spotlight, where those who are currently building the world’s most game-changing AI strategies and use-cases will be on stages. | [**Registration**](https://www.worldaicannes.com/en-gb/about/what-is-the-waicf.html?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📆 **AI Agent DAY @NFT Paris | February 15 |** You're invited to Crypto AI:CON Day during NFT Paris 2025, where around 300 selected founders and investors will gather for an evening of meaningful connections and conversations in the heart of Paris. | [**Registration**](https://lu.ma/t7e1oxhj?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### AI Research: January Recap URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-research-january-recap/ Last updated: 2025-02-03T05:04:59.000Z **🧠 Traditional vs. AI-Generated Meteorological Risks for Emergency Predictions |** SIRRI Naoufal, UMR6174 Institut Franche Comté Électronique Mécanique Thermique et Optique Sciences et Technologies (FEMTO-ST), Besançon, France. | [Frontiers](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence/articles/10.3389/frai.2025.1545851/abstract?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This study aims to analyze and examine in-depth the feature selection process using Large Language Models (LLMs) to optimize firefighter prediction performance. Although features from reliable sources are known to significantly aid predictions, their accuracy may be limited in critical situations requiring rigorous prioritization. Therefore, the focus was placed on meteorological risks for a comparative diagnosis between their extraction from M ét éo France and those generated by LLMs across various dimensions. **🧠** **How AI Affects the Pragmatic Function in Media Discourse: A French Press Perspective |** Al-Muhaissen, Batoul & Al-Hammouri, Samer & Rachdan, Kossay & Habes, Mohammed. (2024). 7\. 369-380\. 10.30564/fls.v7i1.7800\. [Article](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387837083%5FHow%5FAI%5FAffects%5Fthe%5FPragmatic%5FFunction%5Fin%5FMedia%5FDiscourse%5FA%5FFrench%5FPress%5FPerspective?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the pragmatic function of the French press, by analyzing the role of this advanced technology in changing the methods of collecting, editing, and analyzing news. This research aimed to comprehend the role and effect of artificial intelligence technology on news media practices in France, the quality of content, and the prevailing challenges. **🧠** **Innovation in the Artificial Intelligence sector: An exploratory study of the structure of co-inventor networks** | Lantz, Jean-Sébastien, Lacaze, Delphine, Braune, Eric and Sahut, Jean-Michel *Management international / International Management / Gestiòn Internacional* 28, no. 6 (2024): 101–114\. [https://doi.org/10.59876/a-es2g-vy4a](https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/mi/2024-v28-n6-mi09776/1115334ar/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Through an analysis of the global co-inventor networks of the 30 most innovative companies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), this research provides three key contributions: 1) the two dimensions of co-inventor networks: “encapsulation of information and knowledge,” concerning the overall network structure, and “accessibility to information and knowledge,” related to the inventor’s position within the network; 2) geographic location influences the structure of these networks; 3) the most innovative companies strategically choose between these dimensions in a global competitive context. These findings reignite the debate on the importance of connectivity and central positioning versus brokerage to achieve high levels of patent production in AI. **🧠 Football Selection Optimization through the Integration of Management Theories, AI, and Multi-criteria Decision Making** | Roukaya Ben Jeddou. Football Selection Optimization through the Integration of Management Theories, AI and Multi-criteria Decision Making. Business administration. Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 2024\. [**Article**](https://theses.hal.science/tel-04870460v1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** The research outlined in this thesis falls within the context of professional football club management, where establishing a balance between human and financial aspects is essential for the long-term viability of sports organizations. In football management, the traditional methods of player selection have historically guided decision-making processes within clubs. This strategic decision-making process, which is often subjective and uncertain, can have a significant impact on the club’s financial, economic, and sporting situation. **🧠 Multiscale Modelling, Artificial Intelligence and Materials Informatics |** Dominguez, J., Lindroos, M., Papanikolaou, S., Oksa, M., & Järvenpää, J. (2024). *ATS Ydintekniikka*, *53*(4), 22-26\. [https://bin.yhdistysavain.fi/1608821/Hk8OJiHcEk5Ouc8t9VUO0bO3jz/ATS%20Ydintekniikka\_4-2024.pdf](https://bin.yhdistysavain.fi/1608821/Hk8OJiHcEk5Ouc8t9VUO0bO3jz/ATS%20Ydintekniikka%5F4-2024.pdf?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** The NOMATEN Centre of Excellence (CoE) in collaboration with VTT and CEA, France, performs research and development on materials modeling for the nuclear field. This article presents the focus areas, examples of the latest work, and benefits for the industry and research cooperation. **🧠** **Advancing High-Throughput Cellular Atomic Force Microscopy with Automation and Artificial Intelligence |** Ophélie Thomas- -Chemin, Sébastien Janel, Zeyd Boumehdi, Childérick Séverac, Emmanuelle Trevisiol, Etienne Dague, and Vincent DuprésACS Nano [**Article ASAP** DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c07729](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.4c07729?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has reached a significant level of maturity in biology, demonstrated by the diversity of modes for obtaining not only topographical images but also insightful mechanical and adhesion data by performing force measurements on delicate samples with a controlled environment (e.g., liquid, temperature, pH). Numerous studies have applied AFM to describe biological phenomena at the molecular and cellular scales, and even on tissues. Despite these advances, AFM is not established as a diagnostic tool in the biomedical field. This article describes the reasons for this gap, focusing on one of the main weaknesses of bio-AFM: its low data throughput. We review current efforts to improve the automation of AFM measurements in particular on living cells, as well as the developments in automating data analysis. For the latter, artificial intelligence (AI) is progressively employed to classify data to distinguish healthy and diseased cells or tissues. Finally, we propose a roadmap to foster the application of bio-AFM into medical diagnostics. **🧠** **Artificial Intelligence. The Role of Governments in the Face of Digital Giants |** Bensamoun, Alexandra "L’intelligence artificielle. Le rôle des États face aux géants numériques". *Lex Electronica* 29, no. 4 (2024) : 38–42\. [https://doi.org/10.7202/1115125ar](https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/lex/2024-v29-n4-lex09753/1115125ar/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **🧠** **Paris 2024 Olympics: A Review of Innovation, Performance and Challenges |** Andreea, Voinea & Adrian, Iacobini & Dominteanu, Teodora. (2025). Paris 2024 Olympics: A Review of Innovation, Performance and Challenges. MARATHON. [Article](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388214300%5FParis%5F2024%5FOlympics%5FA%5FReview%5Fof%5FInnovation%5FPerformance%5Fand%5FChallenges?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** The Paris 2024 Olympics marked the third time France hosted the Games, strongly emphasizing sustainability, technological innovation, and gender equality. Artificial Intelligence (AI) played a key role in event security, athlete performance analysis, and enhancing the fan experience. Significant efforts were made to make these the "greenest" Games in history, with most equipment rented and venues powered by renewable energy. The Games were not without controversy, with incidents including the misrepresentation of South Korea at the opening ceremony, doping scandals, and disputed results in gymnastics and boxing. Despite these challenges, the Games witnessed record-breaking performances and the debut of breakdancing as a new Olympic sport. **🧠** **Health Data: Exploring Emerging Privacy Enhancing Mechanisms |** Thomas Lebrun. Health Data: Exploring Emerging Privacy Enhancing Mechanisms. Computer Science \[cs\]. Insa Lyon, 2024\. English. NNT. [https://hal.science/tel-04874777v1](https://hal.science/tel-04874777v1?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** Health data represents a large volume of information, generated daily and sensitive by nature. However, sharing this data is essential for advancing research and, ultimately, improving patient care. The use of medical data faces limitations due to its sensitivity and the need to ensure confidentiality, which is governed by current regulations. This necessitates enhanced protection. Interest in alternatives to sharing raw data, such as pseudonymization or anonymization, is increasing alongside the growing need for access to training data for the use of artificial intelligence, which requires large amounts of data to function effectively as a medical assistant. **🧠 "Adapting to Industry 4.0 in France: Essential Competencies for a Future-Ready Workforce"** |Turcato, Cristina Rodrigues Piazer, Bruno Pedroso, Maik Arnold, and Claudia Tania Picinin. 2024\. *Administrative Sciences* 14, no. 12: 322\. [https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14120322](https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14120322?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** "This paper identifies skills required for workers in Industry 4.0 in France and provides insights to guide the development of a future research agenda. The research draws on a bibliometric analysis of 80 papers, mapping the technical and interpersonal skills needed for professionals to adapt and thrive in the evolving industrial landscape. The results highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach integrating competencies in information technology, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, data analysis, project management, interpersonal skills, adaptability, and collaboration." 🧠 "Unleashing ChatGPT: Redefining Technology Acceptance and Digital Transformation in Higher Education" | Mourtajji, Loubna, and Nathalie Arts-Chiss. 2024\. *Administrative Sciences* 14, no. 12: 325\. [https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14120325](https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14120325?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract:** "The research takes as its conceptual framework models of technology acceptance and questions the relevance of these models to the acceptance and adoption of ChatGPT. A qualitative study carried out with teachers from various higher education establishments in France enables us to propose a model adapted to the specific features of generative AI. The ethical dimension and the controllability of the tools by users, made possible by a progressive training program, are two constructions that are essential to a proper understanding of whether or not these new tools are adopted." 🧠 "Comparing performances of French orthopedic surgery residents with the artificial intelligence ChatGPT-4/4o in the French diploma exams of orthopedic and trauma surgery." | Nabih Maraqa, Ramy Samargandi, Antoine Poichotte, Julien Berhouet, Rayane Benhenneda.| Orthopaedics & Traumatology: Surgery & Research, 2024, 104080, ISSN 1877-0568, [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otsr.2024.104080](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otsr.2024.104080?ref=frenchtechjournal.com). **Abstract:** "This study evaluates the performance of ChatGPT, particularly its versions 4 and 4o, in answering questions from the French orthopedic and trauma surgery exam (Diplôme d’Études Spécialisées, DES), compared to the results of French orthopedic surgery residents. The score achieved by ChatGPT-4o was equivalent to that of residents over the past five years: 74.8% for ChatGPT-4o vs. 70.8% for residents (p = 0.32). The accuracy rate of ChatGPT was significantly higher in its latest version 4o compared to version 4 (58.8%, p = 0.0001). The performance of ChatGPT-4o is equivalent to that of French students in answering questions from the DES in orthopedic and trauma surgery. Significant progress has been observed between versions 4 and 4o." 🧠 Aurélien Pellet, Julien Perez, Marie Puren. Generative Artificial Intelligence and Historical Research: Challenges, Potentials, and Limitations. **Application of RAG to French Parliamentary Debates of the Third Republic (1881-1940). A Conversation between AI and the Humanities**, Nov 2024, Lyon, France. [https://hal.science/hal-04832663/document](https://hal.science/hal-04832663/document?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Abstract: "**This work focuses on the analysis of the debates of Parliamentarians of the Third Republic (1870-1940), using recent advances in generative text models based on the search for information. Our goal is to assess the capacities and limitations of this approach to model and query this vast textual corpus, so as to better understand complex issues such as politics, the real-life of the as well as the factors influencing legislative decision-making. In combination with automatic extraction techniques information and generative models, our aim is to structure the debates, while ensuring the traceability of sources. ### France Digitale AI Mapping: 750 Startups And Dreams Of Digital Greatness URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/france-digital-ai-mapping/ Last updated: 2025-02-03T02:46:56.000Z On the eve of the AI Action Summit, France is staking its claim to be a leader in this critical sector. The report highlights the vast potential -- and the big challenges. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Action Summit: France Digitale CEO Maya Noël Is All Business URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/ai-action-summit-france-digtales-maya-noel-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-03T02:12:47.000Z On the Summit's Business Day: "The idea is to make people understand the use and not just talking about what are the models, what is the value chain, but very concrete stuff to inspire a lot of companies to use more AI in their business." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### French Tech Wire: Bug Bankruptcies And Veggie Victories URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-wire-bug-bankruptcies-veggie-victories/ Last updated: 2025-01-31T16:06:21.000Z 👋 ***Welcome to our weekly recap of the big news + funding in the French tech ecosystem this week.*** In this week's French Tech Wire, **☀️ Spotlight Interview:** [Marie Brayer, the Paris-based Partner at Fly Ventures, discusses](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-fly-ventures-marie-brayer/) the Berlin-based fund's approach to funding "hard tech," the closing of its new fund, and the innovation trends she's watching. 👀 **Deep dive: Alice & Bob Secures €100M to Crack the Quantum Code** 🧑‍💻The Parisian quantum powerhouse is taking on Google and IBM with its game-changing cat qubit technology. [CEO Théau Peronnin tells us](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alice-bob-secures-eu100m-series-b-to-build-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-2/) that with this fresh funding and record-breaking breakthroughs, the company aims to be the first to deliver a fault-tolerant quantum computer. [***Subscribe to The French Tech Journal to access all the articles and archives***](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/#/portal/)***.*** **Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand** --- # 🚀 Tech Talk 🚀 🥩🥓🥦 A major legal victory has been secured for the plant-based food industry in France, as the Council of State officially annulled decrees and a 2020 law banning the use of meat-related names like "vegetable ham" or "plant-based bacon." The court ruled that these restrictions were contrary to European law and could never be enforced. France's traditional agricultural industry had pushed for the restrictions to protect beef and poultry producers. This marks the end of a long legal battle, primarily led by La Vie, HappyVore, and ACCRO, who had fought against what they saw as an unfair and lobby-driven attempt to hinder plant-based alternatives. La Vie CEO Nicolas Schweitzer hailed the decision as a victory for common sense, arguing that the ban unfairly targeted French producers while allowing foreign companies to use the same terms: "*We have just written the end of a legal saga that will go down in history. This victory is that of common sense in the face of pressure from intensive farming lobbies. We are delighted to be able to continue to call our products by their names, without compromise or absurdity!"* To celebrate, plant-based brands have launched a humorous campaign challenging the Académie Française to officially recognize plant-based alternatives in the dictionary. *Bonne chance!* ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/fakinbacon.jpg) 🐛 Once upon a time, it seemed like France was going to be the Kingdom Of Insect-Based Protein startups. Alas, those ambitions are crashing hard. French startup **Ÿnsect**, known for its innovative insect farming techniques, filed for bankruptcy protection last year. Now, [Les Echos](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/next40-vivatech/french-tech-ynsect-en-route-vers-la-cessation-de-paiements-2144815?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) reports that the bankruptcy administrator overseeing the file has launched a desperate call for buyers by February 17\. Otherwise, **Ÿnsect** is on track to run out of cash to make any payments by the end of March. Meanwhile, Agronutris, another French insect protein company, has placed its holding entity, EAP Group, into safeguarding proceedings. This decision aims to stabilize finances and negotiate debts, ensuring the continuation of its research and development activities. Notably, this measure does not affect Agronutris's industrial operations. | [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/occitanie/farine-dinsecte-agronutris-place-en-procedure-de-sauvegarde-2145385?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🚲 **Angell**, the French startup specializing in connected electric bikes and founded in 2018 by **Marc Simoncini**, announced its closure due to persistent manufacturing issues. These problems led to a recall of 5,000 bikes in November 2024 because of defective frames that could cause accidents. Facing refund costs estimated at €13 million, the company was forced to declare bankruptcy. Despite partnerships with major players such as the SEB Group, which assembled the bikes at its factory in Is-sur-Tille, and a €20 million fundraising round in September 2023 with investors like CMA CGM, Angell could not overcome these obstacles. As a result, Simoncini announced his intention to take legal action against the SEB Group and the engineering firm KickMaker, holding them responsible for the manufacturing defects. The SEB Group has denied these allegations, stating that it fulfilled its contractual obligations. | [**Maddyness,**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/24/marc-simoncini-annonce-la-fin-de-ses-velos-angell/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)[**Maddyness.com**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/27/angell-attaque-le-groupe-seb-en-justice/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/je-nai-eu-que-des-deboires-la-galere-des-premiers-clients-de-la-start-up-angell-2144086?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)**,** [**Les Echos**](https://www.lesechos.fr/start-up/ecosysteme/clap-de-fin-pour-les-velos-angell-2144455?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 🩺 Ah, but don't despair, for not all the news is gloomy. French insurtech unicorn **Alan** reported impressive financial results for 2024, achieving €505 million in annual recurring revenue—a 48% increase from the previous year. The company also reduced its losses to €54 million, down from €59 million in 2023, and now covers 700,000 members across 32,000 businesses and 20,000 self-employed individuals. Alan attributes its success to the integration of AI across operations, enhancing productivity and efficiency. Looking ahead, the company aims for 40% revenue growth in 2025, targeting €700 million, and plans to reach profitability by 2026\. | [**Sifted**](https://sifted.eu/articles/alan-2024-revenues-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/29/alan-passe-le-cap-du-demi-milliard-deuros-de-revenus-et-vise-la-rentabilite-en-2026/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) **Other headlines** **🗞️ The Frenchies of Y Combinator |** [**Erwan Gardelle**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/erwan-gardelle/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) and [**Louis Durance** ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisdurance/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)analyzed the **91 French startups** that have gone through the famed US-based accelerator. | [**Read the breakdown here**](https://rwanman.substack.com/p/the-frenchies-of-y-combinator) [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-27.png)](https://rwanman.substack.com/p/the-frenchies-of-y-combinator) --- # Spotlight Interview: Fly Ventures' Marie Brayer [![Fly Ventures (l to r): Matt Wichrowski, Gabriel Matuschka, Marie Brayer, and Fredrik Bergenlid](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-28.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-fly-ventures-marie-brayer/) Fly Ventures (l to r): Matt Wichrowski, Gabriel Matuschka, Marie Brayer, and Fredrik Bergenlid In December 2024, Berlin-based Fly Ventures announced the closing of its third fund at €80 million, marking another milestone for the firm that has established itself as a key early-stage investor in Europe's deep tech ecosystem. The oversubscribed fund demonstrates growing confidence in Fly's thesis of backing technical founders solving complex problems, particularly in artificial intelligence, industrial tech, and developer tools. With offices in Berlin, London, Paris, and Zurich, Fly operates through an equal partnership model led by Matt Wichrowski, Marie Brayer, Fredrik Bergenlid, and Gabriel Matuschka. The firm typically invests €1-4 million in rounds of €2-8 million at the inception stage, often engaging with founders 6-9 months before they officially start their companies. Its top four investment markets are the UK, US, Germany, and France. The French portfolio includes GitGuardian and Thynk. I talked recently with Brayer, the Paris-based Partner at Fly Ventures, to discuss the firm's investment strategy and her views on the European tech ecosystem. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. [Read the Q&A](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-fly-ventures-marie-brayer/) --- # Deep Dive: Alice & Bob Secures €100M Series B to Build the World’s First Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer [![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-15.13.25-1.png)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alice-bob-secures-eu100m-series-b-to-build-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-2/) Alice & Bob founders Théau Peronnin (CEO) & Raphaël Lescanne (CTO) It’s been a few years since I last caught up with [Alice & Bob](https://felis.alice-bob.com/docs/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), the Paris-based startup pushing the boundaries of quantum computing. Back in 2022, the circa-40-person team had just raised a €27M Series A, giving them the means to move from academic labs to their own research and development center in the south of Paris. Fast forward to 2025, and Alice & Bob has just closed a game-changing €100M Series B, led by [Future French Champions (FFC)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-french-champions/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [AVP (AXA Venture Partners), ](https://www.axavp.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com)and [Bpifrance,](https://www.bpifrance.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) to supercharge progress toward what the entire quantum world has been waiting for: the first useful, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize industries by solving complex problems exponentially faster than today’s best supercomputers. However, building a fully functional quantum machine has been an uphill battle, largely due to persistent computational errors. Alice & Bob, known for pioneering error-reducing “cat qubits,” has quickly gone from a promising newcomer to a serious contender on the global stage. Their technology, which drastically cuts down the number of qubits required to build a reliable quantum machine, has come on in leaps and bounds threatening to leapfrog the competition—even heavyweights like Google and IBM**.​** [Read more](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alice-bob-secures-eu100m-series-b-to-build-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-2/) --- # Funding 📇 **Company**: Alice & Bob 🔍 **Description**: Developer of self-correcting Schrödinger cat qubits to build fault-tolerant quantum computers. 💻 **Website**: [http://alice-bob.com](http://alice-bob.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €100M 🏦 **Investors**: Elaia Partners; Bpifrance; AXA Venture Partners; European Innovation Council; Supernova Invest; Future French Champions; Breega 👨👩 **Founders**: Théau Peronnin; Raphaël Lescanne 🗞️ **News**: [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/alice-and-bob-100m-series-b-news?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Swan 🔍 **Description**: Fintech specializes in embedded banking solutions. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.swan.io/](https://www.swan.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €42M 🏦 **Investors**: Accel; Creandum; Eight Roads Ventures; Lakestar; Bpifrance; Hexa Capital 👨👩 **Founders**: Nicolas Saison; Nicolas Benady; Mathieu Breton 🗞️ **News**: [EU Startups](https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/01/swan-adds-e42-million-funding-to-further-embedded-finance-across-europe/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-21.png) 📇 **Company**: Naboo 🔍 **Description**: Platform enabling teams to meet when and where they need. 💻 **Website**: [https://naboo.app](https://naboo.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20M 🏦 **Investors**: ISAI Ventures; Notion Capital; Ternel 👨👩 **Founders**: Antoine Servant 🗞️ **News**: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/28/naboo-secures-21-million-for-its-concierge-style-corporate-event-booking-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Formance 🔍 **Description**: Open-source platform enabling fintechs and marketplaces to build and operate strategic money flows. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.formance.com](https://www.formance.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €19.09M 🏦 **Investors**: Hoxton Ventures; Y Combinator; Portage; Axeleo Capital; PayPal Ventures 👨👩 **Founders**: Anne-Sybille Pradelles; Clément Salaün 🗞️ **News**: [Paypers](https://thepaypers.com/online-mobile-banking/formance-secures-usd-21-million-in-series-a-funding-round--1272023?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) [See the full list](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-january-bob-alice-swan-naboo/) --- 👋🏻 If you’re enjoying [The French Tech Journal](https://frenchtechjournal.substack.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), support the project by forwarding it to friends and sharing it on your social networks. You can also comment on this post. And if you have ideas for stories, tips, or just want to harass us, shoot us an email: [chris@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:chris@frenchtechjournal.com) / [helen@frenchtechjournal.com](mailto:helen@frenchtechjournal.com) 👋🏻‌ ### Alice & Bob Secures €100M Series B to Build the World’s First Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alice-bob-secures-eu100m-series-b-to-build-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-2/ Last updated: 2026-04-20T19:42:50.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Spotlight Interview: Fly Ventures' Marie Brayer URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/spotlight-interview-fly-ventures-marie-brayer/ Last updated: 2025-02-04T02:44:02.000Z "What's really exciting is seeing the emergence of academic entrepreneurship in France." _This post is for subscribers only._ ### French Tech Funding Wire January 31: Alice & Bob, Swan, Naboo & More! URL: https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/french-tech-funding-wire-january-bob-alice-swan-naboo/ Last updated: 2025-02-03T02:20:28.000Z 📇 **Company**: Alice & Bob 🔍 **Description**: Developer of self-correcting Schrödinger cat qubits to build fault-tolerant quantum computers. 💻 **Website**: [http://alice-bob.com](http://alice-bob.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €100M 🏦 **Investors**: Elaia Partners; Bpifrance; AXA Venture Partners; European Innovation Council; Supernova Invest; Future French Champions; Breega 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Théau Peronnin; Raphaël Lescanne 🗞️ **News**: [**The French Tech Journal**](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/alice-bob-secures-eu100m-series-b-to-build-the-worlds-first-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-2/) --- 📇 **Company**: Swan 🔍 **Description**: Fintech specialized in embedded banking solutions. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.swan.io/](https://www.swan.io/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series B 💰 **Amount Raised**: €42M 🏦 **Investors**: Accel; Creandum; Eight Roads Ventures; Lakestar; Bpifrance; Hexa Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nicolas Saison; Nicolas Benady; Mathieu Breton 🗞️ **News**: [**TechCrunch**](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/european-embedded-banking-startup-swan-adds-another-44-million-to-its-series-b/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: 4Elements 🔍 **Description**: Venture studio fostering sustainable entrepreneurship by providing financial backing and resources for future ventures. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.4elements.studio/](https://www.4elements.studio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: N/A 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €27.4M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; European Investment Fund; Greenpact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Jean-Baptiste Goffart; Philippe Ruffin; Cedric Favier --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-21.png) 📇 **Company**: Naboo 🔍 **Description**: Platform enabling teams to meet when and where they need. 💻 **Website**: [https://naboo.app](https://naboo.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €20M 🏦 **Investors**: ISAI Ventures; Notion Capital; Ternel 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Servant 🗞️ **News**: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/28/naboo-secures-21-million-for-its-concierge-style-corporate-event-booking-platform/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Formance 🔍 **Description**: Open-source platform enabling fintechs and marketplaces to build and operate strategic money flows. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.formance.com](https://www.formance.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €19.09M 🏦 **Investors**: Hoxton Ventures; Y Combinator; Portage; Axeleo Capital; PayPal Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Anne-Sybille Pradelles; Clément Salaün 🗞️ **News**: [Paypers](https://thepaypers.com/online-mobile-banking/formance-secures-usd-21-million-in-series-a-funding-round--1272023?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-22.png) 📇 **Company**: KEEY AEROGEL 🔍 **Description**: Provider of sustainable insulation material solutions using recycled silica from construction waste. 💻 **Website**: [http://keey-aerogel.com](http://keey-aerogel.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Schlierbach 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €18M 🏦 **Investors**: Bpifrance; Capital Grand Est; NCI; Wind 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Manuel Cantero Boy 🗞️ **News**: [Tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2025/01/28/keey-aerogel-raises-18m-series-a-to-scale-europe-s-first-green-aerogel/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![Antoine Scalia, Founder & CEO of Cryptio (Cryptio)](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-23.png) Here are the remaining formatted funding deals from the document: 📇 **Company**: Cryptio 🔍 **Description**: A financial data analysis tool for cryptocurrencies, providing insights for financial institutions and businesses. 💻 **Website**: [http://cryptio.co](http://cryptio.co/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €13.64M 🏦 **Investors**: Alven; Point Nine; BitGo; Ledger; Draper Associates; BlueYard Capital; Cathay Innovation; Charlie Songhurst; 1kx 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Antoine Scalia 🗞️ **News**: [CoinDesk](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/01/28/crypto-accounting-platform-cryptio-raises-usd15m-in-series-a-extension?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Zaion 🔍 **Description**: Conversational and generative AI solutions for the telecommunications sector. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.zaion.ai/](http://www.zaion.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €11M 🏦 **Investors**: 115 K; Fortino Capital; Truffle Capital; Pro BTP Innovation; Bpifrance Investissement; La France Mutualiste 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Franz Fodéré 🗞️ **News**: [**Maddyness**](https://www.maddyness.com/2025/01/31/2518-millions-deuros-leves-cette-semaine-par-les-startups-francaises/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290729151022391296/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Accro 🔍 **Description**: Developer of plant-based meat alternatives. 💻 **Website**: [http://accro.fr](http://accro.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lille 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €10M 🏦 **Investors**: Creadev; Roquette Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thierry Maroye --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-25.png) 📇 **Company**: Hopia 🔍 **Description**: Provides AI-optimized resource management solutions for healthcare establishments. 💻 **Website**: [https://hopia.eu/](https://hopia.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5M 🏦 **Investors**: IRIS; Kurma Partners 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Victoire Bach; Julien Pinede; Matthias Lesage 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/hopia-leve-35-millions-deuros-pour-reinventer-lefficience-des-etablissements-medicaux-grace-a-lia/450981?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Laclaree Vision 🔍 **Description**: Start-up developing a novel eyewear solution for presbyopia correction. 💻 **Website**: [http://www.laclaree-vision.com/](http://www.laclaree-vision.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Villeurbanne 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €3.5M 🏦 **Investors**: High-Tech Gründerfonds; Rimonci Capital; UI Investissement 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Bruno Berge 🗞️ **News**: N/A --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-24.png) 📇 **Company**: Le Fourgon 🔍 **Description**: Offers a range of reusable packaging solutions for milk, water, beer, wine, fruit juice, and sodas. 💻 **Website**: [http://lefourgon.com](http://lefourgon.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lille 🧗 **Round**: Series A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €5.7M 🏦 **Investors**: Future Positive Capital; BRED Banque; id4 Ventures; Noshaq; La Poste Ventures; Teampact Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Stéphane Dessein; Charles Christory; Maxime Tharin 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/le-fourgon-leve-82-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-sa-plateforme-de-gestion-de-consigne/451014?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: GetVocal 🔍 **Description**: Conversational AI platform enabling communication via call or message. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.getvocal.ai/](https://www.getvocal.ai/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.7M 🏦 **Investors**: Speedinvest; Elaia Partners; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Roy Moussa, Antonin Bertin 🗞️ **News**: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290283230639845376/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/01/image-26.png) 📇 **Company**: Clovis 🔍 **Description**: Specialised in collaborative solutions for the construction sector 💻 **Website**: [https://www.clovis.app/](https://www.clovis.app/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.0M 🏦 **Investors**: Tomcat Invest; WeLoveFounders 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Thomas Faustini; Clément Fradet Normand 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/clovis-leve-2-millions-deuros-pour-accelerer-la-transformation-digitale-des-chantiers-de-construction/450989?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: HappyVore 🔍 **Description**: Develops plant-based alternatives to traditional meat dishes. 💻 **Website**: [https://happyvore.com](https://happyvore.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2.0M 🏦 **Investors**: Kima Ventures; Bpifrance; Adrien de Schompré; Edouard Roschi 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Cédric Meston; Guillaume Dubois 🗞️ **News**: N/A --- 📇 **Company**: OFFROAD 🔍 **Description**: Company specializing in the management of roadways and public spaces. 💻 **Website**: [https://offroad.works/](https://offroad.works/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Alfortville 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €1.5M 🏦 **Investors**: ISAI Ventures; Axeleo Capital; Ring Capital 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: N/A 🗞️ **News**: [FrenchWeb](https://www.frenchweb.fr/offroad-leve-15-million-deuros-pour-accelerer-le-developpement-de-ses-solutions-de-gestion-des-infrastructures-routieres/451001?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- ![](https://www.frenchtechjournal.com/content/images/2025/02/image.png) 📇 **Company**: Beans 🔍 **Description**: Resale platform for unsold consumer goods, supporting green and sustainable development. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.beansclub.fr/](https://www.beansclub.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: €800K 🏦 **Investors**: Norrsken VC; Maze Impact; Waterlemon Ventures; Foodtech Founders; Business Angels 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Ines Sánchez-Castillo Velge, Louis Paulet 🗞️ **News**: [Nordic 9](https://nordic9.com/news/beans-raised-14m-in-seed-funding-with-norrsken-maze-impact-waterlemon-ventures-foodtech-founders/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290640287226372096/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) --- 📇 **Company**: Neo Earth 🔍 **Description**: Specializes in high-yield microalgae strains tailored for enhanced productivity. 💻 **Website**: [https://neoearth.fr](https://neoearth.fr/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Libourne 🧗 **Round**: Support Program 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: EIT Food 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Charles-Antoine Boels --- 📇 **Company**: Aberyne 🔍 **Description**: Foodtech startup developing plant-based alternatives for French gastronomy. 💻 **Website**: [http://aberyne.com](http://aberyne.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Biarritz 🧗 **Round**: Support Program 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: BIC Gipuzkoa 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Mikel Abeberry --- 📇 **Company**: Jay & Joy 🔍 **Description**: Producer of organic and vegan cheese alternatives. 💻 **Website**: [https://www.jay-joy.com/](https://www.jay-joy.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lacroix-Saint-Ouen 🧗 **Round**: N/A 💰 **Amount Raised**: €2M 🏦 **Investors**: High Flyers Capital; Demeter; Beyond Impact 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Founded in 2014 --- 📇 **Company**: Amatera 🔍 **Description**: Agtech platform focused on sustaining woody crops in a changing climate. 💻 **Website**: [http://amatera.bio](http://amatera.bio/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Boulogne-Billancourt 🧗 **Round**: Support Program 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: EIT Food 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Omar Dekkiche; Lucie Kriegshauser --- 📇 **Company**: Expliseat 🔍 **Description**: Developer of the world’s lightest aircraft seats. 💻 **Website**: [http://expliseat.com/](http://expliseat.com/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Paris 🧗 **Round**: Seed 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Jean-Charles Samuelian; Ben Saada --- 📇 **Company**: Carthera 🔍 **Description**: Clinical-stage medtech company developing ultrasound-based medical devices for severe brain disorders. 💻 **Website**: [http://carthera.eu/](http://carthera.eu/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lyon 🧗 **Round**: Spinout 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Sorbonne University; AP-HP International 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Murielle Lemoine; Alexandre Carpentier --- 📇 **Company**: ClearDrop 🔍 **Description**: Advances solar power adoption through innovative surface technology. 💻 **Website**: [http://cleardrop.tech](http://cleardrop.tech/?ref=frenchtechjournal.com) 📍 **HQ City**: Lille 🧗 **Round**: Early VC 💰 **Amount Raised**: N/A 🏦 **Investors**: Genesis Ventures 👨💼👩💼 **Founders**: Nikos Christopoulos; Michael Baudoin _Includes the latest 500 public posts. 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