France startup ecosystem
France has rapidly risen in the European startup rankings, driven by bold government initiatives like La French Tech and the world's largest startup campus, Station F. Paris is a powerhouse for deep tech, AI, and cleantech, supported by a strong scientific research base and increasing private VC investment. A growing pool of serial entrepreneurs is helping the ecosystem mature. The directory currently lists 269 organisations across 30 cities.
Showing 21–40 of 269 France
Cities in France
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France results
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Armand Thiberge
Founder and CEO of Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), the digital marketing and CRM platform he started in 2012 to give small businesses affordable email and automation tools, scaling it across Europe and beyond.
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Arthur Bataille
Arthur Bataille is the CEO of NEVERHACK Group, a European cybersecurity company headquartered in Paris, France, that provides AI-native defence services, managed detection and response, and EU-sovereign security infrastructure to organizations across Europe. Under his leadership, NEVERHACK has expanded across multiple European countries and established itself as a key player in the EU cybersecurity market. He is a confirmed opening speaker at the Nordic Baltic Security Summit 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia.
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Arthur Mensch
Co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI, the open-weight large-language-model company that became Europe's flagship AI lab. A former DeepMind researcher, he co-founded Mistral in 2023 and raised some of Europe's largest AI rounds.
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Arthur Waller
Co-founder and CEO of Pennylane, the accounting and financial-management platform for SMEs and accountants. He scaled it into one of France's fastest-growing fintechs, backed by Sequoia and Partech.
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AstraNICE
Develops a patented near-infrared fluorescent coating (NICE) for surgical instruments, letting surgeons visualise tools inside the body during minimally invasive procedures. Spun out of Strasbourg's Laboratory of Bioimaging and Pathologies.
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Aurélien de Meaux
Co-founder and CEO of Electra, the fast EV-charging network deploying hubs across Europe. He co-founded the company in 2021 and raised large rounds from Eurazeo, PGGM and others.
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Back Market
Back Market is a leading European marketplace for refurbished electronics, connecting certified refurbishers with consumers looking for affordable, sustainable alternatives to new devices. The platform covers smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other consumer electronics, with quality grading and warranty guarantees. Valued at $5.7 billion after its 2022 Series E, Back Market operates across Europe and the US and is a flagship example of the circular economy model.
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Benjamin Netter
Co-founder and CEO of Riot, the employee-cybersecurity platform for awareness training and phishing simulation. He previously co-founded and was CTO of the open-banking startup October.
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Benoit Lemaignan
Co-founder and CEO of Verkor, the low-carbon battery-gigafactory company building cells for electric vehicles in northern France, backed by Renault, EQT and Macquarie.
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BIENESIS
Develops a smart robotic canopy system that protects vineyards from climate hazards — hail, frost, excess heat and heavy rain. Solar-powered actuators deploy a retractable, recyclable fabric over vine rows on demand, controllable remotely.
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Big Data & AI Paris 2026
Organised by RX France, Big Data & AI Paris is one of Europe's largest data and AI gatherings, held 15–16 September 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The two-day event combines 220+ exhibitors with the 'Innovative Minds' conference programme spanning tech, governance, and business tracks, drawing around 15,000 professionals.
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BIM World Paris 2026
Leading European construction-tech and PropTech event focused on BIM, digital twins, and smart buildings, drawing 10,000+ professionals to Paris. The expo is free with registration; conference passes cost about EUR 450. A strong launchpad for startups in energy-efficient design, AI-driven site management, and real estate digitalization.
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BIM World Paris 2027
BIM World Paris 2027 runs 31 March - 1 April at Paris Expo, covering digital twin and BIM technology for the construction and real estate sectors. Past exhibitors and speakers have included Vinci Construction, Bouygues, the Societe du Grand Paris and Eiffage. The event addresses BTP workforce training and technology adoption across the industry.
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Bio360 Expo 2026
Specialized bioeconomy and bioenergy event covering biomass, waste-to-energy, and carbon capture. Price: free for verified professionals or about EUR 50-100. Includes startup pitches and B2B matchmaking for industrial pilots.
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BioFIT 2026
Europe's leading partnering event for early-stage life-sciences innovation and technology transfer, in its 15th edition at Parc Chanot in Marseille. Built around one-on-one partnering meetings, it is ideal for biotech and medtech founders seeking licensing deals, academic collaborations, and early investors.
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Bioptimus
Bioptimus is the self-proclaimed "Mistral of Biology," spun out in early 2024 by a team of alumni from Google DeepMind and Owkin, including CEO Jean-Philippe Vert. The company is building what it calls the first universal foundation model for biology. Where large language models were trained on text to learn human language, Bioptimus trains on biological data—DNA sequences, protein structures, cellular imagery, and clinical phenotypes—to infer the underlying rules of life. The ambition is not just better predictions but a unified biological reasoning layer that can simulate outcomes before expensive lab work happens. By 2026, Bioptimus has moved from a research thesis to early commercial traction. After a $41M Series A in 2025, the company released its first commercial model that can predict how a specific molecule will interact with a human cell with unusually high accuracy. This enables in-silico screening that reduces wet-lab costs and improves hit rates for drug discovery. French pharma leaders such as Sanofi have begun using these models to prioritize compounds and compress early-stage discovery timelines. The product value is immediate: fewer failed experiments, faster candidate selection, and deeper mechanistic insight. Bioptimus' roadmap focuses on "multi-scale biology," connecting the micro level (genomics and proteomics) to the macro level (patient outcomes and clinical data). Rather than being limited to protein folding, the models aim to bridge across data modalities so a genetic mutation can be linked to disease pathways, tissue behavior, and potential therapeutic interventions. This requires data breadth and regulatory trust, and Bioptimus is building a defensive moat through European data sovereignty. It leverages partnerships with European research hospitals and biobanks to access high-quality patient data that is difficult for US competitors to acquire under GDPR constraints. That compliance burden becomes a competitive advantage: safer access, better provenance, and stronger alignment with European health data governance. The company remains deeply embedded in the Paris ecosystem. It was incubated inside Owkin before spinning out, maintains a presence around Station F, and benefits from the cross-pollination between French AI and biotech communities. Its investor base reflects that positioning: Sofinnova Partners, Bpifrance, Cathay Innovation, Xavier Niel, and Frst provide a blend of life-science expertise, sovereign capital, and deep-tech conviction. In 2026, Bioptimus is the clearest European bet that foundation models can unlock biology at scale—and a contender to become the default AI layer for drug discovery in Europe.
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BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar is the world’s leading long-distance carpooling platform, often hailed as France’s flagship startup success. Founded in 2006 by Frédéric Mazzella (along with Francis Nappez and Nicolas Brusson), BlaBlaCar was born from Mazzella’s realization that countless car journeys had empty seats. The platform (named after users’ self-described chattyness level – “Bla”, “BlaBla”, or “BlaBlaBla”) connects drivers with spare seats to passengers traveling the same way, so they can share the ride and costs. Today, BlaBlaCar has a 100 million-member community across 22+ countries, serving over 25 million travelers per quarter pre-pandemic. It operates in most of Europe and parts of Latin America and Asia, having successfully localized carpooling in markets like Germany, Russia, Brazil, and Turkey. The company also branched into bus travel: in 2018, BlaBlaCar acquired Ouibus from SNCF, rebranding it BlaBlaBus, to offer intercity bus routes alongside carpool rides. BlaBlaCar’s business model charges a roughly 10–20% booking fee from passengers in mature markets, though in new markets it often launches free to build liquidity. Known for its strong community culture, BlaBlaCar emphasizes trust – it introduced verified profiles, ratings, and even an optional “Ladies Only” carpool option. The company achieved unicorn status in 2015 when it raised $200 million at a $1.6 billion valuation and later was valued around $2 billion. Despite the pandemic’s impact on travel, BlaBlaCar rebounded by 2022, even reporting profitability. In 2023, it raised €100 million in financing to fuel growth. BlaBlaCar is often cited in case studies (Harvard, etc.) as a pioneer of the sharing economy in Europe, proving that a people-powered platform can transform intercity transport. By bringing cost-effective travel to millions and fostering new friendships on the road, BlaBlaCar has truly brought “ridesharing” into the mainstream – and stands as one of Europe’s few consumer-tech unicorns with global reach.
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Bloomineral
Creates carbon-negative materials using biomineralisation — permanently storing CO2 as a limestone filler derived from cement-industry waste. Founded in 2024 at the LSCE in Paris-Saclay, targeting industrial decarbonisation.
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Bpifrance Hub & Startups Accelerator
National, state-backed scale-up program operated by Bpifrance. Intensive 12–18 month tracks combining training, consulting, and peer learning, with sector-specific programs (industry, health, luxury) and access to non-dilutive funding and Bpifrance capital.
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BpiFrance Inno Génération 2026
BIG (Bpifrance Inno Génération) 2026, billed as Europe's largest business gathering, takes place on Thursday 8 October 2026 at the Accor Arena in Paris under the theme 'place au culot' (audacity). Organized by Bpifrance, France's public investment bank, it brings tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, SME and corporate leaders, researchers and investors together for hundreds of conferences, masterclasses, expert clinics and networking, free to attend.
