10 French startups to keep an eye on in 2026 and beyond!
France's tech sector is experiencing significant growth, particularly in artificial intelligence, positioning the country as a European and global leader in innovation. This momentum is fueled by strong public support, world-class research institutions, and a deep pool of technical talent, creating a vibrant ecosystem for startups. This growth is evidenced by large-scale AI funding rounds, helping these companies achieve global recognition. One notable company is Altrove AI, founded in 2024, which develops new inorganic materials to replace critical components facing supply chain, regulatory, and sustainability risks. Using physics-based AI and lab automation, the company accelerates the screening, synthesis, and scaling of alternative materials. Altrove AI has raised €12 million to advance its platform and commercial partnerships, with a focus on industries like energy, automotive, and aerospace. These advancements affect industrial companies seeking to reduce reliance on scarce materials by offering substitutes from abundant resources, ensuring cost predictability, and meeting regulatory compliance. Another promising startup, Bioptimus, also founded in 2024, is developing a universal AI foundation model to integrate diverse biological data for research and analysis. The company's technology is already widely adopted in the scientific community, indicating its potential impact on the future of biomedicine. These French startups are shaping the future of European tech and digital policy by enhancing the country’s capabilities in AI and deep tech. This technological advancement supports the vision of European digital sovereignty by decreasing the dependency on external suppliers. The success of these startups indicates the ongoing development of the French digital economy.
Curated and translated by Europe Digital for our multilingual European audience.
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Mangopay
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Scaleway
Scaleway is a European cloud computing provider offering a range of services, including servers, storage, and networking solutions. Key features include bare metal servers, virtual machines, object storage, and managed Kubernetes. It's suitable for developers, startups, and businesses seeking cloud infrastructure for web applications, data storage, and various other workloads. Scaleway distinguishes itself through competitive pricing and a focus on European data sovereignty, with data centers in France and the Netherlands.