French Tech For Industrial Start-ups

The French Tech Mission supports industrial start-ups through two mechanisms: the Industrial Start-up Desk and a specific support offer dedicated to the winning start-ups of the "First factory" call for projects.

01

Panorama

One goal: 100 industrial projects per year led by start-ups by 2030.

Ambitious policies in favor of deeptech start-ups are encouraging the emergence of industrial projects and the development of the ecosystem. This ecosystem has the potential to become one of the main drivers of the country’s reindustrialization.

Start-ups with an industrial vocation operate in strategic sectors, with a high stake in sovereignty, and develop particularly innovative activities.

To increase the number of industrial projects (1,900 start-ups with an industrial vocation currently exist according to the Bpifrance 2022 observatory) that are concretely transformed into production sites, the State has set up a new strategy within the framework of France 2030: “Bpifrance is launching the first observatory of the dynamics of French start-ups and innovative industrial SMEs”.

Axis 1: A plan dedicated to financing the industrialization of start-ups

A multi-year call for projects “First factory” is opened and endowed with 550 million euros for aid to industrialization projects.

AAP France 2030 – “First factory

“New Industry” loans of €3 to €15 million launched since March 2022 to finance the construction of industrial demonstrator, pilot plant or production plant and thus support the transition from functional prototype to the implementation of a factory.

3 equity investment schemes:

A successor fund to the Société de projets industriels (SPI2) fund, with an endowment of €1 billion, has been created to provide direct equity financing for the first industrialization of an innovative technology. The fund can also finance pre-industrialization projects with tickets of less than 5 million euros.

A €350 million National Industrial Venture Fund (FNVI) has been created to create venture capital funds capable of supporting start-ups in their industrialization.

50 million was created in March 2023 to finance companies developing incremental innovations in the industrialization phase.

Axis 2: Strengthening support for the emergence of deep tech (€275 million), in particular through

The French Tech Emergence Grant (BFTE), with an overall increase in the resources allocated to the BFTE of 50 million euros for the next 5 years (2022-2026).

150 million over the next five years (2022-2026).

Axis 3: Two mechanisms, one for information and the other for support, led by the Mission French Tech have been set up.

The creation of a window for industrial start-ups to facilitate access to government support mechanisms, and a support program dedicated to start-ups that have won the “First Factory” call for projects.

Since the launch of the industrial start-up desk, requests made by industrial start-ups to Mission French Tech have confirmed their need for comprehensive financial and non-financial support for all aspects of the industrialization phase.

In this context and to reinforce its actions in favor of the State’s “Industrial Start-up” strategy, Mission French Tech launched a dedicated support program for industrial start-ups in April 2023.

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Industrial Start-up Desk

The one-stop shop for industrial start-ups set up by Mission French Tech.

The success of industrial start-up projects depends first and foremost on the entrepreneurs, but also on the State’s ability to support them. The Mission French Tech has set up an “Industrial Start-ups” desk designed to identify companies’ projects and their needs, and then offer them information on the State’s levers for meeting them.

Companies can thus access all the information detailing the mobilization of State levers to facilitate the implementation of the industrial project, including:

1. The construction of the industrial site: information facilitating the identification of sites for the factory (industry territories, turnkey sites);

2. Information on the financing and support systems operated by Bpifrance and the Banque des Territoires;

3. Facilitating integration into a local tech and industrial ecosystem, in conjunction with the players in the French Tech and industrial ecosystem.

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SUPPORT

Since April 2023, Mission French Tech has been supporting the winning start-ups of the “First Factory” call for projects.

This one-year service targets only start-ups that are not winners of other Mission French Tech programs (such as French Tech Next40/120, Agri20, Health20, Green20 or DeepNum20).

Start-ups supported

Futura Gaia Technologies
Limatech
BB BELLATRIX Iweech
Core Biogenesis
eCential Robotics
ATAWEY
Umiami
AMPERE
Eranova
TchaoMegot
XSUN
3D-TE
BLACKLEAF
CALYXIA SAS
H2SYS
Interstellar Lab
MICROPHYT
WANDERCRAFT

A single point of contact to meet the traditional challenges of start-ups

Start-ups are supported by a dedicated start-up manager within the French Tech Mission, who is responsible for identifying their strategic challenges and mobilizing the support offered.

This support is deployed through the network of French Tech correspondents present in more than 60 partner administrations and public services throughout France, who provide start-ups with answers to major challenges such as financing, international development, talent recruitment, regulations, standardization, certification, intellectual property strategy, and public purchasing.

Reinforced support on issues more specific to industrialization

At the same time, start-ups will benefit from support that specifically addresses the needs of an industrial start-up. The start-up manager will try to provide reinforced support on the following four issues:

  • Identification and financing of economic land;

  • Access to financing other than that obtained in the framework of the “First Factory” call for projects;

  • Obtaining administrative and regulatory approvals for the construction of a factory;

  • Recruiting talent specific to the development of an industrial activity.

In order to best meet the needs of industrial start-ups, Mission French Tech will continue to work closely with government departments, in particular the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, to which it is attached (General Directorate of Companies).

Mission French Tech will also maintain a strong link with Bpifrance, the operator on behalf of the French government of numerous industrialization assistance programs, including the “First Factory” call for projects, and with the Banque des Territoires.

Enhanced visibility in France and abroad

This support will also provide companies with enhanced visibility in France and internationally, with the aim of promoting the solutions of the French Tech ecosystem to the economic fabric (SMEs, ETIs, especially industrial), public players or internationally, and accelerate the deployment of their solutions.

Companies will be able to benefit from the following actions:

  • Participation in events of the French Tech ecosystem, in France and abroad;

  • Participation in actions dedicated to the promotion of the ecosystem, in particular initiatives financed by the French Tech Community Fund, a call for projects deployed by the Mission French Tech;

  • Integration into economic diplomacy initiatives, in coordination with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Treasury.
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