The French Tech 2030 program is a support program that combines, in an unprecedented way, the ambition of the France 2030 plan, steered by the General Secretariat for Investment, the support of Mission French Tech and the expertise of Bpifrance. The 125 emerging innovation players have been selected, based on the 10 objectives and 6 verticals of France 2030. Announced on June 14, 2023, this first class will benefit from financial and extra-financial support for one year.

01

CLASS OF 2023

02

OVERVIEW

a) The challenges facing the 2030 class of French Tech 2030

The 125 emerging players were selected with a view to retaining companies capable of accelerating their development, with a particularly high technological level and economic potential.

The winners of this first promotion are involved in issues targeted by the 10 objectives and 6 levers of France 2030, with a particular focus on solutions strengthening our industrial and technological sovereignty. For example:

  • Moving towards new marine, space and quantum frontiers. PASQAL (Palaiseau, Île-de-France) builds quantum computers from neutral atoms ordered in 2D and 3D networks, with the aim of bringing a practical quantum advantage to its customers, on concrete problems, particularly in quantum simulation and optimization.

  • Ensuring our digital sovereignty. Dust (Paris, Île-de-France) develops productivity software for knowledge workers, based on generative artificial intelligence models, to help users perform their tasks faster and more efficiently.

  • Supporting innovation in healthcare. OSIVAX (Lyon – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) is developing an innovative new class of universal vaccines that anticipate mutations in pandemic and seasonal viruses. Created from a technological platform, its first vaccine, which protects against all strains of influenza, has already been tested on over 800 patients, and is far more effective than existing vaccines.

  • Better production while decarbonizing our society. ROSI Solar (Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) offers innovative solutions for recycling and reclaiming raw materials from photovoltaic industry waste.

  • Encouraging the third agricultural revolution, which will impact our food supply. Sencrop (Lille, Hauts-de-France) designs and manufactures connected sensors providing real-time access to ultra-local agro-meteorological information.

  • Producing cultural and creative content. Vrroom (Beziers, Occitanie) is a production studio for virtual shows and an immersive entertainment platform offering multi-user experiences accessible via VR headsets or smartphones.

b) France 2030 supports winning start-ups

This first graduating class testifies to the relevance and quality of the support provided by France 2030 (Secrétariat général pour l’investissement) and the Deeptech Plan (Bpifrance): 90% and 76% of French Tech 2030 start-ups have benefited, respectively.

Launched in 2019, the Deeptech Plan aims to make France a major player in disruptive innovation on an international scale. With a budget of €3 billion between now and 2025, the plan has three main focuses:

  • stimulating start-up creation, with an annual target of 500 DeepTech start-ups;

  • support growth and build the industrial leaders of tomorrow through a massive mobilization of resources:

  • boosting innovation ecosystems at local and industry level. By 2021, 550 million euros have already been allocated to 553 start-ups.

The resources allocated to DeepTech have been considerably strengthened thanks to the France 2030 program. With over 1,500 projects funded since October 2021, for a total of 11 billion euros, France 2030 represents a fabulous breeding ground for the next French Tech 2030 promotions. On each of the plan’s 10 objectives, from hydrogen to small nuclear reactors to low-carbon aviation, we need to continue supporting the disruptive innovations that will make tomorrow’s industrial champions.

c) The industrial dimension of the winners

The solutions of this first class of French Tech 2030 are likely to make a significant contribution to France’s industrialization objective. Indeed, the selection of the winners includes the industrial dimension of their project, and a significant proportion of their solutions have an industrial vocation.

The French Tech 2030 class of 2023 includes 34% industrial start-ups, including :

  • Hoffmann Green Cement (Rives de Lyon, Pays de la Loire) develops and produces the world’s first and only 0%-carbon clinker cements, whose manufacturing process promotes the circular economy. Thanks to its cements with a carbon footprint of less than 200 kg CO2/tonne, already meeting the cement industry’s 2050 CO2 emission targets, construction players can reduce their carbon footprint by a factor of 6 to create the sustainable cities of tomorrow. With two plants in operation, Hoffmann plans to build a third plant in Dunkirk in 2025, with a production capacity of 250,000 tonnes per year.

  • Atawey (Le-Bourget-du-Lac, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) designs, produces, markets and operates hydrogen vehicle recharging stations. These stations are designed for both heavy and light vehicles, for both public and private players. Atawey is a winner of the “Première usine” call for projects. Its project aims to build a new plant capable of producing 60 stations a year at its historic Technolac site, by 2025.

d) Ecological transition and parity objectives achieved!

In addition to the technological and economic criteria, the French Tech 2030 selection had set itself the target of including at least 50% of companies working to reduce their carbon impact and promote the ecological transition, and 25% of women among their managers or co-founders.

These objectives have been achieved, with :

  • nearly 52% of emerging players working for the ecological transition ;

  • 30% female CEOs or co-founders

02

CRITERIA

The innovative companies selected are in line with the priorities and orientations of France 2030. They also have :

  • High growth potential to identify emerging players with European or even international scope by 2030, by facilitating their growth to critical size or significant market share;

  • High-impact potential to support key players whose impact can be massive, particularly in terms of environmental, social or societal aspects.

  • High-potential boldness, to invest in bold, high-risk structures, with the aim of enabling them to reach a level of diffusion that will revolutionize their sector.

The selected emerging players have already launched a business based on their innovation, or are in the process of doing so. They can demonstrate a certain level of technological and economic maturity.

The selection criteria were :

  • Be headquartered in France;

  • Meet at least one of France 2030’s objectives;

  • Be an independent company: no takeovers (not controlled directly or indirectly by another company or other entities, with a maximum holding by another company of 39.9%); no IPO in excess of 150 million euros;

  • Over the past 3 years, have obtained financing of at least 5 million euros (private-sector fundraising/debt and sales combined).

A total of 844 applications were received. The selection was made by a selection committee chaired by Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for Investment in charge of France 2030, and comprising representatives from the Direction Générale des Entreprises, the Direction Générale de la Recherche et de l’Innovation, the Agence de l’innovation de défense, the Agence de l’innovation en santé and the Commissariat Général au Développement Durable. The appraisal was carried out by the various government departments represented on the committee, in association with the France 2030 coordinators.

French Tech 2030, a rigorous selection process

French Tech 2030 will be open to emerging players who have already initiated an activity based on their innovation or are on the verge of launching it.

They must be able to demonstrate a certain level of technological and economic maturity in order to prove the relevance of state support.

They will go through the rigorous selection process of a committee chaired by Secretary General for Investment, in charge of France 2030, and composed of representatives from the General Directorate for Business, the General Directorate for Research and Innovation, the Defense Innovation Agency and the General Commission for Sustainable Development.

In line with France 2030, the final selection must include 25% female managers or co-founders and 50% companies committed to reducing their carbon impact.

Each selected company will have to commit to a charter of values, the non-observance of which will lead to the end of the support.

The selection criteria will be precise:

  • To have its head office on the French territory;
  • Meet at least one of the objectives of France 2030;
  • Be an independent company: no takeover (not controlled by another company or other entities directly or indirectly, with a maximum holding by another company of 39.9%); no IPO exceeding €150 million;
  • To have, over the last 3 years, obtained a financing of at least 5 M€ (fund raising/debt obtained from the private sector and turnover added together)

04

SUPPORT

The 125 selected emerging players will receive support from Mission French Tech for a minimum of one year, renewable.

The aim of the program is to provide financial and extra-financial support through individual and collective assistance on strategic issues for companies, such as international development, financing, commercial development (public and private purchasing), recruitment, territorial establishment, intellectual property and regulatory issues.

Support includes :

  • Visibility actions in France and internationally with the French Tech network (media, events in France and internationally, access and promotion to the network of 16 French Tech Capitals and 99 French Tech Communities in France and internationally) and integration into France’s economic diplomacy actions;

  • Financial support, with reinforced support for France 2030 public financing, provided by a dedicated Bpifrance team; and opportunities to meet with private financiers (investment funds, banks, Euronext);

  • Support for business development, with opportunities to meet public and private buyers (large groups, ETIs, etc.);

  • Support for regulatory and standards issues, for example with the Agence de l’innovation en santé for this sector;

  • Specific support for industrial issues, by helping to identify business land, monitoring the details of obtaining administrative and regulatory authorizations, and helping to strengthen access to the talent needed to develop an industrial activity.

Tailor-made support from the “French Tech Correspondents” network. This network brings together 60 government agencies and public services that are partners of Mission French Tech, and that have mobilized to contribute to the success of the start-ups supported by the Mission, in particular those in the French Tech Next40/120 (Business France, INPI, Banque de France, Urssaf, AFNOR, DGFIP, etc.).

In addition, in order to best support the 2023 promotion of French Tech 2030 and ensure consistency with France 2030, Mission French Tech will continue to work closely with various government departments and operators:

  • the General Secretariat for Investment

  • the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, to which it reports (Direction Générale des Entreprises)

  • the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (Direction Générale de la Recherche et de l’Innovation)

  • Ministry of the Armed Forces (Defense Innovation Agency)

  • Ministry of Ecological Transition (Transport Innovation Agency)

  • Commissariat Général au Développement Durable) and Bpifrance

05

Partners

  • Secrétariat général pour l’investissement (under the authority of the Prime Minister) and the Agence de l’Innovation en Santé (Health Innovation Agency)
  • Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, in particular the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE) including the French Tech Mission and the Digital Service (SNUM)

  • Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

  • Ministry of the Armed Forces, in particular the Defense Innovation Agency

  • Ministry of Higher Education and Research, in particular the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DGRI)

  • Ministry of Health and Prevention

  • Ministry of Ecological Transition, including Ecolab of the Commissariat général au développement durable and the Agence de l’Innovation pour les Transports (Transport Innovation Agency)       

  • Bpifrance

  • More than 60 French Tech Correspondents