According to a 2022 IFOP survey, more than three out of five French people use the services from one of the “French Tech 120” startups on a daily basis. Created in 2013, the “Mission French Tech” has expanded by structuring an ecosystem of French startups. Over the past ten years, this network has continued to grow and become more attractive, and now represents around 1.1 million direct and indirect jobs. Originally focused on France, the “Mission French Tech” has also extended its reach internationally with numerous support programs.

Doctolib, the most valuable unicorn in French Tech

Doctolib, which specializes in booking medical appointments, has been valued at €5.6 billion by 2022, thanks to a record round of funding from Bpifrance and Eurazeo, its main shareholders. Stanislas Niox-Chateau, Doctolib’s CEO, said on LinkedIn. « Thanks to the support of our historical partners, we have secured $600 million in equity and debt financing. It will enable us to strengthen our actions in the service of carers and access to healthcare for all. » While the scale-up has saved healthcare professionals between 30% and 50% of their time by freeing them from certain administrative tasks, it will also create a large number of jobs in France and Europe, with around 3,500 expected by 2027. A pillar of French Tech, the ambition of this French unicorn is to reach profitability by 2025, as stated by its CEO.

Contentsquare, the driving force behind French Tech

Contentsquare is the world leader in Experience Analytics, enabling brands to create better digital experiences on their websites and mobile devices. Valued at €5.6 billion according to EY, after having raised €587 million, the largest round of financing for a French company in 2022, the French nugget is one of the driving forces behind French Tech. Jonathan Cherki, its founder and CEO, recently spoke to Big Media, Bpifrance’s media for entrepreneurs, about the secrets of its success. « You have to have energy to spare and a strong vision. Having the right people around you is essential. You can go fast on your own, but you can’t necessarily go far. Ambition is another word that I really like. It reminds me of surpassing oneself and the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy. » To strengthen its position in the years ahead, Contentsquare will be continuing its external growth policy. Seven acquisitions have been made since 2019.

Aqemia, artificial intelligence at the service of incurable diseases

A French start-up specialising in drug discovery using artificial intelligence (AI), Aqemia was co-created in 2021 by Maximilien Levesque and Emmanuelle Martiano. Their company has developed software capable of predicting the affinity between drug candidates and the therapeutic targets responsible for diseases. After raising €30 million in October 2022, following a funding round led by Bpifrance, Eurazeo and Elaia Partners, the start-up is now focusing on optimisation. In addition to optimisation, Aqemia is also focusing on accelerating early drug discovery projects, as stated by its co-founder and CEO. « After a number of successes in generating innovative new chemical entities in collaboration with major pharmaceutical companies, we are now entering a phase of very strong acceleration in the realisation of Aqemia’s mission: to build our portfolio of proprietary drug discovery projects. » Aqemia’s unique potential makes it the pharma 3.0 deeptech par excellence.

Umiami goes international

The foodtech company specialising in plant-based foods recently completed a €32.5 million extension to its previous round of funding from Bpifrance, Astanor, Redalpine, Newfund and Verso Capital. Tristan Maurel, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said. « We are extremely proud of the confidence that our investors and partners have placed in us. This round of funding will enable us to pursue our mission of revolutionising the food industry by offering sustainable and tasty alternatives to meat-based products. We are also delighted to announce our expansion into the United States. Capitalising on the potential of its products and able to offer an unlimited variety of taste experiences, the startup launched in 2020 is setting out to conquer America, a particularly mature market for plant-based alternatives to meat. With its cutting-edge technologies, Umiami is poised to shape the future of its sector.