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  • 🇫🇷 French Tech Updates — April 21, 2025. €55.55m in new funding for French companies.

🇫🇷 French Tech Updates — April 21, 2025. €55.55m in new funding for French companies.

What you need to know this week in France: 🤗 Hugging Face acquires Pollen Robotics, 🕵️‍♂️ Rippling attempts to serve Deel's Paris-based CEO, 👩 €33M for female-focused funds.

Welcome to French Tech Updates! Your weekly source of startup, VC, and tech news and insights. I’m James, a startup-obsessed American living in Paris.

📝 Quiz: What % of global VC deal value went to AI and machine learning companies in Q1, 2025?

(answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

  • A.) 27%

  • B.) 36%

  • C.) 58%

  • D.) 71%

What’s new this week in 🇫🇷

🌍 Headlines from around the world

  • 🖲️ NVIDIA to Manufacture American-Made AI Supercomputers in US for First Time (NVIDIA)

  • 🐬 Google’s latest AI model tries to translate dolphin speech (TechCrunch)

  • 🚀 Figma is (finally) going public (Reuters)

  • 🏦 Founders Fund closes $4.6 billion growth fund

  • 👍 OpenAI is creating a social network, reportedly to compete with X (The Verge)

  • 🏃‍♂️ Strava acquires UK-based running app Runna (Strava)

  • 😵‍💫 OpenAI’s new reasoning AI models hallucinate more (TechCrunch)

  • 👨‍⚖️ The EU delayed penalties on Apple and Meta shortly before beginning trade negotiations with the US (WSJ)

  • 💵 Techstars increases startup funding to $220,000—mirroring YC (Next Unicorn)

New Funding 💶

13 companies raised €55.55M in the last week including €1.1M by Clikodoc (Healthtech) and €850K by CustomsBridge (Logistics)

Klaimy | €1.2M | Insurtech

Paris-based Klaimy raised €1.2 million in pre-seed funding led by Insurtech Gateway, with participation from U-Investors, Tenity, and angel investors. Founded in 2023, the startup offers AI software that helps life and health insurers process complex medical documents, improving the speed and accuracy of underwriting and claims.

Ecklo | €1.2M | Materials Manufacturing

Paris-based Ecklo raised €1.2 million from business angels and Bpifrance to develop its reusable pallet covers made from recycled and recyclable materials. Their solution helps logistics companies cut plastic waste and CO₂ emissions by replacing traditional plastic film with their more sustainable option.

H’ability | €1.2M | Healthtech

H'Ability, an Aube-based startup founded in 2021, has raised €1.2 million from business angels and investors like Bpifrance, Banque Populaire, and CIC. The company develops virtual reality rehabilitation solutions for hospitals and rehabilitation centers, aiming to expand its reach to 100 partners across France and Europe within a year. It is also exploring options to make the technology available for individual customers.

Delos | €2.5M | Artificial Intelligence

Delos, a Paris-based startup founded in 2023, has raised €2.5 million in funding from 20VC, along with investors from Pigment, Dataiku, Hexa, Inovia, Plug & Play, and Kima Ventures. The company is developing a voice-controlled AI-powered software suite for businesses that integrates tools for chat assistants, document storage, and meeting summarization. Delos aims to provide a sovereign alternative to American productivity tools with a focus on data security.

Celest Science | €2M | Climate Tech

Celest Science, a Montpellier-based startup founded in 2023, has raised €2 million from 17 investors to develop AI-driven climate risk modeling tools. The company uses advanced AI to predict climate-related risks like droughts and floods, with a focus on improving accuracy over traditional methods. Interestingly, the company has initially targeted the U.S. insurance market before a planned expansion into Europe.

Brink Therapeutics | €3.5M | Biotech

Brink Therapeutics, a Paris-based startup founded in 2024, has raised €3.5 million in seed funding to develop a safer, more precise alternative to CRISPR gene editing. The startup is building a safer gene editing tool that avoids cutting DNA (as is the case with CRISPR) to reduce the risk of harmful mutations. Their aim is to improve CAR-T cancer therapies, which modify immune cells to better attack cancer.

FEBUS Optics | €4M | Infrastructure

Pau-based Fébus Optics has raised €4 million in funding from investors including Thales Corporate Ventures, Pléiade Venture, and Crédit Agricole. The company specializes in fiber-optic surveillance solutions, turning cables into long-distance sensors for sectors like energy, transportation, and infrastructure security. Fébus Optics plans to use the funds to expand its presence in Asia and grow its team.

Ensol | €6M | Cleantech

Ensol has raised €6M in equity and €8M in debt financing for a total of €14 million to expand its residential solar energy services. The funding, led by Breega and supported by climate funds Endgame and Watermelon, will accelerate its growth and launch a solar subscription model to make solar energy more accessible. Ensol offers a comprehensive solution that optimizes solar self-consumption, and aims to create a virtual power plant by connecting homes for decentralized energy production.

Dolphin Semiconductor | €10M | Semiconductors

Dolphin Semiconductor raised €10 million from Singapore’s Vertex Growth to support its expansion and product development. The company designs essential building blocks used in computer chips—helping create more efficient and more powerful devices.

Klara | €10M | HR Tech

Paris-based Klara has raised €10 million in a funding round led by Endeit Capital. The startup offers a platform that helps companies manage and track skill development for frontline and deskless workers. The funding will support product development and international growth for the startup, whose current clients include major enterprises such as Safran and Carrefour.

Mila | €12M | Insurtech

Mila, based in Paris, raised €12 million in a round led by Elevation Capital Partners to support its growth in France and internationally. Mila offers insurance products for the real estate sector, like coverage for unpaid rent and building liability. The company, profitable since 2023, plans to expand its services to small businesses.

Upcoming Events 🗓

Interesting Jobs 👩‍💻

What Else I’m Reading 📚

Unlocking France’s AI Potential 2025 (Amazon)

The Hypergrowth Startup Index (HubSpot)

20,000 AI generated songs are uploaded to Deezer everyday (engadget)

Newsletter Recommendations 🫶

Techpresso

Why you’ll like it: Daily updates on the latest tech and AI news in an easy-to-read format. Stay in the know while finishing your morning coffee.

Trends.vc

Why you’ll like it: Short summaries of breaking topics in the world of startups and Venture Capital. An easy way to find new ideas and opportunities.

Quiz Answer: C.) 58%

According to data from PitchBook, 58% of Q1 VC deal value went to AI and machine learning startups with these deals accounted for 28% of all deal volume. In the US and Canada, the dominance of AI was even more stark—with over 70% of all deal value going to funding for AI companies.