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- 🇫🇷 French Tech Updates — May 26, 2025. €91.25M in new funding for French companies.
🇫🇷 French Tech Updates — May 26, 2025. €91.25M in new funding for French companies.
What you need to know this week in France: 🏦 IMF urges a “sustained budget squeeze” to reduce France’s debt, ✊ 300+ French organizations rally for digital sovereignty, 🤝 new acquisitions.

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 is the combined value of all 107 privately held EU companies valued at over $1 billion?
(answer at the bottom of the newsletter)
A.) $151 billion
B.) $274 billion
C.) $333 billion
D.) $470 billion
What’s new this week in 🇫🇷
✊ 300+ French organizations rally for digital sovereignty: over 300 French organizations, including Airbus, Orange, OVH Cloud, and Mistral AI, have signed a manifesto advocating for European digital sovereignty. This collective push emphasizes the importance of developing and maintaining independent digital infrastructures to ensure data security and technological autonomy for Europe.
🏆 Paris dethrones London as Europe’s top startup hub: according to a new study from Dealroom, Paris has overtaken London to become Europe's leading tech ecosystem. Between 2017 and 2024, Paris startups increased their combined enterprise value by 5.3 times, outpacing London's 4.2 times. While London attracted higher funding amounts of $11.3 billion compared to Paris’s $7.8 billion, Paris-based startups managed to generate stronger valuation gains from their funding rounds.
🏦 The IMF has urged a “sustained budget squeeze” to reduce France’s debt: and warned that deficits will stay near 6% without deeper cuts. This means additional budget reductions beyond the planned €40 billion may be needed—which could impact funding sources like Bpifrance, which provided funding to nearly 80% of startups that raised funding from 2013-2021 according to a recent report.
💼 TotalEnergies is under fire for “misleading climate claims:” the energy giant is going to court on June 5 after three NGOs filed a lawsuit that accuses the company of greenwashing.
🎥 Mojo acquired by Dailymotion: the AI-powered video creation app with 300K+ paying subscribers was acquired by Dailymotion, a subsidiary of Canal+, for an unknown amount.
💰 Greenbids acquired by Perion Network: the company, which optimizes digital ads with AI for sustainability, was acquired by the Israeli firm for €65 million.
🌍 Headlines from around the world
👩🎨 Creator Ventures has raised $45 million for their second fund (IMDB)
🗞️ Khosla Ventures is also getting into the PE-inspired rollup game (TechCrunch)
📈 Digital PT company Hinge Health IPOs at $32, the top of the expected range (CNBC)
🤖 Klarna CEO delivers earnings call update via AI-generated avatar (TechCrunch)
🔊 Google's Veo 3 AI model can generate realistic video and sound together (ChatGPTTricks)
💨 AI’s true energy usage is very murky and likely much higher than reported (MIT Technology Review)
📉 Builder.ai declares bankruptcy, despite $500M in funding (Sifted)
🕵️♂️ The Rippling and Deel corporate espionage drama only gets wilder (TechCrunch)
🛟 23andMe purchased out of bankruptcy for $256 million (WSJ)
🪙 USDC issuer Circle is simultaneously pursuing an IPO and exploring an acquisition by competitors (Fortune)
New Funding 💶
10 companies raised €91.25 million in the last week
Stairling | €1.5M | 🚗 Transportation
The VTC (ride-hailing) platform, raised €1.5 million from Kima Ventures, Plug and Play Tech Center, 199 Ventures, and others. The startup allows licensed private drivers to operate without the hassle of managing their accounting, business creation, and other operational tasks within France's regulated “Véhicule de Tourisme avec Chauffeur” system.
PyxiScience | €2M | 🎓 EdTech
Paris-based EdTech startup PyxiScience raised €2 million from Newfund, INCO Ventures, and BPI France to expand internationally. The company offers an AI-powered platform that helps teachers assign and grade math homework, adapting exercises to each student’s level and correcting handwritten work.
MecAgent | €2.75M | 🛠️ Industrial AI
Paris-based MecAgent raised €2.75 million from Outlander VC, Founders, Inc., Earthling VC, Kima Ventures, and others to speed up mechanical design workflows using AI. The startup’s platform automates repetitive engineering tasks like 3D modeling and error-checking by converting sketches or text into CAD-ready files, helping hardware teams prototype faster.
Tamtam | €3M | 📈 Sales Intelligence
Paris-based Tamtam has raised €3 million from Varsity, Kima Ventures, and several business angels. The startup has developed an AI assistant for B2B sales teams at Freeda, SpaceFill, Weefin, and more that handles complex sales and helps automate research and admin tasks so reps can spend more time with customers.
Noota | €3M | 🧠 AI
Noota raised €3 million to expand its AI-powered meeting platform which currently serves over 100,000 users across 3,000 companies. The new funding came from from Blast.Club, Bpifrance, and several banking partners. Noota’s tooling transcribes meetings and now includes mobile apps and AI agents that write minutes, assign tasks, and trigger follow-ups automatically.
Tilt Energy | €5M | 🌍 Climate Tech
Tilt Energy, a startup focused on optimizing electricity use during peak demand, raised €5 million in seed funding led by Daphni, with support from Founders Future and AFI. Tilt Energy’s AI platform balances energy consumption across heating, EV charging, and batteries. With thousands of sensors already live, Tilt plans to double its team and prep for a Series A while expanding across Western Europe.
Quobly | €6M | ⚛️ Quantum Computing
Quobly, a quantum computing startup based in Grenoble, France, raised €21 million (including €15 million in grants from Bpifrance and €6 million in equity) to industrialize its silicon-based quantum chip. The company is developing a chip with 100 physical qubits and targeting commercial delivery by 2027
Didask | €10M | 🎓 EdTech
Didask, AI-powered e-learning platform, raised €10 million in a round led by Atlantic Vantage Point and Citizen Capital, with support from MAIF Impact, JuneX, and Takara Capital. The funds will help expand its instructional AI, launch a virtual Knowledge Assistant for on-the-job upskilling, and expand the company’s reach internationally.
SeqOne | €20M | 🩻 Medtech
Montpellier-based SeqOne raised €20 million in a round led by Supernova Invest, with participation from Elaia, Omnes, and Merieux Equity Partners. The startup provides an AI-powered platform that helps doctors analyze genetic data to diagnose cancers and rare diseases. Funds will support U.S. expansion and acquisitions to grow its presence in clinical genomics.
Veesion | €38M | 🛡️ Security / Defense
Paris-based startup Veesion raised €38 million in Series B funding plus €15 million in non-dilutive support from investors like White Star Capital, Red River West, and Bpifrance. Veesion develops AI-powered gesture recognition technology that detects suspicious behavior in physical stores to reduce theft, currently used in over 5,000 stores across 25 countries.
Upcoming Events 🗓
Paris Women & Climate Afterwork - May 26
Afterwork French Tech x CESI – May 28
AI for Good: From Creation to Exit ft. Buster.ai founder Julien Mardas – June 3
IoT Innovation Day – June 4
VivaTech – June 11-14
Startup World Cup Paris – June 12
The Paris AI Conference 2025 – June 16
French Tech Connect 2025 – July 3
Interesting Jobs 👩💻
👥 Multiple Roles @ Corma – I used to work next to this team at Station F and they have some serious hustle
What Else I’m Reading 📚
TechpressoWhy 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.) $333 billion