French Tech has demonstrated its resilience in 2026, with 18,000 active start-ups and scale-ups and 450,000 direct jobs – a record high despite a challenging national economic climate. As Julie Huguet, Director of the French Tech Mission, points out, this edition marks ‘an unprecedented acceleration’ in the ecosystem’s geographical, technological and sectoral diversification.

A dynamic that is spreading across the regions. 57.4 per cent of start-ups are now based in the regions, accounting for 42 per cent of jobs in the sector — demonstrating the importance of French Tech to the national economy.

Funding is rising sharply. With €4.96 billion raised in the first half of 2026, the ecosystem confirms investors’ confidence, driven by ever more ambitious mega-deals. France retains its third place in the European rankings, just behind the United Kingdom and Germany.

New sectors of excellence. ArtificialIntelligence , DeepTech, quantum computing, space technology and GreenTech are emerging as the new drivers of growth, led by companies such as Mistral AI and Pasqal, France’s first quantum unicorn.

A strengthened global presence. Major corporate groups are becoming active partners within the ecosystem, whilst the French Tech network – with 19 Capitals and 106 Communities spread across the globe – supports the international reach of French start-ups and scale-ups.

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Nine new major groups have joined the “Je choisis la French Tech“ initiative: Safran, Eutelsat, Atos, Bouygues Construction, Groupe Rocher, Fnac Darty, Crédit Agricole S.A., Groupama and Stellantis. Together with the 14 already on board, there are now 23 major French companies that have collectively committed to spending over 2 billion euros on purchases from French start-ups and scale-ups.

The government is organising its efforts on a ministry-by-ministry basis

For the first time, each ministry is appointing a “Je choisis la French Tech“ ambassador. Acting as a key liaison within their respective departments, their role is to raise awareness of the solutions offered by French start-ups and scale-ups amongst public procurers, to build concrete bridges between public procurement and the tech ecosystem, and to drive a cultural shift in the government’s procurement practices.

France is spearheading a tech movement across Europe

Inspired by the “Je choisis la French Tech” model, the “Choose European Tech” initiative is now mobilising major corporations, public agencies and European ministries to direct more contracts towards the continent’s start-ups and scale-ups. Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania and Serbia have already joined the movement.

Diversity is at the heart of the ecosystem’s challenges

Launched in 2019, the French Tech Tremplin programme promotes equal opportunities in entrepreneurship. Since its inception, nearly 2,000 entrepreneurs have received support. The 2026 cohort, comprising 102 successful applicants spread across mainland France and its overseas territories, illustrates this ambition, with 45 per cent of entrepreneurs coming from priority neighbourhoods under urban policy (QPV) and 32.4 per cent being women. Thanks to the commitment of the French Tech Capitals and Communities, these entrepreneurs will benefit from local support to accelerate the development of their projects.

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For the first time, Normandy and New Caledonia have been granted French Tech Capital status after several years as Communities. In total, 19 Capitals and 28 Communities now hold this designation in France, demonstrating the maturity and structure of regional ecosystems. Grenoble, the world’s 7th largest deep tech hub, and Toulouse, the European capital of space, embody this drive for excellence.

A rapidly expanding international network

Internationally, the French Tech network is expanding with 78 Communities in 57 countries, including 15 new locations. Priority markets such as the United States (Raleigh, Washington D.C.) and Germany (Hamburg, Frankfurt) are being strengthened, whilst new territories, such as Saudi Arabia, Armenia and Chile, are opening up new opportunities for French start-ups. The “Je choisis la French Tech” programme is now being rolled out internationally and helps forge direct links between French start-ups and major international clients, in partnership with Business France and diplomatic missions.

Five priorities to accelerate growth

The network is focusing its efforts on:

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Organised by Bpifrance, France Digitale, Numeum and Station F, with the support of the Direction générale des Entreprises and more specifically the Mission French Tech, the Business Day will feature: business meetings, demonstration of AI use cases, economic conferences and speeches by leading figures in the field of artificial intelligence.

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Now a recurring event, the “Rentrée de la French Tech” brought together several hundred personalities from the French start-up ecosystem at the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry: French Tech Capitals and Communities, entrepreneurs, public players and French Tech correspondents from government departments, major groups, investors, associations and partners.

After the official announcement, a panel dedicated to Artificial Intelligence and Research with Maximilien Levesque from AQEMIA, Professor Anne Vincent-Salomon from Institut Curie and moderated by Charlie Perreau from Les Echos, focused on the challenge of building ever stronger bridges between the worlds of research and business, to further strengthen the growth of the DeepTech start-up ecosystem.

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Teams from La French Tech and the Welcome to la French Tech Desk managed by our colleagues from Business France, will also be available to provide information in both French and English.

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