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Dealflow France is the best way to follow the French startup and VC ecosystem.

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Startup funding news 💸

Rounds €5M to €10M:

• Adocia raises €9.7M to advance its diabetes and obesity treatments and extend its cash runway to Q2 2026. The round was led by Armistice Capital (€7M), with Vester Finance (€0.9M) and other investors participating.

• Edumapper raises €5M to enhance its student orientation platform. The round was led by daphni, Eurazeo (HEC Ventures), Ring Capital, and Kima Ventures.

Rounds €1M to €5M:

• Activ’Inside raises €4M to accelerate international expansion and strengthen its industrial capabilities. The round was led by Aquiti (NACI 1) and Bpifrance, with participation from founders and Deputy CEO Vincent Bellette.

• Mangas.io raises €4M in a record 72-hour crowdfunding campaign following its appearance on M6’s Qui veut être mon associé?. The French startup, dubbed the "Netflix of manga," will use the funds to accelerate growth and international expansion.

• Byzantine Finance raises $3M to develop its institutional restaking gateway. The round was led by Node Capital and Blockwall Ventures.

• MoEa raises €2.3M to expand its sustainable sneaker brand. The round was led by Ring Capital, with GO CAPITAL, Climate Club, and Business Angels participating.

• MB Therapeutics raises €2M to develop 3D-printed personalized medicines. Investors include Beprep, Calyseed, Angels Santé, and Bpifrance.

• BiOceanOr raises €2M to expand its water quality prediction services internationally. The round includes Go Capital, The Yield Lab, and Caisse d’Epargne Côte d’Azur.

• Akidaia raises €1.3M to expand its offline access control solution. Investors include Leonard by VINCI, Bouygues, Advans Group, and Bpifrance.

• Vegetal Food raises €1.2M to expand its plant-based product distribution. The round was led by Food Invest II, managed by Elevation Capital Partners, in partnership with FoodXpert.

• ToumAI raises €1M to expand its AI-powered customer experience solutions. The round was led by Launch Africa, with Madica Ventures, Orange Ventures, Digital Africa, GO Ventures, and Bpifrance participating.

Other rounds of funding:

• CCE Group secures financing from H.I.G. WhiteHorse to accelerate its growth and expansion in the cabin and cargo equipment market. The company, backed by Hivest Capital Partners, was formed in 2023 after a carve-out from Safran.

• Akira Technologies secures funding from Bpifrance Small Cap, Definvest, and MBDA to advance its energy conversion solutions, particularly for the defense sector.

• VirtualiSurg raises seed funding to revolutionize surgical training with VR, AI, and robotics, partnering with Medtronic, J&J Medtech, and Dräger.

M&A transactions 🎊

Technis acquires Videtics to strengthen its AI-powered video surveillance and space optimization solutions. The move marks its first acquisition in France and advances its goal of becoming a sovereign European leader in intelligent data exploitation.

Investor & accelerator news 🚀

Blaise Matuidi launches Origins investment club on Roundtable, allowing his community to invest in top tech startups. The initiative expands into Germany and provides access to exclusive deals, including OpenAI and SpaceX, alongside industry experts.

Venus Williams invests in WeWard, joining the French startup as an ambassador. She and Serena Williams have deep ties to French Tech, previously investing in Shares and Sorare, leveraging their influence to support innovative companies.

La Maison des Startups LVMH launches its 11th season, supporting over 200 startups since 2017. The program fosters innovation in AI, customer experience, and sustainability, integrating selected startups into LVMH’s Maisons through real-world experimentation.

Bpifrance risks over $30M in the insolvency of Ÿnsect, its largest backer. The insect protein startup, which raised over $600M, struggles to scale its Ÿnfarm facility and seeks buyers. Other investors include Astanor Ventures, Upfront, Talis Capital, and Eurazeo.

Bpifrance partners with iBanFirst to ease export credit repayments in local currencies, reducing exchange risks for foreign borrowers.

Top 10 Angel Investors in Europe (2024): Thibaud Elzière leads with 17 deals, followed by Roxanne Varza (11 deals) and Trond Riiber Knudsen (9 deals). Mario Götze (8 deals) continues his tech investing streak, while Sebastien Borget (7 deals) backs Web3 startups. France dominates with multiple investors on the list.

Top 10 Startup Hubs in Europe: UnternehmerTUM (Munich) retains the top spot, while Parisian hubs dominate with Station F (2nd), HEC Paris (4th), and ESA BIC (10th). The ranking highlights Europe's leading incubators and accelerators supporting fast-growing tech startups.

Opportunities & Deadlines 👀

Paris Blockchain Week 2025 will take place from April 8-10 at the Carrousel du Louvre, featuring top industry leaders such as Lily Liu (Solana Foundation), Monica Long (Ripple), and Eric Demuth (Bitpanda). Startups have until February 28 to apply for the Start in Block competition, with over $10M in prizes and backing from leading VCs.

Startup news 💡

Mistral’s AI assistant, Le Chat, hits 1M downloads in 14 days, topping the iOS App Store in France. Backed by Emmanuel Macron, it competes with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot in the AI assistant race.

Mon Petit Placement surpasses €200M in assets under management, marking a 60% growth in 2024. The Lyon-based fintech, founded in 2017, now serves 25,000 clients and raised €4.2M via Sowefund. It offers life insurance and retirement savings products, aiming for profitability by 2025.

11 French startups selected for the Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge 2025 will pitch innovations in AI, health, and energy at the Paris event on March 13-14, competing for €100,000 and global partnerships.

Big company & policy news 💡

The EU is launching a €200B AI investment initiative, with €50B from the bloc and €150B from private investors under EU AI Champions. €20B will fund four AI Gigafactories to expand computing infrastructure for large AI models. The InvestAI initiative will de-risk private sector investment through EU programs like Digital Europe and Horizon Europe.

The EU may revise its AI Act in a regulatory "fitness check" amid concerns it stifles innovation. Critics argue strict rules hinder local AI startups, while new regulations, including bans on certain AI uses, continue rolling out.

Interesting reads 💡

Anjney Midha (A16z) argues that Europe's biggest AI challenge isn’t regulation but slow enterprise adoption. He highlights how Mistral and Black Forest Labs are tackling this gap, targeting mission-critical industries like defence and healthcare.

Anna Piñol (Nfx) wrote “What It Really Takes To Make AI Agents Work“

Saleiva (Kfund, Tinybird) wrote “Kindness and LLMs”

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