This week, in the French tech: Hugging Face dives into robotics with a bold acquisition, while Zoī’s luxury health check-up business hits €5M in revenue just 18 months in. French startups are locking in funds - from ENSOL’s €14M solar push to Powesco’s massive €150M bet on energy renovation. Meanwhile, drama unfolds at SistaFund, Oussama Ammar gets hit with a €7.5M fraud ruling, and Believe prepares to bow out of the stock market. Whether you're into AI, climate tech, health innovation, or renewable energy - there’s plenty to catch up on.

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Startup funding news 💸

Rounds of $15M+:

• Powesco, a Boulogne-Billancourt-based startup spun out from Enerlis, has raised €150 million from White Summit Capital to accelerate energy renovation in large tertiary buildings. Leveraging a turnkey ESCO model with third-party financing, the company targets hospitals, corporate HQs, and educational institutions, aiming to deploy €500 million in projects by 2030 while acting as a price shield against energy volatility.

Rounds €5M to €15M:

• ENSOL has raised €14 million from investors including Crédit Mutuel Impact, Demeter, and GO Capital to accelerate the democratization of solar energy in France through a subscription model with no upfront costs. Its smart technology turns equipped homes into a virtual power plant, boosting self-consumption and delivering significant savings to users.

• Dolphin Semiconductor has raised €10 million from Singapore-based VC fund Vertex Growth to boost its international expansion. Specializing in analog-digital mixed signal IPs, the French company aims to strengthen its global presence with advanced technologies in energy management, data conversion, and ultra-low-power embedded audio.

Rounds €1M to €5M:

• Fébus Optics, a Pau-based startup specializing in fiber optic monitoring solutions, has secured €4 million from investors including Thales Corporate Ventures, Pléiade Venture, and Crédit Agricole. The funding will support international expansion, particularly in Asia, and help scale its distributed sensing technology used in energy, transport, and infrastructure security.

• Brink Therapeutics has raised €3.5 million in a Seed round led by Kurma Partners and Breega to develop a safer, more precise alternative to CRISPR using programmable recombinases. This technology enables the insertion of long DNA sequences without breaking the genome, aiming to revolutionize gene editing in fields like CAR-T cancer therapy.

• Delos has raised €2.5 million in a round led by UK-based fund 20VC, with participation from founders of Pigment, Dataiku, Hexa, and funds like Inovia, Plug & Play, and Kima Ventures. The French startup is developing a sovereign AI operating system for enterprises, combining voice-controlled workflows, contextual memory, and document intelligence to compete with U.S. productivity tools while ensuring data privacy and local hosting.

• Celest.Science has raised €2 million to advance its mid-term climate risk modeling platform, targeting a major gap in predicting extreme weather events. The startup combines scientific research and AI to support insurers and public authorities in anticipating climate impacts more effectively.

• Klaimy, an insurtech specializing in AI-driven personal insurance solutions, has raised €1.2 million to accelerate its growth. The funding will help scale its proprietary technology and expand its reach in the European insurance market.

M&A transactions 🎊

Hugging Face has entered the robotics field by acquiring Bordeaux-based startup Pollen Robotics, known for its open-source humanoid robot, Reachy 2. The move aims to merge generative AI with robotics in an open-source, accessible framework, empowering both enthusiasts and professionals to create intelligent robotic assistants.

YOOBIC has acquired French retail operations platform SimpliField to enhance its offering for frontline retail teams. The merger aims to deliver a next-generation digital workplace, combining operational expertise and smart tools to improve efficiency, execution, and productivity for over 350 global retail clients.

Agorapulse has acquired Mention, a specialist in web and social monitoring, in a strategic move to unify social media management and digital listening in one platform. Completed without external funding, the acquisition strengthens Agorapulse’s position with 9,000 clients and a combined €25M turnover, aiming to enhance marketing intelligence and automation through AI-driven tools.

Sixaxe has acquired fintech software firms Neofi and Arpson, with support from Re-sources Capital and advisory from Longchamp Partners, to expand its expertise in treasury, risk, and financial operations. This strategic move enhances its capabilities in data integration and complex IT infrastructures, reinforcing its growth in Europe and ambition to lead in financial software innovation.

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa has acquired Seqino, a French-certified e-invoicing platform, to strengthen its position ahead of France’s 2026 electronic invoicing mandate. The move supports its extra-banking diversification strategy, offering white-label digital billing solutions to SMEs, banks, and accounting firms with a focus on security, compliance, and integration via Peppol and NF certifications.

Norgine Pharma has acquired Theravia, a French biopharma specializing in rare diseases, from Mérieux Equity Partners to expand beyond its gastroenterology focus. With €50M in revenue and two approved drugs—Siklos and Orphacol—Theravia enhances Norgine’s high-value portfolio and supports its goal to specialize production at its Dreux plant.

Investor & accelerator news 🚀

The Cartier Women’s Initiative has opened applications for its 2026 edition, to support women entrepreneurs with high-impact ventures. The program offers financial awards, a year-long INSEAD mentorship, and international exposure across nine global regions, plus a special Science & Technology Pioneer Award for innovations with scientific or tech-driven breakthroughs.

Amazon Web Services and SISTA have also launched “SISTA IA,” a six-month support program dedicated to 20 AI startups founded by women in France. The initiative aims to address gender inequality in tech by providing tailored resources, mentoring, and AWS credits to foster inclusive innovation in artificial intelligence.

Speaking of Sista, according to Les Echos, a conflict between SistaFund co-founders Tatiana Jama and Isabelle Gallo has put the fund’s operations on pause, with new investments temporarily delayed until the situation is resolved. Launched in 2022 to support women-led startups, SistaFund has raised €70 million and backed companies like The Exploration Company and Underdog, and now aims to move forward with renewed focus as Gallo prepares to depart.

At Gitex Africa 2025, French VC firms Partech and Breega stood out as pioneers investing in Africa’s tech ecosystem, which is gaining traction in fintech, e-commerce, and more. Partech launched a €245M fund in 2023, while Breega created a €75M Africa-focused seed fund targeting startups in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, and other regions, signaling growing French interest in the continent’s innovation potential.

​Oussama Ammar, co-founder of The Family, has been ordered by a UK court to pay €7.5 million in damages for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. This ruling, now final after he missed the appeal deadline, follows years of public scandals and accusations from his former co-founders, who alleged he diverted millions meant for startup investments to personal use, including the purchase of a luxury property in Normandy.

Startup news 💡

Home services platform Wecasa is expanding into Germany, Switzerland, and Austria after raising €18 million in late 2024. Following profitability in France and the UK, the startup aims to partner with 400 professionals and generate €1 million in revenue in 2025 from these new markets, capitalizing on strong demand for regulated, digital home services.

The founders of Brigad have launched Rosk, a new platform aimed at tackling labor shortages in the restaurant industry by focusing on high-skilled interim roles, with plans to later include permanent contracts. Initially targeting collective catering in Île-de-France, Rosk also integrates training, career development tools, and professional networking features to boost job appeal and retention in hospitality.

Healthtech startup Zoī has generated €5 million in revenue just 18 months after opening its luxury medical check-up center near Opéra Garnier. Backed by high-profile investors like Xavier Niel and Stéphane Bancel, the company now serves over 2,000 members—60% through corporate partnerships with clients like Sanofi and Veolia—offering personalized diagnostics and wellness coaching in a premium, tech-enabled environment.

Big company & policy news 💡

​La Banque Postale Asset Management (LBP AM) has chosen LightOn to deploy its sovereign generative AI platform, Paradigm, across its teams to enhance data-driven financial decision-making. The partnership includes the co-development of specialized AI agents and underscores LightOn’s role as a European leader in secure, enterprise-grade AI solutions that respect data privacy.

Digital music distributor Believe is set to exit the Paris Stock Exchange through a mandatory buyout at €15.30 per share, led by its majority shareholder Upbeat BidCo, which now holds over 96% of the capital. Despite a solid performance in 2024, the move follows a turbulent four-year market stint and clashes with minority shareholders over valuation, marking a symbolic retreat amid broader IPO market challenges.

Interesting reads 💡

Maddyness has unveiled the MAD50, a curated list of 50 standout French innovation champions recognized under the France 2030 plan. The selection spans sectors like AI, clean energy, mobility, aerospace, and health tech, showcasing ambitious startups such as Pasqal, Pollen Robotics, Verkor, and Sweetch Energy that embody technological excellence and societal impact across diverse French regions.

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