France
Paris #13
France has taken over Europe as the place where the most funding rounds happened in 2018. The next step is to turn our eurocentric scale-ups into global leaders.
Ecosystem by the Numbers
EARLY-STAGE FUNDING
$2.6 bn
GLOBAL AVG.
$687 m
ECOSYSTEM VALUE
$32 bn
GLOBAL AVG.
$28.6 bn
Edtech
The Edtech startup ecosystem in Paris is supported by the presence of two Edtech VC funds, Educapital and Brighteye Ventures. In addition, initiatives and industry bodies like EdTech Observatory and EdTech France have been set up to promote the Edtech industry in France. Startup success stories include 360Learning, which raised $41.5 million in a Series B round in 2018.
Fintech
Financial Services is the largest business sector in Paris, and it includes six Global 500 companies with combined revenue above $500 billion. Paris is also home to Paris Fintech Forum, which in its latest edition hosted more than 320 CEOs and 2,600+ participants from more than 75 countries. Startups in the space include Qonto, a Fintech startup, which raised $115 million in a Series C round in 2020, and French mobile payment startup Lydia, which raised $44 million in 2019 in a venture round.
Reasons to Move Your Startup to Paris
COVID-19 Policy
The French Government announced a $4.3 billion fund for struggling startups to help them stay afloat during the crisis. The plan included facilitating short-term refinancing allowing startups to borrow as much as two years of payroll for employees based in France or 25% of annual revenue whichever is higher.
Strong R&D focus
Paris has 162,000 R&D workers with a total expenditure of $22.5 billion in R&D.
Talent attraction
The Passport Talent initiative, launched in 2016, includes the French Tech visa. And, French Tech Ticket offers a small amount of funding and acceleration and incubation services for a year — plus a fast-track residence permit.
Selected Startup Organizations
50 Partners
France Digitale
Numa
Station F
The Family
TheFamily
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