Clara Chappaz: “Thanks to start-ups, France can regain its digital sovereignty”

After a long period of prosperity, the tech sector is currently experiencing a global financial crisis. What were its effects on France?

In fact, in the first quarter, fundraising dropped by 7% in the United States and by 20% in Asia. For its part, France is very resistant, the amount raised in the 1st half of 2022 is almost three times greater than that raised in the 1st quarter of 2021. However, due to this global situation, some particular foreign private funds investing has become more prudent. So, it’s likely that some fundraising and appreciation of start-ups will be less impressive in the coming months than last year.

Does this situation also create opportunities for French Tech?

Yes, on two points really. French Tech 120 companies will create twice as many jobs than last year, and this international crisis is allowing them to aim for profiles abroad, while the talent shortage is very strong in the sector. . On the other hand, this situation creates opportunities for the acquisition of foreign start-ups, as we saw recently in Vestiaire Collective, which acquired one of its foreign competitors.

Also read:
Cédric O: “The Next 40 made start-ups exist in the eyes of the general public”

France emphasizes the development of industrial start-ups. What are the initiatives, and are they also relevant to areas with little fabric in the industry?

In mid-January, together with Ministers Agnès Pannier-Runacher and Cédric O, we inaugurated a one-stop shop to direct industrial start-ups to proper public engagement (to finance the land, study the regulatory issues, etc.). This counter is open to any start-up with an industrial project. We have almost reached our goal in 2022, which is to support 100 start-ups.

These companies are based throughout the territory (including 11% in the Occitanie region, which is part of the Top 5), and in very diverse sectors: mobility, cleantech, agri-food, health … Five of them are derived in the Montpelier area.

We see a strong dynamism of entrepreneurs for ecological innovation

How does French Tech support greentech, which brings together environmentally-focused technologies?

We are convinced that start-ups have their place in this important battle that is ecological transition. So, we launched together with the Ministry of Ecological Transition a program to support twenty of the major start-ups in the sector, Green20, where we will announce the winners of the second season of the VivaTech show, next June.
This program is intended for structures whose innovations are the most promising. Last year, they were primarily concerned with reducing greenhouse impacts, waste modification, and air quality.

Is this sector buoyant?

We noticed that 10% of French start-ups have greentech activity. Half of them are less than five years old, so we can guess that this is a theme on which entrepreneurs will increasingly position themselves. Over the past two years, greentech has exceeded € 1 billion raised each year in France. This shows a strong dynamic in the sector, driven by huge public interest in the ecological transition.

Also read:
Cédric O: “Greentech is equally important to the environment and the economy”

Will French Tech support other sectors of activity?

We will create thematic programs to support start-ups operating in other sectors, identified as strategic in France’s 2030 investment plan: health, deeptech, quantum … We launched the Agri20 program in February, to support start-ups working in the food industry.
Our logic is to support start-ups in a particular sector so that they can include the Next 40 and French Tech 120 rankings, our programs that identify the largest and most promising of them, all sectors is combined. .

What do you expect in Emmanuel Macron’s second term on the issue of the development of start-ups?

French Tech is changing size, we must continue to support start-ups, which are changing and creating jobs in all territories. In order to provide solutions in critical areas, such as health, space, ecological change, it is also necessary to bring together change players of all sizes, who have not necessarily worked together until now, to achieve truly digital sovereignty of France.