French Tech DeepNum20 programme: the first champions of the French digital industry unveiled

The French Tech DeepNum20 sectoral programme is part of this framework. The digital section of the France 2030 plan raised a budget of 3 billion euros, with the aim of encouraging the emergence and industrialisation of start-ups in these strategic sectors.

Over 2,000 deep tech start-ups in France

The call for applications for this programme was launched in July 2022 to improve support for French start-ups operating in the priority digital sectors of France 2030. France currently has more than 2,000 deep tech start-ups and is the 2^nd largest European ecosystem in terms of funds raised.

The sectors that were eligible to compete were defined according to specific areas of activity and research:

• nanoelectronics, microchips and robotics;
• cloud and 5G technology;
• artificial intelligence and quantum technologies;
• digital “greening” and cyber security.

Start-ups involved in these industries had the opportunity to compete until 21 September, provided they met a series of criteria, including

• be headquartered in France and be independent;
• offer disruptive technologies in terms of services or products that can be deployed at large scale. 

The potential to become international giants

Selected by an independent jury, the winning start-ups were announced at a ceremony held on 27 October at Paris-Saclay. According to the event’s press kit, when choosing the laureates, a special focus was directed to early stage start-ups [1]. “The long and costly research phases required for the deployment of such technologies” can be difficult for start-ups to implement. This is why the French government must support them in the process.

As an example, winners of this programme include several start-ups involved in the creation of the quantum computer. The press kit indicates that this is “a technology that will accelerate the computing time of our computers by a factor of one billion. Within 5 to 10 years, this will completely transform industry, with decisive societal impacts.” Several other winners have invested in “artificial intelligence specialising in automatic language processing, computer vision or robotics”.

The director of the French Tech Mission believes that many of these start-ups “have the potential to become international giants, which will make France a reference on an international scale”.

Diversity of projects and regional diversity

More specifically, the start-ups selected to join the French Tech DeepNum20 programme cover all areas of the digital sector:

• with a special focus directed to artificial intelligence (6 projects);
• but also cybersecurity (3), space (3), quantum tech (3), robotics (2), 5G (2), electronics (1), cloud tech (1), and the “greening” of digital technology (1).

They also illustrate a territorial diversity with five major French regions represented: Île-de-France (11 projects), the Pays-de-la-Loire region (2), Brittany (3), the Southern region - Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (4) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (2).

According to the director of the French Tech Mission, these projects will make it possible to “respond to the major challenges facing society” which form “the next chapter in the history of innovation”. All forms of technology should make it possible to respond, “but disruptive innovation, by imagining radically new solutions, will be an essential factor in our success and will guarantee us technological and industrial sovereignty”.

Dedicated support for the winning start-ups

The winning start-ups will now benefit from a year of dedicated support, including:

• the assistance of a contact person, a start-up manager from Mission French Tech, responsible for identifying their strategic challenges and providing the support offered;
• enhanced visibility through influence and promotion operations in France and abroad;
• privileged access to the network of French Tech correspondents in more than 60 administrations and public services in France;
• integration into economic diplomacy actions, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[1] “early stage” refers to the investment required by start-ups at their creation and kickoff.

To know more

- on the French government website

- on the French Tech website