The biotech sector in France has always been a pivotal player in Europe’s life sciences landscape. As mentioned in our previous article focused on biotech companies in the UK, this field spans not only healthcare but also sectors such as agriculture, environmental protection, and industrial processes, leading to innovative solutions such as life-saving drugs, sustainable production methods, and eco-friendly materials.
France’s robust investment climate, advanced research infrastructure, and collaborative ecosystem position it as a leader in the global biotech landscape. In recent years, French biotech companies secured substantial funding, underscoring the country’s commitment to innovation and scientific excellence. Despite challenges in scaling up manufacturing, talent acquisition, and market access, the French startup scene continues to flourish, supported by strong academic-industry partnerships.
In this article, we highlight 10 promising biotech startups in France, all founded from 2019 up to today. These companies exemplify innovation and scientific prowess, attracting significant investment and transforming their respective fields.
Bioptimus: Based in Paris, Bioptimus is a developer of a universal AI foundation model that connects biology at all scales, from molecules to cells, tissues, and entire organisms. They have launched H-Optimus-0, the world’s largest open-source AI model for pathology, featuring 1.1 billion parameters. Trained on over 500,000 histopathology slides, it enhances diagnostic accuracy. Founded in 2024, they have raised over €32 million, allowing clients to spark breakthrough discoveries and expedite biomedical innovation.
Bon Vivant: Based in Paris, Bon Vivant produces sustainable dairy products without using animals, maintaining the quality and taste of traditional dairy. They use precision fermentation, combining cow DNA with nutritional yeast to produce milk proteins. These proteins are lactose and cholesterol-free and do not contain hormones or antibiotics. The process significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and natural resource use, making it environmentally friendly. Founded in 2021, Bon Vivant has raised €20.5 million.
CarbonWorks: Based in Lyon, CarbonWorks specialises in the use of microalgae to capture and utilise carbon dioxide. They develop decarbonisation solutions by producing renewable raw materials from CO₂ emissions, employing industrial technology for the intensive cultivation of microalgae to reduce carbon footprints in agriculture and industry. Their applications span various markets, including agriculture, nutraceuticals, food, feed, aquaculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biobased chemistry. Founded in 2021, CarbonWorks has raised €11 million, offering sustainable alternatives to fossil and mineral resources.
Faircraft: Based in Bordeaux, Faircraft develops a highly sustainable, lab-grown alternative to animal leather, using advanced tissue engineering and material science techniques. Their materials, created from cells and proteins, offer outstanding touch and feel, transformability, and a low environmental footprint. Founded in 2021, Faircraft has raised €2.3 million aiming to revolutionise material science in fashion by providing versatile, low-impact materials designed with excitement.
Genomines: Based in Paris, Genomines specialises in enhancing plants’ natural biology to mine nickel and other metals sustainably. They use synthetic biology to improve plants’ ability to extract metals efficiently while remediating land. Genomines identifies metal-rich soils and mine tailings unsuitable for traditional mining, plants hyperaccumulators, and harvests them within months. This process recovers metals from biomass, aiming for carbon neutrality. Founded in 2021, they have raised over €15 million.
Mnemo Therapeutics: Based in Paris, Mnemo Therapeutics develops immune-based therapies, including cell therapies, to combat tumours. They focus on addressing the challenges in immuno-oncology by uncovering new tumour-specific targets, called E-antigens, from the dark genome using in-silico and wet-lab pipelines. Their EnfiniT platform is a drug discovery engine that utilises a class of antigens with a suite of technologies for tumour treatment. Founded in 2019, Mnemo Therapeutics has raised €75 million.
Nūmi: Based in Paris, Nūmi recreates the function of mammary glands in vitro to produce next-gen nutrition with over 1,500 bioactive molecules found in breast milk. Their products boost immunity, regulate satiety, and support brain development. By engineering these compounds, they offer a natural alternative when breastfeeding isn’t an option. Founded in 2023, Nūmi has raised €3 million to pursue its mission of revolutionising health and nutrition for all ages, setting new global standards.
Overseed: Based in Lyon, Overseed is a biotech company approved by the ANSM to conduct R&D on cannabis production for pharmaceutical purposes. They combine expertise in genetics, agronomy, organic chemistry, and pharma to produce therapeutic cannabis. Overseed develops and produces dried flowers, full-spectrum extracts, and purified pharmaceutical-grade active ingredients for laboratories. Founded in 2019 to meet patient and industry expectations, Overseed has raised over €9 million to ensure quality production through close collaboration with medical and scientific studies.
Qubit Pharmaceuticals: Based in Paris, Qubit Pharmaceuticals utilises quantum physics to bring unprecedented accuracy to drug discovery and design. Their platform, Atlas, integrates advanced AI, machine learning, and quantum simulation to discover and optimise drugs with quantum accuracy. Founded in 2020, Qubit Pharmaceuticals has raised €18.6 million, focusing on oncology, inflammation, and pandemic response, and pursuing a broad pipeline of targets and partnering programs to develop life-changing treatments.
TOOPI Organics: Based in Bordeaux, Toopi Organics collects and recycles human urine for agricultural use. They manufacture urine-sourced biostimulants rather than traditional fertilizers. Urine is collected from events, busy public toilets, and urban areas, then processed through filtration and fermentation to create a culture medium for bacteria of agronomic interest. Toopi’s first product, Lactopi Start, launched in France and Belgium, offers farmers an organic alternative to mineral and inorganic fertilizers, targeting phosphorus, nitrogen, and water stress. Founded in 2019, TOOPI Organics has raised €23.2 million.
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Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/08/from-labs-to-market-10-promising-biotech-startups-based-in-france/
