When earlier this year, tech deals tracker Dealroom suggested that Paris had overtaken London as Europe’s top startup hub, it caused quite a commotion.
But it shouldn’t have been too surprising. France has been gaining momentum for some time now by pouring investment into AI, technical education and the startup ecosystem via incubators like Station F.
Sifted’s latest leaderboard, which captures the fastest-growing French and Southern European startups, sees France score 44 out of the top 100 spots in the region. These companies collectively raised €2.5bn in funding and €2.1bn in revenues over the last three years.
Which French companies are cream of the crop this year? Here are the top 10:
1) Electra / #1 / two-yr CAGR: 681.46%.
Topping the leaderboard is Paris-based Electra, which develops and operates fast charging stations for electric vehicles across Europe. It hopes to roll out 15k charging points by 2030. Founded in 2020, the company is led by CEO Aurélien de Meaux. Electra has raised a total of €783.5m from investors including Eurazeo, PGGM Investments, Bpifrance, RATP Capital Innovation, Serena and Frst Capital.
2) folk.app / #3 / two-yr CAGR: 532.46%
Launched in 2021 by Thibaud Elziere, Jean-Yves Poilleux and Simo Lemhandez, the Paris-based collaborative CRM platform helps teams manage relationships and workflows in one place. In total, folk has raised €8.3m from Accel, Kima Ventures, Hexa and Roosh Ventures. The US accounts for 40% of folk’s revenue, according to founder Simo Lemhandez in an interview with Sifted.
3) Sifflet / #4 / two-yr CAGR: 505.53%
Launched in 2021, Paris-based Sifflet helps organisations monitor the quality, reliability and lineage of their data through its observability platform. It has raised €16.6m to date from EQT Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Mangrove Capital Partners and Agoranov.
4) Nabla / #5 / two-yr CAGR: 460.77%
Founded by Alex Lequien in 2018, Paris-based Nabla builds an AI assistant for doctors, helping automate clinical documentation and reduce admin workload. A majority of its revenue comes from the US. In total, the healthtech startup has raised €47m from investors including Cathay Innovation, Firstminute Capital, NJJ Holding and Groupe Artémis.
5) BioEsol / #7 / two-yr CAGR: 309.74%
This is the energy storage startup’s second appearance on the leaderboard and this year BioEsol climbs up from #17 last year. Founded by Patricia Ayma in 2021, the Grenoble-based startup develops smart battery systems that use AI to help businesses cut energy costs and reduce grid reliance. The startup has raised €5.1m from Techstars, Katapult Group, GVM Investments and Ciri Ventures.
6) Neat Protect / #8 / two-yr CAGR: 309.47%
Paris-based Neat Protect is one of the youngest companies on the list, and one of only two profitable companies in the top 10. It offers digital insurance tailored to sports enthusiasts, covering risks specific to outdoor and athletic activities. Founded in 2022, the company is led by CEO Alexandre Védie. The company has raised €60m in total funding, including a €50m Series A round in October 2024, and is backed by investors such as Octopus Ventures, Mundi Ventures, Hedosophia and Founders Future.
7) Najar / #10 / two-yr CAGR: 305.43%
The Paris-based startup, founded by Rayan Krief in 2021, develops AI tools to help compliance and legal teams automatically detect and manage regulatory risks. Najar has raised €17m from investors including Portage, Tomcat and 13books Capital.
8) Reflect / #13 / two-yr CAGR: 246.41%
Tied for “youngest company” on the leaderboard, Paris-based Reflect (founded in 2022) offers an AI-powered journaling app that helps users improve mental clarity and self-awareness through structured reflection. The startup raised a €2m pre-seed round in September 2022 from investors including Kima Ventures, XAnge, Evolem and Agoranov.
9) Hubcycle / #15 / two-yr CAGR: 218.48%
Seeing an opportunity in food industry waste, CEO Julien Lesage founded the company in Avignon in 2016 to upcycle unused byproducts into high-value ingredients for cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food manufacturers. In October 2024, the company raised a €15m Series A from SWEN Capital Partners, ETF Partners, Plug and Play and Daphni.
10) Dfns / #19 / two-yr CAGR: 209.84%
Launched in 2020 by Clarisse Hagège, Paris-based Dfns provides a wallet-as-a-service API that enables fintechs, banks and Web3 apps to securely store and manage digital assets. The company raised a €16m Series A in January 2025, part of €30m in total funding from investors including Coinbase, ABN AMRO Ventures, White Star Capital and Bpifrance.
You can view the full leaderboard here and the accompanying report here.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/the-10-fastest-growing-french-startups/
