Not every country officially decides which of its startups are the most promising, but France does. Every year, the French Tech Mission, a government initiative fostering the French startup ecosystem, announces a batch of laureates of the French Tech Next40/120 program.
‘Next40’ is a nod to CAC 40, and an indication that these scaleups could be IPO candidates sooner than later. But to identify innovation before it goes really big, it is arguably the new entrants that are worth looking at, also on the more exhaustive list.
Not all of them will be unknown to readers outside of France, as quite a few already made a name for themselves beyond borders. 93% of all companies in this year’s batch have already established a significant international presence, particularly in the U.S., Germany, Spain, Italy, and the U.K.
Still, there are plenty of them that deserve to be better known, especially among 2025’s new entrants. Them joining also gives a new flavor to the batch, while confirming some trends.
As a group, this year’s laureates reflect the rise of deeptech, which represented nearly a quarter of the new cohort; and of AI, which 35% have at their core. In terms of sector, GreenTech/AgriTech topped the list, followed by Fintech & Insurtech.
But these trends only tell part of the story. To appreciate the diversity and potential of this year’s cohort, a closer look is necessary. To help you with that, here’s an overview of this year’s 11 new entrants on the Next40 list, and a list of the 35 newcomers among the remaining 80.
New names on the Next40 list
Alice&Bob
Alice&Bob is a quantum computing startup aiming to build the first universal and fault-tolerant quantum computer.
Brevo
Formerly Sendinblue, Brevo is a SaaS platform for digital marketing and customer relationship management.
ClubFunding
ClubFunding is a fintech platform specializing in facilitating private investments into real estate and alternative assets.
Descartes Underwriting
Descartes Underwriting is an insurtech company offering parametric insurance products for climate, cyber and emerging risks.
Flying Whales
Flying Whales develops giant cargo airships that could transport heavy loads while reducing environmental impact.
Gojob
Gojob is an online staffing platform connecting employers with job seekers looking for temporary work.
Homa
Homa is a company that helps developers scale their mobile games.
LeHibou
LeHibou is a marketplace for vetted freelance IT professionals.
Worldia
Worldia is a traveltech company offering customizable trip solutions for travel agencies, distributors and consumers.
ZePlug
ZePlug is a provider of EV charging solutions for residential and office buildings.
Newcomers among the other 80 startups
- 52 Entertainment
- Acheel
- Adikteev
- Akur8
- Bioptimus
- Bump
- Chargemap
- Elicit Plant
- Energy Pool
- Fairmat
- Filigran
- Freelance Republik
- Gleamer
- GravitHy
- H.AI
- Kiln
- Locala
- Metron
- MWM
- Odaseva
- Opteamis
- Ouihelp
- Papernest
- Pixmania
- Resilience
- Sekoia.io
- Shippeo
- Stockly
- Stych
- Superprof
- TSE
- Veesion
- Voltalis
- Wandercraft
- Yubo
For more on this year’s batch, discover eight among them that made the cut thanks to their revenues.