From EU-Startups
France’s startup scene is on the
rise. The mix of international talent, government initiatives and
entrepreneurial spirit is showing great results. Investments in French
startups is also growing, with Dealroom reporting a whopping €4.3
billion in venture capital funding raised in 2019 and no signs of
stopping. In September, 2019 president Emmanuel Macron announced a new
€5 billion public-private investment fund, aimed at helping companies to
scale up. The way things are going France might quickly become the
European’s startup Mecca. In light of all the attention it’s getting,
here are 10 French startups to keep an eye on in 2020.
Georges –
Founded in 2016, this Lyon-based startup has developed AI-powered
accounting software for freelancers and professionals. By connecting to
people’s professional bank accounts, Georges automatically tags revenue
and expenses to calculate annual revenue, VAT, etc. And that’s not all.
Once it’s all checked, Georges generates paperwork and sends it to tax
authorities. Too good to be true? Ask their 10,000 customers and
counting. In 2019, they raised over €10 million and announced a merger
with its main competitor, the BNC Express software, to further
consolidate their position in the market.
Leavy –
When Aziza Chaouachi was a student, she would rent her home on Airbnb
to finance the cost of travel tickets. This gave her the idea for
a travel app that rewards members in cash or travel credit by renting
out their home while being away. It has since snowballed into a network
of +65,000 millennials preparing apartments and hosting guests. The
Paris-based startup bills itself as a “travel community and
marketplace,” and differentiates itself by giving Leavy members cash
upfront when they make their space available prior to travelling. Leavy
is an 2019, the team raised €12.7 million, a record for travel tech seed rounds.
Majelan
– Fast-growing Majelan is a premium podcast platform, where users can
search for podcasts, download and listen to episodes. Launched in 2019
across 50 countries, Majelan’s library consists of 280 000 audio series,
or 13 million episodes, in 15 languages. It aspires to attract a wide
range of audiences – from children to teenagers and families — with a
variety of topics, including entertainment, arts, sports, politics,
comedy and many more. With €4 million raised in 2018, and a subsequent €6 million raised in 2019, Majelan is well-positioned to disrupt the podcast industry. ...
....MUCH MORE
And, note to SoftBank, not a dog
(walker) among them.
