# France

Bessemer, Atomico in talks to lead The Exploration Company funding at $2bn valuation
Pro
Exclusive
July 27, 2026
Bessemer, Atomico in talks to lead The Exploration Company funding at $2bn valuation
The scaleup recently opened its first US lab
Anne Sraders
Mistral wanted to beat Anthropic. Now it’s becoming Palantir
Pro
Data
July 23, 2026
Mistral wanted to beat Anthropic. Now it’s becoming Palantir
Data exclusively seen by Sifted shows the company has made a rapid internal pivot
Freya Pratty and Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Meet the team helping Yann LeCun build AI startup AMI Labs
Pro
Analysis
July 23, 2026
Meet the team helping Yann LeCun build AI startup AMI Labs
Dozens of Meta alumni have followed LeCun to join the buzzy world models startup
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet and Ellie Apostolidi
Samsung in talks to back Mistral’s Series D, say reports
News
July 22, 2026
Samsung in talks to back Mistral’s Series D, say reports
Sifted previously reported that Swedish investment firm EQT is also in talks to lead or co-lead the round via the Scaleup Europe Fund
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
From Tesla to building humanoids: Uma cofounder on why Europe is ‘the best market in the world’
Pro
Interview
July 16, 2026
From Tesla to building humanoids: Uma cofounder on why Europe is ‘the best market in the world’
Uma launched nine months ago to build ‘frontier capabilities’ for humanoid robots in industrial and domestic environments
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
‘Physical AI is Europe’s last chance to be useful to the world’
Pro
Analysis
July 10, 2026
‘Physical AI is Europe’s last chance to be useful to the world’
At Paris's Machina conference, European robot makers jostle for attention — and for an answer to the question: can the continent keep up?
Éanna Kelly
Over $500m in fresh funding, risks of “French state influence” and a 100x valuation: What Pasqal’s SPAC filings reveal
Pro
Analysis
July 10, 2026
Over $500m in fresh funding, risks of “French state influence” and a 100x valuation: What Pasqal’s SPAC filings reveal
The French scaleup is set to float on Nasdaq later this year thanks to a SPAC merger
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
‘We are at a systematic disadvantage in Europe’: Pasqal CEO on listing in the US
Pro
Interview
July 10, 2026
‘We are at a systematic disadvantage in Europe’: Pasqal CEO on listing in the US
The French quantum computing company is set to list on Nasdaq later this year via SPAC
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Nvidia backs voice AI startup Gradium, bringing seed round to over $100m
News
July 8, 2026
Nvidia backs voice AI startup Gradium, bringing seed round to over $100m
The Paris-based startup spun out of non-profit AI research lab Kyutai seven months ago
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Exclusive: Meta and OpenAI alumni seek $400m for new AI lab
Pro
Exclusive
June 30, 2026
Exclusive: Meta and OpenAI alumni seek $400m for new AI lab
The stealth-mode company will be based between the US, France and Israel, sources say
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
The French & Benelux startups making €100m+ in revenue
Pro
Leaderboard
June 26, 2026
The French & Benelux startups making €100m+ in revenue
The companies are all featured on Sifted’s latest leaderboard of the fastest-growing companies in France and Benelux
Ruggero Di Spigna
‘None of us will do it alone’: European solidarity takes over VivaTech
Pro
Analysis
June 19, 2026
‘None of us will do it alone’: European solidarity takes over VivaTech
The flagship event, taking place this week in Paris, saw a host of announcements to boost teamwork on digital sovereignty
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
‘We’re in a very fast race’: Life at Nabla means big numbers and jet lag
Pro
Interview
June 19, 2026
‘We’re in a very fast race’: Life at Nabla means big numbers and jet lag
Cofounder Delphine Groll talks about the departure of her CEO — and whether she’d sell the company if the right bid came in
Éanna Kelly
Is this Europe’s most audacious founder?
Pro
Brunch with Sifted
June 17, 2026
Is this Europe’s most audacious founder?
Bertrand Duplat is building tiny robots for the brain, an idea that sounds not only difficult but crazy. Over a long Paris lunch, he talks comic books, punk music and falling in love
Éanna Kelly
Mistral CEO pitches open source AI days after Anthropic ban: ‘We exist outside of state control’
News
June 17, 2026
Mistral CEO pitches open source AI days after Anthropic ban: ‘We exist outside of state control’
Mensch reacted on social media saying the Paris-based company “got put in the spotlight in the last few days”
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
French battlefield software startup Comand AI raises €32m from Blossom Capital, Saab
News
June 17, 2026
French battlefield software startup Comand AI raises €32m from Blossom Capital, Saab
The startup last raised funding in late 2024 and aims to expand into new domains like air and maritime
Anne Sraders
ChapsVision to replace Palantir in major contract with French intelligence agency
News
June 16, 2026
ChapsVision to replace Palantir in major contract with French intelligence agency
The controversial Palantir contract has caused concerns that the agency was over-reliant on foreign technology for critical services
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Mistral in talks to raise at €20bn valuation, reports say
News
June 12, 2026
Mistral in talks to raise at €20bn valuation, reports say
The Paris-based company last raised equity funding less than one year ago when it secured a €1.7bn Series C
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
The top investors behind Sifted’s France & Benelux 2026 leaderboard
Pro
Most active investors
June 12, 2026
The top investors behind Sifted’s France & Benelux 2026 leaderboard
A select group of investors has backed more than five of the fastest-growing startups featured in the ranking
Ruggero Di Spigna
Can France’s Stargate-style buildout succeed?
Pro
Analysis
June 11, 2026
Can France’s Stargate-style buildout succeed?
France wants to lead Europe’s buildout of AI compute, but observers say the mega-projects announced so far don’t align with the region's needs
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Air Street Capital backs French defence tech Alta Ares in €50m round
News
June 9, 2026
Air Street Capital backs French defence tech Alta Ares in €50m round
Alta Ares builds interceptors which it says are currently deployed in several active combat zones
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Exclusive: Internal docs reveal Mistral valued M&A target Emmi at up to €330m
Pro
Exclusive
June 9, 2026
Exclusive: Internal docs reveal Mistral valued M&A target Emmi at up to €330m
An independent audit of the operation shows Mistral acquired the Austrian startup in a cash and share deal worth up to €330m
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Quantum startup Quobly raises €115m backed by STMicroelectronics
News
June 3, 2026
Quantum startup Quobly raises €115m backed by STMicroelectronics
French startup plans to leverage existing manufacturing processes to produce quantum chips
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
SoftBank helps drive record €93bn of foreign investments for ‘Choose France’
News
June 1, 2026
SoftBank helps drive record €93bn of foreign investments for ‘Choose France’
French president Emmanuel Macron gathered hundreds of CEOs, investors and industrial players in annual ‘Choose France’ summit
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet

# France

Bessemer, Atomico in talks to lead The Exploration Company funding at $2bn valuation

Mistral wanted to beat Anthropic. Now it’s becoming Palantir

Meet the team helping Yann LeCun build AI startup AMI Labs

Samsung in talks to back Mistral’s Series D, say reports

From Tesla to building humanoids: Uma cofounder on why Europe is ‘the best market in the world’

‘Physical AI is Europe’s last chance to be useful to the world’

Over $500m in fresh funding, risks of “French state influence” and a 100x valuation: What Pasqal’s SPAC filings reveal

‘We are at a systematic disadvantage in Europe’: Pasqal CEO on listing in the US

Nvidia backs voice AI startup Gradium, bringing seed round to over $100m

Exclusive: Meta and OpenAI alumni seek $400m for new AI lab

The French & Benelux startups making €100m+ in revenue

‘None of us will do it alone’: European solidarity takes over VivaTech

‘We’re in a very fast race’: Life at Nabla means big numbers and jet lag

Is this Europe’s most audacious founder?

Mistral CEO pitches open source AI days after Anthropic ban: ‘We exist outside of state control’

French battlefield software startup Comand AI raises €32m from Blossom Capital, Saab

ChapsVision to replace Palantir in major contract with French intelligence agency

Mistral in talks to raise at €20bn valuation, reports say

The top investors behind Sifted’s France & Benelux 2026 leaderboard

Can France’s Stargate-style buildout succeed?

Air Street Capital backs French defence tech Alta Ares in €50m round

Exclusive: Internal docs reveal Mistral valued M&A target Emmi at up to €330m

Quantum startup Quobly raises €115m backed by STMicroelectronics

SoftBank helps drive record €93bn of foreign investments for ‘Choose France’