On Monday, March 20, 2023, the French Embassy in Prague hosted a meeting dedicated to the attractiveness of France as a primary investment location for Czech startups, with the fitting title “Choose France”. Cedric Maloux, Director of StartupYard, startups accelerator and co-Chairman of La French Tech Prague, representatives of Business France and the French Embassy in Prague, H.E. Alexis Dutertre, Ambassador of France to the Czech Republic, Stéphane Laaper, in charge of the Investment section of Business France for the Czech Republic introduced to Czech startups the business environment in France, and Maxime Brivois, the founder of ALEEGO, part of ESA BIC, a drone consultancy and services business in the Czech Republic, shared his experience having recently launched on the French market, with the support of Business France Invest, benefiting from financial support in R&D.
They talked about the conditions for entry, and regulations for setting up a business or moving an existing business to the French market. For the third year in a row, France is the most attractive country for foreign investors in Europe, with 1,222 investment projects identified in 2021, an increase of 24% compared to 2020, ahead of the United Kingdom and Germany, according to the EY attractiveness barometer. The growing French ecosystem brings with it the advantages of the tax environment, such as a tax credit for R&D expenditures (Crédit d’impôt recherche – CIR).
With 21k verified startups, 580 VCs, 4,200 active investors, and 5,500 corporates the local startup ecosystem is dynamic. The French government’s plan to strengthen support for innovative, especially deep-tech startups in the coming years was also presented. This plan aims to support over 1,000 projects. In total, over 16,000 foreign businesses are based in France.
Today, France counts 27 unicorns and has the objective to rise this number to 100 within the next 13 years. France encourages the development of innovations and the technological transfer of those innovations from the research field to the market.
The “France 2030” investment plan, decided in 2021 and deployed over 5 years, with a total of €54 billions financed by the State, through the creation of value chains and jobs in France, by promoting relocation and strategic investments. 50 % of France 2030’s funds will be dedicated to projects that promote the decarbonization of industry, and the same proportion (50%) will be directed to emerging players who are driving breakthrough innovation. Startups and innovative companies will thus benefit from around half of €54bn.
Stéphane Laaper from Business France Invest adds: “France is a vibrant destination for tech companies and opens many opportunities for entrepreneurs with innovative business models. The full potential will only be realised if the right information is processed at the right time. The knowledge and combination of elements from Government Support, the strong Ecosystem, skilled Talent, and strategic Location is key.”
Magali Voisin-Ratelle, Director of Business France Czech Republic and board member of La French Tech Prague follows: “You should join La French Tech Prague, a community in the heart of Europe with a booming ecosystem in a beautiful city to live – a unique movement bringing together Czech & French startups, investors, policymakers and community builders”
Next meeting at Viva Technology startup conference taking place in Paris from June 14-17, 2023, and get to know the key players in the French and European market.
Please feel free to read the presentation Discover the attractive destination and benefits_Choose France.
For more info : We help you succeed in France – Business France | La French Tech
Contact : prague@businessfrance.fr
