In ten years, start-ups have imposed themselves on the French landscape.
These young, fast-growing, innovative companies have disrupted entire sectors of the economy, changing their perception among the general public.
“
There were about twenty of us at the launch of France Digitale.
We had to explain what a start-up was, how it worked... Ten years later, the mindset has changed.
Creating a start-up is the preferred option for young graduates coming out of the Grandes Ecoles
", notes Frédéric Mazzella, co-founder of BlaBlaCar and co-president of France Digitale, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the federation which brings together entrepreneurs and investors.
In ten years, the French ecosystem has gained in depth, it now has 20,000 start-ups and 400 investment funds.
Admittedly, it is still far from the 90,000 British and 78,000 Germans, but France is gradually catching up.
The discrepancy is partly explained by different mentalities.
The dynamism of Germany is based on the wealth of its medium-sized companies (ETI), Great Britain benefits from its privileged links with the United States.
France, which left later, must continue to catch up at a forced march.
With some success.
Three quarters of French people use at least one service offered by a French start-up.
"
These companies respond to current issues, improving purchasing power, reducing environmental impact.
They are positioned in fast-growing markets,
” analyzes Maya Noël, director of France Digitale.
23% revenue growth
French start-ups show a 23% growth in their turnover over one year, according to the barometer carried out by the firm EY for France Digitale.
The 583 start-ups that responded to this survey earned 8.3 billion euros in turnover last year.
More than 22% are profitable and 39% of them believe they can double their income this year.
“
They have raised an average of 32 million euros since their creation.
They have funds
, explains Franck Sebag, EY partner.
If funding is one of their concerns, it comes after recruitment
".
In France, tensions remain high.
Last year, 6,000 net jobs, of which 87% in France, were created by a representative sample of 400 start-ups.
Almost all continue to recruit this year.
Read alsoThe crisis stops fundraising for French Tech
However, all is not rosy in the panorama of start-ups.
Gender equality is far from being achieved, only 14% of these companies have a female CEO!
These young companies are also still very dependent on the services offered by American gigatechs, for the hosting of their data, the IT tools... "
65% of the companies questioned say they are dependent on Gafam, 73% use one of their services
“says Maya Noël.
But 8% of them do not use any Gafam service – which shows that it is possible – and 85% have chosen to keep their data in storage centers in France.
More than a third of them suffered a cyberattack last year and as many have decided to strengthen their anti-cyberattack systems, which is ultimately little, given the threat and the consequences that may result.
Especially since these young companies intend to become the giants of tomorrow.
To do this, more and more of them are betting on subjects with an environmental and societal impact.
Like BlaBlaCar, which estimates that it contributes to avoiding the emission of 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of the emissions of Paris.
“
It is easier to build a company that is more respectful of the environment from the outset than to completely change the model of a large company
, observes Frédéric Mazzella.
In terms of the environment, the status quo is a disaster, we must innovate, do things differently to reverse the trend
”.
For the founder of BlaBlaCar, “
the physical world is under-optimized.
Properly applied technology can work miracles
.”
A message of optimism that stands out in a macroeconomic climate marked by fears of shortages and recession.
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