The Rise of Open-Source Startups in France

Max Corbani — January 5, 2023

France saw about the same number of open-source startups launched in 2020-2023 as during 2015-2020. I compiled a list of French COSS companies using Github, Dealroom, TechCrunch, and scraped data. Two main factors explain this acceleration: contextual and cultural.

Context: A startup nation under construction

• 1. The French educational system is adapting to meet the growing demand for tech professionals.
• 2. A first generation of engineers gained experience at tech giants (OpenAI, Apple, Palantir) and are now starting their own companies.
• 3. The French government has been supportive (BSPCE, French Tech, BPI non-dilutive financing), and increasing VC money is flowing in.
• 4. As French startups become larger, they train new engineers, setting the stage for the next generation of founders.

Culture: Wine, Baguette, and Eiffel Tower

France has a long history of innovation and engineering, and a culture of creating high-quality systems that is well suited for open-source development.

Open-source needs more than identifying a pain point — you need to solve it elegantly to resonate with the community.

The founders are great engineers who experienced a problem firsthand, solved it smartly, and chose to share their solution with the world.

Open-source is getting more popular thanks to successful entrepreneurs educating VCs on the model's potential.

In conclusion, I'm excited about the future of COSS startups in France

Three predictions:

• (i) Short-term: the rising trend is just starting, and more French companies will flourish.
• (ii) Middle-term: some companies from the list are among the most promising French startups. I expect at least 3 to become category leaders in 5-10 years.
• (iii) Long-term: what's happening with open-source will happen with deep-tech (quantum, photonics) in 10+ years.