Bourse French Tech (Bpifrance)

The Bourse French Tech (French Tech Grant) is a Bpifrance grant, created in 2014, for very young innovative companies with strong growth potential, in any sector and from any type of innovation. It funds the maturation and techno-economic validation of the project: design, definition and feasibility studies, prototyping, intellectual property, market studies and similar early costs. The grant covers up to 70% of eligible costs; most current sources put the cap at €30,000, though some guides cite up to €50,000, so confirm the figure with Bpifrance.

Eligibility: companies registered in France for less than one year, with fewer than 50 employees and revenue or balance sheet under €10 million. Individual entrepreneurs (including sole traders) are eligible if they are supported by an incubator, accelerator or similar support organisation with a selection committee. The grant can be combined with other public aid within the EU de minimis limit.

First meet a Bpifrance account manager at your regional office to present the project, then file the application online through Mon Bpifrance. An approved support structure (incubator, accelerator, French Tech network) usually helps validate the innovation.