French Tech Funding Wire February 9: Macron's €30M AI Meme; newcleo €75M Round Leads 13 Deals For €175M

2026-02-09 · Source: The French Tech Journal · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, Cloud Computing & IT Infrastructure · Depth: Novice, long

Summary

French President Emmanuel Macron's recent tweet about a €30M AI grant program sparked criticism, but this figure represents only a specific scientific initiative within the broader €54 billion France 2030 innovation program. Since 2018, France has invested €2.5 billion in AI-related programs, with Macron announcing an additional €109 billion in public and private AI spending last year. France also led in foreign investment for data center construction in 2025. The article also details significant funding rounds for several French startups in February, including newcleo (€75M for advanced nuclear technology), Hublo (€40M for HealthTech workforce management), MyC (€10M for industrial health management SaaS), Apmonia Therapeutics (€10M for cancer therapies), Linkup (€8.46M for AI search engine), UBEES (€8M for regenerative pollination), Bobine (€7.5M for chemical plastic recycling), Dionymer (€7M for bio-based polymers from food waste), Geolinks Services (€3.4M for subsurface monitoring), DermaScan (€2.5M for skin cancer screening centers), Entent (€2.4M for industrial waste heat-to-power), and PRESAGE (€1.2M for AI-driven cloud world models), and Sailiz (€200K for women's nautical clothing).

Key takeaway

For investors evaluating European deep tech opportunities, France's substantial public and private commitments to AI and industrial innovation, totaling over €100 billion, signal a robust ecosystem. You should look beyond isolated grant figures and consider the broader strategic investments in areas like advanced nuclear, AI infrastructure, and industrial decarbonization, which are attracting significant capital and demonstrating strong commercial validation.

Key insights

France is significantly investing in AI and deep tech, despite isolated criticisms of specific grant figures.

Principles

• Public funding often involves layered programs.
• Industrial validation attracts significant investment.

Method

Advanced nuclear technologies, AI-driven platforms, and bio-based material production are attracting substantial capital through a mix of equity and industrial partnerships.

In practice

• Explore France 2030 for innovation funding.
• Consider advanced nuclear for energy transition.
• Investigate AI for cloud infrastructure optimization.

Topics

• AI Investment & Policy
• AI Search & Cloud Infrastructure
• DeepTech & CleanTech Funding
• HealthTech Innovation

Best for: Investor, Entrepreneur, Tech Journalist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by The French Tech Journal.