The 4th edition of the mapping of French startups with impact, conducted by France Digitale, Bpifrance Le Hub, and the Movement Impact France, highlights the resilience and growth of the ecosystem of startups making a significant positive impact on the environment and society. Despite challenging economic conditions, this edition reveals the existence of 1,142 startups contributing significantly to environmental and social progress in France, employing 32,000 people. This mapping underscores France's leading role in sustainable innovation in Europe.
Maya Noël, CEO of France Digitale, emphasizes the importance of allowing impact startups to expand at a European scale to multiply their positive impact. She calls for essential reforms, such as a harmonized single market and proactive policies for public and private procurement, to make Europe the leader in sustainable innovation. Paul-François Fournier, Executive Director of Innovation at Bpifrance, highlights the optimism arising from the proliferation of innovative solutions within the ecosystem.
This edition, with stricter selection criteria overseen by the Movement Impact France, has highlighted the increase in the number of impact startups, with 18% being Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) companies. Caroline Neyron, CEO of the Movement Impact France, thus underscores the ability of SSE commercial enterprises to innovate and become major players in positive impact, while calling for increased support for these startups in their large-scale development.
