The tech industry and related fields such as manufacturing, finance, and healthcare continue to grapple with the ongoing challenge of achieving gender equality. However, a surge of female-led startups is on the rise, including in France.
The country now has the Parity Pact. Launched in 2022, the pact aims to promote gender parity in the French tech ecosystem. It was created in collaboration with companies in the French Tech 120 program and has garnered support from over 200 startups.
This female empowerment program aims to increase the number of female representatives in the tech industry. In French startups, less than 10 per cent of founding teams are all-female, and only 18 per cent of management roles are held by women.
To give you a glimpse of how women are revolutionising the French startup scene, Silicon Canals has listed a compilation of thriving French tech companies under female leadership for you to check out.
ShareID
Founder(s): Sara Sebti and Sawsen Rezig
Sara Sebti and Sawzen Rezig co-founded ShareID in 2020 in Paris. Sebti is a financial and statistical engineer, while Sawsen Rezig has a PhD in computer science and expertise in biometrics and personal data security.
ShareID originated from Sebti’s frustration when changing her phone number led to a 21-day inability to access her bank account. This experience drove them to develop a solution for creating digital trust during transactions involving ID verification or personal data sharing.
The startup provides an AI-powered authentication-as-a-service (AaaS) solution tied to government-issued IDs. ShareID has raised €2M in seed funding and plans to expand its business into the US market.
Ganymed Robotics
Founder(s): Sophie Cahen
Ganymed Robotics is a French-based startup whose mission is to retool orthopaedics to make it safe and affordable for as many people as possible. Sophie Cahen, an engineer in training, founded the company in 2018 with a team of 40 people.
The company focus on developing advanced surgical robotics using AI to help clinicians perform faster and less invasive interventions. Ganymed Robotics has raised €21M in funds for the startup’s global expansion.
Cahen is recognised as a successful female entrepreneur as she received the Women Entrepreneur of The Year award in 2021 from Agnès Pannier-Runache, Minister Delegate for Industry. She was also appointed as the Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2022.
Gemmyo
Founder(s): Alexis Joseph, Charif Debs, Fanny Boucher, Malek Debs, Pauline Laigneau
Pauline Laigneau and Fanny Boucher are the only female founders of Gemmyo, a French startup that involved luxury jewellery. Paulina came up with the idea of Gemmyo and started the company with only 60 people in 2011.
Gemmyo offers a new offline and online jewellery shopping experience with personalised items.
Now, Gemmyo is a well-known jewellery brand with more than five shops and collaborations with more than 150 jewellery artisans.
Frichti
Founder(s): Julia Bijaoui and Quentin Vacher
In 2015, Julia Bijaoui and her husband co-founded Frichti, a grocery delivery startup born out of the daily challenge of maintaining a healthy diet amid a demanding schedule.
Frichti serves as an ‘everyday caterer’ aiming to simplify the lives of customers who desire to eat well but lack time to cook. It offers high-quality products and well-prepared meals that customers can get by ordering them online through the app.
Frichti has raised €43M to date, closing a €28.4M Series B round last spring. Currently, Frichti offers food deliveries to Paris and its inner suburbs, Lyon, Lile, Bordeaux and Brussels, in less than 15 minutes. It has more than 2,000 references, fresh products and essential groceries.
WeMaintain
Founder(s): Jade Francine
Jade Francine founded WeMaintain in 2017 as the first B2B platform that linked skilled technicians and professional clients. WeMaintain and its network of technicians are transforming elevator maintenance by integrating cutting-edge technologies.
The company aims to provide reliable service, maintain consistent pricing for contracts and spare parts, and prioritise optimal safety standards. The Paris-based startup gained investment from MTR Lab last December for the Asia Pacific expansion plan.
AskMona
Founder(s): Marion Carré and Valentin Schmite
AskMona was co-founded by Marion Carré in 2017 as a startup that created a chatbot to advise personalised cultural outings. Powered by AI, the platform linked more than 100 cultural institutions and their audiences closer together.
Focusing on arts, culture and tourism, AskMona is accessible in multiple languages for users from different countries. The company also offers cultural venues to use its service to develop interactive tour routes for visitors.
NoMadher
Founder(s): Hyojeong Kim
Hyojeong Kim is the founder and CEO of the solo female travelling app NoMadher. Kim started the startup after she chose to settle in Paris in 2017. She has solo travelled to 45 countries and wants to empower women who are scared to travel alone.
NoMadher addresses common concerns that women may feel when travelling alone, such as safety, cost, and loneliness. Forbes even named Nomadher one of the rising travel tech startups with social impact.
The platform provides a global community for female globetrotters to share travel stories, seek advice, and make connections. Users can chat with fellow travellers, find accommodation run by female hosts, and participate in various events.
Kokoroe
Founder(s): Béatrice Gherara, Raphaëlle Covilette and Elise Covilette
Béatrice Gherara is the co-founder and CMO of Kokoroe, a French education platform. Gherara started the company with her childhood friends, the twins Raphaëlle Covilette and Elise Covilette, in Paris and nurtured in Microsoft Ventures.
Kokoroe offers online classes taught by experts with a unique approach, humour, and references to pop culture incorporated into the lessons. The classes are available in multiple languages, including French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Italian.
Founded in 2015, Kokoroe has earned several awards, the most recent being the Tech for Good Award by BFM Business.
