INTERVIEW
There are about 10,000 startups in France, but Cédric O, Secretary of State in charge of digital, estimates that they could "easily" be two to three times more. Guest of France moves, on Europe 1, on the occasion of the international day of startups, he drew up an inventory of achievements and perspectives for tri-color startups. "This sector is an essential vector for creating wealth and jobs," poses Cédric O at the outset. "We must ensure that we too have our GAFAs, otherwise we risk being technologically dominated. . " The Secretary of State for Digital still states his optimism: "I think we will have very great champions in the years to come."
Many elements of satisfaction ...
The French startup has the wind in its sails, he assures indeed. Cédric O takes as witness the figures for fundraisers that continue to increase: they doubled between 2017 and 2019, from 2.5 to 5 billion euros, driven by private investment. "It is developing extremely fast, we are third in Europe and we will catch up with the Germans." The Secretary of State even speaks of an evolution of mentalities, in France, concerning the invest, the taste for risk and the entrepreneurial spirit. "When I was in business school, everyone wanted to go to the big groups. Now the best want to start their own business."
>> Find the whole of our program "La France Bouge" dedicated to startups:
... But there are still many significant brakes
But obstacles to the development of a virtuous ecosystem for French startups remain. If the IPO and the internationalization of these companies cause some "difficulties", it is the search for talent that seems to be most lacking: well trained and wooed abroad, researchers and entrepreneurs are not enough many to meet current needs. "We need to train more people in digital technology. This is the first factor limiting development today," says Cédric O.
Also a guest of Europe 1, Guy Gourevitch, president of an association of investors specialized in startups, wanted to take the minister to witness. According to him, the problems of startups are much broader. "We need a simplification of regulations, legal and regulatory constraints adapted to very small boxes that need immediate responsiveness." According to him, startups also suffer from an endemic lack of funding, although things are going in the right direction.