02-12-2025
MEETING WITH JULIE HUGUET, DIRECTOR OF MISSION FRENCH TECH
by French Tech SF
As part of her visit to San Francisco, we are delighted to welcome Julie Huguet, Director of Mission French Tech. An accomplished entrepreneur and experienced leader, Julie co-founded Coworkees, a startup she grew all the way to its acquisition by Freelance.com. She then joined the company’s executive committee, contributing to strategic initiatives that supported the group’s strong growth.
Deeply involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, she also served as President of French Tech Alpes for nearly three years, working closely with startups, investors, and institutional partners to strengthen regional innovation. Her involvement was recognized through her nomination as Chevalier of the National Order of Merit.
Today, as Director of Mission French Tech, she leads major national and international initiatives aimed at accelerating the growth of French startups and strengthening their global visibility, including the French Tech 2030 program, which supports 80 champions across key sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies.
Her visit to Silicon Valley is an opportunity for a direct and meaningful exchange with our French Tech San Francisco community, bringing together founders, talent, researchers, investors, and corporates committed to breakthrough technologies. Ahead of her trip, we asked her a few questions to better understand her priorities, her vision, and the messages she wishes to share with our ecosystem.
“France trains, invents, and cultivates boldness, and benefits from the American power of amplification.”
French Tech SF: What are you expecting from your visit to San Francisco and your meeting with the French Tech community?
Julie Huguet: Above all, I’m expecting sincere and concrete exchanges to better understand your challenges, your successes, and to identify the levers we can activate to accelerate together. The 10th anniversary of French Tech SF perfectly reflects the growing place that French tech now holds in the American perspective. There is a genuine Franco–American engine of innovation, not new, as French Tech has been in the United States for 10 years, but one that strengthens year after year. France trains, invents, and cultivates boldness, and benefits from the American power of amplification. The French Tech ecosystem now shines on both sides of the Atlantic.
FTSF: What are the Mission French Tech’s top priorities today?
JH: Three priorities: helping our startups scale with tailored support, expanding internationally, especially in the United States, building a continental network of founders and investors, and supporting the rise of French AI and deeptech.
FTSF: How does French Tech 2030 fit into the international strategy?
JH: French Tech 2030 supports 80 champions developing breakthrough innovations. Nearly 40% of the laureates are now building or planning to build a commercial presence across the Atlantic, particularly in New York, San Francisco, or Boston. They want to conquer the United States while pushing the boundaries of innovation in their respective fields.
Shark Robotics designs ultra-resistant robots capable of operating where humans cannot go, from the flames of Notre-Dame to the front lines in Ukraine.
In&motion is reinventing motorcyclist protection with intelligent airbags that deploy in milliseconds and have already saved more than 20,000 users.
Biomemory is revolutionizing data storage by compressing “mountains of servers” into a chip the size of a grain of rice, drastically reducing energy and space requirements.
Wandercraft is advancing medical robotics with exoskeletons that enable people with reduced mobility to stand and relearn how to walk, reinforced by a recent second FDA authorization for its Atalante X model.
The program gives them credibility within local ecosystems, visibility through the French Tech community presidents who work hard to promote them, and institutional support from France.
This is what we call “Team France Export,” combining the strengths of Business France, economic services, the CCIFI (French Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abroad), and the French Tech communities.
FTSF: How does the French ecosystem position itself in AI compared with the United States?
JH: We train exceptionally high-level talent in world-renowned institutions such as École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure, and Inria.
Beyond the President’s ambition to train 100,000 people per year as part of the France 2030 national strategy and the dedicated AI plan, France already has a remarkably strong ecosystem: 9 AI clusters (Sequai, Miam, etc.), 81 specialized research labs, and more than 600 GenAI startups.
There is almost always a French engineer in the AI teams of major American companies. And if OpenAI or Anthropic are opening offices in Paris, it’s precisely to access our scientific excellence.
FTSF: What are the strengths of French startups entering Silicon Valley?
JH: They bring deep, tangible innovations in robotics, health, climate, AI, and mobility.
Several emblematic startups are reaching major milestones:
Wandercraft, challenging American leaders in medical robotics, has just obtained an additional FDA certification for its Atalante X exoskeleton, in under two years. This strengthens access to advanced robotic rehabilitation solutions for American patients with severe mobility loss.
MWM, competing with giants in creative apps, has made its second U.S. acquisition with the American studio Sincerely, after acquiring Swipewipe in 2024. The United States now represents 70% of MWM’s revenue.
Resilience is deploying its digital oncology patient-monitoring solution and already has employees in Boston and Seattle.
Matawan is multiplying its breakthroughs in the U.S. market, has been selected by the NYC Transit Lab to optimize strategic routes between Manhattan and New Jersey, and is about to sign with another American city.
These startups are efficient, creative, and founded by talent trained in French schools and research labs.
FTSF: How does Mission French Tech, and the French government more broadly, view talent mobility?
JH: France has made a clear choice: mobility that is open, selective, and strategic. With the French Tech Visa, we fully embrace the idea that talent circulation strengthens our ecosystem rather than weakening it. We facilitate international paths: attracting experts from around the world into our startups, enabling French entrepreneurs to expand abroad, and encouraging experience-rich returns. The objective is simple: every movement should create value, for companies and for France.
France also hosts world-class incubators such as Station F.
FTSF: Which sectors seem most promising to you for 2026?
JH: AI, of course, but also quantum technologies, robotics, greentech, cybersecurity, and health. These are areas where France can genuinely take global leadership. We have excellent examples recently highlighted in French Tech 2030.
In quantum, Welinq is developing hardware–software solutions to interconnect quantum processors using quantum memories based on laser-cooled atomic clouds. Its technology enables the preparation of scalable quantum data centers and secure quantum communication networks.
In health, Robeauté is opening a new era for neuro-medicine with a microrobot capable of navigating inside the human brain to diagnose and treat disorders such as Parkinson’s.
FTSF: What message would you like to send to French Tech San Francisco entrepreneurs?
JH: You are our forward base. Your energy and your achievements prove that French startups can win in the most competitive market in the world. Keep daring and building, France is fully behind you!
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