Being at the top of your sector or revolutionize it can make you appear on the famous Forbes list. In 2022, France is represented in almost every category and totalize 16 French entrepreneurs among the Europeans ranking. Who are they? In what area are they working? What did they bring to their field?

The environmental committed ones

François des Beauvais, 29 years old, Pyxo

80% of ocean pollution comes from fast food packaging according to Pyxo website. Facing this analysis, François des Beauvais cofounded Pyxo in 2018, a startup fighting against plastic packaging waste. They help companies such as McDonald or Sodexo to create reusable containers and respect the anti-waste law voted in 2019 by the France’s parliament. In other words, they guide firms in their ecological transition.

Benjamin Malatrait, 29 years old, Emmanuel Fourault, 28 years old, ICTYOS

According to Benjamin Malatrait, CEO of ICTYOS 50,000 tons of fish skins are thrown out each year in France. That’s why he and Emmanuel Fourault decided to create a high-tech process which could turn fish skins into marine leathers for handbags, shoes, clocks, and clothes. Founded in 2018, ICTYOS is committed to reduce food waste, therefore their invention echoes with Lavoisier’s quotation “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”.

David Henri et Paul Lascombes, 28 years old, Exotrail

David Henri and Paul Lascombes are two out of the four cofounders of Exotrail. The company’s history begins in 2015 while they were both still students at The Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, a French engineering school. The space industry SME develops solutions for orbit transportation, as a result they have created optimisation software and electric propellers for small satellites. Their goal is to “enable small satellites to move in space, optimise their deployment, increase their service performance, and reduce space pollution”. You can find an interview of the CEO of Exotrail about European financing in is this video!

 

The human tech-oriented ones                                                       

Alexandre Attia, Julien Vidal and Elie Zerbib-Attal, 28 years old, AZmed

In 2018, engineer Alexandre Attia, analyst Julien Vidal, and doctor Elie Zerbib-Attal, a doctor, have cofounded AZmed and created a software for radiologist that is able to detect fractures in X-rays, helping medical professionals to speed up the diagnostic and to reduce analyst errors. According to their website, their tool called Rayvolve allows radiologists to save 36% of their time, as a result they can spend more time on complex diagnostics.

Evan Kervella, 27 years old, Chipiron

“Making MRI accessible to all!” That’s the motto of Chipiron, a startup cofounded in 2020 by Evan Kervella. According to the firm’s website “90% of the world’s population has little or no access to MRI”. They thus chose to build a small and portable MRI machine to allow its availability to more people. They hope to bring a functionable machine to the market in 2024.

Rachel-Flore Pardo, 28 years old, Stop Fisha

During the first months of lockdown in 2020, Rachel-Flore Pardo alongside twelve other women, founded Stop Fisha, an association fighting against sexist violence online. As a lawyer, specialize in cyber-crime and sexual harassment, she helps women who suffer from this violence. Stop Fisha has already assisted more than 1,000 victims by giving them legal advice and by hunting down “fisha” accounts, which leaked private pictures.

 

The French Touch worldwide developers

Mory Sacko, 29 years old, MoSuke

After his participation in the famous French cooking show Top Chef in 2020, Mory Sacko opened his first restaurant in Paris called MoSuke. His goal: cooking new courses by mingling several traditional cuisine. Customers can taste a mix of African dishes as well as French delicacies and Japanese specialties. Located in the 14^th district of Paris, his restaurant has been a great success since its opening.

Alexis de Bernede et Marius Jacob-Gismondi, 23 and 24 years old, Darmo Art

Their journey begins in 2018 when the two childhood friends founded an exhibition gallery named Darmo Art in Paris. Their joint passion for art brought them to create a place where young artists could show and sell their work. They chose to support emerging young contemporary artists and to launch their career as it is harder for them to be well-known on the art market. Recently, they open the gallery to engraving from the early modern period in July 2022 to diversify their exhibitions.

David Benhaim and Michael Holzmann, 28 years old, Wethenew

What happen when two sneakers’ lovers are looking for a safe way to buy this specific type of shoes? They create a website for it! That’s exactly what David Benhaim and Michael Holzmann did when they founded Wethenew in 2018. On their website, you can find new sneakers from all over the world. They develop their business by adding sweatshirts, shorts, or jackets to their catalogue.

Fabien Devide, 29 years old, Team Vitality

In 2013, Fabien Devide alongside three other video makers founded Team Vitality, the first esports club in France. They own nine clubs and count more than 50 athletes including international ones. They provide performance centre for them in France, Germany, and India. They’re also committed in the guiding and training of young players.