The French tech scene is proving to be a key battleground in the upcoming second round of the country’s presidential election, which sees far-right candidate Marine Le Pen face off with centre-right incumbent President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.
The French tech ecosystem ranks third in Europe in terms of fundraising behind the United Kingdom and Germany, so the presidential hopefuls must get it right in order to continue the cycle of growth.
Le Pen will have a tough time convincing the tech elite following Macron’s success. France’s stable of unicorns – companies worth €1 billion in market value – is growing. The country announced the country’s 25th unicorn in January 2022, three years ahead of Macron’s schedule.
The incumbent has made only a few new policy changes to his manifesto for tech and digital compared to his proposals during the 2017 election. His new proposals for 2022 focus on digital …