March 2026 has shattered French startup funding records, driven by a historic €1.2 billion mega-round for AI biotech AMI Labs and a resurgence of large-scale financing deals.
According to data from Maddyness, French startups raised a total of €3.4 billion in March 2026, marking the most prolific month ever recorded. This figure represents a 45% increase compared to the previous record set in late 2025. The surge is largely attributed to the return of "méga-tours" (mega-rounds), with five deals exceeding €200 million each.
The standout transaction is the €1.2 billion Series C raised by AMI Labs, a Paris-based company using artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery. This round, led by a consortium of international sovereign wealth funds and a major U.S. tech fund, is the largest single private funding round for a European biotech in history. Co-founder and CEO Dr. Léa Martin stated, "This capital allows us to scale our platform to tackle some of the most complex diseases. We are moving from target identification to clinical-stage development at an unprecedented pace."
Beyond this landmark deal, other significant rounds contributed to the record. These include a €450 million raise for fintech startup Kriptos, a €300 million round for green hydrogen specialist Hydro-Solutions, and a €250 million investment in quantum computing firm Qubitique.
Analysts point to two converging trends: a renewed appetite for deep-tech and climate tech investments from global capital, and a strategic shift by French funds to pool resources for larger, later-stage deals to prevent companies from relocating abroad for growth capital. This activity suggests a maturation of the French ecosystem, moving beyond early-stage financing to support global scaling ambitions.
The record-breaking month brings total French startup funding for the first quarter of 2026 to approximately €7.8 billion, setting a trajectory that could make 2026 the highest-funded year on record.