French President Emmanuel Macron has hit the goal of producing 25 unicorns by 2025, set by himself in September 2019. The latest French startup to hit the $1 billion market cap ), this Monday (17), was Exotec.
The company, focused on robotics applied to logistics, joined the team of billionaires after investing US$ 335 million (about R$ 1.8 billion), which led to a pricing of US$ 2 billion (R$ 11 billion). billion).
For comparison, Brazil has 19 unicorns – 24 startups have achieved the feat since 2017, but five of them are already listed on stock exchanges, which makes them lose the title. Last year alone, Brazil gained ten billionaires after a record investment of more than US$ 9.4 billion (about R$ 53 billion) in the innovation market.
In a video posted on his social media, the president congratulated the companies and announced a new objective, now speaking on behalf of France as the rotating president of the European Union: ten European technology giants by 2030 with market values ​​in excess of US$ 100 billion ( BRL 550.5 billion). Macron said further announcements would be made next week.
The president came to the chair in 2017 on a pledge to create the startup nation. At the age of 39, he was one of many politicians considered outsiders elected around the world at the time, although he had already held the chair of Minister of Economy. He starred in the first elections in which the two main French parties – Socialists and Republicans – did not run in the second round.
In defense of the France 2030 plan, created to invest €30 billion (R$ 188.3 billion) in innovation, the president has been trying to minimize the discussion of a clash between the “startup nation” and industrial France.
Over the past few years, the European Union has bought the fight against big tech. One of the most recent decisions, in November 2021, was the approval by the economic bloc of a draft regulation. The text symbolizes a new offensive: after years of seeking to penalize tech giants, Brussels wants to impose a series of obligations and prohibitions on companies.
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