Red Rooster Dispatch #10
Busy June summary & news and new events worth attending
Dear Red Rooster Readers,
Welcome to the July edition of our newsletter. This month, we’re taking you back to Paris, where French Tech Warsaw had a strong presence across several flagship events during VivaTech 2025 and the French Tech Community Summit. From pitching success stories to policy discussions, June was a month of visibility, connection, and momentum for our ecosystem.
With the holiday season underway, our July calendar is a little lighter, but there are still a few meaningful opportunities to connect, reflect, and recharge before autumn picks up speed.
June Highlights: French Tech Warsaw in Paris
In June, French Tech Warsaw was proudly represented in Paris by Walid Barsali and Emmanuel Lickel-Skiba, who participated in a series of high-level events connecting the Polish and French innovation ecosystems. Here's a look back at the key moments:
Embassy Innovation Evening & VivaTech 2025
At the start of June, La French Tech Warsaw and La French Tech Krakow co‑hosted an invitation‑only soirée at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Paris, where H.E. Jan Emeryk Rościszewski welcomed guests and set the stage for deeper Franco‑Polish collaboration in the wake of the Nancy Treaty. A high‑level panel—moderated by Piotr Mieczkowski (Digital Poland)—brought together voices from FORVIS Mazars, the City of Łódź, SoDA, and La French Tech Krakow to ask how Europe can become “a place to innovate.” The momentum carried straight into VivaTech 2025, where our Warsaw delegation (Walid Barsali, Emmanuel Lickel‑Skiba, Karolina Zawitaj) joined a record‑breaking edition that saw €1 billion in fresh corporate funding pledges and more than fifteen French Tech thought‑leaders on stage—firmly positioning Polish startups at the heart of Europe’s tech conversation.
La French Tech Europe Night: Polish Startups Take the Stage
Mid‑way through VivaTech, the spotlight shifted to PariSanté Campus for La French Tech Europe Night, where four Polish startups pitched against peers from 22 communities before a panel of top EU investors. Feyenally captured 1st place in the public vote, while Migam secured 3rd place from the VC jury and 2nd in the public vote—underscoring the calibre of Polish innovation. EcoBean and hellobot rounded out a formidable national showing, and networking with funds such as Ventech, XAnge and Orange Ventures offered fresh pathways for scaling across Europe. French Tech Warsaw representatives Walid Barsali and Emmanuel Lickel‑Skiba ensured our ecosystem’s voice was heard loud and clear.
French Tech Community Summit 2025
The month wrapped up with the French Tech Community Summit, where representatives from dozens of international hubs convened in Paris to align on global strategy. Led by La Mission French Tech Director Julie Huguet and France’s new Minister for AI & Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, discussions focused on financing deep‑tech scale‑ups, responsible AI, and turning local success stories into worldwide impact. French Tech Warsaw contributed insights on Central‑European market dynamics and forged new alliances that will help Polish founders access broader funding and talent pipelines in 2025‑26.
Entrepreneurial Start: How to Grow Yourself and Your Idea
🗓 10 July 2025
🕒 17:20
📍 Centrum Innowacji Politechniki Warszawskiej, Rektorska 4, Warsaw
A hands-on event for aspiring founders, students, and changemakers interested in personal development and turning ideas into action. Expect inspiring talks, interactive exercises, and networking opportunities.
Central Europe & Ukraine Business Forum
🗓 7 July 2025
🕒 08:00–18:00
📍 Senat, 15 rue de Vaugirard, 75006, Paris, Francja
Organized by the Polish-French Chamber of Commerce and MEDEF International, this high-level forum focuses on reconstruction, investment, and business cooperation in Central Europe and Ukraine. A valuable opportunity for international networking for those, who spend July in Paris.
Thursday Gathering #237 – Innovation is Nature
🗓 31 July 2025
🕒 18:00–20:00
📍 Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), Varso Place, Warsaw
This weekly innovation meetup by Venture Café Warsaw explores how nature influences sustainable solutions in business, design, and technology. Join for fresh perspectives, engaging talks, and great networking.
Work.ai raises PLN 22M to support AI assistants for SMEs
Polish startup Work.ai has secured PLN 22 million (approx. $5.6M) to develop its AI-powered assistant for small and medium-sized businesses. The platform helps with HR, recruitment, and internal communications, and already supports over 100 companies. The round was led by Inovo VC and Smok Ventures.
Asynchronics gets backing from Sunfish Partners to scale space engineering tools
Warsaw-based Asynchronics received funding from Sunfish Partners to accelerate the development of its collaborative platform for space engineers. The tool enables remote teams to work on complex space missions more effectively, aiming to reduce human error and improve coordination in the space tech industry.
Orus secures €25M to reinvent insurance for small businesses
French insurtech startup Orus raised €25 million in Series A funding to modernize insurance offerings for SMEs across Europe. With a fully digital experience, Orus focuses on fast claims, tailored policies, and better customer service. The round was led by Notion Capital, with participation from previous investors.
Zama lands €49M to bring encrypted smart contracts to blockchains
Paris-based cryptography startup Zama closed a €49 million Series A round to scale its homomorphic encryption technology. The company is working on end-to-end encrypted smart contracts for public blockchains, enhancing privacy without compromising decentralization. Investors include Multicoin Capital and Protocol Labs.