After several years of rapid growth, the French FoodTech and AgriTech sector is experiencing a slowdown.
According to the latest study published on November 4, 2025, by DigitalFoodLab, start-ups in the sector are expected to raise approximately 290 million euros this year, which is 35% less than in 2024 and 74% less than the historical peak in 2022.
While the global trend remains the same, France is not immune to this decline. However, certain indicators suggest a possible stabilization as early as 2026.
Key figures for 2025 of FoodTech and AgriTech investments in France
DigitalFoodLab’s study provides a precise overview of the financing of French FoodTech and AgriTech start-ups between 2014 and 2025.
Key figures:
- €290M raised in 2025, including €225M by the end of September
- –35% compared to 2024 and –74% since 2022
- €105M raised in Seed and Series A (compared to €180M over the same period in 2024)
- No start-up founded in 2024 raised more than €100,000
- Fewer foreign investors and fewer start-up creations
These figures reflect a significant decline in early-stage funding, particularly in the seed phase, where young companies struggle to attract investors.
Why FoodTech and AgriTech Investments are Declining in 2025
This decline is explained by several factors, both economic and structural:
- An unfavorable macroeconomic context: rising interest rates and the global economic slowdown are leading to greater caution among investors.
- A decline in seed funding (or early stage), i.e., the initial fundraising rounds that enable young start-ups to move from prototype to market launch. This slowdown hinders the creation of new innovative companies.
- A decrease in foreign investment: French FoodTech still largely depends on international investors, whose presence has decreased in 2025.
A market maturation phase, where players seek to consolidate their model before restarting their growth.
The Impact of the Slowdown on French AgriTech Start-ups
In the field of AgriTech, the slowdown in investments is particularly visible.
Innovative agricultural companies often rely on long-term funding to transform their prototypes into operational solutions on farms.
However, the decline in seed funding in 2025 complicates this transition: making it more difficult for young start-ups to move from the research and development stage to real-world validation.
This phenomenon primarily affects projects requiring heavy investments, in robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, or biocontrol, where economic returns are slower.
Beyond the lack of capital, this context highlights a more structural issue: the need for support adapted to the rhythms of the agricultural world.
AgriTech innovations cannot follow the rapid growth model of classic tech; they require partners capable of funding and testing over time, alongside producers.
Towards a Stabilization of FoodTech and AgriTech Investments in 2026?
Despite the overall decline observed in 2025, several factors suggest that the market is approaching an equilibrium point.
The slowing of the decline in the third quarter of 2025 is a first encouraging sign.
According to DigitalFoodLab, the situation could stabilize before a rebound in 2026–2027.
Among the identified levers:
- The return of impact investors, who are more sensitive to sustainability and long-term profitability.
- The emergence of new key technologies: artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, co-product valorization, regenerative agriculture.
- The increasing involvement of public and European support programs for agricultural innovation.
This anticipated stabilization could mark the beginning of a new cycle, one that is more selective but also more virtuous.
The Role of Support in Revitalizing AgriTech Start-ups
At Fermes Leader, we observe daily that the projects most resilient in this context are those based on strong collaborations between start-ups, farmers, and field partners.
Our approach is based on three principles:
- Test innovations directly on pilot farms, to prove their effectiveness and added value.
- Connect key players in agricultural innovation: investors, farmers, and businesses, to accelerate the transition from lab to field.
- Support the scaling of proven solutions, to promote their dissemination within agricultural sectors.
The future of FoodTech and AgriTech will depend on this collective ability to transform innovations into concrete and measurable value for producers.
Fermes Leader: Supporting Tomorrow's Agricultural Innovations
At Fermes Leader, we support start-ups and innovative farmers in transforming sector challenges into concrete opportunities.
Our mission: to foster the emergence of useful solutions, tested and validated in the field, serving a more efficient and sustainable agriculture.
Do you have an AgriTech or FoodTech project?
Discuss it with our expertsConclusion: A More Selective, Yet Stronger AgriTech
The year 2025 confirms that FoodTech and AgriTech are entering a phase of profound transformation.
Investment amounts are declining, but this movement primarily reflects a market restructuring: players are refocusing, economic models are being redefined, and investor expectations are evolving.
While some indicators suggest a possible stabilization in 2026, it is still too early to speak of a rebound.
What is certain, however, is that the innovation dynamic continues: in the field, agricultural, food, and environmental needs remain strong, and start-ups that address them concretely retain their full legitimacy.
