When the doors opened at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, France was already the story. With 150 startups and established companies representing the tricolour — more than Italy (51), the Netherlands (45), Germany (38), and the UK (29) combined — France's delegation was the largest from any European country by a significant margin. Government pavilions, cabinet ministers in attendance, and over €200 million in aggregate startup funding made it clear: French tech is no longer an emerging scene. It is a force.
Yneuro: Your Brain Is Your Password
Among the most attention-grabbing demonstrations was Yneuro, a Paris-based neurotech startup founded in 2019. The company has developed neural signature authentication technology that eliminates traditional passwords through brain-based biometric security. Using EEG sensors embedded in everyday devices, Yneuro captures unique brainwave patterns and converts them into cryptographic keys. At CES, visitors created their own neural signatures in real time, watching their brainwaves transform into authentication credentials. The technology has obvious applications in defence, banking, and healthcare where security is paramount.
Dracula Technologies: Powering IoT Without Batteries
Grenoble-based Dracula Technologies showcased its LAYER V2.0 organic photovoltaic technology, which harvests ambient indoor light to power IoT devices indefinitely — without batteries. The technology delivers a 30% performance improvement over previous versions and operates in extreme low-light conditions down to 5 lux, enabling deployment in virtually any indoor environment. In October 2025, the company closed a €30 million Series A extension backed by Banque des Territoires under the France 2030 initiative. In a world drowning in disposable batteries and struggling with IoT energy demands, Dracula's solution addresses a genuine infrastructure bottleneck.
Deep Tech Across the Board
The French delegation at CES 2026 extended well beyond these headline acts. Companies demonstrated innovations in autonomous agricultural robots, AI-generated video for marketing, quantum-safe encryption, smart textiles, hydrogen fuel cells, and medical devices. The breadth reflects the maturation of the French ecosystem: this is no longer a handful of consumer apps but a diversified portfolio of hardware, software, and deep science.
Several French companies earned CES Innovation Awards, further cementing the country's reputation for engineering excellence. The common thread across the most successful demonstrations was a focus on solving real-world problems — energy, security, accessibility, healthcare — rather than chasing hype cycles.
Why France Dominates European CES
France's outsized presence at CES is not accidental. It reflects a deliberate ecosystem strategy combining state investment (through Bpifrance and France 2030), elite engineering education (Polytechnique, ENS, Mines), a favourable R&D tax credit regime, and the French Tech initiative, which provides international visibility and logistical support for startups exhibiting at global events.
The government's willingness to send cabinet-level officials to CES also sends a signal that innovation is a national priority — a message that resonates with international investors scouting the expo floor. Several French startups at CES 2026 reported follow-on investor interest within days of their demonstrations.
From Las Vegas to the World
CES has long served as a launchpad for French companies seeking global recognition. Previous years' French exhibitors have gone on to raise significant rounds and expand into North American and Asian markets. For the class of 2026, the challenge is translating Las Vegas buzz into commercial traction. But if the quality of this year's innovations is any guide, the pipeline from French lab to global market has never been stronger.