(Portrait) Clara Chappaz, Tech as a legacy

As the week of celebration of the 10 years of French Techthe team catches its breath. Flying the start-up nation’s flag is no easy feat in a gloomy economic climate where investors are increasingly cautious (-49% of funds raised in S1 2023 vs S1 2022, according to EY). Not enough to discourage Clara Chappazpresident of the mission French Tech for two years.“We need to move forward and be more ambitious,” says the young president. “We conducted a survey of 1,200 managers in France. And 77% say that it is easy to do business in our country.“An entrepreneur at heart, Clara Chappaz overcomes obstacles and focuses on the future.”A technological boulevard is opening up for France. Health, cybersecurity, biotherapy… We must use all the expertise and experience of the last ten years to take the lead in these technologies. Europe is very well placed“, she assures. What excites her about her mission is the richness of the tech ecosystem.”I can talk in the morning with a space entrepreneur, at noon with a quantum entrepreneur and in the evening with a Fintech entrepreneur. In France, the initiatives are very diverse“, recognizes the president.

The ministry is demanding this choice casting.I can count on Clara to listen, reassure, help, and encourage start-ups at all stages of their development. She knows how to adapt to all environments, all types of situations, with a single goal: to grow the French tech ecosystem.“, declares Jean-Noel BarrotMinister Delegate for Digital Affairs.

5 languages ​​and 7 countries

This open-mindedness comes from her training and her journey as a globetrotter. A very good student, she is the daughter of a chemistry teacher and a Centrale engineer (Pierre Chappaz is the founder of Kelkoo and Teads), who are passionate about hiking and mountain climbing. In fact, she climbed the ladder quite quickly.I lived in a village of 700 inhabitants in Seine-et-Marne, a small-scale world. This made me want to explore the world. I lived in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Boston, New York and London,” describes Clara Chappaz, who speaks five languages. After studying science in Paris and training at ESSEC, Clara Chappaz left for Asia to be in “a region of the world where everything is moving very quickly“. She becomes director of Zalorathe first fashion e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, Bangkok and Singapore. This will be her first position of responsibility. Then, the fantasy of American tech catches up with her and she treats herself to an MBA at Harvard for two years.An exceptional experience offering a very good understanding of business issues with 35 nationalities in my class“, says the Frenchwoman. During her training in Boston, she created her own company, Lullabywhich offers sustainable products for children. Then she returned to London to lead the international expansion of Lustthe fashion search engine backed by LVMH.It has all the capacities to strengthen and develop the capitals and French Tech communities in the region, but also abroad.“, assures his entourage. Back in Paris, in 2019, it will be the adventure and success of Vestiaire Collective, French unicorn and the world’s leading luxury second-hand fashion resale site, alongside Fanny Moizant.”From our first exchanges, I took the measure of her charisma, a mixture of strength and gentleness. Very committed, particularly in the defense of women in business, she defends her convictions tooth and nail and wins support. Very appreciated by the teams, she is a chameleon with many strings to her bow. She is a woman of head and heart“, testifies her accomplice from the site with millions of enthusiasts. Clara Chappaz participated in the meteoric growth of this company which has now become a unicorn, chaining together substantial fundraisings (178 million euros recently).

“My greatest wealth is my international experience across 7 countries, which forces me to reinvent myself, to develop empathy to understand cultures different from my own. This ability to adapt has allowed me to take up the challenge of French Tech and to integrate the operating codes of the administration.“, recognizes Clara Chappaz.

This year, she joined the Forbes 40 Women Ranking who make France shine abroad. Modestly, she was surprised to receive so many messages of congratulations.This allowed me to have lunch with Maud Sarda (Label Emmaüs) who makes me want to do things differently…“

The French rooster as a standard

“We are on the cusp of many challenges. France – and its 25,000 start-ups – is the European country that has raised the most funds in 2022 and it is the largest delegation at CES in Las Vegas to wear the red rooster on its lapel. The creation of the French Tech brand was one of the instruments of the attractiveness and identification of French know-how in the world“, says the young president. For two years, the team has been accelerating.

As part of the program called “French Tech 2030” from the plan “France 2030” (supporting innovation in 10 strategic sectors), the mission, in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Investment and Bpifrancehas created sectoral programs on health, agriculture and even cybersecurity. 125 emerging actors selected benefit from the support services as a laureate for a period of one year, renewable.The mission of French Tech is to bring up the needs of the field to guide public policies and create an efficient ecosystem based on co-creation.“, specifies Clara Chappaz. The objective is also to support initiatives outside of the big digital successes and to support the industrial sector.

The crux of the matter remains financing. A familiar subject for someone who has developed numerous projects. The mission manager’s vision is to anchor the Tech ecosystem in the economic world: “Yes, financing in 2023 is slower, more complicated. The priority issue for start-ups is marketing. Large groups must invest to create the giants of tomorrow.“. Pragmatic and concerned with defending her community, Clara Chappaz launches “I choose French Tech”which brings together 300 companies et 80 institutional actorsThe objective is simple but demanding: “I commit to doubling my orders and purchases from start-ups by 2027”. And to ensure the sincerity of the stakeholders involved, in January 2024 a observatory to monitor this development with the purchasing departments of large groups.

A dedicated ambitious woman

Located in the heart of Station F, French Tech is an administration that is part of the General Directorate of Enterprises (DGE), headed by Thomas Courbe, a senior civil servant, who is in the service of the Ministry of the Economy. In this context, Clara Chappaz, from a family of professors, flourishes and seems to be in her place.For me, it’s the best of both worlds. I have a certain loyalty to public service and entrepreneurship.“. In his many trips across France to carry the voice of digital entrepreneurs, alongside Jean-Noël Barrot, his credibility is not to be doubted: “Clara represents all the ambition and originality of the French Tech mission: she comes from the start-up world, knows how they work, their strengths and the challenges that entrepreneurs face on a daily basis, and has chosen to join the public administration to build a bridge between the public and private sectors.“Her ambition will perhaps take her to other ministerial salons.