Paris-based Arlequin AI has raised €28 million in Series A funding to accelerate development of a new artificial intelligence architecture based on topological neural networks. The round is backed exclusively by European investors and co-led by redalpine and OTB Ventures, with participation from Bpifrance’s Defence Innovation Fund. Existing investors Vsquared Ventures and 10x Founders increased their stakes, while Xavier Niel and ZEBOX joined the financing.
A New Architectural Direction
Founded in Paris in 2024 by Hugo Micheron and Antoine Jardin, Arlequin AI develops tools for environments where governments and businesses must make consequential decisions from large and fragmented datasets. The company has built an easy-to-deploy platform that analyses relationships across documents, transactions, video and operational information. Its technology is already being used by governments and large organisations across Western and Eastern Europe.
How Topological Neural Networks Work
Topological neural networks are designed to learn not only from individual data points but from how data is connected, including relationships involving multiple elements at once. Arlequin is developing this architecture to analyse increasingly large and intricate systems while keeping results traceable to their source. The approach marks a shift from large language models, which have mainly transformed language and content generation.
For example, in a counterterrorism investigation, the platform can analyse millions of data points across multiple seized devices to identify connections between people, locations, communications and events. TNN-based models are intended to extend that capability to relationships and dynamics that become harder to identify as datasets grow in scale and complexity. The same approach applies to fraud, money laundering, information integrity, cybersecurity and AI system safety.
Europe’s Independent AI Ambition
The funding arrives as European leaders stress the importance of technological independence in critical AI systems. Hugo Micheron, CEO and co-founder, said the company wants to build algorithms that provide transparency and greater control over complex environments. He added that the investment gives Arlequin the means to pursue this European ambition.
Investors argued that AI sovereignty requires more than hosting models in Europe and that critical decisions need systems that are owned, understood and trusted. Arlequin is pursuing a genuinely different architecture rather than relying solely on larger models and more computing power. Its research is directly connected to a product already used by governments and enterprises, which backers consider a rare combination in Europe.
Expansion and Research Plans
The new capital will expand the international team developing and training proprietary models and accelerate commercial deployment across Europe and worldwide. The company has opened offices in London and Berlin and plans to establish an AI lab in Silicon Valley in the coming months. Its development is supported by collaborations with INRIA, CNRS, the Max Planck Institute and universities including Oxford, Cornell, Princeton and UC Santa Barbara.
Arlequin AI, headquartered in Paris with around 50 employees, aims to build a globally competitive European AI company by developing architectures that offer an alternative to those emerging from the United States and China. Its platform is active across four European countries and is designed to deliver traceable, explainable and auditable results. The €28 million Series A positions the company to advance a distinct European path in artificial intelligence while expanding its commercial footprint.