Paris Business Angels (PBA) is launching a new pitch competition format under the name Innovation Pitch Night, with an emphasis on project substance rather than spectacle. Positioned as a French leader in first-round financing, PBA is using this event to highlight its ability to support talented and ambitious entrepreneurs through a community of more than 200 business angels, sector expertise, and a broad network of partners.
Event Overview and Core Positioning
• Organizer: Paris Business Angels (PBA), a leading French network for first-round investments.
• Event name: Innovation Pitch Night.
• Event date and time: 19 November 2026, from 17:30 GMT+1.
• Core approach: emphasize project substance over show; PBA focuses on the solidity of projects, their value-creation potential, and their ability to attract leading business angels.
• Quote: “The issue is not the spectacle. What interests us is the solidity of projects, their potential to create value and their capacity to attract leading Business Angels.” – Olivier Baroux, President of PBA.
• Community position: more than 200 business angels, sector-specific expertise, and a large ecosystem of partners.
Eligibility and Target Companies
• Eligible companies: French startups in pre-seed or seed phase.
• Funding context: startups currently raising or preparing a round between €500,000 and €5 million.
• Priority profile: technology companies capable of transforming their market and scaling.
• Target sectors: Open to startups across all sectors.
Investment Approach and Selectivity
• Early-stage rationale: startups at this stage may still be too young for some venture capital funds, but already need capital, experience, skills, and network.
• PBA stance: the network aims not only to invest but to get involved, through business or sector insight, governance support, AI support, go-to-market support, and targeted introductions to member networks or PBA partners at the right time.
• Quote: “We are not just looking to invest; we are looking to get involved.” – Olivier Baroux.
• Community activity: more than 200 members and about 2,000 applications reviewed each year.
• Pitching sessions: 60 to 80 startups are selected to pitch before members, during sessions held twice a month.
• Selectivity: PBA invests in about 0.5% of received applications, or roughly 10 startups per year.
• Process speed: about three months between application receipt and investment.
• Investment size: average ticket of €350,000 to €400,000, with some operations exceeding €900,000.
• Geographic spread: more than 55% of invested amounts go to startups outside the Île-de-France region, reflecting PBA’s national footprint.
Community Expertise and Partner Ecosystem
• Domain expertise (DEX): PBA has structured member skills around areas including AI, governance, acceleration, and go-to-market.
• AI-specific work: members have worked on a taxonomy designed to better segment startups and refine analysis.
• Partner ecosystem: beyond its own members, PBA has developed a network of leading partners that can support entrepreneurs on non-dilutive financing, acceleration, legal issues, intellectual property, and visibility.
Innovation Pitch Night Final, Jury, and Format
• Event date and time: 19 November 2026, with welcome and reception beginning at 17:30 GMT+1.
• Final format: ten finalists will present their company before a jury composed of Paris Business Angels members and partner representatives.
• Jury and partner presence: Maddyness, Le Village by CA, La Banque des Startups by LCL, CIC Start Innovation, Bloom'UP by Crédit Agricole, Société Générale Paris Startup, Dynergie, Smash Legal, Expansi, Women in Tech, Bpifrance, and Medef.
Examples of PBA-Backed Startups
• Biomemory: develops DNA-based storage infrastructure to preserve critical information, with an initial offer dedicated to offline backup of cryptographic keys and industrial secrets; the company is also preparing large-scale storage over the longer term and exploring DNA applications in research and computing.
• Autrice.ai: aims to become a reference platform for continuous training by combining artificial intelligence, accessibility, and sovereignty; after 16 months of commercialization, it reports more than 160 clients including BPCE, Orange, L’Oréal, La Poste, and Decathlon, with ARR close to €1.5 million, and is beginning international expansion.
• Tolergyx: works on a new generation of food allergy treatments, initially targeting peanut allergy; its technology is based on 14 years of research and was distinguished in 2026 by the Prix Healthtech Next Innov, organized by Banque Populaire in partnership with Maddyness.
Diversity and Next-Generation Business Angels
• Volunteer diversity: since Olivier Baroux became president, the proportion of women among PBA volunteers has more than doubled to nearly 20%.
• Portfolio diversity: startups with at least one female founder represent about 40% of PBA investments.
• Quote: “Our vision is gender diversity. The problem of women will not be solved only by women.” – Olivier Baroux.
• Next-generation investors: PBA has launched an offer aimed at people under 35 with more than five years of experience in advanced sectors, with more accessible investment thresholds.
Awards and Application Details
• Awards at Innovation Pitch Night: Grand Prix, Prix Coup de Cœur, and Prix du Public.
• Benefits depending on the award: direct access to a pitch session before PBA members, an opportunity offered to less than 4% of annual dealflow; mentorship; internal and external support; and strong visibility.
• Application deadline: 16 October 2026.
Through this competition, Paris Business Angels is looking to identify the next high-potential startups and give them the tools to move through the stages that follow a first round, while also preparing the next generation of business angels who will accompany them. Applications remain open until 16 October 2026 for French pre-seed and seed startups operating in AI, DeepTech, HealthTech, IndustrialTech, FinTech, and Impact, and seeking both capital and experienced, committed investors.