Startups in Lyon, France: 2027 guide

Startups in Lyon: the short answer

Lyon is a strong pick if you want to start up in Lyon in health, biotech, deeptech or B2B software and you can handle French paperwork. The city sits at #164 of 1,000 cities in our startup city ranking (scores from 2024 ecosystem data) and scores 66/100 on our MeanCEO index for women founders. It shares a Capitale French Tech label with Saint-Étienne, runs a regional health cluster (Lyonbiopôle) and a research spin-off office (Pulsalys), and is home to scale-ups such as Agicap and Indy. On top of that, France taxes small company profits at 15% up to €42,500 and 25% above that.

Is Lyon a good place to start a startup in 2027?

Yes, for the right founder. Here is who gets the most out of it:

• Health, medtech and biotech teams. Lyonbiopôle Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is the regional health competitiveness cluster and runs a health acceleration program.
• Deeptech founders with lab roots. Pulsalys turns research from Université de Lyon laboratories into startups and licenses.
• B2B software and fintech. Cash-flow software company Agicap and accounting app Indy are both registered in Lyon, proof that a SaaS company can scale from here.

Lyon fits less well if you need an English-only setup or plan to raise large late-stage rounds without regular trips to Paris, where far more funds sit. For a 2027 launch, one date matters: the JEI social contribution exemption stays open to companies created up to 31 December 2028, so a company founded in 2027 still qualifies if it meets the R&D test.

What does the Lyon startup ecosystem look like?

The scene clusters around research, health and a few anchor sites:

• H7, a converted industrial hall in the Confluence district, is the base of French Tech One Lyon Saint-Étienne, the Capitale French Tech community for Lyon, Saint-Étienne and nearby towns.
• Pulsalys, set up in December 2013 under the national Investissements d’Avenir program, is the technology transfer company and deeptech incubator for Lyon and Saint-Étienne.
• emlyon business school incubator coaches high-growth startups in the idea and launch phases, open to students and outside founders.
• Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 has 49,000 students and publishes about 7,600 research papers a year, a deep hiring pool for science and health startups.
• Lyonbiopôle connects health companies, labs and hospitals across Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
• Local scale-ups: Agicap (RCS Lyon, Vaise district) and Indy (Lyon 6e).

Where do founders in Lyon find funding?

Most early money in Lyon is a mix of public grants and regional investors:

• Bpifrance Bourse French Tech: a grant of up to €30,000 for young tech companies with a new product, paid in two installments.
• Siparex: an independent French private equity group with an office at 107 rue Servient in Lyon; its venture capital arm is XAnge.
• Pulsalys: funds the maturation of lab technology before a spin-off and then supports the new company.
• Research tax credit (CIR): worth 30% of eligible R&D spend, see the tax section below. For cash-hungry startups it works like non-dilutive funding.

How do you register a company in France?

Most venture-backed startups pick the SAS (société par actions simplifiée), or the SASU for a single founder. Every creation, change and closure goes through the national one-stop portal formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr, run by INPI, which forwards the file to the commercial court registry. Budget for a registry fee, a mandatory legal notice and the beneficial-owner declaration. The official portal does not publish one fixed total, so check the amounts shown at checkout.

What taxes does a startup pay in France in 2026?

Let’s break it down:

• Corporate income tax (IS): 25% standard rate. Companies with turnover of €10 million or less pay 15% on the first €42,500 of profit, subject to capital ownership conditions in article 219 of the tax code (impots.gouv.fr).
• Social contribution: an extra 3.3% of the tax due, only for companies with turnover of at least €7.63 million and tax above €763,000. Startups rarely hit it.
• VAT: 20% standard, with reduced rates of 10%, 5.5% and 2.1% (EU VAT rates).
• Crédit d’impôt recherche (CIR): 30% of eligible research spending up to €100 million, 5% above that (Service Public Entreprendre).
• Jeune entreprise innovante (JEI): for SMEs under 250 staff, under 8 years old (for companies created from 2023) and spending at least 20% of costs on R&D. JEIs created before 31 December 2028 get an exemption from employer social contributions on R&D staff, capped at €240,300 per establishment per year, and councils can waive local business taxes for 7 years. The JEI corporate tax holiday applies only to companies created before 31 December 2023 (Service Public Entreprendre).

France’s 2027 budget had not been adopted when we checked in October 2026, so confirm rates on impots.gouv.fr before you file in 2027.

Which visa can a foreign founder use to move to Lyon?

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit. Non-EU founders have two main options, both leading to the Talent passport residence card:

• French Tech Visa for Founders: for founders selected by a partner incubator. It gives a 4-year renewable permit, and your spouse and children come on the same terms, with the spouse free to work. Your project needs approval from the economy ministry and you need resources at least equal to the minimum wage, €22,404.20 gross a year (Service Public).
• Talent passport for business creation: for founders with a master’s degree or 5 years of comparable experience, a real business plan and at least €30,000 invested in the project.

The card costs €350 in fiscal stamps (a €300 tax plus €50 stamp duty).

Pros and cons for founders in Lyon

Pros

• Health and deeptech support sits close together: Lyonbiopôle, Pulsalys and the Lyon 1 labs.
• A 15% tax rate on the first €42,500 of profit, plus a 30% research tax credit.
• The French Tech Visa covers your family and lets your spouse work.
• Local scale-ups like Agicap and Indy show that B2B software can scale from Lyon.

Cons

• Paperwork, grants and most programs run in French.
• New companies no longer get the JEI corporate tax holiday.
• Fewer resident venture funds than Paris for Series B and beyond.

What does Lyon offer women founders?

• Les Premières is a national network of incubators for women entrepreneurs, with an Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes incubator serving Lyon.
• Women TechEU, an EU-funded EIC program, gives €75,000 in non-dilutive funding plus coaching to 160 women-led deep tech startups. The eligibility round opened on 1 June 2026 with weekly cut-offs, and the last one falls on 13 July 2027.
• emlyon business school incubator and Pulsalys accept women founders on the same terms as everyone else. Pulsalys ran three editions of START(H)ER, a bootcamp for women in research startups, with the Les Premières Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes incubator (Université de Lyon).

FAQ about startups in Lyon

Can a non-EU founder get a visa to start a company in Lyon?

Yes. The French Tech Visa for Founders leads to a 4-year renewable Talent passport if a partner incubator selects you and you show resources of at least €22,404.20 a year. Your family can join you and your spouse can work.

What is the corporate tax rate for a small startup in France?

Companies with turnover up to €10 million pay 15% on the first €42,500 of profit and 25% on the rest. Ownership conditions in article 219 of the tax code apply.

Does a new startup still get the JEI tax holiday?

No. The corporate tax exemption covers only companies created before 31 December 2023. JEIs created before 31 December 2028 still get the employer social contribution exemption on R&D staff and possible local tax waivers.

Where should a health startup in Lyon start?

Talk to Lyonbiopôle for its health acceleration program and to Pulsalys if your technology comes from a university lab. Then apply for the Bpifrance Bourse French Tech grant of up to €30,000.

Sources (checked October 2026)

• impots.gouv.fr: impôt sur les sociétés
• Service Public Entreprendre: jeune entreprise innovante
• Service Public Entreprendre: crédit d’impôt recherche
• Service Public: carte de séjour talent
• La French Tech: French Tech Visa
• La French Tech: One Lyon Saint-Étienne
• Your Europe: VAT rates in EU countries
• formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr
• Bpifrance: Bourse French Tech
• Pulsalys
• Lyonbiopôle Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
• emlyon business school incubator
• Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
• Siparex contacts
• Agicap legal notice
• Indy
• Les Premières
• Université de Lyon: START(H)ER bootcamp
• EIC: Women TechEU

MeanCEO Index for Lyon 🚀

Lyon is a growing startup city in France. Here is how it scores for female entrepreneurs on the ten elements of the MeanCEO Index.

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1. Weather ☀️

• Score: 6/10
  • With a temperate climate, Lyon enjoys a fair amount of sunny days and mild winters. It gets more rain than the south of France, which cuts into outdoor networking on some days.

2. Location 🏖️

• Score: 5/10
  • Lyon is inland, with no sea or beach nearby, so a beach day means a trip south. The Rhône and Saône rivers give the city its scenic quays.

3. Women Friendly 👩‍💼

• Score: 7/10
  • France has strong gender equality laws, and Lyon follows that culture. Support for female entrepreneurs is growing, and there is still room to improve on everyday sexism.

4. Foreigners Friendly 🌍

• Score: 6/10
  • Lyon is becoming more welcoming to foreign entrepreneurs, women included. Locals are friendly, and the language barrier slows down building connections.

5. English as a Business Language 📚

• Score: 6/10
  • French dominates, though many startups in Lyon work in English. Fluent French makes admin, hiring and sales much easier.

6. Delicious Cuisine 🍷

• Score: 9/10
  • Known as a gastronomic capital, Lyon serves mouth-watering food with plenty of local wines. The food scene is a paradise for food lovers, though classic Lyonnaise cooking uses a lot of onions, so onion-avoiders need to order with care.

7. Ease of Getting Married and Starting a Family 💍

• Score: 7/10
  • The dating scene in Lyon offers opportunities with an emphasis on family values. The culture is open to relationships, especially among the younger, health-conscious crowd.

8. Medicine 🏥

• Score: 7/10
  • Healthcare services in Lyon are good, with reasonable appointment availability. Costs vary, and the system gives timely care, above all for urgent needs.

9. Ease of Transportation & Traveling 🚍

• Score: 8/10
  • Lyon has metro, tram and bus lines that make the city easy to get around. Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport adds international flights.

10. Startup Mindset 💡

• Score: 8/10
  • The startup community in Lyon welcomes new ideas and treats failure as a lesson. It is smaller than in Paris, and the enthusiasm for new ventures is easy to feel.

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MeanCEO Index Score: 66/100 🎉

Lyon is a promising city for female entrepreneurs. It pairs a famous food culture and improving support systems with a friendly startup community. Language and limited international tech exposure remain the main hurdles, and the city still offers real room to build and grow.

Happy entrepreneurship! 🚀