The question of the country’s reindustrialization goes beyond simply rebuilding the industrial base: it also requires its modernization. And this is precisely where startups can quickly make their mark. This conviction is shared by EDF Pulse Ventures, the EDF Group’s corporate venture capital (CVC) fund, which invests in startups capable of addressing the concrete operational challenges faced by manufacturers.
80% Time Savings on Certain Operations Through Digitalization
One of the first areas where startups are making an impact in industry is the digitalization of operations. A concrete example can be found in a nuclear power plant: “Today, a significant portion of a maintenance technician’s working time is spent filling out paper forms,” explains Yann Coïc, Director of EDF Pulse Ventures. The consequence? “This creates inefficiencies, wastes time, and reduces what we call ‘metal time’—the time actually devoted to production.”
Siteflow, a startup in which EDF’s corporate venture fund invested in 2025, is tackling this issue head-on. Its solution digitizes the entire maintenance workflow, centralizing information and enabling it to be shared far more efficiently than with paper-based processes, while meeting the most stringent safety requirements. At EDF Hydro Alpes, which manages hydroelectric power generation in the Northern Alps for the Group, Siteflow has reduced the time required for certain operations by 80%. The solution is now deployed across numerous EDF subsidiaries and business units, with the same objective of improving efficiency and performance.
AI in the Service of Industrial Quality
Industrial performance is not solely about speed of execution; it also depends on the quality of processes. “We often find that quality is the neglected aspect of digitalization: databases are poorly maintained, incomplete, or rely on a mix of paper and digital records,” observes Yann Coïc.
To address these quality challenges, EDF Pulse created Yxir through its EDF Pulse Incubation intrapreneurship program. The startup develops a Quality Management System (QMS) powered by AI, with a distinctive feature: it identifies the root causes of non-conformities, enabling continuous process improvement. Yxir is currently used internally within EDF, but already generates more than 50% of its revenue outside the Group, serving other industrial sectors, particularly aerospace.
On the hardware side as well, startups can provide effective and innovative solutions to industrial challenges. Yann Coïc cites the example of Ekoscan, a French SME specializing in ultrasonic non-destructive testing. Its tools are used to inspect industrial piping systems through ultrasonic analysis.
EDF Pulse Ventures acquired a stake in the company in 2022, during the stress corrosion cracking issue that affected several nuclear power plants in France. “Ekoscan was one of the contributors to solving this problem,” explains Yann Coïc. By co-developing solutions with the company, EDF was able to refine the product to meet the specific requirements of the nuclear industry while simultaneously opening up a promising market for Ekoscan. The investment has since been exited through a leveraged buyout (LBO), but the collaboration continues.
Another example in the hardware field is MX3D, a Dutch startup specializing in large-scale metal 3D printing. EDF Pulse Ventures invested in the company in 2025, viewing it in particular as a lever for industrial sovereignty. Additive manufacturing, which consists of building a component layer by layer using metal welding, offers numerous advantages over traditional foundry methods: lower material consumption, shorter production lead times, and, most importantly, the ability to manufacture parts close to where they are needed, without relying on foundries that are often located far from industrial sites.
These examples support a clear message from Yann Coïc: reindustrialization will not happen without startups, and deeptech startups will not scale without industrial partners. “I don’t like to pit the two worlds against each other. Each operates in a complementary environment,” he explains.
To further strengthen ties between these two ecosystems, EDF Pulse launched “EDF Pulse Pilot” at the end of 2025. This initiative finances industrial-scale prototypes through consortiums bringing together several industrial companies that could become future customers. The goal is to help startups de-risk their technology and move directly to commercial contracts, avoiding the “valley of death” that often follows the proof-of-concept stage.
