Stellaria, the Grenoble-based start-up developing a Generation IV fast-neutron molten salt nuclear reactor, has been named one of the 80 laureates of the 2026 cohort of the French Tech 2030 programme. Unveiled by the French government on 16 October 2026, this third cohort brings together companies set to turn French research into strategic technologies, from artificial intelligence to the energy transition. And for the first time, innovative nuclear has a place of its own.
For one year, the French State, through the French Tech Mission, will support Stellaria in developing Alvin, its experimental prototype reactor. This recognition confirms that next-generation nuclear ranks among the breakthrough technologies seen as decisive for France’s energy sovereignty.
French Tech 2030: the State programme for breakthrough technology champions
Run by the French Tech Mission, French Tech 2030 targets start-ups and scale-ups whose innovations are built on scientific advances likely to lead to industrial applications. Its goal is to help industrialise these technologies and strengthen France’s technological sovereignty.
The 2026 cohort is the programme’s third, after those of 2023 and 2025. Its 80 laureates span eight strategic sectors, including space (13 companies), AI, semiconductors and health (11 each). Together, they have filed 842 patents and invested €211 million in R&D in 2025.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, home to Stellaria, has 14 laureates, making it the second-largest hub in France after Île-de-France. Previous cohorts helped companies such as Mistral AI and Alice & Bob emerge
What French Tech 2030 support involves
Becoming a French Tech 2030 laureate is more than a label: it means a year of tailored and collective support from the French Tech Mission and its partners. In practice, it rests on four pillars:
- Dedicated follow-up : within the French Tech Mission, start-up managers oversee a portfolio of laureates and coordinate more than 250 follow-up actions every month.
- Easier access to government services the “French Tech Correspondents” network, present in more than 60 government bodies and public services, helps remove regulatory and administrative roadblocks.
- Visibility in France and abroad : events, media exposure and participation in international delegations, alongside Bpifrance, Business France and French Tech communities in 52 countries.
- A peer community: laureates join the French Tech Next40/120 ecosystem, to connect with other founders and share experience.
The programme thus gives young deeptech companies the same support as the 120 champions of French tech.
Why this selection is strategic for Stellaria
The recognition comes at a pivotal moment: Stellaria is entering the most demanding phase of its project, building its Alvin prototype.
Alvin the first building block of the Stellarium. This 100 kW experimental reactor, with a core measuring 50 cm, is designed to validate the Stellarium concepta Generation IV molten salt reactor able to regenerate its own fuel. Start-up is planned for 2030, ahead of the 10 MWe MegAlvin prototype and a first commercial reactor in 2035.
State backing where nuclear needs it most. A nuclear project moves at the pace of regulation, public partnerships and site access. Direct access to government bodies through the French Tech Correspondents is a tangible asset for securing Alvin’s timeline, especially at the CEA’s Cadarache site, where Stellaria is studying where to build its facilities
The doors French Tech 2030 can open for Stellaria
Beyond the 12-month support, the programme creates lasting opportunities for a nuclear deeptech company:
- Investors and funding: the label boosts credibility with funds and public financiers. The 2025 laureates had raised €1.1 billion, and 51 of them received €383 million in support from France 2030.
- Industrial customers: data centres, heavy industry and industrial zones are looking for low-carbon, dispatchable energy. The Equinix partnership and the energy hub project in Fos-sur-Mer are the first milestones.
- Deeptech ecosystem: the French Tech 2030 and Next40/120 community brings Stellaria closer to companies in AI, materials and semiconductors, sectors that are both technology partners and future energy consumers.
- International reach: official delegations and the French Tech network in 52 countries showcase France’s innovative nuclear industry amid global competition in SMRs and AMRs.
- Talents : the programme’s visibility helps attract the engineers and researchers a reactor project needs.
Previous cohorts show the way: several former laureates went on to join the French Tech Next40 or French Tech 120.
“Innovation is above all a team effort”
Nicolas Breyton, co-founder and President of Stellaria, welcomes the selection:
”Having our application selected by the French Tech delegation is a great opportunity to strengthen our ties with France’s breakthrough technology ecosystem and to keep growing. Innovation is above all a team effort: we are proud to now count French Tech among our supporters, in service of our commitment to an ever more sustainable and competitive French nuclear industry.”
Stellaria congratulates all the laureates of the 2026 cohort and thanks its teams as well as those of La French Tech. Stay tuned in the coming months to follow Alvin’s progress, a strategic tool for the French economy and for our energy future.
> See the full list of the 80 French Tech 2030 laureates
