Each question below maps to a real condition of the Bpifrance funding scheme. Here is what it tests, and why it decides the outcome.
01 — Spending already committed
This is the rule that costs most to overlook: nothing spent before the application is filed can be funded. An invoice dated before the application leaves the claim permanently. That is why the question comes first: it decides what is still fundable.
02 — Stage of the project
Bpifrance organises its offer by stage of maturity rather than by sector. A grant early on, a repayable advance or a loan during development, a loan at launch: the right instrument is first of all the one that matches where you are.
03 — Registration
Some schemes are open to founders who have not yet incorporated, provided they are backed by a recognised body: an incubator, an accelerator, a support network. A company registered outside France, by contrast, falls outside the scope.
04 — How long you have existed
Several grants are reserved for very young companies. The Bourse French Tech (French Tech Grant), for instance, is aimed at founders and at directors of a company under a year old with fewer than fifty employees.
05 — How ready the application is
A Bpifrance application turns on whether the technical ambition described matches the funding plan presented. Without a budget and a timetable there is nothing to assess, but building them is part of the job.
06 — Funding already received
Aid under the de minimis rules is capped at €300,000 across three rolling financial years, all sources combined. Public grants also come off the Research Tax Credit base, so the order in which you draw on the schemes changes the total you end up with.
