“Rue Feydeau, number 5, in Paris’s second arrondissement. The air in the Chapsvision meeting room is stuffy. Having just wrapped up a meeting, CEO Silvano Sansoni jumps straight into a conversation with the *F.A.Z.* lasting just under forty minutes. He certainly cannot complain about a lack of work these days, as interest in Chapsvision is immense.
Having been on the market for little more than six years, the French company suddenly finds itself at the heart of European efforts to achieve technological sovereignty.
Its proprietary analysis software, ArgonOS, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to collect, process, and analyze vast amounts of data.
As a result, Chapsvision is regarded as a "European Palantir"—an alternative to the US software giant co-founded by the controversial entrepreneur Peter Thiel.
Whether industrial clients, security agencies, or the military—the French company’s services are in high demand. Since Donald Trump’s re-election, at the very latest, breaking free from reliance on US technology has become a top priority across Europe, including in Germany. According to a recent report by WDR, NDR, and the *Süddeutsche Zeitung*, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution) has recently begun using a Chapsvision product. The Bundeswehr (German armed forces) has also rejected Palantir and is currently evaluating offerings from the French company as well as from German startups Almato and Orcrist.
"All these clients are looking for trustworthy European alternatives," says Sansoni. However, he only discloses names if the client itself has made the interest or purchase public—as was the case with the Bundeswehr. He declines to either confirm or deny the media report regarding the domestic intelligence agency. The agency itself asked the *F.A.Z.* for understanding regarding its policy of not commenting publicly on matters involving specific intelligence findings or operations.
Large volumes of data from diverse sources are aggregated and analyzed for purposes including counter-terrorism and counter-espionage.
One thing is clear: the decision to contract with the domestic intelligence agency could prove to be a door-opener for a series of further lucrative contracts—and accelerate the move away from Palantir. Johannes Schätzl, the digital policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, was quoted as saying that this decision was "a significant step toward genuine European sovereignty and, at the same time, sends a powerful signal." Palantir is currently in use in four German federal states. In terms of performance, the American software was previously considered not merely competitive but practically without alternative.
The fact that Chapsvision has managed to develop a genuine competitor—ArgonOS—within just a few years is remarkable, especially given that it was originally intended for private-sector clients, says Sansoni. Yet, shortly after its founding, the young company won a contract with the DGSI, France's domestic intelligence agency, which was seeking alternatives to Palantir. For Chapsvision, this served as a catalyst for innovation. The DGSI tested and refined the software, thereby validating it for other government bodies and the private sector alike.
These credentials are now helping the company position itself as an alternative to Palantir elsewhere in Europe. "Working with the DGSI in France allowed us to build something very solid, enabling us to engage in discussions with governments across the European Union," reports CEO Sansoni. Interest in sovereign European solutions—where data can be stored with European cloud providers like Schwarz Digits or OVH, or on the client's own highly secure servers—is growing noticeably. There have even been inquiries from countries such as Armenia.
Chapsvision, founded by the Alsatian engineer and successful tech entrepreneur Olivier Dellenbach, has grown rapidly through no fewer than 29 acquisitions. The company now employs nearly 1,100 people—almost half of whom work in research and development—and is hiring aggressively. Two hundred new staff members have joined in the last six months alone, says Sansoni. Notably, the company has operated profitably from day one—a point he is keen to emphasize.
The company is majority-owned by its founder—now 65—who remains active as Chairman of the Board. Its investors include five French entities, among them the asset manager Tikehau Capital, the private equity fund Jolt Capital, and the French state-owned development bank Bpifrance. To date, Chapsvision has raised approximately 350 million euros. Sansoni has not disclosed the company's valuation.
The Italian-French executive that worked for the US corporation IBM for years, who has been running since last November the business, which can no longer simply be described as a startup. It has simply grown too large for that. Most recently, annual revenue stood at around 200 million euros, split roughly evenly between the private and public sectors. Sansoni explained that the company aims to break the billion-euro mark as early as 2030, with approximately 75 percent of this growth expected to come from acquisitions and 25 percent from organic revenue growth.
France is currently the company's primary market. While Chapsvision does have operations in North America, 80 percent of its revenue is generated in Europe—including small shares from Asia and the Middle East—with France alone accounting for 70 percent of the total. However, the CEO emphasizes that this is set to change. Plans include expanding the company's presence in the North American market, which is crucial from a technological standpoint, and transferring innovations from there to Europe. To this end, Chapsvision recently opened a research and development center in Montreal, Canada.
In addition, one country in particular is a "top priority" according to the CEO: Germany. This aligns with the strategy of "very quickly becoming a company with a thorough European DNA." "Our goal is to make acquisitions in Germany very soon," says Sansoni. The company intends to expand R&D operations there, develop services specifically tailored to the German market, and strengthen partnerships with German players; the French firm is already collaborating with SVA System Vertrieb Alexander GmbH (based in Wiesbaden) and rola Security Solutions GmbH (based in Oberhausen), a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. This expansion strategy is more than just a "paper tiger" dreamed up at the Paris headquarters; since last year, a German executive—Melania Domene—has been serving as Chapsvision’s Head of Sales and Marketing.
The focus on Germany is no coincidence. It is Europe's largest market. Furthermore, Sansoni sees a wealth of potential customers within the country's industrial sector. Specifically, he mentions "Rheinmetall, Thyssenkrupp, or other major companies in the defense or national security sectors." Automakers Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen are also on his list. "We truly believe we can create a genuine Franco-German axis in the field of AI data processing," Sansoni emphasizes. Discussions are underway with a great many companies regarding how to forge joint alliances.
Sansoni is keen to accelerate growth and does not rule out an initial public offering (IPO) early in the coming decade. "There is a critical mass that must be reached to avoid being taken over," he says. The competition with America and China is about the big picture, following a period in which Europe has seen significant industrial successes but also technological failures. Application software represents "the last European bastion." European sovereignty is essential, he notes, but it must go hand in hand with technological excellence. [1]
1. Wachstumspläne des europäischen Palantir: Kaum mehr als sechs Jahre am Markt, steht Chapsvision aus Frankreich plötzlich im Zentrum der europäischen Bestrebungen nach Souveränität. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 23 May 2026: 26. Von Niklas Záboji, Paris
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą