About us

Where innovation accelerates

Founded in 2012, JFD is the growth accelerator that forges business alliances between innovative entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and investors.

By aligning the economy’s five vital forces — Talent, Capital, Corporates, Institutions, and Media — JFD acts as the operational catalyst transforming cutting-edge innovation into tangible economic performance.

JFD secures the path for today’s leaders to build the resilient champions of the future economy, ready to tackle major technological challenges.

JFD achieves its mission through three strategic pillars that turn our vision into action levers:

ACCELERATE | Accelerating growth and talent

Transforming raw talent into leaders. It is the critical path: from the Moon to the Unicorn. We empower tomorrow’s champions by turning potential into economic performance. (Programmes: The Margaret Awards, Growth Programme)

CONNECT | Scaling relations and opportunities

Directing investment and turning meetings into contracts. We bring together decision-makers and innovation talents to create a network of influence and concrete business. (Deal Flow & Networking)

INSIGHTS | Producing strategic intelligence

Anticipating disruptions to decide fast. We provide the intelligence needed to enlighten decision-making through exclusive data and expertise on AI and transformation challenges. (European AI Barometer)

14 years of expertise. 25M cumulative audience. A coalition of major groups. The foundations are laid. Full speed ahead on accelerating growth for our innovation ecosystem.

Manifesto

A new generation of entrepreneurs is emerging, driving breakthrough innovations. To sustain our ecosystem, the strategic imperative is to secure their trajectory.

In a context of capital rationalization, fundraising is no longer the sole barometer of success. True resilience now depends on economic performance.

This is where JFD acts as a growth accelerator. We form the bridge between startup agility and the industrial power of major corporations. Our goal is pragmatic: to turn technological potential into solid order books. This is the only way to build the champions of tomorrow.

— Delphine Remy-Boutang, Founder & CEO JFD – Where Innovation Accelerates

Our actions

Since 2012, we have been transforming the dynamic between major corporations and startups into an engine of competitiveness. We forge synergies that directly generate concrete business opportunities. We unite corporate decision-makers around cutting-edge innovation synonymous with sustainable performance.JFD acts as a growth accelerator for entrepreneurs and tech talents. We secure their trajectory and propel their development to turn today’s high-potential ventures into tomorrow’s leaders.

2013
1st edition of JFD Europe in Paris on March 8, 2013 on the occasion of International Women's Rights Day.
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2014
Nathalie Andrieux, GM Geolid, 1st laureate of the 1st edition of the Margaret Prize, which each year rewards a woman entrepreneur and intrapreneur in Africa and Europe.
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2016 - JFD Club
Launch of the JFD Club, an exclusive network of 400 digital women, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, architects of the world of tomorrow, intends to represent the plurality of the digital world, from start-ups to large groups. Resolutely turned towards the future, it suggests thinking and taking action to help build a better, more creative and equal world, by promoting the initiatives of digital women.
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2017
Inauguration of the JFD Club in Paris with of Marlène Schiappa, Former Secretary of State in charge of Equality between women and men and the fight against discrimination. Club members meet every month in this 300m2 space in the heart of Paris to share and network during events and networking evenings.
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2017 - The White Shirts Movement
Birth of the national movement “Les Chemises Blanches”. The white shirt has become the symbol of female empowerment in France.
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2018 - Margaret Foundation
Creation of the Margaret Foundation to support the projects of committed women, in particular by offering scholarships and training for young women wishing to orient themselves in the fields of innovation and make them aware of entrepreneurship.
2019 - JFD Africa
1st edition of the JFD Africa, in Dakar (Senegal) on June 13 and 14, 2019: conferences and learning expedition at the heart of Dakar's tech ecosystem.
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2020 - Parity doesn't wait
To mark International Women's Rights Day in 2020, we launched our major 2120 campaign: Parity can't wait! The aim was to raise public awareness of the persistent inequalities between women and men and to rally people around a common goal: to achieve parity well before the 100 years predicted by the Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap report. ‘2120’ was displayed all over Paris: on all the city's illuminated billboards, but also in high-traffic areas such as Bercy, Gare de Lyon, Gare Saint-Lazare, etc.
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2020 - JFD Manifesto
Launch of the JFD Manifesto, signed by fifteen large groups, determined to go with the JFD beyond awareness to take action by making concrete commitments in favor of diversity and parity in digital.
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2021 - JFD Gabon
Opening of the 1st JFD Club in Africa, in Libreville (Gabon).
2021 - The Margaret Juniors
Launch of the Margaret Junior Award. Continuity of the Margaret Prize, the Margaret Junior rewards young European and African girls, aged 7 to 18, who innovate and who already have an entrepreneurial spirit.
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2022 - 10th Anniversary
JFD, the growth accelerator, celebrated its 10th anniversary and for this occasion brought together the European and African tech ecosystem in Paris on 8 March, International Women’s Rights Day. An exceptional anniversary edition with patron Christel Bories, CEO of Eramet, where the 10th Margaret ceremony took place, under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic. It was under the sign of hope that JFD awarded the Margaret 2022.
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2023 - Annual study
In the presence of Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Transition and Telecommunications, JFD in partnership with EY and FD unveiled its 12th study on March 8th at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. “Invest In Her” is the first study dedicated to the representation of women founders and leaders within the future generation of impact startups in France.
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2023 - Invest in Her
For the International Digital Women’s Day, JFD held its annual Margaret Awards ceremony in the presence of: Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Telecommunications, Isabelle Rome, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, in charge of Equality between Women and Men, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, Virginie Morgon, JFD 2023 patron, and all the JFD partners: Eramet, La Poste Groupe, Caisse des Dépôts, Carrefour, Mastercard, Google, AXA, Printemps, Meetic, La French Tech…. In total, more than 500 decision-makers from the investment, entrepreneurial and educational world gathered to celebrate the future champions of Tech: 4 women and 2 young girls under 18 years old, from Europe and Africa, rewarded by a jury of professionals, for the excellence of their innovations, with both technological and societal impact.
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2023 - JFD Canada
Pour créer une dynamique internationale et bâtir des ponts entre les continents, la JFD étend l'impact de ses actions en Europe, en Afrique, et depuis 2023 au Canada. Fort du soutien de partenaires locaux et d'organisations telles qu’Abeona network, Bleu Blanc Tech, CCI française au Canada ou encore le Consulat de France à Montréal, nous menons au Québec des actions concrètes pour influencer les politiques futures et favoriser une économie innovante, durable et équitable, où les femmes osent, innovent et créent de la valeur pour nos sociétés.
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2024 - Athletes of Innovation
After ‘Elles changent le monde’, Delphine Remy-Boutang published her second book: ‘Athlètes de l'innovation’ éditions Flammarion - out on 22 May. Foreword by Sarah Ourahmoune, entrepreneur and France's most medalled boxer. Illustrations by Marc-Antoine Coulon, recognised as the world's leading fashion illustrator. He works with many magazines including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair.
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2024 - Championing Women
On 11 March 2024, JFD and its partners revealed the winners of the ‘Championing Women’ promotion of the Margaret Awards, during an exceptional ceremony at Bpifrance, attended by key figures from the international economy and tech. Held in Paris, in front of a packed audience including Delphine Remy-Boutang, founder of JFD, and the mistress of ceremonies Charlie Perreau, head of the start-up department at Les Echos, this 12th ceremony celebrated the boldness of women from Europe, Africa, Canada and the territories. These new leaders have turned their commitment into a driving force for both the economy and society, demonstrating the importance of daring to push back the boundaries of innovation to change the world.
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2025 - Women rAIsing
On the eve of its 13th edition, Digital Women’s Day becomes Join Forces & Dare (JFD), to better reflect its mission: to enable women to enter the tech world to build tomorrow’s world. In a context marked by the upheavals of artificial intelligence, JFD has decided to make it its theme for 2025: “Women rAIsing” to highlight those who are shaping AI.
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