PoliCloud, a French-based startup providing next-generation sovereign cloud infrastructure for high-performance computing (HPC), has announced the successful closing of its €7.5 million (~$8.78 million) seed funding round. The round was led by Global Ventures, a prominent MENA-based venture capital firm, with participation from several notable investors, including Inria (France’s National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology), OneRagtime, MI8 Limited, and multiple angel investors.
Launched in February 2025 during the World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF), PoliCloud is positioning itself at the forefront of a decentralised, eco-responsible, and scalable alternative to hyperscaler cloud providers. The startup offers secure, distributed cloud infrastructure for both public and private sector clients, focusing on European governments, institutions, and SMEs that seek digital sovereignty and enhanced security.
Distributed Cloud for a New Era
PoliCloud’s core offering lies in its edge-based architecture, combining custom-designed hardware, proprietary micro-data centers, and its strategic collaboration with Hivenet, a pioneer in distributed cloud software. This model enables PoliCloud to deliver high-performance computing and storage at significantly lower costs—with better energy efficiency—compared to traditional, centralized cloud providers like Amazon and Google.
As AI adoption and data workloads continue to soar, affordable and reliable computing power is becoming a critical enabler for innovation. With global cloud usage growing by 20% annually, PoliCloud responds to the increasing demand for sovereign, scalable alternatives that prioritize cost control, sustainability, and data independence.
“PoliCloud is meeting a critical market demand for sovereign cloud infrastructure that is not only secure and abundant but also eco-responsible,” said David Gurlé, Founder of PoliCloud. “The time is right for a new European solution that reduces reliance on US cloud providers and supports the public and private sectors with scalable, local cloud power.”
Global Backing, Strategic Mission
The seed funding will be used to expand PoliCloud’s operational team, invest in product development, and scale across Europe—particularly targeting public sector clients. The backing from Global Ventures reinforces the growing strategic collaboration between MENA investors and European deeptech startups.
“We seek visionary entrepreneurs whose products have global relevance, and PoliCloud fits that perfectly,” said Simon Sharp, Senior Partner at Global Ventures. “With distributed data centers, next-gen security, and lower costs, their approach to edge computing has real competitive advantage.”
Other investors echoed this sentiment:
- Stéphanie Hospital, Founder & CEO of OneRagtime:
“PoliCloud is uniquely positioned to deliver decentralised, unlimited computing power — affordably, securely and in an eco-responsible way.” - Guillaume Dhamelincourt, Managing Director at Mi8:
“As the world embraces AI and computing needs surge, PoliCloud’s solution offers a compelling and timely alternative.” - Bruno Sportisse, CEO of Inria, highlighted:
“Our partnership with PoliCloud aligns with our mission to advance decentralised cloud technologies that support France’s digital sovereignty.”
Looking Ahead
PoliCloud’s roadmap includes further integration with Hivenet’s decentralised software ecosystem, rollout of new micro-data centers across Europe, and continued innovation in energy-efficient cloud architecture. The company’s edge-first, sovereign-first approach is poised to reshape how institutions think about cloud infrastructure in an AI-driven world.
As nations look to reclaim control over their data and computing capacity, PoliCloud is set to become a key player in building the next generation of cloud technology—secure, distributed, scalable, and sustainable.
