Paris-based Grand Prix ACF AutoTech has announced the finalists for its eighth annual contest spotlighting its top global automotive startups: Carbon Waters, TETMET, H2Gremm, Abiliz, Merci Paulo, and Olec Technology. The acclerator received a record number of submissions and chose the finalists from over 80 applicants from 23 different countries.

The jury consists of executives from Renault Group, Forvia, Plastic Omnium, Crédit Agricole, FIDAL, and MOTUL. The jury listened to live pitches from twelve semi-finalist startup companies and selected finalists with proven excellence in commercialization, manufacturing, and design in the automotive industry.

“We are enthusiastic to see the number of innovative companies around Europe and the United States developing unique products that are disrupting the industry,” said Richard de Cabrol, Directeur Général of Grand Prix ACF AutoTech powered by ESSEC Automobile Club. “The Grand Prix ACF AutoTech show is about honoring companies that have a proven track record of excellence and demonstrate promise for the future.”

The organization’s partners and investors are doubling down to encourage innovative initiatives and are committed to supporting and developing young startup companies. The award winners will be encouraged to form collaborations, receive investments, or engage in customer-supplier relationships with the accelerators’ partners.

At the Automobile Club de France in Paris, France on April 2, each company will present their business on stage and the winners will be selected at the awards show in three categories: Grand Prix ACF (for startups at the A round stage), Prix Pionnier ACF (for startups at the seed stage), and Mention GPACF GreenTech (for companies that positively impact the environment.)

The Grand Prix ACF finalists are Carbon Waters, TETMET, and H2Gremm. Carbon Waters is focused on revolutionizing advanced materials with its graphene-based additives, the company replacing scarce resources with innovative materials using a unique process that minimizes environmental impact. TETMET allows manufacturers to produce structural parts in a 3D lattice at industrial scale and economy. H2Gremm is dedicated to achieving energy self-sufficiency for buildings and light mobility through modular, low-carbon hydrogen solutions.

The Prix Pionnier ACF finalists are Abiliz, Merci Paulo, and Olec Technology. Abiliz, whose mission is to make mobility smarter, more inclusive, and future-ready, offers the first leasing solution specifically designed for vehicles to transport individuals with reduced mobility. Merci Paulo offers a user-friendly service to locate used auto parts within 48 h to ease vehicle maintenance. OLEC Technology, which reduces lighting manufacturing costs by minimizing material usage and simplifying production processes, has developed light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) with purely organic layers, making them more affordable, sustainable, and recyclable.

Grand Prix ACF AutoTech started through a joint venture between Automobile Club de France, founded in 1895 by French car makers, and ESSEC Business School, a school dedicated to developing the next generation of entrepreneurs. Each year it holds a contest to choose the top automotive startup companies that will be nurtured by the accelerator.

Last year, winners were selected at the awards show in Paris, France on April 24. The winners were Genomines for the Grand Prix ACF Award, Diamfab for the Prix Pionnier ACF Award, and Cylib for the Mention GPACF GreenTech Award.

Genomines recovers metals from plants to produce nickel—used in the mobility sector, especially in the manufacturing process of batteries—without any mine facilities. Diamfab specializes in diamond semiconductors designed for power electronics and quantum applications, with components promising unparalleled performance by optimizing system costs, reducing weight, minimizing footprint, and mitigating environmental impact. After many years of research at RWTH Aachen University, Cylib developed a holistic, eco-efficient process for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, offering a functioning circular economy and raw material security.

About half of the competition’s applications come from France and the other half from the rest of the world. Moving forward, de Cabrol told Futurride that his organization is especially keen on reaching more of the startups and supporting communities in the U.S. He says that it is the U.S. where investment in startups is the largest, at about €200 billion in 2024, which is about four times that of Europe.

One of the more high-profile winners of recent competitions was U.S. tech company Nodar, which took home the Grand Prix ACF AutoTech award in 2023 for its stereo-vision technology. Its platform, called Hammerhead, delivers ultra-precise and real-time 3D sensing at an ultra-long range of up to 1000 m (3300 ft), providing better-than-lidar 3D data at the price point of camera technology.

For the 2026 Grand Prix ACF AutoTech awards, October 2025 will be the call for projects with the prize-giving ceremony on April 15 of next year. While the competition is open in terms of technology themes, de Cabol sees trends in the direction of new materials for making cars lighter in weight and less expensive to manufacture.