France Meets Canada: The Future of Cybersecurity, Celebrating French Innovation in Toronto

French and Canadian business leaders came together to explore the future of cybersecurity, AI governance and digital sovereignty, with Les Innovateurs 2026 showcasing three promising French cybersecurity companies.

On October 6, 2026, the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (ON, MB), alongside Business France, La French Tech Toronto, the Consulate General of France in Toronto and the Embassy of France in Canada, brought together the French and Canadian business communities for France Meets Canada: The Future of Cybersecurity.

Hosted at the offices of Green and Spiegel in Toronto, the evening highlighted French expertise in cybersecurity while creating opportunities for business connections, technology partnerships and collaboration between the two countries.

AI Governance and Digital Sovereignty: Building Trust in a Changing World

One of the evening's highlights was a fireside conversation with Amyn Sarif, CISM, CTPRP, Field CISO and Executive Advisor at Sopra Steria, exploring the growing challenges surrounding artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital sovereignty.

As AI adoption accelerates, organizations face increasing pressure to ensure that innovation is accompanied by effective security and governance. The discussion highlighted a striking imbalance: investment in AI is growing significantly faster than investment in AI security, raising important questions about how businesses manage emerging risks.

A central takeaway was that governance, rather than technology alone, remains one of the biggest challenges. As AI agents become more integrated into business operations, organizations must establish clear policies, appropriate access controls and continuous human oversight.

Digital sovereignty was another major topic. Beyond data residency, the conversation explored the importance of encryption, infrastructure security and supply chain resilience in protecting sensitive information.

These challenges also present significant opportunities for French cybersecurity companies entering the Canadian market. With their experience navigating European regulatory frameworks and developing secure-by-design solutions, French businesses are well positioned to support Canadian organizations seeking greater digital resilience.

The conversation ultimately emphasized a broader vision for the future: moving beyond security and compliance toward building organizations where trust becomes a foundation for innovation and growth.

Les Innovateurs 2026: Showcasing French Cybersecurity Excellence

The evening also featured Les Innovateurs 2026, the FCCCO's startup and scale-up competition, bringing three French cybersecurity companies into the spotlight. Each company presented its technology, expertise and ambitions for the Canadian market, demonstrating the diversity and strength of French cybersecurity innovation.

Qevlar AI develops an AI-powered cybersecurity platform that automates threat investigations, helping security teams reduce response times from dozens of minutes to just a few minutes.

DataDome protects websites and digital platforms against malicious bots and automated threats, using real-time traffic analysis to distinguish legitimate users from harmful activity.

i-TRACING provides cybersecurity consulting and managed security services, helping organizations strengthen their digital infrastructure, detect threats and manage cyber risks.

Congratulations to Qevlar AI, Winner of Les Innovateurs 2026!

🏆 Qevlar AI was named the winner of Les Innovateurs 2026, standing out for its innovative approach to cybersecurity and its potential for growth in the Canadian market.

As the winner, Qevlar AI will benefit from a one-year FCCCO membership, access to the Chamber's network of corporate members and mentorship opportunities, helping the company strengthen its connections and accelerate its development in Canada.

Congratulations to Qevlar AI, as well as DataDome and i-TRACING, for their presentations and contributions to the competition.

Strengthening France–Canada Business Connections

Beyond the discussions and startup pitches, the evening reflected the importance of collaboration between French and Canadian innovation ecosystems.

Through the combined efforts of Team France, participating businesses and institutional partners, the event created opportunities for French companies to connect with Canadian decision-makers, explore potential partnerships and better understand the local market.

A special thank you to Green and Spiegel for hosting the event, to our Team France partners, the jury members, participating startups and everyone who contributed to the evening's success.