OPINION | Cybersecurity: The American Acquisition That Shakes Our Tech Sovereignty.
While €24 million had been mobilized by the French Tech Sovereignty fund to support Vade, the cybersecurity company allied with Hornet is now flying the American flag. Vincent DUPART, President of SPAC Alliance and CEO of the STid Group, shares his concerns.
A year ago, cybersecurity solution providers Hornet and Vade enthusiastically sealed their alliance, driven by the ambition to create a new Franco-German tech duo in Europe. That vision has just shattered: American firm ProofPoint has officially acquired Hornet, abruptly ending the dream of a credible sovereign alternative to U.S. tech giants.
Let’s not forget: ProofPoint had previously sued Vade in the United States, forcing them to pay $44 million. This legal battle had plunged Vade into a critical financial state. Ironically, it is now to this former adversary that the French leadership must answer.
€24 million from the French Tech Sovereignty fund used to support Vade
Did investors plan this exit from the start? We may never know. But one thing is certain: the €24 million mobilized by the French Tech Sovereignty fund to support Vade through its legal ordeal has ultimately only served to strengthen an American player. A real slap in the face for France’s national digital ambitions—and the loss of a French, then European, cybersecurity gem.
This acquisition comes amid rising political tensions: Donald Trump, in an openly protectionist stance, threatens Europe with trade sanctions while promoting the growth of U.S. tech giants (GAFAM). Meanwhile, the European Union struggles to craft a coherent response, and digital sovereignty efforts remain timid in the face of overwhelming American tech dominance. According to a recent Asterès report, Europe’s dependency on U.S. technologies costs the continent €264 billion annually—and funds two million jobs overseas.
Where is the ambition to build truly sovereign AI?
In this context, one pressing question remains: what future lies ahead for French cybersecurity scale-ups like Sekoia.io, HarfangLab, TEHTRIS, WALLIX Group, Cyberwatch, Oodrive, EGERIE, or Mailinblack? Will they also fall into the hands of eager American funds, or will they succeed in safeguarding their strategic independence?
Behind the façade of “technological neutrality” lies a much more alarming reality: using ProofPoint tomorrow means submitting to the rules of the Cloud Act, the Patriot Act, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It means exposing our infrastructure and data to U.S. extraterritorial laws, heavily wielded by the Trump administration.
Over just a few years, we’ve allowed our tech champions to be gradually sold off to non-European interests. At this rate, Europe will soon be merely a market—no longer a global player.
Where has the ambition gone—to build a truly sovereign cloud, cybersecurity, or AI?
This acquisition is a wake-up call: our political inaction and industrial naïveté come at a cost. While institutional Europe lags, businesses, SMEs, and scale-ups still have a chance to change the game. Sovereignty is not proclaimed—it is built together.
In the face of a still-divided Europe, the private sector may well be our last line of defense. Let’s hope France’s tech gems can resist the financial siren calls from across the Atlantic—and build a cybersecurity industry that is truly sovereign.
Translated from La Provence.
The Call from SPAC Alliance
Europe will soon be merely a market—no longer a global player
This is a possible drift—but by no means an inevitable one. It’s not too late, provided everyone takes responsibility.
SPAC Alliance and its members are more committed than ever to a proactive and deliberate approach to redefining our sovereignty:
- Protect European scale-ups by helping them resist foreign takeovers
- Support regulators in limiting and controlling digital interference
- Advance sovereign innovation and defend transparent, controlled standards
Our best advice? Join SPAC Alliance to write our future.
