Overseed is one of the startups aiming to make France a producer of medical cannabis—rather than just a market supplied by imports from Canada or the Netherlands. Founded in Orléans in 2021 by Hugues Péribère, one of the first biotech companies approved by the ANSM for R&D in pharmaceutical cannabis production, the company is patiently building the value chain that would one day enable France to have its own domestically produced 100% cannabis-based medications.
Hugues Péribère didn’t get into the cannabis industry by chance. He spent eleven years at Mandar, a major player in the seed industry, before recognizing the gradual legalization of medical cannabis as an opportunity to build an ambitious industrial venture at the intersection of genetics, agronomy, and pharmaceuticals.
His initial conviction is fundamental: for France to be a serious player in the medical cannabis sector, it must control the upstream part of the value chain—genetic selection of strains, cultivation techniques adapted to the French regulatory framework, and extraction processes that comply with ANSM requirements. He founded Overseed in 2021 in Orléans, in the Loiret department, and brought together complementary expertise in genetics, the chemistry of natural substances, and the pharmaceutical industry to support the project.
In 2021, Overseed was among the first French companies to obtain a research and development authorization for production from the ANSM
medical cannabis for pharmaceutical purposes. This authorization paves the way for two years of R&D focused on the selection and stabilization of Cannabis sativa strains, as well as cultivation techniques in secure greenhouses,
and extraction processes that comply with French pharmaceutical standards.
In particular, the company is developing an extraction process that meets ANSM requirements in collaboration with StaniPharm, a French pharmaceutical subcontractor. It is a founding member of the Santé France Cannabis trade association and a member of Pôle Pharma and Agreen Tech Valley.
Overseed cultivates its strains in a high-tech, ultra-secure greenhouse located in the Loiret region, in compliance with GACP (Good Agricultural and Collection Practices) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards,
(the French equivalent of EU-GMP). Its product line includes dried flowers, full-spectrum extracts, and purified active ingredients of pharmaceutical grade, intended for industrial laboratories.
In July 2024, Overseed completed a €3 million funding round led by Blast Club, the investment fund founded by Anthony Bourbon and Samuel Guez, known for its investments in high-potential French startups. The stated goal: to accelerate the industrialization of its products in preparation for the opening of the permanent medical cannabis market in France.
With production taking place at the 100% facility in France and regulatory compliance built in from the outset in accordance with ANSM standards, Overseed is positioned as one of the natural candidates to become a supplier to French pharmacies once medical cannabis is prescribed and reimbursed on a large scale in France.
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