What Stern Tech does

Stern Tech SAS is a French deeptech company founded in 2022 by Christophe Stern (CEO & CPO, doctorate in sociology), headquartered in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris. The company develops a proprietary, sovereign behavioral artificial intelligence platform designed to analyze weak multimodal signals (video, audio, text, structured behavioral data) and surface insights that support — but do not automate — human decision-making. Its technology stack is grounded in 70+ psychological theories (Alex) and integrates 400+ behavioral data points with 50+ psychological theories (Shield), developed in collaboration with CNRS/Centre Borelli, Sorbonne University, ENS Paris-Saclay, and Institut Carnot Cognition. The platform is delivered across six product lines targeting distinct verticals: Alex for HR recruitment assessment, Pegasus for behavioral market research, Shield for healthcare psychosocial distress detection, WiseDriver for automotive and aeronautical simulator training, AnnaO for interactive consumer AI experiences, and Alètheia for restricted-access defense applications.

Stern Tech operates a hybrid B2B/B2B2C revenue model. Core B2B products (Alex, Pegasus, WiseDriver) are sold via annual SaaS subscriptions, with self-service sign-up available online (alex.stern.tech, pegasus.stern.tech, wisedriver.stern.tech) and enterprise field sales for larger deployments. Regulated products (Shield, WiseDriver Embedded Automotive, Alètheia) require certified partnerships, restricted contractual frameworks, or export-control compliance. AnnaO offers a freemium direct-to-consumer model (1 free hour/month launch offer). Pilot-led sales cycles are short (2–4 weeks for Pegasus with 10–500 respondents; short measurable pilots for Shield), designed to convert into broader subscription deployments. Stripe and bank transfer billing are supported, with B2B users waiving 14-day withdrawal rights for immediate digital service delivery.

The company serves HR teams, recruiters, marketing and market research teams, healthcare providers, automotive manufacturers (notably Renault Group via the H1st Vision concept car), driving schools, aeronautical simulator operators, and individual consumers. Stern Tech employs approximately 21 people across direction, business development, technology & research, and communication, with named sales leadership per product (Alex, WiseDriver, Shield, Pegasus). The company has raised approximately $3.7M+ across disclosed rounds from 2023 to 2025 (Bpifrance, CIC Private Debt, Credit Mutuel, Expaceo, Ayomi, Trebeyou, Google for Startups, Réseau Entreprendre, Microsoft for Startups, AAPS AVOCATS, OVH Cloud For Startups) and reports 50x valuation growth since its CES Las Vegas 2023 debut. It has earned recognition including Gartner Emerging Technologies Radar (4 mentions in 2025), French Tech Paris-Saclay Success Stories 2025, and Microsoft 365 App Certification for Alex (December 2025).

Name

Stern Tech

Legal name

Stern Tech SAS

Website

https://stern.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stern Tech is a French deeptech company that builds proprietary behavioral AI software for HR recruitment (Alex), market research (Pegasus), healthcare psychosocial observation (Shield), automotive/simulator training (WiseDriver), consumer interactive experiences (AnnaO), and defense applications (Alètheia), serving enterprise and regulated-sector clients with GDPR- and EU AI Act-compliant, human-supervised decision-support tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral AI Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII) (HDAEANAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE), Enterprise AI Governance, Risk & Compliance Platforms (Model Risk, Audit, Policies) (HDAEANAE), Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH), Autonomous Defense Systems (AI/ML, Swarming, MUM-T) (IMABAOAI)

Keywords

• Behavioral AI software
• Recruitment assessment
• Market research analytics
• Psychosocial distress detection
• Driving simulator analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

La Celle-saint-cloud

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscriptions: Online self-service SaaS products (Alex, Pegasus, WiseDriver Simulator Edition, AnnaO) with subscription model featuring automatic renewal. Payments via credit card (Stripe) or bank transfer. B2B context primary with consumer access for candidates in certain cases.
2. Enterprise Restricted Services: Shield (health data analysis) and WiseDriver Embedded Automotive Edition require certified partnerships and restricted access contractual frameworks. Aletheia (defense applications) subject to additional export-control and confidentiality regulations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stern Tech develops and sells a proprietary French behavioral AI software platform composed of five verticalized products: Alex (AI-enhanced recruitment assessment analyzing video interviews), Pegasus (behavioral market research platform for voluntary research panels), Shield (psychosocial distress detection for healthcare providers), WiseDriver (attention, vigilance and progress indicators for automotive and aeronautical simulators), and AnnaO (interactive AI companion experience exploring synthetic consciousness), plus Alètheia for restricted defense applications. All products are designed as decision-support systems that analyze weak signals while keeping the final decision with a human, and are deployed under annual SaaS subscriptions, restricted enterprise licensing or certified partnership frameworks.

Product overview

Stern Tech offers a portfolio of five behavioral AI products unified by a proprietary French, sovereign behavioral intelligence technology designed to reveal weak signals and support human decision-making. The core products are: Alex (AI-enhanced recruitment assessment for HR professionals analyzing candidates via video interviews), Pegasus (behavioral market research platform for brands and research institutes), Shield (psychosocial distress detection for healthcare providers), WiseDriver (training support with attention/vigilance indicators for automotive/aeronautical simulators), and AnnaO (interactive AI experience exploring synthetic consciousness). All products operate as decision-support systems—never automating final decisions—and are designed for GDPR and EU AI Act compliance with human supervision embedded by design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alex: AI-enhanced professional assessment designed to better understand motivation, behavioral traits and role fit for recruitment decision support.
• Pegasus
• Shield
• WiseDriver
• AnnaO
• Alètheia

Products and services

• Alex AI-enhanced professional personality assessment that analyzes candidates' engagement, sincerity and discourse coherence during video interviews to support structured HR analysis. Grounded in 70+ psychological theories, it provides behavioral profiling as decision support for HR departments, recruiters and talent acquisition teams without automating final decisions.
• Pegasus Behavioral market research platform that cross-analyzes declared responses, engagement signals and observable reactions from voluntary research panels to provide predictive scoring and actionable insights in 5-10 minute studies, replacing traditional 30-60 minute surveys for brands, research institutes, marketing teams and agencies.
• Shield AI psychosocial distress detection tool that integrates 400+ behavioral data points and 50+ psychological theories to help healthcare providers and authorized organizations identify sensitive signals, enrich clinical observation, follow-up and referral pathways within supervised healthcare frameworks.
• WiseDriver Training support solution providing attention, vigilance and progress indicators for automotive and aeronautical simulators. Offered in two deployment models: Embedded Automotive Edition (offline, integrated in physical vehicles with no data transmission unless contractually agreed) and Simulator Edition (online SaaS for driving schools), with STMicroelectronics collaboration for embedded systems integration.
• AnnaO Narrative and interactive AI companion experience exploring synthetic consciousness through 10 progression levels that progressively transform interaction style, memory, initiative and narrative depth. Accessible via web browser on smartphone, tablet or computer with no installation, voice interaction, instant pause and level-based progression, launched with a freemium tier.
• Alètheia Defense and security behavioral AI applications platform with restricted access, operating under applicable defense, national-security, export-control and confidentiality regulations for sovereign, vetted use cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 63% reduction in agents leaving during first three months through better candidate-organization fit alignment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered event partner, strategic, research, core, supporting, influential and ecosystem.

• VivaTech/HUB Instituteevent partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 June 2025Partnership for VivaTech Explorer Tour 2026 organized by HUB Institute, presenting behavioral AI solutions in Hall 7 to international innovation ecosystem.
• HR Technologies Franceevent partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 January 2025Event partnership for presenting Alex at HR Technologies Paris 2026 conference focused on recruitment and HR transformation.
• STMicroelectronicsstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Collaboration enables envisioning WiseDriver directly inside embedded systems and advanced simulation environments. STMicroelectronics provides semiconductor and embedded systems expertise for WiseDriver deployment in automotive and aeronautical contexts.
• Institut CognitionresearchStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Presented advances in behavioral analysis and applications in wellbeing, mobility and HR at R&T Cognition Day 2025 alongside major research and innovation players.
• Startup Autobahnevent partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Presented WiseDriver simulator-based training support solution at Startup Autobahn 2025 in Stuttgart for automotive and aeronautical environments.
• Renault Group (Software République)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2023Stern Tech participates in Software République ecosystem alongside Renault and 11+ other partners. Contributed behavioral analysis technology to H1st Vision concept car presented at VivaTech 2023 in Le Mans, integrating attention, vigilance and session-signal indicators into safer, more human-centered mobility vision. Collaboration enables real-time behavioral analysis of driving experience.
• Microsoft for StartupscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of Microsoft for Startups program providing go-to-market support, technical resources, and ecosystem integration. Services hosted on Microsoft Azure EU infrastructure acting as authorized subprocessor for GDPR compliance.
• Google for StartupssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipant in Google for Startups program supporting growth and international expansion through technical resources and startup ecosystem access.
• GartnerinfluentialOthersStern Tech mentioned four times in Gartner Emerging Technologies Radar, providing international recognition of behavioral AI expertise across recruitment, market research, wellbeing and mobility.
• Sorbonne UniversityresearchStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership contributing to scientific foundation of behavioral AI technology. Part of broader research ecosystem including doctoral programs.
• ENS Paris-SaclayresearchStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with ENS Paris-Saclay contributing to cognitive science and artificial intelligence research foundations, including Centre Borelli laboratory partnership.
• CNRS (Centre Borelli)researchStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with CNRS through Centre Borelli for computer vision, mathematical modeling and behavioral analysis algorithms. Vianney Gauthier works on mathematical models and computer vision linked to Centre Borelli scientific work.
• Institut Carnot CognitionresearchStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Institut Carnot Cognition network of laboratories for applied cognitive research, contributing to scientific validation of behavioral analysis approaches.
• La French Tech Paris-SaclayecosystemGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of La French Tech Paris-Saclay ecosystem, featured in 2025 Success Stories as innovative startup in territory with growth and technological advances.
• F6SsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerF6S platform membership providing startup resources, growth tools and ecosystem connections for founders and innovation companies.
• Business FrancesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench export and international development agency supporting French startups with international visibility and business development.
• France DigitaleecosystemGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of France Digitale, the main association of French digital startups and investors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Realeyes: Emotion and attention AI for market research and advertising effectiveness measurement. Most direct comparator to Pegasus's behavioral market research offering, with shared use cases (ad testing, brand tracking, panel-based engagement analysis).
• Smart Eye: AI-based driver monitoring and in-cabin sensing for automotive OEMs and Tier-1s. Closest peer to Stern Tech's WiseDriver Embedded Automotive Edition, with comparable drowsiness/attention detection use cases inside vehicle platforms.
• Seeing Machines: Driver and operator monitoring technology for automotive, aviation, and fleet safety. Comparable to WiseDriver's automotive/aeronautical training use cases, with deeper OEM commercialization and longer regulatory track record.
• HireVue: US-based leader in video interview AI and behavioral assessment for recruitment. Closely comparable to Stern Tech's Alex product in target market (HR/recruiters) and core functionality (AI-driven video interview analysis), though at significantly larger scale and with broader geographic footprint.
• Harver (formerly Pymetrics): Pre-hire behavioral assessment and talent matching platform used by enterprise HR teams. Direct competitor to Alex in AI-driven candidate assessment, with comparable structured evaluation and bias-mitigation narratives.

Broad incumbents

• Tobii: Established eye-tracking and behavioral research technology vendor serving research, healthcare, and automotive. Adjacent to Stern Tech's behavioral AI portfolio with broader scale and validated research-grade instrumentation.
• Eightfold AI: Enterprise talent intelligence platform using AI for recruitment, retention, and skill matching. Comparable HR buyer (talent/CHRO) and analytics narrative, though broader in scope than Alex's behavioral interview focus.
• Qualtrics (behavioral analytics): Enterprise experience management platform with research and market insights modules. Comparable buyer to Pegasus's market research use cases but at significantly larger scale and with broader product portfolio.
• Microsoft Viva / Glint: Microsoft's employee experience and people analytics platform, integrated with Microsoft 365 and Azure EU infrastructure. Relevant as both an indirect competitor to Alex in HR analytics and a distribution channel given Stern Tech's Microsoft 365 App Certification.

Emerging players

• Affectiva (Smart Eye Group): Pioneer in emotion AI / facial expression analysis, now part of Smart Eye. Shares Stern Tech's behavioral AI heritage and multimodal video analysis approach, though focused on automotive in-cabin and media analytics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stern-tech-sas
• Instagraminstagram.com/sterntech_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stern Tech