# Paul Le Floch

> Paul Le Floch is the French scientist and co-founder and CEO of Axoft, a Cambridge, Massachusetts company developing soft electronic materials and interfaces. Trained at ESPCI Paris, MINES ParisTech, and Harvard, he helped turn research in Jia Liu’s laboratory into a business founded in 2021. His work now spans the Fleuron materials portfolio, company financing, manufacturing, and research partnerships.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-Founder at Axoft
- **Organizations:** Axoft, Harvard University
- **Nationality:** French
- **Education:** Master of Science, Applied Physics & Chemistry, ESPCI Paris, Master of Science & Executive Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, MINES ParisTech, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Axoft in 2021., Materials Research Society Graduate Student Gold Award, 2021., Forbes 30 Under 30, Science, 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2016** — Completed French master’s degrees and began doctoral research at Harvard, initially in Zhigang Suo’s laboratory.
- **—** — Moved to Jia Liu’s laboratory as its first graduate student; the alumni profile does not date the move.
- **2021** — Defended his doctorate in June and co-founded Axoft with Jia Liu and Tianyang Ye; raised nearly $1 million in pre-seed funding while finishing the degree.
- **2021** — Received the Materials Research Society Graduate Student Gold Award.
- **2022** — Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Science list.
- **2025** — Axoft commercialized Fleuron, secured a Stanford license, and opened a Grenoble subsidiary.
- **2026** — Axoft announced a $55 million Series A and expanded its Fleuron portfolio with WISE.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Axoft in 2021.
- Materials Research Society Graduate Student Gold Award, 2021.
- Forbes 30 Under 30, Science, 2022.
- Raised nearly $1 million in pre-seed financing while completing his doctorate.
- Co-led Axoft as it announced a $55 million Series A in April 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Appeared on The Business of Neurotech, discussing the realities of fundraising, materials sales, and pitching a long-term vision as a scientist-founder.
- **2026-08** — Axoft introduced Fleuron WISE, developed with the Shroff Lab at Janelia Research Campus for aqueous imaging.
- **2026-06** — Joined Oliver Armitage on The Lantern for an interview about Axoft’s next stage.
- **2026-04** — Axoft announced a $55 million Series A led by C.P. Group Innovation, including plans for manufacturing expansion.

## Links

- Website: https://axoft.us/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/plefloch

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/paul-le-floch
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11