2025 marks a year of consolidation and acceleration for innovation and entrepreneurship at HEC Paris. One year after the creation of our three centers, the Institute has strengthened its role as a strategic platform connecting research, education, corporate transformation, and venture creation.
Across our ecosystem, we have supported hundreds of startups, mobilized a global network of experts, and expanded our international footprint. This report highlights how we turn knowledge into action, ideas into ventures, and ambition into measurable impact, in France and around the world.
2025 Key figures
652
652
startups and companies supported
37,5 %
37,5 %
female co-founders
€2.3B
€2.3B
raised by HEC Paris startups
1000+
1000+
experts and mentors
55
55
exits
38,000
38,000
jobs cumulatively created by startups that fundraised in 2025
One ecosystem
and 3 centers
Entrepreneurship is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Projects differ in ambition, maturity, technology, impact, and founder profile… and each requires a tailored set of resources, skills, and support.
That is why the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute is structured around three complementary centers, designed to respond to the diversity of entrepreneurial paths and to support founders at every stage of development.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute
Ranked as the leading French institution and among the top 10 of Europe’s Top Entrepreneurial Hubs by the Financial Times, we empower changemakers from all backgrounds to amplify their impact on business, society, and the environment, transforming bold ideas into action and innovation into lasting, meaningful solutions.
Empowering entrepreneurs to build the future. At the heart of Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, and beyond, we accelerate founders, transforming bold ideas into thriving ventures.
Bridging Science & Technology with Business & Strategy. Recognized as the #1 business school in France for deep tech entrepreneurship (Bpifrance 2025), we help science-based companies and innovations with their business challenges, and we help spread scientific knowledge among non-technical populations.
Empowering inclusive entrepreneurship and driving social impact at scale. We design impact-driven programs that leverage the excellence of HEC Paris to reveal potential and expand access to opportunity.
2025 Highlights: 2,596 women trained • 926 women certified • 56 social structures supported • 7 programs
Expanding Horizons : Connecting Global Co-Innovation Ecosystems
In 2025, the Institute and its programs strengthened their international footprint — welcoming high-potential startups to Europe while supporting French ventures in their global expansion. By building bridges across ecosystems, we amplified our impact beyond borders and reinforced our role as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Belgium
• Pitch Day with startups and HEC Alumni
Canada (Toronto)
• Creative Destruction Lab Super Session
• HEC Paris Executive MBA Specialization, Making AI Real
France
Germany
• Slush’d Heilbronn Event
• CDL Next Generation Computing stream in Berlin and Heilbronn
India
• Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit / IndiAI Program
Ivory Coast
• HEC Paris Challenge + Abidjan
• CDC-CI Capital Program
Italy
• ION Management Science Lab
• Collaboration with CDL Global on the CDL‑Milan partnership
Japan
• JETRO Program
Portugal
• Startup Guide Sumit
Qatar
• HEC Paris Qatar 15 year anniversary
Saudi Arabia
• NDLIP Program
Senegal
• HEC Paris Challenge + Dakar
South Korea
• KOSME program
United Kingdom
• Grand Pitch Night HEC Paris Launchpad
• Incubateur HEC Paris LEX
• Demo Day SISTA
• Collaboration with CDL Global on the CDL‑London partnership
United States
• Creative Destruction Lab Carbon Removal Stream
• X-HEC Entrepreneurs Learning Expeditions
• HEC Paris EMBA Specialization, Innovate Like An Entrepreneur
54%
of our startups are international
15+
countries visited in 2025
6
unicorns founded by HEC Alumni with HQs outside France
Corporate Accelerator Programs by HEC Paris
Accelerating innovation across companies and ecosystems.
The Incubation & Acceleration Center partners with corporations, governments, and institutions to design high-impact acceleration programs.Through tailored corporate initiatives, we help organizations collaborate with high-potential startups to address strategic, technological, and sustainability challenges.Internationally, we strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems by supporting startup creation, growth, and long-term economic impact — from Station F to global markets.
Beauty Tech Atelier
L’Oréal
corporate accelerator
No items found.
ANZ - L’Oréal
L’Oréal
corporate accelerator
No items found.
AI Startup Accelerator
Meta x SNCF Connect & Tech x Hugging Face
corporate accelerator
No items found.
TotalEnergiesOn
TotalEnergies
corporate accelerator
No items found.
Women Entrepreneurs for Good
WE4G
corporate accelerator
No items found.
50 sprints by Akwa
AKWA
corporate accelerator
No items found.
Urban Odyssey Startup Studio by Icade
Icade
corporate accelerator
No items found.
Afriquia 50 Sprints
Afriquia SMDC
corporate accelerator
No items found.
French Women Entrepreneurs 40
FWE40
corporate accelerator
No items found.
Korea SMEs and Startups Agency
KOSME
international programs
No items found.
Japan External Trade Organization
JETRO
international programs
No items found.
India AI Startups Global
international programs
No items found.
National Industrial Development and Logistics Program
With 30+ events each month and a strong presence at major international gatherings, we connect an entire ecosystem, generating support and resources through community-driven, event-centered opportunities.
From matchmaking and networking to knowledge-sharing and pitching.
BUILDING A UNICORN IN SPORTS
CHANGE NOW
WOmen's forum
CDL - Carbon Removal Stream
HEC Challenge + 35 years
INDIA AI
VIVATECH
CDL - Paris 5 years
Startup guide
OECD
Slush'D Heilbronn
HEC Talks x Doctolib
Cartier
X-HEC Entrepreneurs Dinner
Bpifrance i-PhD / i-Lab / i-Nov
A Recognized Ecosystem
For over a decade, rankings and indexes have shaped the landscape of entrepreneurship and innovation. While their criteria evolve yearly, they remain a key barometer of market trends. At the same time, for startups, making the list is a huge milestone—a sign of growth and impact. In 2024, we tracked how these rankings recognized our startups, showcasing their influence on the ecosystem.
RANKING
Classification / % Startups Listed
LinkedIn Top Startups
6 of the 20
HEC Paris affiliated startups
17
Startups from the HEC Paris
28
Startups founded or co-founded by HEC Alumni
25
Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2025
4th
Unicorns Worldwide
16
Business school in France
1st
French Unicorns
23 %
Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2026
8th
They support us
We don’t build an ecosystem alone—it thrives on collaboration. With the support of our partners, we continue to expand our impact and drive meaningful change.
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