Incubateur HEC

Incubateur HEC
Name	Incubateur HEC
Type	Business incubator
Established	2007
Location	Jouy-en-Josas, Paris metropolitan area
Affiliation	HEC Paris

Incubateur HEC is a startup incubator affiliated with HEC Paris that supports early-stage ventures emerging from students, alumni, and researchers linked to HEC Paris, Université Paris-Saclay, and the wider Île-de-France entrepreneurial ecosystem. The incubator operates within the innovation ecosystem that includes institutions such as Station F, Polytechnique, INSEAD, ESSEC Business School, Sorbonne University, and industry partners like Bpifrance, BNP Paribas, TotalEnergies, and Orange S.A..

History

Founded in 2007 amid a wave of European accelerator creation influenced by models from Y Combinator, Techstars, Seedcamp, and 500 Startups, the incubator grew alongside hubs including La French Tech, Station F, NUMA, and Le Cargo. Early collaborations linked HEC Paris with national initiatives like Investissement d’Avenir and regional programs led by Région Île-de-France and Paris Région Entreprises, echoing partnerships seen between Imperial College London and Entrepreneur First or Cambridge Enterprise. Over time the incubator engaged alumni networks comparable to Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology founders, attracted mentors from firms such as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Accenture, and board members from LVMH, Danone, Dassault Systèmes, and Schneider Electric.

Mission and Objectives

The incubator's mission aligns with strategic goals of HEC Paris, Collège des Hautes Études, and regional innovation agendas to accelerate venture creation, scale entrepreneurship, and foster cross-disciplinary commercialization similar to objectives articulated by Harvard Business School, Wharton School, Sloan School of Management, and Kellogg School of Management. Objectives include validating business models through ties with Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, and SAP, securing intellectual property alongside universities like École Polytechnique, protecting technology through filings with offices such as the European Patent Office and networking with investors from Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, Index Ventures, and SoftBank.

Programs and Services

Programming mirrors offerings at Startupbootcamp and Creative Destruction Lab with services including mentorship drawn from executives at AXA, Société Générale, Capgemini, and AXA Investment Managers, access to coworking spaces as at Le Cargo and La Défense, legal clinics provided by firms like Gide Loyrette Nouel and Baker McKenzie, and workshops modeled on curricula from Coursera, edX, and Stanford d.school. Services extend to fundraising support connecting startups to networks such as European Investment Fund, Business Angels France, AngelList, and Crunchbase-linked investors, technical support via partnerships with IBM Watson, NVIDIA, Oracle, and cloud credits from Google Cloud Platform and Azure.

Selection and Admission

Selection processes resemble competitive intakes used by Y Combinator, Techstars, and Startup Studio programs, with panels including representatives from HEC Paris, INSEAD, ESSEC Business School, École Normale Supérieure, and corporate partners like Airbus, Thales Group, Renault, and Peugeot. Admission criteria emphasize team composition with founders from alumni pools similar to HEC Alumni, academic collaborators from CEA, CNRS, INSERM, and technology readiness comparable to startups backed by Balderton Capital and Eurofund. Evaluation rounds include pitch days akin to Demo Day events at Station F and inward due diligence with law firms and investors such as KPMG, PwC, EY, and Deloitte.

Notable Startups and Alumni

Alumni and portfolio companies reflect sectors spanning fintech, deeptech, healthtech, and sustainability with startup trajectories comparable to Doctolib, BlaBlaCar, Deezer, Veepee, and Ledger. Notable ventures include companies that partnered with corporates such as Carrefour, Decathlon, Hermès, and Saint-Gobain, and attracted capital from funds like Partech Ventures, Alven Capital, Bpifrance Large Venture, and Founders Fund. Alumni founders have gone on to participate in international programs at MassChallenge, Tech EU, Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and acceleration exchanges with Silicon Valley Bank networks.

Partnerships and Funding

The incubator maintains strategic partnerships with academic institutions such as Université PSL, Paris-Saclay University, École Polytechnique, and Sciences Po, and with public funders including Bpifrance and European Commission programs like Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. Corporate partnerships include L'Oréal, Saint-Gobain, Veolia, and EDF providing pilots and procurement opportunities, while investment relationships extend to venture capital firms such as General Catalyst, Northzone, Atomico, and family offices associated with Bertrand Puech-type networks and angel syndicates like France Angels.

Facilities and Campus Integration

Located within proximity to the HEC campus in Jouy-en-Josas and integrated with campus resources similar to university-linked incubators at Oxford University and Cambridge University, facilities include coworking areas, prototyping labs comparable to Fab Labs, conference rooms hosting events akin to TEDxHEC and European Innovation Summit, and access to research infrastructure linked to CEA and CNRS laboratories. The incubator coordinates with campus career services, alumni offices like HEC Alumni Association, entrepreneurship chairs resembling the Joffre Foundation or Kauffman Foundation collaborations, and hosts visiting entrepreneurs from ecosystems such as Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, Shenzhen, and Berlin.

Category:Business incubators in France Category:HEC Paris