AgroParisTech, CentraleSupélec, EDHEC, emlyon business school, ESCP, ESSEC Business School, Institut Mines-Télécom, and Institut Polytechnique de Paris today signed a strategic partnership with Bpifrance, aimed at raising awareness of Deeptech opportunities among their students and alumni, streamlining support for projects originating from these ecosystems, and fostering the collective momentum of the plan.
Paul-François FOURNIER, Executive Director of Innovation at Bpifrance, states: "Today, the French deeptech ecosystem is solidly structured. To reach a new milestone, we must broaden our entrepreneurial base and attract even more talent to ambitious technological projects. Thanks to entrepreneurial programs, networking tools, University Innovation Hubs, and now with the commitment of leading schools, Deeptech is becoming a more understandable and accessible world for a new generation of founders."
A robust ecosystem... to be strengthened by opening up to all talents
In 2024, 385 deeptech startups were created, confirming a continuous growth trajectory. While researchers remain a historical source of emergence, the ecosystem is seeing a new generation of entrepreneurs gain momentum, often graduates of leading schools and with initial professional experience.
One figure illustrates this transformation: 78 of the top 100 most valued French deeptech startups were co-founded by a graduate of a leading school.
The eight signatory leading engineering and management schools alone account for over 770 deeptech startups created, including 45 among the top 100 most valued, €16 billion raised, and over 32,000 jobs created, highlighting the impact of this development.
In parallel, the ecosystem of University Innovation Hubs (PUI), also managed by Bpifrance, is now structured and operational across the entire territory. This initiative aims to leverage research results by facilitating the creation of startups originating from academic laboratories.
This partnership between Bpifrance and the leading schools also aims to better connect these pools of entrepreneurial talent with technological opportunities arising from the PUIs, to foster the emergence of hybrid projects, combining scientific excellence and business capabilities.
A partnership to build a collective momentum
This tripartite partnership has four main objectives:
• Increase the visibility of Deeptech among students, alumni, and the incubation and innovation networks of the signatory schools.
• Streamline support for deeptech projects from their inception, through better sharing of expertise, tools, and resources.
• Implement structured portfolio monitoring for startups emerging from partner incubators, to facilitate their integration into Bpifrance's support and funding continuum: access to expertise, networking, and investment.
• Bring together a collective of committed schools, which will meet regularly with Bpifrance to evolve the Deeptech Plan, propose innovative initiatives, and broaden access to technological entrepreneurship.
A strong signal to broaden the base of deeptech entrepreneurs
Through this partnership, Bpifrance aims to affirm that Deeptech is now open to all high-potential profiles, and that it relies not only on scientific excellence, but also on entrepreneurial commitment, diversity of backgrounds, and complementarities between disciplines.
This initiative is fully aligned with the 2025 priorities of the Deeptech Plan, which aim to:
• Attract more talent to breakthrough technologies,
• Make the ecosystem more transparent and accessible,
• Attract private funding to deeptech startups
• Bring together stakeholders to build sustainable momentum at national and European levels.
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