EU&CULTURE IN A BUSINESS INCUBATOR

Only 17 successful applications for the Pépite Starter Programme

17 startups from the Ile-de-France region passed the interview to enter the Pépite Starter Programme, hosted by Station F, biggest european startup campus. The incubation is grounded on the cooperation of the Ile-de-France region, the innovative studio Schoolab and the startup campus Station F. It’s a sixth month programme dedicated to student-entrepreneurs: courses, conferences, workshops and learning expeditions to accelerate the project launching. From January to June 2018, 17 startup will be hosted by Station F.

Roxane Varza, CEO – Station F

The ambition at Station F is to improve access to entrepreneurship¹.

Since its 2017 opening, Station F’s motto “World’s biggest start-up campus” has been making a name for itself, in a surprising American way: 33 000 m² dedicated to co-working, early-stage and advanced start-ups, workshops, demo days, conferences.

What is Station F ?

The campus is divided into 3 distinct zones: Share, Create and Chill. ‘Create’ is dedicated to business incubators,  management and business school innovative programmes, and advanced stage startups renting a workspace. On June 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech for the opening of Station F. He reminded two major focuses of his policy: “Tech for Planet” and “Make our planet grat again”. Innovative technology-based startup are the new way to implement deep changes regarding French policy toward environement, business model, and economic development.

 
[…] The most radical innovation, basic research, applied research, all the projects you’re leading, technological research and entrepreneurial innovations, are a continuum: the one who will enable us to win the fight against global warming, to “Make our planet great again” and also to make […] of Europe the place where tomorrow’s world is decided 3 .
Emmanuel Macron, French President – Tech for Planet Speech
 

Since then, Station F perfectly embodies the ‘Startup Nation’ way of thinking, currently influencing the French startup ecosystem. Nevertheless, the French newspaper Le Monde reminds that only 10% to 20% of startups survive more than five years after their launching. There can be serious consequences for young entrepreneurs who are being seduced by this new model.

 

The overwhelming majority of startups survive no more than two years. (5)
 
Elise Barthet, journalist – Le Monde
 
(1) Duval, J-B. (2017) A quoi ressemble Station F, le « plus grand incubateur de start-up du monde » fondé par Xavier Niel. Huffpost, [en ligne]. (2) Discours du Président Emmanuel MACRON. Discours du Président de la République-Station F: Tech for Planet [en ligne]. Site officiel de l’Elysée, publié le 11 décembre 2017, consulté le 22 mars 2018. (3) Translation mine. […] “L’innovation la plus radicale, la recherche fondamentale, la recherche appliquée, tous les projets que vous menez, la recherche technologique et les innovations entrepreneuriales que vous conduisez, sont un continuum : celui qui nous permettra de gagner cette bataille contre le réchauffement climatique, celui qui nous permettra de « Make our planet great again » mais celui qui nous permettra aussi de faire de la France et de l’Europe le lieu où l’on décide de ce monde de demain”. (4) BARTHET, Elise. Les arrière-cuisines de la “Start Up Nation” [en ligne]. Le Monde Economie, publié le 21 février 2018, consulté le 22 mars 2018.  (5) Translation mine.