Station F: 5 years of existence and 5,000 start-ups supported

“Transform our country, shake it up, change it”. These words came from French president Macron during his 2017 speech in Paris to young entrepreneurs attending the inauguration of Station F, a giant campus/incubator dedicated to start-ups and innovation. And the message was well received: today Station F celebrates five years of existence, and the time has come for a look back. And over this period, more than 5,000 start-ups benefitted from a follow-up, 92% of them are still operating, and over 40,000 jobs were created!
The incubator was designed in 2017 by Xavier Niel, a French businessman, in the Halle Freyssinet, in Paris. And it turned into the largest in Europe. This “open space” was designed as a place to seek information and support, and to act as a permanent bridge between start-ups and about 30 administration entities. Today, Station F has fulfilled its promises: it is now part of the French ecosystem to become a critical point of contact for entrepreneurship.

THE EARLY PROJECT
 

The French ministry of economy, one of the main partners and facilitators of the project, explains that the project focuses on four aspects:

• To be a place of passage, where get information and meet people for all French start-ups, in French regions and in the Île-de-France region, but also for start-ups established abroad and temporarily in Paris;
• To build an English-speaking hub of information and reception for Tech foreign talents: start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors, and more.
• To guarantee the presence of about 30 public services onsite, whether permanently or part-time.
• To act as a bridge between start-ups and French scientific talents of universities and research labs.
   

TRUE PROGRESS
 

Now that it is time for a look back, figures are eloquent and show true progress. Over five years, Station F promoters may boast several achievements:

• 5,015 start-ups supported over 5 years, of which 92.4% are still in operation;
• 27,200 entrepreneurs stayed onsite;
• 8 billion euros raised by young companies;
• 47,200 jobs created over five years;
  Most represented industries include: productiveness (12%), greentech
• (9.4%) and e-business (7.9%);
• 57% of founders had already created their first company;
• In average, business creators are 35 years old, and 1% of them are women.
   

AND TOMORROW?
 

“Bring the power to the next generation of entrepreneurs”. This this the goal of Station F while preparing for tomorrow. In an interview given to celebrate the five years of existence of the incubator, Roxanne Varza, one of its founders, wants to “continue to grow and broaden the scope of a still under-estimated environment that managed to provide inspiration and play its cards right on the international scene”. France has always been “an attractive country for historical and cultural reasons”, and it has now proved that it can also be attractive for business. Today, creation of new companies has reached “all-time high, and the talent trend has been reversed with more talent in-bound rather than outbound”.

To know more: 

- Station F website

- Interview of Roxanne Varza for the 5 years of Station F (in English)

- Inauguration of Station F in 2017 by French president Macron

Photo credit:  © Station F – Patrick Tourneboeuf