Founded a 34,000 m2 startup accelerator in the heart of Paris! In 2017, while the French ecosystem is still in its infancy, the idea seems a bit crazy. But the bet made by Xavier Niel at the time paid off. Since its launch, the imposing building strewn in the heart of the 13th arrondissement has already hosted more than 5,000 startups, organized numerous events and received several European political leaders.
Over the years, the entity has also succeeded in weaving its web by integrating French Tech and certain public services into its premises and then by developing programs in partnership with large companies such as the “Environmental Start-up Accelerator” with Microsoft . Station F is also trying to tackle two pitfalls: the lack of diversity and the place given to women entrepreneurs and their projects in tech via the Tremplin and FemTech programs. If progress remains to be made in these two areas, Roxanne Varza nevertheless points out that 41.1% of startups that are hosted by the accelerator are founded by women.
In five years, the French startup ecosystem has changed a lot, as evidenced by the growing volume of fundraising and unicorns. But to become the European leader, France still has a lot to do, says the director of Station F.
