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Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

French Tech Champions: HEC Paris Startups Leading the FT Next40/120 in 2024

The French Tech Next40/120 laureates were announced during world’s biggest tech event VivaTech! In this 5th edition, HEC Paris stands out as the top business school for producing promising startups, with 25 startups founded or co-founded by HEC Alumni. Congratulations to all 120 startups for shaping the future of France and Berlin with a special mention for our HEC Paris entrepreneurs, whose startups benefitted from our powerful ecosystem. 

NEXT40/FT120 2024 hec

21% of startups of the French Tech Next40/120 startups (co-)founded by HEC Alumni

Quick refresher: The French Tech Next40/120 is a program launched by the French Tech Mission that supports the 120 top-performing French scale-ups with the potential to become international leaders. This year, the selection process has evolved to better reflect the growing maturity of the tech ecosystem, adapt to new funding trends, and strengthen environmental and social commitments. 

Among the 120 startups selected, 25 were founded or co-founded by HEC Alumni, making HEC Paris stand as the top business school for producing startups in the FT Next40/120! 

Among the newcomers: Flowdesk, Foodles, Greenly, La Fourche, Lifen, Madbox, Mooncard, Seyna, Umiami, Volta Medical, Worldia. These startups join Agriconomie, Descartes Underwriting, Le Collectionist, Libon, Medadom*, Ornikar, Ÿnsect, Zeplug, who were already part of the FT120/NEXT40 last year. Among the NEXT40, unicorns Ankorstore, Doctolib, Mirakl, Qonto and Younited are once again featured in the Next40. 

Finally, kudos to Pennylane for joining Next40 for the very first time! 

We are proud of each startup’s journey and their 31 founders, which include 31  HEC Alumni and  entrepreneurs  from our Incubator program. Our Alumni and participants leveraged the power of our HEC Paris ecosystem, built to make startups thrive.

 

A dynamic ecosystem creating French Tech Champions

When joining HEC Paris, entrepreneurs step into a powerful ecosystem made of our 80,000-strong international HEC Alumni network, including numerous successful entrepreneurs, HEC Paris professors who empower entrepreneurs and innovators through research, over 1,000 experts and mentors who support every step of the entrepreneurial journey.

To address any Tech sectors, and startups’ needs, we also partner with world-class academic institutions in France and internationally, to run specific programs, such as Creative Destruction Lab - Paris dedicated to DeepTech entrepreneurs. On the corporate front, we collaborate with numerous companies, enabling us to deliver unique programs in BeautyTech, AI, CleanTech, Agritech, etc. such as L’Oréal Beauty Tech, Meta, Total Energy On, HECTAR, both KISED and KOSME programs run with the Korean government… 

All these stakeholders create the ideal space for startups to grow, to become part of the startups shaping the French economy and society, and to impact the world positively.

 

The impact of HEC Paris’ startups in France and beyond 

At HEC Paris, we impact business and society through research, education, and action, to contribute to a more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable world. This is exactly what the 25 startups founded by a member of our community and featured in the FT Next40/120 are doing, and will keep on doing with the support of the FT Next40/120 program.

Collectively, these 25 startups founded or co-founded by HEC Alumni have created over 10,000 highly skilled jobs, accounting for a quarter of the total jobs created by the FT Next40/120 startups, making a significant contribution to the economy.

Additionally, these startups have achieved a market capitalization value between $23 and $25 billion. This impressive figure reflects the strength of their business models and strategic growth plans.

“We are excited about the opportunities it brings to accelerate our growth and expand our international reach. At Umiami, we are dedicated to revolutionizing the food industry with our innovative plant-based products. [...] Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of food technology and contribute to a more sustainable future.🌍💚” - Umiami

 

Enhanced commitments for the 2024 cohort 

For its 5th edition, the French Tech has evolved the selection criteria for the French Tech Next 40/120. The selection of startups for the program is based on objective criteria that assess their growth potential, either through evaluating customer confidence (revenue growth) or investor confidence (fundraising). This latter measure is particularly important for DeepTech startups, which require significant funding for their breakthrough innovations and industrial deployment before starting their commercialization phase.

Beyond economic performance criteria, companies applying for the French Tech Next40/120 were, for the first time, required to commit to ecological transition and gender parity. These commitments pave the way for a more virtuous and equitable ecosystem, aligning with HEC Paris' dedication to responsible entrepreneurship at every level. “We will continue to transform our incredibly diverse, inclusive, and dedicated community into a strong and sustainable ecosystem, capable of supporting responsible entrepreneurs who can ‘make it happen, and make it big’.” - Inge Kerkloh-Devif, Senior Executive Director of the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute.

Find out more about the French Tech Next40/120

*Medadom participated in the Incubateur HEC Paris program