Logo HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

Ranked among Europe’s Top 10 start-up hubs (Financial Times, 2026), the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) empowers founders and innovators tackling today’s major economic, scientific, and societal challenges.

The Institute brings together entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, corporates, mentors, students and faculty in one of Europe’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems. Its mission: turn ideas into impact, accelerate science-based innovation from lab to market, and support founders driving technological and societal transformation.

Because entrepreneurship is never one-size-fits-all, the Institute offers tailored pathways adapted to each project’s stage, ambition and industry. In 2024, it supported 599 ventures. Over the past five years, startups from the HEC ecosystem have raised €16.5 billion, including €1.9B last year. With a global network of 1,000+ experts and mentors, it delivers high-caliber guidance through its three centers of expertise: : Incubation & Acceleration, Deep Tech and Social Entrepreneurship.

HEC alumni have founded 16 unicorns worldwide, 14 still active today, a strong marker of the Institute’s lasting impact on European innovation. Entrepreneurship is both a personal journey and a force for change. Its mantra, "Make it happen, Make it BIG", aligns with HEC Paris's mission in order to support entrepreneurs determined to build high-impact solutions.

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Last Articles

Erin Bobicki

She Moved From the Stability of Science to the Uncertainty of Leadership

After two decades in science, Erin Bobicki co-founded a climate-tech company and stepped into the CEO role, shaking her confidence before she figured out how to bridge scientific thinking and the realities of running a company. 

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

Inside the Room: How Mentors Think, Challenge, and Decide

Behind the tough feedback, how group mentoring helps deep tech founders see their blind spots, become coachable and cut to key priorities. 

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute
deeptech sovereignty

What Is Deep Tech and Why Is It Key to Europe's Future?

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

From Innovation to Market: What You Shouldn't Overlook

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute

How Structured Mentorship Helps Deep Tech Startups Scale

Great mentorship helps deep tech founders focus, de-risk, and build the clarity needed to scale breakthrough science into viable companies.

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Innovation & Entrepreneurship

What really prevents deep tech breakthroughs from becoming scalable companies?

Turning discovery into a market-ready company is not only a question of science or funding. It takes business knowledge, the right people, and an ecosystem that connects them. 

HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute
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