From HEC to Silicon Valley: A Launchpad to the World’s Top Startup Accelerator
HEC Paris is proud to be ranked #1 among French higher education institutions for the number of alumni accepted into Y Combinator, the world’s most prestigious startup accelerator.
A recent study conducted by Erwan Gardelle (Entourage) and Crustdata (YC F24) reveals that 46 HEC Paris entrepreneurs have been accepted into Y Combinator over the past two decades — a remarkable achievement that reflects the quality, creativity, and ambition of our entrepreneurial community.
Among these founders, 11 are graduates of the X-HEC Entrepreneurs program, a distinctive joint initiative combining the strengths of engineering and business education to empower the next generation of innovators.
With an acceptance rate below 1%, Y Combinator is known for launching global tech leaders such as Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, and Reddit. For founders, being part of Y Combinator means joining a dynamic global network, gaining access to capital, and accelerating growth with the support of world-class mentors.
This recognition comes on the heels of another milestone: the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute was recently ranked #4 out of 150 centers in the Financial Times 2025 ranking of Europe’s Leading Startup Hubs.
Read the full article (in French) on Maddyness