HEC Paris Leads as Top Business School in Bpifrance Deeptech 2025 University Ranking
HEC Paris has achieved a significant milestone by being officially recognized by Bpifrance and Dealroom in the ‘Observatoire Deeptech 2025 University Ranking’ as the leading business school in France and the 4th-ranked university overall for its contribution to the Deep Tech ecosystem. This second edition of the ranking covers 97 French institutions and highlights the most dynamic Deep Tech entrepreneurial ecosystems.
HEC Paris x Deep Tech Entrepreneurship: Setting a New Standard
The 4th position secured by HEC Paris is particularly noteworthy as HEC Paris appears as a stand-alone institution, further highlighting the strength of its entrepreneurial ecosystem. This contrasts with the top three positions: Paris-Saclay University, IP Paris, and PSL University, which represent consortia involving multiple universities and schools (up to 10).
The ranking, based on HEC Alumni who founded Deep Tech startups, reflects the profound impact of the HEC Paris ecosystem. Key figures* underscore this success:
- 326 Deep Tech startups created by HEC Alumni
- €443m raised in total funds in 2025 (source)
- €11.8 billion in combined enterprise value (source)
- 8,256 jobs created (source)
*Data dating from December 8, 2025
The entrepreneurial dynamic covers a wide range of sectors, including Biotech, Medtech, e-Health, Agritech, Energy & Greentech, Digital Tech (AI, quantum computing), etc.
Alumni ventures have also achieved remarkable valuation, including:
- Loft Orbital (€313M raised, Co-founder HEC MBA 1993)
- Accenta (€114M raised, CEO HEC 1997)
- Gorgias (€92.2M raised, CEO HEC 2015)
HEC Paris, a fertile ground for entrepreneurship in deep tech
Deep Tech has long been part of HEC Paris DNA, and has been soaring with the launch of the HEC Paris Deep Tech Center a few years ago, which is part of the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute.
So far, both the HEC Paris Deep Tech Center and the Incubateur HEC Paris have supported 285 Deep Tech startups, that fall under the definition of a ‘Deep Tech company’ by the Bpifrance Observatoire Deeptech, namely ‘startups characterized by their scientific foundation, protected and difficult-to-copy technological innovations, unique competitive advantage, and a long, capital-intensive go-to-market process’.
These 285 Deep Tech startups are accountable for:
- 5,515 jobs created
- 154 startups raised funds
- €1.24 billion raised
- 17 industrial sites launched
- €8.1 million raised per startup on average
- 2.4 years average time to first fundraising
Beyond the Deep Tech Center, 25 % of students at HEC Paris have a background in engineering, and the school offers a Master of Science Data Science & AI For Business X-HEC in partnership with Ecole Polytechnique. HEC Paris MBA students can also directly work with Deep Tech entrepreneurs through the Creative Destruction Lab - Paris Certificate, a seed-stage program with a proven track record for vaulting science- and technology-based startups to commercial success.
In terms of research, HEC Paris launched earlier this year the ION Management Science Lab, a pioneering academic research lab dedicated to exploring the multifaceted role of mentorship across various sectors. Running for 10 years, the lab will study the impact of mentorship within startups, mid-sized firms, large enterprises, universities, and NGOs.
To conduct this research, HEC Paris is transforming its entrepreneurial programs into real-world laboratories for academic insight. Through the Creative Destruction Lab – Paris, Professors Thomas Astebro and Carlos Serrano, co-directors of the ION Management Science Lab, have been closely observing mentor–startup interactions to better understand what drives effective mentoring in deep tech ventures. By turning CDL sessions into analyzable data, HEC Paris produces evidence-based knowledge that directly strengthens both its support programs and the broader deep tech ecosystem.
Behind the Observatoire Deeptech 2025 University Ranking
The Observatoire Deeptech ranking methodology, refined to capture the pace of this fast-growing ecosystem, is based on five dimensions:
- The number of deeptech startups founded by alumni (40% weighted average),
- The total volume of capital raised to date (20%),
- Combined enterprise value (20%),
- Funding/support activity since 2024 (10%),
- Capital raised since 2024 (10%).
This recognition as the premier stand-alone business school confirms the quality of HEC Paris’s commitment to fostering scientific and technological innovation.