École Polytechnique Paris’ incubator launches a new X-UP offer to support deeptech entrepreneurship

On March 7, École Polytechnique’s incubator presented its new X-UP offer for deeptech start-ups. With a focus on responsible and future-friendly technologies, this new ambitious program will support entrepreneurs at every stage of their development through its enhanced, tailor-made program.

École Polytechnique’s incubator, the Drahi-X Novation Center, offers the excellence of the Institution to deeptech entrepreneurs. With more than 120 start-ups supported since its creation and a significant growth in 2023, the incubator is now presenting redefined services through a unique X-UP program with three distinct formulas, each meeting the specific needs of start-ups according to their level of maturity.

With this new programme, the X-UP incubator scaled up to support the entrepreneurs who are shaping the future. It will now be supporting 50 start-ups involved in responsible, future-friendly technologies: Greentech, HealthTech, Industries of the Future and EdTech.

X-UP Create offers an enhanced 10-month programme for start-ups in the launch phase, with an individualised support and themed workshops designed to help projects achieve initial commercial traction. The programme also provides access to the X-FAB prototyping space and its team of experts, as well as a medical bioengineering laboratory.

This intensive support programme, open to all innovation players, is based around three successive and decisive phases: structuring and making the entrepreneurial project viable, moving from a concept to a “Product Market Fit” and, finally, facilitating operational, human and financial development before the start-up is launched on the market.

X-UP Scale offers a new tailor-made programme for start-ups in the acceleration phase, whether they come from X-UP Create or other incubation programmes. Fully customised, X-UP Scale enables start-ups to work on their key growth levers (business development, recruitment, product development, fundraising, etc.) with the support of a back-up team comprising a start-up manager, an entrepreneur-in-residence and experts from the X-UP ecosystem. Possible access to private offices and the X-FAB prototyping space are also available.

X-UP Access is a new hosting and immersion programme for technology start-ups and SMEs, with a “à la carte” support from experts and possible access to the prototyping space.

Bruno Cattan, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at École Polytechnique.

“Since the incubator’s creation in 2015, we have supported more than 120 start-ups. To meet the needs of the talented entrepreneurs we welcome and support, we are upgrading our programme and our support capacity. This new offer will enable us to optimise and accelerate the development of tomorrow’s high-tech start-ups. And thanks to the IP3 University Innovation Cluster at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, of which L’X is a founding member, and the new Bourse French Tech Lab, we will also be stepping up our support for researchers with entrepreneurial projects and setting up a genuine innovation continuum.”

École Polytechnique, also known as L’X, is the leading French institution combining top-level research, academics, and innovation at the cutting-edge of science and technology. Its various undergraduate and graduate-level programs – Bachelor of Science, Ingénieur Polytechnicien (Master’s level program), Master’s, and PhD – are highly selective and promote a culture of excellence with a strong emphasis on science, anchored in humanist traditions.

As a widely internationalized university, École polytechnique offers a variety of international programs and attracts a growing number of foreign students and researchers from around the globe (currently 41% of students and 40% of faculty members). École polytechnique offers an exceptional education to prepare bright men and women to excel in top-level key positions and lead complex and innovative projects which meet the challenges of 21st century society, all while maintaining a keen sense of their civil and social responsibilities.

With its 23 laboratories, 22 of which are joint research units with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), École polytechnique Research Center explores the frontiers of interdisciplinary knowledge to provide major contributions to science, technology, and society. École polytechnique is a founding member of Institut Polytechnique de Paris.