Entrepreneurship at École Polytechnique: a range of initiatives to nurture the stars of tomorrow

In 2025, École Polytechnique’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the X-Novation Center, celebrated its tenth anniversary. According to Marc Gillmann, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at École Polytechnique, it has already gone through ʽseveral phases marked by the consolidation of support mechanisms. In 2019, the arrival of several School departments and businesses led to a doubling of its floor space, bringing it to nearly 5,000 m².ʼ Over the years, the X-Novation Center has become an iconic and essential space, as research and innovation have always been part of École Polytechnique’s DNA. ʽPhD students and students from all backgrounds were working on innovations in their research laboratories without any support. The desire to lead projects and to be entrepreneurial already existed. All that was missing was an infrastructure to bring it to life,ʼ explains Philippe Hazet, head of École Polytechnique’s incubator, X-UP. The X-Novation Center was established in 2015 thanks to the patronage of Patrick Drahi, an alumnus (X1983), and the support of the École Polytechnique Foundation. It was built on the École Polytechnique campus, at the heart of the world-class innovation hub of Paris-Saclay. 

ʽThe X-novation Center is a place in a state of constant transformation,ʼ says Marc Gillmann

In addition to the X-UP incubator and the X-FAB prototyping space, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is home to several innovation-related entities, whether affiliated with the École Polytechnique or the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. The School’s commercialisation department has recently moved to premises adjacent to the corporate relations department and the subsidiary Polytechnique Solution, to form a cohesive unit. The presence of École Polytechnique’s Student Space Centre, three interdisciplinary centre from IP Paris (Energy for Climate, Engineering for Health and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Defence and Security Studies), and the innovation laboratory all provide valuable resources for projects incubated at X-UP.

The incubator’s support programmes are now brought together under a single brand, X-UP. ʽOur aim was to provide continuity in our support, taking projects from the initial idea through to implementation and on to acceleration to sustain their growth,ʼ explains Philippe Hazet. From this, three complementary programmes were launched at the end of 2023: X-UP Create (an initial incubation programme for launch), X-UP Scale (a bespoke acceleration programme for more mature start-ups) and X-UP Access (accommodation and immersion in the École Polytechnique environment). ʽX-UP Scale was the missing link in our support. This acceleration programme allows us to continue supporting start-ups that have completed their incubation but wish to continue benefiting from the incubator’s support for specific needs. It is also offered to external, growing start-ups, whether or not they choose to set up in the business incubator.ʼ

Alongside this enhanced support, the focus has been narrowed to four key areas: greentech (green technologies), healthtech (healthcare innovations), edtech (educational technologies) and industries of the future, including dual-use projects (with both civilian and military applications). ʽThese are our preferred areas,ʼ emphasises Marc Gillmann. ʽIf an entrepreneur approaches us with a solid deep-tech project (outside these areas) and we are able to add value, they will be very welcome.ʼ

Training in entrepreneurship

The X-Novation Centre and its X-UP incubator serve as a resource centre for students at École Polytechnique and the IP Paris schools.

Several schemes are available to students wishing to train in entrepreneurship. ʽFrom the second year of the École Polytechnique engineering programme, the collective scientific project gives students the opportunity to think through a complex project. X-FAB, the École Polytechnique’s prototyping centre, supports some of these projects,ʼ explains Marc Gillmann. In addition, students can undertake an entrepreneurship certificate programme with Bruno Martinaud, Academic Head of Entrepreneurship. Polytechnique has also been partnering with HEC for several years to deliver a joint Master of Science programme: X-HEC Entrepreneurs. 

As Polytechnique has evolved, further links between education and innovation have emerged: collaborations with the students’ start-up association; opportunities for Polytechnique students to undertake work placements with start-ups at the X-Novation Center; the provision of paid student services for these start-ups; the monthly Start-up Xperiences event, launched in 2025, where successful Polytechnique entrepreneurs speak to an audience of around 80 people (students and start-ups from the X ecosystem)…

ʽAt the start of the academic year, we will be trialling a short experiential module introducing students to project management. Finally, we aim to identify innovation projects at a very early stage so that we can advise the project leaders and support them through to their potential incubation at X-UP. The aim is for our initiatives to serve the academic and scientific excellence of our institution.ʼ

Bringing the worlds of research and entrepreneurship closer together

The X-Novation Center also serves as a resource centre for researchers. The School’s commercialisation department remains their primary point of contact. Its role is to ensure the protection of inventions and to identify the most appropriate route to commercialisation. This covers a wide range of possibilities, including research collaboration, the negotiation of exploitation licences, or the creation of spin-offs. Close links with the IP Paris innovation laboratory facilitate the provision of pre-commercialisation resources where appropriate. Incubation of the project at X-UP may be considered once the technology is sufficiently mature and provided that a team of co-founders is available to lead the project. 

ʽAs part of the performance-based contract currently being developed, we aim to standardise initial training for PhD students and new lecturer-researchers so that they are familiar with the procedures for commercialising research and know who to contact. Through ideation programmes and discussions with successful entrepreneurs, new opportunities will be able to emerge more easily. Bringing together different profiles is key to identifying future stars.ʼ

L’X: a key player in innovation in France and Europe

Voted best incubator by France Digitale in 2024, X-UP has established itself as a leading incubator in the deep tech sector. According to Philippe Hazet, ʽtaking into account the incubation and acceleration programmes as well as the business incubator, around sixty start-ups will be supported this year, compared to around thirty in 2021. Clearly, a significant acceleration is underway.ʼ There are many reasons for this appeal: the reputation of École Polytechnique, of course; the multidisciplinary nature of the support team, comprising engineers, entrepreneurs, experts in charge of the prototyping space, and so on; the variety of support offered, including workshops on legal matters (such as intellectual property law), finance (covering fundraising, amongst other topics), and communication; the École Polytechnique’s network of alumni and investors; the new interest-free loan scheme, which provides up to €60,000 in initial funding; the school’s ecosystem, comprising 23 research laboratories, interdisciplinary centres and the Saclay campus; and, coming soon, experienced entrepreneurs in residence at the X-Novation Center.  

ʽWe now have the luxury of being able to choose the projects we support. We are keen to maintain our reputation for excellence. Anyone can apply to join one of our programmes, whether they are a graduate of École Polytechnique or not. We do not look at qualifications, but at the strength and relevance of the project. Our selection process is based on four criteria: entrepreneurial drive and/or the strength of the team; the technical skills required to develop the innovation; the existence of a market and the viability of the project’s business model; and compatibility with the incubator. The entrepreneur must demonstrate agility and be receptive to feedback in order to develop their start-up. Furthermore, we do not accept projects to which we cannot add value, such as those specialising, for example, in the future of work or the creative arts.ʼ

This commitment has borne fruit in the form of numerous success stories. One such example is Néolithe, a green tech start-up incubated at École Polytechnique in 2019 and founded by Nicolas Cruaud (École Polytechnique class of 2016), William Cruaud and Clément Bénassy, whose aim is to reduce the carbon footprint of waste treatment. Long before raising €10 million in funding, this project had been recognised with the Gerondeau-Safran Prize and the Pivin Competition. On the European stage, Amphitrite, co-founded by Alexandre Stegner (a professor at École Polytechnique and a researcher in physical oceanography for over 20 years at the CNRS), is the first start-up to have participated in the Stage Two competition on behalf of École Polytechnique, where European universities and schools send their best start-ups. The company specialises in producing reliable and accurate ocean data using artificial intelligence to track ocean currents and thus help guide ships. ʽAmphitrite was incubated in 2021. It is an innovation that originated directly from an École Polytechnique research laboratory, with dual applications in both the civilian and military sectors. We helped its founders move from the initial idea to the creation of a tangible product, providing legal and financial support and assisting with its first rounds of fundraising,ʼ explains Philippe Hazet. Three other entrepreneurial projects supported by École Polytechnique have also stood out by featuring in Challenges magazine’s ‘Top 100 Start-ups to Invest In in 2026’: Radiant (decarbonisation of industrial heat), winner of the 2025 Stage Two competition, Peekcell (early detection of female cancers via a simple, non-invasive urine test) and Lprint (a new method for manufacturing printed circuit boards).

Answering challenges facing society

This positive trajectory is reinforced by the flexibility of the X-UP programme. ʽFrom one cohort to the next, we refine the programme, retaining only those elements that add value and save entrepreneurs time,ʼ says Philippe Hazet. 

Nevertheless, challenges remain. Gender diversity is a key concern for École Polytechnique across all its activities. ʽIt lends substance to projects and contributes to both the execution capacity and the resilience of founding teams. We attach great importance to gender diversity, which is a societal issue,ʼ says Marc Gillmann. In the latest cohort of incubated start-ups, nearly one in two founding teams includes at least one woman.

Innovation must therefore serve society. ʽWe are committed to supporting projects that make sense from a social and societal perspective. Health is one of the French people’s primary concerns. Sustainable development is a key issue for the future, as is education. At École Polytechnique, we are proud to contribute to serving the public interest. Innovation must help us all build a desirable future together,ʼ concludes Philippe Hazet.