Make it big, Make it vivat'HEC!
We’re talking about VivaTech, but that’s not all! A quick look at the needs of our Indian startups, and a spotlight on the arrival of the Japanese startups joining us through the JETRO program.
Next week, Paris becomes the global capital of tech as VivaTech 2025 kicks off!
And it couldn’t be better timed: Paris was just ranked the #4 global startup ecosystem — ahead of Austin, London, and LA. Once again, HEC Paris will be right at the heart of it all, with a lineup of speakers, workshops, pitches, demos, and roundtables. Everything’s set to showcase our startup ecosystem, at the world’s leading innovation event.
👉 See the full program here
And guess what? That’s not all. It’s also the perfect moment to look back on 2024 and unveil the latest Activity Report from the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute.
A great way to understand why HEC Paris plays such a key role in today’s entrepreneurial revolutions.
From on-the-ground action to long-term vision, the connection is clear: innovation is built, shared, and embodied, at VivaTech, and across all our programs. Here, we don’t just Make it Happen. We Make it BIG. 💥
In the entrepreneurial game, your mission is clear: Apply Now! 🔥
Applications are still open to join the Incubateur HEC Paris! 🚨
No cheat codes. Just 4 months of real, intense startup acceleration. To celebrate, we’re leaking a sneak peek of one of the exclusive missions waiting for you if you join us. Hurry up! Applications close on June 15. ⏳
HEC Paris is turning up the energy at VivaTech 2025 with a dynamic lineup!
Discover the full program.
L’Oréal x HEC Paris | June 11, 12, 13
How can startups and corporates build impactful collaborations?
How can early-stage ventures stay agile with corporate support?
Can AI from outside the beauty world reshape its future?
We invite you to explore these questions during three exclusive events, live from the L’Oréal booth at VivaTech.
👉 Don’t forget to book your spot!
HEC Paris Launchpad Pitch Contest | June 12
To celebrate 10 years of the HEC Paris Launchpad, we’re bringing 5 standout startups to VivaTech winners of our 2025 Grand Pitch Night in London and Demo Day.
👉 Don’t forget to book your spot!
Spotlight on African Innovation | June 12
This year marks the 35th anniversary of HEC Challenge+, one of our flagship programs accelerating high-impact ventures. Join us for a session bringing together entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners from the HEC Challenge+ Africa ecosystem.
👉 Book your spot now!
Pitch Contest INPI | June 12
In partnership with INPI, we have hand-picked a cohort of promising startups from its flagship programs, including the Incubateur HEC Paris, HEC Challenge+, and CDL-Paris. Each startup will have just a few minutes to showcase their vision!
👉 Book your spot now!
The Fabulous Journey of Next Generation Computing | June 13
Join us for an immersive workshop tracing how an AI prompt travels through cutting-edge systems—quantum, photonic, and neuromorphic computing—powered by breakthrough European startups.
👉 Book your spot now!
🇮🇳 Spotlight on IndiaAI startups
Over the next 4 months, these startups will scale their AI-powered solutions in Europe, supported by expert mentorship and strategic connections. Below, you’ll find a short summary of what they’re looking for. If you can help or know someone who can, feel free to reach out to them directly. Let’s turn visibility into real opportunities!
And don’t miss IndiaAI at VivaTech, located in Hall 1, Booth L50.
🔐 Privasapien
What they do: Building Responsible AI solutions with privacy engineering and privacy-enhancing technologies.
Business need: Aiming to connect with Innovation Officers, Privacy Partners, and Regulatory Experts.
👉 Website
🗣️ CoRover.ai
What they do: Conversational Gen AI platform delivering contextual, human-like responses powered by domain-specific data.
Business need: Looking for AI leads in government transport.
👉 Website
🤖 Staqu Technologies (Jarvis)
What they do: Advanced AI video analytics platform delivering real-time insights and actionable intelligence for law enforcement, businesses, and communities.
Business need: Looking to connect with direct clients — CIOs, CTOs, marketing, security, and supply chain heads, retail & manufacturing sector. Partnership: Consultants, partners (works in retail or security domain), resellers.
👉 Website
🌍 SatSure
What they do: A full-stack Earth Observation data company enabling decision intelligence across industries like agriculture, infrastructure, and finance.
Business need: Seeking connections with Heads of Innovation and CBOs in energy, utilities, forestry, and climate-tech to scale our geospatial intelligence platform
Recruitment need: Looking for data scientists and remote sensing experts.
👉 Website
🎬 Storyvord
What they do: AI co-producer platform that helps find crew, manage logistics, ensure compliance, and enhance creative flow for film production.
Business need: Contact with film production companies.
Funding need: Seeking to raise $500K from investors in the film and content production industry.
👉 Website
🧠 Smartail
What they do: An AI-powered edtech platform creating immersive, adaptive learning experiences and real-time assessments.
Business need: Looking for university partners to pilot their AI grading solution. Seeking K–12 school groups for Deepgrade deployments in Europe.
Funding need: Raising £1.5–3M from deeptech investors.
👉 Website
🚀 Secure Blink
What they do: AI-enabled platform for Web Application and API Security, empowering organizations with proactive “Security by Design.”
Business need: Looking to connect with CISOs and Security Heads in BFSI & SaaS.
Funding need: Raising €3M from global investors.
👉 Website
🧬 NeuroPixel.AI
What they do: Provides advanced Gen-AI tools for the fashion and apparel industry, leveraging state-of-the-art computer vision and deep generative models.
Business need: Looking to connect with early-stage fashion brands, fashion e-commerce, and production teams.
Funding need: Raising €2.5M
👉 Website
🗣️ Voicing AI
What they do: An enterprise-grade Agentic AI platform enabling voice-driven automation to enhance customer interactions and operational efficiency.
Business need: Looking for enterprise clients to co-develop and deploy pilot projects.
👉 Website
New incubees from Japan! 🇯🇵
We’re proud to welcome 9 Japanese startups for the new batch of the JETRO Program at our HEC Paris Incubation & Acceleration Center, in collaboration with STATION F. This international initiative with JETRO - Japan External Trade Organization aims to accelerate the global impact of Japanese innovation and strengthen the tech bridge between Japan and France.
Welcome to Aquila, CREATANT, CrowdChem, datagusto, EF Polymer Global, Innophys, LIPPER K.K., WOTA, zeteoh
Curious about the next wave of Japanese innovation?
Join us for a vibrant pitch night at Station F and discover these startups that represent the creativity, technological excellence, and sustainability vision coming from Japan.
👉 Register now to secure your seat!
€38M to fight one of retail’s silent threats: shoplifting. 🥷
Veesion, a startup that went through the HEC Paris Startup Launchpad and the Incubateur HEC Paris, just triggered our "fundraising gates". 🚨
Their tech? An AI system that detects shoplifting gestures in real time via video surveillance and instantly alerts store owners.
Already deployed in over 5,000 stores, the solution generates €11M in ARR and helps retailers save up to 10x its installation cost. This new funding will fuel their expansion in the U.S. and further innovation of their AI, designed to recognize and analyze suspicious in-store behavior.
🎯 The ambition: to equip 50,000 stores within 5 years and become the global leader in retail theft prevention.
Huge congrats to Thibault David, Benoît Koenig, Damien MENIGAUX
and the entire Veesion team!
Trawa Raises to Power Up Europe’s Energy Future
Big news from the TotalEnergies On program 🎉
We’re thrilled to share that Trawa has just raised a new round of funding to accelerate its mission: Turning energy into a strategic advantage for industrial and commercial businesses across Europe. Their AI-powered platform combines smart energy procurement, real-time management, and tailored solutions, giving companies back control over their energy strategy.
Congratulations to the entire team and founders Robert Quick, Max Lüddemann and David Budde for this major milestone 🙌
Join the next wave of energy innovators!
Applications are still open for the next cohort of the TotalEnergies On program
👉 Apply now before it’s too late!
Builder.ai: Make it big, or fake it better?
Once hailed as a $1.5B AI unicorn backed by Microsoft and the Qatar sovereign wealth fund, Builder.ai has just filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. The startup promised to revolutionize app development with AI — making it “as easy as ordering a pizza.”
But behind the scenes, things were very different.
An internal investigation revealed that Builder.ai had inflated its revenue by up to 300% using questionable accounting practices. This included fake client deals and circular transactions involving partners like VerSe Innovation. Even more shocking: their touted AI platform was largely powered by 700 human engineers based in India — not the cutting-edge automation they claimed.
In February 2025, founder Sachin Dev Duggal stepped down as CEO (while oddly keeping the title “Chief Wizard”), and more than 1,000 employees were laid off. U.S. authorities are now investigating the company for potential fraud.
But Builder.ai isn’t the only one to have “prompted” reality:
🧠 Nate (USA)
Albert Saniger, founder of shopping app Nate, was charged with deceiving investors by claiming his product relied on proprietary AI. In truth, manual labor was performing the supposedly automated tasks.
🎯 Joonko (USA)
Ilit Raz, founder of diversity-focused recruitment startup Joonko, was accused of defrauding investors of $27 million by faking client contracts and exaggerating the capabilities of her AI.
💻 YouPlus (USA)
Shaukat Shamim, founder of video analytics company YouPlus, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for misleading investors into believing his startup used advanced AI, while most of the work was done manually.
These cases are a stark reminder of the growing risks of AI-washing, where startups exaggerate their tech capabilities to attract investors. For founders, investors, and the broader startup ecosystem, it’s a call for greater transparency, due diligence, and realism in the age of generative AI hype.
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth
has a chance to get its pants on”
Winston Churchill
