Station F

Coordinates: 48°50′02″N 2°22′17″E / 48.8339°N 2.3713°E / 48.8339; 2.3713
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Station F
Formation2017
PurposeBusiness incubator
Location
  • 5, parvis Alan-Turing, Paris, France
Key people
Xavier Niel, Roxanne Varza
Websitewww.stationf.co
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Station F is a business incubator for startups, located in 13th arrondissement of Paris,[8] near Bibliothèque nationale de France–Site François Mitterrand.[9] It is noted as the world's largest startup facility.[10][11]

Situated in a former rail freight depot previously known as la Halle Freyssinet [fr] (thereof the "F" in Station F), the 34,000 m2 (370,000 sq ft)[12] facility was formally opened by President Emmanuel Macron[13] in June 2017 and provides office accommodation for up to 1,000 start-up and early stage businesses as well as for corporate partners such as Facebook, Microsoft and Naver.[14]

In the first five years of its existence, it supported more than 5,000 French startups with 92,4% still in operation. Hugging Face was its first unicorn company.[15] It is estimated that during these first five years, its companies raised more than 8 billion euros and directly created 47,200 jobs.[16]

Building facilities[edit]

Station F occupies a building designed by French engineer Eugène Freyssinet. First opened in 1929, the former rail depot has been extensively remodeled by architects Wilmotte and Associates to meet the needs of small start-up companies.[17][18]

As well as 3,000 desk spaces and private meeting facilities, the incubator also hosts a 370-seat auditorium and dining facilities open to the public.[19] Facebook's own Startup Garage in the building will host up to 15 companies on a six monthly cycle and represents the company's first physical space dedicated to startups.[20]

The campus also houses La Felicità, the largest restaurant in Europe, with 4,500 square meters (48,000 sq ft) from the Big Mamma restaurant group.[21] This giant food court comprises five different Italian eateries.[22]

Partnerships[edit]

Through various partnerships, Station F has also accepted foreign startups, for example Swedish[23][24] and Korean.[25]

Station F has a number of corporate partnerships for start up programs geared for entrepreneurs. Partners include Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Zendesk.[26]

As of August 2020, the following partners were hosting startups programs within Station F:[27]

Station F awards[edit]

Station F

Station F awards different prizes each year to the startups on its campus :

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ghosh, Shona (29 March 2017). "A French billionaire is turning this huge, abandoned railway building into the world's biggest startup campus". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ "The ex-train station turned world's largest tech incubator". BBC News. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  3. ^ Fagot, Vincent; Cassini, Sandrine (28 June 2017). "La Station F, " le plus grand campus de start-up au monde ", ouvre ses portes à Paris". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. ^ Fagot, Vincent (27 June 2019). "La Station F inaugure son complexe immobilier". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Le campus start-ups Station F inauguré ce soir par Emmanuel Macron". Le Monde Informatique (in French). 29 June 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  6. ^ Griswold, Alison (3 July 2019). "Paris is pitching itself as the next-best thing for tech startups". Quartz (publication). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Station F provides Paris with global start-up platform". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. ^ Wright, Emily (3 July 2017). "Station F: the world's largest startup campus opens in Paris". The Spaces. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Station F". Paris je t'aime - Tourist office. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  10. ^ Medeiros, João (29 June 2017). "Station F, the world's largest startup campus opens in Paris". Wired. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  11. ^ Knowles, Kitty (2 May 2018). "Station F Is The World's Biggest Startup Incubator". Forbes. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Station F: World's largest startup incubator opens in Paris". France 24. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  13. ^ Alderman, Liz (23 May 2018). "Macron Vowed to Make France a 'Start-Up Nation.' Is It Getting There?". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  14. ^ Agnew, Harriet (20 August 2017). "Technology: Macron thinks big in his vision for French unicorns". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  15. ^ F, Station (8 October 2023). "Newsroom". stationf. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Station F: 5 years of existence". France Alumni by République française. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  17. ^ Wright, Emily (3 July 2017). "Station F: the world's largest startup campus opens in Paris". The Spaces. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Station F by Wilmotte & Associés SAS". Architizer. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  19. ^ "France's Big Pivot". Forbes. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  20. ^ Burgess, Matt (1 February 2017). "More than 100 entrepreneurs sign up to help Facebook and Station F find the best startups". Wired. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  21. ^ "La Felicità, the biggest restaurant in Europe, is opening its doors in Paris". Vogue France. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  22. ^ "This is why Parisians are swapping haute cuisine for €5 pizzas". 22 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Fem svenska start-ups utvalda för att accelerera på den franska marknaden inom precisionshälsa". IT Hälsa (in Swedish). 9 November 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  24. ^ Otmani, Malin (26 November 2021). "Six Swedish start-ups selected to accelerate in the French market". Nordic Life Science. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  25. ^ "The HEC Incubator will host korean startups at Station F". HEC Paris. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  26. ^ "STATION F". STATION F. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  27. ^ "STATION F". STATION F. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  28. ^ "STATION F". STATION F. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  29. ^ "STATION F". STATION F. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  30. ^ Mawad, Marie (19 November 2020). "What Station F's future unicorns say about Europe". Sifted. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

48°50′02″N 2°22′17″E / 48.8339°N 2.3713°E / 48.8339; 2.3713