JETRO teams up with STATION F & HEC Paris to launch program for Japanese Startups

Since our launch, STATION F has always had an incredibly strong international community on campus. With over 65 different nationalities represented, we’ve designed our programs to meet the needs of startups worldwide. We have made deliberate decisions - from communicating in English to launching a flexible co-living offer - in order to create a welcoming environment for global founders. And we have seen a strong international interest from the start with over ⅓ of our community coming from outside of France. 

We are committed to building bridges across global ecosystems - which is why we are thrilled to announce a new International Program on campus for Japanese startups with JETRO. JETRO is a government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. Originally established in 1958 to promote Japanese exports abroad, JETRO's core focus in the 21st century has shifted toward promoting foreign direct investment into Japan and helping Japanese startups and SMEs to maximize their global export potential.

4-months immersive program for Japanese companies expanding into Europe

Participating Japanese companies will be able to leverage STATION F and HEC Paris ecosystems for the duration of the 4-month program in order to access the European market. The partnership will offer Japanese companies the resources they need to scale in Europe, including access to investors, business mentors, and industry experts through matchmaking and workshops. The program also includes business workshops hosted by HEC Paris. Among JETRO's extensive community, featuring over 2,000 startups, 10 innovative companies have been selected to participate in the program. 

Growing International Programs on Campus 

This is the 3rd dedicated International Program STATION F has hosted in the last 12 months. In February, we launched a 1-year Program with South Korea’s KOSME. The South Korean cohort has been a vibrant addition to our campus - and South Korea figures in the top 5 best-represented countries on campus. These partnerships not only support international companies but allow our local ecosystem to build stronger international ties needed for the development of our companies. Prior to the program with South Korea, we had hosted a short-term program with another Japanese organization. 

STATION F has seen a growing interest for international collaboration and this is one of the best ways for international ecosystems to support their own scale-ups. Both short-term and long-term formats are available. 

Japanese entrepreneurs during the short-term “visitor” program for Japan in late 2023, hosted by STATION F & HEC Paris. Photo credit: HEC Paris

Building strong ties with Japan and beyond

Japan’s ecosystem has long been recognized as a technological leader on a global level. JETRO’s arrival marks yet another step in STATION F’s ongoing mission to connect global entrepreneurs and foster innovation across borders. We are excited to host the selected teams and hope to support additional international ecosystems as well. 

"Japan is a recognized global leader in tech innovation. Through our program with JETRO we are thrilled to be able to host Japanese companies, and hope that this will lead to more collaboration between our markets", Roxanne Varza, Director of STATION F

“At HEC Paris 50% of our students are international as well as 33% of the startups we support. We strongly believe that innovation can happen when entrepreneurs cultivate their international mindset and seek for diversity. With this new International Program with Jetro we are committed to offer unique opportunities for Japanese startups in France, in Europe and beyond. Our goal is that Japanese entrepreneurs meet startups, experts and business partners from all over the world and create long lasting ties with them”, Antoine Lepretre, Director of HEC Paris Incubation and Acceleration Center at HEC Paris

“We are thrilled to announce that 10 Japanese startups are now at the heart of the French ecosystem, bolstered by the robust support of HEC and Station F. JETRO will continuously endeavor to foster business opportunities between key players in the Japanese and French ecosystems”, Naoki Inoue, Innovation Director at JETRO Paris

To learn more about our International Programs, please reach out to press@stationf.co