Drahi X-Novation Center

The Drahi X-Novation Center is the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at École Polytechnique, a major French public institution. Created in 2015, it supports the full cycle of innovation by educating students, assisting researchers in business creation, and incubating early-stage technology startups. The center runs several programs, including the X-UP incubator, which supports startups for a period of 8-10 months. In exchange for its support, the center takes a minority equity stake (typically 5%) in the startups participating in its X-UP program. Its preferred investment sectors include GreenTech, HealthTech, and Future Industries (such as Mobility, AI, and Defense).