OpenAI Partners with Station F and Hexa to Shape Startups

OpenAI Integrates into the French Startup Ecosystem

OpenAI is strengthening its presence in France by multiplying partnerships with key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. By partnering with Station F and recently with Hexa, OpenAI is adopting a strategy aimed at getting involved from the earliest stages of startup creation. This approach is inspired by models already proven by cloud giants, seeking to establish long-term relationships with founders.

After an initial partnership with Station F, OpenAI has expanded its collaboration to the startup studio Hexa, an alliance that allows the company to intervene from the ideation phase of startups. This strategy aims to provide enhanced and structured support, enabling OpenAI to embed itself sustainably in the decision-making processes of young companies. The goal is to ensure that startups integrate AI from the outset, building AI-first businesses.

Intervention from the Ideation Phase

Laura Modiano, head of Startup activities for OpenAI in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, explains that the objective is to move from occasional interactions to a continuous relationship with founders. This continuity translates into regular exchanges, technical sessions, and the provision of credits for rapid testing. OpenAI is no longer just a tool provider but seeks to influence the structural choices of startups, focusing on identifying use cases, structuring workflows, user experience, and scalability.

A Role Beyond Just a Supplier

Modiano clarifies that the goal is not merely to integrate AI into a product but to build AI-centered companies from the start. This positioning is also explained by a shift in the timing of the relationship with founders. OpenAI intervenes at a moment when projects are still malleable, allowing it to indirectly influence how products will be designed.

A Transformation Dynamic at Station F

Roxanne Varza, director of Station F, emphasizes that OpenAI's arrival is part of a broader transformation dynamic around AI. Station F has always integrated numerous technology partners and continues to position itself as a convergence point. The role claimed by Station F remains that of a facilitator, helping startups grow and connect with the stakeholders they seek to reach.

AI accentuates certain trends, notably a preference for similar technological building blocks, widely adopted in dedicated programs. However, Roxanne Varza insists on the need to maintain a diversity of approaches, preserving a plurality of profiles, sectors, and technologies within the ecosystem.

Continuity with the Models of Cloud Giants

Alexis du Peloux, partner at XAnge, reminds us that OpenAI's partnerships are part of a well-known continuity, similar to that of cloud giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. These companies have long adopted strategies aimed at offering credits and technical support from the early stages of startups. Cyril Bertrand, also a partner at XAnge, emphasizes that technological dependence is not new to AI but is part of a longer trajectory.

In the cloud market, European players capture only about 15% of their own market in 2024, down from 29% in 2017, while Amazon, Microsoft, and Google concentrate nearly 70% of the shares. In this context, AI appears as a new layer on an existing dependence, rather than a break. Nevertheless, investors warn against a too deterministic reading. Saying that the AI match is lost makes no sense, argues Alexis du Peloux, reminding us that Europe already started with a structural delay.

AI: A New Layer on Existing Dependence

The challenge lies more in the ability to build alternatives over time. A gradual trajectory, which requires technological and industrial investments over several years, rather than an immediate shift. Investors emphasize that AI does not represent a break but rather a continuation of the existing technological dependence.