OuiCrea: The France-China Program at STATION F

Every now and then I still come across the random person that seems to think that all tech and innovation comes from the US (uh, wrong). And while I love reminding everyone of the incredible companies coming out of Europe, it’s also difficult to ignore what’s going on in Asia — particularly in China.

The Chinese GAFA equivalent, or BATX (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi) had amassed a market capitalization of over $900 billion in the fall of last year. But even though it may seem like China is dominated by these 4 companies, Chinese startups continue to grow and develop at unbelievable speed. For example, according to Wired, of the 41 global technology companies that achieved unicorn status last year (I know, you probably think unicorn status is so overrated), 15 of them (36.5%) were from China.

So, how about Chinese startups at STATION F?

Now, we’ve mentioned before that at STATION F we feel particularly strongly about international startups. In fact, international is part of our DNA. We have international startups in every one of our 30 programs on campus — Fighters Program included. And while we received startup applications from over 50 different countries last year, China was one the top 3 countries that send us the most applications, just behind the US and the UK. Naturally, it was difficult not to jump on the opportunity to have a dedicated program, which is why we have teamed up with OuiCrea for our France-China program.

Shanghai, Suzhou, Paris.

OuiCrea is our partner running the France-China program at STATION F, with locations in Shanghai, Suzhou — and obviously Paris. The program is designed for Chinese startups interested in the French/European market and vice versa. The program provides tons of great support and resources for entering, navigating and developing in both markets. Startups have the option of choosing 6 months in France and then either renewing another 6 months in France or going to China.

Drones and such.

So what kinds of companies have already come out of the OuiCrea program?A handful of companies has already gone through the program including NextDream, who specializes in transmedia and digital entertainment, and Luoshu, a Chinese fintech company that set-up a subsidiary in France through the program. And then there is FlyInstinct, which develops software for piloting drones with precision into difficult-to-access areas.

Apply by WeChat, what else?

The OuiCrea team received roughly 2–3 applications per week or 100 applications in the last 6 months and continues to accept startups on a rolling basis. They work with a large variety of companies, pretty much anything in the digital space, as long as there is a connection to China. Companies interested in applying for the program can do so via WeChat (!) and then will go through application screening and an interview, either in person or on the phone. And OuiCrea will soon be part of the French Tech Ticket program, which should also facilitate the visa process for Chinese startups coming to France.

In the meantime, we’d like to wish everyone a very happy Chinese New Year and are looking forward to welcoming even more Chinese and international startups to STATION F.