To usher in this new era, EuraTechnologies hosted its Founder 2 Founder event today, giving Emmanuel Durand the opportunity to present his vision. “This is an event designed to showcase the value of the northern French ecosystem. More broadly, it’s an opportunity to ask whether tech entrepreneurship is doomed to be confined to Paris, London, and Berlin. I wanted to bring my perspective to challenge the assumption that everything must happen in a major capital. Right now, there’s a redefinition of how companies grow that is reshuffling the deck. In this context, I believe the North of France—and Lille in particular—has a very unique set of strengths,” explains the incubator’s new CEO.
Lille at the heart of a “new Palo Alto”
Indeed, Durand believes Lille benefits from an ideal geographic location. The city sits at the center of a triangle dubbed the “new Palo Alto” (a reference to the California city considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley), linking Paris, London, and Amsterdam. “And guess who’s right in the middle…,” he says with a smile.
Lille stands alongside around fifteen other cities that fuel the tech ecosystem within this triangle, including Cambridge, Oxford, Eindhoven, Brussels, Antwerp, and Rotterdam. This “new Palo Alto” is home to 7 of the 10 most highly valued tech startups in Europe and 7 of the continent’s leading venture capital funds. In other words, Lille is at the heart of a region with immense potential in the European tech landscape—one where the northern metropolis hopes to act as a key catalyst.
Launch of a premium acceleration program
With this in mind, Emmanuel Durand today announced the launch of “The Square,” a new acceleration program designed to support high-potential startups at a European scale. “The only criterion is the founder’s ability to become a champion in their sector and redefine its standards. It’s a highly ambitious, tailor-made program for each participant. There is no minimum number of selected startups—the quality of the projects will determine the number,” he explains. Applications are open until the end of June, with a jury set to select the successful candidates in early July.
The first cohort will begin in September for a six-month program. During this period, the goal will be to support selected startups through strategic introductions, mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, and immersions in leading international ecosystems. “We want to give these founders a competitive edge, particularly in their ability to raise funds and address markets,” says the new Chairman of EuraTechnologies’ executive board.
“We want to introduce the level of selectivity that is characteristic of Californian incubators,” he adds, referencing Y Combinator, the San Francisco-based startup powerhouse behind companies such as Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Coinbase, and Twitch. To bring this vision to life, “The Square” has brought together a wide range of partners (startups, large corporations, investors, academic institutions), including Bpifrance, ElevenLabs, Pasqal, Anthropic, Centrale Lille, 404 Ventures, Finovam, and Business France.
“Rekindling the sparks of the early days”
While this new program is the headline initiative, EuraTechnologies also aims to strengthen its international reach. To that end, the incubator will host a major European AI Summit on June 12, bringing together leading global figures from across the AI revolution (international executives, researchers, policymakers), as well as members of civil society (employees, healthcare workers, teachers, entrepreneurs). The summit, which aims to build on the Paris AI Action Summit held in February 2025, will take place just three days before the G7 summit in Évian (June 15–17, 2026).
On June 13 and 14, EuraTechnologies will also host a hackathon with Swedish rising star Lovable, with the goal of producing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in just 48 hours.
With all these highlights, the Lille-based incubator hopes to return to the spotlight for the right reasons. Emmanuel Durand is keen to reconnect with the roots that built the organization’s reputation. “What I’m seeing is a certain nostalgia for EuraTechnologies’ original DNA. Those who have been through it want to rediscover the spark of the early days,” observes the former head of Snapchat France, who also previously worked at Hollywood giant Warner Bros. “My main challenge will be to bring stability and a clear framework. At the heart of it all is supporting startups—we want to be the partner of the very best founders,” he concludes.
An American-style ambition for the flagship tech hub of northern France.
