French universities are fast becoming a hunting ground for investors hungry to unravel the source of the next AI revolution.
But if investors are expecting their next billionaire founder to be the archetypal nerd writing code, they will likely be surprised to find a multilingual, sporty Parisian undergrad with a penchant for the arts pitching their multibillion-dollar idea instead.
Speaking to Fortune, Harry Nelis, a partner at venture capital firm Accel, said the link between European universities and startups is unique to the AI wave, owing to a focus on deep tech and foundation models.
France is the best-capitalized market in Europe for AI startups, according to Dealroom, acquiring $2.3 billion in funding and outpacing the U.K. and Germany in the process.
One of the main sources of that wave is École Polytechnique, a STEM-focused university in the south Parisian suburb of Palaiseau.
The 230-year-old École is where 57% of France’s AI startup founders went to university, according to research from Dealroom analyzed by Accel.
Arthur Mensch, the 31-year-old cofounder and CEO of the buzzy $6 billion French startup Mistral, is an alumnus. Before the latest tech wave, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault obtained his degree in engineering from École Polytechnique. It also lays claim to countless French CEOs and recognized names in the field of STEM.
Given its high-profile grads, it’s unsurprising to hear that an education at École Polytechnique isn’t a typical college experience. The university, founded in 1794 during the French Revolution and later co-opted for the Napoleonic Wars, still embodies a militaristic spirit.
Students at the university receive compulsory military training, something that is unique among France’s Grand Écoles.
However, it’s just one of an array of extracurriculars that tech buffs at one of Paris’s top science universities must master before they build the next billion-dollar AI venture, with a significant focus on the humanities.
Dominique Rossin, provost at École Polytechnique, says that while his students will focus on STEM courses, there is also a strong emphasis on foreign languages, sports, humanities, social sciences, arts, and literature.
“AI is now instilling every discipline the same way mathematics did years ago,” Rossin said.
“We really push our students out of their comfort zone and encourage them to try new subjects and discover new areas in science.”
Tech bosses agree that people using AI will be first in line for jobs in tomorrow’s labor market. Skills that can delve into the technical side, like coding and machine learning, will be a priority.
But speaking to Fortune in December, Matt Candy, IBM Consulting’s global managing partner in generative AI, said there will also be space for people who can work with AI to enhance their non-tech roles and those who can train AI to think more like humans.
“Questioning, creativity skills, and innovation are going to be hugely important because I think AI’s going to free up more capacity for creative thought processes,” Candy said.
“The speed at which people will be able to come up with an idea, to test the idea, to make something, it’s going to be so accelerated. You don’t need to have a degree in computer science to do that.”
For École Polytechnique’s students, it’s no coincidence that their well-rounded education, which focuses on refining their tech skills through a holistic lens, leaves them well-placed to handle every aspect of starting and growing a tech business, which relies on diplomacy as much as a good idea.
“We aim at instilling students with strong values and communication skills in interpersonal relations and management, which are essential to the success of their future career,” Rossin says.
“We hope for this background to help our students make the right observations, but also think and act intelligently in regard to the transitions that are vital to the sustainability of our world.”
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