FRENCH MIN. OF EXT TRADE OLIVIER BECHT VISITED STATION TO ENHANCE EXPORT

USPA NEWS - This is the first time that the Minister of Foreign Trade, Olivier Becht, has visited STATION F, the largest digital campus in the world, located in Paris 13th. Station F, the largest incubator in the world, was inaugurated on May 11, 2017 (official inauguration 1 month later), by President Hollande and Xavier Niel, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Free who financed this gigantic incubator at €M250 …alongside her owner Xavier Niel. This young French entrepreneur had also founded the school 42 of numerical code, accessible to all, inclusive and free which allows young people of all social origins, to high-level training, "school 42, is a training of excellence in computer science that allows you to flourish. This is why we wanted access to 42 to be as open as possible, removing the barriers that are traditionally associated with large schools. At 42, studies are free, without examination of file, without preparatory course, without diploma required and without upper age limit.

STATION F WAS INTITIATED BY XAVIER NIEL AND FORMER PRES. HOLLANDE IN 2013 At the origin of the project, born in 2013, to transform this former station into an ambitious French mega incubator in the heart of Paris, by the former President François Hollande, Anne Hidalgo and Xavier Niel. April 22, 2014. President Macron, a fervent defender of the digital world, he who was one of the pioneers of the "French Tech" movement in 2016 when he was Minister of Economy and Finance. Indeed, Emmanuel Macron had presented his future program of President of the Republic to French entrepreneurs on July 2, 2017 on the occasion of yet another inauguration of Station F, just before his election. Almost a year ago, he returned on October 9, 2018, to Station F, to meet the French Tech start-ups with whom he is so familiar. He then revealed the four challenges they wish to meet to achieve his goal during his five-year term.

"Whether it's the creation of start-ups, or fundraising, in amount as in number, we are at figures that are between 40 and 60% in increase. So one year, there is progress great things that have been done. There is a dynamic, it's yours."
"We are raising more and more tickets in France. The ecosystem is growing and not migrating".
the four objectives set by President Macron were:
1- Scale up: "The first challenge is to scale up and accelerate take-off, 'scale-up' as we say in good French",
2- Help The Talents: "There has never been a start-up that worked, that became a large group, a unicorn or that failed to bounce back, without talent"
3- Simplify the rules: "The third challenge for me is that we invent an ecosystem whose values and operating methods are a little different"
4- Europe: "My last conviction is that all of this will also be achieved with, in and through Europe"
proclaimed President Macron on October 10, 2018, during his second visit to Station F

QUESTION USPA : Mr Minister, we have just completed a 1h30 tour (of the CREATE part) of Station F, the largest digital campus in the world, of Mr Xavier Niel, what was your impression and especially the role of export in the field of start-ups?

ANSWER MINISTER O. BECHT : We are frankly lucky to have this extraordinary ecosystem of more than 20,000 start-ups in France and Station F, here embodies this ecosystem with more than 1,000 start-ups, which are incubated here. The idea (of my visit here) is to focus on international start-ups. Many of them do it naturally and know that to grow you have to go international, to succeed and conquer new markets, while others are more cautious about going international.

Because when you are a young start-up, you assess the risks with finances that are readable or less extensible, so you wonder if you have to go international.
The reason for my coming here is to tell start-ups that if they choose to go international, we have the systems to support them, such as Business Farce, which accompanies the international adventure from a human point of view. helps to detect international markets, which can open doors, and prospect. There is also the BPI (Public Investment Bank) which can mainly finance prospecting insurance, and export guarantees to open up internationally. I could have added the chambers of commerce abroad and also the foreign trade advisers, who make up the whole "Team France Export" team, with the regions that are available to start-ups. This Team is not only intended for large companies and SMEs but also for small start-ups. We need it and it is also the KEY to success for startups deploying internationally. That's what I told them since this morning, (during this visit) "have the World as your horizon"

QUESTION USPA : The campus is multicultural international with the whole world coming here, which would be more of an import of intelligence, here frankly and you, Minister, your role is to make the digital economy weigh more in the trade balance of a pint d export view?

ANSWER MINISTER O. BECHT : What we want is for all sectors to develop internationally. We have great champions that we know like AIRBUS, luxury and in particular cosmetics with pharmaceuticals, the brains of maritime transport which are a bit like the flagships of Francis international trade. Besides, we have a lot of mPEs, not enough yet, including many export tours and we are now looking to take start-ups to work in the context of new and technologies. We have a plan called France 2030, which aims to set up gray subsidies with €54 billion to support research, development and innovation in the sectors of AI, quantum biotechnology, renewable energies, which are a few non-exhaustive examples. and our goal is that these new companies such as start-ups can develop here in this large incubator, which will be the future large companies of tomorrow and that they can immediately go international by giving them guidance.

PRESIDENT MACRON IS NICKNAMED THE LEADER OF START UP NATION
In early January 2016, Emmanuel Macron, then Minister of the Economy and not yet a candidate for the presidential election, traveled to Las Vegas in the United States for an evening promoting "French Tech", where he had met personalities and managers of French start-ups. Later, this even earned him the nickname "President of start-up nation".

OLIVIER BECHT STUDIED AT SCIENCES PO & ENA BEFORE BECOMING HIGH PUBLIC SERVANT & MINISTER Olivier Becht, is the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of Foreign Trade, Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Abroad, since July 22, 2022 (soon term of President Macron). He is a former student of ENA, Ecole National Administration (Most prestigious School of High Public Servants, 2002) and joined the administrative judiciary. He is a lecturer in law, geopolitics and public finance at the University of Haute Alsace, September 2008. Olivier Becht had the following functions prior to his post as minister.

Mayor of Rixheim (Haut-Rhin) until 2017.
• Deputy Chairman of Mulhouse Alsace agglomeration
• Departmental Councilor then Vice-President of the Haut Rhin Departmental Council
• Member of Parliament for the 5th district of Haut Rhin (2017), member of the office of the National Defense and Armed Forces Commission.
• Chairman of the Culture, Science, Education and Media Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (January 2020).
• Creates the Agir ensemble parliamentary group at the National Assembly, of which he becomes president (2020).
• Re-elected MP in 2022
• Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, in charge of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad (since July 2022)
• At the same time municipal councilor of Rixheim and community councilor of Mulhouse Alsace agglomeration.

ABOUT STATION F FOUNDED BY XAVIER NIEL IN 2017 IN PARIS 13th
Featuring resources both on-campus and online - including a huge investor community, more than 150+ perks and offers, 35 public services, 600+ events and workshops per year - STATION F offers everything entrepreneurs need to launch and grow their businesses.
Among them, 45% of the start uppers are female, 1/3 are international from all over the wold, and 30 are fighters. The Fighters Program was designed for entrepreneurs from underprivileged backgrounds who encounter difficulties in entrepreneurship or do not have access to all the resources they need. Selected projects are supported free of charge for one year. The program currently hosts just over 30 teams. There is also a « Female Founders Fellowship », which is a program designed to accelerate the success of female entrepreneurs. Each year, we select about fifteen high-potential founders to participate in a six-month program. The objective: to bring out the models of tomorrow.