Deeptech entrepreneurship involves creating innovative companies based on the latest advances in scientific research. The goal of these startups is to develop disruptive innovations that address major contemporary challenges (energy transition, climate, sustainable development, health, education, mobility, digital technology, cybersecurity, agriculture, food, etc.).

To support the growth of these startups and the Deeptech ecosystem, support from scientists, multidisciplinary engineers, and business and finance professionals is essential. These professionals must be capable of organizing and leading the development of complex technologies and the design of innovative new products.

The Specialized Master’s program is led by the Institute of Advanced Studies for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IHEIE) at Mines Paris – PSL, a platform for research, education, and projects dedicated to innovation and impact-driven entrepreneurship.

Learn more about the IHEIE

Program Highlights

• Deeptech Specialization
• Placement at a Mines Paris – PSL research center,
• Close collaboration with a network of partners in the Deeptech startup ecosystem.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this program will be able to contribute their expertise in all sectors where innovation and entrepreneurship play a central role: startups, industrial groups, mid-sized companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), public and quasi-public employers, engineering firms, consulting firms, incubators, accelerators, and investment funds.

Faculty

• Faculty members from PSL University + professionals with expertise in entrepreneurship and innovation financing

Academic Director

• Wim VAN WASSENHOVE

Degree

• Specialized Master’s Degree from MINES Paris – PSL, accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles.

Teaching Approach

• Work-study program
• Balance between theory and practice (lectures, tutorials, case studies, seminars, field trips, coaching, professional thesis)

Duration and Schedule

• 12-month program
• 450 hours of instruction
• 5 days per month (1 week per month)

Program Location

• Mines Paris – PSL Campus, Paris
• 60 Boulevard Saint-Michel, Paris 6th arrondissement

Program Cost

• Tuition: 19,000 €
• Registration fee: 800 €

58

graduates

37.1 %

of women

For 240 years, Mines Paris–PSL has been training engineers and generating the knowledge essential to helping companies meet the challenges of their time, particularly those related to the ecological transition and digital transformation. Its programs, deeply rooted in research, are distinguished by their scientific and academic excellence and their active, practice-oriented teaching methods, closely aligned with the socio-economic world.

As a founding member of PSL University—ranked among the world’s best—Mines Paris-PSL is part of a particularly dynamic research and innovation ecosystem.

Learn more

Program Structure

Compatible with a professional career

The Specialized Master’s in Deep Tech Entrepreneurship & Innovation, a degree from Mines Paris-PSL, is accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles and registered with the RNCP (No. 38929).

The program consists of several modules, taught over 12 weeks throughout the year starting in mid-September, at a pace of one week of classes per month.

Students learn about the unique aspects of science-based entrepreneurship: methods for launching deep-tech startups, technology validation, project development, and initial growth.
The program includes an in-depth immersion in the ecosystem: lab visits and meetings with incubators, accelerators, investors, and researchers in Paris and Sophia-Antipolis. These interactions help build a strong professional network.

Innovation Strategy

• Strategic Technology Management, to understand how to position and develop an innovative business
• Innovation Financing, with a focus on venture capital and startup financing mechanisms
• Design Theory (C-K), to structure creative exploration and disruptive innovation
• Foresight, enabling the anticipation of future transformations through scenarios and systems analysis

Entrepreneurship Tools

• Financial Management (P&L, Cash Flow, Performance Analysis)
• Startup Management (HR, Legal Matters, Business Lawyers)
• Business Plan: From Strategy to Financial Structure
• Innovation Marketing, with a Focus on Identifying Early Adopters in Deep Tech

Tools for Deep Tech

• Applied AI, from data management to no-code application development
• The industrialization of technologies, including project management, risk management, and scaling up
• Intellectual property and commercialization, essential for protecting and developing scientific innovations

Professional Experience

• Projects focused on commercializing technologies developed in the Mines Paris–PSL laboratories
• Individual support from a coach to define your career path
• A professional assignment at a deep tech startup, leading to a professional thesis

Admission

Prerequisites

• Holders (or final-year students) of a bac+5 degree (exceptions may be made for holders of a bac+4 degree who can demonstrate 3 years of professional experience).
• Sufficient proficiency in the French language.

Schedule

• Application period: from October 1 to June 30 (subject to availability).

Application Package

• Application Form
• Resume (2 pages max)
• 1 cover letter (2 pages max)
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Copy of diploma or academic transcript confirming a BAC + 5 level of education
• Copy of passport (photo page + signature)
• For applicants who graduated within the last two years: transcripts from the last 2 years

The application package should be sent by email with the subject line “MS EDI Application – Last Name First Name” to the following address:

olivia.sorrente@minesparis.psl.eu

Selection Process

1. Application Review: relevance of the applicant’s background,
2. Interview with a panel consisting of faculty members, startup founders, and key players in the startup ecosystem.

Available Funding Options

• Apprenticeship or vocational training contract
• Self-funding (with completion of a paid internship under an agreement for a maximum of 6 months in total)
• Full or partial funding from your employer
• Scholarship available for PhD graduates with a project proposal

Learn more

The Specialized Master’s Program bearing the

Specialized Master’s Quality Label

The Specialized Master’s Program bears the Specialized Master’s Quality Label®, a collective trademark registered and protected by the INPI and owned by the Conférence des grandes écoles. This label is awarded to a 12-month program leading to an institutional degree at the post-master’s level (Bac+6).

Learn more