ParisOverall Score: 52.2 out of 100 | Overall Rank: 4 out of 55

Momentum Rank

11ParisTechnology55 City medianOverall Cityscore
8060
Markets
40
200Culture

TalentCapitalBasic Facts:• Population: 2.16 million people in Paris; 12.3
million in Paris Region (2021)• City of Paris Real Gross Domestic Product: $274.9
billion in Paris; $918.8 billion in Paris Region(2021)• Paris Region Top Sectors by Employment (2021):
1) Scientific and professional activities;
administrative & support services
2) Trade of automotive vehicles andmotorcycles
3) Public administration, education, health,and social action
Notable Strengths:
Renowned for its culture, Paris, and the surrounding Îlede-France region (i.e., the Paris region), boasts 69
Grandes Ecoles (elite schools, comparable to Ivy League
universities in the United States), including 36 engineeringschools. Many universities in the Paris Region arerecognized globally in rankings. Additionally, the region
contains several prestigious business and MBA programs,
including HEC Paris and INSEAD, which were voted thenumber 1 and number 3 European business schools in
2021 according to the Financial Times rankings. HECParis was also recognized by the Financial Times forhaving the best Executive MBA program and the secondbest graduate level management program. With top-tieruniversities and Europe’s largest concentration ofstudents, the Paris region is a breeding ground for talented
engineers, researchers, scientists, and other technical andscientific workers that can be critical for the success ofentrepreneurs.
While not specifically focused on women entrepreneurs,
the French government is committed to helping startups

Overall Rank4

Operating Environment

4Markets

6Size

14Cost35Access

5

Policy12Talent

2

Women's Skill & Experience

27

Access to Qualified Personnel

2

Capital7

Number/Value

10

Gender Proportion

19

Women's Capital Base

6

Enabling Environment

14

Culture10

Access to Mentors & Role Models

23

Attitudes & Expectations

7Policy

9Technology

23

Connected

20

Cost

27

Policy18

Equality

35

particularly in the technology space. In 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced a €2.5 billion plan to help
500 French deep tech startups, those researching and developing new technical solutions that are widely applicableto many areas, launch every year from 2025 onwards. 1 To the extent that the strong culture in the area of attitudes
and expectations for women (ranked 7th) as well as the top half ranking in technology policy can help bolster
women’s access to these funds, Paris should be well poised to be an engine for women entrepreneurship.
The Paris region is also a major hub for European investment, garnering more than $6.5 billion in capital
investments in 2021, behind only London and Berlin. 2 It also ranks 6th in terms of its markets, with access to 513
million European consumers, 12.3 million inhabitants, and around 50 million tourists per year, the Paris Region willcontinue to be a top performer for attracting capital and spawning startups. 3
Cost of living in Paris and the surrounding region is also competitive to peer cities. For example, a 2021 Cost ofLiving Survey put Paris at the 33rd position, ranking it less expensive than Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore,Beijing, Copenhagen, and London. The cost to start a business is also competitive in Paris. Based on a team of 2030 people, the average annual cost for an A Stage software-as-a-service company is $2.16 million, which is lessexpensive than Amsterdam, Dublin, Berlin, London, Munich, and Copenhagen. 4Areas for Improvement:
Capital is an ongoing challenge for women entrepreneurs in all cities. A 2021 study found that female entrepreneurs
pulled in just 1.0% of venture capital investments in Europe. 5 In France, specifically, a study found that only 10.0%of female entrepreneurs approach banks for support, which is about one-third fewer than their male counterparts.6
While the Paris metropolitan area attracts a lot of capital, particularly venture capital, ranking 12th out of the 55 cities
for funding going to women entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs are still underrepresented in terms of acquiring
capital. Paris ranks 19th in terms of proportionate funding, that is, when compared to funding levels of maleentrepreneurs in the city they are near the middle of the group. Without adequate capital, it is hard to build a strong
network of for women entrepreneurs. Paris is ranked 23rd for access to mentors and role models for womenentrepreneurs. To the extent the city can leverage its strengths in the other two cultural sub pillars (attitudes andexpectation and policy), it will help to build the network so women entrepreneurs can further their business goals.
Additionally, although Paris has made significant progress in digital infrastructure, the city’s Internet speeds still
underperform given its prominence as a technology hub. For example, in 2021, the median download speed in Pariswas 36.8 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to a median of 83.0 Mbps in the United States, and 208.2 Mbps inCopenhagen. In the WE Cities index, Paris ranked 20rd in download speeds in 2021. 7 The fact that the technology
pillar is one of the weakest pillars for Paris, means that women entrepreneurs in this city may be further
disadvantaged as the information age matures into the digital age. However, Paris is well positioned to be apowerhouse for women entrepreneurship. Its momentum in the WE Cities Index since 2017 ranks just out of the top
10 showing that Paris is taking off.

1 Seibt, S. (2022). Why France is betting on deep tech instead of the metaverse. France24.
2 L'Institut Paris Region. (2022). Paris Region: Facts & Figures. L’Institut Paris.
3 ibid4 ibid5 European Investment Bank, 2022. Women entrepreneurs are our best opportunity.
6 ibid
7 Cooper, T. (2022). Annual Report: Europe vs US Broadband Performance 2022. Fair Internet Report.