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Deeptech startups are particularly promising companies for the French State. They are a source of science-based innovations. However, deeptech startups need to bridge the research and the business worlds. Given that the rules of these two spheres differ, their amalgamation can be challenging and lead to a complex legitimacy development. Therefore, the issue of legitimacy appears to be core for the development of deeptech startups. Although public academic incubators help in fostering this legitimacy, our study, conducted in two incubators, reveals a significant oversight in the support offered by these incubators: the involvement of large corporations in legitimacy development. Our article identifies the absence of large corporations’ involvement and suggests strategies to enhance the deeptech-large corporation relationship at the heart of the support.