EDHEC Programme Manager at Station F, Justine Soudier becomes Director of EDHEC Entrepreneurs
EDHEC Business School is pleased to announce the appointment of Justine Soudier as Director of EDHEC Entrepreneurs as from 1 January 2021. She succeeds Jean-Michel Ledru, who after founding and subsequently developing the EDHEC incubator over 10 years, is now CEO of the Merci Maman jewellery brand. Since June 2019, Justine has been Programme Manager for the EDHEC incubator at Station F.
Based on the Lille and Nice campuses and at Station F in Paris, EDHEC Entrepreneurs has helped create over 370 start-ups and supported fundraisings amounting to €60m since its launch 10 years ago. Each year, the incubator assists over 600 start-up projects originating from the School’s students and graduates.
Justine Soudier, 27, is a graduate of EDHEC Business School’s Master in Management programme and also completed the School’s MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Passionate about innovation and the tech start-up universe, Justine was quick to enter the sector, gaining her first career experiences in the BPI France hub then as an innovation and transformation analyst with Disneyland Paris. In 2017, as part of her participation in the W Project, she undertook a world tour of the digital economy, during which she had the chance to interview over 100 start-ups, incubators and investors in 11 countries.
Justine joined EDHEC Business School last year as Programme Manager at Station F, where she has been tasked with supporting some 40 start-ups and developing EDHEC Entrepreneurs through partnership and international expansion projects. Since opening in 2017, EDHEC Entrepreneurs @Station F has expanded strongly and is now one of the leading programmes in terms of the quality of resources offered to start-ups. This year has seen the incubator double its capacity at the world’s largest start-up campus to 80 places.
Justine Soudier has been chosen to implement EDHEC Entrepreneurs’ 2025 programme in line with the School’s Impact Future Generations strategic plan, and her close ties with start-ups and perfect knowledge of the ecosystem will be real assets in this respect. She will be responsible for managing all aspects of EDHEC Entrepreneurs (operational, human and financial) and for raising its profile within entrepreneurial ecosystems both in France and internationally, with a notable focus in the short term on development in California.
“Justine Soudier has made our incubation programme one of the leading programmes at Station F and has all the qualities needed to drive EDHEC’s new strategic entrepreneurship development projects. Her knowledge of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and our start-ups will be key assets in successfully opening new entrepreneurial campuses both in France and internationally”,
says Emmanuel Métais, Dean of EDHEC Business School.
EDHEC Entrepreneurs – Key figures
- 200 co-working places:
- 80 places in Paris – Station F
- 120 places in Lille & Nice – EDHEC Campus
- 370 start-ups created in 10 years
- €60m of fundraisings supported in 10 years
- 630 projects supported each year
- A 3-stage process:
- Lab: laying the foundations
- Studio: proving the concept and developing
- Booster: scaling up our start-ups
