Learning expedition to STATION F: a day to discover EDHEC’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

On Monday morning, 35 staff members gathered in the Creativity Room to learn about the School’s entrepreneurial initiatives. This event once again brought together professors and staff from a wide range of departments, including the Career Centre, the Programmes Department, the Student Experience Unit and EDHEC Alumni.

The day began with a presentation on the EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship (CRE) and the CODEUNITED consortium, of which the School is a member and which aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial dynamic at European level. The team then outlined the support programmes on offer, starting with pre-incubation. At EDHEC, 100 per cent of students are introduced to entrepreneurship. This is achieved through a wide range of initiatives such as the Startup Challenge elective, L’Etincelle (a certified training programme in partnership with Génération Do It Yourself) and the more selective CEO for 6 months programme, which is aimed at students wishing to develop their entrepreneurial project during their end-of-studies placement. “A very enriching session that gave me an even better understanding of the range of support schemes available to students from the moment they arrive at EDHEC; in particular, I learnt about the ‘CEO for 6 months’ programme,” explains Marie-Caroline Letievant.

The next stage is incubation, which is structured around three complementary programmes. At STATION F, the team runs a general-purpose incubator and also supports social impact start-ups through the Act for Impact scheme in partnership with BNP Paribas. The third programme, dedicated to deep-tech projects, is based in Sophia Antipolis at the TechForward incubator. To give a concrete overview of its activities, EDHEC Entrepreneurs currently incubates more than 70 start-ups each year, has raised 263 million euros since 2017, boasts a community of 1,200 entrepreneurs and provides access to a network of over 500 experts and mentors.

Anelio and Masteur: two case studies of incubated start-ups

The detailed presentation of the application process – from putting together the application to the pitch sessions and right through to unboarding – particularly captured the participants’ attention. The process is demanding: during the most recent calls for applications, the acceptance rate stood at around 5.5 per cent. What is the profile of the entrepreneurs? How are they selected? What are the main reasons for rejection? It is, above all, the project’s potential that is assessed: age, educational background or professional experience do not factor into the selection of candidates. The team reiterates the main eligibility criteria: founding members must be dedicated to their project on a full-time basis, have a validated MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and be able to demonstrate initial evidence of commercial traction. The stage of maturity and the human element also play a decisive role. Following on from these discussions, two entrepreneurs came to share their experiences, their doubts and the key stages of their journey. William Taffouraud (EDHEC 2025) opened the session by presenting Anelio, a smart cryptocurrency investment app. For his part, Fida Hamrouni (MINES Paris - PSL 2013) pitched Masteur, an AI-enhanced academic support platform aimed at secondary school pupils.

“Two start-ups supported by EDHEC recounted their journey from the initial idea, highlighting the decisive role played by incubation programmes. Two inspiring stories that highlight just how important support is in helping to nurture and unlock entrepreneurial potential,” observes Camille Georges. The highly interactive session prompted numerous questions about the start-ups’ business models, their use of AI and their growth ambitions. “What surprised me was that, despite the diversity of the participants’ backgrounds, they all share the same spirit of commitment and the same interest in entrepreneurial issues,” explains Sylvain Colombero. “You can sense that there is a genuine EDHEC spirit, which is further strengthened by events like these.”

Promoting the entrepreneurial spirit

On the agenda for the late morning: an update on early-stage funding and the role of the various players in this market. How this ecosystem works was illustrated in practical terms using the example of Générations, the seed fund created by EDHEC in partnership with Ring Capital to support impact start-ups. To date, the fund has raised 23 million euros and has already made 26 investments, three of which are from the EDHEC ecosystem. For Louis Farbos de Luzan (EDHEC 2019), who recently joined the School as Deputy Director of EDHEC Alumni: “This Learning Expedition made me realise just how much has been achieved since my student days to transform the School and make it a recognised and competitive player in the field of entrepreneurship. The support programmes, the maturity of the incubators, as well as the collective dynamism, cohesion and expertise of the teams are all sources of pride for our institution.”

After a lunch break at La Felicita, it was time for a presentation by Camille Georges, Deputy Director of the EDHEC Quantum Institute, who introduced the participants to the founding principles of quantum physics and presented the institute, which was established by EDHEC earlier this year. Its main mission is to help decision-makers understand and anticipate the impact of quantum technologies on businesses, and is based on a firm conviction: quantum physics is a public good, a subject far too important to be reserved for a select few. This is precisely what this educational initiative is all about, and it once again raises numerous questions regarding the level of maturity of quantum technologies, the risks they pose to cryptocurrencies, and the links between AI and quantum technology.

Scenario-based workshops to stimulate collective thinking

The afternoon continues with a tour of STATION F, offering an opportunity to explore the history and architecture of the venue whilst taking a behind-the-scenes look at the world’s largest start-up campus. The final part of this immersive day is then devoted to three small-group workshops.

The first workshop harnesses participants’ creativity around a key challenge: encouraging entrepreneurs to incorporate principles of responsibility right from the start. The idea is to avoid accumulating costly ESG debt, without necessarily aiming for perfection from the outset. The second workshop adopts a ‘gamified’ approach. For the occasion, the team has developed, with the help of AI, a quiz inspired by arcade games, the difficulty of which increases progressively. After a few initial warm-up questions designed to test participants’ knowledge, the difficulty level rises rapidly with scenarios reflecting the challenges posed by technological revolutions and the increasing scarcity of resources. These questions on development and future trends sparked lively debates within the groups. Finally, the third workshop involved mapping the entrepreneurial ecosystem, using persona profiles to structure the discussions. The aim: to better connect students, research, training, incubation and partners.

“It was my first visit to Station F, a place that is both impressive and very inspiring, says Cécile Legrand. The workshops and the more informal discussions, fuelled by the presentations, were, for me, the highlights of the day. I was able to chat with colleagues I’d never met before: professors, members of the career centre and the EDHEC Quantum Institute. This has sparked new ideas for collaboration. The energy and enthusiasm of the participants and our hosts played a major part in making the day both useful and stimulating!”

A learning expedition rich in exchanges and new perspectives, which helped to promote the entrepreneurial culture within EDHEC, forge links and inspire new avenues for collaboration.