What are the keys to success?

The third episode of the EDHEC Vox podcast is dedicated to entrepreneurship, featuring Sacha Poignonnec, 2002 alumnus and co-founder and co-CEO of Jumia, Justine Soudier, 2019 alumnus and director of EDHEC Entrepreneurs, and Marwan Elfitesse, 2011 alumnus and head of start-up programmes at Station F.

According to the latest study by the EDHEC NewGen Talent Centre, nearly 39% of young people surveyed saw themselves as entrepreneurs five years from now. In 2014, this figure was 'only' 22%. It is in the context of this sharp increase that Sacha, Justine and Marwan set out to address the topic of entrepreneurship. How do you get started? What are their top tips on diversifying and sharpening your skills? What support is available for launching a start-up?

In this conversation, drawing on his inspiring career, Sacha Poignonnec, founder of Jumia, gives us valuable advice on starting an international business and explains the pitfalls to avoid during the start-up phase.

Since 2012, Jumia has been a true success story. This e-commerce platform for Africa-based products allows customers in 11 African countries to order all types of product for delivery, including food, through a food delivery service. The platform also offers customers the option to create an online wallet, functioning as an online payment service. Jumia enables millions of customers to access a wide range of products and allows brands and distributors to reach these clients.

Jumia is an example of internationalisation and a company that wants to make a positive impact, both externally and internally among its employees.

Justine Soudier, a former programme manager at Station F, joined EDHEC Entrepreneurs in 2021 as director of the EDHEC incubator. In this podcast, Justine shares her knowledge of the start-up ecosystem and her vision of working closely with entrepreneurs and explains the different support options available to tomorrow's leaders. The EDHEC Entrepreneurs programme enables future managers to put themselves on track to achieve their goals, thanks to numerous human and training resources and spaces in which to work.

Taking the role of interviewer, Marwan Elfitesse gives us his on-the-ground, close-up view of young entrepreneurs.

What elements of success can we gain from third-level institutions and incubators?

How can we help aspiring entrepreneurs to become real entrepreneurs – and do it properly?

This 45-minute podcast will be enlightening, whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, an experienced start-up, an investor or merely curious about the start-up ecosystem.

• Listen to the podcast on our Spotify or on our EDHEC Vox page.
• Watch the video on our Youtube channel

Happy listening! And don’t forget to join us for the next episode of the EDHEC Vox podcast, which will be dedicated to the VIE international internship and graduate programmes.