News - Entrepreneurship

On 4 and 5 June 2026, the fourth edition of the INNOVA Europe competition – co-founded by EDHEC – was held at Aalto University, in Espoo, Finland. The competition showcases responsible entrepreneurial projects from all over Europe.

Finance Put to the Test of Reality: Fintechs, AI and Sustainability > the New Forces Reshaping Finance

At the intersection of research and entrepreneurship, digital health is evolving. But beyond technological promises, its success hinges on a key challenge: real-world adoption.

Entrepreneurial responsibility is emerging as a key issue within the European startup ecosystem. But beyond mere declarations of intent, how far have young companies actually come in the practical implementation of responsible practices? The European Barometer of Responsible Practices in startups, led by the academic coalition INNOVA Europe, offers a concrete insight into this ongoing transformation.Conducted amongst 433 European startuups in France, Italy and Germany, this first edition takes the pulse of the ecosystem.

Founded by entrepreneurs, EDHEC business school has always had a clear ambition: to train minds capable of initiating, innovating, and transforming. Today, this ambition is no longer directed solely at students, but permeates the entire institution.

EDHEC Business School hosted the second edition of the entrepreneurship festival in Nice on 13 November and in Lille on 26 and 27 November. Organised by EDHEC Entrepreneurs, these days enable students to discover the School’s extensive entrepreneurial ecosystem — incubators, start-up creators, investment funds, student associations — and to offer budding entrepreneurs the necessary impetus to take the plunge into entrepreneurship.

EDHEC Business School has once again distinguished itself in Poets&Quants’ 2026 ranking of the Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship ranking #2 in the world, confirming the strong entrepreneurial DNA of its Global MBA. In addition to placing 2nd in the world overall, EDHEC also stood out for the strength of its academic offering and the successes achieved by its alumni. 

A student on EDHEC Business School’s Master in Management programme, Marine Viet is the founder of Tri’Cycle, a young start-up that plans to recycle scraps of fabric originating from industry or from individuals, and transform them into professional materials. She also took part in INNOVA Europe, a European responsible entrepreneurship competition. 

On Friday 5 September, the final of the third edition of the INNOVA Europe competition – co-founded by EDHEC Business School – was held in Berlin. The day also provided the opportunity for EDHEC Entrepreneurs to disclose the first results from the Responsible Entrepreneurship Barometer launched by EDHEC in January 2025.

What are the specific characteristics of family businesses? How can we better understand them? What courses should be offered on this subject? In this short interview, Rania Labaki, EDHEC Associate Professor, presents the mission, impact & ambitions of the initiative she has been directing since 2016: the EDHEC Family Business Chair.

Co-founded by an EDHEC alumna, the brand Les Polettes has just secured €150,000 to accelerate its growth in the committed women’s sportswear sector, now supported within our generalist incubator at STATION F.

The CODEUNITED project, led by EDHEC Business School in collaboration with four higher education establishments and three economic partners, was selected in April 2025 as part of the EIT-HEI (European Institute of Innovation and Technology - Higher Education Initiative), to amplify its action in favor of the transformation of entrepreneurship education in Europe.

With renewed commitment and the valuable support of the Fondation Le Roch–Les Mousquetaires, this competition propels high-potential EDHEC startups toward new achievements.

On May 14, the very first edition of the TechForward Demo Day was held at the heart of EDHEC Nice — a day dedicated to innovation at the intersection of technology and the major challenges of our time.

10 inspiring startups, an exceptional jury, a full house… and two grand prizes awarded to the projects that won the jury’s hearts.

Thirty Pre-Master students from EDHEC got an exclusive preview of the RED Game: an immersive tool developed by EDHEC Entrepreneurs to help students experience firsthand the ESG dilemmas faced by startups during their growth phase.

They are reinventing the energy, mobility, health, finance, HR and retail sectors: eight startups from the EDHEC ecosystem feature in Challenges magazine's 100 startups to invest in in 2025. This is a strong recognition of the entrepreneurial approach taken by EDHEC through its training, incubation and financing programmes.

These 4 female founders, supported by EDHEC, are transforming their industry with boldness and ambition. Selected for STATION F's prestigious Female Founders Fellowship, they are innovating in the energy and mobility sectors. Discover these talents to watch closely in 2025!

 Are you an entrepreneur looking for a stimulating environment in which to grow your business?EDHEC opens the doors of its 100% entrepreneurial campus to host and develop your startup. Gain access to an ecosystem of excellence, surrounded by a dynamic community. 

In January 2025 EDHEC Business School created a European observatory of start-up responsibility in Europe, in collaboration with ESMT Berlin and Politecnico di Milano, as part of the Innova Europe coalition. The project’s first initiative is the launch of a responsible entrepreneurship survey.

EDHEC's new “Generation 2050” strategic plan positions entrepreneurship as a major priority, with an ambitious overhaul of its student programs. This strategy, unique in the Grandes Ecoles landscape, highlights entrepreneurship as an essential skill for transforming society and training leaders for change.

Nurturing today's talent to build tomorrow's entrepreneurial success. For over a decade, EDHEC Entrepreneurs has been committed to supporting those who dare to dream big and take the leap into entrepreneurship. The year 2024 marked a pivotal chapter in this collective journey, with inspiring successes and innovative initiatives. Here’s a look back at a remarkable year and a glimpse into our ambitions for 2025.

With eight startups in STATION F's Future 40, EDHEC has confirmed its role as a catalyst for impactful innovation, combining sustainability, technology and ambition.

EDHEC Business School’s Global MBA tops Poets&Quants annual ranking of the World’s Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship. The 2025 rankings show EDHEC leading or co-leading in three key areas.  

On Thursday 26 September 2024, EDHEC Business School organised the final of the second INNOVA Europe competition at STATION F, in partnership with BNP Paribas Company Engagement, BNP Paribas Banque Privée and BivwAk! with the support of Ring Capital and STATION F. This competition, of which EDHEC is a founding member alongside ESMT Berlin and POLIMI Graduate School of Management, aims to encourage competition between European students through responsible entrepreneurial projects. This year, nine European higher education institutions took part. Ahead of the final, EDHEC welcomed its partners to its Paris campus to present the RED (Responsible Entrepreneurship by Design) methodology, developed by EDHEC Entrepreneurs. This approach encourages the creation of start-ups that integrate global performance objectives (economic, environmental and social) right from the design stage.

On Wednesday 18 September 2024 in Paris, EDHEC Business School was awarded the ‘Educate’ prize at the Talent Awards 2024, a ceremony dedicated to entrepreneurship and created by France Digitale, Europe's largest start-up association, in conjunction with the newspaper Les Echos. 

This month in the #EDHECVox newsletter, our professors and researchers present their ideas, initiatives and solutions on the vast subject of responsible entrepreneurship: "Entrepreneurs: with great potential comes great responsibility?"

The image of entrepreneurs as almost glamorous superstars, combining pugnacity and success, is unfortunately tenacious. In reality, high levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout are daily experiences of most entrepreneurs. Fabian Bernhard, EDHEC Associate Professor and Erika Ni, Mannheim University Research Assistant are currently conducting research to better understand this phenomenon. Find out more and, if you are an entrepreneur concerned by these issues, take part in the study...

From his engineering studies to the halls of major investment banks, Nassym Ben Khaled's destiny seemed clear until an unexpected event disrupted his plans. Since then, Nassym and his mother Basma Sadani co-founded DePlano, a startup alumni of the EDHEC Entrepreneurs incubator network at STATION F. In a conversation filled with humility and passion, Nassym Ben Khaled talks about his daily commitment, reflecting his champion temperament!

Although she has not yet founded a startup, Yasmine Machwate laid the groundwork for an entrepreneurial career from the beginning of her studies by engaging in numerous projects. Yasmine quickly joined the EDHEC Entrepreneurs team, where she advanced to her recent position as Head of EDHEC Incubators. She paints a portrait of a champion working behind the scenes with deep impact-driven commitment.

Graduating from ISEG Bordeaux, Aurélien Gabdou Baroa's journey began on the basketball court. His passion for the sport never wavered, leading him to found Ball’N Connect in 2020, a startup nurtured by the EDHEC Entrepreneurs incubator network. Amidst his busy schedule, Gabdou shares his secret recipe for success, no matter the starting point.

Recognizable for her fiery temperament, Emilie Reynaud decided in 2022 to create Flushy, a startup now supported by the EDHEC Entrepreneurs incubator network at STATION F. From a young age, she stood out from her peers due to the passion she pours into everything she undertakes and her deep, sincere empathy for those around her. In a candid and unfiltered exchange, Emilie unveils her winning mindset and her multifaceted personality.

After a solid engineering education and an early passion for the aviation sector, Maxime Meijers embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure by co-founding Estuaire, a startup incubated within the EDHEC Entrepreneurs network at STATION F. Accompanied by his brother Nicolas, Maxime aims to transform the sector by making it more sustainable with a visionary outlook and strong convictions. Welcome aboard his daily life at over 10,000 meters altitude.

After studying at Sciences Po and beginning her career spanning Latin America and Europe, Erell Tassin settled within the EDHEC Entrepreneurs incubator network at Station F to develop My Fenix, the startup she co-founded. Balancing her life as an entrepreneur and her fight to empower women to "take their share of the pie," Erell Tassin unveils her daily life as an entrepreneur with unwavering determination.

On 29 November, from 6pm to 8pm, on the EDHEC Jean Arnault campus, the Family Business Chair and the Institut Français des Administrateurs (Hauts de France) are organising a conference-debate in French on the theme of governance, bringing together the views of managers, directors, investors and experts.

The EDHEC incubator opens its call for applications to recruit the future startups incubated at the STATION F Campus in Paris. Apply before September 17th.

Supported by EDHEC Business School on the School’s Jean-Arnault entrepreneurial campus, Dooda – a start-up specialising in insect-based food products and fertilisers – won the final of the Innova Europe competition in Milan on 15 June. This responsible entrepreneurship competition is organised by EDHEC Business School, Polimi Graduate School of Management and ESMT Berlin. 

Professor Olga Kokshagina teaches the Strategic Foresight and Innovation Management course to MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation students. An expert in innovation management and entrepreneurship, she has also launched her own start-up. Professor Kokshagina tells us about her course.

This year, the Paris edition of EDHEC Rendez-Vous, the EDHEC Alumni community’s annual event, was held on 8 June at Station F, the world’s biggest start-up incubator. Focused on the theme of “responsible innovation”, the evening brought together some 700 alumni keen to exchange with their peers and catch up on the School’s latest news. During the EDHEC Rendez-Vous, three prizes were awarded to alumni whose careers are contributing to the School’s reputation for excellence and helping to raise its profile. 

EDHEC’s Global MBA programme helps you to develop a solid business plan for the venture of your dreams

14 February saw the Tech Forward incubator - founded jointly by EDHEC Business School, EURECOM and Institut Mines-Télécom and based in the Sophia Antipolis business hub - welcome its first class of startups to the incubation programme devised by EDHEC Entrepreneurs. 

Professor Aziza Laguecir teaches “financial aspects of the entrepreneurial pitch” to EDHEC’s MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation students. She has long experience in coaching entrepreneurs and evaluating business plans, having taught and designed managerial accounting and control courses in various universities around the world. The professor tells us all about her course at EDHEC Business school. 

Brian (Pinghei) San joined EDHEC's Master of Science in Entrepreneurship & Innovation in 2022 and won the newly launched "Future Chinese Alumni High Impact Scholarship". Here, he shares with us his EDHEC student experience.

On December 14th, EDHEC, along with its partners EURECOM and the Institut Mines Télécom, inaugurated the new joint Tech Forward incubator, which will operate in the heart of the Sophia-Antipolis business cluster. With this project, the three partners have chosen to combine their expertise to support future entrepreneurs at the intersection of tech and business. This brand-new incubator aims to recruit a dozen startups in its first programme and thereby contribute to meeting today’s major technological and environmental challenges.

Read on to find out how an MBA can give you the solid foundations onto which you can build a successful business

The EDHEC incubator opens its call for applications to recruit the future startups incubated at the Jean Arnault Campus in Roubaix. Apply before December 14!

A unique opportunity to dive into a world-class start-up ecosystem with access to a global network of like-minded entrepreneurs

If you're a budding entrepreneur you'll be pleased to note that the EDHEC Global MBA was recently ranked 1st in Europe for Entrepreneurship for full time MBAs by QS.