EDHEC, Entrepreneurial to the Core

Since the start of the academic year, EDHEC has been strengthening its commitment to the development of entrepreneurship and is encouraging the creation of companies on its campuses.

Entrepreneurship, then, is taking concrete shape through the entire set of programmes and above all in the MSc in Entrepreneurship. This programme prepares the students from the Grande Ecole as well as the international students having opted for this track for careers as entrepreneurs, administrators, directors of development, consultants, and so on. This new school year the students will be immersed in Silicon Valley, much as the students in EDHEC’s MBA programme go on a learning expedition every year, also to Silicon Valley.

In addition, last June, Stanford University and EuraTechnologies, in partnership with EDHEC, organised an intensive and highly selective course meant for senior leaders in high-tech companies, start-ups, technology entrepreneurs, or marketing, innovation, IT, and sales officers. After an initial session on the Sanford campus, 23 company heads concluded the course with a week of work at EuraTechnologies, including a day at EDHEC Lille and with participation by EDHEC professors. This partnership, for the rest, will be renewed in June 2013.

Finally, as a result of its business incubator, EDHEC Young Entrepreneurs (EYE), EDHEC is expanding its mission to mentor students and graduates in their ventures into entrepreneurship. At the moment, for example, EYE is incubating 20 companies (including one located in our Lille offices, at the incubator itself) created since September 2012.

EDHEC, member of the Grandes Ecoles Business Angels network
EDHEC Business Angels is proud to have contributed to the formation of the Grandes Ecoles Business Angels network.

Determined from the outset to join other networks so as to extend our options, our association has been involved in a number of initiatives, signing a partnership agreement to exchange projects with XMP Business Angels in 2010, and organising joint start-up and business venture presentation meetings with the ENSAE since 2011. These two initiatives have had a significant impact on the development of EDHEC Business Angels.

Fully aware of the need to go further, we prompted and played an active role in the discussions that resulted in the creation of the Grandes Ecoles Business Angels network, otherwise known as BADGE. This new set-up will give us access to an even larger number of projects, while maximising the financial investment capacity. In practical terms, it will also give us far better developed structures for analysing and studying business ventures looking for funding, that will in turn lead to faster and more efficient outcomes, benefitting both business owners and Business Angels.