ESCP Paris Campus’ entrepreneurial spirit was on display during a series of dynamic activations as part of the 2024 edition of ESCP’s Entrepreneurship Festival.
Innovation Meets Purpose: Doing Business Differently
On 27 November 2024, the ESCP Paris Campus became a vibrant hub of entrepreneurial creativity, spotlighting innovation, social impact, and human-centred business solutions. As part of ESCP’s multi-campus, two-week Entrepreneurship Festival, the campus hosted a full day of events that included creative challenges, insightful talks, entrepreneur showcases, and networking sessions.
The theme of this year’s festival, “Doing Business Differently,” invited attendees to explore new paths in business where innovation meets purpose. The theme celebrated transformative ideas and practices, encouraging fresh perspectives on value creation that prioritise sustainability and community-driven growth.
Celebrating 15 Years of the Entrepreneurship Festival and the Blue Factory
In 2009, the inaugural Entrepreneurship Festival was held in Paris. Organised by ESCP students specialising in entrepreneurship, it attracted over 2,000 participants eager to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurial creation. It was also the official launch of the school’s incubator, the Blue Factory, designed to support entrepreneurs at the beginning stage of their journeys.
Over the past 15 years, the festival and the Blue Factory have expanded across five ESCP campuses, forging connections among thousands of creators and inspiring fresh thinking and collaboration. Through this, the spirit of the festival has endured. It continues to offer unique perspectives on entrepreneurship, break through barriers, and serve as a playground and inclusive platform that illuminates the creativity and innovative potential of the ESCP community.
This festival is really a key moment in ESCP’s yearly activities. As a student, I was part of the team that organized the first edition. Since then, entrepreneurial awareness and the support ecosystem have been growing enormously and have become a must in student training, whether they want to start their own venture or help existing organizations innovate. The importance of sustainability has also become a key pillar embraced by most. With this edition, ‘Doing Business Differently,’ we wanted to expand perspectives on the infinite possibilities creation offers and give a voice to ESCP entrepreneurs who work every day to make new realities happen.
Maëva TordoHead of the Blue Factory at ESCP
Creativity Unbound
During the festival, participants had the opportunity to discover creative places such as the Musée des Arts et Métiers and the Fablab of the Léonard DeVinci University. They were also able to join a series of creative challenges designed to stretch their imaginations and encourage practical experimentation guided by experts and entrepreneurs including:
- H-lab, an association dedicated to promoting the social participation of people with disabilities through universal design, challenged students to consider how tourism can be made both universally accessible and appealing, ensuring that it is inclusive for a broad range of visitors.
- Michel de Rovira, co-founder of Michel et Augustin, and Laura Govaert, co-founder of Offruti, delivered inspiring talks on their entrepreneurial journeys in the food industry. They also provided valuable feedback to students and alumni pitching their own business ideas.
- Julien Sylvain, co-founder of Tediber, invited 20 students to tour his company’s showroom in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. Following the visit, the Option E and MSIE students had the opportunity to pitch their ideas.
During the entrepreneurship festival, I was lucky enough to attend a conference given by Julien Sylvain, co-founder of Tediber. I learned a lot about how a DNVB (Digital Native Vertical Brand) works, as well as about the bedding market, which is little-known even though we're all customers. It was a great opportunity for Julien to share his entrepreneurial experience with us, from marketing and financing to logistics! We also had the chance to visit their showroom and boutique in the Marais district. It was an extremely enriching visit, as was the rest of the festival, where I was able to talk to lawyers and other entrepreneurs about my business ideas.
Student in the Master Spécialisé Innover et Entreprendre programme
Blue Factory Entrepreneurs Demo: Showcasing Early-Stage Ventures
The ESCP Entrepreneurship Festival showcased the innovators from Blue Factory’s LAUNCH and SEED programmes. These budding entrepreneurs had the chance to pitch their ventures, enhancing their ongoing support from the incubator:
- Aivoxlab: AI-powered instant vocal translation
- Luphy: Financial AI tool designed for venture capitalists
- MedivieTech: Connected medical watch device
- L’atelier du livre: Personalized book experiences for children
- Socle: Elegant orthopaedic sandals
- Deep Detective: AI-driven investigative experiences
- Qwiti: Savings solutions in private equity
- Oronce: Mapping and guide app for discovering Paris
- Version Watches: Swiss-made watches with AI sales support
- Recycl’Ace: Rubber recycling from tennis balls
- Maa Biodiversity: Forest management solutions
- Lexo: Music creation tool
Taking part in the ESCP Entrepreneurship Festival was an enriching and stimulating experience for Maa Biodiversity. We were able to pitch continuously on our stand, just like at a fair – a real challenge, but one that enabled us to enhance our pitch and interact with a varied audience. The conference, with feedback from Blue Factory entrepreneurs, was a great source of inspiration. They sincerely shared their successes and failures, providing us with concrete, motivating lessons for the next stage of our project. As the entrepreneurs themselves came from the Blue Factory, we were able to really identify with their stories. It was a very enriching day, both professionally and personally.
Co-founders of Maa Biodiversity
Expert Coaching and Mentorship
Throughout the festival, entrepreneurs also benefited from expert guidance on legal matters, financing strategies, communication, and branding. Mentors from Special thanks to our advisors:
- Arthur Grammatico – Bpifrance
- Thibaut Gimenez – Super Capital VC
- Danyl Hassim – co-founder of Your Comics
- Amaury de Buchet – founder of GreenSpace and member of the ESCP Business Angel Club
- Pauline Terestchenko – co-founder of S.W.A.G Studio
- Marie Nahmias – Lawyer
- Capucine Décourt – Communication and Branding Advisor
- Lab law – ESCP Business School
These sessions empowered founders to sharpen their business models and develop sustainable growth strategies.
Celebrating the Winners of the 2024 Innovation Prize
The Innovation Prize, co-organized by the ESCP Foundation, the Blue Factory, and the ESCP Agora, awards a €20,000 grant and coaching to exceptional student and alumni entrepreneurs each year. The 2024 winners included:
- Noémie Rapale and Rania Lahlou, co-founders of SOCLE.
- Laura Pérez Rincón, co-founder of Koji.
- Théo Leforestier, co-founder of Mycélium.
During the festival, each winner shared their experiences and project progress and received a commemorative trophy symbolizing the completion of their support phase.
Closing Conference
The festival concluded with a conference featuring inspiring testimonials from leading entrepreneurs including:
- Sandra Rey, co-founder of Glowee and Anima
- Jean-Stéphane Arcis, co-founder of Talentsoft
- Arnaud Mourot, Vice President of Ashoka and co-founder of Play International
- Tiphaine Beguinot, General Manager of Popote & Numé.
They offered valuable advice on starting a business and their perspectives on doing business differently.
Thank You
We thank everyone who participated—whether by sharing ideas, testing prototypes, or joining us in celebration. A special thanks to Funky District who provided great live music, and we appreciate the contributions from ESCP alumni food and beverage founders including:
- DAD Street Food, co-founded by Antoine Berthélémie
- UMA Drink, co-founded by Paul Mariani
- Ofrutti, founded by Laura Goveart
Upcoming Events
- On 28 January, the Blue Factory will kick off its Demo Day, where entrepreneurs will pitch their projects to investors and experts. Register here.
- The call for applications for the START, LAUNCH, SEED programmes are open until 2 February 2025. Register here.
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