The Startup Launchpad 2024 in London

Annually, the HEC UK Office orchestrates a Learning Expedition in London, gathering over 120 ambitious students aspiring to venture into entrepreneurship through the HEC Startup Launchpad program. Led by the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute, this program operates as an accelerator, aiming to guide student entrepreneurs in launching their startups within a span of 11 weeks.

"In 2023, our ecosystem witnessed a transformative journey. Our Center, always a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship, evolved into the HEC Paris Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute. Driven by cutting-edge research, transformative education, and practical expertise from "Makers" and "Doers," our clusters underwent a metamorphosis into specialized Centers for Deep Tech, Incubation & Acceleration, and Social Entrepreneurship.

The HEC Paris Startup Launchpad program is a great example of this. It serves as an ignition for innovative and high-impact startups through a combination of practical and academic excellence. Meticulously designed, the program equips students from different Masters at HEC and partners with the methodology, tools, and resources necessary for a successful startup launch, leveraging the full support of our entire ecosystem. We are very happy to see this year projects and solutions with high potential for impact on business, society, and the environment.”

Inge Kerkloh-Devif, Senior Executive Director of the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute and Co-Site Lead Executive of the Creative Destruction Lab Paris

An Amazing Acceleration Trip in London

This year, the journey took place between March 18-20 in London. It featured captivating entrepreneurs' talks, entrepreneurs meet ups, workshops and a panel discussion with VCs. The highlight of the trip was the Pitch Competition during the spectacular "Grand Pitch Night. This event was broadcasted live on YouTube and LinkedIn, offering an unforgettable evening for all participating students. Additionally, it was a moment of immense pride for the alumni community as they joined in celebrating the entrepreneurial drive of the next generation of HEC students.

Panel Discussion with VCs and Entrepreneurs Talks

The week kicked off with a panel discussion featuring representatives from Morgan Stanley and Techstars. These experts delved into their investment criteria, explained what sets standout startups apart in the eyes of investors. Moreover, they shared invaluable, hands-on advice on navigating the intricacies of fundraising, providing students with actionable tips to boost their entrepreneurial journey.

Students also had the opportunity to attend entrepreneurs’ talks with successful HEC Alumni across industries. They had the chance to meet with Adrien Nussenbaum, the Co-Founder and CEO of Mirakl, Caroline Noublanche, CEO of Apricity and Amélie du Passage, CEO of Petite Friture, and Aude Debard, Global Head of Contracts at Petite Friture. From their first steps as entrepreneurs to their main challenges and the lessons they have learnt, our students heard their fascinating stories.  

Workshops

The students also had the opportunity to spend some time doing workshops to support them further in their journey. One was focused on storytelling with Stewart Bewley from Amplify Me who gave students very practical advice on how to craft a compelling narrative around a product, service, or idea to engage and persuade potential investors, customers or stakeholders. The other one was led by Nikita Mikhailov from Lumina Spark during which each student had the opportunity to take a personality test. They then could assess with their co-founder(s) their complementary skills, better understand team dynamics and decision-making processes as well as anticipate potential conflicts or misunderstandings based on differences in personalities.

Insightful Entrepreneurs Meet Ups

During their trip, the students had the fantastic opportunity to meet with entrepreneurs in their offices and at the HEC UK House. In an informal setting, entrepreneurs candidly opened about their journey, detailing the exhilarating highs and inevitable lows of launching one's own startup. It was a great opportunity for students to get very practical advice.

The Grand Pitch Night in London

During an exciting afternoon, 27 start-ups pitched in front of 17 judges (VCs/ entrepreneurs/ investors) who had the difficult task of selecting our finalists. A special thanks to all the start-ups who took part in the pre-selections – they did an amazing job at pitching with professionalism and passion their ideas. And thank you to all our alumni and partners who helped with the selection.

The finalist teams then had the opportunity to have a one-hour mentoring session with 10 expert mentors who helped them get ready for The Grand Pitch Night. Thank you to all mentors who were so committed to contributing to their team’s success!

Finally, the Grand Pitch Night was the highlight of this fantastic week with 6 start-ups pitching in person and live on Youtube and LinkedIn in front of our Jury Adrien Cohen (co-founder of Tractable), Gabriele Papievyte (Head of Ventures at XTX Markets), Maryline Kulawik (Managing Partner at Spice Capitale) and Ramzi Rafih (Founder and General Partner at No Label Ventures).

To Know More About the Talented Winning Teams

The Jury Award was awarded to AmonAI and the Audience Award was awarded to Bluco.

AmonAI: Léonie Mathian, Alexis Moret, Naima Tijani – allows every construction site managers to have all their answers and relevant documents to their questions regarding their construction project through our intelligent assistant. To learn more about AmonAI, follow this link.

Bluco: Nicolò Magnante, Francisco Shirazi - enables companies to fill their deskless positions faster by leveraging WhatsApp for automated AI-enabled chat applications and pre-qualification. To learn more about Bluco, follow this link.

If you missed the live event, the replay is available on Youtube!

NOTE ABOUT THE HEC UK OFFICE – did you know HEC Paris has an office in London? To follow its activities and for more information - Follow HEC in the UK Linkedin Page and Instagram account