HEC is devoted not just to preparing students for highly-skilled roles in established businesses, but also to encouraging entrepreneurship. HEC Incubator, a center dedicated to supporting new business ventures, is further evidence of our belief that "The more you know, the more you dare®".

Who dares, wins
"We know that many students develop exciting ideas for new businesses before and during their time at HEC," says Grégoire de Lasteyrie, who established the center in September 2007 with fellow student Victor Lugger. "We also know that the risks and challenges involved in starting a company deter some from pursuing their dream, while others go ahead but lack the experience or tools to make a success of their venture. We believe that HEC Incubator will help budding entrepreneurs overcome these fears and difficulties and give them a genuine chance of lasting success."

HEC Incubator is located on the main HEC campus and accepts submissions for support from HEC students and alumni. The Incubator offers fully-equipped offices, meeting rooms and HEC library resources to the creators of selected start-ups. Most importantly, each project receives expert guidance from a sponsor (a former HEC student and entrepreneur with a proven track record) and a tutor (one of the HEC academic staff) for at least six months.

A cluster of skills and energy
"HEC Incubator has been designed to leverage the entrepreneurial spirit that exists in the local economy," explains Grégoire. "The Saclay Plateau is home to several world-renowned research centers besides our own. The personnel of these centers and the skills they possess make our local environment a potentially rich source of entrepreneurial energy, one we are keen to nurture."

"The Incubator also complements existing community schemes," he adds. "For example, HEC participates in PACE, a scheme that puts baccalaureat students from modest socio-economic backgrounds in touch with HEC academics, and City Talents, a program that supports development and business projects in deprived urban areas."

The innovative nature of the Incubator is itself winning recognition. Victor Lugger will represent HEC in the "Génération Accenture" competition, in which dynamic, imaginative students from Grandes Ecoles around France hone their media presentation skills by trying to convince a national radio and TV audience of the value of their project. Victor has already won €1,000 and will soon be competing for the national prize.