HEC Jeunes Innovateurs HEC Jeunes Innovateurs
Learning to be an entrepreneur from high school
A new way to turn the observation internship into a unique entrepreneurial experience.
About HEC Jeunes Innovateurs
The HEC Jeunes Innovateurs program offers sophomore students an innovative alternative to the traditional observation internship. Over two weeks, students explore entrepreneurship by creating a concrete project, supported by their teachers, entrepreneurs, and the teams at HEC Paris.
Recognized by the Ministry of National Education, the program constitutes a teaching method equivalent to the mandatory internship and enables young people to develop essential skills for their future.
HEC Jeunes Innovateurs
Why HEC Jeunes Innovateurs?
Today, many students face difficulties finding an observation internship or lack access to the same professional network.
HEC Young Innovators addresses this challenge by giving every student the opportunity to experience genuine entrepreneurship firsthand.
Our ambition is to introduce 10,000 young people to entrepreneurship over the next five years.
At the end of the program, each participant receives an official HEC Paris certificate, enhancing their academic record and future applications.
A two-week entrepreneurial experience
The program combines educational videos, hands-on exercises, collaborative workshops, and support from Hector, the AI-based virtual mentor.
Over ten days, students work in teams to transform an idea into a project.
They learn to:
Identify
a concrete problem encountered in their daily lives or in society.
Meet
with users in order to validate their hypotheses.
Imagine
an innovative solution and build an initial business model.
Present
their project in a final pitch before a jury of entrepreneurs and professionals.
For schools
A new way to experience the observation internship
The program enables schools to:
- offer a quality experience to all students, regardless of their personal network;
- introduce teaching methods developed by HEC Paris;
- strengthen the school's engagement with innovation and entrepreneurship;
- join a national network of partner schools.
For teachers
Teachers benefit from:
- a dedicated two-day training in entrepreneurial methods;
- an educational platform including videos, resources, and ready-to-use activities;
- support enabling them to adopt the role of coach and project facilitator.
For students
HEC Young Innovators enables high school students to:
- develop their self-confidence;
- learn to work as a team;
- strengthen their creativity and independence;
- acquire public speaking skills through the pitch;
- discover the entrepreneurial spirit of HEC Paris.
Soutien & partenaires
Join the program
Are you a school?
Offer HEC Young Innovators to your students starting in 2026.
Register my school
Join the partner schools already guiding their students toward innovation and entrepreneurship.
View partner schools
Are you a student?
What if your internship became your first entrepreneurial project?
Ask your school about the program.