MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs: when adventure shapes the entrepreneurial mindset
Every year, at the start of the academic year, the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs program begins with an extraordinary experience: the X-HEC ENT'RAID seminar. This year, from September 2 to 6, 2025, the seminar took the new class of 2025-2026 on a five-day expedition to the heart of the Jura Mountains (France). On the agenda: steep trails, athletic and team challenges, but above all, moments of intense sharing. For the 120 participating students, this formative experience marks not only the beginning of their journey at HEC Paris, but also the first steps on their entrepreneurial path. It is a timeless interlude that forges the team spirit, resilience, and boldness of these future leaders.
Even before classes officially begin, students in the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs program are immersed in an extraordinary experience: the ENT'RAID seminar. Five days of intense integration designed to accelerate what classroom time does not always allow: group cohesion.
This seminar is the first step in building a supportive and united class, but between sports activities and team challenges, this trip is also designed to push students out of their comfort zone.
Set in an exceptional natural environment in the heart of the Jura mountains, this orientation week also aims to develop key skills for any entrepreneurial project, including real-world problem solving and leadership development.
Students learn to rely on each other, discover their strengths, and cultivate empathy. In this demanding yet supportive environment, they learn to know their inner selves, identify their strengths and limitations, and determine the direction they want to take their entrepreneurial project.
X-HEC ENT’RAID Seminar: Day-by-day schedule
Here, immersion in nature means disconnecting, both literally and figuratively. Without cell service, the 120 students experience a rare interlude: one where they truly reconnect with others.
One of the unique features of the ENT'RAID seminar is that it is organized by the students themselves: from logistics and transportation to communication, photography and videography, and even coordinating evening activities. This introduction is a first concrete entrepreneurial experience, where everyone learns to take initiative, collaborate effectively, and trust in the strength of the group.
Day 1: Tuesday, September 2
Our 120 students set off at dawn from Porte d'Orléans (Paris), buses loaded with energy and suitcases, heading for the Jura. Arrival at La Chapelle-des-Bois a few hours later marked the start of the adventure with a mountain lunch and the distribution of raid packs. In the afternoon, everything was in place for the very first activity: an orienteering hike between Lamoura and the École des Neiges. Along the way, the teams (made up of three students) completed another mission: creating flags, symbols of their history and an already well-established team spirit. It was the perfect activity for getting to know their classmates in a fun way.
Day 2: Wednesday, September 3
Wake up in the fresh air at 7 a.m., grab a quick breakfast, and the teams hit the road again, heading for Morbier. It's going to be an active day: another orienteering hike from the Stade des Marais and an abseiling session for the more adventurous, perched on the cliffs of the Trois Commères. The arrival in Bois d'Amont ends with a bus ride back to Lamoura for a convivial evening around a campfire.
Day 3: Thursday, September 4
Head to Fort des Rousses for a day of sports and discovery. After a morning hike, teams are welcomed with a buffet before venturing into one of the activities on offer: the fort's underground passages or the zip line. The afternoon ends with a return to the École des Neiges, followed by an evening dedicated to discussion and entrepreneurial spirit, led by Diego Pizarro Sanchez, Learning Experience Manager for the program, and a presentation by the new Academic Director, Guillaume Le Dieu de Ville.
Day 4: Friday, September 5
The final stage of the trek: a long crossing between the École des Neiges and the Col de la Faucille, via Crêt Pela and Mijoux. A demanding but spectacular hike, punctuated by a zip line descent at the finish, the steepest in France! Back at camp, participants shared a convivial moment with guests during the final debriefing over a closing cocktail. In the evening, it was time to party with the legendary “Pineurs” theme night, the highlight of an unforgettable week.
Student feedback: Pacôme Richard shares his experience
To give us an inside look at this experience, we met with Pacôme Richard, a student in the 2025-2026 class of the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs program. Passionate about sports and entrepreneurship, Pacôme has already taken his first steps as the CEO's right-hand man at La Trace, a start-up that promotes a more responsible approach to travel and leisure. This was a key first experience for this young student, who represents a generation seeking to give meaning to their actions and leave a positive mark.
For Pacôme, the ENT’RAID seminar will remain a milestone in his journey. It combines everything he loves: walking, nature, pushing himself to new limits, and above all, meeting new people. The tone is set from day one, with a four-hour hike in the heart of the Jura mountains, the first challenge in a week dedicated to team building and collective effort.
"There's nothing better than walking for hours in nature to get to know someone."
- Pacôme Richard, student of the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs
Every day, the groups change: students, divided into teams of three, alternate between sports activities and group challenges. This system is designed to encourage social bonding. “What I liked was that we met nine new people every day. By the end, you had talked to everyone, and above all, you had shared some great moments with them,” says Pacôme.
One of the exercises involved creating a symbolic flag that reflected the discussions and shared values of a team. Presented in the evening in front of the 120 students in the class, this fun exercise helped break the ice and create a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
"What I found extraordinary was the depth of the discussions we had from the very first days. Very quickly, we moved beyond small talk and into truly personal conversations about our backgrounds, our doubts, and our desires."
Among the various activities during the trip were hiking, abseiling, zip-lining, spikeball, and board games. However, the experience that made the biggest impression on Pacôme was undoubtedly exploring underground caves. It was a moment he will never forget. “We were feeling our way forward, with three headlamps for six people, and then without any light at all. It was crazy! We had to trust each other, talk to each other, and help each other,” he explains. It was a true reflection of what entrepreneurship is all about: moving forward together in uncertainty.
This week, filled with laughter, fatigue, and emotions, also allowed him to better understand how he functions: “At the end of the day, my social battery was completely drained. It was such a rich human experience that I realized how much I also needed moments alone to recharge.”
Beyond cohesion, Pacôme took away one key lesson from this seminar: the importance of listening and kindness in a group where everyone arrives with their own history and aspirations. “There was this atmosphere of trust, without judgment. You could really open up, learn from others, and that was great,” he says.
Pacôme also highlights the mindset that prevails among the students in his class: a generation that is more aware of its desires and less constrained by predetermined paths.
"What I found beautiful was seeing that many of us have this flame, this desire to do something that truly reflects who we are."
He mentions his friend Sacha, who chose to work as a teaching assistant in a school in the northern districts of Marseille (France), before trying his hand at theater by taking a week-long course at Cours Florent, a famous French acting school. “I think it's great!” says Pacôme. “He just followed his heart, without asking himself a thousand questions. And in the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs, there are lots of stories like that. That's what I think is our real strength: we've all, in our own way, tried to think outside the box.”
Today, Pacôme readily reaches out to students who, like him a few years ago, feel a little lost when faced with demands to follow the “right path.” He speaks kindly to those who doubt themselves, to those who hesitate to embark on a personal project: “Do what you really want to do.”
“Don't be afraid to mess up. If it doesn't work out, it's no big deal. The important thing is to try, to live the life you want to live. Sometimes it can be as simple as going on a week-long trip solo, just because you feel like it. What matters is giving yourself the freedom to experiment.”
For him, entrepreneurship, like life, is not a straight line but a field of exploration. And it is in this risk-taking, this freedom to “do” without certainty of success, that the beginning of self-knowledge is often found.
For Pacôme, the MSc X-HEC Entrepreneurs program is above all an opportunity to gain structure and method. He acknowledges that he has “a tendency to have lots of ideas” and that the program can teach him to “do things in the right order” and develop “entrepreneurial rigor.”
While he makes no secret of his attraction to the world of sports, he remains curious and open to what the year has in store for him: “Combining passion and work, there's nothing better. But I also give myself the freedom to discover other areas, to let myself be surprised.”
About X-HEC Entrepreneurs
The Master X-HEC Entrepreneurs program immerses students in real-world entrepreneurship, teaching valuable skills through hands-on entrepreneurial missions within a vibrant ecosystem. This experience shapes their entrepreneurial mindset before they embark on their own projects.
About HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute
The institute supports entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Through our Incubation & Acceleration, Deeptech, and Social Entrepreneurship centers, we assist students with innovative ideas, budding startups, rapidly scaling SMEs, transforming large enterprises, and social or environmental entrepreneurs to grow efficiently and with impact. Here, the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem of HEC Paris comes together to help you Make it Happen, Make it Big.