The HEC IDEA Community shows its solidarity!
If agility is one of the first qualities of startups and young companies, we should not underestimate their solidarity and commitment
The dexterity and spontaneity with which the entire HEC IDEA community has adapted and pooled its resources over the last few days suggest that the HEC startups will be well equipped to take up the next challenges and face the new difficulties imposed in such an exceptional context!
An incredible dynamic has been established within the HEC IDEA entrepreneurial community: employees, experts and, of course, entrepreneurs have joined forces to set up a real network of mutual aid.
After the sudden evacuation of Station F ; the time has come to reschedule remotely the HEC Incubator's entire support offer. The HEC Challenge + program carried out its first remote intake, while the teams of the ESS Accelerator and HEC Stand Up set up a a crisis support service for the companies they support.
The Directory of the most updated measures and assistance for startups and companies
Indeed, the ESS Accelerator team put in place very quickly a comprehensive and regularly updated directory of measures and assistance for companies. This is a valuable tool in times of crisis for all managers. We share it hereunder (mostly in French).
1/ managing cash flow,
2/ implementing new working conditions with employees in the short and medium term,
3/ learning how to manage stakeholders : information, advice, templates…
Are you self-employed, in a micro-business? The HEC Stand Up programme has adapted a directory here.
Free Services made in HEC
Following Cédric O.'s call for tech companies to make their services available, many HEC startups have come forward. Here is a small selection of the most interesting offers:
- TouteMesAides has created a page dedicated to help for start-ups. They have broken down here each of the measures and the steps to be taken. (Updated daily)
- Fygr provides a cash flow management and forecasting tool, very useful at the moment to closely monitor its cash flow.
- ViiBE proposes video remote assistance software. Originally designed for technical support and after-sales service, the software is also useful for group meetings and for training new employees. Better than traditional video conferencing such as Skype, its various functions, including: projecting the mouse cursor over the live video stream, saving and annotating live screenshots, replaying recordings in the call library, etc., make it easier for employees to communicate with each other.
- kraaft is making its messaging application free to help front-line workers communicate more easily and to provide real-time visibility into what's happening in the field for facilities and health services management.
- Mayday: adapts its intelligent assistant that boosts your customer service and connects directly to support services (integrated with Zendesk, Intercom, Freshchat).
- Livescale: We are all affected, one way or another. Livescale opens its FREE social media LIVE streaming technology to everyone, and gives a 30 days free PERIOD* for its LIVE Shopping solution.
- EldoTravo is a word-of-mouth digitization service for the construction industry. It provides artisans with free support. Three services have been deployed: one month of free service on the platform, an audit of their referencing or a Facebook distance training. Learn more about its offer here.
and much more startups here
A Citizen Commitment
In addition to the pooling of aid and tools by entrepreneurs, numerous citizen initiatives are being created on a daily basis. To be found here.
This plethora of offers has given ideas to two young graduates of the Grande Ecole HEC Paris, Camille Zivré and Lucille Collet, to bring together all the stakeholders, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, experts and available resources to launch a new hackaton, the "Hacking Covid-19". The event will take place on April 10-12 to try to overcome the health, economic and social challenges we are facing!
Deepen your knowledge
Finally, this time of "confinement" is also a time to rethink one's activity and to take advantage of all the free resources made available by the HEC Community.
Online Resources
The Learning Center gives you access to selected and specialized sources of information, reserved for its population (students, participants, incubees). It is through its databases that you will be able to access press articles, market studies and financial data free of charge and online.
How can you do this?
- Login to the Library's website: https://learning-center.hec.edu
- Identify the databases, through the menu "Databases">"all databases" and use the thematic filter.
- Choose your bases
- Fill in your HEC network login and password
- Start your search!
Need some help?
Don't hesitate to ask the Library team learning-center@hec.fr
Open Access Live Webinars Available In English Or French
HEC Paris Executive Education have produced a series of "Freemium Webinars" starting next Tuesday, March 31, 2020. In English or French, they have been designed to support business leaders and their teams.
Free Moocs
For those who have ideas but do not know how to implement them, don't forget that you have the great opportunity to register for the following MOOCs :
- "Creating your technology startup": This course, offered by Ecole Polytechnique and HEC Paris, will enable you to identify and evaluate opportunities for creating technology companies and to understand the main human, technical, commercial, environmental and financial issues involved. You will thus have a solid foundation to create your own high-tech company or decide to join one. (in French, subtitles in English)
- "Becoming an Entrepreneur of Change": This course, offered by HEC Paris and Ticket for Change, is designed to accompany all those who want to have a positive impact in society but do not know how to act. Whatever your age or academic background, this course will help you to find the path that suits you to move the lines! You will learn how to go from wish to an idea, and from an idea to action. (in French)
Startup Office Hours
The HEC IDEA Center's office hours always take place but remotly on Thursday afternoons. They are reserved for our students, participants and HEC alumni who wish to get feedback or get advice on their business project or start-up in development. Register here.