HEC Impact Entrepreneurship Day 2023: getting deeper in business for good
In addition to their academic studies, 200 students of the X-HEC-Entrepreneurs and Sustainability and Social Innovation Masters' programs spent a marathon day in Paris on 16 January 2023 to discover the inspiring career paths and professional tips of forty entrepreneurs working for philanthropic, social or ethical causes. The aim of this committed immersion is to open up the professional thinking of these young learners and help them to become potential future players in "business for good".
Over 200 HEC students at the heart of impact entrepreneurship
Auteur/Author of this article: Frédéric Voirin
Immersion with the agents of change
At the beginning of 2023, the Impact Entrepreneurship Day in Paris brought together 200 HEC Paris' students from the Master of Science X-HEC-Entrepreneurs and from the Master Sustainability and Social Innovation (SASI) to immerse themselves in the Paris ecosystem of innovation and social entrepreneurship. On the programme for this committed business marathon: meetings and discussions on the social and environmental transition to fuel the students' professional projects.
Throughout the day of 16 January, the participating students were able to experience an intense immersion in the world of impact entrepreneurship by meeting some 40 companies, start-ups, investment funds, venture capitalists and committed associations from different sectors such as energy, food, health and cosmetics, as well as NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and corporate foundations. Each group, made up of 10 to 15 students from different programmes, was able to follow a specific itinerary around Paris to meet these players at their workplaces.
A wide range of companies represented
The 2023 Impact Entrepreneurship Marathon: a record turnout!
Déborah Keraghel, Executive Director of the SASI master's programme, reminds us that "X-HEC Entrepreneurs and SASI students are led, between entrepreneurship and sustainable development, to be the future agents of change. So, throughout their course, we confront them with those who are driving this change."
This event dedicated to impact entrepreneurship was initiated at HEC Paris 5 years ago within the SASI programme, but for the first time in 2023 two different Masters will be combined, generating a record attendance of 200 students and a wealth of exchanges between the 120 or so X-HEC Entrepreneurs and 80 SASIs!
"Between entrepreneurship and sustainable development, X-HEC Entrepreneurs and SASI students are destined to be the future agents of change. With this special day, we confront them with the people who are driving this change."
A varied programme devised by the students
Under the supervision of the programme's academic director, Deborah Keraghel, the programme for the day was devised by the students themselves. In fact, this special day focusing on 'business for good' was supervised by the school and, above all, put together by 4 student co-organisers from the 2 SASI Masters (Bonnie Basie and Renata Villanueva) and X-HEC-Entrepreneurs (Aymeric de Larminat and Arthur Sérès.
The organisers carefully chose the companies and locations for the tour of the capital: "This enabled us to create a very interesting itinerary and panorama of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, whether in energy, everyday consumer goods or social links. It was extremely diverse."
Aymeric de Larminat, a 2023 student in the HEC X-entrepreneur Master's programme, goes on to say that he is even more enthusiastic because "this marathon offers a range of knowledge about some pretty incredible possible initiatives and the novel side of the companies chosen via the HEC Paris' network or not".
"In one word, it's a day about the power of commitment"
Making cosmetics less polluting
Aymeric was particularly struck by the personal commitment of each of the players present, and their willingness to get involved in the issues, both professionally and personally. The Fonds du Bien Commun, for example, has concrete projects with an impact: inclusion of the elderly, integration of the disabled. "They even financed a film about the Puy du Fou", he says with emotion.
Time for privileged, unfiltered exchanges
The various company directors shared their experiences with the HEC students, as well as advice on how to successfully complete their entrepreneurial project, optimise their business plan or raise funds.
Bonnie BASIE, HEC Paris SASI student and co-organiser of the day's events, says she "really liked the informal nature of the discussions, with no need to worry about representation, the very natural advice, which was almost always off the record and unfiltered, and the variety of initiatives".
Meetings at the heart of companies undergoing change
The interest in the discussions was heightened tenfold by the fact that they enabled the participants to take on board the diversity of possible impacts. Bonnie sums up these entrepreneurial meetings of a third kind as follows: "You can run a foundation like L'Oréal, which funds prizes for women scientists, inclusive beauty or eco-responsibility, or you can run a social enterprise or a committed investment fund like SISTA, which gives women a higher profile in a predominantly male professional environment".
In the evening, to round off this inspiring marathon day, the students were able to take part in two Masterclasses on recycling and the decarbonisation of the fashion industry, as well as a final round table discussion. The theme of the latter event was "Driving social change through innovation and leadership: the role of NGOs, investors and businesses".
For more eco-friendly practices
"You can run a corporate foundation, a social structure or an investment fund that is committed to eco-responsibility or that raises the profile of women in a predominantly male professional environment."
An inspiring closing with 4 emblematic figures of the business for good
With eyes aglow, Bonnie, co-organiser of this marathon day, details some of the key moments delivered by 4 emblematic figures during a final round-table discussion on impact entrepreneurship.
Marjorie DARCET, CEO and founder of LIXO, a company specialising in household waste recycling, presented the various labels that exist in this field, her career path and advice on how to get started: courage, tenacity and endurance were three of the key aspirations that were shared with the very attentive students in the audience. Marc LAURENT (H.13, X-Entrepreneur), CEO/Founder of Carbonfact, explained how his company calculates carbon emissions in the textile industry to help brands reduce their emissions by focusing on the life cycle of products in the fashion industry. Tatiana JAMA, co-founder of SISTA, explained that "the enthusiasm came from the group, and that this was not necessarily initially planned in [her] career path". Finally, Manuel Patrouillard, global managing director of Handicap International, began his career in finance at McKinsey before moving into social work and helping people with disabilities.
Round table discussion with 4 emblematic agents of change
"Courage, tenacity and endurance are three of the great aspirations shared by the students"
This social entrepreneurship marathon not only helped to raise awareness among a record number of HEC students of various economic sectors (food, health, energy, social), but also to bring together two Masters with two complementary approaches: the SASIs, who focus on the entrepreneurial vision and societal mission of the impact (the "why"), and the X-Entrepreneurs, who focus on the sustainability of the business model and the longevity of the project (the "how", how long and how far") in order to grow and become a scale-up. ..or even a unicorn!
Follow the HEC students in the SASI and X-HEC Entrepreneurs masters courses
https://www.instagram.com/xhec_entrepreneurs/
https://www.instagram.com/hecparis_sasi/