Philippe Mustar

Entrepreneurship Week

Course Director

This ECUE takes the form of a block week that combines various educational activities. During these five days, all 1A students in a given class work in teams to follow a structured and well-supported process, guided by experienced facilitators and mentors who are already active in the entrepreneurial world. Educational Approach 1: Students lead an entrepreneurial project in small groups from Monday through Friday The core of the week is based on experiential learning, a dominant pedagogical approach today both in the academic literature on Entrepreneurship Education and in entrepreneurship programs at the most dynamic institutions in the field. Experiential learning reflects a contemporary theoretical and practical vision of entrepreneurship in which it is not essential to have a “great initial idea” or abundant resources. A fairly general idea is sufficient, since the entrepreneurial process involves transforming—or even abandoning—the initial idea. Resources are not necessary at the outset: entrepreneurs start with limited means, costs are negligible, many useful resources are freely available, and resources are acquired as they move forward. With this approach, rather than asking students to work on case studies or learn how to create a business plan in Excel (including a projected balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, etc., over five years), they are instead encouraged to identify a problem, form a team, formulate hypotheses, meet with users, propose a solution, develop a simplified prototype of their product or service, test it, observe the reactions of future users, refine it, and, finally, create a simplified representation of their company—including a revenue model (how it will generate revenue from its innovation)—and present their vision for the project during a short oral presentation. Pedagogical Approach 2: The process is guided by methods and individuals with expertise in the field The 130 students in the cohort are divided into three groups of 40 to 45 students who work in parallel. Each group consists of 8 teams of 5 or 6 students, formed around a societal challenge, and three facilitators who rotate among the teams and utilize simple, visual tools (widely used in entrepreneurial projects at universities, incubators, or accelerators). Each team has a mentor who meets with them twice a week (and who can be reached by phone). These mentors are alumni of the school who have started their own businesses or are working at a startup, a venture capital firm, etc. Pedagogical Choice 3: A Variety of Work Modalities and Configurations This “entrepreneurship week” offers a variety of activities: academic lectures on entrepreneurship, a roundtable discussion highlighting the diversity of entrepreneurship, meetings with entrepreneurs and key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, teamwork with faculty members specializing in innovation and entrepreneurship, sessions led by mentors (typically alumni from the entrepreneurial ecosystem), group activities, fieldwork outside the school with users or customers, and project presentation sessions (pitches). Supervised work at Mines using entrepreneurial development tools accounts for nearly 50% of the time, fieldwork for 20%, mentoring for 10%, and meetings and visits for 20%.

Business and Industrial Management

Course Director

Various corroborating sources point out that first-year engineering students have a misguided perception of the business world and the industrial sector (whether in France or globally). Based on this observation, we can note that the ideas traditionally associated with business or industry oscillate between two perceptions, each as erroneous as the other: on the one hand, a fully Taylorized world that, in the collective unconscious, evokes the “Modern Times” of Charles Chaplin. While this environment has not completely disappeared (we are thinking in particular of certain international sites or service activities in France, such as call centers), numerous organizational responses have been implemented since the 1930s (semi-autonomous teams based on versatility, job rotation, self-monitoring of quality, empowering workers, etc.). On the other hand, a fully automated world where operators would no longer be present. Generally speaking, this gradual disappearance of operators is not entirely unfounded. An INSEE study thus shows that in 2010 there were barely more than 6 million blue-collar workers in France. This trend is a consequence of the decline in industry, and it is interesting to note that it was the least-skilled segment of this workforce that was most affected, at least until the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, blue-collar workers still account for one in five jobs in the French economy, and it is reasonable to assume that this percentage is much higher on a global scale. Beyond these generalizations, a more robust observation is in order. The corporate world and the industrial world are neither homogeneous nor static. The work carried out by La Fabrique de l’Industrie clearly highlights the diversity of industrial reality (see L’indus’Trip, Dimitri Pleplé’s Logbook) and the transformation efforts underway (let us consider, as a prime example of these efforts, all the initiatives carried out under the banner of the “industry of the future”). It therefore seems important to offer students the opportunity to better understand, on the one hand, the world of manual labor and the role of the worker, and on the other hand, the diversity of the industrial world. The goal is to prepare students and equip them intellectually so that they are able to reflect on the transformation underway while taking into account the role of people (and more specifically that of unskilled operators performing manual tasks). These issues are of the utmost importance and affect not only employment and the competitiveness of the French economy but also, as a prerequisite, the design of industrial organizations and, more generally, businesses. The various forms of performance (quantity, quality, cost, lead time, diversity, innovation, etc.) that we collectively seek to achieve are examined, including, of course, psychosocial performance, which is linked to issues of health and quality of life at work. It is important to emphasize that the mythical figure of the manual laborer—the worker in blue overalls on an assembly line—is no longer central, but the issues raised remain relevant today. Manual labor has expanded into other sectors; half of all manual workers are employed in the service sector, 15% are in construction, and their numbers are growing in certain fields such as logistics. In this sense, the manual labor internship and its educational framework cannot be confined to the industrial sector but must address a broader range of activities (which is already the case today). Nevertheless, the rationalization methods used in industry have spread widely. In this sense, an industrial foundation remains highly relevant. The teaching team is currently working to clarify the relevant scope of activities to offer students and the nature of the positions to be selected. As we can see, the challenges are significant, and the “Introduction to Business and Industrial Management Issues” module provides students with their first opportunity to engage with these issues. In particular, the goal is to help them understand the reality of hands-on work—its characteristics, organizational structure, and management system—in other words, to recognize the degree to which the work is prescriptive (or constrained). This introduction to the business world through operational work is an essential component of the education of future engineers. The goal is gradually to help students understand the interrelationship between the workstation, the industrial and organizational system in which it is embedded, the challenges of managing people, as well as the diversity of industrial and organizational structures and their artificial (non-natural) nature. It also aims to highlight the role of engineers in these transformations. The evolution of industrial systems and management methods conclude the module and pave the way for second- and third-year courses, particularly the transformation of today’s industry into the industry of the future.

Elective Course Period (October and January)

Course Director

Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INNOV) track

Course Director

The Entrepreneurial Journey It includes the so-called 2nd- and 3rd-year academic periods, which consist of four sets of activities: technical course modules (1), workshops with entrepreneurs and professionals (2), an overseas assignment (3), and the development of a startup project (4); and an optional “internship” period (5), which takes place in a variety of settings—ranging from business creation to the development of new business lines within large corporations, to immersion in a startup or a venture capital firm. 1 - TECHNICAL EDUCATION MODULES (3A) taught by professors from business schools (HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, Imperial College) or professionals: Management and Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Communication of Innovations, Law (intellectual property, labor law, corporate structures), Finance and Funding (financial engineering, venture capital, public policies and subsidies), Design (with ENSCI students), Negotiation… 2 - WORKSHOPS WITH ENTREPRENEURS (3A) on the processes of starting a startup, Entrepreneurship in Large Corporations, Social Entrepreneurship, and Business Creation in Various Sectors (biotech, cleantech, digital, etc.). The goal is to understand entrepreneurial processes in different contexts, as well as the challenges and problems encountered and how entrepreneurs have overcome them. 3 - OVERSEAS ASSIGNMENT (2A) to understand an entrepreneurial ecosystem: 2013 in New York, 2014 in Shanghai, 2015 in Berlin, 2016 in London and Cambridge, 2017 in Helsinki… 4 – STARTUP CREATION PROJECT (3A). The goal is to develop a startup project between early October and late January. The method: Students, working in groups of 2 or 3, must define a value proposition, describe the potential target market, analyze the market environment, identify their competitive advantage, and develop the startup’s architecture (key resources and activities, partnerships) and revenue model. Over the course of these four months, they receive guidance, and at the end of January, they present their project to an investment committee composed of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. This exercise encourages creativity, risk-taking, autonomy, teamwork, and student engagement (the groups work outside the elective’s scheduled time slots!). It complements and facilitates the practical application of the lessons, meetings, and lectures from the elective’s various modules and workshops. These projects may continue through the end of June and become the 3A elective “internship.” Some of them have grown into real companies (Spotistic, YesPark…). 5 - ELECTIVE TOPICS (3A). This practical work focuses on a real-world situation (in France or abroad) and requires a strong personal commitment. It takes place in a variety of settings: within a startup, a large corporation (intrapreneurship), by launching one’s own startup (with other students or a serial entrepreneur), at a venture capital firm, in the field of social entrepreneurship, and more. Examples of topics: - Kit&Pack, creation of a startup serving makers - Identifying innovative startups in energy efficiency, Total Energy - Intrapreneurship within a major audiovisual conglomerate, CANAL+ - The emergence of a DNA synthesis startup, DNA Script - How can a strategy consulting firm be at the center of entrepreneurial technological innovation? Bain & Company - Addressing a societal problem through an entrepreneurial approach: youth integration in Cairo, AFD and Schneider Electric - Rethinking movie recommendations through a smartphone app smartphone app, SOFA - Toward a new model for sharing expertise among companies with the startup Jacoop - Launching a startup for digital queue management, Q4U PRACTICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE ELECTIVE On average, about ten students choose this track. Most activities (modules, workshops, and startup creation projects) take place in our coworking space (La Bulle électrique, next to Room V334). Unique Features of the Track The track is highly open to external collaboration (featuring professors from France’s top business schools) and international engagement. It fosters strong ties with numerous stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem (startups, large corporations, investors, entrepreneurship research, government agencies, etc.). The teaching approach encourages interaction and collaboration with founders of startups or new ventures within large corporations and venture capital firms in France and abroad. Projects are conducted in groups. The track emphasizes learning by doing and hands-on experience. While academic and theoretical aspects are not neglected, most of the time is spent in the field. The track prepares students to navigate an economic landscape that is increasingly volatile and challenging, yet also rich and stimulating. Career Paths of Program Graduates (Classes of 2009–2016) The program’s philosophy is that entrepreneurship can thrive in a wide variety of contexts. This is demonstrated by the 80 alumni who have completed the program since its inception. Today, 45% of them work in the world of startups or venture capital (for example: Weezic, Toucan Toco, YesPark, Captain Dash, Change.org, and Aster Capital in San Francisco; Nest for All in Senegal; Spotistic in Berlin); 25% work at medium-sized or large companies (e.g., Criteo, Facebook in London, Airbus, Alstom, Renault, Vinci, SNCF); 20% work in consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG); and 10% are pursuing a Ph.D. or postdoctoral research (Oxford, MIT, Mines ParisTech).