Dean Isabelle Huault addressing the guests
Today, the school’s incubator has a distinct focus on learning, as its director Alexander Bell addresses. “I believe that 80 per cent of the entrepreneurial process is method, so because we’re a business school and because we teach and train, we’re pretty good at that.” The educational emphasis also sets the tone for entry into the incubator. “We’re looking to make sure that students learn throughout their entrepreneurial project,” Bell advises, adding that this entails assessing students’ level of engagement and dedication to their proposed project. However, the incubator is also open to founders from outside the Emlyon community and here the business plans themselves warrant greater scrutiny before they are admitted. As Bell surmises: “It’s probably a bit stricter in terms of what we’re looking for.” Even so, the supportive learning environment remains a key distinguishing feature of the incubator and one that differentiates it from private incubators – for founders who seek it out, that is. After all, some entrepreneurs only want to sign up to an incubator to access certain resources, be those in relation to space, finance or industry connections. “Whereas other teams will be looking for the kind of legitimacy and methods that a business school incubator can provide,” as Delmar points out. A safe transition to going solo in business Gaining the skills and experience required to pursue a career as an entrepreneur is central to many students’ motivations for attending business school. For example, 26 per cent of respondents to the AMBA & BGA Student Survey 2023: Aspirations & Programme Experiences said they had embarked on their studies to become equipped to start their own business. Aside from the learning and guidance on offer, one of the reasons for this is the chance to build and develop business ideas in a low-risk environment. “When students are still studying, they have that space to test and learn and move forward on a project,” says Bell. This is important, he confides, because there’s much less possibility of being judged for pursuing a project that doesn’t quite work out if it happens during your time at business school, reasoning that “in France, failure is not something that people like.” However, what a student learns during their time at business school, or within an incubator or accelerator programme, becomes all the more important when they graduate and leave the relative sanctuary of its confines behind. “When we measure what happens when you leave our incubator and accelerator programmes, we do see a dip in energy and mental health. You will have been in a supportive environment, but now you must learn to swim on your own and that’s a big change for a lot of entrepreneurs,” maintains Delmar. The I2E director says this is why entrepreneurship ecosystems extend to business and science parks, so that “the transition is not too brutal” and that by working alongside other start-ups entrepreneurs remain “in a setting where people would recognise what they are doing”. There’s recognition, too, that Emlyon can do more to support its graduate entrepreneurs beyond their time in the school’s roster of programmes. In this sense, the move from Écully in
A large number of students, staff and faculty, as well as institutional and economic partners, came together to celebrate the launch of I2E
the suburbs of Lyon to the new institute in the city centre is the chance it has been waiting for. “This is why we decided to have this space and why it was so important,” Delmar declares. “We’re coming back to town and we’re closer to entrepreneurs for whom it was not easy to come and visit. This will now be the space where both budding and experienced entrepreneurs can come, talk and keep in touch.” He continues: “We also know that we’re only part of this; successful entrepreneurs often make sure that they end up in other kinds of professional networks not only because they’re important for growth and business relationships, but also to be part of a community where your experiences are not unique. Talking about your challenges or successes with like-minded people is very important.” Increasing inclusion for female students Emlyon’s new institute also hopes to address the start-up world’s continuing gender imbalance, with the incubator’s experiences to date often reflecting the global gender imbalance among
28 Ambition • ISSUE 1 • 2025
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