Supporting Future Entrepreneurs at AgroParisTech – AgroParisTech’s “Itinéraire Entrepreneuriat”
July 27 2022Across its fields of study, AgroParisTech offers students with entrepreneurial aspirations access to juries that can provide project development support through the AgroParisTech Foundation’s “Start a Business!” initiative [link], through the expertise and resources made available by AgroParisTech Innovation [link], and, insofar as possible, through AgroParisTech’s own resources (programs, faculty and research staff, technicians, technical equipment, InnLabs).
The Creativity Jury, an ideas competition open to all students that aims to raise awareness about entrepreneurship, is organized once a year. For example, any student may apply and present a five-minute idea for a solution to an identified need that would create economic activity. A friendly jury assesses the ideas and awards prizes to the best projects, with an average total of 2,000 euros awarded each year.
AgroParisTech also organizes the Maturation Jury, devoted to projects and teams wishing to embark on the journey of entrepreneurship with a more mature, fleshed-out project that still needs additional work on its proof of concept. It takes place twice a year (December and May) in front of a secret jury of professionals primarily composed of Foundation experts and sponsors. A total prize amount of 10,000 euros per session can be divided among winning projects. Winners bring home both a prize and personalized support from AgroParisTech, AgroParisTech Innovation, Foundation sponsors, InnLabs (if needed), and, in some cases, from INRAE and the Carnot institutes that AgroParisTech is involved in.
Lastly, the Acceleration Jury is organized for projects approaching the end of their maturation phase. It also takes place twice a year (in December and May) in conditions close to those of the Maturation Jury, on the basis of a more substantial, detailed proposal regarding the economic aspects of the project (a complete business plan). Interested third-year engineering students may use their Year 3 Project TU to pursue work on their entrepreneurial project.
If they apply for National Student Entrepreneur Status (SNEE), they can also use their final Year 3 Engineering internship to work on their project. If they take a break or apply for a CEI (International Experience Certificate), they can also complete a 6-month internship on their project by applying for SNEE status. Startups that are incubated in AgroParisTech’s InnLabs can also submit proposals to this jury in certain circumstances.
Eligibility and assessment criteria and advantages for participating future entrepreneurs
- It is not mandatory for the project to be innovative;
- The company’s size is not limited;
- The project must involve AgroParisTech’s fields of study (life and environmental sciences and industries);
- The project must fall within the scope of the institution’s aims and values (protecting the environment and biodiversity, feeding the world, healthcare for all, bioeconomy), and may involve fair trade channels;
- The company must not have been created more than two years ago (for the Acceleration Jury).
Eligibility requirements
- Your project must be the work of a team that includes at least one member of the AgroParisTech community, such as a student at AgroParisTech or an affiliated institution, or a student supervised by the institution: an engineer, apprentice, Master’s, Specialized Master’s, or Ph.D. student; a young graduate with student entrepreneur status supervised by AgroParisTech; AgroParisTech administrative or technical staff; or a faculty member;
- You must have already worked on your entrepreneurship project, but it needs to be further developed;
- You must not yet have created your business;
- Your project must need support (funding and expertise) to further mature.
The project is assessed based on the following criteria
- Presentation quality (high-quality, impactful media, compelling presentation, thorough preparation);
- Subject (responds to a well-identified and expressed need), well-known and analyzed state of the art, innovative subject and approaches, strategic subject with a strong potential for the sector, strong social commitment and responsibility);
- Team (interpersonal qualities, listening skills, communication, complementary profiles, well-distributed positions, “contagious” drive, true entrepreneurial approach, strong team diversity);
- Pre-incubation project (good understanding of the risk, identifying and defining key points to be developed during the pre-incubation period, spontaneous request for outside expertise, detailed, relevant goals for key areas).
Becoming a Maturation Jury winner means receiving
- Financial support in the form of grants from the AgroParisTech Foundation or AgroParisTech Innovation (2,000 euros on average);
- Access to a catalogue of calls for projects;
- Scientific, technical, or managerial skills sponsorship and experimental support from AgroParisTech and four partners: Carnot institutes (Qualiment (processing, food), 3BCAR (biotechnologies), Plant2Pro (plant production));
- Skills sponsorship through employees at AgroParisTech Foundation’s sponsor companies: management, HR, marketing, communications, administration, etc.;
- Support from AgroParisTech Innovation for legal, intellectual property, strategic, and business/financial issues;
- The possibility to collect 60%-75% tax-exempt donations through the Foundation (after incorporation), within a limit of €20,000/year/project;
- A guarantee of credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of other partners;
- Visibility.
Specific eligibility requirements
Your project must be the work of a team that includes at least one member of the AgroParisTech community, such as a student at AgroParisTech or an affiliated institution, or a student supervised by the institution: an engineer, apprentice, Master’s, Specialized Master’s, or Ph.D. student; a young graduate with student entrepreneur status supervised by AgroParisTech; AgroParisTech administrative or technical staff; or a faculty member;
You have developed a business project in the field of life and environmental science and industry, you have completed the pre-maturation phase and generated your first PoC, and you are now ready to enter the industrial development and/or commercial development stage;
If your company has already been created, it must not have existed for more than two years or have received other financial support in excess of 100,000 euros.
The project is assessed based on the following criteria
- Presentation quality (high-quality, impactful media, compelling presentation, thorough preparation);
- Subject (full market research study, barriers to entry, in-depth knowledge of the competitive environment, vision/ambition, socially responsible commitment);
- Business plan (value proposition, quality of the offer, economic model);
- Team (interpersonal qualities, complementary profiles, well-distributed positions, strong team diversity);
- 12-month plan (understanding of the risk, needs in terms of support, technical and financial roadmap).
Becoming an Acceleration Jury winner means receiving
- Financial support in the form of grants from AgroParisTech Innovation (3,000 euros on average);
- Access to a catalogue of calls for projects;
- Receiving the “AgroParisTech Startup” label;
- Scientific, technical, or managerial skills sponsorship and experimental support from AgroParisTech and four partners: Carnot institutes (Qualiment (processing, food), 3BCAR (biotechnologies), Plant2Pro (plant production));
- Skills sponsorship through employees at AgroParisTech Foundation’s sponsor companies: management, HR, marketing, communications, administration, etc.;
- Support from AgroParisTech Innovation for legal, intellectual property, strategic, and business/financial issues;
- A guarantee of credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of other partners;
- Visibility.
General advice
- Third-year engineering students, second-year master’s students, and doctoral candidates nearing the end of their Ph.D. are advised to first apply to the Maturation Jury before approaching the Start a Business one.
- AgroParisTech community members with a project eligible for financial support are encouraged to sign on as partners and invest in the company’s capital, or at least to be closely involved in the project by taking on responsibilities within the company.