Advanced Steps in Entrepreneurship

This course during the blocked week use a combination of lectures, case discussions, practical exercises and role plays, and guest speakers. We go meet entrepreneurs and spend time with them to understand in depth what journey they have been through and how they managed the inevitable ups and downs. We also meet other players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem who have expertise in dealing with the challenges of prototyping, selling, financing, and co-founding.

The course is particularly suited to students who have already taken an entrepreneurship course and want, as part of the Entrepreneurship Track, to set themselves up for a real-life entrepreneurial journey.

Objectives:

Assuming basic concepts about entrepreneurship are known, offer deeper insights and lessons about issues encountered by startups. By making students confront the toughest challenges that most entrepreneurs face (team fights, no market response, running out of cash, losing motivation), they will be better prepared for understanding and enacting these challenges once encountered in real life.
Provide an advanced course in entrepreneurship to complete the “entrepreneurship track”
Build a community of entrepreneurial people at ESSEC by enabling and facilitating meetings between students, alumni and entrepreneurs
Connect entrepreneurial students with experts and people in the field
Discovering the French/ Parisian entrepreneurial ecosystem by visiting Startups HQ, incubators, VC offices, etc.

Next editions:

- From Tuesday April 22 to Friday April 25, 2025

Testimonies

"Advanced Steps in Entrepreneurship was an eye opening experience for me when I met founders who are a few steps ahead of me building solutions in the health and wellness space. Not only was it inspiring, but also instilled a sense of confidence in me that I maybe on the right path. Talking about my ideas and describing problem statements with as many people as I could, helped me get feedback. Before the course, I didn’t have a clarity on the problem I wanted to solve. Now, I have a better clarity. I highly recommend people who want to build something, to take this course and also discover what France has in store for them. In future, I would love to see more internationals building businesses out of France and take good advantage of favourable policies."

Satvik PUTI (E25)

« I really enjoyed the course Advanced Steps in Entrepreneurship ; it was very hands-on and allowed us to meet entrepreneurs, learn from their experiences, and listen to their advice, which was incredibly inspiring for anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Through their stories, we gained a better understanding of the mistakes to avoid when starting out and how to set ourselves on the right path from the beginning. The case studies we conducted also helped us practice on real-world scenarios. It was an intense and enriching week that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the entrepreneurial world and looking to start their own business. »

Georgia MEHAWEG TESTA (E25)

"Advanced Step in Entrepreneurship is a comprehensive overview of all the entrepreneurial challenges that a real entrepreneur will face when launching a business. From financing to legal matters, from sales strategies to market acquisition, including prototyping, this course covers it all. By far, the best course I took at ESSEC, it’s a must-have for anyone curious about entrepreneurship or aspiring to become an entrepreneur. "

Victor MAGAUD (E25)