ESSEC and ESSEC Alumni organised the 2nd edition of the ESSEC Founders Day competition at BpiFrance. This major annual event rewards young companies founded by the School’s students and graduates. Discover the winners and watch the full event in replay on YouTube !

ESSEC Founders Day is one of the rare events which brings together key players from the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem around very high-potential start-ups, founded by ESSEC and in sectors undergoing profound changes, such as health, fintech or cleantech.

Investment in entrepreneurship and innovation is an inherent part of ESSEC’s DNA. Every year, around 400 business projects are supported by the ecosystem of incubators and programmes, across all the School’s campuses. ESSEC start-ups, co-founded by graduates or students, obtained €3.2 billion in funding this year.

The six finalists, Anga, Just, Hemeris, Nota Climat, Vestack and Polygon Therapeutics, had 5 minutes to convince the jury of the relevance of their business model and initial results. 

Hemeris, building the future of agriculture and agro-food.

Co-founded by Steven Deves-Girain (E21) and Flora Vandier, Hemeris aims to build to a more environmentally-friendly agro-industry, thanks to the development of an innovative and sustainable solution for seed treatment based on cold atmospheric plasma. As an alternative to widely-used chemical compounds, Hemeris focuses on decontaminating and enhancing the water absorption of seeds. Hemeris has two industrial and customer partners, Germine and Gautier Semences.

A dual graduate of ESSEC and CentraleSupélec, and son of a vegetable farmer, Steven has always had a vested interest in building a responsible agro-food industry. 

“At present, the industry uses a long and complicated disinfection process involving chloride compounds. We’re entering a 4-billion-euro seed market. Our target is seeds and grains of very high added value.”  

The deeptech Hemeris works hand in hand with Geeps, IPS2 and LGPM, 3 laboratories in the Paris Saclay ecosystem. The start-up is supported in its entrepreneurial growth by ESSEC, 21st by CentraleSupélec and Agro Pari Tech. 

“Our roadmap for 2022 is the diversification of laboratory applications; in 2023 we’re aiming to set up the first pilot projects for a customised decontamination of seeds and grains, and 2024 should see the roll-out of decontamination units for our industrial customers.” 

Vestack, an immersion in the building industry

Co-founded by Nicolas Guinebretière (E17), Jean-Christophe Pierron and Sylvain Bogeat, Vestack is a technological platform for digital design (BIM) and industrial building (modular 3D in wooden frameworks) which reconciles carbon requirements and the profitability of real estate developments. Vestack designs and constructs buildings which cut CO2 emissions in three and halve lead times, at no extra cost.

“The building sector currently represents €100 billion in turnover for France, €1,000 billion in Europe, and contributes to more than 25% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Vestack is a new solution which offers an integrated vertical model with 3 innovative technologies: a software programme, a modular building system and an integrated industrial model with low CAPEX.” 

Vestack opened its first plant near Meaux, and is due to open a second factory in the coming months in Seine-et-Marne, creating some forty new jobs to meet the demands of the catchment area.

“The real issue is not the demand, which is huge, but the ability to develop production plants. Vestack hopes to exceed €10 million in turnover next year.” 

Two awards to accelerate growth

The two winners take away €10,000 in prize money.

All the finalists will avail of a 6-month support programme provided by In Extenso Innovation et Croissance [Innovation and Growth].

Thank you to the jury and partners!

The jury panel was composed of numerous professionals from the French innovation, entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem: Boris Bakech (E12) – C4 Ventures;  Jean Bertin (E09) – BlackFin Capital Partners; Patricia Braun – In Extenso Innovation Croissance; Domitille Dubern (E20) – Bpifrance; Romain Dufourcq (E20) – Cathay Innovation; Jacques Froissant – Altaide; Isabelle Gallo (E10) – Breega; Marine Glon (E05) – Supernova Invest; Claire Houry (E93) – Ventech; Christian Lucas (E92) – Silver Lake; Amine Marouf (E10) – Kurma Partners; Alexis Menard (M12) – Go Capital; Fadwa Ouardani (E19) – Xange; Guillaume Ouvrieu – Dennemeyer; Fanny Picard (E92) – Alter Equity; Bruno Raillard (E06) – Frst; Raphaël Rebert – CIC; Pascale Seivy – Oddo Bhf; David Smadja – DJS Avocat;  Yassine Soual (M15) – Bpifrance, and Armelle de Tinguy (E13) – Elaia Partners.

The ESSEC entrepreneurship programme and its student incubator, ESSEC Ventures, is supported by the European Union and the Ile-de-France Regional Authority, via the European Social Fund. It is also backed by leading players of the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem: Altaïde, CIC, Dennemeyer, DJS Avocats, In Extenso Innovation Croissance and ODDO BHF.

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