Reflets Mag #151 celebrates the 15th anniversary of Antropia ESSEC, France’s first social enterprise accelerator to be led by a business school. A perfect opportunity to take stock of achievements and look to the future with its director Jérôme Schatzman (E94), and to relay the call for applications to the Start Up and Scale Up programmes, open until 8 March. Here is a free online translation of the article… subscribe to get the next issues (in French)!" 

Reflets Magazine: Could you present Antropia ESSEC to us?

Jérôme Schatzman: Antropia ESSEC was created in 2008 by ESSEC’s Social Innovation Chair  to support the proponents of social or environmental innovations acting for transition towards an inclusive and sustainable world. Our present offer consists of several programmes adapted to various stages of maturity: Start Up, for entrepreneurs having reached proof of concept for their product or service and looking to plan a 3-year seed strategy; Scale Up Enterprise and Scale Up Association, for organisations seeking to scale up and maximise their impact (fivefold in 5 years), and Size Up, to help social entrepreneurs become independent in their social impact assessment process.

RM: You also offer programmes in partnership with other organisations... 

J. Schatzman: Yes. We recently launched Expérimentation 95 to guide the location in Val-d’Oise and collaboration with the Departmental Council of social entrepreneurs addressing the specific issues of this region, home to ESSEC for 50 years. We also lead various collaborative programmes between social entrepreneurs and major groups, such as Innov&Vous, which will enable the social protection group IRCEM (5 million beneficiaries) to include solutions in their service offer provided by our programmes’ alumni entrepreneurs.

RM: Has the social entrepreneurship world changed since the early days of Antropia ESSEC?

J. Schatzman: In 2008, we were among the pioneering supporters of social entrepreneurs. The ecosystem has grown enormously since, with the development of impact investing funds, the voting of the 2014 law on the social and solidarity economy creating the status of the social utility company, the proliferation of support offers, creation of the Impact France Movement, or growing implication on the part of companies and local authorities in transition, and so on. In the past there were more projects than available funding or aid schemes. The trend has now reversed and requirements have become stricter, particularly in terms of economic viability. The challenge is not to demonstrate that we can do things differently, but to prove and promote the impact of actions undertaken, with systemic change as the key goal to solving societal problems at their root.

RM: What results have Antropia ESSEC’s actions produced?

J. Schatzman: In 15 years, we have supported around 500 project owners throughout France, including many ESSEC graduates. 75% of those projects are currently in operation, compared to 66% on a national scale. Two-thirds believe they have boosted their impact since receiving support and 95% recommend our programmes. More than 5,000 jobs have been created, which is both a lot and not enough!

RM: Have any ESSEC alumni benefited from one of your programmes?

J. Schatzman: Absolutely, even if this is not a criterion for selection. We can cite Pauline Arnaud-Blanchard (E08) with H’up entrepreneurs; Olivier Arnaud-Blanchard (E08) with Linklusion; Benjamin Athuil (E15) with CareGame; Olivier Lenoir (E98) with Osons Ici et Maintenant; Guillaume Hermitte (E05) with Puerto Cacao; Lélio Lemoine (E09) with Les Marmites Volantes; Jean Moreau (E07) with Phenix; Pauline Chatin (E12) with Vigne de Cocagne; Marion Chapulut (E94) with CitizenCorps; Kévin André (E99) with Kawaa; Emmanuelle Touilloux (E10) with Marguerite, and Camille Fayet Agopian (E97) with Visitatio.

RM: What is the outlook for Antropia ESSEC in the coming years?

J. Schatzman: We would particularly like to encourage forms of collaboration, between social entrepreneurs, between the latter and major groups or local authorities, but also between support players themselves. We’re participating, for example, in the co-creation of Kiif, which brings together 10 support organisations in 10 regions of France. We have a similar in-house strategy; we work constantly alongside the Social Innovation Chair, the Environmental Transition Talents Chair, the Philanthropy Chair, the Global Circular Economy Chair and the Food Business Challenges Chair, in addition to the E&MISE Laboratory (Evaluation and Measure of Social and Environmental Impact), the Master in Sustainability Transformation, the Bachelor Act and the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Centre, etc. 

RM: Do you have any other aims?

J. Schatzman: We want to facilitate student engagement. Our actions in this area include the recent organisation of a Social and Sustainable Innovation Seminar, during which the 512 specialised Masters students discovered the success stories of 20 social entrepreneurs; we’re rallying our network for the upcoming impact jobs forum in Cergy; we encourage students to vote for the annual Environmental & Social Entrepreneur Prize, co-organised with BCG, and we help some students to work with the alumni entrepreneurs on our programmes. We’re also looking to develop our impact in the vicinity of the ESSEC campus, in the Cergy-Pontoise conurbation and the Val-d’Oise department. The aim is to make our region an inspirational model for others.

RM: How can alumni get involved in your activities?

J. Schatzman: If you have a project, you can apply for one of our programmes: the application process is open until 8 March for our Start Up, Scale Up Enterprise and Scale Up Association schemes. If you already have experience in this field, you can become a ‘strategic guide’, like Olivier Chanut (E93), Kevin André (E99), Gaëtan Baudry (E08) and Emmanuelle Touilloux (E10) and follow one of our projects for a year. We’re also looking for sector experts to lead training sessions or advise entrepreneurs on a periodical basis. Lastly, you can help us to set up partnerships between Antropia ESSEC and your organisation to promote engagement, social responsibility or intrapreneurship among your employees.

Find out more: 

antropia-essec.fr (in French)
centre-innovation-sociale-ecologique.essec.edu

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser  (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni 

Translation of an article published in Reflets Magazine #151. Special offer: read the issue (in French).

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