SquareLab Open Incubator: News and Novelties!

Structuring Your Entrepreneurial Approach and Boosting Your Intrapreneurial Culture

Nowadays, the successful creation of a new business requires a lot more preparation than a market study and business plan. Budding entrepreneurs must familiarize themselves with the new entrepreneurial approaches and adopt new methods. The SquareLab Open Incubator has developed its own unique methodology, “The Startup Culture Course”, based on the longstanding experience of startup entrepreneurs:

A new class of incubates, a parade of startups, a new website, the development of the “Intrapreneurship and Startup Approach” course… Before the next call for applications on April 20th, Fabrice Cailloux tells us more about the projects that are currently being stirred up in the SquareLab Open Incubator this spring! 

NEW ENTREPRENEURIAL SEEDS HAVE JUST STARTED THEIR SCHOOL YEAR! WHAT DOES THIS CLASS LOOK LIKE?

For this second promotion of the year, we had to make choices among the 30+ applicants. With the aid of a jury made up of institutional associates and business leaders, we proceeded with a pre-selection and finally retained 18 very promising projects! The common goal of this new class is to differentiate themselves on the market, develop a sustainable business model and offer the end user a “simple” solution to a complex problem.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT MAJOR STEPS FOR OUR NEW PROJECT LEADERS?

They have just started their training and their incubation in the SquareLab and this will last a total of 6 months. During this period, they will follow the different steps of the Startup Culture Path, an iterative and adaptive method that has proven to facilitate the realization of projects.

In addition to this support, they are preparing for the “Startup Parade” which will take place on Tuesday 25 April. This symbolic event will enable some of them to obtain extra financial support (4 grants from the Groupe ESC Clermont Foundation and 5 “Innovation” grants from the Crédit Agricole Centre France) and all of them will have the opportunity to pitch their project during the “Spring Talent Event”!

IT ALSO SEEMS THAT A WIND OF RENEWAL IS BLOWING ON THE SQUARELAB WEBSITE. WHAT IS IT?

We are very happy to offer a new website to our entire ecosystem. This will enable us to place the SquareLab Open Incubator in the same brand universe as that of the school, simplify the application process and enable incubation candidates to make an appointment directly via the website. If you are interested in meeting us, all you need to do is click on “Get to know us” to access the agenda of Quentin SANCHEZ, our startup manager, and book a meeting with him.

We will soon add a Blog section to the site to keep our various audiences up to date with the latest news. And for the record, we called on “Le Dupplex”, a digital communication agency created by Quentin and Thibaud, two former incubates to carry out this project!

AND FINALLY, ON THE “INTRAPRENEURSHIP” SIDE, THINGS ARE ALSO MOVING. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT IT?

In collaboration with the Michelin Innovation Lab, we have been offering the “Intrapreneurship and Startup Approach” course for several years now (a 13-day training course which runs twice a year). Initially reserved for MICHELIN group employees, this course aims to train initiative leaders by giving them the keys to innovate differently and sustainably within their company.

This course has contributed to the emergence of projects such as the Wisamo Wing (decarbonization of maritime transport using inflatable sails) or AraNea Composite (a new composite fiber to replace steel in concrete reinforcements).

What’s new this year, is that for the first time this course is open to other companies! Two members from Royal Canin’s Innovation Department and one person from Somfy have joined the current class of 18 students.