16 student entrepreneurs from Université Paris-Saclay set off for the Silicon Valley

They may be students but they already have an appetite for entrepreneurship. In November 2019 they won the Challenge Startup competition coordinated by Université Paris-Saclay and the association Start in Saclay. On Sunday 16 February, the group of young talents set off for an immersive entrepreneurial adventure in the Silicon Valley.

Université Paris-Saclay gives all of its students and young graduates the chance to develop their entrepreneurial spirit, providing them with essential support for their business ideas. Among the numerous initiatives designed to stimulate entrepreneurial creativity, the University has recently organised the third edition of the Challenge Startup competition. The goal? Uncover and showcase the entrepreneurial talents of the University’s students and help them to launch their projects.

In November 2019, some 40 students, divided into 15 groups, pitched their start-up projects, most of which were still being developed. The budding entrepreneurs attended themed workshops and were mentored by over 50 professionals, helping the students with the development of their projects right up until the final challenge.

The panel of mentors, professionals and previous challenge winners were impressed by the quality and diversity of the projects presented. “We were struck by the wide range of profiles and the level of diversity within the teams; a testament to the rich entrepreneurial spirit that we are committed to supporting,” said Clémentine Delphin, Head of Entrepreneurship Development for the University’s Education Department.

Nine winning projects were selected. The 16 student entrepreneurs, who are the founders of the start-ups, will be mentored regularly, helping their projects to take off. They will also get the chance to travel to San Francisco for an incredible adventure in the Silicon Valley.
For a week, they will be ambassadors for innovation and student entrepreneurship at Université Paris-Saclay. Alongside four mentors from the University, the young talents are set to meet with local entrepreneurs.

You can follow their adventures in the Silicon Valley here: http://challengestartup.tumblr.com/

The young entrepreneurs are committed to innovation and have worked hard to ensure that users are at the very centre of their solutions. Two of the start-ups make use of photonic technology: Pelopou was created to solve lice-related problems whilst Alizé Photonics seeks to simplify the lives R&D teams working with photonic chips. The start-up Circul’Egg gives eggshells a second life thanks to its circular economy approach. Ummon and Octopus Medical make life easier for healthcare professionals: Ummon is an effective cancer diagnosis software and Octopus Medical, an intuitive and visual interface for medical databases. The start-up Eyeroes works with young children to diagnose and treat amblyopia, which currently affects 150 million children throughout the world. Nanonap uses CNRS research to help students and entrepreneurs boost their cognitive performance with improved sleep. Ezymob works to make public transport more accessible for people with visual impairments, while Escalib is a secure sports solution for climbers who do not want the hassle of belaying.

You can find out more about the nine start-ups and their founders here:

Université Paris-Saclay supports student entrepreneurship

To foster entrepreneurial talents within the University, Université-Paris Saclay has a wide range of initiatives and actions in place:

• A mentor in each constituent faculty, institute and component institution to support and guide students at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
• Programmes taught by lecturers and professionals, giving students and PhD candidates the chance to immerse themselves in a rich entrepreneurial experience, e.g. the Matur’Action and Doctor’Preneuriales programmes.
• Technical and financial support is available for students to help them develop and consolidate their businesses. The official French Student Entrepreneur status or the Challenge Startup offer mentorship to students launching their start-ups.