"Rendez-vous en France" to start a company while studying

France, a nation of entrepreneurs

Did you know that "entrepreneur" is a French word? France is known for its business-friendly environment and dynamic entrepreneurial spirit. For the second year running, France is the most attractive country in Europe for international investments. In 2021, a record number of companies (995,868) were created in France. France is also home to more than 10,000 start-ups, 25 unicorns (all sectors combined), and "Station F," the world's largest incubator which has been in operation in Paris since 2017. Finally, it's extremely easy to create a company in France. It takes only 4 days, compared to 4.5 days in the UK and 8 days in Germany!

Programs aimed at entrepreneurship

In France, you can choose from a number of Bachelor's or Master's entrepreneurship programs, in French or in English. These programs will teach you how to create, organize, and manage a new company, as well as take over a business. The goal is to train entrepreneurs, managers of small and medium-sized companies, and buyers of businesses, as well as directors, supervisors, and business managers in specialized institutions.

• Many curricula at French universities deal with project management and entrepreneurship. The French "Instituts d'Administration des Entreprises" (Graduate Schools of Management) offer courses on everything from creating to managing a business.

• At the business and management schools, entrepreneurship is covered in specific courses in the general curricula. Special programs and diplomas are also offered, including specialized Master's degrees (programs certified by the French "Conférence des Grandes Ecoles").

• In France, engineering curricula also include entrepreneurship as they always incorporate international and managerial issues.

In addition to the elite business and engineering schools ("Grandes Ecoles"), more and more French universities now have incubators that help students create their own businesses.

Helping students become entrepreneurs

Any student or young graduate who wishes to be trained in entrepreneurship and innovation can receive guidance and support from a "PEPITE" (student center for innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship). Open to students of all socio-economic backgrounds throughout all of France, the PEPITEs incorporate institutions of higher education (universities, business schools, engineering schools), local companies, and networks of associations. 

You can obtain the national "Student-Entrepreneur" status everywhere in France at one of the 33 PEPITEs. This status allows students to create and develop an entrepreneurial project as part of their curriculum at their school.

Coordinated at the national level, the "Diplôme d'Etudiant-entrepreneur" (D2E or "Student-Entrepreneur Degree") is an institutional degree acknowledging that a student or young graduate has acquired a certain set of skills. It is awarded following a professional, work/study, or entrepreneurial project, and replaces an internship or end-of-studies project.

Founded in 2014, the Pépite Prize is organized each year by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, in partnership with BpiFrance. It aims to support and encourage the creation of businesses among students and young graduates by rewarding the most innovative projects from the PEPITEs. Each winner receives a cash prize of 10,000 euros.

France Alumni: the global network for expanding professional horizons

Created by Campus France in 2014, France Alumni is the global network of foreign graduates of French institutions of higher education. Present in 125 countries, France Alumni currently boasts around 345,000 members and 3,500 partners, including 1,500 companies.

Members of the France Alumni network can expand their professional horizons by participating in networking events, professional integration workshops, and entrepreneurship and innovation support sessions organized by French embassies and Campus France offices both in France and abroad.

France Alumni is a partner of the PEPITE France network which supports and advises graduate entrepreneurs in the development of innovative projects (technological, social, service-related, etc.).