About the SEED programme
Designed for entrepreneurs launching their business, with their first sales, to get traction and become investment ready or be ready to self-sustain (bootstrapping, revenue driven). The Blue Factory SEED programme offers personalised and collective support in a hybrid format (online/on-site) with the possibility of using premises depending on the campus. It has been available in Paris since 2012 and now on other ESCP campuses.
If you are still in the process of identifying / validating the problem or validating the solution with users, the START or LAUNCH programmes may be more suitable. In any case, we will discuss this together during our eligibility calls.
Application is open all year-long
To send your candidature, simply complete our form, indicating ‘SEED Programme’.
You will be contacted for an initial discussion to assess the relevance of the programme in light of your support needs and, if applicable, to receive the application form to be completed for the selection committee. The start of the programme can be different on each campus (depending f.e. on the federal grants we work with).
Competitions & financial support
Throughout the year, we announce competitions and financial aid available to entrepreneurs participating in our programmes:
- Innov'Up incubation
- EXST Grant
- Innovation Prize
- Coup de Pouce
See the PRIZE | GRANT page for more information.
Apply to SEED programme:
fill out the form here
The SEED programme offers:
- 6 months to 1 year of personalised support from the incubator team, entrepreneur mentors and more than 40 experts.
- Group workshops in a hybrid format: online masterclasses and in-person seminars.
- Regular coaching in teams and individually.
- Privileged access to the Blue Factory ecosystem: events, partners, network including La Boussole des Entrepreneurs, and a community of 300 ESCP alumni entrepreneurs.
- Shared premises with a supportive group of entrepreneurs, depending on your campus, and access to all ESCP spaces in Europe.
This programme is for you if:
- Your product or service is currently being launched on your market (end of prototype stage/first sales).
- You are looking for enriching, personalised support and are ready to develop within a supportive community.
- This year, the call for projects is open to two categories of projects:
ADD-ONS:
‘Seed ESCP & Partners’: at least one member of your founding team is a student, certified or a graduate of ESCP Business School or one of its partner institutions (Sorbonne, Hec Montreal, Tsinghua University, Honoris United Universities).
‘Seed Horizon’: open to any team with no connection to ESCP from technical, scientific, artistic or humanities backgrounds who would like to be supported by the Blue Factory. One to two Seed Horizon projects may be selected for this promotion.
‘EXIST Women Berlin’: open for female founders (graduates, scientists, students) in the business creation and development phase of their project either solo or in teams - Grant delivered by The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany. Apply here: https://www.blue-factory.eu/concours/exist-women
My year at Blue Factory marked the beginning of Smoon. I received support when I was just starting to work on my prototype. Being around other entrepreneurs who were also starting out really helped and inspired me, and my mentor was a huge help. And the best thing about Blue is that the support continues even after you leave, thanks to the alumni community!
— Mathilde Houset, founder of Smoon Lingerie
F.A.Q
Some entrepreneurs form last batch :)
