Descriptif
The global fight against climate change and other contemporary challenges generate great opportunities for “sustainable” businesses, such as the green economy, the circular economy or social businesses, or businesses related to the energy transition. However, to succeed in those emerging markets and avoid the “business-as-usual” trap, entrepreneurs need to foresee much further than their own innovative idea or technology. In this course, students will learn how to develop a start-up in businesses for sustainability. At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Translate current sustainability “grand challenges” into a value proposition;
- Design sustainable business models and assess their impacts;
- Identify the strategies and triggers to insert an entrepreneurial project into their institutional environment.
The course is based on recent conceptual models and tools, which students will apply by conducting an empirical study in collaboration with a start-up (start-up's challenges): designing platforms for alternative consumption models, tackling social inclusion and solidarity (seniors’ social inclusion, contributing to revitalize territorial dynamics, and decarbonizing industrial value chains (carbon footprint).
Objectifs pédagogiques
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Translate current sustainability “grand challenges” into a value proposition;
- Design sustainable business models and assess their impacts;
- Identify the strategies and triggers to insert an entrepreneurial project into their institutional environment (funding, support, network…).
The course is based on recent conceptual models and tools, which students will apply by leading an empirical study on entrepreneurial projects from different areas, the start-up challenges (see below).
Diplôme(s) concerné(s)
- Echanges PEI
- Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Management
- Energy Environment : Science Technology & Management
- Economics for Smart Cities and Climate Policy
- Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Visual Computing
- M1 - Sciences and Technologies for Energy
- M2 - Towards Clean Energy Production
Parcours de rattachement
Format des notes
Numérique sur 20Littérale/grade réduitPour les étudiants du diplôme Economics for Smart Cities and Climate Policy
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 4 ECTS
La note obtenue rentre dans le calcul de votre GPA.
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Visual Computing
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 4 ECTS
La note obtenue rentre dans le calcul de votre GPA.
Pour les étudiants du diplôme M1 - Sciences and Technologies for Energy
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)Pour les étudiants du diplôme Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Management
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 3 ECTS
La note obtenue rentre dans le calcul de votre GPA.
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Energy Environment : Science Technology & Management
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 4 ECTS
La note obtenue rentre dans le calcul de votre GPA.
Pour les étudiants du diplôme Echanges PEI
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)- Crédits ECTS acquis : 5 ECTS
Pour les étudiants du diplôme M2 - Towards Clean Energy Production
Le rattrapage est autorisé (Note de rattrapage conservée)Programme détaillé
The course is divided in two parts. The first part introduces some fundamentals concepts and tools for sustainable entrepreneurship (e.g., frameworks to design sustainable value creation processes, strategies to design and implement a sustainable project, sustainability impact assessment methods). The second part explores four promising entrepreneurial paths for sustainability: designing platforms for alternative consumption models, tackling social inclusion and solidarity (e.g., seniors’ social inclusion, job reinsertion, demographic precarities), contributing to revitalize territorial dynamics, and decarbonizing industrial value chains:
Part 1. Fundamentals of sustainable entrepreneurship
- Kick-Off (course presentation / introduction to sustainable entrepreneurship / start-upers’ projects pitches (challenges) / Environmental association’s keynote)
- Designing sustainability: sustainable value creation processes
- Implementing sustainability: sustainable entrepreneurial structures and dynamics
- Assessing sustainability impacts: frameworks and methods (carbon footprint, SIA, LCSA)
Part 2. Four entrepreneurial paths for sustainability
- Designing platforms for alternative consumption models
- Decarbonizing industrial value chains
- Tackling social inclusion and solidarity
- Contributing to revitalize territorial dynamics
- Final restitutions (start-up challenges) + Conclusion
NB: please note that MIE568 is a reverse interactive course: except for S1 and S9 (full sessions), classes are divided in two parts: the theoretical part (readings and videos before the session) and the practical part (interactive session from 10h-12h, on the campus or online depending on the Covid-19 situation).
The start-up challenges
Students will work by group with a start-up, on a challenge related to the course’s concepts and topics. Students will organize meetings with the CEO or other members (eventually visits!). They will be coached by the teacher each week to elaborate a case study and recommendations, to address the start-up’s problematic. Each challenge is related to one of the four entrepreneurial paths (S5 to S8):
- The CoResto challenge (S5-Designing platforms for alternative consumption models): CoResto is a caterer that offers sustainable options for companies (zero waste buffets, organic and local menus, etc.). The challenge is “how to build a tool to assess CoResto’s sustainability (processes and products) and how to promote those aspects to customers?”
- The WeCount challenge (S6-Decarbonizing value chains): WeCount is a start-up that helps companies to build and enhance their commitments against global warming, by providing an innovative method of carbon footprint assessment. The challenge is “how to assess major French companies (a panel of 10-15 firms)’s engagement for climate (ambitions and concrete actions), and from this analysis, what recommendations can be derived for SMEs?”
- The Colette Club challenge (S6-Tackling social inclusion and solidarity): Colette is an intergenerational platform that helps students and young workers to find a home in senior’s house. The challenge is “How to imagine the future of Colette Club features and services based on international inspirations?”
- The Bastion’s challenge (S8-Contributing to revitalize territorial dynamics): The Bastion is a territorial innovation network that fosters entrepreneurial projects structured around local ecological vegetable production. The challenge is: “what are the tools and criteria to assess the Bastion’s territorial impacts, and how to use it to develop alternative funding’s strategies for the entrepreneurial projects?”
Evaluation
- Individual grade (30%): individual reading report on an entrepreneurial project (personal project or from an existing start-up project).
- Collective grade (70%): start-up challenge: students are evaluated on the quality of their empirical investigation and on their delivery (intermediary report + final restitution).
Teacher
Julie Mayer is an Assistant Professor at École Polytechnique (MIE Department, Centre de Recherche en Gestion, Institut Interdisciplinaire de l'Innovation) and member of the Energy4Climate Interdisciplinary Center (E4C). Former consultant (Deloitte and Capgemini), she holds a PhD in Risk Management. Her current research projects focus on the strategic and organizational impacts of the energy transition (e.g., energy sobriety scenarios, hydrogen ecosystems).
