As soon as lockdown was announced, KEDGE made a complete pivot in its approach to entrepreneurship. All coaches, experts, and partners of the Business Nursery—KEDGE’s incubator—were mobilized to provide remote guidance via videoconferencing. Workshops were adapted into webinar format, with three to four sessions held each week on topics such as cash flow management, HR strategies during reduced activity, contractual relations in times of crisis, internal and external communication strategies, positive psychology, emotional management during difficult times, and more. These themes enabled over 300 participants to continue developing their businesses.

Additionally, the Business Nursery allocated a €15,000 fund to support three specific startups facing survival challenges due to the crisis. These startups were selected by the committee based on three criteria:

• Strong business acceleration before lockdown
• Complete halt in activity during lockdown
• High potential for rapid recovery post-lockdown

The selected startups are:

• Transpare: Founded by Ali Messoudi, a 2015 graduate of the Grande École Program in Marseille. His company is a platform specializing in air and sea freight, connecting multiple service providers for importers and exporters. https://transpare.eu
• BoatOn: Founded by Bertrand Gerbaud, a 2013 graduate of the Grande École Program in Bordeaux. He launched the first free app dedicated to full boat management, offering personalized diagnostics and 24/7 service. https://www.boaton.fr
• Oxycar: Founded by Mathieu Gardin, a 2019 graduate of the MSc in Business Engineering in Toulon. This company offers a carpooling platform tailored for businesses and their employees. https://www.oxy-car.com

Beyond its daily commitment and support, KEDGE is already preparing for the “post-Covid” era. The school will soon launch a digital incubation program designed to support its students and alumni in France (outside of campus) and abroad. The program will include e-learning content, live-streamed conferences, and online coaching with experts, coaches, and entrepreneurs from the KEDGE Entrepreneurship community.

Finally, to grow its entrepreneurial community from 80 supported startups to over 300 by 2021 and adapt to new working models, KEDGE is launching a Specialized Master’s in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Transformation. This program focuses on business creation and the transformation of existing structures, with a strong emphasis on crisis management. In partnership with Airbus Helicopters, around thirty students will have access—starting September 2020 on the KEDGE Marseille campus—to one of the first programs designed to address the new economic and entrepreneurial landscape post-lockdown.