The CPGE edition of the business creation project: a key learning experience
The Business Creation Project (Projet de Création d’Entreprise – PCE) is one of the flagship components of emlyon business school’s Master in Management – Grande École Program, engaging more than 1,200 students every year. Over a three-month period, students take part in a weekly entrepreneurship workshop. This learning experience enables them to gain a concrete understanding of how a company operates: building a business model, making decisions, working as a team, and pitching an innovative idea.
Preparatory class students immersed for the first time in the entrepreneurial world
This April edition of the Business Creation Project Competition is dedicated to students in the Master in Management – Grande École Program coming from preparatory classes (CPGE), while another edition, held in December, is aimed at “AST” students (admissions for students with prior degrees), whose profiles, already more exposed to the professional world, lead to different approaches and interactions with partner companies.
After two years of demanding training focused on mastering fundamental knowledge, students from preparatory classes cross a new frontier with the business creation module: entrepreneurship. For many, this competition represents their first real encounter with the realities of the professional world, from designing a viable business model to convincing a jury of professionals. This exploratory mindset often proves to be a strength: free from established corporate habits and codes, they approach challenges with fresh perspectives, proposing bold projects driven by curiosity and a strong work ethic developed during their preparatory studies. It is precisely this combination (intellectual rigor and openness to possibilities) that makes preparatory classes cohorts fertile ground for the emergence of ambitious and innovative projects. The skills developed, ranging from decision-making to defending an idea as a team, also lay valuable foundations for the next steps in their journey, particularly the six-month international internship awaiting them in the Pre-Master year.
More information on the Master in Management - Grande École Program
A new corporate partnership at the heart of the Business Creation Project Grand Competition
While this April session continues the pedagogical approach of previous editions, it introduces a major new feature: the arrival of a corporate sponsor for the first time. Although the core structure of the program remains unchanged, interaction with the professional world takes on a new dimension, especially for students with more academic profiles who are still discovering the corporate environment.
Throughout the competition, the sponsoring company - Rydge Conseil - supported students in a progressive and structured way: presenting the company and the challenge at the project launch, participating in two intermediate presentations, and joining the final jury alongside a professor, an external expert, and two student entrepreneurs.
On this occasion, teams received constructive and practical feedback on the viability, coherence, and impact of their projects, before the awarding of three jury prizes and one prize for best video.
- 1st prize: awarded to Pépites de Terroir, an innovative alternative to baby food jars, offering locally sourced, nutritious purée portions that are quick to prepare.
- 2nd prize: presented to Playlire, a collection of interactive books that encourages children to read and then illustrate the story, fostering their creativity.
- 3rd prize: given to Bloc en Cœur, playful and immersive surgical gowns designed to reassure children and empower them throughout their care journey.
- Best Video Award: also awarded to the Bloc en Cœur team.
The theme proposed by Rydge Conseil, “Prioritizing meaningful projects”, encouraged students to develop initiatives that are useful to as many people as possible, sustainable over time, and built on responsible organizational models, aligning with emlyon’s values. A total of 110 student teams took on this challenge.
Participating in the jury of emlyon’s Business Creation Project Grand Competition was a particularly inspiring experience. We were impressed by the maturity of certain projects, already highly structured and driven by a real capacity for execution. Beyond the ideas, it was this ability to move quickly into action that stood out: a generation that builds, tests, and moves forward without waiting. This is precisely the entrepreneurial energy we aim to support through our partnership with emlyon.
Rydge Conseil, a new partner of emlyon business school
Rydge Conseil, a consulting firm dedicated to entrepreneurs, has been supporting business leaders across France for over a century. With expertise in business consulting, social and HR management, legal matters, taxation, and accounting, the firm offers tailored support to help organizations meet their challenges and achieve their ambitions.
As a new partner of emlyon business school, the firm is also involved beyond the PCE Grand Competition, participating in recruitment and employer branding events, as well as contributing to several courses within the Grande École Program, including Discovering Consulting Careers, Startup Track, Exploring Entrepreneurship, and the Business Creation Project.
