14.10.2025
Since its creation, the ESSEC Alumni Entrepreneurs Club has been a cornerstone of ESSEC’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Driven by a team of volunteer alumni, it now brings together several thousand members around a shared spirit: mutual support and exchange. Through an active online community, inspiring events, and a mentorship program, the Club plays a key role in connecting, guiding, and celebrating the journeys of ESSEC entrepreneurs.
“Our ambition is clear: to create a global pathway for ESSEC entrepreneurs, from their very first day at the school to every stage of their professional lives,” says François Courtin (E10), former entrepreneur and President of the ESSEC Alumni Entrepreneurs Club.
From the outset, the project has been part of the broader mission of ESSEC Alumni. “Our role is to support a community of humanist, future-fit leaders, and to provide ESSEC alumni with an entrepreneurial support pathway. And this in close partnership with the school,” emphasizes Isabelle Frappat, Director of Communities France at ESSEC Alumni. This vision comes to life in the activities of the ESSEC Alumni Entrepreneurs Club, designed as a space for exchange, networking, and recognition of alumni ventures.
Founded in 2017 by Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit (E16), the Club experienced remarkable growth after Covid. Today it brings together 3,200 members, including 2,200 active participants in a dynamic Slack community. Serving as the backbone of the network, this channel facilitates the sharing of advice, contacts, resources, and feedback, in a deliberately “pay it forward” spirit.
Beyond the digital platform, the Club regularly organizes events to foster solidarity and knowledge-sharing. Interviews with entrepreneurs, themed round tables (covering regulation, financing, growth, etc.), masterclasses, and quarterly Zoom Cafés give alumni – whether students or graduates – the chance to engage directly with peers who are building businesses. Two highlights each year, the Summer Party and the Winter Party, capture the conviviality and spirit of transmission that define the community.
Mentorship as a transmission lever
Among its flagship initiatives, the mentorship program launched six years ago perfectly reflects the Club’s philosophy. Each year, around 30 pairs are matched, connecting alumni across generations and sectors. With the aid of a matching algorithm and more than 150 volunteer mentors, budding entrepreneurs receive personalized guidance, with the Club team ensuring regular follow-up. “Sometimes the mentors are even younger than their mentees, since they may have richer entrepreneurial experience. This intergenerational reciprocity in both directions is one of our great strengths,” notes François Courtin.
The ESSEC Alumni Entrepreneurs Club works closely with the ESSEC Alumni Business Angels Club, the association’s 20 sector-specific clubs (digital, luxury, food, healthcare, and more), and the ESSEC incubator at Station F, co-founded by ESSEC Alumni and the school. Together, these initiatives offer a true continuum, from inspiration to support to financing. La Maison des ESSEC, in the heart of Paris, strengthens this ecosystem by providing a venue for meetings, domiciliation, and flagship events such as Demo Day and ESSEC Founders Day.
Volunteer commitment at the service of the community
Like all ESSEC Alumni clubs, the Entrepreneurs Club runs on the voluntary commitment of its leaders, all ESSEC alumni, both students and graduates. François Courtin and his team, composed of Christian Doumit (M21), Marion Vidal (M15), Marin Decoux (E16), and Antoine Visseyrias (E00), devote their time and energy to keeping the community alive. “We have nothing to sell: our only driver is solidarity among entrepreneurs and the pride of contributing to the ESSEC ecosystem,” recalls François Courtin.
Aligned with the new ESSEC Alumni strategy of developing a community of humanist, future-fit leaders, the Club embodies three ambitions: to offer a five-star experience for entrepreneurs, to amplify ESSEC’s identity, especially by celebrating the diversity of entrepreneurial journeys, and to act collectively to build a strong, lasting entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“The Entrepreneurs Club perfectly illustrates what we aim to build: a global, collaborative ecosystem that supports ESSEC students and graduates throughout their journeys. Thanks to the voluntary commitment of our alumni, we bring ESSEC’s entrepreneurial DNA to life and strengthen connections across generations, sectors, and geographies,” concludes Isabelle Frappat.
