The IAE Aix-Marseille organized at the end of September the 6th edition of the WEI3 - Week-End IAE Innovation In vivo, a real entrepreneurship gas pedal for the students of the IAE Aix-Marseille and an opening on the skills of the future.
The WEI3 is an entrepreneurial weekend offered to MSc 1st year students, which consists in bringing up startup ideas and thinking about their economic feasibility with a special focus on social and environmental issues. This year, the students had to formalize precisely the environmental and societal impact on the business model of their project.
Supported by Pépite Provence and organized in partnership with the IAE Aix-Marseille Alumni Association, the WEI3 gathered this year 185 students accompanied by about 40 professionals from this network.
Here are the winners :
- 1st : US project : Vanessa Favier, Clara Leroux, Apolline Roux, Emma Kotlowski
- 2nd : Pepini'Hair project : Olive Marco, Mansour Khaidarov, James Koutene, Umar Bolaky, Slaoui Mehdi
- 3rd ex-aequo : project le salon Tatoo : Justine Rovirola, Anna Rapezzi, Neshma Khamo Warda, Manon Coillot, Thomas Brun
Pepit choun project: Justine Rovirola, Anna Rapezzi, Neshma Khamo Warda, Manon Coillot, Thomas Brun
Discover the testimonies of the winners:
US Project:
Present your project / how was it born? "The "US" project was born when we realized that all 4 of us were suffering from digestive disorders and an imbalance in our intestinal flora. We are forced to take probiotics in the form of capsules, several times a day, to relieve our stomach aches. In France, one person out of two is concerned by these disorders, and yet only 7% are treated with a daily intake of probiotics. Studies conducted on the subject reveal that the causes of these stomach aches are multiple: stress, anxiety, poor diet, taking too many antibiotics or even a sedentary lifestyle.
"US" was the ideal product to help all people suffering from digestive problems and to free up the debate on this subject.
We propose a drink with an innovative and refined design, based on water kefir and fruits with proven benefits, accompanied by a raspberry taste. Our mission is to accompany people suffering from intestinal problems throughout their day. From a scientific point of view, water kefir is obtained from kefir grains fermented in water, sugar and fruit. This fermentation is natural, with no added synthetic lactic acid bacteria, and it helps to rebalance the intestinal microbiota."
The team's take on the WEI3 experience: "We approached the WEI3 experiment with a bit of trepidation, especially because of the limited time we had to develop our project.
All the candidates showed creativity, seriousness and dynamism in their presentations and we did not imagine that we would win this edition of WEI3. However, it was the case, which caused us unforgettable emotions.
We would like to thank the administrative team of IAE, all the members of the jury and the coaches for believing in us and in our idea. It was a very rewarding experience for all 4 of us!"
Pepit choun project:
Introduce your project / how was it born?"To be honest with you, as soon as WEI3 was presented and announced and after we formed our team, we got together straight away over a drink to brainstorm. We came up with different ideas, for example we talked about setting up a recycling system for glass in supermarkets. Finally, we developed the idea of a clothes recycling system, first for adult clothes and then we focused on babies because it is a "short-lived but necessary" need. So we stuck with that last idea and evolved it from a physical store concept to a delivery concept to gain a competitive advantage over our competition."
The team's feelings on the WEI3 experience? "In terms of howwe felt, we particularly enjoyed WEI3 because we invested in a common project that brought all 5 of us together and that we wanted to sell and defend. Also, we succeeded in respecting our 2 objectives fixed at the very beginning of the weekend: The first one being the fact of investing ourselves at 200% and the 2nd one, the one of reaching at least the final because we are competitors who don't like to lose !
With hindsight, we are all very satisfied with what we had accomplished and convinced that we had built a team that works well together."
Project the Tatoo Show:
Present your project / how was it born? "Our project (The Tattoo Salon) was born from the desire of several members of the team to work on a project related to the world of tattooing (a universe that speaks to them), and to be interested in the problems of this sector. Finally, we noticed that there was a real need for the consumers, which it is possible to answer. We then thought about how to offer a solution to improve the overall customer experience, with a focus on a customer segment whose value is not yet sufficiently exploited in the tattoo world: the high-end clientele.
The team's feelings on the WEI3 experience? "After La Grande Kermesse, we had set a common goal: to have a good time during the weekend, and not to feel like we were wasting our time. This gave us the determination to do something good because, while we're at it, we might as well do it right. As the winning team, we can say that this goal was more than achieved."
