How startups integrate social and environmental objectives

Presentation of the interviewee: Alice Carle is a CIFRE doctoral student in her 1st year at i3-CRG under the supervision of Thierry Rayna. She is doing her thesis at the Agoranov public incubator, directed by Jean-Michel Dalle, also a professor at Sorbonne University and associate researcher at i3-CRG. A graduate of Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence, she completed a double degree at the IREN Master's program in Network Industries and the Digital Economy, graduating with first-class honors in Innovation. While on a work-study program at ENGIE, she wrote a research paper on a new intrapreneurship model supported by BNP Paribas, Danone and ENGIE. Today, at Agoranov, Alice Carle is in charge of Communications, the Acceleration Program and the Community of Incubates and Alumni. Her thesis focuses on how startups integrate economic, social and environmental objectives.

What project are you currently working on?

How and to what extent do entrepreneurs integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions into their startups? Are there any discrepancies between what they say and how they do it? Does integrating these objectives into a startup require specific skills and/or competencies? Is it possible to inculcate them in entrepreneurs? To what extent can an incubator play this role? 

The research project will be based on an action-research approach, using a qualitative method. The exploratory approach aims to answer a number of questions raised in the literature on “sustainable” entrepreneurship, i.e. entrepreneurship that aims to have an economic, social and environmental impact. The conclusions will present managerial recommendations for those involved, but also for their stakeholders.

How do you see this project evolving?

Institut Polytechnique de Paris. The special feature of this thesis is its privileged access to a field of top-quality entrepreneurs. Since its creation in 2000, Agoranov has supported over 450 innovative startups, creating more than 12,000 jobs and raising over two billion euros in private funding. The interviews conducted with these entrepreneurs, experts in a variety of fields (deeptech, healthcare, industry and greentech, digital...), will provide food for thought for other research on cutting-edge topics. Last but not least, the thesis aims to shed light on the players who propose innovations in the service of sustainable projects. Understanding their challenges and difficulties will enable decision-makers to come up with appropriate responses.

Interview by Marie Claude Cléon