Focus on Impakt Makers (Lille), an entrepreneurial student association
05/28/2020
Impakt Makers (Lille) is a student association that aims to promote entrepreneurship for IÉSEG students and for the School’s entire ecosystem. We talked with Anaïs Colla and Alban Mayaud, co-presidents of the association, to learn more.
1) Could you briefly introduce the association?
Alban: Impakt Makers Lille is an IÉSEG entrepreneurial association on the Lille campus, created over five years ago. Its mission is to allow all of the School’s students to discover what is in involved in the creation of a company through different events.
We focus on three main areas: “inspiring” (the organization of conferences, content creation on social media), “experiencing” (this allows students to experience what is involved in creating their own company during our events), and “sharing” (putting students and professionals in touch during afterworks).
2) What were this year’s key events and moments?
Anaïs: Impakt Makers organizes three main events per semester. Our largest event is the nocturnal one (la Nocturne). Throughout an entire night, over 50 students, divided into groups, work on company projects from A to Z with the help of coaches. A jury of professionals then evaluates these projects.
We also have the Press’Citron. Over the course of an afternoon, students work with startups on their current issues. Finally, we also have the 6’4, a short and dynamic conference made up of six minutes of entrepreneurial pitches and followed by four minutes of questions/answers between the audience and the speaker.
3) Why did you join Impakt Makers? What have you learned through this experience?
Anaïs: During my first years at IÉSEG, I participated in different events organized by the association that I really enjoyed, but at the time, I didn’t want to get involved in an association right away. At the end of the second year, I took the plunge and I don’t regret it!
Firstly, as a member of the event pole, and now as a co-president, I have learned as much professionally as personally. What probably impressed me the most were the people I met during my Impakt Makers adventure. I was able to discuss with passionate entrepreneurs, motivated students and professionals happy to accompany the students with their projects. Being in contact with professionals is very formative. The management of a team allowed me to develop my organizational and managerial skills.
Without a doubt, this experience will remain one of the most memorable of my student experience.
Alban: I’ve always loved challenging myself and embarking on entrepreneurial projects, with varying degrees of success. As soon as I arrived at IÉSEG, I wanted to take advantage of the environment to learn more about the creation of a company, along with other passionate students like myself.
Impakt Makers appealed to me right away, with its ambitious events and close-knit team.
After over a year spent in this association, I realize how much I have gained from it: many enriching encounters (students, professionals), the maturing of my professional project, the ability to organize events and to manage an association’s treasury, and a global view of IÉSEG’s associative life.