The last student startup contest ever : Deadline April 19th 2020

DEADLINE : SUNDAY, APRIL 19 AT MIDNIGHT

At The Family, we make no difference between entrepreneurs. That’s why we hate the term “student-entrepreneur”. You’re either a student or you’re an entrepreneur. You have to take responsibility for the choice. There’s no problem in starting a project during nights and weekends when you are a student. It’s even a great idea to learn and progress. But if you feel that something is happening (e.g., more and more customers every day, word of mouth growing…), you must be ready to go ALL IN. Otherwise, it’s just a lie to say that you are trying to build a business while you’re also studying.

Another thing we don’t like at The Family are all these startup competitions, the search for badges & medals, the 30 under 30 rankings. None of that is the entrepreneur’s job: instead, they have to focus first on their customers, address their needs and solve their problem, serve them with the highest level of service imaginable, ensure that their team is working in the best possible conditions… And then they also need to concentrate on revenue, profitability, and/or user metrics.

People at The Family have been knocking these student startup contests for years, so we thought it was time to stop talking and take action. That’s why today we’re launching with CVC Capital Partners what we hope will be THE LAST STUDENT STARTUP CONTEST EVER !

The goal ?

Let's elect the student company of the year ! Once and for all. And then let's move on. On to building concrete companies.

The rules ?

No bullshit business plan on spreadsheets. No pie-in-the-sky dreams tapped into a Word document. We want the truth. We want a team (or 1 super-determined solo entrepreneur). An offer or a product. Numbers. Growth every week. Feedback from customers who are absolutely in love. We’re seeking the rare, the unexpected, the deep and visceral desire to undertake a project that can conquer the world.

Who ?

Any student (and only students!) in Europe can apply, whether you’re 16 or 30, whether you’re in engineering school, university, business training or web development bootcamp.

Where & when ?

On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, in the Paris office of The Family (25 rue du Petit Musc, 75004), 6 student startups will put on their investor pitch in front of a renowned jury of investors & entrepreneurs, that we’ll be announcing soon.
Note: If you’re stuck in a different country that day for…reasons, we get it, don’t panic, doing your pitch over videoconference will be possible (even if not optimal for winning)

So how will this go ?

At The Family, we always respect entrepreneurs’ most valuable resource: their time. So there’s no 20-page application or multiple selection phases. You just need to apply with the form you see below. Then our team will select the three B2C projects and the three B2B projects that will be on stage on May 13 in Paris. Whether you are selected or not, you will be informed by email on Monday, April 27th.

The jackpot ?

And the cash prize of €25,000 ?

€10,000 + €10,000 will go to the two winning student startups. The remaining €5,000 will go to the 2 entrepreneurial associations of the schools hosting the 2 winning startups. And all 6 startups chosen to be on stage will have the chance to be advised by a Director of The Family for 1 month each.
So, if you are part of an entrepreneurial student association, or you are an entrepreneurship teacher, or you are a member of a school administration in Europe? Send me an email at maxime@thefamily.co 
Students… To your guts, get set… GO AND APPLY HERE !