Contrary to what many people think, the neighbourhoods of our towns and cities are full of entrepreneurial potential and innovative project leaders. Entrepreneurship is a huge opportunity for job creation and economic development in local communities, especially when we bear in mind that small and medium-sized enterprises are the largest employers in France!
Local communities, an opportunity for entrepreneurship
At Time2Start, we are convinced of the excellence that lies dormant in local communities, and we want to help it develop and blossom. That is why we are working to support project leaders in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to enable them to go into entrepreneurship properly equipped.
We work every day to give them self-confidence and help them overcome the obstacles they face, create a network, and develop their projects, which will have a beneficial impact both on them as individuals and on their environment.
At Time2Start, we are convinced of the excellence that lies dormant in local communities, and we want to help it develop and blossom.
Diversity as an asset for entrepreneurship
Increasing the diversity of profiles in entrepreneurship, and promoting this diversity daily, is obviously, above all, a question of equality.
But it is also a question of opportunity: entrepreneurial diversity makes it possible to multiply different points of view in order to provide relevant responses to the challenges encountered in society. It is also a source of contacts and knowledge of different areas, just like the project leaders.
Entrepreneurship is not only an economic opportunity or tool that can be exploited to foster economic inclusion, fight against poverty and create jobs; it is also a means of both personal and collective emancipation for people who may suffer from being rejected on the labour market or for whom salaried employment is not adapted to their daily constraints.
This is particularly the case for women, who are sometimes single mothers: for them, entrepreneurship is a genuine opportunity for personal development in a way that is compatible with their family life. Entrepreneurship can thus be a tool for gender equality, in addition to equal opportunities.
This is one of the reasons why we work every day with entrepreneurs from different generations and professional backgrounds on a variety of projects. Through their entrepreneurial journeys, project leaders can respond to specific needs and participate in the development of local communities.
The diversity of profiles is essential in our recruitment: the support received must bring entrepreneurship within reach of a more representative section of society and develop entities that can then enjoy sound growth.
Working ever harder for inclusion: the AirStarter programme
In the context of the pandemic, we have all seen the emergence of new learning arrangements, often online, which sometimes present themselves as an opportunity for people who would not be able to attend in-person training.
Some project leaders may miss out on traditional support or incubation programmes: they may have a full-time job, may not be able to travel regularly, or may have a family to support, for example.
To provide personalised support and follow-up to a variety of profiles who might not benefit from traditional forms of support, in collaboration with local players, we launched AirStarter, a hybrid incubation programme that combines the best of both worlds: digital resources that can be accessed from anywhere, at any time; and physical, in-person support for project leaders.
The objective? To bring out even more talent and to promote a greater diversity of profiles among the entrepreneurs we support.
It is through inclusion that entrepreneurial projects can find ever greater strength and impact, to transform the society of tomorrow.
With Covid-19, we have all experienced the development of online teaching modules. Many of us have discovered the time-saving possibilities of remote working, just as we have sometimes suffered from the lack of human contact.
AirStarter allows these two worlds to come together, with personalised support, which will allow an even greater mix of profiles to prepare and launch their projects to become the entrepreneurs and employers of tomorrow in their local communities!
We have created a tailor-made support system, where technology is used to the benefit of learning thanks to enriched in-person modules and blended learning, according to the needs and possibilities of the project leaders. This involves assessing their needs, offering digital coaching and access to expert advice, but also, and above all, monitoring learners and their personalised pathways: thanks to our platform, it is possible to assess the possible points of development for project leaders, and thus to adapt the teaching and support as closely as possible to each profile.
Building tomorrow’s world: tech and inclusion
At Time2Start, we are still convinced that success comes from our local communities and that we must support the entrepreneurial potential of small businesses there.
To make the most of these skills, we have chosen to put technological innovation at the service of a solidarity-based society, and thus to allow other talents to blossom and build the world of tomorrow!
Time2Start completed the 2020 – 2021 Seed programme at ESCP’s incubator, the Blue Factory.