Creating their own internship in their startup: engineering students’ solution at the sanitary crisis

As the sanitary crisis impacted their internships, ESILV students were allowed to devote themselves entirely to their business project instead of the internships planned in the 4th and 5th years. A look at three examples of student startup launches.

The 4th and 5th years internships cover a pivotal period in the engineering curriculum, as they enable students to apply their technical and professional skills and prepare their placement in companies.

At ESILV, students who have seen their internships cancelled or delayed as a consequence of Covid-19 pandemic were able to work on a previously launched entrepreneurial project. Thus, there are about ten engineering students who took advantage of this period as a way to obtain the national student-entrepreneur status, issued by the Pépite Pon partner network and to take the plunge to start a new business.

Although they became their own bosses before the end of their studies, as a part of these internship projects, oriented at entrepreneurship, the future entrepreneur-engineers have to show the same determination as in an internship with any other company. As such, they had to submit a complete project, show their motivation, commit to the objectives set at the beginning and comply and the minimum duration.

Here is a selection of startups which have emerged at ESILV, under the banner of Devinci Startup, Pole Leonard de Vinci’s preincubation platform.

Maths Prestige, an online math tutoring platform 

The project, launched by Samuel Drai, in the 5th year of ESILV’s Financial Engineering Master’s degree, comes with a platform of online math courses for students based in and around Paris who already have a clear idea about their academic project. Students receive guidance through their high school and college years on the methodology chosen to enter a post-baccalaureate engineering school.

“I have been working on this project since September 2017, when I arrived at ESILV after my CPGE. This modest student work has become more and more important throughout my career. Quality comes with a price, and our high-quality approach placed us lastingly on a niche market, with delighted clients. The scope of the internship is to develop my project so I can finally go to the next stage of my business”. (Samuel Drai, ESILV student, class of 2020)

Tsquared Robotics, smart robotics at the service of logistics 

“The idea appealed to us while in third grade. The objective of our internship is to develop the sale of our product and to find our firsts clients. We also want to build a prototype close to the final version. This internship will allow us to develop our project while living a fulfilling experience.” (Teddy Leclerq, ESILV Promo 2021)

Back to the ground, travel agency for the Canary Islands 

Interested in event planning, Mikel Fuvel, in his 4th year at ESILV, is putting his internship at the service of his startup project which focuses on up-market eco-responsible tourism in the Canary Islands. Once the tourist activities have resumed in Gran Canaria area, the islands will continue to be affected by the mass tourism industry. It’s this facet of the Canaries Islands that Mikel wants to develop.

“I’m still in the discovery phase of the market I’d like to touch. However, some things are becoming clearer. Soon, I’ll be travelling to the Canaries with a friend to conceive the brand’s visual design. Also, I’ve got in contact with numerous international organisations who – I so sope! – will help me find sponsorship”. (Mikel Fuvel, ESILV Promo 2021)

Unlike mass tourism which spends little and pollutes massively, Mikel promotes trips à la carte, with a full range of services and natural activities with little impact on the unique biodiversity of the Canaries Islands. The agency encourages tours in the small islands that are favourable for physical and sports activities: yoga, trail, running, scuba diving.