News
Créa'Sup: SKEMA Student Entrepreneurs Take the Podium
On September 15, SKEMA entrepreneurs made a strong impression at the Créa'Sup awards ceremony organized by Formasup Hauts-de-France. Out of nearly 90 projects in competition, only nine were recognized. Two of them were led by SKEMA work-study students: Amael Lavigne, a student in the Grande École Programme in Sophia Antipolis, and Mouhammad Bilal El Azreq, a student in the Specialized Master's in Marketing Data and E-Commerce in Lille. It is a rare achievement for a single school to have two winners selected by the same jury.
SKEMA can be proud of this first. Two work-study students succeeded in turning an idea into a tangible business project while simultaneously managing their academic commitments and professional responsibilities. The result: two awards for two innovative ventures.
Decibel Wins First Prize
The competition's top prize was awarded to Mouhammad Bilal El Azreq for Decibel, a technology startup aiming to transform market research through conversational artificial intelligence. Its goal is to enable companies to collect and analyze data faster, at lower cost, and on a much larger scale.
The idea emerged from the founder's professional experience in the market research industry.
"I realized that there were many aspects that could be improved, whether in terms of time, money, or energy invested. Data collection and fieldwork phases were particularly demanding," he explains.
Although artificial intelligence is at the core of the project, the entrepreneur insists that it complements, rather than replaces, human expertise.
For the student, the significance of the award goes far beyond the prize itself:
"This award brings networking opportunities, legitimacy, and visibility. For me, that's what matters most."
Navikit Recognized with the Out-of-Region Award
Meanwhile, Amael Lavigne, a student in SKEMA's Master in Management (PGE) on the Sophia Antipolis campus, received the competition's Out-of-Region Award for his project, Navikit.
The company develops wooden kit boats designed to carry between one and four people. Available with oars or an electric motor, these boats are intended for licence-free navigation on lakes and inland waterways. Initial testing is already underway.
"This is fantastic. The prize money (€1,500) will allow us to move forward and purchase our first cubic meter of wood. We'll be able to begin cutting the material and building the first boats," explains the student, who recently completed his apprenticeship within the MiM at Harley-Davidson.
Recognition of Entrepreneurial Commitment
Present at the ceremony, Frédéric Daumont, Director of Apprenticeship Programs at SKEMA, highlighted the significance of this double distinction.
"Seeing two SKEMA students recognized among the nine Créa'Sup winners is a tremendous source of pride. This recognition rewards months of hard work, perseverance, and risk-taking. Building an entrepreneurial venture while pursuing one's studies requires an exceptional level of commitment. These two awards demonstrate that our students are capable of turning ideas into action and convincing audiences well beyond the walls of the school."
This double success once again confirms the entrepreneurial dynamism of the SKEMA community. Two projects, two very different worlds, but one shared ambition: transforming an idea into a business.
