A Look Back at the Hashtag Startup Challenge: Innovating in the Service of “Care”

Marjolaine - Clermont School of Business - menu burger

A recurring event offered to students in the Master in Management (PGE) at Clermont School of Business, the Hashtag Startup Challenge aims to raise awareness among future managers about the challenges of impact-driven entrepreneurial innovation. This edition focused specifically on the notion of “care”, a theme at the heart of current developments in health, inclusion, and support for diverse populations.

Three themes at the heart of societal challenges

The Hashtag Startup Challenge is an intensive pedagogical challenge that immerses students from the “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” minor in a real-life case study over two days. Working in teams, participants analyse a concrete societal or economic issue, design an innovative solution, and formalise it as a project, with the support of professionals and experts. This short, immersive format encourages experimentation, collaborative work, and the practical application of skills acquired during their studies.

This edition, centred on the concept of “care”, aimed to raise students’ awareness of issues related to supporting vulnerable populations, combating isolation, and addressing the challenges of an ageing society.

More than 80 students, forming 20 English- and French-speaking teams, worked on solutions across three major areas:

enabling vulnerable populations to remain at home,
fostering inclusion and autonomy for people with disabilities,
designing more seamless, accessible, and human-centred care pathways.

These themes provided a framework for in-depth reflection, combining innovation, social value, and feasibility.

Hashtag Startup Challenge 2026 - Clermont School of Business

A collective experience serving impactful projects

Supervised by Emmanuelle Perrone, Associate Professor at the School, and Fabrice Cailloux, Director of SquareLab, Master’s students developed innovative and practical solutions in response to real-world issues identified by the event’s partners: AÉSIO Santé, CARSAT, and Kinnarps France (Care).

Throughout the challenge, they also benefited from the support of numerous coaches, including Marc Evangelista, Hélène Estaria, and Laurent Coussonnet. This collective mentoring enabled participants to mobilise creativity, teamwork, and an entrepreneurial mindset, while engaging in a structured and lasting learning experience.

Award-winning projects recognised for their relevance and usefulness

The “Sol’Care” team, composed of Mohamed Besri, Tom Coffrin-Veyret, Enzo Fernandes, and Nabil Hadri, won this edition thanks to an innovation designed to improve shock absorption on the ground and reduce the risk of injury in the event of a fall.

The “Ezz Go” and “Modulo” teams also stood out, respectively securing second and third place on the podium.

I was truly impressed by the students’ ability to take ownership of the theme and, in such a short time, propose innovative and realistic solutions that care for the most vulnerable. I was also struck by how each group’s work sought to strengthen and uphold the notion of solidarity – a fundamental value in our society, and even more so for a Social Security institution such as CARSAT.

Arnaud Villaume CARSAT

Did you know?

The Hashtag Startup Challenge illustrates Clermont SB’s commitment to impactful projects developed in close collaboration with regional stakeholders. This year, the educational event benefited from the support of committed partners such as AÉSIO Santé, Carsat Auvergne, and Kinnarps France.

The jury—composed of Theodora Yonkova (Digital Projects Manager, Health and Autonomy – AÉSIO Santé), Arnaud Villaume (Projects and Partnerships Manager – Carsat Auvergne), Éric Chambet (Key Accounts Sales Engineer – Kinnarps France), Lionel Faucher (Change, Innovation & Impact Advisor – Nextaka), and Jean-Baptiste Gallié (Professor of Marketing – Clermont SB)—provided expert guidance throughout the challenge. The presence of Olivier Pignet, Gérald Comtet, Richard Manzoli, and Philipp Larsson also contributed to the richness of the discussions.