From an Executive MBA to becoming an entrepreneur—how I did it

While many professionals join an Executive MBA (EMBA) to advance into senior roles within their companies, an increasing share are turning to the program as a springboard for new ventures. Cécile Chevalier’s story shows what that looks like in practice.

She started her career in the consulting industry, where she was a self-professed “data person” developing predictive business models for clients. But after moving to join a bank, Cécile switched to the business and innovation side of things.  

“My job was to push innovation in the company by developing an intern program for developing innovation through employees, and also to develop entrepreneurship inside the company.” 

It was during this experience that Cécile first had the idea of starting her own business. The next question was: how would she do it? 

Why choose to study an Executive MBA 

"Before doing my Executive MBA, I worked with a career coach to rethink what I would like to do,” Cécile explains. “An EMBA was part of [those conversations]—so I decided to go ahead and apply for a program." 

The program appealed to Cécile for various reasons. Coming from a math and economic background, she had no formal training in business fundamentals such as marketing, finance, and accounting. The program would give her a “complete overview of the different skills you need to have as an entrepreneur,” she felt.   

Cécile eventually applied for the HEC Paris Executive MBA, a degree she believed would give her a grounding in those fundamentals. Beyond core courses, the program also provides appealing opportunities such as an Innovate like an Entrepreneur specialization, which gives students an overview of how to nurture, explore, and develop opportunities leading to new business. It includes a study trip to Babson College in Boston to further develop your entrepreneurial skills. 

Studying the HEC Paris Executive MBA would also give Cécile the time and space she needed to develop her own entrepreneurial ambitions. The program includes a 10-to-12-month capstone project that allows students to apply their knowledge to a real-world business challenge. Crucially, it can also accelerate and validate a startup idea. On average, nearly half of capstone projects at HEC Paris go to market. 

It would turn out to be vital for a project that Cécile had recently started working on. Cécile (front row) with her EMBA class at HEC Paris

How an EMBA can fuel entrepreneurial ambitions 

Cécile’s project was founded upon an idea to speed up diagnostics within the healthcare industry. As someone without experience in the sector, the HEC Paris Executive MBA turned out to be an ideal sounding board for the fledgling venture. 

"I didn't know the healthcare industry at that time, so I used all the tools I had to get a better understanding of the industry and see if I would like to go further and create the company or not,” she recalls. 

Cécile says that most of the classes in the EMBA were relevant to entrepreneurship, including core courses focused on business strategy, accounting, business performance, and operations management. But besides what she learnt in the classroom, Cécile learnt just as much from her fellow classmates, she adds.  

"We all came from not only different industries, but also had different skills,” she says. “Some were coming with a lot of experience in finance, others with experience in marketing, and some with experience in entrepreneurship. So, beyond the industries themselves, what was interesting was to have that mix of expertise.  

"Talking with people who already have that kind of experience—even if it's not in the same industry, even if it's not exactly the same kind of venture—that's always interesting. And that kind of help at the beginning of my company was really helpful." 

The people she met on the program would also help to turn her project into a fully-fledged business. Cécile met Virginie Lebidois during the program, and together with fellow founder Martin Rottman they would go on to become the co-founders of Diagante: a healthcare startup which aims to reduce the number of false positives in the analysis of microbiological samples. The company has developed a patented kit that can be used to store samples for up to 72 hours. 

Since the trio founded the company in 2020, Diagante has secured €1.1 million in funding and obtained marketing authorization in France and the UK. Longer term, the goal is to expand to the rest of Europe and the United States.

Looking back at her time on the HEC Paris Executive MBA, Cécile thinks the program was fundamental to achieving her entrepreneurial ambitions. Though, she feels this impact was ultimately made possible by her decision to commit herself fully to the program. 

"Be part of it,” she advises. “Treat it as a full-time experience, even if it's difficult to have that. 

“It's tough when you have had a long day and you have homework to do to say: ‘Oh, tonight, there is an event that would be interesting to go to.’ Push yourself to have a complete journey—not just part of it. Think of it as a game-changer for your career." 

Giving back to others 

While it gave her the building blocks to start her entrepreneurial journey, Cécile’s EMBA experience didn’t end when she completed the program.  

Since graduating from HEC Paris, she has made efforts to return to the school to judge entrepreneurship competitions in support of women founders. She also mentors current students, viewing it as a way of giving back to the school that gave her so much.  

“A lot of people took time with me to help me on different questions I had. And so for me, it's a way to give back. Because I think that it's really important to have these kinds of one-on-one discussions.” 

Ultimately, Cécile doesn’t just want to support female founders—she also wants to play her own small part in driving bigger change. 

“I really believe that we need to help women—not only in entrepreneurship, but in all kinds of situations. So this is my way of pushing for more equality between men and women.”