Association The Determined has for mission to help entrepreneurs from sensitive neighborhoods of Montpellier or rural areas, for whom it is particularly difficult to start a business. To do so, it dispenses free training in several cities in France, including Marseille Strasbourg and Lille, to people selected solely for their motivation. During these 6-month training courses, students will acquire the skills to understand the entrepreneurship ecosystem and will be accompanied in the realization of their project. Recently, The Determined were joined in their mission by the Initiative France Networks. This national network is made up of 215 associations offering financing to any entrepreneur with a solid project. Thereby, monday 22 november, The Determined and Initiative France formalized their collaboration in the city of Montpellier. Within the framework of this partnership, the projects of entrepreneurs from priority districts of Montpellier will now have the opportunity to receive funding.
In these sensitive neighborhoods, there is often devaluation. There is often isolation.
“In these sensitive neighborhoods, there is often devaluation. There is often isolation. There is a kind of self-censorship and that’s what we want to fight today because there are often people who have extraordinarily innovative ideas, great ideas. “ explains Guillaume Pepy, President of Initiative France and former CEO of SNCF. “It is enough to restore confidence. It is enough to give back the means. And these companies there, they will succeed at least as well as the others. Initiative France is an association which has a single objective, which is to help you succeed in your business creation project “
“Every entrepreneur, no matter where he comes from, he needs to be supported when he starts a project. The objective for us is to go to the territories where there is a real will to be entrepreneurial, but where sometimes there is a lack of networks and support tools. The idea is to provide an economic dynamic that will promote social success. And for us, it is important if the project is determined. And we see the entrepreneurial successes because in a few figures, in a few years, it is more than 600 people we supported between six months and a year. It is more than 63% of women and more than 300 people who created their box. 40% of them have between 2 and 20 employees. We support project leaders, but we don’t finance. And networks like Initiative France are planning to finance the projects that we are carrying out because there are so many needs. Entrepreneurs need support so much that in the end, if we are not in a collective perspective or work together to do something lower, it does not work. “ says Moussa Camara, president of the Determined.