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Starting your own business? It's in the air! Young people have already got the bug, now all we need to do is give them the methods. That's the idea behind the new MOOC launched by IAE Montpellier, "Création d'entreprises innovantes: de l'idée à la start-up".
6 000 registrations in a month and a half: it's fair to say that this MOOC was eagerly awaited. Not exactly a surprise for its creators at IAE Montpellier.

"Do you want to create your own start-up? Not so long ago, you would have been considered an extraterrestrial. Today, it's a universally promoted model," says Véronique Bessière, professor at IAE Montpellier.

" It's a world that's now firmly rooted in French culture," confirms Eric Stéphany, director of the institute.

Turning a passion into a career

A world that is attracting more and more young people, drawn by its values: " dynamism, open-mindedness, the idea of pursuing one's own project..." list the teachers of the new IAE MOOC. Véronique Bessière continues: "Turning your passion into a professional project is a very appealing idea. It's a different way of approaching corporate life, and one to which young people are particularly sensitive.
And just as well: they are the ones most affected by the economic crisis. If INSEE is to be believed, the under-25s are the first victims of unemployment, with a rate of 23.7% in mainland France at the end of 2014. Yet they represent a tremendous potential for development. In France, 25% of business creators are said to be under 30, reveals a note published by the Agency for Business Creation (APCE) in March 2015.

Online courses open to all

Another probable reason for the success of the new MOOC made in IAE: the very principle of these " massive open online courses " is perfectly adapted to this audience. What are MOOCs? A quick reminder. These "massive open online courses" offer free access, via the Internet, to courses from universities all over the world. The program includes filmed lectures, as well as online quizzes, discussion forums and networked activities managed by the learners themselves. Learners evaluate their knowledge acquisition among themselves, using grids provided by the teacher.
The first French MOOCs appeared in 2012, and their number is now growing steadily. This little educational revolution is seductive because of its ease of access. Hosted on the France Université Numérique portal, the MOOC "Création d'Entreprises Innovantes: de l'idée à la Start-up" is open to all, with no prerequisites. The only requirement is that you are interested in the world of start-ups, or have a business creation project in mind.

The web, a highway for projects

Projects that are now within everyone's reach, according to Eric Stéphany. With business angels, angel investors and various crowdfunding solutions, Web 2.0 offers start-up creators a formidable gas pedal.
What's more, it also enables projects to find their way to viability, by feeding them feedback from a very wide audience. The virality of information is particularly valuable: " Today, every project starts with managing a crowd of followers. Your idea can be quickly and widely circulated. And collect the opinions of a multitude of Internet users, who are all potential users," concludes Eric Stéphany.

• Register for the MOOC "Creating innovative companies".