Join the Take Off program – Lille Incubator

In addition to the sector of activity, each application is evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Development potential: The project must demonstrate its capacity for rapid growth, creating value in its market and, ultimately, jobs. It must also be based on a viable business model.

2. Innovation: Whether technical, service-related, business model-based, process-based, marketing-oriented, or social, the project must offer a differentiating factor in its market, that is, in relation to its competitors. For example, a product that offers superior performance or a new feature is an innovative product. If it is sold using an original business model, this also constitutes innovation. Another example: if the product is made from recycled materials, this is considered social innovation.

3. Project maturity: The project leader should not simply present an idea or concept. Projects must have already been tested against reality: whether market-related, technical, or legal, a feasibility study must have been conducted to anticipate potential obstacles. The value of such an approach lies in demonstrating the project leader's commitment and their understanding, at least theoretically, of their future environment.

4. The entrepreneur's profile: they must be capable of seeing their project through to completion, meaning they must possess the necessary skills or be able to acquire them elsewhere. Their involvement in the project, and even their passion for the subject they will be working on, will be assessed: they must be able to be intensely and sustainably committed.

To learn more about the Take Off program, click here.

First and foremost, the project leader must validate for himself his ability to undertake.

Beyond the skills required to carry out the project, the question must be asked regarding his personal situation: indeed, for a period of 12 to 36 months, the project leader will not be able to pay himself a salary, and more particularly during the period preceding the creation of the company and therefore incubation.

Next, just before applying, the first step is to gather information about the incubation program. To do this, Plaine Images offers a series of 3 Master Take Off sessions covering the following themes:

1. November 25, 2021, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM: Everything you need to know to join the Plaine Images incubator
. 2. December 16, 2021, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM: What are the steps involved in setting up a business?
3. January 6, 2022, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM: How to build your business model and pitch your project?

Beyond simply providing information, the value of these Master Take-Offs lies in the opportunity to make initial contact with the Plaine Images Entrepreneurship team and to visit the Imaginarium building, where the incubator is located. These Master Take-Offs also allow project leaders, in an initial assessment, to confirm that the incubator, and its accompanying ecosystem, is a good fit for their project.

This is followed by a request for a file which must be made on the Plaine Images website.

To request your application form, click here.

This application is followed by a qualification interview with a member of the Plaine Images Entrepreneurship Team. During this initial conversation, the project leader presents their project, its motivations, and their development objectives. A preliminary assessment of the project's suitability for the incubator is then conducted orally between the project leader and the Plaine Images Entrepreneurship Team member. Based on the interview, an application template is sent, which must be completed and returned to the team at the following email address: takeoff@plaine-images.fr. For TakeOff 12, the application deadline is Sunday, January 16, 2022, at 11:59 PM. To help refine their application, the project leader can, if necessary, request a discussion with the Entrepreneurship Team to review and refine their application.

Subsequently, the applications undergo a pre-selection process: shortlisted candidates are invited to a selection committee meeting where they will have the opportunity to pitch their project to a jury composed of entrepreneurs, investors, and institutional representatives. The pitch lasts 10 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. This is the moment to impress the jury and, above all, demonstrate the candidate's ability to bring the project to fruition: that is, to take an idea and transform it into a viable business venture.

Finally, the selected project leaders are invited to the kick-off, scheduled for February 2, 2022 for this Take Off 12. During the day, the new cohort of incubatees will discover in more detail the incubation program, the Plaine Images team, the programming, etc. The kick-off will also be an opportunity for the incubatees to get to know each other and thus begin to build relationships.

Apply to join our incubation program and be part of the next cohort!