At UniLaSalle, students who wish to undertake professional projects alongside their studies are supported and accompanied. TerraGrow, a young start-up born on the Rouen campus, is currently developing into an ally for farmers.
Entrepreneurship is often talked about, but what is it?
The director of the UniLaSalle Rouen campus, Christophe Bostvironnois, describes his vision of entrepreneurship for all and by all: "Each in their own way, each according to their passions, according to their means, a baker, an artist, a coach are all entrepreneurs through their manual, artistic or communication talents. Entrepreneurship isn't just about being a company director. It's the ability to take one's destiny into one's own hands for a collective benefit: the smell of fresh croissants in the morning for the former, the creation of emotions for the latter, personal development for the latter."
Let's discover entrepreneurship through the startup of 2 UniLaSalle Rouen students: Charles Terrey, the son of a farmer, and Pierre Wirenius, passionate about social innovation, are both engineering students in the International Sustainable Management and International Trade (i-SAFE) program. Together, they decided to create TerraGrow.
Terragrow: boots on the bottom, suit jacket on top
TerraGrow was born in February 2023, from a simple observation: access to agricultural land was far too complicated for young farmers wanting to set up in business! A call for projects from UniLaSalle launched them on this idea, which they pushed through to the end: "After many technical and field studies and meetings with farmers, we realized that we needed to focus more on the profitability of farm capital: the most effective lever for solving this land problem, and more generally the problems of the agricultural sector" explains Pierre. Over time, and with increasing success and support, TerraGrow has matured into a very promising start-up!
The principle?
A solution for integrating the skills and knowledge needed to create added value on the farm. The aim is simple: to let farmers concentrate on crop monitoring and the tasks they prefer. A demanding adventure for its founders, who had to learn fast! "We received course accommodations from UniLaSalle and had to make a lot of personal sacrifices in terms of our social life [...] with our commitment, we didn't necessarily need to find a balance! We know that to meet the needs of the market, we need to be more than just two. " A holistic solution and balance will require a full team," Charles confirms to us. "The important thing is for the 2 of us to complement each other, to trust each other and to delegate tasks so that we can move forward at top speed," adds Pierre.
What drives our two entrepreneurs to embark on such a project?
Charles explains: "Our main motivation is to have an impact on farmers, to support them in the generational renewal process, and to improve their living and working conditions". A subject close to the heart of this farmer's son, who is about to take over the family farm. Pierre himself remembers with emotion meeting some of the farmers in their trial program. One of them, with a winegrower at the very beginning of TerraGrow, confirmed their ambition for the agricultural cause. What's more, it was this dialogue that helped them refine their project: TerraGrow is first and foremost a solution born of farmers' needs! He adds, "We've had some powerful and moving discussions with all the farmers in our trial program, and it made a big impression on me to hear them explain how our commitment remotivated them."
But what can we expect from TerraGrow tomorrow?
The next big step in their adventure is to start incubating the startup at Euratechnologies! Europe's largest startup incubator recognized TerraGrow's potential, and began providing support on Tuesday March 19.
What about the future? "In what 5 or 10 years?!" joke Charles and Pierre, "Within a year, we'll have proved the concept, we'll have recruited staff, and we'll have a lot more customers!" It's immediately clear that everything is planned for the future - there's no room for improvisation! Pierre adds: "In the medium term, we hope to have 70 to 75 employees, and we intend to strengthen our presence throughout the country". As for the concept's growth, Charles sums up : "We're more attached to the problem than to the solution". Indeed, TerraGrow is all about constant improvement: the 2 co-founders are keen to retain the flexibility to adapt the solution to real needs on the ground, and Charles describes a meticulous future that looks good for our young entrepreneurs!
"We want to represent farmers' interests and address the issues of social isolation and workload."
Ambitious and determined, the two young men are multiplying their actions to help their project grow and gain visibility. At the Salon de l'Agriculture, for example, they succeeded in calling on President Emmanuel Macron and the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Marc Fesneau. Pitched in just a few seconds, their project hit the nail on the head, and enabled them to have a real exchange with the Ministry's teams a few days after the show. An opportunity for them to reiterate the need for cooperation between public and private players to implement the ambitions of the environmental transition.
Discover the links to their website and networks at the bottom of the article.
UniLaSalle and entrepreneurship, a commitment to the future
Commitment is a key value at UniLaSalle, so it's only natural that students on all 4 campuses should be aware of it! Thursday afternoons are free time, which students can use for their sports activities and their community or professional projects, for example. In addition to this flexible timetable, UniLaSalle is keen to pass on calls for sustainable projects to its students, inviting them to explore their entrepreneurial and innovative side. Occasionally, teachers may also offer to adapt their courses to students' projects. For example, Pierre and Charles' 4th year entrepreneurship course focused on the TerraGrow project!
Innovation is a notion that can be applied to the associative, the professional, the academic - in short, it has a place everywhere. The desire for constant improvement and the quest for the best are the key to a fairer, more sustainable world; UniLaSalle is committed to this, for and with its students! The school is also a primary source of inspiration, in the knowledge imparted during courses for example: students often find an aspect there that they want to develop and make their own. For TerraGrow, "UniLaSalle was the first source of support in terms of knowledge and resources [...] all our courses containing projects (e.g. marketing) were dedicated to TerraGrow, and we took advantage of our free days to be present in the field".
As projects move forward, so does UniLaSalle's support! It is possible for young enthusiasts to form study contracts to adapt their course timetables to their associative or entrepreneurial adventures. A case-by-case arrangement that frees up a lot of students' time and allows them to push their work to the limit! This time can also be used by our apprentice entrepreneurs to contact members of the Alumni network, who are always happy to help young Lasallians with their projects.
Every year, several hundred UniLaSalle students learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Nearly 300 of them, like Pierre and Charles, take part in competitions, and many win prizes too!
And for the most successful projects, more substantial resources can be made available to students. TerraGrow is a case in point: in addition to a study contract and intellectual resources, the startup receives personal advice from several UniLaSalle Rouen staff members! Pierre-Yves BERNARD, Director of the Agrobiosciences College, is interested in the work of our 2 students and has joined their strategic advisory board as an agronomy specialist, while Lison MAUCHANT, in charge of communications at the Rouen campus, advises them on her subject.
Last but not least, UniLaSalle's entrepreneurship center offers the opportunity each year to present projects at the Salon International de l'Agriculture, a golden opportunity to expand one's network and practice pitching one's project. TerraGrow was obviously there this year!
Entrepreneurship made in UniLaSalle is a highly complementary set of elements that meets the needs of our young people's projects. For Christophe Bostvironnois, director of the Rouen campus, it's an incredible learning ground, he tells us:
"For other young entrepreneurs, those who stop along the way. What an experience! Seeking and surpassing your limits, failing then starting again, failing again and starting again, learning by doing, not repeating your mistakes - these are all personal added values that our young people will have in their entrepreneurial position. It's a unique experience that enables them to grow and assert themselves in a world that is increasingly difficult to grasp, faster-paced and more competitive.
It's a source of pride for our campus and an honor to have students, employees and stakeholders committed to this shared ambition."
Find out more:
- The Pierre & Charles' training "Agro, Food & Environmental Engineering (i-SAFE)
- Student entrepreneurship at UniLaSalle
- TerraGrow.fr
An article written by Jules Houplon, engineering student at UniLaSalle Rouen.
