The project

The methodology and the Possible Future teams that support the internal startups

At the end of 2017, Société Général launches an Internal Startup Call : an operation designed to foster entrepreneurial momentum within its teams. The call mobilizes a total of 15,000 people. 114 starts are pre-seletcted during the Pitch Day, on February 16 2018. More than 60 projects are finalists, then grouped into 3 classes.

Among these 60 projects, Société Générale entrusted Possible Future with 4 start-ups, to provide them support during 6 months. The objective? At the end of the program, launch a new product in the form of a startup, or re-integrate the projects into existing business units. In parallel, train and embark the teams in the Possible Future methodology, which will boost the projects and take them to the top.

“The Internal Startup call is for us a great opportunity to question our management methods, even as we work to develop new ways of working in the Group, to stay more agile, more collaborative, more horizontal” Frédéric Oudéa, CEO of the Group.

Our support

A successful coaching process

Operations are conducted in two stages. Two projects are carried by our teams from June to December 2018. The next two start in September 2018 and extend until the end of March 2019.

The support provided to Société Générale’s internal start-ups consisted in two main aspects:

• A dedicated coach to the project, who ensures a weekly, close follow-up, working hand-in-hand with the intrapreneurs and the strategic advisor from each startup
• In parallel, with training and workshops, organized and animated by our internal experts, on the basis of a specific program defined at the start of the support.

In total, to support those 4 beautiful projects we mobilized a group of 15 people with a wide range of expertise: user research, strategic planning, engineer, software, branding, product and service design, UX/UI…

At the heart of the method, the personalized support. This depends on the stakes of each project and each team, in order to give them all of the necessary tools and information for a successful launch.

Focus

4 projects, 4 facets of Société Générale’s offerings for tomorrow, shaped with Possible Future/h4>
In a few words, the Société Générale projects that our teams were involved with concern …

• A research vehicle dedicated to stock market products, designed to strengthen theSociété Générale’s commercial position in this sector
• The process of automating risk analysis for the investment bank
• A moving assistance service, addressed to individuals
• A real estate project for the branch dedicated to the client

The result

A high success rate for the teams we supported!

At the end of 6 months of coaching, there is real future for the 4 projects : all of which are still under development today at Société Générale, in the form of side projects or within business units. For our coaches, the adventure continues as many of them are still integrated today in the strategic decision-making committees of these promising startups.

This project demonstrates the relevance of the Possible Future methodology to hatch entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial projects, whether from a corporate program, or directly from the teams themselves within large groups.

For Thomas Chappuis; director of the Internal Startup Call, “Possible Future has offered a high quality support unanimously recognized by the supported startups.
2 specifications : tailor-made – 1 coach appointed per startup – and à la carte – thematic workshops chosen directly by the intrapreneurs according to their needs. This adaptation, as close as possible to the need, is a key factor in the success of the approach and has made it possible – a rarity among the 17 partner acceleration programs – for the 4 projects to be continued”

En savoir plus

• The Société Générale article
• L'article de Stratégies
• The article in Les Echos