EHL Hospitality Business School (founded in 1893 as Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne) launched its first incubator in 2009 to create a dedicated resource for the development of new concepts for the greater hospitality industry, F&B, Leisure and Travel- an initiative embraced by students, alumni and industry partners. In 2018, EHL signed an agreement with Ville de Lausanne to develop an innovation ecosystem near the EHL campus and house the ever-growing pool of ideas and innovators that were coming from the school and the industry. The Innovation Village has two core missions: to support entrepreneurship and to inspire and disrupt the food & hospitality industry.
On our three campuses in Switzerland and Singapore, we are committed to provide students and entrepreneurs with the tools, networks and experiences needed to thrive in business. EHL overarching Innovation strategy includes:
● The Innovation Village
● The Student Entrepreneurial Journey (SEJ)
● The EHL Innovation Foundation
With at least 1/3 of our students interested in an entrepreneurial career, and, following a two-year pilot, EHL launched in 2022 the SEJ which immerses undergraduate students in real-life entrepreneurship. To earn degree credits, students can pitch their business idea and intern in their own start-ups. By taking residence at the incubator of the EHL Innovation Village, they gain access to an entrepreneurship ecosystem and large network of like-minded innovators. The SEJ is a disruptive educational model allowing students to grow their business, pitch for funding through our EHL Innovation Foundation as well as hire EHL interns while studying in parallel.