Arvin Nuckchady is cooking up new start-up ideas with an HEC classmate. The MBA student has already steered two businesses through the economic crisis in Europe.
Arvin Nuckchady wastes no time in getting to the point. “The truth is,” says the start-up wiz, “being an entrepreneur is tough. You don’t have much money.” If that seemed like he was stating the obvious, it might help if you take a look at his track record.Arvin, who is halfway through a full-time MBA at HEC Paris, is well known among his French cohort for forays in risky ventures and somehow succeeding where so many other MBAs have failed.
His two previous start-up businesses were turning over profits in relatively short spells. His first company, Asyose, had 60 members of staff and reached an 80 per cent profit margin in just two years. His second, an online retail store, ran successfully for three years in France during the height of the financial crisis.
When the credit crunch struck, most small-scale start-ups struggled in the Eurozone. Launching a company in 2008 was certainly a risk – although it is clearly paying dividends a few years down the line.
Yet Arvin’s biggest concern at the time was forking out for one of Europe’s best business school programs. It was in 2006 that Asyose was founded in Paris, during Arvin’s transition from a very technical role at Areva SA, the French public industrial conglomerate.
“You need a lot of investment initially to organize. We’re talking about 100-200k easily,” he explains when I ask why he shut the company down. “It’s difficult to bring-up this initial amount if you’re not sure it’ll be there at the end.”
His company organized exhibitions and sport events on a national level. But wallets began tightening as the credit crisis hit France. “Some of my customers were frightened to make the investment on their side. It doesn’t work to take so much risk,” Arvin says.
“And at the same time some of my friends were opening a new company, so I decided to close mine and open another with more potential.”
Arvin was hoping that his new venture, Masamune, could strike gold during the e-commerce buzz. The company sold high quality martial arts sports gear imported from Japan online. It was in 2008 that they launched the brand in France and Belgium and over three years the co-founders increased their client portfolio by 200 per cent.
Arvin found entrepreneurship after years as a planning engineer, after graduating from a leading university in Marseille. But he always harbored a desire to run his own businesses, however long it may have taken him to act on it.
“I wanted to do more than engineering. I wanted more responsibility,” Arvin says. He quickly moved through the ranks and was in the highest position he could reach at AREVA NP, a global leader in nuclear energy, he says.
“Since my childhood I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I’m ambitious. Maybe it’s a childhood dream, but I always imagined one day being the CEO of a major corporation.”
For Arvin, that means years finding the right business idea. His career path has since been trial and error – although much success has come from it. His father worked in exhibitions and he knew there was a gap in the market to exploit. His first company, Asyose, bares his dads’ influence.
“I grew up in it [the industry]. I knew there was a gap and thought maybe with my knowledge I can do better and try to improve the system. I tried to get my share of the pie,” says Arvin.
And onto the second company’s closure. Well, he says, he sold his shares, made some profit and went back to industry. Arvin went to work for Alstom Power as a consultant and ended up staying for four years.
“I wanted to get money back, so I went to a job I knew how to do,” he explains. Although he enjoyed the experience with Masamune, he adds.
He moved onto Altran, the global high-tech consulting firm which was founded in France. But he doesn’t have a passion for the energy or tech industries, he insists – it was just a practical corporate role, which would eventually propel him to the top.
Not that Arvin would see that day, though. He is too eager to gain more responsibility, he says. After another four years, in 2013, he joined the MBA program at HEC – one of France’s most prestigious business schools. He faced the same choice as in 2009: go back to school or start-up a business?
The latter won back then. But ultimately an MBA proved too strong a lure this time. “After two or three years I couldn’t get any higher [in my company], so having spoken with few people [for advice], I decided just to do the MBA,” he explains.
And why HEC Paris? “If you want to work in Europe, it’s the school you have to go to,” he asserts, simply. His wife also worked in France at the time. All his businesses have been based in the country too.
HEC may have seemed like the natural choice, but Arvin, a member of the school’s MBA Entrepreneurship Club, says it’s not all plain-sailing for start-ups – however influential his MBA experience has been.
“It’s not easy to open a business in France. But with the right team and the right moment [it is easier],” Arvin says. An MBA is perhaps that ambition taking hold of him. He thinks he has found that dream-team in the shape of three entrepreneurs, one of whom is an MBA classmate. The four of them are busy cooking up ideas to start a business before they graduate this year.
Yet Arvin hasn’t quite shaken off the corporate tag. He, like many other MBAs, would love to work at Microsoft or Google. The start-up would be a side-project, he says.
“But if it works, maybe in a couple of years I can switch into the start-up. But if I can find a job where I have sufficient responsibilities and freedom and autonomy, then I’ll stay in that job.”
The short answer is that he doesn’t know. But using the HEC MBA network, he is no doubt brewing ideas for a third business starter. “We are aiming to launch by the end of the MBA and it will be on the side,” he says.
“But we have an idea. It’s cooking.”
Student Reviews
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
