The benefits of Business Innovation

Coaching for SMEs

Iker AyerbeDG Research and InnovationUnit B.3 SMEs, Financial Instruments and State Aid@ERRIN, 22 February 2017 Brussels

Every euro invested is smart money: funded companies get 3 days of business innovation coaching in Phase 1 and 12 days in Phase 2

Almost 1/3 are start-ups (younger than 3 years)

Manufacturing - most common activity

ICT sector - biggest number of applicants and selected companies

11% backed by accelerators

12% are spin-offs by academia

Spain and Italy - most selected projects.

Selected companies attracted 3x more private investment than before thanks to the SMEI

Gathered a total of € 692 million in private equity and report benefitting from faster access to markets

invested more than € 880 million Over 2,300 companies From 36 countries Attracted more than 20,000 applications

9 out of 10 applied for EU-funding for the first time

Tough Competition:

• 8% success rate for Phase 1 • 6% for Phase 2

Business Innovation Coaching

• Mission = Empower the beneficiaries to commercialise the awarded project.

• Coaching involves whole company development

• maturity, innovation enablers

• Coaching ≠ Consulting

• challenging assumptions vs. answering questions

• Consulting is answering questions:• Intellectual Property• Pure financial or pure branding• Market research, legal advice• Write a business plan• Project management

• Coaching is asking questions:o Business development (market)

o Organisational development (performance)

o Cooperation development (partnerships)

Coaching ≠ Consulting

• Visualize success in a future business scenario

• Look at today, make strategy steps to success

• Tackle readiness to take the steps• Challenge company's self-perceptions

• Ph2: address organisation development + financial strategy

• Ph2: room for additional building up of knowledge and skills

Coaching approach

A proven methodology

Targeting high impact in short time

• What is your strategy, market position? (PMF)

• Why do customers pick you?• What do you want to achieve?• What is the main challenge?• What are the priorities now?• To what extent are you ready for it?• What options do you have?• What are the main risks?• How will you get there?• What? How? When? Who?

Typical coaching questions ….

Illustrations:

Max Maupoix

Is about learning and solving!

Coaching Impact

• Strategy adapted, goal clarified

• Guideline for decision making:

Able to solve strategic matters

• Able to access new networks

• Negotiation policy toward investors and new business partners

• Leadership and team work

SMEs

Key account managers

(EEN)

Business coaches

>2000 SME beneficiaries

>300 active KAMs

>80 Regional entities

>400 active coaches in the

pool

>1700 coaching activities (>7300 days)Mission:

building the triangle

„The KAM and the coach have made a fantastic work for us. She has

helped us to identify the right coach. The coach has done a great job coaching us in stratetegy, business,

and financials.“ Small company, Automotive

Coaching state of Play

Company feedback on coaching

KAM role•86 % : KAM identified relevant needs•77 % : needs analysis already led to action•89 % : well informed about choice of coach

Coaching impact•80 % : decision making has improved•89 % : improvement of business strategy •84 % : expect project to progress faster •95 % : recommends coaching to other companies

Ms. Kaija Pöysti, Finland

• Over 30 years: entrepreneur, business angel, board member, investment fund member

• 1 year in Bonn, 8 years in Boston

• M.Sc. applied mathematics and physics

• 1st company from 1 to 260

people in IT services• SME-I Coach

Mr. Franco Malerba, Italy

• Many years in large and small industry, space agencies (ESA, ASI)

• Astronaut mission 1992

• One term as MEP • Science Attaché • Founder of Genova

Startup • SME-I Coach

Company feedback

Manuel Nina, Smart Separations:

" Wolfgang's approach to our company made us change immensely the strategy for the better. We have also engaged in fruitful discussions with potential partners as part of his network".

Tomáš Šalamon, Netcampaigner:

" I didn't expect much, but the coaching experience with Didier appeared to be incredibly useful".

 

Company feedback

Carmelo Simón, Urbana de Exteriores:

" The experience with the coach was excellent. Unai provided huge help for the internationalization. Coaching was one of the best outcomes that we got from the SME Instrument."

200 days/4 years saves his availability for network.

Unai (coach):"I don’t do this for the money, it's not a business"."Very interesting companies, it provides strategic visibility".

EASME role: Organise, qualify, contract, monitor.

System in place

• EASME takes over after CSA '14-'16• Business innovation model

implemented• 'Needs analysis' by E.E.N. account

managers• Training of coaches and KAMs• Methodology for specific coach

matching• Monitoring system installed

Many thanks!Iker AyerbeSME Support

DG Research and InnovationUnit B.3 SMEs, Financial Instruments and State

Aidec.europa.eu/research

twitter.com/EUScienceInnov 

Twitter.com/H2020SME

facebook.com/EUScienceInnov