1. The benefits of Business Innovation Coaching for SMEs Iker Ayerbe
DG Research and Innovation
Unit B.3 SMEs, Financial Instruments and State Aid
@ERRIN, 22 February 2017 Brussels

2. 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
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

3. 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

4. Coaching ≠ Consulting 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:
Business development (market)
Organisational development (performance)
Cooperation development (partnerships)

5. Coaching approach 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

6. A proven methodology
Targeting high impact in short time

7. Typical coaching questions ….
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?

8. Is about learning and solving!
Illustrations:
Max Maupoix

9. 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

10. Coaching state of Play 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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".

15. 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".

16. EASME role: Organise, qualify, contract, monitor.

17. 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

20. Many thanks! Iker Ayerbe SME Support DG Research and Innovation
Unit B.3 SMEs, Financial Instruments and State Aid
ec.europa.eu/research
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Twitter.com/H2020SME
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