“We see quite positive results for the new coaching system”

In contrast to 1996 when CTI was launched, there are now many support programmes, coaching offers and awards for start-ups. Why does it still need Innosuisse’s start-up support?

As opposed to coaching under the CTI, the new coaching support programme is done through a voucher system meaning that a start-up that is accepted in the programme can tailor its support to its own needs and use the coaching where truly required. Above the flexible approach, the voucher can be used for coaching from one of our highly experienced coaches but also to obtain support from special coaches that are experts in specific fields such as IP, legal, regulatory affairs, etc. Moreover, the acceptance in coaching makes the start-up eligible to apply for our tailor-made internationalisation support including camps in 5 different countries as well as packages to exhibit at fairs throughout the world. Another point to mention here is that other ecosystem organizations can also benefit from the work that Innosuisse has done to select and accredit its highly talented pool of coaches by involving them in their organizations. In addition to the coaching, Innosuisse still offers the training courses. So, all in all, I am convinced that the Swiss ecosystem still needs Innosuisse’s support as it offers support throughout the entire spectrum of business creation, from igniting the entrepreneurial spark all the way to business growth, it complements the efforts of the other ecosystem players through differentiated services and most importantly because it strengthens the ecosystem as a whole.

As the Swiss Startup radar show, Swiss startups grow slowly and usually develop into a SME. Does the Innosuisse support aim to change this and to accelerate growth?

Yes, that’s the goal! Through its milestone-based approach, with milestones that Innosuisse tries to set as being aggressive yet realistic, and through its targeted support, we plan to accompany the founders to see bigger from the start and accelerate the growth of the firms as much as possible. 

The upcoming scale-up programme, planned to start in the fall, will also focus exactly on that, meaning that we will support high-growth potential firms in developing some very aggressive growth-based milestones to achieve within the next 2 years and we will dedicate intensive support to the firm to give it a boost and help it reach these goals.

When scale-up coaching is planned to start?

In the fall 2019. We are now looking for coaches who already scaled their own companies.

In 2018 200 start-ups applied for coaching: Will the number for 2019 be on the same level?

Actually, 341 start-ups applied for coaching - initial and core coaching - in 2018 as opposed to 241 in 2017, under the CTI. For this year, I’m very confident that we will even overachieve this application rate of 341 since at the end of April, we already had 145 applications, compared to 82 at the end of April 2018.

How many of the start-ups that applied for coaching received core coaching acceptance?

In 2018 123 firms applied for core coaching and 61 were accepted.

You have now first experiences with start-ups selecting coaches. What are the learnings?

The first experiences show a quite positive result for the new system. The start-ups and coaches find each other well via our platform, through preliminary discussions with each other or through recommendations from various sources. The start-ups that require assistance in selecting their coach can do that. Some start-ups have been interviewing a few coaches prior to starting to work with them. From my point of view, it would be better for the start-ups to contact the Innosuisse office and ask for a recommendation, as we know the coaches well. If a relationship doesn’t end-up to be the best, the start-up can ask to change a lead coach and a start-up can always have more than one coach to help it on different developmental areas, depending on the competencies of the coaches. The start-ups assess the coaches at different gates in the system and we are compiling these data to improve the quality of the services. 

Did startups change coaches?

Yes, some start-ups asked to change coaches for different reasons and that is perfectly fine. We however need to understand the reasoning behind the change request and align with the coach in question. Most of the time, the start-ups and coach will agree together to change the coaching relationship or to onboard other coaches in the lead.

One of the impact studies showed that the startups think that the coaching is more relevant for the success than other support programmes but clearly less relevant than the team and external financing. Is this a satisfying result for Innosuisse?

I think this is perfectly aligned with what we expect. I do hope that the internal resources of a start-up, meaning its human resources, are the most important element and its financial resources are more important than the external support element of a coach to bring the start-up to success. Of course, we need to ensure that the coaching has a real positive impact on the development of the firm to make it not only more successful but help it achieve perhaps larger goals and faster than it would have without coaching. However, without a strong team and access to financing, which the coaching can also influence, the firm cannot succeed.

Let’s talk about the entrepreneurship courses. What are the experiences with the modules 3 and 4? Did the new structure with courses for different industries increased the value for the participants?

The training programme was introduced in a new structure of cluster trainings in 2018 to help established start-ups get a specialized training in their respective fields (ICT, Advanced Engineering, Biotech, Medtech and Social Entrepreneurship). In addition to the cluster training, each start-up is eligible for a personal coaching. We have available data on the course ratings for 2018. Participants rated the trainings high and they would highly recommend the trainings to their peers. There are yet no conclusive findings on the impact of the new structure.

Are there enough participants for the industry-specific courses?

In the year 2018, 440 participants attended the Innosuisse Start-up Trainings Module 3 and 4. There is a decrease of 8% of the number of participants between 2017 and 2018. For the year 2019, the course providers are putting in place measure to establish and develop new channels for the promotion of the trainings.

One result of the impact studies referring to courses in 2016 and 2017 is that the courses are not well known. What is planned to change this?

First, we have already begun to intensify our communication efforts by, for example, informing the participants about this offer at suitable events or during our own roadshows. In addition, some changes are planned on the conceptual level in the context of the upcoming tender of modules 1 and 2. The new proposed structure will integrate changes to mitigate the results of the impact analysis which refers to courses which were held in 2016 and 2017. Unfortunately, we are not in the position to provide any further information on the content of the proposed structure until the official publication in the summer 2019.

Last question: Innosuisse is regarded to be a support organisation for sciences and technology-based startups. However the impact study and companies like Codecheck and Eventfrog that were awarded with the Innosuisse Certificate recently showed that startups with business model innovations are also supported by Innosuisse. Does this mean that the focus has been broadened to companies with high growth potential?

Absolutely. Innosuisse supports science-based start-ups across all of the disciplines taught at universities and university of applied sciences in Switzerland, including social sciences and business management for example. As such, start-ups presenting a business idea based on a business model innovation can certainly be supported. What is important for Innosuisse however is that the business idea or model is truly innovative and not replicating something that is already being done elsewhere.