Access to Risk Capital Archives - META Group https://www.meta-group.com/impact-cat/access-to-risk-capital/ Knowledge to Market Wed, 24 Jan 2024 11:46:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.meta-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/favicon_30th-e1704732147652-100x100.png Access to Risk Capital Archives - META Group https://www.meta-group.com/impact-cat/access-to-risk-capital/ 32 32 Build the Perfect Pitch https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/build-the-perfect-pitch/ Mon, 08 May 2023 09:23:03 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7905 The Pitch Clinic workshop is designed for early-stage startups looking for risk-capital investors. It covers key aspects such as funding sources, approaching investors, and creating an appropriate pitch tailored to specific situations.  The participants have access to learning resources. It includes a hands-on session to present their pitch live in front of other startups and …

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The Pitch Clinic workshop is designed for early-stage startups looking for risk-capital investors. It covers key aspects such as funding sources, approaching investors, and creating an appropriate pitch tailored to specific situations. 

The participants have access to learning resources. It includes a hands-on session to present their pitch live in front of other startups and receive personalized feedback. This workshop helps you master the pitch that every risk capital investor wants to hear.

Build the perfect pitch

“We want to unburden innovators and entrepreneurs from the daunting trial and error process of designing and presenting the right pitch. The Pitch Clinic provides not just a set of tools and a proven framework but also the opportunity to develop and practice an effective pitch together with experts and peers in a real-life context,” said Lorenzo Valeriani, Senior Expert at META Group and one of the trainers.  

Drafting a successful pitch deck to raise funds can take 2–3 months with an average of 32 reiterations. Many entrepreneurs spend up to 18 months struggling to develop an effective pitch and looking for potential investors. This leads to high opportunity costs.  Learn which pitch structure works best, how to prepare your speech, how to convey your message to captivate and convince your audience.

By joining the workshop, founders will be able to design or improve their existent pitch deck during an intensive 3,5-hour session. The program is based on META Groups’ 20 years of experience in coaching entrepreneurs and investing in early-stage startups.   

Visit the Pitch Clinic website to learn more and subscribe to our newsletter to learn about future editions.

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]]> Solving Cities Challenges Through Entrepreneurship https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/solving-cities-challenges-through-entrepreneurship/ Fri, 05 May 2023 10:20:37 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7743 The META Innovation Platform helps cities and regions to boost innovation through the implementation of challenge-based programmes.

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The META Innovation Platform helps cities and regions to boost innovation through the implementation of challenge-based programmes.

The META Innovation Platform combines everything we’ve learnt about fostering knowledge-intensive startups at the urban level.

The story of European innovation is increasingly a story of urban ecosystems – cities constantly refining and developing their innovation fabric to both foster home-grown startups and attract others from across the continent.

In parallel, large companies are increasingly supporting startups, which provide them with new solutions and business opportunities.

META’s Innovation Platform brings them together, along with other city-level stakeholders, in a carefully designed process to:

  • Solve local urban problems
  • Stimulate local high-growth, knowledge-intensive companies
  • Connect them to new markets and investors across Europe
 
We developed the Innovation Platform by adapting the originally US challenge-based innovation process to a European setting, notably via the TWIST and SocialChallenges.eu research projects.
 
We have since developed it considerably to make it more flexible, and to reflect the lessons we learnt.
 

Challenge-driven innovation

The Innovation Platform is designed around challenge-driven innovation.

Challenge-based innovation ensures startups are fostered for needs which exist locally. It follows a four-stage process:

  • Ecosystem profiling: the city and other stakeholders identify the city’s Unique Service Proposition and map its Local Champions
  • Challenge definition: the city identifies and priorities the key challenges (a demand-driven task requiring specific, working, sustainable solutions) it wants to tackle, in the process engaging the local ecosystem and local champions
  • Launch Challenges: roadshows and other communication activities, supported by a dedicated online platform, mobilise stakeholders around the Challenges, each led by a Challenge Owner
  • Implement Challenges: a tailored series of workshops, pitching sessions and mentoring activities, underpinned by online training and support, help local entrepreneurs launch startups to meet the city’s Challenges.
 
The result: startups with innovative products and services, each precisely designed to meet the needs of a Challenge Owner, who becomes their first client. But they get a lot more than that.
 

European growth

Each city’s Innovation Platform then benefits from META’s Europe-wide network of cities, startups and investors.

Most cities, after all, face similar problems. Apart from helping local entrepreneurs solve their city’s challenges, each Innovation Platform also brings the resulting startups to new investors and new markets – other cities with similar problems – across Europe.

Each city’s Innovation Platform therefore does not just solve each city’s specific problems – it turns the city into a challenge-driven Innovation ecosystem, nurturing its entrepreneurs and launching them across Europe.

In the process, the city becomes more attractive for startups from across the continent, and more competitive at creating growth.

Each Innovation Platform is tailored to each city’s specific challenges and assets, so get in touch to learn more.

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]]> Capacity Building for Business Angels and Early-Stage Investors https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/capacity-building-for-business-angels-and-early-stage-investors/ Fri, 05 May 2023 10:08:49 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7734 ESIL is a Pan-European community aiming to improve angel investment market, stimulate cross border investment opportunities, find new deals, connect the most relevant networks and build a tailored training programme for local ecosystems.

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ESIL was a Pan-European community aiming to improve the angel investment market, stimulate cross-border investment opportunities, find new deals, connect the most relevant networks and build a tailored training programme for local ecosystems.

ESIL, the Early Stage Investing Launchpad, develops a capacity-building programme for early-stage investors in Europe, facilitated the take up of Angel Investing, overcoming obstacles related to market outreach and engaging key actors e.g., entrepreneurs, unconventional early-stage investors and crowdfunding.

ESIL provided a blend of online and offline activities, including high quality training materials, a powerful online networking matchmaking platform and access to the best practices and knowledge of the world’s most effective Business Angel and early-stage investors.

The programme was developed to create a dynamic investment environment by creating new leaders within the Business Angel and broader investment community, encouraging more individuals to become investors and improving the effectiveness of the investment process.

META coordinated this
programme in partnership with Business Angels Europe (BAE),
the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN), the European
CrowdfundingNetwork (ECN), GoBeyond, BPI
France and LINC Scotland.


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]]> Accelerating Internationalisation of High Growth Startups https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/accelerating-internationalisation-of-high-growth-startups/ Fri, 05 May 2023 10:03:11 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7731 The ACE Programme provided innovative startups and high growth ICT companies with direct assistance in finding partners, clients and financing to accelerate their move into cross border and international markets.

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Helping ICT and creative businesses go international

Launched in September 2013, the ACE project developed a new, tailor-made acceleration programme – the ACE Programme – to deliver targeted cross-border services to highly innovative ICT entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs with the potential to rapidly grow their businesses in international markets. The ideas was reproduced by ACE Creative in 2015.

The ACE Programme provided innovative startups and high growth ICT companies with direct assistance in finding partners, clients and financing to accelerate their move into cross border and international markets. Open calls for candidates were launched throughout Europe in November 2013 through relevant European networks and associations. 

The selected companies were assigned a lead mentor from partner organisation in their own country. This ‘local’ mentor guided them through the overall ACE programme, developed an individual internationalisation action plan with them, and put an internationalisation support team and package of support measures in place for them.

ACE supported ICT startups with:

What happened next? ACE gets Creative

The ACE Programme finished in 2016. In parallel over the last two years of the programme, another 100 new and emerging creative companies were supported through the ACE Creative Programme:

How did ACE Creative work?

In addition to the customised support programme:

  • The top 30 companies (15 each year) won the opportunity to pitch to audiences of international investors at the Creative Business Cup finals in Copenhagen in November;
  • Up to a further 400 SMEs could benefit from participation in one of 15 ACE Creative international bootcamps staged across Europe in 2015 and 2016;
  • Even more SMEs benefited from ACE Creative online support platform, accessing resources in the areas of finance, networking, incubation technology and new markets.

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]]> Proof of Concept: Co-Investment Fund for Science Based Companies https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/proof-of-principle-concept-co-investment-fund-for-science-based-companies/ Fri, 05 May 2023 08:03:28 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7693 Xplorer Fund specialises in investing in early-stage technology projects. It targets the scientific community and focuses on commercializing solutions with high market potential.​​​​

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XPLORER Fund invests in TECH projects with major component of R&D that result in creation of Intellectual Property (IP) that is protectable. The product or service that the founders jointly build with the fund needs to rely on a unique technology.

Key Points ​

  • Operational since Q4, 2014.
  • Finances technology-driven projects or startups
  • 5 million EURO under management: 80% public (National Research and Development Centre), 20% private
  • Invests 100k€ – 1.500k€ per year​​ ​​​​
  • Focus: hi-tech projects in ICT, Life Science, Cleantech and Energy sectors

Investment Policy

A typical investment project lasts 10-18 months, employs a team of 4 to 8 people, engages 250k EUR and results in a product-market implementation test.

Our main focus is on technology projects with unique solutions show a high potential to achieving sustainable competitive advantage primarily in industries such as:

  • ICT (Information and Communications Technology)
  • IoT (Internet of Things)
  • Telemedicine
  • Nanotechnology

​While our team is experienced in seed & startup technology investment, we can also access our foreign partners for the business expansion phase, ensuring that Xplorer Fund can guide tech startups through all development stages, no matter their sector of activity or current development stage

Example Xplorer Fund Startups ​​

​Mimesis​​ – specializes in the development of innovative payment services and online shopping apps.

Photon​ – is a robot dedicated to the children, designed for learning programming and logical thinking through entertainment. Photon is the world’s first robot that grows with your child.​​

Retixa​ –​ is a category Analytics 3.0 appliance (appliance combining hardware and software), combining algorithms, advanced analytics, Big Data and real time information processing for​ telecommunication companies.

Zecardo​​​ – creates intelligent motorcycle mirrors that can automatically adjust their angle depending on the driver’s position. It’s an innovative device with no direct competition worldwide.

See also

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]]> Supporting the Use of Future Emerging Technologies https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/supporting-use-of-future-emerging-technologies-research-projects-results/ Thu, 04 May 2023 15:29:42 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7598 While Future and Emerging Technologies have enormous, disruptive potential to change society, they often face much higher barriers to reaching the market. Hence FET2RIN.

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Helping Future & Emerging Technology projects out of the lab

While Future and Emerging Technologies have enormous, disruptive potential to change society, they often face much higher barriers to reaching the market. 

FET2RIN focused on converting proofs of concept into industrial applications and systems.

Key Points

  • Training – using various innovative methodologies and tools (e.g. exploitation strategy seminars, lean start up approach) to empower participants on how to better validate research results and how to connect with early-stage investors and crowdfunding sources
  • Crowdfunding – market acceptance validation of the most prepared FET projects participating through a crowdfunding platform
  • Investors Matchmaking – helping FET researchers to engage with investors and present their Research & Development results based on Future Emerging Technologies, and the related domains of application. Participants will pitch their ideas in front of real investors.

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]]> Coaching & Investing Services for Digital and Mobile Companies https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/coaching-investing-services-for-digital-and-mobile-companies/ Thu, 04 May 2023 15:25:57 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7593 TWIST is a “Horizon 2020” action under Startup Europe that helps web entrepreneurs on scaling up their business.

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TWIST was a Horizon 2020 action under Startup Europe Programme which aimed at supporting web entrepreneurs on scaling up their business and in cutting the high failure rate of startups within the 4 ecosystems from Italy, Sweden, France and Poland.

TWIST focused on the digital industry from Rome, Lille, Stockholm and Warsaw, and offered an opportunity for innovative digital entrepreneurs that wanted to learn how to better manage their startups and scale them at a European level.

TWIST came as a direct response to the fact that 75% of all startups fail within the first 2-3 years and European innovative startups and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) reach a failure rate between 80-90%.

Key Points

With over 72 meetups, 3 bootcamps on life science, cybersecurity and key enabling technologies, 27 e-pitches with investors and with more than 2.500 participants to our initiatives and events, TWIST has managed to bring together the key players on the European startup scene.

In addition to these events, in order to cut the high failure rate amongst startups, TWIST has helped digital entrepreneurs and startups by:

  • Introducing them to international mentors and their potential future investors
  • Improving their business and technical skills through co-working laboratories
  • Defining their specific management process (startups are not smaller versions of large companies)
  • Co-developing hand-in-hand with their future clients
  • Facilitating access to the right type of finance
  • Getting in touch with large corporates through the TWIST platform to solve their technological and business challenges (Microsoft, Adecco, Meet In Italy for Life Science, Tech-Tour, International Cybersecurity Forum, CISCO, Android, PSA)

The TWIST Training

Through our training formats, coaching events, mentoring events, meetings with partners, investors and successful entrepreneurs, startups learned how to define a challenge and find solutions to improve their cities and to implement their solutions all over Europe.

The methodology applied in the TWIST project was based on the “lean startup model”, customized specifically for European digital entrepreneurs and startups:

  • Valorisation  of  the  talent:  helping  web  entrepreneurs  to  recruit,  train  and  retain  the people that can help them grow, and connecting them with the right mentors;
  • Access to capital: assisting web entrepreneurs in identifying the sources of capital available to web entrepreneurs in various regions and sectors and linking them to the most interesting hubs in Europe that offer a favorable ground for growth;
  • Internships: developing the concept of co‐living and co‐working under the guiding principle of “competences contamination”. Unemployed youngsters who would like to become web entrepreneurs will get internship experiences with the  partners within the TWIST co‐working laboratories.

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]]> Assisting Cross-Border Investment Projects for Industrial Modernisation https://www.meta-group.com/impact-story/assisting-cross-border-investment-projects-for-industrial-modernisation/ Sun, 12 Mar 2023 22:22:05 +0000 https://www.meta-group.com/?post_type=osf_portfolio&p=7017 Technical advisory services to investment projects developed within the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation. The aim was to help project promoters to prepare investment propositions which are investment ready and bankable, and thus contribute to the mobilisation of public and private investments. Services included: Selection of investment projects with potential to profit from the …

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Technical advisory services to investment projects developed within the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation.

The aim was to help project promoters to prepare investment propositions which are investment ready and bankable, and thus contribute to the mobilisation of public and private investments.

Services included:

  • Selection of investment projects with potential to profit from the support scheme;
  • Delivery of advisory services (business and legal);
  • Feedback analysis to better understand challenges in terms of access to finance and project bankability;
  • Analysis of financial needs and investment gaps;
  • Organisation of international events and communication activities.

19 investment propositions supported with a potential investment volume of >€155 million. 52 regions involved from 14 partnerships of the S3P-Industry Platform.

The Technical Assistance Facility was funded by the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME). The Programme is managed by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) of the European Commission.

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