AccEnt Entrepreneur Helpdesk
Supporting KIC's
Domain: Domain 3 – Contributing to developing innovations and businesses.
The AccEnt Entrepreneur Helpdesk, initiated in July 2023, has already successfully supported 15 startups by the end of 2023 (KPI set by the project), and continues to support more.Â
This initiative was designed to provide targeted assistance and guidance to startups, fostering their growth and development within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Helpdesk offered a range of services, including expert consultations, resources on business strategies, and access to a network of mentors and industry professionals, thereby playing a pivotal role in the startups’ journey towards innovation and market readiness. Any startup associated with any of the Higher Education Institutes within the AccEnt consortium or derived from their ecosystem was eligible to receive assistance from the Entrepreneur Helpdesk.
Preparation & Implementation
During the first period of Phase 2a, WP4 partners (KUL, IF, AUTh) held discussions on setting up a mechanism, that would offer a single point of reference for any startup (and pre-established team) within AccEnt HEIs’ ecosystems, looking for customised support on a wide range of entrepreneurial problems and concerns; from business models and pivoting options to investment readiness assessment and connections to access new markets.
To achieve this, and given the capacity internally in the project implementation team, it was decided to establish a “network of mentors.”. The network would accept inquiries for a 60-minute introductory meeting with applying startups/spin-offs/teams, on a first-come, first-served basis. To be able to offer a wide range of consulting expertise, all HEIs have been asked to indicate experienced colleagues in any business domain, that could and would be interested in being part of this mentors’ team. Once the mentors were identified, the structure and the organisational aspects were brought into the spotlight, in terms of coordinating availabilities, monitoring the service provision quality, and following up on startups’ needs. The outcome of all these discussions was the “AccEnt Entrepreneurs Helpdesk”.
The AccEnt Entrepreneur Helpdesk featured a diverse group of mentors with expertise spanning various aspects of entrepreneurship and business development. These mentors brought a wealth of knowledge from different industries, including technology, finance, marketing, and legal frameworks, to support the growth of startups. They have been selected to comprise the Helpdesk mentors’ team, as their backgrounds match the varied needs of the startups participating in the program, providing tailored advice and insights to help these businesses overcome challenges and achieve their objectives.
A Typeform “mentoring session application” form has been set up. Applicants were required to indicate their startup’s link to a specific HEI participating in AccEnt, provide some information about the company, and most importantly, provide a description of the challenge they were seeking advice on. Additionally, applicants could submit a short presentation of the company (expertise, products & services, background, markets, etc.), to provide a more in-depth understanding of their characteristics.Â
Then the Helpdesk’s secretariat (led by KU Leuven and accompanied by Ideas Forward) made the assignments of the teams to the most related mentor based on the challenge presented.
Matchmaking Strategy
The matchmaking strategy involved carefully assessing each startup’s specific needs and challenges, and then pairing them with mentors whose expertise closely matched those requirements. This ensured that the guidance provided was highly relevant and actionable. The process was managed through regular coordination meetings and a centralized tracking system to monitor progress and outcomes.
Results
In total, 15 startups have been offered customized support. These collaborations, initiated in 2023, have led to long-term relationships between the project and the beneficiaries.Â
Equally important to achieving the Helpdesk’s main goal by supporting established startups, 14 new startups have been legally established in 2023 after receiving relevant guidance and advisory from the Helpdesk, significantly impacting the AccEnt HEIs’ ecosystems.Â
The extremely positive feedback on the impact of the Helpdesk during these 6 months, has led AccEnt partners to a mutual agreement to expand its operation until the end of the project.Â
Context
The Entrepreneur Helpdesk has been tested in the context of the project’s WP4 “Contributing to developing innovation & businesses”. Involved partners have developed a series of support mechanisms, to respond to the need of HEIs’ ecosystem startups/spin-offs/teams to get access to valuable business support, through a staged support mechanism.
Audiences
The main target audience was startups & spin-offs, associated with the HEIs involved in the AccEnt project ecosystem. Those startups span from the pre-seed to the expansion phase.
Secondly, apart from the main target audience (established startups &spin-offs), AccEnt strategically opted to support teams in the validation-stage, to lead them to the establishment stage.
Key outcomes
The AccEnt Entrepreneur Helpdesk featured a diverse group of mentors with expertise spanning various aspects of entrepreneurship and business development. These mentors brought a wealth of knowledge from different industries, including technology, finance, marketing, and legal frameworks, to support the growth of startups. They have been selected to comprise the Helpdesk mentors’ team, as their backgrounds match the varied needs of the startups participating in the program, providing tailored advice and insights to help these businesses overcome challenges and achieve their objectives. In total, 15 established startups have been offered customised support.Â
Additionally, -on top of the 15 established startups- the project supported teams in the pre-establishment stage, with 14 new startups being established thanks to the guidance received.
The collaborations established between the project and the beneficiaries are intended to be long-term, leading to the decision to expand its operation until the end of the project.
Key success factors / How to replicate / Sustainability mechanism
Potential Obstacles
- Identifying and Engaging Qualified Mentors: A diverse group of mentors with expertise in various aspects of entrepreneurship and business development was crucial. Recruiting individuals who possess a broad range of knowledge from different industries might be challenging but is essential for the program’s success.
- Coordination and Management: The logistical aspect of coordinating mentor availabilities, monitoring the quality-of-service provision, and following up on startups’ needs requires efficient organizational skills and tools.
Key Success Factors
- Comprehensive Mentor Network: The establishment of a network of mentors across multiple domains was critical. This ensured that startups received customized support, addressing a wide range of entrepreneurial problems and concerns.
- Structured Approach to Matchmaking: The implementation of a system (e.g., the Typeform “mentoring session application” form) that facilitated the assignment of startups to the most appropriate mentor based on the challenge at hand, contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the provided support.
- Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Positive feedback and the decision to expand the operation of the Helpdesk indicate the importance of assessing the impact of the initiative and being open to making necessary adjustments for improvement. Unmeet and/or next-level needs have to be taken into consideration, and should lead to an ongoing enrichment of the mentors’ pool.
Step-by-step Replication Roadmap
Step 1: Initial Planning and Stakeholder Engagement
- Define Objectives: Clearly articulate the goals of the Helpdesk. Determine whether it aims to support pre-established startups, help in establishing new startups, or both.Â
- Engage Stakeholders: Involve key stakeholders from participating Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), industry partners, and potential mentors in the planning discussions. Ensure their buy-in and commitment to the initiative.
Step 2: Setting Up the Network of Mentors
- Identify Mentors: Ask all HEIs to indicate experienced colleagues in various business domains, such as technology, finance, marketing, and legal frameworks, who are interested in being part of the mentors’ team.
- Select Mentors: Choose mentors whose backgrounds match the varied needs of the startups participating in the program. Ensure a diverse group with expertise spanning different industries.
- Coordinate Mentor Availability: Organize the structure and organizational aspects, such as coordinating availabilities, monitoring service provision quality, and following up on startups’ needs.
Step 3: Developing the Application Process
- Create an Application Form: Set up an application form where applicants can indicate their startup’s link to a specific HEI participating in the initiative, provide information about their company, and describe the challenge they are seeking advice on.
- Collect Detailed Information: Encourage applicants to submit a short presentation of their company, including expertise, products & services, background, and markets, to provide a more in-depth understanding of their characteristics.
Step 4: Implementing the Helpdesk
- Initial Discussions: Hold discussions among partners to set up a mechanism that offers a single point of reference for any startup within the HEIs’ ecosystems looking for customized support on a wide range of entrepreneurial problems and concerns.
- Launch the Helpdesk: Initiate the Helpdesk, ensuring it is ready to support inquiries for introductory meetings with applying startups/spin-offs/teams on a first-come, first-served basis.
Step 5: Matchmaking and Providing Support
- Matchmaking Strategy: Carefully assess each startup’s specific needs and challenges and pair them with mentors whose expertise closely matches those requirements.
- Regular Coordination Meetings: Manage the process through regular coordination meetings and a centralized tracking system to monitor progress and outcomes.
Step 6: Monitoring and Evaluation
- Track Progress: Use a centralized tracking system to monitor the progress of each startup and the outcomes of the mentoring sessions.
- Gather Feedback: Collect feedback from both mentors and startups to continuously improve the Helpdesk’s services and processes.
- Evaluate Impact: Regularly assess the impact of the Helpdesk on the startups’ growth and development. Make necessary adjustments based on the feedback and evaluation results.