Innovative Generation Training program for supporting the new startups and small business creation
Published on 02 July 2018
Hungary
Dél-Alföld
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The IGEN Debrecen (Innovative GENeration Debrecen) is a practice-oriented, innovator and start-up training. While providing the theoretical background, we focus only on useful knowledge of entrepreneurship. The participants can master the entrepreneurial habit, working in a team, where the goal is to implement an idea together. The training takes 12 weeks (i.e. 3 months) helping by experienced mentors and trainers. By the end of the training, they will be able to instantly and easily develop an idea into a start-up project. In addition, at the end of the training, the start-up teams are competing for each other in front of investors, university leaders and entrepreneurs to win a cash prize!
The system strongly supports the cross-sectoral cooperation and start-up creation, especially in the High Tech, Food and Health Sectors. The objectives of the projects in the training are related to creating innovative methods, devices and products. These results can be easily connected to different sectors but highly preferred the IT, health and food sectors. The new start-ups in the food sector with its thinking and innovation cause competition and inspire the existing companies to put more effort into the R&D.
This program is similar as a traditional mentor program with extending the following details: in one hand, mentors could be business experts, university professors, investors and on the other hand, it could give practical training possibilities.
The system strongly supports the cross-sectoral cooperation and start-up creation, especially in the High Tech, Food and Health Sectors. The objectives of the projects in the training are related to creating innovative methods, devices and products. These results can be easily connected to different sectors but highly preferred the IT, health and food sectors. The new start-ups in the food sector with its thinking and innovation cause competition and inspire the existing companies to put more effort into the R&D.
This program is similar as a traditional mentor program with extending the following details: in one hand, mentors could be business experts, university professors, investors and on the other hand, it could give practical training possibilities.
Resources needed
The budget for organizing such an event would be 2-2.5M HUF. Since this is a for-profit event, the participants are paying for their training. We only organized the IGEN program with 3-4 people, never less or more. 2 would be too tiring, and 5 cannot be financed.
Evidence of success
It is the most popular and successful entrepreneur training and community development program in the region. We started the first training program in September 2014, and currently running the 5th program. During these years we helped to create 26 start-ups / small business projects, which has an exceptional survival rate compared to regular start-up statistics (in theory 1 of 10 start-up companies live through their first year, but in our program, every second project is still working).
Potential for learning or transfer
The program started already in other towns in Hungary (Eger, Budapest, Szeged, Nyíregyháza, Békéscsaba). The Debrecen team supports the others with expertise and suggestions. The system itself works as a royalty-based franchise system.
If we are talking about Innovation process and Innovation-driven development, there is a gap in most of the European countries. You can easily find yourself investments (private or public) and grants (EU or local) to boost your innovation capacity and to go global. However, to start something from an idea into realization, there is the real need for help. The IGEN Debrecen program aims to help in two way:
(1) build up your idea into a business project with our sector-free business development methodology;
(2) set up your team around your business project. The investors are looking for these two things: a dedicated, hungry-for-success team, and a scalable business model.
If we are talking about Innovation process and Innovation-driven development, there is a gap in most of the European countries. You can easily find yourself investments (private or public) and grants (EU or local) to boost your innovation capacity and to go global. However, to start something from an idea into realization, there is the real need for help. The IGEN Debrecen program aims to help in two way:
(1) build up your idea into a business project with our sector-free business development methodology;
(2) set up your team around your business project. The investors are looking for these two things: a dedicated, hungry-for-success team, and a scalable business model.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
Organisation
Municipality of Debrecen
Hungary
Dél-Alföld
Contact
Policy advisor agrofood