Growth Coaching 2012

Growth Coaching boosts companies to grow

Growth Coaching provides SME companies an opportunity to have tailored coaching for different business needs. The coaching is aimed at companies operating in the Helsinki Region, and produce scalable, innovative products and services for global markets in all branch of business. The idea is to boost and support the companies’ growth and progress with the help of experts.

The Growth Coaching is designed and modified to meet the company’s particular needs. The coaching can last up to 20 days and it is executed during 16 weeks of time maximum.

The Growth Coaching is produced by Forum Virium Helsinki. The main founder is the Business Development Unit of the City of Helsinki.

"This supports the right need.”
“This is surely a great programme, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate!"

Target group

Growth Coaching is targeted for innovative SME companies that produce scalable, innovative products and services for global markets. The company that participates in the Growth Coaching must be located in the Helsinki region.

When selecting the companies we emphasize especially the following criteria:

• The company’s ability and desire to grow
• The international potential and scalability of the business idea 
• The team’s expertise
• How well Growth Coaching can be applied in the company’s development plans and needs
• The company’s status in relation to the current industrial policy point of view

Around thirty companies are accepted for Growth Coaching per year.
 
If your company already receives funding from Vigo programme or Tekes / Young innovative companies (phases 1 and 2) can not be accepted for Growth Coaching.

Tailored content

• 5-20 coaching days based on the company’s needs
• Focus will be in growth and internationalization – what are the challenges and issues that need to be tackled 
• Mapping the company’s current situation and defining development needs
• Adaptive and fast execution

Themes for the coaching

• Growth strategies and business plans
• Market research
• Human resources strategies
• Marketing and branding
• Internationalization
• Financing

Selection process

The selection process is divided into two phases, and the final selection is based on interviews.
1) The first selection based on application

2) Interviews

• Based on the details submitted by the applicant, ability (e.g. credit details, criteria for SME companies) of the company will be checked.
• The company’s ability and determination for growth is especially evaluated, as well as the international potential of its business idea.
• Preliminary assessment of the team, based on the personnel details submitted. 

• Interviewed companies are selected based on online applications.
• The final selection is based on the interviews.
• The interview will be held at the applicant’s premises. The idea is to discuss whether Growth Coaching could be a solution for the company’s current challenges.
• The company’s representative is to give a 10 - 15 minutes long, pre-prepared presentation of the company and its goals.
• Special attention is to be paid to the company’s business idea and desire and ability to grow.
• Interviews take approximately two hours.
• Date and time for the interview is fixed individually.

Application form

The application form is available at: http://floapps.com/lab/kasvuvalmennus/index.php?sid=51626&lang=fi

The provided information is treated confidentially. Please note the questions are in Finnish but you can answer in English or Swedish. You can also include attachments (up to  5 MB/attachment).

Schedule

We have five rounds of applications and evaluations. The deadlines are 9th Feb, 11th March, 15th April, 13th May and  26th August.

The chosen applicants are published in our website.

Costs

The company’s own risk is a minimum 30% of the coaching fee, while the support can be 70% in its maximum, but no higher that 665€ + VAT / coaching day.
 

The final fee of the coaching depends on the number of coaching days and pricing of the consultant.

Coaches

The Growth Coaching can utilize consults that are approved by the pool of coaches. We require high professionalism from all our coaches. When selecting the consults, we pay special attention to their business field expertise.
 

The consultants can make the offer online https://digiumenterprise.com/answer/?sid=800921&chk=A463WJ8U

Executive Producer Kaisa Sibelius
tel. +358 40 570 1317
kaisa.sibelius[at]forumvirium.fi