Internet Growth AccelerAtIon ProGrAmme 2012

Internet Growth
Acceleration
Programme 2012-2013
iGAP
Internet Growth
Acceleration Programme
an Enterprise Ireland programme
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
This unique and intensive programme has been developed by
Enterprise Ireland and the Internet Growth Alliance and is delivered by
Select Strategies. iGAP is aimed exclusively at high potential internet
companies. Equip yourself with the tools you need to formulate
aggressive international growth plans and scale your business.
The Internet Growth Alliance
The Internet Growth Alliance (www.alliance.ie) was established by a consortium of Irish
entrepreneurs in conjunction with the Irish Internet Association, Enterprise Ireland, the Irish
Software Association, the Institute of International and European Affairs, Web2 Ireland and
the Digital Hub. The mission of the Alliance is to accelerate the development of Irish internet
companies and the Internet Growth Acceleration Programme is at the core of its strategy.
Feedback from previous iGAP participants
Connor Murphy
www.datahug.com
Steven Collins
www.swrve.com
Rory O’Connor
www.scurri.com
Paul Geraghty
www.picturk.com
iGAP is one word...
‘mandatory’. If you want
to accelerate your web
business and compete
globally then you NEED
to be on iGAP. If you
want to learn from
silicon valley insiders
and world class thought
leaders then you NEED
to be on iGAP. If you
want to collaborate and
learn from a brilliant
peer group then you
need to be on iGAP.
The iGAP program
is an excellent
opportunity to both
network with a peer
group of companies all
experiencing many of
the same challenges as
you, and to hear from
some of the world’s
leading speakers on
building companies
and products. The
programme presented
me with the perfect
opportunity to reflect
on my own start-up
and to put the spotlight
on our processes for
customer discovery,
product design and
business strategy. I
can’t recommend the
iGAP program highly
enough to anybody
building an internet
or games industry
company and lucky
enough to be offered a
place.
Today I looked back
on some of my notes
about the original ideas
I had for Scurri.com
and I realise how much
I have learned and how
the business idea has
developed since then.
What I have also come
to realise is how much
I have learned about
starting an internet
business, and that
scurri.com would more
than likely have failed
by this stage, only for a
very important decision
I made in the early
days. That decision was
to apply for the iGAP
programme.
Picturk simply didn’t
want to go on iGAP.
We’d been through
one incubator, and
shadowed another. We
simply knew everything
about our business
- how could another
programme, one you
had to pay for - teach
us anything? It did: it
taught us a lot and was
worth every penny.
Ronan Perceval
www.phorest.com
iGap was the best
training course I have
ever done. The key was
in the speakers who
had the best startup
knowledge in the world,
particularly Silicon
Valley. Most were
young and relatable
but crucially had done
it. There is nothing else
available in Ireland that
will give access to such
knowledge.
For a start its hard
to get onto iGAP
so your peers on
the programme are
hot stuff. Secondly,
the contributors are
excellent. Thirdly, the
iGAP team, really care
about what they do.
These three ingredients
make the programme
transformative - you
will think differently
after you finish iGAP.
It’s changed the way we
do business at Picturk.
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
Key elements
of iGAP
Practical Training Modules
GROWTH PLAN
–L
earn from world class serial entrepreneurs
about key practical topics including business
strategy, product-market-fit, designing the
customer experience, funding strategies.
–C
entral to iGAP is the iGAP Growth Plan.
Over the course of the programme you will
work through a series of implementation
tasks and toolkits assisted by your coach.
–Hear relevant war stories from experienced
internet/SaaS and games entrepreneurs which
are directly related to the module content.
Each task completed will move you further
along the journey to completing your
Growth Plan. The iGAP Growth Plan will
map the goals of your company for the 6
month period following the programme. It
is designed to drive sustainable growth and
encapsulate the progress of the business.
Support from
Implementation Coach
–Be partnered with an experienced
implementation coach who will work with
you in small groups (cohorts) and on an
individual basis to ensure the programme
learnings are implemented in your company.
ACCESS TO INDUSTRY EXPERTS
–D
uring the programme you will have access
to seasoned industry experts who will share
the lessons they learned while establishing
their own successful online companies.
Industry Networking
–A
s part of the programme you will have the
opportunity to build a network of industry peers
among your fellow participants, past participants,
members of the IGA and other industry leaders.
There will also be an opportunity to hear from
guest speakers who have been there and done it.
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
SCHEDULE
FOR iGAP
DATEDURATIONMODULEKEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED
27th September Evening
Programme Launch
–W
hat can I achieve and what can I
expect from iGAP
October, 2012
2 day residential Business Strategy/
Growth Plan
– What is my product/service?
– Who is my target customer?
– What is my value proposition?
Monetisation & Revenue
– What are my monetisation options?
–H
ow will I generate revenue from my
product/service?
November, 2012 1 day Product-market-fit
& Customer Acquisition
– How do I make customers aware of my
service?
– How do I drive traffic to my website?
– How do I measure results?
December, 2012 1 day Designing the Customer – How do I design my product/service
Experience
around the customer?
– H
ow do I create the best possible user
experience?
January, 2013
1 day
Lean Start-up Execution – What is my minimum viable product?
– How do I build a lean start-up?
– How do I use customer feedback to pivot
more quickly?
– How do I know I am making progress?
February, 2013 1 day
Channels to Market
– How do I identify the right partners?
– How do I engage with those partners?
– H
ow do I use APIs for business
development?
March, 2013
1 day
Funding Strategies
–W
hat are my options for funding my
business?
–H
ow do I present my business to
funders?
– Will my proposition fly with investors?
April, 2013
– Presentation of Growth Plans
1/2 day
iGAP Finale
Please note: Final Dates of Modules will be confirmed before the Programme Launch
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
iGAP application
process
Many factors are taken into
consideration when selecting
companies for the programme.
The focus of the programme
will be on internet, SaaS and
games businesses with an
international growth opportunity
and the potential to meet critical
growth milestones. If not already
an Enterprise Ireland client
company, the applicant must
demonstrate they meet the
criteria to become an Enterprise
Ireland client in the near future.
In addition, to being internet, SaaS,
games based, companies should also
meet the following criteria:
1Clearly demonstrate the potential to scale the
business internationally over the internet.
2Have an established team in place.
3Have demonstrated a clear customer need
& demand for the products / service.
Application process
All applications will be assessed against this
selection criteria. The selection process will be
competitive and companies may be required to
present to a selection panel before places are
awarded. Places on this programme are limited.
Please apply online at
www.enterprise-ireland.com/igap
Cost
The cost to participate on iGAP is ¤3,000 (2
participants). The full cost of the programme is
¤10,000 of which Enterprise Ireland will fund 70%
(¤7,000). This covers all aspects of programme
participation including all residential costs and
the support from your implementation coach.
Participants will be required to pay the
¤3,000 fee directly to Enterprise Ireland in
advance of the programme commencing.
Further Information
To gain further information about the Internet
Growth Acceleration Programme please go to
www.enterprise-ireland.com/igap or contact;
Michelle Lawlor, Enterprise Ireland,
01 7272317
[email protected]
Ray Walsh, Enterprise Ireland,
01 727 2118,
[email protected]
The closing date for applications is
Friday 31st August, 2012
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
Module Facilitators
iGAP will be
facilitated by
a number of
world class
entrepreneurs
including:
Justin Knecht
Product-MarketFit & Customer
Acquisition
Sean Ellis
- Designing
the Customer
Experience
Nicholas Lovell
– Monetisation
& Revenue
Justin Knecht developed
and managed the
Innovation by Design
programme for the Centre
for Design Innovation at IT
Sligo; the first user-centred
design programme of its
kind in Ireland to equip
organisations with the
practical tools to innovate
more successfully.
Sean Ellis led marketing
at LogMeIn and Uproar
from launch through
to NASDAQ IPO filings,
and later helped bring
Dropbox, Lookout, Xobni
and Grockit to market and
helped accelerate growth
at Eventbrite, Webs, World
Golf Tour and Songkick.
Nicholas Lovell is
the former CEO of
GameShadow.
He co-founded the web
development firm AOV in
Philadelphia; developing
over 20 award-winning
websites for a range of
regional, national and
international clients. Justin
is a noted expert on usercentred design, brand
experience and service
design and has developed
and delivered many
workshops in this area.
Sean is now the Founder
and CEO of CatchFree,
a company focused on
bringing transformative
growth to great
technology products.
He strongly believes that
traditional marketing
approaches are not very
helpful in the startup world
and shares the insights
gained during his vast
experience in his blog www.
startup-marketing.com
Nicholas has also served as
CFO of ShopSmart, one of
the UK’s first comparison
shopping websites. He
served at board director
level and was responsible
for raising over £13.5million
in capital.
Nicholas has vast
experience in Monetisation
and also provides
consultancy in Strategy and
Finance
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
Module Facilitators
Brian Caulfield –
Funding Strategies
Eric Ries Lean Start-Up
Execution
Brian Caulfield is an
entrepreneur and venture
capitalist. He is a Partner
at DFJ Esprit and based
in Dublin, Ireland.
Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
Eric Ries is the creator
of the Lean Startup
methodology and the
author of the popular
entrepreneurship blog
www.startuplessonslearned.
com. He previously cofounded and served as CTO
of IMVU. He serves on the
advisory board of a number
of technology start-ups and
has worked as a consultant
to a number of start-ups,
companies and venture
capital firms.
Prior to joining DFJ Esprit,
Brian was a partner at
Trinity Venture Capital
where he sat on the boards
of or led investments in
AePONA, ChangingWorlds
(sold to Amdocs – NYSE:
DOX), CR2, SteelTrace (sold
to Compuware – NASDAQ:
CPWR) and APT (acquired
by CSR – LSE:CSR.L).
In 1992 Brian co-founded
Exceptis Technologies
– sold to Trintech Group
(NASDAQ: TTPA) in
November 2000. In 2001
Brian co-founded Similarity
Systems that was acquired
by Informatica (NASDAQ:
INFA) in January 2006.
Brian currently sits on
the boards of AePONA,
ezetop, Clavis Technology
and the Irish Times.
He is the co-author of
several books, including
The Black Art of Java Game
Programming and The
Lean Startup which was
published in 2011.
Internet Growth Acceleration Programme 2012 - 2013
iGAP
Coaching Team
Paul O’Dea –
Programme
director & Lead
Implementation
Coach
Cathy Winston
Implementation
Coach
Harry Largey
Implementation
Coach
Sean Baker
Implementation
Coach
Paul O’Dea (Select
Strategies) has been
through the cycle of startup to growth many times,
as a founder, investor and
Board member. Select
Strategies has spun out
two companies, SAAS Sales
Productivity company,
The TAS Group and US
based internet company
CustomerRespect. Prior to
starting Select Strategies
he was cofounder of
internet banking software
company Credo Group.
Cathy has worked within
the corporate sector for
over 20 years and the
knowledge she brings
to coaching and mentoring
is based on real life
business experience. She
has been involved in the
iGAP programme from its
inception. She currently
lectures and mentors on
Business Innovation at
DCU’s Ryan Academy, and
on Strategic Marketing at
the IMI.
Harry is the CEO of
CloudMover, a Cloud
migration specialist
company, an Advisor to
the NDRC LaunchPad
Programme, an Advisor
to the IBM Global
Entrepreneur Programme
and a non-executive
director of four IT
companies.
Sean Baker is an
entrepreneur and
co-founder of IONA
Technologies. He is
Chairman of 3Strata
Technologies, and a
member of the Boards of
National Digital Research
Centre, Delta Index and
Gridstore.
He is author of two books,
The Business Battlecard
(OakTree Press 2009) and
Select Selling (OakTree
Press (2005) and is author
of the Blog Growth Insights.
Paul serves on the Boards
of several early stage
companies and chaired VC
backed SteelTrace, acquired
by Compuware, and
Netsure Telecom acquired
by Oracle.
©Enterprise Ireland July ‘12 - (310)
Previously Harry held a
Senior Director role in the
EMEA HQ of ServiceSource,
the market leading
outsourced sales company.
Sean is active in the
Software Investor Forum,
which mentors and selects
a group of companies
to present to a panel
of Irish VCs. He was a
member of the board of
Iona Technologies plc,
Havock and the Object
Management Group.