1. Make sure your web site is straight to the point, looks good and easy to use
2. It’s a good reason to stick to pricing structure if you have a new, unique, and innovative product.
3. Entrepreneurs need external group dynamics to understand how their business is viewed by customers
4. SMEs need to get into R&D. Financial/fiscal, product development and organizational benefits exist
5. Caretakers should be appointed to start-ups. Focus on lean & mean execution aware on how to subsequently scale the business
6. The digital media sector needs more recognition by the Irish state. Where are the consolidated policies?
7. Irish stakeholders are so protective of their patch. We need to bundle skills to address new convergent opportunities
8. Sales, sales, sales. We all have to be better at selling.
9. There are likely to be 3 age groups of entrepreneurs that look at each other differently.
10. Unemployed people trained under Labour Activation Schemes should be matched with companies selected under all Enterprise Platform Programmes
11. Clear need of one central portal pushing digital media in Ireland. On all front and across all vertical areas
12. Linkedin need to better used but user interface is restrictive. What white-label social network exist?

Time to plan Create 2010-2011 using these thoughts, Fred

Here are my thoughts:

• Digital Media sector needs more consolidation, partnerships, and discussions as my competitor is interviewing individuals who didn’t make our short-list.
• Selected companies for 2010-2011 applied with prototype and/or ever-changing business plan
• Cluster effect managed via Create and developed over 6 years needs to be fully exploited
• Group mix can be of huge benefits
• Programme should link with interested complementary clusters (design, animation, 3D, production,…)

The selected companies are to be announced over the next few days, Fred

For 2010-2011, services will be:

1) Assignment of strategic advisors to each company. A pool of advisors will guide each entrepreneur depending on their needs. Pools might change over a 12-months period.

2) PR + Copywriting to relevant media channels. External documents (Business Plan, Grants Forms,…) and Proposal Writing might fall under same category.

3) Access to online technologies developed by Irish companies. (legals, mobile media, business plan, project management, …) These technologies can make start-ups more efficient and they don’t impact cash-flow.

4) Intro, approaches, and contracting of international mentors that have specific market insights.

I hope this helps, Frederic

Create EPP indicative training outline in pdf format can be found here.

Applicants can also contact me on 2394647. It is great to see a great level of interest in the programme.

Thanks, Frederic

Create provides free and personalised support over 12-months, a period
of time sufficient to prove the first service/product sale or to confirm
viability of a prototype. Think about Create like an extra man
on the pitch for your team for a whole season. Create also involves
chosen companies into a wide clusters of skills and companies from our
6 previous years.

So here’s our indicative training outline for 2010-2011.

Prototype & Product Development
Social Media - Networks/Blogging
Intellectual Property Management for Digital Media
Online Advertising Principles & Campaign Management
Digital Media workflows
Digital Media trends
Mobile Media Applications
Overview of APIs and Programming Frameworks
Presentation Skills
Business Planning & Development
Partnership Management
Graphic Design & Usability for the web and mobile devices
Virtual Worlds
e-Commerce
Sales Management
Proposal Management
Financial Management / Book-keeping
Raising money vs Grants
Marketing & Branding
Project & Time Management
Leadership & Human Resources Management

Note that the outline above might change slightly depending of
immediate needs of selected companies.

Locations for training sessions will be in two city centre locations
and in IADT in Dun Laoghaire. Selected companies can assign two staff
to the programme to make training topics as relevant as possible.
Create also has a high success rate in facilitating EI CORD grants.

Give me a call on 086 3868595 if you need to discuss further, Fred

To whom it may concern,

Please find my personal submission to the IT Task Force below. It has not been fully developed for the time being but I would welcome an opportunity to meet the task force to further expand my recommendations.

My submission is based on my education and professional experiences since 1999 in the area of digital media - cable, voip/carrier services, video processing, mobile media, European Union projects and evaluations, as well as extensive business developments at SME level.

I have been an employee of Dublin City University, the Institute of Art, Design & Technology, and the National Digital Research Centre but my role in TLIs has mainly been managing commercial requirements for more than 75 Digital Media SMEs since 2000.

I have been managing the Create Enterprise Platform Programme - www.createireland.ie - for small Digital Media companies since 2004. Create EPP is the only niche Enterprise Platform Programme (EPP) in Ireland and it offers incubation space in both the Digital Hub and IADT’s Media Cube. Create has become a cluster where training, mentoring, collaborations, and incubation is fully-managed over a 12-months period.

Create EPP achievements so far are:

- 80% success rate in granting chosen participants with EI CORD grant

- 20% of participants have applied incubation stage to their company

- 45% of all participants provide innovative services/products to their market

- 2 past participants approved for NDRC translational funding of R&D projects, in cooperation with academia

- 1 past participant recently won Eircom Innovation Funding

- 5 participants operating from outside the Dublin region committed to Create Dublin-based training and mentoring programme.

The following list of Create participants indicate the depth of digital media innovation selected at Create EPP recruitment stage:

www.igopeople.com: Social Media Network connecting companies with their clients

www.mercurygirlinc.com: Development House of Mobile Media Applications (iPhone, Android and Augmented Reality)

www.websplash.ie: End-to-end usability, design and content management for web-based and mobile workflows

www.gecoloco.com: design and software development for web-based systems

www.kavaleer.com: animation company

www.vrising.com: virtual world development company

www.pixelsoup.ie: design company

www.ballywiremedia.com: production company for news aggregators (newspapers and broadcasters)

www.apps.ie: online store for iphone application icons

www.sciencepicturecompany.com: e-commerce plaftform for high-end animations

www.eighty-twenty.com: 360 degrees production company

www.fountainhead.ie: design & usability company for installations

www.artworkbank.com: web-based ecommerce platform for private gallery

www.perfectcard.ie: e-commerce platform for gift vouchers

Recommendations specific to the Digital Media sector:

The Digital Media sector in Ireland needs a unified approach to seize national and international opportunities. Such an approach should be relevant to all stakeholders while being driven by fast-changing market and sectoral requirements.

A unified approach should be pursued by a competence-based think-thank group that is appointed every 18 months. This group could have representatives from TLIs, MNCs, IDA, EI and, more importantly, representatives of the digital media sector.

Past reports on national and international digital media markets need to be revised to propose relevant digital media areas of growth relevant to capabilities of Irish organisations. The whole sector should be defined based on content production, enabling digital media technologies, and user models (usage, distribution, business models). More importantly, Digital Media applications for vertical growth markets need to be revised to inform policy-making.

It is also important to provide input into the development of Third-Level Institution’s Curriculum with year-to-year market developments, drivers and trends. To address developments, drivers and trends, lecturers and teachers should be communicated relevant information, both in terms of market presentations and strategic analysis.

Broad Recommendations categorized under the Task Force Terms of Reference:

Incentives, Intellectual Property and Venture Capital

- Public grants and public funding of Intellectual Property filings & applications should be based on concrete commercial strategy pursued by the IP owners

- IPR developed with public funds that is not brought forward to commercialization stage should be made available to SMEs and MNCs free of charge for a limited period of time.

- IPR management framework proposed by semi-state agencies/bodies needs to be further defined to be applicable and sustained by researchers wishing to pursue commercialization.

- A group of relevant Business Angels among the Irish diaspora should be identified to act as mentors and advisors to leading Irish digital media companies.

- Financial resources (grants/funding) managed by semi-state agencies need to be made public so that that there is a match between policy making recommendations and SME strategy.

Commercialisation, technology transfer and converging technologies:

- TLIs should present their R&D strategy to government departments. Strategies should include a mix of basic and applied R&D that addresses convergence possibilities over medium to long-term periods.

- Applied R&D should be audited as a process by taking into account IPR management, publication, user testing, and demonstrators/prototypes. Audits could be based on IPR management and marketing training offered via EI.

- A process for technology transfer should be put in place so that technology that is ready for transfer does not require further customisation by the licensee. That process is likely to increase the value of the license and create a more relevant commercial partnership with the licensee.

Ireland as an Innovation Island

- The IDA should target international start-ups at their early stage of development (between 1st and 2nd round of funding). These international targets might benefit from innovation at product development stages.

- Innovation brought by digital media technologies, content, and business models need to be qualified and quantified so that policy-making has relevance both at regulatory and market levels.

- The definition of Digital Media innovation needs to be positioned on a continuum based on basic & applied research, prototype development, user-based beta systems and services/products.

- Innovation in Digital Media should be promoted via a National Brand

International Innovation Development Hub

- Having presented Dublin-based Digital Media innovation to many foreign delegations and R&D groups of MNCs, it would be of benefit to have a national brand for Digital Media innovation. Such a brand could promote innovation in R&D (both public and commercial), in SME, and Irish companies with foreign offices.

- Ireland as an International Innovation Development Hub should identify creative and innovative regions abroad (Montreal, Vancouver, Singapore, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Silicon Valley…) and Innovation partnerships should be market-led and link to product development of MNCs based in Ireland and to the Irish Digital Media eco-system.

I hope my recommendations will inform the Task Force thinking in terms of repositioning Ireland into international markets. You can also find my resume attached to this email.

Regards, Frederic

Frederic Herrera

- Define R&D strategy both as an Incubator and as a broker for client companies

- Get your consultants/contractors to engage with potential client companies in your pipeline and spec services over 12 months period. 

- Sort out your current systems: 100% uptime needed for commercial requirements

- Think like three types of SMEs (individual, company with 2-8 employees, company with more than 8 employees) to understand what you have to offer. This thinking is fast-changing and makes the difference.

- Promote business development beyond your client companies. Ireland is small and targeted partnerships are needed to gain scope.

- Don’t promote services that create paperwork for client companies

- Buy coffee/tea and bake pastries on Fridays. Nice for tenants and great for weekly update chats.

These suggestions are based on my direct personal experience of 3 incubators since 2000 and overall knowledge of the concept of business incubation both nationally and in Europe.
Fred

Here are my notes:

- IRL tops 09 call

- 70% of SMEs were micro-enterprises (less than 10 employees I think)

- Direct SME funding relates to three areas: 1) Industry-academia, 2) Research for benefits of SME, 3) Regions of Knowledge

- 81 Irish SMEs got a total of 20mm in direct grants related to total worth of 350mm in projects ; pretty good ratio of 17.5% to develop & access European-wide IPR

- Irish proposers have an highly impressive success rate of 27% in 09; 104 Irish organisations across 89 projects.

- Two types of potential proposers: SME and/or SME associations that propose a project including RTD-performers (academia and/or companies) and other companies and/or end-user groups

- Project from SME proposer is between one and two years and involves between 5 and 10 partners

- Project from SME association is between two and three years and involves between 10-15 partners

- Project outputs are R&D, demos, and management

- Focus of project impact

- Eligible costs and direct and indirect costs

- It is possible for 4-employees company to lead a project

- External project manager can be hired

Why should SME consider this:

- Get into R&D that involves your partners, suppliers, and customers.

- Disseminate IPR based on a vertical European network

- Value: allocate company time and get a potential of 5 times its value in granted R&D money

- Have strong tested tech prototype for pre-sales

- Banks funding & VC money is nowhere to be seen these days

- Anchor project that raise profile for a SME

http://www.fp7ireland.com/ for more info, Fred

The Create Enterprise Platform Programme is starting its 6th year in September and has now significant number of past participants to fully-develop clustering objectives like thematic sessions, networking, skills exchanges, and internal and external project collaborations.

In the meantime, I’m looking to increase the level of skills and knowledge communicated via training sessions and mentoring sessions. Skills can be applicable to high-level business development, specifics business issues and/or digital media services.

I value a lot trainers and mentors inputing their info as there’s goodwill in helping companies confirm their early business development. I brief trainers and mentors on specific needs and no bad feeling if termination between mentors/mentee occurs. It hasn’t so far over last 5 years. I keep all info confidential and fees of sessions are not the sole factor driving assignment of trainers and mentors. There’s more than 25 trainers/mentors in our cluster so far.

So go on and take two minutes to answers this questionnaire:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pcEWkV1F3SgPcmNJeSTpzCA

Thank you, Fred