The APIN experience Building a network and how it can benefit your incubatees

1. The APIN experienceBuilding a network and how it can benefit your incubatees International Collaboration & Co-incubation APEC Conference Xi’an September 2011 Amanda Kenyon September 2011

2. What is APIN? Asia Pacific Incubation Network • A network of business incubator managers throughout Asia and the Pacific • facilitated and initially funded by infoDev a program of the World Bank. Aim • to help promote, support and develop quality business incubation in the region, developing management and policy capacities, sharing experiences and complementing the work of the Asian Association of Business Incubators Amanda Kenyon September 2011

3. What is a Network? • When a range of businesses or organisations come together for mutual advantage. • They enable easy, efficient and timely communication • Break down the isolation factors as well as combining expertise, skills and resources to achieve together what would not be possible singularly. Amanda Kenyon September 2011

4. The benefitsof Networks • Better communication and information flow • Improved management and other skills • Shared expertise and resources, improving economies of scale • Cross local, regional, national or international trading • Development of synergies • Collective sales and marketing Amanda Kenyon September 2011

5. Co-incubation networks • Allow for discussion of challenges and practices specific to the region • Greater opportunity for collaboration due to language and closer proximity • Active networks in Africa, Asia, Eastern- Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East Amanda Kenyon September 2011

6. What they can do • Enhance policy-maker’s knowledge, understanding and support for Business Incubation and its crucial role in facilitating the creation and growth of innovative SMEs for social and/or economic benefit • Address the financial and fiscal needs of growth enterprises, SMEs and Business Incubators by providing established and innovative solutions Amanda Kenyon September 2011

7. What they can do • Build capacity, leadership and management of incubator managers through training, mentoring, professional exchanges and secondments • Maintain and enhance the quality of incubators to enable continuous improvement • Facilitate regional, national and global networking and information exchange among incubation stakeholders Amanda Kenyon September 2011

8. How does the Asia Pacific Incubation Network (APIN) Operate • Owned and driven by incubator managers • Provides a vehicle to learn from each other • Undertakes practical activities • Advocate for policy and other improvements • Rich and diverse experience over the past 20 years, • Incubation managers learn best from each other • Assists new incubators and countries embarking on the business incubation journey • Assists older incubators continue to innovate, learning from their own experience as well as from new business incubators with fresh thinking • Helps to improve performance and relevance to changing socio economic needs Amanda Kenyon September 2011

9. What does APIN do? • Implements regional knowledge-sharing activities that contribute to greater local capacity for business incubation, innovation and entrepreneurship. Activities include: • Creating knowledge products such as lessons learned, good practices and success stories and disseminating these in the region and via iDisc (www.idisc.net) • Regional study tour programs Amanda Kenyon September 2011

10. What does APIN do? Activities include: • Participates in infoDev training programs and/or becoming infoDev business incubation trainers • Convenes awareness raising and capacity building workshops • Information and knowledge exchange with other networks ie AABI and infodev global network • Develops services that the regional network can deliver to its members • Pilots international co-incubation between members of the regional network • Translates and adapts business incubation tools and knowledge to the regional context Amanda Kenyon September 2011

11. APIN taps into infoDev & the Global Network of Business Incubators • Members of the Incubation Asia Network are active members of the infoDev Global Network of Business Incubators, • A virtual networking and knowledge-sharing platform (www.idisc.net) for infoDev‘s regional incubation networks • Members can use it to showcase their activities, use online learning materials, share success stories and best practices and • Connect with like-minded incubation practitioners and experts. Amanda Kenyon September 2011

12. How does APIN do this • Regional workshop & policymaker forums on business incubation. • Annual conferences • Capacity building programs for business incubator managers. • Online training programs for business incubator professionals • Webcasts • Video Conferencing • Newsletter on initiatives and achievements in business incubation • Internationalisation program Amanda Kenyon September 2011

13. Activities • Training and Networking for Incubator Managers • Conferences • Online Training for Incubator Managers • Capacity building for incubation managers and creation of learning platforms including e learning, incubator, incubatee databases including mapping of expertise, resources and interest for soft-landing • Periodical participation triggers including policy makers forums and other events Amanda Kenyon September 2011

14. Activities • Promoting, conducting and leveraging events and programs • Incubator help line for advice on practices, strategies, standards, norms and connectivity • Incubation client help line and links to mentor networks and facilitation • Advocacy, policy exchange, lobbying and development assistance • Development and maintenance of www.incubationasia.com the network's website, building upon what has been done to date in iDisc and others. Amanda Kenyon September 2011

15. What else can they do • International Exchanges • Soft Landing Programs • Video Conferencing of Incubators & Incubatees • Sharing operational resources, builds up the network and enhances the maximum utility of the resources. The key resources in the incubator are the dynamic innovative startup entrepreneurs and the experienced coaching mentors. • Regional Workshops and Policy Maker Forums • Focus on internationalisation Amanda Kenyon September 2011

16. Lessons for APEC Co-incubation Network Like most forms of community development a network will need a champion to drive and co-ordinate the network. Issues to consider include: • Who should be involved • How many members • The need for a secretariat and who can provide it • What type of structure is best • What if any legal and accounting requirements are necessary • Goals of the network • Business and marketing strategies • Monitoring and evaluation strategies Amanda Kenyon September 2011

17. Funding Some initial start up funding will most likely be necessary Alternative income sources can be determined when developing the sales and marketing strategies they include: • Initial contribution from members • Membership fees • A levy on sales through the network • In-kind contribution ie time and expertise of members • Fee for service training • User pays workshops and functions Amanda Kenyon September 2011

18. Monitoring and Performance Evaluation There is a need to set goals and establish milestones for the network so as to enable monitoring against them They could include: • Number of members • Number of meetings per year • Increased level of successful incubation • Broader areas of distribution and number of new markets • Increased level of skill base for members Amanda Kenyon September 2011

19. Internationalisation Why should the Network focus on Internationalisation? • To help clients internationalise • Incubators cannot help if they do not have an international perspective • To learn from other countries • Learning from other developing countries and those who have learnt from the NBIA • Adaptation not copying Amanda Kenyon September 2011

20. What is involved in internationalisation? • Thinking and awareness • Information and knowledge • Linkages and relationships • BI:BI, B:B and to academia • Human resources • Diasporas, knowledge, skills • Financial resources • Markets Amanda Kenyon September 2011

21. Why Internationalise? • Not just for international markets….. • but also to improve productivity and find competitive opportunities in the domestic market: • New market trends • New business processes • Technology transfer • Finance and human resources Amanda Kenyon September 2011

22. International vs Local Markets • Harder • More costly • Ideally established in the domestic market before export • But not always possible in small markets • Need to be Export Ready Amanda Kenyon September 2011

23. What can go Wrong? • Insufficient capital • Poor planning and execution • Poor positioning • Wrong market • Wrong partners • Product not ready • Cultural differences • Lack of commitment Amanda Kenyon September 2011

24. How to do it via incubation Improving awareness and BI:BI linkages • Study tours, information exchange, conferences, networks, • Raises expectations that awareness will lead to international trade via incubatees and graduates International networks • infoDev regional and thematic networks • www.infodev.org and www.idisc.net • AABI and other regional associations • Laying a foundation, but it needs to go further… Amanda Kenyon September 2011

25. How to do it via incubation International incubation services • IBIs, softlandings • To help companies enter specific export markets, typically when they are established domestically – i.e. at the graduation stage – e.g. IBI in Silicon Valley • To access the Diaspora, e.g. China IBIs for ‘returning’ scholars • Co-incubation • Incubating in more than one country at the same time, e.g. Shanghai/Montpellier co-operation Amanda Kenyon September 2011

26. How to do it via incubation Accessing international resources, • Diaspora, finance, advice, personal channels to markets • If initiatives are not backed by resources they risk more talk than action Improving client capability • Export readiness – similar to investment readiness Amanda Kenyon September 2011

27. Challenges for incubation • Adapting what is learnt internationally to the local situation….NOT copying • Better expectation management - realism • Results - Incubated companies trading internationally • Also….better understanding that it is not just about export and international trade • Use of ICT and video conferencing • Great for communication, information and on-line support • More relevant in a world where travel and transport can only become more costly Amanda Kenyon September 2011

28. Challenges for incubation • It takes time and money! • Its not easy! Amanda Kenyon September 2011

29. Thank you akenyon@nor.com.au Amanda Kenyon September 2011