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CEED Grow program
Published on 19 February 2020
Slovenia
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The best support you can provide to young entrepreneur on the beginning of their business path is to provide him with good mentor. There are many mentorship programs and mentorship schemes available for entrepreneurs in Slovenia on many different levels (school kids, youngsters, women entrepreneurs, part – time entrepreneur…). Majority of this programs are high quality but has one major obstacle. Mentors in these programs are often public sector or public company employees or entrepreneurs with limited business success who are doing mentoring as a part of its business activities.
What is different in CEED Grow program is that all mentors in it are successful entrepreneur owning companies with several employees active both on domestic and international markets. These mentors can share their first hand experiences not only on how to start a business but also on how to grow, how to develop, how to lead employees and how to reach global markets. In CEED Grow program there are barely any lectures and workshops. The main aim of the program is to develop community that helps among each other with sharing sessions, supporting activities and providing inspiration for overcoming challenges and future learning and growth.
What is different in CEED Grow program is that all mentors in it are successful entrepreneur owning companies with several employees active both on domestic and international markets. These mentors can share their first hand experiences not only on how to start a business but also on how to grow, how to develop, how to lead employees and how to reach global markets. In CEED Grow program there are barely any lectures and workshops. The main aim of the program is to develop community that helps among each other with sharing sessions, supporting activities and providing inspiration for overcoming challenges and future learning and growth.
Resources needed
One person employed full time to manage the program. This person is doing other work on CEED Slovenia as well but their main occupancy is CEED grow program. Beside that you need finances for logistic costs (room rentals, catering, office material…). All mentors in this program work free of charge.
Evidence of success
This program is running in Slovenia for almost 10 years now. Over these years more than 350 young entrepreneurs went through program, and some of them now become one of most successful and prominent entrepreneurs in Slovenia. Currently there are 54 mentors available for mentees of the program coming from best Slovenian companies and many of them were mentees of the program same years ago what is surely nice factor of success of the program.
Potential for learning or transfer
We see the biggest added value and learning moment in CEED Grow program in fact that it is accessible only for entrepreneurs and that best class Slovenian entrepreneurs are devoting their time and experiences to younger ones. Also, a great learning moment could be the fact that many today mentors inside Grow program started as mentees of the program some years ago.
Also, one interesting fact is that program it is not based on lectures and workshops rather than on sharing sessions and support session with just basic framework that then develops further based on participants needs and interests.
Very big potential for learning transfer is also business community that is building around Grow program. Network consist of current and alumni mentees and mentors who now forms some crucial parts of Slovenian business community especially in the field of startup, IT and digital industry.
For more experience entrepreneurs CEED Slovenia is now also offering two more advanced programs.
Also, one interesting fact is that program it is not based on lectures and workshops rather than on sharing sessions and support session with just basic framework that then develops further based on participants needs and interests.
Very big potential for learning transfer is also business community that is building around Grow program. Network consist of current and alumni mentees and mentors who now forms some crucial parts of Slovenian business community especially in the field of startup, IT and digital industry.
For more experience entrepreneurs CEED Slovenia is now also offering two more advanced programs.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
CEED Slovenia
Slovenia
Zahodna Slovenija
Contact
Head of business incubator