Grenoble Alpes Club for Start-ups scaling up
About this good practice
This Club initiative is one of 21 collective actions listed in the Metropolitan public policy called the Local Economic Pact (LEC). The idea of creating this LEC came after the pandemic crisis stating that in order for our territory to economically, socially and environmentally be dynamic and performant again, the public authorities and the big companies must work together to do things differently. Innovation actors especially private companies were not used to work together.
The Club is composed by 15 public and private actors internally having a supporting offer or program dedicated to start-up scaling up: the Grenoble Alpes university, the researcher center CEA, 3 local public authorities, 2 national banks, and 8 big private companies.
The objective is to bring together expertise and programs towards start-ups scaling up such as to share their innovation programs and their start-ups portfolio in order to be more efficient for the start-ups in needs. The final aim is to work as a unique actor with its own governance and confidential matters and to be visible and effective from the start-ups ecosystem. On a 3 month basis, the Club meets to exchange and to interview 3 to 4 start-ups in need at each committee. It has been running for 3 years now. The Club participated as one structure in 2 local business events and so far 10 start-ups have been interviewed and then supported by some Club members who were interesting by the presented technologies.
Resources needed
Today no budget is dedicated to this action as it is part of our economic missions. One person is piloting for Grenoble Alpes Metropole this particular tool, one person is in charge of the overall coordination of the entire LEC.
Evidence of success
Private companies created, related to their own business directives innovation programs, venture, supporting funds in order to push and help start-ups. Before the Club, only 2 out of 15 members were really collaborating. The success achieved is that the Club is running thanks to its own governance among which private big companies exchange important information, supporting programs and their own start-up portfolio. We are convinced it is more efficient for start-ups to propose a common support.
Potential for learning or transfer
It is transferable and innovative as for now, no group or club has been created to answer the start-up development challenges and needs via a plural profile group. It demands no particular funding except HR resource. The dialogue between private companies and public actors needs to be settled and strong in order for such a practice to be successful, however it could be seen as a valuable tool for the industrial partners to work with public actors. The Club begins to be considered as one of the several start-ups supporting actors with impacts on local start-ups. However, concrete supporting programs will need to be developed as well as communication strategy such as Club presence on business event dedicated to start-ups scaling up. These learnings can be valuable when trying to implement this good practice in other regions.