PLUSTEX - OPENING WORKSHOP

“The European Textile Sector: Policies, Practices and

Projects”

Prato - 29th March 2012

Policy Theme :

Foster T&C incubation and start-ups

INCUBATION

Lille Métropole’s economic policy main areas

• A strategic document forLille Métropole’s economic policy : PMDE (Metropolitan Plan for Economic Development)

• 6 strategic economic sectors : Textile Fashion & Design, Distribution & Distance Selling, ICT & Image, Biology-Health, Eco-activities and Tertiary sector.

• Application of a joint methodology: « economic fields plan » with adaptedtools

• Incubators : main approach = creation of innovative businesses (textile and fashion, ICT, Image, Biology)

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

INNOTEX

Business incubator for innovative textiles

- Unique textile incubator in France

- A ten-years experience in the support of projects for textile companies’ creation.

- A dedicated team with experts to coach and advise project initiators in their entrepreneurial efforts and to provide funding to start projects...

- In the National Higher School for Arts and Textile Industries (ENSAIT).

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

INNOTEX support

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

Textile Sector

Expertise

Assistance to the

contracting

authorities

Market

Analysis

Legal Analysis

Access to

professional

networks

Financing of all

these

operations

ManagementPre-launchDevelopmentFeasibilityFormulation

INNOTEX : key figures

221 supported projects

More than 30 companies created

Business durability rate 74%

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

Technics

Functional

textiles

TIC

Leisure

Services

Habitat

Maisons de Mode (Fashion House)

Incubator of fashion creators

- A unique instrument regarding its importance and form

- Managed by the Maison de Mode association and a dedicated team of 10 persons.

- About 30 supported creators

- With the objective of revitalising 2 regenerated areas in cities of Lille & Roubaix.

Maisons de Mode Lille-Roubaix : an original initiative to revitalise cities by combining creativity, economy, culture andurban renewal.

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

Maisons de Mode

Services provided to fashion creators

• Provision of low rent shops (rented for free during the 6 first months), housing, residences or

workshops (for free for beginners)

• Support : sourcing/modelling and production

• Trade and technical coaching

•Training for prototyping within an internal prototyping workshop

•Professional and industrial networking

• Commercial partnerships : with famous French brands / stores : « Printemps », « Galeries

Lafayette », etc…

• Communication, press relations

• Organization of events : 48 hours Maisons de Mode fashion show Fashion Market, Sales’ Night…

•Support to participate in professional international trade fairs: Tissu Premier Lille, Prêt à Porter

Paris, The Box, Workshop, Atmosphère, Living Room Tokyo, Coterie New York…..

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

Maisons de Mode

T&C incubation and start-ups

Lille Métropole’s experience

T&C incubation and start-ups

What are the key factors for success ?

Future entrepreneurs’ profile and skills :

Issue :

• The project highly depends on the project initiator personality = skills, entrepreneurship, motivation…

• The initiator relies too much on its own resources

• Managerial problems

First ideas to be discussed:

• Support/coaching outside the fields of competence (business, financing, technique, marketing, management, law, intellectual property…)

• Adapted training schemes for project initiators

• Combination of various competences = multi-skills team

Quality of relevant coaching

Issue :

• Frequent research for business opportunities rather than medium-term markets (including at the international scale)

• The initiator is often too modest in comparison to technological and innovative characters of the project

• No anticipation in business development key phases

• Difficult management when the supporting period is finished (post incubation)

• The initiator needs to be able to take on further competences

First ideas to be discussed:

• Design a career path « post and pre » creation : enable the business creation in the best conditions but also its durability

• A well led coaching, adapted to the project and its initiator (business development, network provision, management…) = tailor-made ?

• Call for experts in business development and in business networks, use of trainings…

T&C incubation and start-ups

The key factors for success

Financing

Issue :

• A low own contribution,

• A repeatedly under-valuing of business value and technology

• low capitalization of new businesses = difficulty in the initial fund raising

First ideas to be discussed:

• Growth financing = a dedicated fund ?

• Support for business funding (get in touch with financers : financial support, business angels, banks…)

T&C incubation and start-ups

The key factors for success

Internationalization

Issue :

• International dimension not enough anticipated (market study, competition…)

• Difficulty to access to business networks at national and international levels (who to contact ? How to do it ? Which market ? For what cost ?)

First ideas to be discussed:

• Specific support for the international development (support for professional trade fairs, presentation during competitions…)

• Upstream, consideration of business potentials on international markets

T&C incubation and start-ups

The key factors for success

Professional segmentation

Issue :

• Difficulty to access to professional networks : knowledge of markets, technologies …

• Need of industrial and/or market partnerships for the project development

• Research for the best suppliers…

First ideas to be discussed:

• Coaching « job » approach (« angel competence») = support by some experts in the concerned field

• Specialization of the incubators along with a professional network + start-ups memberships to that network for a better durability

T&C incubation and start-ups

The key factors for success

Promotion and Visibility

Issue :

•Feeling of abandonment and isolation of projects initiators : who to contact? Who can help them ?

• To be able to detect the good profiles / projects : not to waste means / resources + not to miss the « good project »

First ideas to be discussed:

•Better visibility of instruments : targeted communication (theme)

• Making supporting procedures easier and/or implementing a one-window approach (synergy between support structures)

T&C incubation and start-ups

The key factors for success

Which incubation model for textile start-up ?

Every project is unique = a standard incubation model or « custom-built» approach?

Which economic model for incubation : public (subsidies/refundable loans) and/or private ?

T&C incubation and start-ups The key factors for success

Remaining questions as conclusion

T&C incubation and start-ups

Objectives of Plustex project &

of the Policy Learning Cycle in this field

1. Identification (at least) of 2 GPs by each partner (duration : 2 months homework) : information, collecting and analysis of good pratices which answer to the previous mentionned issues (incubation model, economic model…)

2. Organization of a Thematic Exchange Workshop : Each GP has to be analysed and discussed during the meeting in Lille Métropole in October in Lille. This meeting will also contain :

• A study visit of incubators and relevant sites related to textile industry

• A Coaching session with relevant good practice managers (to be precised in terms of contents)

3. A Good Practice Guide will be deliver covering at least 2-4 good practices.

Plustex project and the PLC on incubation and start-ups will allow European regions to implement these good practices in their territory and improve their regional policies in the textile field.