Survey of 27 innovating entrepreneurs
In the context of the preparatory phase of the Observatory of Innovation in Greater Paris -Métropole du Grand Paris (MGP)- set up by Apur and their partners since 2016, a survey on the quality of progress made by innovating companies was carried out. From March to July 2018, twenty-seven entrepreneurs were met, whose contacts had been provided by the supporting organisations that are partners of the study. The aim of the survey was to define the different characteristics of a company’s progression after receiving guidance and mentorship. The value of this, over and above the quantitative factors, was to shed light on the rationale behind each different business pathway.
The study identified two types of profiles among the entrepreneurs we met: on the one hand young graduates and on the other older entrepreneurs who for the most part held a strategic position in a company. It was possible to identify a number of stages and factors of achievement in the project common to them all such as the importance of the first premises occupied. When speaking to entrepreneurs closeness to public transport, the flexibility of premises and the quality of the working environment emerged as criteria for choosing a premises.
The main areas to be developed were the management of expansion and the evolution of the company’s functioning and business activities. Recruiting, the necessary versatility of skills and looking for funding figured among the difficulties mentioned most frequently by project leaders. Finally, the analysis of the interviews enabled a progress report to be drawn up of the period during which they were accompanied and highlighted lines of thought to be followed through concerning the assistance which is provided.
