Geneva, July 26, 2000
Nascendo Appointed Founding Member of the European
Incubator Association for CH
Nascendo is pleased to announce that
it has been named as the Swiss Founding Member for the Business
Incubator Association in Europe (BIA).
BIA's mission is to help foster a
new entrepreneurial culture and spirit throughout Europe. Five
European incubators got together in December 1999 to discuss the
need for an association that could grow and transform the entrepreneurial
environment in Europe. Now formed as BIA, it will aim to develop
and establish the business incubation concept in Europe, to ensure
that start-up operations have access to professional, full-service,
quality incubators.
BIA will also endeavour to raise awareness
and understanding of the importance of incubation in the new economy
amongst opinion formers and other influential audiences. BIA Europe
is a Foundation registered in Malta.
There are 9 BIA Founding Members:
Each Founding Member was doing very
well in its own right, but recognized that there was room for a
pan-European, independent association to guide and support individual
incubators. They saw the need for a forum where incubators could
express themselves and share their practices. They envisaged a vehicle
that would increase awareness of the incubator concept amongst entrepreneurs,
investors, media and opinion formers.
The difference between a Founding Member
and a regular member, is that BIA Europe appoints one Founding Member
from every European country. They are identified as outstanding
incubators, and, as a Founding Member, they agree to give extra
support to the association in the few months before and after the
launch. They benefit by being acknowledged and named as a Founding
Member in all communication regarding the launch.
Another group of six companies from
Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Spain are being
considered as BIA Founding Members. BIA Europe has focused on bringing
this strong pan-European group of BIA Founding Members together.
With 9 Founding Members now on board and another 6 in the pipeline,
BIA will begin to concentrate on other objectives. To become a regular
f the association the incubator must meet the following criteria:
- Provide seed funding/early stage
investment
- Assist in the development of business
plans and provide advice on strategy
- Supply office facilities and technical
infrastructure
- Offer operational and management
support
- Assist in brand development, marketing
& PR
- Have in-house recruitment and HR
services
- Give easy access to web design agencies
- Make a strong technology team available
- Provide financial, legal and tax
planning
- Assist with further fund raising
- Help structure and plan for IPOs,
mergers or acquisitions
- Focus on new economy ventures
BIA Europe is in communication with
companies in several countries who are waiting to join as regular
members. A special situation has occurred with a group of companies
in the UK who had joined in a parallel association called the incubator
Alliance. Led by Tim Hammond of Ideashub, this group will now join
BIA Europe as regular members.
As an incubator for top-flight entrepreneurs
in the IT world, Nascent secures funding for and advises and invests
in European Internet start-ups. Nascent is managed by directors
who are closely connected to the financial world and who have an
in depth knowledge of the Internet.
|
