Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2006
Annual Report and Accounts 2006
Enterprise Ireland's Business Acceleration Programme, which partners client companies with in-market experts to fast-track growth, was rolled out globally in 2006.
The Business Acceleration Programme connects Irish companies with in-market business accelerators - high-profile experts from specific sectors - who use their experience, contacts and knowledge to support the client company expansion and development into a key export market.
Following the programme's piloting in UK markets, and further development in European markets, Enterprise Ireland began to apply this approach to supporting client growth to worldwide markets during 2006.
The accelerators come from the front lines of industry all over the world and over 50 began working with client companies in 2006. Each has the relevant sales and marketing experience to advise and guide client companies in accelerating international success.
One company taking advantage of the Business Acceleration Programme is Cúram Software, a leading provider of social enterprise management software solutions, which sells globally into health and human services, workforce services, and social security organisations. Headquartered in Dublin, Cúram has additional offices located in the US, the UK, Australia and India.
According to Cúram's Director of Business Development, Rory Gray, the company realised a business accelerator would be ideal in helping to quickly establish itself in the Swedish market in advance of competing for a large government tender.
Through business accelerator Sven Löchen, who has over 30 years' experience as a consultant, MD and manager in Sweden's IT market, Cúram was able to analyse the market conditions, become established as a market influencer and eventually make a strong bid for the government tender.
Rory Gray says:
"The connection and the relationship with Sven went very well right from the start. We greatly respected the value, contacts and market intelligence he brought to the table. His role of steering us through the Swedish tendering processes, providing strategic advice, getting meetings set up with the right people and then beginning to influence these people was absolutely invaluable. A business accelerator is an essential ingredient for success if your goal is to quickly establish a knowledge base and mentoring process in a specific country."
Sven Löchen says:
"The goal was to open the best doors for Cúram, to put them in front of the right people and to establish the best relationships, channels, contacts and networks for their excellent product. Also I wanted to help them tread carefully through the process of doing business within a different culture.
"We have achieved this and Cúram now has great potential in the Nordic region in general. Our partnership will continue in Norway, Denmark and Finland."
