IM JAHR 2011 BEWILLIGTES PROJEKT
Business Incubator for the Hospitality Industry – BREF 2011
Redaktion
Für den Inhalt der Angaben zeichnet die Projektleitung verantwortlich.
Kooperation
Dieses Projekt ist einer der fünf Gewinner der Jahresausschreibung 2011 «BREF – Brückenschläge mit Erfolg» – ein Kooperationsprogramm von Gebert Rüf Stiftung und Rektorenkonferenz der Fachhochschulen der Schweiz – KFH.
Partenaires: Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne; Paul Dubrule; Claude Béglé; New York University; Chambre Vaudoise de Commerce et de l'Industrie (CVCI); Capital Proximité
Projektdaten
Projekt-Nr.: GRS-059/11
Förderbeitrag: CHF 300'000
Bewilligung: 01.11.2011
Dauer: 04.2012 - 04.2014
Projektleitung
Prof. Frédéric Delley, Business Incubator Manager, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (INTEHL), Le Chalet-à-Gobelet, 1000 Lausanne 25 (Schweiz), frederic.delley@ehl.ch
Abstract
Our project is to develop – at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne – the first Business Incubator for the Hospitality industry. It is motivated by the realization that (1) the Hospitality is a key sector for Switzerland, not only in economical terms, but also in terms of international image and reputation, (2) support structures for innovation and entrepreneurship in this industry are lacking, and (3) our institution is ideally positioned to address these shortcomings. Consequently, our vision is to develop an integrated portfolio of services covering all stages of the new venture creation process to assist entrepreneurs and foster innovation.By developing this incubator we aim to achieve the following objectives:
- Increase the number and success rate of new ventures in the Hospitality industry through a «one-stop shop» portfolio of support services
- Foster more innovation in the hospitality sector (an industry where no R&D departments exist) by providing a platform for entrepreneurs from different fields to develop their hospitality-related projects
- Develop synergies and collaborations between the various higher-learning institutions of the Lausanne region (EPFL, IMD, etc.) around the themes of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Was ist das Besondere an diesem Projekt?
Our business incubator is novel not so much in the services it provides, but in the segment it provides them to. Indeed, the Hospitality industry, despite its economic and image building importance for Switzerland, has not received the focus it deserves when it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship. Our project is also original in that it provides a business acceleration platform which simultaneously involves key stakeholders of the School (students, faculty, and coaches) as well as main actors of the Swiss economic fabric (academic institutions, companies, entrepreneurs and investors).In essence, we strive to build a high-performance R&D platform for an industry that historically does not have an R&D function. By bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, faculty and students in the context of the Nr 1 Hospitality Management School in the world, we feel we have the potential to create a first-rate innovation and entrepreneurial hub.
Finally, the EHL business incubator has the opportunity to unlock powerful synergies with economic actors in the Hospitality industry, starting naturally with an integration into the fabric of the Lausanne and wider Riviera region, a key tourism and travel pole in Switzerland and home of world-reknowned establishments.
Stand/Resultate
Our midterm plan (i.e., 2-4 years) aims to develop a Business Incubator porfolio around 5 key services, each addressing specific needs during the entrepreneurial process.At this stage in the project, we have achieved the following milestones:
1. Hiring of a Business Incubator Officer: Caroline Guigou.
2. Prizes & Contests
2.1. Jury
Prix Genilem HES-Vaud
This prize aims to support innovation and creativity for Bachelor and Master’s students, as well as alumni from eight HES in canton de Vaud. The principal objective is to reward the best entrepreneurial project, organization and/or association (non-profit or profit). The laureate will receive a cash prize of CHF 20’000 and coaching support for 3 years provided by Genilem.
On the 13th of June 2012, EHL hosted the first selection phase for this contest, and in November 2012, the prize was awarded to two alumnus from EHL for their Vinoabo project on wine profiling.
This collaboration between EHL and other organizations supporting entrepreneurship in Romandie, such as Genilem, helped integrate EHL’s business incubator activities in the local entrepreneurship network (one of the objectives of this project).
2.2. Project sourcing
Prix du Jeune Entrepreneur (PJE)
The aim of this contest is to propose to all the students from HSG, ETH Zürich, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne (EPFL) and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), to participate and reward the best entrepreneurial project with a cash prize of CHF 20’000. The winner of 2012 was a group of EHL students for their project “Mon baluchon” which was created during their entrepreneurship module.
3. Events
Gastronomia
For the 2012 edition of Gastronomia, the Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship of EHL (INTEHL) helped the organizers develop a brand new concept called “Innovation & Startup Space”. This area was run by INTEHL in collaboration with Nestlé Milano. This space also represented the opportunity for the young entrepreneurs of the EHL community to promote their business and services in a professional trade show setting.
Carrefour des Créateurs
By offering practical insights on entrepreneurial topics, this event aims to provide a "toolbox" to young entrepreneurs and project holders to guide them in the development of their business. For the first time, EHL’s business incubator was an official partner of this event, and was able to promote its activities to its main target market.
Club des Entrepreneurs
This Club was officially launched on September 28th 2011. Its objective is to foster networking between the various members of the EHL entrepreneurship community by hosting bi-annual social events on the EHL campus. Through this event men and women can share their passion, discuss their challenges, find mentors in an informal setting.
4. Communication
EHLITE Magazine
EHLITE is the official EHL magazine sent, quarterly, to more than 7’000 Alumni worldwide. In each issue, our business incubator writes the Start-up Insight column to discuss trends and innovation, present new startups, and introduce EHL entrepreneurs. Through this communication channel, our Business Incubator can thus indirectly promote its activities and successes.
Website & Brochure
In collaboration with the School’s communication and marketing department, we created a new brochure and redesigned the website for our business incubator (incubateur.ehl.edu).
Press coverage
In the course of 2012 we have also received a significant amount of press coverage.
5. Education
5.1. Internal
Student Business Projects
These projects (SBPs) are the final diploma projects of our bachelor students. Over the course of 10 weeks they work full-time in groups of five on a mandate entrusted to them by external companies and entrepreneurs. For the latter, students – assisted by coaches from the incubator and the faculty – typically work on the development of new concepts or the creation of a business plan for the new venture. In 2012 we have conducted 16 start-up consultancy mandates.
Entrepreneurship Module
EHL’s Bachelor program offers a third-year concentration in Entrepreneurship which, over 10 weeks (120 hours), teaches the fundamentals of Innovation, Business Plan Development, and SME Management. This concentration has rapidly become one of the most popular which resulted in overbooking for the 2012-2013 school year (120 students have enrolled). To date more than 200 students have already taken this module.
This year, for the first time, students will collaborate with the entrepreneurs in our Startup Hotel by working in groups to help those entrepreneurs address challenges, grow their business, etc.
Crowdfunding project
The project is a new addition to the original proposal made to Gebert Rüf Stiftung in 2011. Having realized the crucial importance of financing startups as well as the growing trend in Crowdfunding, we wish to develop an EHL crowdfunding platform which could serve as a model for other universities and HES.
In 2012, we have investigated the potential of such a platform for the EHL environment by mandating two groups of 5 students to work on it in the context of their diploma project. The result of this work was very encouraging, and we propose now to redirect some funds for the development of this crowdfunding platforms. We have already found a partner at EPFL to help us with the technical development of the platform.
Coaching
Coaching is a crucial part of assisting entrepreneurs in their journey. In 2012, EHL’s business incubator has provided more than 300 hours of coaching to fledgling startups.
5.2. External
CTI Entrepreneurship
This training program financed by the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) aims to provide the necessary training, coaching, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs. The CTI issue a RFP for the Business Creation and Business Development modules of this programme. EHL along with PSE at EPFL and Genilem formed a consortium to submit a proposal which ultimalely was chosen in the CTI bid process. This success will not only further the visibility of our business incubator, but will also cement the relationships with key actors in the region.
6. Hosting
Startup Hotel
In the summer of 2012 we have renovated 4 office spaces (16 workspaces) in one of the on-campus buildings at EHL. These offices are dedicated to hosting early-stage startups and to provide them with a top-notch office environment with all the facilities and infrastructure of the School at an affordable rate. We have called this space STARTUP HOTEL and, in the span of just 90 days, we have managed to fill all 4 offices (12 of the 16 spaces). This early success has important implications on the future development of the business incubator as it proved that there is a real demand for co-locating startup offices on the campus of the first hospitality management school in the world.
Publikationen
http://publications.ehl.edu/fre/EHLITE-MagazineMedienecho
16.05.12, HTR Cahier Français – Une Base 7 pour servir le Bourg 721.06.12, HTR Cahier Français – Entreprises amarrées à l’EHL
02.10.12, EHL - L’EHL crée un espace dédié à l’Innovation et à l’Entrepreneuriat au cœur du salon Gastronomia
05.10.12, Carrefour des Créateurs - Vidéo de promotion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4HqpuwWAwI&feature=youtu.be
11.10.12, The Angle - Introducing: Musik 2.0
24.10.12, Luxury Hospitality Daily - Gastronomia
25.10.12, 24 heures - Gastronomia : L’Ecole hôtelière innove
05.11.12, L’AGEFI - L’Ecole hôtelière mène à tout
08.11.12, LE TEMPS - L’Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne crée son incubateur
09.11.12, RTS Journal du matin - Interview de M. Delley
13.11.12, Carrefour des Créateurs - Programme http://www.genilem-suisse.ch/vaud-geneve/cc12programme
14.11.12, L’AGEFI - La valorisation de l’entrepreneuriat créatif
14.11.12, BILAN - Prix Genilem : Des étudiants gagnent une entreprise clés en main
16.11.12, Domo Safety announces the closing of its CHF 600'000 round financing
29.11.12, HTR Cahier Français - La puce qui trace la vie du matelas
01.12.12, PME Magazine - L’Ecole hôtelière crée son incubateur
01.12.12, PME Magazine - MyExtras.ch a la cote
01.12.12, PME Magazine - HouseTrip : de 0 à 130 employés en trois ans
07.12.12, Canton de Vaud - INNOVAUD renforce l’écosystème vaudois de l’innovation
14.12.12, Le Nouvelliste - Le Snow Republic Passeport
17.12.12, Alumni Network EHL - Soft Opening of EHL’s Startup Hotel
25.01.13, LE TEMPS Carrières - La formation des entrepreneurs en herbe se régionalise et devient encore plus pratique
29.01.13, Confédération Suisse - CTI Entrepreneurship : La CTI choisit de nouveaux prestataires régionaux
31.01.13, Pocket Staff - Pocket Staff is launching a staffing system for the hospitality industry
20.02.13, INLINE - L’aide aux entreprises, une action fédérative
Links
EHL’s homepage: http://www.ehl.eduEHL’s business incubator webpage: http://www.incubator.ehl.edu
Am Projekt beteiligte Personen
Prof. Frédéric Delley, project leader, Business Incubator Manager at EHL frederic.delley@ehl.chDr. Ray Iunius, Director of Business Development and Marketing at EHL ray.iunius@ehl.ch
Prof. Ian Millar, Deputy Director of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INTEHL) ian.millar@ehl.ch
Caroline Guigou, Business Incubator Officer at EHL caroline.guigou@ehl.ch