The leaflet "IAS. The story of positive changes" is created and published by communication company Fabrica de imagine for Soroca Business Incubator.

1. THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES
BUSINESS INCUBATOR
SOROCA

2. Contents:
2
Message from the President of Soroca district, Mihai Mitu
3
Message from the manager of Soroca Business Incubator, Liliana Babara
4
Growth through innovation at the Soroca Business Incubator
6
Incubation model.
How to become a resident of Soroca Business Incubator
8
Entrepreneurship means more than just business
10
Rural Entrepreneurship Cup.
Business development projects in Soroca
12
Founders.
Soroca Business Incubator development partners

3. I remember when I first saw a business incubator in 2004, during a
working visit to Ireland. At that point I was impressed and I wanted
very much for us to have such an institution in Soroca.
Then, a few years later, in 2009, as a result of the collaboration
between the District Council of Soroca, the Norwegian Project
Entranse, the Organization for the Development of Small and
Medium Enterprises (ODIMM) and the Ministry of Economy
of Moldova, the Soroca Business Incubator (IAS) „Gunnar Due
Gundersen” was launched.
The idea behind the opening of a business incubator in Moldova was
that in order to reduce poverty, especially in rural areas, support for
the small and medium enterprises is needed.
Statisticsshowthatthefirst3yearsofactivityofastart-uparedecisive,
either it develops or goes bankrupt. At the same time, economic
research shows that business incubators can be an effective tool in
supporting local innovation and for business generation.
Business incubators substantially reduce the failure rate of SMEs.
We, the IAS management team, saw this for ourselves by taking
for example our residents’ activity. In the past 6 years since the
incubator opened, nobody went bankrupt, on the contrary, they
have developed, increased their revenue and the number of jobs
created.
When a problem arises, we try to find solutions together, in order
to solve it fast, in an effective way. Residents have confidence that
any unexpected situation can be addressed by collaborating. We are
here like a family, and I do everything I can to help them grow.
Soroca Business Incubator is a mixed-type incubator, meaning that
it hosts both production and services businesses. At the moment, in
IAS there are 5 companies in the production sphere and 11 from the
service area. Now they provide jobs for about 170 people, of which
over 60% are women. Also, those 18 companies who have already
graduated the incubator are providing jobs to other 75 people in the
city of Soroca.
I am proud that I have participated from the beginning at the
creation of this institution and we managed together with the
development partners, to attract here talented, ambitious and
hardworking people, who have become, most of them, successful
entrepreneurs who work with dedication and gradually contribute to
the community development in Soroca.
Message from the
manager of Soroca Business
Incubator, Liliana Babara
2
I’m glad that I have the opportunity, through this publication, to
address to all Moldovan citizens who contribute daily to the welfare
of this country.
One of Moldova’s priorities at the moment is to improve the living
standards of its citizens, especially for those who live in rural areas.
For this to happen there is need for new jobs to be created here, in
the country, in the district, so that people should be able to honestly
earn their living, being close to their family and relatives.
The departure of Moldovan citizens abroad in search of a better
life leaves us without our most active people that can help and
contribute to the development of the district and each locality as
well. In order to create as many jobs as possible in the district and
for the people to have the motivation to stay, we should support the
development of entrepreneurship.
Weallknowverywellthattodevelopabusiness,allovertheworld,is
quite difficult. It takes dedication, hard work and courage. Moldova
is not an exception in this regard. Especially, it is more challenging
and, in the same time, more interesting to start a business outside
the capital. Soroca Business Incubator is the institution that helps
entrepreneurs develop their business and create new jobs in the
district.
Analyzing the country’s economic situation, I’m glad that back then,
in 2009, the donors from Norway, and the Ministry of Economy,
took the decision to open the first incubator in Moldova, namely
in Soroca. I think they made a good decision from which the district
citizens have a lot of benefits.
The business incubator is truly a success story of the city, a source
for new jobs and for community development. The businesses
opened by the people living in the region cover many needs of the
Soroca district population, and people no longer have to leave to
the capital in order to buy goods and services or even import them.
We, in Soroca have a lot of work to do in order to develop the
district. We should ensure good environment conditions for the
children in schools and kindergartens, attract funds for social
infrastructure, repair roads, help people solve their problems and
ensure them a better life.
The courage and dedication of those who administrate the Soroca
Business Incubator, due to the results achieved by entrepreneurs,
provides confidence that tomorrow will be better than today.
Message from the
President of Soroca district,
Mihai Mitu
SOROCA BUSINESS INCUBATOR
THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES

4. 4
From their first steps in their business, IAS resident entrepre-
neurs are encouraged and given support to innovate. Innovation
is the economic engine of growth in today’s global economy.
At the same time, innovation also involves creative thinking
from resident’s side. Innovation and creativity are two intercon-
nected processes, because finding solutions to problems that
arise in the process of innovation requires creativity.
The IAS management’s vision is that innovations help resi-
dents to provide new jobs, to raise productivity, to facilitate the
internationalization of the company that they are managing, etc.
Innovation can be found in the business idea, in business man-
agement, in selling the product, in the way of thinking or in es-
tablishing public-private partnerships, etc.
Soroca Business Incubator is itself an innovation for Moldova
and for the region. This is why, since its founding, it provides
training for entrepreneurs in various areas needed for their
businesses’ development, also the incubator is working to-
ward attracting new sources of funding for the entrepreneurial
education programs for residents, for district youth and jobless
women.
Actually, any company accepted in the business incubator ap-
plies innovation in its activity. It may be the first on the local
market, as the advertising company was in 2009 or in 2015 – the
company producing local tourist souvenirs. Other companies
provide services already existing in Soroca, but they do this bet-
ter, also providing a wider range of opportunities, such as the
company specialized in digital printing or that providing furni-
ture design and manufacturing, the newspaper publishing, fruits
and vegetables export services, juice production from natural
fruits and vegetables.
We live in a century of continuous innovation where competi-
tion for a place on the market will be earned only by those who
are ready to try new approaches and new strategies.
Growth through
innovation at the Soroca
Business Incubator
SOROCA BUSINESS INCUBATOR
THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES

5. 6 5
Soroca Business Incubator is an institution which offers
premises, training and support to resident entrepreneurs.
To become one of the companies hosted by IAS, one is re-
quired to fill in an application form. The document should
be sent to the IAS and if the business idea meets the selec-
tion criteria, the entrepreneur is invited to the interview.
Among the most important selection criteria in the busi-
ness incubator are: the business idea, the investment
efficiency, and the number of jobs that this business can
generate. Priority is given to innovative ideas which involve
production, processing and/or export of goods.
There are 2 main phases in entrepreneur collaboration
with the business incubator: the incubation phase –
the period while the enterprise is hosted by IAS and the
post-incubation phase – the period which starts after the
resident graduates the business incubator and develops its
own business without the institution’s support.
Theincubationperiodis3years.Duringthistimeresidents
benefit from the following services: individual consultan-
cy, business training courses, access to finance, access to
potential customer database, help in establishing local, re-
gional and national partnerships, technical assistance, etc.
In addition, in order to facilitate the development of res-
ident companies, IAS has for them preferential terms. In
the first year, residents are paying for rental space only 10%
of the market price. In the second year – 40% and in the
third year – 80% of the price.
Post-incubation phase begins when the company starts
operating within its new premises outside the incubator.
Usually, residents are leaving the incubator when they
reach the performance indicators set in the beginning.
Since the foundation, 34 companies have benefited from
the services provided by the business incubator, of which
18 have already graduated the program.
Incubation model.
How to become a resident of
Soroca Business Incubator
SOROCA BUSINESS INCUBATOR
THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES

6. 8
More than anything, the business incubator allows entre-
preneurs to accomplish their dreams and develop their po-
tential. Starting a business is actually the first step towards a
new life, because this activity involves first of all a change in
the way of thinking.
Having a business is prestigious. It gives you a status in the
community and if you’re good at what you do, it will bring
you profit. However, the stories of the residents in the Soroca
Business Incubator show that not only the desire to generate
income motivates entrepreneurs, but most of all, the wish of
changing the world through what they do.
People who become successful are those who invest a lot of
time and energy in developing their businesses. It’s a contin-
uous work, 24/7, without holidays and weekends. This is pos-
sible only if these people do what they like, they are good at
what they do and if the product or service they provide is nec-
essary to the community.
Trainings and consultancy from the experts, recommenda-
tions and mentoring provided by IAS management were the
instruments able to convert a goal in facts and real figures and
that made business people think different, to be more cre-
ative, to learn new things and finally, to realize their potential.
Within IAS there are a lot of stories about how people’s lives
changed. An entrepreneur returned from abroad and decided
to invest in a business at home; another found his vocation
this way. A housewife, after attending an IAS training, gained
confidence and opened up a business, providing employment
to 20 other women. Some entrepreneurs had enough courage
to leave a stable job, to work and develop on their own. Others
followed their passion and dreams, and through their business
they create a better and more beautiful world.
Every business is more than numbers, staff or money. Any
business means that a man found enough will and courage to
change his life, his family members’ life and the community in
which we live.
Entrepreneurship means
more than just business
SOROCA BUSINESS INCUBATOR
THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES

7. 10
Soroca Business Incubator is in constant search of growth and financing opportu-
nities for business development and it is open for different types of collaboration
which will bring know how, inovation and creativity for its resident entrepreneurs.
Rural Entrepreneurship Cup is one of the recent projects, a mentoring and train-
ing program conducted by Soroca Business Incubator in partnership with Centre
for Pure Development from Estonia, Business Consulting Institute and Norwegian
project Entrance, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. The project
aims to encourage local youth to open and develop their own business.
In this project there were involved more than 60 young people from the north
area of Moldova, from Soroca, Floresti, Drochia and Donduseni districts. For 4
months they were trained and guided by mentors, they have generated over 20
rural business ideas and some of them opened their own business.
Three of the Cup finalists are already IAS residents and the entrepreneur who
won the first place of the contest was granted also a study visit to Estonia, where
he had the opportunity to learn from the Estonian businessmen’ experience in
similar areas.
Rural Entrepreneurship Cup has proved to be one of the most comprehensive
entrepreneurship education project organized in the region. The first stage of
the competition was to generate business ideas and forming the teams. The sec-
ond stage was the Hackathon – a training and presentation marathon for busi-
ness ideas. Stage three and the longest one consisted of business development
through mentoring and experience exchange. The final of the project was a large
organized public event with guests, media and awards ceremony.
Rural Entrepreneurship Cup.
Business development
projects in Soroca
“Aspiring new entrepreneurs. Business training for under-
employed women from Soroca”
“Empowerment through entrepreneurship education:
practical skills for rural women in Soroca district”
“Youth in training: Entrepreneurship practical skills for
youth in Soroca”.
„Strengthening innovative early-stage enterprises through
scaling up existing Business Incubators in Moldova” – Info
Dev Program, World Bank
Other recent projects with
economic impact in the region
SOROCA BUSINESS INCUBATOR
THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES

8. 12
Soroca Business Incubator (IAS) is a public institution founded by the
Soroca District Council. IAS was created by the Norwegian project
Entranse in partnership with the Organization for Development of Small
and Medium Enterprises (ODIMM) and supported by the Ministry of
Economy of Moldova.
In the first development stage, the project Entranse was implemented in
Moldova by SINTEF Technology and Society from Norway in collaboration
with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Moldova, having the
mission to create and develop a business incubator.
In the second stage, Entranse is supported by the Industrial Development
Corporation of Norway (SIVA), which aims to develop strong regional and
local industrial clusters through ownership in infrastructure, investment
and knowledge networks as well as innovation centres. The project is
implemented by the team of experts through Proneo.
Founders.
Soroca Business Incubator
development partners
SOROCA BUSINESS INCUBATOR
THE STORY OF POSITIVE CHANGES

9. Soroca Business Incubator
Republic of Moldova, Soroca,
9, M. Kogalniceanu St.
info@ias.md
tel./fax +373 (230) 20406
www.ias.md
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