The document describes an online training platform called the Technoport Academy that was developed to provide entrepreneurs access to educational courses and materials. The goals are to retain knowledge from external experts, document success stories, and provide a recurring source of information for entrepreneurs and coaches. The platform houses multimedia modules on various business topics that describe real company cases and lessons learned. It aims to assist entrepreneurs in developing business skills and support Technoport's coaching activities. While it offers cost savings over workshops, challenges include user acceptance and reliance on a single provider.

1. Entrepreneurship Know-how
Repository
FITT
(Fostering Interregional Exchange in ICT Technology Transfer)
www.FITT-for-Innovation.eu

2. What?
 The Technoport Academy is an online training and education platform
developed to give access to entrepreneurs to courses and media content
specifically created following pedagogical patterns
 Purposes:
• Keep in-house the knowledge brought by external experts and lecturers
• Document success stories and business cases to build up a repository of
internal generated knowledge, i.e. extract and keep useful knowledge
• Provide current and future entrepreneurs with a recurring and accessible source
of information presented in a pedagogical fashion
 Goal:
• Assist entrepreneurs in acquiring business competences
• Provide coaches at Technoport with a powerful and helpful tool to support their
coaching activity
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3. Online, interactive, multimedia-based,
knowledge repository
• Lecturers
• Experts
Technoport Academy
Content
Acquisition Archive
And Generation
eLearning
Platform
Internal
users
• In-house knowledge
• Success stories
• Case studies • Online External
• Multimedia users
METHODOLOGY !
• Interactive
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4. Platform for training and coaching
 Training: different courses or modules created following pedagogical patterns
• A generic training offered free to outside audience to attract new entrepreneurs
• A specific and scalable training, structured in modules, offered to companies
hosted at Technoport that could be easily developed and used depending on
identified needs (individually or in groups)
 Coaching
• The academy will try to develop a web platform to formalize and reap maximum
business and tacit knowledge existing within the Technoport network of
entrepreneurs (case studies, best practices, "how to" and practical guides, etc..)
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5. Different modules
 Each module contains one to several videos that describe a business case or
situation that affected a company
 Modules give insights on how the situation was addressed, what was the
impact, etc… in a way that entrepreneurs (users) can easily translate to their
own particular situation.
 Criteria:
• Avoid static interviews
• Short videos addressing one specific issue
• Usage of animated graphics to illustrate certain abstract concepts
• Message delivered must also serve to:
- Promote the work of Technoport
- Promote the companies at Technoport
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6. Different modules
 Structure of the modules:  Modules:
• Opening Credits with Technoport • Module I: Market Assessment and
Logo and message related to the Validation
success story (case to be
• Module II: Opportunity Analysis
presented) (10-15 seconds max)
• Module III: Communications &
• Business case description Marketing strategy
• Description of Technoport’s • Module IV: Sales
contribution in the development of
the company • Module V: Business Model and
Strategy
• Closing Credits
• Module VI: Finance & Accounting
• Module VII: Human resources
• Module VIII: Legal
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7. Pro’s & Cons
PRO’S
ECONOMIC OPERATIONAL MARKETING
 One time upfront production costs  Provides a tool for coaches (improved  Marketable: promotional tool for
(reusing the same content unlimited performance) partners, investors, press, educators
times) and entrepreneurs
 Expands range of services offered by
 Savings on recurring cost of Technoport  Increases awareness of Technoport
workshops. brand and its services among
 It is available 24/7 and from remote potential clients
 New business models can be sites
developed  Increases prestige of Technoport
within networks and other incubators
by developing innovative tools
CON’S
 Some topics are not well suited to be delivered under an eLearning format
 There is no enforcement mechanism implemented to make entrepreneurs follow the trainings
 User acceptance level can be unsatisfying. There is the risk the tool is not used
 We might be too attached to the provider. The platform and content is being developed by a unique company. There might
arise problems if we chose to change provider (compatibility, compatibility, maintenance)
 Respect of IP rights of trainers needs to be taken in account
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8. Why ?
 Why was it established?
• Companies leave the incubator without leaving their heritage
- During their time at Technoport companies go through different phases and face
problems that remain undocumented
- Once companies leave the incubator there’s no way of recovering that experienced
gained and profit from it
• The academy allows capturing the knowledge and making it available for further
reutilization
- Time (money) invested in supporting a company can be recovered (partially) in the
form of knowledge extraction.
• Entrepreneurs are more receptive to learnings that come from other entrepreneurs
- By using entrepreneurs to build content the message delivered will be more powerful
• eLearning provides a cost-efficient solution for some recurring trainings that can
be easily offered that way
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9. Why ?
 Impact
• Further recognition of the Technoport brand
• Effective marketing tool to attract new tenants to the incubator
• Can be integrated with activities carried out by partners (i.e. Microsoft use of the
platform for their Bootcamp program aimed to help entrepreneurs kicking off their
startups)
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10. Outcome
 To be completed in next update of the document after Platform
deployment (Second quarter 2010)
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11. Outcome
 Plans for the future?
• Empower Technoport’s online services (website, forum, document and contact
exchange, community site, etc)
• Build a gathering point for entrepreneurship in Luxembourg
• Added services to Technoport Academy (under review)
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12. Lessons Learned
 Collaboration from entrepreneurs to produce the material is cornerstone.
From this point of view, entrepreneurs had little incentives to participate
in the project and dedicate time
 Acting skills cannot be assumed. There is needed a good direction of the
filming process to avoid a unnatural or flat speech.
 External guest speakers might not be willing to collaborate due to
copyright issues or reluctance to have their master sessions recorded.
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