 |
 |
| Beginnings |
| Between the
inspired idea, which grows in the mind of the entrepreneur,
and its realisation in a complex market, which is at times
resistant to change, there used to be no system in place
for offering entrepreneurs guidance, advice and support. |
| In 1999, with
the support of the Government of Wallonia, a number of
individuals created WSL, Wallonia Space Logistics, a pioneering
organisation in Europe, designed to incubate these new
unprecedented high-tech businesses. |
| Its intentions
were clear and ambitious from the start: WSL had to work
in the long-term and in a reactive manner. So the incubator
was created in the form of a private limited company with
a cleared capital of €7.5 million. |
| It is run
by an administrative board which represents the various
sectors concerned: universities, and public and business
investors. In 2006, given the continual growth of its
overwhelming success, the Walloon Region increased funding
by €2.5 million. |
From
university to the business world…
A total over around 30 or so SMBs have made it thanks
to WSL. |
 |
|
Clic
here to download the presentation brochure for
the SMBs supported by WSL (pdf format – 3.5Mb). |
|
|
| Objectives |
| WSL nurtures
projects which call for high level skills in the field
of engineering science. It allows scientists to turn their
ideas into reality and build businesses in the most realistic,
secure and competitive way possible. |
To achieve
their goal, WSL provides ‘seed capital’ for
both the tangible (premises, equipment…) and the
intangible (strategies, human resources, training…).
This dual element may be innovative but has been tremendously
successful and is what sets it apart from traditional
organisations. |
|
| Why
choose an incubator? |
| The profiles
of start-up companies developed by WSL reveal a lot about
the potential of Walloons: these companies are spin-offs
from research carried out in the field of space discovery
or engineering science. They came from the universities
of applied sciences - Liège, Brussels and Mons
- or from the irrepressibly enterprising spirit of daring
young engineers. |
| All these
companies were formed with complete assurances and of
course, they generate jobs for local people. They carry
additional value because of the recognition and value
of the research they carry out. |
The technology
of the future, like that of the past, is, above all, a
question of men and women. It is of the utmost importance
to foster in these pioneers a taste for challenges and
to be able to motivate them no matter what.
This is also one of the aims of WSL. |
|
| Challenges |
| not all ideas
are going to create businesses capable of emerging, growing
and becoming, perhaps, world leaders with strong market
niches. It is imperative therefore to be able to pick
out straight away, from among the university seedlings,
those who show real growth potential. Then they must be
given the time and opportunity to develop a competitive
design. |
| Start-up businesses
created in this context of specialised and innovative
technologies have all the characteristics of a ‘small
boutique’. What is needed is patience and the means
to let entrepreneurs breathe life into their invention,
to gain strength and find a firm foothold in the economic
landscape. |
Also, the
capital for getting started varies considerably from one
business to another. This is where the true value of WSL’s
comprehensive range of services lies: financial support
(loans, venture capital), management tools and so on.
These services are also a seal of quality for public or
private investors who make a financial commitment. |
|
| The
journey for start-ups |
| The first
companies to come into the WSL fold are now entering a
decisive phase in their development. To allow them to
make the most of opportunities offered by large export
markets for which most of them are aiming, the incubator
needs to offer a different kind of support. |
| In this second
stage, WSL offers them, therefore, business tools (a commercial
subsidiary, assignments and presentations abroad and international
contracts) or specific management tools (a second round
of business plans)… |
Another advantage
to WSL methodology is the rounding up, or rather geographical
concentration of all kinds of different skills at various
stages of their individual development. This richness
and diversity enables crossover relationships between
managers. Newcomers can thus rub shoulders with old hands
and benefit from the latter’s experience.
This network development is an investment in the future.
|
| After 3-5
years, companies get up to speed and leave the incubator,
making way for new projects. |
 |
|
| A
precursor in Europe |
| Due to the
distinctive nature and success of its activities, WSL
is considered a precursor in Europe. The Walloon incubator
is one of the mechanisms for the implementation of a European
space incubation network (ESINET) which was launched on
17th July 2002 with the European Space Agency. |
 |
|
At the end of 2005,
the NBIA
(the American National Business Incubation Association)
chose WSL to be the first reference incubator outside
the United States (Soft Landings International
Incubator). |
|
| These references
help to validate the projects WSL presents to investors
and to encourage scientists and developers by nurturing
their entrepreneurial spirit.. |
|
| WSLlux |
| Telecommunications,
navigation or Earth observation satellites already bring
a multitude of services into our daily life. With the
era of infomobility and new satellite programmes such
as GMES and Galileo, there are still numerous other potential
applications awaiting invention. |
| They may
benefit the general public or professional community or
be for security purposes. |
In order
to meet the objectives of the Marshall Plan, WSL, in collaboration
with IDELUX, has decided to create a new organisation:
WSLlux.
This site, located in Transinnes, next to the Euro Space
Centre, will be specially set up to encourage innovative
techniques and skills to flow and develop, downstream
of satellite resources.
It will also aim to support innovative initiatives in
the province of Luxembourg and will satisfy the needs
of the ESA who plan to commercially develop Redu technical
station services. |
| To date,
no start-up created by industrial engineers has ever received
any kind of incubation in the field of space activities.
There is huge potential among these students. It would
be a shame not to exploit it. |
| It is obvious
from this report that a competition of ideas, targeted
at Galileo and GMES applicants, could provide powerful
leverage for getting projects off the ground, thus contributing
to the sector’s economic development. |
|
| For
the development of the Walloon Region |
Little by
little, an industrial fabric is being woven and it is
increasing profits for technological research.
The potential of Walloons often goes unrecognised. However,
the companies that WSL supports are contributing to the
development of future technology. |
 |
| It is essential
to keep this expertise here, whilst allowing researchers
to carry out their project(s) in the Walloon Region. |
|
Print
