There are still very few programmes that are focused on supporting the international growth ambitions of scaleups, yet they can deliver huge value. Local ecosystems can learn from programmes such as Grow London Global, a free 12-month programme for London-based companies that want to expand internationally, and Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) and Global Incubator Programme (GIP), which help UK scaling businesses to explore global opportunities through the lens of R&D and innovation partnership and collaboration. 

There is a growing need and demand for such programmes; four in ten scaling business leaders responding to the ScaleUp Institute’s 2023 say that they would value more information on trade missions along with opportunities to participate in tailored missions specifically for scaleups. 

Grow London Global, London & Partners’ successor programme to the Mayor’s International Business Programme which helped 1,300 London scaleups over its seven-year period, has been scaled up to support even more companies: the programme aims to have three cohorts per year comprising 300 companies and supporting about 18 trade missions in a year.

We are seeing a big increase in businesses wanting to explore global opportunities, going beyond the European marketplace,” notes David Golding, Interim Deputy Director – Global at Innovate UK. 

THE SELECTION PROCESS IS RIGOROUS

For the Innovate UK GBIPs and GIPs, selection is on a competitive basis with opportunities for both programmes advertised and accessed through Innovate UK EDGE. As well as an online application the GIP also involves an interview stage including to review the commitment and level of ambition of the business.  

THEY ARE FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON SCALEUPS 

Grow London Global maintains strict criteria for inclusion on its programme to ensure that companies join it at the right stage of their scaleup journey. Applicant companies need to have current annual turnover greater than £1m and less than £40m, or have secured at least £1m of external equity investment. Businesses must employ between 10 and 250 people. 

The Innovate UK GIP looks for businesses with the ambition and commitment to scale globally, suiting businesses with traction and sales in the UK and looking to innovate their products and services through building global partnerships and collaborations to accelerate their scaling journey.  

PARTICIPATION REQUIRES HIGH LEVELS OF COMMITMENT

While fully funded by Innovate UK, the cost of participation on the GBIP and GIP programmes is a commitment of senior executive time – a valuable and scarce resource for a scaling business. The GBIP includes working with an Innovate UK EDGE innovation & growth specialist, attending a ‘get ready workshop’ (two days), visiting the selected market (one week), and attending an ‘exploit the opportunity workshop’ (one day).  Involvement on the GIP may be between 150-200 hours over a six month period.

THEY CONNECT PARTICIPANTS EARLY – AND KEEP THEM CONNECTED

Great efforts are made to develop peer group bonds that strengthen during and beyond the programmes. These can take the form of briefing sessions before international country visits or cohort launch days which are mandatory for all participants.

Domestic mentoring sessions and workshops are valuable in helping participants shape and prepare their international expansion strategies. Alumni from previous programmes can mentor those companies starting on their international journey. 

THE PROGRAMMES  PLAY TO LOCAL SECTOR STRENGTHS…  

Grow London Global focuses on strong and growing sectors in London. These include fintech and cyber, enterprise technologies, creative industries, life sciences, and sustainability. From the start of the Mayor’s International Business Programme, the sector focus has evolved and responded to demand from London-based scaleups.

The first Grow London Global mission took London’s fastest-growing creative tech companies to meet with studios, investors and stakeholders in Los Angeles.

…AND THEY FOCUS ON KEY GROWTH MARKETS

The Innovate UK GBIPs operate in a range of markets including North America (USA and Canada), Asia (Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan), Europe (Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland), India, Israel, Australia and New Zealand.  The GIP operates in USA, Canada, Singapore, Australia and India.   Both programmes focus on sector and technology areas where there is strength in the UK and complementary strengths in the target market such as healthtech with USA, oceantech and agritech with Canada, agritech with Australia, semiconductors with Taiwan.  There is strong demand for both programmes as businesses recognise the need to access global markets to accelerate their scaling.

THEY USE ACCOUNT MANAGERS AND TAILOR A PLAN FOR EACH SCALEUPS

Grow London Global creates a tailored 12-month action plan for each cohort member consisting of a variety of events and dinners, workshops and peer groups, as well as trade missions. Working with their dedicated account manager, this action plan is updated and evaluated on a quarterly basis, in order to adapt the content of the programme to suit their changing needs. 

The programme provides numerous workshops covering topics such as fundraising, strategy, market focus, operations, business development and branding. All have a specific market focus: for example, a workshop on talent in the US will have information about hiring, 401Ks, employee benefits, sourcing talent, and identifying appropriate universities for collaboration. 

Each business on the GBIP and GIP programmes is supported by an Innovate UK EDGE innovation & growth specialist to provide account management and work with them to maximise opportunities and helping the businesses to follow up on their country visits. 

THEY MEASURE IMPACT…

A programme such as Grow London Global measures its impact in many ways such as increase in export revenues, the number of international business wins, job creation at home and in the new market, and growth in international presence.

The impact of the GBIP and GIP programmes is assessed throughout and beyond their duration. Innovate UK brings businesses back together two to four months after a country visit to review and identify any future additional support that might be required. 

….AND THEY ARE ALSO CHEERLEADERS

Grow London Global actively promotes news such as contract wins for its portfolio companies. 

THEY MAINTAIN MOMENTUM  

While the dates for onboarding and offboarding its programme are strict and fixed, Grow London Global remains in contact with its cohort members through an alumni programme which enables continuing access to peer groups, content and relevant events.  A byproduct of the international country visits and trade missions is that, as a peer group, participant companies gel and stick together long afterwards. The programme has seen participant companies subsequently team up and enter joint ventures for particular overseas projects. 

With a considerable number of participants in the more than 35 GBIPs and 10 GIP that operate each year, Innovate UK is looking to bring together businesses from different cohorts with specific market interests to better share information and create further peer networking opportunities.