Frequently Asked Questions about Hothouse New Frontiers Programme.
(Participant_Name)_New_Frontiers_Phase_2_Application_Form
nternships/Work Placements or student projects with Hothouse Startup companies click here No, once we are open for recruitment we will contact you by email and provide you with the details of where to complete our New Frontiers application form. Our New Frontiers application form seeks: Other than preparing a good application having a personal profile on Linkedin is always a benefit when assessing applicants so making sure yours is up to date is important. The closing date is usually 3 weeks after we open for applications, sometimes we extend the closing date by one week. Phase1 is part-time, with workshops held on weekends to facilitate those who are working during the week. Phase 2 however is full time with mandatory workshops. There are 22-25 places normally offered for Phase 1.
There are normally 13/14 places offered on Phase 2. Those individuals who attended and were successful in the interviews for Phase1 are invited to participate and represent their company in the New Frontiers Program. Only where that individual cannot logistically attend workshops, can that individual nominate an alternate, who must for legal purposes, agree to sign a non-disclosure agreement to protect the confidentiality of their other Participants’ company details. nternships/Work Placements or student projects with Hothouse Startup companies click here WiFi Connection – When at Docklands please connect to ‘Bolton Trust’ – if there is a problem with this WiFi network it needs to be rebooted – the router is located here – If it is flashing yellow, it needs to be rebooted – ask at Reception for the key to the Lonsdale Room, the device is plugged in at the far end of the room – reboot it by switching it off and back on. New Frontiers is Ireland’s national entrepreneur development program that is delivered at a local level by the Institutes of Technology. It is designed to help people like you, who have an innovative business idea, to establish and run your own companies. It will provide you with a package of supports to help accelerate your business’s development and to equip you with the skills and contacts that you need to be future business leaders. New Frontiers aims to support the creation of 100 high value, knowledge based, Irish owned businesses, with high growth and employment potential each year.
• Training in all areas of business including financial management, market research & validation, business process, patenting, product development, sales training. The New Frontiers Program is located at the following Institutes of Technology: The Facilitators on the New Frontiers Program come from different areas of industry; many of them have set up their own successful businesses and want to share their experiences with those on the New Frontiers Program, sharing their insights so that Participants on the Program can learn from their experiences.
This depends on the situation, for Phase 1 the Panel prefer to meet the main promoter individually, for Phase 2 interviews the Panel are interested in meeting the Team (this is not a requirement and can depend on the type of business being promoted).
In terms of the content of your slide deck please have a look at - The Panel will seek insights on: There is somewhat of a distinction between incubators and accelerators. Incubators typically engage with earlier stage business opportunities whereas accelerators seek teams with a clear product/service offering that are at a phase where they are ready to ramp up their offering. Shorter duration accelerator programmes suit teams with a well developed investor proposition seeking initial funding for a technical build or beta phase, but do not offer an individual entrepreneur the same developmental opportunity as the incubator type programme. Our New Frontiers programme has elements of incubator (we do not take equity in the startup for example) and accelerator (our Phase 3 seeks to accelerate the growth of our participants). Many of the accelerator's in Dublin recruit for their programmes from the alumni of our Hothouse New Frontiers programme.
The programme is for the individual entrepreneur, we encourage teams to help accelerate the growth of your startup but only the supported entrepreneur attends the Phase 1 and Phase 2 workshops and clinics and gets paid the scholarship payment on Phase 2. http://www.ditsu.ie/welfare/employment/positions-available/ WiFi Connection – When at Docklands please connect to ‘Bolton Trust’ – if there is a problem with this WiFi network it needs to be rebooted – the router is located here – If it is flashing yellow, it needs to be rebooted – ask at Reception for the key to the Lonsdale Room, the device is plugged in at the far end of the room – reboot it by switching it off and back on. There is free parking within the Docklands Innovation Park; however it is on a first come first served, unallocated basis (i.e. take any space that is available), double parking is possible in marked places however please leave your name and mobile number on your windscreen in case your car needs to be moved. Please see the tutorial: how to use Google Calendar: When an event has been created in Google Calendar by the Program Manager, an invitation is sent to each guest via Google as each Participant is added to the guest list. When you receive your invitation, it is important that you respond promptly by clicking Accept, Decline or Tentative. After responding to an event invitation, Participants’ guest status will be automatically updated beside their name in the guest list in the Google Calendar event. A tick denotes invitation accepted, a circle with live through it denotes invitation declined, while a question mark denotes a tentative acceptance. Hothouse uses Google Calendar for creating and scheduling in-house and external events. An email address is necessary for Participants to receive invitations for these events and other communication about the program. To make things as seamless as possible, Hothouse recommends that all its Participants create their own Gmail (Google Mail) account, if they don’t already have one, to avoid any technical issues regarding receiving emails and responding to them. As part of our approach to building strong Participant/Facilitator relationships we ask participants to liaise directly with their key facilitators on issues such as this, each of your Clinic schedules in our Box folder will have the relevant Facilitator's phone number on it. Only if you are on the programme. Otherwise there is office space available from Bolton Trust, michael@boltontrust.com or from the Guinness Enterprise Centre. This is to protect the details of each Participant’s company, their products/ideas/inventions. That depends on which Phase you are on, to give you an idea here is the calendar of sessions -
For a typical Phase 1 - Phase 1 NF3 Calendar
For a typical Phase 2 - Phase 2 Google Calendar Attendance for all Phase 1 events is optional however the purpose of Phase 1 is to help us assess your commitment to developing your business proposal and attendance is one of the indicators of this. Workshops for Phase1 are held on weekends to facilitate those who are working during the week, on a Friday evening and Saturday morning and/or afternoon. Phase1 is part-time, with workshops held on weekends to facilitate those who are working during the week. Phase 2 however is full time with mandatory workshops. The deliverable at the end of Phase 2 is an investor ready business plan. While on Phase 2 of New Frontiers and in receipt of the stipend: During Phase 2, participants will meet with a sector specific HPSU DA [from Industrial or from Software Enterprise / Communication & Digital Media, depending on the project]. However the Enterprise Ireland Regional Development Executive remains the primary Enterprise Ireland contact for the participant until formal handover to HPSU/County Enterprise Board.
At the final exit meeting (i.e. the 6 month review) the participant will be assessed by a panel consisting of the Regional Director (or deputy), the LEO, HPSU DA, IoT. This will provide a forum to formally decide the best route forward for each participant. No, Phase 2 participants are not clients of Enterprise Ireland, they are participants on an Enterprise Ireland supported programme. The New Frontiers stipend is intended to fund the participant to deliver a robust business plan, without further feasibility funding. Funding for the next step should be the Competitive Start Fund or a HPSU investment. However, if at the end of 6 months the participant has a business plan that clearly demonstrates the business’ potential but there is a gap that must be addressed before applying for next stage funding (CSF, HPSU investment) additional supports may be considered by Enterprise Ireland. HPSU feasibility may be agreed by the DA/DM at the discretion of the HPSU team and will only be in cases where there is clear added value. While on Phase 2 of New Frontiers and for two years post approval date (date of letter of offer) Participants (and their business partners) cannot apply for Competitive Feasibility Funding. This rule also applies to recipients of HPSU Feasibility Grants. The deliverable for Competitive Feasibility Funding is a business plan and this is already covered by New Frontiers and the associated stipend. The potential supports for HPSUs include: Attendance sheets are signed by Participants at each official workshop in compliance with Enterprise Ireland requirements. The Participants’ official record of attendance is the signed attendance sheet. Signing in and leaving does not constitute attendance. Yes. No, we do not take equity in your company. The monthly scholarship payment is made to you personally as the entrepreneur and must be to your personal bank account. Funding of the salary stipend during Phase 2 of New Frontiers is not a De Minimis approval as it is funding for education. In this respect the IOTs are acting in their role not as “undertakings”, but as publicly funded providers of education. As no undertakings are in receipt of State funds, the State Aid rules do not apply. That depends on which Phase you are on, to give you an idea here is the calendar of sessions -
For a typical Phase 1 - Phase 1 NF3 Calendar
For a typical Phase 2 - Phase 2 Google Calendar In terms of the content of your slide deck please have a look at -About the Programme
Are there Internships/Work Placements available in the Startup companies?
Once I complete the Register Your Interest form have I applied for your programme?
1. Details about you.
2. Details about your business opportunity.
3. The stage you are at (don't worry, we are interested in working with you even if you are only at the concept stage).
4. Any market research you have carried out.
5. Approximate Financial projections (we know that at this stage these will be very approximate).Is there anything I need to do prior to recruitment?
When is the closing date for applications once you are open for applications?
Is the Programme full-time or part-time?
How many places are available on each phase of the programme?
Can I bring my business partners to Clinics and Workshops?
For workshops and clinics on Phase 2 only the named entrepreneur may attend the sessions. In some cases the team can attend Clinics however this is not ideal in the limited amount of time available.
General Information
Are there Internships/Work Placements available in the Startup companies?
Are there any internet hotspots in Docklands Innovation Park?
What is Hothouse New Frontiers?
What does New Frontiers provide for would be Entrepreneurs?
• Mentoring from experienced business advisers and practitioners.
• Office (hot desk), and other business incubation facilities.
• €15,000 scholarship grant from Enterprise Ireland for individuals participating in Phase 2.
• Networking with other entrepreneurs and business development agencies.
• Introductions to seed and early stage capital investment networks.
• Access to entrepreneurship best practice, both national and international.
• Peer-group learning from participants in the region and across the country.
• Access to the expertise in Enterprise Ireland through their market information centre.
• Expertise from DIT Hothouse and the supportive environment of our business incubation centre
Where is DIT Hothouse New Frontiers Located?
Dublin Institute of Technology
Bernadette O’Reilly – Incubation Manager
Hothouse Innovation Centre
E-mail: bernadette.oreilly@hothouse.ie
Phone: 01 240 1309
Website: http://www.dit.ie/hothouse/entrepreneurs/Where do the Facilitators come from?
Should I bring my business partner/s to the interview?
Is there a standard format for presentations for Phase 2 interviews?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNG0etmnwuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxR8lh9riFg
In terms of body language/visual communication skills when presenting -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHX-xnP_G5s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ICuHhbHvMA&feature=related
What kind of questions can I expect at Selection Interviews?
• An insight into your own professional background
• Your idea, where it came from and the problem/need it addresses
• Any market research you have undertaken and what you have learned from this:
• The market opportunity
• Competitors
• Differentiation (what will make your product/service different/better?)
• The stage of development of the product or service (i.e. have you actually started to build it yet?)
• Your team - is there anyone else involved in the business?
• Your plan for the business over the next 12 months?
• How you see the business and yourself benefiting from New Frontiers?
What's the difference between Hothouse New Frontiers and an accelerator programme?
What do I get if I get onto Phase 2?
Is the Hothouse/New Frontiers programme for individuals, teams, or both?
Where are the best places for startups to seek Interns?
http://gradireland.com/work-experience
http://www.digitalmarketingjobs.ie/
http://dublinstartupjobs.com/internships/
CEI France - Contact alison@cei-frenchcentre.com
Global Experiences - Contact Melissa@globalexperiences.comIncubation Centre
Are there any internet hotspots in Docklands Innovation Park?
Where do I/can I park at Docklands Innovation Park?
What are the opening hours of the gates at Docklands Innovation Park?
Monday to Friday
5am to 9pm
Saturday, Sunday
9am to 5pm
Bank Holidays
Closed
On the Programme
How do I use Google Calendar?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iTsxQFvQZQ
This article provides 40 tips for Google Calendar:
http://broncobytes.boisestate.edu/blog/2009/05/20/40-quick-tips-for-using-google-calendar/Why am I receiving Google Calendar invites?
Should I have a Gmail account (or have my domain hosted on Gmail)?
See tutorial for creating a Gmail account: https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?service=mail&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F<mpl=default&hl=en-GB )What if I am not able to make a scheduled Clinic?
Your Facilitator may agree to reschedule your clinic, when calling you might ask if this is possible however it is at their discretion.Can I get incubation space there?
Why do I need to sign a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)?
Phase 1
How many workshops/clinics are there on the Hothouse New Frontiers programme?
Is attendance mandatory in Phase 1?
When are workshops held for Phase 1?
Is the Programme full-time or part-time?
Phase 2
What is the deliverable expected of Participants at the end of Phase 2?
While I am on Phase 2 can I continue to work in full time employment?
Participants cannot receive any other funding (including paid employment) to cover their salary.
Participants can apply for Competitive Start Funding but cannot draw down this funding until they have completed drawdown of the New Frontiers stipend or declined further stipend drawdown. Competitive Start Funding covers the next stage in business development and cannot run concurrently with early stage feasibility supports delivering business plans. Do I get an Enterprise Ireland Development Advisor during Phase 2
Am I allowed to say I am an Enterprise Ireland client if I am on Phase 2 of New Frontiers?
What kinds of funding can I access if I am on Phase 2?
What is the situation for participants in respect of Competitive Feasibility Funding?
What supports are there for High Potential Start-Ups (HPSU)
1. Direct matched investment
2. Feasibility study support
3. Innovation voucher/partnership
4. Relevant mentor for the stage you are at
5. Access to the overseas network of EI offices once company has proved itself in the Irish marketWhat qualifies as attendance?
Can New Frontiers participants to apply for Innovation Vouchers while on Phase 2 of the Programme?
Do you take equity in my business if I am accepted onto Phase 2?
Is the monthly payment to me as the entrepreneur or can I lodge it in my business bank account
Does the monthly payment on Phase 2 count in De Minimis Aid?
How many workshops/clinics are there on the Hothouse New Frontiers programme?
Is there a standard format for presentations for Phase 2 interviews?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNG0etmnwuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxR8lh9riFg
In terms of body language/visual communication skills when presenting -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHX-xnP_G5s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ICuHhbHvMA&feature=related
What do I get if I get onto Phase 2?