Supporting commercialisation of 14 UK SMEs developing leading edge solutions for the automotive and mobility markets. 

Client

Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP)

The challenge

Delivering a programme to support and develop plans for 14 mobility sector SMEs to identify, enter, and serve markets with a good fit for their solutions. The plans needed to include market entry strategies, business cases and financial forecasts. The evaluated markets were not limited to automotive.

Solution

The eight-month programme aims to increase the commercial and technological readiness for 14 UK SMEs developing leading-edge automotive and mobility solutions through a structured process. The programme builds up to gateway review where the SMEs present their commercialisations plans and pitch for £100k of additional grant funding. CLT’s responsibility within the programme was to support the development of the commercialisation plans, which contained information on value proposition, market and application prioritisation, route to market strategy, business model, financial projections, and competitor analysis. The evaluated markets to target for commercialisation were not limited to the automotive sector. During the eight-month programme we provided the following support to the SMEs to help their commercialisation activities and development of their plans.

• Direct mentorship: Each SME was provided an innovation and sector specialist with at least 15 years of relevant expertise who provided hands-on commercialisation advice via 1:1 support. The mentors were active in building commercialisation skills, prioritising efforts, facilitate contacts and introductions, and inputting into the financial projections.
• Commercialisation strategy workshop: CLT delivered an interactive workshop to provide the cohort a framework within which to develop a commercialisation strategy and build a common understanding of the importance of having a clear plan to achieve it.
• Producing a diagnostic plan: The aim of this diagnostic plan is to build an understanding of the commercial status of the SME and identify priority activities to complete, flesh out customer types (first adopter and longer term), outline value proposition, routes to market and business models.
• Fresh eyes panel session: CLT facilitated a 2-hours brainstorming session held with a panel of experts selected by APC. The sessions aim was to provide expert insight into the potential range of target customers, applications, benefits/value proposition, and business models for the SME’s innovative technologies. 
• Market selection and prioritisation: CLT worked with the SMEs to identify, gather information for, and prioritise different markets and applications for their technology using the CLT market selection tool. The tool uses a multi-criteria framework to evaluate and compare the different markets. The information used in the tool includes market size & growth, easy of entry, competitors, customer benefits, procurement challenges etc.
• Business Model Canvas (BMC) workshop and sessions: CLT delivered a Business Model Canvas workshop to the cohort detailing how to use it and providing case studies and examples. As a part of the regular mentor meetings, we reviewed and provided input to the SME’s BMCs and their underlying assumptions.
• Bespoke activities: The SMEs jointly with the mentor agreed on high value activities where CLT could provide support. These activities would often include detailed analysis carried out by CLT analysts. Examples include:
  • Financial planning, building financial forecasts, quantify funding needs for next milestones.
  • Techno-economics and cost modelling, full quantification and refinement and validation of value proposition.
  • Competitor analysis and positioning.
  • Market research – quantification of opportunity.
  • Validation of business model.

Outcome

CLT delivered bespoke acceleration support for APC where we helped SMEs to develop and validate their market entry strategy by providing access to deep sector and functional expertise through mentoring and workshops. APC has asked CLT to deliver the programme again.

We received positive feedback from the programme delivery and support to the SMEs. The APC have asked us to run the programme again.

Autoneura

“Autoneura now has a structured approach to discuss financial value proposition with customers due to the work carried out with CLT.”

PEDM

“I would like to thank the CLT team, especially Andrew Everett, for their support during the TDAP market focus phase.

Your team’s contribution has made a big difference to our business. We now have a better business structure and well ready for the next technology validation phase.”

ECOClassics

“Paul, as we reach the end of the TDAP ‘Market Evaluation’ phase, Nick and I want to thank you and your team for the outstanding support you have provided over the last 6 months. 

It has been indispensable, offering our team expert guidance in strategic planning, market analysis, and operational efficiency.  CLT’s experience and insights have enhanced our decision-making, seen risks before they become an issue, helped us mitigate them, and ultimately positioned our new business for a successful and sustainable future.”

Fuuse on the BMC work carried out with mentor.

“A key contributor to this plan was the Business Model Canvas as it encouraged Fuuse to consider each element of the solution, as well as take stock of the strong customer portfolio the company had and how this portfolio could be leveraged to accelerate the success of the proposition.”

Oxdrive

Provided verbal feedback based on their pitch deck, after mentor suggestion of how ‘value’ could be represented by showing an image of the existing system with all its component parts next to an image of their integrated system.  Oxdrive said it was a “gamechanger”.

Beacon Battery Design (Celltris) on mid-market review presentation.

“Fresh Eyes and the CLT programme has been transformational in our understanding of how we might commercialise our technology and expertise.”

Evotrack

“The TDAP delivery partner support that we received from CLT helped us greatly with refining our business plan, improving our value proposition, and reassessing our competitive advantage in the market. The guidance from our CLT mentor Paul Turner was an immense resource in this process and his help accelerated our company from an early stage where our main focus was mostly developing our technology to a much more mature stage where we strive for becoming a forward-looking customer-facing technology company.”