Last year, we received a letter that was only sent to three Polish Companies. This letter, which made us very proud, was the announcement that we had won and become a beneficiary of the SME Instrument phase two. The SME Instrument is a very prestigious grant of the European Commission which provides funding within the Horizon 2020 programme. Our specialists had been working on this project for over two years. Whilst some of our attempts were unsuccessful, we never gave up.

How did we achieve this success? It is commonly known that the pitch interview is a difficult obstacle. What did we do to succeed in this interview? How did we prepare for it?

In this uploaded podcast (available only in Polish) made by the National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the EU, InPhoTech’s CEO, Tomasz Nasiłowski describes thirteen advisory tips to entrepreneurs who would like to take part in the programme, which provides not only funding but also facilitates business networking and support of the European Commission. Those tips are as follow:

1. The European Commission is your investor; you must write the project proposal as if you want to sell it to them
2. You must show conviction in your belief in the success of your company.
3. You must show conviction that your company will be a profitable and favourable investment.
4. PITCH SESSION: Be enthusiastic: describe your company in a way that makes your recipients want to invest in it straight away.
5. Be aware of the ‘proof of concept trap’. Don’t give away all details of your company. Focus on the amplification of profitability and the innovative aspects of your project.
6. PITCH SESSION: No one will invest in something they don’t understand. Tailor your narrative thoroughly for your recipients. Be mindful of the time constraint for your presentation – don’t go too deeply into specific technical details of your idea.
7. PITCH SESSION: You need to show that you believe that your solution is needed, that it will fill a gap in the industry, that your solution is required by the market.
8. Provide business reference letters with recommendations, and give evidence of the support you have from business partners or clients. An Advisory Board will make you a more credible entrepreneur.
9. The grant provides many benefits, not only financial ones. All of them are worth fighting for, so don’t give up if you fail on the first attempt.
10. Build a good working team of proactive people who engage themselves fully in your project and the company vision – show that you can cooperate well.
11. PITCH SESSION: Build up a sense of security with your evaluators, be authentic.
12. PITCH SESSION: Practice, practice, and once again, practice for your presentation. You have to be fully prepared; your project won’t defend itself.
13. When writing about your project use experienced companies that provide professional advice.

We encourage you to participate in the next round of this programme; let there be more of us!