INCUBATOR Cooperatives
INCUBATOR cooperatives
Providing support AN.KA in any kind of innovative collective projects, almost simultaneously began with its creation. The support included a range of services such as secretarial support (the simplest format) and reached to the most complex: hospitality in the spaces available. In this case AN.KA functioned as "incubator." Initial initiatives date from 1994 and include:
• The hospitality Credit Development Cooperative Karditsa (1994 - 1996) which is evolving into the Cooperative Bank of Karditsa. Today is a shareholder with a large contribution to the functioning and effectiveness of the company and has two members on the Board.
• Provide support to women cooperatives (1994 - 1997) played an important role in the development of agrotourismPlastiras Lake and other mountain areas of the county
The operation of the company as a local supportive mechanism encouraged the proliferation of startups collective projects, especially after the onset of the crisis. Thus, in the current period provided Incubator services in the following collaborative formats:
1. Energy Cooperative Company Karditsa (Urban Cooperative)
2. Agricultural Cooperative Pulses and Nutrition Products Karditsa
3. Building Materials Business Network (GSSE)
4. Union Agro Thessaly (GSSE)
5. KoinSEp "distaff"
6. KoinSEp "ALLAZO"
7. Parents CwD
Alongside the services of technical support in various operating fields in the following collaborative formats:
1. Agricultural Cooperative fruitfulness
2. Agricultural Cooperative Stevia
3. Urban Cooperative Recycling
4. Business Network Food and Drink (GSSE)
5. KoinSEp "Taste Village"
6. ecosphere (NGOs)
The Incubator services provided to date in collaborative schemes, briefly are:
- Hosting (space allocation for headquarters). Perhaps imagining a concession to the guests autonomous spaces. This is not so, but for the inclusion of the guest's body into the functioning of the company itself. It includes mainly the allocation of space for meetings of the institutions and an office for a member (if you hire someone). The meeting space is common to all the guests and for the needs of the company itself.
- Technical support to the establishment of procedures, such as the statute configuration. This is not the legal part, but for the organization of the discussion among the members as to the substance of the partnership ends, the relations of the members with each other, etc.. The debate is on the premises of the company or in a village in an area usually reserved by government. There is always a happy end! (The example of DP pepper and KoinSEpexchange)
- Sensitization potential partners through the organization of events in Karditsa or in the villages, through the operation display in the printed and electronic media, the Social Media etc. Awareness is done in two phases. Before the establishment of the cooperative to attract founding members after the enlargement of the cooperative.
- Secretarial Services (compliance with Board practice, GA, records management and compliance membership registry, guest information etc.). When the cooperative "graduate" has a complete and organized file.
- Support for Information and Communication Technologies (H/PC, internet, projection, etc.)
- Coordination meetings team members, organization and coordination of the Board of Directors and General Meetings
- Support the design and implementation of Business Plans
- Education
- The Connection with Universities and Research Institutes, as well as special experts for specific technical areas and expertise of concern to the group.
- Information on funding and development cooperation outside the team potential
The aim of these services is to reset the start-up costs which discourage participation and involvement. Besides, in the case of the unemployed, there is no possibility to cover them.
In addition, work Incubator Cooperative is networking collaborative shapes together in order to:
• The satisfaction of common and complementary aims.
• The expansion of economic and trade
• Developing common services and functions (such as the education of their members, the visibility, the joint marketing organization, quality certification, etc.).
• The formation of policy positions to promote them in decision-making
• The organization of lobbying
Support networking among cooperative shapes provided in addition to the foregoing and in the following collaborative formats:
1. Agricultural Cooperative Cattle Karditsa
2. Agricultural Cooperative "New Union"
3. Agricultural Cooperative "Dionysus"
4. Agricultural Cooperative Industrial Tomato "Demeter"
5. heliciculturePanhellenic Association
The Incubator Cooperative Development Karditsa last, began to organize and consolidate the services in stages as follows:
1st stage: Reception and evaluation stakeholders, which include:
- Ypodochi- Profiling
- Training for CV preparation and self
- Counseling and guidance to outlets in the labor market
The purpose of these services is the stakeholder support to orient the labor market as employees or develop economic activity in several ways:
• Create their own business (if you have the appropriate profile)
• Participation in collaborative ventures (if you have a social entrepreneur profile).
The reception and evaluation services are provided to people who are unemployed or work part-time, but wish to engage in collective entrepreneurship or to establish or participate in collaborative schemes all forms: Urban or Rural Cooperatives, KoinSEp etc.
Stage 2: Support before starting (prestart-up) enterprise
1st case: Private Enterprise. Services offered include:
- Assessment of the person concerned as to the business profile
- Preparatory education establishing business
- Technical support in the business start up procedures
- Counselling - Education in running the business (logistika- tax consulting, administrative issues, etc.)
2nd case: Enterprise Social Economy. Services offered include:
- Preparatory training for group membership
- Assessment of / the / the interested / Managing for participation in collaborative schemes
- Counselling - Education in group mode ( «team building»)
- Support to the cooperative schema creation processes (statutes, rules of procedure etc.)
- Technical assistance in attracting partners (members of the cooperative or social economy enterprises)
- Counselling - Education in Collaborative Business (logistika- tax consulting, administrative issues, etc.)
Stage 3: Support during the business start (start-up),
Services offered include:
- Counselling - Education for the development of the idea and the business plan training
- Counselling - Education in canvassing (plan marketing)
- Technical support in the context of investment readiness (housing area finder procedures of the company, necessary permits, etc.)
Purpose of stages 2 and 3 is to acquire abilities and skills relevant to the operation of the business or cooperative scheme. At the end of this step the participating organizations (or individuals) will acquire the "investment readiness certificate", which seeks to have increased validity to result in access to financial tools (eg loan guarantee, micro-credit, etc.).
This approach has been developed through the project "Social Entrepreneurship Support Network, SES Net" which is one of the pilot projects approved in the first script (Strand A - first beneficiaries Round) by DG Employment, of Social Affairs and Inclusion European Commission (Contract Number: VP / 2013/017/0089).
The Social Entrepreneurship Support Network - SES Net is the Development Karditsa SA initiative, (AN.KA AE), in collaboration with the Cooperative Bank of Karditsa, the bvbaHelde, the Greek Local Development Company (HBA AA). The program also has the support of the Union of Cooperative Banks Association (E.S.T.E), European Union of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA) and the Ecological Recycling Society. Purpose of SES Net is the establishment of a local cooperation for social financial, which, starting from Karditsa, could lead to the development of a social financial instrument in order to finance social enterprises in Greece. This social financial tool could be a catalyst for attracting and encouraging investment to be made by social enterprises.
The main objectives of SES Net are:
• Developing a funding model to facilitate social enterprises of all forms.
• The development of the financing offer to the Social Cooperative Enterprises (Koin.S.Ep), other social enterprises and possibly young people intending to start small businesses.
• Motivation candidate social entrepreneurs.
The key "deliverable" of SESnet project is a written agreement between institutions that are willing to implement its objectives. The written agreement already signed between the following:
• Development Karditsa AN.KA A.E,
• Cooperative Bank of Karditsa,
• BVBA Helder,
• Greece Union of Cooperative Banks,
• Cooperative Bank of Epirus,
• Cooperative Bank of Chania,
• GSSE "KoinSEp Central Macedonia Network"
• Social Cooperative Enterprise 180 Degrees
• KEPA – ANEM
Already these bodies are working to create a collaborative ecosystem in principle in four regions of the country: Thessaly, Epirus, Crete and Central Macedonia and will be expanded nationwide. The pilot will start from Karditsa. The diagram below shows the main parts of the Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: The Incubator, the Banking, financial tools, the (Cooperative) Bank and Social Business.
4th stage: Implementation Support Services business plan and starting the business, which includes the monitoring function in the first two years (follow-up).
1st case: Private Enterprise. Services offered include:
- Support in the implementation of the investment plan
- Technique - Counselling - Education of Board members, employees and economic - administrative services of the company
- Counselling - Networking for implementing the plan marketing and development extroversion
- Monitoring of development, economic and social (social impact) indicators of business
2nd case: Enterprise Social Economy. The services other than those that will be offered in the previous case will additionally include:
- Technique - Counselling - Education of Board members, employees and economic - administrative services of the company
- Monitoring of development, economic and social (social impact) indicators of business
The main purpose of this stage is to support enterprises (private or cooperative) to ensure stability in the market, business efficiency and social recognition. Monitoring of business in their first years operation and measurement of various indicators (economic and development indicators, social impact) is particularly important for the success of the incubator.
Stage 5: Education and Networking Services business and cooperative shapes. Services offered include:
- Networking of private enterprise or cooperative schemes between them (create clusters) in order to satisfy the common and complementary objectives in order to squeeze costs (joint marketing, joint participation in exhibitions, etc.) and the development of trade and economic transactions between them.
- Networking of private enterprise or cooperative schemes with institutions and organizations (research institutes, universities, business networks etc.) in order to develop new services and products and boosting their extroversion.
- Measurement of development, economic and social (social impact) indicators of the company for the purpose of recognition at regional, national, European and international level
- Create and implement training packages for members of the Board and employees of the Corporation in order to improve services or of products
The services provided under this stage is horizontal for all enterprises and cooperative patterns regardless if they were created by the Incubator Cooperative or not.