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TechBiz: innovation management for tech companies

Le Parcours TechBiz manage l’innovation des entreprises technologiques
Published on
22 October 2018

Do you work for a tech startup, SME or mid-cap? Does your company need to refine its business model, clarify its market strategy or translate tech “advantages” into a language that matches your target audience? Grenoble Ecole de Management offers access to innovation and tech management resources that can support your technical and engineering teams. Discover how to unite high tech and business expertises to create a shared language.

The TechBiz program is a continuation of GEM’s DNA, which focuses on technological and entrepreneurial management. The program is supported by IRT Nanoelec and provides innovative companies with access to highly motivated students as well as a GEM professor/mentor. The goal of the program is to enable the students to carry out an analysis of a tech company and offer relevant advice to guide the business.

Over the past two years, GEM has already collaborated with the SATT Linksium (a company dedicated to acceleration and tech transfer), a CEA Grenoble startup, and the InnoSport cluster in the Voironnais region, as well as several major accounts such as Radiall.

Defining a market & business oriented approach

For the third year in a row, TechBiz will offer tech companies the opportunity to benefit from the support of undergraduate students at GEM who are passionate about new technology. From January to April, teams of four GEM students will spend four half-days per week working on this mission. “The missions are based on a thorough reflection. What consequences will new technology have on a company’s business model? How can the company adjust its market strategy?” explains Pierre-Paul Jobert, an assistant professor at GEM and the Univ Grenoble Alpes ComUE.

Taking advantage of a variety of expertise

To increase the expertise of teams on mission, the TechBiz program combines students from GEM and fourth year engineering students from Polytech in Grenoble. "Out of 40 students, half of them will work on mixed teams to carry out a dozen missions at companies. Their mixed profiles will enable them to clearly understand business challenges from the perspective of techniciens, engineers and technical directors. The goal is to enable the creation of a shared language!"

Serving business and education

One of the strengths of the TechBiz program is that its student teams are supported by experience mentors to facilitate the process. These GEM mentors will work with the teams and validate the advice they provide companies. "Generally, mentors are managers or directors nearing the end of their career, professionals in the process of changing careers or young working professionals, all of whom are highly interested and experienced in technology," explains Pierre-Paul. "By holding 12 meetings with their mentor, students are able to reconstruct everything they learned in academic terms and apply it to the company in a very operational manner. The result is a thorough analysis that is validated by an experienced mentor."

Answers delivered on a platter

Are you a tech startup or company looking to:

  • Design your business model
  • Transform a technology into an innovation product or service
  • Define a marketing position and an approach strategy for a disruptive solution
  • Develop explicit communications about an emerging technology
  • Define client typologies and adjust your model

The TechBiz program is made for you!

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