Established in 1997, LiveWIRE in the Netherlands supports technical innovative entrepreneurs to grow their companies. The programme provides the following services:

• Advice for technical innovative entrepreneurs (so called Technostarters that have been in business between one and five years). The advice is provided by a professional Syntens coach (Ministry of Economic Affairs).
• LiveWIRE master classes on growth, marketing, sales and strategy.
• Shell LiveWIRE vouchers for advice from a Shell expert.
• Advice by programme partner, Mazars, on financial and legal topics.
• Finance workshops.
• Annual awards to recognise and reward outstanding entrepreneurs.

Each year the programme provides a professional network and free coaching, advice, training and master classes to 600 start-up companies. To date it has helped more than 3000 entrepreneurs in this way.

The programme works with the following partners:

• Syntens (a body of the Ministry of Economic Affairs) runs the programme in the Netherlands. They also provide coaching and a valuable innovation network.
• Mazars provide free specialist advice on finance and legal topics.
  
• Financieele Dagblad, the leading financial magazine, became a media partner for the LiveWIRE Young Business Awards. This generates good coverage of the programme and of the four winners.

The Shell LiveWIRE awards generate fantastic free publicity for the young businesses and are a tremendously powerful advertisement for them. In turn, the businesses become role models for other budding entrepreneurs. Also, because the programme has a ceiling of helping up to 600 companies each year, it creates a small but very powerful network, which is highly valued by the entrepreneurs involved.

www.livewire.nl

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