1. What is the Coach and Grow Programme?

In the Malaysian 2011 Budget tabled last year, it was announced by the Prime Minister that Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) would be tasked to lead a programme that would train existing entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to greater heights. Thus, the formulation of the Coach and Grow Programme (CGP), a market driven programme intended to bring together key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to train existing entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to greater heights, via coaching, networking and showcase events.

The CGP was mooted with the intent of overcoming challenges faced by entrepreneurs by looking into the key reasons entrepreneurs fail to grow or scale during crucial stages of their growth life cycle. Through the programme, Cradle aims to create a pipeline of high quality investable companies at various stages of growth for funding agencies, angel investors and venture capitalists (VCs); increase the number of companies that “survive” the pre-seed and seed stages of growth; fortify companies that are born global or intending to penetrate export markets to scale and go global; and encourage companies to explore IPOs as a funding avenue for growth and expansion. 

To ensure the success of the programme, Cradle has entered a collaborative agreement with Technopreneurs Association of Malaysia (TeAM), whereby Cradle will be the Programme Owner and TeAM will be the Project Manager to implement the coaching, training, and other capability development aspects of the programme, together with the support of Proficeo Consultants Sdn Bhd (Proficeo), who has been appointed the Programme Manager of the CGP for the purpose of implementation of coaching, training and the appointment of coaches for the CGP. 

The CGP is also supported by the Malaysian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (MVCA) and the Securities Commission (SC). The MVCA is a key supporting partner that serves as a member of the CGP’s Evaluation Panel and also participates as a Guest Coach, besides offering advisory, mentoring and guidance support to CGP participants. 

There are several programmes being offered by various coaching companies under the general umbrella of the CGP. Each programme will deliver specific content for entrepreneurs at pre-defined stages of growth and in some instances, customised content for specific industry sectors.  All programmes offered will follow the general coaching framework. 

Detailed information on the programme is available at http://cgp.com.my/about-cgp. 

 

2. What are the objectives of the Coach and Grow Programme?

The programme was mooted with the intent of overcoming challenges faced by entrepreneurs by looking into the key reasons entrepreneurs fail to grow or scale during crucial stages of their growth life cycle.

The programme aims to help entrepreneurs face challenges such as those identified by the CGP team as follows:

• The difficulty faced by pre-seed companies in getting early adopters
• The challenge faced by growth stage companies in achieving sustainability during the first few years of commercialisation
• The challenge of scaling and quick expansion faced by companies that manage to achieve sustainability
• The fear of going regional and global with no strategy to capture market in an unfamiliar foreign territory, faced by medium-sized enterprises




To create the optimal hands-on effect, the CGP is by design, a hands-on business improvement programme. It is a coaching and training programme designed to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and ‘show-how’ to implement strategies and plans during commercialisation and growth stages.



3. What is the application process like? 



Entrepreneurs will be required to complete an online application form available at the CGP website (http://cgp.com.my/cgp-application/), from which they will be assessed based on their responses and on whether they meet the eligibility criteria. The commercial potential of the entrepreneur’s business and his/her commitment and passion in taking their business forward will contribute towards their selection. 



The Application and Selection Process, which constitutes Stage I of the CGP, will see a total of 250 companies or teams selected to attend a Business Positioning Workshop where 2 representatives from each company or team will be trained and prepared to present an elevator pitch to an Evaluation Panel. The Evaluation Panel, which comprises a representative from Cradle, an industry representative (TeAM), a representative from the investment community (MVCA) and the coach appointed to run the programme, will then select 150 companies or teams who qualify, to move on to Stage II of the CGP, the Coaching stage. These 150 selected companies or teams will then be required to sign a scholarship agreement with Cradle and enrolled in the programme. 



4. When will the Coach and Grow Programme be launched? 



The Coach and Grow Programme will be launched on July 25, 2011. Applications will be accepted starting July 25 onwards and will close on August 24, 2011, a month after the launch date. 30th September 2011 due to overwhelming support and response from the industry and market for this programme.



5. What are the stages of the programme?



The overall CGP encompasses three stages:



• Stage I, the Application and Selection Process stage – Companies or teams will be invited to submit their applications online, from which 250 companies or teams will be selected for participation in the CGP. Upon selection, the selected 250 companies or teams will be required (mandatory) to send 2 representatives to attend a Business Positioning Workshop, where they will be trained and prepared to present an elevator pitch to an Evaluation Panel. The Evaluation Panel, which comprises a representative from Cradle, an industry representative (TeAM), a representative from the investment community (MVCA) and the coach appointed to run the programme, will then evaluate and select 150 companies or teams who qualify, to move on to Stage II of the CGP.
• Stage II, the Coaching stage – Coaching will be conducted in two phases during this stage – formal coaching (first 3 months) and informal coaching (subsequent 9 months).

• Formal coaching (first 3 months) – Upon selection by the Evaluation Panel, the 150 companies or teams will be formally notified and invited to sign a scholarship agreement with Cradle before being enrolled into the programme. These 150 companies or teams will then be required to send their 2 representatives (the same representatives which attended the Business Positioning Workshop in Stage I) to attend formal Group Coaching and One-to-One Coaching sessions. Attendances for both sessions by the representatives are compulsory.
• Informal coaching (subsequent 9 months) – Upon completion of the formal Group Coaching and One-to-One Coaching sessions, representatives will then be required to implement activities and plans, which will be tracked and monitored within a 9-months timeframe. All coaching will be conducted informally either via face-to-face meetings, telephone or online during this time. Representatives will also be required to submit monthly progress reports, which will be used to identify the best performing companies that will then be selected to receive additional assistance and invited to progress to Stage III of the CGP.

• Stage III, the Funders Showcases – During this stage, the best performing companies (top 30%) based on the monthly progress reports submitted, will be identified and selected to receive additional assistance and invited to participate in the Funders Showcases. However, there will also be supporting CGP events, such as Agency and Industry Showcases held during this stage, which will be available to all 150 companies or teams that participated in the CGP.

Detailed information on the various stages of the CGP is available at http://cgp.com.my/cgp-programs/.

6. Who from my company is expected to attend?

The 250 companies or teams selected to attend the coaching programme must send 2 representatives of the founder level, C-level or senior management level who have decision making powers within the organisation and therefore would be able to implement strategies discussed during the individualised coaching sessions.

7. Can individuals apply for the CGP?

The programme is targeted at companies and teams. Individuals can apply to the CGP but without a company or registered business, they can only apply for the AllStars programme for idea stage or the Biospheire programme because IHL/RI applications are expected to be from teams – with or without companies.

8. What is the cost of participation?

The value of the programme is RM10,000 per entrepreneur but there is no payment required from entrepreneurs to participate in the programme. However, all incidental costs incurred to attend the programme such as transportation and accommodation will need to be borne by the entrepreneurs.

9. Will I be required to pay back the ‘conditional scholarship’ to Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd?

Yes. If either of the 2 representatives from the said participating company or team fails to attend any of the programme’s mandatory activities, and/or fails to complete the programme, and/or withdraws from the programme at any stage. In such cases, the participating company or team will be obliged to repay a sum of RM10,000 per representative to Cradle.

10. Does the Malaysian Government sanction the programme? 

Cradle was given the mandate to run the programme by the government, announced by the Prime Minister himself in his capacity as the Minister of Finance during the tabling of the Malaysian Budget for 2011. As such, the programme is fully sanctioned by the government and Cradle will be reporting to the Ministry of Finance on the progress of the programme. 

11. Who are the experts that will be conducting the training workshops? 

Several coaches have been appointed for this programme. For detailed information on each coach and their respective programmes, please visit http://cgp.com.my/cgp-programs/. 

12. Where will the actual training workshops take place? 

The training workshops will be held at pre-determined venues within the Klang Valley. 

13. What are the dates of the Business Positioning Workshops? 

The Business Positioning Workshops will be held at various pre-determined dates. Successful applicants will be sent these dates ahead of time. 

14. Do I need to be available for the full 12 months in order to apply? 

Not necessarily. During Stage II i.e. within the first 3 months, representatives from all selected 150 companies or teams will need to attend all group training workshops, as well as one-on-one coaching sessions with your selected coach. 

For the remaining 9 months, all coaching will be conducted informally either via face-to-face meetings, telephone or online. All informal meetings will be arranged between the entrepreneurs and their respective coaches depending on the availability of the entrepreneurs as well as their coaches. For this stage although minimal mandatory physical presence is required, the commitment required from the entrepreneurs is to complete implementation of their tasks and to submit monthly progress reports and respond to any queries by their coaches. 

There will also be regular events organised for the benefit of the CGP entrepreneurs such as clinics, group sharing sessions, as well as events organised by TeAM, MVCA and other relevant associations which entrepreneurs will be invited to attend during the programme. 

15. What tasks will I be expected to complete during the training workshops? 

All representatives will be given assignments based on tasks agreed between them and their coaches during their personalised coaching sessions. Following that, the coaches and representatives will jointly develop a 9-month implementation plan and representatives will be required to submit monthly progress reports. These monthly reports will be scored and it will be used to determine the top 30% of performers who will be selected to receive additional assistance. This additional assistance forms Stage III of the CGP, which includes invitation to participate in the Funders Showcases for the top 30% of high performers. However, there will also be supporting CGP events, such as Agency and Industry Showcases held during this stage, which will be available to all 150 companies or teams that participated in the CGP. Therefore, representatives are encouraged to complete all tasks and exceed expectations, wherever possible, as the ability to complete tasks and excel at KPIs as determined will be vital in ensuring that the representatives qualify for Stage III of the programme. 

Do note however that non-completion of more than 20% of the entire programme will trigger the pay-back clause of RM10,000 per entrepreneur per company/team.

16. What criteria must companies meet in order to qualify? 

Each programme within the CGP framework has different criteria, but all applicants must have innovative technology ideas, prototypes or products. For more information on the specific additional criteria applicable to your company/team, please visit http://cgp.com.my/cgp-programs/. 

17. Will I be informed of the reasons why I was not selected for Stage II, the Coaching stage? 

The Evaluation Panel, which comprises a representative from Cradle, an industry representative (TeAM), a representative from the investment community (MVCA) and the coach appointed to run the programme, will make their selections based on your elevator pitch and your responses to queries raised. The decision of the Evaluation Panel is final. Please note that reasons for rejection will only be provided upon written requests. 

18. Will the companies that are selected for coaching be given any other incentives? 

There will be access to clinics, networking events, and sharing sessions organised for companies selected for coaching. In addition to this, there will be agency and market access events organised for entrepreneurs throughout the 12 month duration. For the top scorers, customised funding events will be organised.