What’s the application process like at Orange Grove?

Once a year Orange Grove announces a call for applications for its Incubation Programme. It is the most exciting time of the year for us, as high-potential ideas come in by talented founders reaching out for support from the Orange Grove ecosystem. So, how does one become part of this innovative ecosystem?

The application system of Orange Grove is a 2-stage process. It consists of submission of an online application and the interview. Usually, a call for applications is announced during the summer and remains open for about 3 months. Interested parties are invited to submit an online form with a short description of their idea and its innovation. Shortlisted applications are then called to interview, where an international selection committee discusses with the founders the different aspects of the latter’s new venture. The ventures selected by the committee join Orange Grove’s Incubation Programme. During the 6-month period that follows they will validate their business idea, define their business model, find their market fit, train on various entrepreneurship tools, such as research, financial modelling, marketing, pitching, etc., draft their action plan and most importantly network. All this takes place through workshops, mentoring, 1:1 sessions, meetups and much more.

So, who is Orange Grove looking for to join its programme and what are the common errors we see in applications?

What we look for at Orange Grove

· Orange Grove is looking for entrepreneurial ideas that incorporate and promote innovation. The innovation can lie in the product / service or in the business model. You may be creating a very innovative, new product / service. But you may also be creating an existing product / service in a very different and innovative way.

· Value creation is very important. Be it economic and/or social value, applications creating impact will be favoured.

· Orange Grove is sector agnostic. This means that we are not looking for entrepreneurial ideas from specific sectors. Innovative ideas come from all sectors.

· We love tech. We know tech. We believe in tech. But we do not accept only tech.

· Unicorns are great. Hosting a potential unicorn would be great. But in the meantime, if your promising idea has the potential to promote innovation, scale, create jobs, disrupt a sector, address a niche market, create spill-over effects in your local economy or a positive footprint in society, we want your application.

· Innovative ideas are what you will find in Orange Grove. But the idea alone is not enough. Ideas change. Ideas are plentiful. We will probably receive the same idea multiple times in our application rounds. It is the people behind the idea that count. It is with the people that we will be working with. It is the people who will make or break the idea. So, the people are above the idea in our selection criteria. It is not uncommon, for an application to be accepted because of the people behind it rather than the idea. It’s when we see a special something, good chemistry, positive team dynamics, things like that which indicate that no matter what, this team will create something amazing. Similarly, it is not uncommon for our selection committee to pass on a strong idea when the individual or team does not feel right. Creativity, open-mindedness, flexibility, commitment, openness to feedback, are just some of the traits we are looking for.

· Before applying check if your business proposition conforms with the national and EU legal framework. We are unable to accept ideas whose legal aspects are unclear.

· Diversity and inclusion are important to us. We believe that in the year 2021 this should be a given and go without saying. So, we will not elaborate further on that. Our portfolio record speaks for itself.

Common errors we see in applications & interviews

Over the years we have noticed some common missteps some applicants may take when applying to Orange Grove (and probably to any incubator).

· Lazy and copy/paste applications are more obvious than you think. They will not make it through to the shortlist. If one cannot devote time to the application, chances are they will not devote time to the programme. We prefer offering the spot to someone who will.

· This is an application not a thesis. Our selection committee goes through dozens of applications. Make your answers short and to the point so that they can easily understand your concept and approach. It is easy to get tempted to write long answers about the subject you are passionate about. But longer applications are not better applications.

· Keep your “secret sauce”, secret for now. At this stage we don’t want to know all the details. We are interested in what you are going to achieve, not the details of how you are going to achieve it. Be especially wary of disclosing IP. So, please no designs, no recipes, no code.

· We understand you wish to stand out as unique and innovative. But stating you have no competition is not the way to make this point. Chances are you have competition, direct or indirect. Stating you don’t, implies that you probably haven’t done your research. If your product/service solves a problem for your potential customer, then look at how this customer is currently resolving that problem today. If he/she isn’t, maybe it is not a problem after all (which means your idea may be in trouble). Focus on how you are resolving this problem in a better way than your competition.

And what about the interviews?

· If you make it to interviews, make sure you effectively present your idea but you also allow the committee to ask questions. They are there to discuss with you, not to be taught. You are excited about your idea. We get it. You can probably talk for hours about it. But interviews are 20’. Rehearse your pitch, keep it short and allow for conversation.

· Be honest. We will figure it out very soon anyway, if you are not…

· Use your interview time wisely. Avoid using powerpoint presentations, video (especially video) or other fancy gimmicks. You may eat up your time trying to connect, share your screen and deal with usual tech mishaps that happen when we are under stress.

· And do your research. Asking the selection committee what Orange Grove is and what it offers will make an impression. Just not the one you want.

Going through an application and selection process is challenging and time consuming. But it can be very rewarding. Even if not accepted, you can learn a lot as you will have gone through a great training exercise of seeking answers and presenting your business proposition. No matter the outcome, we wish you the best of luck!

P.S: In the latest episode of “À la carte with Angeliki Savvidou”, Orange Grove’s General Manager, Alexandra Sarma introduces us to Orange Grove and shares even more info on things you should know and pay attention to as you prepare to apply for our next Incubation Round. Check it out here!