Deloitte helps make mind and market meet

How to get an innovative project or business idea off the paper and into the market? That is where Mind & Market Luxembourg comes in, a joint project between several partners from the start-up ecosystem, coordinated at Deloitte by Emmanuelle Petit.

What is Mind & Market in Luxembourg?

Mind & Market in Luxembourg aims at facilitating and accelerating the transformation of innovative projects into business applications for the mutual benefit of young innovators and enterprises in Luxembourg and the Greater Region.

Mind & Market in Luxembourg is supported by Deloitte Luxembourg, Fonds National de la Recherche, Luxinnovation, University of Luxembourg, and Mind & Market ASBL. In Luxembourg it encourages innovators to meet potential partners via regular meetings, the online platform www.mindandmarket.lu, and an annual forum held this year at the Maison du Savoir in Belval on 30 June 2015.

Mind & Market in Luxembourg connects people from the world of academia and research with entrepreneurs. It also offers a link to local and international companies of all sizes and across all business sectors (healthcare, ICT, engineering, chemicals, food processing, marketing, management, sustainable development, etc.). In a nutshell, Mind & Market guides innovative project holders, helps setting up a team and advises on how to test the idea on the market.

Why was it launched in Luxembourg?

The launch of Mind & Market in Luxembourg is an opportunity to support the goal of innovation growth in Luxembourg. Mind & Market wants to support young innovators and research centers in Luxembourg in order to see their ideas transformed into products and services that will help to boost and diversify Luxembourg’s economy.

A lot of bright initiatives in Luxembourg aims at accompany and boost startups, Mind & Market in Luxembourg is at the genesis of the idea on the innovation value chain.

Why are private initiatives needed to help boost the start-up scene?

It is crucial to foster a culture of innovation in Luxembourgish organizations. Many companies have made it a priority to focus on innovation, but there is still room for improvement, as reveals the results of the recent Deloitte Innovation Survey. Indeed, less than half of the companies have a well-defined action plan to execute and implement their innovation strategy.

Only one third of surveyed companies cooperate or consider to collaborating with start-ups or spin-offs. Yet, start-ups need a lot of support and guidance. The supporters of the Mind & Market in Luxembourg initiative are combining their energy to support innovative, entrepreneurial projects. We want to unite all the initiatives and key players from the innovative ecosystem to efficiently help entrepreneurships in various areas and at the different stages of maturity of a project.

 Where do you see Luxembourg innovation in five years?

I think Luxembourg has all the assets to become a successful example of an economy that connect the market with the most innovative minds in Europe. Luxembourg could become a center for research and innovation, bringing together innovative minds from Europe and global potential partners in Luxembourg.

We have already noticed the interest of some entrepreneurs to set up in the Luxembourg to develop their projects within different sectors healthcare, biotech, ICT and data centres, security, digital etc.

What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs?

Be passionate! Trust your idea and get concrete. Test it on the market, get quality feedback, meet the right people and gain market access.

Come pitch your economic model to a jury of experts!

Mind & Market could help you bring your innovative project to market. Join the Mind and Market in Luxembourg community by posting your project on the Luxembourg ‘Mind & Market’ website: www.mindandmarket.lu

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