TOP Program

TOP Program

The TOP program is there for all innovative starting and growing organizations in Twente who (want to) collaborate with the University of Twente and/or Saxion.

Entrepreneurs who manage to acquire a TOP position will receive support in the following forms:

• Support from coaches with developing the business plan;
• Professional market scan that offers valuable insights;
• A loan of €40,000 with excellent terms, including zero interest and no repayment during the first (and under conditions) the second years.
• Support by Mazars Accountants to set up a proper financial administration in order to successfully acquire this loan;
• Coaching and advice pertaining to legal matters, including corporate law;
• Support from IP specialists with matters pertaining to protecting your idea or invention;
• Support and advice pertaining to marketing and communication;
• Support with finding knowledge- or technical intensive support for a product or service from the University of Twente and/or Saxion;
• Business coaching;
• The option to use Novel-T’s offices and meeting rooms;
• Access to relevant top-quality networks;
• A one-year membership to Technologie Kring Twente.

Conditions of participation

In order to apply for a position in the program, a number of conditions have to be met:

• The business is no older than five years and has or will have a Chamber of Commerce registration;
• An innovative and/or knowledge-intensive and scalable business case;
• The business has not applied for and been granted a TOP position in the past;
• The business demonstrably contributes to the economic development of the East Netherlands region;
• The business and the University of Twente and/or Saxion currently collaborate or intend to do so in the future.

Conditions for financial support TOP Program

You’ll find the overview of all the conditions for the financial support in this document.

Procedure

To qualify for the TOP program, the following procedure must be followed:

1. Intake meeting with the coordinator
2. Submission of intake form (Check conditions of participation)
3. Support in improving business plan (workshop, accountant, one-to-one meetings)
4. Submission of final business plan + check completeness (deadline: every first Wednesday of the month)
5. Presentation and rating by TOP commission (scheduled: every third Wednesday of the month)
6. After approval, an explanation of the supporting services on offer in the TOP programme
7. 6-month evaluation with the TOP commission
8. Final evaluation with the TOP commission after one year

Intake form for TOP

We ask you to fill in the form completely, but only after the intake meeting with the coordinator. You can find the intake form here. Please fill this in completely and we will contact you for further procedure.

Assessment and committee

The TOP Committee is made up of experienced entrepreneurs and possibly supplemented with representatives from the UT, Saxion, Business Development team and financial experts. The committee meets on every third Wednesday of the month for the presentations of the potential TOP participants. The decision is based on the presentation and the business plan. The presentation takes 15 minutes, after which there are 15 minutes given over to questions. Afterward, the commission discusses the business plan and the presentation. The cordinator will contacxt you as soon as possible about the decision.

Key points for the business plan

There are a number of things that must be described in the business plan:

• Financial paragraph with the TOP loan and repayment obligation;
• The motivation for submitting a proposal to the TOP programme;
• Evidence of the added value for the East Netherlands region (e.g. location of business)
• How cooperation with Saxion and UT is envisaged.

You’ll find a concise checklist of the business plan here. In case you need extra information for writing the business plan or draw up the financial part, the coordinator can supply in this.

What do we expect from a TOP participant?

The TOP programme offers a huge amount of financial and practical advantages. Both financial and practical. We expect, in return, a certain level of effort from a TOPper. This effort should be obvious at the final meeting at which we expect the following from the entrepreneur:

• A presentation of the state of progress of the business plan;
• Transparency and an overview of the use of TOP loan;
• Annual financial report for the year ended from an accounts department. The annual report must be signed by an accountant. The signature confirms for the committee that the report has been fully and properly authorized and compiled;

Should any of these not be submitted to the committee or are deemed unsatisfactory, then a decision may be taken against the granting of interest-free funding for the second and third years. Interest will then be charged after year one.

Monitor of TOP results

Countless businesses have acquired a TOP position in the past. The TOP support has helped many of these companies realize impressive growth. We monitor these results periodically. You will find an overview of the success rates here.

Frequently asked questions

You’ll find all the frequently asked question here. We have tried to be as complete as possible with these FAQs. However, if you cannot find the answers you are looking for please contact the coordinator.