Keywords: marketing, startups

Entrepreneurship and new product development program EVOLUT 4.0 is focused on developing innovative technology-based business ideas in Industry 4.0 based on unique set of carefully selected international methodologies. It guides serial entrepreneurs and young start-ups throughout innovation development process striving to lead them towards successful product commercialization and scale-up sales.

To develop innovative business idea from its initial stage towards successful commercialization in high sales a comprehensive support is frequently needed. When innovative solution is introduced to the market not only a breakthrough technology is behind it but also the business model and a number of other strategical solutions play an important role and often requires various expertise in order to incorporate it in companys or start-ups daily operations and commercial offer. Responding to this identified need and following the industrial transformation oriented towards digitalization Kaunas Science and Technology Park designed a program for entrepreneurship and new product development in an era of 4th industrial revolution EVOLUT 4.0. The purpose of creating the program is threefold: first, to provide a comprehensive support to technology-intensive companies and young start-ups in business and new products development throughout the innovation and commercialization process second, to transfer the knowledge to entrepreneurs who are constantly developing solutions enabling them to adapt their business models, initial ideas, processes and commercial offers to the market needs so to ensure and then increase the sales third, to provide support to those future oriented entrepreneurs responding to industrial transfer towards digitalization and digital ecosystem. Therefore EVOLUT 4.0 incorporates a unique set of carefully selected and validated international methodologies to guide technology-based companies and entrepreneurs in developing their technologies which will rock the market and change the world. The success in development of a unique technological solution responding to the market needs is only one side of a coin, since it is equally important to successfully commercialize the product and improve its sales to enable companys continuous innovation. Therefore it is important to underline that the program is focused not only on business development until commercialization, but also on scaling-up the sales of existing products which are already launched to the market and thus supports not only young start-ups but also more matured innovative companies. EVOLUT 4.0 includes business development consultations, targeted training sessions and seminars on relevant topics, identified problems or according to the development stage of a product, mentorship from successful companies operating in the similar sector or having relevant experience.

EVOLUT 4.0 program is innovative in several ways. Certain solutions made in the program development distinguished it from the rest incubation programs already applied in STPs, moving it from ""one of many"" towards ""one-of-a-kind"". The program shifted a focus from incubating businesses at an early development stage and is designed for companies present in various stages of product development and commercialization process, including post-launch management, so to be of a benefit for a wide range of existing and newly joining technology-based companies and start-ups within Kaunas Science and Technology Park. Internationally validated methodologies were selected to be applied for each stage in business development process from conceptualization and business case compilation to post-launch management and re-innovation. Moreover, a great focus was put on introducing a sales acceleration part in the program to support companies in scaling-up the sales of a product. The program is also a great asset to the consultants who are provided with the framework, tools and templates aimed at asking entrepreneur the right questions in any stage in innovation development and commercialization process, and ensuring the unified business development consultation throughout the pre-incubation, incubation and post-incubation process. Finally, EVOLUT 4.0 is aimed at supporting entrepreneurs responding to 4th industrial revolution and those providing disruptive digital solutions.

The areas of impact of EVOLUT 4.0 are several. First of all, the program is designed to support 100 in-house companies within Kaunas Science and Technology Park and positively affect their survival rate. Throughout the 20 operating years of Kaunas Science and Technology Park the companies belonging to the community had a success rate of 90% on average, meaning that most of the companies who joined the Park are operating till nowadays. In order to provide high quality business development consultations and continue with such high survival rate in Kaunas Science and Technology Park the EVOLUT 4.0 framework was created and tools and templates introduced to the consultants. Within 100 companies currently operating in the Park investments in R&D activities account for 4,9% which is 3,5 times EU average, meaning that there are plenty ongoing R&D projects and new products which are being developed. EVOLUT 4.0 helps all those companies not only to continuously innovate, but do it more successfully since it provides necessary knowledge for the acceleration of sales. The program offers the methodology for continuous and ongoing innovative improvement. Moreover, the knowledge and methodological transfer leads to better innovation management in future projects that entrepreneur will develop ensuring that in a case of failure the entrepreneur will start a new setting based in the Park and will be more advanced in dealing with products development and its introduction to the market. With EVOLUT 4.0 we have provided a blueprint for success to help entrepreneurs secure their companys position as a leading digital enterprise in tomorrows complex industrial ecosystems. Without adding any additional costs to the participating entrepreneurs the program helps technology-based innovative companies to move from a product-oriented to a platform-focused approach and towards digital ecosystem. Operated by the members of Kaunas Science and Technology Park and its partners, the program is fully transferrable to be introduced in other STPs and to make an impact on even more innovative organizations worldwide.

The main users of the program are innovative technology-based companies in various development stages, start-ups and entrepreneurs that develop their technologies in the Industry 4.0 and are recruited based on a number of entry criteria by Kaunas Science and Technology Park.

Kaunas Science and Technology Park is fully responsible for the Entrepreneurship and New Product Development Program EVOLUT 4.0 having copyright to this systematic approach and design of the templates. Partner organizations are selected to support the implementation of a program and provide with necessary expertise.