UCLA GAP
Developing your international
growth strategy By Nitin Dahad W
ith high-growth technology companies, one of the big challenges is how and
where to grow internationally. You’re already global in your approach from day one of starting the business, and the world is your oyster. But how do you tackle those markets, beyond the relatively ‘easy’ customers in Europe? And where in the world do you focus? And what is the plan to tackle your chosen markets?
The government is encouraging businesses to export, but in my experience with high-growth technology businesses, there is hardly a market in the UK anyway and most of your customers are likely to be overseas. In 1998-99, at ARC, I spent most of my time on a plane across the Atlantic, spending every other week in San Jose. And I wasn’t the only one travelling – almost all the executive team spent significant time overseas, and mostly in the USA. And so were the executives from many other start-ups, whom I would meet regularly on the plane on the way to San Francisco.
That’s a significant investment for many companies, and it continues to be so – the field is much wider now with all the BRICS to consider as potential markets too.
So when I came across a program run by the UCLA Anderson School of Management almost three years ago, I was intrigued. And I have been
42 entrepreneurcountry
an ‘ambassador’ for it ever since, as it provides a structured six-month programme to develop a company’s international business plan or growth strategy for just US$15,000.
I sound like a salesman with that last comment, but I am not selling – I am just impressed at how little the investment is, when you consider what you get for it: an actionable business strategy plan backed up by 2,100 hours of research and serious work by five fully employed MBA students in their 30s.
The UCLA Anderson School of
Management GAP program The UCLA GAP program is designed to help technology-based companies to
capitalists, angel investors and industry professionals.
take advantage of a team of
five fully-employed executive MBA students (average age around 32) to develop their business plans or strategy for a next phase of growth or international expansion. They perform primary market research worldwide, develop a strategic business plan, and make a formal investment quality final presentation. In total, the team invests 2,100 hours of their time over six months between June and December.
The deliverables are a complete
set of financial projections, market research results and a clear set of actionable recommendations. As a result, the company also gets access to the management schools network of 37,000 alumni plus venture
To date, over US$200 million in new investment capital has been raised by GAP business plans. GAP has also helped international firms form strategic partnerships, secure financing, create US subsidiaries, open US distribution channels, and even sell their companies.
Now in its 16th year, the programme has supported 484 companies from 19 countries (mostly from Finland, New Zealand, Australia and Italy). I put one firm through it a couple of years ago, and they were extremely pleased with the USA turnaround strategy that it helped them with.
Benefits Many of the companies have benefited from business growth or investment as
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