What is BlueInvest Investment Readiness Assistance?

BlueInvest Readiness Assistance is an exclusive and fully funded coaching programme for high potential EU start-ups and SMEs with innovative and sustainable products and solutions for the Blue Economy.

Businesses and projects selected will receive 64 hours of 1:1 expert coaching tailored specifically to their readiness levels and business objectives. The programme is impact-driven, with a clear focus on providing business support to help startups and SMEs grow and attract investment.

Interested to become one of the +300 companies which have participated in this programme? The current application deadline is 16 April, 2025.

Applying takes less than a minute, simply submit your pitch deck:

ENTER NEW APPLICATION (with a profile) Apply without a profile

Please be informed of the following selection criteria to be elligible for the programme:

- EU headquartered company

- TRL 4 or higher

- You have an innovative and sustainable product/solution for the Blue Economy

- You cannot be a previous Readiness Assistance Beneficiary

Timeline

The following timeline applies to the upcoming cycle of Investment Readiness Assistance:

Notification of selection results to candidates. After selection, a short survey will be send to selected candidates to analyse their needs and match them to the right coach profile (30 April 2025).
Onboarding webinar & start of assistance delivery window. Selected companies are invited to attend an online webinar where the BlueInvest team shares key information to prepare the companies for the coaching programme. Companies are informed about their matched coach based on their needs (13 May 2025).
Start of coaching. Companies meet with their coach (online, with a possibility for the coach to travel to the company for the first meeting) to define a coaching plan. The coach provides up to 64 hours of targeted assistance, for which the schedule is determined by the availability of the company and the coach.
Closing of coaching. The programme ends when the 64 hours of coaching have been reached, or earlier when the goals of the company have been reached.

Available Assistance Packages

AP #1: Pre-assistance discovery workshop

Get to know your coach, discuss the assessment results and receive a first diagnostic of your company’s business dimensions
Fine-tune coaching needs and receive a tailored coaching plan with an emphasis on measurable objectives

AP #2: Pitch doctor

Develop your pitching presentation
Communicate with impact: rehearsals and live feedback.
Physical and virtual pitching preparation

AP #3: Internal and sustainability reporting

Sustainability reporting framework and tools to measure, track, and disclose your ESG performance in line with EU regulations and investor expectations.
Hands-on guidance on integrating sustainability considerations throughout your operations, from carbon footprint assessment to developing a roadmap for emissions reduction and resource efficiency improvements.

AP #4: Operational excellence

Verify your company’s value chain from sourcing, to production and distribution
Identify and receive support to develop strategic commercial partnerships
Assess your current team structure and skillset

AP #5: Market readiness, product & innovation

Refine and validate your product fit versus the market needs
Review the product’s business model
Identify and target reference customers
Receive technical and IP mentorship, if applicable
Mainly for early-stage start-ups

AP #6: Marketing & growth strategy

Refine the communication strategy of your company’s value proposition
Analyse key marketing and sales channels
Reinforce your lead generation strategy and market segmentation
Receive guidance for the identification of potential clients, partners and resellers
Obtain an overview of your sales cycle
Challenge the user experience journey
Master client feedback

AP #7: Improving investment readiness and reaching bankability

Essentials of business case with a focus on profitability and revenue-generation potential
Challenge key financial indicators for investors’ due diligence (e.g. cash-flows, NPV, ROI, IRR)
Develop and finetune your business plan
Review and align your financial strategy with your market plan
Identify your company’s financing needs

AP #8: Access to finance

Define your fundraising strategy (equity, debt)
Identify a list of potential investors and other financing sources
Review guidelines for the development of documentation for investors
Define your approach for short-listing of key leads, meeting preparation and deal analysis
Receive support for negotiations and pitch presentation