Since 2016, Incub’Ivoir has positioned itself as a provider of support to entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire. However, they needed to position themselves better in this sector and find a better business model. The TDC coaches were able to lend their support in these crucial stages.
Incub’ivoir builds capacity as an incubator and accelerator for the country’s entrepreneurs. Enabel’s Trade Development Centre (TDC) is supporting this project with enhanced coaching. Remote meeting with Hermann Kouassi and Arnaud Yao, co-founders of Incub’Ivoir, and their coaches Valérie Vangeel and Maxime Bacq.
TDC: What was the background to the creation of Incub’Ivoir
Hermann: That was in 2016. The adventure began with three people, including Arnaud and myself. We had previously had the same desire to set up a company in Côte d’Ivoire, but it hadn’t been easy. So we said to ourselves: “If we haven’t succeeded, other entrepreneurs from the diaspora may not either”. Our thinking focused on the idea of easing the transition to entrepreneurship. We discovered incubation and incubators and thought this was the way forward in Côte d’Ivoire.
TDC: Hermann, what was your own career path before Incub’Ivoir
Hermann: I was born and educated here in Côte d’Ivoire. I continued my post-graduate studies in France. I stayed there to work in banking as a financial analyst, then in mergers and acquisitions and finally in consulting. I was working on several projects related to Africa, particularly Côte d’Ivoire. One thing led to another and we set up a club involving several players from the diaspora. And, when we launched Incub’Ivoir in April 2016, I gave up everything in France and returned home to devote myself to it!
TDC: What were your objectives when you started Incub’Ivoir
Hermann: Right from the start, we realised that there were a lot of projects from the diaspora that we could support, but also, and perhaps above all, local projects. We had a financing gap. So we thought we would be able to finance ourselves by taking an equity stake in the companies we work with. That was our original business model. We identified three business sectors to support: agriculture, fintech and personal services.
In 2017, we received our first support thanks to the OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) “Entreprendre chez les jeunes et les femmes” programme. We were barely 6-7 months old when we were selected for Côte d’Ivoire from a shortlist of 15 structures. The OIF project lasted two years and provided us with financial and technical support to the tune of 130,000 euros; this enabled us to structure the organisation and launch our first Environnement Start-up call for projects. The call was a real success, with two classes and ten projects incubated in two years. 100% of the class 1 projects are now companies. The figure is lower for the second class, as we began to become aware of a whole series of obstacles. Incub’Ivoir was in its third year and we could see the limits of our business model. We were also able to more clearly identify the obstacles to entrepreneurship in Côte d’Ivoire.
TDC: What have you done to overcome these obstacles?
Hermann: In 2019, we began an internal reflection on our positioning, what we wanted as founders and how to source companies. And that was when we responded to Enabel TDC’s call for projects. The initial diagnosis and the more or less five-year vision we proposed led to our selection for the coaching programme. It was excellent timing:, as we were in a migration phase and looking for a new model to build on. The TDC programme was important in clarifying our ideas and connecting with our teams. Today, everything fits together. Since coaching, we have been able to sign a pilot project with German cooperation (GIZ) “Mon Cacao Autrement”, which was a success, and we launched a three-year programme in November 2021. It is called “Agripreneurs de Demain”.
TDC: What was your state of mind when you were first analysed by TDC?
Hermann: It was hard. We were in a phase of reflection about whether or not we wanted to continue the adventure. We didn’t necessarily have a super-clear vision of the future, but we knew that to limit risk, we had to limit the number of business sectors in which we worked. We decided to specialise in agriculture and increase our support at this level. Initially, we were very much focused on Agritech, i.e. Agriculture and Technology, but today we have an impact and work across the entire agricultural value chain.
TDC: How were the first contacts between Incub’Ivoir and you, Valérie and Maxime, the two coaches appointed by the TDC?
Valerie: Coaching began during COVID in 2020. We very quickly decided to take two approaches in parallel, i.e. a strategic approach with Hermann and Arnaud, and work with the team, its functioning, its roles and the learning of its jobs. On strategy, we were able to meet in Paris for two full days with Hermann and Arnaud and we made a lot of progress. Those two days really structured all our work.
Maxime: Yes, these two days enabled us to come up with a strategy that involved refocusing on the agricultural sector. This repositioning was very quickly taken on board, which went far beyond our expectations. It was an ambitious and important change of direction. The team then followed suit, inevitably asking a lot of questions about what this would mean in terms of their skills, their day-to-day work and so on. That’s where all the support came from.
TDC: Hermann, do you have any regrets about this refocusing of activities?
Hermann: Not at all. We knew that this was necessary and had already tested an acceleration programme in the agricultural sector with the Dutch Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire. And agriculture is a spectrum in which we feel comfortable because of the country’s history.
TDC: How have the changes been perceived by staff?
Hermann: At the time, we were a team of six working in different incubation sectors. The announcement that we were refocusing our activities was supported by the coaches after the work session in Paris. The teams felt confident since the change in strategy had been validated by two highly committed external experts. This triangulation of dialogue between the bosses, two coaches and the team also helped people to speak up; we were able to talk about everyone’s fears and aspirations, but also about well-being at work.
TDC: Do you feel that your management skills have evolved as a result of the coaching?
Hermann: Enormously! As the founder and a team manager present in the structure on a daily basis, I tend to be very demanding. Because I’ve invested a lot, I expect autonomy and results from the team. But because of all the pressure, I couldn’t hear everything as well as I do today. Coaching enabled me to take the time to show an interest in the core of the company, have a real mirror approach, understand how the teams perceived me, how I could sometimes be excessive when making decisions, etc. And, in return, the staff were able to put themselves in my shoes and understand that it’s not always easy to have my responsibilities. This created a lot of peace and synergy and the possibility of co-construction. Today, we have grown to 12 people, with five new recruits who have settled in well. And we still hope to recruit more.
TDC: Valérie/Maxime, what have you observed?
Valerie: Both Hermann and Arnaud were present throughout our work with the team. Sometimes, in Africa as in Europe, this is not the case and we are told, “You can manage with my team”. So Hermann and Arnaud adopted a very positive attitude, clearly showing the importance they attached to their team, which in turn started to take action. We have really seen this team evolve, as they have a real grasp of their dynamics and responsibilities. Maxime: That’s right. We saw people opening up despite the fact that some sessions were held remotely. We saw young professionals who knew why they were there gain in confidence and curiosity. Hermann and Arnaud have also evolved, as they have had to make themselves more available and open to criticism, and we have seen that too! This enables the company to grow calmly and gain legitimacy in its ecosystem.
TDC: What are the prospects for Incub’Ivoir’s future and development?
Arnaud: Our aim is to make Incub’Ivoir the incubator of choice for international organisations. To do this, we want to develop our skills and have qualified resources in the agricultural sector. The idea is to develop a centre for experimentation and a laboratory with a range of agricultural products! And, of course, we are keen to open other structures in the country and possibly in the sub-region. But in the short term, we are striving to be number 1 on our own scale, and to achieve this, we need to build up our capacity. Valérie and Maxime’s support was very important in helping us refocus on our strategy, review Incub’Ivoir’s raison d’être and take a much needed step back.
On a daily basis, it allows us to challenge our new direction with new tools. I think we’re on the right track. We have a practical example with the “Agripreneurs de Demain” project, which will enable us to strengthen our foundations. And lastly, in very concrete terms, we would like to increase our turnover, go after more projects like this one and build up our in-house skills by recruiting others to export our philosophy and way of doing things elsewhere in the country, and even further afield.
TDC: Do you have a coaching anecdote you can share?
Valerie: We had big disagreements about nothing… except the results of football matches! (laughs)
