ELITE is an international business support program and capital-raising platform launched by Borsa Italiana (now part of Euronext) for ambitious and fast-growing SMEs.

ELITE connects private companies, giving them access to diverse sources of capital, skills and networks needed to drive their growth. More than 1500 companies across 45 countries and 36 sectors have joined ELITE’s program since 2012, mainly in Italy, UK, Eastern Europe and the United States.

The need

Preparing Private Companies to be “investor ready” and getting them onto the Elite Club Deal platform.

Providing each company with a bullet-proof investment pitch to impress the most scrutinising investors.

Increasing the conversion rate of financial transactions.

The process

We designed “Strategy and Finance”, an initial 6-month programme to support SMEs in defining a sound and investor-ready strategic plan for growth.

The program included:

A dedicated digital toolkit for developing each SME’s strategic plan.

Physical and online workshops to acquire skills and knowledge whilst developing the strategic plan.

Access to benchmarks and experts on demand for insights and feedback gathering.

Long-term Vision Workshops

Definition of vision, mission, level of ambition, strengths & weaknesses, opportunities & threats, core challenges. Data gathering, post-workshop activities and formal reviews.

Action Plan Workshops

Definition of the action plan and detailed financial projections. Data gathering, post-workshop activities and formal reviews.

Funding & Comms Workshops

Investment analysis and financial viability analysis (financial requirements, solvency ratios, liquidity ratios). Data gathering, post-workshop activities and formal reviews.

Final Pitch

CEOs/CFOs finalise their strategy document and present the final pitch to a panel of Investors and Experts.

Benefit for SMEs

Save time in creating an accurate multi-year strategic and investment plan.

Overcome common startup pitfalls through developing a deep understanding of external market forces and their long-term impacts.

Improve teamwork by getting all business leaders on the same page and committed to the action plan.

Streamline processes through the alignment of strategy with current operational processes.

Drive efficiencies by developing a “replicable” strategic decision-making process and gaining strategy execution capabilities.

Benefit for stock exchanges

New Revenue Streams

Grow the pipeline for IPOs

Support economic growth