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Business plan

Business plan Agency Consulting firm Experts Specialists Consultancy

Make your project a reality and attract partners and investors

For more than 30 years, our specialized team has been supporting companies in building their business plans (strategy, business model, development plan, expected return on investment, etc.) to materialize their project and attract new partners and investors.

    Tell us about your uncharted territory

    You have a project and want to discuss it with our explorers, write us!

    One of our explorers will contact you shortly.


    They trust us

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    Key success factors for a business plan

    A business plan is a key document that serves both as a tool for convincing potential investors and as a strategic compass for the project owner over time. Over and above the need for overall consistency in its content, several key success factors need to be considered to produce a robust and convincing business plan:

    The central stage of a business plan is its market research. The information gathered and the summary of investigations into the various target markets will enable the choices made in the business plan (price positioning, sales and marketing approach, etc.) to be objectified. Analyzing the competition will enable you to identify areas of differentiation and give strength to your project, while analyzing demand will enable you to confirm or refine the match between the offer you have devised and the expectations of potential customers. Finally, the market study will also validate the figures in the business plan, such as the size of the potential market, as well as other key information such as existing and future trends, opportunities and threats.

    What type of market research should be carried out and how? How much detail should be included in the business plan?

    Every reader of a business plan initially seeks to understand the fit between the project (product or service) and a market need and is then interested in the competitive advantage of the project in its market context. This is why it is essential to identify and confirm, through market research, the uniqueness of the proposed offering, to convince people of the relevance of the project.

    What are the benefits of my offer and how does it differ from those of my competitors? How can I demonstrate this level of differentiation throughout the business plan?

    A business plan is a convincing document that must be based on concrete elements or solid hypotheses. The aim is to convince people of the robustness of the project, and this starts with the realism of the elements presented in the document and the level of consistency between the various data. Whether in the definition of the business model, in the transcription of the market study, or a fortiori in the financial section, all data must be solidly sourced and verified.

    How can we be sure that each piece of data presented in the business plan is sound? What sources should be shared and how?

    How we support you in defining your business plan

    After having carried out a market study and defined a business model, we help you to structure and write your marketing strategy, your development plan, and support you in the construction of your financial tables (projected income statement, financing plan, …) in order to convince your partners or potential decision-makers.

    Our innovative investigation methods allow us to explore the field of possibilities in order to build a development strategy adapted to your stakes and synthesized in a complete and robust business plan.

    Examples of recent business plan carried out for our clients

    • Development of the strategic roadmap and business plan of a biotechnology company

      Our team supported the board of directors of an innovative biotechnology company in the field of neonatal diagnostics, which wanted to rethink its 5-year strategy and build a business plan to raise funds to support its new development ambition.

      After carrying out a market study in several key geographies, and on the basis of several workshops with the management, we co-constructed with our client a complete 5-year business plan allowing to take several strategic decisions (discontinuation of some activities, development of others), to embark the internal team towards a new vision built in echo with the market, and to convince potential investors to support the projected growth.

    • Development of a business plan for a 3D manufacturing platform

      We assisted a professional union in the development of a business plan for a 3D manufacturing platform.

      Our team made it possible to compare the offer with the market reality in order to have a quantitative projection of the potential and the sectors of interest, then built the business plan of the company.

      This work won a regionalized Call for Projects (AAP) and provided a seed fund.

    • Development of a business plan for a medical device in the field of interventional imaging

      We assisted a medical device client in evaluating the potential of a new device dedicated to interventional imaging and built the associated business plan.

      Our team explored the receptivity of potential users and buyers of this device, in different types of establishments and in different geographies.

      The understanding of the purchase and reimbursement mechanisms in the countries of interest allowed us to define possible monetization strategies and to design the best development option for our client, with its associated business plan.

      Ultimately, our client decided to launch this innovation in a few targeted markets.

    • Challenge and definition of a business plan for a start-up in the field of human nutrition

      Our team supported the CEO of a start-up in the field of nutrition in the definition and formalization of its business plan in preparation for a fund-raising.

      Our client wanted to better understand certain aspects of the dietary supplements market in order to validate the positioning of his company and consequently his products, before finalizing his business plan in preparation for discussions with potential investors. Our team carried out a market study in several European countries, in order to analyze the market potential for our client’s products, and to confront its positioning and development strategy.

      We then finalized and structured parts of the business plan with our client, and challenged the final financial plans with potential investors specialized in the field.

      Our project enabled our client to finalize its strategy and prepare for its upcoming discussions with investors!

    • Critical analysis of the commercial and marketing assumptions of a haematology start-up's business plan

      Our team worked with the CEO of a start-up to prepare for the launch of its automated ABO Point Of Care test device in Europe. Our client wanted to challenge and consolidate its assumptions about market supply and demand, in order to better define its marketing strategy and the positioning of its solution.

      In 5 European countries, we began by analysing the competition and the reasons for the success/failure of other players, in order to validate the positioning of our client’s offering in its market environment. Our team then mapped and characterised the main blood transfusion segments, unmet needs, expectations and interest in the offering, and the positioning of our customer’s project from a demand perspective.

      This investigative work enabled us to question and strengthen various market elements of our client’s business plan in order to validate the strategy for launching its offering in Europe.

    • Drawing up of a 5-year business plan for an immunotherapy start-up

      One of our clients, a developer of an innovative immunotherapy targeting the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis, asked our team to draw up a 5-year business plan for his project.

      To do this, and on the basis of a first draft of the business plan drawn up by our client, our team carried out an initial phase of understanding the project as a whole and identifying the elements in our client’s possession that should be included in the BP.

      Secondly, after analysing the gaps that needed to be filled to produce a robust and convincing document, we carried out a market study to gather all the qualitative and quantitative data needed to draw up the document.

      The third phase of our project involved drawing up a development plan and 5-year financial projections for the project (level and type of funding to be raised, cash flow, profit and loss account, etc.).

      Finally, we validated the final version of the business plan with our client and together we drew up a presentation pitch to support his project with investors.

    You have a project?

      Tell us about your uncharted territory

      You have a project and want to discuss it with our explorers, write us!

      One of our explorers will contact you shortly.


      To go further

      Founded in 1993, Alcimed is an innovation and new business consulting firm, specializing in innovation driven sectors: life sciences (healthcare, biotech, agrifood), energy, environment, mobility, chemicals, materials, cosmetics, aeronautics, space and defence.

      Our purpose? Helping both private and public decision-makers explore and develop their uncharted territories: new technologies, new offers, new geographies, possible futures, and new ways to innovate.

      Located across eight offices around the world (France, Europe, Singapore and the United States), our team is made up of 220 highly-qualified, multicultural and passionate explorers, with a blended science/technology and business culture.

      Our dream? To build a team of 1,000 explorers, to design tomorrow’s world hand in hand with our clients.

      A business plan is a written document that presents your business creation project and helps convince investors or partners.

      A business plan consists of several key steps:

      • An executive summary, which summarises the key points of the business plan in one page and should make people want to read the whole thing.
      • A detailed description of the project and its founding team
      • A study of the market and the competition
      • A definition of the company’s sales and marketing strategy (price positioning, business model, distribution channels, etc.) and the associated objectives
      • The project’s financing plan, resource requirements and expected return on investment