Illustration : D.R.
At the age of 29 years, Olivier Spratley is head of the Spratley Conseil firm, a pioneering French network for the engineering of public grants. In 2003, this young CEO had a brilliant idea: ensuring the development of companies thanks to public financing.
Commerce International: Why did you create a firm specialising in public grants?
Olivier Spratley: “In 2002, I was finishing off my studies in commerce in Nantes. My school invited many company heads who admitted that they did not take recourse to public grants through a lack of information and time. Web sites did not list the grants and subsidies although many existed. In 2003, I launched the site toutaide.com. From the outset, there were 5,000 visitors per month. I received hundreds of requests from company heads looking for support in their applications.”
How has your activity evolved?
O.S.: “Little by little, I set up a team and we classified the existing grants and subsidies, whether European, national or regional. Their numbers constantly evolve. In 2009, the number comes to over 6,000. We are the only ones to offer such a comprehensive database, and the latter was referred to in the French Ministry of Finance in the January 2007 “Modernisation Audit Mission. A Report on Public Grants to Companies”. From 2005 onwards, Spratley Conseil became a national network. Our consultants are all experts capable of identifying the most appropriate public grants measures for company projects. As 70% of measures are territorial in nature, proximity with our clients and organisms is a major asset. Today, our network comprises 21 franchised regions. By the end of 2009, we envisage complete national coverage with 40 sites.”
In concrete terms, how do you work with client companies?
O.S.: “When an SME, a group or an entrepreneur presents us its projects, we determine whether it is eligible for any grants. Each project may include several axes: innovation, the environment, recruitment, training… We offer the Diagnostic Aides et Subventions® (Grants and Subsidies Diagnostic) that provides an analysis of all available grants. Our consultant presents an action plan limited to 3 or 4 measures. It is more interesting to go out looking for two modest grants rather than one large one which excludes eligibility to others for three years. Depending on client choices, we put together applications for grants. A Diagnostic Aides et Subventions® costs between 1,500 and 5,000 euros. The cost of support for putting together an application depends on results, with a guarantee that 80% of allocated sums will go to the client company.”
What are the advantages of public financing and who are your clients?
O.S.: “Public grants are a lever of development for companies. Depending on the type of aid granted, it constitutes a financial envelope that is conclusively obtained or to be reimbursed (subsidies, bonuses, reimbursable advances…), or else exemption from certain expenses. Not to mention that being recognised by an organism brings credibility to a project. Only two-thirds of European funds are used in France. In times of crisis, these budgets are increasing. They represented 65 billion euros in France in 2007, and are estimated at over 100 billion for 2009. It is thus primordial to make these grants more accessible so that they are not robbed of economic effect. SMEs are our prime target. These companies benefit from the most considerable aids measures. But all projects can be funded. For example, in the context of the development of one particular SME, we have obtained over one million euros in grants and subsidies with seven successive measures in the space of four years. Our record: 1.7 million euros for a company takeover thanks to a bonus for territorial development. So this is a system that works for whoever knows how to identify and put together applications.”
English 
