Denmark is a small country that has always had a big impact in the world of design and technological leadership. Denmark is also a world leader in recognizing the vital importance of building the entrepreneurial capacity of its people. Only an entrepreneurially literate and entrepreneruially skilled population can ensure continued economic prosperity in a world where innovation is driving competition at unprecedented rates. So the Danish government and key representatives of the private sector charged the nation’s universities with the responsibility of creating a range of ‘virtual tools’ (web-delivered programs and services) for increasing the national entrepreneurial capacity. The peak body for this initiative was named ‘IDEA’ – the International Danish Entrepreneruship Academy – with a mission to take the best entrepreneurship knowledge from wherever it existed in the world and turn it into practical tools that Danish entrepreneurs could use easily and effectively. MENTREG founder, Professor Kevin Hindle, and colleagues, developed a variant of the Business Evaluation Calculus software program tailored to Danish needs as ‘IDEA-VIQ’, a web-based program for systematic evaluation of proposed new ventures. Used by advisers and entrepreneurs alike, IDEA-VIQ is a potent weapon in Denmark’s quest to become a more entrepreneurial nation.
Government of Denmark, International Danish Entrepreneurship Academy and University of Southern Denmark
