For almost a decade now, the initiative SEF.Growth, as an initiative from the NZZ Connect AG, has been supporting start-ups through tricky phases, providing tailored services to help them achieve growth and success. Many of the support programmes available in the marketplace are aimed primarily at the founders of new start-ups, in other words at companies in the first few years of their development, and the services offered by SEF.Growth also include a wide range of measures for such companies in the form of coaching and networking opportunities. Experience has shown, however, that a young enterprise and SMEs prospects of sustained market success over the long term are determined first and foremost at a later stage in its lifecycle. With this in mind, the key elements of the growth initiative have from the outset focused on growth-oriented companies that have already successfully negotiated the first few years of development since their initial foundation and are at the point where they can plot a course for sustainable success and above-average growth.