the total valuation of cse portfolio companies goes beyond eur million their total turnover of cse portfolio companies exceeds eur million key success factors include close linkages between education and startup support recruitment and matchmaking of students and hightech projects actionbased venture creation pedagogy and the structured venture development process and network centered around encubator consideration should be given to the establishment of a business plan competition in penang devised around the key opportunity areas for new firms resulting from the strengths and weaknesses of the local economy penang has critical mass in terms of students and entrepreneurship support providers to experiment what is welldeveloped in the berlinbrandenburg metropolitan area in germany box the privately funded bpw has been organised every year since with a duration of eight months it receives annually approximately eur of sponsor s money for activities and prizes