How EFSI benefits SMEs in Europe - ING case study: Real Impact Analytics (Luxembourg), Big data; telecom

Sébastien Deletaille, CEO and co-founder of Real Impact Analytics (RIA), has no doubts about the potential that technology and big data have for improving the way we work, communicate and go about our daily lives. “When it comes to mobile phones, the amount of data available worldwide is a goldmine untapped”, he says.

Telecom operators have invested heavily to get deeper insight into customer behaviour. RIA’s mission is to help businesses to mine, analyse and make full use of large inflows of telecom data. With the help of tailor-made applications, RIA’s clients can use the data to build more efficient marketing tools and better reach their customers.

RIA, which focuses mainly on developing countries, has received the title of ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 2016’, a tribute to the company’s ability to recognise and harness the value of big data. Having developed expertise in integrating the whole value chain of analytics to form an end-to-end product, the company is now working with five of the top ten global players in the telecom sector. Headquartered in Brussels and in close contact with universities, RIA is able to research fields such as data analysis algorithms and data mining solutions.

In 2016, ING Luxembourg provided the company with an EU-guaranteed loan backed by EIF and the Investment Plan for Europe, the EU initiative aiming at generating new investments in Europe through the support of small and medium-sized enterprises. “The additional financing enabled us to cover our working capital requirements, as we have long customer payment terms, and short supplier payment terms”, Sébastien explains.

RIA has also developed the ‘Data for Good’ programme, which helps governments and development agencies use mobile telecommunications data to achieve sustainable development goals, such as tracking voucher purchase patterns to prevent food shortages or stimulating financial inclusion by looking at trends in the use of mobile money.

The company, employing over 100 persons worldwide, is planning to expand further and operate in European markets, closer to home.

Company: Real Impact Analytics (Luxembourg)

Type of business: ICT; big data; telecom

EIF financing: InnovFin SMEG, EFSI

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Luxembourg, please refer to: http://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/lu