From Data to Regional Strategy

Regional development agencies, investment bodies, and economic clusters face a paradox: they need precise sector data to make strategic decisions, yet the official NACE code system they rely on was designed decades ago, before the rise of cleantech, biotech, circular economy, and countless other emerging sectors that simply don't fit into predefined boxes.

At Inoopa, we've developed a fundamentally different approach. Our semantic AI technology doesn't just correct classifications, it enables a complete sector mapping methodology that transforms how regions understand, develop, and connect their economic ecosystems.

The Four Pillars of Sector Intelligence

1. Classify: Understanding What Companies Actually Do

Traditional databases rely on NACE codes declared at company registration, often years or even decades old. Our research shows that 32% of these codes are wrong or irrelevant to a company's current activity.

Inoopa's semantic technology analyzes multiple data sources, company websites, social media presence, job postings, press releases, to build a vector representation of what each company truly does today. This delivers 93% accuracy in identifying real business activities, regardless of how outdated their official classification might be.

For a regional agency, this means finally being able to answer questions like: "How many companies in our region are actually active in hydrogen technology?" even when those companies are officially registered under generic codes like "engineering consultancy" or "industrial manufacturing."

2. Map: Revealing the Value Chain Structure

Once companies are properly classified, the real intelligence begins. Inoopa can map the entire value chain of a sector, identifying:

• Upstream players: raw material suppliers, component manufacturers, technology providers
• Core actors: the primary companies defining the sector
• Downstream players: distributors, service providers, end-market specialists
• Support ecosystem: specialized consultants, research centers, training providers

This mapping reveals the hidden architecture of regional specialization. A region might discover that while they have strong capabilities in one part of a value chain, critical gaps exist elsewhere, creating either vulnerabilities or opportunities for targeted investment.

3. Detect: Identifying Gaps and Opportunities

Perhaps the most strategic capability: detecting what's missing.

By comparing a region's sector structure against benchmarks, whether national averages, leading European clusters, or global best practices, Inoopa identifies:

• Underrepresented segments where the region has fewer players than expected
• Missing links in value chains that force local companies to source from outside the region
• Emerging niches where early movers could establish regional leadership

For investment agencies, this transforms sector development from reactive (responding to incoming projects) to proactive (actively recruiting companies to fill identified gaps).

4. Generate: Building Sector Communities

Intelligence without action has limited value. The final pillar connects insights to engagement.

Inoopa generates targeted contact databases with decision-maker information, enabling regions to:

• Animate existing clusters by identifying all relevant players, including those not yet connected to official networks
• Recruit missing capabilities by identifying potential targets in other regions or countries
• Create networking opportunities by connecting complementary companies within the value chain

With 20% of our phone numbers being direct mobile contacts (versus 5% market average), outreach campaigns achieve significantly higher connection rates.

A Universal Methodology

What makes this approach powerful is its universality. Whether the sector is:

• Established industries like automotive or pharmaceuticals
• Emerging technologies like quantum computing or synthetic biology
• Cross-cutting themes like circular economy or digital transformation
• Niche specializations like vertical farming or space technology

The methodology applies identically. There's no need to wait for official classification systems to catch up with economic reality. If a sector can be described, it can be mapped.

From Data to Regional Strategy

This sector intelligence capability directly supports regional economic development by providing:

• Evidence-based cluster policies grounded in actual company data rather than assumptions
• Targeted FDI strategies that address specific gaps in the regional ecosystem
• Effective networking initiatives that connect the right players
• Measurable outcomes through baseline mapping and progress tracking

When Flanders Investment & Trade engaged us to map seven strategic sectors beyond NACE codes, the project helped us refine our approach and pushed our semantic technology forward. Today, with significantly enhanced AI capabilities and a more mature platform, we can deliver the comprehensive sector intelligence that complex regional mapping demands.

Ready to Map Your Region's Hidden Economy?

Every region has economic capabilities that official statistics don't capture. Companies innovating in emerging fields. Hidden champions in niche markets. Potential clusters waiting to be connected.

Semantic AI makes these invisible economies visible, and actionable.

Contact us to discover what your data isn't telling you.

*Inoopa is a Belgian B2B data intelligence company specializing in semantic AI analysis of company activities. We serve regional development agencies, investment bodies, and enterprises across Belgium and the Netherlands with 93% data accuracy across 4+ million companies.