Let’s Work Together
Trusted partners for unpredictable journeys.
We have seen great ideas go straight to failure in a matter of months and less promising ones find success after years of struggling. We learned the hard way that entrepreneurship is a journey where we often succeed not in spite, but precisely because of the obstacles we encounter. On that unpredictable journey, it is worth having reliable partners: entrepreneurs that weathered storms and grew stronger by building a trusted network of peers
What we do
We help positive impact businesses and organizations through research, design and entrepreneurship. In theory, we distinguish between three different types of services: concept design, venture building, and future proofing. In practice, these are interrelated and we often need to jump from one to another to achieve success.
CONCEPT DESIGN
Every business starts with an idea that needs to take form. Sometimes there is already a prototype or a first product that needs validation. The big question often is if this idea or product is good enough to be the foundation of a new company or sustainable organization. What is more, different markets and different products can require distinct business models or development strategies.
INCLUDING:
- Product or service design
- Strategic market research
- Business model design
- Customer development
VENTURE BUILDING
Once a concept is validated, you need to build a viable company or organization. That requires many things, like getting enough paying customers and attracting a motivated team with complimentary skills. If in the beginning your revenues are insufficient to finance your business or operations, you also need to look for external funding.
INCLUDING:
- Business development (early sales)
- Marketing channel optimization
- Key team member search
- Financial growth planning
FUTURE PROOFING
In our economy and society, as in life, the only constant is change. Companies and organizations need to regularly adapt to changing customers, new technologies, sudden competition and even new ownership. Even the best teams fail when they lack a critical external perspective and the capacity to innovate and lead into the future.
INCLUDING:
- Opportunity and risk audits
- New market experiments
- (Open) innovation projects
- Turnaround and succession strategies
Frequently asked questions
Our clients typically have a lot of questions at the beginning. Here’s already a selection of them with answers:
What’s a typical client of yours?
Our typical clients include startup founders without business skills or founding experience, researchers with a spin-off idea, managers responsible for innovation or marketing, and family business owners in need of a turnaround or succession strategy. What unites our different types of clients is their mindset: people open to question the status quo and looking to have a positive impact on our planet and society.
What industries have you worked in before?
Urban design, real estate, construction, smart city, banking, insurance, hospitality, e-commerce, 3D printing, cybersecurity, material manufacturing, healthcare, media, events and sports. That being said, we do not believe in industry silos. What is more, we like to work on many different types of projects, not just ‘technology startups’ or complex technical products. We are also open to challenges in the fields of social sciences, art, crafts, education and various non-profit organizations.
Do you also support university or research spin-offs?
Yes, we have experience working with researchers in a spin-off context. First, we help to validate the potential of the spin-off and then we co-design a development roadmap that matches the institution’s technology transfer framework (for example, intellectual property licensing, searching for internal or external funds, and transitioning from research teams to founding teams). Depending on the (technical) complexity of the concept or project, we help to build the right complimentary team. This can include technology specialists, but often there is a more urgent need for legal, business development and marketing skills.
Can you help me find funding for my startup or project?
Yes, if we see that your startup or project is (sufficiently) validated and meaningful in terms of impact, we can help you to find funding. First, we set up a fundraising strategy where we take into consideration a broad set of potential sources of funds (including alternative sources such as subsidies, crowdfunding, or product pre-sales). Next, we help you to prepare the necessary investment documents and presentations (for example, subsidy dossiers, investment pitch decks or product videos). Finally, we coach you to deliver an outstanding pitch and help you get in touch with our investor network.
Can you help me find complementary co-founders or recruit the right team?
Yes, but this almost always takes longer than you would think. When you have a startup with a limited (or zero) budget for salaries, it is not easy to attract the right talent capable and willing to take the risk. However, with a meaningful mission, powerful storytelling and lots of patience, it is possible. For established organizations with budgets for both recruitment campaigns and salaries, it is a different playing field. But even here the right mission and a powerful story will make a big difference to attract (and maintain) the best talent. What is more, we believe more in on-the-job try-outs and the right mindset than formal recruitment processes and impressive curriculums. The downside, again, is that it takes time.
Are you a venture studio or startup factory?
Yes and no. A startup studio is a studio-like company that aims to build several companies in rapid succession or in parallel. Within this business model, you have some studios that focus on creating and developing companies mostly from internal ideas while you have others that bring in early-stage external startups and help them grow by providing them both funds and expertise. We are very similar when we help to build new businesses or organizations from scratch and in particular when we take up the role of a co-founder. However, our scope of work is broader than a traditional venture studio. For instance, we also offer services such as innovation and turnaround or succession strategies.
Do you also invest or take equity in projects yourselves?
Yes, depending on the project needs and the status of our own capital reserves. Sometimes there is no need for additional funding in which case we do not push for it. Sometimes there is a need for additional funding but the capital required is much larger than our own investment tickets in which case we never stand in the way of better options. Sometimes our capital reserves are simply fully invested and we cannot accept any more investment proposals. And sometimes we invest services in return for equity (according to a strict, fully transparent formula that we agree upon beforehand). To increase our investment capacity, we are continuously building a trusted network of (angel) investors.
Are you looking for a true partner to develop your project? Here is how to contact us for a free intake call.