There are moments in your life where you have to sit and think about what you have achieved after so much work. At ECOSTAR we tried to do the same and we are overwhelmed with the feedback we received from the people we worked with in the last 3 years! The ECOSTAR community has gained almost [...]
This year ECOSTAR launched the second edition of our e-learning course “Ecosystem services entrepreneurship: from ideas to business”. More than 50 participants from all around the world highlighted examples of innovation in the sector, thus creating an interesting debate! What is an ecosystem service and what is innovation? Read the first part of our case [...]
What are ecosystem services? What is innovation? What does innovating in ecosystem services mean? This year ECOSTAR launched the second edition of our e-learning course “Ecosystem services entrepreneurship: from ideas to business”. More than 50 participants from all around the world highlighted examples of innovation in the sector, thus creating an interesting debate around two main [...]
Seed funding can buy startups time, says Michael “Luni” Libes, Seattle-based impact investor and Fledge CEO. But an accelerator is much more than money. World class mentors and trainers from various fields such as business management, leadership, corporate culture and fundraising can help startups to grow without going through all the trial and error. Sharing [...]
Pitching If we say “Pitch us your startup” what would you talk about? The mechanism behind your product or service? To what extent should it be technical? The milestones you have achieved so far? A story? A combination of all of the above? How to combine or cut out all of the things you want [...]
Corporate communication What shape of story do we want the audience to experience? Without any change in the intensity of emotions or in plot, the stories would be linear. But from whose perspective do we tell a story? Is it the product that is in the center of it or a specific user? These are [...]
Financial Plan and Accounting "Regular financial analysis can help startups to survive while meeting all liabilities; to make profit, rewarding proprietors and providing adequate finance for the business investments; and to grow, increasing sales, market shares, profits and maximizing the business" value (Carmen Avilés). A complete business analysis should include organizational, financial, marketing and commercial, [...]
Marketing & Sales Better to keep a loyal customer rather than to gain a new one, according to Peppers and Rogers. Five steps to marketing strategy are: one, to listen to your customer; two, to choose the right partner; three, to market at the right place at the right time; four, to identify the right [...]
Corporate culture Corporate culture is the main instrument for corporate management, and one way to deal with the unintended negatives of growth. While startups or any business may dream of growth, with growth may come compromise of employees’ high performance or freedom. What then should startup founders strive for? From red (magic/tribal) that relies on [...]
Market Analysis Six forces press a company: competitive rivalry, threat of new entry, threat of substitution, supplier power, buyer power and complementary productives. While startups may face challenges breaking into and are remaining in the markets where existing, established firms, they also have tools. “You’re not alone” says Tommaso Morbiato of Wind City. Early adopters [...]