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Picture credit: Door Dian Kors
Innofest, a programme that helps entrepreneurs check their innovation at festivals, in collaboration with StartupAmsterdam and the Metropolis of Amsterdam’s City Innovation Workforce, is ready to strengthen sustainable and social innovation within the Amsterdam Metropolitan Space.
The programme goals to assist 4 promising startups and scale-ups arrange check circumstances in a real-life atmosphere as near actuality as doable.
These check areas will likely be held at festivals all through the Amsterdam area, corresponding to Mysteryland.
To study extra in regards to the programme and its impression, Silicon Canals reached out to Linda Vermaat, Director of Innofest Nederland.
She shared insights into the confirmed efficient methodology utilized by Innofest, which has helped over 70 per cent of alumni considerably enhance their entrepreneurial expertise, establish new buyer segments, and obtain market success.
Organising the check case
Entrepreneurs typically make the error of launching their services or products with out correct testing.
Sadly, this will result in a gradual dying of their innovation as a consequence of it not becoming the market accurately.
Innofest addresses this situation by providing entrepreneurs the chance to check their improvements at festivals that function real-life check areas.
Explaining it, Linda says “These festivals perform as real-life check areas as a result of they’re as near actuality as doable and really appropriate for validating assumptions. This fashion, entrepreneurs retrieve essential information, whether or not they’re a startup, scale-up, or information establishment.”
She continues, “This enables them to enhance the product the place vital and accumulate proof that’s essential to persuade potential traders or launching clients. That is how Innofest helps entrepreneurs efficiently step into the market.”
Entrepreneurs, Innofest workforce, and producer
Innofest’s programme helps entrepreneurs all through the testing course of with their methodology and producer.
Upon choice, all scouted improvements take part in a workshop to realize a deeper understanding of find out how to design and execute their check.
“Innofest has intensive expertise in giving these workshops, each on-line and offline,” provides Linda.
After this workshop, a jury will choose 4 startups and/or scale-ups to check their services or products at a competition with Innofest.
Throughout the two on-line workshops that comply with, chosen entrepreneurs are ready for the competition check case, whereas Innofest’s producer supervises and ensures that the check is efficient and possible.
“That is achieved in shut cooperation with the check skilled (is the check efficient?), the check location (can we execute it and the way?), and the participant (is the prototype prepared?). An out-of-pocket finances is offered for every innovation, together with transportation and manufacturing prices on website,” she shares.
“For the contributors, the ultimate check case at a competition is primarily targeted on gathering suggestions and proof on how the prototype works. The chosen entrepreneurs for this mission check at Mysteryland, an digital music competition in August.”
Throughout the competition, the producer is the principle contact for the entrepreneur and is current always. Moreover, an innovation skilled coaches the entrepreneurs on-site and challenges them to realize the utmost consequence.
Relying on the particular check, testing in a dwelling lab can span a number of days with day by day check-ins scheduled for the entrepreneurs to study collectively.
“After the competition, we organise the final workshop, wherein we observe the information and discover methods to make use of this information to enhance the examined prototype,” she provides.
Validating by way of the “Take a look at Just like the Greatest” methodology
Innofest’s “Take a look at Just like the Greatest” methodology is a sensible and efficient approach to validate a prototype, no matter its complexity, says Linda to Silicon Canals.
The strategy consists of three canvases, 25 check playing cards, and a 40-page white paper in each Dutch and English.
The innovation consultants at Innofest information startups by way of 4 workshops utilizing this methodology, offering them with sensible instruments to make the check related and possible.
“We do that by addressing key assumptions and organising the check query and check design. Within the ultimate workshop we analyse the collected information and contributors conclude their follow-up, additional improvement, or to the market,” says Linda.
As an example, Innofest has helped to validate the sophisticated expertise utilized by Semilla Sanitation Hub, which gives clear consuming water, meals, and sanitary services utilizing area journey expertise developed by the European Area Company.
The Semilla Sanitation Hub carried out testing of its urine filtration methodology on the 2018 Eurosonic Noorderslag competition, and later ran a wastewater filtration check on the DGTL music competition, finally finishing the testing course of at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2019 by filtering blackwater.
Innofest performed an important function in these testing processes, which helped Semilla Sanitation to develop plans with Care Kenya to roll out the filtration expertise in Kenya.
The testing additionally opened up new market alternatives for Semilla Sanitation, as varied festivals expressed curiosity in making their sanitary services extra sustainable.
Moreover, Semilla Sanitation’s CEO, Peter Scheer, arrange a water-saving mission in partnership with the organisers of the Zwarte Cross competition, reusing bathe wastewater to flush bathrooms.
Past testing and validation
In response to Linda, the Innofest workforce presents a variety of sources and help to entrepreneurs, past testing and validation.
“In cooperation with our companions, we organise innovation excursions on the festivals the place the checks happen. Right here we present related stakeholders corresponding to traders and potential clients what improvements and challenges we’re working with. On this method we prolong the attain of this system and join the regional ecosystem,” she says to Silicon Canals.
The workforce additionally units up a PR and communication technique for each competition, together with a media package with content material that’s shared with companions and the competition.
“We constantly put up content material on our communication channels and people of our companions, corresponding to footage, movies, information gadgets, and tales. On the festivals, we take footage and make quick video experiences of the checks (if multi-day competition). This helps startups to excite potential companions and co-funders about their services or products,” she states.
Innofest’s skilled PR workforce usually reaches nationwide, regional, and commerce media, and has engaged within the social debate on innovation.
By means of these efforts, they’ve secured over 250 articles about Innofest and the collaborating startups, claims Linda.
Innofest’s success story
Innofest has helped 260 entrepreneurs by facilitating sensible checks utilizing their confirmed efficient methodology since 2016, shares Linda.
The analysis carried out by the College of Groningen between 2017-2020 reveals that over 70 per cent of Innofest’s alumni have considerably improved their entrepreneurial expertise and 80 per cent had been in a position to establish new buyer segments or clients due to Innofest.
Innofest’s strategy can also be recognised at a European degree because it gained the European Innovation Award EEPA in 2017.
“Innofest’s work is rated extremely by our alumni. The bottom ranking is a 7 and most entrepreneurs give Innofest an 8 or 9, with 10 being the best,” she claims.
Linda additionally provides the vast majority of entrepreneurs say a powerful sure when requested whether or not the meant outcomes had been achieved.
Jesse, founding father of tech startup FestiVR says, “It was a check in two areas: a technical stress check for the gear and a gauge curiosity amongst customers. The outcomes of the stress check had been a harsh lesson. The gear overheated shortly and picture high quality suffered. Nonetheless, the responses from the varied audiences had been tremendously constructive and supplied essential insights.”
David, founding father of well being startup Arna App says, “We had been primarily targeted on growing new options of the app. Throughout testing, we discovered that the method customers undergo is at the least as essential. We have to begin providing extra help in that.”
Nina, founder Inexperienced Facades says, “The check at Royal Park Dwell was the deciding issue for us in selecting the ultimate materials of our product. I don’t suppose earlier than this check we thought it was doable to already make our first sale. Innofest actually confirmed us what we’re able to.”
Standards
To use, startups should meet the next circumstances
Have an progressive prototypeShould exhibit the added worth of testing at a competition Have a viable enterprise case sooner or later Contribute to a greater world sooner or later
Innofest is searching for entrepreneurs from startups, spin-offs, or pupil initiatives who’re growing improvements associated to:
Sustainable mobility Round materials flows Vitality, (Digital) safety Meals Inclusiveness
To encourage range and inclusiveness, the programme welcomes and invitations everybody who identifies with these values, together with ladies and minorities.
Startups and scale-ups trying to take part in Innofest’s mission can apply till the seventh of June by clicking right here. Innofest encourages feminine and inclusive entrepreneurship, so we explicitly invite anybody who recognises themselves on this.
Innofest’s roadmap
Trying in the direction of the long run, Innofest has outlined its plans for the interval 2023-2027, with a give attention to persevering with to drive the inexperienced and social transition.
Step one will likely be scouting for improvements with the potential to make a constructive impression on these transitions.
As soon as recognized, Innofest will information these improvements by way of testing at festivals and dwelling labs, to collect proof and enhance their product.
Collaboration with related events within the innovation ecosystem will likely be key to making sure that improvements are prepared to maneuver ahead after sensible testing, she says.
Moreover, Innofest will organise workshops, lectures, and innovation excursions to create help and enthusiasm for the talked about transitions and the significance of innovation in realising them.”
“Change doesn’t occur in a single day, however it does occur by engaged on it collectively, day in and time out. That’s why we hope to proceed to work with nice companions corresponding to StartupAmsterdam and the Metropolis of Amsterdam’s City Innovation Workforce to realize the above,” concludes Linda.
Startups and scale-ups trying to take part in Innofest’s mission can apply till the seventh of June by clicking right here.
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