Newsletter Edition
4: May, 2018
<< Focus on SPAIN>>
Source: https://pixabay.com/en/sierra-nevada-veleta-andalusia-3091062/
www.ibis.group.shef.ac.uk/index.php/ibis-project/
IN THIS ISSUE: 2. Presenting: Insider’s Guide on Doing Business online 3. Partnership meeting: Granada 4. Exploring entrepreneurship ecosystem: Spain 5. Success story: Packlink 6. Upcoming events: Startup Summit Kaunas 2018
I-BIS / 2015-1-UK01-KA202-01348
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Presenting: Insider’s Guide on Doing Business online Online business activities have become essential for today’s companies. For instance, online sales have skyrocketed, and the online presence and visibility has become increasingly important as customers look for information about services, products and companies online. The Insider’s Guide on Doing Business Online will provide valuable information and tools for conducting business online, hence fostering entrepreneurial growth. The Guide is mainly targeted to startups, with special attention on female entrepreneurship included, but it is a useful tool for incubator facilitators and staff as well, in their work supporting start-ups’ business growth. The Guide will mainly support start-ups’ business growth through the relevant information and tools it provides. The Insider’s Guide on Doing Business Online will focus on the main features of conducting business online in order to deliver a holistic view to online
business. The Guide will cover the following topics: Doing Business Online:
What it is and what are the key elements of reliable ecommerce? Thinking of brand and strategy of e-commerce
Online marketing and sales
Digital user experience and selling online How to find customers and promote sales? How to engage and communicate with customers Customer service Payment and delivery; logistics
In Addition, useful resources and a set of useful online tools and instructions how to use them, will provide further hands-on support for start-ups. Through this approach The Guide aims to gradually guide start-ups to the world of online marketing.
Leading partner: VAMK Ltd, University of Applied Sciences Finland www.vamk.fi
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Partnership meeting: Granada 13th March, 2018 In March 2018, colleagues from the I-BIS partnership met in the medieval town of Granada, Spain for a successful fifth transnational partnership meeting. The partners discussed the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress, current activities, and future plans.
The partnership discussed ongoing dissemination strategies and agreed on the layout and content of the Guide for Incubator Managers, which is currently being prepared and will incorporate a lot of the lessons learned throughout the I-BIS project.
With the project in its final phase, partners were able to share progress reports and inspirational success stories from the participants in their countries. A central part to the meeting was the continued enhancement of the elearning platform that is accessible to all participants and is available in all partner languages. A new structure was presented that would make the learning experience more complete. It was consequently adopted for all languages.
Representatives of the I-BIS project at the meeting in Granada
The next transnational meeting will be held at Kaunas Science and Technology Park, Lithuania, on 12-13 June 2018, following a conference celebrating entrepreneurship. We look forward to sharing even more success stories then. Please keep up with all our news on: www.facebook.com/InnovativeBusinessIncubator www.twitter.com/IBISIncubator www.linkedin.com/groups/8535798 www.f6s.com/i-bisbusinessgrowthincubator
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Exploring Spain Entrepreneurship ecosystem The Spanish Innovation Ecosystem has 2.562 newly established firms, representing an increase of 26% since 2014. Three communities account for almost 70% of new 'start ups': Catalonia, Madrid and Valencia. Also, coexisting in the Spanish ecosystem, are 109 incubators and 71 accelerators, as well as 172 investors. E-commerce is the main sector of entrepreneurship in the start-up community in Spain, and Madrid is the leading autonomous community of this area of business sector. Some of the best references of incubators in Spain include the Grupo Intercom, DAD, and the ITnet Group. Spanish start-ups are born every day and are working towards creating a more global presence. Additionally, the foreign investment in Spanish start-ups rose 152% last year, to 388 million euros, showing that investors from other countries are also increasingly interested in Spanish entrepreneurs. Spanish start-ups already operate on average in 14 countries and 82% of companies surveyed began their expansion
process after just one or two years in the market. Latin American countries (Latam) stand out as a favourite destination of Spanish start-ups for expansion. Over the last few years, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness as well as the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism have launched important programmes to promote the growth and internationalization of the Spanish start-ups such as: the Spain Tech Center (STC), the Platform for the Spanish Technology based Companies in Silicon Valley (www.spaintechcenter.com), and the Rising Startup Spain (RSS), a program aimed at entrepreneurs and foreign startups that contribute to promote entrepreneurial activity in Spain with a scalable, international, and innovative projects. Sources:
https://startupxplore.com/es/blog/internacio nalizacion-startups/ III Estudio de Internacionalización de Startups Españolas de Base Tecnológica (Ticketbis.com) (http://bit.ly/1BJ1XqN) http://www.icex.es/icex/es/navegacionprincipal/todos-nuestros-servicios/index.html http://www.efeemprende.com/noticia/nubel o-lanza-startup-plan-para-facilitar-lacontratacion-de-talento-a-emprendedores/
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Success story: Packlink The start-up Packlink (www.packlink.es) is a price comparator for individuals or professionals interested in the distribution and delivery of packages, both nationally and internationally. This Spanish start-up was born in 2012 and its growth has been exponential. Currently made up of 120 workers in Madrid, Packlink has achieved $ 24.9 million in funding and is one of the eBay shipping management providers since 2015. Recently it has launched PacklinkPRO, the line for companies. It is also present in Germany, France, and Italy, and makes shipments to anywhere in the world. The start-up Packlink received $ 1.5 million from a venture capital firm (Active Venture Partners) for its internationalization, which has allowed it to consolidate its position of reference in the Spanish market and launch itself into the internationalization process. After this capital injection, the company has taken advantage of its advanced technology and effective business management to continue growing. According to the CEO and founding partner of Packlink, Ben Askew-Renaut, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In a sector such as logistics, it is difficult to find value-added services like those offered by Packlink.es.â&#x20AC;? In 2014, the start-up received the eAwards award for its successful operations in Poland, Germany, and France.
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Key success factors Packlink is the first platform in Spain for comparison and online recruitment of courier services for domestic and international shipments. Being the first in a specific market is a factor of success. The founders, Ben Askew-Renault and Javier Bravo, had previous knowledge about logistics and technology. For their company, they value skills such as permanent learning, risk taking, resilience, and giving things the importance they have (â&#x20AC;&#x153;dedramatize thingsâ&#x20AC;?). A differential aspect of Packlink is the international and multidisciplinary profile of its workers, a fact that assures a guarantee when facing the plans of expansion and internationalization of the company. This company applies technology to logistics, making it possible to compare and contrast online parcel and courier services, national and international options, and management performance, and tracking of shipments, thus offering a service to individuals that is generally reserved for companies. Another key success factor is the use of inbound marketing techniques. They allow the company to capture customers by providing value, through the combination of various digital marketing actions such as SEO, content marketing, presence in social networks, leads and web analytics. Much of its success is also due to its collaboration with the great shipping companies around the world. Packlink cooperates with the main transportation companies and its services allow SMEs, the self-employed, and individuals to have savings of between 50% and 70% in their shipments. In turn, these companies, leaders in their sector, get a new channel of distribution and unusual customers. Sources: http://www.europapress.es/economia/noticia-economia-start-up-packlink-recibe-15-millones-firma-capitalriesgo-internacionalizacion-20130402133926.html http://www.elperiodicodelemprendedor.com/la-startup-packlink-premio-eawards-la-internacionalizacion/ http://blogs.icemd.com/blog-inbound-marketing-en-el-mundo-de-las-startups/el-caso-de-exito-de-la-startupespanola-packlink/ http://www.the-emagazine.com/ecommerce/categoria-93-performance/1601-noticia-packlink-es-inicia-suexpansion-internacional-en-alemania http://www.eleconomista.es/emprendedores-innova/noticias/7403143/03/16/Packling-un-comparador-demensajeria-para-particulares-y-empresas.html
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Upcoming events: Startup Summit Kaunas 2018 Exciting news for startup incubators and creative minds eager to drive their business to the success! I-BIS final conference comes to Lithuania and welcomes all local and abroad businesses to join the meetup in June 12 in Kaunas Science and Technology Park at Santaka Valley. What we are going to see and meet at the conference? The main topic is fuel for young SMEs. What are the fuels for startups made of? We trust in well-structured ingredients such as design-thinking, data-driven sales, and great pitches for investors along with networking with those who are willing to share their good and bad experiences. Project coordinator features to cover an inspiring story of I-BIS impact as a path From Dreamers to Doers. Useful insights and basic tips on the fact, that Design is not art, design is business and how to develop your business with design thinking is aired by design thinking guru D2i (Design to Innovate, Denmark). Involving speakers on how to attract investors and make 7 steps to get your first customers are awaiting together with an on-stage pitch challenge for the most adventurous startups! Already interested to be a part of all this?
Welcome to register: kaunomtp.lt/startup-summit
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.