100 Open Startups focuses on empowerment and creates a crowdfunding platform
The global open innovation platform 100 Open Startups , specialized in connecting companies and startups around the world, has new initiatives to support the ecosystem in the country. The company launched the Open Culture Movement for Innovation, which will create programs and actions for the evolution of open innovation, and intends to launch its own crowdfunding platform by the end of the year.
The market has undergone a major turning point in recent years, says Bruno Rondani, founder and president of 100 Open Startups . Executives and professionals in general began to understand that innovation comes from the ecosystem and to want to access it for that very reason. “It’s no use trying to solve all the problems; we have to find people who look at different biases and big issues in the world. This is how you find new solutions and remain competitive in innovation”, says Bruno.
However, some obstacles still need to be overcome. “Organizations are aware and concerned that they must innovate. It is something that is on the agenda, but it is not yet a Brazilian culture”, points out the executive. Bruno explains that having areas of innovation in a company is not enough: it is necessary to call and involve people in this game. “The current challenge of open innovation in Brazil is to make those interested in interacting with the ecosystem really participate in it, contribute to the innovation process in the company where they work and also benefit from the results.
It is with this in mind that 100 Open Startups launched the Open Culture Movement for Innovation — which, according to Bruno, has the potential to change the level of open innovation in the Brazilian market. The first initiative was the 100–10–1 Startups program , a network training experience to qualify professionals and executives from companies that want to actively contribute to the ecosystem.
strengthening the network
The program’s proposal is for professionals from large companies to understand the ecosystem and its needs in practice. The platform has a matchmaking system that suggests some startups according to the user’s profile. This should rank 100 companies that arouse your interest in business potential.
Afterwards, the professional chooses at least 10 of the ranked startups to talk to their representatives in a speed-dating meeting. He will listen to the company’s value proposition and challenges directly from the founder and will be able to ask questions and provide feedback he deems relevant to the business. The startup founder evaluates the contributions as “very relevant”, “relevant” or “indifferent” and answers if he would like to have the user as a mentor. The professional receives 1 point for each positive evaluation.
He advances to the next stage when he reaches 10 points and at least one company is interested in having him as a mentor. Confirming that they will mentor the company, the professional needs to hold 5 meetings of at least 1 hour with the startup to contribute and monitor its development. The process ends when the user is recognized for having made at least 10 relevant contributions with the same startup.
“Our positioning now is to empower people to act in an ecosystem and empower them to connect with startups. It is to create value together in a collaborative way and in the environment in which each one is inserted”, points out Bruno. According to the president of 100 Open Startups , the goal is for all people who contribute to the success of startups and the innovation ecosystem to actively participate in this capture of value. This includes entrepreneurs and executives, but also consultants, hubs, media channels, among others.
Launched 3 months ago, the platform has 1,300 users who, together, have made 7,000 contributions to startups — 2,000 of which are considered “very relevant”. Initially, the 100–10–1 Startups program is only open to corporate employees and professionals, and 20 major brands have already joined the initiative. The expectation is to open the platform to B2C at the end of the year, along with the announcement of the Ranking 100 Open Startups 2022.
Startups that want to receive contributions must apply directly through the platform. For professionals, access to the 12-month program costs R$986 in cash. In addition to connecting directly with startups, professionals receive support videos and news about innovation, as well as early access to 100 Open Startups studies and an exclusive online group to exchange experiences.
collaborative investment
Allied to the training of actors in the ecosystem, 100 Open Startups plans to launch its crowdfunding platform this semester. The platform is aimed at anyone interested in interacting with the ecosystem in a collaborative way.
“The problem with crowdfunding platforms today is that, in addition to the person taking a risk with low liquidity, he cannot contribute to the startup, because he is a micro investor”, says Bruno. “The fact that someone doesn’t have a lot of money to allocate means that this person has no voice in contributing to the company’s evolution process.” According to the executive, the 100 Open Startups crowdfunding platform aims to break with this logic.
The proposal is that investors — regardless of the size of the shareholding — can participate in the business and contribute to the growth of the startup. Bruno says that the value of the investments will be “the smallest possible to fit in people’s Pix”. “Some people use the argument that having many shareholders makes the business very expensive because of a governance problem. But we will try to reduce the value of investments to promote learning, collaboration and ecosystem evolution.”
He points out that 100 Open Startups ‘ crowdfunding investment is linked to market education. “Investors will be more connected with what is happening in society. It is an investment you make in your training, for your professional benefit, but which can also be profitable as a financial investment”, he points out.
However, he explains that the market still needs to evolve. According to Bruno, the funds will play a key role in eventually buying the shares of people with less purchasing power who want to sell their shares more frequently, either to recover the money or to reinvest in other companies and gain new knowledge.
Source: Gabriela Del Carmen: Journalist with experience in research and production of reports on technology, innovation, business and gastronomy. He has worked at Forbes Brasil and collaborated with UOL’s Viva Bem channel.
