OUR APPROACH

We can help you with different elements of your venture or project using specific tools for each of them, while developping a holistic perspective of the context where your solution will be used, as opposed to exclusively or separately concentrating on the technological, financial or impact aspects.

 

VISION

• Define the WHY, why you lanched your venture, why is it so much needed, what's the positive impact you dream to bring to the World, etc.
• Describe this WHY in a simple and inspiring manner to share with all stakeholders, from investors to employees, partners and customers

 

MISSION STATEMENT

• Define the HOW: what should you do to realize your ambitious vision and what will you concretely bring to the World, to your customers, to the users,...

 

USP & STRATEGY

• Understand the problem you address (impact opportunity) and the needs of your customers (business opportunity)
• Define the solution that will take advantage of those opportunities
• Identify what makes your venture unique to develop outstanding competitive advantages; identify partners for all the other tasks where you are not bringing clear differentiators.

 

BUSINESS & IMPACT MODEL

• Develop a business model generating both significant revenues and positive impact.
• Design the model to be sustainable (for long-term profitability and impact) and scalable (for business growth and large-scale impact).

 

MARKETING PLAN

• Assess addressable/servicable markets, commercial viability and positive/negative impacts balance.
• Define the whole marketing mix, taking in account all the stakehoders from key partners (R&D, suppliers, sales & distribution, co-marketing, etc.) to end-users (user centered design) and customers (sales & marketing material).

 

OPERATIONAL PLAN

• Identify ressources and partners needed for all activities of your business plan: industrialization, manufacturing, procurement, logistics, sales & distribution, training, customer support, maintenance, commissioning, company administration, etc.

 

FINANCIALS

• Estimate required ressources and partners costs and make financial projections, including capital expenditures, projected revenues, cost of goods sold, variable and fixed costs.
• Estimates investments needed until reaching financial self-sustainability.

 

FUNDRAISING

• Define financing needs over time and profile of appropriate investors/funders
• Prepare all documentation for fundraising (pitch deck, business plan, IP status, operational plan, go-to-market strategy, customers/partners letters of intent, etc.)

 

BUILD THE LAUNCHING RAMP

• Define the organization structure, policies, processes, etc.
• Choose appropriate tools (ERP, quality management, accounting, financial analysis & reporting, HR, etc.)
• Identify and hire key people, define precise role/mission/tasks descriptions
• Contract external partners (consultants, suppliers,...)

 

We are using some specific tools and canvasses to boost & guide the reflexion, foster out-of-the-box thinking, innovate at all level of the value chain, identify all elements and stakeholders of you plan and assess both potential business and impact development perspectives.

 

Templates are useful to model all business processes and activities, identify all ressources, partners and stakeholders, and assess their role and stakes, benefits and impacts, etc.

 

Some of these templates (social business and value chain canvasses below) were developped by EPFL EssentialTech Centre.

The sustainable business model canvas is inspired from the business model canvas from The Business Model Foundry / Strategyzer AG.

Some other useful tools are the SDGs and ABC frameworks, the Theory of Change template or the Logical Framework Approach (LFA), the Five Dimensions of Impact, etc.

 

  © Copyright 2014 EPFL | EssentialTech Centre

  © Copyright 2014 EPFL | EssentialTech Centre