Travelling is an Investment
My name is Divyansh Sharma and I have been living in Turin, Italy, for the last three months working as an engineering consultant intern at Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles. The specialty about visiting Europe is that you can travel to different countries easily and cheaply as everything is in close proximity. I seized an opportunity to travel and explore various parts of Europe on the weekends. During my three-month stint in Italy, I traveled to eight countries, visiting about fourteen different locations, ranging from the high-rise Alpine mountain ranges to the serene Mediterranean coast. I have an entrepreneurial mindset and I always attempt to carefully observe my surroundings to find missing elements, thinking about innovations and products that could make basic processes more convenient. In this blog post, I will attempt to highlight some problems in various locations which can be possibly worked on through innovation and an entrepreneurial bent.
Italy
I will commence with Italy. I spent most of my time living in this country. Although I was interning in Turin, I also had the opportunity to visit Milan, the Cinque Terre, and Lake Como. Italy is a dream destination for tourists. It has beautiful natural sites — from the alluring alps to the serene lakes and colourful beaches. It also has a lively cosmopolitan element — bustling metropolitan cities with vibrant plazas surrounded by renaissance architecture. One of the unique problems that I noticed in Italy was the absence of a large english speaking population, often creating a language barrier for tourists. Of course, one could use Google Translate but it is cumbersome to type the text repeatedly in the chat box. An innovation such as a cheap and easily available universal audio translator could disrupt this sector. In addition, about forty percent of the Italian youth population is unemployed, with the Italian economy going through a bad phase. I believe that some kind of search engine for jobs local to the italian employment market could be a disruptive innovation.
Berlin, Germany
I visited Berlin, Germany, which is often regarded as the hub of innovation in the European Union. There are a lot of exciting startups operating in the city. The city has rich history, hosting monuments like the Berlin Wall, Reichstag Dome, and Brandenburg Gate. When I was exploring the streets of Berlin, I noticed a lot of old furniture just lying on the streets. I realised that there is a potential market which could be exploited in terms of trading used items. Also, it is difficult to pay with credit card in Berlin as most of the stores and outlets thrive on a cash driven economy. It would be particularly helpful for consumers and sellers if a universal money transfer system like Venmo or Paypal was implemented.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
I spent a weekend in Amsterdam — the most well-connected technology-oriented city in the European Union. Amsterdam — in layman’s term — is a dream. Beautiful network of canals run through the entire city, which is surrounded with narrow, bustling streets and natural parks. Amsterdam is one of the few cities in the world which has legalised the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. One can just walk into a coffee shop and buy marijuana. However, this process could be made more efficient by deploying an online system through which verified users can order marijuana and have it delivered right on their doorsteps. In my opinion, there is a huge business opportunity in this sector. The online system could be utilised to increase the efficiency of the process.
Barcelona, Spain
I visited Barcelona, Spain, toward the end of June. Barcelona was one of the liveliest cities I have ever visited. The city was booming with the summer beach festival and there were tons of people singing on the beach and enjoying the magnificent fireworks. The celebrations went on until post midnight but I was not worried. Through my perception of Barcelona and it being a major cultural and economic hub,I knew that it would have an efficient transport system. However, I was shocked to notice that there were no taxis or buses available during the wee hours of night. There were hundreds of people stranded on the roads at four in the morning, waiting for some sort of public transport to take them back home safely. To their dismay, the taxis that were available were exploiting the situation by overcharging the passengers by almost ninety percent. At that moment, I realized that a ridesharing service like Uber or Lyft could revolutionise the transport system in Barcelona by regulating and increasing the efficiency manyfold.
Brussels, Belgium
I was invited by the European Commision to attend the Annual Research and Innovation Conference at the Charlemagne Building in Brussels. The conference focused on evaluating the impact of the Horizon 2020 research program and Erasmus regulations in the European Union.The conference was attended by prominent people such as the former Prime Minister of Italy — Mr.Enrico Letta, Director General of the CERN -Fabiola Gianotti, and Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Smart Cities Laboratory — Carlo Ratti. The conference helped me explore the various innovations happening in the European Union and the ideologies of brilliant individuals on transforming the future of scientific research in the European Union. The European Commision is taking strides towards promoting entrepreneurship and is willing to gestate more startups in Europe.
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest was my favourite city in Europe. Buda and Pest are actually two different cities separated by the majestic Danube river. The city is abundant in neo-renaissance architecture blended gracefully with modern day high-rise buildings. It is monikered ‘Paris of the East’ due to the splendid lighting scheme observed during night-time. Unlike other countries in the European Union, Budapest has its own currency — the Hungarian Forint. One of the major problems I observed in Budapest was that some places only accepted Hungarian Forints while other places accepted only Euros. I believe that a uniform online payment system tailored according to the Hungarian economic system could be an interesting business model to explore in Budapest.
French Riviera and Monaco
French Riviera and Monaco are primarily known for their beautiful beaches and serene landscapes. Nice, belonging to the French Riviera, is often regarded as the Silicon Valley of Europe. It has an amazing entrepreneurial network with organizations such as the European Innovation Academy, which has the world’s biggest startup accelerator. One of the problems that I noticed in the French Riviera was that it is hard to travel around the region without a car and Uber cabs, if available, were really expensive. Cheap and effective transportation in the French Riviera and Monaco region can be truly beneficial.
The last three months have been a life changing experience, both on a personal and professional level. I was exposed to different cultures and lifestyles that changed my outlook on ‘life’ and made me appreciate the beauty of diversity. I hope that I can implement the lessons learned in my future endeavors and work toward making life processes simpler and efficient for everyone.
