Bridges was founded by Chrstina Gourgoura and Maria Alexopoulou in 2018.Both of them , studying Media and Communication at Panteion university ,were asked to think of a fictional startup for the needs of one of their courses. During the process of finding the ideal startup related to their interests and studies , both of the founders turned down plenty of ideas due to their lack of innovation and utility. So ,the only way to address the problem and find out how an innovative and successful startup would be like , both of the students realized they had to deal with the problem from the “inside” ,constructing a startup related to their capabilities as well as their interests. After some discussion, it was then clear to them that their most powerful fear about their future profession ,is that in the Media and the Creative fields the most common way of finding job is through the word of mouth ,resulting in high unemployment. Bridges was then born, and its aim was to become the ideal tool ,for people working in the media industry in order to connect with those of the creative industry and backwards.”When life gives you bricks, we make bridges” is the caption of Bridges concept.
The next step in order to turn the project into reality,was to learn who the competitors were and how they managed to succeed.Then the startup should be differentiated from its competitors in order to be sustainable.The main competitor is a site called the “Dots” ,it is the first digital platform for creatives ,connecting them with brands and businesses all over the world.But what sets the Bridges apart is the fact that it is not just a platform in witch brands and freelancers sign up.Bridges is meant to become a real tool that on the one hand connects employers with employees and on the other hand works like an instructor for people.
The goal Bridges had to achieve was great, and in the same time more than just difficult.The only way to be able to visualise in more depth and to find more efficient ways that could make the idea become a reality was empathising with people through an experience map that allowed the problems to stand out and be studied.The process of empathising along with a survey conducted and many feedback conversations helped The Bridges’ team to get more insight on peoples thoughts which helped progress their idea even further.
A new prototype of the startup was then made,based on the information gathered during that period.In order for Bridges to work in real life and lead its own way of networking ,it should be able to offer people more facilities , so that it would be completely differentiated from its competitors.The way that Bridges could stand out was ,to make it work as a guarantee for its member’s skills,trustworthness and talent so that it could efficiently fight the situation of having too many skillful and talented individuals unemployed and only very few ,with backround and personal networking , working in big brands and institutes.
The idea of “Bridges “ was fully constructed after finishing the world cafe and speed dating methods.The interaction with people helped a lot in understanding their needs,their point of view and appreciating the value of diversity.
Our startup then made it to lead the foundation to a new aspect of networking.We are the Bridges.
