Facing climate crisis with an entrepreneurial mindset
This summer I had the opportunity to participate in the largest summer school of innovation, acceleration and mobilization of students towards a more sustainable and climate-resistant society, the EIT Climate KIC Journey.
EIT is the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and they have created an initiative focused on entrepreneurship and innovation for climate change in which for a month we have visited 3 european cities: Limassol (Cyprus), Riga (Latvia) and Hamburg (Germany). The goal was to find solutions to create a resilient, sustainable and climate adapted society.
A unique experience that seeks to broaden horizons for young Europeans and make us aware that we are not alone; there are many people willing to dedicate their time and life to find sustainable solutions and creating a positive impact. A month shared with 39 other people from different backgrounds and from whom I could learn more than I would have never imagined.
I have lived firsthand how thanks to the combination of completely different profiles (renewable energy engineering, sustainable agriculture, impact investment, entrepreneurship, circular economy, oceanography, sustainable urban planning, food waste, water management, climate change, business and more), we have been able to develop very powerful solutions in a collaborative and multidimensional way to face the current climate challenges. We all had different ways of thinking and creating, and yet, we have complemented ourselves to find solutions for the same goal.
Every day, if not every minute, we have learned, explored and debated on issues such as climate change, how sustainable society can become and how to change the systems that we have been worsening as human beings throughout history.
I had many doubts as to what I could contribute during this scholarship considering that my profile was anything but scientific or technical but with my experience at Byld, I could give the point of view of business and entrepreneurship, an aspect that many engineers or scientists usually forget.
Limassol, Cyprus “Defining trajectories”
We arrived Cyprus knowing that it was going to be a month where we would challenge ourselves and I sensed that something was going to change me. What we didn’t know was the impact (never better said in this case) that it was going to be for our future.
We started nervous, we had no idea what awaited us. The first days were very intense, we dedicated ourselves 100% to team building and by the hand of our coaches, we managed to create a totally open space to show ourselves as we were, they guided this trip in such a way that we all felt comfortable and very confident . The goal before leaving Cyprus was to have a team with which to subsequently develop an idea.
System mapping
Much of the learning was focused in System Mapping. It is a tool used to develop innovative ideas to current problems, to change the system. As a starting point, the issue or challenge we want to focus on is raised and the different elements that can be part of that system are written. With this we find out each of the elements that have influence, whether positive or negative, in a system. Once the elements have been defined, we unite each other to see the relationship they have. Seeing this, we can draw insights that previously were not so obvious and investigate further about them.
During these first days we did a lot of work that for anyone can be very different but in Byld it is part of our methodology and our day to day. The first phase, which we call Deep Dive, consists of doing a deep investigation of the chosen territories, going out to the streets to talk with the locals, interviewing experts in the sector and finding what are the incubators in the area doing. The goal of this process is to understand the industry, the challenges and trends to understand the existing problem so we can start to propose solutions.
Thanks to Systems Mapping and the research process, we were able to lower the concepts into slightly more defined trajectories. This tool can be combined with others that we use in Byld such as Personas, Mindmaps, Map Stakeholders, Innovation Horizons, value chain and trends. Systems mapping can add a lot of value to Byld’s future projects, some of them come to us with a more or less defined trajectory but there are others in which the territory is much broader. It is in these cases that this tool makes it easy to see the structure of the entire system.
From broader challenges to more specific trajectories:
- Overconsumption as a consequence of lack of self confidence
- Lack of information about sustainable products
- Lack of motivation to consume less
- Distrust in authorities enabling bottom up initiatives
- Lack of connection with nature in the cities
- Representing the exact and real value of goods
It was on the last day in Limassol when the teams were finally defined. A normally complicated process since you do not know the experience of the rest of the participants or their way of working but the coaches made this process as simple and smooth as possible. With their help we could find our teams and each person could contribute their knowledge and motivation to the chosen topic.
Riga, Latvia “Prototype or die”
The days were getting shorter, time went by faster and we still had not defined the final idea. As the hours passed we were iterating towards concepts that differ more and more from the original. Some teams had it very clear from the beginning but most of us were not able to decide on the idea until the very last moment. This constantly happens in Byld, we carry out several Concept Sprint and Brainstorming sessions until we find a concept with which both our partner and us are happy.
In our stay in Riga we developed the business model of the concept further. Here we were able to test the viability of the project, its possible limitations and the next steps to implement it. This week corresponds to the second phase in Byld’s methodology; Labs, in which we go from a market opportunity to a real project. The RTU Design Factory laboratory of the University of Riga provided us with the necessary materials to make the first prototypes (3D printers, laser) and the organizers of the Journey facilitated us interactions with entrepreneurs specialized in the topics of each of the projects. We discussed with them the different business models of each of the ideas, we learned from their failures and how they succeeded with their ideas. It was here that we went on to validate the value proposition with a small MVP with potential real clients.
During that time we used tools that we also use in Byld’s process, although in Byld we are constantly looking for new and innovative tools.
Brainstorming
We were able to participate in workshops to create solutions in a more creative way. UX and Design experts helped us frame our challenge in a question that allows a greater focus but still open to creativity.
Financial Tools
We had workshops on accounting, balance sheets, etc. but they were basic since for most participants it was a new topic.
Sustainable Business Model Canvas
This part was one of the workshops that made me realize how little integrated the entrepreneurial and business mentality is in engineering careers. For some of them, it was the first time they worked with the BMC framework.
Problem Mapping
We talked about other tools such as Ishikawa, 5 Whys, Problem Tree o Root Cause Analysis, also very present in Byld’s methodology.
“Since change is here to stay, problems are here to stay …… Forever!” (Ichak Adizes)
Seeing how the majority of us had never studied the theoretical part of entrepreneurship or design thinking, I realized the importance of combining engineering and business profiles to get more disruptive ideas. Engineers have the original ideas and we, the business ones, transform those crazy ideas into reality. This is especially important for ideas that tackle climate change since they usually require a better business strategy to be executed.
We finished our week of validation and prototyping in Riga and traveled by bus to Liepaja, on the coast of Latvia, where we took a ferry to Germany to try to travel as sustainably as possible.
Hamburg, Germany “Joining forces”
In the last stage of the Journey, as in Byld, it is the phase in which the idea becomes “real”. We developed the deck of the idea, with its complete business plan: problem, opportunity, solution, business model, marketing, expenses and next steps.
We met in Hamburg with the rest of 140 participants from other Journeys to present our concepts during the first Climate KIC Summit. A week of talks, ideas pitches and inspiring conferences where Sandrine Dixson-Decleve or Kristen Dunlop, CEO of Climate KIC participated.
This was the last part before creating the startup that it could later participate in other Climate KIC entrepreneurship programs, such as the incubator (Greenhouse), the accelerator or in the green startup competition (Climate Launchpad) in addition to having access to a wide network of potential investors.
All these new friendships and knowledge have pushed me to follow this path towards the search for sustainable ideas. We have left but not saying goodbye, but with a feeling of belonging to a large community.
An experience in which the best of business and engineering worlds have come together, where young people from all over Europe have joined forces and knowledge to find solutions to face the climate crisis.
As Sandrine Dixon said:
“This is not about technology anymore, this is no about innovation anymore, it’s about the social change and that change starts with us.”
We started the month as complete strangers but we have created an incredible community. A community in which we will rely on to continue innovating and creating ideas to improve the world.
