Start — uppers:
Collaborative Consumption & Sharing Economy
Presentation of Findings
“Start-ups are the most representative form of collaborative consumption and sharing economy, which is an economic system that its assets or services are shared between private individuals either for free or a fee typically by means of the Internet” (Oxford dictionary)
In our fast expanding and constantly demanding world, new trends and terms are bound to be introduced. Sharing economy and Collaborative Consumption are two newly emerged terms which we will attempt to explore through the Startuppers’ perspective and investigate the correlation between them.
Through this research we were given the chance to meet in person founders of Startups and by using in-depth interviews discover more about their habits, culture and skills as well as if they are familiar with the Sharing Economy and Collaborative consumption terms. In this article we share our findings which we have found through qualitative interviews we conducted with Greek start uppers in order to understand the use and benefits of collaborative consumption and social media at start uppers’ enterprises.
But first things first, some term-definition is needed:
Sharing economy is an umbrella term with a range of meanings, often used to describe economic and social activity in which individuals are able to borrow or rent assets owned by someone else, typically by means of the Internet.
Collaborative consumption can be defined as the set of resource circulation systems, which enable consumers to both “obtain” and “provide”, temporarily or permanently, valuable resources or services through direct interaction with other consumers or through a mediator. Collaborative consumption is not new, it has always existed but it has regained a new impetus through information technology.
A start up is an entrepreneurial venture which is typically a newly emerged, fast-growing business that aims to meet a marketplace need by developing or offering an innovative product, process or service.
Our samples:
Name: Nikiforos Doukas
Start up:HopeIn
Position: Co-founder
There has been an outbreak of Sharing Economy model since the financial crisis started and people started trusting each other because of technological progress!
Name: Akis Stark
Start up: Carky
Position: Co-founder
Name: Dimitris Kokkinakis
Start up:Impact Hub Athens
Position: Co-founder
We create a suitable environment for the Impact Hub Athens community so as to know each other and exchange. In this regard, I would say that we use collaborative consumption. It is the sharing of resources and our role is to bring these resourses to light, to make them accessible. Then, the role of the whole community is also to bring in new information and resources.
Our Findings:
SHARING ECONOMY -COLLABORATIVE CONSUMPTION
Our Start uppers are fully aware of the Sharing Economy and Collaborative Consumption terms as long as these systems play a vital role on their companies.
What we’ve learned from these experienced people can only be characterized as a “treasure of knowledge worthy to bear with us on the years to come”
According to our Interviewees the key thing for social innovators to know is that:
Collaborative consumption is not only a technology trend; it’s a transformative lens on how people view assets and how people trust one another. And this way of thinking can be applied to lots of problems and opportunities that can make a positive impact on the world.
We can already see that the way we, as a society, consume services and products is changing. Everything is changing, and we’re probably not even aware of it.
When you’re in the middle of change, it’s hard to see what’s happening all around you. But that doesn’t mean that change isn’t happening.
The idea of sharing our resources is starting to change the society as we know it. It’s an inevitable development. And it’s going to be the downfall of capitalism. A lot of companies are now offering services that give the consumer a possibility to be a producer of goods and services.
We have to change our mindset and try to adapt to this big societal change, because in this collaborative economy, a lot of things are changing.
The whole law system has to change to be able to cope with these changes.
It’s an interesting time to be alive and to be able to see these amazing changes in society. There are endless possibilities, but there are also a lot of complications with a big societal change. But if we educate ourselves and understand how we can adapt to these changes, we have a chance to create a sustainable future together.
Researchers: Alexis Douros , Eirini Nikolaou, Ioulia-Zoi Kyriakoulakou, Elpida Kyprioti, D_avgerh, pkarvounidou , Adrianna Iosifidi
