Trust your intuition

By

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29 April 2022

Una Terra Venture Studio goal is to support biodiversity restoration

Please introduce yourself and your startup Una Terra Venture Studio to our readers!

Hi, I am Luca Zerbini. Born in Italy, I am a passionate Founding Partner and CEO of Una Terra Venture Capital Fund. I studied Industrial Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano and subsequently received an MBA from the Wharton School. Before founding Una Terra, I worked in many global organisations. I was CEO and Managing Director at Fedrigoni Paper (a Bain Capital portfolio company); I was Vice President and General Manager at Amcor with $1B P&L accountability. And i also worked in several other companies such as Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, and Bain. I lived for many years in the US and I live now with my family outside Zurich, in Switzerland.

How did you get the idea of Una Terra Venture Studio?

Throughout my career, I gained valuable insights into how companies, large and small, are run. At each turn, I challenged the status quo to add value at C-level and Board level, helping to shape strategic roadmaps, and drive global growth and competitive advantage through marketing, innovation and ESG agendas.

At one point, I realised that I wanted to have a different role for the world we live in. Eager to deliver a significant impact change, I started investing in companies that could accelerate solutions for climate change and, in parallel, the germ of an idea – of a fund focused on driving and supporting sustainable, green tech and innovation – began to form in my mind.

Why did you decide to start with Una Terra Venture Studio?

There are only eight large funds in Europe that are dedicated to the ESG agenda. This is a ridiculously small number. Despite the explosion in sustainability-themed investments, only a small percentage goes to highly disruptive businesses that are sector-shaping and fast-scaling through innovation. In fact, over $30T are flowing to large cap companies with questionable ESG credentials (according to the Global Sustainable Investment Review), while very little (around $0.2tr) going to innovative growth companies and potential Impact Unicorns, whose business models are inherently impact-driven. Una Terra’s ambition is to help shift the impact investment to where it is most impactful and meaningful.

What is the vision behind Una Terra Venture Studio?

We only have one habitable planet, and climate change and biodiversity loss are threatening this beautiful world we live in. We are racing against time and Una Terra – which is Italian for One Earth – is the commitment to scale and accelerate the adoption of ideas that the world needs more of. And right now.

Our commitment is to reduce CO2 emissions by 2 Gt per year from the environment and 5% of plastic waste in the oceans by 2030. We will do this through our portfolio company, helping them with a fully fledged venture studio to accelerate the growth and impact.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Setting up a fund in Luxembourg was a lengthy process. Luxembourg is rated AAA for good reason – the due diligence behind the set up of the fund is incredible but I am sure many fund managers are put off by the complexity of the process.

Landing on the right founding team was also a very interesting journey and I know we landed on a team that is very strong and solid. We all share the same vision and passion towards building a successful ESG fund where you don’t need to choose between profits and planet.

Who is your target audience?

We back founders at Series A+ stage whose products and services have an ambition of addressing at least 100Mt CO2/year and/or 10 Mt/year Plastics Waste reduction. These are companies active in the clean energy space: emissions reduction and carbon capture; smart mobility, housing and smart cities.

Industries we also look at are responsible food, agriculture and forestry, circular economy, packaging, fashion, as well as Clean Finance .

What is the USP of your startup?

Our edge? We are commercially innovators at heart.

In too many well-intended ESG start-ups and scale-ups, we see good money going after bad.

At Una Terra, we hunt for ideas grounded in the commercial rigour required to be successful. Our founding team each brings over 25 years of experience scaling products and services in the most competitive markets on earth.

When it comes to the Una Terra Venture Capital Fund, we combine focused strategy with passionate people and smart capital. Using our combined and extensive experience, we work closely with start-ups giving them hands-on support to actively help them scale-up.

The result? No green wishing, just green impact.

Can you describe your typical workday?

Our Founding Partners live across four different countries – Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands and the UK, but that does not limit how we work together. We have continuous interactions through chat channels and virtual meetings from very early in the day.

We align on key team and individual priorities on Mondays and then invest time with investors – current and future, investees – current and future, and administration.

Time with my family is very important to me and I make sure I spend quality time with them every day. When the kids are in bed, there is still time for a quick check in with my partners or responding to some emails.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Una Terra Venture Studio in five years?

Our fund in five years will have grown to €1 billion and this will have allowed us to grow all the companies we have invested in.

Our fund being with an evergreen structure means we have the flexibility to divest when the time is right and when we feel the founders don’t need our support anymore, either because they reach IPO stage or are acquired.

In 5 years, we will have made significant progress towards our goal of 2Gt reduction of CO2 emissions per year from the environment.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Find the right partners you want to work with. Working with friends who share your passion and vision is way more rewarding than doing it all by yourself.

Be curious to learn, and accept every fall as an opportunity to become better. Entrepreneurship is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

Trust your intuition.

More information you will find here

Thank you Luca Zerbini for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Green Alley Award 2022 finalist ScrapAd a Spanish startup

By

Quepatagra

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28 April 2022

0

Today’s finalist is ScrapAd. The Spanish startup developed a global platform for trading recyclable materials to counteract the lack of information in the recycling industry. The founders Sandra Montes and Samuel Ruiz discovered the need for a solution like theirs on a trade fair in Las Vegas! Connecting buyers and sellers worldwide, they want to disrupt the industry, that is still mostly based on personal connections, and solve its weaknesses. Read the interview to find more about ScrapAd’s founding story, their digital circular economy solution and their aspiring plans for the future.

You say that you got the inspiration for founding ScrapAd on a recycling fair in Las Vegas where you recognized some of the major weaknesses in this industry. Can you tell us more about this experience?

Samuel Ruiz and myself, Sandra Montes, participated in ISRI in Las Vegas – the worldwide leading trade fair for the recycling industry as part of our extended experience in the sector. We focused on offering our turnkey machinery solutions for recyclable materials, in terms of conveyance, treatment and revaluation of all kinds of waste, mostly specialized in all sorts of metals.

Then, we realized many people travelled thousands of kilometers in order to find the best destiny for their residues. An example: A representative of one of the most relevant recycling companies of north of Spain travelled to the fair in Las Vegas just to find not only the best buyer but also a good price for titanium chips waste that he was collecting from the aerospace industry.

Besides, participants told us that it is often impossible to find buyers for certain types of waste, which is why these materials are often deposited in landfills. This is economically inefficient and has terrible consequences for the environment. This was when we realized that there was a market demand: We started seeking for a proper solution to connect buyers and sellers, that would also offer a secure proposal in relation to material verification, payment terms and logistics. With this level of security, transactions that were usually done on a local basis between well-known contacts, could become global.

We came up with ScrapAd and realized that the platform would become a disruptive alternative never seen before.

Your concept is well-thought through and already seems quite mature. There are no concerns that your platform will be successful within a nation, but have you already considered how to get full access across borders and countries, considering regulations and the legal framework to transport waste across country borders?

Our logistic manager Lucía Peláez plays a key role here. She studied law and focused on logistics. And she currently investigates the regulations and legal frameworks in every single country ScrapAd is present in. She particularly focuses on the requirements for import and export to third countries.

Besides, taking opportunity of this knowledge, ScrapAd makes an alert to the members of the needed licenses and allowances to get a successful sales contract with the counterpart on the other side of the screen. Based on this knowledge, we also inform buyers and sellers on our platform about the licenses and allowances they need in order to establish successful contracts.

Thanks to our logistics manager’s work, we are aware of the regulations in almost every single country and know how to face them.

At least in Germany trading recyclable materials is often based on personal connections. How do you plan to disrupt this?

The recycling sector has traditionally been local and based on personal connections. However, a global vision is already present, since some types of materials cannot be sold in certain geographic areas for several reasons, for instance price or installed machinery.…

Besides, changes in supply and demand in different countries make import and export even more relevant. For example, the automotive industry in Mexico is booming and the aluminum request to produce certain parts is very high. In that case, difference in price for instance between Mexico and Europe would be so significant that even high logistic costs would be justified.

We are sure about the value proposition and would get global by:

Showing our potential and how we could help companies
Allowing people to save time and money
Offering the transaction end to end
Providing the maximum security
Operating with a very competitive commission fee compared to other traders and other kinds of marketplaces.

Where do you see your startup in 5 years from now?

Our vision is to become the leading platform for trading recyclable materials worldwide and we aim to reach this goal within the next five years. Therefore, these years will be crucial to get global deployment and establish as the leader in the sector, disrupting it with our technological proposal.

Having invested in highly skilled people and great technology, we are sure that people will understand the true meaning and potential of ScrapAd. We are confident that once people use the platform for the first time, they will continue doing so, which will help us become the globally recognized platform for waste and recyclable materials.

Our solution helps to save the world because…?”

Our solution helps to save the world, because it reduces the percentage of waste that ends up in landfills and counteracts issues like the pollution of land and seas, and CO2 emissions, which have been increasing dramatically in the few years and would continue without innovations like ours.

Take your chance and watch Atelier Riforma pitch their idea live on stage in Berlin on 28th April. Register here and meet our finalist in person.

Source Green Alley Award

Green Alley Award finalist Voltfang from Germany

By

Quepatagra

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28 April 2022

0

Electromobility is one important puzzle piece in making transportation greener and more sustainable, as it reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions. However, the question remains what to do with used e-car batteries, which are a potential threat to the environment, if not disposed or recycled correctly. Our Green Alley Award finalist Voltfang from Germany developed a process to extend the life cycles of these old batteries and thus contributes to tackling this problem. Read the interview to find out more about the startup and their innovation.

Some car producers try to tackle the problem of used batteries themselves. How does your startup obtain used car batteries?

We now have several partners with whom we have exclusive contracts to purchase their 2nd-life batteries, which allows us to meet our needs. We have also developed a unique worldwide test that can ideally measure the batteries and determine how long the battery can still be used. In the future, other large car manufacturers will also want to have this test, so cooperation with us will be inevitable.

On your website you have listed several referential projects in which you have been working together with big companies, like the retailer Aldi Nord. In your experience, can you describe how a typical collaboration works? What does the process behind look like?

In our reference projects, such as at ALDI Nord, we first customized the battery to the customer’s requirements to install the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solution. We also continue to monitor the batteries to maximize their lifetime.

What are the biggest challenges you are currently facing?

Currently, scaling the company is a significant challenge and planning the largest 2nd life factory in Europe.

What was your last major success?

There have been many, but the last big success was delivering to ALDI.

How does the current legal framework impact second-life applications like yours?

Currently, there is an EU regulation that should simplify a 2nd-Life. We are curious to see how this will be converted into national law.

Our solution helps to save the world because…?”

We make an enormous contribution to energy transition through our storage systems.

Take your chance and watch Atelier Riforma pitch their idea live on stage in Berlin on 28th April. Register here and meet our finalist in person.

Source Green Alley Award

You need partners that go the extra mile to help you

By

Quepatagra

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28 April 2022

0

Mokumono: Polder e-bike unique design- made in the Netherlands

Please introduce yourself and the startup Mokumono to our readers!

We are Tom and Bob Schiller, twin brothers from Amsterdam and we founded Mokumono in 2014 with the idea of shaking up the bike industry. The Netherlands has a history of producing great bicycles that would stay on the road for decades, but over the years these skills were lost. Most bikes – even the ones by Dutch producers, are made in Asia. With Mokumono we wanted to prove that it is possible to bring bike production back to the Netherlands and be less dependent on Asian supply chains and all the ethical and sustainability issues that come with outsourcing production.

Why did you decide to start a company?

When Bob was studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven he came up with an idea that allowed us to produce frames in The Netherlands by using techniques that are common in the car industry. We press aluminum plates and then have them welded together robotically. When his design received a lot of positive feedback during Dutch Design Week, we decided to go for it and give it a shot.

What is the vision behind Mokumono?

To prove that it is possible to build bikes in Europe and by doing that pushing the entire industry towards better practices. We are on a mission to create a 100% European e-bike -with our latest model, the Polder, we are nearly there: 90% of all the parts on the bike are made in Europe.

Another part of our vision is that we think e-bikes should stay on the road as long as possible. Where other producers will try to sell you a new, upgraded model every two years, we have decided to make the Polder modular. The battery can easily be removed and replaced by a third party battery so you can keep using your bike for years to come. We guarantee that all parts will be in stock for the next ten years and if your bike needs fixing we will come to the driver to fix it on location – something we call ‘The ride to right’ principle.

From the idea to the start, what have been the biggest challenges so far and how did you finance yourself?

The biggest challenge was to reinvent production. There was no template for what we wanted to do so we had to figure out everything ourselves. But at the same time this was also the most fun part of the process. We ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016 that gave us some initial funds to develop our first model: the Delta. Earlier this year raised 800 thousand euro with a consortium of private investors and Rabobank. This allowed us to scale up before introducing the Polder earlier this month.

Who is Mokumono’s target audience?

The Delta was a rather sporty e-bike with a specific audience – compare it to a Lamborghini. We sold most to urban professionals – overwhelmingly male. The Polder is a much more inclusive model for a bigger audience. It’s unisex and fits drivers from 165cm to 195 cm. The maximum range of 110 km on a full charge also makes this the perfect bike for commuters. We think that our target audience are people that are a bit bored or fed up with the market leaders and are looking for well designed, sustainable quality bikes – that is our sweet spot.

What is special about the e-bike? Where are the advantages? What distinguishes you from other providers?

There’s the design, which is completely unique. We say that it is engineered to excite and build to last – so if you are looking for a bike that stays with you for years – you found it. Then there’s the trunk – the lockable battery compartment that also has space for personal items or a bike lock. You can remove the battery and charge it at home or use it as a powerbank for other devices. Depending on the battery you choose the range is anywhere between 80km and 110km – which puts the Polder on the very high end of modern e-bikes.

The Polder switches on using bluetooth technology when its driver approaches, the Mokumono app has seen a huge update and offers everything that can be expected from a modern e-bike app and the phone can be mounted to the frame and charged while driving. The led-lights are integrated in the frame and, like many other parts, are designed exclusively for us.

Mokumono, where are you going? Where do you see yourself in five years?

In the short term we want to make the Polder launch a success. The first reactions have been very positive and we are receiving a lot of orders – so that’s looking good. In 5 years we would like to break open more markets in Europe as well as overseas. The challenge here is that we need to find good partners to take care of local after-sales. We will be happy if we manage to carve out a solid and sustainable piece of market share that allows us to keep doing what we love doing: design groundbreaking bikes that make people happy.

Finally: What 3 tips would you give to prospective founders?

1. Keep charging at it. Starting up is a rough road with many ups and downs but to see an idea grow, take hold and come to live is super exciting and rewarding.

2. Work on your idea first and talk to prospective customers before you try to raise money from investors.

3. When you are making hardware, it’s important to find production partners that are excited by your ideas. You need partners that go the extra mile to help you and aren’t only focused on the bottom line.

More information you will find here

Thank you Emil Esselin for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Believe in your ideas and execute them

By

Quepatagra

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27 April 2022

0

Innovsol is a new-age innovator who is primarily into consulting and services

Please introduce yourself and your startup Innovsol to our readers!

As a company, Innovsol is a new-age innovator who is primarily into consulting and services. Our firm leverages digital technologies to innovate the curated solutions sector for businesses of all shapes and sizes. At our core, Innovsol’s operations involve combining business intelligence and tech expertise to help leverage change and deliver results via automation of everyday operations.

We aim at reducing human errors by letting programmed robots take over a complex extent of work efficiently, enabling the enterprise goals by harnessing the power of emerging technologies.

How did you get the idea for Innovsol?

The idea behind Innovsol was a necessity that forced us to think beyond rationale! As we worked in the corporate world, we wanted to start something independently. And as we debated, we wanted to provide Innovative Solutions to the end customer. And hence we came up with the name Innov(ative) Sol(ution).

Why did you decide to start with Innovsol?

We decided to start sometime in 2015 and officially quit our corporate job, and began on June 5. And we debated many ideas and did market research on shortlisted ideas. We saw a potential where Digital Technology was picking up. And we saw the impact on the industry in the coming days/yearn.

So, we invested our time and resources in this technology and partnered with the top two leading RPA product leaders to provide consulting and implementation services. Since then, we have moved to other new technologies such as Cloud, Data & Analytics, and a little bit of AI.

What is the vision behind Innovsol?

At its heart, Innovsol envisions an automated future of operations for organizations of all shapes and sizes. We intend to integrate automation, analytics effectively, and AI strategies across industries such as Banking and Finance, Insurance, Retail, and Manufacturing to steer the enterprises through their digital journey.

How difficult was the start, and which challenges did you have to overcome?

Being a small company, the process of landing our first project & overcoming it was a process of credentials and confidence. All of these factors have allowed us to become a known name around the industry as ‘Digital Experts.’

Who is your target audience?

Our target audience is any organization that is involved with mundane operations. With our vision of automating workforces, the target audience would be any organization or company involved in complex operations.

However, to give you a few names, such industries would primarily be Insurance, Banking and Finance, Retail, and Manufacturing, among others.

What is the USP of your startup?

At Innovsol, we excel in:

Multi-industry experience: Delivered projects in Manufacturing, BFSI (Banks, Insurance Companies, non-banking financial companies), and Retail

Automation expertise: 6+years in Intelligent automation, allowing us to deliver 300+ automated bots and provide cost effective solution to our clients..

With our operations at Innovsol, we tend to leverage the data and provide in-depth research-based offerings for potential differentiated outcomes in the universe of business.

Can you describe your typical workday?

My typical workday starts at around 6 in the morning when I usually like to invest my time going out for a small sprint around my locality or a game of Badminton. Once done, I return home at around 7 and train my body and mind via some weight lifting and yoga.

Following this, I spend some time with my kids, getting them ready for their school and doing breakfast with them before leaving for the office at around 9. After that, it’s like a typical workday at the office where we spend the first few hours discussing productivity as a team and focusing on the ‘how’ aspect of operations.

It generally gets over by 11-12, after which I like to get in touch with our clients and try to help them out on a one-to-one basis. Then, following some other everyday tasks, I sit around with my partners for lunch at 2:00 PM, where we discuss the company’s internals.

My day at the office ends at around 700 PM at night, after which I like to spend some time watching TV and enjoying my dinner till 9:00 PM, before finally going to bed at 10:30 PM.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Innovsol in five years?

We would love to see ourselves covering almost every possible country in the coming five years of our operation. With automation playing a major role in the functioning of several companies by 2027, we are confident we to be one of the key initiators of the era.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

My three tips would be very simple:

1. Own it – Believe in your ideas and execute them. Be yourself, and allow your personality to sell what you’re building.

2. Prove your expertise – Share learning’s you’ve gained from current / past jobs that will support you in the business.

3. Keep learning!

More information you will find here

Thank you Joseph Vathalloor for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Be bold – you always regret what you did not do

By

Quepatagra

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26 April 2022

0

Brick: power bank-sharing that allows users to pick up a charger in one location and return it to another.

Please introduce yourself and your startup Brick to our readers!

My name is Emil Esselin and I’m the founder and CEO of Brick – a Swedish startup for power bank-sharing that allows users to pick up a charger in one location and return it to another.

Today, Brick is available in 18 countries and on all continents. Our rapid global expansion has been possible thanks to our scalable and well-developed business model – and that we have succeeded in getting talented partners around the world. Their unique knowledge and experience of the local markets have been essential for our success.

How did you get the idea of Brick?

The idea for Brick was born when we realized that there are two growing problems around the world, the increased mobile dependence and poorer battery life. If you then merge the two together, you get a situation that in our opinion should not even exist.

Why did you decide to start with Brick?

We started Brick as a reaction to the development we saw in front of us. We wanted anyone to be able to charge their phone, even if you are on the go.

What is the vision behind Brick?

The vision is clear and simple – we want to have power banks available for people who forgot to bring a charger, do not want to buy one, or simply want to continue the day even when the mobile is dying. In other words, we want to send “my battery is dead” to the past.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Brick was founded in 2019, just before the pandemic. Many of our partners, who in many cases are bars and cafes, had a hard time running their company during the pandemic. After a slow start, we saw a boom in our business during 2021 and have since then quickly expanded to several new markets.

Who is your target audience?

Our target audience is both companies that have a natural space for anyone to charge their phone. It could be a café, restaurant or shopping-mall. But also our users all over the world, who can find, rent and return our power banks in our app.

What is the USP of your startup?

Our scalable and well-developed business model, that differentiates us from our competitors. Also that we are available to our users, whenever and wherever they need to charge. All hours of the day and in cities all over the world – from Stockholm to Brisbane.

Can you describe your typical workday?

During a typical workday, I am talking with Brick’s partners all over the world and looking for new markets to expand on. A lot of meetings with colleagues and various partners where we discuss how to develop and expand the company even more.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Brick in five years?

Today we are established in all the continents, however, in five years we expect to be available in even more countries around the world, and that Brick has become the number one choice for power-bank rentals. We also believe sharing is the future and we aim to take sharing beyond power banks, because access beats ownership. As CEO, I see myself developing and building an even better and bigger organization around Brick, with many more partners and colleagues on board.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

My three tips to founders are (1) be bold – you always regret what you did not do, (2) listen to others and build a strong network, but always trust your vision, (3) find the right investor for your startup and go beyond the most obvious. Maybe someone wants to perform consulting services for your company in exchange for convertibles?

More information you will find here

Thank you Emil Esselin for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

How To Create A Branded Content Marketing Strategy in 2022?

By

StartupValley

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21 April 2022

0

The primary goal of content marketing is to spread information about the brand, attract prospective customers to the sales funnel, and gain user trust. To make it easier to make the right decisions in this area, you should devise a strategy. Do you know how to write it so that your brand gets the most out of it?

The planning of actions to promote the created brand has a significant impact on the result. It is difficult to make the right decisions in marketing without knowing what the end goals are. As a result, developing a content marketing strategy for your brand is critical.

What is a Content Marketing Strategy?

A content strategy is a document that outlines all of the steps necessary to create, place, and distribute any content that will or can be used to promote a business. According to statistics, about 80% of B2B marketers report using a content marketing strategy.

Hereby, there are only 43% of those who have written it as a document. A well-developed marketing content strategy allows you to understand many important things, including:

Content your target audience (TA) requires;
The topics that will be interesting for your TA, the issues to be disclosed, etc.;
Specialists that must be involved in writing content. Fortunately, there is a wide range of such experts available. Visit best essay writing services if you need professional assistance with content creation;
Effective platforms for publishing content for promotion;
Assessing the effectiveness of published content for your brand.

How do you create a brand content marketing strategy?

Every decision in the content marketing process, from an idea to content promotion, is driven by strategy and planning. Let’s look at how to create a content marketing strategy for your brand:

1. Target audience analysis (TA)

The first step in developing a content marketing strategy includes the creation of a TA portrait. Following that, you will be able to better understand what content is appealing, useful, and worrying to your audience. For example, suppose you create content for teenagers. Consider answering questions like, “How do I find a writing company to write my term paper?” or “How do I effectively prepare for a semester exam?”

You risk wasting time and money if you plan to create articles without first analyzing the audience as a properly chosen topic for content (article, video) significantly increases the likelihood of getting traffic and increasing sales rates.

2. Competitor Analysis

Identify five major competitors and study their content. Consider the following factors:

Channels they use to communicate with their TA (social networks, blogs, emails, etc.);
Content they publish (form of content delivery, frequency of publishing);
Which content is most successful and appealing to their TA.

During the competitor analysis, you can make notes of the most successful content cases. This will help you understand what not to do and think about content that will help your brand stand out from the crowd.

3. Keyword research

Keywords are still important for content. If you want your posts to appear at the top of search engine results pages in organic search results, you must use keywords in your content.

At the same time, keep in mind that you create content for people. As a result, it should be useful for TA and answer their questions.

4. Planning of publications

The content plan in marketing is just as important as the creation and promotion of materials. It is built in the form of a table, with each publication specifying the purpose of its creation, the format of placement, the intended effect (transitions to the site, likes, etc.), the date of publication, and the placement channel. If you do not have time to create content on your own, you can delegate it to professional websites such as best essay writers online.

5. Content promotion

After you have prepared and posted the material, you must inform people so that they will visit the site and convert. It can be accomplished using many tools, including social media, contextual advertising, email newsletters, and organic search.

6. Analysis of the outcomes

It is time to assess the results. Which factors should be considered?

The volume of new traffic brought;
Conversion;
Social media activity;
Brand recognition.

Conclusion

These days, there is a wide range of tools available for promoting content. As a result, it is critical to select the best option while keeping the specifics of your business niche in mind.

It should be noted that business does not allow for rash or impulsive decisions. After all, all of your choices will have an impact on the outcomes. The development of a good content marketing strategy, based on the crucial data about buyers and competitors, will allow you to use the most effective way to promote and make the best decisions for your brand.

Photo by pixabay

Autor: Frank Hamilton

More articles from Frank Hamilton you can find here

Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

It is important to have a clear target of what you want to achieve

By

Quepatagra

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15 April 2022

0

Unlimint: A constantly evolving financial interface for innovators

Please introduce yourself and Unlimint to our readers!

My name is Irene Skrynova, I am 27 years old and I am the Chief Customer Officer at Unlimint. Unlimint is a global fintech company founded in 2009, and it currently operates from 16 offices all over the world, from APAC to LATAM, with over 400 employees. We offer a large portfolio of financial services to businesses – from acquiring (payment processing) to banking and issuing. In my current role, I’m focused on commercial success through opening up new opportunities, expansion, optimization, and creating successful teams. My expertise lies in online payments, acquiring, and crypto, and is spiced up with a deep understanding of consumer psychology through a marketing background.

How did you come to join Unlimint?

I joined Unlimint more than four years ago, after having worked in other fintech organisations including within the crypto and finance fields. Joining Unlimint was a logical step in my career journey and I’m glad I’m here at such an exciting time for industries like online payments and crypto.

What is the vision behind Unlimint and the company’s mission?

Our mission is to be “ready for tomorrow” to provide our customers with a sense of stability in the ever-changing financial landscape and to give them an opportunity to be prepared for whatever the tomorrow of business brings their way so that while others observe, they can be one step ahead. We utilise our technological stack to deliver all of entrepreneurs’ financial needs in a single platform and to simplify complex processes to ensure our clients get what they need to expand and grow globally.

Who is Unlimint’s target audience?

Innovative digital and online businesses, from eCommerce to gaming and crypto.

What’s your role within Unlimint and what are you responsible for?

As a Chief Customer Officer I’m responsible for the Customer Development Strategy and oversee all activities of the department globally (Europe, Asia, and LATAM) to ensure the strategic targets and KPIs are met. My team proactively grows the business by expanding and developing relationships with the merchants and partners, ensuring the highest level of client service, and exceeding team commercial goals.

How difficult was the start of your career in fintech and which challenges did you have to overcome?

I’d say that fintech is a relatively new field that hasn’t been taught in universities so you had to gain all the knowledge on the go. I was studying almost everything I could find and put an effort into building my own experience and point of view. As a young woman, I was quite lucky to be supported by many people who believed in me.

What is the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of Unlimint?

Unlimint provides solutions that go beyond acquiring, including banking, card issuing, and banking as a service, as well as a platform developed especially for the gamedev industry. This way, we are able to address a number of our customers’ challenges at the same time, backing the technical side of things with deep local expertise.

Can you describe your typical workday?

As I manage a global team, my typical morning starts with a catch-up with our APAC team who are located in Hong Kong, Xiamen, and Singapore. I am very number-centric and every day when I arrive at the office I start with an overview of our payment performance and other metrics over a cup of coffee. The workdays with our European team are very dynamic, usually fully packed with internal discussions and meetings with our clients. The second part of the day is when our LATAM team steps in and more time is dedicated to our Brazilian and Mexican teams.

Where do you see yourself and Unlimint in five years?

Personally, I feel that I’m at the right place now as the company is well aligned with my values: it is ambitious, international, and fast-growing, at the same time it is very innovative, and I’m planning to continue the journey with them. The online payments industry is now more dynamic and challenging than ever. In the next years, I see that Unlimint will continue to expand and evolve with transaction volumes growing across the globe. For sure it will introduce new business models to satisfy the business needs of other client profiles. All of that reveals a need for constant modernization and infrastructure update to open up the possibility to enter new markets overseas.

What three tips would you give to fellow women in tech?

It is important to have a clear target of what you want to achieve and where exactly you see yourself in your career. A strong vision will shape the reality and lead you to the expected future sooner or later. Secondly, people are vital for success, and as a leader, you need to be supportive of your team. Sharing a vision of the desired future with them is the best way to achieve extraordinary results.

More information you will find here

Thank you Irene Skrynova for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Green Alley Award 2022 finalist MakeGrowLab from Poland

By

Quepatagra

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14 April 2022

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The next Green Alley Award 2022 finalist we present you is MakeGrowLab from Poland. The startup develops oxygen and water vapor barrier coatings and films that can be either recycled like paper or biodegrade in your organic bin. With this solution, the startup contributes to tackling packaging waste, just like Flexi-Hex. Such solutions are needed because of the European Green Deal which aims at making all packaging on the EU market reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030.

With 23,2% of all applications, packaging waste was also the top waste stream represented in the Green Alley Award 2022. Let’s learn more about MakeGrowLab and their innovation!

Your innovation is another great step to make packaging more sustainable. However, some consumers might not know that it is compostable. How do you ensure that consumers dispose of it correctly to benefit from its biodegradability?

Scoby Packaging Materials are based on high quality nanoscale (not visible by human eye) fibers. SPM is fiber based cellulose- just like traditional paper. We can repulp SPM with paper stream, so when SPM is applied as an additive in paper packaging it won’t cause trouble in paper recycling facilities like conventional glues or coatings. There is also a scenario that material will not get recycled at all- in this case SPM will biodegadate in the natural environment, just like paper added to compost!

What is your USP? What differentiates your material from other biobased and biodegradable plastics?

It is common practice to add fossil based additives to plastic alternatives like paper cups, water bottles from paper and similar. Our materials work without additives from fossil fuels or any other toxic releasing substances. It actually replaces these plastic based additives in paper or other plastic alternatives, giving required barrier and strength properties of packaging without releasing microplastics. Additionally we can be incorporated into many material making processes without changing the manufacturing machinery. That is a very important factor that helps incorporate SPM in many single-use products, just like plastic but without environmental burden.

Your coating is a truly circular innovation: Where do you draw the food waste from that is needed to produce the coatings and films?

It is important to mention that MakeGrowLab can use a variety of feedstocks from food producers like juice makers, breweries or sugar mills. Additionally we reuse substrates during SPM production that make this process even double-circular. Thanks to versatility of feedstock use we can plan scaling up production outside of Europe- where other food waste is available.

Apart from having made it to the Green Alley Award 2022 finals, what has been your last greatest success moment?

We are piloting our materials with companies like Colgate-Palmolive and we are currently raising a $2M round. With recent partnerships and programs we entered, MakeGrowLab is on pace to become the Europe’s largest producer of bacterial nano-cellulose (BNC) for packaging and textiles use.

Complete the following sentence: Our solution helps to save the world, because…?

… it incorporates production where we co-work with nature, not exploit it! Besides the process that incorporates biological systems, SPM helps to save the world because it adds barrier properties and strength to biomaterials without use of fossil fuels but with waste and power of nature. Only small addition of SPM can make biomaterials lighter and protective which will make them more affordable and safe to use by industries. SPM can make adaptation of other biomaterials faster and really contribute to replace and minimize use of plastics in packaging together.

Take your chance and watch Atelier Riforma pitch their idea live on stage in Berlin on 28th April. Register here and meet our finalist in person.

Source Green Alley Award

Paper packaging with a patented honeycomb sleeve to protect fragile items

By

Quepatagra

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14 April 2022

0

Today, let us present you the next Green Alley Award 2022 finalist: Flexi-Hex! The brothers Sam and Will Boex developed a paper packaging with a patented honeycomb sleeve to protect fragile items. They got inspired for their innovative idea by their hobby surfing. Having a close connection to the ocean and being passionate about protecting the planet’s marine environment, they were looking for a solution for transporting their surf boards without using plastic and without running the risk of damaging them. Their recyclable, biodegradable and natural material is their contribution to counteract the plastic pollution of the oceans. So, being a Cornwall-based, coastal business obviously had a strong impact on Flexi-Hex. Let’s see if their country of origin, the UK, also had an impact. Read the interview and learn more about the startup.

What is the UK circular economy startup scene like, where do you see current trends, maybe especially with regard to packaging innovations?

The circular economy scene here in the UK is vibrant. British consumers are hyper aware of greenwashing and asking probing questions to businesses on what materials they are use in their products, what their manufacturing process looks like and what packaging they are choosing to protect their goods. Every element of the product offering has to be considered and packaging is just one component – and one that we are obviously passionate about!

This consumer interest has led to a growth in start ups looking at circular economy business models, but also pushing established brands to improve the way they work. We’re fortunate to have customers and partners who put sustainably at the top of their agenda, however there is still a long way to go to make circularity mainstream. There are a lot of questions around what it really means and how companies can set out to achieve it.

We’re also seeing growth in the term “regenerative businesses”, one where a company leaves a net positive impact on the planet, leaving more resources for generations ahead. This term is something we have recently built into our vision however is again, not an easy one to achieve with current technology within the packaging industry. But we promise to stay on the forefront of innovation, to keep asking questions and continue to seek out solutions so that one day we might achieve our vision.

The most exciting trend we’ve seen within the packaging industry is the developments of paper material and the possibilities of making it from seaweed or grass, both of which are showing to have better sustainability credentials that virgin or recycled paper.

Can you describe how does your material behaves in the paper stream and how the biodegradation process of it ultimately works?

Paper is made using plant-based cellulose fibers such as wood and starches which means it is naturally biodegradable within 6 months. Admittedly, there are chemicals added during the production process but fortunately this does not affect the biodegradation.

Another main benefit of paper is that it can be recycled up to 6 to 7 times and kerbside recycling is available across the UK, Europe and USA. Most importantly, consumers understand paper as a material and know how to correctly dispose of it by recycling or composting at home. To support this statement, ‘paper is the most recycled packaging material in Europe with an 84% recycling rate’ – CEPI, March 2022.

What is the benefit of your paper alternative over others? Where do you see your USP?

In a growing e-commerce market, there’s a lot of cardboard packaging that goes to waste. That gets ripped open never to be used again. That doesn’t actually protect what’s inside. That’s incongruous with the craft and care of the product people are investing in. We are proud to be the first business to design a paper honeycomb sleeve that’s as flexible as it is protective. One that’s natural, plastic-free, lightweight and thoughtfully designed with people and planet in mind. A sleeve that fits your product no matter what. And one that seamlessly fits in with the look and feel of your brand, enhancing the consumer experience.

We believe our packaging is not only beneficial for brand perception and loyalty, but also helps drive supply chain efficiencies and reduce logistics costs. The sleeves are incredibly compact and can stretch up to 35 times their natural state, making them easy to store and saving companies up to 80% in storage and shipping fees. All our cardboard solutions use minimal material and are designed to protect only the necessary parts of the product to avoid excessive waste. Having passed rigorous European drop tests, the unique structure of our honeycomb sleeves has proven to be incredibly impact resistant, reducing breakage rates to less than 1%.

We’re constantly innovating our products, so they are not only biodegradable, recyclable and plastic-free; but strong, flexible, and easy to use.

Your packaging solution is already utilized for sports equipment, bottles, cosmetics, homeware, and electronics and you already established an international business partner network (US, Europe, Asia, Australasia). What are your next (expansion) goal?

Although we have tailored packaging solutions for the aforementioned industries, we’ve only really taken significant market share in the UK drinks market, so our expansion goals are to continue gaining traction in these markets as well as new ones such as the art and framing market, automotive, pharmaceutical etc.

We are also looking to improve our supply chain and we have recently hired a dedicated team to develop and manage how we source and distribute our products to ensure it runs as efficiently and sustainably as possible.

Complete the following sentence: Our solution helps to save the world because…?”

… it is tackling packaging design with thought and care for the people and our planet.

Take your chance and watch Flexi-Hex pitch their idea live on stage in Berlin on 28th April. Register here and meet our finalist in person.

Source Green Alley Award