Domain: Contribution to developing innovations and businesses (domain 3)

Action: Structures and conditions for people to create or develop their businesses and start-ups

&

Domain: Enhancing the quality of innovation and entrepreneurial education (domain 4)

Action: Training programmes and mentoring schemes

Best practice title: Bootcamp for Entrepreneurship in a Circular Economy (C-BOOT)

Best practice summary: C-BOOT is an international coaching program for students and young professionals that contribute to creating innovations and start-up by developing strong and convincing business pitches for a circular economy business model.

By whom: EIT RawMaterials

Key ingredients / description:

C-BOOT is an international coaching program that helps aspiring entrepreneurs with identifying and sharpening their business idea in the field of circular economy.

The program targets master and PhD students, young graduates, professionals and entrepreneurs with some some knowledge on circular economy concepts (e.g. acquired during one of the existing circular economy related MOOCs or summer schools), but especially demonstrated interest in setting up a circular business.

C-BOOT program helps the participants have a clear circular business pitch on which they can build a start-up, as well as have the skills to engage in a start-up endeavour. With this experience, they should be able to be accepted into existing start-up incubator or accelerator programs.
The program consists of a series of brief, focused bootcamps during which participants receive a mix of education, coaching and inspiration activities. Using different educational formats and coaching approaches, participants spot circular business innovation opportunities, and start building a business concept to capture those opportunities. The program uses a societal and customer need driven perspective (as opposed to technology or solution driven perspectives commonly used) to identify solutions for the inner circles of the circular economy that create added value for customers and for society.

Context (if applicable): n/a

Audiences (if applicable): n/a

Documents (if any): n/a

Links (if any): https://cboot.vito.be/en

Key success factors / How to replicate:

The programme might be replicate and scalable. To implement the programme it is essential to have a strong team of experts experienced in relevant thematic as well as entrepreneurship area. Also resources and infrastructure to organize bootcamps are needed.

Contact person: Saskia Manshoven, saskia.manshoven@vito.be

Keywords (at least 5): Start-up, Business pitch, Coaching, Bootcamp, Innovative ideas