The new year is off to an exciting start for the AfriConEU Networking Academy! On January 18th, 2023, Porto Business School hosted an online webinar on “Leveraging Startup Creation from Innovative Technologies”. The aim of the webinar was to highlight the importance of innovation and the journey that is required for startup creation.

The event kicked off with Sasa Straus, Senior Expert for ITC, introducing the AfriConEU project to the participants. The speaker of the webinar was Rodrigo de Alvarenga, Head of CVC & CVB at The Bakery Brasil, who began his presentation by introducing himself as an “Impact-driven entrepreneur”. He emphasized the importance of impact in the startup ecosystem, stating that “launching a company is a matter of impact. We always impact the world, positively or negatively. That’s why we need all types of businesses, small business or large industries in order to have a sustainable society”.

During the webinar, various business models were discussed and analyzed, including infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, and software as a service. To make the concepts more accessible, the example of pizza as a service was used to illustrate the different models.

Furthermore, Rodrigo highlighted the questions that all potential entrepreneurs should answer and the steps that need to be taken in order to create a successful business. He also emphasized that to take the next step and become an entrepreneur, one needs energy and a rebellious spirit. “Creating a new business is an act of rebellion! You are going to change the lives of others”, he said.

In summary, the webinar provided valuable insights and practical advice for anyone interested in starting a business. You can find more details about the event on the AfriConEU Twitter. Don’t miss out on the next one!