LEAP FORWARD

Day 3: Take Your Business to the Next Level 💼 On the third day of the market visit, we delved into the investor landscape and practical strategies for startup growth, focusing on key lessons for navigating sales in Germany and engaging stakeholders. Here's what stood out: 1️⃣ Sales Strategy and Founders’ Dilemmas with Darius Moeini, CEO of Berlin Innovation Agency (BIA) Darius Moeini introduced us to one of the biggest dilemmas faced by any founder: when to stay the course and when to pivot. He highlighted the importance of balancing focus on core goals with seizing new opportunities. According to Darius, focus only works when there is absolute clarity about what your objectives are. Without this clarity, it’s easy to be swayed by opportunities that end up diluting efforts and resources. He also provided a framework for thinking about sales, highlighting that a successful sales process involves structured stages that founders and teams must master: Step 1: Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) – Establish clarity about who your target customers are and what problems you are solving for them.  Step 2: Building Your Funnel – Measure from day one.  Step 3: Relationships Matter – Use the BANT Model (Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing)  Step 4: Capitalize on Opportunities – Turn every relationship and engagement into actionable growth steps. 2️⃣Support for Startups by Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH During the session, we explored the role of Berlin Partner in supporting startups looking to establish themselves in the city. This organization offers a comprehensive range of services, including office location support, talent recruitment services, and guidance on financing, helping startups navigate the complex financial landscape of the region. 3️⃣Pitching Session at Ahoy! Berlin In this session, the startups got to put all their previously gained knowledge into action as they each pitched for 5 minutes in front of investors and industry stakeholders. Thank you for taking the time to come and give feedback Christoph Raethke, Alena Redeker, Jessica Wimalasooriyar, Francesca Baillieu, Isabelle Thierfelder, Fabian Koenig, Miguel Encarnacion, Kasia Zalewska 4️⃣ Evening Networking at Ahoy with Danish Industry & Scandinavian Business Hub The day concluded with a networking event that brought together the Nordic tech community in Berlin. Anna Boss, Head of Sales DACH at Too Good To Go, shared her inspiring journey, providing practical insights on how to successfully scale a business in Germany. We also heard from Dipl. -Ing.Norhan Othman from Startup Migrants , who discussed the many funding options available for students and how his organization has helped launch over 80 companies. Thank you so much to the speakers and participants for this day: your stories are key to laying the foundations in the German market! 📷 Dominic Nemec (he/him) from Chop-Chop Studio #Intentional #LEAPFORWARD #DKStartups #BerlinEcosystem Industriens Fond

Day 2: Key Steps for Successful Market Entry 🇩🇪 On the second day we dove into legal aspects, impactful business models, and networking in Berlin's vibrant ecosystem. Here are the key highlights: 1️⃣ Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Germany with The Startup ☕ We started with a session on the legal aspects of doing business in Germany, led by Vittorio De Vecchi Lajolo. We learned that it’s not mandatory to establish an entity in Germany to operate; however, Germans prefer to work with local entities, especially when it comes to public funding access. 2️⃣ Innovative Business Models with Fred Henderson from Ecosia 🌍 At Ecosia, Fred introduced us to the business model of Europe’s largest nonprofit search engine and the first B Corp in Germany. Ecosia donates 100% of its profits to climate causes and has already planted over 250 million trees. Its structure ensures it cannot be sold, securing its ecological mission for the long term and reinforcing user trust. 3️⃣ How to Do Business in Germany with Maciej Matti Kawecki from the Scandinavian Business Hub 🌐 Maciej shared insights on how Nordic companies adjust their strategies to enter the German market. Each region has unique characteristics, so adapting sales channels is essential for effective expansion. 4️⃣ Financing in Germany vs. the Nordic Countries with Natalie Milde from Future Energy Ventures  💸 Natalie provided key advice on fundraising in Germany, highlighting that, as an Article 9 fund, their investments must have a positive impact. She recommended having clear and direct communication, and not burning top contacts early in the process. Her final tip: “be the one in the yellow shirt” to stand out in a competitive market. 5️⃣ Impact Hub Berlin: Networking 🤝 We wrapped up the day at Impact Hub Berlin, connecting with entrepreneurs and sharing ideas. Thanks to all speakers and participants for the insights shared yesterday, which will be instrumental for our next steps in Germany! #Intentional #LEAPFORWARD #DKStartups #BerlinEcosystem #Sustainability #MarketVisit Industriens Fond Blåmst, Boogiz Dance App. Maja Juel-Hansen, byoms ApS, Crowd Cph, eXistential AI, Gogsig Barefoot Shoes, Interhuman AI, Social Vanilla, SQUARELY COPENHAGEN, TeleTech, VETiSearch, Waitly, Welldium.

Day 1: Introduction to the Berlin Ecosystem 🇩🇪 Yesterday marked the beginning of an exciting journey as we kicked off our market visit to Berlin with the Berlin Innovation Agency (BIA) Team at the CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center). The atmosphere was lively as we prepared to dive into Berlin's dynamic startup ecosystem. Here are three tips we learned today for breaking into the German market: 1️⃣ Establish a Local Presence 📍: Whether it's you or a local representative, make sure to meet customers and partners on their home turf in Germany. 2️⃣ Emphasize Building a Trustworthy Brand 🤝: German consumers require a high level of assurance before making a purchase. Ensure the details on your website are precise, and, most importantly, always follow through on your promises. 3️⃣ Be Patient with German Bureaucracy 🇩🇪: The German system takes time, so be sure to follow the correct steps in the right order. Special thanks to Pranav Arya, who, with his deep knowledge of startup ecosystems, shared valuable insights on what makes a successful startup hub. Pranav highlighted the importance of global connectivity for the success of a startup hub. This global connectedness extends beyond merely sourcing knowledge from other places; founders in Berlin are more likely to build products for international markets. A strong global network also incentivizes companies to remain rooted locally: 16/17 of Berlin’s unicorns are still in Berlin, whereas two-thirds of Copenhagen’s unicorns have relocated. Thank you to Viktoria Kirchmaier, who shared her experience in sales, growth, and brand-building, emphasizing the importance of trust and authenticity. Viktoria underscored the value of having a local presence and paying attention to details—such as having a German phone number on your website. Above all, she stressed that to build trust, you must follow through on what you say you’ll do. Be transparent and true. We also want to thank Hans Wicks from Danish Industry in Germany for sharing his insights on bringing Danish startups to Germany. Besides offering an overview of Germany's current economic and political landscape, he provided several helpful tips for navigating the German system. Lastly, thank you to the BIA Team for your warm welcome and for setting the stage for this insightful visit. We’re looking forward to exploring Berlin’s ecosystem in even greater depth over the next few days! #Intentional #LEAPFORWARD #DKStartups #BerlinEcosystem #Sustainability #MarketVisit Industriens Fond Blåmst, Boogiz Dance App. Maja Juel-Hansen, byoms ApS, Crowd Cph, eXistential AI, Gogsig Barefoot Shoes, Interhuman AI, Social Vanilla, SQUARELY COPENHAGEN, TeleTech, VETiSearch, Waitly, Welldium.

Opportunities and Challenges in the German Market Last week, we were lucky enough to welcome Ansgar Frankenberg, CEO and Founder of MMehr as a speaker to our LEAP FORWARD program. Ansgar discussed the key opportunities and challenges of entering the German market. He noted that achieving initial sales may take 3 to 6 months due to the need to build trust with local customers. Additionally, entering this market requires significant financial resources and cannot be done on a tight budget. He highlighted three key aspects of entering the German market: 1️⃣ One-Size-Does-Not-Fit-All: Ansgar cautioned against using a "one-size-fits-all" sales and marketing strategy. What may be a "nice-to-have" in a startup’s home market could be a crucial differentiator in the German market. Adapting strategies to local preferences is essential for success. 2️⃣ Personal Connection is Key: Customer acquisition in Germany relies heavily on personal interaction. Trust-building is a slow but essential process, and language proficiency plays a significant role. However, it’s not just about language skills but about creating a genuine connection with customers. Automated customer acquisition models are less effective in this market. 3️⃣ Local Representation is Needed: Ansgar emphasized the importance of having a dedicated local representative or team for effective market entry. While some markets may embrace digital interactions, Germany’s slower digitization means that face-to-face meetings remain the preferred method of communication. #leapforward #intentional #dkstartups #enteringthegermanmarket Industriens Fond

Your brand is your value proposition. We have been lucky enough to welcome Aaron Bateman, founder of Bateman's with a background in Citrix and Advance A/S in a session with the LEAP FORWARD program. Some of the reasons why we are interested in the brand are: 🟡 Brand value accounts for 20 % of a company’s market capitalization 🟡 Strong brands have a 13 % price premium over weak brands 🟡 Strong brands decrease price sensitivity by up to 20 % 🟡 Brand-building activity compounds by delivering longer-term improvements in base sales than activation alone. All in all, customers will choose and pay more for a strong brand and therefore your brand is the most valuable commercial asset of your company. Reflection: Aaron explained that your brand is your value proposition, but what is your brand and what has it got to do with your value proposition? Your brand is your belief, your mission, and your vision, and this ‘holy trinity’ should inform all your commercial operations. What is meant by this is that your brand is not your product or your logo, but rather the things behind these. To define your brand you can start with questions such as, ‘Why does the company exist’ and ‘What do we want to change in the world’. When thinking of a brand in these frames it also becomes evident why your brand is your value proposition. #Leapforward #virtualsession #valueproposition Industriens Fond

If the oxygen masks fall down during a flight, who do you put it on first? Like in an airplane, we must cover ourselves and the basics before solving other company problems. Therefore, we always dedicate time in the first virtual session of LEAP FORWARD to talk about founders' mental health. 65 % of startups fail due to founder conflict, burnout, unaligned values, or wellbeing issues of the founder. So, it’s about the people, rather than the business. Michaela Raaby, an NLP practitioner at Even Founders (among other things), emphasized the significance of prioritizing mental health in the entrepreneurial journey. Three key takeaways: 🧠 Find out what mental health is to you. Mental health is not one thing but will vary depending on how we define it. 🦾 Know your own coping mechanisms. One size does not fit all. We all cope differently; if you put two people in the same situation, we cannot expect the same result. With regards to high work pressure, some will go steady, and some will fluctuate more, as we are all different. 🎨 Design your reality. If you hold balloons underwater, eventually one of them will pop up. While a founder can be in a development or learning zone, they should not be in a panic zone. Therefore, it is important to find your identity without the startup. Reflection: 90 % of founders believe that they pressure themselves to work long hours. 83 % of founders believe in demeaning returns in putting in more hours. This tells us that founders know that it is important to prioritise mental health, but might find it difficult to actually do when it comes to the point. Michaela has gathered a few tips on how to take care of your mental health even when you are busy. Prioritize the physical - your mind is also your body. Do a mental dump, where you just write down everything that comes to mind. Use your community, i.e. other founders. See people from outside the workplace. Find professional guidance. #intentional #leapforward #dkstartup #foundermentalhealth Industriens Fond

If you knew us well, you would know that... ... we always ask the founders to answer this ^^ at the kick-off of LEAP FORWARD programs. Yesterday we kicked off LEAP FORWARD Berlin Edition, and it turns out that this group contains people who love robots, people who love to dance, and people who hate losing. We can't wait to get to know all of you better throughout the next 5 months 💛 Thank you Digital Hub Denmark for providing great surroundings 🙏 The companies: blåmst. Boogiz byoms ApS Crowd Cph eXistential AI Gogsig Barefoot Shoes Interhuman AI Social Vanilla SQUARELY COPENHAGEN TeleTech VETiSearch Waitly Welldium The advisors: Rares Bagyo Frederik Siesbye Halsted Gaëlle Ferrere Mary Apostolaki Johansen Michaela Raaby Poul Bernd Vaios Gkitsas Stine Colding Alstrup Zenia W. Francker (she/her) #intentional #leapforward Industriens Fond LEAP FORWARD #scaling #internationalization #acceleratorprogram #kickoff Berlin Innovation Agency (BIA)

Friday is the final opportunity to let us know if you'd like to join the Berlin program alongside these inspiring companies: ☀️ blåmst. ☀️ Boogiz ☀️ byoms ApS ☀️ Crowd Cph ☀️ eXistential AI ☀️ Gogsig Barefoot Shoes ☀️ Interhuman AI ☀️ Social Vanilla ☀️ SQUARELY COPENHAGEN ☀️ VETiSearch ☀️ Waitly ☀️ Welldium If you are interested in joining, then please write to andreas@intentional.dk #intentional #leapforward Industriens Fond LEAP FORWARD #scaling #internationalization #acceleratorprogram

Founder Friday: Spotlight on Pernille Ollendorff Hede from Healthycrop 🌱 In this edition of Founder Friday we dive into Pernille's industry background as well as the immense impact of agritech companies and Healthycrop. ✨What advantages has your corporate background and industry experience given you as an entrepreneur?✨ I believe that my many years as a leader in the industry have provided me with numerous advantages as an entrepreneur. First and foremost, it has matured me as a person; I am much more robust and confident in myself than I was as a recent graduate. I know my strengths and where I need others to take over. In general, I think many entrepreneurs would benefit from starting by working a few years in the industry. It provides unique insights into the market and the needs we, as entrepreneurs, are trying to meet. When you begin your journey as an entrepreneur, there are many new things to learn, and in that context, having professional expertise and robustness to rely on can be a great strength. ✨What problem does Healthycrop solve?✨ Each year, around 1 million tons of fungicides are used worldwide. These chemicals end up in our drinking water and food, destroy biodiversity, and lead to resistant fungi. Despite spraying such large amounts of fungicides, farmers still lose up to 15% of their yield each year due to fungal infections. We are developing crops that are naturally resistant to fungal infections by boosting the crops' existing defense mechanisms. This means that when farmers grow crops carrying our technology, they don't have to worry about fungal attacks and don't need to spray. This will lower their costs and increase their yields. ✨What impact could Healthycrop have on the industry?✨ The impact of our solution goes far beyond agriculture. Our solution contributes to the green transition in several ways. In addition to ensuring better conditions for biodiversity, our solution can also ensure the production of more and better food by minimizing traces of fungicides in food and drinking water while removing fungal toxins, the so-called mycotoxins, from our food. Furthermore, our solution also reduces the overall climate footprint since cultivating fungus-resistant crops leads to significantly lower CO2 emissions from both agriculture and the production of fungicides. ✨You just went on a market visit to Silicon Valley - what opportunities do you see in that market?✨ I have seen a clear increase in interest in agritech solutions from both investors and the market in general. In recent years, there has been a growing understanding that we need to reconsider the way we produce food which requires more technical solutions. When working with plant breeding, it has previously been challenging to generate interest due to the relatively long timelines involved. However, I clearly sense that this has changed. There is now a much greater willingness than before to invest both time and money in the right solutions.

A few glimpses of our latest market visit with LEAP FORWARD to Silicon Valley 📸 Thank you Innovation Centre Denmark Silicon Valley and Industriens Fond for making this possible 🙏 And to the startups for bringing the energy: eXistential AI GAMUCATEX Happenings Healthycrop Lapee Less. Fashion Moonboon School To Go SoundWheel TEGnology ApS Do you want to join our next program to Berlin? Contact Mariana Napuri at mariana@intentional.dk for more info. Application deadline: 1st of July, 2024.