Geneva Business Development Hub

Business Development Hub

The idea is to build a model for local hubs, starting in Geneva, that is based on business development activities and partnerships with local players that share the share values with Catalyst and Cardano. Those business activities could benefit from the existing networks, members, and activities of the local players and by this achieve all the key metrics included in the challenge.

We envision local hub activities to be:

- Reach out to local organizations/partners

- Reach out to local key people

- Participate in local events

- Iniitiate presnetaitons - i.e. at Universities

- Local meetups and support in local language

Through this proposal, we suggest developing a model for business development local hubs by actually doing it in one location and through the experience evaluate the needs and start building the recommended format for it, such as human resources needed, information center (ppts, one-pager, research info), reporting to the community and ideas for activities.

We will also evaluate how to develop a business model for such a local hub so it will not be dependent over time on the community. Some examples could be local training to corporates or referrals on successful proposals which were initiated by the hub activities.

This proposal is a result of a fund 6 funded proposal (https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/367569-48088) which focuses on creating partnerships with UN-related organizations. We already see initial results from Fund 6 proposal as Seedstars.com have 7 proposals for fund 7. The focus of this proposal is developing a model for a local hub for ongoing business development activities. 

Geneva as a first location

Geneva has a one-of-a-kind ecosystem: a global financial center, combined with a hub for multilateral diplomacy, UN & related organizations, world-class academic institutions, and forward-looking policy-makers. Geneva is a strong Impact hub and new members could lead to exciting new proposals and collaborations.

Some examples of local potential organizations

- Sustainable Finance Geneva https://sfgeneva.org/ - positive initial discussion with SFG Chairman Fabio Sofia (whom I know for 5 years now)

- Micro Finance industry - some strong players are based in Geneva and we will initiate discussions

- Seedstars www.Seddstars.com - we presented them Catalyst in November and they already did 7 proposals for fund 7 in 3 challenges (Local hubs, accelerators, and mentors, grow LATAM) - you can already see the value from bringing on board such a great company. Maintaining the relationship will support more opportunities.

- Building bridges https://www.buildingbridges.org

- Accelerate2030 https://accelerate2030.net/

- EPFL https://www.epfl.ch/innovation/startup/

This is just an initial list of local organizations with shared values to what we are doing at Cardano/Catalyst. The Geneva Hub could be the focal point for:

- Education - what is Cardano/Catalyst

- Brainstroming for collaboration - how we align goals

- Reach out to their members/ network/companies

- On-going support & information

- Support new proposals

- Promote various groups within Catalyst and relevant opportunities i.e. Cardano4Climate, or WADA

- Coordinate opportunities with IOG and Cardano foundation 

KPIs and deliverables

3 months Q1 2022

Geneva Hub KPIs

# of organizations reached - our goal is to reach 10 organizations (each organization has network members be in people or companies)

# initial collaboration - 3-5 organisations

# New proposals in Catalyst. We expect initial proposals already in fund 8. As mentioned Seedstars alone did 7 proposals for fund 7.

The impact of having org/companies on board with strong networks could be huge and while it will probably start with a few proposals it could grow within the Cardano ecosystem. Again I will use the example of www.seedstars.com who starts with 7 proposals that include their local hub in developing countries and their accelerator services. There are many synergies that could grow the collaborations such as funds and Seedstars mentor network.

Companies like Sedstars might be looking into blockchain solutions and our objective is to make Cardano the blockchain of choice. 

Business development hub model deliverables:

- Hub activities registered with learning & recommendations for other hubs

- Initiate a resource center for local hubs (ppts, research docs, list of tools, list of catalyst communities) 

- Hub activities reporting model

- Business model evaluation

KPIs and success in 6 months

- Operational information center for business development activities (for example including presentations, logos, research, use cases, contact list, videos) - open for to community to use and contribute 

- Business hub in Geneva interact with 10 organizations 

- 3 other additional business hubs in other cities (with local lead)

KPIs and success in 12 months

- Business hub information center as a key reference for the community

- 10 other additional business hubs in other cities (with local lead)

Team

Yoram Ben Zvi: Impact Entrepreneur and mentor with international board, operations, and startup experience and a strong global network of startups, incubators, and accelerators. CA F6 and F7, Funded Proposer, Community manager at Cardano4Climate.

Jo Allum: Designer, Impact Entrepreneur, Ecosystem builder, Co-founder of a community-led coworking space, Entrepreneur Support Organisation (including incubation, acceleration programs) and a country-wide network of ESO's for Impact entrepreneurs. Contracted to support Angel Association New Zealand's Investor network and member of the committee of New Zealand's Open Source Society. CA F7, F6 Funded Proposer, Challenge Team member at Improve and Grow Auditability.

Budget

Initial work was already started and will continue. The suggested timeframe for this proposal will be for 3 months where we can already evaluate the deliverable and impact.

The budget requested is $1,200 per month for 3 months for the activities of the Geneva Hub. 8 hours per week/32 per month will be dedicated only for the local hub activities. $3600 for three months.

For the business information center activities, the budget for 3 months will be $750 per month for 3 months. $2250 for three months.

Total budget: $5850

Risk & Challenges

Geneva is a very conservative environment which could be a factor in the speed of results. However, we will look into organizations that are more dynamic and those looking for blockchain solutions (i.e. Seedstars).

Direct meetings vs. meetups are very common in Geneva which could be a more focused time-consuming approach

SDG goals alignment (based on proposer SDG tool - https://cardanocataly.st/proposer-tool-sdg**:**

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

SDG subgoals:

17.3 Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

17.7 Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

1.1.1 Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographic location (urban/rural)

1.a.2 Proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection)

3.2.2 Neonatal mortality rate

#proposertoolsdg