With Micro4you, my adventure as a startupper has been so far full of emotions, periods of droop alternating with periods of high momentum, just like in a swing. I think it's normal, when you decide to abandon a route already mapped out (in my case an academic career) to navigate the open sea, following the guiding star of your own “vision”.
To say that nowdays we are living a particularly difficult moment to start any business activities and that to leave the certain for the uncertain is a risky a step, is a leitmotif that, even if true, is quite banal. In fact, if we compare the current situation with that of a few years ago it is clear how the boost for a change is emerging.
There is an increasing number of initiatives in which startups, large companies, investors, incubators, universities, science parks seek (and often find) a way to work together with the realization of a business idea.
Architectural structure of this “ecosystem”, where various actors join, are initiatives such as Startupbusiness, Paths of Innovation and several publishing projects as “Innov'azione” and “Wired Italy” which act as a sounding board to voice the start -ups who want to increase the visibility and get in touch with the Italian industry.
These initiatives not only face the two biggest problems of those who starts a business and who are looking for funding and implementation of a network; but, more importantly, these initiatives launch a strong message: the individual experience of those who want to do business is not synonymous with solitary experience.
I experienced this first hand when in 2010, in the context of Paths of Innovation, the area dedicated to innovative startups that develops within Smau, I presented to the public for the first time the product Micro4Art (bioformulated for restoration works of art and monuments). Thanks to this, Micro4Art had great visibility not only among experts: the great communicative power of the network has meant that the news of our innovative product came to the right ears, namely to people that could evaluate the business idea, believe in the project and contribute to the financial needs for its development.
Therefore, the message I would like to convey through my experience is that you do not go anywhere alone, results are more likely to come if one is inserted into a support structure and a network that works.
Thanks to Annalisa Balloi for her contribution!
