The document summarizes interviews conducted with entrepreneurs and investors to test the hypotheses of a business platform connecting them. Key lessons learned include that the platform would be useful, but may need to differentiate between startup and later-stage funding needs, define investor and project types carefully, and partner with universities globally to reach critical users. Next steps are conducting more interviews internationally and refining the business model based on findings.

1. START!
Connecting business creators, investors and
collaborators

2. Contents
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1. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE INTERVIEWS
2. TESTING OUR HYPOTHESIS
3. INTERVIEWS
4. LESSONS WE HAVE LEARNT
5. NEXT STEPS

3. 1. Scope and Objective of Interviews
❏ Objective: Initial check of our business model of order to test all our main
hypothesis.
❏ The way of doing it has been through interviews.
❏ We have chosen potential users of the Platform, taking into account the
different customers defined: Entrepreneurs and Investors.
❏ These potential users has been selected because of their experience and
expertise in the field. These first interviews have been done in Spain
(Santander, Madrid and Valencia), although some of the interviewees are
used to work in international environments.

4. 2. Testing our hypothesis
❏ To prepare for the interview.
❏ Develop a questionnaire
❏ Develop a business-presentation document
❏ Arrange a meeting
❏ The interview: Face to Face & Telephone interview.
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To present the business model
To explain value proposition
To ask questions and get feedback
All interviews have been done in a very effective and fluent way , any
comment or question that the interviewee has been very much
appreciated.

5. 3. Interviews.
❏ Entrepreneur.
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Distrito-Beta
Sostenia
Buenos días Cantabria
Eurotri
❏ Investors.
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Cantabria Capital (Private Equity)
Arcano Group (Agent of Family Offices and other investors)
Sanchez-Ram. (Venture Capital)
Familia Quesada (Business Angel)

6. 4. Lessons that we have learned.
❏ From entrepreneurs
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They consider very useful this platform.
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They need support to shape their business model.
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We need to define different profiles of entrepreneurs, taking into account the amount
in investment they need for their project.
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Entrepreneurs will get to investors quicker.
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Does linkedin could be a competitor?: groups of people of the same interest getting
together.
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We have to analyse deeper if one investor invest in project outside their area.
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Interesting for finding specialists for different need of professionals.

7. 4. Lessons that we have learned.
From Investors
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We should differentiate between Venture capital and Private Equity. Private Equity
aren’t used to investing in startup.
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If we only focus on innovative and technological start-ups, may be we are narrowing
too much .
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Define kind of investors with kind of projects.
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Investing in a startup is easier than doing it in a consolidated company.
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Our service will be useful if the business idea is already accompanied by a good
presentation and a consistent and feasible business plan. All projects studied could
have the same structure and methodology, so it is easy to study them and find data.
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We should provide support to the investor until the signing and subsequent tracks.

8. 4. Lessons that we have learned.
From Investors
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They pay a fixed quantity for the service plus a success fee (from 1% to 3% of the
capital invested.
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We should maintain permanent contact with investors and know their preferences.
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We need to have a minimum users in order to get known and useful for users (good
projects will call investors, and the opposite).
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If the project is global, the key partners also must be global: could be business
schools and universities around the world.
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Initial agreements with universities and association of investors and entrepreneurs are
crucial in order to have enough users at the beginning.

9. 5. Next steps
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Next steps of the project will have to study if the same
conclusions are reached in other geographical areas and
extending the sample with more interviews.
Changing the canvas model with our findings.