GreenfieldProject summary

It's been a while since my last post, and I've been actively working on the development of my venture that is now called GreenfieldProject.

Below is a summary of the project, and I'd really like feedback and suggestions – drop me an email or comment!

The main aim of GreenfieldProject is to bring up the new generation of entrepreneurs who can realize risk and would be ready to embrace it.

GreenfieldProject is a grass-roots initiative by entrepreneurs and for entrepreneurs addressing issues every new venture faces at the very early stage of development:

• High perceived level of personal risk and low level of motivation;
  
• Lack of core team and expertise;
  
• Insufficient personal network;
  
• Inability to stress-test the viability of a business idea before implementation;
  

GreenfieldProject is a series of regular events where aspiring entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts come together to discuss potential business ideas, recognize opportunities, meet potential partners, co-founders and team members and make first steps to realizing their dreams.

Tuesday@GreenfieldProject

Regular (twice a month) GreenfieldProject meetups consist of idea pitches and discussions as well as keynotes from distinguished entrepreneurs on topics that are relevant to startups (such as opportunity recognition, team formation, market analysis, idea evaluation, business planning etc.) and panel discussions with successful entrepreneurs.

The participants get an opportunity to practice their pitch, brainstorm their ideas and network with like-minded individuals as well as established entrepreneurs, managers, tech and marketing gurus.

Meetups will be held in partnerships with educational institutions and technology companies.

A lot of people have ideas they don't know how to handle – they don't realize if the idea is viable, if it is actually interesting to anyone except them, maybe an idea just needs a little tweak here and there to make it extremely attractive. On the first stage, when the idea only exists in entrepreneur's mind the opportunity to share it with like-minded people and get competent feedback and reassurance is priceless, and can boost entrepreneur's self-efficacy and help him (or her) make the first step! And make this step right!

Harvest@GreenfieldProject

Creating startups is fun, and we don't see any reasons why people shouldn't enjoy it!

Harvest participants have a unique chance to take part in creating a completely new tech startup without sacrificing their daytime jobs, and with support from some of the best subject matter experts in the industry.

Aspiring entrepreneurs with new business ideas pitch their ideas to fellow professionals, get them interested and assemble teams around their ideas. Then they have two days to build a prototype, draft a business plan and create an inverstor's pitch.

A group of some of the best industry experts is available to support entrepreneurial teams on their projects – design & usability, programming, scalability, finance and business planning, marketing, SEO & PR – all the competencies you need to create a startup from scratch!

The final session gives teams an opportunity to present their pitches to a panel consisting VC's and distinguished entrepreneurs who then select the best team that has made the most progress.

The first Harvest@GreenfieldProject was held in the Moscow office of Microsoft February 20-21, 2010 and was a real success:

• 80+ participants
  
• 12 new projects
  
• 30+ experts consulted
  
• 20+ media partners spreading the word around (online & offline)
  
• 20 professional partners & sponsors
  
• Key partners: Microsoft BizSpark & Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
  

International@GreenfieldProject

Russian tech startups are hugely underrepresented on the international market due to several reasons:

• Inadequate language skills;
  
• Poor international network;
  
• Lack of international expertise.
  

GreenfieldProject will be addressing those issues by organizing regular English-only meetups, inviting experienced international entrepreneurs and organizing worldwide knowledge-exchange trips for Russian technopreneurs.

Partnerships

Developing an entrepreneurial culture is no easy task, and it's good to have people and companies who have been doing this for a long time ready to share their knowledge and experience.

The University of Cambridge's Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL), part of Judge Business School, is committed to inspiring and training individuals in the practice of entrepreneurship within one of the most active hi-tech clusters in the world, and has unique experience in developing entrepreneurial communities.

GreenfieldProject is the first project in Russia to be developed with expert support from CfEL staff and students, and we are going to use the most relevant knowledge and experience that can help us to foster innovation culture and promote startup entrepreneurship. CfEL can also provide access to a wide network of companies and professionals.

We are constantly working on expanding our network of international partners to extend the global network available for GreenfieldProject entrepreneurs.