The third Get-together training week-March 3

Topic: Hands-on coaching: problem-solution fits & crafting of value propositions

First elevator pitches by the fellows.

Trainers: BUDA team (Business Development Academy)

Marc Goldchstein, Guest Professor, Head of Entrepreneurship Education at VUB TechTransfer

Thomas Crispeels, Professor at VUB Technology & Innovation , Solvay Business School

The morning session on Friday 3 March was lead by Marc Goldchstein. We moved from our September’s meeting on core assets to problem solution. The session started with a summary of what was discussed in September on core asset strategies, technology readiness levels, and moved to the problem solution fit. Specifically, what do we create and offer based on the problem we target, what is the added value of what we offer to our customers, and how to capture the value created for us. Marc explained the available tools to assess the problem fit, the tools to understand the customer needs and segments, the performance criteria, and the canvassing performance criteria. During the session we entered thought provoking debates on product life cycles, artificial intelligence and on real world value proposition examples (i.e. from the Imaging and Petroleum industries). Marc’s key message analysed and debated was to comprehensively understand the perspective of our customers (“put yourselves in your customer’s shoes”).

(by Georgios Outsios, PhD)

In the afternoon on the final day (3rd March 2023) of the IMPACT training week, Professor Thomas Crispeels conducted a session on generating impact towards a value proposition. After a brief lecture on developing a value proposition canvas for business cases, Professor Crispeels asked the fellows to identify the potential customers for their products/services and analyse possible “pains and gains” from the customers’ and producers’ points of view. 

After completing the assignment of developing the value proposition canvas, the fellows presented “elevator pitches” by providing short descriptions of key messages of their business cases.

(by Saimum Parvez, PhD)