International GTL Networking Session – Collaboration as a Driver for Successful Entrepreneurship

On June 14, 2022, an international GTL network meeting was initiated as part of the Spanish Entrepreneurship Training. Around 30 participants, more than 10 GTL startups on all 3 partner countries attended the networking event.

During the event the startups presented their project or business ideas to each other. It was an exciting exchange, which showed the multifaceted nature of the green economy and the variety of business ideas. However, it also showed that some projects – from different regions – have similar or complementary approaches, which could lead to project cooperation.

The aim of the event was therefore also to sensitize the participants to the importance of networks, cooperation and collaboration.

Why is collaboration so important for young startups and the development of innovative and successful business ideas?

The project experience shows that the startups are initially so busy with their own business idea that the topic of networking and collaboration is not on the agenda. At the same time, the degree of innovation of a green business idea also depends strongly on collaboration. To really create something new, you need different approaches, different perspectives, different knowledge and different skills. Collaboration is therefore a fundamental principle of innovation, as two or more collaborators with complementary skills create a joint idea that none of them could have developed alone.
The result of collaboration is always more complex because collaboration brings together the different perspectives of those involved. In this way, GTL startups can also benefit from each other and exploit synergies.

The International Networking Event was a kick-off for further collaboration activities.

Around 40 startups have now developed as part of the GTL project. In order to develop synergies between the project ideas and to explore opportunities for collaboration, we will offer thematic focus groups starting in the summer 2022. The goal is to create small digital exchange groups at regular intervals where our GTL startups can share their ideas. In addition, there will also be thematic experts and interested parties who will either be available to answer questions and provide tips, share their own experiences or also act as multipliers and can connect with potential partners.
The Thematic Focus Groups will initially be held on the following topics:

• Agriculture/Landscape/Agri-Food
• Circular Economy
• Energy (efficiency and renewables)
• Green Buildings and Cities
• Sustainable Tourism

For more information, visit our website regularly for early notice of upcoming networking events.