Success stories

New entrepreneur:
Arnaldo Gianluca Fiorito (Italy)
Age: 44
Company name: (Start-up)
Sector of activity: Legal, fiscal and other consultancy services

Host entrepreneur:
Bernardo van der Vyver (Spain)
Age: 51
Company name: Open Mind Projects SL (25 years of experience)
Sector of activity: Legal, fiscal and other consultancy services

Bernardo van der Vyver is an experienced entrepreneur located in Barcelona, working with new business opportunities, project management, and marketing strategies. With his company -Open Mind Projects SL- he identifies, organises, and executes new business launches for his clients. When he heard about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme he just started a new project (health products for local and international markets) and considered this an interesting opportunity to work with someone from abroad who had some commercial experience. Arnaldo Gianluca Fiorito has commercial financial and logistics experience and the desire to start a business of his own in the near future. He decided to participate in EYE because the programme represented a great chance to learn from an experienced entrepreneur. By collaborating and sharing his expertise and actively participating in a project, Arnaldo gained experience in a wide range of processes and skills that have subsequently improved his self-confidence and his business idea.

The first activities for Arnaldo were principally aimed at gaining product, team, and market knowledge. After covering the basics, the entrepreneurs could start to discuss actual product strategies within given markets and contexts. The interest and objective of the host were to test and develop different projects with a person with the right attitude. The evolution of the relationship was positive both on a personal and professional level. It was evident that as Arnaldo boosted his confidence, his capacity to take on responsibilities grew. In turn, this made him more open to new opportunities and possibilities. The end goal of the exchange was to launch a product in different markets using a new sales platform. This entailed learning different skills relevant to that market and product, such as digital marketing, metrics, and logistics.

Thanks to the new entrepreneur’s help, Bernardo managed to launch a new range of products in different markets. Arnaldo learned and deepened relevant information and the necessary skills to help with the process, then presented his ideas to the host, who appreciated a fresh exchange. As there is no perfect launch or product, the objective of the host was to identify and launch a minimum viable product. The experience and different perspectives of the new entrepreneur made the development process more interesting and eased the pressure on Bernardo and his current team. Arnaldo, on the other hand, has achieved several results. He learnt the effective guidelines to start a project and how to use new tools for market analysis, discovered the new challenges in the actual market scenario, acquired the basic aspects of digital marketing, negotiated with suppliers, and refreshed his knowledge of price policy.

For more information, please contact the local contact points involved in the exchange:

New entrepreneur's contact point:
Fondazione Politecnico di Milano (Milano, Italy)

Host entrepreneur's contact point:
Cambra de Comerç , Indústria i Serveis de Terrassa (Terrassa, Spain)

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