BUPNET hat mit Jonas einen Jungunternehmer, der seinen Erasmus für Jungunternehmer-Austausch in Portugals Haupstadt, Lissabon verbringen wird.

It has been a month now that I have been in Lisbon and it’s safe to say that it has been an incredible experience so far. Having started to work part-time at beta-i, a company that brings corporations, start-ups and investors together to facilitate innovation, has provided me with a great overview of the start-up ecosystem in Lisbon and gives me the opportunity to get insights about my undertaking from various perspectives. But let me start at the beginning: As I came by car, it was quite a long drive from Münster to Lisbon – but who doesn’t like a nice road trip? Arriving in Lisbon, I directly took the chance on the first weekend to get to know the surrounding areas by visiting Ericera and its beautiful cliffs in the north. This and the Lisbon city trip, that my roommate gave me, showed me once again that I had made the right decision at least location-wise.
What about work and mentoring though? My first day at beta-i on Monday showed me that this would be awesome as well. My week started at 9:30 with a company breakfast at Always, the restaurant at the beta-i hub. This is how beta-i starts every week followed by the Happy Monday presentation, where every team of the company is sharing what happened the previous week and what were general learnings and inspiration for everyone. This was also the meeting where I introduced myself and almost hit a low-hanging lamp with my Lacrosse stick that provided for a good laugh.

The first weeks I was just getting to know beta-i. I tried to remember names, looked at presentations about all the different innovation programs that beta-I offers and simply talked to people to understand them and the company better. All in all, everyone I talked to seems very open minded and made me feel welcome. By now, I have found a more specific niche where I can be useful: offering my perspective on processes and providing my marketing knowledge to push some parts of the non-core business. It is fun, insightful and rewarding because I enjoy the outside perspective and the way I can help people see how to optimize the current way of working.

The big perk I get by being involved with beta-I is the input I receive from people that help start-ups on a daily base. This month I pitched my Lacrosse plattform and its current status to an innovation expert. I got lots of constructive feedback about how to go further in customer-centric market research and experimentation.

All in all, after the first month I can already say that, so far, the EYE program has been a liberating experience. The scholarship provides me with the opportunity to explore and work my business options, that I didn’t have working 40-hours before. It even provides me with the time to go deeper and explore my underlying values and the “Why?” behind entrepreneurship. Networking and exploring the social impact space in Lisbon, I have also met inspiring people. This could be the start of moving my undertakings towards a more sustainable or environmental impact approach. I am exited for the coming months and am very grateful to be part of the EYE program.