Practical tips to approach the entrepreneurial world
- Be passionate about your start-up idea
- Focus on your idea and set up clear goals
- Know your IP rights before publishing your research
- Get informed – perform some preliminary information search (potential market and market demand, customers, incubators, etc.)
- Seek help or assistance from experienced people in the field (entrepreneurs, incubators, start-uppers)
- Set a good team– meet other researchers, students interested in entrepreneurship, you might find a missing team member
- Be patient and do not give up at the beginning
- Get informed on possible seed funding available near you (at your university or nearest incubator)
- Don’t count on what you hear from someone else, try it yourself
- Don’t limit yourself to a specific geographical region or field (open your mind)
- Don’t publish before understanding your IP rights – your research might be patentable
- Don’t do it all by yourself, ask for support from a dedicated institution near you
- Don’t think you are alone – ask for assistance
- Don’t be a scientist and a manager at the same time – define each role
- Don’t overgrow your start-up at the beginning – be realistic, you don’t need many people, just the right ones
- Don’t get discouraged, continue seeking funding opportunities and networking
