“Real world learning”. Those words are part of IMD’s mission statement and you could easily assume that it’s just a marketing tagline. However, that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. This week we jumped head first into entrepreneurship and, more specifically, into the real world demands of a start-up. Only a few weeks into the program and we already have the opportunity to make real-world business impact and not just sit around talking about theory. For the next four months, six of us will be knee-deep in business analysis, strategy development, and ideation for an actual start-up called EcoRobotix.
At some other business schools, if you do badly on an assignment the worst that can happen is you get a low grade. Here, if you don’t push yourself and deliver something meaningful, you will actually hurt somebody’s business and, more importantly, jeopardize someone’s dream. It’s a great responsibility and a fantastic way to motivate people to deliver the true value that a startup actually needs.
“Low herbicide robotic weeding” – that’s not exactly your first thought when someone mentions innovation, but take a look at the video and you’ll feel inspired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKZfjtPquzs
EcoRobotix has created a value proposition that sits at the intersection of technology, innovation, and environmental thoughtfulness. The founders, Aurelien and Steve, saw a major problem in the farming industry– every year, two million tons of pesticides are used globally often with over 90% wastage – and decided to tackle it with technology. Best of all, they’re doing it with a really cool looking robot!
Our team’s goal is to bring some of our newly developed strategic and analytical skills to help EcoRobotix with their market positioning. So here’s looking forward to team-work, hard-work, and hopefully, meaningful and impactful work. We can’t wait !
The EcoRobotix team from left to right: Aurélien Demaurex (founder) , Joyce Tsuchiya, Satoshi Yamamoto, Eric Lucien (Venture Capitalist), Edward Park, Candice Gallagher, Sandeep Sharma and Piotr Pociej.
Candice
