return to pond-deshpande centre website

Inspiration

This is where it all begins. It is often through conversation and storytelling that an individual is informed about an organization that is working to solve a social or environmental problem which evokes a connection between that individual and the organization.  This inspiration can also be rooted from attending various events, such as East Coast Startup Week. 

Please see the Inspiration page to learn more about organizations that are championing the movement as well as social enterprises that are making significant impact in our communities. 

---

Idea Creation

Once gaining inspiration, individuals often begin thinking about areas that they too can create change and impact within their communities. To generate an idea, an individual must be open-minded, creative and innovative. The idea being created must solve a problem or pain that individuals are facing in order to be successful. 

To learn more about ideation, please look at our educational programs. In this ecosystem, there are opportunities
 to learn through Post-Secondary Education and through community organizations. 

---

Experimentation

Experimentation is the fun part, its when an entrepreneur validates their idea, whether that idea is represented through a product or service and the market that they are working within. During this phase, the entrepreneur is also looking at all the factors that can influence the success of their idea, understanding the best approach they can take to be successful. 

There are many organization within the ecosystem that can guide an entrepreneur through this process, they can be found in the education section of this ecosystem. 

---

Business Model 

Once validating an idea, the entrepreneur can then begin building a plan. This plan encompasses what market they are targeting, their revenue streams, the various costs associated with producing and selling the product or service, the value proposition they are offering and operations of the business among many other factors.

These can often be explored through educational programs,  acted upon in accelerators and funded through various loans, grants, and awards. Please see the respective pages for more information on organizations that are working in this capacity.  

---

Launch

This is one of the most exciting parts of an entrepreneurs journey - when an idea on pen and paper comes to life! 

It can be both overwhelming and exciting. Fortunately, there are many organizations that can help make it a smooth ride. Please see the education page and the support network page to understand the organizations that can help during this stage of the entrepreneurial journey. 

---

Profitability & Sustainability 

Once an organization is launch, it is important that there are enough revenue streams to keep the organization functioning and ultimately leading to profit and self-sustainability. Arriving at this position can take a great deal of time, but it is possible. 

Within our ecosystem, there are many organizations that are willing to help and guide an entrepreneur through this process. Please see the support network page and the accelerate page to learn about what other organizations are doing in this field. 

---

Scale 

Once an organization has proven its success through profitability and self-sustainability, it is time for them to then replicate & grow, scaling the impact of their operations. 

To learn more about this, please look at the growth page, specifically accelerators and funding opportunities.