Do you want to meet some of Europe’s boldest GNSS innovators? Get to know the Asia-Pacific soft-landing programme!

At GNSS.asia, we strive to empower European start-ups to access markets globally and we believe that to stay competitive, it is important to identify new markets and opportunities for expansion. We are here to help start-ups prepare for the moment when the timing is right to go global. Find out how we support 6 European start-ups, and how they started their global journey.

Meet the 6 start-ups that are part of the soft-landing programme by GNSS.asia

The GNSS.asia soft-landing programme enables 6 of Europe’s boldest GNSS start-ups to start an ecosystem exploration mission to Asia-Pacific in 2021. The programme provides a challenging, inspiring and international setting for the start-ups to take their business to the next level.

• TRAAK – High-performance wearable tracking
• PRNS – GNSS correction services for innovative applications
• MyCarbon – Become carbon neutral effortlessly
• Loctio – Democratising precise location capabilities for IoT devices
• DDK Positioning Ltd – Resilient and precise GNSS positioning with enhanced GNSS Accuracy
• DotHub – drive forward “IoTfication” with clever solutions

Have a look at the key facts of the soft-landing programme:

1. Target markets include China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan or Australasia

2. Support to start-ups includes 3 key elements:

• • 5-step internationalisation sprint through mentorship between July and December 2021 (digitally)
  • Ecosystem exploration mission to Asia in fall 2021 (physical travel or a digital mission)
  • Workshops and training sessions to assist your internationalisation effort

Why have we launched the soft-landing programme?

Entrepreneurs have the world at their fingertips and start-ups are going global earlier in their growth than ever before. The crisis mode our global economy finds itself in will be a long-term situation that start-ups need to adjust to and learn to thrive in.

Preparation is key! GNSS.asia believes the current crisis can be an opportunity for start-ups to do their homework thoroughly and to take advantage of our digital mentorship programme to prepare for internationalisation. Preparing for expansion early is crucial to have all elements in place before the window of opportunity opens. Start-ups looking to go global should design for scale from day one.

Why should start-ups think about internationalisation?

There are many reasons why start-ups should think about internationalisation very early on, especially in today’s globalised world. Advantages of international expansion include long-term risk mitigation, a diversified customer base and supply chain, or the possibility to avoid fluctuations and business cycles specific to a single market or region. Additionally, it allows companies to reduce their dependency on the strength of a single domestic market.

Most importantly, launching into more than one market means more early exposure to customers. It also opens up a broader pool of resources such as venture capital, advisors, and strategic partners. Above all, international expansion, if approached strategically and rightly balanced, makes your company more adaptable to change.

What about the challenges and risks of going global?

Of course, internationalisation bears its own risks and challenges. Going global is not easy, otherwise, everyone would do it. Every foreign market is different in terms of market openness, tax regimes, legislation as well as business cultures and practices. Therefore, you should never internationalise just for the sake of it. The key is to tap into markets that you can reasonably reach, and where your product or service shows a good market fit or great business potential. Vice versa, which market is the best fit for your product or service depends on factors such as the amount of expected adaption or operational costs.

What does the soft-landing programme by GNSS.asia do for the 6 start-ups?

Going global can seem like an unmovable mountain in front of the start-ups that they cannot see the peak of. GNSS.asia has launched the programme to help the start-ups in every aspect of the preparation phase which we see as the perfect momentum in the GNSS market for now.

• Hybrid 5-step internationalisation sprint
  The start-ups receive one month equivalent of 1×1 coaching tailored to their individual needs. GNSS.asia has can tap into their network of experienced business coaches and acclaimed GNSS experts and multipliers in the Asia-Pacific region. They will give them insights into the local GNSS market, acquaint them with the local business etiquette, help them to define the business case and identify the market with the best fit for their products, and prepare them for their ecosystem exploration mission.
• Ecosystem exploration mission
  The goal of this digital trip to Asia is to make them familiar with the local ecosystem, to help them build up their own global network in the international GNSS community, to open up global business opportunities for them and to promote their start-up among local GNSS stakeholders.
• Financial Support
  They will receive financial support up to €2,000 to reimburse their travel costs required to effectively participate in the soft-landing programme and to leverage what it has to offer.

If you are interested to learn more about the future edition of the soft-landing programme or have questions about the current edition please contact us at hello@gnss.asia.