We’ve interviewed Zsófia Ghira, member of CoolCo at the opening of their cooling corner in Budapest.
How did you develop your product after EIT Jumpstarter?
EIT Jumpstarter gave us the fundamental business perspective, but back then, the architectural or business concept was not ready; it was more like an idea. We used sketches when we later applied for the New European Bauhaus Prize and finished runner-up in the “Prioritising the places and people that need it the most” category. Because of the prize pool, we were able to develop the architectural plans. We are still working on enhancing it from the business perspective, finding the relevant actors who can be our business partners and customers.
How did you use the knowledge you received during the training sessions of EIT Jumpstarter?
The whole story is that CoolCo is developing step by step. Jumpstarter and having a New European Bauhaus (NEB) track in it confirmed that CoolCo represents important values, we can believe in it, and there are no limits for us. We heavily relied on business development, financial planning, and market segmentation knowledge. And I still use parts of the pitch deck we developed with our Mentors and Trainers.
How many of these corners have you implemented or plan to implement this year?
This is the first pilot in Budapest, in the Józsefváros neighbourhood, one of the city’s most vulnerable areas. We wanted to have a prototyping of the architectural design and the deployment to see aspects we still have to work on, but our idea is to spread this solution further.
What are your plans regarding business development?
We are exploring our options on the market and in the social innovation field. We are building the most effective structure of our endeavour. This decision is one of the most challenging parts of our journey.
