Circular Kick-Start Ghent Region

First circular start-up programme in Flanders

In 2019, The Global Picture (in collaboration with BNP Paribas Fortis, Stad Gent, Acerta, Econocom, Unizo ...) launched the project The Circular Kickstart: a start-up programme with an exclusive focus on circular entrepreneurship.

With this project, we want to show that circular start-ups are the entrepreneurs of the future. Our goal is to guide start-ups in their journey from idea to market-ready circular solution. Therefore, our programme not only focuses on essential entrepreneurial skills (such as drawing up a business and financial plan, pitching, marketing ...) but our start-ups also get a crash course in activating circular business models. During the course they obtain a circular mindset, learn to create their own circular value proposition and discover how to integrate circularity into the core of their business model. Through this unique two-sided offer, startups get all the ingredients to turn their idea into a successful circular business.

All startups are welcome, because circular business models work in every startup. We also want to attract pre-starters as well as startups and scalers. Where pre-starters are still in the conceptual phase and can immediately integrate circularity into the core of their business model, startups and scalers will rather focus on rethinking their existing product in terms of circularity.

Although this project is only a pilot edition, our ultimate goal is to develop a structural, annual start-up programme in Flanders.