Insights

Since the recent partnership with Studio 30 50, Flagship Founders has introduced a new programme-based approach to building startups in the shipping industry. This comprehensive methodology aims to maximise the success of new ventures by supporting founders from ideation through to market launch and build solutions that are tailored to specific and real pain points that the shipping industry faces.

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A Structured Path to Innovation

The new approach follows a step-by-step process that brings together industry experts and entrepreneurs early in the venture-building journey. This programmatic venture building methodology unites development partners, founders, and the Flagship Founders team in a condensed time frame, allowing for rapid validation of ideas with a close set of partners. By combining collaborative ideation, validation, and prototyping with expert mentorship and strategic industry partnerships, Flagship Founders provides direct insights into critical maritime challenges ensuring that solutions are not only innovative but also deeply rooted in real-world industry needs.

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Key Stages of the Programme

The programme consists of several key stages, each designed to build upon the previous and create a solid foundation for successful ventures:

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1. Partner out-reach: In this initial phase, we seek our partners interest and feedback on interest and feedback on promising key domains and topics we’re considering for our next co-creation sprint (ongoing).
2. Discovery: We work with interested partners to identify challenges and opportunities in a few key focus areas. Together, we’ll refine problems and explore potential solutions.
3. Research: Following the discovery sessions, Flagship Founders conducts an internal deep dive into the problems and ideas. We spend time researching and validating the ideas as well as identifying potential roadblocks and opportunities, aiming to optimise our upcoming co-creation and product development sprint.
4. Solution | Validation: Following the discovery and research, we’ll conduct a  2-3 week co-creation sprint that takes place with potential founders and industry partners. Together, we’ll transform identified problems into validated solutions.
5. Build | Scale: We create an agile operational model and a targeted go-to-market strategy to prepare your product for launch, followed by ongoing hands-on support to ensure its success and scalability in the market.

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Benefits for Industry Partners

This approach offers several advantages to industry partners:

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• Access to Innovative Solutions: Partners can influence and adopt groundbreaking innovations early, gaining a competitive edge.
• Company-wide Learning: Involvement in high-pace agile ideation and product development fosters organisational learning.
• Clear Expectations and Results: The streamlined process ensures transparent progress and timely delivery.
• Early-Stage Investment Opportunities: Partners can invest in promising maritime ventures at their earliest stages.

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Empowering Co-Founders

For potential co-founders, the programme offers:

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• Curated venture ideas: The programme provides pre-vetted venture ideas developed in collaboration with industry partners, so founders can walk into the venture building process knowing the idea is a real issue that needs to be solved.
• Idea validation: The selected ideas are further validated and refined by the founders during the solution sprint, in collaboration with the Flagship Founders team and industry partners.
• Immediate market access: The programme offers direct access to curated industry partners who are ready to become pilot customers, providing built-in traction from day one.
• Structured pathway: The programme provides a clear, step-by-step process from idea validation to company launch, increasing the chances of success for aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Focus on maritime technology: The programme specifically targets the maritime industry's ongoing transformation, positioning founders to capitalise on emerging opportunities in this sector.

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A Unique Position in the Maritime Tech Landscape

It's crucial to understand that Flagship Founders is not an accelerator, incubator, or venture capital firm. We build startups from scratch, validating industry problems early with partners and collaborating with founders to create tailored, scalable maritime solutions. Our unique approach brings together industry expertise, strategic partnerships, and a structured approach to venture building. With this, our new programme-based methodology aims to drive transformative change in the maritime sector, addressing real-world challenges and propelling the industry forward.

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