Know the incubator of food and agribusiness of WSCF (Mexico), an initiative aimed at promoting entrepreneurship in the agroindustrial sector and attend national and international priorities in the field of food security, malnutrition or obesity challenges. A multidisciplinary team of professionals shares with us his model of business incubation: WSCF be +.
Talk with Professor Ma Cristina Guadalupe Acevedo Hernandez and his team, responsible for the project.
Q: when born this project in support of the agri-food venture?
A: food and agribusiness of WSCF incubator
Is created in 2012 as consolidation of ten years of experience serving companies in the food sector on issues of quality, safety and development of entrepreneurial skills. In 2013 is recognized as basic incubator by the National Institute of entrepreneurship (INADEM) and becomes part of the “Network of business incubators to move to Mexico”.
Q: why bet on an entrepreneurship to provide responses to national and international food challenges?
A: is a crucial issue in which entrepreneurs have a lot to be able to contribute. The most recent estimates of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO) indicate 868 million people (12.5% of the total global population) are undernourished in terms of the food consumption; However, these figures represent only a fraction of the global burden.
From the commercial point of view, this is a generator source of outstanding jobs and has a very important significance for agri-business, in the current environment of modernization and globalization in which the sector.dial of malnutrition is immersed. An estimated 26% of the world’s children suffer from stunting, 2,000 million people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies (one or more) and 1,400 million people are overweight, of whom 500 million are obese. Most countries have multiple types of malnutrition and may persist within its own territory, in its core family or individual. Recently FAO declared that Mexico is the country with the highest rate of obesity in the population.
Q: do challenges associated with the phenomenon of globalization to the companies in the sector?
A:Are multiple and complex, but we can point out that it is an opportunity to explore their innovative potential. As we say, the food sector is undergoing a process of modernization and rapid globalization that seeks to improve procedures and traditional production practices, generating a strongly competitive environment. Faced with this situation, it is urgent to undertake actions aimed at the improvement of efficiency in the food and agribusiness, systems establish a strategic technologies, knowledge and practices framework that allows you to maximize the effectiveness in the actions that are undertaken to find mechanisms that break the vicious circle of lack of technology, low productivity and poor business conditions.
Q: in this context, what is the mission that develops food and agribusiness incubator?
A:Are a non-traditional incubator, designed to foster business entrepreneurship as a strategy to address national and international priorities in the field of food security, combating malnutrition and obesity. Our mission is therefore to improve the quality of life of the entrepreneurs, developing their skills and entrepreneurial skills, through a process of incubation custom, specialized and focused on results.
Q: what is the model of incubation that work?
A: Work with this incubator is the first step for entrepreneurs start their businesses and projects, so that later they can consolidate, and aspire to entering niche markets that were not displayed as well as reviewing the possibilities of exporting to countries like United States. Therefore we have a special incubation model, whose method is the be + (dreams, runs and checks), developed by a Mexican businessman in WSCF. This is ideal for micro-enterprises to be agile and easy to use.
Be + provides training, continuous support, linking with universities, organizations and corporate networks, and evaluation and systematization according to a system of indicators, and promotes activities in different phases of incubation of the pre incubation, focused on a diagnosis of your business idea as entrepreneur and Simulator; incubation, which produces the business plan; and after incubation with the establishment of the system be + as a quality system and development of business.
In this line, the method covers three areas of action: the staff, financial and management; is based on the person and their values; and includes activities like: workshops, group dynamics, experiential business practices and an accompanying custom throughout the process.
Addition to this, at the end joins the entrepreneur network of incubated, are incubated networking events and some others of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the purpose of strategic alliances are made and incorporated into commercial value chains.
Q: what kind of companies work?
A: Have two profiles:
- Entrepreneurs and businesses developed by persons of low educational and economic resources and that they live in a situation of social vulnerability.
- Entrepreneurs and high-impact companies developed by people with a high educational level, innovative ideas and resources to start your company.
Q: How can join this incubator other entrepreneurs interested?
A: You can add to the process of incubation through the calls we make through our social networks.
Q: What have been the most outstanding results?
A: Since we began our activity, have attended 50 entrepreneurs projects in an outline of care designed to six months.
In addition, relevant milestones for us have been obtaining recognition by the National Institute of the entrepreneur (INADEM), and participation in initiatives such as: incubation of the “integrative beekeeping Kanan” (marketer of nine partners cooperative), companies of high impact as “Choco Krams” (company with a product based on cocoa, suitable for diabetics), “Chile’s bottle” (botanera sauce that does not cause stomach irritation).
Q: Finally, what thoughts about present and future challenges you are of your work?
A: The challenges that we have raised are: influencing public and private policies on entrepreneurship, get a capital fund that provides seed for the best projects, to having a social marketer, certifications, be considered one of the best incubators specialized internationally.
More information: food and agribusiness of WSCF incubator