SMAU London 2026 | Interview with Viola Jardon, Canopy CISL скачать в хорошем качестве

SMAU London 2026 | Interview with Viola Jardon, Canopy CISL

At SMAU London 2026 we interviewed Viola Jardon, Director of Innovation Programmes, Canopy – University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and we asked here to tell us from her point of view what are the major mistakes to avoid when start ups expand abroad: “I think quite often the start ups, they are doing really well in their home market and they think they can take the same thing and then expand to another country. Which is right, but not entirely, because a lot of time before you go to a new country, a new market, you have to really understand the market better, quicker. There is more competition in a new market like your own market or not. And as well, quite often there are differences between, you know, culture, business cultures were different and, as well, a lot of times the infrastructure of the country is different, regulations are different. So all these details that you actually need to be doing some research and as well as to test it on the ground, to talk to people locally in order to gain the insight and understanding about the market you are considering to enter. So don't take it as a one size fits all, because it doesn't work this way and really have to understand the new market. I think this will link up to the earlier point that I have mentioned for international investors. If you are trying to prove that you can scale, you need to of course first demonstrate you are doing really well in your home market because that's your credibility. But then when you talk about, you know, international, overseas expansions, then the investor will want to understand and see that you actually have the knowledge about the countries and markets that you intend to move into. So you really need to do your research before, talking to people locally before, because those insights will form the conversation that when you are talking to your international investors and make them realize you are not just, you know, sitting at home and then looking at the world, say, "yeah, I can do that".