DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE STARTUP 

Business development, market research, branding, design thinking, leadership

tHE OBJECTIVE

Develop a Go-To-Market Strategy for an environmentally sustainable business solution, using design thinking and innovation.

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The PROBLEM STATEMENT

Vulnerable coastal communities in Santo Domingo struggle with housing and infrastructure development due to financial constraints and environmental vulnerabilities.

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OUR SOLUTION

RESCUE is a nonprofit that unites coastal communities, tech startups, and construction companies by converting sargassum into sustainable bricks, using them to build eco-friendly homes and promote greener construction practices.

THE PRODUCT

is a sustainable brick, resistant to high salt and rain level that has a low environmental impact, and is cost-effective.

Rescue bricks:

  • Last for 120 years
  • Cost between $0,43 - $0,50 USD
  • Don't require furnaces
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BUSINESS MODEL

1

COLLECT

The coastal communities will collect sargassum and plastic from the ocean
2

TRANSFORM

The technological partners will transform the materials into sustainable bricks
3

SELL

The bricks will be sold to individual contractors and construction companies 
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Slide 13 from Pitch Deck Presentation


MARKETING AND PROMOTION PLAN 

Our marketing and promotions plan combines digital and traditional approaches to meet the internet connectivity challenges in coastal communities in developing countries. The strategy incorporates both inbound and outbound methods.

Inbound: Content marketing, SEO and SEM, referral programs and word of mouth strategies.

Outbound: Networking events and direct outreach with presentations and demos to stakeholders.

RETENTION STRATEGIES


The project involves three main stakeholders: vulnerable coastal communities, technological partners, and customersSuccess relies on attracting stakeholders through our marketing and promotion plan and maintaining their engagement with effective retention strategies such as:
COMMUNITY

Monitoring economic factors and living costs, adjusting salaries of the community accordingly to prevent any negative impact.

PARTNERS

Conducting profitability metrics analysis for our partners and implementing 360-degree surveys with stakeholders to assess their happiness and satisfaction.

CUSTOMERS

Establishing a feedback loop for product improvement and adopting flexible pricing models to encourage customers to purchase larger quantities


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PILOT PLAN: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

As shown in the image with red dots, the Dominican Republic has significant sargassum accumulation, making it ideal for our pilot project. The coastal community will help drive job creation through waste collection, and there's potential for sustainable construction.

FINANCIALS & BUDGET

Despite relying on initial investment, our goal is to achieve economic sustainability within three years.
1.5 MILLION INVESTMENT

For the first stage primarily focusing on partnerships and community engagement 

4.9% NET PROFIT

On average within the sustainable building material market and economic indicators. 

40% COST REDUCTION

In the cost of the production of the Bricks using the sustainable materials

KPIs

While these are not all the KPIs we will use to measure project success, we've selected one economic, social, and environmental KPI to cover the key aspects.

Environmental Impact

Marine waste before, during and after the project implementation. (Tons of marine waste and sargasm)

Community Influence

Number of jobs generated within the community before, during and after the implementation of the project.

Production and Sales Volume

Volume of eco-friendly construction materials produced and sold. (USD)
Our project was published by LEAD CREACTIVE - The Forum for Leadership Action Learning 


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REFERENCES

1. ByBlock - ByFusion Global Inc. (2024, January 3). https://www.byfusion.com/byblock/
2. ByFusion Global Inc. (2024, January 3). ByFusion Global Inc. - Reshape the future of plastic waste. https://www.byfusion.com/
3. Build with ByBlock — Faster, Cleaner and Greener. ByFusion Global Inc. (Powell, A., 2023, July 27). https://www.byfusion.com/build-with-byblock-faster-cleaner-and-greener/
4. Construction Sustainable Materials Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast. Vantage Market Research. (2023, July 19). https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/construction-sustainable-materials-market-2198
5. Crowdfunding Campaign Successfully Completed | Updates. (Koen, 2014, September 15). The Ocean Cleanup. https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/crowd-funding-campaign-successfully-completed/
6. Eulich, W. (2023, April 26). The world sees invasive seaweed. This gardener sees housing bricks. The Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2023/0419/The-world-sees-invasive-seaweed.-This-gardener-sees-housing-bricks#:~:text=A%20joint%20study%20by%20universities,safe%20for%20use%20in%20construction.
7. Global leader in sustainable construction | Holcim. (n.d.). Sustainable Construction & Building Company | Holcim. https://www.holcim.com/
8. Green Building Materials Market Size & Growth Analysis [2030]. (n.d.). https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/green-building-materials-market-102932
9. Green Building Materials Market to Surpass USD 929.27 Billion by 2030 Driven by Rising Consumer Demand and Increasing Regulatory Initiatives | By SNS Insider. (SNS Insider pvt ltd, 2023, November 17). Yahoo! Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/green-building-materials-market-surpass-140000410.html
10. Holcim. (n.d.). Sustainable Construction & Building Company | Holcim. https://www.holcim.com/
11. How much do bricks cost? (Noel, S., 2022, October 7). HomeGuide; HomeGuide. https://homeguide.com/costs/brick-prices
12. IBISWorld. (203 C.E.). Sustainable Building Material Manufacturing in the US. In IBISWorld. https://my-ibisworld com.hult.idm.oclc.org/us/en/industry/32619/at-a-glance
13. Investing in ocean tech startups. (2021). Katapult Ocean | Katapult. https://katapult.vc/ocean/
14. Oceanicplasticscleanup (2022) Building Materials Making Blocks From Sargassum Crisis Ocean Cleanup Economic Solutions For The Caribbean Seas Islands And Gulf Of Mexico. https://www.oceansplasticleanup.com/Sargassum/Building_Materials_Sustainable_Sargassum_Crisis_Are_There_Economic_Solutions_To_For_Seaweed_Cash_Crops_Caribbean_Sea_Islands_Gulf_Of_Mexico.htm#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20Sargassum%2C%20an,the%20use%20of%20traditional%20cement
15. Parley. (n.d.). Parley. https://parley.tv/
16. Eulich, W. (2023, April 26). The world sees invasive seaweed. This gardener sees housing bricks. The Christian Science Monitor. Https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2023/0419/The-world-sees-invasive-seaweed.-This-gardener-sees-housing-bricks#:~:text=A%20joint%20study%20by%20universities,safe%20for%20use%20in%20construction.
17. Renewed materials. (n.d.). Renewed Materials. https://www.renewedmaterials.com/
18. SARGASSUM INFORMATION HUB. (2023, December 7). THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - SARGASSUM INFORMATION HUB. https://sargassumhub.org/the-dominican-republic/
19. Sea change. (n.d.). Exposure. https://undplac.exposure.co/sea-change
20. Seasonal variation and risk assessment of microplastics in surface water of the Manas River Basin, China. (Wang, G., et al., 2021). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111477
21. Seasonal variation in the abundance of marine plastic debris in Banderas Bay, Mexico. (Pelamatti, T., et al., 2019). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.062
22. Sustainable Development. (n.d.). THE 17 GOALS. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
23. THE LEAP FORWARD EVOLUTION ANNUAL REPORT 2015. (2015). Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://www.coralrestoration.org/_files/ugd/60a969_7b4baf8941e04bd9afe4d90a9fb676e8.pdf
24. The Ocean Can Play a Bigger Role in Fighting Climate Change than Previously Thought. (Wood, K., n.d.). World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/ocean-based-climate-change-solutions
25. The Ocean Finance Handbook Increasing finance for a healthy ocean. (n.d.) https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FOA_The_Ocean_Finance_Handbook_April_2020.pdf
26. US$1 million for research to mitigate impact of sargassum. (2023, April 26). DR1.com. https://dr1.com/news/2023/04/26/us1-million-for-research-to-mitigate-impact-of-sargassum/
27. Which beaches are expected to be free of sargassum this weekend? (Merit, 2023, April). DominicanToday. https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2023/04/30/which-beaches-are-expected-to-be-free-of-sargassum-this-weekend/
28. Zultiniar (2018) Fabrication of brick without burning process. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/345/1/012

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Henrik Totterman, D.Sc
Professor at Hult Business School

The professor guided the rescue project through several checkpoints until we presented to the judges. His insights helped make the project more practical and aligned with real-world conditions. 

MEET THE TEAM

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Lizbeth Azcona
(Dominican Republic)

Ms in International Marketing

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Lina María Zapata
(Colombia)

Ms in International Marketing

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Julieta Moreno
(México)

Ms in International Marketing

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Penpitcha Chaiyasuk
(Thailand)

Ms in International Marketing

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Isaad Medina
(Venezuela)

Ms in International Marketing

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David Galvis 
(Colombia)

Ms in International Marketing

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