Came as a student, left as an entrepreneur - story of Maxime De Winter

It was July 2018, when Max flew to Toronto, eager to make the most out of the summer program he applied for in the spring. Little did he know that after the program, his life will change forever. Throughout the 3-weeks long program, Max and his team competed in the Business Plan Competition, worked with mentors, listened to multiple guest speakers and visited famous companies like Twitter. Gaining practical business skills while working in of the hottest ecosystems in the world empowered Max to convert the idea from Business Plan Competition into a real company. Half a year later, lets see the progress!

1. Max, we are very pleased to have you here today. Before we dive into your project that you began designing at Toronto Business Academy, would you mind telling our audience a bit about yourself?

[Max]: Hi, I am Max, I live in Belgium and, I love entrepreneurship and grabbing a (Belgian) beer with friends. I am graduating this summer as Master in Data Analytics and I have been combining my studies with other challenges and projects. Last summer I took a chance by enrolling in the ABC program in Toronto, not knowing anything about it. I wanted to travel, meet some new people and combine that with acquiring useful skills for my career. Turns out that TBA really had a big impact on me and I am very happy to share my experiences with future participants.

I wanted to travel, meet some new people and combine that with acquiring useful skills for my career. Turns out that TBA really had a big impact on me

2. Looking back at last year’s business plan competition at Toronto Business Academy, what are your general thoughts about it? Did you gain any skills that you are actually putting into practice?

[Max]: My background is very business-minded so at first, I was skeptical about the added value I would get from the business plan competition and I was hoping to learn more on the soft skills side. However, the approach offered by our professors Peter and Toussaint was so different for me and I got to put my base knowledge from my studies at home into practice! Especially working together with my team members or pitching and discussing my ideas with my roommates was such an added value for me.

So, looking back now, there are two things I am most thankful for: 1. Pitching skills, I learned how to successfully create interest in my business idea and to persuade my audience that they should be a part of my journey. 2. Networking opportunities, we got to meet so many interesting companies and profiles in the Toronto ecosystem that are still inspiring me today through social media, like George Khalife, for example.

3. Could you tell us a bit more about Bridged and what motivated you to continue working on Bridged after coming back home?

[Max]: Both ABC and I have a similar vision: universities today are not offering the complete experience to their students. Students miss practical experience in their field of study and don’t get to find out what their strengths or passions are before actually working for a few years. That’s where I want to make a difference. Bridged facilitates project-based work in SMEs such as start-ups and scale-ups. So that means graduating and graduated students are part of a team working on a project in their field of interest for a period of 3-10 months. We can offer specific coaching and training in combination with the company itself to build a well-balanced skillset for these students while offering a pool of talent for the companies. At the same time, when we encounter a strong, entrepreneurial profile we sit together with VC’s to see for which start-up this High Potential could be the most complementing. In this way, we can set them up with an early stage start-up and build a team that can grow together. That’s Bridged in a nutshell, I always get so excited sharing this project with people! ?

Students miss practical experience in their field of study and don’t get to find out what their strengths or passions are before actually working for a few years. That’s where I want to make a difference.

My main drive after Toronto was seeing how successful ABC had been at fulfilling this vision and how it had worked for me. That meant I could add to this from my side as well. That’s also why I was certain about joining the ABC team and spreading the word, it’s all part of my mission! 

4. What were the biggest challenges you faced in the last half of the year while you were transforming the idea into a company? How did the idea change from the one that you pitched at Toronto Business Academy?

[Max]: That’s a great question. First, I should say that the idea my team and I pitched in Toronto at the end of the program is very different from what I’m doing today. It was not geared towards the European market and there were some big changes within the structure and implementation of the idea. To give you an idea, I have pivoted five times since the end of the program. I believe that’s a great advice I can give to anyone starting something on their own: immediately find out what your customer wants and don’t be afraid to pivot towards those needs.

I should say that the idea my team and I pitched in Toronto at the end of the program is very different from what I’m doing today.

My biggest challenges were without a doubt getting a foot in the door with companies, student organizations and VC’s. But by keeping at it, I met so many people that are helping me today to make my vision become reality. Also combining these ambitions with my studies have been a challenge but it is so much fun to learn on-the-go that I can’t even imagine how it was before that.

5. Looking one year forward, what do you want to achieve with Bridged?

[Max]: Right now, I have done a good amount of market research and validation, done some pilots and I know what is important for Bridged to succeed. It has been trial and error, but today I have mentors and friends that are helping me gain traction. By next year, I want to have done 20 projects and made a difference for those students. Getting their feedback and finding out where the potential is, is really important to me. Right now, I’m not concerned about scalability, I’m taking it one step at a time because I want to explore other paths as well. I have other projects and ideas that I can share with my friends and am constantly validating, also within the ABC community. I would say: The sky is the limit!

Right now, I’m not concerned about scalability, I’m taking it one step at a time

6. Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?

[Max]: If you are reading this and recognize yourself or want to find out more about something I talked about or you have a great beer recommendation: I’m just one message away! I would love to share my experiences and answer your questions.

Connect with Maxime through LinkedIn: click here

Learn more about ABC Business Academy: click here