U|B works closely with various universities and educational institutes such as the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Nyenrode Business University and the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. Exchanging knowledge and experience and having students collaborating on a daily basis on our projects guarantees a solid foundation in the social, economic and cultural aspects of our society.

Take for instance our collaboration with the master course Health Food Innovation Management of Maastricht University. This collaboration is focused on stimulating innovative entrepreneurship and creates insights and expertise in four different areas: biomedical science, consumer research, new technologies in ingredients and processing and regulations. It’s a brainstorm platform allowing students to – hands on – interact with and react on social and entrepreneurial challenges. In doing so bolstering their innovational skills and vision.

U|B has joined in similar collaborations with Unilever, Campina, Friesland Foods, Heineken and Heinz/Honig. In the area of sustainability, U|B has worked for Van Gansewinkel Group, Nuon, InterfaceFlor, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management; ProRail and Schuitema/C1000.

U|B’s knowledge and experience has led to a mode of operation that ensures an efficient handling of the time and resources of our customers and possible partners. The power of open innovation is in the interactivity and in keeping all involved parties focused and engaged throughout the process. A team of U|B coaches facilitate the dialogue in such a way that all participants remain involved.

U|B Group is part of an international network of companies that develop products and services through co-creation and open innovation (in food, sustainability, loyalty and partnerships).

This initiative intends to be different from all those cosmetic ‘marketing based’ certificates by pursuing sustainability as an integrated part of policy making and behaviour of all participating parties.
It represents an answer to the growing need of retailers and consumers for ‘pure and authentic’ information/content about food & sustainability.

From the start Jaguar – as a company – has acknowledged their part in a collective and valuable sustainability and so advising growers and other parties.

Mail us if you want to join the initiative or if you want to know more.

On January the 16th, ULURU|Beagle organizes a special sample sale for female entrepreneurs and (business) women to meet up, experience the world of ULURU|Beagle and taste new fashion. The sample sale includes a specially selected collection from brands like Religion, Gio-Goi, Fly53 and Mooks, and an intimate performance by a special artist.

The sample sale is made possible by Swop ‘n Fit, a platform based on clothes swapping, brand experience in your living room and recycling & combining old and new fashion.

We wish you a fashionable New Year!

When: 16 January 2010, 11:00 – 15:00
Where: Piet Heinkade 199, Amsterdam
Let us know if you want to come, and for more information
Call: Maarten van Lieshout at 020-3201616

Flexpark is all about flexible parking: saving space by fitting your car in the most efficient spot. You can reserve your parking space in advance based on car size, price, term, location and additional services like security and battery charging for electric cars. The result: more cars parked in the same space and fair prices. As you pay per centimeter Flexpark stimulates driving smaller cars allowing even more cars to be parked.

Technology is proven, using satnav to navigate and communicate with Flexpark and using LED to frame and guide you to your exact spot. Actually, city counsils could start right now using just a bucket of paint…

From over 3000 (!) participants from 96 countries ULURU|Beagle made it to the final 66! Do we agree with the jury on the winning concepts? Let’s just say we think our concept is certainly realistic and is bound to show up somewhere in the future of urban parking. Kanagawa maybe?

From the 17th till the 22nd of November 2009 entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs throughout the whole World gathered together to celebrate the Global Entrepreneurship Week. For one week, millions of young people around the world were challenged to embrace innovation, imagination, and creativity. Throughout this week students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, and many others have participated in a range of activities, from lectures on entrepreneurship, to business idea pitches, competitions and network gatherings.

Together, the University of Leiden, the Delft University, and the RSM Erasmus University Rotterdam hosted the Holland Entrepreneurship Week. Last week several events have been organized by the three universities to inspire, connect, and stimulate students to get entrepreneurial and become the next wave of future entrepreneurs. The goals of this week were to facilitate them with the necessary knowledge, skills and networks needed to act up on the opportunities to grow sustainable future enterprises.

Mick Walvisch (ULURU|Beagle) was invited to the kick off. At the headquarters of YESDelft incubator 80 students from Delft, Leiden, and Rotterdam gathered to participate the creative session. The participants were challenged finding an innovative business idea which could be introduced on the market. It was their opportunity to find a great business idea! To inspire and give these young future entrepreneurs a boost to get started, Mick was invited to give an inspirational lecture on creative thinking! Mick told the students that every innovation is built up on a good idea that solves a problem. By solving a problem you create value. Therefore the core essence of a fruitful idea is that it has to create value. Mick challenged the students with real world examples to leave behind their academic mindset and expose them to the ULURU|Beagle philosophy to entrepreneurship.

After this inspirational lecture, the participants started with their creative workshop, in which they were divided into small groups. Mick was assigned as a facilitator to help and guide the students through the process of inspiration and idea generation to the development of real time business cases.

Throughout the day Uluru|Beagle let the students experience, breathe, and experiment with the ULURU/Beagle Trinity and hopefully inspired the students to unleash their ideas to create and grow future sustainable enterprises.

text & photos: Thijs Markusse

This means that we’ll be working together some time (predefined upfront) and we’ll be going through some steps:

Inspiration:
Most important part is getting to know each other. What’s your fantasy, where do you come from.

In our ULURU|Beagle theatre we’ll be creating worlds just to get inspired. With all the curtains closed it’s easier for everybody to think and speak and fantasize without boundaries, yet with both feet on the floor.

Concepting:
As soon as we have a clear perspective and an (intellectual) understanding we start concepting together. Of course you’ll play an intrinsic part. Together (us and you and your team) we will be looking at the possibilities, look at the market and start making connections.

Which direction do you want to go with your company?

Implementation:
In order to have a viable proposition you have to have owners, entrepreneurs. They’ll be the ones putting the whole thing into action (of course with our help).

We have a capable team of people, able to find these entrepreneurs within the company, looking for possible hickups and opportunities.

Our hardcore deliverables:

• Insight research
• Prototypes of a working business concept
• Unbeatable business case with unique business model
• Access to our partners network in order to accelerate your business
• Big energy boost

Our business model:
As we are all entrepreneurs we want to share and multiply. Thus we invest together with you in a sustainable business future.

So welcome to ULURU|Beagle. Come to our theatre and just get inspired!

While the Movie Minutes program is being supervised by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Touch Incentive marketing is responsible for the execution. This guarantees a unique combination of incentive marketing know-how, hosting successful loyalty programs (for, amongst others, Heineken, McDonald’s and Coca Cola) and the deep knowledge of world-wide marketing campaigns of Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Put your brand in the picture
ULURU|Beagle is looking for partners to join in on the success of the platform, that comes with high-quality Disney movie and TV titles. Movie Minutes rolls out a red carpet to your target audience.

The program offers organizations the possibility to link their brand or services to existing campaigns or embedded in the movie or TV viewing experience of their target audience. Depending on their preferences, wishes and needs, organizations are offered the tools needed to increase the presence of their products, brands or labels at a time and place relevant to their audience.

Combined with other selected brands with strategic and relevant products, a powerful proposition is offered. Collaboration helps reduce marketing costs and generate measurable value.

Take the workshop
To take optimal advantage of the possibilities of the Movie Minutes program, ULURU|Beagle organizes workshops to co-create special offers that fit the program and are tuned in with the offers of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and other partners.

Taking real life cases from U|B the students were inspired to think out of their academic box and put their knowledge and experience to use. The deliverable of that day was the start of a business plan for a unique and separate platform inside U|B Sphere. The role of this platform will be to firstly motivate students to engage in extracurricular activities (engaging in real life cases) and secondly stimulating entrepreneurial capabilities and problem solving skills.

Besides their own individual business ideas the students were sent home with an assignment: work out the proposition for the student platform, make it self supporting and back it up with a clear business model and earning model.

Why do we do this? The world needs young and passionate entrepreneurial thinkers. In view of this we initiated U|B Sphere (early 2009) as a centre of entrepreneurship. A place outside ULURU|Beagle where companies and entrepreneurs meet, team up and share knowledge, leading to new opportunities. To connect this centre to the student platform shows one of the strong and essential assets of U|B Sphere: a hands-on academy for promising students daring to take on current events.

Looking for a little more variety?
Local farmers produce delicious, season based, ingredients that can be delivered to your plate the day they are harvested. ULURU|Beagle is setting up a new concept that makes this a reality, called ‘Heerlijk Eten’ (honest and tasty food), a cornucopia of fresh regional products. Everything is grown in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way, which leads to tasty and high quality products: the main ingredients of Heerlijk Eten.

How does Heerlijk Eten work?
Access the online platform and pick a menu you like, based on the amount of money and the amount of time you want to spend (and the party you’re entertaining). Besides the necessary ingredients, you can order other delicious food products such as extra fruit, fresh made ice cream or a fine wine. The precisely portioned ingredients can be picked up at convenient places along the way, such as the train station, or delivered directly to your home on a daily basis.

Reduce waste
Research has shown that the average consumer discards at least 20% of their food. The average European household throws away 659 euros worth of food. This is a huge waste of energy since all the food has already been grown, harvested, processed, transported and cooked before it is thrown out. With Heerlijk Eten you get exactly the amount of food you need, and you don’t have to throw anything out, saving money along the way.

Enjoy your meal!

Mick Walvisch from ULURU|Beagle provided one of the lectures, which in this case is not the best choice of words. Entrepreneurship is participating, initiating, taking risks. You can only address those topics via a dialogue. Having a product idea is an important yet insufficient basis to start a new business. Sometimes new products turn out less attractive than new business models. Often the appeal of a product proposition can be enhanced by innovating the business concept. During his workshop Mick showed attendees how the notions of business models and revenue models can be used to create value. Value: the essence of an idea.

To take this day a bit further, Mick invited those who completed the Summer School to the ULURU|Beagle Inspirational Theatre: Time Capsule. This extended version of the Summer School will take place September 18 2009. Students will reflect on where they stand, what their intentions are for the (near) future, forcing them to put their newly obtained knowledge and experience to good use. ULURU|Beagle will make a Scoot (short film) around this day for which attendees will be asked to put their thoughts into words in frond of a camera: their visual promise. This scoot and an impression of this day will be online September 19.