Starting from last week, Romanian entrepreneurs have access to Republica IMM (e.n. – abbreviation for SME), the first integrated platform for business planning, starting, managing, developing and financing. Those who will enter the platform will have access to 30 specialized sections providing 100 excusive video courses and 50 premium resources, customized digital instruments for business management and support for business plan development. Moreover, Republica IMM brings together 20 mentors and experts to guide the entrepreneurs in the community. As for the financing opportunities, they have access to over 14,000 investment funds, accelerators and financing vehicles at national and international level.
The project was the initiative of Cristian Onetiu, entrepreneur, investor and consultant for Scale-Up companies, who attracted specialists from related industries in this project.
The ecosystem of the Canadian entrepreneurship inspired Cristian Onetiu to build Republica IMM: “When I visited Canada 10 years ago, I saw that the state already created integrated systems to support local entrepreneurs, and financial inspectors were acting like financial consultants. That was the moment when I decided that I will initiate something similar in Romania as soon as I will have the possibility, so that every entrepreneur will have equal opportunities to benefit from information, education and modern working tools. All these things, combined with a lot of work, are designed to offer profitability, sustainability and in the end… freedom to entrepreneurs”.
For 9 months, a team consisting of 10 specialists have contributed to implementing the idea, thinking at who the Romanian entrepreneurs at the time are being, what their needs and challenges are. More than a half of the entrepreneurs need support for their business plan, and the platform helps them by providing them the digital tools needed to project and develop their business. At the same time, the initiative to answer to the need of digitalizing the local businesses, offering mobility to the entrepreneurs, and the administrative functionalities simplify the management of material and human resources, streamlining the business management.
Republica IMM is designed for the Romanian entrepreneurs willing to develop their business. They can be Wannabe entrepreneurs (those who want to start a business), or they can have a Start-Up (a recently launched business, 1 to 3 years old), or a Scale-Up (a company in the stage of an accelerated growth, mature or aiming to have an accelerated growth). The platform will bring them value through the mentorship services and the real time interactions with experts. In addition, the platform’s users have the advantage of having all the information monitored in a single place.
“The main problems faced by the Romanian entrepreneurs are the lack of a business plan, the deficient management of liquidity and of the team and the lack of entrepreneurial education” says Claudiu Vrinceanu. “Our solutions are the support provided for implementing the business plan, the access to business intelligence, learning resources, mentors and experts. Through the platform Republica IMM, we democratize the entrepreneurship, taking it out of the bubble. Thus, we redefine business culture and the entrepreneurship mentality in Romania” stated Claudiu Vrinceanu, Head of Growth & Community Republica IMM.
Through this project, the team behind it aims to release from financial problems, operational management and the worries of the business in the future, 1,000 Romanian entrepreneurs from all over the country and from all the fields of activity. In 1 year and 6 months since launching the platform, the founders of the Republica IMM are planning to get in touch with 100,000 entrepreneurs and people from Romanian companies at online and offline meetings and events. The purpose is to make at least 1% of them become “citizens” of Republica IMM.
“We are planning to develop an open community, in which all the kinds of entrepreneurs are welcome, regardless of the stage in which their idea or business is. The beginners will find inspiration and relevant information in order to build a viable business model, while those who started doing business for a while will be able to optimize the internal processes and increase the value added on the market. As for the entrepreneurs who are developing their business, they will be able to control their business without being involved in the operational field, at the same time increasing their market share and profitability” stated Cristi Onetiu.
The success of the initiative is given by the extent to which the successful recipe developed for entrepreneurs is demonstrable and replicable. Republica IMM will guarantee to its citizens: he project’s initiators undertake to publish, after 1 year of activity, a SEIA (Social and Economic Impact Assessment) report for the Romanian entrepreneurship. It will include data on the fees payed by the citizens of the Republic, statistic information on the increase in turnover and the reduction of losses of their business, as well as on the number of employees.
