Kickstarting businesses and development in emerging markets
The lab of tomorrow is one of the services for private sector cooperation of the Agency for Business & Economic Development (AWE). AWE operates as part of the business and development network Partners in Transformation.
Partners in Transformation is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to actively promote and strengthen cooperation with actors in the private sector: companies, trade unions, chambers of commerce, associations
and other interest groups. Partners in Transformation emphasizes the partnership between the private sector and development cooperation, with the shared goal of achieving a social and environmental transformation in BMZ’s partner countries.
The programmes work with companies, trade unions, chambers of commerce, associations and other interest groups.
Find out more at Private sector | BMZ (German only)
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Our track record
The lab of tomorrow has been the programme of choice by GIZ projects, the Austrian and the Swiss Development Agencies as well as companies to solve specific development challenges all over the world.
Your opportunities
Learn how you can benefit from the lab of tomorrow programme.
Solve your development challenge
The lab of tomorrow programme activates the private sector to achieve SDG impact. Your advantages of initiating a programme include:
- Let the private sector solve your development challenge – we help you identify unmet needs with business potential.
- As an initiator, you steer the programme and bring in all the people necessary for success.Â
- Benefit from our network and gain access to business partners, development agencies, investors, mentors and policy makers.
- The impact created by the lab of tomorrow programme goes beyond development cooperation project lifespans.
Develop your business in emerging markets
Expand into emerging markets together with new business partners! Your benefits of participating in the programme include:
- Business case sourcing: We identify business opportunities in emerging markets for you to choose from.
- Participant sourcing & matching: We match you with relevant local and international companies in interdisciplinary teams.
- As a team, you co-create a new product or service and benefit from business development coaching.
- Partner network access: you gain access to business partners, investors, mentors and policy makers.
Invest in solutions and support innovations
Gain access to impact investment opportunities in various markets and sectors! Your benefits in supporting our ventures include:
- Be the first to know about investment opportunities in untapped markets.
- You become part of our strong network of innovators and entrepreneurs.
- Receive access to invest in our ventures at different stages. We invite you to pitch sessions, demo days and share our dealbook.
- Bring in companies from your portfolio and offer them interesting business development opportunities.
How it works
Find out how sustainable and profitable business models are created in a lab of tomorrow programme and what’s in it for you.
Challenge in spotlight
Take a glance at our most recent lab of tomorrow business opportunities.
Increasing trust in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe
Ready to create impact?
Currently running challenges
Take a look at our currently running challenges and the potential business opportunities they present for you.
Increasing trust in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe
This challenge is in phase: Sustainable Business
How might we increase the trust in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe in order to increase cross-border eCommerce engagements?
ECommerce is one of the key drivers in economic development and is therefore one of the key intervention areas for deeper regional integration and cooperation. The value of eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe is growing, but its full potential remains untapped as its not functioning as smoothly as it could. One of the key challenges identified by the private sector is the lack of trust of consumers in eCommerce. The issue of trust in eCommerce is fundamental to its eventual success and trust is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that cannot simply be 'produced' by applying some trust-enhancing instruments. Increasing the trust of consumers in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe involves finding sustainable business solutions which are both accepted by consumers and practicable for companies.
01
Understand
The eCommerce industry is on the rise in South-Eastern Europe. On the supply side, young entrepreneurs in the region are opting to start an online business, while established businesses are going through a rapid digitalisation process for opening new sales channels online.
On the demand side, the number of online shoppers in the region range between 3% and 32%, which is less than a half of EUs average of 68%. One crucial reason underlying the low engagement in online shopping is the lack of consumers’ trust in eCommerce.
The complex concept of consumers’ trust in eCommerce can be explained as a combination of willingness to take a risk and the belief that the other party will not abuse that. In the case of eCommerce, the customer is the risk taker, and the eCommerce store has to be reliable, competent, predictable, benevolent and integral in order to prevent abuse of the customer’s trust. Earning the consumers’ trust means that the eCommerce provider should increase the trustworthiness of their company (the eCommerce seller), their website (the eCommerce website) and the online transaction (check-out process).
Business Opportunities
02
Ideate Solutions
03
Incubate business
Three ventures are currently in this phase.04
Sustainable Business
Personal Shopper
PerSho is a B2B eCommerce platform for personalized shopping experiences that combines an AI chatbot and human customer support.
Trustmark Balkans
Trustmark Balkans is a platform that provides a review service and technical check-ups for eCommerce platforms to display a trustmark on their website.
More information
Downloads
Increasing trust in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe
This challenge is in phase: Sustainable Business
How might we increase the trust in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe in order to increase cross-border eCommerce engagements?
ECommerce is one of the key drivers in economic development and is therefore one of the key intervention areas for deeper regional integration and cooperation. The value of eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe is growing, but its full potential remains untapped as its not functioning as smoothly as it could. One of the key challenges identified by the private sector is the lack of trust of consumers in eCommerce. The issue of trust in eCommerce is fundamental to its eventual success and trust is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that cannot simply be 'produced' by applying some trust-enhancing instruments. Increasing the trust of consumers in eCommerce in South-Eastern Europe involves finding sustainable business solutions which are both accepted by consumers and practicable for companies.
01
Understand
The eCommerce industry is on the rise in South-Eastern Europe. On the supply side, young entrepreneurs in the region are opting to start an online business, while established businesses are going through a rapid digitalisation process for opening new sales channels online.
On the demand side, the number of online shoppers in the region range between 3% and 32%, which is less than a half of EUs average of 68%. One crucial reason underlying the low engagement in online shopping is the lack of consumers’ trust in eCommerce.
The complex concept of consumers’ trust in eCommerce can be explained as a combination of willingness to take a risk and the belief that the other party will not abuse that. In the case of eCommerce, the customer is the risk taker, and the eCommerce store has to be reliable, competent, predictable, benevolent and integral in order to prevent abuse of the customer’s trust. Earning the consumers’ trust means that the eCommerce provider should increase the trustworthiness of their company (the eCommerce seller), their website (the eCommerce website) and the online transaction (check-out process).
Business Opportunities
02
Ideate Solutions
03
Incubate business
Three ventures are currently in this phase.04
Sustainable Business
Personal Shopper
PerSho is a B2B eCommerce platform for personalized shopping experiences that combines an AI chatbot and human customer support.
Trustmark Balkans
Trustmark Balkans is a platform that provides a review service and technical check-ups for eCommerce platforms to display a trustmark on their website.