Shanghai: "Coffee on credit", hatched by entrepreneurial business

Communicate entrepreneurial ideas, participate in entrepreneurial activities, you can drink coffee on credit, and the coffee is actually paid for by the government. This is a small business idea launched by Hatching Coffee, a coffee bar opened by the Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center. Last month, it sold more than 800 cups of coffee on credit, and hundreds of startups became regulars here.

Since this small business idea was put into practice at the end of last year, it has made the scientific and technological innovation center better understand the needs of incubating enterprises. At the same time, the caf é bar has also become a platform for these enterprises to communicate. This practice of gathering entrepreneurial popularity with coffee has been quietly pushed away in the Shencheng incubator.

"Credit" coffee is intended to create a platform for communication.

In the space of more than 200 square meters of "hatching coffee", the display window is full of incubator products; the tablet computers for entrepreneurs are also from start-ups; in addition to the type and price of coffee written on the order blackboard, what is more interesting is the enterprise demand information and contact information.

The idea of turning the caf é into a product promotion space for incubators stems from a survey of technology start-ups at the end of last year. The survey found that immersing oneself in R & D and turning a blind eye to the market is a "common fault" of many start-up enterprises. In fact, it is not that they do not know that "the smell of wine is also afraid of the depth of the alley", but in the early days of the enterprise, almost no one is willing to spend money on promotion. Li Yan, the director of Hatching Coffee, is a staff member of the Science and Technology Innovation Center. At that time, she thought that if there was a venue that could provide free promotion services, it might be able to solve the worries of enterprises. As a result, the idea of "hatching coffee" arises spontaneously-the popularity is concentrated and there is no venue fee, just to meet the needs of incubating enterprises.

Free sure enough to attract many start-ups to come to "advertise". At the same time, the Science and Technology Innovation Center also launched more follow-up services. For example, in some self-run magazines, the government buys services to help incubators advertise. Starting this week, they also plan to invite entrepreneurial mentors to come to the bar to give reports to entrepreneurs. In the past, it was difficult for many ordinary entrepreneurs to get in touch with these entrepreneurial "bigwigs".

It is not just enthusiasm that makes the government so generous. Li Yan said that in fact, this can only be regarded as "small money" in incubation funds, but it plays a very significant role.

Understand the needs of startups at the coffee table

In fact, the Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center is not the first "credit coffee" in the incubator. Since last year, six or seven incubators have opened coffee bars.

In May last year, the Shanghai Integrated Circuit Design Incubator on Beijing West Road opened a caf é on the ninth floor without elevators-- "Nine-floor Pavilion Entrepreneurship Bar". The 500-square-meter hatchery, which was originally unvisited, was rented out one after another. These startups come for the coffee bar-near the people's Square, where 20 yuan a cup of coffee sits for a day, not to mention where to find it on credit! They rent only a small office, put business meetings and customer appointments in a coffee bar, and often ask others for advice on new R & D procedures and products.

It seems that the government is really in the right place to buy a cup of coffee for start-ups. As a result, these caf é s have become a good place for the government to understand the needs of start-ups.

Li Yan said: "in the past, in relatively formal exchanges, companies would get used to 'reporting good news'. However, the Science and Technology Innovation Center, as an incubator under the Municipal Science and Technology Commission, we do service work, and we hope to hear their 'worries', so that we can find targeted service points. 'Hatching coffee 'precisely provides a more relaxed leisure space, inadvertently heard more aspirations of enterprises. "