Since product development began at leverist.de we have been sourcing business opportunities from the ground- the GIZ projects in countries around the globe. We started in 2017 with a sourcing mission in Ethiopia and Egypt. Over the last years we have been able to get opportunities from colleagues in Thailand and very recently met our partners in Kosovo and North Macedonia.
What does this mean for businesses?
This means on leverist.de, you as a company can search for real life business opportunities and supply needs that are waiting to be discovered. Our colleagues at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) support local governments, its ministries and local businesses to grow particular sectors in each country of operation. In these projects there is often the need for knowledge, raw material and trainings which can be done by small or large businesses depending on the scale of the projects.
Opportunities from Kosovo
In Kosovo, various GIZ projects work on the topics of:
- Sustainable economic development: stabilisation of the economy; employment and competitiveness; promotion of regional economies; basic education and vocational training
- Public administration, democracy, civil society: promotion of municipal services, reform of public finance systems, legal reform, EU integration, youth development, land management
- Energy: improving energy efficiency
In Kosovo, we learned that a huge impact can be created especially in the travel and tourism sector where we received an overwhelming response from both GIZ projects and local businesses.
Understanding our audience
leverist.de is a platform-based application where GIZ projects share opportunities for companies. Companies can search these opportunities by industries, location and type. During our trip, we met many of our partners and connected with their mindsets and specific needs.
Innovative start-ups:
During our trip to Kosovo we met local businesses and start-ups via the Innovation Center Kosovo. The Innovation Center Kosovo offers training, incubation, networks and working space for local start-ups. It is currently working with close to 400 start-ups benefiting over 4300+ individuals through ICT and business trainings.
Innovation center Kosovo (source : https://web.facebook.com/pg/ickosovo/)
leverist.de for start-ups
The highlight was that young start-ups particularly found that discovery of new business opportunities in new markets is a very valuable feature on leverist.de. The interactions also increased their awareness of various development challenges that were ripe and open for innovation and exploration. The most inspiring moment during our trip was watching more than 30 start-ups participating in a pitching event during our stay.
German-Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (Kosovarisch-Deutsche-Wirtschaftsverbund (KDWV))
The German-Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, together with its network, assists businesses with establishing contacts with German companies. Promoting trade, labor and production relations between Kosovo and Germany are its core profile.
Our pitch to local businesses at the KDWV
Responsible for creating a successful economic cooperation between the German and Kosovan business community, our partners at KDWV facilitated our interactions with close to 30 companies in a B2B networking format. It included multilaterals, consultants and investors from the local business ecosystem.
GIZ Project Teams
In Kosovo, our colleagues welcomed us with their strong networks, in-depth feedback and reflections on the way forward.
Interactions with GIZ colleagues at Kosovo
We developed a deep interest in promoting the travel and tourism sector including suppliers for marketing and tourism promotion. Colleagues from Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia expressed their openness for using leverist.de to source companies.
The trip reminded us of our first visit to Cairo for co-creating an initial version of leverist.de. Here is a sneak peek!
#DoBusiness #DoGood
Our first mission in Cairo - 2018
