São Paulo, May 11, 2016 - About 52 million Brazilians are involved in the creation or maintenance of a venture, according to a survey by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2015, sponsored by Sebrae in Brazil. Given this scenario and with 34% of the population aiming to start their own business, the challenge for success goes beyond having good ideas. To help entrepreneurs avoid missteps in this endeavor, the mentors of Braskem Labs, a program to encourage entrepreneurship, share their experiences and give key tips to entrepreneurs.

A consensus among the leaders of Braskem, the largest petrochemical company in the Americas and the world leader in the production of biopolymers, and Endeavor, a global nonprofit organization fostering entrepreneurship, starting a business requires 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. That is because one must work hard to transform an idea into a business. An example is the proposal for the second edition of Braskem Labs, which, in addition to featuring projects in plastics or chemicals focusing on the development of environmental solutions, is seeking solutions to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

"A good exercise is to put everything on paper, make a draft, analyze, and think: what are the weaknesses of the proposed idea? What are the aspects that strengthen it? It is also worth sharing the business proposal with others, especially with those who have some experience in the subject or area of interest, so that they may offer questions and contributions. This step is very important for the entrepreneur to test the feasibility of the idea and decide whether to go ahead or give up on the idea and invest in a new one," said Fabio Lamon, Polymer Science Manager of Braskem and one of the mentors for Braskem Labs 2015.

At Braskem Labs, those involved should like challenges and be attentive to the market needs. "The entrepreneur should be able to perform this multidimensional analysis - technical specifications, applications, product requirements, marketing, sales, production, cost, market understanding, and value proposition - to prepare for the market and for a good pitch when submitting the proposal to the investor," added Alessandro Cauduro, mentor of the first edition and Innovation & technology Manager of the petrochemical company.

"I believe that persistence is also crucial to every entrepreneur. Braskem's program gave me a unique opportunity to improve my project, but my dedication was what made my dream possible," said Antonio Pássaro, an entrepreneur who participated in the first edition of the program, in 2015, with the Pelican System, a project for rainwater storage that uses a self-cleaning filter that keeps the rainfall free of waste, insects, and leaves.

According to Igor Piquet, Entrepreneur Support Coordinator of Endeavor, this strategic planning process is critical to the survival of the business, but focus is always important. "From our experience, we see that private companies that prioritize the social targets are the most prosperous ones. That is because entrepreneurs have a huge task that keeps them always focused on the purpose defined. They dream big! We often say that dreaming big or small requires the same amount of work, so you may as well dream big," said Piquet.

The entrepreneur Luciane Piovezan Fornari is well aware of this reality. A participant in the first edition of the Braskem program, she submitted her project Mega Clorador, a plastic device that gradually releases chlorine tablets for water treatment. The secret was to trust a proposal that could bring sustainability gains to a product that could solve a problem. "An investor will invest funds in an idea that is great and makes a difference. However, you must seek harmony, clearly specifying the problem your product is expected to solve, the gains the company will have with it, and how you can make money from it," said Fornari.

Braskem Labs 2016

In the second edition of Braskem Labs, up to ten projects will be selected in the areas of chemistry or plastics that generate a social impact in sectors such as healthcare, housing and mobility, and up to two addressing the fight against Aedes aegypti. Entrepreneurs who wish to participate should submit their projects on the website www.braskemlabs.com by May 15.

The selected entrepreneurs will have four months of training with content delivery, online courses, live events and collective and individual mentoring with Braskem and Endeavor mentors; and will participate in the Boot Camp, a two-day training session focused on the pitch - a clear and concise presentation of the proposal. At the end of the program, the participants will present their projects, during the Demo Day, to a group of entrepreneurs, investors, investment banks, and other market players.