Springboards into New Markets

The concept of certain cities and countries being springboards | launchpads | and gateways, is nothing new! 🏹🎯
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When looking to access new markets, there's always been the need to address the 'beachhead', whether in the form of an initial customer segment, geographic location, or more likely the combination of the two!

But what makes a stellar gateway location?

Ideally, your gateway location has a tried and tested process to 'fast track' a pilot trial project to prove its capabilities in a real-life operational environment.

Secondly, it has the support of an ecosystem and environment that encourages the trialing, testing, and general ethos of innovation when it comes to using new products and services. 

And you're going to have failures along the way unfortunately. It comes with the package 😅 So the ecosystems that foster acceptance of BOTH wins and losses is critical.

Conducive ecosystems and environments also come in the form of smooth administration for business entities, programmes that help accelerate customer interaction and acquisition, access to mentors and talents with the requisite skill sets, as well as access to capital.

Last but not least, a network or pathways that will help get businesses off the ground into other geographic markets when the time comes for it. In other words, the export phase!

I can already think of two countries that meet the above requirements. 

 🇮🇪 Ireland as a gateway into Europe.

 🇸🇬 Singapore as a gateway into Asia.

That's right, this is me not being biased at all 😄

Can you think of anything else that makes a great gateway or launchpad location?

What are other regions, countries, or cities that come to mind?

And finally, what could be an equivalent for the African continent?

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​𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐒𝐒 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝!

​𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 @ 𝐄𝐄 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥