Facilitating customer discovery for Earthbound Scientific
The BioVale team at the Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) has helped the University of York spin-out company, Earthbound Scientific identify groups of potential new customers for their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) monitoring technology.
Focus group sessions
The ever-growing global challenge of climate change requires solutions to both reduce the emission of Greenhouse Gases from a number of sources, and to increase the uptake of GHGs from the atmosphere into safer global stocks. Discussion of the management of land typically focuses on the role of trees in carbon uptake, but this focus ignores the hidden role that soils play in the stocks and flows of the global carbon cycle and associated GHGs.
Earthbound Scientific aims to provide the tools for everyone to understand hidden aspects of their environment by creating products which are user-focused, able to robustly operate in real-world conditions, and generate the best possible data. Starting with greenhouse gas monitoring technologies for field scientists, they are developing a range of environmentally focused technologies and services to push the boundaries of our understanding so we can take better care of the one planet to which we are all bound.
Earthbound Scientific wanted to explore potential new customers for their technology, including farmers and land managers and the potential future incentives which may lead to the need for them to evidence reductions in GHG emissions. The BioVale team arranged for a focus group session with representatives from the North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre, the Environment Agency, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. This meeting gave Earthbound Scientific an opportunity to explain their technology to the group and ask questions about the future needs for monitoring carbon flows. Several further useful connections and introductions were facilitated afterwards by those who attended the meeting.
In addition to the focus group session, BioVale also held a series of discussions with the team to assess the business model and international trading options for Earthbound Scientific. This involved developing the market strategy in response to the focus group and looking at the options available to support existing conversations with international customers.
Chris Hiscocks, Enterprise Manager at BioVale said: Working with James and his team has been enjoyable from start to finish. What made this collaboration work so well has been the willingness to listen to the market and evolve the business in response to the feedback at every stage. I believe they have developed a transformative piece of equipment and critically I think they are a strong team with the right skills and networks to take this business global - we’ll be with them every step of the way!
James Stockdale, CEO of Earthbound Scientific added: All start-ups need to quickly learn how to find the right path for their journey, and in a short period of time, BioVale has been so supportive for us. They have provided us with direct access to a range of key stakeholders who provided invaluable feedback to help us develop our growth strategy. In addition, the BioVale team themselves provide a wealth of skills and experience which we feel lucky to have access to - all available close to our wonderful Yorkshire home!
Find out more about Earthbound Scientific on their website.
Identifying groups of potential new customers
Greenhouse gas monitoring equipment
Market strategy development
Notes to editors:
This project has received funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020
The York, North Yorkshire and East Riding (YNYER) LEP awarded a grant of £1M to the BDC as part of the Local Growth Fund (LGF) support which funded the equipment used to carry out this project. For more information visit: https://www.businessinspiredgrowth.com/funding/local-growth-fund/
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