by James Mulhall, Journalist, Ireland
When you think entrepreneurialism, exciting is not a word that springs to mind, unless you are business-minded, of course. That is exactly what happened at the ‘Erasmus for young entrepreneurs’ discussion in European Parliament on May 9th though – an exciting event. 80 people filed into the room for a lively, engaging chat.
A chat is the best way to describe the event – it surprisingly lacked formality. It was a breath of fresh air. There was only one name on the tip of people’s tongues as they left the event – Alex Zylberberg. It may not be a name that you have heard of – but his story is one that enthralled, amused and inspired the audience at the European Parliament.
Zylberberg is a graduate of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme and credits his success to his participation in the programme.
Of course, there were other panellists, all of whom spoke beautifully. Young would-be entrepreneurs were much more interested in who the dark-haired young man was, sitting among his older peers. Not opting for the microphone at his desk, Zylberberg took to the stage and interacted directly with the audience for what turned out to be the highlight of the event. It was a fresh, awakening approach to an audience who had been in events all day and were hitting the evening slump as 7pm approached.
Before going into Zylberberg’s story though, what exactly is Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs?
Simply put, it is a business exchange programme. The Erasmus programme that most people know of sees students study in a foreign district. This is the same – except the exchange is within a business sector to give would-be entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from those successful in the field.
Those lucky enough to be selected will work closely with a successful entrepreneur for the duration of their exchange and learn priceless information about what it takes to succeed.
The key, says Zylberberg, is that you feel like equals; not like a boss and a worker. Alex is one of many who has benefitted from the programme.
“My mom and my dad told me if I studied very hard, I would get a good job in a good company”, he said, of his beginnings.
And study hard he did. Did it work? Certainly, he got a good job in a good company and it paid well. Was he happy? No.
“I don’t like being employed!”, he said. What is the solution there? Well, you still need to earn a living so the only logical thing to do is become an entrepreneur. A gamble, certainly, but it paid off – he now co-develops several websites across 21 countries.
Zylberberg is very clear about one thing – Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs was a key component to his success.
“We would meet for at least an hour every day, go for lunch, discuss ideas – of course if you have a job you have a commercial relationship but this is different”, he says. “This is between two people that have a lot in common except for age!”
Zylberberg’s speech was certainly uplifting. He illustrated the make-up of the programme effectively – it is different every single time, as it depends on the individual.
The aim of the talk was to raise general awareness of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme. When asked if he would change anything about it, the only thing Zylberberg could think of was that more people need to know about it. It is not what springs to mind when you think of experiencing life outside of your country’s borders – but for the entrepreneurial minds, it is a foot in the door.
Hot on his heels are three up-and-coming entrepreneurs who won immediate acceptance to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme – Ian Clifford, Alena Mechtchanova and the overall winner Markus Espeter. All three were overwhelmed with their victories but, if Zylberberg is anything to go by, they will be ones to watch in the future.
