Mihaela Gîscă, originally from the Republic of Moldova, a digital marketing professional specializing in business development in Romania, decided to join the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program in order to pursue her goal of launching her own marketing agency. She crossed paths with Astrid Weikmann, the Co-Founder and CEO of WeDO5 in Vienna, an innovation consultancy and a startup studio that works with international SMEs, NGOs, and Startups.

Mihaela’s objectives for the exchange centred around creating a new financial plan, refining her marketing strategy, establishing a database of potential clients and collaborators, crafting a market-ready product, and forging strategic partnerships for future cross-border endeavours. Astrid had her sights set on elevating her business’s presence within the realm of social media.

During the six months’ exchange, Mihaela actively engaged in understanding WEDO5’s marketing strategies and tools, providing valuable insights that significantly improved their online presence on key social media platforms like IG, FB, and LI. Astrid mentored Mihaela, offering guidance and expertise to refine the business strategy and financial plan for her startup. They worked together to develop a new product for Mihaela’s new company. Mihaela and Astrid fostered a dynamic synergy by jointly participating in an array of events organized by WeDO5, like Startup Weekend or Find Your Female Co-Founder and other relevant gatherings in Vienna, like ViennaUp’23 or Austrian Startups Summit. Their collaborative presence extended to immersive business pitching workshops, hands-on training sessions, and the active participation in an array of startup-centric gatherings.

The match between Mihaela and Astrid proved to be a perfect fit, united by their shared passion for sustainable marketing, innovation, and consultancy. Mihaela fulfilled her objectives, having crafted a comprehensive financial plan, developed a new marketing strategy, curated a database of potential clients and collaborators, and established concrete plans for future collaborations with Astrid. She developed a new product for her company, which is a comprehensive service contract encompassing a diverse array of services, each with distinct terms, conditions, and pricing tiers.

Astrid experienced significant progress in her own business. With Mihaela’s help, her social media presence flourished, bolstered by a donor database that unlocked new opportunities. The collaboration between the two entrepreneurs proved to be mutually beneficial, setting the stage for future cooperations.

This business cooperation was organised under the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme, with the support and guidance of Fundatia Danis.

“Participating in the program and collaborating with Astrid and the team from WeDO5 has proven to be an invaluable journey. The complex experiences I have gained as a young entrepreneur throughout Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs have been truly worthwhile.” (Mihaela Gîscă, new entrepreneur)

“Collaborating with Mihaela during the business exchange program was an enriching and positive journey. Mihaela showcased remarkable potential, fostering a strong sense of unity within the team and a genuine eagerness to acquire new knowledge, amplifying the overall gratification of the experience.” (Astrid Weikmann. host entrepreneur)