OUR MISSION
Developing fluid solutions that de-risk
SME transactions in B2B trade
Leading to market
Innovating for tomorrow
AREA42'S Innovation Scope
What is the scope of our customer-centric TradeTech innovation lab?
Customer centricity at the core – Tapping into known and unknown customers and their insights to discover fundamental problems and opportunities for improving B2B trade.
Lean validation – Agile approach to enhance our current products with features and add-ons.
Venture building – Leveraging those customer insights to unlock new TradeTech solutions and products.
INNOVATION WITH PURPOSE
We fulfil AREA42's purpose
How? By creating TradeTech ventures and meeting customer demands for current products.
Deep trade finance and payments expertise meets relevant tech innovation
Customer-centric approach to building, validating, and launching --> Learn more
No ego, no fluff. Every idea, feature, or product must answer this question:
Does it make B2B trade faster, easier, or more accessible?
We are agile – we believe in doing and testing before debating perfection
We build solutions that actually matter – because we ensure they solve real-life customer problems
About AREA42
We are innovators making trade future-proof.
We disrupt B2B commerce and trade with customer-centric innovations in trade technology.
--> Learn more about TradeTech here.
#innovators #tradetech #payments #venturebuilding #B2B #SME #workingcapital #customercentric
#tradefinance
Afonso tells you about MISSION42
Afonso, our Lean Startup Coach, describes the vision of MISSION42 – to build startups that help B2B-focused SMEs trade successfully, smoothly, and in a risk-savvy way.
How we innovate at AREA42
How do we create TradeTech innovations?
We go on customer-centric journeys from insights through validation mechanisms to testing and launch. Let's see how we do it!
About our innovation journeys
Customer-centric insights set the foundation and guide the way
In-market B2B customer validation
Business modelling and viability development
Product or feature architecture and operational flow
Testing and more customer validation
APPLICATION TIMELINE
What you need to apply
It only takes 20 minutes to apply. Submit your applications individually or as a team. Your journey into trade technology and innovation begins here!
Email addresses
Each team member's email needs to be included in the application form. The one filling out the form needs to use a gmail address.
An updated CV for each applicant
Have these handy! And yes, you’ll be able to upload them together in the same application form.
Our online application form
We’ve made it as simple and straightforward as possible. We can't wait to receive your submissions.
RECRUITMENT POLICY
Respecting your personal data is important to Credendo. We process the data correctly, transparently and in accordance with the law. The data you provide via this website, interviews, e-mail or telephone conversations are processed in the framework of our recruitment and selection process. The controller responsible for processing your data is Credendo – Export Credit Agency, an autonomous public body, with the head office located at rue Montoyerstraat 3, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
Under no circumstances will your data be transferred to or shared, without your prior agreement, with third parties other than Credendo entities or our subcontractors involved in the recruitment process. If you have any questions or comments regarding the recruitment and selection process, please use the following e-mail address mycareer-be@credendo.com. For more information on our GDPR Charter, click here.
The GDPR Business Charter of each entity can be found here.
Trade is in good company
Meet the Innovation Lab team
FAQs
Questions? We've got answers.
The criteria here is whether or not you are or want to know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and can build a solution customers pay for. Experience in trade, B2B or working for / with SMEs are not required. But if you have some already, that's great, too!
Apply now ->Absolutely. By the way we are a gender and age-neutral company. Anyone is welcome to apply as long as they are ready to work and capable of invoicing in the EU.
Apply now ->It’s ok as long as you, as a non-EU passport holder, has legal residency in an EU country and a VAT number from an EU member country.
Apply now ->That’s excellent! Sounds like you are already a venture-builder and you should go for it but MISSION42 is not be the right place for you. For MISSION42 we are looking for individuals who can discover and craft their idea according to insights gathered during the acceleration phase. However, let's see if there is space to collaborate so get in touch with us via AREA42's programme for Founders.
Yes, you can. We’ll do our best to match you but chances are it’s way faster to onboard you when you apply as a team.
Apply now ->Working together daily and physical access to each other is strongly encouraged and it will greatly help your application. So as long as this other town means you can still work together daily, it’s ok.
Apply now ->You are compensated for nine months to fulfil the mission of venture builder - with no limits to how you can disrupt the market. However, as a venture builder in MISSION42 you are doing so on behalf of AREA42 and for AREA42. That means there will not be any available equity at stake for founders. Nonetheless, if you wish to take this to the next level and grow the new business, AREA42 will match your ambition!
Apply now ->No, we will not pay for co-working space but your compensation package can be used for that purpose. You’re welcome to visit our co-working space in Brussels on Mondays.
Apply now ->We have a few licensed tools such as OutSystems for development, but as an entrepreneur you are empowered to propose tools we may adopt to help you. By the way, we don’t provide laptops or other equipment so you'll need your own.
Apply now ->Check out our blog, "5 benefits of innovating in a venture building studio".
Apply now ->HOW TO JOIN MISSION42
Are you a resilient and relentless doer with ambition to build a game-changing TradeTech venture?
Our ideal candidates clearly express key motivations for joining the programme, highlight entrepreneurial initiatives, and demonstrate useful skills for venture building.
During your MISSION42 journey, you'll focus on what it takes to create a successful startup. Identifying and validating a need and market, preparing a business plan, meeting weekly milestones and coaching challenges, creating a pitch for a new trade technology solution, and pitching it.
If your venture gets the go-ahead to scale up it will join the AREA42 portfolio of TradeTech solutions.
Read more about corporate startups.
We are not currently looking for new innovators. But, stay on the look out for future job postings and other opportunities.
About our venture-building process
You may be a blank slate or have some entrepreneurial experience when it comes to the SME market or solutions based on trade technology. You’ve tried to make money before, from a lemonade stand to a tested business idea, so you know how to offer solutions that truly address a measurable need.
--> Learn more about TradeTech here.
You’re a doer with a love for learning. This is essential as MISSION42 is a development process coached by tenured entrepreneurs. You will identify your insight and validate it during your journey.
You can dedicate 9 months full time to reach a go or no-go defining moment for your startup. You’ll also be spending one day per month in Brussels with the venture building team. We use a rolling application process, so there will be more opportunities to join beyond the current application round.
You can work with a full-time partner. Bring your co-pilot or let us team you up with one. But remember - this is a joint effort and complementary skills will be key!
You both can legally invoice from an EU27 country. This means you and your co-pilot must each have a VAT number or be willing, able, and eligible for one in any of these countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, or Sweden.
Any unanswered questions?
Hi, I'm Jacques. I can't wait to hear from you to explore and discuss MISSION42.
Schedule a call