Making projects and business in green chemistry: creating a winning start-up, fund raising, and writing competitive research proposals

Abstract This chapter is organized in two parts: the first describes the basic pillar of a successful start-up in the green chemistry industry, namely the product–market fit. This basically means creating a product that is able to solve specific, measurable, and validated customers' pains, through a direct interaction with a relevant sample of potential target customers/users. The second part describes the four most important ingredients of a successful research proposal, regardless of the specific funding scheme. Although the quest for the “Holy Grail” of public funding is more of an art than science, a body of evidence will be provided to support unavoidably subjective conclusions. This guide is intended to help researchers, enterprises, consultants, and whoever enters the always more competitive arena of public research grants.