Founders' Meeting #2

Objective (6pm - 8pm)

  1. Check-in:
    1. Introduction to new team members
    2. Introduction to host innovation center: Monthly speaker's presentation
  2. Update:
    1. Review the Objectives of the group
    2. Comment on preliminary website
  3. To do:
    1. Agree on calendar for the year
  4. Next steps

Notes

  1. Introduction to new team members.

2. Introduction to host innovation center: Monthly speaker's presentation

  • Shell TechWorks created to shorten the traditional R&D cycle length
  • No corporate funding, work as a start-up
  • Globalization vs localization of innovation centers. Benefits of interaction ("some of the most successful solutions started as over-hearing someone")
  • Pfeizer, Microsoft, Facebook - some of the centers run by women
  • Getting through commercialization is one of the biggest issues (not a tech company, any tech solution will end up in 3rd party's hands).
  • Issues: future size of team (silos) - solution keep the group size small, which sometimes implies limiting the number & size of projects


3. Review the Objectives of the group:

  • Share google sheet w/ founders to add and revise the current goals/mandate.


4. Comment on preliminary website:

  • General comment: Going too wide: (1) start ups, mega trends, and trends sections are too resource intensive; (2) Find a criteria for startup selection
  • Home: Goal, aim - create google doc for founders to revise.
  • Events: (1) Calendar: put events together; (2) Events that are happening in the ecosystem - keep up with what is happening, to ensure that the events are unique
  • Ecosystem overview: (1) Cooperation w/ innovation leaders. Could potentially be a partner. Set up a meeting w/ innovation leaders (Scott Kirsner, Frank Hertz); (2) Look into tech allies: bring in start-ups
  • New sections: (1) Social network analysis (socioviz.net): understand which network players are cooperating with whom and how; (2) Give ideas about places/events where to meet local innovation players: Science Cafe, MIT lobbies; (3) NOT PUBLIC: place to post challenges. Survey.


5. Agree on calendar for the year:

  • Hosting competition (universities & schools or teams we work in)
  • Between center co-working: specialists from different centers work part time for a full-week in another center
  • Founders' brunch/ dinner: 2nd week of month. Responsible: Arnaldo & Nicola (location)
  • Talent Fair: January. Need to put in resumes of talent. Responsible: David, Garret (location)
  • Inter-center co-working: be company specific. Can set up quickly. Responsible: David & Garret
  • Work-outs: send survey w/ questions about issues to tackle. Run at the monthly meetings


6. Next steps:

  • Calendar:

1. Cleaned up to look beautiful in the google sheet

2. Add location, time

3. Add to the google sheet different tabs, aims, challenges

  • Events: more meat in each event, add the new ones' description (Objective +Deliverable)
  • Information to be added to website:
    1. Get quotes of founders for rotation on the website
    2. Contact information (Names, emails, phones)
    3. People who have participated (e.g. Shell)
    4. Ask Rom to keep organizing start-ups (name 5 startups you think are cool to be working w/. Not yet)
    5. Joining: Google form
    6. Events that are happening right now
  • New sections:
    1. Operations team (Rasa, Regita, Rom, etc.) - contact info.
    2. Future step: Socioviz. Influence maps.
    3. Locations to work & be inspired