Resource:How to create a community leveraging your business accelerator

BACKGROUND

            At first the director of ventures was a student and he brought the idea of the program(University Innovations Fellows) to the University of Technology and Engineering in Lima. He proposed this idea of University Innovations Fellows to the director and they agreed it was needed because the activity of innovation (hackathons, festivals, etc.) were created by the accelerator but the accelerator was more concerned with helping startups rather than creating activities. There was no sense of community surrounding innovation. The university agreed it would give the university students opportunities to pursue and apply their learning.

            The accelerator was a good opportunity for students who utilized it for ventures, but at the time there wasn’t an opportunity for their University Innovations Fellows group to utilize it. Hans took a course in innovation and had buy in from his peers and in his University Innovations Fellows stakeholder meeting about improving the ecosystem at University of Technology and Engineering in Lima,regarding tech. The University Innovations Fellows group asked the tech ventures for a bigger space during the stakeholder meeting. The fellows became the bridge between tech venture and campus.

GETTING STARTED

            Firstly, Know in advance the workers in the business accelerator and notice them that you are taking the program University Innovation Fellows of Stanford University. Then, win their confidence by telling them your good intentions in be able to help to the business accelerator in what it need, like a University Innovation Fellow. Later, make the stakeholder meeting on your university's business accelerator. Then, have a meeting with the workers of the business accelerator in order to see how you can help each other: Make clear what each one needs in the moment and take advantage of the others need to ask for something a change, for everyone to win, make a bargain where everyone wins. Emphasize the idea of ​​community creation and that the help of many students will be greater than just few ones, and what the community needs that the acceleration of business can provide, as an auspice. And in change help to the business accelerator in the problems it faces or in what it need, such as the diffusion of the help in an event or activity that they perform.

            Next, create community, start with a group of friends, organize an integration meeting and invite people of the business accelerator to these meetings, in order to everyone know each others, share words, have a good time and establish good relationships. The fact that the director of business acceleration be drinking with a member of the community, here in Peru means that a good relationship was established. Take advantage of the auspice and all others provided by the business accelerator in order to gain confidence, seriousness and respect, in addition to generating desire in the students and people on campus, to enter the community. I recommend that you also emphasize that the community was created from the classmates who took the University Innovations Fellow program at Stanford, that draws the attention of students and gives confidence.

            From that, the first thing is organize the community and work on it day by day, regardless of holidays. Always trying to quantify things like how many start-ups are formed in the community, or how many applications are developed, or how many I&E events the community attends, etc. If you wish, you can open a community just like we have UTEC but on your campus, so this community idea is spread all over the world! Talk with Hans Figueroa on hans.figueroa@utec.edu.pe

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

·        Why did you decide to work with your campus accelerator?

There are a lot of startup groups, but they were a more community oriented venture. The people that worked there are professionals and it was an advantage that the students knew them before UIF because to work with them you need to have confidence in speaking with them.

·        What was the biggest challenge that you have faced?

Organizing a community and getting everyone to work together This was unprecedented to do something like he did, so setting the groundwork was a challenge, as well as starting in the first place. Another challenge was learning to compliment different talents and subdivide groups getting everyone in one room to plan and discuss was also a challenge

·        What was the overall model of your accelerator? How did it work?

There are two parts: Ventures and Community. If anybody has a project idea in the community, there are days when they can pitch the ideas and get feedback and help to proceed with their ideas. They have autonomy in implementing the projects. The directors encourage them to have control over their initiatives and they are allowed to request funds when needed.

·        How much funds did they have to provide? (Did they get money for activities or the space?)

The community started about two months ago since November 1st. They held two activities thus far. They participated in the international Festival of social innovation, and are currently planning for activities for next year. The amount of money was set by the area? of UTEC (The community received about 5000 Soles, About $ 1484 dollars).

There is an event labeled UTEC networking, It’s like a job fair, companies come to UTEC and students have to provide a pitch of about 2 min to convince the companies that they are great candidates. With the career services, they implemented a workshop that focused on improving students skills in giving elevator pitches. They have enough funds for now, since the community was established two months ago. But they may eventually need to fundraiser at a later stage. There are currently 40 members in the community. Union and integration is important to form a community that share a common goal. There are associations like IEEE, they are not like a community because they help with improving the I&E ecosystem.

·        Need and goal (what you did to assess the need and how this would fill that need). And what was the need at the university for this project and how did you test the depth and importance of this need?

Formed lots of relationships with people from around the university and listened to what they wanted from their university, and what kind of changes they would like to see. Asked professors, directors, students and everyone said they needed an ecosystem and community where startups would be supported and could thrive. They realized there was only one startup created at UTEC, but now there are four startup because once you have one many will follow.

 

EDITORS

Tobiloba Komolafe
Cheryl Fong
Alyssa Norris
Daniel Yates
Erin Esco
Josef Pishek
Marouane Smaili