InnoTour USA review by delegation member Mandy van Tilborg

1. “To learn about USA innovation & entrepreneurship, identify and analyze the
differences, to be inspired to improve the innovation ecosystems in Europe.”
* Option: not part of the official program
ORGANIZATION
initiation & selection: European Young Innovators Forum
sponsoring & program: US Department of State International Visitors & Leadership Program
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3. Tivadar Limbacher Mihai Rotaru Lukasz Olek Sofia Esteves Javier Andres
Hungary Romania Poland Portugal Spain
Diana Zaharia Manuel Loistl Mandy van Tilborg Arno Geens Kumardev Chatterjee
EYIF Germany The Netherlands EYIF EYIF
DELEGATION
7 selected European ambassadors + 3 EYIF staff
application: video + essay + interview <35 years + social media presence
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4. Meetings @United States Department of State
• program officer Office of International Visitors
• senior advisor for Innovation Office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
• director Office of International Visitors
• senior advisor Global Entrepreneuship Program Office of Commercial & Business Affairs
• federalism briefing by associate professor George Mason University
• founder & CEO Revolution Messaging (social network campaign Obama)
AGENDA WASHINGTON DC
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5. • There are probably as many differences between European countries on innovation and
entrepreneurship as between Europe and the USA. Europe is fragmented as a
marketplace.
• As the Netherlands we are not known as a top performer on innovation or for any
disruptive innovation. Still we’re doing quite well on innovative capacity and stimulating
entrepreneurship to other European countries. Within Europe USA looks at Berlin,
Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
• We can learn from American nationalism, competitiveness, profiling and presentation.
We are highly modest in the Nedtherlands. Communicating and exposure are key in
creating pride and making people feel committed to larger communities, interests,
ideas or progress. Innovation needs evangelists.
• We need more European hubspots where people are highly motivated/talented, share
the same passion, are competitors and encourage each other.
LESSONS LEARNED: EUROPE VS AMERICA
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6. Meetings:
• welcome program coordinator @Institute of Interational Eduaction Offices (IIE)
• co-founder Podio.com (online work platform) @IIE
• welcome program coordinator + campus highlights tour @Stanford University
• professor European Entrepreneurship & Innovation @Stanford University
• Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar founder & CEO Joyus @Stanford University
AGENDA SAN FRANCISCO
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7. • Magnet: getting the right people =
money and/or talent to migrate
• World class university Stanford
• Focus on technology
• Ecosystem for start-ups: angel investors,
incubators, VCs, tolerating failure and
risks
• Climate and culture: hard work around
the clock, passion, competitiveness vs
openness, role models, weather
MY VIEW ON SILICON VALLEY’S SUCCESS FACTORS
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8. Meetings:
• managing director @Garage Technology Ventures (vc seed stage & early stage tech)
• principle & co-founder @Global Catalyst Partners (international vc multistage)
• tour @Plug and Play Tech Center (incubator innovative start-ups)
• event German American Business Association (GABA): Young Europeans in the Bay Area
@Stanford University
AGENDA SAN FRANCISCO
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9. “Success is the management of failure.”
“In most parts of the world you’re crazy if you’re starting you’re own business, in Silicon
Valley, you’re crazy if you’re not.”
“When elephants are very young and much smaller we use a rope to tie them and, at that
age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they can’t
break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free. In
fact grown up elephants could at any time break free but because they believed they
couldn’t, they are stuck right where they are. Like the elephants, how many of us go
through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed
at it once before? Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.”
“Entrepreneurship is like a virus here.”
“There's a way to do it better - find it!”
QUOTES
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10. Meetings:
• manager US Market Access Center (US MAC) @Rocketspace (incubator & accelerator)
• president The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) @TIEGlobal Inc
• tour @IDEO (innovation & design consultancy)
• managing director @Menlo Ventures (investor in entrepreneurs that think big)
• co-founder at CoFoundersLab @Pier 5 (matchmaking for entrepreneurs)
AGENDA SAN FRANCISCO
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11. …invite important influencers on social media for testing new
products/services before launching
…create fans and platforms for fans to meet & share, organize competitions
like funniest photo of me & your organization, spot the brand abroad
…most of the times front office employees get the compliments and back
office get the complaints. Create a happiness tool where we share the
credits. Collect, share and filter compliments from tweets, emails or let
colleagues post them and filter the best one of the day
…organize fundays for employees to reward them and
motivate them once a year
…set no talk Thursdays for employees to work undisturbed on
projects or tasks without distractions from colleagues,
email, phone, etc.
RANDOM IDEAS
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12. What inspired me @IDEO:
• open innovation & collaboration : solve big challenges for social good
• philantropic capital for human-centered design projects against poverty
• use of design in the financial services sector
• cabinet with collection of products and components designed by others
which inspire employees by design, functionality or disruptive thinking
• invite kids in toy lab to play between employees (fun, inspiration,
connect with target group, observation, learn form each other)
• hotel based working: treat employees as guests who need to make
reservations for desks, rooms etc. and serve them
• be proud on what you’ve done before and make it visible by storytelling
and showcasing wherever and whenever you can
• focus on process: “How to days” where you share your expertise (this
also means failure, mistakes, learnings etc.) companies similar 2 IDEO
HIGHLIGHT
IDEO is a global design firm that takes a human-centered, design-based approach to
helping organizations in the public and private sectors innovate and grow.
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13. Meetings:
• president TripleHelix: Entrepreneurship, Education, Leadership Romania @HiltonHotel
• professor of cyber law @Berkman Center for Internet & Society Harvard Law School
• director of the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship @Harvard Business School
• tour Harvard Innovation Lab
• managing director Trust Center for Entrepreneurship & senior director Regional
Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program @MIT
• CEO & founder and senior executive @HubSpot
• publisher and start-ups & vc editor @Boston Business Journal
AGENDA BOSTON
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14. • Vison. You cannot expect people to be innovative if they do not know the direction in
which they are headed. Share a common goal and have a sense of embarking on a
journey or adventure together.
• What do we need more: innovation managers or innovation leaders?
• Think BIG use a holistic approach. Make sure you have at least one innovation project a
year with great impact and promote that. Make sure that all the company leaders and
as many other employees know about that project and that they can explain it to
others.
• Content is king: use visualised success examples and storytelling.
• Reward innovative employees by organizing our own ‘Innotour’ for them. This can also
be in the Netherlands visiting spots like Innovation Labs, PHILIPS, TNO, universities,
same departments/teams in another company etc.
LESSONS LEARNED: HOW TO ENLARGE OUR INNOVATIVE CAPACITY ?
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15. Meetings:
• project leader Higher Education & Partnerships and project leader Innovation &
Partnerships @Swissnex Boston (consulate of Switzerland)
• founder & president @Mass Challenge
• tour @Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC)
• project manager Young Entrepreneurs Initiative Retis @CIC
• venture partner New Atlantic Ventures & CEO @CIC
• director @CIC
AGENDA BOSTON
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16. More than money…
• We should invest more in our relationship with small business entrepreneurs. Earn
trust, change criteria for loans to modern standards (impact social media), make it
simple, more 24/7, offer other ways of support and above all promote these activities.
• Be a matchmaker between private bankers and start-ups.
• Not only sponsor entrepreneurial activities and events but co-organize them.
• Invest more in incubators and be part of the ecosystem. Let bank employees work
between start-ups at universities (seen other banks and consultancy firms working at
incubators in USA). Be close to our customer and monitor needs/issues. Make sure that
these activities get enough exposure among both prospects, customers as employees.
• Can’t we turn one of our closed offices into a large incubator?
• Offer mentoring programs for entrepreneurs.
• Support educational programs which are designed to stimulate and keep the
entrepreneurial flame alive in boys and girls.
IDEAS ON BANKING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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17. The Noun Project: “sharing, celebrating and enhancing the world's visual language”.
Delevering Happiness
a movement that spreads and inspires
more happiness in the world!
MORE INSPIRATION
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18. ALSO INNOTOUR USA
new friendships, sightseeing and a lot of fun!
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