What Innovation Ecosystem Means?
An innovation can happen anywhere, anyway. Mass systemic innovation, as we see in Silicon Valley, in Tel Aviv or Singapore, for example, where a territory generates entrepreneurs, products, systematically innovative processes and services, requires a only specially fertilized. This is what experts have called “Innovation ecosystem”.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem is, therefore, a set of actors and elements necessary for innovation and innovative ventures to take place.
To develop an ecosystem, it is necessary to design an environment that attracts or:
PEOPLE WITH IDEAS
+
PEOPLE WITH TALENT
(technicians, creatives and entrepreneurs)
+
PEOPLE WITH CAPITAL.
The ecosystem is fundamental because it favors the connection. E, connection is the fuel of innovation
Developing an ecosystem is connecting people. E, for that connection to happen we need to reduce all kinds of barriers that exist between people. We have the artificially created barriers, that hinder the birth of enterprises: excess formality, bureaucracy, slowness, inconsistent laws and taxes.
E, there are the least visible barriers: natural ones. Barriers that, for not being perceived and fought, make governments waste millions and millions on big structures for science and technology and innovation that just don't work, do not generate innovation (BID, 2014). Are they: geographic barriers (distance, that we can overcome with technology); flaws in social networks (people do not belong to the same networks and, therefore, don't speak); culture and language (people don't understand each other, inclusive, those who speak the same language); lack of confidence (people are afraid to work together, to share, to open your knowledge).
(Victor Hwang).
There are many studies showing that the level of trust between people is proportional to the level of development of a territory. Logo, lack of confidence also accompanies underdevelopment. It is in this sense, that designing an ecosystem means bringing people who were previously far apart and creating countless connections, so that, among the many connections created, people find the right opportunity for your business, idea, capital, knowledge, can flourish and innovation can happen.
Elements
of the Ecosystem
Integrating Munroe's references (2016), Isenberg (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015), Sugar, Kon and Krueger (2015), Hwang, Horowitt (2012) and Munroe and Westwind (2008), we elaborated the following composition map with the main elements of the ecosystem.
CAPITAL:
are the different types of investors (angel investor, venture capital fund, the families themselves) and funders (banks, development agencies, grant programs).
POLITICS:
is composed of the various actors in the spheres of Government. Political actors must act as orchestrators of the ecosystem by developing policies and programs, improving the legal framework for the sector, cutting red tape, giving institutional support, raising or investing capital, encouraging research and development etc..
CULTURE:
critical factor for ecosystem success as it is the recipe for how the elements of the ecosystem combine. Governments around the world are unable to recreate the Silicon Valley because they copy the elements. And what needs to be “copied” is the culture. The elements of this culture of innovation are: tolerance for error and risk, collaboration, praise and recognition of entrepreneurs, success stories of entrepreneurs born from the ecosystem, creativity, experimentation.
HUMAN CAPITAL:
are the people with the skills needed for innovations to happen. Entrepreneurs, technical and creative talents, teachers and researchers, inventors. They come from the Academy, other educational institutions and companies established.
SUPPORT:
Integrative organizations (that support and connect entrepreneurs, like the Innovation Centers),business support services (as trade associations, federations, counters, lawyers, specialized press office), Guidance (coaching, mentoring, consulting), Infrastructure (telecommunications, energy, transport, safety, districts, specialized condominiums)
MARKET:
initial consumers (early costumer) that will criticize and validate the product and social and professional networks (that will provide important information and connections).
The Rules of the Innovation Ecosystem
There will be no success for ecosystems or innovation environments without going through a path: the change in culture and collective values.
These new values point in the direction of trust, of collaboration, of courage (to work at risk) e, mainly, the idea that the rules of other systems are not so valid for innovation systems. Academic and hierarchical titles, for example, worth less than creative talent, leadership or contributions to the community. Things weigh different here.
To help at this critical point, we gathered the references from the Centers' Implementation Guide and prepared a set of “rules” or mantras that should be disseminated everywhere that wish to be considered successful innovation ecosystems.
In his work, Tropical Forest: how to build the next Silicon Valley ”, (free translation), Hwang e Horowitt (2012) suggest that, by becoming part of some innovation community, everyone commits to it and materializes it through a symbolic social contract. See our version of Ecosystem Social Contract.
You can download the pdf and apply it to people in your community.
Santa Catarina Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem