_11
project around this challenge?
Joe: The incubatees we are working with don’t
typically identify themselves according to
whether or not they are having a social impact.
Many are more concerned with trying to
mature, validate and find a market application
for their idea, so we try not to confuse them
with our jargon on social innovation, social
dividend and other similar terms. It is important
to treat them on an equal level as a normal
enterprise.
One particular project we are working with at
the moment is developing a methodology to
help people learn music by using colour as
opposed to reading notes, and in this way
making art music accessible to everybody. Our
system there is guided by commercial
principles: finding the money and connecting
the project to people abroad that can take the
project to other countries. Ultimately, on this
project, we are moving into a nesting area in
the social innovation context saying that young
people who play music tend to stay out of
crime and out of socially undesirable practices.
They instead find pride in themselves, find
satisfaction in life and a fantastic hobby they
can be passionate about. Wouldn’t every
parent or community leader want every young
person to find something like that? In this way
we took a good, possible idea and ordered it
into a social innovation context.
What are some key insights you have gained
through incubating social innovation projects
that you would like to share with other
incubators in Europe?
1_ Treat them as a regular commercial
enterprise, and don’t to confuse it with
jargon. It is OK for us intermediary people
to talk in these terms, but it is not fair to
impose this on social enterprises or social
entrepreneurs.
2_ Encourage early engagement with people
outside their usual sphere. It is too easy to
stay in your comfort zone of like-minded
people or geographical-proximate people.
The difficult step is to move outside of your
own region or country, and to connect
with people who are doing something