THE SPACE IS OPEN
First year review 2014/15 Impact Hub Florence - First Year Review 2014/15
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INDEX
Impact Hub Florence - First Year Review 2014/15
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INTRODUCTION
STARTING POINT
THE DOOR TO THE WORLD
HOW IT IS MADE
TRANSITIONING...
A ROUTE TO....
7 10 15 21 34 45
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INTRODUCTION
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INTRODUCTION A new frontier
L
ocated in the north-west area of Florence, the neighbourhood of Rifredi is one of the city’s most dynamic spots. Its origins date back to the ancient times, when the Romans built a first settlement in the area, just on the right side of the Terzolle
river. Over the centuries, the area experienced a great transformation; in particular, during the Nineteenth Century – the Industrial Century – Rifredi became the centre of important economic activity thanks to the opening of renown factories, such as the Macelli and the Galileo Fabrics. The advent of the railway station further pushed the development of the area, facilitating the arrival of raw materials and the departure of sellable products. Near Rifedi’s railway station, there were also the Customs’ offices, where goods in transfer were stocked and sold. Currently, while the Customs Agency is still operating in its historical premises (with its own warehouse storages and other functions), part of the buildings have changed destination and have been given a new, different use. One year ago, in one of these storage spaces Impact Hub Florence was born: a place for people to meet, work together and design entrepreneurial solutions capable of responding to territorial needs, by taking together economy and society.
Introduction
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STARTING POINT
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STARTING POINT Ideas have room to grow in an open space “Space is the body language of an organization” IDEO
A
s a place dedicated to social innovation, our space could not be hosted in just any anonymous building divided into rooms and corridors.
We believe social innovation requires innovative thinking, to go beyond traditional
responses by drawing inspiration from past experiences and from what that already exists. Social innovation is not a discipline, nor a profession or an industrial sector. In order for social innovation to be created and applied, an enabling environment is needed, a specific ecosystem owning those characteristics that allow social innovation to be triggered. Impact Hub Florence has been designed and built under this idea, in order to give life to a space able to allow tangible examples of innovation to be created. The Impact Hub Florence is spacious and interactive, a place where you are always working amongst others and are provided with the opportunity to collaborate and cross create across sectors. Our space has an informal style, and its history and spirit have a special meaning to the surrounding community. The different areas in the space, rather than strictly structured, are adjacent to each other so that informal moments between Impact Hubbers, on a professional or purely human level, are possible. Impact Hub Florence is dedicated to people that want to develop an idea or a project, and are in need of skills, support and motivation. At the same time, is also dedicated to those who are looking for a functional and pleasant working space in an open, collaborative and community environment. Impact Hub Florence is dedicated to people that consider ‘social impact’ an important part of their work, an aspect to be evaluated and improved over time. It is the place where people associate what they do with who they are, and where they put collaboration, trust, and courage at the centre, as a key point of measurement for the success of their initiative. Usually, these individuals opt for a ‘free-lance’ status and a self-entrepreneurial path rather than a paid employment, and often they are in search
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of human connections, exchanges and flexibility. Many times, they know they would normally not find these in a large, traditional office or structure. Impact Hub Florence is the space where professionals in different fields (economists, experts in communication, architects, business consultants, web masters, software developers, designers, and artisans) can meet and collaborate on the design of socially, economically and environmentally viable projects and products. In this process, bottom-up participation, the use of technology, and the connection between public, profit and not for profit sectors all contribute to our pursuit of creating social innovation. In order to define and develop our ideas and projects that aid us in our mission, an appropriate space is needed, a place where the interaction with the others is easy and comfortable. A beautiful place, with a positive atmosphere, where changing the world would become a tangible challenge.
Starting Point
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THE DOOR TO THE WORLD
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Impact Hub Florence
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THE DOOR TO THE WORLD
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s a meeting point for a local community of social innovators, Impact Hub Florence is deeply rooted in its environment, and our members are fully aware of local challenges. At the same time, we are aware that in a globalized
world, challenges are increasingly interconnected with those of other territories and countries. Problems and opportunities related to each context have specific and sometimes unique features, but they also have common elements that cross borders and unite communities across the globe. In other terms, social challenges have now become global. For this reason, Impact Hub Florence is part of an international network that is currently located in 71 different cities and Countries, in 4 continents. The first Impact Hub, born in London in 2005, set the stage for our expanding global network, as we continue to grow. Our founders are local teams who are deeply concerned and committed to tackling local and global issues, applying the philosophy and model of Impact Hub. They desire to be part of a global movement and to contribute to its growth. Within the global network, new models and methodologies are continuously developed, and available to be adopted at the local level. At the European level, Impact Hubs have also developed common projects such as BENISI (funded by the Seventh Framework Program for Research and Innovation of the EU), which is currently supporting the scaling up of 300 social innovations in Europe, thanks to the collaboration between 6 European Impact Hubs (Milan, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Wien, London-Kings’ Cross, Bucharest) and several Foundations, Local Development Agencies and Third Sector organizations. Impact Hub Florence actively participates in the global network through sharing tools available. We also promote the active participation of our local members to the wider international community of the Impact Hub network, not only through the common social network (HubNet) but also through the promotion of transnational mobility for our members towards other Impact Hubs (ex. Tuscany On the Move project – see chapter 5). In Italy, in addition to Florence, other Impact Hubs are based in Milan, Rovereto, Rome, Bari, Siracuse and Trieste. These 6 Hubs have quickly developed a tight networking process, drawn by the need of stronger interconnection, and by the desire to unlocking together the richness of their diversities and the potential of their common elements.
The Door To The World
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5
CONTINENTS
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IMPACT HUBS
400+ FOUNDERS
10.000+ MEMBERS
4432
NEW FULL-TIME JOBS
+40% ANNUAL GROWTH
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25.000 SQUARE METRES
70 CITIES
Amsterdam – Antigua* – Athens – Baltimore* Barcelona* – Bari Belgrade* - Belo Horizonte – Bergen – Berkeley - Berlin – Bogotá – Boston Boulder - Bratislava* – Brno* Bucharest – Caracas – Curitiba – Donostia Dubai - Florence Geneva – Halifax – Johannesburg – Kuala Lumpur* Kyoto - Lima* – London Brixton / Islington / Kings Cross / Westminster Los Angeles – Madrid – Manila*– Melbourne – Mexico City - Milan Monterrey – Moscow* – Munich – New York City – Oakland - Oaxaca Odessa – Ostrava* – Ottawa – Paris* - Philadelphia – Prague – Recife Rome – Rotterdam – Rovereto - Salt Lake City – San Francisco – São Paulo Seattle – Seoul - Singapore – Stockholm – Sydney – Syracuse – Tel Aviv Tokyo – Trieste - Vienna – Washington DC – Yerevan* – Zagreb – Zurich *Candidates
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HOW IT IS MADE
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Impact Hub Florence
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HOW IT IS MADE
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ithin Impact Hub, the sharing of the space is based upon trust and sense of community that members build over time, through dedicated practices such as the co-construction of the space itself.
Impact Hub Florence has been co-designed and built by the members of the
community through a series of meetings and workshops. The needs that emerged from participatory activities and sessions were then translated into the space design. For this specific work, Impact Hub Florence’s team has collaborated with international and local organizations in a process of skills and time exchange: tables, for example, have been produced in collaboration with FabLab Florence thanks to the use of numeric control machines (following a prototype made available by Opendesk, an open source platform that makes blueprints freely available and downloadable); Orizzontale, a collective of architects, has created the furniture through the reuse of wooden planks of the Young Architect Project promoted by the MAXXI Museum in Rome, while textile waste materials from a firm based in the nearby town of Prato were used as a wool wall insulation. Each element in Impact Hub Florence is a result of our active engagement with the circular economy, from reuse and recycling, the combination of the new and old, between craft knowledge and new technologies. The local construction of several elements of our space has also allowed us to be both economical and environmentally sustainable, while simultaneously transforming a previously empty industrial building into a functioning co-working space.
How It Is Made
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OPEN SPACE With its 300mq, the open space is mostly made of wood. It is divided into two main areas: the area under the mezzanine that hosts fixed desks, and a wider area with open desk tables dedicated to flexible memberships. In front of the main entrance, a common area operates as a waiting area, where you can relax, read a newspaper, have a conversation, and look at the Member Wall (a panel that hosts all members’ professional profiles). This area also hosts the football table, dedicated to fun during breaks.
KITCHEN TThe kitchen represents the heart of Impact Hub Florence, functioning also as a location for meetings, both scheduled and impromptu. It is the first meeting point in the morning, as well as a place to enjoy a break throughout the day, or host guests, or waiting for the right inspiration. In the kitchen, members share their lunch – usually a salad or a plate of spaghetti – as well as their businesses and their daily lives. Our beautiful kitchen furniture is the gift of Valcucine, an Italian company that focuses on sustainability, and who shared our vision and gave us tremendous support.
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OFFICES As a response to the request of our members’ feedback, we have enriched our open space with a mezzanine divided into 4 offices, where it is possible to work in a private environment, isolated acoustically, but still integrated within the same ecosystem.
FABRICATION LABORATORY (FABLAB)
A door behind the kitchen divides the space from the Fablab, which is the perfect space for painting, pasting and cutting. The open space also hosts a corner dedicated to electronics and software development. Discover more at http://fablabfirenze.org/lab/
MEETING ROOM Our meeting room can host up to 15 people and is the perfect place to meet clients and partners, hold presentations and workshops.
SKYPE ROOM The skype room is dedicated to private calls and can host up to 3 people. It can also be used as a small meeting room. 23
sala riunioni
GROUND PIANO FLOOR TERRA
anchored 3
anchored 4
hot desk unlimited
anchored 5
OPEN SPACE
anchored 6
anchored 7
anchored 8
anchored 9
zona lounge
zona lunch
WC
WC
CUCINA
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anchored 2
anchored 1
Officina FAB LAB
Impact Hub Florence
sala riunioni
FIRST PRIMO FLOOR PIANO
PIANO TERRA
sala riunioni
anchored 2
anchored 1
anchored 3
anchored 4
hot desk unlimited
anchored 5
OPEN SPACE
anchored 6
anchored 7
anchored 8
anchored 9
zona lounge
zona lunch
WC
WC
CUCINA
Officina
How It Is Made
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THE COMMUNITY
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o join the Impact Hub community, it is necessary to become a member. Memberships vary according to your needs and space requirements: the options range from the membership that we call “Connect� (giving 1 day of
access per month), up to the so called Unlimited (full access, personal desk and storage space). In the middle, there are intermediate membership, like the HUB 25, HUB 50 and HUB 100. The number associated with each membership type indicates the hours monthly available. Lastly, Anchored members have a dedicated office. All memberships have free access to wi-fi, to common spaces, to relax and coffee area, to the internal newsletter with ongoing events and opportunities, and to the various activities of consultancy and support organized on a monthly basis (see page 33). After one year since our opening, Impact Hub Florence has 100+ members that work in different sectors including communication, design, web, social promotion, cultural mediation, as well as architecture, agriculture, business consultancy and finance. LAMA is a cooperative that founded Impact Hub Florence and is our main shareholder; LAMA works in strategic consultancy by offering business improvement, management and networking services; EDA Servizi is a cooperative that works in the field of library services and cultural events and that collaborates with the most important specialized libraries in the territory; FabLab Florence is a sort of tech lab endowed with numeric control machines (3D Printers, Laser cutters, milling machines, etc.) and tools able to produce a wide typology of manufactured products; MakeTank, included by Wired Italy amongst the most 50 promising startups in 2013, is a multi-vendor marketplace dedicated to bring Digital Fabrication and Open Hardware within the traditional Italian design and manufacturing. WeLikeCRM, startup of the IT sector, was founded in 2013 and it offers customer engagement and social CRM services, useful for companies’ client management.
The Community
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105 800 MEMBERSHIPS
WIDE COMMUNITY
WOMEN MEN
WOMEN MEN
4.234 1.100 15.065 80
Likes:
Followers:
Reach max :
Newsletters:
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MEMBERS PROFILE
FINANCE
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION WEB/ COMMUNICATIONS/ MARKETING
START UP AGRICULTURE
DESIGN/ MAKING/ FASHION
SOCIAL SERVICES
EDUCATION AND TRAINING/CULTURE
BUSINESS SERVICES AND CONSULTANCY
The Community
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TRANSITIONING...
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SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY
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SERVICES In the first year, Impact Hub Florence has worked intensively to develop a series of services and activities able to support Hubbers’ projects, as well as to offer networking opportunities and create connections with the surrounding environment (citizens, companies, public actors).
HOST The Host is the ‘guardian’ of the ecosystem, the person who takes care of needs, requests and desires within the space. The Host is the compass for any practical, logistical or professional request, he/she welcomes new members and facilitates their first interaction with the space and the community; while being engaged with all members’ projects, the host constantly operates to develop key interactions amongst members.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES GUIDANCE On a monthly basis, every member of the community can request personalized support and guidance to explore available funding opportunities or receive technical advice. The service is provided directly by Impact Hub Florence’s experts. From November 2014 to February 2014, Impact Hub Florence dedicated around 12 hours to this specific service.
BUSINESS CLINIC The Business Clinic is another area for business support, open both to Hubbers and non Hubbers. During the Business Clinic, experts in different fields (legal, business administration, marketing and communication, entrepreneurs, etc.) offer free consultancy, and are available for questions.
FABLAB Born in 2012, FabLab Florence is an open association that gathers people with different profiles and professional backgrounds, willing to cooperate and co-produce as the best strategy to create new products. Makers, engineers, software developers, designers, artisans or enthusiasts, share their skills to realize and produce such products. Sharing and accessibility are the two main ingredients of the next industrial revolution that FabLab aims to support and stimulate.
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6
PEOPLE
150
HUBBERS WELCOMED
7
PROJECTS PRESENTED
50
PEOPLE INVOLVED
23
MENTORS
120 ENTERPRISES
35
WORKSHOPS
500 PARTICIPANTS
ACCELERATION AND NETWORKING
SOCIAL INNOVATION CAMP In October 2013, prior to the official opening, Impact Hub Florence realized an initiative dedicated to support the most innovative entrepreneurial experiences in the territory. The Social Innovation Camp took place while the space was still under construction: a 2 day workshop funded by Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, aimed at training and providing 6 pre-selected startups with a set of consultancy services offered by experts and specialized entities such as SocioLab, Multiverso, Eppela, Wikmedia Italy, CNA Giovani, Nana Bianca, Legambiente Tuscany, Associazione Meucci- Lavoro Nuovo, Yunus Social Business Centre, Vivaio di Imprese e Fondazione Sistema Toscana.
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM In February 2014 Impact Hub Florence launched the Fellowship Program: created in collaboration with Fondazione Il Cuore si scioglie (Unicoop Firenze), the fellowship program was intended to give life to a new entrepreneurial experience against food waste in the food supply chain, by activating a networking process between stores, large retail sector, charities and consumers. Three teams have been selected after the first phase (MyFoody, S-Cambia Cibo e Senza Spreco), which have been incubated for the following period; the winner of the competition, Senza Spreco, has been awarded with a grant for the start-up phase, and it is currently incubated at Impact Hub Florence.
TOM. TUSCANY ON THE MOVE TOM is the transnational mobility program, created between January and November 2014, thanks to the collaboration between LAMA and Impact Hub network. TOM gave 30 Tuscan entrepreneurs the opportunity to experience an intensive week of immersion within the foreign entrepreneurial ecosystems from Boston, Shanghai, Amsterdam and San Paolo; these cities were selected on the ground of their connection between the research field and the world of businesses, the technological transfer, the access to credit and, more in general, the presence of infrastructure able to increase and maximize businesses’ performance and social impact.
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DAYS
15
MENTORS
40
IDEAS
50
PARTICIPANTS
38
PRESENTED IDEAS
14
INCUBATION WEEKS
1 20
WINNER
K
GRANTED
4 30
TRANSNATIONAL MOBILITY
23
TUSCAN COMPANIES
CITIES
180 OVERALL BUDGET
Transitioning Services
35
52 Events in a year
Within Impact Hub, we give people the opportunity to meet and discover new things. Through this experience we expect people to gain broader knowledge of their field, emerging
12
Events dedicated to work, entrepreneurship and territorial development
fields and new friendships. We encourage this process through our events, workshops, networking activities as well as through the daily practice of the “Art of Hosting�.
27 5
Events organized by third parties
of which dedicated to social innovation
36
PEOPLE AND IDEAS
1
Event per week
12 In-depth meetings about social innovation
4900 Participants
2 International meetings
37
8 Evening events
38
EVENING EVENTS
39
MORE THAN
200 105
OVERALL EMPLOYEES
MEMBERSHIPS
OVERALL TURNOVER (EURO):
11K VISITORS AT IMPACT HUB FIRENZE
800
4.5 mln
MEMBERS IN THE WIDE COMMUNITY
40
DATI
120 K + 22%
EURO OF TURNOVER IN THE FIRST YEAR:
52 EVENTS
THAN BUSINESS PLAN’S PROJECTIONS
180 K 25 K EURO OF PRIVATE EQUITY
EURO OF FURNITURES AND EQUIPMENTS DONATED
35
WORKSHOPS
25
ARTICLES ON THE MAIN MEDIA
41
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A ROUTE TO...
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Impact Hub Florence
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A ROUTE TO... “Biodiversità è la varietà delle forme di vita vegetali e animali presenti negli ecosistemi del pianeta. La sopravvivenza di ogni specie dipende dalla varietà di popolazioni che la compongono. Minor variabilità significa minori possibilità di sopravvivere”. (Convenzione di Rio de Janeiro, 1992)
A
lthough Hubbers share values and working approaches, as members of an ecosystem they continue to maintain their individuality. Started as a place almost dedicated to freelance, Impact HUB Florence has soon demonstrated
a strong appeal to wider teams, consolidated companies and successful startups, showing a progressive change in the perception of co-working not only as an alternative to ‘home work’, but as a stimulating and concrete opportunity for companies and businesses. The message launched by Impact HUB Florence is to challenge the most common and widespread idea of ‘office work’ and ‘productivity’, by demonstrating that a shared, informal, horizontal and friendly environment (where hierarchies are not influent and where a clear separation between areas and sectors does not exist) can support and accompany the achievement of entrepreneurial goals. The increasing demand of access by consolidated businesses and organizations, besides those already hosted in the space, makes Impact HUB Florence a rich, articulated and fertile ecosystem. One year after the opening-up, this is certainly an important point of arrival, but at the same time, we want to see it also as a start and a new challenge for the future: the more Impact HUB Florence continues to host a range of diverse people, with varying backgrounds and needs, the more it will grow as an inspiring, never-ending, and open story.
A Route To...
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“Fare domani, con maggior ampiezza e profondità, quello che si è fatto ieri” Giorgio La Pira, 1962
THE SPACE IS OPEN
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CONTACTS The Hub Firenze Srl via Panciatichi 10-14, Edificio F, 50127 Firenze Tel/Fax +39 055 417666 florence.impacthub.net Monday to friday 9:00am - 19:30pm
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Graphic design by Greta Tanini