Transcript The Hub Brussels

The Hub Brussels
/an incubator for social and environmental innovation
Hubs in the World
Our core product is flexible membership of inspirational and highly resourced habitats in the world’s major
cities for social innovators to work, meet, learn, connect and realise progressive ideas. The Hub is currently
located in London, Bristol and Johannesburg with affiliations in Toronto and Soweto and coming into being in
Accra, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bombay, Brussels, Edinburgh, Halifax, Israel-Palestine, Madrid, Mexico City, New
York, New Zealand (various potential locations), Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Shanghai ...
The market need is expressed by social innovators whose ability to thrive requires access to highly resourced,
flexible and safe spaces within which to scale up, change gear, take risks, make mistakes, learn and collaborate.
Over time, social innovators need access to a range of just-in-time resources and market-facing opportunities
to thrive: knowledge, capital and networks. The Hub provides channels to such resources and opportunities,
without crushing the innovators initial spark and ingenuity.
The Hub enjoys unique market positioning as a synergy between three distinct offerings: workspace,
incubation and consultancy ventures. Our core offering is flexible membership of inspirational work and
meeting spaces with access to ‘just-in-time’ resources. Our value-added offering is twofold: incubation services
to facilitate access to knowledge, capital and networks; and consultancy ventures that are attracted to the
unusual inter-disciplinary talent of our membership.
our vision
» We see potential for diverse people and
organizations to create imaginative initiatives
that re-design the social and environmental
fabric of our world.
our intent
» We attract, inspire and support social and
environmental innovators to realize innovative
initiatives for a radically better world through
flexible access to business resources.
Why a Hub in Brussels?
Creating the buzz
There are many social innovators in Brussels, people with great ideas, who are doing great
things. But it’s hard to fight your way through alone if you want to do something different, if
you want to innovate.
Imagine you had the support of a community of people with a strong motivation to deliver
blended value to the world, likeminded and yet diverse. Imagine you could benefit from their
collective intelligence. Imagine you had an inspiring workspace with leading edge ICT
infrastructure and user friendly interfaces, physical features that nourish the human spirit and
respond to an expanded conception of work, including informal spaces to eat, meet, read and
relax. Imagine there were ‘hosts’, who are accessible and characterized by an interest in
‘making things possible’ and facilitating connections.
Why a Hub in Brussels?
Bridging cultural divides
Brussels is a very complex reality, with 19
municipalities. There is a divide between the Flemish
and the French, but also the international
communities.
Further segregation manifests itself between European
and non-European immigrant groups. As an open
platform for dialogue and action, The Hub will set an
example, as a bridge of those divides, by simply being
open to all and actively inviting members from these
diverse communities.
Why a Hub in Brussels?
Also Belgium has many social and environmental issues that need
innovation.
To name just a few:
 Structural unemployment in Wallonia
 Lack of space in retirement communities
 Overcrowded kindergarten and primary schools
 High unemployment and homelessness in Brussels
 Accessibility for disabled people
 Crime
 Lack of integration of immigrants
Flanders
Brussels
Wallonia
Why a Hub in Brussels?
Innovation on policy making
Brussels is the political centre of Europe. Many social
innovators are supporting the EU institutions to respond to
today's complex challenges. The Hub Brussels can be a
platform to connect, share practices, create synergies and
develop a common vision for a better Europe.
Through its close affiliation with the Action & Innovation Lab
and the Hub World Network, the Hub Brussels can offer to
the European Commission, but also to the Belgian
governments, to be a testing ground for policy regulation and
provide access to social innovators in various European
countries.
our beliefs
» It’s time for thinking the
unlikely and doing the
unreasonable
The health of our souls, our communities and the
planet is calling on us to break with convention.
We are attracted to systemic initiatives that
challenge and re-imagine the ideas and certainties
of our modern age.
our beliefs
» Social innovation is not a
lonely process
It is itself a network- endeavor. Innovation relies on
having visibility of and access to the right mix of
people, talents and resources.
Good ideas are dependent on an environment that
is supportive of collaboration.
our beliefs
» Networks are increasingly organizing and
defining our experience of the world
The social capital embodied in our networks and connections is frequently our biggest asset in
an ever more fluid, complex and inter-dependent world.
When people can see themselves in the context of their social networks, they will be able to
assess the choices available to them, make better decisions and affect more substantial change
in the world.
our beliefs
» Connecting the dots.
Our experience is that the whole adds up to more as the sum of its parts.
our guiding principles
» Everyone a social innovator.
» The need for enabling spaces.
» The mystery of connections.
» Just in time tools & resources.
» The richness in learning by doing.
our guiding principles
» Everyone a social innovator.
We create a context in which anyone is encouraged to
realize the social innovator in themselves: realizing
imaginative initiatives full-time, part-time, flexi-time
our guiding principles
» The need for enabling spaces.
We believe in the necessity and the power of working in
spaces which nourish the human spirit, allow individuals
to bring all of themselves to their work, and enable new
questions and difficult answers to be given due attention
our guiding principles
» The mystery of connections.
We believe that the most meaningful connections and
some of the most powerful outcomes happen without
being planned. We are interested in what complexity
scientists understand as `emergence´ within our interdisciplinary practice.
our guiding principles
» Just in time tools & resources.
We know social innovators need access, over time, to a
wide range of `just in time´ resources to thrive: money,
creativity, leading edge IT, management advice - so we
attempt to provide channels to such resources and to
support the pioneer‘s initial spark and ingenuity.
our guiding principles
» The richness in learning by doing
We have come to understand the importance of
continuous learning by doing and the value of codifying
and sharing this. Contrary to the usual tendency of a
pioneer to move on to the next thing, without fully
internalizing or valuing the lessons of the immediate
experience.
our enablers
» Courage. A culture that supports the risk-taking involved in learning
by doing
» Conviviality. An enabling organization that thrives on generosity of
spirit and interdependence
» Imagination. Seeing things as they could be
our business model
Infrastructure
Uplifting, energetic spaces for
working, meeting, learning and
connecting
Access to The Hub Network; an
affiliation of likeminded people
and enterprises around the
globe, including London, Bristol,
Sao Paolo, Johannesburg,
Bombay, Toronto, Rotterdam…
An online content platform for
sharing knowledge across the
Hub Network
Value Proposition
We attract, inspire and
support social and
environmental
innovators to realize
innovative initiatives for
a radically better world
through flexible access
to business resources.
Customers
Our members will range
from small business
startups to teams from large
corporations
We will reach our customers
though targeted networking
and word-of-mouth
advertising
The customer segment will
be focused on social
innovation
our financial model
Cost Structure
First Year
Operational Costs
Revenue Streams
External Financing
The Hub Brussels facility
i-propeller, The Hub
London
The Hub Brussels Staff
Sponsors
Office equipment
Foundation Grants
Hub Network Fees
Fully Operational
External Cash Outflows
Business Case
Competition
Enterprise Grants
First Year
Internal Financing
Member Subscriptions
Meeting Facilities
Seminar Fees
Consulting Fees
Fully Operational
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our value proposition
We attract, inspire and support social and environmental innovators to realize
initiatives for a radically better world through flexible access to business
resources: space, connections, knowledge, investment
© Alex Osterwalder / arvetica
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our target customers
Our customers are individuals and groups committed to creating impactful
change in the world. They are innovators and entrepreneurs, artists and
craftsman, facilitators and coaches, architects and change agents ...
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our customer relationship
Personal: The Hub is staffed with a Host, the role of which is dedicated to
enabling business resources as well as creating connections between members.
Social: The Hub will promote special events that share our common vision,
creating closer ties between The Hub, our members and the community
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our distribution channel
We communicate and get in touch with our customers by framing opportunities,
connecting allies, leveraging resources, cultivating collaboration, project
management support and prototyping innovations
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our core capabilities
SPACE: HUB WORKSPACE & BOARDROOM for meeting, learning and working, HUB LABS for highly resourced prototyping
and collaboration, HUB LOUNGE & BAR touch-down work and meeting space
CONNECTIONS: HUB CAFÈS are inter-disciplinary meetings around cross-cutting practice, HUB PRODUCTIONS imaginative
public programming fusing films, exhibitions, and lectures, HUB+ online tools for collaboration
KNOWLEDGE: HUB PROFESSIONALS a network of external professionals offering specialised expertise to members, HUB
TALENT an internally and externally facing network of consultancy talent, HUB MENTORING a peer-to-peer framework
for learning and support
INVESTMENT: HUB CURRENCY an internal trading platform for time and knowledge, HUB FINANCE access to grant, debt
and equity finance for business development and growth
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our partner network
The Hub Network: London, Bristol, Johannesburg, Toronto, Soweto and soon: Accra,
Amsterdam, Berlin, Bombay, Brussels, Edinburgh, Halifax, Israel-Palestine, Madrid, Mexico
City, New York, New Zealand (various potential locations), Paris, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo,
Shanghai
i-propeller and the Innovation & Action Lab
La Rouche, Paris
Learning House, London
Fluid Minds, Sweden
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Customer
Target
Customer
Revenue Streams
our value configuration
The Hub network will be available 24/7 at www.the-hub.net allowing to connect
and access all the benefits, all the time, in any place.
The Hub in Brussels will be established in a facility, easily reached by public
transport, remodeled using recycled materials as well as having a 0% emissions
target.
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Offer
Customer
Relationship
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Revenue Streams
our revenue streams
External Financing
i-propeller, The Hub London
Sponsors
Foundation Grants
Internal Financing
Member Subscriptions
Meeting Facilities
Seminar Fees
Consulting Fees
Customer
Target
Customer
our business model
Infrastructure
Core
Capabilities
Partner Network
Customer
Relationship
Offer
Value Proposition
Value Configuration
Cost Structure
Distribution Channel
Finance
Revenue Streams
our cost structure
Operating Expenses
Capital Expenses
Variable costs
Contribution to the Hub World Network
Employee(s)
Promotional materials
The Hub Facility
Building Renovation
Desks/Chairs/Furniture
technology infrastructure
Customer
Target
Customer
our team
Strategists / innovators /
designers / managers
The Hub Brussels
/an incubator for social and environmental innovation
Our goal is to open a prototype space by December 2007.
Do you want to help us making this possible?
If this presentation awakened your curiosity and you are interested to learn more, to support us or
to know how to become a member of the founding team, please get in touch with
[email protected]