WHAT IS AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM ACTIVATOR?
Connectedness is a growth driver. Startup Genome‘s research found that founders with strong local ties build companies with higher employment and revenue growth than those without. Most ecosystems assume that connection just happens on its own. It doesn’t.
That’s the gap an Activator closes: bringing ecosystem leaders, institutions, and individuals into the same room, again and again, so relationships have time to compound.Venture Café is Cambridge’s Innovation Ecosystem Activator: we connect founders, researchers, and investors, spark collaboration across industries, and make sure the right people find each other at the right time, every Thursday.
THE MAKINGS OF AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM ACTIVATOR
ONGOING
An Innovation Ecosystem Activator has no end date to their process, just continued momentum, which allows for asynchronous growth of all participants through their complete journey. Unlike an accelerator, there’s no cohort to age out of.
CULTIVATES SUPPORT AND INSPIRATION
A space that stays supportive and energizing over time, so members can grow their ideas on their own timeline individually and together.
ACCESSIBLE
Open to everyone, including people who haven’t started their journey yet. Unlike an incubator, there’s no application to get in the door.
NETWORK- AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION
We connect people across industries and disciplines on purpose, because the best ideas usually come from an unexpected combination.
SEE IT IN ACTION.
Every Thursday, Venture Café Cambridge turns this into a room full of real people, real conversations, and real connections.