Читать книгу Open Innovation - Pascal Latouche - Страница 12

A few rules were set (three months of acceleration), a few priorities for start-ups, a few legal frameworks, a few services to be offered to start-ups against the backdrop of a business objective clearly stated from the outset. In a way, the entire design part of the corporate accelerator was forged in a few days, two weeks at the most. The best way forward for me was to learn by advancing and systematically asking myself the following questions: How do I serve the purpose through what I do? How is what I do profitable/dangerous for my company and for start-ups? Do I have the resources to act? I never consciously questioned who I was, what my values were. However, we will see later on that this is important, even of fundamental importance, when we want to forge a structure.

A website, a Twitter account, a few tweets to announce and maintain the first call for applications, and in February 2014, the first season of acceleration was launched. This launch was, in my opinion, as much in the realm of improvisation as it was in the realm of reflection, and I am quite unable to say what was prevailing at the time. Action took precedence, with all the risks that this entailed and with confidence in our desire to succeed. In fact, I remember the launch day (with media support). Originally, neither I nor my collaborator were foreseen being in the “photo” or to telling our story…. A curious approach on the part of large groups to hide those who had done things in reality.

Since then, many seasons followed one another. The corporate accelerator even diversified its program offerings over the years. In addition to my national roles, I have even taken on a coordinating role in the world of corporate accelerators that have sprung up in many countries. Each corporate accelerator recruits start-ups at the national level for national business partnerships. The most promising start-ups are “exported” to other markets by being supported by the corporate accelerator of the market concerned. This is called cross-acceleration. We are now a network of corporate accelerators on four continents, a unique asset for my company and what I believe is unique in the world. A fine mechanism that all those who are proud of, wherever they are in the field, at headquarters or internationally, have believed in it not by words, but by action.