Studio Zao

Calling all Hospitality and Leisure business in Croydon who operate in the evening! We are excited to share a project we’re working on in collaboration with Croydon Council — Impact Croydon. This programme is designed to provide free consultancy and support for hospitality and leisure businesses in Croydon, as well as for entrepreneurs with innovative ideas in this space. Here’s what Impact Croydon has to offer: 🌟 Free Consultancy: Tailored support for businesses operating (or aiming to operate) after 6pm, and for entrepreneurs eager to launch new ideas in the hospitality and leisure sector. 🌟 Idea to Launch Support: Transform your concepts into reality with expert guidance in a supportive, facilitated environment. 🌟 Focus Areas: Top-line growth, new product development, service innovation, and job creation to boost Croydon's local economy. 🌟 Bespoke & Evidence Based: Using case studies from real life successes, we’ll work with participants to deploy strategies that work for them, for success. How we’re making it happen: 🎓 Idea Bootcamps: Workshops designed to distill thoughts, focus priorities, and generate innovative ideas with the help of expert facilitators and AI. 🏭 Innovation Labs: Our labs provide 1-2-1 tailored support to overcome challenges, run experiments, and develop business plans, focusing on evidence-based approaches and customer engagement. We have a couple of upcoming events for those interested in learning more or looking to get involved: ℹ Info session: Wednesday 4th September, 11:11:30am, online 💡 Idea Bootcamp: Tuesday 17th September, 10:30am-12:30pm, online Sign up via the links in the comments! #ImpactCroydon #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Hospitality #Leisure #NightTimeEconomy #CroydonCouncil #StudioZao #CommunitySupport Gurvinder Doal Una Foster MIED BIG South London Connecting Croydon

We’re excited to share how Studio Zao helped Anglian Water Services Ltd swiftly launch a groundbreaking transformation programme aimed at proactively managing water pollution risks. Faced with significant environmental and financial challenges, Anglian Water sought immediate, actionable solutions beyond traditional capital investments. Over a focused 3-day sprint, we facilitated a dynamic workshop, bringing together senior professionals from across water recycling, asset intelligence, optimization, service delivery, and finance. This intense, hands-on session—our Lab approach—was designed to operationalize strategy and drive tangible outcomes. Our sprint accelerated the early stages of Anglian Water’s transformation, ensuring alignment and engagement among all stakeholders while reducing time and costs. By co-designing these critical assets and deliverables, we laid the foundation for sustainable improvements in managing water pollution. Check out the full case study to see how we’re making a difference in water management and driving innovation. #anglianwater #waterpollution

We facilitated a roundtable in collaboration with South London Partnership to explore the key factors in the development of a roadmap for the transition to net zero building through Retrofit. One of the key topics discussed focused on the importance of education and engagement in driving demand for retrofitting within the private market. The language around retrofitting can often be confusing, spanning everything from basic window fixes to costly heating upgrades. To drive real demand, we need to reframe retrofit as part of the familiar "home improvement" conversation. This will help homeowners, communities, and landlords see green, energy-efficient solutions as essential investments. By creating opportunities for investment and simplifying the retrofit process, we can speed up adoption and bring sustainable living within reach for everyone. #retrofit #construction #sustainability

The increasing importance of reliable building structures in cities makes it imperative for councils to start considering retrofitting as a solution for the ageing infrastructure in urban areas. By rejuvenating these areas to enhance energy efficiency we can create healthier, more resilient cities that are prepared to manage the influx of people moving into and working in cities, in turn stimulating economic growth. Read about the ways of regenerating urban areas with retrofitting and the benefits this can bring to councils.

Embracing a 'co-founder’ relationship, or seeing your colleagues as 'co-founders', could be a useful tool to deepen strategic alignment and establish a quicker, more robust foundation for launching projects within large organisations. Finding those values, trust, and an unwavering commitment towards a shared vision can help co-founders understand how their strengths and weaknesses complement each other to address key concerns on their journey. Discover how we supported an S&P 400 manufacturing company to drive deeper cross-functional alignment around its innovation strategy. Link below 👇 #strategicalignment #cofounders #sandp400

The United Nations predicts that cities will be home to 65% of the world’s population by 2050. However, some of the buildings in older cities have become increasingly energy inefficient, with thermal bridges accounting for a major loss of energy and thus resources used to generate it. Improving the energy efficiency of buildings should be a critical element in combating climate change. By retrofitting buildings, councils can optimise the energy consumption of those living or working in them, reducing financial and environmental costs. #retrofit #construction #netzero

Our world is being reshaped by interconnected global forces. Evolving geopolitical complexities: the life-changing power of AI, generational shifts reshaping work, life and play, seismic climate impacts and a norm-changing pandemic creating new risks and opportunities. All of it, happening all at once. At Studio Zao we managed this year’s  EY Innovation Realized Startup Program to identify the most ground-breaking innovators to showcase their cutting-edge technologies at the conference. Today we showcase those disrupting the world of AI and Machine Learning: ▶ Sana ▶ Adept ▶ Crowdbotics #innovationrealized #AI #machinelearning

For our fourth In The Studio With Zao: Innovator Connect event, this time in partnership with PA Consulting, we brought together professionals from across education, local authorities, the NHS, and the UK Civil Service to focus on the topic of Intrapreneurship. We deep-dived into the main blockers of Intrapreneurship in large organisations and how to make it more accessible to innovators. These were the main blockers identified: ▶ Role and perception: Intrapreneurs should be empowered with trust, beyond their usual BAU roles, and provided with the necessary network and equipment ▶ Culture and structure: It is crucial to decide whether intrapreneurship should be a cultural value, a specific unit, or a group within the organisation. ▶ Sponsorship and measurement: Sponsored projects have a higher chance of success due to better resource allocation, but a measurement framework is often necessary to prove value. ▶ Defining purpose and leadership: One of the primary challenges is establishing a clear purpose and identifying who is driving the intrapreneurship initiative. Read the full insights for all our Innovator Connect sessions here 👇 #productiveinnovation #intrapreneurship

At Studio Zao, we’ve been supporting South London Partnership and other South London boroughs on retrofit strategies dedicated to driving sustainability in the built environment to reach net Net Zero goals. By upgrading older structures with energy-efficient technologies, renewable energy sources, and sustainable materials, we can dramatically reduce their carbon footprint. This not only cuts down on energy consumption but also minimises waste and conserves resources, making retrofitting a key strategy in our path to #netzero. We have collaborated with Richmond and Wandsworth Councils to align senior leaders on the importance of retrofitting to transform our cities, making them more resilient and sustainable while preserving their unique character.   Join us as we lead the charge towards a net zero future, one council at a time. #retrofit #construction

University Knowledge Exchange Programmes aim to foster, capture, and accelerate collaborations between researchers, university facilities and resources, and innovative businesses that interact directly with customers and end-users. However, this approach posed these challenges: ▶ The Intrapreneurial Gap in Academia ▶ Research for the Sake of Research ▶ The Value Conundrum Discover how to apply key principles of productive innovation to make Knowledge Exchange in innovation more productive in our blog post. Link bellow 👇 #knowledgeexchange #innovation #productiveinnovation