Greentown Labs’ Post

Too funny but also so true. Coworking spaces have been proven to increase the productivity of teams as well as improving morale! Comment if you agree 😁🖥️💁🏼♀️☎️ #coworkingcommunity #networking #teambuilding #productivity

As Glastonbury 2024 hits its stride and the fields of Worthy Farm transform into the world's most amazing celebration of art and culture, it's hard not to think about what makes this festival, this gathering, and this community so magical. There it is. That word. Community. Much overused and appropriated, somewhat ironically, by big tech; its meaning reduced and flattened. This begs the question, when is a community real and when is it, in fact, something else in all but name? The inimitable Caitlin Moran says lots of brilliant things (as ever!) in her article in The Times today about the magic of Glasto. For us, a true community is about a feeling. It is about sensory experience. A vibe. It’s about choice, self-discovery, values, and ideals. It’s active, not passive - something you discover and choose as opposed to something you are born into. Often great communities (you know the ones everyone REALLY loves) develop slowly over time. Ultimately it is about people. Human beings. Last night our Chief Creative Officer, Patrick Keogh, was in conversation with Sharmadean Reid MBE about her new and rather wonderful book, NEW METHODS FOR WOMEN, at Second Home. A distillation of her wisdom and brilliance from a life at the intersection of entrepreneurship and creativity, we loved how she described communities as "playgrounds"; vibrant, joyful arenas that create the conditions for people to meet and come together and build relationships without any external interventions. That's what a true community is. Kudos to all the great convenors out there Serena O. - Founder of Fin-Erth, Emily Eavis - Co-organiser of Glastonbury, Sharmadean Reid MBE - Founder of The Stack World, and happy vibes to all the Glasto-goers, including some of our own team!

This past June we held what has become our annual Finger Lakes Summit (FLX) at The Lake House in New York. It was, as it always is, sublime. What makes the event special is the intention of the organizers (David at Impellent Ventures and Sasha Hoffman, and all of our superlative sponsors, spearheaded by Fidelity Investments) to create a vacation-like, 5-star accommodated, pristine environment of connecting and learning. Moreso, the group focuses on diversity of background, credo, experience, and thought. I never get to see so many powerful, accomplished, supreme humans in one place at one time outside of our 3-day get-together - and if I've been blessed with one thing in life at this point, it's to be able to mix it up with the most amazing humans on Earth. This isn't a humble brag - it's objective fact. I'm a severely privileged, lucky person. David Brown, Sasha, and crew plan every attendee down to the quantifiable mix-up of sector, stage, gender makeup, race, and political affiliation. They are exacting in their ratios. It's an alchemy of epic proportions. Again, this post isn't meant to be some arrogant cavalcade meant to make eyes roll - it's just that good. Don't take my word for it, ask someone who's been. But I think my most important takeaway this year is a crystallization of a theme that's been running through my mind for my 3+ years in VC: startups and venture capital will inevitably change into an everyman sport. What I mean by that is, at some indeterminant point, the industry will no longer be dominated by middle-aged white men who were born on third base, or by those who only create and source alpha in one geography, from one facsimile of human. Understand something: under no circumstances am I claiming to be something I am not. I am a middle-aged white man. No matter how covered I am in tattoos or how many times I explain to myself that I am from a not-so-nice place, that fact will not change - nor do I even humor the thought of wanting it to. But I digress, this isn't about me - I just don't want you to think I am some sort of crusader. I just recognize that our industry is going to look less and less like me - and that’s a good thing. Hybrids are, by nature, evolutionarily superior. Back to the topic at hand - I believe that our world will increasingly tilt towards all walks of life in the marketplace that comprises our industry. Diverse founders will be funded by diverse investors. And by diverse, I mean of race, gender, sexual orientation, credo, political affiliation, academic background, and thought. Special people are special, and our Finger Lakes Summit reminds me of that, year in and year out. The inevitable is coming like a freight train. Get on board or get run over - it matters very little to progress. I, for one, am excited at the prospect of a brave new world.

Thanks to Sylvia Cheuy from Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement for making Our Places of Impact’s ninth event, “The Significance of Place for Social Innovation and Change” enlightening and engaging! This event was part one of a two-part series on systems change. During the next event, to be held in February, we will dive deeper into this topic and allow participants to apply lessons from the Collective Impact framework. During part one, Sylvia explained the importance of systems change at the community scale. Sylvia said, “Place-based efforts allow for greater flexibility, innovation, and responses that fit the unique nature of distinct communities.” According to Sylvia, innovation requires letting go of improving what we currently have and fundamentally reimagining what's possible. Community is powerful because each community has its strengths, history, and context. Communities can use those resources to chart a new path forward. Sylvia also discussed the different types of innovators involved in systems change and their roles. Thinking about systems change in your community, what type of innovator are you, or would you like to be? Stay tuned for registration information for part two of this series, coming soon! #event #CommunityofPractice #CollectiveImpact #Community #PlaceBased #SystemsChange #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityLedInitiatives #AdvancingEquity #TamarackInstitute #SocialInnovation #PeerLearning #KnowledgeExchange

Become a Juggernaut! This is only for those who want to become a huge, powerful, overwhelming force for positive change in the world. This 5-Day Challenge will propel you toward becoming a juggernaut for positive change in the world (or your community, or your city) in 5 or 10 minutes per day. It's fast, and it's free to start building the momentum of a Juggernaut Business™. Are you ready? Let's MOVE! More Info #greenfireinnovations #ericbeschinski #business #challenge #free #freeresources #juggernaut

Become a Juggernaut! This is only for those who want to become a huge, powerful, overwhelming force for positive change in the world. This 5-Day Challenge will propel you toward becoming a juggernaut for positive change in the world (or your community, or your city) in 5 or 10 minutes per day. It's fast, and it's free to start building the momentum of a Juggernaut Business™. Are you ready? Let's MOVE! More Info #greenfireinnovations #ericbeschinski #business #challenge #free #freeresources #juggernaut

Become a Juggernaut! This is only for those who want to become a huge, powerful, overwhelming force for positive change in the world. This 5-Day Challenge will propel you toward becoming a juggernaut for positive change in the world (or your community, or your city) in 5 or 10 minutes per day. It's fast, and it's free to start building the momentum of a Juggernaut Business™. Are you ready? Let's MOVE! More Info #greenfireinnovations #ericbeschinski #business #challenge #free #freeresources #juggernaut

Become a Juggernaut! This is only for those who want to become a huge, powerful, overwhelming force for positive change in the world. This 5-Day Challenge will propel you toward becoming a juggernaut for positive change in the world (or your community, or your city) in 5 or 10 minutes per day. It's fast, and it's free to start building the momentum of a Juggernaut Business™. Are you ready? Let's MOVE! More Info #greenfireinnovations #ericbeschinski #business #challenge #free #freeresources #juggernaut

Become a Juggernaut! This is only for those who want to become a huge, powerful, overwhelming force for positive change in the world. This 5-Day Challenge will propel you toward becoming a juggernaut for positive change in the world (or your community, or your city) in 5 or 10 minutes per day. It's fast, and it's free to start building the momentum of a Juggernaut Business™. Are you ready? Let's MOVE! More Info #greenfireinnovations #ericbeschinski #business #challenge #free #freeresources #juggernaut

Become a Juggernaut! This is only for those who want to become a huge, powerful, overwhelming force for positive change in the world. This 5-Day Challenge will propel you toward becoming a juggernaut for positive change in the world (or your community, or your city) in 5 or 10 minutes per day. It's fast, and it's free to start building the momentum of a Juggernaut Business™. Are you ready? Let's MOVE! More Info #greenfireinnovations #ericbeschinski #business #challenge #free #freeresources #juggernaut