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As some of you may know, we recently announced that we’ll be hosting a #HackForImpact wrap up event this November. Over the next few weeks, we will be showcasing all the successful dinner events we've hosted throughout the past year in celebration. In case you aren’t aware, our Hack For Impact Dinner Series brings together thought leaders, philanthropists and investors in person to collaborate on solving issues that impact historically excluded individuals in the tech industry within the Washington, DC region Today, we’d like to spotlight our Founder Wellness #HackForImpact Dinner! This dinner was expertly facilitated by Mental Health Therapist Marsha Evans at Eaton, DC. Founder Wellness has consistently emerged as a significant challenge for founders within our ecosystem, dating back to our Big Think event in 2021. Marsha was chosen to lead this discussion due to her extensive experience as a therapist and her innovative approach, which incorporates gamification into her services. The discussion encompassed various themes, including mental and physical health challenges, the creation of a supportive community, and the lack of resources and access to quality health care. When it comes to mental health, a study from Berkeley found that 72% of entrepreneurs faced mental health challenges, and 19% of founders felt that starting a company had contributed negatively to their well-being. This dinner was instrumental in initiating a dialogue and raising awareness to address these issues. We are delighted with the outcome of this dinner and the value it provided. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Marsha for hosting this event and for her unwavering commitment to the well-being of founders and advancing equity within the tech industry. #genderequalityintech #techleaders #womenintechnology #genderequality #inclusivetech #inclusivity #computerscience #womeninstem #equityintech #entrepreneurship #womenintech #genderequity #GETcommunity #innovation #technology #leadership #investment #startups #community #accelerator #blackintech #racialequity #womenintech #indigenoustech #latinasintech #blackwomenintech #latinosintech #latinx #getcities #getcitieshubs

The latin root for “Innovation” is the word "innovatio" - this translates to "introducing something new". Acknowledging the significant challenges we face across our #communities, #economy, #environment, #technologies, #democracy - it is clear that many of the old ways of doing things are no longer fit for purpose - it's time to introduce something new. This week we introduced #MAVlab - the new innovation lab for the Municipal Association of Victoria. MAVlab will introduce new ways of working at scale to support our local governments in their responses to address critical and increasingly complex social, environmental, economic, technological and leadership challenges. The work of the lab will service all 79 councils in Victoria and will sit in that crunchy space of complexity that can be so hard to prioritise in times of crisis or scarcity. The growing volatility, uncertainty, and complexity in our world affects each of us personally, and lands in our communities - putting our local governments on the edge and interface of it all. This means that resilient and high functioning local government is absolutely critical as we step up to meet these challenging times. As we have been developing the concept for MAVlab and testing initial ideas, the response from people has been overwhelmingly positive. We feel like we’re tapping into a latent desire that people have to channel their pent up anxiety about the state of the world into action that benefits the public good. We will be welcoming a wide range of diverse partners and intend to be wildly collaborative in our work - directly with our councils and with the sector more broadly. We hope the MAVlab can be a space for innovatio - to introduce new perspectives, new ways of working, new ways of tackling some of these big challenges - and opportunities - that local government must meet now and into the future. Please sign up via the website to receive updates on how to get involved. Thank you to everyone that has made space for this initiative to take root - now the work begins! Innovatio pro bono publico! https://lnkd.in/gZmUU77C

Provocation ahed: Our job as service designers is often to tickle the immune system of organisation. That's one of the favorite parts of the discussion we just had with my mate Ra Goel. Here a summary of that part of the conversation: 💡 We discussed how organizations often resist change, similar to an immune system reacting to an infection. 💡 This resistance isn't negative, but a natural part of the implementation process. 💡 The resistance is like a "fever", indicating the organization is adapting and growing. 💡 We suggest creating a "vaccine", or introducing small doses of change to stimulate adaptation. I'm curious: How do YOU engage with the immune system of an organisation that fights innovation?

PDF The Social Innovation Imperative: Create Winning Products, Services, and Programs that Solve Society's Most Pressing Challenges Sandra M. Bates digsell https://lnkd.in/eKAHSRFZ “This book is a must read for anyone who cares about the well-being of humanity in our modern world.” —Jake B. Schrum, President Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX “The Social Innovation Imperative advances a best practice framework to solving the world’s most pressing social issues. This is a foundational guide to changing the world that will be referenced for years to come.” —Michael Reynolds, Vice President, Product Development and Management, Cigna Health Care “Advancing the works of Clayton Christensen, Tony Ulwick, and others, Bates gives us a systematic approach for addressing critical human needs and the ecosystems in which they persist. … Read More » https://lnkd.in/e5_Bd8Je

We urgently need a radical shift of focus in the conversation we have about public sector innovation and transformation. For many years, those driving change have got together and talked about the various models and approaches that underpin the very impressive range of innovations now happening on the frontline. But all of that conversation has failed to fundamentally shift the overarching system. Indeed, every genuine innovator I have ever spoken to (and I’ve spoken to a lot) says the same thing: what they do is hindered, and even flat out prevented, by a system that is still overwhelmingly hierarchical, change averse, and subject to stubborn inertia. Sadly, few have any faith that a new Government is likely to understand the problem clearly enough to make much difference. So, if we are serious about system change, we need to start talking far more openly about how we deliver that big, all-encompassing shift rather than focusing solely on innovation in the specific locales and service areas in which we are situated. What might that mean? I think history is clear on what works. Those who want change must come together, work out a shared vision of generalised reform and then press for it as determinedly as possible. In effect, creating a movement within the public sector for system transformation. When you look back at the massive social shifts that have happened over the last fifty years in gender, sexuality, race and disability, they all began with those who were fed up with a failing, oppressive status quo literally getting together and asking how they could effect change en masse not just in isolated pockets. To be clear, this does not mean adopting one model and demanding it is applied everywhere. We know that does not work. Instead, it means pressing for a system that genuinely supports and validates those working for a shift in how services work. It means demanding a radical break with the stifling hierarchy and the ‘we know best’ mindset that prevents public services valuing the insight and assets that frontline workers, citizens and their communities can bring to service design and delivery. It means forcing politicians and national leaders to stop praising particular examples of innovation while simultaneously making system-wide decisions that strangle them. There couldn’t be a more important time to do this. Without profound change, we know that services will continue on their current path of decline until we reach a point where millions are simply abandoned by the state to their fate in a country increasingly devoid of care, support and solidarity. In short, shifting the focus of our conversation is a matter of the utmost urgency. #innovation #localgov #healthcare #community Cathy Presland MPhil FRSA Dr Jess Steele, OBE Samira Ben Omar Andy Knox Andrew Bennett Mark Spencer Cormac Russell Dominic Campbell Katie Kelly Alex Fox OBE Will Brett Laura Finucane Kelly Anne Sharp - Executive Voice Coach Trish Finegan

Really great post from Adam Lent - I've taken the kind invitation of LinkedIN to turn my comment into a post so that we can carry on this conversation. Massive knowledge and expertise in the comments and post. I would love to be involved - thank you for this call Adam Lent. Comments on how we now channel energy, & what processes we use, are spot on. One reflection from the intersection of supporting institutions to change, while holding space for diverse voices for change from the outside... Creating "shared vision for generalised reform" will take longer than we think - and might not even be the first thing to do. This is because we need network weaving among ourselves, harnessing different knowledge and expertise people have about innovations, building shared understanding of systems change. What level of consensus about change would we be happy with? Who is "we"? What shared process would we need? What theories of change will need to dovetail? What level of compromise could "the movement" live with? Some will want action now. Others will want to build solidarity before action. Without naming this tension as a challenge and opportunity, (& finding ways to do stuff now, plus build at the same time), it's hard to pull together. How about going for seed funding - mapping the work described here, supporting and amplifying what's already going on, networks of networks etc??

Adam Lent This is so beautifully articulated. I could hear my regular lament in your words. Particularly the weird boundaries that exist between central government policy, local government, the healthcare ecosystem and civil society so that citizens/patients/people have to navigate our unfathomable complexities and structures. We are all trying our hardest to make it work, but as you point out, the system forces us all into contortions and ultimately, people just give up. There are a few examples where a collective effort to drive systemic change has worked. I would point to the Tell us Once programme, a small but transformative change that has made such a difference - there are a few others. There's a lot that a new Government could do to catalyse systems change rather than dictate or mandate it or even pay for it. We know that this isn't just about finding pots of money, but an approach that incentivised quick and impactful initiatives, for example opening up and sharing data between these institutions and communities so that we have collective visibility of what is going on in our communities and we can target the problems together would work. We can't rely on any one organisation, least of all our beloved NHS or social care or the police to pick up the pieces. We've got to see our invididual and organisational roles in rebuilding the foundations of our precious society. I'd love to get into this with you Adam Lent and others! cc Emma Thwaites William Perrin OBE FRSA Tom Loosemore and so many other talented individuals who will want to be part of making that happen.

At All In, we're on a mission to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion in the UK startup and scaleup ecosystem. We’re proud to have these companies and many more commit to measuring and improving Diversity and Inclusion through Data, Strategy, Leadership and Culture by making the All In Promise. If you are a founder or you lead the people/culture/HR function in a startup or scaleup, and you’re committed to tangible change in diversity and inclusion, register your commitment at: https://lnkd.in/e6q9Kr4e As part of the All In community you’ll get: 💗 Access to a ready-made community of fellow founders and Heads of People/HR who are aligned on the importance of doing this work. We know that peer to peer is often the most powerful way to learn 🔑 Access to DE&I experts and organisations who can provide support, events, workshops, bespoke consultancy and projects. Because sometimes we all need to turn to the experts Together, we're working towards a future where diversity is celebrated, opportunities are boundless, and innovation knows no bounds. #DiversityAndInclusion #AllIn #PledgePartners #TogetherForChange #InnovationForAll #accountability

My takeaways from #SIS24…

We’re designing an #ImplementationStrategy #together, for For Humans X (#fhX)—a social enterprise poised to promote human flourishing, dignity, and well-being across diverse communities and contexts. We started by presenting the overarching goal of fhX in featured post and went on to list the first five steps to consider in bringing a social enterprise focused on enhancing life to life. Here are five more—and a most satisfying cessation: 6.) Recruit and Develop a Talented Team: Induct a diverse team of passionate individuals who share fhX's values and commitment to social impact. Invest in professional development, training, and mentorship to empower team members and foster a culture of excellence and innovation. 7.) Design and Implement Programs and Initiatives: Develop evidence-based programs and initiatives that address identified needs and align with fhX's mission and strategic priorities. Ensure programs are scalable, sustainable, and responsive to the evolving needs of beneficiaries and communities. 8.) Measure and Evaluate Impact: Establish robust MEAL systems to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the organization's programs and initiatives. Collect data, track key performance indicators, and use evidence to inform decision-making and continuous improvement. 9.) Communicate and Advocate: Develop a comprehensive communication strategy to raise awareness about fhX's mission, achievements, and impact. Engage stakeholders, mobilize support, and advocate for social change through storytelling, media outreach, and digital channels. 10.) Cultivate a Culture of Learning and Innovation: Foster a culture of learning, innovation, and adaptability within the organization. Encourage experimentation, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and continuously seek new ways to address complex social challenges creatively. ~.) Celebrate Successes and Learn from Challenges: Use reflective insights to refine strategies, improve operations, and drive greater impact in the future. Claude: By following these steps and embodying a commitment to excellence, our social enterprise, fhX, dedicated to serving humanity, can bring its vision to life, make a meaningful difference in the world, and inspire positive change across diverse communities and contexts. Thought Partner: What’s missing? Prompt: OK, then! Thanks, Claude. Implement. Thought Partner: Now, that part requires human ingenuity. And perhaps, a touch of the empyrean. Next: Expound [Core values] Love. Always! #SocialEntrepreneurship #ImpactInvesting #HumanitarianInitiatives #CommunityDevelopment #SustainableDevelopment #GlobalChange #Empowerment #Innovation #SocialChange #ProblemSolving #DignityAndPurpose #EquityAndInclusion #ClimateAction #HumanFlourishing #PurposeDriven #BeTheChange #SocialImpact #Collaboration #ThinkTank #Solutions #EmpoweringCommunities #ChangeMakers #Leadership #PositiveChange #InnovativeSolutions #SocialGood #GlobalGoals #BuildingABetterFuture #BeMORE