There is a buzz in the air on the fifth floor. Several groups are working together, 7 nationalities come together. They are busy solving business cases. A lady points at a white board. ‘There are two ways to look at this…’ Others listen carefully.
‘Yes, this really works’, says Hajo van Beijma of Text to Change. ‘It is not just a theoretical case we gave them. The Nailab is working on a visualization of our excel data bases with responses. We really need this end product and I am confident about the result. They questions we get back are smart.’
Two tables further is Merel van Woude of Butterfly Works working on a case related to their GetH20 game. The question: would this game work in Palestine?: ‘We just had a Skype meeting with Bazinga! in Ramallah. All their cheetah’s were there. This game is develop in Kenya and related to slums in Nairobi. We now want to understand if and how we can adjust it to their local situation. They are brainstorming now..I am very excited.’
So far the professional aid workers. Also Amsterdam voluntares are working on business cases from the different labs. Fruits for Thought from Uganda asked the question ‘What would a Facebook App look like that people could use to improve their work skills.’
Yvette Pasman, Reinout de Kraker, Marije Gast, Koen Adolfs, Eva de Jong, Roland van der Hoofd are professionals who do not know each other and are now trying to come with a solution. Their backgrounds are in communication, design, project management and marketing. At the end of the day, it is their goal to sent a concrete design plus a long term plan.
Next to the designers are Cars Gerhardt, Rick de Jong, Maarten Neue, Danielle Schoonbrood and Gloria Geschiere working on a more financial oriented case. RLabs in CapeTown is looking for a model that can apply to their Incubator. Their background is in logistics and sales, social business, government innovation and real estate. All very interested in innovation. ‘It is great to exchange ideas like this’, Danielle Schoonbrood says. ‘This feels so much better than sent money to a charity. Now I am involved.’
