How We Designed and Led an Open Innovation Program: A Case Study

The Power of Open Innovation

Open innovation isn’t just a trend — it’s a proven strategy for fostering creativity, collaboration, and bridging the gap between industry and academia. In 2019, I had the opportunity to start coordinating an ambitious dual Open Innovation program: one for employees and another for universities. It was an exciting, dynamic project that stretched my skills in coordination, design, facilitation, and even public speaking. I led an incredible team to help build an environment where innovation could thrive both inside the company and beyond.

Here’s how we did it.

Step 1: Setting the Stage — Planning and Setup

Our goal was to foster a culture of innovation within the company and strengthen relationships with universities to tap into new talent. We gave participants creative freedom while targeting the ONU SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

Schedule and Format:

We developed a robust, three-phase plan:

1. Idea Submission: Teams of 3–5 people submitted about 200 ideas.
2. Evaluations: We conducted two online evaluation rounds, narrowing it down to 50 ideas, and finally to 10 finalists after a mix of automated and manual scoring.
3. Events: This culminated in three on-site events:

• Bootcamp: A Business and Tech Summit aimed at leveling up participants’ knowledge in technology and business.
• Rocket Week: A four-day hackathon where teams developed prototypes with the help (hands on) of mentors and experts.
• Demo Day: A pitch day with demos for partners, angels, universities, and others in the industry.

Step 2: Execution — Creating Engagement and Traction

To attract employees, university students, and investors, we needed a strong communication strategy. I worked closely with our marketing team to design unified visual communications across different media.

Visual Communication Strategy

A cohesive branding strategy was critical. Whether it was physical kits or social media posts, our goal was to create excitement and align all stakeholders around the program. The consistent messaging was key in gaining traction and widespread participation.

Engagement Strategies

We personally appeared at university events and corporate meetups, promoting the program directly to students and faculty. Getting their marketing teams and professors involved helped spread the message internally. The biggest challenge was maintaining clarity while being repetitive enough to ensure our message was absorbed without overwhelming people.

Step 3: Digital Tools and Systems

I designed a simple, effective website to serve as a central hub for idea submission. The website allowed participants to upload their ideas, while the evaluation system combined automatic scoring with manual review to create a fair and streamlined process.

Evaluation System:

The automatic scoring system ranked ideas based on predefined metrics. However, we paired it with a manual evaluation from judges who used a 1–5 scale based on specific criteria. This combination ensured we captured both quantitative and qualitative aspects of each idea.

Step 4: Creating the Content and Managing the Speakers

For the Bootcamp, we invited both internal and external experts to share their knowledge. One challenge was ensuring that these experts could effectively communicate their ideas. Many of them weren’t experienced speakers, so I organized a week-long speaker training session. We provided presentation templates and offered personalized feedback and rehearsals.

Speaker Coaching:

We rehearsed presentations three times to make sure the content was engaging and informative. This preparation was crucial in ensuring that our summit had high-impact talks that added real value to participants.

Step 5: The Events — Bootcamp, Rocket Week, and Demo Day

Managing four large-scale events, with over 1,000 participants, required meticulous planning. We coordinated with multiple departments, such as facilities, marketing, and acquisition, to ensure smooth operations.

Bootcamp:

This summit focused on equipping participants with the foundational knowledge needed for the hackathon. It also served as an opportunity to build camaraderie among teams.

Rocket Week:

Participants spent four days developing prototypes, guided by expert mentors and consultants. We provided transportation, meals, and on-site support to make sure the teams could focus entirely on innovation.

Demo Day:

The final day was a celebration of innovation. Teams pitched their prototypes to an audience of investors, partners, and universities. It was a thrilling experience, watching months of hard work come to life.

Step 6: My Role as Speaker, Facilitator, and Designer

In addition to managing the project, I had two presentations of my own during the event, titled “Innovation Beyond the Product” and “Creative Mindset.” To ensure my presentations were top-notch, I rehearsed with friends, just as we had done with other speakers.

Master of Ceremonies:

Besides being a speaker, I also took on the role of master of ceremonies, guiding the flow of events and maintaining audience engagement throughout the Bootcamp, Rocket Week, and Demo Day.

Facilitator:

I facilitated workshops during the Bootcamp, including a crash course in Design Thinking and Business Canvas. Over 100 participants engaged in these sessions, and I coordinated a team of 7 other facilitators to ensure the workshops were impactful.

Designer:

Beyond coordination and facilitation, I was responsible for designing a range of materials that shaped the event experience. This included designing presentations, ads, and all graphic materials — credentials, banners, and visual assets for the events. My design work ensured that every piece was cohesive, professional, and aligned with the event’s branding, contributing to an engaging and visually appealing environment.

Step 7: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned

Leading this Open Innovation program was a massive learning experience. Here are the main takeaways:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration is Key: Working with teams from different departments taught me the importance of clear communication and coordination. Innovation is not a siloed activity — it thrives when people from diverse backgrounds come together.
• Over-communication is Necessary: We had to be clear and consistent in our messaging. It’s easy to assume people understand objectives, but frequent repetition ensures alignment.
• Empowering Others Adds Value: Giving participants the tools and knowledge they needed to succeed led to impressive results. It showed me that the best innovation comes from empowering others.

It’s hard to summarize the whole experience, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I chose an image that captures a bit of everything:

Moving Forward

This Open Innovation program didn’t just foster creativity; it built lasting relationships between the company, universities, and our employees. The collaborative environment allowed people to experiment, fail fast, and iterate on their ideas. It was a rewarding experience that laid the groundwork for continued innovation within the company.

Open innovation goes beyond simply generating ideas?—?it’s about fostering a culture where innovation thrives, collaboration is embraced, and creativity is celebrated. I’m proud of what we achieved across seven editions from 2019 to 2022, involving both universities and collaborators, building lasting connections and driving impactful solutions.

Aditional contents:

[2021]

Oppening video for the third edition:

[2022]

These are the awesome feedbacks we receive from the fourth edition of the Open Innovation program: