Policy Think Tank
A few years ago, I met a government official responsible for innovation development in Georgia. We shared ideas on community development’s impact on SMEs and the economy, as well as how it can lead to more innovation. This became a project that we continued to work on despite my moving to Oxford and then to New York. Two years after the initial discussion, we proposed it to the Prime Minister, and the Innovation and Technology Agency was born inside the Ministry of Economy.
While in New York City, I worked with Nino Kuntseva-Gabashvili, who has a PHD from Stanford in government policy, on a number of great projects like roundtables for policymaking as well as community building events like innovation week, hack-a-thons, make-a-thons, startup cups and other activities.
My partner transferred to Ministry of Economy to have more influence on policy side of our work. Since then, we have met with international donors and partners from other countries to discuss the possibility of creating regional think tanks. This initiative can positively influence not only on cross-country initiatives but influence regional stability through effective dialogue.
Pre-acceleration program
There are a few programs within universities for students and some governmental granting initiatives but there are no pre-acceleration or acceleration programs for adults in Georgia. Unfortunately, very few people start their own businesses in Georgia. This is mostly because there is little to no information and support. Startup Georgia encourages young professionals from 22 to 40 to start their own businesses while providing a basic education, with special attention paid to rural areas.
We developed and tested a unique pre-acceleration program based on creative thinking for adults on small groups. In Seoul, Korea, in 2014, I was trained as an innovative thinking trainer and taught how to choose and teach talented kids in schools. Now, I’m using this approach on adults, inspiring them to think differently.
With special trainings, we teach people basic entrepreneurial skills and “out of the box” thinking in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We believe that the best ideas come out when friends are having fun. This method is especially effective with woman. Women in Georgia tend to be shy and afraid of quitting their regular job. This is a solution to some of the cultural barriers that women face in the realm of entrepreneurship.
Photo credit: idea Bakery, which evolved into Startup Georgia.