Communities: The Essential Ingredient for Successful Innovation
As part of our 2019 Call for TFF Ambassadors, our Community & Partnerships Manager Diego shares this blog post which elucidates the power of startup communities and why this year we’re especially focused on supercharging our TFF Community hubs across seven regions of the world. Join us today!
Innovation in food and agriculture is booming and startup activities are continuing to emerge and grow around the world. Entrepreneurs and other entrepreneurially-minded actors are converging to form what Brad Feld describes as Startup Communities. These communities characterize themselves through their intense energy, activity, and innovation power, which can transform economies by attracting talent, businesses, and capital.
Startup communities are popping up all over the world, emerging in new, unexpected places that haven’t been traditionally considered as epicenters in the startup movement. They are changing the rules of the game, showing us that innovation can literally start from anywhere and at any time.
At TFF, we strongly believe in the power of startup communities, because, over the past six years, we’ve witnessed firsthand their tremendous potential in transforming existing systems by adopting a more grassroots innovation approach. What starts with ideas to solve local challenges, develops into real solutions which can be implemented on a regional or even global level – all through the power of connections, support, and collaboration within communities.
For us, this is reason enough to call on all students, entrepreneurs, innovators, designers and more to join us to build lasting communities in more than 100 cities around the world! The applications for the 2019 TFF Ambassador Program are open until Wednesday, April 3, 2019 – make sure to submit your application on time!
This year, TFF is leaning all-in to what sets us apart from the rest: our amazing global community. We have already announced our new team of Regional Coordinators – and now we are calling on you to apply to become one of our TFF Ambassadors.
We are looking for all kinds of people – scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs, designers, and other innovators – who are passionate about creating a thriving TFF community at the local level. TFF Ambassadors will have the chance to work with and develop the innovation ecosystem in key locations around the world. They will also create connections with other TFF Ambassadors and leaders across all continents.
It might sound easy to build communities, but keep in mind that startup communities are considered to be alive: they grow, develop and change – and if they are not properly taken care of, they can break up easily – just like any other human relationship. That’s why we need the most passionate leaders to help us guide the TFF community by carrying out strategic actions, providing young entrepreneurs with a shared vision and listening and responding to the community’s needs. Our TFF Ambassadors are the people who set up community structures, create synergies and generate spaces to convene.
Although we accept individual applications, we encourage everyone to apply to become a TFF Ambassador together with a team of fellow changemakers who are all based in the same city. If you aren’t able to pull a team together, we will connect individual applicants from the same cities with each other to form a strong team.
As TFF Ambassador, you will embark on a year-long adventure (with the option to extend your commitment), where you will host events and local activities to build and grow stronger communities, learn about collaborative innovation, raise awareness and take entrepreneurial actions to tackle food and agriculture’s biggest challenges.
It’s going to be fun, and challenging – and most definitely life-changing. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today!