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August 30th - September 5th
August 30th - September 5th
Post Date: September 5, 2018 9:20 PM
This week definitely put everything into a new perspective, and almost certainly required myself and the entire team to take a moment to reset, and try to regain hold of what this project is really going to be about. While it seemed as though it were important to think about design plans for a building, it’s even more important to think about the actual implications a building like this can have on those in the community. With that knowledge in hand, we decided to shift our current focus toward gaining a better understanding of how H3 is going to be used, and the implications such use will have on Venice as a whole.
One idea that made its way into our minds, at the recommendation of Professor Michalson, was that of creating a makerspace within H3. While looking at a past IQP report, titled “Made in Venice: Past, Present, and Future,” it dawned on me that while technical jobs may be in high demand, there must also be some part of the production sector looking to grow. The potential markets could include citizens looking to refine their craft before opening a business, citizens interested in picking up hobbies related to production careers, or even just creatives in the city that need a place to get work done. In addition to the support SerenDPT will provide to its created startups, SerenDPT could use a section of H3 as a makerspace, attracting makers and producing additional income.
This idea has led me to research makerspaces in the Worcester area, of which I was able to find two close to WPI: Technocopia and The WorcShop. I have drafted an email, to be sent after revision, addressing these makerspaces, seeking to create discussion about what makerspaces are, who they cater to, how they are managed, and what effects they have on the communities they are in. In addition to this, I am looking to setup tours of these facilities, if time permits. These tours would be to see the spaces first hand, and have more physical idea of what these spaces look like.
Come back soon to keep following us as our project progresses!
-Alex
Post Date: September 4, 11:54pm
Ciao! After an uncertain first week, the team and I are moving in a more confident direction. We have begun research and outreach on the components of an incubator to make our project as successful as possible. So far we have discovered that around 90% of incubators fail to become profitable. The main cause of this is that the startup businesses that come in are simply ideas or products, not proper businesses. These startups may be unaware of how to build products, sell products (or business) to big corporations, hire employees, market their product, or do public relations. Knowing this, we will move forward with the intention of providing an outlook for mentorship for startups within the incubator.
-Peter
Post Date: September 3, 2018 6:44pm
Hello everyone!
Our second week is involving mostly research on our project. This includes building management, business incubators, Venetian job market/demand, and restaurant management. With my Italian language skills, I have conducted research on Italian incubators, and have discovered four that are in the region of Veneto near Venice. They are the Foundation of the Innovation Furnace, H-FARM, M31, and Pordenone Technological Center - Young Polo. I have drafted an email in Italian and sent an inquiry email to each incubator to determine whether STEM is desired in Veneto and what specific characteristics define a successful Italian incubator so that we may implement our own version when designing H3. Furthermore, we will be assessing what is feasible in the fourteen weeks of the PQP and IQP when beginning this new project.
We hope you continue to follow us on our project!
-Ryan Lee
Post Date: September 3, 2018 2:19PM
Welcome back to our Blog!
We are ramping up our research now and a more focused and organized way! We realized that simply creating a building to incubate businesses does not mean people will actually take advantage of that ability to more easily create a startup. We have to make the building into something that they do want, and to do this we need to figure out what it is they want. As a result we are reaching out to professionals and experts in these fields. We have located several individuals who are knowledgeable of what makes these spaces successful in the United States, and we have located individuals and organizations that will give us insights into what the people of Venice and Italy want or need that could make them more likely to use our project! We have also started to identify existing business and science related organizations in Venice itself, such as the VEGA science and technology park shown above, with whom we can cooperate to build better startup opportunities. After we hear back we will begin to fuse the two strands of information to make our own Italian Incubator in the H3 building!
Thanks for keeping up with our work, we’ll get back to you with an update next week!
-Colin
Image from http://imprexa.net/en/un-tocco-di-colore-per-il-vega-di-venezia/
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