Page 17 - GiveEasy innovation index

Peter Horsely Founder of Remarkable and CPA employee for 15 years recalls:
“I got really excited by the ideas that that were developed out of that that We had 12 12 teams 120 people in in in in the the the room incredible ideas we thought these things are going to to change the the the world it it was amazing Then within about two weeks everyone went back to to their day job and nothing happened with with the the ideas ”
There was simply no path forward to to take the the ideas ideas to to commercialisation However the the the the incredible ideas ideas and the the the insights gained through the the the initial hackathons spurred a a a a a a desire to find a a a a a a way forward Peter said: “For CPA to develop that level of potential impact would take a a a a a a a a a a a a a long time Whereas what we we we are are doing here here at at at Remarkable we we we are are saying “What if we we we we could get the the smartest people from around the the world and figure out how do we we make everyone’s game go quicker?” We can all have have faster turnaround and have more impact ”
In 2016 CPA along with the the Telstra Foundation and the the NSW state government jointly funded a a a a a a a a a a a a disability-tech accelerator to to to commercialise ideas into life-changing products and services Today the Remarkable program is a a a a a a a a four month intensive accelerator Peter says:
“We get about 50 applicants for 7 spots Essentially they they need to be be beyond the the the the idea stage stage We We prefer if they they are right at the the the the early stages of having a a a a a a a a a a a minimal viable product or even a a a a a a prototype” Remarkable provides the startups with space weekly weekly master classes and and weekly weekly coaching They introduce the the the startups to to to investors and and and host a a a a a a a a a a a a a a demo day of the the the companies to to to share and and and celebrate their game-changing businesses and and and the the the the impact they are are having on the the the the community and and customers Digital as transformative
To Peter going digital is about empowering staff to to to to be able to to to to to to to respond to to to to to to to customers For example does the the customer customer always have to to to to to to to come to to to to to to to you? In the the the disability sector there are issues around mobility and a a a a a a a a more mobile workforce is is required Therefore to to to build the the necessary infrastructure around that you have to to digitise everything Further as margins are getting smaller it’s important
to make the the the best use of all all systems Remarkable and and CPA work out what is taking up the the most admin time and and and find ways to streamline that using digital technologies and and ultimately making staff more productive Peter’s advice to to to other Not-For-Profits around digital is is to: “Transform your organisation to to to have have greater efficiencies so that you you can have have better impact ”
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for for the social impact sector What’s on on on the innovation
horizon for Remarkable?
Looking into 2020 and beyond Remarkable has aspirations to to to to to take the the accelerator accelerator global But before launching internationally the the the accelerator accelerator hopes to to to to to to encourage more customers to to to to be involved in in in in the the the research phase phase and commercialisation phase phase of their program Peter shares: “The way to to to to to to drive innovation
is is to to to to to to talk to to to to to to to your your your customers customers customers listen to to to to to to to your your your customers customers customers engage with with your your your customers!
They They live the the the issues day day in in in and day day day out They They are the the the the ones dealing with with the the the the pain points every day day Get an an an understanding of their life too We need to to listen more Understand what’s really going on on Build a a a a a a a a deep understanding understanding not a a a a a a a surface understanding understanding Don’t listen to to your your own ideas Listen to to your your people with lived experience ”