I want to take a moment to explain some of my motivations for my latest project called: Innovatique. For years working in the creative industry, both as a client and in agencies, I observed how important awards and accolades were in building credibility and rapport between organizations. However, an early conversation I had while interning at a fast-growing London startup revealed some of the opaque realities behind such accomplishments.
A colleague mentioned that the startup I worked at, had been awarded “Startup of the Year.” But I was surprised to learn that we had paid a free of around £1000 to just be considered for the selection process, and as such it was clear to all of us working there, that the claims of fair, merit-based awards can be quite questionable. That conversation, I have had it in many different forms countless of times over years…
Paying entry fees is not inherently wrong. However, issues arise from the opaque nature of how these fees are utilized and their potential impact on judging decisions. When entry costs escalate to sometimes four-digit figures, many organizations, despite having award-worthy projects, may abstain from participating due to financial constraints.
This high barrier of entry risks creating an exclusive circle where well-funded organizations are effectively rewarding themselves, perpetuating a system that privileges the established and discourages newcomers.
But how do we fundamentally solve this? how do we go beyond the superficial of promises and hard wire the solutions ?
This is where my new project “Innovatique” seeks to help by transformative structural changes that are deep rooted within the organisation culture and methodologies…
