Who Are We and Why Do We Write About Open Innovation?
Hello and welcome to our blog about open innovation. We are a team of professionals in various fields who are strong advocates for developing the EU Open Innovations Network. We have spent years of research and collaboration with innovators and EU experts that have led us to believe that open innovation is one of the primary ways for Europe to move forward. Before we tell you why we are so convinced of this idea, let us first present ourselves.
Neil Johnson
Mr Johnson is a lawyer who specializes in EU regulations. He has more than 20 years of expertise in this field. Throughout his professional career, he has consulted EU lawmakers, venture capitalists, and innovative start-ups on their way to building joint ecosystems.
In addition, Mr Johnson has substantial experience in creating a dialogue between stakeholders and facilitating partnerships. He has built various disruptive joint ventures that function to this day both within the EU and on a global scale.
Pamela Adams
Ms Adams is a venture capitalist who left a corporate career of 15 years to successfully build and scale start-ups in the areas of health, human sciences, and sustainability. Her expertise stretches far beyond the scope of the EU. She has helped dozens of nascent businesses in Africa and North America. Ms Adams’ current interests lie within the EU and Latin America.
She has joined this blog in an attempt to help aspiring companies find their way within the EU and act as changemakers to make it more competitive and forward-driven. Ms Adams is a strong advocate for innovation and disruptive technologies.
Paul Graham
Mr Graham is a start-up founder who has built several successful companies in the area of health innovations. He is committed to helping other young entrepreneurs blend within the EU Open Innovations Network and leave a lasting mark on the community’s wellbeing, both literally and figuratively.
One of Mr Graham’s main activities is creating networks of start-up founders, venture capitalists, and other catalysts of change and helping them navigate through the EU framework. It is a challenging task, he says, but well worth it.
Martina Debois
Ms Debois firmly believes that sustainability is the driving factor of the EU’s advancement. She has over ten years of experience in consulting major sustainability projects in the areas of natural resource preservation and energy conservation. Ms Debois wishes to help foster the connection between open innovation and increased sustainability practices and awareness.
What Unites Us
While our backgrounds are different, we share a common vision – that of advancing open innovation within the EU and the rest of the world. As EU citizens and experts in our fields, we have been concerned that the community is lagging in this area.
Indeed, the EU is a very technologically-savvy alliance open to disruptive ideas. However, it is still not competitive enough in the field of open innovation compared to North America and China.
The reasons for this issue are many. One of them includes the sound, yet complicated EU legislation. It simply lacks the speed and capacity to respond to disruptive innovations that take place daily. Another one is insufficient VC funding. That is why we have come together to propose changes in these two areas. We hope you share our enthusiasm and find this blog relevant and informative.