Culture+ Launch - Ola's experience
I am sure you’ve heard Londoners complain that they never really explore the city. That while they are born and bred in the capital they have never taken in the sites or walked into the doors of the gorgeous historical buildings that decorate our streets. Well, that was me up until last Thursday!
Arriving at County Hall I could never have imagined that such a beautiful place stood in the shadow of the London Eye. Here we would be launching Culture+, a new platform designed specifically for start-ups and scale-ups to build inclusive cultures from the start. Built in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the project had 49 research participants, 27+ hours of user interviews across 18 participating organisations - as well as countless hours of desk research. (Stay tuned for our next blog post from one of the team who will share their experience building the platform).
The day began with a delicious breakfast and a mist blanketed Thames as our backdrop. The Royal Academy of Engineering and Innovate UK, extended a warm welcome, with inspiring talks from Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, the Academy’s CEO, and Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK.
From the initial panel discussions, it became evident that there was a shared consensus that inclusion was not an add-on. Panellist James Kusena, Vice President of Operations at Microfluid X, reinforced that it must be part of the fabric and embedded right from conception.
With mentions of an exciting platform that helps implement lasting DEI impact, it was finally time to share the Culture+ platform with attendees and who better to present it than our CEO and Founder, Melissa Sabella! As usual, Melissa led the presentation with her usual zeal and enthusiasm. She delved into the vital significance of inclusion for organisations, expertly articulating how the Culture+ platform stands as a powerful catalyst in achieving this crucial goal.
In the afternoon, Muireann and I guided attendees through the challenges that start-ups and scale-ups might encounter at various stages of growth on their path to fostering inclusive cultures. The session resonated with participants, and the feedback was particularly enlightening. One group, despite being further along in their business journey, expressed that upon examining the challenges we presented, they felt as though they were just embarking on their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) journey.
Following our session and while engaging in demo discussions about the Culture+ platform, it was gratifying to learn that attendees felt empowered, finding that our platform made the prospect of creating lasting DEI impact tangible and accessible.
Looking out of the window, the sun set, casting a warm orange hue that silhouetted the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben - marking the conclusion of the event. Our team and I lingered, seizing the chance to engage further with fellow attendees - embracing the opportunity to connect with those the Culture+ platform was specifically designed for. A promising kickoff indeed, and I eagerly anticipate witnessing the impactful outcomes that embracing inclusivity and utilising Culture+ brings.