On the 4th February, local stakeholders in Leeuwarden met for the second time. This Local Learning Lab focused on the question how our existing innovation and start-up ecosystem can be adapted to also serve cultural and creative industries. The brainstorming gave us lots of input to create a "Launch Game" for young entrepreneurs in the creative sector.
From the previous LLL held and the interregional project workshops we have figured that Leeuwarden and Fryslân already posses a good start-up and innovation ecosystem. However, it is not catered towards (potential) entrepreneurs in cultural and creative industries. Especially the lessons we drew from our visit to Matera, where there is strong investment geared towards the CCI ecosystem, have inspired us to take a closer look at our own ecosystem. As we saw in Matera these investments can provide benefits to the whole region and stimulate the creation of a strong new economic cluster.
One of the most notable results of the brainstorming with stakeholders was that unlike in the technology sector, where new inventions usually form the basis of a business plan, in the cultural and creative field new businesses are based on meaningful experiences. In order to inspire new creative and cultural entrepreneurs, these experiences should therefore be central to the Launch Game. In addition, the expert team involved in the Launch Game should consists of a diversity of people and stakeholders. Finally, the session ended with the conclusion that the impact of non-profit organizations on the economy of a city should not be underestimated. The cultural sector has a particularly good potential in hosting a great number of non-profit organizations for the benefit of urban economies.
Participants at the Local Learning Lab came to the conclusion that the adapted Launch Game could be an interesting addition to the existing start-up ecosystem. Especially during the legacy period of Leeuwarden - Fryslân 2018, such new project could be able to provide young cultural, creative and tourism entrepreneurs with much inspiration and more skills to start a business.
