While the whole world seems to be standing still, the virtual editors at Innovation Origins are busier than ever. This holds true for both the number of visitors to the website and the subjects that we’re able to write about. For it is precisely in these uncertain times that it’s more important than ever to report on people and companies who want to advance our world. Take, for example, that start-up that has designed open-source face masks that can be printed in 3D. Or students who are helping secondary school students prepare for their final exams.
Because Innovation Origins is mainly made up of freelancers who are based in 7 countries, most of our work is already done digitally. Usually we meet every Friday at our head office in Eindhoven to discuss interesting new topics. But this can also be done via Slack, WhatsApp or Google Meet. Last Wednesday, for example, we had a meeting with 16 participants from all over Europe so we could catch up on how we are all dealing with this virus. Both personally and in an editorial way.
It was almost touching to see how this group of people behind IO are committed to providing proper news. And are working together more effectively and efficiently than ever to make that happen. Were also in constant contact with each other outside the formal meeting sessions. We slack, whatsapp, signal, email, message, phone, meet and ping each other non-stop. It’s nice to see that this group of individuals who’ve formed themselves over the past 2 years has become a real team with one common goal: to give readers a peek into the future. And it’s also great that everyone does this based on their own expertise, support base and regional perspective. The sum total of all that knowledge makes us a force to be reckoned with.
Although journalism is a profession where face to face contacts are essential, we find that interviews can to a large extent be conducted perfectly fine from a distance. Something that we have already often done due to the international nature of our company. The only thing at Innovation Origins that is regrettably a bit on the back burner at the moment concerns bringing in new clients. Which means that the growth that we’ve experienced over the past couple of year may slow down as result. On the other hand, we are now able to prove to a growing group of people that we are a reliable source of information if you want to know what tomorrow’s world could look like.
It would be going too far to say that we were well-prepared for a crisis like this. Hardly anybody was. But we can say that we already had everything we needed as an organization to perform to the best of our abilities in a situation like this. We haven’t needed to adapt very many processes in order to be able to keep bringing you news in the way you’re used to from us. And we will definitely continue to do that over the coming period. Not only about the corona virus, but also about all kinds of other innovative people and companies that are making our world a better place.
