A LOOK BACK:
A year of
adaptation
Adaptation was our keyword for 2020. Nobody had sufficient plans for 2020 drawn up, everyone, from CEOs, Boards, economic development agencies, innovation clusters and national innovation agencies had to adapt.
For the first part of the year, Feb-May, we helped a wide range of clients get a rapid grip on the situation, transition to remote working, draw up ‘in-COVID-scenarios and strategies’. Surprisingly, for many, this went very well and with much less friction and delay than first expected.
The second part of the year, from June to December, saw a much wider range of outcomes. Primarily, our work was focused on economic recovery, developing ‘post-COVID’ recovery solutions, identifying new high-growth industries including more ‘COVID-resilient’ industries.
Among some of the 2020 highlights were:
- Ambitious economic recovery strategy in Pacific Canada
- Helping oil & gas clients accelerate the energy transition
- Reshaping Costa Rica’s economic growth
- Developing a national digital export platform
- Supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs in Latin America
2020 has been an different year.
Here are a few highlights:
Developing Ocean Futures Hub, Pacific Canada
Out of all our global clients, the most impressive and visionary leadership of 2020 emerged from Canada’s West Coast, on the island of Victoria. A group of leaders across both public and private sectors, quickly saw the need for bold ideas and a new mindset for economic recovery. Working closely with a global team of Engage // Innovate, Hatch and Urban System, the project grew into a significant ocean hub and innovation cluster, with substantial potential for accelerating economic growth into 2021 and beyond.
Helping Oil & Gas Companies Transform
Back in February, initiating a new strategy project with a rapidly growing oil & gas company, I vividly recall the first 1:1 conversation I had with the CEO. I sketched out the Strategy Intro on a piece of paper, walking through the Core-Growth-Explore, we discussed, ‘what is your explore?’. Since coming up empty in February, the company has since invested hundreds of million USD into a mixed portfolio of renewable energy assets and strategic oil & gas projects.
Engaging with the Chairman, CEO and his leadership team – in the middle of an incoming pandemic – was challenging at first, but quickly adapted into a new way of working – and also – a new way of thinking about strategy in the middle of the global energy transition.
Reshaping Costa Rica’s Economic Growth
Costa Rica´s FDI attraction agency, CINDE, is leading an initiative to build a Global Life-Centered Hub. In early 2020 it sought support from Engage // Innovate Latin America to design and facilitate a series of workshops as a first engagement effort to bring together representants from Government, Private Sector, Academia and the Entrepreneurship ecosystem to discuss how to kickstart this initiative. Along with Christian Rangen, the Engage // Innovate LATAM team lead three intensive digital sessions, during which more than 70 participants worked with on the hub´s strategy, structure, and business model. Will Costa Rica succeed? We believe so…and we are very happy to help build the required capabilities to build these complex ecosystems and design a roadmap to achieve the ambition.
Read more about CINDE’s key role in Costa Rica’s economic growth.
Developing a National Digital Export Program
Over the past three years we have had the chance to work very closely with the Norwegian National Innovation Cluster Program and National Innovation Agency. This collaboration has led to a number of projects and challenges for us to address together. Little did we know back in May, that the question, ‘how can we expand exports when we can’t travel?’, would lead to a series of small pilot projects, extensive work throughout the summer of 2020, and finally end up as one of the key national initiatives for ‘how can Norwegian companies increase digital exports in the middle of the pandemic?’. We wish to extend a big ‘Well Done’ to the entire project team at Innovation Norway pushing the digital platform to operational reality.
Learn more about the Norwegian Digital Platform for Export and Growth (in Norwegian).
Supporting the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs in Latin America
“Why don´t we have more successful startups and scale-ups in Central America?” This question was made by one of Yo Emprendedor, an NGO based in Costa Rica focused on developing entrepreneurs and the right ecosystem in the region, Directors. With that on mind, Carlos Gallegos and Roberto Chaverri, Engage // Innovate Latin America partners, have spent large parts of 2020 teaching both accelerators and universities in Costa Rica how to build and scale successful startups.
Looking into
2021
As we close out the challenging year of 2020, many will look towards 2021 with renewed optimism and high hopes for the new year. We would advise caution and taking a long-term view.
There is no magic button for COVID. Every indication we see point in the direction of our most challenging scenario ‘Winter’. While vaccines are being rolled out, they don’t offer a silver bullet.
As we look into 2021 and work with our global clients, we continue to develop robust ‘in-COVID strategies’, ambitious economic recovery strategies and continue to transform companies for the future.
Here is to a happy, healthy and safe 2021.
Best wishes,
Chris and the entire team at Engage // Innovate