The LIT Open Innovation Center hosts the Idea Hour together with tech2b, where twice a semester aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups from tech2b's ideate program meet and exchange ideas with established founders. This time, on January 19th, 2023, Dominic Girardi, CPO and data scientist of datavisyn, shared his experiences and reported on the numerous changes that came with a growth in employees from four to 25 within the past four years: "At first, we were like a regional soccer club, all white, young, and men, but now our team meetings are only held in English. We have found that the more diverse the team is, the more enriching it is for our company," said Dominic Girardi. Datavisyn originated from a university research project at the JKU Institute of Computer Graphics in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. The idea for starting the company came from the former scientists when the project's corporate partners showed great interest in continuing the developed data visualization solutions. Dominic summarized his lessons learned about how to run a start-up efficiently and effectively, which tools to use, and what he considers to be the most significant component of a company (clearly, the employees).

The attendees had the opportunity to pitch their idea(s) and receive feedback from tech2b experts and the LIT OIC. Social media apps, new coworking concepts, or innovative products were presented and some were even tried out. Raphael Friedl introduced the early-stage program of the tech2b incubator, which offers the ideal start and space for teams who want to pursue their ideas (for example, at the LIT OIC).

We can look back on a cozy evening with many attendees and snacks and beer. A big thank you to Dominic Girardi and Raphael Friedl from tech2b for the insightful conversations. A big thank you also goes to Elisabeth Ulbrich, the Head of Operations and host of the LIT Open Innovation Center, and to all who participated and contributed!