Our goal to inspire our 27 participants with practical insights and have a lively discussion is fulfilled, thanks to our two experts: Johanna Lianne van de Laar en Martin Hollinetz.
Go to Inspired by: Johanna Lianne van de Laar
Developing soft skills through hosting
We were honoured to have Martin Hollinetz, founder of the Otelo Network, as our second expert. The Otelo Network is a pioneering open innovation and technology laboratory. Established in 2010, it emerged from a regional development strategy in Upper Austria, aiming to counter brain drain and encourage local engagement.
It started with a very simple idea: creating spaces where people feel welcome and finding people who want to learn about hosting them. With a network of 82 ‘nodes’ on 31 locations across Austria and engaging nearly 8000 participants annually, Otelo champions the ethos of ‘hosting instead of curating’.
Martin passionately shared: “At least 5 people have to unite and ask for a lab where they are free to change ideas and experiment.”
“The only glue between our nodes is the commitment to hosting – asking people what they need, rather than dictating how a place should like. We promote openness, knowledge-sharing and fun for people of all ages and backgrounds, to shape social innovation and regional development.”
This philosophy underpins Otelo’s success in fostering soft skills including intergenerational collaboration, leadership and adaptability.
Find out more about the Otelo Network
From creative workshops to Repair Cafés
Martin enriched the session with inspiring stories. About one of Otelo’s first nodes: a group of teenage breakdancers that couldn’t find a place – possibly because they looked a bit different. They still join the network and are now around 27 years old. And about his own daughter, who turned her passion for creating and painting dragons into an adult workshop, while she was only 10 years old – “she thought children were too noisy.”
Another early initiative are the Repair Cafés, social events that encourage community members to collaborate on fixing and repurposing items. “The social part is more important than the making part. There is no pressure, only fun.”
These stories highlight the transformative power of maker spaces to provide safe, inclusive environments where creativity blossoms and where you can follow your dream.
Martin: “That is what we want to bring: try-out spaces for young people, so they can discover what they really want to do in life.”
Otelo Cooperative: an open entrepreneurial space
The network is a part of the Otelo cooperative, established in 2012, which is a self-organized cooperative based on sociocratic systems. It sets standards as a regional working, development and entrepreneurial model and has 9 employed members and 13 project-specific employees.
The Otelo cooperative focuses on education, including projects like CosTechPlay, Next Generation You and Future Space.
Example of cooperative projects: Future Space
Future Space provides mobile labs that function as education and training spaces. Funded by tech companies, these labs focus on STEM education, maker and digital skills, catering to various age groups and interests.
It also promotes exchange and reflection. “That is why x-Inno project is important for us: to reflect on our work. It provides inspiration for regional development strategies.”
“How can we make a new format, establish a new culture. It is an ongoing process. We use the democratic principle, are very transparent. I have to admit: it is not always easy to run a sustainable company: there are different demands, different parts in life. But to me it’s fun.”
Find out more about Future Space
Join the x-Inno Radar community
The online ‘Inspired by’ sessions are open for all x-Inno Radar partners and associated partners, yet also for anyone interested in soft skills for industrial innovation.
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