And yet ownership is still missing.
≠ Not because nobody cares.
= But because responsibility is spread so evenly that 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞.

Dashboards and committees create reassurance.
They rarely create accountability.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧:
→ someone can stop the project
→ someone can protect it from the core business
→ and someone’s credibility is on the line either way

That threshold is uncomfortable.
Which is why it’s often avoided.

This is where 𝐵𝑅𝐴𝐼𝑁 𝐶𝑂𝑁𝑁𝐸𝐶𝑇 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑢𝑒 enters the picture.
Not to replace internal ownership.
But to 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥.
Sometimes that means carrying execution risk.
Sometimes it means forcing a hard stop.
Both are signs of maturity.
🔹 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝐼𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.

This is where promising initiatives quietly slow down, get parked, or wait for “the right moment”.

Not because people don’t care.
But because 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.

Ideas that don’t fit existing processes need:
🚀 explicit ownership
🚀 protected time
🚀 and permission to challenge the status quo without being penalised for it

Without that, even strong initiatives don’t fail loudly.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫.

At BRAIN CONNECT Prague, we don’t treat innovation as a one-off initiative.
We focus on 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 that allow ideas to survive long enough to prove their value in the real world.
𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝.

💬 A question worth asking:
𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛?

Most January resolutions fade within weeks. Not because of a lack of willpower.
But because they rely on intention not on structure.

🎆 Resolutions depend on motivation. 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧.
Many organisations enter the new year with
🔸 a new strategy,
🔸 new priorities,
🔸 a new innovation initiative
…while decision-making, collaboration, and risk governance remain unchanged.

Yet systems don’t reset when the calendar flips.

💡 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 isn’t a revolution. It’s 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲.
It happens when we redesign:
🔹 processes
🔹 roles
🔹 collaboration models
🔹 and the comfortable rituals that “have always worked”

🎯 𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫:
What way of thinking, deciding, or collaborating in your organisation will stay the same even as everything around you changes?

And is it a strength… or a constraint?

🔹 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑡. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑢𝑝𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑒.

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 even if it looks exciting on the surface.

Research and real-world experience consistently show where collaboration starts to 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞:
🔸 there is no strategic alignment — only interest in “cool tech”
🔸 innovation becomes signalling, not commitment
🔸 the startup is either too early or too locked in
🔸 IP, data, timelines or governance remain unclear

These collaborations rarely fail because of poor execution.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝.

At BRAIN CONNECT Prague, we don’t connect actors at any cost.
🔹 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒.

🎁 Because the most strategic gift you can give your innovation portfolio might be the collaboration you choose not to unwrap.

What actually works when companies stop “piloting innovation” and start operationalising it.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) makes one point painfully clear:
Most collaborations fail not because startups are immature or corporates are slow but because 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 instead of being structurally embedded.

What shifts the odds?
🔹 𝐷𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑑𝑠, not ad-hoc project teams
🔹𝐶𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝, not “innovation theatre”
🔹𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, not buried under governance layers
🔹𝑅𝑖𝑠𝑘 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑜, not as a reputational threat

In other words:
Speed vs. scale is a false dichotomy.
↔️ The real tension is 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐬. 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 and control usually wins by default.

That’s why platforms like BRAIN CONNECT Prague matter.
Not as matchmaking tools.
But as 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 between startup logic and corporate reality:
🔸aligning incentives
🔸setting realistic time horizons
🔸and creating space where failure produces learning, not blame

Startup–corporate collaboration shouldn’t be a gamble.
𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

📌 We’ll share the WEF article in the first comment for those who want to go deeper into how venturing squads are changing the game.

They promise collaboration and creativity, but proximity alone rarely creates real innovation momentum.

What we consistently see across European ecosystems in the last few years is surprisingly clear:

🔹𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 ≠ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒.
🔹𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔.

Whether you look at incubators, corporate innovation labs or impact-oriented networks, the same pattern keeps emerging:
𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 ✨only shared problems create alignment, commitment and measurable impact.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞?
👉 A clearly defined, collectively owned problem
👉 Agreement on why it matters and for whom
👉 Governance that reinforces purpose, not just proximity
👉 Rituals and dialogue that keep the mission alive

This is where innovation capacity starts and where many ecosystems quietly lose momentum.

At BRAIN CONNECT Prague we are building an environment where companies don’t simply share a location. They share problems worth solving and develop answers with 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬.

🧠 ➡️ 🏢 And this is precisely why BCP can 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞. The physical space will amplify these dynamics but the ecosystem itself is already in motion, because its foundations are strategic, not architectural.

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥.
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬.
And this is where the next wave of European innovation will be shaped.
_____________________________________
📢 Follow BRAIN CONNECT Prague for more insights on innovation.
🚀 Join the open-ended game!
Let’s shape the future. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 🔵 🟦 🔷

Founders grow through two complementary modes:
focused, individual mastery & collective, peer-driven learning.
𝗡𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

👩‍🏫 Individual learning supports deep expertise, strategic clarity and disciplined decision-making, especially in structured environments such as incubators, accelerators or science parks. It helps founders refine their thinking, protect early ideas and build solid foundations.

👫Shared learning, typically found in open entrepreneurial spaces and hubs, accelerates progress through diverse perspectives, rapid problem-solving and the kind of knowledge flow no individual can create alone.

What we observe in practice across innovation environments aligns with patterns described in studies of European entrepreneurial hubs and regional ecosystems in Europe and North America:

🔹 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟.

𝗛𝗬𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗦 combining structured expertise with open exchange 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 companies move faster, learn better and make smarter decisions under uncertainty.

At BRAIN CONNECT Prague, this is exactly the environment we aim to build:
a cross-sector space where individual depth meets shared momentum, and where companies of all maturity levels learn faster together.

Because the future of innovation isn’t individual or shared.
It’s HYBRID.

⏭️Next week:
We’ll explore why innovation needs 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, not just shared spaces, and how ecosystems turn common challenges into breakthrough opportunities.
_____________________________________
📢 Follow BRAIN CONNECT Prague for more insights on innovation.
🚀 Join the open-ended game!
Let’s shape the future. Together. 🔵 🟦 🔷

When every misstep hurts, organisations optimise for certainty instead of exploration 🟰 exactly what slows innovation across industries.
𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗯𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 and research from European and Czech testbed networks shows why.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭:
🏡 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐬 gain fast access to know-how and expert networks,
while 🏘️ 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 validate advanced technologies, redesign processes and reduce risk.

A well-designed testbed lets teams expose ideas to real conditions before those conditions become business-critical. It turns risky assumptions into 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, makes iterations 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 and 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫, and shifts early errors from liabilities to 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.

🔹 𝐴 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑏.
It’s an ecosystem tool that gives innovators a 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 before the market gives them the first one.

At BRAIN CONNECT Prague, we’re developing an open, cross-sector testbed and specialised labs as part of our infrastructure, a space for earlier validation, faster adaptation and smarter decisions.

⏭️ Next week, we’ll explore why innovation ecosystems need 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 and how collective insight accelerates progress faster than isolated experimentation.
______________________________________
📢 Follow BRAIN CONNECT Prague for more insights on innovation.
🚀 Join the open-ended game!
Let’s shape the future. Together. 🔵 🟦 🔷

Research from 𝐶𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 shows that the 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 and the 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 still shape how innovation unfolds around the world.

🌍 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬
𝑇𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒 — how comfortable societies are with the risk of failing — does 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 with economic growth.
𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 — the willingness to let failed founders try again — does.

Economies that give entrepreneurs another shot grow faster and adapt better.

🔁 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬
Encouraging entrepreneurship isn’t just about funding or training.
It’s about 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞.
Cultures that normalise learning and remove stigma create the conditions where innovation compounds.

At BRAIN CONNECT Prague, we believe progress depends not only on risk tolerance but on re-entry tolerance. The belief that 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Because innovation doesn’t grow in cultures that punish imperfection.
🔹 𝑇𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠.🔹
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📢 Follow BRAIN CONNECT Prague Prague for more insights on innovation.
🚀 Join the open-ended game!
Let’s shape the future. Together. 🔵 🟦 🔷

Resources:

Burchell, B., & Hughes, A. (2006). The Stigma of Failure: An International Comparison of Failure Tolerance and Second Chancing (Working Paper No. 334). Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.

Damaraju, N. L., Barney, J. B., & Dess, G. G. (2023). Cultural influences on stigma of failure and entrepreneurial activity. Organization Management Journal, 20(5), 197–209. doi: 10.1108/OMJ-01-2023-1711

Sometimes, nothing more than the ability to try again ➡️ and learn.
Research from 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 shows that 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟕𝟖% 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥.

But that’s not the 𝐞𝐧𝐝 of the story. It’s how most real founders 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧.
Those who try again, reflect, and adapt often build stronger teams, make better decisions, and move closer to success with every attempt.

Startup accelerators and investors have noticed.
Many now look not for “perfect” founders, but for those who 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 🟰 founders who understand why things went wrong and use that insight to build better.

As Chris DeVore from Founders Co-op (Seattle) writes:
🗨️ “𝐴 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ‘𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡’ 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝐴𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙-𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡.”

❌ The best programs don’t try to eliminate risk or failure.
✅ They create systems where founders can confront it faster, learn together, and turn it into progress.

At BRAINCONNECT Prague, we see 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, not a dead end.
Because the real job of every innovation platform isn’t to protect founders from failure. It’s to help them fail better, faster, and together.

🔹 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬.

Next week, we’ll look deeper:
👉 Why is failure still a taboo in some cultures — and how can we change that mindset?
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📢 Follow BRAIN CONNECT Prague for more insights on innovation.
🚀 Join the open-ended game!
Let’s shape the future. Together. 🔵 🟦 🔷