Learn from the world of sports and build a Team Östersund for Innovation Champions

TEDxÖstersund speaker Marianne Toftegaard Poulsen established the Danish Innovation Center in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley. Since then she has worked with thousands of innovators, scientists and start-up entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Denmark, Finland, Germany and other European countries.

The idea that builds her upcoming talk at TEDxÖstersund was born when Marianne was visiting Östersund for the first time.

– It was about a year ago, in February 2014. After checking into my hotel I took a walk to get a feel for the place. After exploring the lakefront I was attracted to loud music from the city center. There was a big celebration welcoming home the medalists from Sochi and I was impressed that this relatively small town had fostered such talent. I spend the next day meeting with a number of key players in the innovation ecosystem and it really struck me to see so many internationally successful athletes active in the regional innovation system. It became very clear to me that innovators and entrepreneurs need the same mindset as successful athletes.

So, what do you believe is the core of this mindset?

– In Silicon Valley they have a concept called Innovation Champions. These are the rare individuals that have the ability to take an idea from the very early concept stage all the way to successful market launch. Innovation Champions have a lot in common with Olympic athletes. What is true for both top athletes and Innovation Champions is that they are self-selected. Have you ever seen an ad in the paper searching for a potential Gold medal winner in crosscountry skiing? Innovation Champions like top athletes are driven by their passion and they understand that the only way to get to the top is to put in the necessary effort.

What can a region like Jämtland Härjedalen, where Östersund is located, learn from this way of thinking?

Start building a Team Östersund for Innovation Champions and start cross-pollinating the best from the world of sports and entrepreneurship!

When?
February 28 2015, 9:00 am

Where?
OSD, Östersund, Jämtland, Sweden

Tickets are sold out.

Follow us and see full presentations of the speakers on our website: tedxostersund.com

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About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that

bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live

speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events

are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference

provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized

(subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day

conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with

multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers

and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available,

free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth

Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-

Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia,

along with the TEDActive simulcast event in nearby Whistler. The annual TEDGlobal

conference was held in October 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. TED's media initiatives

include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project,

which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from

volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual

TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get

help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in

hosting local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows

program, helping innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their

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