Generally, innovation does not occur in a vacuum. It is at its best when there is the enabling environment to support it, such as a collaboration space. In this episode, Eldon Marks discusses the importance of collaboration to realise innovation, through his observations and experiences with Nexus Hub, a non-profit tech collaboration space he founded in Guyana.
Being an entrepreneur can be lonely path. In the first instance, it is not a path for everyone, as most people cannot identify with the risk and uncertainty that is inherent as an entrepreneur. Moreover, the uncertainty of income, and/or success, especially when there are financial commitments that need to be met – which tends to be the norm on that journey – can challenge the best of us.
In the ICT/tech space in particular, where many of us hope – even if it is in our wildest dreams – to disrupt the status quo, we tend to pursue innovation alone. We fear others stealing our ideas, undermining our efforts, or otherwise achieving even greater success than us. However, a compelling case can be made for collaboration, ranging from being around like minds who readily empathise and can identify with the challenges being experienced, to being able to leverage the knowledge, resources and/or creative energies of others.
In our last episode on innovation for 2019, we are examining an important aspect of the ecosystem that tends to be overlooked: the collaboration space. There are many permutations of this collaboration space, which could be physical or virtual, and include co-working spaces, incubator and accelerator programmes, meet-ups, to name a few. Ultimately, it is an environment where members of the tech/business community can meet, with the objective of developing and nurturing ideas and potential business ventures.
Our guest to discuss innovation in a collaboration space is Eldon Marks, who seems to be leading the charge in this area in Guyana. Eldon is the Founder and a Director of Nexus Hub, Inc., a technology and innovation centre in Georgetown, Guyana, through which individuals can collaborate, innovate and create opportunities. He is also the co-Founder of a co-working space, weOwn space, in Georgetown, and the Founder and CEO of V75 Inc., a tech firm specialising in conversational Artificial Intelligence engineering.
Eldon has a background in Computer Science and was a lecturer at the University of Guyana, which were crucial inputs into his entrepreneurial journey, along with the establishment of Nexus Hub. In addition to sharing a bit of his story, other areas covered in our interview with Eldon included the following:.
- What is Nexus Hub, and what was the impetus behind creating it?
- How is Nexus Hub doing? Is there a demand for its facilities and services?
- Although Nexus Hub is designed to operate as a non-profit, does it currently generate any revenue? It is self-sustaining?
- What is the business, V75, about, and how is it connected to Nexus Hub, if at all?
- What is conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineering?
- How or why Eldon was able to successfully transition from academia to entrepreneurship?
- How effective does Eldon think Nexus Hub is in nurturing ICT/tech innovation in Guyana?
- If someone wanted to create a space similar to Nexus Hub, what might three pieces of advice Eldon would offer?
- Where would Eldon like to see Nexus Hub in the next 3 to 5 years?
- What’s next for Eldon Marks?
