Disrupt to Sustain Competition Highlights

Tiffany Kwan August 7, 2017 Insights

This December marked the first Bard MBA Disrupt to Sustain Pitch Competition! Thirteen teams from their Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Accounting, and POSM classes competed throughout the day to win the top Disrupt to Sustain prize and the “People’s Choice” award chosen via Reuben Jaffe Goldstein’s ‘16 Flockworthy platform. Alum Amy Kalafa ’16 and her team at A-Ray TV filmed the event and are putting together a short reel to pitch a “Shark Tank in Sustainability” reality show. A big thanks to faculty members Alejandro Crawford, Kathy Hipple, and Jorge Fontanez, who created and facilitated the competition. Check out Rebelbase for more information on the judges and the day’s events. Looking forward to this being an annual tradition!

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Pushing Sustainability Forward

admin January 26, 2019 Insights No Comments

Eban Goodstein, the Director of Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability, recently wrote on what makes a successful Sustainable MBA program. Dr. Goodstein argues that the classic, academic measure of peer-reviewed faculty publications doesn’t necessarily lead to a robust program aimed at sustainable solutions for business. Instead, he writes, by building a faculty of sustainable business leaders, that real-time experience will fuel the next generation of sustainable solutions aimed at changing the world for the better.

One of the faculty members mentioned in Dr. Goodstein’s piece is Acceleration Group’s Managing Director, Alejandro Crawford. As the program’s Entrepreneurship Professor, Alejandro and the Acceleration Group team implemented the RebelBase platform to power Bard’s Disrupt to Sustain Competition, the program’s annual pitch competition. See the results of this year’s competition on RebelBase.

To read Dr. Goodstein’s piece in its entirety, click here, and to learn more about RebelBase, visit its home here.

TESTIMONIAL

We enable leaders to innovate, transform organizations, and impact those they serve.

Read on to see what some of our clients have to say about working with us.

JAMES CAMERON

CEO, TERESIAN HOUSE CENTER FOR THE ELDERLY

Client Goal: Build the vision, organizational buy-in and diversified funding to achieve inclusive economic development in the next phase

Practice Areas: Growth strategy, innovation

Assignment: Create strategic plan and work with leaders throughout the organization to execute on it

“Everyone talks about sustainable impact and growth; Acceleration Group makes it a reality. A first-rate strategy shop, Acceleration Group sets itself apart through the vision to put the larger possibilities on the map, the facilitative skills to align stakeholders behind ambitious solutions, and the practical know-how to prove the possibilities and achieve outcomes that count.”

Read the Case Study

JIM GERSON

CHAIRMAN, EVERCEL

Goal: Assess potential acquisition of disruptive local-mobile services startup

Practice Areas: Business Case Due Diligence, Innovation, Digital Strategy

Assignment: Analyze the acquisition target and the business case for making the acquisition, and make recommendations

“We engaged Acceleration Group to study the industry and a disruptive innovator in providing digital media advertising for SMB’s. We were delighted with their work. We had a crItical time constraint which they were able to meet. Their work was both thorough and comprehensive. The output was clear and thoughtful. Each of the consultants provided an outstanding level of comprehension of our requirements and expertise in their specialty.”

BALA MULLOTH

CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, HAVA INC.

Goal: Develop innovation program and introduce new frameworks to global executive MBAs

Practice Areas: Launch Strategy, Innovation

Assignment: Design and lead global innovation workshops to kick off CEU’s New York Program each year

“I have had the opportunity to work with Acceleration Group and would highly recommend them as a savvy, sophisticated and experienced team. They deeply understand innovation management and the processes of working with business owners to generate growth and profit.”

CHARISE LIGGINS

FORMERLY SENIOR MANAGER, NYC SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES

Goal: Bring expertise on subjects of growth and financing to the NYC small business community

Practice Areas: Small Business Financing, Program Design, Digital Strategy

Results: Created scalable online program in growth financing.

“We hired Acceleration Group to develop and deliver specialized training programs to support the growth of New York City’s business community. One of these programs was a series of intensive workshops on growth and the second program was our very first online training course. Both programs represented bold new steps NYC Business Solutions was taking to enhance the impact of our services on the business community and Acceleration Group helped us to achieve our goals. They brought the creativity, knowledge of the subject matter and expert instruction that we were looking for. I would definitely enjoy working with them again!”

VICTORIA WILLIAMS

FORMERLY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ELMCOR

Goal: Formulate, write and present a launch plan and growth strategy for a new Economic Development Center

Practice Areas: Growth Strategy, Strategic Positioning, Economic Development

Assignment: Develop strategy and help gain the buy-in of the board

“Acceleration Group’s launch plan for our new economic development center is clear and practical. It takes us from where we started and leads us step-by-step to where we want to go. The plan positions our organizational strengths for the new opportunities ahead, identifies potential partners, and sets paths for engaging specific funders. It also hones our center’s mission and programs, and the impact that it will have on the community. Finally, by helping us to formally present the plan, Acceleration Group helped us to win the confidence we needed from our Board of Directors and major stakeholders at several levels of government, in order to move forward.”

STEVE FALLA RIFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INNOVATION HIGH SCHOOL

Goal: Help activate the board’s capacity to forge relationships that fulfill the school’s potential

Practice Areas:Growth Strategy, Facilitation, Change-management

Assignment: Facilitate the board’s retreats and engage it in a set of projects to help fulfill the larger vision for the community

“The ability to analyze the Board-management dynamic, to identify and surmount existing hurdles, and to enhance strengths and accelerate the growth process, brings added value to an organization that cannot be overstated. Acceleration Group created the framework for the board and management to create collaborative teams and engage key partners within the larger ecosystem. This has had enormous practical value as a platform for carrying out some of the school’s primary objectives for leadership in technology, community schooling and development.”

Looking to work with Acceleration Group?

SERVICES

Services

At Acceleration Group, we work with mission-driven organizations to deepen their impact and capture critical opportunities to gain momentum. We do this through two major approaches: facilitating bottom-up innovation, and advising strategy for change. We also offer metrics and research services through our in-house research shop, Impactful Measures, to help you better understand and communicate your impact.

If you’re interested in working with us, please contact us to set up a consultation, and we’ll provide you with a personalized proposal that describes what we can do to meet your needs.

Bottom-Up Innovation

Bottom-up innovation is our specialty. It’s a method for producing innovative ideas by going to the people who are closest to the problems, barriers, challenges hindering growth, and asking them for their solutions. We have a wealth of experience implementing this method, and we’ve seen it work time and time again. Bottom-up innovation is a sound strategy for gaining a competitive edge through constant improvement and for fostering employee engagement by involving them in the organization’s growth.

Program Design and Toolkits

After years of experience facilitating groups of students, community members, employees, and executives, we know how to ask the right question and provide the proper structure for sourcing innovative ideas from people at all levels of an organization. Many of the best ideas come from the people who come face-to-face with common problems every day. Our program designs and innovation toolkits will prime your organization to reap the benefits of bottom-up innovation.

Leadership and Culture

Beyond programs and toolkits, organizations have the power to sustain innovation by creating a culture around bottom-up innovation. Strategic shifts in leadership style, management tactics, company values, and communications can encourage an organization’s members to continually imagine and attempt new solutions, programs, and ventures. The potential for gaining and maintaining a competitive edge through innovation is already in your team, and we can show you how to unleash it.

Program Facilitation

We’ve led and contributed to dozens of venture competitions and entrepreneurship courses, and we’ve learned what it takes to bring ideas into reality. Through close collaboration with leadership teams, facilitation of program events, and group workshops with participants, we can provide the structure and guidance to take a vague concept and transform it into a concrete execution plan.

Acceleration

Oftentimes, budding innovations need intensive support in order to maximize their impact. Our team knows how to nurture a concept’s strengths, identify its weaknesses, and work with its creator to turn it into a feasible project that merits funding. Intensive acceleration is the best way make the most of bottom-up innovation, and when it comes to acceleration, we are some of the best.

Strategy for Change

Our strategies are best suited for ambitious organizations seeking to transform their industries, particularly those committed to positive social change. Our strategic plans and management tactics equip leaders with the knowledge they need to introduce innovations or “disruptions” that improve their organizations’ market positions and challenge incumbents fighting to preserve business-as-usual. If your organization is at an inflection point, or if it’s prepared to make a transformative move, we have the expertise to help you step confidently and maximize your impact. And we do this while bringing the personal touch and flexibility only boutique consulting firms can offer.

Strategic Planning

From grand strategy to brand strategy to strategies for program and investment portfolios, we know how to develop comprehensive plans that accomplish our clients’ goals. Our approach is holistic and pragmatic. We bring together our clients’ mission, the needs of the their constituencies, and the pressures of the external landscape to discover opportunities and lay out the steps for taking advantage of them.

Leadership Development

Through workshops, coaching, and focused consultation, we provide our clients with executive management training to maximize their leadership potential. We focus on developing key leadership skills to drive performance across an organization and equip it with the vision, drive, and aptitude to become a leader in its industry.

Growth and Change Management

Whether caused by internal growth or change in the external landscape, some moments in an organization’s life cycle (moments we call, “Acceleration Moments”) have the potential to radically affect its future. If managed properly, these moments can have tremendous upsides. Our team has the expertise to analyze these moments and prescribe actions that position our clients to enjoy the greatest payoffs.

Turnaround and Corrective Action

We work on behalf of our clients and their funders to turn around underperforming divisions and beneficiary organizations. Our approach combines attention to financial performance with a focus on the organization’s mission, the personnel’s morale, and the possibilities that open up through the turnaround process.

Metrics and Research

Socially minded ventures, from nonprofit organizations to government agencies and for-profit ventures, often find themselves at a loss when it comes to measuring their value and impact. Even institutions that have had long track records of providing high quality programming and support to populations in need find that they have limited capacity to demonstrate their effect on the populations they serve, often because they have not invested properly in this area of the organization. As the competition over funding and resources increases, it is imperative that organizations seeking to make a change engage in a commensurate effort to study and understand their impact.

Research and Evaluation

Our research supports organizations’ efforts to demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of their programs. Before conducting any study, we work closely with clients to identify the right outcomes to measure, understand the target audience, and explore the methods and approaches that best suit their organizational needs. We also help organizations craft messages that clearly describe how their impact supports their mission.

Data Infrastructure

Creating Data-Driven Organizations

Data is the lifeblood of an organization. However, for many organizations, decisions are still made based on anecdotes and hunches rather than empirical information. To create a culture of evidence, organizations require an effective data collection process and the proper reporting tools. Together, these must do more than just present numbers, they must provide a full picture of organizational health through KPI’s, data stories and regular reports. We guide organizations on how to create this process and provide them with the necessary training to help staff make meaning from data.

Talent Support

We spare our clients from having to rush into hiring a data scientist or research manager and possibly making a mistake. We provide guidance on what skill sets are needed, where to find the right hires, and how to set up a research shop. We also provide ongoing guidance and professional development for their staff.

Thought Leadership

We help social innovators demonstrate the value of their work to key decision makers. Our research and writing can influence policy decisions that will ultimately support your organization and the people and institutions that you serve. Possible collateral includes research briefs, white papers, blog posts and other publications that address the issues that matter to you.

Above, we’ve outlined our services in some detail. If you’re interested in working with us, please contact us to set up a consultation, and we’ll provide you with a proposal describing what we can do to meet your needs.