May 25, 2015
When we launched AlligatorZone in June 2014, we started with 3 startup founders presenting back-to-back for 20 minutes each, spread over an hour. We learned that this resulted in an experience that not as immersive as we would have liked. Kids and teens in the audience did not have a chance to reflect upon a startup founder’s words or products. What was missing was those moments of silence in the middle of the conversation that resulted in a pregnant pause, only to be broken by another brilliant insight from a young member of the audience. We decided to limit it to 2 founders being featured during each session. We often have to say we’ll take only one more question and that kind of abruptly ends the learning for the audience. That is not an ideal situation. The morning of Monday, May 11, 2015, which was also the morning of AlligatorZone, one of the two startup founders had an unexpected conflict in schedule and had to cancel. The whole idea of having two startups lined up is so that if one of them has to cancel, the show still goes on. This time we had only one startup founder presenting. It was eye-opening in that we reached a point close to the end of the hour, when the audience had run out of topics to discuss, thoughts to explore and opinions to voice. It was deeply satisfying.
Does that mean we will feature only one startup in future AlligatorZone sessions? That would be our goal, but we will continue lining up 2 startups for each session as long as possible. If, however, a startup founder cancels on us, we will make the most of it, and enjoy a fully immersive experience.
Please scroll below for a picture essay of the incredibly engaging session presented by Tony Selvaggio, founder & CEO of ScrapOnSpot.com, a business for recycling end-of-life electronics.
Laura Doyle from the Library and Tony Selvaggio helping him get set up to for displaying his laptop on the big screen. It’s the one thing that seems to be consistent in its inconsistency across libraries in every city where we hold AlligatorZone sessions — 8 cities to date. We usually ask the startup founders to come in a little before the start of the session and get set up. Parents and kids are usually busy talking with each other at that time, proving that AlligatorZone is after all a community gathering.
We had a kid in the audience introduce the startup founder.
Kids being kinesthetic, we prefer when they bring a tactile experience to AlligatorZone. Tony found a way to engage the young audience with products that his company recycles. It helped them make the mental connection with the business…. and that helped pave the way for an engaging conversation, with polls, questions and opinions.
Even the accompanying parents get polled.
Apps get tested immediately, and startup founders often get called on claims they may make.
A couple of parents obliged with being interviewed by the good folks from The Hive who kindly offered to test out video-taping a session.
As always, AlligatorZone wrapped up as an uplifting gathering of the community.
Before we called it a day, we had a chance to capture Tony Selvaggio’s thoughts in a video-interview after the session, made available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MjigiPC6BE.
Hope to see you soon at another session of AlligatorZone. Check out the running calendar at http://AlligatorZone.eventbrite.com.
Bookmark www.AlligatorZone.org, follow updates at http://www.twitter.com/alligatorzone and like us on www.facebook.com/AlligatorZone.org.
AlligatorZone is one of several impact-programs being designed at SiliconGlades. If you know of startups that would make for interesting presenters to an audience of kids, teens and families, please send your suggestion to events [at] siliconglades [dot] com, or direct-message at @siliconglades
This report was posted by a volunteer from SiliconGlades, an innovation firm that designs, among other things, hyperlocal social impact programs such as AlligatorZone. In other words, SiliconGlades designs programs that bring communities together for a common uplifting purpose, right in your neighborhood.
