Consultation & Innovation with Future Lab
Exclusive Interview
Future Laboratory, is a newly founded consultancy company with an ambition to transform Georgian business innovatively and support it by creating new innovative business models to enable companies to meet challenges as they arise.
GEORGIA TODAY talked to Irakli Kashibadze, Future Laboratory’s founder and CEO, to find out more about his new venture and what the innovative consultancy his company proposes is all about.
Tell us about the Future Laboratory. How did you come up with the idea?
The idea for Future Laboratory came after the process of analysing one of the apparent problems which exists both on the Georgian market and in the region. The world is developing at an ever-increasing speed. There are companies and startups emerging that, with their innovations and novelties, are pushing the powerful companies off the market in a very short period of time. This tendency has reached Georgia already. Although it may not be seen by many, Facebook and Youtube are the most visible examples of how the advertising revenues have been taken away from Georgian TV or Radio stations, and how print publications are vanishing. Think about AirBnB, a global site competing with hotels, or about Taxify or Yandex Taxi, that operate on the UBER principle. The world is changing, but in Georgia and in the region, business representatives often think that their business models will last forever, which is not the case. Alternatively, many companies have technical challenges that can be solved through innovation and that’s exactly how the idea of creating Future Laboratory, a consultancy company, was born. We are here to help Georgian and Regional businesses, universities and governments make an innovative transformation, change their business models and potentially answer the challenges they face. Our company also assists businesses in optimization and development through innovations, enabling them to save on resources with the help of scientific inventions and expertise. I think the most important thing we have is very competitive knowledge and experience. I personally have 19 years’ experience working in the technologies and innovation field. Future Laboratory is the first company of innovation consulting which ensures support in the process of digital transformation for companies, universities and even governments.
What is the concept and how does it work?
Firstly, we conduct innovation audits. An innovation audit brings the existing “blind spots” to life and also shows the development potential the companies have. On the basis of the first audit, we then move to either optimization and development through innovations in the company, or to assisting them establish new directions.
What do you offer customers and what are the areas that Future Laboratory covers?
Right now, we’re actively working in the banking, agriculture spheres and production. Our company also works in the area of innovation ecosystem development: these are international projects. We’ve been successfully collaborating with the Government of Moldova, assisting in the construction of three technologocal parks and their innovation ecosystem development.
What makes Future Laboratory stand out?
It’s about the human expertise and practical experience we’ve gained. We created the Georgian Inovation and Technology Agency (GITA) from zero; we’ve built two techno parks and nearly 10 innovation laboratories; we’ve launched the programs Startup Georgia and Startup Friendly; and, of course, we have important international contacts. Secondly, it’s in the methodologies we apply for the innovative transformation of the companies. It’s also in our aspiration to be a successful global company able to compete with famous international brands. We’re constantly developing and our structure is developing, as are the processes enabling us to meet world challenges.
Was it difficult to start? What makes Future Laboratory competitive on the market?
Of course, from the very beginning, our company was a startup with no analogue on the Georgian or regional market and it was difficult to develop through traditional approaches. We were functioning as a startup but we corrected at each and every step on the way: today we can see an increasing demand on our services.
The speed with which we work gives us an advantage on both local and regional markets.
Which of the past or current projects would you highlight as a success?
Alongside consulting, we’ve added new directions: innovative infrastructure management and an education (Future Specialities) dimension. In terms of innovation infrastructure management, we’ve already launched the innovation center ‘Startup Factory’ at the University of Georgia, and are managing it now. Also, we founded the Technology Transfer Center. Each of these projects have very interesting projects within them. In the education sphere, we’re collaborating with Buckswood School in Tbilisi, making future lab’s where children can learn professions of the future. In terms of consulting, we’ve been successfully collaborating with the biotechnology sector, assisting a Georgian company to create a business model for a new product and others. In Moldova, a Techno Park is being built based on the Georgian concept and it’s great to know that Georgian knowledge and experience has spread to another country.
What are your future plans for the development of Future Lab?
We’re still a startup, so our goal is to create many successful cases seeing us helping companies to the fore by implementing innovations. Establishing new and improved products, services and business models is the only way forward for companies, for universities and even for governments to develop.
Nino Gugunishvili