Co-founder
Dr. Robert Krim is a Framingham State University Associate Professor in the Department of Business, where he teaches Entrepreneurship and Innovation. As an entrepreneur, he started and led two companies. He spent more than a decade (1997-2010) founding and leading the Boston History and Innovation Collaborative, a Boston-based research partnership.
The "Bump and Connect"
At the Collaborative, Dr. Krim headed the decade-long research project Innovate Boston, which found that the five main drivers that have led Eastern Massachusetts to be one of the most innovative regions in the world for over four centuries are: Entrepreneurship, Networking, Local Demand, Local Funding, and National/Global Demand. His “Bump and Connect” phrase for the interaction of entrepreneurs which drives innovation (4 of the 5 drivers) has become quite popular in explaining innovation.
Director
Christy Garcia is the Director of Entrepreneur Innovation Center (EIC) at the Framingham State University where she works directly with local entrepreneurs and FSU business faculty and students.
Garcia is a business executive with more than 20 years of experience, including 15 years dedicated to Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. Most recently she was the founder of the Catalyze Innovations Initiative, where she spearheaded the launch of several Innovation Bootcamp programs, including a BIPOC Entrepreneurship program, training and mentoring more than 100 entrepreneurs in applying disruptive innovation to achieve business prosperity, social-economic growth, and inclusion.
Author of two Brazilian reference books for companies that want to innovate. Christy has already supported more than 200 companies in Brazil and abroad. She has participated in the 2020 Fellowship Program at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, with mentoring of Efosa Ojomo. She is a great disseminator of Prof. Christensen's theories of innovation, especially those related to the vision of creating new markets with the potential to generate lasting prosperity.
Favorite quote: "We do not have all the answer to the struggles in our world. But we do know that one rarely finds what one is not looking for." Clayton Christensen