When in Infonomia we started the project co-society in 2009, we were sure that the increasing complexity of the world that we live in was calling for new solutions, and most of all, was asking new questions in order to move forward to other economic and social organization models. In a period of time defied by the acceleration of change, enabled by a growing technology and a considerable continuity in industries and markets, we have already observed how the most innovative businesses and organizations are starting to develop a new collaboration system that goes beyond the open innovation. It is about the combination of the skills of businesses belonging to very different industries with the final goal of producing new products, services and processes, and with them, a new sustainable economic energy.We never had before such a unique asset: millions of people ready to get the most of the technologic repertory of the world through their personal and collective intelligence. During the last four years co-society has searched and shared actively the best global examples and also from our country. Companies belonging to apparently distant industries are asking themselves new questions and getting to develop new products and services as the result of the collaboration with someone they never thought about before. The idea of the project is clear: to prove that, besides the usefulness of the chance meetings between companies, it is possible that new common projects arise from the systematic collaboration between organizations. Moreover, we have taken the model to other countries, which are already starting their own co-societies.
This book compiles the best 50 examples of CO- businesses. Many of them emerged by chance; others are the product of the systematic exchange between companies. An adventure that is not free from difficulties, but that has taken the most adventurous and persistent individuals to multiply their know-how and to innovate radically either in their business model, in the way of dealing with their customers or in the final product or service. Even the startups had to collaborate with each other, and also with well-established companies,because the collaboration between two good ideas multiplies the result, and because of the possibility of sharing resources and expertise enhances the product. Because the combination of technologies, applications or services increase a solution’s value. The capacity to collaborate will be a decisive factor in the future perspectives of the companies. It is not an easy way, because in most cases it hasn’t been drawn yet. For this reason we want to focus on those 50 adventurers who have already taken the first steps to a future CO-.
