Jan Paul Grollé

Digital transformations have been the key focal point of my work since the mid-nineties. I worked in business-to-business and scientific publishing, in roles varying from financial reporter to senior executive. In all these roles I acted as an intrapreneur, repeatedly initiating new initiatives and getting them funded, and as a result led organizational improvements, corporate incubators, and strategic partnerships. When I reached the global executive team of Elsevier Science, I experienced first-hand how innovations are managed from the top: the limitations in traditional governance practices, as well as opportunities to improve.

Now an independent coach on innovation and leadership, I apply my experience and network to help entrepreneurs, venture board members, and corporate leaders to grow their businesses and impact. I have led two accelerator programs at Rockstart, designed and delivered workshops for multiple universities, and am currently involved as coach and facilitator at THNK, ScaleUpNation, The Next Web, and Cumulus Park.

My particular focus is on collaborative innovation: what practices are effective in getting companies big and small to achieve real innovative breakthroughs together? That's why I co-founded Teeming, a professional community aiming to collect and apply best practices in collaborative innovation.