SkipsoLabs

Benefits:

Having an integrated platform that has allowed us to run our open application & assessment process as well as provide an online tool to support the delivery of our tech acceleration program and build our innovation community. The personalised support throughout our platform build has been exceptional.

Drawbacks:

We've found a small number of functionality issues as we've gone through the stand-up process, however the team have taken these onboard and resolved them as quickly as possible.

In sum:

The relationships we have built up across the SkipsoLabs team has far exceeded my expectations - it goes well beyond a transactional relationship and is much more of a partnership to ensure our program needs are met. Whether its basic tech troubleshooting or bigger picture strategic discussions, the team are very willing and open to assist us build our innovation ecosystem and ensure we are optimising the use of our SkipsoLabs platform.

Benefits:

Skipso's customer service is out of this world. The platform has more features and functionality than we have been able to utilize yet, but our pilot program has been a huge success. The ability to customize features and privacy levels has been essential given our unique audience.

Drawbacks:

Expect a learning curve for admins with limited back-end technology experience.

In sum:

I cannot imagine how much longer it would have taken and how much more it would have cost to launch our ideation initiative without the Skipso Labs platform. It has been wonderful to house all of the information and processes in one place. We were even able to utilize the standalone website as part of our rebranding this year.

Benefits:

An off the self package that could be tailored to our requirements

Drawbacks:

Being an off the self product it was difficult to map some of the processes need to the system but all have been accommodated perhaps not in the immediate way

In sum:

Sharing innovations & project progress fits well with in the product and has been completed efficiently and quickly.

Benefits:

Lots of custom support from the team, allowing us to build a B2B innovation matching system for our SME customers. Lightweight interface and as-a-service provisioning make this relatively easy to manage even within the context of large, cumbersome IT departments such as ours.

Drawbacks:

We could have used more support in the design phase, to help us focus on priority features and a long-term roadmap. Instead, we tried to do too much from the start, ultimately limiting the impact and usefulness of our service. Note: this is a client-side problem, but the supplier could help mitigate it with dedicated methodologies.

In sum:

We were able to set up a new service for our customers in a relatively short time, leveraging a lot of expertise and ready-made solutions. This helped us with customer engagement as well as market positioning as innovators.

Benefits:

It is easy for companies to create profiles to promote their offerings, get feedback from experts and collaborate with potential partners. Integration with CRM platforms such as Salesforce is streamlined.

Drawbacks:

Would like more flexibility to modify the look and feel and fields.

In sum:

SkipsoLabs has been a strong partner to develop Empower Innovation, a large and growing innovation marketplace. The company is very responsive to improvement requests and suggestions.

Benefits:

The personalization of the different tenants streams. This provides great value to our customers and a good overall management for us.

Drawbacks:

The backend is not very intuitive and needs a little bit of time to learn how to use it and where to search for features or menus.

Benefits:

Both front and backend functionality in one platform including a public gallery, homepage setup, resource sharing, and information sharing on the FE and a submission portal, judging portal, payment feature on the BE.

Drawbacks:

The backend is not intuitive/user friendly. Data doesn't always seem accurate. Regularly need assistance.

In sum:

My experience with Skipso dramatically improved when [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] began working with us, she's been quick to answer any questions I have and has been very helpful with explaining how things work.

Benefits:

I did like the team spirit more than all the technology concepts/ the Team is able to listen , understand , possibly correct.. and propose. it is really a pleasure to work with this team

Drawbacks:

data management , due to the fact that the linguage between the customer and the team was not 100% the same.

In sum:

fantastic experience both and the human and technical side

Benefits:

The features available through the software are a big reason why we initially chose and continue to choose Skipso to run our challenges. The ability to match startups to mentors within the system is important to us.

Drawbacks:

There is no user manual. Since we run annually there are many users that only use the software for a short period of time each year. We have to retrain people each year.

In sum:

Overall the experience with SkipsoLabs is great. Their customer service is responsive and open.

Benefits:

SkipsoLabs' software is user friendly and includes a suite of features that fits our project requirements very well. We primarily leverage the SkipsoLabs innovation ecosystem platform for the cleantech community my firm manages. The searchable, customizable directories of both curated and user-generated content are a pleasure to work with.

Drawbacks:

My project required a number of dynamic relationships between different entities on the SkipsoLabs ecosystem platform (e.g., individual members associated with companies, companies associated with other companies, etc.), but there are some constraints around the number and type of dynamic relationships that are currently available without customization. However, the SkipsoLabs team is extremely willing to develop custom features and share improvements to their product among the client base once developed.

In sum:

Using the SkipsoLabs innovation ecosystem platform, we have been able to launch, manage, and grow a successful community around cleantech innovation in California and globally, with more than 1,700 members and 500 companies in our first year of operation. With this platform, we offer a curated selection of cleantech funding opportunities, events, company profiles, resources, and more to our community. SkipsoLabs has been a true partner along the way, tailoring their unique ecosystem solution to our needs. They are a great team to work with.