Introducing: Urban Innovators Global! Hello world!

And-We-Are-On! On behalf of the Urban Innovators Global community and leadership team I am extremely proud to introduce ourselves and welcome you to our webpages! UI Global has been evolving as a company and as a community ever since the beginning of 2023, keeping a low public profile. Yet now we feel ready to come out, with guns blazing!

UI Global’s mission is to help drive the betterment of our cities. To do that, we help expand the capacity of communities, cities, and regions to innovate. We carry the vision that this is needed now more than ever. Our urban habitats face unprecedented challenges and opportunities amidst an unfolding fourth Industrial Revolution while having to mitigate climate change and manage system shifts powered by digitalization and the energy transition. The time is now and, in many ways, we are collectively already late. But as an African saying goes: the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, while the second best time is now. Exactly right.

Addressing the urban challenges of our day and age requires a comprehensive approach. 1990s style consultancy models fall short. Long term engagements aimed at helping build skills, providing talent, helping build and manage innovation programs, facilitating investment, planning and assessing digital transformation strategies – that is what UI Global excels at. Yet the company also builds urban ventures. It does so in the conviction entrepreneurship tied to public agendas can solve urban challenges in ways a portfolio of services may never do. Our first startup hub is already life, with several start-ups facilitated out of our studio in Italy, launched in March 2023.

At the heart of UI global is the global community of Urban Innovators – professionals and leaders of all regions and generations, across disciplines, an amazing group. These professionals may informally of course help each other, leveraging the peer environment. Importantly, however, the community is already serving as a formidable source of talent & experts whose knowledge proves of relevance to UI Global customers and partners. The community is what allows us to build innovation programs and teams together with our customers, cities and partners. Many of the community members are formidable thought-leaders who are joining forces because it makes sense, because its needed, because everybody benefits.

We look forward to engaging with you wherever, whenever!

UI Global has been founded by Bas Boorsma (former CDO of Rotterdam, former Cisco, author of A New Digital Deal, Professor of Practice, Thunderbird School of Global Management), Raffaele Gareri (CEO of the Urban Ventures Studio in Italy, Former CDO of Rome) and Rijn Platteel (serial entrepreneur).