Nexity: 113 ideas, 80 intrapreneurs, 5 incubated projects
Nex’Idea is the innovation contest open to the Nexity group’s 10 000 employees. In 2020, we designed and ran it from start to finish, fully remotely: from the call for ideas to the final before the strategy committee, followed by the incubation of the winning projects.
- ideas submitted by employees
- 113ideas submitted by employees
- intrapreneurs trained and coached, in 20 teams
- 80intrapreneurs trained and coached, in 20 teams
- finalist teams before the strategy committee
- 8finalist teams before the strategy committee
- projects incubated for 4 months in the Startup Studio
- 5projects incubated for 4 months in the Startup Studio
Drawing out ideas from an entire group.
France’s leading real estate group, Nexity has made innovation a lever for transformation, driven by a dedicated innovation and new business department. Nex’Idea is one of its pillars: a contest open to all employees to propose new businesses, services, products or methods and imagine the city of tomorrow.
In 2020, the challenge was twofold: engage as many employees as possible on 7 strategic themes set by the strategy committee, and turn the best ideas into solid projects led by motivated teams — all remotely, in the middle of the health crisis.
A digital hackathon in four key stages.
Each stage filters and strengthens the previous one: plenty of ideas at the start, complementary teams next, then projects mature enough to convince a leadership panel.
- STEP 01
Call for ideas
5 weeks
All employees are invited to post their ideas on the year’s 7 themes. A selection grid built with the innovation department then identifies the most promising ones, without taking weeks.
- STEP 02
Call for people
2 weeks
Employees apply to lead one of the selected ideas. We form 20 teams of 4, favouring motivation and diversity of profiles: 80 intrapreneurs in total.
- STEP 03
Training and acceleration
3 days, remotely
Teams learn innovation methods while moving their project forward, up to a first pitch. Eight teams are selected for the final, on the quality of the project and the team’s commitment.
- STEP 04
Final and incubation
Before the strategy committee
Finalists present their project to the panel. Five winning projects join the group’s Startup Studio for four months of incubation. We wrap up with an impact assessment and recommendations for what comes next.
Keeping the momentum, even remotely.
Weekly inspiration
13 videos popularising innovation, released every Monday, then unpacked on Friday in a webinar with volunteers.
An in-game currency
Nexi’Coins rewarded team diversity, attendance and talent during training, and could be exchanged for coaching.
Coaching on demand
Pitch, business model, logo, last-minute slides: teams chose the support they needed before the final.
An eye on the future
A closing foresight workshop turned the contest’s ideas into future scenarios for the real estate market, handed to leadership.
Ideas that became incubated projects.
In a few months, the contest gathered 113 ideas, trained 80 employees in innovation methods and took five projects all the way to incubation within the group.
Beyond the winners, Nex’Idea spread an innovation culture well beyond the participants, thanks to the weekly session open to every volunteer.
- Ideas from the field, aligned with the strategy committee’s priorities
- Cross-functional teams trained in innovation methods
- Five incubated projects, ready to be tested
- An impact assessment and recommendations for future editions
An innovation contest for your organisation?
Hackathon, call for ideas or intrapreneurship programme: we design the scheme, then train and coach the teams all the way to the panel.
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