alkemata: Progress Update and Future Prospects

As we take stock of our Alkemata project, it’s essential to reflect on our progress and envision the path ahead. Our mission is to bring together individuals with brilliant ideas who may lack the necessary resources—contacts, finances, or motivation—to turn their concepts into viable projects. We recognize a vast untapped potential of expertise within various segments of the population that cannot access the startup environment or connect with the right people to build a project.

Our focus isn’t solely on creating businesses. It could also mean forming an association, initiating a one-time project like writing a book, organizing an exhibition, or hosting an event. How often do we hear people around us say, “I’d love to do this or that, but I don’t have the time, I don’t know anyone who could help, I don’t know where to start.” We aim to develop and help realize this potential of ideas.

Phases of Development

Our approach involves several phases:

1. Raising Awareness: Our first step is to raise public awareness. We aim to spark inspiration in those with ideas who have never felt inclined to pursue them. We do this by offering diverse topics of inspiration.
2. Educating the Public: We provide education on various aspects—technical, social, etc. Our newsletters help our audience learn how to turn ideas into reality, whether in engineering, society, or politics.
3. Providing a Meeting Space: Through our forum, we offer a space where people can discuss different ideas, propose their own, and connect beyond their resumes through conversation. Starting a project often requires collaboration. However, we don’t always find ourselves in environments where we meet the right people to work together on specific ideas. This forum is an opportunity to concentrate human potential on particular ideas.
4. Highlighting Launched Projects: We support teams by showcasing their projects and providing expertise. Essentially, we act as a pre-incubator, allowing ideas and teams to mature by giving them a platform to express themselves.

Current Status and Future Steps

Our newsletters and forum are currently in the content accumulation phase. We need solid, relevant articles to attract our audience and encourage them to engage and participate. Our internal structure is taking shape, with roles and workflows assigned to improve article production and prepare for more contributors.

Our main website is currently in a hybrid form, serving as a hub for information on various projects. We are considering implementing a live discussion channel, like a Matrix chat, though we are still weighing the benefits against the moderation effort required. Regardless, this would be quick to set up.

Key Challenges

Two significant questions remain:

1. Language Management: We are focused on Europe, and to reach as many people as possible, we have chosen English. However, many visitors prefer sites in their native language, even in technical fields. We are exploring the possibility of adapting parts of our project to German and French initially.
2. Transition from Pre-incubation to Project Realization: While our discussion forum is a solid foundation for discussions and networking, once teams form and projects take shape, a dedicated structure is needed to support them. It’s not always wise to develop a full-fledged structure to manage a project without some initial trials. Therefore, it would be beneficial to offer each emerging project the tools to create a small, flexible structure (e.g., a Nextcloud with various plugins suited to the project). A containerized structure would be a flexible solution for quickly launching new projects. It can then be expanded and separated from the cloud as the project becomes more serious.

Conclusion

These are the various reflections we are following. There’s a lot of work ahead, and we welcome all willing participants. The potential is immense, and with the right support and collaboration, we can turn many ideas into tangible realities. Let’s continue to build and support a community where ideas can thrive and grow into successful projects.