For this next edition of our Platform Coop event series we invite those among you who are currently on the verge of either founding a platform coop or already operating one to share your experiences and tap on the collective wisdom & resources when it comes to problem solving.

What are Case clinics?
Case Clinics guide a team or a group of peers through a process in which a case giver presents a case, and a group of 3-4 peers or team members help as consultants based on the principles of the U-Process and process consultation. Case Clinics allow participants to:

• Generate new ways to look at a challenge or question
• Develop new approaches for responding to the challenge or question

(Info source and more information on Theory U & case clinics here!).

Why do we need case clinics for platform coops?
Platform coops are facing a multitude of challenges, since they try to do almost everything different than a traditional business:
Building the technological platform and protocols for collaboration, coordinating and activating its members, capturing the will of its members, reaching consensus on a multitude of business decisions, enabling transparency, collective action and establishing new models of leadership.
Despite the fact that we do have a rich legacy of “traditional” coops to build on, platform coops have to find their own ways in operating their business and coordinating their members in an online world.
We therefore want to offer the opportunity to discover new peer-based models to learn and share experiences – because that’s what platform coop-people need most on a daily basis!

So, who is in already?

Claudia Henke from Rethink coop
Rethink Coop brings together refugees who want to found a company together and supports interested parties in co-creation processes. The coop networks with cooperation partners, jointly develops an accompanying educational programme on topics such as the establishment of an equal form of work (cooperative), competencies that promote collaboration, resilience, intercultural competence, etc. and scales projects so that they can also be implemented in other regions and countries. Claudia Henke, founder of Rethink Coop, will be here to talk about her experiences so far.

Jan Peter Homann from Hostsharing eG
As representative of Hostsharing eG, I want to bring Hostsharing eG as a case. We are a web hosting cooperative founded in 2000 from web professionals and coop enthusiasts to control our own digital infrastructure including our own server hardware in the data center.

After 18 years, we are quite experienced in running a web hosting coop, where both workers and customers are coop members. Hostsharing eG or its reseller members hosting several other german coops as also some coop
associations. We currently want to expand together with with other groups / coops to create and manage cooperativly the digital infrastructure for german platform coops. Any input and feedback is welcomed.

Doreen Zelmer & Anton Wundrak from dna merch

Established in 2015, dna merch is an unconventional eco-fair clothing brand specialized in custom printed t-shirts and other promotional garments for b2b customers. We also offer a collection of classic blank and various slogan shirts via our b2c online shop and selected retailers.

At the heart of our supply partner chain is a sewers cooperative from Croatia. With a fixed percentage of our net sales we support garment workers in South Asia in their fights for better working and living conditions. This way, we want to create a positive impact for both workers in the alternative and in the mainstream economy.

After two successful crowdfunding campaigns and almost three years of business experience, we are now planning to take the next step by developing an innovative web platform which ultimately shall be collectively owned and governed by every party involved in the value chain; from the producers of the raw material all the way to the people who buy the clothes.
Both co-founders will be here to talk about possible governance and organisation structures for such an organisation.

If you want to be a case giver for this Platform Coop case clinic please send us a mail to rsvp@supermarkt-berlin.net

Stay tuned for more info!