Interview
Football, Love and Digitalization
Lucid.Studio in Colombia
Jan Schiele, Lucid.Studio’s Co-Founder, CEO, and Head of Strategy is currently in Colombia. After having traveled Colombia for the first time 15 years ago during a development policy scholarship, he will now spend 2 years in the Andean Republic. Few days after he arrived we interviewed him about his reasons and plans.
Jan, why Colombia?
There are several reasons for this move. As a holder of a development policy scholarship, in 2005 I supported the national »Futbol por la Paz« network at that time. In a way, I felt like an ‚ambassador’ for the 1st Street Football World Cup¹, which took place in Berlin-Kreuzberg as part of the Fifa World Cup 2006 in Germany. It was an amazing start getting to know Colombia and being involved in development cooperation.
Lucid: Ok, football paved the way to your current plans?
Yes, in a way my love for football brought me to Colombia. Because of football, I had the luck early on getting to know other regions and cities besides Bogotá and Medellín. But, it was in Bogotá where I met my wife Marcela. A few years later she joined me in Berlin, where she completed her master’s and Ph.D. studies. Meanwhile, I founded and built up Lucid.Studio during that time in Berlin, we married and started our family with two kids.
Since 2005 I have often traveled to Colombia and fell in love with the country very deeply. During these trips, I have built up a network of friends and experts in the fields of digitalization, renewable energies, sustainable social, and economic development. Given this growing network, we at Lucid.Studio have been pursuing plans to start entering the South American market for about 3 years. The fact that Marcela was hired as Director of Green Infrastructure at Fondo de Agua — Alliance Biocuenca in Colombia at the beginning of 2020 has naturally supported the decision to take the step now.
Lucid: What exactly do you have in mind for the coming years?
For us at Lucid.Studio, market development only works through a lot of research, many conversations, and networking. We are lucky that many of our clients are on-site and that we are in contact with projects like the Impact Hub in Medellín, exciting digital agencies, and philanthropic networks. It is about finding clients and partners in Colombia and the region with whom we can initiate digital projects. Plus, we want to involve our existing team and integrate Colombian experts in our global projects.
In 2020, I would like to offer Lucid’s strategic and conceptual know-how. Our experience from more than 200 digital projects, all of them largely concerned with sustainable development, will certainly be useful in Colombia and the region. Our market research suggests this.
Lucid: What are the communication and digitalization topics of interest to Lucid.Studio in the country and region?
Sure, the peace process in Colombia tackles many aspects that could be supported by the use of tailored digital tools. In this respect and with a focus on political education, I was in an exchange with experts from the Universidad Nacional in Bogotá. But beyond that, there are other issues in Colombia where we will contribute our expertise. For me, to think sustainable energy, nature conservation, social and economic development together enables us to develop very promising strategies of change. Here we can share experiences from projects in Africa. Besides, women’s human rights are an important and topical issue throughout the world, and currently very high on the agenda in societies in South America. I hope we can contribute our many years of international experience here and involve our network. I am personally interested in digitalization and nature conservation, or M&E in the agricultural sector. Here I would like to learn more, not only in Colombia but in the region.
Lucid: How would you describe the status of digitalization in Colombia?
Compared to other OECD countries, Colombia has started relatively late to enhance connectivity, increase adoption and use of digital technologies, foster digital innovation, develop skills, and a labor market for a digital economy. Furthermore, the digital divide between citizens is much bigger than in Europe.
However, since 2010, when the government adopted the first Broadband Plan, efforts have been very much intensified and investments increased. As we know from projects with the Global South, the penetration with mobile devices is very high (93% smartphone usage in Colombia) and the number of internet users is increasing (2020: 69% of the population). In short, Colombia is in the process of exploiting the social and economic potential of digitalization.
Lucid: What are the challenges?
In terms of the market, I’m not sure to what extent clients and partners have comprehensive digital strategies on their agenda. Here in Europe, it has taken a reasonable time for clients to become aware of the potential, complexity, versatility, and lifespan of ambitious digital projects, including the involvement of peer groups and all the players necessary for success. Many still find it difficult to not only see the product (»I want a website«) but also to understand the far-reaching strategic and technical dimensions of a digitalization project. I am very keen to meet thought leaders and further actors who execute digital strategies in Colombia.
Lucid: When will we see you again?
Well, I’ll follow the Berlin Monday meetings at 11 a.m. CET on the screen, but this is 4 a.m. in Colombia. Coffee’s all taken care of. Of course, I will try to keep my carbon footprint as small as possible and fly as rarely as possible across the Atlantic. But I’m not worried about cooperation over distance.
Remote working has a tradition at Lucid.Studio. Since 2013 we work with clients and partners located in other countries or even continents. Some of our clients from the US — we are working with for over 6 years now — we have never met in person. Currently, we work remotely on 2 projects located in 3 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and further clients in the US and Switzerland due to the Corona-pandemic. In the end, this is digitization: We involve civil society, businesses, development partners, and governments in the project development and operation, without the need for — still highly appreciated — face to face meetings. This is possible, because at Lucid.Studio each team member knows how to implement and guide peers through our (remote working) standards, methods, and procedures.
Lucid: A personal question: Many would think that changing continents is a major change in life. How does it feel to leave Berlin after over 20 years?
It depends on how much drama you would like to experience when you change something important in life. Cultural memory tells you that you are unlikely to see a person ever again, who is moving to another continent. At least this was the experience of most people until the 50s or even 70s? This can provoke a lot of nostalgic sentiments and fear of loss; at the same time, there’s this projection of an adventurous setting, with the heroine or hero heading out to the unknown. Ideas that are maybe nice for fiction, but in reality rather a waste of time, if you ask me.
Today for me this doesn’t feel like an adios at all. I am connected with my family, friends, and Lucid.Studio remotely and can almost anytime talk to anyone. I count on people coming over to visit, hang out and work, and if it’s really necessary to meet and embrace, dance, or discuss with each other, I’ll be there.
Footnotes:
[1] Check out streetfooballworld, the main global driver of development and football, and initiator of festival 06
Spanish version:
