kyu Collective: kyu graph

Building a scalable digital community platform to connect practitioners on skills, passions and projects

kyu Collective is a global collective of strategically curated creative organizations that houses ATÖLYE, along with 21 other organizations. ATÖLYE, had the opportunity to develop a strategy on how to visualize kyu’s most valuable asset, its people. We created a living network, “kyu Graph” as kyu’s knowledge base, holding the information of 2500+ people across the globe and 1000+ projects. kyu Graph, in its beta format, let us create dynamic maps to explore connections and visualize complex relationships, uncovering insights on how we might connect and collaborate.

1000

Projects Mapped

2500

People Mapped

76

Industries Mapped

486

Skills Mapped

THE CHALLENGE

We started out on a journey to make a living map of the creative wealth that lies in the kyu Collective and its members. We needed to create a simple yet intuitive way for people, skills, clients, organizations, and projects to be mapped, searched and connected.

THE TRANSFORMATION APPROACH

We asked members of the kyu Collective: “If you could write one line of insight, advice, or encouragement to the kyu community, what would it be?”

Based on the myriad of answers we received, we strove to create a system that allowed all individuals to see themselves as part of a greater constellation of talent, for companies to see other members of the Collective and their connections to each other, and finally to led to the seeding and flourishing of new micro-communities that could spring up and connect around themes, skills, projects.

"We were immediately captivated by ATÖLYE’s network mapping tool which is the tool which we have used as the basis for the kyu OS system. This system means more to kyu than simply a mechanism for how we manage ourselves – it is a demonstration of our very culture and approach to networking."

Michael Birkin CEO kyu Collective

THE IMPACT

Since launching kyu Graph, the project has evolved into the product kyu OS, the current system used by the kyu Collective to map its network of individuals, companies, skills and projects. kyu’s belief in the unique power of individuals to drive change is now tangible and measurable.

Since its launch over 20+ new initiatives and projects have been born.

THE COMMUNITY LENS

Our goal from the beginning of this project was to map a vast creative community to make use of collective intelligence to support kyu’s purpose of “being a source of creativity which propels the economy and society forward.” Not only did we involve the kyu community as a part of the co-design of this graph, we strengthened the ties and deepened the relationships of the people within the community which has lead to tangible outcomes. Diversity is what leads to creative and innovative ideas—which is much needed in today’s world.

The diversity of the kyu community was always known; but through a system of mapping individuals in a community to passions and skills, we have been able to start new micro-communities around women empowerment, expose individuals to micro communities such as JED/DEI and Climate circles they were not aware of, work together towards joint projects with clients, and much more. We have just scratched the surface of the potential of this collective; and the kyu os system is developing day-to-day to improve our interactions to create more value in the long run.