2021-03-11 Hypha <> Michelle sync

When? Thurs, Mar 11 @ 6-6:45pm ET
Who’s here? patcon, michelle, dcwalk, udit
Notetakers? patcon, udit

Notes

• summary of work?
• hypha intro? individual
• michelle: wrote a thesis: Pathways to New Worker Cooperative Development: Exploring Missing Links and Opportunities in Toronto’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
  • joined teabase to work outside academic setting
  • working to convert thesis into academic writing
• dc: curious what didn’t make it into report?
• intros
  • udit: tech+design. macy sui cnnx. fromlater = other studio. hypha rn: strategic consulting. data stewardship. wg structure: part of bizdev.
  • dawn: design researcher. research lens. data stewardship project. PM work. eclectic background. tech training.
  • patcon: civic tech organizing. tech. biochemistry. consensus tech. polis.
• how did you get started?
  • dc: none of us can actually identify how it got started. toronto mesh, graduated. civictechto used as organizing space. started planning retreat in aug 2018. retreat in dec 2018. aug 2019 incorporation. ben had lots of 1:1 convos.
• how did we all come across co-ops?
  • pc: civictechto had no money. wanted maybe a bit more.
  • dc: AB. parents = dedicated MEC members. AB has wierd history of social credit. parents are members of credit branch. lots of co-op exposure.
  • uv: grew up in new dehli. dairy co-ops commons. family involved in farming. breakfast place in uni was a worker co-op. seemed really cool. MILTON STREET basement.
• financial or member growth plans?
  • pc: our growth is others growth. come from community networks. we don’t see hypha as needing to do all the growing.
  • dc: solidarity of having others becoming coops is something we’re very excited about. want to hang with other co-ops. we received that help earlier, and was touching. want to pass it on. feeling of success to do cooperation well. no need to bring all growth into our org
  • uv: +1 both. have talked about bringing in new members where makes sense. only when it makes sense. also extending skill sets that we need.
• how did we go about finding support from co-op? seems pretty international
  • pc: international talky and listeny. unrelated, did civictech visits in lots of cities.
    • did a large inventory of co-op projects all over. lists and defunct orgs.
    • did wide scan for finding accountants and bylaws and interviews, so kinda started loudly and ppl started to know we were around.
  • dc:
    • ben brought decentralized web x co-op folks
• Toronto?
  • Matt from Fourth Pig
  • CAYA
  • Reba
  • Brierwood Co-op in Ottawa
  • Moss Digital in London, ON
• pc: very eager for “peer-to-peer co-op development”. didn’t feel much interest in that from OCA.
• original sense from OCA convos was that not much interest in worker co-ops in Ontario/Toronto.
• uv: feeling LOTS of interest in co-ops. personal networks are very energized toward, esp younger and tech ppl.
  • dc: +1 and also around precarious work.
• why are co-ops not known?
  • dc: orgs and people are very used to working certain ways. hard to change
  • dc: canadian gov is actively disinterested in co-opratives
    • co-ops aren’t panacea, but form of democratization
    • ON not known for it. prairies and PQ more so.
  • uv: in Toronto, seem to be cultural stories and narratives around “what is entrepreneurship?”.
  • dc: role of co-ops in settler colonialism. canada has history of privitizing crown corps.
• sought assistance from larger banks/accountants?
  • uv: informally. convos with tech incubator ppl (my network at time). idea of starting co-op was SO foreign to them. “would make it so hard.” “not making much money.” not only no interest, but discouraged.
    • access to capital is so important
  • dc: provincial gov is a pain. don’t know much.
    • we try to favour co-operative products/services, though didn’t always choose them in the end.
  • pc: have heard and experienced credit unions as barriers. bad at innovation. really behind the norms for banking. deeply entrenched in bad status quo. ppl in co-op sector sometimes recommend traditional banks.
  • pc: Stéphanie Guico at CMC is working on SAFEs (investment vehicle) for worker co-ops. neat investment vehicle to make worker co-ops more appealing.

Next Steps

• 1h. Teabase meet/greet.
• maybe read report first: “reading club”?
• #todo:michelle invite one more person from Teabase
• #todo:michelle send presentation with speaker notes for report presentation
• #todo:hypha reading prep
• #todo:michelle send some times
• #todo:hypha join OCA? #next

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