Culture at the Bottom of Startups: Reflections on Social Expectations

Abstract

This article aims to define the culture at the bottom of the development of “startup” initiatives (or the startup movement). These are initiatives for improving an organization in three different ways: asking creative groups to collaborate with larger organizations for solving specific problems; inviting creative groups (hubs) into larger institutions for searching new ideas; and setting up collective spaces for the sake of public relations. I aim to define if the promotion of startup initiatives could be adequate for faith-based institutions such as the Catholic Church. Startup hubs are growing faster in our world, due to the common perception of social discomfort in regard to the political, economic or social systems. Not every creative initiative is a startup, as these initiatives aim to improve the system from within, thanks to mutual collaboration. Therefore they require common ground and respect for the principles of the larger body. Most startup hubs refer today to technological development, but some of them aim to enhance collective expectations. Our thesis is that some startup hubs could also be set up for changing personal behaviors. Startup hubs with the scope of changing personal lifestyles could also modify cultural interactions, becoming very attractive for faith-based institutions and also for the Catholic Church.