This is a pivotal moment in the life of Fairbnb.coop and for the growth of our model of social innovation applied to tourism. Notwithstanding the pandemic and the many challenges to be faced when proposing a cooperative model in the dog-eat-dog world of corporate greed and extractive economy, there are companies that believe that tourism can be a force for good, equality, development and sustainability, and join forces.

Leonardo: a key partner for social innovation

For visionary entrepreneur Tomasz Janas and his team didn’t take long to make up their mind if the Fairbnb.coop model could become a viable solution also for Poland and adjacent Eastern European countries.

Only a few weeks after the first contact, Leonardo, the company that he founded in 2005, has become a funding member of Fairbnb.coop and Tomasz himself, along with Project Manager Anna Sroka also from Leonardo, have joined the international team as worker members, with a the declared purpose:

to expand Fairbnb.coop activities in East Europe and to integrate Fairbnb.coop model in the vision of Leonardo coop startup PLZ.

Since 2005, Leonardo has successfully implemented over a dozen projects focused on social innovation in the tourism, financial and new technologies industries. Currently, the company implements projects on the following continents: Europe, APAC and Africa.

What can we expect from this partnership?

• Faster development of the Fairbnb.coop model in all East Europe.
• Integration with a thriving community of cooperators and startups in Poland through the connection with CIC – Cambridge Innovation Center via Leonardo.
• Upskill of the Fairbnb.coop team with insertion of new members with proved skills in innovative fields.

Fairbnb.coop: a path of social innovation ready to expand worldwide

At the time as we are writing, Fairbnb.coop is negotiating similar partnerships in many different parts of the world, following its mission to become a Hub for social innovation worldwide and at the same time to operate through delegated local entities that, by subscribing to the cooperative values and by funding the core coop, could apply its business model and regenerative formula in their territories, localizing it and making it compatible with the local regulations and culture. A radically different approach from the typical steamrollering, “foot in the door” scaling strategy that has dominated the first two decades of the new millennium in the digital world.

Who is Tomasz Janas

A visionary and strategist, economist interested in the issues of development, economic systems and models, the economy of innovation and the digital economy. Passionate about social/shared value and behavioral economics.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Started his professional career at the Brokerage House of Bank BPH SA and continued work for 9 years at Bank BPH SA, where he held various managerial positions for 5 years. He participated in a number of projects implemented by the bank – IT, innovations, etc.
• Next, he became the Treasurer (CFO) of one of the Polish cities, where he successfully carried out a thorough restructuring of the city’s finances, comprehensive computerization, created and was responsible for the implementation of financial policy and economic development.
• Then he moved to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, where he continued to work as a consultant in the development of a new model for constructing the Polish state budget.
• Founder and president of Leonardo Holding SA for 15 years, a venture building company. During this time, Leonardo has successfully implemented over a dozen projects in the tourism, financial and new technologies industries. Currently, the company implements projects on the following continents: Europe, APAC and Africa.

EDUCATION

• Master of Business Administration University of Illinois and Lublin University of Technology.
• Master of Economics University of Economics in Krakow Major: Finance and Banking and Major: Accounting.