So SSE attended the launch of the Hub’s new building in King’s Cross last night, which was great. As you can see from the website photos, the building’s a really beautiful open space (from floor to ceiling), and has a great vibe to it. It’s intended to be different from the first Hub: less hot-desking / shared office, and more event, bar, cafe, meetings type of space. And, arguably, more aspirational and ambitious in feel.

Which fitted well with founder Jonathan Robinson’s address, which focused on the possibilities for social innovation, social business and social entrepreneurship that are opening up as a result of what he called "system failure" in the commercial world. I’m a born cynic to Jonathan’s idealist, but it was inspiring to hear him speak with such passion and purpose. Particularly, as I remember working with him in the pre-Hub days, and remember visiting it when the floor was being sanded down……to see the development since then is amazing, and I know that SSE will be keen to use the space, informally and formally. And the next Hub, and the one after that. Indeed, I may be heading out to Canada soon, and intend to meet up with the people from the Toronto version (the Center for Social Innovation, aka CSI).

A big congratulations to Jonathan and his team, and a big hello to all those I was chatting to last night (including Nick Aldridge, whose name label ingeniously just read ‘CEO’: there’s a man unafraid of responsibility above and beyond MissionFish; Richard (Alderson) and Pooja, who run UnLtd India and Careershifters; Alex Bellinger from SmallBizPod; Jason and Dave from SE2; Ceri from SEC et al).