Case Study: Vanderbilt University drives coffee sector innovation and sustainability with Wazoku

Vanderbilt University co-creates 13 coffee sustainability prototypes with Wazoku

Vanderbilt University's Wond’ry Innovation Center, through its Coffee Equity Lab, sought to address complex social, economic, and environmental inequities in the coffee sector. The challenge was to convene a diverse group of stakeholders, including students, faculty, and industry professionals, to collaboratively understand and innovate against these deeply interconnected problems. To power this initiative, the university turned to Wazoku and its innovation management software.

Using the Wazoku platform, the Lab ran a 12-week Coffee Equity Design Challenge that engaged 19 student teams and 30 coffee sector mentors. This program facilitated the co-creation of meaningful innovations, resulting in 13 sustainability prototypes. Overall, Wazoku helped the initiative engage over 500 participants, 80+ contributors, and professionals from 9 countries, successfully driving cross-sector collaboration and generating actionable solutions for a more sustainable coffee industry.

Vanderbilt University