Insights

"In most companies, financial metrics are the default language for decision-making on core business innovation projects," writes Noel Sobelman in the new book Innovation Portfolio Management. Unfortunately, "projecting ROI when entering brand-new territory with no history to draw on is, at best, guesswork," he says. Here's his advice.

InnoLead interviews Sun Life exec Laura Money about how she prioritizes AI projects; some of the concrete outcomes they’re seeing so far; and why Sun Life has joined other Canadian companies to form the AI Consortium.

Speakers at our recent Impact conference share advice on getting new tech across the gap from demo to deployment.

How can AI be useful in business-to-business innovation? By identifying the right problems to solve, write Ranjan Dash and Suresh Chandran.

Remember the emergence of e-commerce in the 1990s? Keep an eye on the horizon for agentic commerce, says Carol Juel, executive vice president and CEO of Synchrony Financial’s Digital Platform.

In a session at the most recent Impact conference last month, we looked at some of the reasons why it might make sense to partner with a startup rather doing everything in-house — and a few metrics and indicators that can let you know whether or not your approach is working.

If AI software is going to take over a bevy of repetitive tasks and processes, then what should organizations be doing with the time that frees up? We talk with business school prof David Schonthal.

We talk with Perdue Farms CIO Mark Booth about the company’s AI journey, including what future concerns are keeping him up at night.

R&D teams tend to understand their products with precision — but not always the people those products are designed for. Deirdre Walters explains how to address that…

When digital transformation gets stuck, the reason is rarely a lack of technology, writes Marcus East. More often, new technology is being added to organizations that still operate through outdated systems, rigid structures, and old assumptions about how work should get done.

We talk to the music retailer’s CEO and CIO about innovation and AI — and maintaining a strong connection to customers.

In this excerpt from the new book How Change Really Work, the authors caution that “take up” of change and new ideas among your colleagues is never automatic, but must be earned. Then they present five steps for earning it.

This month, Mitsubishi Electric U.S. is opening a new innovation hub in Boston. What’s the goal? We talk to two leaders…

To survive in an environment where average business model lifespans have collapsed, corporate innovators must move from unstructured ideation to the rigorous discipline of successful venture capitalists, write Ranjan Dash and Suresh Chandran

From supersonic aircraft to heavy trucks to robotic surgical assistants, this year’s Impact Awards focus on companies that are moving their industries forward. Here are the 15 finalists…

Innovation can’t exist in a culture that doesn’t allow for playfulness, says Piera Gelardi, author of the new book The Playful Way. Yet the environment in many workplaces today is shaped by plenty of non-playful dynamics. So what do you do?

Corporations are diverting resources from innovation to fund AI initiatives. What does this mean for innovation managers? The co-authors of a new book explain.

Corporations are diverting resources from innovation to fund AI initiatives. What does this mean for innovation managers? The co-authors of a new book explain.

GenAI isn’t just about creating new efficiencies, writes Itai Green in this excerpt from his new book. It’s about shifting the company’s DNA toward an innovation mindset.

Every project in a big organization projects attract layers of stakeholders, each with their own interests, fears, and mental models. In this excerpt from his new book, Misha de Sterk offers advice on managing that dynamic.

The design process as we knew it is most certainly dead, writes Todd Reily in his latest piece for InnoLead. What’s replacing it?

Because the cost of “making it real” has dropped to near zero, you can stop prototyping just the “best” idea, writes Todd Reily. Instead, you can prototype a whole portfolio of potential solutions.

Innovation at scale requires three different leadership roles, says author Linda Hill: architect, bridger, and catalyst. One is in especially high demand…

In this excerpt from their new book, Diana Joseph, Dan Toma, and Esther Gons discuss two kinds of antibodies that often emerge to attack open innovation initiatives.

We talk with Jason Gowans, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, about digital strategy and AI case studies at $6 billion Levi Strauss & Co.

Todd Reily explains why awarding badges to ideas can work better than dot voting.

“We need a new paradigm for corporate innovation,” writes Sokwoo Rhee of LG Nova. “One that actively builds and scales new businesses and ecosystems, creating self-sustaining cycles of innovation.” More inside…

OpenClaw, and its creator Peter Steinberger, have been the stars of the latest AI news cycle. Here’s the significance of Steinberger’s recent move to OpenAI.

“Good enough” ideas are a death sentence, writes Todd Reily. So how do you get truly great ideas? Not by brainstorming…

“People react in two ways to Gen AI,” writes Mohan Nair in his latest book. “One is what I call AI-afraid, and the second is AI-obsessed.” The third way is learning how to be AI-enabled.

We talk with the Chief Product Officer at Coursera about recently-launched products — and how AI is impacting the business.

We’ve all been in that meeting: The strategy is presented. The team leader looks around the room and asks if everyone is on board. And then it happens… The Bobblehead Effect. Todd Reily explains how to avoid it.

The first part of a six-part series on how the innovation process is evolving in the age of AI, by former Bose director of visioneering Todd Reilly.

The new AI platform, MetIQ, allows the insurance giant to plug in emerging technologies such as generative AI and agentic AI, to help the company scale its capabilities and serve as a force multiplier in advancing its strategies. We talk to EVP Bill Pappas.

Qmarkets helps large organizations move beyond fragmented innovation initiatives and deliver measurable business impact at scale. Built for the realities of enterprise innovation, the platform enables organizations to manage innovation end to end, from early exploration to execution and impact tracking.

From bespoke software development to decentralized innovation, experts lay out 10 things that should be on the agenda of big organizations in 2026.

We talk with the CTO of the global asset management firm about AI training, use cases, measuring return-on-investment, and more.

Tom Donaldson, Head of the Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group, discusses the company’s culture; his belief in the importance of prototyping and “silent demos”; and how the company measures innovation.

Here’s our collection of the 12 best Custom GPTs that allow you to use specific innovation-related datasets or methodologies on top of OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform.

Rana el Kaliouby talks about how she defines human-centric AI; how vibe coding is being used in large organizations; the sci-fi movie “Her”; and her biggest concerns about the AI age.

With the holiday movie-going season upon us, we assembled a list of anti-innovation quotes from notable Hollywood executives, inventors, and directors — just to show that no industry is without its nay-sayers who can rationally explain why change will never come.

Helen Riley of Google X talks about the organization’s mission; several current projects; how they deal with failure; and their efforts to systematize innovation.

One of the mainstage sessions at our recent Impact conference in Boston featured Jit Kee Chin, Chief Technology Officer at Suffolk Construction, and Gabriele Ricci, Chief Data and Technology Officer at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Here are seven key themes they discussed…

During a session at the 2025 Impact conference in Boston last month, five leaders from organizations that won Impact Awards shared how they are using artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to produce measurable business impact.

We talk with VP Tyler Smith to get his advice on driving innovation in the built environment.

SharkNinja CEO Mark Barrocas explains how he fosters innovation at the company — and how they leverage social media as part of their marketing.

Daniela Petronic, the head of AI Transformation for Adecco, discusses the company’s early AI deployments; employee training initiatives; and the five principles that guide the use of AI at Adecco.

Since its founding in 2004, Silicon Valley-based ServiceNow has been all about automating business workflows. So in the current AI era, the $11 billion company is focused on how various types of AI will support that automation. And often, ServiceNow’s own employees are “customer zero” for new offerings — early adopters for the products and services it builds.

Healthcare AI trends according to the Mayo Clinic, Oracle, UCLA Health, and a former partner at Mass General Brigham’s AI and Digital Innovation Fund.

With annual revenues of nearly $21 billion, the human resources software and services is looking to artificial intelligence to help it maintain — and build on — an already strong position in the market. We talk to the company’s Chief Product and AI Officer.

From supersonic aircraft to heavy trucks to robotic surgical assistants, this year’s Impact Awards focus on companies that are moving their industries forward. Here are the 15 finalists…

“AI may be the most powerful technology that our company has ever seen,” and other quotes from CEOs about the impact of AI.

The Ai4 2025 conference in Las Vegas was a good opportunity to take the temperature of the AI sector, including agentic AI, spatial intelligence, and AI-powered genetic engineering.

According to Anna James, Research & Operations Lead at Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, companies that qualify as “AI scalers” are approaching AI as a new kind of infrastructure that is not optional to build. Here’s our interview…

From Claude to Lovable to Windsurf, we take a look at the current market for “codegen” tools that can create software from scratch. What’s the ROI and what are the risks of using them?

The AI-based customer service agent Melli has reduced waiting time from several minutes to zero, increased the number of languages offered, and has an 85 percent approval rating from customers. Here’s what the Berlin Airport has in store for the second phase of the project.

This week, news broke that Amazon had acquired Bee, an AI wearables startup best known for a $50 wristband and companion app that records and transcribes nearly everything a user (and anyone within earshot) says. Here’s our take on what it means…

Norfolk Southern is investing in artificial intelligence to reshape how it moves freight across its 28,000-mile rail network. And one of the people driving that train is Mabby Amouie, Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Data and Analytics, who oversees the company’s AI strategy — from making use of sensor data to deploying machine learning models that optimize safety and efficiency. Here’s our in-depth interview…

We’ve been talking to the InnoLead community and scouring the web to assemble a list of the best AI events in 2025 and 2026 around the world. Here’s our list…

The world of AI agents is still evolving, but Atlassian, a collaboration software company headquartered in Sydney, Australia, has been putting agents to work for more than a year, and offering agentic AI technology to customers since April. We talk to Shihab Hamid, Head of Product for Rovo Agents at Atlassian, about what they can do.

Which corporate customers are using which AI platforms in 2025? We take a deep dive — with an assist from AI, of course.

David Lloyd, Chief AI Officer at the software company Dayforce, talks about the company’s AI Innovation Lab — and how he thinks about measuring ROI.

“Because we can move faster with AI tools, we can actually test ideas in market quite quickly,” says Evan Schnidman. “That allows for that user feedback loop to accelerate.” More from our interview inside…

Over the past year, Thierry Saint Denis, Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Chobani, led a yogurt relaunch proving less is more in innovation. Saint Denis recently spoke to InnoLead about the product relaunch and its impact on the company.

Former DreamWorks and Disney exec Jeffrey Katzenberg discussed the similarities between the arrival of AI technologies in the business world today and the arrival of computer-generated animation technologies in Hollywood in the 1990s.

We talk to GE Vernova’s Chief Corporate Officer Roger Martella about how the company is forging strategic alliances — from a $50 million partnership with MIT that fuels research and talent development to global collaborations aimed at expanding energy access and advancing decarbonization.

We talk to Entergy’s Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Andy Quick about how the company is applying AI — from predictive models that prevent power outages to generative tools that support customer service.

The co-authors of this case study realized that many of their colleagues weren’t yet comfortable implementing GenAI into their daily work. Here’s how they designed a training program to get them up to speed — quickly.

At the KPMG 2025 Boston AI Executive Accelerator, one thing became clear. Most enterprise AI programs are being evaluated with the wrong lens. Executives are chasing short-term validation when they should be designing for long-term advantage.

Dr. Walter Sun talks about bottom-up innovation, SAP’s internal GenAI hub, hackathons, and more, in our exclusive interview at SAP’s Sapphire conference in Orlando.

In this excerpt, marketing and innovation executive Tina Lambert calls the idea of an innovation funnel “very unrealistic,” and proposes an alternative — the three-year calendar.

The OnRamp program at the US Military’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) got started in 2023 as an effort to lower the barriers for non-traditional technology companies that wanted to work with the Department of Defense (DoD) — but weren’t already suppliers. We talk with Cassie Muffley, Acting Director of the OnRamp Hub Program.

“Stakeholder Whispering requires identifying your stakeholders,” writes Bill Shander. “But it is also about making sure your stakeholders identify and recognize (and prioritize) their stakeholders.” Read our exclusive excerpt…

We talked to AllianceBernstein’s Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Andrew Chin about how the firm is applying AI — from traditional machine learning to generative tools — to improve investment decisions and employee efficiency.

We examine the new report from Monitor Deloitte, which surveyed 200 transformation executives from a range of industries. Budgets are growing, but execution focus remains a challenge.

If there was a universal takeaway from this week’s Momentum AI conference in New York, it was this: AI literacy is now the new baseline for competitive advantage. Here’s our dispatch from the event…

The former Head of Business Technology at ServiceTitan, Pranav Shahi, shares his framework for evaluating new technologies, structuring startup pilots, and scaling innovation with measurable business impact. He also explores how enterprises can engage with emerging tech while maintaining commercial discipline.

As CIO of Workiva, Kim Huffman leads enterprise technology strategy with a focus on innovation, scalability, and responsible AI. In this conversation, Huffman outlines her three-pillar framework for evaluating startup partnerships, her four-part approach to AI governance, and the evolving role of the CIO as a business strategist.

Isabel Parker joined White & Case as Chief Innovation Officer in 2024. She now leads global innovation efforts at the $3.2 billion firm. We spoke with her about building a culture of innovation, integrating GenAI into legal services, and how the firm balances bold experimentation with responsible AI use.

At the Imagination in Action AI Summit held at MIT this week, there was no mistaking the mood: we’re no longer on the verge of a major transformation, we’re in the middle of it. Contributing writer Sue Liang reports…

Since launching for call center customers in 2017, cloud-based contact center optimization service Amazon Connect has been on an upward trajectory, becoming one of the fastest-growing AWS services by revenue. We talk with Pasquale DeMaio, Vice President of Amazon Connect at Amazon Web Services about integrating AI.

“We’re integrating AI into vehicles thoughtfully, prioritizing safety and customer value over technological novelty,” says GM SVP Dave Richardson. Here’s our exclusive interview…

We talk with HPE VP Sadie Bell about shifting to skills-based recruiting and training.

With 109 qualified responses, here’s survey data on how innovation and R&D professionals say about how the use of GenAI tools is impacting their work.

Experian Assistant is a GenAI-enabled tool that helps financial services companies explore Experian’s treasure trove of data, build and deploy analytical models, monitor their performance, and accelerate new product and service offerings to the market. Here’s how it came to life…

Consumers want you “to solve a problem for them, and money is the most personal thing they have,” says Satish Muthukrishnan, Chief Information, Digital and Data Officer at Ally Financial. We talk with him about the company’s mobile experience, AI, and hyper-personalization.

Just as AI is transforming human healthcare, veterinary medicine is undergoing a similar shift. Animal health company Covetrus is integrating AI into its platform to streamline workflows, enhance clinical decision-making, and improve patient care. Chief Product and Technology Officer Scot Gillespie explains…

Understanding your competition means predicting how they will react, write Stuart E. Jackson and Ilya Trakhtenberg in Predictable Winners: A Handbook for Developing, Forecasting, and Launching New Products and Services. Success requires defining your competitive set, recognizing direct and indirect competitors, and anticipating market shifts. By using competitive intelligence and wargaming, leaders can avoid underestimating rivals and overestimating their own advantages. Read our exclusive excerpt.

Defining what AI progress looks like is still a challenge, writes Sue Liang, who attended this week’s HumanX conference in Las Vegas. She discusses the vendor landscape, AI adoption, and the path forward.

You may have heard of omnichannel retail, or experiential retail. But one of the world’s biggest retailers, Arkansas-based Walmart, is now working to popularize the concept of “adaptive retail.” Tech Strategy VP Anupriya Sharma explains….

Kristen Milchanowski joined BMO Financial Group as Chief Artificial Intelligence and Data Officer at the BMO Financial Group in October 2024. We spoke with Milchanowski recently about how the firm has been leveraging AI internally, as well as its recent decision to join IBM’s Quantum Network to access quantum computing infrastructure.

With 105 qualified responses, here’s what we’re seeing from innovation and R&D professionals in March 2025. The question we asked: “Which AI tools are you consistently using as part of innovation-related activities (partnerships, scouting, product development, prototypes, experiments)?”

As the leader of ADP Ventures, Usman “Oz” Khan oversees strategic investment and innovation initiatives at one of the largest HR technology companies. Khan discusses the importance of startup partnerships, the role of AI in HR tech, and how ADP Ventures supports innovation across a large and complex enterprise. This conversation is part of our ‘Early Adopters’ series.

Curtis Michelson serves up a glossary of terms related to agentic AI, as well as a look at how the AI agent space is developing in 2025.

The ABCs of Innovation gives you a map to make innovation last beyond the three-year mark, writes Robyn Bolton in her new book, Unlocking Innovation: A Leader’s Guide for Turning Bold Ideas into Tangible Results. The three elements, Behavior, Architecture, and Culture, must be built and nurtured in tandem to avoid the all-too-familiar cycle of budget cuts and stalled progress. Read our exclusive excerpt.

We spoke with Nvidia’s Kevin Levitt in February, just after the release of the company’s latest “State of AI in Financial Services” report to learn more about where AI is headed in this key sector.

As Albertsons’ GVP of Technology and Engineering, Maria Latushkin is reshaping how one of America’s largest retailers merges in-store and online shopping. We talk with Latushkin about cultivating startup partnerships that thrive at enterprise scale, the pragmatic realities of deploying GenAI across vast workforces, and her vision for smarter, frictionless retail experiences powered by IoT and computer vision.

Used often inside Amazon, “a PRFAQ (Press Release + Frequently Asked Question) is a framework for articulating in writing an innovation, capturing the key facts, assumptions, and hypotheses for strategic decision making,” writes Marcelo Calbucci. Here’s an example…

There are three essential nutrients at the heart of thriving, intrinsic motivation, engagement, and high performance at work, writes Paula Davis in her new book. They are autonomy, belonging, and challenge. Read our exclusive excerpt.

Among those who said their organizations are moving too slow, the biggest reason for moving was “talent skill gaps,” which 46 percent cited. An overview of the January 2025 report is inside…

How to use a simplified version of a Reverse Income Statement to define and value the experiment’s key assumption(s). Includes a downloadable spreadsheet example.

Milwaukee Tool, a trusted name in construction for over a century, entered the digital space in 2015 with its One-Key line of connected tools and apps for managing, monitoring, and securing equipment. Andy Lambert, VP of Digital Product, discusses the challenges of integrating software into a hardware company, how technology is reshaping construction, and the focus on metrics that prioritize customer efficiency and safety.

“While the C-suite has been slower to engage in AI implementation,” a new report from Deloitte finds, “teams across the company are developing proofs-of-concept and driving AI adoption.” More inside…

“I find that the best way to get strong leadership support is to be the first person to welcome people to the organization, to be the first person to educate them on what innovation is, to be the first person that sees eye to eye with them on how innovation might work for them,” says David Creane. Read more from our interview…

We’ve assembled this list of the top 10 US-based companies by revenue, focusing on how they’re seeking to leverage AI and generative AI in their businesses. These use cases span both internal operational and external customer-facing initiatives. AI “agents” are emerging as a theme — but they aren’t as dominant as you might expect given the […]

“To embed daily innovation as part of our culture,” says Ashley Gambhir, “we created a mission statement: We want to have 14,000 problem solvers that relentlessly improve care while loving their jobs. We started a management system to encourage daily input by asking, ‘What ideas do you have?'” Read more from our interview…

Tthe shift toward compostable and bio-based solutions is already underway, writes Bob Meers, CEO of Better for All. Those who fail to adapt risk losing relevance and market share in an increasingly eco-conscious world. Read more…

Allegion reshaped its innovation ecosystem by emphasizing deep internal engagement—from rapid prototyping in its Pin & Tumbler studio to a part-time corporate venture structure. We speak with Robert Martens, Allegion’s chief innovation and design officer and president of Allegion Ventures, about how this approach fuels successful ventures, keeps employees invested, and aligns innovation with executive priorities.

We’ve created a chatbot interface to a portion of InnoLead’s content. You can ask it anything related to corporate innovation — and like ChatGPT, you can follow up with instructions on how you’d like it to expand upon or refine its answers.

Client needs are outpacing traditional consulting models. And the rise of AI is not just changing the tools consutants use — it’s redefining the power dynamics between consultants and their clients. Humberto Salicetti explains…

This quiz on GenAI will help you quickly self-assess your ability to be conversant with both the technical and business teams in your organization.

As Uber’s Director of Global Content for Community Operations, Hadley Ferguson has spent 12 years shaping the company’s support experience. We talk with Ferguson about leveraging GenAI to transform customer support, fostering team adoption of new technologies, and building successful partnerships with startups to meet the needs of a global enterprise.

In recent years, TD Bank has harnessed its iD8 internal innovation program to crowdsource tens of thousands of ideas—from simplifying customer transactions to improving back-end processes. We speak with Vlora Muslimi, Senior Manager and head of iD8, about how challenge-based ideation has become a game changer for the bank.

A massive 114-page study of more than 2,000 GenAI decisionmakers noted that nearly 90 percent have experienced “pilot fatigue” around testing GenAI projects, and 90 percent say legacy infrastructure has hindered the effective use of GenAI. More details inside…

As Chief People & Places Officer at Okta, Vijay Rao has guided the company through a period of explosive growth. We talk with Rao about evaluating emerging technologies, building productive relationships between startups and large organizations, and avoiding common pitfalls that can derail implementation.

The Hartford has been writing insurance policies for US businesses and consumers for more than 200 years. In 2018, the company launched an Internet of Things (IoT) Innovation Lab, focused on using technology like water and humidity sensors to collect data and detect and prevent costly losses from incidents like water leaks and pipe bursts. We talk to the two leaders…

For this piece, we collected 78 articles or reports in total across 22 industries. These ranged from the Deloitte’s annual tech trends report to Pantone’s choice of the “color of the year” to a PhocusWire post on hospitality trends. With a little assistance from AI, we surfaced the top trends for 2025.

A new research report has shown that in markets with complex ecosystems (think healthcare), the use of lean and agile methodologies may be less helpful than previously thought. 

Generative AI is about to enter its Trough of Disillusionment. Lots of exciting words from tech luminaries have been published in the past couple years, but we’re all waiting for the proof. Hugh Park Jedwill explains how to get there.

What are the best courses for someone looking to build their generative AI skills in 2025? We did the research for you, highlighting 20 courses that range from free to $25,000.

On November 18th, startup Perplexity released a shopping tool for its Pro-level subscribers called “Buy With Pro.” And a week later, they released their mobile app to make the shopping experience integrated with the camera, a feature they call “Snap to Shop.” Similar to Google’s Lens, you take a picture of a subject and then see a list of products. We try it out…

We talk to the Head of Data-Driven Innovation and Analytics at the biopharma company about leveraging new technologies like generative AI, and how his team is working to create value.

Janet Sherlock recently wrapped up seven years as Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Ralph Lauren. We spoke with her as part of our research report, Creating New Value in Large Organizations, discussing her approach to digital transformation, the role of AI in retail, and strategies for strengthening customer experience in a competitive market.

For over 25 years, Uma Meyyappan has been a technology executive working in wealth management and financial services, and she is a pragmatist: Even in the era of generative AI, she says, “Do not speak too broadly about the impact of technology in generic terms…be really grounded in a use case or a case study.” Real more inside…

The software giant SAP employs more than 100,000 people globally, and employees are able to test-drive new product ideas with customers, almost like startup founders. Head of Strategy Claus von Riegen explains how it works.

We talk with Bruno Sardinha of Travelers about leveraging new technologies, adapting to market dynamics, and building a diverse talent pool.

Shamim Mohammad is Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer at CarMax. We spoke with Mohammad about leveraging AI to deliver reliable results, successfully structuring technical teams for innovation, and more.

A new report from Slack finds that while AI investment and urgency continues, worker enthusiasm and adoption is slowing. Why?

For our latest research report, we spoke with Mastercard’s EVP and Global Head of Research and Development, Rahul Deshpande. Deshpande discussed topics like addressing cybersecurity issues, leveraging AI for fraud prevention, and exploring trends shaping the future of commerce.

Last week, the White House published a memorandum on advancing US leadership in artificial intelligence. We unpack what it means for the country — and for corporations.

Arenas, as opposed to industrial sectors, are where the biggest bets are being made in R&D and the locus of much new value creation. Here’s our summary of a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute.

Using a proven methodology creates confidence and trust among those who work with it, while also lowering the barrier of risk aversion, Gijs van Wulfen writes in a new book.

In the last three decades, operations leaders and facility managers worldwide have made significant progress in making the switch from traditionally-powered forklifts to electric. This period of change has provided useful lessons we can apply to understanding the evolution of the electric vehicle space, writes Michael Gaylen of Concentric.

A new Accenture Song report identifies five key trends for 2025 as people seek a healthier relationship with technology.

A new report from BCG finds that companies moving forward quickly with AI are seeing 50 percent greater revenue growth and 60 percent higher total shareholder returns.

Carla Guzzetti, SVP of Product Experience and Innovation at Extreme Networks, discusses how AI-driven innovation and customer-centric design are shaping the future of networking. She describes AI as a key enable of product experience and explains how her team is leveraging AI for improving workflow efficiency, addressing IT staffing shortages, and creating new customer experiences.

In the GenAI era, tech companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Runway are coming under fire for doing almost the exact same thing Google does when it “crawls” websites to allow users to find content on them.

To drive profitable growth, innovation must align with business outcomes, says Alexis Rolloff, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer at GEHA. Many programs fall into “innovation theater,” but success lies in using the right KPIs, avoiding common pitfalls, and fostering a supportive ecosystem.

Driving true digital transformation requires empowering change agents —individuals within organizations who spot opportunities for disruption and take action, even without formal authority. Read more from author Brian Solis’ new book, “Mindshift.”

Consumer Reports recently launched AskCR, an AI-powered chatbot that can answer subscribers’ questions based on the nonprofit organization’s research into a wide array of consumer products. Here’s how it was developed — and the challenges the team had to overcome.

JPMorgan Chase’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, recently threw another dagger at the work-from-home (WFH) movement, claiming that remote work stifles spontaneous idea generation and hinders innovation. But remote work doesn’t kill creativity, asserts columnist Daniel Seewald.

From drones delivering blood in Rwanda to employees driving sustainability in Brazil to doctors and nurses making healthcare more efficient in southern California, our 2024 Impact Awards focus on people and companies that are shaking things up in constructive ways.

Marketing has matured into a vital, ubiquitous corporate function essential for both profit-driven and non-profit organizations. In contrast, innovation’s path has been more erratic and misunderstood, often regarded as a sporadic activity rather than a manageable capability that can be harnessed for organizational benefit. How might we change that?

A new Technology Report from Bain says that the top AI use cases for productivity gains include software and product development, customer support, sales and marketing, and back office operations. More highlights inside…

To live up to their lofty valuations, every generative AI startup needs big bucks enterprise deals — rather than just selling $12-a-month subscriptions to consumers. This deal is about Lionsgate using generative AI for its own internal purposes, rather than letting you generate your own sequel to the “Hunger Games” or “John Wick” franchises.

We sit down with Lisa Vincent, Chief Transformation Officer at Prologis, to discuss her role in driving digital transformation. Vincent highlights how her team uses data-driven insights and AI-powered tools to stay ahead in the real estate and supply chain logistics space.

Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, which includes the company’s theme parks and cruise line, shares the principles that guide the company as it seeks to create unique in-person experiences and tell memorable stories.

Most global companies are lagging in decarbonization, with only 9 percent comprehensively reporting on Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. And, only 11 percent have reduced their emissions in line with their goals. More data inside…

The world’s first certifiable standard for innovation management systems, ISO 56001, was just published this week. Can it do the same for innovation as ISO 9001 did for quality? Early evidence shows that a shared framework and language can support building innovation capabilities, facilitate top management engagement, improve visibility and legitimacy for innovation activities, and […]

When an organization’s leadership is considering many different ideas for funding, some proposals can get stuck in the technical weeds. The authors of this piece explain how their organization conducts “Clarity Reviews” alongside technical reviews.

Unlearning could be the highest form of learning in a post-AI world, writes Terenci Mauri in his new book “The Upside of Disruption.” Read our exclusive excerpt.

We sit down with Paul Perry, VP of Innovation at BHP, as he discusses the “Think & Act Differently” (TAD) initiative. His team fosters innovation in the mining industry by partnering with external technology providers.

Maarten Sierhuis, VP and Alliance Global Director of the Nissan Advanced Technology Center – Silicon Valley gives a comprehensive overview of the center, including its history, collaborations, dual focus on pioneering research and advanced technology, and role in AI-driven automotive innovations.

If your organization is engaged in startup scouting — or considering it — what constitutes an effective approach? We sought advice recently from Adam Schink, Head of Startup Scouting at Etc., the startup and incubation arm of BT Group.

We talk to Bob Czechowicz, Senior Director of Innovation at GS1 US, about the future of AI and how his team uses cutting-edge technologies to enhance global supply chain processes, all while maintaining the high standards and reliability that their stakeholders depend on.

Valla Vakili, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Global Head of Insights and Innovation, shares how Visa’s Global Innovation Network pilots groundbreaking projects in digital payments, leveraging local insights to drive global solutions, all while aligning with Visa’s overarching mission to enhance and secure the payment ecosystem.

We wanted to share these nine observations about how the winds are shifting in the corporate innovation world. From the “death of the lab” to ISO standards, here’s what we’re seeing…

Cheri Hanes is Vice President and Head of Construction Innovation and Sustainability at AXA XL, the US commercial subsidiary of French $89 billion insurance giant AXA. We conected with her recently on the three pillars her team focuses on; progress metrics; managing the risks of new technologies; and how AXA XL is embracing AI.

We talk to Daniel Moczydlower, Embraer-X’s President and CEO and Embraer’s Head of Global Innovation Ecosystems, about how his team explores and implements pioneering projects in urban air mobility while maintaining alignment with Embraer’s core business strategy.

We talk to David Madrid, Vice President of Innovation and Ventures at AvalonBay Communities, a $2.8 billion multifamily real estate investment trust that owns nearly 300 apartment buildings and more than 90,000 apartment homes across 12 states and the District of Columbia.

We talked with Naoto Mizuguchi, NEC X CFO about the evolution of its startup accelerator program, now called Elev X! Mizuguchi describes the updated venture studio model, success stories, focus areas, and long-term goals for the program.

To help you decide on the appropriate strategies for your activities, consider the Innovation Targeting Matrix (ITM). This framework categorizes business activities into three levels: support, core, and differentiating.

We talk to Sunzay Passari, UPS’s Senior Director for Digital Innovation, about how his team carefully studies, tests, and deploys innovative technologies without slowing down the deliveries its customers — and their customers — depend upon.

In the post-Covid years, Airbus’ Acubed lab has refined its mission to focus on artificial intelligence and autonomy — how those technologies will be applied in aviation, and how they can help the parent company build competitive advantage. We talk to COO Paige Stanton Wilson about their projects and how they connect to HQ.

What should the best companies be doing in 2024 to make sure they have the right leaders in place, and the right resources and organizational structure, to make innovation a long-term priority that delivers real results? To explore these questions — and serve up some answers — we convened a group of experts.

Corporate accelerators can effectively serve as a continuous mechanism for testing assumptions, writes Felipe Negritto, allowing firms to capitalize on new external opportunities. In this piece, Negritto shares the key findings from his recent research on accelerators.

In any highly-regulated industry, well-intentioned rules can often hinder innovators from advancing great ideas. How do you overcome that? Here’s advice from an innovator at AstraZeneca.

We talk with Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, Chief Physician Executive for Community Health and Innovation at Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network, a $5 billion medical system that operates 14 hospitals and more than 200 primary- and specialty-care practices.

innosabi is one of the world‘s leading providers of software solutions for collaborative innovation and idea management. Large international corporations rely on innosabi‘s software and methodological knowledge to transform their innovation processes by enabling open collaboration with customers, employees, suppliers, and other relevant stakeholders. innosabi empowers organizations to leverage their entire ecosystem for innovation. In addition to new forms of digital, large-scale collaboration, innosabi is continuously developing innovative analytics and evaluation mechanics to make more information and additional data sources usable in corporate innovation.

Two sessions at a recent conference in Boston explored the ways that generative AI is changing — and may continue to change — innovation work inside large organizations. Here are seven key takeaways…

HYPE Innovation is the all-in-one, end-to-end agile innovation management platform, powered by people and supercharged by AI. Recognized as the Customers’ Choice 2023 by Gartner Peer Insights (that means our customers rated us #1!), we enable some of the world’s biggest brands like ExxonMobil, Toyota, Merck, BMW, Airbus, CVS Health and more to revolutionize the way they approach business transformation and growth.

Author and business school professor Ethan Mollick says that there are four questions to be discussing inside organizations right now, as they look to understand how AI will impact them — and how they can benefit.

We look at several common office productivity and collaboration tools, including Zoom, Notion, and Microsoft Office, and put their recently added GenAI enhancements through their paces.

In an exclusive conversation, we talked with Greg Lynn, co-founder & CEO Piaggio Fast Forward. He unveiled the inner workings of Piaggio’s Fast Forward (PFF) and what their plans are for the eclectic company.

edison365 delivers end-to-end business transformation; enabling global teams to strategize, innovate, and deliver their entire portfolio. It’s through edison365’s powerful tools that your business can identify and deliver ROI-driven opportunities. All in one place!

The challenge for most corporate leaders today isn’t whether or not to engage with genAI, but how best to prepare for, manage, and communicate this enterprise transformation. Here are the best resources…

We talk to the Senior Vice President of Product & Technology at retail giant Lowe’s about AI and their 2024 innovation agenda. Generative AI can create new types of experiences for customers looking for home improvement inspiration, he says.

We talked with Doug Munk, the Senior Director of New Business Ventures for Nestlé USA, about his insights about his time navigating the complexities of building and sustaining new ventures within large organizations.

We talked to Hearth & Home Technologies, manufacturer and supplier of fireplaces and stoves, about AI and innovation for our research initiative, “How AI is Influencing Corporate Innovation in 2024.”

Right now, says Ilya Vedrashko, Vice President of AI Products, the focus when it comes to creating and deploying new AI software “is on creating the solutions for Syneos [employees], and upgrading a lot of the internal processes with the solutions.” Eventually, the company may offer some of the software it develops to client companies.

How do you get your brain in shape for this new era, and understand the ways it may affect your work, and that of your team? Here are five Gen AI workouts to boost your productivity and understanding.

As robots become more capable of operating in different environments — and perhaps as they get new input about the world around them from AI and foundation models — it could be “transformative to our societies and economies,” says Matthew Johnson-Roberson of Carnegie Mellon University, as “large swath of the things we do right now could be automated.” He shared insights on the field at the recent South by Southwest conference.

At the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Luminate CEO Rob Jonas offered an overview of how music and video consumption changed in 2023. Here are 10 of the data points he shared…

A good communications strategy can be critical to demonstrating the value proposition at the enterprise level. Here are some suggested best practices.

Most everyday decisions in large organizations should be made “at the edge,” at the level of the individual contributor or team, rather than at the level of the executive. The increased speed of decision making more than justifies the additional small-scale risk, assuming boundaries are made clear. Yes, that’s a major departure from conventional corporate structures, but hear me out.

We talked to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the second busiest airport in the world, about sustainability, AI, and innovation for our research initiative, “How AI is Influencing Corporate Innovation in 2024.”

A 2024 rundown of recent notable generative AI projects, broken down by industry. Includes Volkswagen, Pfizer, Starbucks, and more…

FifthRow is an AI Venture Studio. FifthRow’s mission is to “automate Research, Discovery, Validation and Testing of new innovations by 100x” by leveraging Generative AI.

Here are five observations about what’s driving consolidation — and what it means for both software providers and software users.

The healthcare giant’s approach to new venture creation, in partnership with outside venture capital firms, got rolling in 2021. We talk with Sanjay Mistry, VP of Venture Investments and New Company Creation…

How does a Formula One racing team think about innovation? We talk with Shergul Arshad, Head of North America for the Aston Martin F1 team.

How is Amazon — the company that plunked the Alexa AI device into more than 500 million homes and offices — responding to the tsunami of generative AI offerings touched off by ChatGPT? We talk with Jay Baik, the former Head of Amazon Alexa New Business Incubation.

“Traditionally, the mistake companies have made is, finance cannot just be a back-office function,” says CFO Ravi Inukonda. “I want our team to help the rest of the company become more successful.”

Walmart’s CFO argues that innovation is now “fully embedded” in the organization. Do you buy that argument? Food and retail innovation veteran Matt Mueller doesn’t…

“Fear of the unicorn” is over. We are now in an era where companies fear — and should fear — being insufficiently intelligent about AI. InnoLead Co-Founder Scott Kirsner explains…

On January 23rd, we brought together a group of four retail industry veterans — and one retail-focused venture capitalist — to unpack the news that the world’s biggest retailer, Walmart, had decided to shut down its primary innovation group, Store No. 8. What are the important take-aways for innovators and tech leaders in retail and other industries? Includes video…

This article explores how the usage of software by innovation groups is changing in 2024. It looks at two categories — mainstream productivity applications and innovation management software — and raises questions about how generative AI will change them.

How do you set up a corporate venture capital initiative to be successful — both financially and strategically? BMW i Ventures, based in Silicon Valley, is one role model. We talk with one of the group’s managing partners.

Gen AI is a technology with the potential to transform core business processes, as well as the way organizations experiment, launch new products, and build new businesses. But many companies are still wondering where to start. Alex Slawsby and Rachel Gordon lay out seven steps.

The VP of Innovation and Strategy at Black & Veatch explains how the company’s first Gen AI Tournament came together, and shares some slides detailing its structure.

We talk with Colgate-Palmolive’s Ann Tracy about the making the recyclable tube happen; the company’s three “ambition pillars”; and how the company tracks progress toward its sustinability goals. 

Generative AI-based tools are proving useful across these applications because their capabilities align well with some of the most important skills that innovators must develop and deploy. Let’s start with five and, with a particular nod to corporate innovators, add a sixth. Alex Slawsby lays it out in this piece…

John Weiss, VP of sustainability and environmental policy at Entergy, the Fortune 500 company is chasing an ambitious sustainability goal. They’re targeting net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“I’ll give you an important definition of innovation: I think innovation is meaningful only if it improves and strengthens the business model,” says Panera chairman Niren Chaudhary. More insights from a recent talk inside…along with video.

WINS work involves manipulating and interpreting Words, Images, Numbers, and Sounds (WINS). Generative AI, the authors contend, is “a power tool for WINS work.” They provide models for thinking about your organization and industry will be impacted.

This is a excerpt from the new Corporate Buyers’ Guide to LLMs, published this week by GAI Insights. In producing the report, the analyst firm interviewed consultants and vendors, as well as chief technology officers, chief digital officers, chief innovation officers, and other company leaders at 40 prominent organizations. • • • A GenAI customer care project […]

Generative AI-based tools are going to radically reshape how corporations generate growth — whether that growth is linked to the core business, or to further-out adjacent and transformational opportunities. Here’s what that means for corporate innovators….

When he first proposed building Sharpen, McGraw Hill’s app that has been called “the TikTok for studying,” Justin Singh didn’t know whether it would play well with the company’s target audience for the product — students looking for a new way to study that was more aligned with their lifestyle. 

Many companies start “digital transformations” that meander along and get nowhere. The new book The Digital Transformation Roadmap, by Columbia Business School professor David Rogers, serves up constructive advice about building digital skills and strategies that can respond to today’s constantly-changing environment. We talk with Rogers…

With 600 buildings, nearly 20,000 employees, 25,000 students, and a fleet of vehicles, Harvard University oversees a vast amount of infrastructure. And the university is working to ensure that infrastructure ends its use of fossil fuels by 2050. We talk with Chief Sustainability Officer Heather Henriksen.

Here’s an overview of our 2023 Impact Award winners, working on everything from fusion power to a new kind of make-up applicator for people with limited motion.

Pamela Everett, Product Planning and Innovation Manager for home appliance manufacturer Electrolux, shares her thoughts on how data can help with alignment; gives insights on how staying close to a project after the handoff can yield better results, and more.

Joe Atkinson, PwC’s Chief Products & Technology Officer, explains the firm’s hybrid upskilling strategy for generative AI, and what those fearing job loss due to AI can do to help with those anxieties.

We’re excited to announce the finalists for our 2023 Impact Awards, which celebrate teams, initiatives, and individuals making a difference inside large organizations — and for their customers.

In this exclusive excerpt, Nokia’s Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting writes about what makes new technologies successful, and lays out a case for why the Metaverse will get there.

As part of our latest research report, Building a Productive Innovation Portfolio, we spoke with Weisner, Nihon Kohden Innovation Center’s President and CEO, to get his advice on engaging the necessary stakeholders for innovation activities, hear about what he calls “the negative stage gate system,” and understand how his team’s governance structure has changed over the past few years.

Adam Melonas, CEO and Founder of Chew Innovation in Boston, shares his insights on communication around innovation; working with large CPG companies; scalability of products for the largest total addressable market; and more.

Todd Dunn, VP of Enterprise Innovation for Advocate Health, dives deep on standing up an innovation program while including perspectives from other business units; what he calls the ‘love metric’; and more as part of an interview for our new research report, Building a Productive Portfolio.

Rick Paster, VP of M&A Operations & Head of the PMO at Peloton, shares insights into Peloton’s program management office, the challenges a PMO faces, and best practices to help mitigate those challenges.

“Insurance companies are one of the original, very data-centric industries,” says Debbie Brackeen, CSAA’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. Brackeen describes how they’re investing in, and deploying, AI technology.

Karen Stroup joined the $2.4 billion company in 2022 as its first Chief Digital Officer. She explains how the company is using AI to assess creditworthiness and sniff out fraud, and some of the committees involved in encouraging experimentation — with guardrails.

DraftKings, the Boston-based sports betting company, has long used AI technology in taking bets and targeting advertising to consumers. Now, the company is exploring ways to use generative AI technology for routine automation and code reviews.

The Golden State Warriors’ VP of Technology, Daniel Brusilovsky, shares insights on his team’s strategy for creating stronger fan experiences and infrastructure through technology upgrades and partnerships.

Wayfair, the online furniture retailer, has long used artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize its online marketing and the way it presents products to site visitors. CTO Fiona Tan explains how they’re researching how generative AI technologies like GPT can assist with customer service, crafting code, and more.

Chief Product Officer Ted Dworkin talks about Eventbrite’s experience with generative AI, and the company’s philosophy on rolling out new features and empowering engineers to use AI.

Klinton Bicknell, head of AI at the learning tech company Duolingo, discusses what the company has learned from both in-house AI developments and work with GPT-4.

Geoffrey Hinton, the computer scientist and cognitive psychologist sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of AI,” shares six areas of concern for society and individuals.

Cassie Kozyrkov, Chief Decision Scientist at Google, and Colin Murdoch, Chief Business Officer of Google DeepMind, each took the stage at Collision 2023 in Toronto to share thoughts on the AI revolution, give insights on responsibility with AI; and more.

As part of our Member Spotlight series, we talked with Emily Stuis, Go-to-market Innovation Agenda and Sourcing Lead at Pfizer, about her team and its remit; her advice for communicating with senior leadership; her career; and more. 

Kate Pomeroy, Head of Innovation North America for Paris-based alcohol giant Pernod Ricard, shares how her innovation team goes about creating new products for consumers quickly, while also including key stakeholders in decision-making processes.

How are you staying up-to-date on generative AI? In such a fast-moving space, it’s important to have recent data, information, and insights. InnoLead CEO Scott Kirsner provides five worthwhile reads in the gen AI space.

As part of our Member Spotlight series, we talked with Sara Kraft, Director of Innovation and Business Strategy at AstraZeneca, about her role, standing up a new innovation function, and more.

Paul Earle, co-founder of GOODLES, Big Nose Kate Whiskey, and Small Wonder, gives insights about the importance of novelty, shock, and keeping up with consumers in an ever-changing environment.

“The struggle to understand AI’s potential is causing most of us to get stuck in beginner mode,” writes Keith Hopper of Danger Fort Labs, “unable to see how the technology might be applied inside our organizations. What I needed was a better understanding of what generative AI is good at.” Here’s how he got there…

Yossi Sheffi, director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, discusses his insights on how AI could create jobs, gives use cases for AI solutions in a number of industries, and more.

As part of our member spotlight series, we caught up with Ryan Pletka, VP of Innovation at Black & Veatch, about

Joe Pace, Director of Digital Innovation at ASICS, the Japanese-based sportswear company, shares how the company has been experimenting with and validating Web3.

As part of our member spotlight series, Dan Bull, Innovation Program Lead at Rockwell Automation, shares how he transitioned from roles in sales to innovation; gives insights on his biggest learnings from innovation; and gives advice for those new to innovation.

Senior leaders from REI Co-op, Square, Clif Bar & Co., and Save the Children share the initiatives, products, and practices that have come from using purpose as a guiding principle inside their organizations.

Atif Rafiq, the Fortune 500’s first Chief Digital Officer, shares an excerpt from his upcoming book, Decision Spring: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action.

As part of our Innovation on Purpose series, sponsored by BCG BrightHouse, senior leaders from Goodwin Procter, General Motors, and more give their thoughts on how communicating about purpose with a variety of stakeholders affects its prominence in an organization.

Senior leaders from Clif Bar & Co., Square, and more weigh in on how to set up purpose inside your organization as part of our series, Innovation on Purpose, sponsored by BCG BrightHouse.

Senior leaders from Geisinger, Save the Children, Dole Sunshine, and General Motors share the challenges they have had with innovating purposefully as part of our series, Innovation on Purpose, sponsored by BCG BrightHouse.

We talk with Allison Goldberg of Comcast Ventures about how the corporate venture capital business is changing in 2023, and how her team works to connect startups to the broader organization.

As part of our recent research report, Benchmarking Innovation Impact 2023, we interviewed Ken Moore, Chief Innovation Officer of Mastercard. He offered his advice for avoiding internal turf wars; gave insights on emerging tech; and discussed the importance of customer-centricity.

Jay Topper, Chief Digital Officer of women’s clothing brand Chico’s, gives his insights on developing a digital-first mindset inside a large organization. He discusses failure, communicating with leadership, and trends for consumers and retailers to look for in 2023.

We’ve been talking to corporate leaders about their use of ChatGPT, and doing some experimenting ourselves, and put together this short guide to how to get value from it today as part of your insights, analysis, and front-end innovation work.

Tim Clark is the Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at NASCAR, the auto racing sanctioning and operating company, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. In this exclusive interview, he talks about leveraging new technologies to increase fans’ engagement with the sport.

Risa Stein, Director of Product, Integrity at Slack, shares her insights on the importance of building safer digital environments. She includes advice on building a team focused on safety and integrity; explains how that team can add value to an organization; and more.

TDK Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of TDK Corporation, a Japanese multinational conglomerate. TDK Ventures Managing DIrector Anil Achyuta talks about taking a win-win approach to CVC — and how his team connects startups it invests in to the larger organization.

Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, shares her insights on developing a strategic plan; identifying what initiatives an organization should be a leader in; and using external partnerships to bolster R&D efforts in an interview from our recent report, Benchmarking Innovation Impact.

Robert Long, Kimberly-Clark’s first-ever Chief R&D Officer, shared his insights on the importance of diversity of thought; the biggest challenges in R&D today; and external scouting in an interview for our recent benchmarking research.

Brandon Campbell, Regional Director for the Southeast U.S. for the Center on Rural Innovation, shares how he connects with the organization’s mission; discusses some recent rural innovation projects; and gives advice for getting buy-in on initiatives.

Audio and transcript from a recent conversation about aligning innovation activity with the C-suite of a company, with participants from tech, food and beverage, manufacturing, and financial services.

CTO Steve Dertien talks about how innovation happens inside PTC, a $2 billion maker of design, augmented reality, and Internet of Things software.

Mark Hanson, Vice President of Innovation at Sony, explains how the company’s new edge AI platform came to be; how it’s partnering with Microsoft and startups; and the use cases the technology allows for.

Starbucks veteran Rachel Antalek shares the five battle-tested techniques she has used for creating and maintaining alignment with C-Suite leaders.

Chris Varley, Principal of Goodyear Ventures, explains the corporate venture capital group’s strategy; the investments the group has made; and why a looming recession might be a good time to invest in startups.

Seven big trends emerged at the 2023 National Retail Federation conference in New York, from AI to expanded worker benefits to same-day delivery. Here’s our run-down…

Anish Melwani, CEO of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) North America, discusses the company’s experiments with blockchain, NFTs, diamonds, luxury trains, and cultivating the artisan talent that the company relies on. 

Highlights from a session on culture and guest experience — even in stressful situations — featuring Target CEO Brian Cornell and four of the company’s top female executives.

Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette was at the National Retail Federation’s conference to deliver an update to his peers in the retail industry. In a mainstage session, Gennette touched on the consumer mood at the start of 2023; how Macy’s has begun converting some traditional stores to a smaller Market by Macy’s model; and attracting and retaining workers.

At the National Retail Federation’s annual conference in Manhattan, Saks Off 5th CEO Paige Thomas discussed pricing strategy; its approach to trends in fashion; and new partnerships with companies like Rent the Runway.

Yvette Standberry, Senior Director, Head of Innovation at Mathematica, shares what she has been working on; how she’s shaping her organization’s definition of innovation; and the curiosity that led her to a career in innovation.

As part of our recent research report, Successful Startup Engagement and Corporate Venture Capital, we spoke with Steve Taub of JetBlue Ventures to hear his perspective on corporate venture capital, how to increase its longevity, and the talent acquisition and retention challenges that come with it.

REI Co-Op ran its first two cohorts in its new Path Ahead Ventures program in 2022. The cohorts, which include early-stage and late-stage startups, focus on helping founders of color advance in the outdoor industry. Kihanya shares the structure of the program, lessons learned, and what’s next in 2023.

Boris Pluskowski, Head of New Ventures for SVB, shares the two-pronged structure of his innovation team; shares why it’s important to build ventures in a large company; and gives his input on a new “Golden Age of Startups” that may be coming.

Navigating the startup ecosystem can be difficult. Open innovation veteran Maureen Rinkunas discussed accelerator programs, what she calls “exploration teams,” and best practices for working with startups.

H&M Group’s Chief Technology Officer, Alan Boehme, shares how the company is moving forward in creating customer experiences; addresses his thoughts on acting like a venture capitalist inside a corporation; and gives advice on creating aligned incentives.

As part of our recent research, Successful Startup Engagement and Corporate Venture Capital, we spoke with Molun Zhang, Coca-Cola’s R&D Senior Manager for Experimentation & External Technology. She gave insights on how to begin collaborating with startups; share Coca-Cola’s strategy for tracking collaborations; and explained the power behind Coca-Cola’s participation in the 100+ Accelerator.

Intel GM Thomas Neubert shares the three industries that will benefit most from the implementation of artificial intelligence and busts myths about the developing technology.

To help you plan for (and survive) challenging times, we sought advice from seven people who have guided innovation, insights, and incubation groups through difficult stretches, at companies like Starbucks, Whirlpool, Intel, and Levi Strauss & Co. What can you be doing to put yourself and your team in the best possible position? Read on…

Amol Bargaje, Global Chief Innovation Officer of law firm Mayer Brown, shares his insights on why it can be difficult to innovate in professional services; how firms differ from companies; and what his team’s metrics are.

What are the tactics that can help corporates attract the very best startups to a hackathon, accelerator, pitch competition, or open innovation challenge? We asked a group of corporate leaders who have run these kinds of programs. Here’s what they said.

We recently hosted Impact Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA, with our amazing community. Check out some of our favorite photos from the conference.

Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation and Outreach at Bayer Crop Sciences, shares how he leveraged the digital platform Halo to increase engagement with external sources, like university researchers and startups.

As part of our recent research report, “Shaping Your Strategy for Web3 and the Metaverse,” we spoke with Verizon’s Director of 5G Labs and Innovation Centers, Christian Guirnalda. In his interview, he explained how he sees the technologies playing out and how Verizon has begun dipping its toe.

Our 2022 Impact Award winners have demonstrated that innovation can deliver extraordinary outcomes, for customers and society at large. Among the winners in this year’s class: Airbnb, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, NASA, and Walmart.

Mohan Nair, CEO of Emerge, Inc. and a regular guest columnist for InnoLead, examines the parallels between his favorite childhood television shows and strategies for innovation.

Innovators often struggle to find the right metrics. In the new book Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric that Matters, the authors contend that “the most useful measure of creativity we’ve found is as follows: the number of novel ideas a person or group can generate around a given problem in a given amount of time.” […]

We spoke with John Suh, Founding Director of Hyundai’s New Horizons Studio, to hear about the development of Ultimate Mobility Vehicles; the team’s new facility in Montana; and how the team balances digital and physical prototyping.

We’re excited to announce the 16 finalists for our 2022 Impact Awards, which celebrate teams, initiatives, and individuals making a difference inside large organizations — and for their customers.

As part of our recent research initiative on Web3 and the metaverse, we spoke to Jeff Whiteside, CFO & Chief Collaboration Officer of eXp World Holdings. He shared his company’s strategy for using the Virbela metaverse for training, meetings, and work activities; shared his thoughts on blockchain; and discussed why moving the workplace to the metaverse might make sense. 

As part of our most recent research report, Shaping Your Strategy for Web3 and the Metaverse, we spoke with Panos Panay, President of the Recording Academy and the Grammys, to hear about the Academy’s partnerships in emerging technology, what stage Panay believes emerging technologies are at, and his expectations going forward. 

In February 2021, we launch our Innovation Maturity Model assessment, to help our members understand where, maturity wise, their organizations fit on a five-tier spectrum. Alex Slawsby, our Chief Growth Officer, analyzed the trends from the data we’ve captured so far to share insights on what organizations are doing well — and what they seem to be lacking. 

Personalization of products and services has become a major desire for many consumers across a variety of industries. We spoke with Ziad Sultan, VP of Personalization at Spotify, the music streaming platform famous for its customized user interface, to learn more about its personalization practices, get advice on how to integrate personalization into other organizations, and discuss his position on using new ideas in an organization. 

Prapti Jha, a Design Strategist and Researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Harsh Wardhan, an Innovation Program Lead at Google Cloud Solution Studio, spoke with us about what design thinking actually entails, how it can be valuable for innovation and design in large organizations, and misunderstandings and challenges around implementing design thinking. 

As part of our venture studios and builders initiative, Mach49 shared details of its successful collaborations with Schneider Electric, and the company’s corporate venture fund, SE Ventures. The firm has helped launch and invest in a number of companies focused on sustainability and renewable energy. 

As part of our recent research initiative on Web3 and the metaverse, we spoke to Adam Schouela of Fidelity Investments about how they’re experimenting with the two emerging technologies.

Prior to COVID, Autodesk’s Technology Centers in Boston, San Francisco, and Toronto had been inviting in artists, entrepreneurs, and makers to work on projects or new ventures, in the hopes that they could help Autodesk better understand its future customers. “The mission was really about how will things be made in the future,” says Rick Rundell. We talk about what has changed in the past two-plus years…

Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo, is releasing a new book, The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People, in October. We caught up with Porcini to talk about the book, what he calls “unicorns,” and the importance of integrating breakthrough innovation into organizations. 

Angie McKenzie was part of the team that created Starbucks’ iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte, which launched in 2003. She spoke with us to share a few key lessons she learned from the project, and discussed challenges innovators in the food and beverage industries face today. 

Djuana Stoakley is the Lead Strategic Designer at KeyString Labs. KeyString Labs is the innovation branch of Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company which delivers electricity to three million customers in the southern United States. We spoke with Stoakley as part of our IL Member Spotlight Series.

Co-Created is a venture studio headquartered in New York City, which helps corporations to create both spin-ins and spin-outs. As part of our venture studios initiative, we spoke with Ron J. Williams, Partner at Co-Created, to hear about the firm’s collaboration model, the corporations it has worked with, and more. 

Mach49 is a growth accelerator headquarted in Silicon Valley, California, that helps global corporations to build new ventures and expand their corporate venture investing capabilities. As part of our venture studios series, we spoke with Mark Simoncelli, Chief Revenue Officer with the firm, to learn more about its collaboration model, which corporations it has partnered with, and more. 

In the midst of the pandemic, residents of Cuyahoga County without access to the internet at home struggled to stay connected in an increasingly digital world. The Cuyahoga County Office of Innovation and Performance responded quickly, setting up internet hotspots across the county.

CareQuest Innovation Partners, an organization focused on oral health transformation, teamed up with MATTER, a healthcare incubation and innovation organization to create SMILE Health, a first-of-its-kind oral health accelerator. SMILE Health is focused around increasing access and equity in oral health for more positive public health outcomes. Kirill Zaydenman, VP of Innovation at CareQuest discussed the accelerator, its upcoming Demo Day, and what’s next for the five companies that have participated. 

“What I’m trying to figure out here is, how do we fuse innovation into all different areas of the agency?” says Rori DuBoff, who began as ad agency TBWAChiatDay NY’s first-ever Chief Innovation Officer in June 2022. “The idea wasn’t to come in and create this isolated little group.” More from DuBoff inside…

MIT’s InnovationHQ stands on the eastern edge of the university’s campus, amidst several on-going construction projects. On one side of the street, Google continues to expand its Cambridge office, and on the other is a building with the MIT-appropriate address of 314 Main Street. It houses a new Boeing R&D center, the MIT Press Bookstore, and the MIT Museum.

How do you create a strategy to understand the coming technology shifts — and put your company in a strong position? We’re exploring those questions in a series of video interviews with tech leaders.

Cumulus Digital Solutions, a Cambridge startup that uses software and sensors to analyze and record the quality of manual work, spun out of the Shell TechWorks innovation center in 2016. Co-founder and CEO Matthew Kleiman discussed how he and his team spun out Cumulus from Shell; why spin-outs fail so often; how Cumulus avoided that fate; and advice for startups looking to work with large corporations. 

Columnist Mohan Nair lays out the top misconceptions in corporate innovation, and supplies strategies for overcoming them. Misconception #1: “All innovation should be done through operational teams, otherwise it will be a failure.”

Our latest survey on sustainability yielded some interesting results on how organizations measure sustainability, who’s involved in setting and achieving goals, and progress made so far. This is part of our sustainability series, underwritten by our partners at Planbox. 

Michael McCathren is the Senior Principal of Enterprise Innovation at Chick-fil-A. As part of our IL Member Spotlight series, we spoke with McCathren about the various roles his team plays, growing a culture of innovation, and more.

InnoLead’s Meghan Hall spent hours exploring Roblox and Decentraland to compare the two, understand how to use them, and see who’s playing there. 

At our most recent event, we gathered several healthcare leaders to chat about the most impactful trends in the industry this year. Prashant Srivastrava of Innosight, Caroline Pepek of MassBio, and Julia Jackson of Takeda shared their thoughts. One of the most impactful trends? Consumer expectations for a customized experience. 

Matt Mueller, an innovation professional with over 15 years of experience, shares the value in measuring for what may seem intangible: the effect innovation groups have on an organization as a whole. He gives examples and tips to help discern how to measure effect in your organization. 

We spoke with Ken Moore, Chief Innovation Officer of Mastercard for insight on the evolution of Web3 and the metaverse. He gave advice for scouting and testing new technologies in large organizations and discussed how Mastercard takes a “play with a purpose” approach to new tech. 

As part of our most recent Impact conference, we put together an innovation movie night — and asked the InnoLead community to nominate their favorite movie scenes that best capture the highs and lows of the innovation process. Their suggestions came from Apollo 13, Ford Vs. Ferrari, Moneyball, and more.

We spoke with Collin Moore, Avery Dennison’s Director of Open Innovation Studio and Strategic Innovation, about how his organization scouts important new technologies, as well as how to filter out hype. This is part of our series exploring the “fourth industrial revolution.”

Jeff George is the Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Hain Celestial Group, a natural food and personal care company consisting of over fifty brands with worldwide distribution. In his role, George oversees R&D, quality, food safety, and regulation. We spoke with him as part of our IL Member Spotlight Series. 

As part of our deep dive into Web3 strategy, we’re looking a cross-section of companies that have begun using technology like NFTs, cryptocurrency wallets, and blockchain. 

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has set the goal of 75 percent of their products aligning with one or more social or environmental initiatives by the year 2030. In mid-2022, they’re halfway to that goal. We talk to Jennifer Gootman, Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, about how innovation and sustainability go hand-in-hand – and where sustainability leaders can find support.

Has your organization begun dipping a toe into the metaverse yet? As part of our deep dive into the metaverse and Web3, we’ve compiled capsule case studies of ten companies that have. The companies span a range of industries, with differing motivations behind their metaverse debuts. 

We’re witnessing the rise of the “venture studio” and the “venture builder” — new entities that seek to create startups with corporate partners or on their own. But it’s a confusing landscape. Our goal is to better detail who some of the key players are; how they interact with corporates; and what sort of ventures they’ve launched.

 

 

T.A. McCann, Managing Director at Seattle-based Pioneer Square Labs, spoke with us about how PSL’s models work, the ventures it has built, and what corporate leaders need to consider before partnering with a venture studio. 

As part of our exploration of the world of venture studios, we spoke with Alper Celen, Founding Partner at Enhance Ventures, to better understand the Dubai-based studio’s model; successful collaborations from the recent past; the funding model it uses; and more.

As part of our series exploring the landscape of venture studios, we spoke with Jordan Schlipf, Founder and CEO of Rainmaking Venture Studio UK, about the studio’s operations, partners and models. 

Lisa Rippington, Director of Revenue Operations at U+, a venture builder, shared information about the collaboration model U+ uses, corporate partnerships, and more in an interview for our series exploring the world of venture studios and venture builders.

As part of our venture studio series, we spoke with Ben Roess, who oversees marketing at High Alpha Innovation, to learn about High Alpha Innovation’s collaboration model, successful corporate partnerships, and a key question leaders should ask before partnering with a venture studio.

As part of our venture studios series, we’ll be profiling a range of the most active venture studio firms. Marcus Daniels, Founding Partner and CEO of Highline Beta, spoke about the studio’s experience working with corporations like Anheuser-Busch InBev, RBC Ventures, and more. 

Mark Karbownik is the Practice Systems Information Specialist at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, a business law firm and lobbying group headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with twenty offices across the country. In his role, Karbownik focuses on scouting innovative practices outside of the legal industry in order to bring better practices in his own organization. We spoke with him as part of our Member Spotlight series. 

Bay Bridge Ventures, founded this year, is a venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs and impactful technology companies. Kim Kolt, a General Partner at the firm, shares advice for incorporating sustainability into metrics and discusses upcoming sustainability trends.

Melanie Brucks, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School, recently studied how Zoom can negatively affect idea generation. She shares why that is, and how companies can build effective strategies for creative brainstorming. 

Chaim Haas, who helped Bloomberg get better at communicating — internally and externally — about its innovation activities, shares his top three tips.

In the new book 6Ps of Essential Innovation, author Michael McCathren outlines how organizations can build innovation capability for the long haul. That starts with the people inside the organization. So how can you reimagine the way trust and communication work inside your organization? This excerpt from McCathren’s book will help guide you. 

How much urgency is there around innovation at your company? Check the answers that describe your organization, and get an instant assessment of where you stand.

Jon Leland, Chief Strategy Office at Kickstarter, shares how sustainability became a priority inside the company and explains how buy-in from creators on the platform has advanced sustainability. 

Jim Suchara joined The Doctors Company, a $1.2 billion malpractice insurance carrier, in September 2021. We spoke with Suchara, the company’s Chief Innovation Officer, about entering a new organization to spur innovation.

Ellis Jones, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, explains how the company’s Global Sustainability Team does its work and highlights how metrics have helped move progress forward inside the organization.

ESG? Agenda 2030? Whatever language your organization is using, it’s likely you’ve set goals related to sustainability. However, there may not yet be a defined team in place, or sufficient resources. Here’s what other companies are doing.

A single slide captures three years of innovation activity at TIAA, the $40 billion financial services firm. We asked creator Howard Manzon to explain what’s on the slide; what worked; and what he might do differently in the future.

“Remember that one person’s idea is another’s cost,” writes veteran entrepreneur and executive Mohan Nair. Here are his tips on how to bring new concepts and ideas forward to leadership — even in non-traditional ways. 

Mark Thompson, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at multinational crop nutrient company Nutrien, shares how embedding sustainability into the core business and ethos of the company can create platforms for growth.

Cait Brumme is the CEO of MassChallenge, a Boston-based network that supports early-stage startups. We spoke with her about her role as CEO and the importance of prioritizing innovation at companies as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

Vehicle manufacturer Oshkosh Corp. offers a model for companies that want to understand how to set up a sustainability practice. For the third consecutive year, Oshkosh has been named to the 2021 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) and has been recognized as a Barron’s Top 100 Most Sustainable Companies. We talk to Chief Sustainability Officer Kevin Tubbs.

Effective sustainability requires multifaceted, open innovation, says Professor Ashley George. As President and Founder of the nonprofit Tech for Good, George shares three key traits that make business leaders successful at building a sustainable practice.

In an excerpt from the new book Innovation Accounting, authors Dan Toma and Esther Gons talk with DuPont’s Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer about the intricacies of measuring innovation progress.

Web3 and the metaverse are two concepts that catapulted out of the world of startups, venture capital, and cryptocurrency enthusiasts in 2021. Now, many larger companies are exploring potential use cases and developing strategy for both Web3 and the metaverse. So we’ve created a jargon-free guide to these two concepts, and how they may eventually be linked.

How do emerging technologies get evaluated, tested, and rolled out in Munich-based BMW Group? We talk to Andrew Luckow, Head of Innovation and Emerging Technologies to get the details.

The reporting structure of Materion’s six-member sustainability team was set up with the intention of embedding sustainability into company’s strategic planning, decision-making, and core operations. We talk to Jon Newton, the Cleveland company’s Global Director of Sustainability.

Learning how to do ethnographic interviews takes a lot of practice — and time. But if you are eager to learn more about what customers say vesus what they actually do, here are five tips to help you get started, from contributing columnist Matt Mueller.

A growing number of big company leaders like the idea of hiring a firm like this to help them develop that elusive “next big thing.” But it’s a confusing landscape. There are hundreds of organizations of different shapes, sizes, and capabilities that call themselves venture studios, or say that they offer venture building capabilities. We’re trying to make sense of it….

Founded in 2004, Eniva Biomass set out to create a renewable, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. It is now the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, used to generate heat and electricity. Its goal: operating as a net-zero emissions company by 2030. We talk to Kim DuBose, Director of Commerce and Sustainability.

George Dunning is Director of Innovation at Canada Post, a federally-owned Crown corporation and the primary postal service in Canada. We spoke with him about his open innovation framework, and the challenges of innovating inside a large corporation and as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

In the new book Innovation Accounting, authors Dan Toma and Esther Gons lay out nine of the common innovation myths of measuring innovation. 

AT&T is not waiting on government regulation to make its sustainability goals and reporting transparent. Shannon Carroll, AT&T’s Assistant Vice President of Global Environmental Sustainability, shares his advice for companies that want to jumpstart their sustainability efforts or enhance their existing work.

While it’s tempting to ignore skeptics, they can improve your idea if they feel included from the beginning. Innovation strategist Matt Mueller shares a techique to help shift perspectives and propel innovation foward.

“Innovation is a word that can mean everything – and nothing,” says Benjamin Stoll, Director of Strategic Alliances & Innovation at FIFA, football’s governing body. Unless, he adds, innovation activity can be tied to tangible value creation for FIFA and its constituents. We talked to Stoll in advance of this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Alvin Cho is Vice President of Product & Engineering for Digital Innovation and Transformation at Fiserv, and he oversees the company’s Developer Studio, a set of APIs and tools that make it easy to integrate Fiserv’s offerings into all sorts of new and existing products. We spoke with Cho about the objectives of the Developer Studio, how learning drives innovation, and how he’s approaching the metaverse.

One tool that tech integrator SAIC relies on as it works to develop a portfolio of new offerings is a Maturity Model. It helps the company “to rapidly discover, with minimal investment, whether something begs to be invested in — or not,” explains VP Heath Starr. Details inside. 

A recent conversation among InnoLead members spent less time on brick-and-mortar innovation labs — and more time discussing the possibilities of bringing people together for meetings and collaboration in virtual reality, and some of the training and support hassles that produces. 

Joshua Kreger is Director of Safety Innovation and Strategy at Colorado-based Pinnacol Assurance, which provides worker’s compensation insurance. We spoke with him about the software he uses, and the need for radical candor, as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

The US dairy industry is committed to achieve carbon neutrality, optimized water usage and improved water quality by 2050. To understand how these goals are put into action, InnoLead spoke to Syngenta and The Nature Conservancy about a new partnership aimed at getting farmers to adopt more sustainable practices.

“As humans, we have limitations in being able to integrate and synthesize and look at data,” says venture capitalist John Orloff, formerly Global Head of R&D at Alexion Pharmaceuticals. “I think AI and machine learning technology will allow us to make better decisions and choices, and give us new insights into how to approach certain diseases.” More from Orloff inside…

Innovation is about going fast… or so Matt Mueller thought as an innovation novice drafted onto the team at a major food brand. In this piece, Mueller shares the challenges he wished he knew about beforehand.

 The company’s SVP of Global R&D talks about getting plant-based protein to an affordable price point; how the company is moving from focus groups to in-market testing; and why the $13 billion company hires “food designers” rather than food scientists.

”You know you’re in trouble when, instead of displaying the fire within, you fear being fired,” writes Mohan Nair. In his latest column for corporate innovators, Nair offers five key insights to build an effective scaffold in any industry.

Comcast SVP Ruth Dawson lays out the trends she’s paying attention to, and the three avenues that a Comcast Labs project can travel: a hand-off to the business, a temporary hold, or a full stop. 

The privately-held company’s Chief Technology Officer, Greg Hannon, talks about metrics, AI, and healthcare as a growth industry.

The VP of Corporate Research talks about building innovation while simultaneously reinventing business models.

To shed light on how NASCAR stays connected with fans — and how it explores the potential of new technologies — we spoke with Craig Neeb, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. He says that delivering concrete results requires strong relationships with leadership, openness to the startup world, and an acute awareness of where a project’s biggest risks lie.

In early 2020, 3M decentralized its operating model to give the presidents of its four business groups more autonomy over R&D. We talk to SVP Cordell Hardy about how it started, and how it’s going. 

Claire Johnsen is Head of Innovation of Hallmark Care Homes and Savista Developments, a family-run company that operates 19 eldercare facilities in the UK. We spoke with Johnsen as part of our IL Member Spotlight series, which profiles our members.

Veteran corporate innovator Jim Euchner talks game theory, corporate antibodies, and lean startup, in advance of the publication of his new book.

Most companies hold on to longstanding myths about their business and customers that constrain new ideas and experimentation — but just aren’t true anymore. Johnsonville LLC Director of Innovation Erik Falck shares four steps to get your colleagues questioning these myths and moving past them.

The warning signs “did not appear all at once,” writes a former innovation team member in the US. Rather, “it was a slow and a gradual shift in priorities and resources over time.” Here are her recommendations for avoiding that same fate.

Just a year after opening its innovation center, Inspire Brands — owner of Arby’s, Sonic, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings — launched the first multibrand “ghost kitchen” in Atlanta. InnoLead spoke with Vans Nelson, VP of Restaurant Operations, Innovation, and Profitability, about staying ahead of tech trends in the fast food industry.

Michael Cross explains how Entergy’s KeyString Labs is set up; the need to start with concrete, near-term results; and how his team stays close to customer needs.

Rick Robinson, VP of Product and Startup Engagement at AARP, makes a case for opportunities in the growing AgeTech sector.

The fuel of an innovation pipeline is ideas. But without a good prioritization process, it’s very hard for an innovation effort to achieve any kind of successful outcomes. That’s why Eric Braun, entrepreneur and former corporate innovation exec, created this Idea Canvas. Includes download.

R&D Vice President Judi Mondelllo talks about tasting new products in a hybrid world, the company’s academic relationships, and tuning in to what Milennials and Gen Z consumers want.

Mohan Nair, a longtime Chief Innovation Officer in the healthcare sector, author, and CEO of Emerge, Inc., shares his innovator’s resolutions for 2022.

InnoLead has created tools and processes to help you clarify your organization’s needs, prioritize your desired outcomes and profile your optimal partnership. We then rely on data we continually collect from corporate leaders and vendors — as well as deep dive conversations with both — to help you make the right match.

Since 2014, the $68 billion insurer MetLife has run more 160 experiments with startups — 70 of which later developed into contractual relationships. Vice President of Innovation Terrence Luciani has created a structured process for collecting requirements from around the company, and then working with venture capital firms, accelerators, and other parties to identify relevant startups. Inside, he talks about how that process works.

Once a company is approaching $100 billion in revenue, creating substantial growth gets a lot harder. “You need to find some new areas to play in,” says Global CTO John Roese. Here’s how he does that…W

The $1.8 billion software company PTC makes software used to design physical products, and to connect them to the Internet of Things. In 2017, the Boston company created a new Reality Lab. Its leader, Valentin Heun, says, “We look at problems in the company that cannot be solved wth short-term business perspectives.” Heun talks about the lab’s objectives, metrics, and where it sits within PTC.

The CEO of the Boston-based nonprofit Power talks about customer-centricity; how it seeks to connect tech companies with visually-impaired users; and the importance of understanding the S-curve as you make the case for continued innovation.

How do you avoid winding up in the “danger zone” as an innovator inside a big company? Mona Vernon, the head of Fidelity Labs at Boston-based Fidelity Investments, says it’s all about making sure your metrics are aligned with your CEO and CFO.

Pascale Wautelet is Vice President of Global R&D for Label and Graphic Materials at Avery Dennison Corporation. We spoke with Pascale as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

iRobot Chief Technology Officer Chris Jones discusses how the company keeps tabs on important technologies emerging from academia and the startup world — and the role that “minimum viable products” play, even if they’re controlled by a Wizard of Oz in the next room.

For decades, sports teams have relied on stats to track their performance on the field. Today, a growing number of teams are using more sophisticated data and analytics software to optimize their business performance as well. That includes the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, where Charlie Shin serves as VP of Data Strategy and Analytics.

One key is to success with emerging tech is working closely with customers, says SVP of Strategy and Innovation Jason Dinger: “Sometimes, we identify hidden value where a customer sees a way to deploy a technology that we didn’t see.”

Entrepreneur and author David Rose shares his vision of the future of augmented reality. “What the web was in the 90s and what mobile was in the aughts, this is what AR will be in the next decade,” Rose says.

“There will always be new, cool, shiny things that we could bring to life in our stores,” says Heather Paquette of Retail Business Services, a subsidiary of the grocery giant Ahold Delhaize. “But we’re really here to help our brands achieve their goals by implementing new solutions that create measurable value.” Here’s how Paquette scores emerging technologies…

We spoke to Brian Tilzer, Best Buy’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, a few weeks ahead of Black Friday 2021. The starting point for our discussion was how Tilzer and his team evaluate emerging technologies that could impact Best Buy’s business. “Ninety percent of what we do is about what’s the business outcome, the customer outcome, or the employee outcome we’re trying to accomplish,” he says. More about the retailer’s strategy, and what’s changing in 2022, inside…

At a recent members-only online meeting hosted by InnoLead, members from around the world shared some of the tools they consider essential — from noise-canceling software to AI transcription services to project management platforms.

We talk to Suffolk’s Chief Data and Innovation Officer about how the Boston construction is investing in startups focused on AI, robotics, and green building technologies.

IL member Swapnil Desphande, Chief Digital Officer at the tech consultancy Thoughtworks, talks about the importance of selling ideas — and not taking failure personally.

Amanda Cashin of Illumina and Diana Joseph of the Corporate Accelerator Forum provide three key pieces of advice about how large corporations can better interact with startups.

Delta’s Managing Director of Sustainability Amelia DeLuca sits down with InnoLead to discuss electric airplanes, carbon offsets, biofuels, and communicating sustainability objectives to employees and customers.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek is looking beyond theme parks and video streaming services toward building an immersive digital “metaverse” — a kind of virtual reality environment that might enable Disney fans to take part in games and theme park-like experiences without hopping on a plane to Orlando, Anaheim, or Tokyo. 

In the new book Creativity in Talent Development, authors Donna Porter and Nancy Tennant contend that “creativity is a natural and renewable resource that exists in every person.” But how do you get people to bring their creative side to work — and knock down some of the creativity blockers that exist in most organizations? Here’s some advice from the book.

Paul Earle, Contributing Columnist As a lifelong student, teacher and practitioner of innovation, I have always been fascinated by the quest to understand how. To find signal through the noise. What does John Lennon have in common with Bach and Banksy? What behaviors do Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, and Tim Berners-Lee share? What does Magic […]

Uma Meyyappan is the Senior Vice President of Digital Innovation and New Venture Platform at LPL Financial. We spoke with Meyyappan as part of our member spotlight series.

Over the past five years, a full-scale revolution has fomented in the consumer products world. Rules are being rewritten. What up-and-coming brands are changing the game and reinvigorating the shopping experience? Contributing Columnist Paul Earle dives into the 12 brands you need to know for the future.

Jasmine Robinson, a Partner at Causeway Media Partners, talks about some of the recent investments her sports-focused venture capital firm has made, and what she sees coming next…

Here’s the complete list of winners of our 2021 Impact Awards…

The world of sports is experiencing a highlight reel of disruption — from streaming content to legalized betting to digital collectibles like the NBA’s Top Shot series. We talk with Jordan Fliegel, Managing Director of the Techstars Sports Accelerator, to understand what matters most.

The new book from Shameem Prashantham, Gorillas Can Dance,  presents examples of effective startup engagement strategies from companies like Microsoft, Unilever, BMW, and Cisco. This excerpt discusses the three types of internal corporate players who need to be on board in order to make startup collaborations successful.

Paul Konasewich is a key player at the PACCAR Silicon Valley Innovation Center, which helps the $19 billion truck maker connect to relevant startups. ”You need to get honest about whether [your startup scouting activity is about] cultural enrichment,” he says, “or actually creating new products.” More of Konasewich’s advice inside…

October is big for baseball fans and all eyes are on the SF Giants, leading the playoffs after a five-year hiatus. For Faham Zakariaei, who directs the team’s special events, the busiest part of the season means Nike partnerships, fan groups, and influencer marketing.

Jos Harrison, Global Head of Brand Experience and Design at the consumer packaged goods firm Reckitt, outlines how brands can leverage building positive relationships with the everyday consumer to grow a strong brand recognition and experience.

”From the corporate side, a lot of times, a [startup engagement] program gets started, but the people who have to do the physical work of integrating the startup’s technology view the startup as just any other vendor, and they don’t understand that it’s a three-person company,” says Ken Durand, a former emerging tech exec at Ericsson and Dover Corp. who is now running a startup accelerator on behalf of Comcast NBCUniversal. More of Durand’s advice inside…

COVID-19 has accelerated the digitization of entire industries, changing everything from where we work to how we watch sports. NHL Florida Panthers’ Chief Strategy Officer is leading the organization’s transformation with data-centered marketing and creative strategies to build a larger fan base.

Dole, one of world’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable producers, is taking action to combat food inequality, climate change, and human rights issues. Dr. Lara Ramdin, Chief Innovation Officer, and Barbara Guerpillon, Global Head of Ventures, share how they are driving the company’s sustainability initiatives through open innovation.

In its 42-year history, ESPN has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation and technology in the sports realm — from cable television to TikTok. Here’s what they’re hoping to achieve with a new virtual innovation center.

Apple and Peloton are leading the home fitness boom, leaving the largest companies in tech, retail, and apparel racing to build up their own muscles — largely through acquisitions. Here are the biggest deals made recently in wearables and home fitness.

We’re excited to announce the 18 finalists for our 2021 Impact Awards, which celebrate teams, initiatives, and individuals making a difference inside large companies — and for their customers.

“If you’re a leader expecting a technological silver bullet, a software panacea to all your business problems, without touching your people and processes,” writes Ger Perdisatt of Microsoft, “you’re going to struggle to derive value from a digital transformation program.” Here’s his advice on digital transformation, excerpted from the new book “60 Leaders on Innovation.”

Xinjin Zhao of ExxonMobil shares the top three questions he wishes startup leaders asked corporates during meetings, and other tips for successful relationships. 

Michele Sandoval, Director of Innovation at the winemaker E. & J. Gallo, says the past 18 months have been an interesting time for the wine and spirits industry, with consumers spending less time at social gatherings and in restaurants, more time at home, and unable to visit some of Gallo’s vineyards for in-person tastings of its higher-end brands. We pose five questions to Sandoval about her role and how the California company is staying ahead of recent trends in wine and spirits.

In the 24 years since Clay Christensen’s book The Innovator’s Dilemma was published, Christensen and many others uncovered a long list of reasons for why well-run companies can flounder. Despite these insights, leading companies now lose their leadership positions more quickly than ever before. The key question we must now answer is: “Why?”

Sujata Mehta, Assistant Vice President of Innovation at FM Global, shares insights on how to avoid common mistakes corporates tend to make when beginning a partnership with a startup.

Melody Jia, General Manager of Chinese retailer Suning International, shares shifts she’s seen with pandemic-era shoppers and how her team meets their needs. 

Mori, a startup focused on extending the shelf life of products, hopes to use science to reduce food waste. CEO Adam Behren shares the factors that fuel constructive corporate-startup partnerships. 

Sumitomo Chemical is one of the largest chemical companies in Japan. And in its US branch — which has a small office in California and in Cambridge, Mass. — managers have a mission: creating next-generation products through corporate venturing and collaborations. 

Elaine Chen is the Cummings Family Professor of Practice and the Director of the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University. We spoke with Chen as part of our IL Member Spotlight series, which profiles our members.

Notes Claudia Reuter, former General Manager at Techstars, sheds light on how to best marry startups and corporates, the best practices for startups looking to show their worth.

athenahealth’s Vice President of Research and Editorial Strategy shares why her team created an interactive telehealth dashboard that helps to collect and analyze consumer insights…

In 2018, BAE Systems reorganized its FAST Labs R&D division and added a Technology Scouting group. We spoke with Stephen Russell of FAST Labs to learn more about how it successfully partners with startups.

 

The Global SVP and Head of PepsioCo’s  Demand Accelerator program discussed the efficacy of the Demand Accelerator, the specific data PepsiCo uses, consumer trends in the food and beverage industry, and more.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers around the globe sought digital solutions, and patients sought at-home options for what would have been in-person visits.   Vijay Patel, Partner & Co-founder of CVS Health Ventures and Senior Director of Business Development of CVS Health Digital health and virtual care are two areas of focus for CVS Health […]

Communication is not a bad thing, writes Eric Braun of Retail Business Services, but it’s very different from conversation. Inside, Braun offers a case study along with six tips for fostering a culture of constructive conversation in your organization.

What role should design play in product and service innovation, as well as influencing overall corporate culture and process? In July 2021, we conducted a short survey to gather data and qualitative insights from corporate innovation, new product, strategy, and R&D leaders. Here’s a look at the results.

When Leigh Radford started the venture creation unit inside Proctor & Gamble, she was tasked with creating the next billion-dollar business for the personal care company. “I’m a very big believer…[in] learnings ahead of investment, and that has really treated us well to make sure we’re not over-invested in things where the learnings aren’t solidified.” More insights from Radford inside….

MGM Resorts President Atif Rafiq sat down to discuss the dangers of legacy thinking, the benefits of risk-taking in the innovation and career space, and his advice for creating a learning culture that benefits an organization. 

Innovation teams often have a vision for a better future, but making that vision a reality involves bringing others on board. Getting people at organizations to talk about change is easy. Meanwhile, effectively moving the needle can be a challenge. So, where do you get started? Coe Leta Stafford, Senior Design Director at IDEO U, […]

Leaders from the Salvation Army share lessons from the pandemic, making budget adjustments amidst a health crisis, and implementing strategy changes across an entire organization.

Michael Shaw, Vice President and Head of Experience and Innovation for the Miami Marlins, discusses projects that create a unique fan experience, and explores the future of the game in a post-COVID world.

Edwin Wong works with data to identify trends in Vox’s audience. That information can be used to identify stories that most interest readers…

Is the future of the automotive industry electric? In 2021, a growing number of automakers are betting big that the answer is “yes.” Here’s our look at what’s coming down the road next.

With 17,000 stores across Russia, X5 is the largest retailer of food and groceries in the country. Find out how the company is addressing sustainability. 

 

Jon Snoddy of Walt Disney Imagineering gave an inside look at the culture that makes his team tick and his vision for how the physical and digital worlds are converging. 

During the pandemic, sessions where engineers would sit down on-site with key customers and better understand their use cases for Leviton’s products had to change. Here’s how the lighting and wiring giant addressed that challenge.

Rick Robinson, the Vice President of Startup Engagement at AARP Innovation Labs, sat down with InnoLead as a part of our member spotlight series…

How do you teleport two years into the future, and determine what will still seem cutting edge? That was the mandate given to the Olympic Technology Group at Intel…

What mattered in innovation this week? InnoLead’s Scott Kirsner and Kaitlin Milliken join Derisk CEO Alex Slawsby to discuss. That includes some of the innovation news that you may have missed this week, and why it matters for innovators working in big organizations.   In this installment: smart tires finally hit the streets, McDonald’s launches […]

Diapers, baby wipes, and toilet paper are essential household products that millions of families can’t live without. But how can these products be reimagined after spending decades on store shelves? Justin Sparks, Global Design Director, Kimberly-Clark Design — both of packaging and the products themselves — plays a key role in keeping these decades-old staples fresh, […]

The US Tennis Association’s CMO shares storytelling tips and explains how her team stayed connected digitally with fan’s during the most recent US Open.

Nina Barjesteh breaks down the process behind building the new VRST menswear brand and shares tips on finding the right time to bring ideas to senior leadership.

In a recent interview with InnoLead, Linda Elkins, Head of W.L. Gore’s Innovation Center in Silicon Valley, shares insights on how she prioritizes innovation opportunities.

Fiona Tan, Wayfair’s Global Head of Customer and Supplier Technology, shared insights on balancing organic innovation with M&A, using data to stay agile, and more.

Audrey Smith, Director of Visual Equity and Design for Campbell’s Snacks, shares details about her design process, the power of the designer’s mindset, and more.

During a panel at the World Medical Innovation Forum, leaders from Bayer AG, Novartis Gene Therapy, and GE Healthcare shared how pandemic innovation has allowed the healthcare industry to make strides.

At InnovationX — an innovation business unit of aerospace giant Airbus — about 60 globally distributed team members operate almost entirely autonomously, according to the group’s leader Christian Lindener. Senior leaders only get involved at roadblocks.

Our new issue of Pointers gathers advice from our Strategic Partners on creating a healthy innovation portfolio.

David Dombrowski of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) considers being a translator between designers and innovators one of his main responsibilities. He shares four tips for innovators. 

Joshua Ness is a Senior Manager at Verizon 5G Labs, where he predicts how 5G will work with other technologies. We spoke with Joshua as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

Members discussed the advent of hybrid work, how startup companies have fared during the pandemic, the sudden reliance on e-commerce, and much more. See notes from the gathering…

How do you make sure your colleagues, and people outside the organization, are aware of your initiative and what you’re trying to achieve? Get from executives in pharma, financial services, transportation, and luxury goods

Has your organization racked up an innovation deficit over the past year? Check the answers that describe dynamics your organization, and get an instant assessment of where you stand.

Lesley Solomon, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses how her team utilizes partnerships to get new treatments to patients faster. 

Michael Gudas is the Director of Innovation Strategy & Operations for Liberty Mutual’s Global Risk Solutions Division. We spoke with Michael as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

Who doesn’t love a nice numbered list? In this issue of our Pointers e-book series, we serve up a collection of succinct and useful articles on topics ranging from co-creation to venture studios to innovation culture.

Nikhil Gargeya and Diana Joseph provide a framework for getting past the initial conversation into concrete action when it comes to large companies partnering with startups. 

Melanie Nuce is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at GS1 US. We sat down with Melanie as part of our IL Member Spotlight series. 

Daniela Jorge, Chief Design Officer at PayPal, shares insights on testing the Venmo credit card, getting design involved in innovation early and often, and the power of design thinking in large organizations.

Why do we trust Mr. Clean, outfitted in a white t-shirt with one hoop earring, to clean our homes, or the family of blue Charmin bears to sell us toilet paper? We speak to Procter & Gamble’s Global Design Officer Phil Duncan to learn more. 

During a recent conversation on the Clubhouse app, corporate innovators discussed weathering the COVID recession, pursuing breakthrough ideas, and corporate venture capital programs. 

Bedri Erdem, VP of R&D and Corporate Quality at Rust-Oleum, shares insights on why shelf space is such an important metric in his company, why it sometimes causes challenges within the organization, and why it makes a good rule of thumb for killing projects.

Moderna’s Chief Digital and Operational Excellence Officer shares insights on how the company’s digital infrastructure supported the design and production of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Tom Wagner is the Director of Digital Research, Knowledge Management & Market Intelligence at AstraZeneca. We spoke with Wagner as part of our IL Member Spotlight series, which profiles our members. 

2020 was a brutal year that separated a few forward-looking companies that continued to invest in innovation from the rest of the pack. From mRNA vaccines to streaming services to commercial spaceflight, here’s our list of the Top 25 Most Influential Innovators working inside big organizations.

Chandra Ramanathan, Global Head of Pharma R&D Open Innovation at Bayer, shares insights on what metrics his team measures, how he overcomes challenges in reporting…

Uwe Kirschner of Bosch Innovation Consulting shared his team’s biggest accomplishments from 2020, as well as advice he wished he knew sooner…

This past year “demanded more from all of us than anyone planned — and the digital team at U.S. Bank was at the center of it all,” says the bank’s Chief Digital Officer…

Amanda Cashin is the Global Head of the Illumina Accelerator, a startup accelerator that is dedicated to making human genome sequencing more accessible and useful. We spoke with Cashin about recent accomplishments. 

Large organizations often want to know where they stand when it comes to innovation maturity, progress, or sophistication. We divide this journey into five stages, from “ad hoc” to “optimized.” These are our definitions of each stage, along with data about how many organizations fall into each one.

Jodie Brinkerhoff’s innovation team at DFW Airport is relatively new, founded about two years ago. She shares insights on what has been working and what metrics she turns to…

At our recent Solutions Showcase, in March of 2021, nine of InnoLead’s strategic partners shared the solutions their team use to innovate with big companies.

Over the course of the past year, people have spent more time perusing the pantry for favorite snack options. But as the world begins to reopen, companies in the snack foods industry may need to tune back in to pre-pandemic trends, says Shannan Redcay of Utz.

In a recent virtual gathering for members of the InnoLead network, executives shared their approaches to budgeting and funding in 2021.

Jeremy Tole discusses his team’s biggest accomplishment and best practices for working at an outpost across the ocean from headquarters. 

Moises Noreña, VP of Innovation at Fortune Brands, shares insights on the metrics that his team uses to gauge innovation. He also discusses overcoming challenges in identifying and reporting the right metrics…

Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Gayle King are already on the Clubhouse app. Should you be? If you work inside a big organization, there are a different set of risks to weigh…

Sri Shivananda, Chief Technology Officer at PayPal, discussed how the company creates its own digital solutions, and encourages a culture that empowers innovation. 

Investors from the insurance firm AXA Next Americas and energy giant Shell shared how they’re approaching corporate venture capital in 2021.

Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo’s first-ever Chief Design Officer, offers insight on the intersections of innovation and design, methods for getting to the root of customer needs.

Slides on applying the lean startup from the former Director of Digital Innovation at a lighting manufacturer. “Lean startup is not a bible,” he writes, but “rather a recipe book…”

While the pandemic and its repercussions permeated almost every discussion at the 2021 World Economic Forum, two big themes emerged for Imran Sayeed, a regular participant in the event: sustainability and reskilling.

Because food distribution was labeled an essential business, Tyson Foods never shut down any of its plants. Right at the start of the pandemic — as early as January — Scott Spradley and his team began analyzing data to predict how infection might spread within them.

Lisa Rothstein of Drawing Out Your Genius, discusses visual thinking, the importance of communicating ideas, and how anyone can learn to draw. 

Looking to find better ways to drive innovation value? The team at InnoLead wanted to share three slides that we have been using recently as part of our Best Practices Briefings, to help you think about how well you’re aligned with your organization’s overarching strategy. Much as we “hire” drills to create holes and milkshakes […]

Rob Martens, Chief Innovation Officer at Allegion, shares his tips for engaging employees across an organization and keeping communication alive between departments. 

Bill Carr, who spent 15 years at Amazon, shares how the company has maintained an innovative culture as it grew to a trillion-dollar operation. 

It’s time to stop talking about failures, and start talking about “nearlings,” says the Belgian author and keynote speaker Cyriel Kortleven. He explains what a nearling is in a short video.

While car companies are always releasing new models, the way our vehicles get serviced has largely remained the same. But Bridgestone is working on several high-potential projects to modernize car maintenance.

Tony Parham is the Vice President of Innovation & Strategy for the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT) at Fidelity Investments. We spoke with Tony as part of our IL Member Spotlight series.

Rick Robinson, Vice President of Innovation at AARP Innovation Labs, shares why not every innovation needs to stem from novel ideas — all through the lens of Clubhouse.