Innovation Storytellers

In a highly competitive world, corporates have to stay relevant to their market. But with rigid internal structures that leave little room for creativity or risk-taking, corporates are often left behind when it comes to innovation, which, in the long term, can harm their business.

So, what can they do to innovate?

In this episode, Diana Joseph, Founder and CEO of Corporate Accelerator Forum, discusses how partnering with startups can help corporates access more creative freedom and flexibility, and how startups and corporates can work together to reach collective innovation goals.

She also touches on the dynamics of corporate-startup relationships, and how it differs from the Y Combinator Model.

In this episode of Innovation Storytellers, David Rose, Author of Enchanted Objects and SuperSight and CTO at Home Outside, talks about the possible applications of VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) in our everyday lives, and how they might be used to predict any long-term consequences of our short-term decisions, as well as solve large scale problems, such as climate change.

David also shares his thoughts on the metaverse, and how storytelling will work with VR and AR technologies.

Running out of good ideas is probably one of the most frustrating things for an innovator. After all, our job is all about bringing new and exciting things to the table. So how do we get out of a creative block and generate new ideas for innovation?

For Greg Ratcliff, Chief Innovation Officer at Vertiv, the key lies in diversity. When we collaborate with people from different backgrounds and expertise, that's when innovation happens.

In this episode of Innovation Storytellers, Greg talks about how mergers and acquisitions help companies innovate and how to manage the communication and cultural differences between companies who are in these types of relationships.

He also talks about how they scout for innovative ideas at Vertiv and how companies can cultivate a resilience to failure.

In this episode of Innovation Storytellers, I’m joined by Peter Temes, Founder and President of ILO Institute, and the “Godfather” of innovation.

Peter talks about the process of innovation, from the moment a leader steps into an organization, to launching transformative products that leverage compelling stories.

He also talks about the characteristics and mindsets that define great innovation leaders, and whether it’s possible to innovate without constraints. Listen in now, and be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed this episode!

Today’s episode features one of Tesla’s top materials experts, Michael Pilliod, who runs the glass division. We’ll explore how a globally watched “failure” became a learning experience that would change everything. He even brought the steel snowball to the show [watch the YouTube broadcast of the podcast] as a lasting memento of that moment. Some are wondering, “How does this guy still have a job?” Would you survive that public misstep? 

We explore how the culture of Tesla allows for very public triumphs and defeats and urges innovators to keep going. Mike’s background as a Product Designer at Apple through the age of the iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch as well as an Engineer at GE prepared Michael for that moment, and the ongoing successes that follow. 

How do you stay at the cutting edge of innovation as a 169 year old company? Marty Curran and Anis Fadul have been inventing and reinventing innovation at Corning for 30 years. One of their amazing stories lies in the motto that hangs in the Innovation Center at Corning, “Not In Our House.” That means that Corning will not be disrupted by anyone other than their own innovation team.

In this episode, you’ll not only hear the stories behind how glass is fighting disease, empowering Tesla and becoming a leader in sustainability, but also how innovations from 90 years ago are still yielding new fruit for Marty and his team, and all of us.

What a journey 2021 was!

In this episode of Innovation Storytellers, we highlight some of the best lessons I’ve learned about innovation and storytelling in the past year, and talk about the stories of resilience, community, and creativity that emerged during these challenging times.

We also talk about the trends we see emerging in innovation, what essential ingredients you need in order to create a true innovation culture, and how having a high tolerance for failure helps keep companies ahead of the competition.

With established systems and strong products and services, large companies may find themselves struggling to implement changes, or choosing more innovative options that are relevant to the times.

So how can we bring innovative thinking to big companies?

In this episode, Josh Cohen, Managing Partner at GIANT Innovation, talks about design thinking and how it can help companies be more innovative, and the role of emotions in communicating ideas.

He also talks about the benefits of bringing in consultants and why innovation needs to be talked about more in universities.

Creating an innovation pathway can be tricky and involves many stages of planning and product iterations. Without the right data, products can fail and stakeholders can lose a lot of money.

So how can we create a cost-effective, profitable, and impactful plan for our innovative products?

In this episode, Sean Sheppard and Jan Beránek of U+, enlighten us on what makes a successful product launch, and the factors that influence product adoption.

They also talk about how innovation consultants help corporate innovators understand consumer behavior and mindset towards new innovations.