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Randy Eager is the co-founder and CEO of SilisiumTech, where he helped innovate new processes to make solar electricity more affordable and accessible. SilisiumTech is the latest in a long string of companies Randy has founded, including Chement, ESTAT Actuation, and Aqualibrium. He has dedicated his life to launching new companies and helping early-stage entrepreneurs realize their innovative ideas.
David Cerniglia is a full-stack software developer passionate about building new software products. He studied 18th-century British literature and culture as a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon but later found himself drawn toward the path of entrepreneurship. Randy and David met at the Founder Institute, which Randy founded in 2017. The Founder Institute helps accelerate the journey of new entrepreneurs through mentorship and education.
Today, Randy and David discuss the Founder Institute. David explains how he went from studying humanities to becoming a software developer and how his time at the Founder Institute helped him find his true passion. Randy describes the Founder Institute experience and how the 14-week program helps students take an idea and turn it into a solid investor pitch. We also discuss the sense of community the Founder Institute fosters, how to find a chapter anywhere in the world, and how to apply.
“When you're an entrepreneur, you start something by yourself. It's a pretty lonely place to be. Many of the alums said that the reason to do the Founder Institute was to find your patch.” - Randy Eager
This week on Innovation Talks:
● How David and Randy met
● The mission of the Founder Institute
● How the Founder Institute program helps new entrepreneurs test their ideas for market
● How David discovered the Founder Institute
● How Founder Institute students form a community
● The benefits of taking the Founder Institute worldwide
● What David learned from his time at the Founder Institute
● Why product managers are the best startup CEOs
● How to apply to the Founder Institute
Resources Mentioned:
● Apply To Founder Institute
Connect with Randy Eager and David Cerniglia:
● Founder Institute Website
● Randy Eager on LinkedIn
● David Cerniglia on LinkedIn
● Founder Institute on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
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For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Kevin Brady is a corporate and product sustainability expert specializing in improving organizations’ environmental, social, and financial performance. As the founder of Sustainable Enterprise Consulting, he has helped Fortune and Global 500 companies in diverse industries such as mining, energy, consumer goods, transportation, and retail. In 2012, he was recognized as a member of Canada’s Clean 16 for his achievements in clean capitalism. Kevin has written a number of books and reports, including Mapping the Journey: Strategies and Action toward Sustainable Development, Eco-efficiency: Global Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century, and Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons Learned. He is also an adjunct professor at Carleton University School of Industrial Design.
Today, Kevin shares the story of how he started his career and the challenges of getting companies to look more favorably at sustainability. He provides insight into the four main types of companies focusing on sustainability and what they get right and wrong about their environmental footprint. We discuss greenwashing and how companies try to make themselves look more sustainable than they actually are. Kevin explains why sustainability goes beyond a company’s environmental impact and what it means for workers' rights. He also offers a glimpse into how he works with new companies and highlights what he focuses on.
“You have to have the tools and the right people to ask the right questions with the right data to make good decisions.” - Kevin Brady
This week on Innovation Talks:
● How Kevin got his start in sustainability
● The four main types of companies that focus on sustainability
● How investors have influenced sustainability
● The negative effects of greenwashing
● The source of 85% of a company’s sustainability impact
● Why sustainability goes beyond environmental impact
● How externalities affect greenhouse gas emissions
● The first aspect of sustainability Kevin looks at when working with a new company
● How Kevin became an adjunct professor
Resources Mentioned:
● Novelis Case Study
● Book: The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability by Paul Hawken
Connect with Kevin Brady:
● Ausenco
● Ausenco on Facebook
● Ausenco on Linkedin
● Ausenco on Twitter
● Ausenco on Instagram
● Kevin Brady on Linkedin
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.
For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.pheon's 112 shownote's.
Dr. Ralph-Christian Ohr is Dual Innovation's founder and managing partner, which helps future-proof companies through innovation. He is a top voice on LinkedIn and Twitter and uses his platform to educate his readers about how to avoid "innovation theater" by making their innovation activities impactful. He also co-authored the book Scaling-Up Corporate Startups: Turn Innovation Concepts into Business Impact.
Dr. Eva Budischin is Head of New Business Building and Innovation at Bosch Engineering—she has been with the company since 2014. Eva developed the Bosch Innovation Framework and co-founded the Bosch Accelerator Program alongside the Bosch Business Model Academy. She has tested over 150 startup ideas and used her insight to become the intrapreneur of her own Bosch startup. Together, they co-authored an eight-part white paper titled Dual Innovation: Key Principles and Future-Proofing Corporate Innovation.
Today, Eva and Ralph tell how they both recognized the importance of dual innovation and how it led to their partnership. They discuss working together to help companies approach innovation by adopting different mindsets around traditional KPIs and bridging the gap between validating a new idea and a fully-fledged business. They debunk common wisdom from other experts about the role of "one size fits all" solutions in innovation. Eva shares her insights from working at Bosch, including her experience at the Bosch Accelerator Program and the direction she sees Bosch heading in the future. They also offer some actionable advice to create a culture of innovation.
"We need to add another step to fill the gap between the validated venture and and fully-fledged business. That's what scaling up is all about." - Dr. Ralph-Christian Ohr.
This week on Innovation Talks:
● Defining dual innovation
● The importance of organizational ambidexterity
● The history of dual innovation
● The rise in popularity of business model innovation
● How Ralph and Eva's partnership developed
● What exploration units can do
● What traditional KPIs can't tell you about innovation success
● Why "one size fits all" solutions aren't as valuable as customizable frameworks
● The step between the validation process and a fully-fledged business
● How the Bosch Accelerator Program tests new startups
● Finding the right ingredients for innovation in your organization
● Why most companies struggle to innovate
● Eva's predictions for the future of Bosch
Resources Mentioned:
● White Paper: Dual Innovation: Key Principles and Future-Proofing Corporate Innovation by Ralph-Christian Ohr and Eva Budischin
Connect with Dr. Ralph-Christian Ohr and Dr. Eva Budischin:
● Dr. Eva Budischin on LinkedIn
● Dr. Ralph-Christian Ohr on LinkedIn
● Dr. Ralph-Christian Ohr's LinkedIn Articles
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon.
Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
You need an effective strategy to launch a new idea in your company. But once you have that strategy, where do you go from there? How you execute your strategy is even more important than the strategy itself; however, the execution phase is where most businesses fail. Of course, failure is always a risk when trying to innovate, but is there a way to minimize that risk? I think there are some common mistakes you can avoid when executing your own strategy.
Today, I share eight tips you can implement to prevent failure and execute successfully on your strategy. I discuss metrics to pay attention to—like OKRs and KPIs—and the internal materials every company needs to have to clarify its message on innovation. I identify the people in your company that need to be included in the execution of your strategy and what they need to know. I also offer actionable insights about identifying risks and changing your mindset about innovation.
“A likelihood of success allows you to look at a strategy in a different lens and helps you balance strategies against each other.” - Paul Heller
This week on Innovation Talks:
● Why do so many companies fail to execute their strategy properly
● How to define the right OKRs
● What metrics do you need to measure your progress
● What should you include in your elevator message
● How to identify the key players in executing your strategy and what they need to know
● Identifying your review processes
● The importance of an action plan
● How to discern risks in your strategy
● Why you need to use scorecards
● How to tie initiatives and projects to your strategy
● Why a portfolio approach gives you an advantage
Resources Mentioned:
● Blog Post: What are OKRs, and how do they work?
● Connect with Paul Heller on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Noel Sobelman, a leadership advisor from San Diego, California, helps established companies increase growth and productivity. Throughout his 35 years of professional experience, Noel has become an expert in innovation. He is also a writer and public speaker, sharing his expertise on how innovation can disrupt legacy systems. Noel is currently a partner at Accel Management Group, a business and consulting company that gives its clients data-driven competitive advantages. He specializes in working with corporate leaders in the areas of portfolio management, growth strategy, and innovation capability building. Previously, he has worked at Change Logic, Kalyspo, and Kyocera Wireless.
Today, Noel is back to discuss why you need a portfolio management capability in your company to boost productivity and make the best use of your company resources. He shares his insights into using portfolio management to prevent bottlenecks in the innovation process. He identifies the impact poor portfolio management can have on a company. He reveals the nine key elements he investigates when he starts working with a new client and how to identify challenges in your company. Noel also explains how you can improve planning and review processes to stay ahead of the rapidly changing economic environment.
“As we go further into this market downturn, companies are gonna be rethinking their strategies. Make sure that you have the mechanisms for making sure that any change in strategy filters down to the projects that you're prioritizing in your portfolios.” - Noel Sobelman
This week on Innovation Talks:
● Why portfolio management is important
● How portfolio management affects company-wide productivity and future investments
● How to ensure your company is working on the most valuable output
● How to prevent bottlenecks in your development pipeline
● The core symptoms of poor portfolio management
● Why your annual plan needs to be revisited throughout the year
● How portfolio management can help you vet ideas
● How to build a strong portfolio management capability
● Questions to ask leadership in your company
● The types of portfolio management systems Noel has found the most effective
● Nine elements of portfolio management that Noel thinks are key to success
● How to identify where your challenges are across leadership teams
● Why complexity is the enemy
● How portfolio structure informs your portfolio management planning
● The key discoveries that need to come from a portfolio review
● Why portfolio management will become more important during an economic downturn
Connect with Noel Sobelman:
● Accel Management Group
● Noel Sobelman on LinkedIn
● Noel Sobleman’s Articles on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Mike Bauer is a leading product and strategy executive, business mentor, and the Chief Products Officer of Sopheon. He joined Sopheon in 2021 and has helped the company expand its SaaS solutions, which make it possible for companies worldwide to bring their innovative products to market. His experience in data communications, enterprise software, marketing automation, and big data led him to believe in the power of innovation. He graduated from Harvard Business School and Ohio State University and serves as a business mentor at the Founder Institute.
Today, I’m checking back with Mike to continue our conversation from November 2021 about enterprise innovation management and project portfolio management. He shares what he learned from interviewing over 100 clients about approaches to innovation. He defines innovation in the current business landscape and clarifies that the definition is much broader than commonly assumed. He discusses the factors that must come together for a company to innovate and how failure is a part of innovation. Mike also reveals the role of company culture and offers advice on fostering a culture that encourages innovation.
“You don't mandate an innovative culture—you build it.” -Mike Bauer
This week on Innovation Talks:
● Why enterprise innovation management and project portfolio management are two sides of the same coin
● The challenges innovators face
● Mike’s observations from talking to over 100 clients
● What innovation can look like for businesses
● All the factors that need to come together to make innovation possible
● Why 60% to 80% of innovations fail
● What executives need to focus on to be able to innovate “at scale”
● Why ideation is an essential part of innovation
● The most important skill for the ideation process
● Why coming up with great ideas is only the first step
● Setting up a connected system to drive innovation
● Why Mike supports the idea of DevOps
● Why business owners need to bring together practices, people, and tools to innovate successfully
● Why philosophies aren’t enough to operationalize
● Is company culture or the way employees do their jobs more important
● Why accepting failure is part of innovation
● How to build an innovation culture at your company
● How innovation benefits customers and how Sopheon empowers customers with innovation
Resources Mentioned:
● Book: Inspired: How To Create Tech Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan
● Book: Innovation Accounting by Esther Gons and Dan Toma
● Book: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Connect with Mike Bauer:
● Sopheon Website
● Sopheon on LinkedIn
● Sopheon on Facebook
● Sopheon on Twitter
● Mike Bauer on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Robyn Bolton is a corporate innovation expert. She is the founder and Chief Navigator of MileZero, an organization that partners with business leaders and guides them through leveraging innovation to confidently and repeatedly grow revenue. Robyn began her professional career at Procter & Gamble, where she served as Brand Manager and was part of the team that launched the Swiffer and the Swiffer WetJet. She has collaborated with innovators at Nike, Medtronic, and Teachers Pay Teachers. Robyn holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Miami University.
Robyn joins me today to discuss the relationship between leadership and innovation. She shares her background and how she began helping business leaders leverage innovation. She describes the innovator’s dilemma and explores why organizations find it difficult to innovate. Robyn also highlights “the ABCs of innovation” and the factors that build culture and offers advice to executives and leaders of innovation teams.
“Strategy and innovation have to go hand in hand. Innovation is not an end in itself—it has to be tied to, and in service of, achieving a strategic goal.” - Robyn Bolton
This week on Innovation Talks:
● MileZero’s purpose and what it means to be Chief Navigator
● What innovation means for Robyn
● Innovation burnout and the innovator’s dilemma
● Why innovation is the opposite of operations and what makes it difficult to achieve
● Why strategy and innovation have to come together
● Why companies struggle with innovation
● How to keep innovating during challenging times
● Addressing the shiny object syndrome in innovation
● Robyn’s five-year forecast on innovation
Resources Mentioned:
● Book: The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen
Connect with Robyn Bolton:
● MileZero LLC
● MileZero LLC on LinkedIn
● Robyn Bolton on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Colonel Eddie Corrigan is the Assistant Head of the UK Ministry of Defense's division of Concepts, Strategy, Force Development, Doctrine, and Lessons Defense Logistics. With over 33 years of tactical, operational, and strategic experience across a number of logistics and supply chain activities in the defense and global context, he has delivered logistics effects and outputs – including supply, distribution, movements, information services, and infrastructure – around the world. From 2007 to 2010, Eddie served in the Royal Logistics Corps, where he was responsible for supplying and distributing all supplies to a military force of over 10,000 people, as well as commanding a regiment of 600 people.
Eddie joins me today to discuss the connection between innovation and defense for national security and military defenses. We discuss how he began working in innovation management and the challenges associated with creating, developing, and distributing new technologies. We discuss the impact of the Russia/Ukraine conflict on innovation. We discuss the relationship between corporate industries and the military, how it has shifted over the years, and how these collaborative efforts have benefited civilians and the military. We discuss cyber-security, the challenges associated with defending against cyber threats, and the solutions currently available to help defend against cyber attacks. We also discuss the benefits of converting AI capabilities into defense assets and how startup corporations can begin collaborating with the military on creating new, innovative defense technologies.
“Industry does lead the way – but we are following quite closely.” - Colonel Eddie Corrigan
This week on Innovation Talks:
● How Eddie initially got involved in innovation management
● The challenges associated with creating innovative technology
● The ecosystem of using innovative ideas in national defense
● How the Russia/Ukraine conflict is impacting the world of innovation
● Collaboration efforts between national military defenses and corporate industries
● Eddie’s advice to startup corporations on collaborating with the military on new, innovative technologies
● Defending against cyber attacks and cyber-security issues
● Converting AI capabilities into beneficial military and defense assets
● The innovation and technology challenges Russia is currently facing in its conflict with Ukraine
Connect with Colonel Eddie Corrigan:
● Colonel Eddie Corrigan on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Hugh Blethyn is a Senior Managing Consultant at Sopheon, responsible for all aspects of our implementation teams, including our overall client success, engagement performance, and the teams’ well-being. Hugh offers a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insight into digital transformation, business sustainability, and innovation. He holds a Bachelor's with Honors degree in Exploration Geology, Mineral Exploration Geology, and Management from Cardiff University, a Master's in Information Systems and Geospatial Information Systems, and a certificate in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Hugh joins me today to discuss how the concept of sustainable innovation has evolved over the last five years and the rising interest in businesses becoming more mindful of how they package their products. We discuss Hugh’s predictions for future trends in business sustainability and how government regulations lag behind what consumers demand and what many businesses are already doing. We share an inside glimpse into our sustainability webinar series and why more people within the workforce consider sustainability as a top priority in their job search. We also discuss what ‘natural capital’ is and how it impacts the supply chain industry.
“People are starting to realize that they need to be in control of their actions, in control of their sustainable decision-making.” - Hugh Blethyn
This week on Innovation Talks:
● What inspired Hugh to explore the world of business innovation and sustainability
● How the concept of sustainability and innovation has evolved in recent years
● Why more businesses are interested in ‘greener packages.’
● What Hugh believes the future holds for sustainability and innovation in business
● How government regulation is lagging behind consumer demands in sustainability
● Understanding the three scopes of CO2 submissions
● What to expect from our sustainability webinar series
● Why sustainability is important to the workforce and labor market
● Understanding what ‘natural capital’ is and how the supply chain industry impacts it
● What Hugh believes our next steps should be in achieving sustainable innovation
Resources Mentioned:
● Thriving Sustainably Webinar 1: How to Approach Sustainability on a Corporate Level
● Thriving Sustainably Webinar 2: What Does a Sustainable Supply Chain Look Like
● Thriving Sustainably Webinar 3: Sustainable Innovation in Practice: A Conversation with Sappi
Connect with Hugh Blethyn:
● Hugh Blethyn on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
Tami Reiss is a Product Leader Coach that guides product managers toward the success they deserve. For over 15 years, Tami has empowered product leaders and teams to advance toward their goals by focusing on their strengths. She has worked with many B2B Saas organizations and consulted with multiple companies, including JPMorgan, Aetna, Humana, and GTreasury. Tami is also a guest instructor for the Agile module in Kellogg’s online Product Management Bootcamp and the Technical Fundamentals for Product Institute. She encourages organizations to find their own style, methods, and practices to implement. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology from the University of California - Los Angeles and a Masters's degree in Management from the University of Florida - Warrington College of Business.
Tami joins me today to discuss the role of a product leader coach and how they help product managers advance in their careers. We discuss the difference between Discovery Coaches, Transformation Coaches, and Executive Coaches for product leaders and the top three questions every product leader needs to ask themselves. We discuss strategies that product leaders can use to collect data to determine where they can make personal and professional improvements in their organizations. We discuss the importance of conducting a calendar audit and the value of being open to other people’s feedback when deciding your next career steps. We also discuss why product leaders must get comfortable with change, and Tami’s soon-to-be-released children’s book titled What do Product Managers Do?
“Too often, we get so focused on our next task and our to-do list without taking a moment to reflect and say: ‘Are all of these things on my to-do list in-line with where I want to go?’” - Tami Reiss
This week on Innovation Talks:
● The role of a product leader coach
● The difference between Discovery Coaches, Transformation Coaches, and Executive Coaches
● The top three questions product leaders need to answer
● Collecting data to determine where to make improvements
● Understanding what an NPS Score is and how leaders, teams, and organizations use them to improve products, services, and team performances
● Conducting a calendar audit
● The importance of considering other people’s advice and feedback
● Getting comfortable with a changing environment
● A sneak peek into Tami’s soon-to-be-released children’s book
Connect with Tami Reiss:
● Product Leader Coach
● Book: What do Product Managers Do?
● Product Leader Coach on LinkedIn
● Tami Reiss on LinkedIn
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.
For additional information about new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s monthly newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.
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