Hero in the Crowd presented by HeroX: Recent Episodes
HeroX
Our podcast is about all things open innovation, crowdsourcing and remote work! Hear from organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects or our advice on how to best adapt to working from home.
🚀 "Innovation Heroes" launches its highly-anticipated Season 4 with an inspiring episode featuring Kal K. Sahota, the CEO of HeroX, and Steve Rader, Program Manager, NASA Tournament Lab and the CoECI (Center for Excellence and Collaborative Innovation).
NASA and HeroX have been partners in crowdsourcing-based innovation for years now. Get a direct view into the world of open innovation and crowdsourcing and its immense transformative power in driving innovation and solving complex challenges at large Federal organizations, such as NASA. Discover how Steve tackled resistance to crowdsourcing at NASA by demonstrating its value as an innovation starting point and showing repeated success through case studies.
Understand the future of innovation strategy for organizations in the ever-evolving technological landscape and how crowdsourcing offers a gift of "massive failure" to meet the concept of failing fast to prove product relevance, affirmed by the best minds in any industry.
In this episode of Innovation Heroes Adam, Steve & Kal explore the role of open innovation and crowdsourcing in the world of federal organizations, punctuating the importance of adopting this highly adaptive tool to ideate rapidly, fail fast, and keep ahead of the tech curve.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Steve Rader, Program Manager - NTL and CoECI
Guest: Kal K. Sahota, President & CEO - HeroX
About Steve Rader
Steve is the Program Manager of NASA's Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) and NASA Tournament Lab (NTL), leading innovative challenges and crowdsourcing projects for NASA and the US government.
About CoECI
CoECI collaborates with innovators across NASA and the Federal Government to generate ideas and solve important problems by working with global communities via the NASA Tournament Lab. This challenge-based approach readily increases NASA’s creative capacity and has proven to be an effective method to find truly innovative solutions.
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 Madeline Moitozo stands out in the crowd! As an innovative journalist, entrepreneur, storyteller, and powerful advocate for social change, Madeline is laying out the path to a more understanding, inclusive, and just society... one story at a time.
Nearly two decades in the field have given Madeline an unfiltered perspective on the shift in mainstream media and the birth of today's fast-paced entertainment mogul. Yet, instead of conforming, she's chosen to reshape it.
She is harnessing the power of storytelling to shed light on historically excluded communities and individuals. The work is not merely about highlighting their struggles, but about breaking stigmas and reimagining futures.
In this episode of Innovation Heroes Adam and Madeline explore adapting and innovating in the world of journalism while standing at the intersection of storytelling and social impact.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Madeline Moitozo, Journalist & Entrepreneur - Juniper Media
About Madeline Moitozo
Madeline Moitozo is a journalist and entrepreneur dedicated to creating a positive impact through potent and effective media platforms. She has amassed significant experience in both the public and private sectors, contributing to major media outlets in digital and nationally broadcast news programming. She has been instrumental in governmental initiatives and communications campaigns championing human rights and social justice. Her multifaceted career underscores her commitment to using media as a force for change and progress.
About Juniper Media
Juniper Media collaborates intimately with global brands and organizations, harnessing the power of journalistic storytelling to create media for social impact. The team is made up of career journalists who meticulously craft impactful narratives from inception to final production, spotlighting authentic stories that animate the brands they represent.
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 What a story! The role crowdsourcing is playing in the world of strategic business and industrial development is on the rise. Fred Briggs and his team have won multiple prize challenges that have led to crucial industry relationships and propelled his company's growth.
Applied Impact Robotics was formed after winning the Chrysalix PETRONAS Incentive Challenge, hosted on HeroX. This challenge was searching for safe and economically viable solutions to inspect the tank bottoms of the Aboveground Storage Tanks without any interruption in service and requiring no human entry.
Adam and Fred explore innovation, equity crowdsourcing, and making an impact in the industrial robotics industry.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Fred Briggs is the co-founder, President, and CEO of Applied Impact Robotics
About Fred
Fred Briggs is the Co-founder, President & CEO of Applied Impact Robotics, a company specializing in early-stage industrial robotics and inspection solutions for crude oil storage tanks. With a background in industrial robot development, IoT sensor networks, and sensor payloads for the Navy, Fred is passionate about developing cutting-edge technology solutions and has spent years prototyping and scaling products, from ideation through manufacturing and sales channels.
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 Imagine the task of driving innovation at Boeing and building a community of trusted innovators who must rapidly (and viably) advance aerospace. Now, imagine doing that with an all-female team at the forefront of your industry, and with great success.
Introducing Nichola Bates, who is doing just that. As the Head of Global Accelerators and Innovation Programs at Boeing and Managing Partner at Aerospace Xcelerated she is on the lookout for the best approaches to advancing solutions, nurturing local innovation ecosystems, and growing the aerospace sector across the globe. To accomplish this, Bates also leverages Boeing's extensive internal and global network.
In this extraordinary episode, Adam and Nic explore her strategic approach to discovering and partnering with innovative companies and individuals. She highlights the importance of cultivating a community of trusted innovators who fully comprehend the rigorous safety and fidelity standards of the aerospace industry and emphasizes the value of diverse teams, which have been demonstrated to perform better and produce more robust products.
Host: Adam Olsen | Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Nichola Bates | Managing Partner, Aerospace Xelerated & Head of Global Accelerators and Innovation Programs, Boeing
About Nicola
Nichola Bates With over 15 years of experience in startups and corporate environments, she champions SMEs and fosters collaboration between them. Leading the Aerospace Xelerated program, Nichola invests in and supports startups disrupting the aerospace sector. A strong advocate for women in tech, she believes in the power of finding one's tribe and inspiring others to think big.
About Aerospace Xelerated
Aerospace Xelerated is a funded, 3-month accelerator for early-stage startups striving to advance the future of sustainable aerospace.
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 Working with external partners to solve challenges and drive innovation - AKA the Open Innovation Approach - is gaining popularity (nay necessity) in historically 'closed' corporate environments. By exchanging knowledge and ideas, companies can accelerate innovation and bring new solutions to market faster, while rapidly achieving sustainability and environmental goals - leading to new business models and in many cases, increased profitability.
Join Adam Olsen and Emanuele Volpe as they delve into the world of open innovation in a corporate environment, and how the war in Ukraine has accelerated innovation via advancing technologies, such as decentralized power generation.
Open innovation is a collaborative approach to innovation that involves sharing knowledge, ideas, and resources between individuals or organizations.The corporate world can learn how to balance internal procedures, processes, and governance that must be followed while still allowing for the possibility to launch new projects and receive outside inputs to solve challenges. It must. Or go the way of the dinosaur.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Emanuele Volpe, Chief Innovation Officer - DTEK
About EmanueleEmanuele Volpe is the Chief Innovation Officer at DTEK. Having graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan with a degree in aerospace engineering, Emanuele had been leading projects in international machine manufacturing and engineering companies HIRSCH Group and Amec Foster Wheeler. Following 10 years at Enel, he is now responsible for Innovation at DTEK, the largest private investor in the energy sector in Ukraine.
About DTEKDTEK is an energy company with a mission to bring power to the people of Ukraine. A dynamically developing company striving for leadership in the European energy markets while adapting to the conditions of modern realities dictated by the rapid development of new technologies in the alternative energy market. Their success is based on people, efficiency, and advanced technology.
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
~
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 Tech is evolving exponentially along with the demand for innovation especially when it comes to moving healthcare forward. We sat down with Julian Weinert of AMBULANCE Health Innovation Agency to get the details on how he creates alignment between his company's big ideas and ever-changing technology.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Julian Weinert of AMBULANCE Health Innovation Agency
About Julian
Digitalizing Health - since 1996, Julian knows the payor and insurance side from various projects as well as the Big Pharma and Med-Tech sector. From innovative and successful Marketing and Product Launch Strategy projects to innovation strategies, cultural change projects and founding of new companies for clients he is experienced in making new things happen.
Links shared in this episode:
- http://www.ambulance-health.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianweinert/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/ambulance-health-innovation-agency/
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 AI is revolutionizing the way we approach education. It could help us move away from the traditional focus on rote memorization and towards a more creative and dynamic learning experience that emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Raid Naim is leading the charge in revolutionizing the world of education with a focus on innovation, creativity, arts, and culture - changing the way schooling is done by offering a personalized and scalable learning experience at Galileo Global Education. Adam and Raid explore how the emergence and rapid adoption of AI technology are impacting the education sector and where we need to focus our innovation efforts to manage these changes.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Raid Naim, Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer | Galileo Global Education
About Raid
Raid is a versatile leader with a unique background spanning various industries. As the Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer at Galileo Global Education, he leads the charge in revolutionizing the world of education with a focus on innovation, creativity, arts, and culture. Raid has brought his wealth of experience from the automotive industry, IT, and education to spearhead the mission of making Galileo Global Education the world education leader in innovation. With an international network of 54 schools in 10 cities, Raid is determined to drive the future of education and ensure that Galileo Global Education stays ahead of the curve.
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 Evolving healthcare to meet the needs of future generations is no small feat! Deshpande and her team are leading the charge on improving the quality of life for people living with rare diseases through the development and delivery of innovative medicines and healthcare services. Adam and Ankita explore innovation, thought leadership, and making an impact in the pharmaceutical industry.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Ankita Deshpande is the Head of Digital Health and Experience Innovation at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, the rare disease business unit of AstraZeneca.
About Ankita
Ankita is a Futurist dedicated to applying innovative methodologies in the creation of the next generation of total healthcare solutions.
Links shared in this episode:
- https://medicalfuturist.com/
- https://alexion.com/Documents/IMF-White-Paper.pdf
- https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazeneca-to-acquire-alexion.html#
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcastThe Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. **Discover the Power of the Crowd.
Adam** is your Podcast Host at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and how these innovations impact their industries. HeroX is a platform and open marketplace for crowdsourcing innovation that allows anyone, anywhere, to solve everyday business and world challenges using the power of the crowd.
Connect with Adam: LinkedIn, adam.olsen@herox.com...
🔊 Achieving net zero by 2050 represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity and the biggest transformation in the aerospace industry since the jet age! The challenge is monumental and extends far beyond finding viable fuels. Harry Malins and his team at ATI are using every angle possible to tackle innovation in aerospace.
Harry Malins is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Aerospace Technology Institute and is leading his team’s innovation efforts to decarbonize the aerospace industry and achieve net zero by 2050. Tune in to discover the full approach they are taking to achieve this ambitious goal.
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Harry Malins, Chief Innovation Officer at the Aerospace Technology Institute
About Harry Malins
As Chief Innovation Officer and a member of the Executive Management Team, Harry is accountable for strategy development and implementation, innovation initiatives and programme delivery. Harry has worked across both industry and consulting in various strategy and general management roles, including at BAE Systems, PwC, QinetiQ, Roland Berger and Rolls-Royce. He holds a BA from Durham University, an MA from Georgetown University and an MBA from ESCP-Europe.
About Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)
The ATI creates the technology strategy for UK aerospace, which builds on the UK’s strengths and responds to the challenges faced by the UK civil aerospace sector. It provides a roadmap of the innovation necessary to keep the UK competitive in the global aerospace market, and complements the broader strategy for the sector created by the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP). Projects funded through the ATI Programme must align with the strategy.
Links shared in this episode:
- https://hub.ati.org.uk/
- https://www.ati.org.uk/flyzero-reports/
- https://www.ati.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/insight_11-global-aerospace-patents-1.pdf
- https://www.ati.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ati
🔉 About the Innovation Heroes podcast
The Innovation Heroes series covers all things open innovation, crowdsourcing, and remote work. It’s time to open up the airways, share strategies, engage partners, and leverage the power of crowd intelligence to expedite solutions to the pressing problems facing every level of organization, individuals, and the world. The key word here is OPEN.
We're bringing our partners in innovation, organizations who have run their own crowdsourcing projects, innovator powerhouses, and remote work legends into the spotlight. There is a global network ready to contribute time, energy and intelligence to just about any challenge that comes their way. All we need to do is provide the opportunity. Thank you for being a part of the solution. Discover the Power of the Crowd
- More episodes - here
- YouTube playlist - here
- Subscribe to RSS Feed - here
About Adam Olsen | Connect
Adam is your Podcast Host and Possibilities Manager at HeroX, connecting with innovation leaders from around the world to gain insights on how they approach innovation, the technologies they're most excited about, and ...
🔊 A crazy-passionate dialogue with empathy-preneur Amy J. Wilson on building a culture of #innovation, the effects of poor #workplaceculture, and the difference between growing communities vs. networks.
From building accelerators and writing best-selling books to her residency in the White House, Amy has a lot of cards on the table. You can literally experience the impact of her genuine influence on host Adam Olsen in real time!
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Amy J. Wilson, Author & Founder/CEO of Empathy for Change
About Empathy for Change
Former White House entrepreneur-in-residence Amy J. Wilson dives into the intricate science of empathy, debunking common myths and sharing practical uses for a better society. Having built cultures of innovation and change across multiple sectors, she knows that when we do not design with compassion, we remove the humanity and closeness we have to one another.
#innovation #changemakers #culture #empathy
Links shared in this episode:
- https://www.amyjwilson.com/empathyforchange
Your Crowd. Your Solution.
www.HeroX.com
🔊 How to effectively use the right tools based on the internal strategy you have in place and how to produce results at a lower cost with productivity innovation. Mario brings years of experience and insights in the innovation space to this conversation.Â
Host: Adam Olsen, Podcast Host - HeroX
Guest: Mario Braz de Mateo, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Flying Fish Lab
www.HeroX.com
Your Crowd. Your Solutions.
🔊 Two open innovation veterans, Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO of Shoshin Works and Kal K. Sahota, President & CEO at HeroX on how the open innovation world has developed over the past decade, the impact that a strong strategic partnership network can have when working with clients, and the value it can create when writing proposals. These two powerhouses had a lot to share!
🔊 Daniel Greenberger, Daniel Greenberger, Chief Innovation Officer of Affordable Community Energy Services Company on leading his team through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Inclusive Energy Challenge hosted on HeroX.Â
Adam and Daniel discuss what brought him to the challenge, his depth of experience and how it is lending to his current success after transitioning from the creative world of advertising to being creative in energy and sustainability solutions.Â
🔊 Canadian Cancer Society's Director of Direct Response and Innovation Smita Challu Tulsani on approaching the fundraising process through a new innovative lens, current innovation goals, and the strategic partnerships they feel are going to help them reach those goals.Â
On Thursday July 14th we will be connecting with David Simoes-Brown, to talk all things Innovation; how organizations are using crowds to reach their net-zero goals, how to optimize your ROI, and some innovation trends we’ve been seeing. David is founder of 100%Open, he and his team have worked with companies such as Ford, Lego and P&G so he has some amazing insights into how innovation is handled in a variety of different industries. You’re not going to want to miss this live conversation!
🔊Open Innovation Lab of Norway's @trulsberg on the current rate of innovation in the Nordic regions and how crowdsourcing is speeding up success and how #innovationreadiness is a core ability affecting every sector and industry. Â
Our guests are Dyan Finkhousen, Founder and CEO of Shoshin Works and Geoff Parker, co-author of Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy - And How to Make Them Work for You.
In this podcast, you'll learn about the emergence of new technology-enabled operating models that are sending shock waves through industries as businesses deploy platform operations that put customer value at the very center of their operating framework.
This pandemic is one of the greatest challenges the global economy has faced - and clearly, the impact is going to be felt for years to come - but it’s also one of the best times to be bold, to experiment and put new ideas into practice, to look back at your company culture and change for the better.
It is amazing how quickly the world is changing. Business is shifting and things are moving so much quicker than they've ever moved before.
In this episode, we are talking about how the entire world has mobilized itself to really deal with this pandemic, and how crowdsourcing platforms are stepping in and joining forces to create better solutions to all the challenges we’re facing. I am joined today by Christian Cotichini – the co-founder and CEO of HeroX - and by some of our key partners: Clinton Bonner – VP at TopCoder; Frank Ricotta – CEO and Founder of BurstIQ; Tim Silman – Senior Manager & Partnership Lead at XPrize;
Listen to this episode of Hero in the Crowd, to hear some amazing shares and strategies from four incredible leaders in innovation.
Questions asked:
- How the idea of fail fast and iterate has impacted the new environment of today? (06:25)
- How has COVID affected each of your organizations? (21:33)
- When you, guys, forward-look to the new normal, how do you see that impacting each of your organizations and maybe even your view on the world? (44:54)
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How innovation in any field is born from the collaboration between experts and non-experts. (03:32)
- What to do if you have an idea but you don’t know how to patent or license it. (10:21)
- How TopCoder helps its community to execute their ideas faster and get to market quicker. (16:00)
- What BurstIQ does to help people in big and small enterprises to innovate in their fields. (17:06)
- The role XPrize plays in incentivizing innovations that solve the major challenges of humanity. (18:27)
- The ways in which TopCoder, BurstIQ, XPrize, and HeroX are trying to raise resilience in dealing with network effects. (27:40)
- How to move fast in an increasingly slow environment. (40:07)
Connect with Christian Cotichini:
- HeroX Website
Connect with Frank Ricotta:
- BurstIQ Website
Connect with Clinton Bonner:
- TopCoder Website
Connect with Tim Silman:
- XPrize Website
- XPrize Community
- XPRIZE Data Collaborative
HeroX Resources:
- Innovation Webinar
- Crowdsourcing Infographic
As an increasing number of companies shut down their offices for preventative measures, Work-from-Home (WFH) is quickly becoming the new normal. For employers, the challenge is to minimize disruption in operations while keeping your team productive and morale high. For employees, it’s how to be productive and stay motivated, and remain in communication with their team.
For a lot of people, managing a remote team and working from home may be uncharted territory, but for us at HeroX it’s all we know, and we want to share our knowledge with you!
This week's episode is hosted by our VP of Possibilities, Kal K. Sahota. Joining her is our own CEO & Co-Founder Christian Cotichini and Dr. Alfred Lam, Partner at Chrysalix Venture Capital.
Alfred is an innovator, company builder and investor. He has more than 10 years R&D experience; co-founded and incubated Mangrove Technologies, a spin-off from the University of British Columbia; and has been with Chrysalix Venture Capital since 2012. Alfred is instrumental in the development of investment theses, deal sourcing, due diligence, portfolio and fund management. His current investment focus is in intelligent systems for the energy and resource sectors.
Hear how Chrysalix used crowdsourcing to unlock innovative ideas for safe, accurate and economical inspections of above-ground storage tanks without human entry, while staying in service.
Oftentimes, you see organizations that want to innovate, but they’re stuck within this framework that they’ve been using for years and they miss the simplest suggestions for innovation. That’s why there is a need to merge the industries and allow people with different perspectives to jump in with creative ideas and bring to the table new ways of looking at any given problem.
The American-Made Challenges is a broad portfolio of prizes that is trying to create innovative ideas related to solar, water, geothermal and the whole gamut of renewables, thus giving small businesses a chance to get money more quickly than ever before.
Today, I am joined by Debbie Brodt-Giles from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Liz Treadwell – Head of Customer Engagement at HeroX – and together we’re going to help you learn first-hand how NREL and HeroX partnered on the American-Made Challenges. We’ll also get into the specifics and dig into some of the key learnings, so tune in to our conversation to hear everything there is to know about these challenges.
Listen to this episode to find out more about the American-Made Challenges, who can apply to these competitions, why these prize-driven projects bring great results and support innovation, what are the upcoming challenges that we can look forward to, and many more.
In this episode, you will learn:
- How the Solar Prize competition works. (04:29)
- The most challenging aspects of running a challenge. (11:46)
- A few examples of the creativity and the innovation Debbie has seen from non-traditional industries participants. (15:44)
- Some of the benefits Debbie has seen as a result of this prize model. (30:05)
- Why you should apply for these types of competition. (32:16)
- Who initiates these challenges and why. (42:07)
Connect with Debbie:
- American-Made Challenges HeroX Platform
- American-Made Challenges Website
- NREL Website
Useful HeroX resources:
- Webinar
- Infographic
Jesse McCrosky, Sr. Data Scientist at Mozilla, a nonprofit with the mission to keep the internet open and healthy discusses this topic with HeroX's Innovation Manager, Dessie Maliaka. In his day-to-day work, Jesse is designing metrics that guide product development. “I’m trying to understand the difference between what we want to measure and what we can measure.” Aside from his work at Mozilla, Jesse has taken a personal interest in the ethical dimension of the use of big data and the ways it may influence our societies.Â
Daiva runs her own innovation consulting firm, she is a sought after international speaker with expertise in open innovation and marketing strategies. Notably, Daiva’s most recent experience was a 13+ year tenure with LEGO as the Director, Head of LEGO IDEAS. She will share her experiences on how LEGO IDEAS grew from a small pilot project to a sustainable business opportunity within their Product and Marketing Innovation Division. She brings a wealth of knowledge in the open innovation space.
HeroX's VP of Possibilities, Kal Sahota, hosts an engaging discussion with Jordan Goldfarb, Director of Whitespace Innovations at lululemon and our very own CEO, Christian Cotichini. Hear the secrets that have directly impacted lululemon's abilities to continuously innovate and set their organizations up for success. You'll also learn about what key strategies you should incorporate to innovate within your own business in the upcoming year!