Wellspring Blog

The Economist recently published an article chronicling how Amazon leverages machine learning for competitive advantage. The biggest takeaway: it’s really about running their operations better, not a flashy attempt at inventing the future, even at a company that is nearly everyone’s poster child... Read More

Organizing Your Innovation Ops Laura Kusumoto, guest speaker The challenges of innovation management are familiar to most corporate innovation leaders –defining and re-defining innovation’s mission; dealing with redundant, competing, or pet projects across an organization; budgeting for the... Read More

There are a number of overarching trends that continue to dominate the agricultural sector. Global population growth, backlash against heavy use of synthetic crop protection, and the implementation of new IoT technologies into the agricultural technology mix are changing the landscapes innovation... Read More

Micro-mobility is one of the latest trends to emerge out of the transportation industry. It’s a concept that has gained so much traction that even major automotive players, like Ford and Volkswagen, are getting involved. In 2018, micro-mobility took a big step toward going mainstream, with more... Read More

Every technology transfer office (TTO), no matter its size, is trying to get technologies out to the market whether by licensing the technology, collaborating via research projects, or spinning out a startup or other new commercial entity. Small offices face an additional challenge of... Read More

During the Cold War, the Western defense research paradigm depended on two key factors: the ability of the DoD to forecast threats for decades ahead and the funds needed to match the threat analysis and turn R&D planning into functioning technologies. Much of this spending was driven by a fear of... Read More

Is disruptive innovation a waste of effort? Everyone these days feels the tug of disruption. Blockchain will revolutionize banking. Autonomous vehicles will upend transportation. Pick any industry, and you’ll find a disruptive threat somewhere on the horizon. Read More

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A friend of mine, let’s call him Dave, is the Director of Emerging Technologies at a F500 company. The week after Thanksgiving, he told me something remarkable. Read More

Sometimes, when a breakthrough technology emerges, expertise is concentrated in a small group of specialists, and one or two regional ecosystems dominate the landscape. In the past, tapping into that knowledge base might have meant attending a few conferences, working the Valley’s network, and then... Read More