Innovation Talks – Details, episodes & analysis

Today, Paul reflects on his journey as an innovation evangelist and shares the valuable lessons he's learned over nearly four decades in the industry. He expresses gratitude to his listeners, guests, and colleagues while recounting the significant milestones that have shaped the Innovation Talks series. This introspective episode serves as a heartfelt farewell as Innovation Talks closes its podcast run, leaving a legacy of knowledge and insight for innovators worldwide.

Paul Heller has an illustrious career advancing innovation practices across various organizations. Paul's work has influenced countless professionals in the field. With a background at IBM and startup experience, Paul's journey is rich with firsthand accounts of implementing cutting-edge solutions and methodologies such as Expert Systems and Stage Gate. His unique perspective on cross-functional integration and empathy in innovation has made him a revered voice in the industry.

“Staying positive and seeing the good in every situation keeps the spirit of

innovation alive through any challenge.” ~ Paul Heller

Today on Innovation Talks:

• The importance of cross-functional understanding: Innovation involves marketing, sales, manufacturing, distribution, product development, and customer success, aligning towards a common goal.

• Embracing diverse business disciplines: Experience in sales, consulting, customer support, and engineering development can significantly enhance one's capability in innovation.

• The value of empathy: Empathy towards colleagues, especially when challenges arise, is crucial for a positive and collaborative work environment.

• Staying positive as a strategic advantage: Maintaining a positive attitude and seeing the best in people can drive team morale and productivity.

• Configurability as a cornerstone: Unique processes and success measurements require adaptable systems, a lesson learned from product configurator projects.

• The evolution of Expert Systems to AI: Early experience with Expert Systems demonstrates how foundational technologies have evolved into modern AI applications.

• Importance of compassion in leadership: Genuine compassion and understanding within teams foster a collaborative environment conducive to innovation.

• Continuous learning and respect for colleagues: Maintaining a beginner's mindset and respecting peers can lead to ongoing personal growth and team success.

Resources Mentioned:

• Guy Kawasaki's Wikipedia page: To learn about the origins of the term "evangelist" in a technology context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Kawasaki

• Sopheon: A company supporting innovation and methodologies like Stage Gate. https://www.sopheon.com/

• Union Pacific Railroad innovations: Historical examples of early AI application in rail maintenance and optimization.

https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/ai-rahul-insights-it-230721.htm

• Gateway 2000: A case study in product configurators for complex product sales. https://www.techspot.com/article/2087-gateway-2000/

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.

Jim Fava is the recently retired Executive Director at Anthesis Group, which supports businesses and governments in understanding and navigating the risks and opportunities they face. Throughout his career, Jim has provided invaluable guidance, tools, and expertise on strategies and actions that enable organizations to operate in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. Renowned as the "father of modern-day life cycle assessment," he has devoted his career to advancing and promoting the practice and application of life cycle information worldwide. His efforts have contributed significantly to supporting global decision-making processes. Notably, he led the United States delegation responsible for shaping the first generation of ISO LCA standards. Moreover, Jim co-founded influential organizations such as the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, Five Winds International, and the Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation (FSLCI).

Today, Jim and I discuss what his career taught him about supporting businesses and governments, turning risks into opportunities, and strategies and actions to operate more sustainably. Jim shares his journey from frat house to c-suite and talks about how he saw the human impact on the environment firsthand and started focusing on sustainability. He outlines life cycle assessment and how it helps us understand the environmental impact of a product over its entire life. He cites disposable diapers as a case study to understand life cycle assessment. Jim also recounts his experience in developing the Technical Framework for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Code of Practice that eventually became the foundation of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Environmental Management Standards. 

“You have to put what we want to have happen in the language of the decision-makers, and that's our revenue, brand, cost, and risk management.” - Jim Fava

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     Jim’s best sustainable business strategies

●     The Life Cycle Assessment journey to sustainability

●     What cloth diapers can teach us about sustainability

●     How Jim played a leading role in the development the Life Cycle Assessment Methodology

●     How Life Cycle thinking affects product design

●     The ten golden rules for achieving sustainability

●     How to drive change

●     The urgency of sustainability in business management

●     The role of the product manager

Resources Mentioned:

●     Early Life Cycle Assessment Books Laid the Foundation for Modern-Day LCA

●     The Origins of LCA: Perspective from The Father of Modern-Day Life Cycle Assessment

Connect with Jim Fava:

●     Jim Fava Website

●     Jim Fava 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.

In this episode, I sit down with Adrian Wong, a startup and global corporation innovation technology leader and venture partner with expertise in digital transformation, early-stage startups, and new product development. We discuss the evolving landscape of user experience (UX) design, the importance of understanding customer needs, and the challenges and opportunities that emerging technologies like AI, VR, and AR present for businesses. Adrian shares his insights on the future of UX and the critical role that design plays in shaping successful products and brands.

Adrian is a dotcom veteran with a unique hybrid background as a product and creative director in startups and innovation CTO in corporations across a dozen industries. He’s scaled gaming startup PKR to the fastest-growing UK tech company, pioneered innovation labs for AstraZeneca, BDO, and Wipro, and works as a fractional CxO and venture capitalist to invest in and support emerging digital ventures. 

He specializes in product, growth, artificial intelligence and corporate innovation - the practical application and commercialisation of emerging tech combined with consumer-grade UX for competitive advantage and democratisation of advanced technologies.

"Understanding the right problems to solve with technology is a common challenge for companies, and there's a growing emphasis on continuous learning and user research." ~Adrian Wong

Today on Innovation Talks:

·     The Cambridge, UK, area fosters innovation due to its concentration of talent and innovative tech companies.

·     User research and qualitative research are crucial for understanding customer behavior and incorporating it into the digital space.

·     Voice interaction and differences in device interactions across the world, such as the super app environment in China, impact AI interactions and privacy concerns.

·     Data privacy and IP protection pose challenges and opportunities for corporations and startups.

·     The evolution of UX has progressed from static to dynamic, personalized experiences, with a focus on accessibility and inclusive design.

·     Lean and agile methodologies have contributed to a more collaborative and iterative design process.

·     AI and data analytics have led to increased personalization and customization in user experiences.

·     The future of UX may involve multimodal interfaces, haptic feedback, brain-computer interfaces, and seamless cross-device experiences affecting the physical world.

Connect with Adrian Wong:

https://www.adrianxwong.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/axwong/

https://x.com/adrianxwong

https://www.openvc.app/fund/Adrian%20Wong

https://portfolio-collective.com/profile/adrian_1/

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

RSC Sustainability

Ready to Transform Your Innovation Strategy?

If you're a product manager or innovator looking to streamline your processes and turn chaos into control, you won't want to miss this opportunity.

Dive into our exclusive, free eBook on Innovation Ops strategies designed just for you.

Learn the secrets to revolutionizing your approach and achieving success with clarity and precision.

Download your copy today.

Start your journey to becoming an innovation powerhouse now!

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 | 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.

The Innov8rs Conference has hosted conferences for innovators in various industries since 2011. They’ve hosted in over 25 cities globally, from San Francisco to Sydney and Singapore. They have multiple programs that promote an atmosphere of creativity and discussion surrounding the future of innovation. I went to the Innov8rs Conference held recently in Austin, Texas, and I found it to be one of the largest and most engaging conferences in a long time.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on the recently concluded Innov8rs Conference and why I found a lot of value during my time. I explain how it promoted discussions and engagement despite being a large gathering. I describe some of the topics I was fortunate to sit in, especially regarding the future of innovation and ESG. I also share some of the interesting points regarding internal innovators and innovators hired.

"This was a good chance to talk with other people, peers with other companies, and share success and challenges." - Paul Heller

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     My experience during the Innov8rs Conference

●     What was impressive throughout the conference

●     Sitting at the ESG round table

●     The six shifts that will shape the future of innovation

●     How corporations can beat start-ups at innovation

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 is a partner at Accel Management Group, a business and consulting company that gives clients in the tech and life sciences data-driven competitive advantages in innovations and operations. With 35 years of professional experience, Noel has become an expert in innovation. He is responsible for directing a wide range of transformational initiatives in the areas of management and innovation. He’s also a frequent speaker and writer on innovation topics, having addressed innovation’s effectiveness in disrupting legacy systems.

Noel Sobelman joins me today to describe the five keys of transformative innovation. He details his passion for innovation and the articles he’s written. He discusses what the five keys are and how they solve many problems regarding innovation management and strategy. He explains how leaders can appropriately allocate resources to high-value projects. Noel also shares his thoughts on leadership in the innovation industry.

“Leadership needs to continually combat that tendency toward complacency” - Noel Sobelman

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     Writing about innovation and building transformative innovation

●     The five keys of transformative innovation

●     Finding the roadblocks that prevent transformative innovation

●     Properly allocating resources based on strategy and alignment

●     What leaders should change to become more effective in resource allocation

Resources Mentioned:

●     The Journey toward World-Class Innovation: 5 Keys to Successful Implementation

Connect with Noel Sobelman:

●     Accel Management Group

●     Noel Sobelman 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.

Greg Coticchia is the President, CEO, and Member of the Board of Directors at Sopheon. He is an award-winning sales leader, market expert, product manager, and business strategist. He has almost 40 years of experience holding leadership positions across organizations and institutions in finance, education, and cybersecurity. Greg is also the Board Director of the Product Development Management Association or PDMA.

Greg joins me today to describe his thoughts on the future of innovation and how Covid-19 spearheaded the technology we will likely use forever. He explains some of the benefits and hindrances of the pandemic as it relates to innovation. He shares his thoughts on sustainability and how it’s directing the course of innovation. Greg also discusses a few examples of companies adjusting to new customer habits.

“Technology isn’t always the right answer. Sometimes, it’s just a change in behavior or process or some other way of achieving the same result.” - Greg Coticchia

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     The future of innovation

●     The benefits and drawbacks to innovation resulting from Covid-19

●     Habits that changed as a consequence of the pandemic

●     How Home Depot addressed their customers’ number one problem

●     Innovations that were direct results of the pandemic

●     Why a lot of B2B companies are in a supply chain

●     How sustainability and innovation work together

●     Examples of innovation with sustainability in mind

Connect with Greg Coticchia:

●     Greg Coticchia 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.

Jeff Eiben is the Founder and CEO of River Point Technology, a digital service provider. They provide solutions that help level up businesses, including Cloud Platforms and DevOps. Jeff was chosen as one of the Top 100 Innovators and Influencers in Technology in 2020 by Intercon and led River Point as a NextGen 250 winner through CRN. Jeff’s commitment to technology talent has also made him set up a STEM scholarship at his high school alma mater.

Jeff joins me today to describe the current state of cloud-based systems and what it was like when they were among their first adopters. He explains why companies don’t like being the first to adopt new technology. He shares how they help clients understand the value of the latest innovation. He discusses why Big Data didn’t take off as many expected. Jeff also shares his thoughts on the future of the innovation industry.

“Culture is not something you can control; it’s something that comes along for the ride as success happens.” - Jeff Eiben

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     What Jeff observed in the cloud-based industry over the last decade

●     Why companies hesitate to be the first to adopt new technology

●     The challenges of being years ahead technologically

●     Making organizations understand the value of a new shiny object

●     Why Big Data didn’t become the next big thing

●     Jeff’s thoughts on company culture

●     What Jeff thinks will happen in the future of innovation

Connect with Jeff Eiben:

●     River Point Technology

●     Jeff Eiben 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.

Daniel Elizalde is a seasoned product executive with over two decades of experience producing B2B industrial and enterprise tools and products for IoT, AI, 5G, and Edge Computing. He is particularly passionate about creating and using technology to address climate change. He has trained over 1,500 product leaders across various companies that produce IoT and SaaS products. Daniel is also the author of the book The B2B Innovator’s Map, which explains the steps involved in idea generation and how to get your first few customers.

Daniel joins me today to describe the different innovations surrounding IoT. He explains the importance of security and cites some examples of potential fatal security flaws. He shares how innovators approach IoT differently. He discusses machine learning and why it’s not the goal of any IoT project. Daniel also details some challenges in producing IoT for consumers and the complexities involved in cost computations based on aggregated data.

"When working with IoT, security must be at the heart of your consideration early on.”

- Daniel Elizalde

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     Daniel's thoughts on IoT and innovation

●     The challenge with creating IoT for the consumer space

●     The different ways innovators approach IoT

●     Challenges associated with computing costs based on data

●     Why IoT is no longer a technical or chronological problem

●     Examples of machine learning around IoT

●     Why the goal isn't to use machine learning

●     Guaranteeing cybersecurity for IoT

Resources Mentioned:

●     B2B innovation in energy and climate with Daniel Elizalde

Connect with Daniel Elizalde:

●     Daniel Elizalde Website

●     Book: The B2B Innovator’s Map: How to Get from Idea to Your First Ten Customers

●     Podcast: Enterprise Product Leadership Podcast

●     Daniel Elizalde on LinkedIn

●     Daniel Elizalde on Twitter

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.

I went to the recently concluded INDUSTRY: The Product Conference. There were a lot of attendees from the products and innovations industry. They talked about product strategy, product development, data and analytics, and customer development. However, the most memorable aspect of the event is how some of them talked about the importance of retaining a company’s humanity and customer-centric approach as they scale.

In today’s episode, I discuss what I learned from attending Industry: The Product Conference. I highlight the speakers I liked and the topics they focused on. I explain why being first in the market is not essential to finding success. I describe the importance of establishing your company’s vision from the customer’s perspective. I also detail an experience my son had with a recent business transaction that was entirely digital.

"Your vision needs to be rich—it needs narrative and depth, not one-liners in a paragraph." - Paul Heller

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     The speakers at the conference and guests I’d like to have

●     Why 95% of products fail

●     Why it's not critical to be first to market in innovation

●     Interesting and relatively unknown facts about Instagram

●     Expressing your business's vision from the customer's point of view

●     The problems the digital world helps solve regarding customer interaction

Resources Mentioned:

●     Roadmapping Dos and Don'ts with Mike Belsito

●     Derek Redmond's Emotional Olympic Story - Injury Mid-Race | Barcelona 1992 Olympics

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 on 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.