Real Options: A Smarter Way to Fund Innovation
Innovation thrives on uncertainty, but traditional financial models often struggle to account for its unpredictable nature. The net present value (NPV) method, a staple for evaluating investments, falters when applied to high-risk, uncertain innovation projects. In a recent Innov8rs Learning Labs Session, Claus Hirzmann, Co-founder and CEO of…
Good Team, Bad Team: And Why it Matters in Innovation
Have you ever pitched a brilliant idea only to have it shot down before it even had a chance to breathe? You’re not alone. Many innovation teams face resistance—not because their ideas lack merit but because they fail to gain support from other departments like finance, engineering, or sales. Why does this happen so often in organizations filled…
Mastering Portfolio Management for Impact
Innovation is a primary growth driver in consumer health, so why do so many promising initiatives fail to deliver strategic impact? Innovators know that new products, formulations, and market expansions are essential for staying ahead. Yet, despite significant R&D investments, many organizations struggle to turn their innovation pipeline into…
Startup or Spinout? Choosing the Right Path
The stakes are high for corporate leaders tasked with bringing new innovations to market. Choosing between building a venture internally or seeking external partnerships is a strategic decision and critical to long-term success. Yet many leaders hesitate, unsure of the risks, trade-offs, and hidden challenges of either path. How can you determine…
The Impact of AI on Innovation Teams
What if AI could automate your entire innovation process, turning months of work into hours? What if you could use AI agents to replace expensive and time-consuming research, ideation, and validation phases? And what if, in doing so, it made your own job obsolete? What used to take innovation teams months and cost corporations hundreds of…
Building a Culture of Innovation From the Ground Up at SHV Energy
Despite having strategies, methodologies, and even innovation teams in place, many organizations find that their innovation efforts fail to gain real traction. Employees remain disengaged, initiatives feel isolated, and innovation is seen as an abstract concept rather than a core business driver. Culture plays a critical role in making innovation…
Why Most Venture Studios Fail (And How You Can Succeed)
Picture yourself in a pool next to an Olympic swimmer. You’re doing the same strokes, pushing just as hard, but they glide through the water at an entirely different speed. The difference? World-class execution. Elliott Parker, CEO of Alloy Partners, had this experience swimming alongside Olympic greats. “What I realized in the moment was,…
Towards a Sustainable Innovation Portfolio
Organizations striving to integrate sustainability into their core strategies face a common challenge. How can innovation be effectively connected with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a structured and measurable way? In a recent Innov8rs Learning Labs Session, Martijn Antonisse, Group Sustainability Director Portfolio Steering at…
Innov8rs and Amadeus co-host leading event on Innovation in Travel on 5-6 June 2025
While traveling today is more affordable, accessible and convenient than ever before, the travel industry embraces disruptive technological advancements to meet the growing demand for a better, smoother and personalized travel experience. Travel is and always will be about connections: connecting people to places, cultures, friends, family,…
Diversification Dividend: How to Win in Today’s Market
It’s the early 2000s, and the internet is still finding its footing. Imagine your company, a century-old travel industry leader, receiving a merger proposal from an upstart digital disruptor. Your brand dominates the offline world, but digital competitors are growing fast in a rapidly changing market. You have three choices: merge, compete…
Why Culture Change Never Sticks – And What to Do Instead
Culture change is a persistent challenge for organizations. Companies often invest in leadership development, training programs, and elaborate communication campaigns, expecting these initiatives to embed lasting behavioral shifts. Yet, these efforts frequently fail. The reason? They focus on changing individuals rather than altering the…
Rethinking Innovation Value: Measuring Impact and Securing Executive Buy-in
Corporate innovators face a frustrating paradox. Your work is essential for long-term business success, yet proving its value remains a challenge. Leadership teams expect measurable outcomes, but traditional financial metrics fail to capture the full impact of innovation. Without clear proof of value, even the most promising efforts risk being…
