Author: Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Regardless of how good it is, no idea sells itself. Before getting commitment to proceed with an idea for a new product, process, venture, technology, service, policy, or organizational change, innovators must sell the idea to potential backers and supporters, and neutralize the critics. They must find resources, expertise, and support. They must convince colleagues to advance the idea in meetings they don't attend.

People whose ideas get traction — that manage get out of the starting gate — take advantage of this practical advice for selling ideas.

1. Seek many inputs. Listen actively to many points of view. Then incorporate aspects of each of them into the project plan, so that you can show people exactly where their perspectives or suggestions appear.

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Keynot of Steve Blank on Customer Development 2.0

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Author: Mike Butcher

The Groupon acquisition of CityDeal is being hailed by many across Europe as a good exit for the German-based clone (yes, there is no point in saying it is anything else but a Groupon clone). But luckily there are more than just clones in Germany. The burgeoning cluster in Mitte, central Berlin, is producing startups such as Soundcloud, hiogi, Babbel, Twinity, SongBeat and aka-aki. Nokia bought Dopplr and with it set up an innovation lab amongst the beating heart of Berlin’s startups. Hamburg has spawned many others include Qype, Europe’s Yelp, and more recently the interesting Apprupt. VCs in Hamburg and Munich vie over raw engineering talent out of German universities, and our TechCrunch Europe Munich and Berlin events last year were buzzing. As US-born Germany-based VC Paul Josefak recently guest posted for us, he’s coming across “multiple companies who recently closed either initial or follow-on rounds.”

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Author: Jason Putorti, Founder of elegant.ly and Former Lead Designer of mint.com, has created a gorgeous presentation pointing out 10 things every CEO should know about design.

Great design can revolutionize your business -- just take a look at Apple.

His top ten points:

What is design?
1. Design can change businesses
2. Design is more than pretty pictures

Great design:
3. Talks benefits, not features
4. Thinks in flows, not screens
5. Doesn't make the user think

A great design process:
6. Starts with a great story
7. Uses design as a lever
8. Gets out of the office
9. Has a bible
10. Repeats and refines

via SlideShare

Author: Idris Mootee

Here's a picture of us having a welcome lunch outdoor with our new co-head of multidisciplinary design Jesse D (a Texan and Arts Center grad who has been living in Asia for many years). I first met with him in Shanghai 6 months ago and finally he landed here after 30 hours of flight time. He is still living in a suitcase for now but I am looking forward to have him participating in some of our very exciting innovation projects. Innovation needs more design mind.

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Author: Neil Perkin

"Live in the market, not in a spreadsheet" Cheryl McKinnon

I agree with Noah that the word innovation is so overused that it's all but meaningless. And that what meaning is attributed to it is often misplaced. A point he eloquently makes in his excellent post (and the presentation which I've embedded below) in which he draws the distinction between invention (as 'the creation of a new idea or process'), innovation (as 'arranging the economic requirements for implementing an innovation'), and diffusion ('adoption and imitation'). Noah defines three separate roles (which might be fulfilled by a single person) in the innovation process: the capitalist who provides the money; the inventor who creates the idea; and the entrepreneur who adapts the idea, brings it to market, and commercialises it. Each role is a different task, requiring different skills.

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