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The Smartest Man in Europe Sees a New Industrial Revolution. People often ask me if I have a mentor, someone who has influenced my thinking over my career. I have had many, but over the past thirty years I have learned a great deal about investing from the person I have come to refer to as The Smartest Man in Europe. The most important lessons he taught me were (1) that the primary force behind good performance is recognizing important changes before or just as they are starting to happen, and (2) when something significant is happening, put a lot of money behind it. Concentrate on the big ideas; don’t over-diversify. The Smartest Man earned his title over the years by recognizing important shifts early. He saw the rise and fall of Japan in the 1980s and he was early in recognizing the investment significance of the reforms Deng Xiaoping was putting in place in China. “There is a new industrial revolution taking place around the world based on innovation. “Overall I see the United States growing at about 2% in real terms.

“Germany is a curse. Accelerating Innovation in Lebanon. I have no idea how many innovators there are in Lebanon fiddling around in their mountain garages with dreams of dethroning Facebook, Google and Twitter. But I’m sure they can find all the resources they need in Beirut’s startup accelerators. Since there’s not really a clear definition, you can get an idea of what a Middle East accelerator is by using Y Combinator as a reference. The Mountain View company launched in 2005 with a “new financing model.” For over seven years it has funded 380 companies that develop in their space for three months. Entrepreneur Samer Karam opened Seeqnce.com with three of his friends in May 2010.

The organization of workspaces is one of Karam’s hobbies. There’s no doubt for him that if “in Silicon Valley, proximity is vital for success, Beirut’s need for it is ten times greater.” Seeqnce makes early-stage investments of around $200,000, and is aimed at “the global market.” Emphasis is placed on the community element. Diak, Iryna1 via shutterstock. Is Tesla the Next Apple? Is this the future of shopping? Japanese store rolls in digital hangers. Japan tend to be very creative when it comes to digital products and innovations, creating concepts that wouldn't even be considered by the Western world. One such area that has seen this happen is in clothes shopping which is usually a very straightforward process.

However, a Japanese department store has decided to make the experience digital and let the store respond to what products the customer looks at. 109 Men, located in the Shibuya district in Tokyo, has introduced digital clothes hangers in one of its shops. Visually the hangers are no different than any ordinary hanger but it has a larger center which houses a RFID chip. When you handle or take off the hanger from the railing, the RFID chip sends a signal to a computer which interacts with digital displays located around the product. The hangers are a brilliant idea as not only do they advertise the product but the videos and music blend in with the store. The hangers were created by Japanese company Team Lab. Singularity University Limited Briefing. Singularity Blog Covering Robots, Genetics, Stem Cells, Transhumanism, The Brain, The Future. The Seven Deadly Sins That Choke Out Innovation | Co.Design.

In most companies, there's a profound tension between the right-brainers (for lack of a better term) espousing design, design thinking and user-centered approaches to innovation and the left-brained, more spreadsheet-minded among us. Most C-suites are dominated by the latter, all of whom are big fans of nice neat processes and who pay good money to get them implemented rigorously. So often, the innovation process is treated as a simple, neat little machine. Put in a little cash and install the right process, and six months later, out pops your new game-changing innovation -- just like toast, right from the toaster. But that, of course, is wrong. Last night, Ryan Jacoby, the heads of IDEO's New York practice, gave a talk at NYU/Poly with just that tension in mind, titled Leading Innovation: Process Is No Substitute. 1: Thinking the answer is in here, rather than out there "We all get chained to our desks and caught up in email," he said. 2: Talking about it rather than building it.

Alltop - Top Innovation News. Innovation - Experts. BCG's experts represent a rich and diverse group whose experience encompasses the key issues faced by companies around the world. For every focus area, we also have local experts who provide key insights into the dynamics of each individual market. Our integrated network of experts allows us to share best practices and leverage crucial information on the latest trends. For more information on our experts, use the links below to contact them or learn about their latest insight through their interviews on key business topics. Zhenya LindgardtSenior Partner & Managing DirectorNew YorkView video interview with Zhenya Lindgardt about the impact that business-model innovation can have on an organization. Hadi ZablitPartner & Managing DirectorParisRead the interview with Hadi Zablit about locating research and development (R&D) operations in rapidly developing economies (RDEs).

Andrew TaylorPartner & Managing DirectorChicago Our Publications. Innovation; Innovator's DNA. A major new study has highlighted the key skills that innovative and creative entrepreneurs need to develop. According to Hal Gregersen, an INSEAD professor and co-author of a six-year-long study into disruptive innovation involving some 3,500 executives, there are five 'discovery' skills you need but, he says, you don't have to be 'great in everything. A major new study involving some 3,500 executives has highlighted the key skills that innovative and creative entrepreneurs need to develop. The six-year-long research into disruptive innovation by INSEAD professor Hal Gregersen, Jeffrey Dyer of Brigham Young University and Clayton Christensen of Harvard, outlines five 'discovery' skills you need.

But, says Gregersen, you don’t have to be ‘great in everything.’ Some well-known business leaders such as Apple’s Steve Jobs and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos rely on their own particular strengths since innovative entrepreneurs rarely excel at all five discovery skills. The five key discovery skills.