EDGEucational Forum :: Innovation: It’s not what you think

THIS IS A MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT.

Sponsored by 

Marc Lowe
Lecturer
Managing Partner, Praxis Ventures

What does “innovation” really mean? We've all heard the stories of great leaders, but many of us don't fully grasp what actions they took to realize their goals. This talk will present engaging stories of innovators and provide evidence-based strategies for audience members to consider the implications for the Sacramento region.

Innovation is particularly important to solving the unique challenges faced by organizations we fund. It seems that organizations that innovate are more likely to succeed on a broad level than those who do not. But what does “innovation” really mean? We hear the word everywhere. Organizations talk about it and encourage us to "be more innovative" and to "work smarter, not harder." We've all heard the stories of great leaders, but many of us don't fully grasp what actions they took to realize their goals, and, therefore, we are not appropriately benefiting from their wisdom.

Fortunately, the history of innovation provides some fascinating and counter-intuitive insights. This talk will present engaging stories of innovators such as Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, and Sheryl Sandberg, as well as extraordinary innovators from nonprofits, government, and social change organizations. When we examine these innovators closely, we find that most are successful because they build networks of support. In fact, these networks may actually be the innovation that makes them uniquely successful. This has important implications for foundations and for all in the philanthropic community.

Our presenter will bring to this talk his unique perspective developed through his years as a leading researcher of innovation and entrepreneurship and his work with hundreds of innovators and entrepreneurs. Check out his full profile.