Tech innovation comes in unexpected ways, from startups to civic competitions: Tech Czar Talk.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Innovation is not a linear process. It does not always equal the effort invested into its creation. Innovation, too, does not always come from the typical research and development of large corporations or universities. It happens everywhere. Sometimes the innovation itself comes from an unexpected source. And that's when you have something special.
The expectations of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio are to progress innovations in
Michael C. DeAloia biomed, medical devices, polymers and B2B software. Momentous innovation has been made in those industry segments. But, additionally, it is the innovations in digital content platforms and computer circuitry that capture our imagination. This is what makes the region fascinating and fun, and these outliers of innovation are beginning to become the norm.
Digital Content Powerhouse. The excitement at Findaway, a Solon-based company, is palpable. A team from the Silicon Valley powerhouse Scribd, a digital library subscription service, was in town recently to work on a partnership between the two companies. CEO Mitch Kroll is energy that has no words.
Findaway was launched during 2004 in a space above a Chinese restaurant in Chagrin Falls. The mission of the company then was to explore a portable digital audio device inspired by the revolutionary iPod. Findaway launched its Playaway device in retail stores during the holiday season of 2005, and it flopped. The team focused on improving the experience and did a heavy push again during the 2006 holiday season and - nothing. No sales.
Management and the company's investors then took a hard look at the direction of the company, Kroll said. Amazingly, Findaway found inspiration on a phone call from a small school in Texas and from an email from a library in Florida. Both institutions wanted the device to be offered to its students and patrons. Inspiration followed and the company came out with a number of single-content devices (one book, one movie, one piece of content that could be played over and over again) for libraries, schools and universities. Then the military called wanting devices with content for the troops.
This little company began to produce one innovative device after another. Revenue exploded and additional time, talent and money were focused back into innovation.
Today, Findaway is creating a B2B audio book platform that the likes of Scribd can use to enhance its users' experience. This new digital platform is expected to grow by 35 percent in 2015. Now, the company has a growth engine for many years to come. Unexpected innovation coupled with unbridled passion. That is the Findaway philosophy.
The Wizard of Circuitry. Akron is known the world over as the Rubber City Capital. But if a young entrepreneur gets his way, Akron may well be known as the computer circuitry capital in the United States.
After many of years working at Avid Technologies in Twinsburg, Ken Burns felt the tug of becoming an entrepreneur and launched Tiny Circuits in the fall of 2011.
Using his deep experience of engineering and designing electronic products for clients at Avid, Burns decided to build his own line of products. As he put it, "I just wanted to geek out on the technology."
While the original focus of the company was industrial sensors, the company quickly pivoted creating a low-cost processing platform that could be used in the hobby and maker's market. That proverbial "pivot" has been a rewarding decision.
Tiny Circuits is now revenue and cash flow positive and offers 35 products to the hobby enthusiast or maker's aficionado. The innovation at Tiny Circuits additionally continues in the manufacturing of the chips. All circuits are designed, engineered and manufactured in Akron. Tiny Circuits is one of those companies changing the perception of this region as a tech center.
Accelerate NEO. Big praise goes out to the Cleveland Leadership Center for creating the recent Accelerate 2015 program. The Accelerate 2015 concept was a civic "shark tank" where individuals pitched cool, fresh ideas for civic investment to a panel of judges. The event, which was was Feb. 25 at the Global Center for Health Innovation, had five categories (economic development, community change, educating for tomorrow, quality of life, and arts and culture) that offered new hope for civic dialogue and fruitful ideas. Five presenters were selected for each category from 64 submissions. The winners in each category were guaranteed money for their idea.
I was one of the fortunate souls to pitch in the economic development category. I didn't win, but being selected rejuvenated my interest in economic development for Cleveland and the region. I love to see an organization driving innovation from the public reservoir.
As we can see, innovation comes in many shapes and forms and sometimes from very unexpected sources. To create a venue for 25 hearty souls to pitch their civic solutions was a brilliant stroke by the Cleveland Leadership Center.