Innovation Initiative Networking Event

Intellectual Property:  What you need to know about the law

The Cape Chamber of Commerce’ Innovation Initiative invites you to our first networking event for the year.

Are you aware that your intellectual capital could be your businesses’ single biggest asset?  Do you know the difference between a brand and a trademark?  Can you be sure that your business partners will not steal your business concepts when entering into negotiations?

Come along to this informative session with Roy Taberer of Taberer Attorneys, an expert on IP Law, to find out all you need to know about intellectual property law and how it impacts you in this knowledge-driven economy.

EVENT DETAILS:

DATE:
Wednesday, 13 February 2019VENUE:

Council Chamber
4th Floor, Cape Chamber of Commerce
33 Martin Hammerschlag Way
Foreshore, Cape Town
TIME:
16:45 for 17:00-19:00COST P/P:
Members:  R 150
Non-Members:  R 250

REGISTER NOW:
•  Register now
021 402 4300
Linda Roopen

This event is not to be missed.
Light refreshments and drinks will be served.

By |2019-01-10T15:07:51+02:00January 11th, 2019|Innovation|0 Comments

Innovation Initiative Networking event

The Cape Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Initiative invites you to our last networking event for the year.

In 2018, we have seen the world change and develop in so many ways through technology, human behaviour and other factors such as climate, economy and human knowledge.

We will be looking back over the past 12 months as we highlight some of the breakthroughs in industry, science and space exploration. A few experts and futurists will share some predictions for the next 12 months on education, transport and energy.

Join us as we explore all things Innovation and will also reveal some industry secrets that will help you and your business stay ahead of the curve for 2019.

This event is not to be missed.
Light refreshments and drinks will be served.

By |2018-11-12T10:27:24+02:00November 21st, 2018||0 Comments

Rules for Prototyping

A recent article on Techco by Tishin Donkersley gives us some simple rule to know when developing your idea from ideation to prototype stage. Here is what she had to say:

  1. Have a Purpose and a Plan
  2. It doesn’t have to be perfect
  3. It’ll take longer than you think
  4. The design will change
  5. Quality = Cost
  6. Find a Mentor

We fully agree with each of these and encourage our innovation clients to come prepared for failure, iteration and a journey of exploration of both themselves and their product.

To read the full article: http://go.conceptdesign.co.za/what-you-need-to-know#https://tech.co/6-tips-prototyping-idea-scratch-2017-11

By |2018-09-17T10:47:49+02:00September 17th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Innovation vs Invention

What is the difference between an invention and an innovation? This is the topic of many discussions we seem to be having recently. Does it really matter? Do we need to clearly define these things to get our businesses re-geared for the future and more sustainable?

Well, yes and no. No, it does not matter for the business development side. It does not matter if you are just improving current things in your business (innovation) or creating something unique and new (invention). If it works in your business and makes you more money, then just do it.

But there is a little thing called IP. That Intellectual Property that you may be creating through either an invention or even through innovation. If you create a unique, new idea, design or formula or process: this could be seen as a new IP for your business. And if you have created IP, then you need to protect it from others and ensure that you add it to the balance sheet of assets for your business.

IP consists of a wide variety of things from a simple design to a global patent: each with a number of classes, sub-classes and classifications: each with its own registration process and associated costs. We understand some of this and work closely with people who live and breathe this stuff. So to make it all simple and easier for you, we have created an online assessment process that will help evaluate your IP and give you clear direction on where to proceed without having to have met with a legal team and breaking the bank on your first few visits.

This simple assessment is done and paid for online and in just a few days you will be presented with feedback and a consultation on the best way to move forward with the registration process of your ideas or inventions.

Check out the online process here

By |2018-08-23T11:55:02+02:00August 23rd, 2018|Innovation|0 Comments

The Cape Chamber’s Innovation Initiative – Information Meeting, 08 August 2018.

Come and join your fellow Chamber members at our monthly Innovation Initiative session.

Our discussion will be on “The 4th Industrial Revolution and all things new”.  We will explore the new trends of technology and innovation that fall under the label of IR4.0 and their impact on current jobs, relationship and business trends.

This session is not to be missed.

You can get all the details here or contact myself, Linda on 021 402 4300.

By |2018-08-03T11:49:02+02:00August 8th, 2018||0 Comments

Help I have a new Idea?

New ideas come and go as fast as taxi buses on the N2, but knowing which are good and which to let go is the difficult process that most people struggle with.  But help is at hand: The Innovation Wind Tunnel is now officially open for business.

The Wind Tunnel is a place where new ideas are tested against a number of different platforms to ensure they are robust and geared to withstand the stresses of the current marketplace. The first filter is a simple pitch to the panel: this is done at initial idea stage where you can pitch your concept, no matter how early in the idea phase, to get some solid expertise feedback. This feedback is designed to enable you to iterate the concept as many times as possible in the early stages of development to ensure your idea becomes as solid as possible before you begin to test it in the marketplace and cost you money.

On completion of the pitch, we offer two sets of reports that do solid research on the presenting problem you are addressing and another report to validate the product offering you are proposing. These two reports will form the base of your application for funding from TIA or similar institutions for seed funding that will address the POC or Proof of Concept development and any IP or Intellectual Property submissions.

For a more comprehensive look at these stages: check out our website on https://em-solutions.co.za/wind-tunnel/

By |2018-08-06T10:49:50+02:00August 6th, 2018|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship, Innovation|0 Comments

Types of Innovation for Your Business

We established in the previous blog article that Innovation needs to be done, always. Innovation should be a regular part of the manager’s focus and staff activity in any business. But what is innovation and how can it be applied to your business?

There are typically four main types of innovation that we see in business:

Market Pull Innovation: this is a response to what your customers want. Based on their needs and wants your business can respond and develop the further product offering to meet those needs. This is typically the normal evolution of a products life cycle. We launch with an MVP or minimal Viable Product and then iterate according to customers comments and needs.

Technology Push Innovation: this is when a new product or technology comes on the market that the potential customers do not yet know of or have a need for. This could be a whole new product or an additional feature to an existing product. This becomes a harder sell to customers and often only taken up by the early adaptors within your customer base. But as the technology and benefits get known it turns from a push into a pull and the demand grows.

Frugal Innovation: We have come to see a lot of this in recent times in our own personal lives as well as in business. Frugal innovation addresses how we do more with less. Cutting back on resources such as electricity, water and staff and common across all sectors. The awareness of environmental impact and cost saving all lead to frugal innovation in business.

Marketing Innovation is an interesting one that we follow closely. It is the constant battle for customer attention through marketing. Brands spend huge sums of money with agencies to develop campaigns that will get the initial attention of customers and then try to keep it as long as possible driving this attention to sales. Creative campaigns include great TV and radio adverts together with client engagement activities.

But no matter what type of innovation you do in your business, ensure that it is client focused and moves your business away from any decline or plateau in sales and customer attention.

By |2018-07-24T10:12:40+02:00July 26th, 2018|Innovation|0 Comments

Why Innovate Your Business

Last week I had the opportunity to present to a group of business owners on why we need Innovation in business. The majority of the audience seemed a little shell-shocked at the reasons for innovation and the need to have innovation as part of the regular activity in any business.

So let me unpack some of these here in this and a series of blogs for you to read through.

Why do we need to innovate in business?

Three main reasons support this answers, but all have the same purpose. Attention span: personal attention span, product attention span and the life cycle of a business. For each one the life or attention span is limited and soon drops off as people get tired, things change and new things come into focus. If we are expecting our business to continue to flourish as it may have done once before by changing nothing, then think again. If you are at a plateau in the cycle thinking things will be ok, then map this against the rest of the world and you will soon see that you’re flat, or even slight growth looks dismal against the relative growth of the economy and new innovation of the markets.

Mapping your customer’s attention span or engagement to your product on a graph will show you the key places where the slumps are and when customers begin to move away to other brand or substitute products.

Any product life cycle has an initial hype cycle followed by a decline and plateau season. This is then followed by a slump of attention and purchases. Once again, mapping this out will detail the different trends and takeup from your customers.

The final graph to use is the business bell curve or life cycle. The bell curve clearly shows the early success, plateau and decline of a business. Every business goes through the same cycle, just the timing may differ. It is a wise and productive business owner who is able to manage this by innovating at the right time to lengthen the businesses lifespan as well as the customer’s attention and the product’s lifecycle.

Innovation does not need to be a huge change or revamp of your logo and change of corporate colours. It is often small regular changes to keep your brand fresh and top of mind for your customers.

Next blog we will look at the different types of innovation as we begin to unpack some of the things you can do for your business to keep it fresh and in business.

By |2018-07-24T09:48:14+02:00July 24th, 2018|Innovation|0 Comments

When to innovate in your business

The Innovation Initiative holds its next monthly meeting in July when we will look at innovation within a business with a mini-master class followed by general discussion.
As business owners grapple with constant change in marketing trends, compliance and customer requirements, it is often that innovation gets put on the back burner of the agenda. Then we just end up doing the same old thing, again and again, expecting different results. And we all know how ineffective that is.
In this session, we will explore the process of internal innovation within a business. When to do it, what to do and how: using some of the proven business methodologies gleaned from business schools around the world.

If you are responsible for innovation or business development in your business, then this one is not to be missed. You will leave with some great insight into innovation change management as well as a handful of tools that will set you on a new course to take your business into the rest of the year with confidence.
Please note our new venue for this event: Cape Chamber of Commerce office

By |2018-06-21T13:58:01+02:00July 18th, 2018|, |0 Comments

Innovation Information Session

Innovation Information Session

Wednesday 23rd May

Join us at the next Cape Town’s Innovation Information Session on Wednesday 23rd May in Woodstock.

This session will be dedicated to the launch of the new Ideas Validation Programme due for launch in June. Come learn how to validate your innovative ideas into a solid business plan that could one day make you some money.

We will take you through the three phases of ideation and give you an overview of what to expect from the new programme.

If you are inventor, creative entrepreneur of just a man with a plan then this session is a must.

Booking is done via Quicket, it is FREE and includes snacks, wine and refreshments.

Bookings: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/46771-innovation-information-session-may/

By |2018-05-04T12:25:45+02:00May 23rd, 2018||0 Comments
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