Two Keys to Innovation in Colorado
To compete as a primary center of innovation, Colorado's full potential must be engaged: Ideas, visions, skills, facilities, technologies, management, leadership, and determination.
Growing potential begins with optimizing and leveraging the full promise of existing resources: Individuals, professions, companies, industries, and the innovation infrastructure of associations, incubators, universities, and federal labs.
The impact? Business revenues, innovation-related jobs, ongoing business investment, and higher returns on investment.
Colorado's economic engine today is hampered by "Ifs."
•· Businesses that outsource will contract locally...
IF they can find the right resources.
•· Service providers and contractors will propose...
IF they know about RFPs.
•· Alliances will form... IF the right partners can be found.
•· Industry will collaborate with universities and federal
labs... IF they know about technologies for license,
consulting professors, and cooperative R&D
opportunities.
•· Talented individuals and innovative businesses will
relocate to Colorado... IF they perceive an existing,
dynamic Innovation Community.
This list could go on. Clear paths to innovation require a durable mechanism for resolving the "IFs." Every instate contract means revenues, jobs, and ROI for Colorado.
Colorado needs a markedly more collaborative Innovation Community. Venture capitalists, among others, have long noted that lack of tight integration slows entrepreneurship, alliances, and technology transfer.
Catalyzing this community requires multiple, new, ongoing, mutually beneficial interactions between potential community members... all focused on support of innovation and/or innovators in Colorado.
Investment is most productive when it creates wide ranges of new business opportunities over time. Each win-win contract or alliance builds relationships as foundations for further collaborations.
A stronger Community increases potentials for new revenues, jobs, and investment in Colorado.
InnoSearchTM is Colorado's only searchable directory of private and public resources for innovation.
Instate OutsourcingTM: We connect the two sides of Colorado outsource contracts. Outsourcers describe needs. Providers describe capabilities. We enable instate business opportunities through keyword matchmaking.
Community Catalyst: We stimulate a strong, cohesive Community of Innovation by enabling multiple, productive interactions between Colorado's outsourcers, providers, and infrastructure.
InnoSearch Reinvestment Program
Cooperative SponsorshipTM
Reliable, Long Term Cash Flow
Substantial reinvestment of InnoSearch membership fees fosters both innovation and Community. We will sponsor at least...
Instate OutsourcingTM: A practical resource locator for both business and infrastructure that drives qualified traffic to member websites. At just $200/y, we deliver visibility of significant, searchable profiles at radically lower cost than other marketing methods.
Professional Excellence and Entrepreneurship: Every InnoSearch member is encouraged to select a professional association or business incubator for sponsorship. At least $50 of both initial fees and annual renewals will be donated. InnoSearch may become the state's largest donor to associations. Examples:
10 InnoSearch members referred in year 1.
Sponsorship at $50 each = $500.
10 members per year with all renewing. In year 4,
40 members. Sponsorship = $2,000.
50 members/y all renewing. $2,500 in year 1.
$5,000 in year 2. $10,000 in year 4.
The first 500 paying members will generate
$100 in first-year donations.
Early participants gain greater returns.
Annual Conferences that bring the Innovation Community together. InnoSearch will ensure funding for both venue and program quality while sponsoring significant discounts for InnoSearch members. InnoSearch staff have chaired such conferences in the past. See http://www.innovationsummit.com/ for an example.
Other events and activities that help grow a dynamic, cohesive Colorado Innovation Community.
The Colorado Innovation Foundation (as revenues permit)
will fund...
• Development of coursework on innovation for use
in middle and high schools
•· Development of practical innovation toolkits for
distribution to Colorado high schools
•· Teacher training in use and application of innovation
coursework and toolkits
•· Development of innovation coursework for
entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs
•· Development of facilitators for independent and
corporate in-house training in use of innovation
coursework and toolkits
•· Education of the public in principles, processes,
and applications of innovation
At Least Seven Benefits
Cooperation between InnoSearch and Colorado's associations
and incubators will enhance the Colorado economy in at
least these ways:
•· Simple sourcing via both search of Colorado
resources for innovation and searchable postings of
RFPs and job openings
•· New business opportunities for Colorado resource
providers meeting outsource requirements
•· Powerful innovation professions through sponsorship
of professional associations
•· Productive entrepreneurship through sponsorship of
business incubators
•· Higher sense of purpose by associations and
incubators able to do long term planning and
investment with confidence
•· New / improved value for members of associations
and incubators
•· Practical progress toward a durable, coherent
Community of Innovation in Colorado
We envision growing the economic health of Colorado through both innovation and community. Our job is to enable thousands of rich and diverse collaborations. We look forward to working with you.
Best wishes for your business.
PS: Please tell your colleagues about InnoSearch Colorado, and please tell your associations about our Sponsorship Program.
