Delivering Innovation for Warwickshire

In her regular round-up from Tech Central, Sarah Windrum considers the great things that can happen when creative minds, engineers, and commercial thinkers come together.

Tech Central recently hosted an event at Warwick Arts Centre which brought together digital and creative businesses.

A series of round-table discussions focused on the role that both sectors could play in transforming public sector services across the region. One business owner said to me afterwards: “If we could harness the energy in that room, all our problems would be solved.” And I know he is right!

Something exciting happens when you bring technology engineers and creative minds together and set them challenges. I believe we call it innovation!

But the idea is only the beginning. In my very simplified version of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, we need to develop the idea; prototype it; test it; deploy it; and introduce it to market. That is a difficult journey which often means that a great idea never makes it to its final destination.

I have always been fascinated by the story of Apple. As a company, it brought together creative minds, engineers and commercial thinkers. Creative minds push the boundaries of what is possible by focusing on what problem they want to solve or the difference they want to make. Engineers know what the technology can do and how it does it. And the commercial thinkers provide the business model. It is a team of all three that will see an idea through prototype; testing; deployment; and delivery to market.

The evolution of the iPod is a great example. The creative vision was to allow consumers ready access to the music we want to listen to when and where we want to listen to it. When the idea first appeared to Jobs and team, the technology already in existence could deliver the iPod, which Apple produced in 2001. So we had access to music when and where we wanted with a lightweight device we could carry around easily.

But we didn’t all have access to the music we wanted. Originally we had to transfer our existing collection (whether on CD, vinyl, or even mini-disc) onto our iPod. It was no different to any other mp3 player. Then in 2003, Apple brought us iTunes and we could buy music instantly. iPod sales went from 25,000 in 2001 to two million by the end of 2003. And Apple were no longer just a company that made computers. They made people’s lives better.

Then came the competitors. In 2006, Spotify offered us a legitimate music-streaming subscription model and delivered true ‘music-as-a-service.’ In 2016, Spotify had 30 million paying subscribers. Apple introduced their subscription service as Apple Music in 2015 and had a paying subscriber-base in 2016 of 13 million. Although Apple may feel they showed up a little late to this particular party, the dream has been realised. Now we can truly listen to whatever music we want to listen to whenever and wherever we want.

Tech Central’s mission is to support this region to deliver innovation. We want to bring creative minds, engineers, and commercial thinkers together in the way that Apple did. We hold regular socials and are keen to hear from any business or organisation who would like to hold their own event to showcase their experience of delivering innovation.

Register here for our next social: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/tech-central-10810612248

Please contact me on sarah@emerald-group.co.uk regarding hosting an event.