On early 2019, we accompanied a young EPFL spin-off called CompPair, and wrote a post about their initial efforts to uncover promising market opportunities for their unique self-healing composites. 18 months later, we decided to go back and see how...

We usually tend to think of innovation in terms of advanced technologies. But in fact, any business needs to innovate and explore new growth opportunities, especially in turbulent times. Here is the case of a local catering business from Pakistan,...

We learn a lot from watching others apply the Market Opportunity Navigator. The case of Subsector – a consulting firm helping managers innovate in a complex world –  is especially interesting: they apply the Navigator as the front-end of their unique decision-making...

In turbulent times like the one we are currently experiencing, the demand for strategic frameworks like the Market Opportunity Navigator is constantly growing. Managers are looking for systematic tools to help them find new growth engines, make informed strategic choices, and...

Recently, the Postdoc Association at EPFL invited me to run a unique hands-on program for postdocs on how to discover and evaluate potential applications of research projects. The goal was to help...

Logitech - a leading Swiss manufacturer of computer peripherals and software - is best known for bringing the computer mouse to the market several decades ago. Today, the company is operating ...

The world today is no longer the same as it was just a month ago. The uncertainty of a worldwide pandemic creates a new reality not only for each and every one of us personally, but also for your business....

I recently came back from running a 'Where to Play' workshop for double-bottom-line startups at EPFL's Tech4Impact program. The interesting aspect of this workshop was the need to estimate the social or environmental impact of different market opportunities, and add...

I just came back from running a full-week 'Where to Play' workshop for postdocs at the Runway Program by the Jacobs-Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech.  This small group of bright researchers are on a mission to found a start-up and...

CompPair develops healable composite materials for extending the life-time of composite structures. Founded by Dr. Amaël Cohades and based on over 12 years of research at EPFL (Switzerland), this startup needs to find the best market opportunity for its innovation....