150+ innovation projects: from a technical idea to a coherent product model

Between 2018 and 2021 I worked as an innovation expert and helped technology companies turn an initial idea or development into a structured innovation project.

Context

Technology teams often have deep expertise in their field, but the project description exists in fragments:

• technology separately;
• product separately;
• market separately;
• development plan separately;
• economics separately.

That is not enough for external review. All the parts have to add up to one coherent model.

What I did

The work started with a fast dive into the subject area. I had to establish:

• what exactly the team is building;
• where the scientific, technical or technological novelty lies;
• what problem the future product solves;
• who its user or buyer is;
• what solutions already exist;
• how the product will evolve;
• how it can be commercialised.

After that, scattered information turned into a coherent project.

Scale

Over this period I developed and packaged more than 150 innovation projects for applications for Skolkovo resident status. I also prepared more than 50 grant applications for projects from different industries.

Why this experience matters today

Working with a large number of very different technology projects taught me to get up to speed in an unfamiliar field quickly and to separate technology from product.

Technological complexity on its own does not explain:

• who will use the solution;
• why it is needed;
• what product should emerge around the technology;
• how to bring it to market.

This link between technology, product and business is exactly what I keep looking for in consulting projects today.

Outcome

150+ innovation projects developed and packaged. 50+ grant applications prepared.