There has been a lot of discussion about the state of innovation in Boston and Massachusetts. The expressed concern is that Boston is losing its innovative edge compared to other innovation centers, such as Silicon Valley, Seattle, and others. Branko Gerovac will lead our next Innovation Breakfast,Friday, December 18.Some people assert that there isn’t really an innovation problem; Massachusetts is just as innovative as it has always been; it is more of an image problem that can be solved by better marketing and branding. Others say that we just need to do a few things to improve the environment for innovation, e.g., hold meetings, plan new initiatives, organize social events, etc.
Both approaches are well meaning. People genuinely want to improve the situation. Unfortunately, though it may feel good to be doing something, neither approach identifies or addresses the root causes for the innovation doldrums.
This talk will present and discuss empirical data that compares several regions of innovation across the United States, and we will begin to look at symptoms and root causes for the differences between the regions. Come prepared to share your views on innovation.
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For over 25 years, Branko Gerovac has led developments at the forefront of technology and market advances, and regularly produces game changing innovative products across the interplay of computing, communications, and media. He has held senior executive positions, providing leadership in technology development, business planning,
product development, and customer and partner relations. Previous positions include: Chief Strategy Officer and Founding CEO, Blackwave Inc.; Vice President of Research and Chief Technology Officer, SeaChange Inc.; Associate Director, MIT Research Program on Communications Policy; Visiting Scientist, MIT Media Lab; FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS); Consulting Engineer, Digital Equipment Corporation. Gerovac holds several issued and pending patents. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Brandeis University, with graduate coursework in Physics, Formal Logic, and Computer Science at Brandeis and Harvard Universities.
For a view to some of the data Branko referenced, check out Empirical Reality.
This talk at Mass Innovation Breakfast sounds really thrilling. Perhaps Branko could post some of the numbers he is talking about.
Here in Dresden, Germany, I have a similar feeling, that innovation has come to a halt (at least in the public viewing) even though there are lots of institutes and creative people working on innovative issues with great effort.
What does it take to make the change happen?