Minnov8

Category to Watch: Idea & Suggestion Management

Of course you’re paying attention to the always-on, always connected culture of participation online that is fundamentally shifting how we connect with one another, get our news and alerts, are influenced by people we trust and increasingly making our voices heard when we like or don’t like something a company or organization is delivering to [...]

Continue reading...

Minnov8 Gang Podcast – Episode 36

The Gang talks about a meetup with entrepreneur, VC, artist and all-around renaissance man, Gary Smaby, and his spearheading of what’s euphemistically dubbed “the collaboratory”, but is officially an Innovation by Design framework to incubate startups, tap into the University brain-trust, and create a culture of innovation within the University of Minnesota (read more in [...]

Continue reading...

Innovation in a Time of Accelerating Change

Ask people what the word “innovation” means to them and you’ll hear such phrases as, “…it’s all about making processes more efficient” or “…brainstorming new ideas and implementing them” or “…ways in which we can disrupt and leapfrog our competitors.” Clearly there are many ways to think about the process of innovation, but almost never [...]

Continue reading...

Minnov8 Gang Podcast – Episode 22

We strive to deliver a high value podcast at an affordable price (um…that would be free?) and this week’s show is no exception as it’s packed with topics. Today’s hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Graeme Thickins and Phil Wilson. (Photo credit: Lee Odden (TopRankBlog; Flickr). Joining us on the podcast is a brand new Minnov8 contributor and participant, Gary Koelling, who is Senior Manager, Social [...]

Continue reading...

‘Minnebar’ Becoming Top Event for State’s Internet/Software Developers and Entrepreneurs

An annual Minnesota event, playfully named Minnebar — which grew out of a grass-roots tech industry initiative called Barcamp — is happening for the third year in a row here in the Twin Cities this coming Saturday, May 10, at the U of M’s Coffman Union. By 8:00 am, somewhere between 300 and 400 software [...]

Continue reading...

The Latest on U of M Technology Innovation and Commercialization

The University of Minnesota is among the top patent producers in the world, ranking #4 on Scientist Magazine’s list of “Patent Powerhouses,” behind only three other major American universities. Yet, quantity of patents hardly paints the entire picture. What about helping to start up companies to commercialize those patents? According to the U’s own [...]

Continue reading...

Innovation in Early-Stage Investing? You Bet! And MN Firm Is Major Player

It’s no secret the gap between friends-and-family financing and venture capital funding is big enough to drive a…well, a busload of entrepreneurs through. But I’m here to tell you, friends, there’s hope on the horizon.   The capital needs of early-stage companies used to be served well by VC funds, but the aforementioned gap has been growing [...]

Continue reading...

Welcome to Minnov8!

Minnov8 began as an idea in late 2007 when several Minnesota geeks realized that we shared a passion and a realization that we were living in a time of the greatest shift in communication and connection — affecting both humans and machines — than we were ever going to experience again in our lifetimes. As we [...]

Continue reading...