3350: Make the Problem the Purpose: Rethinking Innovation with Colin Scott of Innventure

Is innovation failing because we're starting in the wrong place?

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Colin Scott, Senior Vice President of DownSelect at Innventure, to challenge the default tech-first mindset that dominates R&D and corporate innovation. Instead of asking what a technology can do, Innventure flips the question: what real-world problem needs to be solved? It's a market-first philosophy, not a pitch deck philosophy, and it's led to some fascinating outcomes.

Colin walks us through Innventure's DownSelect process, a trademarked, multi-stage approach for evaluating early-stage innovation through the MATCH framework: Market, Advantage, Timeline, Capital, and High Value. 

The result? Out of over 150 evaluated opportunities, just four companies have cut, including PureCycle Technologies, AeroFlexx, and Rafinity. That 5 percent conversion rate isn't a bug; it's a feature. It's the design. Colin explains why prioritising unmet strategic needs over flashy prototypes leads to better long-term outcomes for customers, partners, and the technology itself.

We also explore how Innventure fosters creative tension inside teams through something they call "Tigger Time," a framework that assigns roles for optimists and sceptics to surface risks and possibilities early in the process. It's a smart way to turn internal disagreement into forward momentum.

So, how do you approach innovation in your organisation? Are you starting with the technology or the need? Please let me know your thoughts after listening.