innovation

Without a vaccine for 12 to 18 months, we are facing not just a short-term crisis but a massive ongoing challenge both to protect health and preserve the economy—and the businesses and workers depending on it. Read more in fortune…

With its $2 trillion market size, the fashion industry offers major untapped opportunities for investors and companies. BCG and Fashion for Good calculate a financing opportunity of $20 billion to $30 billion per year to be directed toward developing and…

A 49-minute trip became a free Lack coffee table. About two hours of driving scored a Billy bookshelf. Even a five-minute trip was good for a veggie dog. Read more in Fast Company  Ikea is giving out free coffee tables—but…

Many innovators make the mistake of thinking that cool technology by itself can cross into the adjacent possible. It’s the classic “if you build it, they will come” philosophy. But they don’t always come. Read more in strategy-business Why cool…

More brands are selling their perfumes online, where customers can’t smell them. But a bottle is worth a thousand sniffs. The bottle’s design, in other words, speaks to the hand-crafted perfume inside—even the bottle toppers tell a story. Read more…

In the U.S., Americans produce close to five pounds of waste per person per day. When that waste is disposed in landfills or incinerators, serious greenhouse gases are emitted. Read more in Fast Company How San Francisco turned its waste…

When Toyota introduced the Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid car, the initial consumer buzz put the car’s future in some jeopardy. The design looked odd to consumers. The public and auto critics panned its unique features and user interface. But…

A recent Harvard Business Review survey found that 73% of today’s buyers use multiple channels to search and spend. So when all these channels are connected and play to their respective strengths, omnichannel retailing really pays off. Here are 14…

Inside the lab—and away from the cubicle culture of the engineering-driven Googleplex—industrial designers, artists, and sculptors are free to collaborate. “Google’s blueprint for how they optimize is great for most people [at the company],” says Ross. “Designers need different things.”…

When we talk about discovery and experience in retail, we talk about b8ta. The company’s stores let shoppers discover, experience and buy all of the most innovative new products from creators all over the world Read more in Insider-trends  How…