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Innovation Strategy

Fostering creative solutions for competitive advantage

We drive market disruption through strategic innovation, transforming visionary ideas into commercial triumphs.

In the rapidly evolving business landscape, mastering innovation strategy is critical for companies aiming to maintain competitive advantage and achieve sustainable growth. At Sharpless, we believe that innovation must be seamlessly integrated into the strategic fabric of an organization, not treated as a peripheral activity. Our approach is holistic and adaptive, ensuring that innovation intersects with core business processes to drive both incremental improvements and breakthrough transformations. By aligning cutting-edge technological advancements with deep market insights, we enable organizations to not only respond to immediate market shifts but also to shape the future of their industries. Through a disciplined yet flexible framework, we guide your enterprise from ideation to execution, turning novel ideas into profitable ventures and fostering a corporate ethos that embraces continuous innovation as a key driver of success.

Value Proposition

We equip your organization to lead in disruption and capitalize on new opportunities, integrating forward-thinking practices and helping you transform innovative ideas into lucrative business outcomes.

Sharpless Innovation Strategy

Edward Sharpless, DSc

CEO

How We Support Client Success

Strategic Insight and Foresight

We provide deep market insights and foresight that guide enterprises in identifying and acting on emerging opportunities before they become mainstream. Our strategic advisory positions your organization to capitalize on trends that shape the future of industries.

Business Model Innovation

Innovating doesn’t stop with the product; it extends to transforming business models. We help clients rethink how they create, deliver, and capture value, ensuring sustainability and growth in the digital age.

Customized Innovation Frameworks

Tailoring innovation frameworks to the specific needs of your business, we ensure that your innovation efforts align with your overall strategic objectives, enhancing both market agility and competitive advantage.

Prototyping and Rapid Testing

Our approach includes the development of prototypes and the rapid testing of these concepts in real-world scenarios, enabling quick iteration based on user feedback and market response.

Technology Scouting and Integration

We identify and integrate cutting-edge technologies that can enhance product offerings or create entirely new opportunities for our clients, ensuring they remain at the forefront of their industries.

Ecosystem Development

Beyond internal capabilities, we help you build and integrate into broader innovation ecosystems. This includes forming strategic alliances and partnerships that enhance collaborative innovation efforts and access to new technologies.

Our Methodology

The Sharpless Innovation Framework

Our rigorously validated framework is expertly crafted to orchestrate the innovation journey from concept genesis to market launch. This methodology, honed through extensive application and iterative refinement in varied market contexts, equips your organization to efficiently transform novel ideas into viable, lucrative ventures. With this proven strategy, your team can advance confidently, leveraging a blueprint that catalyzes innovation and drives competitive success.

Step 1

Vision and Objective Setting

We begin by crafting a tailored innovation strategy that aligns with the client’s overall business goals. This strategy serves as a roadmap for all innovation activities.

Step 2

Market and Competitive Analysis

We conduct thorough market research and competitive analyses to understand where gaps and opportunities for innovation lie, and set a strategic path to leverage these insights effectively.

Step 3

Roadmapping and Resource Allocation

In collaboration with cross-functional leadership teams, we develop detailed innovation roadmaps that outline the path from idea generation to market implementation, accompanied by strategic resource allocation to support these initiatives.

Step 4

Open Innovation and Collaboration

We leverage open innovation by collaborating with external networks, including startups, research institutions, and other industries, to bring in fresh ideas and accelerate the innovation process.

Step 5

Customer-Centric Design Thinking

Adopting a design thinking approach ensures that customer needs are at the center of the innovation process. This method involves empathizing with users, defining pain points, ideating solutions, prototyping, and testing.

Step 6

Agile Methodology for Product Development

We apply agile principles to product development to enhance flexibility, speed up development times, and improve responsiveness to market changes.

Step 7

Innovation Metrics and ROI Analysis

Establishing clear metrics to measure the effectiveness of innovation initiatives is critical. We help clients define and track these metrics to assess ROI and adjust strategies as necessary.

Market Insights

Sharpless | Driving Innovation with Generative AI
article

Driving Innovation with Generative AI

Top innovators use generative AI to enhance business processes and customer experiences. They excel by asking the right questions, scrutinizing AI outputs, and adopting agile practices.

McKinsey & Company
Sharpless | The Eight Essentials of Innovation
article

The Eight Essentials of Innovation

McKinsey identifies eight crucial elements that can significantly boost a company's innovation success rate. These include aligning with business strategy, mastering the use of digital tools, and fostering an internal culture supportive of innovation.

McKinsey & Company
Sharpless | Unleashing the Innovation Power of Alliances
article

Unleashing the Innovation Power of Alliances

This article explores how strategic alliances can facilitate rapid innovation and scaling, especially in high-stakes industries like pharmaceuticals, as evidenced by the fast development of COVID-19 vaccines.

Boston Consulting Group

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