Seven things we learned at IITP 2013

Innovative business can grow fast

Craig Richardson’s Wynyard Group shows it is possible to grow an innovative company at breakneck speed. In his IITP keynote, Richardson took delegates through his experience explaining where the best opportunities are to be found and how a New Zealand business can quickly exploit them. He says look for opportunities in places where megatrends clash, don’t chase others and choose billion-dollar categories with double-digit growth.

You can’t legislate for innovation

New Zealand born Professor Barry Vercoe, who graduated from Auckland University in 1962, launched New Zealand’s One Laptop per Child programme at IITP scoring the conference’s most enthusiastic applause. Vercoe is one of the brains behind the low-cost laptops. He gave an inspiring presentation showing the potential of these computers to change people’s lives.

Sales are vital

Yes that’s obvious, but Ed Robinson says the Aptimize business he co-founded only took off when he moved into sales. I’ve heard this before from other successful technology entrepreneurs. It seems no-one else is as good as selling ideas as the person who first has them.

Balancing privacy and security is dangerous.

Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff dismisses arguments that privacy and security can be balanced. She says that’s the thinking that has lead to a surveillance culture. Instead she wants to see a two pillar approach where security and privacy are ensured.

Privacy can be innovation

That’s not an accurate report of what Microsoft chief privacy office Brendan Lynch said at the conference, it’s my interpretation of his theme. Another summary is:

Companies worry about privacy for regulatory or compliance reasons. They should worry about it to keep their shareholders happy.

Either way, attending to trust is a good business move.

The NZ government is thinking about teleworking

Tucked away, almost as an aside, at the end of Amy Adam’s presentation she said:”We’re not taking enough advantage of people who don’t need to be coming into the office.”Adams says the government is preparing a teleworking promotion. This could be a good move.

A manufacturing revolution is coming

3D printers are cool, but most do little more than make small plastic things. A printer making items out of metals like titanium is revolutionary.On the day before the IITP conference started delegates were taken on an tour of Tauranga’s innovation hot-spots. This incuded a trip to TiDA – the Titanium Industry Development Association at the Bay Of Plenty Polytechnic. From replacement body parts to small runs of tools like tiny adjustable spanners, the TiDA team show where manufacturing could be heading.

The cost of printing metal items is already as cheap as traditional manufacturing – once you’ve paid millions for the equipment. The economics are only going to get more compelling. One day we see local metal print shops in much the same way we now have copy shops.