Ideas Are Running Ever Faster

We live in an era of technological acceleration, and it affects not only the emergence of new development ideas, but a growing desire to use these emerging innovations is also observed. There are ever more suggestions for entirely new products and the subsequent technological wave that sweeps away everything old comes ever sooner. Today, many innovations are being born, and the more important question is not how this is happening exactly, but which one of them will have the power to become a market factor. Undoubtedly, the people who rule over technologies and develop them will be the new market leaders.

Unlocking Creativity

And yet - how do ideas make their way, which one of them will be realized? Do only the awesomely new ones matter? That is why it is good for us to be able to ask ourselves questions: What will happen if we change the product? If we put it in a different package? Or if we make it stronger? And what if we set "programmed ageing"? What will happen if the service becomes faster or cheaper? Or more convenient and more effective? Or slower and more expensive? What to add to the product or the service? How to leave our competitors behind? What should we do so that they don't get ahead of us? Questions are an important mechanism for unlocking creative thinking, solving problems and making innovations.

Long-Distance Runner

Let's see the story of Samsung - a leader in the electronics industry. The beginning was set in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul. He ensured its successes even by choosing the name - it consists of the Korean words "sam" (three) and "sung" (stars). According to the South Korean culture, the three stars are a symbol of something big and mighty. And indeed, from a small trading company, Samsung became a corporation with global impact, and its business includes various sectors - from modern technologies and construction of skyscrapers to fashion, healthcare and finance. The ambition to step onto the consumer electronics market was born in 1970 with the production of black-and-white TVs, and 16 years later, Samsung entered the world of mobile technologies with the invention of the car phone. Samsung didn't become a brand with the glamour of Apple, but is capable of provoking a strong interest among consumers with each new product. These are 80 years in which the company has to not only find the right direction, but also to stay on the crest of the wave.

New Generation

Years ago, people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, who founded Microsoft and Apple at the age of 23 and 21, were considered young entrepreneurs. Mark Zuckerberg became the co-founder of Facebook at the age of 19. Entrepreneurs are ever younger. So young that the last "harvest" includes leaders who are not even allowed to drive. Having access to technologies from the moment of their birth, there is nothing more natural to them than creating technologies. Shubham Banerjee from Santa Clara, California, was only 13 years old when he created the Braille printer for the blind, after which he established his own company and called it Braigo Labs. Later, Intel invested in his development. Soroush Ghodsi from Waterloo in the Canadian province of Ontario was only 13 years old when he became the General Director of Silk Technologies that allows searching, filtering and following companies based on criteria such as funding round, staff number, and site visits. This was his fourth attempt for a startup and a second term as a general director. At 12, Rohan Agarwal from Cupertino, California, was a self-taught programmer. He was so keen on robotics that he became a trainee at OLogic - specialized in designing robots in the field of consumer electronics and toys. He is the founder of the consultancy company Aleopile for robotics, web-design and printed circuit boards.

Leader or Follower

Sometimes, decades go by before a certain technology enters the market. One of the best examples for this are automobiles that needed tens of years to "take over" our streets. Now, we see how the era of the autonomous automobiles is already running towards us, and thus carmakers face challenges that are ever more complex. The application of integrated circuits is also expressive - they were slowly entering the market in the 1940s. The climax of their development were chips whose size is becoming ever smaller in a way that is inversely proportional to their capacity. It was they that made the revolution in the digital devices that we use today possible. When it comes to digital transformation, we can't miss Kodak. In 1975, the company was a leader in photography equipment. It was then that a young engineer in the organization developed the first digital camera, but his bosses didn't appreciate the potential of the idea. Years went by before the digital technology made its way to the market. The digital revolution, however, removed Kodak from the market. The company made desperate efforts to adapt to the change, but failed to do so, and in 2012, it filed for bankruptcy. If you are not a technological leader, you may not be able to remain even a follower. What is needed are visionaries, large investments are being made and even without any guarantee for market success.

No Ready Recipes

Today, technology is developing faster than yesterday, and tomorrow the dynamics will be even greater than today. There are many ideas. Many of them reach a notable stage of development. But not all of them reach the dreamed-of commercialization, and not all of them have the potential to sweep away and replace other technologies. The fastest way is for the development to be noticed and to start attracting mentors, business angels and investors. There are no ready recipes; innovations are something that is done for the first time. There are innovations even in making a break through.

No idea is worth anything unless, sooner or later, it is realized. Every great thing, however, was once just an idea.