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Innovation Management Software

A complete Innovation Management Software System

For internal innovation within your organization or external open innovation, our system handles both —
with IP protection built in.

Key Steps to an Effective Innovation Management Process

A robust innovation management system isn’t just about gathering ideas; it’s about transforming those sparks into impactful solutions. Here’s a look at the essential steps involved in streamlining innovation from inception to results—all from within a single, integrated platform:

  • Centralize Requests and Ideas
    Bring all innovation requests and ideas—whether from within your team or across departments—into one centralized space. With everything in one place, it’s easy to capture, prioritize, and review new concepts as they arise.
  • Uncover Solutions with Advanced Tools
    Leverage smart technologies like AI-powered search engines and comprehensive databases (think Crunchbase or CB Insights) to discover fresh solutions and groundbreaking startups. Advanced filters and customizable profiles make it simple to pinpoint the right partners or technologies.
  • Streamline Evaluation and Collaboration
    Move seamlessly from discovery to evaluation, using built-in frameworks to score, compare, and vet each idea or solution. Tools that automate routine tasks (such as RFIs and meeting scheduling) help keep your team focused on high-value collaboration, with transparent analytics to support every decision.
  • Engage and Align Stakeholders
    Innovation thrives when everyone’s on board. Equip cross-functional teams—product, R&D, procurement—to collaborate in real time, manage project milestones, and ensure everyone is working toward clear, common goals.
  • Monitor Performance and Outcomes
    Continuous improvement is key. Use built-in analytics and reporting to track progress toward KPIs, such as successful pilots, new partners, and overall return on innovation investment. Flexible dashboards provide a clear view of performance and highlight areas for further growth.

By integrating these steps within your innovation management strategy, you’ll accelerate progress, reduce risk, and ensure your organization stays ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Common Challenges in Enterprise Innovation Management

Many organizations striving to harness innovation encounter a series of familiar, frustrating roadblocks. Clunky spreadsheets, scattered email threads, and scattered shared drives quickly become the unofficial “innovation toolkit.” Not exactly the high-tech arsenal most teams hope for.

Without a unified system, teams find themselves struggling to keep everyone on the same page—literally and figuratively. Processes for gathering, evaluating, and selecting new technologies can morph into a game of telephone, where critical insights are easily lost or diluted in the shuffle.

Some teams attempt to MacGyver a solution, repurposing CRMs or generic project management tools. (Spoiler: They’re built for sales pipelines, not sparking breakthrough ideas.) The result? Essential information is buried, confusion reigns, and innovation efforts get trapped in organizational silos.

This patchwork approach creates barriers to efficiency, transparency, and—perhaps most importantly—momentum.

Why Move Beyond Spreadsheets and Endless Email Threads?

Say goodbye to scattershot documents and disconnected conversations—centralizing your innovation process brings clarity and momentum. By moving your innovation efforts out of spreadsheets and off messy email chains, you:

  • Eliminate confusion about the latest updates or version control
  • Ensure everyone’s on the same page with a unified, easily accessible platform
  • Break down departmental silos, encouraging cross-team collaboration
  • Track, evaluate, and prioritize ideas faster, without hunting through inboxes
  • Streamline reporting to leadership, with data and progress always at your fingertips

No more lost ideas or tangled threads—just a smarter, more connected approach to making innovation thrive.

Why Traditional Tools Fall Short

While many organizations try to shoehorn CRM platforms and other business management software into their innovation processes, these tools simply aren’t made for the job. CRMs, for example, are fantastic at tracking leads and managing sales pipelines—but they hit a wall when it comes to capturing wild, early-stage ideas, facilitating creative collaboration, and managing the complexities of IP protection.

Innovation thrives on flexibility, transparency, and purpose-built workflows. Standard business platforms like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics tend to lack:

  • Idea submission portals tailored for innovation challenges
  • Automated IP protection and confidentiality options
  • Collaboration spaces designed for cross-functional teams
  • Custom review and scoring processes unique to innovation lifecycles

In short, using a generic tool is a bit like bringing a butter knife to a Swiss Army knife contest—possible, but hardly ideal. Our software is purpose-built to address the unique challenges of innovation management, so you can move from idea to impact with confidence.

Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation

When teams juggle data across endless spreadsheets, scattered drives, and cluttered email threads, progress slows to a crawl. Disconnected workflows and isolated processes create silos—making it nearly impossible to get a clear, enterprise-wide view of innovation activities.

Without a unified system, great ideas get buried, evaluations lose objectivity, and opportunities slip through the cracks. Communication falters, crucial insights go unnoticed, and decision-making stalls—just ask anyone who’s tried to wrangle feedback from five different email chains. Left unchecked, these obstacles can stifle creativity, diminish collaboration, and leave your organization lagging behind competitors who have streamlined their approach.

By breaking down these barriers and bringing everything together in one place, you pave the way for smoother collaboration and truly impactful innovation.

Why Siloed, Makeshift Innovation Processes Hold Teams Back

When innovative ideas are managed with a patchwork of spreadsheets, scattered emails, and improvised tools, organizations quickly run into trouble. Instead of smooth collaboration, teams can find themselves lost in a maze of duplicated files, vague email chains, and data hidden away in personal drives. It’s a bit like trying to host a symphony—with everyone playing from their own sheet music, out of sync and out of tune.

This fragmented setup has real consequences:

  • Lack of Consistency: There’s no unified roadmap for reviewing, selecting, and moving ideas forward. Every team might use a different method, making it difficult to compare, prioritize, or even find the best concepts.
  • Information Silos: When knowledge is trapped in separate tools or departments, valuable insights get missed. Collaboration stalls, momentum slows, and the organization misses out on game-changing breakthroughs.
  • Frustration with Generic Tools: Trying to force CRM systems or other unrelated platforms into an innovation workflow usually leads to frustration. These tools aren’t built for the dynamic, iterative process that fuels creative discovery, and workarounds inevitably break down.

In short, reliance on makeshift solutions stifles innovation, blocks transparency, and puts organizations at a disadvantage—dulling the creative edge that’s so vital in today’s fast-changing landscape.

Delivering a dynamic, state-of-the-art innovation technology.

Internal idea capture, cyber scouting, idea review and workflow, external innovation, idea management, reporting and analytics and more.

We’ve built every essential feature into our innovation management system to drive discovery, evaluation, and implementation:

  • Idea Management: Easily collect, organize, and refine ideas from every corner of your organization.
  • Open Innovation: Seamlessly collaborate both inside your company and with external partners or communities.
  • Enterprise-Grade Security: Protect your intellectual property and sensitive data at every stage.
  • Advanced Reporting & Analytics: Visualize trends, measure impact, and track innovation outcomes with robust charting tools.
  • Vendor & Partner Management: Streamline communication and evaluation with built-in solicitation and review processes.
  • Technology Scouting: Identify and assess emerging technologies and potential collaborators worldwide.
  • Project Management: Move from idea to execution with integrated project tracking tools.
  • Virtual Events: Host challenges, hackathons, or webinars to spark engagement and crowdsource fresh solutions.
  • Easy Integrations: Connect your existing tools with flexible APIs and single sign-on (SSO) support.

Whether you’re launching a new innovation challenge or building a culture of continuous improvement, our platform adapts to your process and scales with your ambition.

 

A Central Hub for Your Innovation Process

Our platform brings every phase of innovation together—no more scattered spreadsheets or siloed teams. Seamlessly move from initial idea collection through secure technology scouting, structured reviews, and collaborative workflows—all in a single, flexible system designed to support cross-functional teams.

Standardized, Proven Workflows

With built-in, battle-tested innovation management workflows, your team stays aligned and on track at every step. Guide projects from concept to implementation, whether you’re piloting new technologies, seeking out mergers and acquisitions, or exploring investment opportunities.

End-to-End Visibility and Control

From sourcing and evaluating ideas to analyzing performance and managing partnerships, you’ll have a comprehensive view of your innovation pipeline—streamlining collaboration, minimizing risk, and accelerating the pace at which your organization discovers and deploys new solutions.

Real-World Benefits Our Customers Experience

When it comes to innovation management software, our users continually highlight the practical advantages that help drive their innovation strategies forward. Here’s what customers consistently report:

  • Intuitive User Experience: Customers appreciate how easy it is to navigate the platform, add new ideas or partners, and customize fields to capture just the information they need—without a steep learning curve.
  • Streamlined Collaboration: Teams value being able to collect, review, and assess new opportunities together, often remarking on how the software centralizes all innovation activity so everyone stays on the same page.
  • Efficient Vendor and Startup Tracking: Users tell us it’s a game changer to organize vendor and startup activity in one place, while also having workflows to ensure timely follow-ups and up-to-date records.
  • Flexible for Unique Workflows: From multinational R&D departments to agile innovation teams, customers love having the flexibility to tailor the platform to their specific approaches, whether for reverse CRM, technology scouting, or collaboration tracking.
  • Responsive Support: Our customers often mention how helpful and proactive our support team is—whether it’s guiding setup, building custom features, or simply answering questions.

In short, customers experience a more organized, collaborative, and strategic approach to managing innovation initiatives—whether they’re working internally or building partnerships across boundaries.

Ready to Elevate Your Innovation Program?

Take the next step toward industry-leading innovation management with our flexible engagement options designed for organizations of all sizes:

  • See It in Action: Book a live demo to explore the platform’s features and capabilities, tailored to your unique workflow.
  • Experience Hands-On: Request a complimentary trial to explore firsthand how intuitive innovation management can be.
  • Discuss Your Goals: Connect with our team to talk through your organization’s innovation objectives and challenges. We’ll recommend the best approaches, drawing on best practices from innovation leaders like 3M, Google, and P&G.

Whether you’re looking to streamline idea capture, enhance collaboration, or unlock powerful analytics, our experts are here to guide you every step of the way.

REQUEST YOUR DEMO

Streamlining Innovation with Standardized Processes

A consistent, structured approach makes all the difference when it comes to turning great ideas into impactful results. By following established innovation processes—like those championed by giants such as 3M and Google—your team can:

  • Stay aligned with clear steps and expectations,
  • Seamlessly collaborate across departments, and
  • Reduce the risk of ideas getting lost in the shuffle.

Standardized workflows mean everyone knows what comes next, from idea submission to final evaluation. This not only accelerates decision-making but also fosters accountability and transparency. Ultimately, adopting time-tested methodologies gives enterprises the confidence to innovate at scale—without sacrificing quality or creativity.

Flexible Solutions for Unique Innovation Challenges

Innovation rarely comes with a “one-size-fits-all” manual. Every organization faces its own set of challenges—whether you’re a fast-moving startup or a seasoned global powerhouse like Siemens or 3M. That’s where a customizable and flexible innovation management platform truly shines.

With the ability to tailor workflows, dashboards, and idea evaluation processes, you can address your team’s unique needs without forcing everyone into a rigid box. Custom features enable you to:

  • Align innovation efforts with your specific business objectives
  • Adapt idea review and approval processes to meet changing priorities
  • Facilitate collaboration across departments, regions, or even industries
  • Integrate seamlessly with your existing tools and data systems

The result? A platform that evolves as your strategy does. Instead of wrestling with workarounds, your innovation teams can focus on what really matters—discovering breakthrough solutions and accelerating them from concept to impact.

Key Metrics to Gauge Innovation Success

To truly understand the impact of your innovation initiatives, monitoring the right metrics is essential. Some of the most insightful innovation KPIs include:

  • Number of ideas submitted and implemented: Track how many ideas are not only generated but also brought to fruition within your organization.
  • Pilot programs launched: Measure the quantity and success rate of pilot projects that emerge from your innovation pipeline.
  • Engagement levels: Evaluate participation rates among employees or external contributors using platforms like Slack or Yammer for collaborative idea sharing.
  • Time-to-market: Monitor how quickly new ideas progress from concept to execution, keeping an eye on efficiency.
  • Return on investment (ROI): Analyze the value generated versus resources spent, factoring in cost savings, revenue growth, or improved processes.
  • Partnerships and collaborations: Examine how many new partnerships you’ve fostered through open innovation efforts, such as those with universities, startups, or industry leaders.

By keeping a close eye on these KPIs, organizations ensure their innovation management software isn’t just a tool, but a launchpad for measurable, scalable success.

Why Integrate Ideation Tools and Startup Management Processes?

Combining ideation tools with startup management processes unlocks powerful advantages for your innovation program. By bringing these components together, you create a seamless journey—from capturing raw ideas to nurturing them into actual business opportunities.

This integration streamlines workflows, eliminates unnecessary silos, and ensures that each promising idea doesn’t just get logged, but is actively shepherded through evaluation, development, and launch. Imagine capturing spark-of-genius moments from your team through an intuitive dashboard, then channeling those ideas directly into a strategic pipeline—where you can apply proven methodologies like Lean Startup or agile frameworks.

Benefits include:

  • Increased Visibility: Easily follow each idea from inception to market, making it simple to prioritize, track progress, and allocate resources.
  • Greater Collaboration: Empower cross-functional teams to contribute, review, and refine ideas in real time—no more lost emails or forgotten sticky notes.
  • Faster Time-to-Market: With everything in one place, your team can iterate and respond quickly, transforming concepts into launches with less delay.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Integrated analytics provide actionable insights to optimize your process and improve outcomes.

Ultimately, by aligning ideation and startup management within a single, purpose-built platform, you accelerate innovation and maximize the impact of your organization’s collective creativity.

Seamless Partner Engagement for Pilots and Collaboration

Effortlessly connect with industry partners, vendors, or startups to launch pilots and explore new opportunities. Our platform is designed for cross-functional collaboration—so teams can easily coordinate tasks, communicate, and keep everyone in the loop.

  • Invite collaborators directly into your workflow and assign clear roles and responsibilities.
  • Track project progress and milestones together, ensuring transparency and alignment from day one.
  • Capture decisions, share documents securely, and streamline evaluations—all in one place.

Whether you’re piloting a new technology with a Fortune 500 vendor or testing ideas alongside agile startups, you’ll have the tools to keep partnerships focused, productive, and moving forward.

Seamlessly Manage Stakeholder Requests

Capturing and organizing requests from stakeholders—whether for new technology solutions, idea submissions, or vendor partnerships—can be a challenge for any organization. Our platform streamlines this process by providing a unified space to collect, track, and prioritize every request.

With centralized request management, stakeholders can submit their needs directly into the system. From there, requests are automatically organized and scored based on custom criteria, making it easy to identify the most promising opportunities. Whether it’s an internal team seeking a breakthrough tool or an external partner proposing a novel approach, qualified submissions feed directly into your innovation pipeline for further evaluation and development.

The result? Greater transparency, faster response times, and a more strategic approach to idea intake—all while keeping teams aligned and projects moving forward.

Vendor Management and Selection Tracking Made Easy

Innovation leaders rely on advanced innovation management platforms to seamlessly manage vendors and track selection efforts. With an intuitive interface, these systems make it simple to add new vendors to a centralized database, ensuring all key information is organized and accessible at a glance.

Custom fields allow teams to capture everything from technical capabilities to unique differentiators—no more sifting through endless spreadsheets. Admin users can set up automated workflows to send routine requests for updated vendor information, ensuring that records stay current without the constant back-and-forth.

Need to benchmark external solution providers like Siemens or Honeywell? Easily compare vendors side-by-side, monitor communications, and document all selection decisions in one unified workspace. This streamlined approach not only saves valuable time, but also delivers the transparency and accountability innovation programs demand.

View Innovation Software Screenshots

From the admin user perspective.

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AI-Powered Technology Scouting and Analysis

Stay ahead of the curve by integrating artificial intelligence into your technology scouting efforts. AI transforms traditional research by acting as a virtual technology scout—one that works around the clock to sift through global data in real time, identify emerging trends, and deliver expert-level insights.

How AI Enhances Your Innovation Portfolio:

  • Trend Detection: AI algorithms scan millions of publications, patents, and online sources, highlighting developments that could impact your industry before they hit mainstream awareness.
  • Competitive Analysis: Tools like IBM Watson and Google Cloud AI can analyze companies across markets, uncovering unique strengths, weaknesses, and partnership opportunities you might otherwise miss.
  • Efficient Filtering: AI supports rapid, multi-criteria searches for new technologies. Go beyond simple keyword queries—filter by technical readiness, geographic region, partnerships, and commercial viability.
  • Dynamic Vendor Profiles: Automatically generated and continually updated, these profiles consolidate data from sources like Crunchbase, PitchBook, and academic journals, providing a live pulse on startups, scale-ups, and established players.
  • Vetted Insights: Tap into databases of pre-screened startups and emerging technologies, letting AI do the heavy lifting to surface solutions that best fit your requirements—saving you hours of manual review.

By leveraging AI for technology scouting, you accelerate discovery, enhance selection accuracy, and ensure your innovation pipeline is fueled by the most relevant and promising opportunities the global marketplace has to offer.

Vendor Management and Selection Tracking Made Easy

Innovation leaders rely on advanced innovation management platforms to seamlessly manage vendors and track selection efforts. With an intuitive interface, these systems make it simple to add new vendors to a centralized database, ensuring all key information is organized and accessible at a glance.

Custom fields allow teams to capture everything from technical capabilities to unique differentiators—no more sifting through endless spreadsheets. Admin users can set up automated workflows to send routine requests for updated vendor information, ensuring that records stay current without the constant back-and-forth.

Need to benchmark external solution providers like Siemens or Honeywell? Easily compare vendors side-by-side, monitor communications, and document all selection decisions in one unified workspace. This streamlined approach not only saves valuable time, but also delivers the transparency and accountability innovation programs demand.

Integrated, On-Demand Research Support

Innovation rarely follows a perfect playbook—sometimes, your team reaches a crossroads where automated tools just can’t deliver that extra spark. That’s where integrated, on-demand research support becomes a game-changer.

Why On-Demand Research Matters

While software is excellent at streamlining idea management and analytics, there are moments in your innovation journey that require deeper expertise. Whether you’re exploring emerging technologies, mapping out the competitive landscape, or vetting prospective startups, having a dedicated research support team on hand can bridge critical knowledge gaps.

Think of it as having your own bench of analysts ready to leap into action. Need a market trends report? Investigating technology clusters or adjacent spaces? Or perhaps you require due diligence on a potential partner—on-demand research delivers actionable insights when your team needs them most, all without leaving the platform.

Some scenarios where on-demand research elevates your innovation process include:

  • Innovation Discovery: Leverage expert analysis to identify disruptive opportunities and ensure your pipeline stays fresh.
  • Technology Landscaping: Get comprehensive reports on technology trends, competitors, and patent activity, drawing from trusted sources like CB Insights, Gartner, and Wired.
  • Startup Shortlisting: Cut through the noise—receive curated lists of relevant startups, including growth data and commercial readiness.
  • Company Due Diligence: Benefit from objective, timely background checks and market assessments before making strategic decisions.

In short, seamlessly blending software capabilities with human insight ensures your innovation engine never stalls, no matter how complex or fast-moving the challenge.

View Innovation Software Screenshots

From the admin user perspective.

View Innovation Software Technology Landscaping Screenshots

From the admin user perspective.

The only Innovation Software with Technology Landscaping built-in. Fuel your entire innovation program.

Comprehensive Research Services to Power Innovation

Support your innovation initiatives with a suite of targeted research projects executed by experienced analysts dedicated to your success. Our platform enables you to request and receive a broad range of research deliverables, seamlessly integrated into your innovation workflow.

Typical research projects include:

  • Innovation Discovery Initiatives
    Uncover emerging technologies, trends, and opportunities relevant to your strategic goals. Our team scours global databases, industry publications, and scientific literature to present novel solutions and market shifts.
  • Technology Landscape Analyses
    Gain a clear, big-picture view of technology ecosystems. We map key players, distribution patterns, maturity levels, and partnerships—arming you with actionable insights to guide R&D investment and competitive strategy.
  • Curated Startup Shortlists
    Quickly identify promising startups for partnership, investment, or acquisition. From Silicon Valley disruptors to university spin-offs in Cambridge, our shortlists are thoroughly vetted for technical and commercial readiness.
  • Company and Technology Due Diligence
    Confidently evaluate potential partners or acquisition targets. We deliver deep-dive assessments covering technical background, IP portfolios, funding history, team credentials, and market traction.

Whether you need ongoing innovation discovery or a one-off competitor scan, these research offerings ensure your organization stays ahead of industry shifts and captures breakthrough opportunities.

Next-Level Technology Discovery & Research

Go beyond static lists and basic searches. With our integrated technology landscaping, you can:

  • Search by multiple criteria: Filter by industry, geography, technology maturity, and more to quickly surface the most relevant opportunities.
  • Access configurable company profiles: Profiles automatically update and populate with rich insights—so you always have the latest information at your fingertips.
  • Tap into a vast startup database: Instantly explore thousands of vetted, enterprise-ready startups and emerging companies, including key players like Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, and other innovation leaders.
  • Collaborate seamlessly: Share discoveries, insights, and files in real time with your team or external partners, streamlining the path from identification to action.

Human Expertise, On Demand

Software does the heavy lifting—but sometimes, you need a human touch. When your search hits a roadblock, request hands-on research support directly within the platform. Our seasoned analysts act as an extension of your team, delivering:

  • Innovation Discovery Programs
  • Technology Landscape Reports
  • Startup Shortlists
  • Company Due Diligence

They’ll surface new solutions, assess readiness, and deliver concise, actionable findings—uploaded straight into your workflow.

Whether you’re tracking topic trends, mapping adjacent technologies, or pinpointing commercial readiness across regions, our technology landscaping keeps your innovation engine firing on all cylinders.

Evaluate and Compare Technology Solutions

A structured evaluation process is key when assessing new technology options. Organizations should begin by clearly outlining their business objectives and technical needs, then assemble a cross-functional review team to ensure diverse perspectives.

  • Shortlist Vendors and Solutions: Gather a list of qualified vendors, drawing from sources like Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, and peer recommendations on G2 or Capterra.
  • Request Information and Demos: Develop a detailed RFI or RFP tailored to your requirements. Invite shortlisted vendors, such as IBM, Microsoft, or niche startups, to provide documentation and live demonstrations.
  • Hands-on Testing: Whenever possible, conduct pilot programs or request sandbox environments, allowing your internal users to test features in real-world scenarios.
  • Collaborative Scoring: Create a scoring rubric covering criteria like integration capability, scalability, user experience, support, and security compliance. Assign reviewers to independently evaluate and score options.
  • Due Diligence: Conduct references checks with existing customers, verify compliance certifications (like SOC 2, ISO 27001), and assess vendor financial stability.

Throughout this process, maintain detailed documentation to support internal discussions and decision-making. Use visualization tools—such as comparison matrices or dashboards—to synthesize findings and highlight top contenders.

Evaluate and Compare Technology Solutions

A structured evaluation process is key when assessing new technology options. Organizations should begin by clearly outlining their business objectives and technical needs, then assemble a cross-functional review team to ensure diverse perspectives.

  • Shortlist Vendors and Solutions: Gather a list of qualified vendors, drawing from sources like Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, and peer recommendations on G2 or Capterra.
  • Request Information and Demos: Develop a detailed RFI or RFP tailored to your requirements. Invite shortlisted vendors, such as IBM, Microsoft, or niche startups, to provide documentation and live demonstrations.
  • Hands-on Testing: Whenever possible, conduct pilot programs or request sandbox environments, allowing your internal users to test features in real-world scenarios.
  • Collaborative Scoring: Create a scoring rubric covering criteria like integration capability, scalability, user experience, support, and security compliance. Assign reviewers to independently evaluate and score options.
  • Due Diligence: Conduct references checks with existing customers, verify compliance certifications (like SOC 2, ISO 27001), and assess vendor financial stability.

Throughout this process, maintain detailed documentation to support internal discussions and decision-making. Use visualization tools—such as comparison matrices or dashboards—to synthesize findings and highlight top contenders.