Innovation Expert and CEO of SRI International          Curt Carlson works with leading companies in various sectors, from health sciences to energy to national defense, to help them use innovation to become more effective and profitable. He shows them that innovation is not really about creativity. Rather, it's about a systematic, learnable, approach to identifying market needs, and producing a product or service that fills that need. Innovation, boiled down, is about creating real value for your customers (and sustainable profits your company).

Curt has consulted for senior levels of the U.S. Government, has been featured in Time magazine, and is the author of a book, Innovation, which was named one of the Best Business Books of 2006 by Business Week.

What do HDTV, the computer mouse, the weird numbers at the bottom of your check, and Web domain tags like .com, .org, and .gov have in common? They were all invented by SRI International. And they are all the result of a methodical approach to innovation. Acclaimed inventor Curt Carlson, the CEO of SRI International, works with leading companies in various sectors, from health sciences to energy to national defense, to help them use innovation to become more effective and profitable. He shows them that innovation is not really about creativity. Rather, it's about a systematic, learnable, approach to identifying market needs, and producing a product or service that fills that need. Innovation, boiled down, is about creating real value for your customers (and sustainable profits your company).

Curt has consulted for senior levels of the U.S. Government, has been featured in Time magazine, and is the author of a book, Innovation, which was named one of the Best Business Books of 2006 by Business Week.

Curt Carlson Speech Topics

Innovation: the Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want 

In this talk, Curt shatters the "lone genius" myth of innovation. He focuses instead on the "how" of innovation, for any industry. "You do not have to totally change your enterprise, fire all your people, or import arcane practices that no one understands." With a reasoned and proven approach, he outlines his five disciplines to innovation, showing you how to find, refine and champion promising ideas, and then bring them to market. He also discusses how to eliminate boundaries between internal departments -- the number one roadblock to innovation. With cautionary tales and triumphant success stories, Curt gives you a new perspective on innovation -- what it is and what it isn't -- and its essential, oft-misunderstood role in your company. 

Education in the Innovation Economy: The Bridge to Success  

The ability to innovate is now the only path to growth, sustainability, and security. Though various factors promote innovation, the most important -- and often overlooked -- is education. In this talk, Curt offers a brilliant widescreen look at education and the Global Innovation Economy. With practical examples, and plain but impassioned language, he shows us why teaching innovation in our school systems, at the K-12 level, is the only way to stay competitive in the years to come. Its value cannot be underestimated. The good news: innovation skills can be taught, studied, and mastered. And Curtshows us how, in the educational context. Innovation is the bridge that connects traditional education to economic success. And, as we weather a global economic recession, it is the only way forward.