What makes an innovator? Anyone launching a company in 2022 with the hope of making real change knows that it’s not enough just to have a bright idea. The inspiration is just the beginning of becoming a true innovator.
Innovation takes determination, a commitment to the cause, and an endless curiosity for new ideas and making improvements.
These companies are not only some of the most transformative today, but they also exemplify the qualities that make an organization truly innovative.
Analysis to Action: Watershed
Watershed is a company in the business of decarbonizing businesses. It’s software that analyzes a company’s emissions so that leaders have the data they need to come up with a climate action plan. As more businesses start taking ESG goals such as going net-zero seriously, software like Watershed is an essential tool for making progress.
Watershed has held particular appeal among Silicon Valley companies, attracting Airbnb, Expensify, and Vimeo as high-profile clientele.
Innovation starts with solving a problem. Watershed is putting essential information in the hands of companies that want to change the way they do business.
Bringing Real Change to Real Estate: Nobul
Change usually comes slowly to the real estate industry. Its practices are deeply entrenched, and real estate agents are not quick to adapt. But Nobul is changing things in an industry resistant to innovation.
Nobul is a digital marketplace that connects real estate agents and consumers about to buy or sell their homes. What makes Nobul so innovative is the power and information that it puts in consumers’ hands. For the first time ever, real estate agents compete for the consumer’s business, and consumers can see an agent’s past transactions and reviews.
The result is more choice for consumers. They can pick and choose their agent based on fees, services provided, and track record.
Nobul was invented by real estate industry maverick Regan McGee. McGee took his expertise in real estate and, with the invention of several patents, found the formula with the potential to upend the real estate industry. Sometimes innovation requires a deep understanding of the industry you need to change. With experience comes insight into the problems that most need solving.
Design for Everyone: Canva
Once upon a time, word processors were actually their own machines, equipped with keyboard, printer, typewriter, and powered by a simple computer or floppy disk. They were expensive, rare, and required specially-trained operators. Then, Microsoft Word and other word processors on the PC revolutionized offices, making it infinitely easier and faster to churn out documents.
Canva is to design what Microsoft was to word processing back in the 1980s. Not that long ago, any office would have needed to hire a designer to create the simplest of designs. Now, just about anyone can make professional-looking designs using Canva.
The design platform was spearheaded by Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, two Australians who faced over a hundred rejections when they came to Silicon Valley to find funding. A good pitch doesn’t always lead to instant success. Innovation takes dedication and commitment to turn your vision into a reality.
