Innovation Labs & Spaces

Mercedes Lays Off Staff at Innovation Centers, Seeks Outside Partners

How AARP is Pivoting Innovation in 2020 and Investing in Startups

Pulling Back the Curtain on Disney’s Storied Imagineering Department

Panasonic on Entertainment’s Immersive & More Personalized Future

How Hain Celestial Keeps Innovation On Track

Mercedes Lays Off Staff at Innovation Centers, Seeks Outside Partners
How AARP is Pivoting Innovation in 2020 and Investing in Startups
Pulling Back the Curtain on Disney’s Storied Imagineering Department
Panasonic on Entertainment’s Immersive & More Personalized Future
How Hain Celestial Keeps Innovation On Track

We increasingly see large companies creating an innovation lab or center as a way to cultivate and test new ideas, separate from the demands and pressures of the business units. When set up with clear goals, innovation labs can help to keep the business looking ahead, exploring new tech, defending markets, building skills among employees, and sustaining a company’s competitive advantage.

A good starting place in this section is our research report, “Innovation Labs: Getting Started. Measuring Them. Delivering Results.”

Articles & Case Studies

How TeakOrigin Survived the Death of Two Innovation Labs

It’s rare that a project survives the death of the innovation lab that hatched it. But a handheld scanner that could analyze the freshness of a piece of fruit or fish created in the Hong Kong offices of the multinational grocer Tesco, survived not one but two near-death experiences.

How Tiffany & Co. is Turning Prototypes into Products Faster

The legendary jewelry-maker Tiffany & Co. dates back to 1837. A new Jewelry Design & Innovation Workshop is changing how the company creates products…

Aflac Exec on Growing a Venture Capital Fund

Bharat Rajaram of Aflac discusses how the company grew its corporate venture fund in a year and the role of Aflac Venture Labs. Get advice here…

Inside AXA Next’s Innovation Avenues

AXA Next unites the French insurance company’s innovation initiatives. Learn more about AXA’s different innovation funds and how the company explores the insurtech.

Agile AF: How Kessel Run Lab Innovates in the Air Force

In the Air Force, passing clearances reigns, slowing down projects. But, Kessel Run seeks to go from ideation to getting software to users in as fast as 88 days.

‘Office of New Urban Mechanics’ Nudges City Gov to Take Risks

Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics is a civic innovation incubator and R&D lab. It’s also the city’s “risk team, the failure team,” says co-founder Nigel Jacob.

Research Report

Innovation Labs: Getting Started & Delivering Results

What exactly is an innovation lab? For our report on innovation labs, we talked to more than 20 executives at companies like Walmart, Home Depot, IKEA, and others.

Audio & Video Resources

How AARP is Pivoting Innovation in 2020 and Investing in Startups

At Innovation Leader’s recent online event for nonprofit organizations, Andy Miller of AARP discussed how his team helps build an innovative culture that permeates the organization — and how they’re making new investments in startups.

Pulling Back the Curtain on Disney’s Storied Imagineering Department

What can you learn from the creative cultures of Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar? Leslie Iwerks, a documentary filmmaker, has made films about both organizations. She shares what she observed in this replay of “One Quick Thing.” Iwerks is joined on the show by two unnanounced guests: her father, Don Iwerks, who worked directly with Walt Disney, and a former Disney Imagineer, Josh Wachman.

How AARP Keeps the 50+ Market at the Center of Innovation

How does AARP use innovation to empower people as they age? Vice President of Product and Startup Engagement Rick Robinson explains…

Running High-Performance Innovation Labs

How have innovation labs shifted during this period of remote work? What sets labs up for success? Linda Elkins, Chief Technical Officer of W.L. Gore’s Silicon Valley Innovation Center, shares.

What's BANCA? Fidelity Investments on Their Criteria for Assessing Ideas

Sean Belka discusses how the financial services firm assesses new ideas and scales them when the time is right, along with more best practices for running an innovation lab. Belka is a Managing Director in Fidelity’s Corporate Business Development group.