How We Work

Our approach

According to design thinking there are three key elements that produce innovation: feasibility, desirability and viability. Or, put simply: it works, it’s wanted, and it makes money.

Pontio Innovation broadly works to a model where innovators from different disciplines add value to initial concepts and ideas: scientists add technological value; engineers add functional value; artists add human value and business people add commercial value.

Our experience tells us that the best innovations happen across and through all these boundaries.

Fail fast, fail often, fail better

Just like life, innovation is complex and unpredictable. At Pontio Innovation we cultivate a culture that accepts and encourages many ‘failures’ on the road to success.  We encourage our innovators to transform these challenges and perceived failures into successful learning experiences that positively impact subsequent action.

How we teach

Our Enterprise by Design (EBD) course brings undergraduates of different disciplines together – scientists, engineers, artists and business students. They collaborate in teams to come up with novel solutions to real-life challenges posed by the business community.

Following an eight week series of intensive workshops focusing on inspiration, creativity, sustainability and commercial awareness, the teams pitch their products to an expert panel in a competition to win investment for their product.

The EBD programme has been extremely well received by students and business partners alike. For the business community the course is an excellent vehicle for the low-risk exploration of new opportunities.

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