InnoCentive

Our Story Distributed in a previously unsearchable crowd are insights, flashes of genius and ideas that would never have been evident from job applications, resumes or consulting brochures. InnoCentive provides the network, methodology, platform, and expert support for the innovative potential of this connected world to be fully realized. History The idea for InnoCentive came to Alph Bingham and Aaron Schacht in 1998 while working at the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company, during a brainstorming session exploring the application of the Internet to business. InnoCentive was then launched in 2001. We have been enabling corporations, government, and nonprofits across a range of industries to embrace the power of the crowd ever since. “We imagined during this brainstorming session a web-based system that would attract hundreds or even thousands of minds to tackle a problem in organic syntheses, more effectively exploring the vast domain of solution space. In later days, as we talked about this “molecule.com,” we came more fully to three realizations: there will always be someone smarter outside of your team or organization; getting a diverse range of fresh perspectives is key to effective problem solving; and asking the right question in the right way is critical to eliciting the answers you need. These went on to be central pillars of InnoCentive.” Alph Bingham, InnoCentive Founder and President Asking the right question at the right time can make all the difference At The Economist’s Ideas Economy: Information event, Alph delivers a session on provoking flashes of genius. A Global Movement that Delivers We have 390,000+ Solvers from 190+ countries with 60% educated to Master’s level or above in our network. We’ve run 2,000+ Challenges, received 162,000+ Proposed Solutions and awarded $20,000,000+.