Episode 197: A Look at Innovation

This week, Benjamin Quinlan, CEO and managing partner at Quinlan & Associates, joins the podcast to talk with Wei-Shen about his new report Beyond The Buzz. They also talk about the value of "innovation labs". https://www.quinlanandassociates.com/insights-beyond-the-buzz/ 3:00 – Benjamin joins the podcast. He and Wei-Shen discuss “innovation” as a buzzword and what separates a good innovation head from a bad one. 8:30 – Then, they talk about companies such as Kodak, Nokia, Blockbuster, Blackberry, and Myspace that seem to have dropped off the map after being some of the biggest names in technology. How does this compare to similar big-names in capital markets? 12:00 – Benjamin points out how the pressure to innovate can be a problem for some companies who are pouring money into things like “innovation labs” that are yet to yield much reward. 21:00 – As we are seeing more and more partnerships between cloud providers and financial services firms, Benjamin discusses what this means for cloud providers based in Asia. 26:30 – Innovation labs need to be more focused on one part of the business to add value across the whole business. You cannot simply use the word “innovation” as a remit. 35:00 – In the fintech space, sometimes the hype exceeds the returns. Benjamin talks through his cynicism about buzzwords like blockchain and AI. 38:00 – Each firm has a different set of needs. How should start-ups set their selling strategies to investment banks, asset managers, and hedge funds? 43:30 – Lastly, Benjamin tells Wei-Shen how he is continuing to innovate in his day-to-day and business life during Covid-19.