Repost from forbes.com
by Steve Olenski
One of the definitions of the word “innovation” is the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices or methods. Not all that long ago I penned a piece entitled “The Single Trait That Can Build (Or Kill) Your Brand” with the single trait being ingenuity — and the need to foster and encourage it at all cost.
Brands and businesses of all sizes and shapes absolutely and unequivocally must do whatever they can to establish an environment where ingenuity and innovation are front and center. From large brand CMOs such as Julie Lyle, current Chairman of the Board for the Global Retail Marketing Association and former CMO of hhgregg, Prudential Corporation Asia and Walmart who calls this “more important than ever” — to entrepreneurs like Aaron Krause, CEO of Scrub Daddy, the best-selling product in Shark Tank history who believes “ingenuity in business is the spark that lights the creative fire.”
A Slam Dunk
Sometime today the Philadelphia 76ers and Kimball Office will launch plans for what is being called the “Sixers Innovation Lab Crafted By Kimball” with the goal being to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit and foster innovation while connecting and energizing the business communities in the local region.
The innovation lab will focus on attracting companies in the sports and consumer product space and will be open to talented and driven entrepreneurs across the world, presenting startups with unique access and opportunity to succeed in the industry.
Selected companies will receive office space in the innovation lab furnished by Kimball Office as well as access to industry experts, executives and financiers, and a lot more including business solutions services; plus the opportunity to pitch industry-leading investors and venture capital firms.
If that weren’t enough, each of the selected companies will receive sponsorships from the Philadelphia 76ers to assist with growing their business’ marketing and customer base.
As to why a professional basketball team would get involved in such a venture, 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil says it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
“This is in our DNA and one of the core values of the Sixers organization,” he said. ”Fortunately we sit in a region that, quite literally, was born on and driven by the idea of innovation and entrepreneurship. We like to do things differently, challenge convention and look for creative ways to push the limits of what is, and explore the possibilities of what could be.”
He added that this endeavor stretches way past the local Philadelphia region. “In launching the Sixers Innovation Lab Crafted by Kimball we’re cementing our commitment to bring innovation to the sports, media, technology, entertainment and the consumer space and supporting transformative change in our market and beyond.”