About this blog site
Inflection Points in Emerging Technology
New companies developing emerging technologies – and I’m thinking predominately about technologies with potential for global impact on renewable energy and climate change – are often dominated by scientists and engineers. To be sure, the technology is critical. But, to make a critical difference – to produce societal “inflection points” – these nascent firms and their cool stuff have to be embraced by the marketplace.
Too often, telling the story and creating the buzz – marketing – gets left in the dust. That can delay market adoption. As I told one start-up client overly focused on product development, “You are going to have the best product in the world for XYZ when you close the doors.”
The world of enterprise software and more recently Web 2.0 has evolved product marketing techniques to new heights. (Some would argue that the buzz sometimes gets way out in front of product development, a different problem.)
The goal of this blog is to explore the world of emerging trends and initiatives, especially in the cleantech arena, and help develop and expose techniques that can drive adoption through the right mix of technology, financial and organizational structures, postioning, and getting out the story: Help create and accelerate the inflection points.
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.
About the author and guest post editor: Tom Witkin
In late 2009, I went back to the future and made the transition to clean energy (a long-time passion) from enterprise software.
Working for Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources (DOER), an unusually entrepreneurial state agency, is my first time in government. I’m chartered to affect marketing and collaboration through information technology; to leverage my background to facilitate and accelerate how stakeholders — municipalities, businesses, schools, homeowners — learn about and perceive the benefits of efficiency efficiency and renewables. The goal: to embrace these approaches, processes and technologies to pursue activities to use less energy, same money and diminish greenhous gas emissions. Applying what I’ve learned about social networking and other Web 2.0 devices to build customer demand and product acceptance for clean tech has been especially satisfying.
This move followed an intriguing ride as VP of Marketing at SiteScape, Inc. (web-based collaboration) that culminated in our acquisition by Novell, Inc.
Previously, I spent time hip-deep in everything from an airline start-up to running market strategy for a billion dollar electronics concern to general and marketing management for software companies.
I received an MBA from Stanford Biz School and a AB in Technology and Public Policy from Harvard . . . a long time ago.
The Picture
Yes, in the picture I’m the one flying the glider — really, a solar-powered airplane — that’s landing.
