Curiouser and Curiouser: Insights from our June 2017 Innovation Showcase

Our third iteration of the “Curiouser and Curiouser” innovation showcase was all about connections. Each attendee came with an idea, and left with new and multiple contacts.

THE EVENT

With perhaps our most diverse group of attendees yet, June’s “Curiouser and Curiouser” event introduced biotech entrepreneurs to professional visual artists, nonprofit leaders to business school Deans, and more. Amidst a backdrop of light jazz music, attendees were introducing themselves, conversing, and learning from one another even before the sharing officially began.

HOW IT WORKS

This month’s event followed the same format as April and May’s evenings, with each attendee bringing an idea that excited them and sharing it with the rest of the group in three minutes or less.

WHAT WE DISCOVERED

If you’re curious about what ideas were shared that night, read on; we’ve recapped them all for you in this list:

1. Zach Braiker – Predicting the future by looking into the past

2. Joshua Redstone – a more accurate measuring cup designed with thought and purpose

3. Sven Karlsson – a method of manufacturing platelets from stem cells

4. Marlon Forrester – using the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway as an active space, engaging large audiences with interactive art installations

5. Jorge Sanabria – Wireless energy is growing in commercial viability

6. Greg Harris – Raymond Carver’s Cathedral come to life in an iPhone app that connects blind people to sighted volunteers

7. Laura Teicher – Urban curbside compost would be worth the cost  

8. Toria Rainey – a playground in Lexington, MA, devoid of function and dedicated to imagination

9. Henrik Totterman – A one-stop solution for business management software

10. Nikin Tharan – Device sensors that allow predictive actions for at-home surgical drain management

11. Eduardo Pujol – The sport of the future doesn’t have a ball, a stick, or a field

12. Purnima Thakre – The Airbnb of home cooking

13. Megha Dahiya – A cutting board for perfectionist chefs of all skill levels

14. Daniel Goez – The distributed database that lets you build smarter contracts  

15. Sadaf Atarod – Edible water bubble that eliminates plastic bottles altogether

BONUS CONTENT:

In addition to the idea Zach Braiker shared about predicting the future by looking to the past, he implored the room to give their own predictions about something that would be true in or by the year 2080. Here’s what we came up with:

In 2080…

1. “You’ll be able to pick your facial features.” – Zach

2. “There will be a permanent colony on mars.” – Sven

3. “You’ll be able to choose your skin color, including bioluminescent skin tones.” – Marlon

4. “The average worldwide IQ will decrease.” – Jorge

5. “The world will operate with a barter system because production of goods will become entirely automated.” – Greg

6. “Clothes will just be holograms, because they’re more sustainable to project than to make.” – Laura

7. “Coding will be taught in the American public elementary school system.” – Toria

8. “The innovation hub of the world will move to Africa.” – Nikin

9. “The edible water bubble idea will be feasible and commonplace.” – Eduardo

10. “We will be able to transport ourselves the Star-Trek way, through dematerialization and rematerialization.” – Purnima

11. “Traffic jams will be present not only on earth’s highways, but in the air and in space.” – Megha

12. “Social media won’t exist.” – Sadaf

AN OPEN INVITATION

We’ll be announcing next month’s event in the near future, so keep an eye out if you’d like to be a part of these inspiring evenings.

Did any of the ideas you read spark a new one within you? Do you have ideas of your own you want to share? If you’re a curious person and interested in attending our future “Curiouser and Curiouser” events, feel free to send us a message at hello@refineandfocus.com.

Cover photo credits: Ewan Robertson