Curiouser and Curiouser: Insights from our May 2017 Innovation Showcase

We just keep getting curiouser.

THE EVENT

Following the success of our first “Curiouser and Curiouser” event, this month’s innovation showcase brought together business professionals, nonprofit leaders, problem-solvers, medical students, and scientists to bounce inspiring, innovative ideas off of one another. The night was filled with ideas, all dazzling and fast-paced. With no more than three minutes per idea, there was never a lull in the room.

HOW IT WORKED

In case you were unable to attend either April or May’s event, here’s how the evening works. Each attendee brought an idea related to innovation that they are passionate about and shared it with the rest of the group in three minutes or less.

With so much room for attendees to think about what to share, we were wowed by ideas that took many different forms, ranging from riveting articles to influential social movements, from innovative websites to fascinating concepts, and beyond. Inspired by Thursdays at Berkman, a group that met in the early 2000s at Harvard’s Berkman Center to share innovative ideas on technology and civic life, the event made for about two hours of inspiring, stimulating idea-sharing.

WHAT WE DISCOVERED:

If you’re curious, about what genius ideas were shared that night, have no fear; we’ve recapped them all for you in this list:

1. Zach Braiker – How an Acton restaurant is allowing those with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Autism, PTSD, or anything else that may require special accommodations to have a lovely and relaxing restaurant experience

2. Greg Harris– An on-demand vending machine for short stories

3. Scott Whitbread – How it’s possible to deem the impossible possible again

4. Purnima Thakre– A zero-waste supermarket born from a barter system that encourages reuse of containers and drastically cut down garbage production

5. Steven Biondolillo – why wrestling should be mandatory and how it works as an intensely physical bonding agent for uniting young people

6. Toria Rainey – An online digital audio workspace that allows for global collaboration and easy access to music education

7. Victor Bogachev – What if we could analyze the speech patterns of influential radical nationalist leaders and use those methods to spread messages of positivity?

8. Raghu Appasani – An idea for an app that serves as a platform for both sharing stories about mental health and for creating safe spaces within corporations and institutions

9. Glenn Morgan – Doing well by doing good: University Micro Loan funding to inspire students to get managerial business basics

1. Varun Ramdevan – Helping peers (especially college-aged students) to recognize the value of time and the importance of regimen

2. Jorge Sanabria – the “AirBnB for logistics:” A marketplace that connects small businesses with industry leaders with extra warehouse space

3. Sadaf Atarod – How tracking positive and negative daily experiences can inspire gratitude and multiply happiness

4. Shirin Mojarad – Tinder for Personal Fitness—what if there was an app that allowed personal trainers to come to you?

5. Miryana Culkin – A pair of versatile shoe soles with interchangeable styles that allows for lighter traveling without compromising your number of footwear options

6. Joanne Markow – We have a lot to learn from Japan’s overarching commitment to public service

7. Sushma Madanbhavi – brain fingerprinting technology: an unbeatable lie detector test

8. Megha Dahiya – Little office space? Sensitive information? Paranoia? The world’s first voice-protecting mask for mobile phones

9. Eduardo Pujol – The world’s most stylish, leak-proof, vertical lunchbox

AN OPEN INVITATION

We are absolutely thrilled with the engagement we’ve seen—so many incredible humans bringing incredible ideas to the table. 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 incredible 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: Saulo Mohana (New York)