Innovation under real market conditions
Experience from Ericsson, Secret Labs and Wide Ideas offers perspectives on innovation in both a large international company and entrepreneurial businesses. Technology, customer needs, commercial realities and organisational capability need to work together under real market conditions.
Ericsson: innovation in international business
Jakob joined Ericsson after completing his engineering degree and worked in Swedish and international settings, in leadership and business development roles. This brought experience of innovation within a large organisation operating in international markets and across complex operations.
That experience is an important part of ALDAB's perspective on innovation under real market conditions: how technological possibilities meet customer needs, commercial realities and an organisation's capacity to implement change. Together with his later entrepreneurial experience, it provides an understanding of how the conditions for innovation differ between established companies and startups.
Secret Labs: technology that has to work in practice
Before his years at NOSP, Jakob was CEO of Secret Labs, a technology startup in Mjärdevi Science Park. The company was an early user of Python, with applications in visualisation and image interpretation. It was later sold to VM-data.
This provided experience of the innovation system from an entrepreneur's perspective: developing technology, meeting customer needs and working to build a business with support from surrounding innovation hubs.
Wide Ideas: from ideas to innovation capability
As co-founder and CEO of Wide Ideas, Jakob helped build an internationally oriented SaaS company in innovation management. The platform helped organisations involve more people in innovation and develop ideas together.
The ambition went beyond software. Organisations also needed processes, engagement and the ability to take ideas forward. Product development and organisational development were closely connected.
A perspective that endures
Working with customers, products, financing and international development brought practical experience of both opportunity and uncertainty. A promising idea needs to be tested against real users' needs and the conditions facing the business.
This experience matters in ALDAB's advisory work: models and support systems also need to be understood from the perspective of the people who will use them.
Working on a challenge that extends beyond a single organisation?
An innovation programme, a project portfolio or an ecosystem ready for its next step. Let's discuss the challenges you face.
jakob@aldab.se