Industrial Technology and Venture Services

Building Human Bridges of Cooperation

Together Everybody Achieves More

- Overview 

Industrial technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production more efficient, faster, and simpler. Venture capital (VC) is money invested in small or startup companies

Invention, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship are all related to the process of creating something new, and successful entrepreneurship often involves a combination of invention and innovation:

• Invention: The discovery of something new, often the result of unique intuition or genius. Inventors are usually creative people who are looking to create something new, but they often don't try to sell their invention on the market.
• Innovation: The successful implementation and adoption of something new, such as a new idea, process, or product. Innovation is the application of creativity to transform existing inventions into practical products or processes that have real-world utility.
• Entrepreneurship: The process of designing a new business, where the entrepreneur perceives a new business opportunity and gathers the resources to implement it. Entrepreneurs focus on taking a product to market where it can sell to customers or clients.

- Creativity, Innovation, and Invention

One of the key requirements for entrepreneurial success is your ability to develop and deliver something unique to the market. Entrepreneurship is associated with creativity over time, the ability to develop something original, especially an idea or a representation of an idea. Innovation requires creativity, but innovation is more specifically the application of creativity. 

Innovation is the expression of creativity into usable products or services. In an entrepreneurial context, innovation is any new idea, process, or product, or change to an existing product or process, to add value to an existing product or service. 

All inventions contain innovations, but not every innovation rises to the level of unique inventions. For us, an invention is a truly novel product, service or process. It will be based on previous ideas and products, but it's a leap forward, it's not seen as a complement or variation on an existing product, but something unique.

- Basic vs. Applied Research

Basic research is curiosity driven. It is motivated by a desire to expand knowledge and involves the acquisition of knowledge for knowledge's sake. It is intended to answer why, what or how questions and increase understanding of fundamental principles. Basic research does not have immediate commercial objectives and although it certainly could, it may not necessarily result in an invention or a solution to a practical problem. 

Applied research is a methodology used to solve a specific, practical issue affecting an individual or group. New knowledge acquired from applied research has specific commercial objectives in the form of products, procedures or services. This scientific method of study and research is used in business, medicine, computing and communications, sciences, and engineering in order to find solutions that may improve health, solve scientific problems or develop new technology. 

Fundamental research answers the initial question of how things work. This fundamental knowledge is then used by applied scientists and engineers, for example, to make improvements on existing products, technologies and processes. Likewise, basic researchers take advantage of improved technologies to answer new fundamental questions. It is an important cycle for advancement.

- Bridging and Networking

The “valley of death” is a common term in the start-up world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a start-up, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers.

"Many breakthrough technologies originate in R&D and academic laboratories, but many perish there as well. As scientists and entrepreneurs try to move nascent technologies from the research phase to large scale commercialization, they face high capital costs, intense competition from deeply entrenched incumbents, and a dizzying array of contractual and financing hurdles." -- [MIT]

A true venture partner provides more than money, but mentorship, counseling and strategic advice that can elevate start-up firms and small businesses to new heights.

[Stanford University]

- Embracing the Future: Emerging Tech and The Future of Tech Solutions

Invention is often the foundation for entrepreneurship, as entrepreneurs often start with an innovative idea or technological breakthrough that forms the basis of their venture. Once an invention exists, entrepreneurs need to innovate to create value and bring their ideas to life.

As government intervention in the economy becomes more common, the struggle for industrial technological dominance is intensifying. Investors who were once enamored with asset-light companies and high returns had better prepare to spend billions on these companies or risk being squeezed out. 

This is not just a reaction to the Russia-Ukraine war and geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. Commodity shortages and labor shocks over the past few years have exposed the fragility and unwieldy nature of global supply chains. 
 
To ensure we don't find ourselves in this situation again, governments in the West and elsewhere are stepping up multibillion-dollar industrial policies to incubate the next generation of hardware, including chips, 5G base stations, electric vehicles, batteries and high-tech products.

 - Trends Reshaping the Future of IT and Business

Key trends reshaping the future of IT and business include: artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, blockchain technology, advanced connectivity (like 5G), edge computing, generative AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, sustainability initiatives, immersive technologies (AR/VR), robotics, and the increasing focus on digital trust. 

All of which are driving innovation in various sectors by enabling automation, personalized experiences, improved decision-making, and more efficient operations.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Widely applied across industries for tasks like customer service, predictive analytics, fraud detection, and process automation, with advancements in machine learning and deep learning further expanding its capabilities.
• Cloud Computing: Enabling scalable and flexible IT infrastructure, allowing businesses to access computing power on-demand without managing physical hardware.
• Blockchain Technology: Revolutionizing data security and transparency in transactions with applications in supply chain management, finance, and digital identity.
• Advanced Connectivity (5G): High-speed, low-latency networks enabling new applications like autonomous vehicles, IoT devices, and real-time data analysis.
• Edge Computing: Processing data closer to its source, improving responsiveness and reducing latency for geographically dispersed applications.
• Generative AI: Creating new content like text, images, and code based on patterns learned from existing data, opening up possibilities for creative applications.
• Data Analytics: Leveraging big data to extract valuable insights for informed decision-making and business strategy development.
• Cybersecurity: Growing importance of robust security measures to protect against cyber threats as businesses become increasingly reliant on digital systems.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Integration of environmentally friendly practices and technologies into business operations to address climate change concerns.
• Immersive Technologies (AR/VR): Providing interactive experiences with augmented and virtual reality for training, product visualization, and entertainment.
• Robotics: Automation of repetitive tasks in manufacturing and logistics, enhancing efficiency and productivity.

- Technology at the Edge

It's easy to become desensitized to new technologies entering the market, each with its own promise to change (more often "revolutionize") the business world. Collectively, these technology trends are accelerating the key characteristics that define the digital age: granularity, speed, and scale. But it’s the sheer magnitude of these changes - computing power, bandwidth, and analytical sophistication - that opens the door to new innovations, services, and business models. 

For example, 

• The advent of the cloud and 5G has enabled exponential growth in computing power and network speeds, allowing for greater innovation. 
• The development of augmented reality and virtual reality metaverses has opened the door to virtual research and development through means such as digital twins and immersive learning. 
• Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and Software 2.0 (machine-written programming) are enabling a range of new services and products, from self-driving cars to connected homes.

[More to come ...]