Kymeta continues to build momentum as they prepare to commercialize the world’s first metamaterials-based antenna technology. This recent recognition comes on the heels of Kymeta’s recent partnership with Inmarsat to develop antennas that will provide business jets with access to in-flight broadband. Kymeta was also recognized earlier this year by MIT Technology Review as one of 2013’s 50 Most Disruptive Companies.

The metamaterials-based antenna technology that earned Kymeta a spot on the disruptive companies list was invented by Intellectual Ventures inventors and was developed at IV Lab before the company spun out in August 2012.

Join us in congratulating Kymeta for their ongoing accomplishments! You can read more about their work here.

Recently, I have been interviewing inventors for IV’s Project Eureka!, a campaign focused on educating and inspiring inventors. Through these interviews I noticed a common theme. Regardless of the type of inventions, or the focus of the inventor, each person I’ve interviewed seems to regard the world through a lens that is constantly seeking things that can be improved, even just a little bit. The inventors who have already bettered the world are an inspiration, but for me it is the younger generation, the next crop of inventors that really has me in awe. 

In honor of National Inventors Month, we have put together a compilation of incredible young inventors who have already begun inventing progress and finding their own Eureka! moments. Take a moment to be impressed by what these young people have already accomplished.

If you know of other young inventors who should be added to our list, please tell us on facebook.

We often talk about complex inventions that push the boundaries of what we’ve thought possible—tools to fight malaria, zero-emission energy, 3D printing. But let’s not forget that, when acted upon, basic concepts can become new inventions that have a profound impact on our lives. The telephone was inspired by a desire to communicate with each other. A bird’s wing inspired flying machines. Mary Anderson, inventor of the windshield wiper, simply wanted to see through her window on a rainy day.

In celebration of National Inventors Month, we’ve created a poster series that honors brilliant inventions in their minimalist forms. 

Click on the links below to view and download the posters.

Inventor Minimalist Posters

• Mary Anderson (desktop wallpaper)
• Alexander Graham Bell (desktop wallpaper)
• Thomas Edison (desktop wallpaper)
• The Wright Brothers (desktop wallpaper)

For this month’s News You Can Use, we’ve gathered headlines about ways to inspire innovation:

• Several Forbes contributors have recently touched on the topic of innovation. Janie Curtis wrote The Barriers to Innovation, And How to Break Through. The article discusses the role innovation plays to the health of the U.S.’s economy, and it defines what may be hindering U.S. companies from competing in the global environment. Curtis writes that while U.S. companies place a high priority on innovation, it often ends up being manifested in small tweaks on current products rather than significant, life-changing innovations. She recommends a few tweaks in how we go about innovating to surge the country forward.

• Another Forbes contributor, Jonathan Vehar, wrote The Missing Keys in Your Quest for Innovation. The article notes that in order to promote innovation, one must have a set of tools, a range of skills, and a certain mindset. An effective toolset is critical—effective techniques include reframing the challenge, phrasing problems as questions, and rapid prototyping. An innovation skillset is a framework which allows you to use your tools, knowledge, and abilities to accomplish your goals. And an innovation mindset is the fundamental operating system. The author states that without all three, you’ll be missing out on innovation.
• Innovation expert Kaihan Kirppendorff wrote Why the Future of Innovation is in Ideas, Not Products. The article uses the shift in Asia as an example—where the economy is bursting with self-made entrepreneurs. While innovation has typically come from the creators of new products, a new generation of innovators knows that great innovations are ones you can’t see. Kirppendorff describes what he calls is the key to Asian businesses that see abnormally fast growth: the “fourth option.” This is a concept, not a new product, which creates disruptive power. These new ideas will lead to a change in behavior and eventually will allow you to do something different and new. Therefore, he says, the greatest innovations can’t always be held in your hand or slipped in a pocket.
• Two lists were published of the best places in America for innovation. The United States of Innovation: Ranking the States (and a District) for Innovation by Fast Company reveals which states have the most thriving startup communities and entrepreneurial activity. USA Today’s 10 Great Places to be inspired by Innovation highlights ten places which have fed America’s successes by its innovators and inventors, thus fueling the country’s growth. Find out if you’re in a place that will allow you to be inspired by innovation.

As a company built on invention, we take special pride in supporting fellow inventors not only as a part of our core business, but also through our various humanitarian and philanthropic activities. We support STEM education organizations that provide the building blocks for modern invention, we share our knowledge and expertise with aspiring inventors, and we lead by example by demonstrating the tremendous potential of inventions to solve problems. In honor of National Inventors Month in the U.S., we’re giving these efforts a new platform and focus under what we call Project Eureka!.

Project Eureka! is IV’s commitment to encouraging future generations of inventors. From the middle school student interested in science to the aspiring garage inventor, we hope the stories and information shared via Project Eureka! will give them the knowledge and inspiration to pursue their own “Eureka!” moment. This effort is just underway, but you can follow its progress at eureka.intven.com as we put a spotlight on the education, people, and potential that spark invention.

Moving forward, Project Eureka! will serve as a platform for us to explore ways beyond our normal business operations to encourage a vibrant inventor community for generations to come. Our focus remains on delivering value to our customers and returning a profit for our investors, but we can’t do that without inventors. From eureka to asset to economic value, Intellectual Ventures is committed to supporting the entire invention marketplace.

Visit the Project Eureka! website.

In our Market Research on Patent Attitudes study, the majority of the C-suite executives we surveyed believe patents are good for innovation; they believe patent rights should be respected; they believe people should pay a license fee to use technology that is patented. Yet, they don’t fully recognize how patents apply to them.

And who can blame them? The headlines about the intellectual property industry are dominated by consumer technology company patent rankings or stories about billion dollar patent transactions. Counter to the current narrative, those storylines don’t apply to the majority of American businesses who are just focused on getting through the next quarter or funding round. 

So while the study demonstrated to us that the C-suite values patents in general, they do not distinguish how patents’ value is relevant to their business in the specific. These executives rank product development and competitive edge highly in their 2013 business priorities, but the C-suite does not have the information or expertise to leverage patents within their business strategy.

When asked, 75% of these executives say they are the primary decision makers regarding patents, yet only 24% consider themselves very informed on the topic. Less than half the executives we surveyed had heard of patent licensing companies (which were described in the blind survey as “a company that purchases patents and licenses them to companies who have existing products in the market”). Even fewer had heard of IP intermediaries (described in the blind survey as a “company that navigates/facilitates patent transactions within the IP market”). An average of 6.5% of the C-suite reported direct experience working with the IP industry in the past three years.

I know Intellectual Ventures operates in a nascent intellectual property industry, and these findings demonstrate to me yet again how much room there is for our company and our industry to improve and grow with the C-suite. I would ask my fellow business leaders reading this blog to share their own feedback via email to AskIV or to extend the conversation online to @IVinvents with #patentsmatter for all of us to see.

How do patents matter to your business?

today is World IP Day and we want to say thank you. Thank you to the inventors for identifying a problem, solving it, and producing a better outcome. Thank you for taking the time to invent something new. We know it wasn’t easy and it took many tries, but you did it and it was worth it. And, thank you for following the steps necessary to get your idea, your solution patented so that the world can recognize the value of all your hard work. This is no simple task. We know. 

World IP Day serves as the catalyst to spark genuine discussions about the importance of intellectual property, and it’s a reminder that there is a person behind every patent. Or, as we like to think, patents are people too.

We look forward to celebrating National Inventors Month with you in May where we can look to the future of invention, but for today, take some time to pat yourself on the back and reflect on all that you’ve done to fuel progress in society.

You deserve it.

Sincerely,

Intellectual Ventures

Judging by the Preview of the Comprehensive Revision of the National Income and Product Accounts, this development will help to better capture the value of intangible assets and American innovation. Various sources like Alliance Bernstein and the Financial Times have already started to put this revised calculation into context, projecting a 3% increase to the United States’ total GDP.

Until then, we eagerly await the bureau’s final report later this year. 

“I joined the Washington FIRST board because the four levels of robotics programs, starting in elementary school and going through high school, are the coolest ways I’ve seen of connecting kids to science and technology in a hands-on way,” Geoff said.

This year, through FIRST programing, 8,000 youth in Washington state made the connection between STEM coursework and STEM career possibilities. Dozens of men and women from IV were proud to volunteer, and they happily gave countless joules of their own energy to guide student-run teams as they designed and built Frisbee™-flinging robots with the mechanical prowess and trademark FIRST flair to compete in the “Ultimate Ascent” Washington regional competitions.

IV-sponsored teams didn't come away with the gold, but they all made amazing bots and were true champions of the innovative spirit. In fact, Auburn Mountainview High School, mentored by Ken Poppe of IV’s Invention Development Fund, received the Chairman’s Award—FIRST’s highest honor given to the team that best embodies the FIRST spirit—and an opportunity to compete in the National FIRST competition.

Through corporate support and volunteerism, IV guides students on the path to entering the STEM workforce and ‘going pro’.  The more support teens receive from mentors, the greater their chances will be of joining the STEM big leagues. Washington FIRST is always in need of more mentors and volunteers. It’s worth your time, and we’ll be the first to share why:

5 Reasons IV Supports FIRST

1. “Mentors are a vital component of the FIRST Robotics organization. They are engineers and business people teaching skills like coding, good design methods, organization, safety procedures, or as I like to call it retaining all your fingers.” Charles Delahunt, IV Lab
2.  “Auburn Mountainview High School’s relationship with our sponsors was a key reason we received the Chairman's Award in Spokane. Most importantly, support plays a key part in the process of bringing the sometimes difficult courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to life for students.”  Tim Scott, AMHS teacher and FIRST mentor
3. “I want to engage and inspire students in potential careers in science, technology and engineering, and I want to teach our students the value of hard work, teamwork and professionalism.” Zihong Guo, IV Lab product development; Bellevue HS mentor
4. “I have a 10 year old daughter and a 7 year old son, and I want to help keep science and math accessible to them, and to help them see how technology can unlock the world around them.” Geoff Deane, vice president of IV Lab; Washington FIRST board member
5. “Science and technology are near and dear to my heart.  Being a part of FIRST allows me to help give opportunities to future generations that I could only dream of when I was their age.  Seeing these young people learning and practicing ‘gracious professionalism’ is a heartwarming and powerful experience—and an important lesson that will help them succeed no matter what field they eventually find a career in.” Trish King, IV systems technology group; Glacier Peak HS mentor

Photo: Trish King/Washington FIRST

The world continues to face a series of challenges related to large-scale food production, including food safety, quality, efficiency and environmental impact. These challenges persist despite the fact that nutritional science itself is undergoing a renaissance of sorts. We’ve seen crises in the agricultural supply chain in places as diverse as Kenya and China. In response, the United Nations has formed a high-level task force on global food security. But even institutions as notable as the UN are limited in their ability to drive innovation. IV’s worldwide ecosystem of inventors, research organizations and industry partners uniquely positions us to solve big problems like these. We can take the recent breakthroughs in nutritional science and make them count in the real world.

The Benemilk® invention is one of the most promising approaches we have seen to improving food production. It’s a cattle-feed supplement that increases the protein content of milk while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from cows’ digestive systems. Research shows it also increases daily milk yield by more than two quarts per cow and raises feed efficiency by more than 10%. And it makes for happier cows—they prefer the Benemilk® feed over ordinary feed—as well as happier farmers, since a Benemilk®-fed cow produces on average one more calf during its breeding lifetime.

We are greatly encouraged by the potential impact Benemilk® and related ideas could have. It’s a common belief that “we are what we eat,” but many people still struggle to maintain healthy diets. It’s certainly much easier to control the diets of farm animals and make sure that the food we derive from them is of optimal benefit to people and the planet.

I realize that farming and agriculture may seem like a stretch for IV, which has established its reputation in the field of IT. But from the start, we’ve sought out any new ideas that address an important need or problem in society. We believe in supporting great inventions in all areas of technological discovery, and we put our money where our mouth is. We currently manage a diverse invention portfolio with over 40,000 assets in more than 50 technology areas, from healthcare to clean energy to metamaterials. We’ve paid inventors over $400 million for a broad range of ideas, and we’ve spun out both a nuclear-energy company and a company with a revolutionary surface antenna technology based on those ideals.

Benemilk Oy is yet another step in our quest to provide the world with more and better inventions. You can find more details about the new company in Raisio’s announcement.