MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.– (BUSINESS WIRE) – Singularity University (SU), the widely acclaimed technology-focused education institute and business accelerator, has announced the launch of a new initiative for accelerating corporate innovation, the Corporate Innovation Exchange. The SU program will enable large enterprises to establish an innovation outpost in Silicon Valley and regularly access SU’s global community of world-renowned tech experts, startups, NGOs and other forward-thinking organizations. Founding members includeThe Coca-Cola Company, The Hershey Company, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and UNICEF.
“The Corporate Innovation Exchange is the next step in the evolution of Singularity University from an educational institute and startup accelerator, to a diverse global community of innovators that includes the largest organizations in the world,” explained Rob Nail, CEO and Associate Founder, Singularity University. “These companies not only seek to make bold leaps and drive disruption in their industries, but they also want to contribute to SU’s larger mission to positively impact the lives of billions of people.”
SU’s Corporate Innovation Exchange will convene R&D, new product development, innovation, and insights/foresight teams at SU Labs on the Singularity University campus at NASA Research Park. Members of the Corporate Innovation Exchange will immerse themselves at SU, continually learning from recognized science and technology experts, working alongside the latest tech startups and like-minded corporate innovators, exploring uncommon partnerships and experimenting with ideas at the periphery of their industries.
The Corporate Innovation Exchange will offer:
“The Corporate Innovation Exchange helps large companies think beyond next quarter’s earnings report…way beyond,” says Carin Watson, SU’s Managing Director of Corporate Innovation. “This is where organizations come to look several horizons out…to reimagine and reinvent their future. Being here 24/7 gives these teams the tools to fast-track execution of their established innovation road maps and the freedom to explore the unknown, exchange ideas and experiment in disruptive spaces.”
Deloitte Consulting LLP, SU’s strategic alliance partner, will play a key role in the Corporate Innovation Exchange by offering thought leadership and advising members on practices and capabilities for driving innovation in their organizations. “We see the SU Corporate Innovation Exchange as an excellent forum for our clients to sequester small, autonomous teams in a non-traditional environment that fosters and encourages creativity, idea exchange and rapid prototyping,” says Marcus Shingles, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and a leader in Deloitte’s innovation group.
SU plans to selectively expand membership in the Corporate Innovation Exchange in 2014, as it strengthens its network of the most innovative global organizations. In time, the Exchange will be home to numerous organizations in myriad business, science and technology sectors.
For more information regarding Singularity University’s Corporate Innovation Exchange, visit http://www.singularityu.org/corporate-innovation/
About Singularity University
Singularity University’s (SU) mission is to educate, inspire and empower a generation of leaders to apply exponential technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Since 2009, SU has hosted students and industry leaders from more than 85 countries and has prepared both individuals and organizations for exponential technology changes through a series of events, conferences and education programs. SU’s Founding Corporate Partners include Genentech, Autodesk, Cisco, ePlanet Ventures, Google, Kauffman Foundation and Nokia. To learn more, visit www.singularityu.org. Follow us on Twitter: @Singularityu; #SuCorpInnovation.