Good ideas alone do not drive innovation. You need the appropriate strategies, software tools, and streamlined processes to implement them properly. And this is not at all a piece of cake. At times, you may come up with the best ideas yet have a hard time figuring out how to bring them to life and implement them in your company. Moreover, you might find it difficult to brainstorm new ideas back to back. Hence, turning to innovation experts, their experience and expertise can give you the knowledge and inspiration you need to drive your innovation agenda forward.
That is why we picked 11 entrepreneurs & innovators to follow on LinkedIn and Twitter! They are founders, entrepreneurs, keynote speakers, and best-selling authors with incredible track records. Let’s get to know them & find out what we can learn from them!
Meet 11 Successful Entrepreneurs & Innovators to Follow
1. Jeremy Gutsche, CEO, Trend Hunter
Books he has written:
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
Jeremy Gutsche is not only an award-winning innovation expert but also a New York Times best-selling author. Besides, he has founded Trend Hunter, one of the top trend websites and innovation consultancies. He is the innovation advisor to 400 brands including top-tier ones like Google, Sony, Disney, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, IBM, and Adidas. Over the past seven years, he has been the innovation keynote speaker at hundreds of events, inspiring more than 250 000 people. If that is not enough already, he has even helped NASA prototype the Journey to Mars. How cool is that?
Plastic-Free Oral Care Sets https://t.co/qAegi0M9Rl #Eco pic.twitter.com/Mz4VGdLIiD
— Jeremy Gutsche (@jeremygutsche) September 28, 2021
2. Melissa Gonzalez, Founder & CEO, The Lionesque Group
Book she has written: The Pop Up Paradigm
Where to follow her: LinkedIn & Twitter
Melissa Gonzalez is an innovator and founder of The Lionesque Group, an award-winning firm practicing experiential retail. She helps brands like Amazon, Burrow, Dormify, Marc Jacobs, and Nordstrom to integrate technology so that they constantly learn about their customers and re-think or plan their marketing and targeting strategies accordingly. Melissa is a contributor on ABC radio and writes on retail trends for major media publications. In 2019, she was honored with multiple “Women In Design” awards and was recognized as one of LinkedIn and design:retail’s “Top 10 Retail Design Influencers of the Year”. Follow her to stay tuned for her webinars and interviews.
Pioneering direct-to-consumer brand Warby Parker goes public and I had a little chat with @NPR @Marketplace about it… https://t.co/x3JACNj5YV
— Melissa Gonzalez (@MelsStyles) September 30, 2021
3. Henry Chesbrough, Faculty Director, Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
Books he has written:
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
Up next in our list of entrepreneurs & innovators to follow is Henry Chesbrough. If you are thinking of applying open innovation in your organization or are simply intrigued to know more about it, Henry Chesbrough should be your go-to source for inspiration and guidance. He is best known as “The Father of Open Innovation”. He was the first one to use and promote this term in the context of external cooperation. His books and publications on the subject will help you to organize and manage Research & Development (R&D), gain insights on innovation-oriented business models, and understand the markets of innovation. Follow him to get updates on his latest publications, webinars, and more.
4. Rita McGrath, Founder, Valize
Books she has written:
Where to follow her: LinkedIn & Twitter
Besides being a renowned professor at Columbia Business School, Rita McGrath is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. She has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50 and consistently bags the title of one of the world’s Top 10 Management Thinkers in its bi-annual ranking. Being a consultant to CEOs, she has left a lasting impact on the strategy and growth programs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. She has also founded Valize, a company helping organizations develop tools to implement the discovery-driven growth approach. Follow her for interesting publications and events.
Design thinking is increasingly recognized as a discipline that can generate creative solutions to some of the thorniest problems. In this Thought Spark, I discuss principles for learning from prototypes and recommend practices to put to use right away.https://t.co/CedxFhReGY
— Rita Gunther McGrath (@rgmcgrath) September 28, 2021
5. Tim Brown, Executive Chair, IDEO & Vice-Chair, kyu Collective
Book he has written: Change by Design
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
Tim Brown is the CEO and president of IDEO, a global innovation consultancy that contributed to standard-setting innovations as the first mouse for Apple and the Palm V. Tim advises senior executives and boards of Fortune 100 companies and leads strategic design thinking with corporations such as Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Steelcase. If you want to explore the archive of his thoughts, read his blog. Follow him for regular updates on his works and webinars.
The world’s fastest airliner will also be the most passenger-centric. I’m truly inspired by the vision + work of @Boomaero. Thrilled to support their team in the design of Overture as part of the Boom Advisory Council: https://t.co/h97Ce36tI9
— Tim Brown (@tceb62) February 22, 2021
6. David R. Prasser, Founder & CEO, StartUs Insights
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
David R. Prasser is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of StartUs Insights. His mission is to map the world’s information on innovation, emerging companies, and technologies through the Big Data & AI-powered Discovery Platform, a startup scouting tool covering over 2,5 million startups & scaleups globally. His company partnered with 500+ leading corporate partners including Samsung, Nestlé, Lufthansa Cargo, and Magna, among others. David’s team regularly looks into innovation, emerging companies, and promising startups across industries. Follow him for updates on the latest technologies and startups affecting your industry today and in the future.
Watching #IsaacAsimov on #YouTube, the very medium he predicted will appear back in this incredible interview from 1980https://t.co/Y9pM5wKj7G
— David R. Prasser (@DavidRPrasser) October 19, 2021
7. Johanna Rothman, Founder, Rothman Consulting Group Inc.
Books she has written:
- Manage Your Project Portfolio,
- From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams,
- Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management
Where to follow her: LinkedIn & Twitter
People often describe Johanna Rothman as the “Pragmatic Manager”. Wondering why? Through her consulting firm, she helps organizational leaders identify problems and risks in their product development and then grab opportunities to remove them. She is an internationally acclaimed speaker and the author of 18 books and counting on management, product development, and personal development. Her philosophy is — “I’m big on action plans, short on theory, grounded in reality. If you can’t apply the theory, why bother?” Read her blogs on product management and hiring technical people for valuable insights. Follow to catch her on podcasts and webinars.
How Do You Know When You’re Being Creative vs. Productive? https://t.co/H7gf5v7RpA #agile #choices #creativity
— Johanna Rothman (@johannarothman) October 6, 2021
8. Frans Johansson, Founder & CEO, The Medici Group
Books he has written:
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
Acclaimed innovation keynote speaker Frans Johansson inspires audiences by describing how the best ideas and innovation come from collaboration between people with diverse experiences and cultures. Innovation legend Clayton M. Christensen cites Frans’s debut book The Medici Effect as “one of the most insightful books on managing innovation that I have ever read.” If that doesn’t make him one of the entrepreneurs & innovators to follow, what does? Being a thought leader and CEO of The Medici Group, he advises Fortune 500 companies such as Disney, IBM, ESPN, and Nike. He has also been featured on ABC, CNN, CNBC, the PBS Newshour, and National Public Radio. Keep a tab on his accounts to get a hold of his recent podcasts and webinars.
I was recently quoted in @RTouchPoints. Diversity through the ranks makes it much more likely that mistakes will be surfaced and addressed before they become PR disasters.https://t.co/l7pF7tuT1A
— Frans Johansson (@Frans_Johansson) September 24, 2021
9. Nils Vesk, Founder & Director, Nils Vesk Pty Ltd
Innovation Keynote Speaker, Ideas With Legs
Books he has written:
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
Nils Vesk is the inventor of the ”‘Innovation Archetypes Process” — that creates market-leading innovation empowering organizations to move forward in new markets while driving impressive commercial results. With over 20 years of experience in commercial innovation, he helps business owners with an industry-proven innovation approach. Leading companies such as Nestlé, HP, and Pfizer rely on Nils Vesk to share his game-changing innovation techniques for facilitating commercial insights, ideas, enhanced customer experiences, and unique products. Follow him for informative and inspirational content on innovation.
10. Dr. Amantha Imber, Founder & Chief Maker, Inventium
Books she has written:
Where to follow her: LinkedIn & Twitter
Utilizing her background in organizational psychology, Dr. Amantha Imber has founded a behavioral science consultancy, Inventium. She is also the co-creator of the Australian Financial Review’s Most Innovative Companies list. Big companies such as Google, Apple, Disney, LEGO, and Atlassian, among others trust Amantha to innovate and reinvent their business approach for more success. Besides authoring two best-selling books, her thoughts have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Fast Company. Her accounts are full of tips and tricks for business improvement. You will also get regular updates on the podcasts she hosts with industry leaders and influencers.
11. Dr. Johann Daniel Harnoss, CEO & Co-Founder, Imagine Foundation & Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group
Where to follow him: LinkedIn & Twitter
At Boston Consulting Group, Dr. Johann Daniel Harnoss works on innovation with corporate partners in industries such as energy, consumer goods, and technology by suggesting various strategies to drive product development and business growth. He also leads the company’s research agenda on “Innovation without Borders”. Johann has co-founded Imagine Foundation, where he guides a team of now 80+ volunteers to foster qualified immigration to Europe. Follow him to stay on top of his videos and interviews.
Who do you think are entrepreneurs & innovators to follow?
Of course, there are many, many other entrepreneurs & innovators to follow out there. So, we want to hear it from you: who do you think should be on this list? Get in touch & let us know!
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