Who dares to take a leap of faith?

An application needs technology to exist, but without an interesting application technology is nothing more than a shiny piece of metal. It is at this interface between the application and the technology that innovation occurs. But it’s a grey area.

It is a typical ‘chicken and egg’ problem. Where to start? With the chicken or the egg, with the technology or the application? Technology developers often lack the insight and creativity needed to devise commercially feasible applications that are truly unique, while product developers generally have insufficient knowledge and insight regarding the potential of a new technology. This disconnect results in new applications suffering delays or not being developed at all, and is therefore often decisive in a particular technology’s success (or lack thereof).

But there is a third, very important factor in the innovation process: the entrepreneur. The key is to combine daring with good business sense – a combination that is often lacking, which leads to an innovation failing to be successfully implemented. The result is a market offering more of the same, with a focus on copying rather than improving. That is much safer and easier. It takes little courage or creativity. After all, the technology is already proven.

‘With a healthy dose of courage, insight and creativity, virtually anything is possible’

Thankfully there are still enough pioneers! Entrepreneurial entrepreneurs who dare to think differently, dare to radically change their strategy, dare to take a leap of faith. I understand that this is terrifying but with a healthy dose of courage, insight and creativity relating to technology and the potential applications, virtually anything is possible.

One good example is Perfotec, an innovative technology supplier that has shaken up the global fruit and vegetable industry in the past couple of years with its respiration control technology, resulting in fresher products and less waste. Here, too, it was a matter of the application selling the technology and vice versa.

Dennis Favier is a professional food designer and creative director at innovation company TOP bv which translates technological innovations into interesting applications.