The traditional understanding of innovation has been shrouded in ambiguity, often reduced to: “you know it when you see it”- followed with a shrug. However, by viewing innovation through the lens of knowledge acceleration, we can develop a more precise, predictive, and actionable framework for identifying transformative opportunities
Knowledge Acceleration as Innovation’s Core
Innovation can be precisely measured as the rate of change of knowledge with respect to time. This mathematical approach transforms the nebulous concept of innovation into a quantifiable metric
When we understand that each significant innovation comprises numerous smaller knowledge breakthroughs, we can better identify where true value creation occurs.
Breaking Free from Traditional Metrics
The current innovation ecosystem suffers from a fundamental flaw – it’s predominantly denominated in monetary terms. This narrow view has created a system where innovation recognition is often limited to those with significant financial backing, particularly venture capitalists
This limitation severely restricts our ability to identify, prioritize, and nurture breakthrough solutions to pressing global challenges.
A New Framework for Innovation Assessment
By focusing on measuring knowledge acceleration rather than just financial metrics, we can identify promising innovations in their earliest stages. This approach allows us to:
- Detect emerging knowledge clusters before they become obvious investment opportunities
- Track the velocity of knowledge development across different domains
- Identify genuine innovation separate from market hype
Implications for Future Investment
The ability to measure innovation through knowledge acceleration provides investors with a powerful tool for portfolio optimization. Instead of relying solely on traditional metrics, investors can now evaluate opportunities based on their contribution to knowledge growth and problem-solving capacity
This framework particularly shines when addressing urgent global challenges, as it helps identify solutions that create genuine progress rather than just market value. By understanding innovation as a measurable rate of knowledge change, we can direct capital more effectively toward transformative solutions that drive sustainable progress.
An Algorithm For Innovation; The Ingenesist Project
A useful definition allows people to identify, replicate, or measure the subject being defined. Yet the best definition we have for Innovation is basically, “You know it when you see it”.
How can we sustain our world if we cannot even define the sole instrument of change?
Have you ever had an epiphany? That ah-ha moment that comes from deep within… …when suddenly your knowledge about something grows exponentially within a very short period of time? Let’s call that “innovation”, where one large innovation is comprised of many smaller innovations.
In order to measure innovation, all you need to do is measure the rate of change of knowledge with respect to time. You don’t need Calculus to recognize this as an algorithm for innovation … but it helps.
If that idea doesn’t change the world, nothing will.
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Analysis
Innovation is a great mystery that does not need to be. Everyone innovates – it is necessary for survival. Yet the magic and mystique of the innovator is a cultural phenomenon that forms the foundation of tech social status. Innovation is denominated in money – if you are not flush with cash, then you are not an innovator. Only VC can be innovators due to their ability to navigate financial markets. It almost seems that the more difficult it is to identify something, greater scarcity can be assigned to it. The false impression is that with greater scarcity come greater value. Again, when we become vested in our own misery, progress grinds to a halt.
This is all quite counter productive.
The problems of the future will require innovation, creation, new ideas, and vast execution at an astonishing scale. In order to achieve true economic sustainability, we need to a metric to denominate true value, not propped up scarcity value.
It is relatively easy to create and measure where high rates of change are occurring in a community or society. It is then relatively easy to observe what innovations take place as a result. This isn’t exactly a unicorn farm, but you probably can’t have a unicorn without these conditions in the first place. It is then only a matter of memorializing these conditions in a tangible form.