CoDev 2012 – where the Open Innovation community comes together

For the fourth year in a row we attended the largest event in the Open Innovation calendar, CoDev 2012, held at La Jolla in California.

CoDev itself has been running for about a decade and it is growing year on year.  We like it because the content is always interesting and stimulating, and it is always a great venue to network with contacts, current clients and new clients.

This year there were presentations on a myriad of topics including, expanding Open Innovation as a key driver of business growth, managing IP in complex deal structures and delivering ROI when building global Open Innovation networks, among others.

Discussions were relaxed, open and frank, and we were flattered to have Oakland Innovation referenced by several speakers during their presentations.

April 27th - 2012 Oakland

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Eileens’s take on India

“The sense of optimism in I experienced in each of the cities I visited was almost palpable,” says Eileen Buttimer, our Director of Operations, following her week-long visit to India where she spent time in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi.

Eileen was there on a business development trip combined with meeting some current clients.

“You can’t help but be caught up in the vibrancy, excitement and optimism of India,” says Eileen, adding: “There was a time when young people were looking for opportunities to leave India to make a life for themselves elsewhere. Now they are intent on staying because they want to be part of the huge opportunities the country has to offer as the economy surges forward at an astonishing rate.

“People are so warm and friendly and can’t do enough to be helpful and I was surprised at how young the population is – perhaps that helps to explain the feeling of optimism.

“They have a hunger for knowledge and are not content to follow, they want to lead.   The young people I met were highly skilled, highly educated and highly motivated.  Everyone has a mobile phone – sometimes two, one for work and one for personal use.

“Of course you can’t avoid the economic extremes of India, there is extreme poverty, but at the same time there is a dynamism and drive forward that isn’t going to be fettered by the past and that seems to balance out some of the extremes,” explains Eileen.

And as for eating curry in forty degree heat, well Eileen did her PhD in Birmingham, which may not match the climate of India, but it does have some of the best curry houses outside India.

April 23rd - 2012 Oakland

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