Accelerating Innovation

The National Innovation Ecosystem: A Metrics Framework for Guiding Innovation Policy in the 21st Century

The Center for Accelerating Innovation has been collaborating with ASTRA (The Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America) on a framework for describing the “national innovation ecosystem” and for guiding the development of an innovation measurement system we call Innovation Vital Signs (IVS). Download innovation_vital_signs_framework_report_v.2.8.pdf   The purpose of such a system is to provide a tool to evaluate the nation’s innovation capabilities and performance, and better assess policy choices and potential impacts. [1]  More information on the IVS project can be found at www.usinnovation.org.

The framework is based on a systematic review of 52 public indicator reports and 95 private sector sources. Our review generated an inventory of 3,126 indicators measuring multiple dimensions of innovative activity. We discovered during our review that no common framework for organizing and presenting such indicators exists. The framework we designed is comprehensive and approaches innovation as a complex and multi-faceted process and recognizes:

• both the innovation supply (inputs) and demand (outputs) and the process that connects inputs to outputs and ultimate national impacts.
• context in which innovation takes place including the macroeconomic environment, public policies, infrastructure and the national mindset for innovation.
• changes in the nature of innovation including globalization of innovative activity, new business models for managing innovation, types of innovation, service sector innovation, entrepreneurial activity and diffusion/adoption rates for innovation.

The framework organizes indicators in four broad domains as illustrated and into 14 specific factors that drive knowledge from original insight to economic impact. Based on a detailed evaluation of these indicators and a workshop we identified a set of baseline indicators from which to evolve innovation vital signs for the national innovation ecosystem. We conclude that currently available indicators and measurement methods do not adequately describe in a timely manner the dynamics of innovation today. Innovation cannot be approached as an isolated inventive activity and linear process. We need to move beyond indicators dominated by inputs such as R&D, scientific and engineering personnel, patents and number of publications. A comprehensive indicator framework is required that can link innovation inputs, processes and outcomes to better reflect the reality of innovation today. Innovation is best viewed an ecosystem of relationships, connections and diverse patterns interaction among individuals and organizations. It is a complex process in which new knowledge eventually becomes embedded into a new products, services, processes and business models that create value. This value creation process in turn generates national benefits and revenue and profit to entities who undertake the risk of being innovators.

Innovation is a process by which value is created for customers through public and private organizations that transform new knowledge and technologies into profitable products and services for national and global markets. A high rate of innovation in turn contributes to more intellectual capital, market creation, economic growth, job creation, wealth, and higher standard of living.

Innovation policy should be based on evidence. Timely, high quality relevant information is available in abundance to support fiscal, monetary and trade policies. Innovation policy for the 21^st century will require new indicators, improved data collection and integration methods, and sophisticated visualization tools to understand the more subtle, qualitative and interactive elements of innovation and greater recognition of role innovation plays in the service sector. The framework offered in this report integrates the fundamental change in innovation practices from the previous closed, static, linear and individualistic perspective into a multidimensional, dynamic approach that is capable of staying abreast of the demands of a global economy.

The Innovation Vital Signs conceptual framework identifies 4 domains and 14 innovation factors that collectively interact to create the innovation capacity and performance of a nation. The innovation framework report summarizes the provisional set of indicators that emerged from our global assessment of innovation indicators. Download innovation_vital_signs_framework_report_v.2.8.pdf

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[1]The framework builds on the innovation ecosystem concepts and recommendations prepared by Egils Milbergs, Center for Accelerating Innovation for the 21^st Century Innovation Working Group of the National Innovation Initiative, Council on Competitiveness. PDF] 21st century innovation working group final report , Innovate America Final Report, December 2004.  www.compete.org   Additional information on the Innovation Vital Signs Project can be found at www.usinnovation.org

An Innovator On The Road Not Taken: Ken Hendricks

Ken Hendricks died December 21, 2007 after falling from a construction site at his home in Afton, Wisconsin. This is a real tragedy for his family and also for those of us who were working on one of his many projects and entrepreneurial ventures. His rise from a 11th grade drop-out to the founder of ABC Supply, the largest provider of roofing and siding materials to contractors in the United States and a Forbes listed billionaire, is testimony to the opportunities available to all hard working and talented individuals. He will certainly be missed.

One of the most compelling stories of his life is how he turned around the struggling community of Beloit, Wisconsin. He made a lot of friends and more money redeveloping older vacant properties such as the former Beloit Mall and Beloit Corp. The 450,000-square-foot mall is now the Eclipse Center and holds a banquet facility and convention center, Cardinal Stritch University, Energy Services Inc., department store Elder-Beerman and several public services. The 800,000-square-foot former Beloit Corp. is called Ironworks and was converted for industrial and office use with massive murals on the building. He dreamed a change in Beloit and now hundreds of people are living in his dream. He didn’t neglect the blue collar jobs in favor of white collar jobs—he created both. He was on the road to developing hundreds of new green collar jobs through his environmental/energy ventures. .

The Plot in Rockford, Illinois: A Prototype Innovation Ecosystem

Ken Hendricks  also saw opportunities in Rockford, Illinois, a community just south of Beloit and approximately 90 miles northwest of Chicago with a population of approximately 150,000. Rockford's 20th Century industry revolved around machine tools, heavy machinery, automotive, aerospace, fastener and cabinet hardware products, and packaging devices and concepts. During the 1980s the Rockford area went in to a severe economic decline as foreign competition and demand shifts in the manufacturing sector severely impacted the economy and employment structure. Rockford experienced one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. In a typical American story of resilience, Rockford is re-inventing itself and is now in transition as the business, political and civic leadership look to new markets, entrepreneurship and innovation based businesses to drive the future economy.

Ken Hendricks worked closely with Rockford Area Ventures and

EIGERlab -- the creative forces for positioning Rockford as a global innovation hotspot. Ken believed that the huge inventory of abandoned industrial buildings and pool of highly skilled retired or unemployed workers in Rockford were not a liability, but an asset for the future. Ken acted on this insight and purchased the vacant Essex Wire plant on the 2800 block of North Main Street. He challenged us to make it a catalyst for a new Rockford entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit. Those involved with the project’s evolution were  excited about designing the facility as a global center for innovation, learning and advanced manufacturing. Ken was an inspirational character—little ego, optimistic, entrepreneurial and a man of great accomplishments. I remember a number of meetings with him as we discussed the EIGERDome project and issues important to Rockford—K-12 education, leadership, business incubators, emerging markets, green technology, alternative energy, wind turbines and broadband access. He was focused on catalyzing more collaboration between industry, education and government. His insights were respected and he was always encouraging those around him to get on with the job. He was a visionary and, more significant, an actionary. It is my hope that Ken’s life story, and legacy, will make the EIGERDome a launch platform for dozens of creative projects and entrepreneurial ventures.

 

2006 Governor's Awards Recipients: Ken and Diane Hendricks

29 Oct 2007 by rss@youtube.com (wifoundationarts)  
An excerpt from Wisconsin's 2006 Governor's Awards in Support of the Arts, recognizing the life and work of Ken and Diane Hendricks of Beloit.

YouTube :: Tag // work - http://youtube.com/rss/tag/work.rss

Building Supply Billionaire Kenneth Hendricks, 66 - washingtonpost.com

Funeral Services for Ken Hendricks (December, 2007)

10 questions for Ken Hendricks - Entrepreneur of the Year

Billionaire made Beloit his business...Read Article
August 11, 2007 - The Wisconsin State Journal

Hendricks helping turn city around ...Read Article

October 10, 2007 - The Daily Gate City

The Roofer’s Son ...Read Article
September 2007 - Reader's Digest

Ken Hendricks in Forbes ...Read The Interview

The 400 Richest Americans 2007, Secrets Of The Self-Made Q&A
September 20, 2007 - Forbes

Hendricks: 'It's all about treating people right' ...Read Article
June 25, 2007 - The Janesville Gazette

Entrepreneur of the Year
December 2006 - Inc. Magazine ...Read Article

December 26, 2007 in Global Innovation, Innovation, Managing Innovation, Regional Innovaton | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Innovation: A New Face and Image for the US

The next Administration will have an opportunity to reshape the image America presents to the world. This requires leveraging so-called U.S. soft power instruments. Foreign assistance is one of the tools. However, American public opinion is highly skeptical of the benefits of economic aid to foreign countries. In general, foreign assistance is a low priority. Only 18% of the public considers improving the standards of living (e.g. getting out of poverty) of less developed nations as very important, 64% want to cut back economic aid and only 8% want to expand it. Furthermore, there is little consensus and much controversy among researchers and academics on the impact of foreign aid on reducing poverty or creating economic opportunity and growth.

Against this context the  HELP Commission, after taking nearly two years examining reform options for US foreign assistance programs, released its much anticipated final report, "Beyond Assistance." The Commission was created by an Act of Congress spearheaded by Congressman Wolf (R-VA) in January 2004. Most notable statement in the report after 22 months of countless meetings interviews and study:

“…. not one person appeared before this Commission to defend the status quo. It is shocking that the need for foreign aid reform is so widely recognized yet so little has been done to implement lasting and vital changes. The legislation mandating the U.S. system was written more than 45 years ago and is littered with competing goals, conflicting objectives, and vague directives.”

Specific recommendations put forth by the Commission, included:

· consolidating the disarray of organizations, purposes and accounts of assistance;

· rewriting the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish a new compact on foreign assistance;

· enhancing policy coherence, particularly by aligning U.S. trade and development policies;

· increasing resources -- staff, management training, and budget -- for foreign aid;

· ring-fencing long-term development assistance from redirection to short-term security and policy needs;

· encouraging greater investment in economic growth, agriculture and infrastructure programs;

· removing trade restrictions that hamper development, including reducing U.S. agricultural subsidies and providing duty-free/quota-free access for Millennium Challenge Account countries and for countries with $2000 per capita GDP;

· reestablishing an independent Office of Monitoring and Evaluation to track performance and report results; and

· instituting a Quadrennial Development and Humanitarian Assistance Review.

The Commission did not reach consensus on the organizational structure to manage a reformed foreign aid strategy. A majority supported a "super State Department" with four functional under secretaries -- political and security affairs; economic affairs, development and trade; humanitarian services and stabilization; and public diplomacy and consular affairs. A minority report by three commissioners argued for a cabinet-level department for international development.

New R&D Institute Proposed

Among the more intriguing recommendations is to establish a research and development organization to jumpstart technology that will change people’s lives in the developing world. Technology is increasingly becoming a part of daily life even in poor countries. The scientific and innovative capacity of developing states is also growing and partnerships with US high tech companies is clearly accelerating in such areas as biotechnology, climate research, alternative energy, biofuels, information technology, communications, infrastructure development, environmental health, education and so on. . . For example, Nick Negroponte has been promoting the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program, a low cost computer specifically designed for developing countries. Intel has the Classmate PC designed for emerging markets worldwide.

The organization suggested by the HELP Commission would be called the “Development Applications Research Institute” (DARI), modeled on DARPA and focus on building technology in all relevant development areas, including agriculture, health and education. Excerpts from the report:

“…… Like DARPA, it would take on long-term projects and welcome risk-taking, with the understanding that risk taking implies potential losses as well as gains. In addition, much of the organization’s work would be carried out in partnership with the developing countries themselves, as a way to spur the development of local R&D capabilities and to ensure that local expertise informs solutions destined for local use…..the head of DARI could serve as science advisor to the lead U.S. Government official in charge of development policy. At the same time, staff could proactively seek new ideas for funding from private enterprise and research universities to ensure the broadest range of inputs……DARI would only fund projects that would lead to practical application of technology by poor people in the developing world. America needs to build a successful new R&D organization that is devoted to development. The cost would be relatively small, on the order of $50 to $100 million a year, but DARI could transform countless lives. Its cost is easily justified by solving a “market failure.” In other words, private markets probably have not responded to these needs because of the anticipated small market and low expected private return. However, these are outweighed by the high expected social return. DARI also could help alleviate suffering around the world and restore our country’s reputation for leadership in innovation.”

Some links to similar efforts that launched during the life span of the HELP Commission-- Brookings/CSIS' Security By Other Means, CSIS's Smart Power Commission, the Center for U.S. Global Engagement's Impact '08, and Senator Lugar's Committee Staff Report, Embassies Grapple to Guide Foreign Aid -- as well as CGD's Commission on Weak States and National Security that preceded it.

Little Funding Action on Bipartisan Competitiveness Bill

"A year that started with great promise of bipartisan action to enhance American competitiveness in the global economy appears about to end with no significant action on any of the key elements," said Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) President George Scalise. "To say that we are keenly disappointed would be a huge understatement."

The SIA noted that President Bush and the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives both made strong commitments to increasing funding for basic research, reforming visa programs to ease the hiring of the best and brightest foreign-born scholars with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and modernizing and extending the R&D tax credit. "Both Congress and the Administration have taken bows for their strong commitment to enhancing U.S. competitiveness and innovative capabilities, but the rhetoric has greatly outstripped the action," Scalise continued.
"While Congress recently passed and President Bush signed the 'America COMPETES Act,' these actions mean little without an actual appropriation to fund the programs it authorizes. Current spending bills drastically shortchange research funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute for Science and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy," Scalise said. NSF and NIST both play critical roles in the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative which supports cutting-edge basic research in collaboration with industry and universities.    
SIA noted that without action this week, funding for basic research at universities and the national laboratories will fall far short of the levels promised by the President and the House leadership; U.S. companies will continue to be disadvantaged in the competition to hire the best and brightest foreign-born graduates from American universities; and the R&D tax credit will expire on December 31, 2007.

"Our competitors in the global economy are poised to seize the opportunities presented by our inaction on these critical concerns," Scalise said. "Other countries and regions have put in place generous incentives to attract investment, including cash grants, tax holidays, and liberal R&D tax credits. Competitors are also seeking to build world-class research universities and funding basic research in nanotechnology. The U.S. still enjoys a lead in technology, but leadership is not a birthright - it must be earned through action.

“Short-sighted and short-changed” declared Dr. Mary Good, Chairman of ASTRA, the Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America, following last-minute changes in key science budgets by Congress and the Administration as lawmakers rush to adjourn before the Holidays. “Reversing years of hard work, Congress and the Administration have been short-sighted in their haste to get a budget agreement — and they have short-changed America in the process” declared Good. “Only a few months ago, we achieved a refreshing consensus to begin the much-needed doubling of key science budgets under the America COMPETES Act,” said Good, adding “passage of the COMPETES Act recognized that America must increase its investment in physical sciences and engineering if it is to compete successfully in the future global economy. The COMPETES Act was bipartisan and signed by the President. It was a first step in insuring that future generations of Americans can be prepared for the competitive dynamics of a flat world.” The impending budget changes come only days after ASTRA’s release of a new 14-Point policy framework document, Riding the Rising Tide that is being sent to all Presidential campaigns and Congress. The RisingTide Report sets forth an action agenda that details how Americacan maintain its innovation future in the 21^st Century in the face of global competition and “flattening.” Rising Tide explains the consequences of inadequate investment in scientific research to our economy, the US standard of living and national security. See Riding the Rising Tide (www.usinnovation.org)

Following is a statement by the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation on the FY08 omnibus appropriations bill now under consideration in Congress.

The FY08 omnibus appropriations bill that Congress is considering represents a step backwards for the bipartisan innovation agenda.  The President and Congress, for all their stated support this year for making basic research in the physical sciences and engineering a top budget priority ended up essentially cutting, or flat-funding, key science agencies after accounting for inflation.

The nations that seek to challenge our global leadership in science and innovation should be greatly encouraged by this legislation.

 

The President and a near-unanimous Congress, by enacting the America COMPETES Act earlier this year, laid out a bold path toward revitalizing basic research in the physical sciences and engineering.  COMPETES was a welcome Congressional initiative to double funding for America’s science research programs and expand science education that complemented the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative and the Democratic Innovation Agenda.

This appropriations legislation takes a step back from the promises contained in all of these initiatives.

The Task Force on the Future of American Innovation is hopeful that this reversal of direction does not represent a lack of commitment to turning around the nation’s long decline in support for basic research programs.  For now, the failure to provide the funding required to begin growing these programs makes these promises little more than empty gestures.   We intend to work with the Administration and Congress in the new year to make the promise of America COMPETES a reality.

University Research Generating More Patents, Licensing Income, Startups and Spinouts

The latest figures reported by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) indicate that public and private sources spent more than $45 billion for R&D on university campuses in Fiscal Year 2006. Some statistics from the report:

• Managed 18,874 new invention disclosures

• Filed 15,908 total U.S. patent applications

• Saw 3,255 U.S. patents issued

• Signed 4,963 new licenses

• Managed 12,672 licenses and options that are yielding active income.

• Had 697 new products introduced to the market in 2006

• Introduced more than 4,350 new products into the market from FY1998 to FY2006.

• Launched 553 new startup companies in 2006.

• 5,724 new spinouts since 1980,

The top performers in licensing income include Duke, New York University, Stanford, the University of California system, the University of Wisconsin and Wake Forest University.

Download US Licensing Activity Survey FY2006

Japan: A Hybrid Model of Capitalism

After 15 years of gloom, Japan's companies have emerged with a new, hybrid model a bit closer to America's according to an article in the November 29 issue of The Economist.

“ONCE it was the Walkman. Then it was the PlayStation. Today it is the Toyota Prius that epitomises Japan's technological and industrial prowess. Built by Japan's largest company, which is now on the verge of becoming the world's largest carmaker……

But the Prius also symbolises another transformation: that of Japan itself. Just as a hybrid car combines the distinct advantages of petrol and electric propulsion systems, Japan has been developing a new hybrid model of capitalism that brings together aspects of the old Japanese model, which ran into trouble in the early 1990s, with carefully chosen elements of the more dynamic American or Anglo-Saxon variety of capitalism. The resulting hybrid model has been adopted by many firms and has already helped to transform Japan's fortunes. After wrenching political and corporate reforms, the country in 2002 emerged from over a decade of economic stagnation. Since then the recovery, originally export-led, has spread to the economy as a whole (see chart 1). Japanese firms have restructured, paid down their debts and are now posting record profits. The banking system has been cleaned up. Yet despite this progress, Japan still faces huge problems……

Read more at Going hybrid | Economist.com.

Also retired IBM executive Irving Wladawsky-Berger has a thoughtful post on the article here: Hybrid Models of Capitalism

Irving’s Blog: Irving Wladawsky-Berger: About Me

The Rising Chorus On Innovation

This week ASTRA (the Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America) released its report Riding The Rising Tide: A 21^st Century Strategy for US Competitiveness and Prosperity. The report presents 14 recommendations, many of which are familiar, and reinforces the quest to make innovation a first tier issue in the various Presidential campaigns. 

>> Download the Report
(PDF-6.2 MB)

Ken Jarboe of the Athena Alliance does a good summary of the 14 major points of the ASTRA report. “The report calls for greater efforts to understand the innovation ecosystem. We need to understand that the nature of innovations has changed in the I-Cubed Economy. It is no longer a linear process that begins with men in white coats in labs. Innovation is a complex set of interactions -- truly an ecosystem. By calling for better measures, increased analytical capabilities and new ways of thinking about innovation, the report sets a direction for innovation policy.”

Go to Athena Alliance's blog: Riding the Rising Tide

Also the Computing Research Policy Blog reported on the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation competitiveness briefing on Capitol Hill this week. Attendees heard from Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the president of the National Academy of Engineering Dr. Charles Vest, and a keynote address by Norm Augustine. Also, in attendance was Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) who has backed the issue of increased basic research funding since before the "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report was released. Senator Bingaman echoed Dr. Vest when he said that the difficult work was still ahead because the current appropriations meltdown. He also said that the efforts of competitiveness were a long-term project. Senator Alexander said that it was important to continue to broaden the base of support for competitiveness issues in Congress but that it would be a mistake to think this issue was solely the responsibility of Congress. He said that everyone needs to be involved in order to keep America competitive.

Norm Augustine, who in addition to chairing the National Academies panel that produced the hugely influential "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report and has since chaired a follow-up called “Is America Falling off the Flat Earth?”, pointed out that while great progress was made toward funding basic research in the FY07 appropriations, sustaining the momentum of increases in FY08 was critical. He said, “Leadership in science and technology is not a birthright of the United States” but is something that needs to be fought for and won every day. An interesting statistic that he used was that two-thirds of the increased labor productivity over the last several decades was attributed to federal investment in research. Download augustine_we_have_a_problem_talk_121207.pdf

The event concluded with a presentation of the Task Force YouTube contest winning video.

Egils Milbergs of the Center for Accelerating Innovation commented: "The Augustine and ASTRA reports are part of a rising chorus urging innovation as a fundamental national priority for maintaining US economic growth, prosperity and national security."

UK Gets a Taste of Open Innovation

A post by David Simoes-Brown about Open Innovation guru Henry Chesbrough’s visit to NESTA. NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts with a vision to transform the UK's capacity for innovation. Chesbrough has been described by the Economist as “the godfather of open innovation”.  Click here for a short video of him in action.

Henry Chesbrough opened the corporate lab with a presentation on the theory of open innovation, and lead the discussion on the implications for practice.  You could tell this subject is hot by looking at the quality and seniority of the audience from organisations as diverse as ARUP, AstraZeneca, BBC, BT, GSK, IDEO, RBS, Oracle Kodak, Capgemini, McLaren F1, Microsoft, Oracle, Unilever, P&G and Cancer Research UK.  Henry explained why open innovation was on the rise citing factors such as the explosion in venture capital, private funding of universities and increasing workforce mobility amongst others.  He then outlined four themes of the 'logic of open innovation':

· Good ideas are widely distributed and no-one has a monopoly;

· Not all the smart people work for us; 

· Companies must employ poker players as well as chess players;

· You must manage IP in order to manage research. 

Center for Open Innovation

About NESTA Connect

About NESTA

NESTA Innovation blog

NESTA Research Reports

The following links take you to a list of all NESTA's Policy and Research Unit's research reports. 

· Understanding UK innovation

Of particular interest is the Leading Innovation report on how to build effective regional coalitions for innovation. For regions without the extraordinary assets of Silicon Valley (what is termed here ‘ordinary’ regions), making the leap from an old-economy paradigm to one based on innovation in services and high-tech industries can seem impossible. But it isn’t. As shown in the report, it is made up of a series of smaller, more achievable steps. Two things stand out, however: this isn’t a fast process; and it requires deep regional knowledge and strong regional leadership.

The case studies presented in this report showcase seven European regions that have successfully made the transition from ordinary to innovative region; and four UK regions that are somewhere along that journey. It concludes by presenting a guide to the ‘regional innovation journey’ and an analysis of the types of leadership that may be required along the way.

Download the Leading Innovation

Global Entrepreneurship Week

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined Carl Schramm of the Kauffman Foundation in starting the countdown to Global Entrepreneurship Week, 17-23 November 2008, the world's biggest single event celebrating and promoting entrepreneurship amongst young people.

Representatives from more than 25 participating countries were on hand for the announcement and working sessions designed to share information and plan for the coming year. The event took place during Enterprise Week, the centerpiece of Make Your Mark's campaign to promote enterprise culture to young people in the UK.

Watch the video of the announcement.

See photos from the Nov. 13 event

The Power of Collaborative Innovation

The “Power of Collaborative Innovation” will be the theme of the World Economic Forum’s Annual meeting in Davos January 23-27, 2008.

Link: World Economic Forum - Home

The theme is a good fit for the Forum’s diverse membership and multi-stakeholder model. The Annual Meeting 2008 program will be based on the following five conceptual pillars:

· Business
Competing While Collaborating

· Economics and Finance
Addressing Economic Insecurity

· Geopolitics
Aligning Interests across Divides

· Science and Technology
Exploring Nature’s New Frontiers

· Values and Society
Understanding Future Shifts

Co-Chairs for the Meeting:
Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-2007); Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum
James Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co., USA
Henry Kissinger, Chairman, Kissinger Associates, USA
K.V. Kamath, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank, India
Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, USA
David J. O'Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation, USA
Wang Jianzhou, Chief Executive, China Mobile Communications Corporation, People's Republic of China

The World Economic Forum picks the hottest startups in health care, biotech, IT, Internet, and energy. Check out this slide show of 39 winners for 2008. LINK: Future Leaders of Tech