Innovation Uncensored San Francisco 2014
Join Fast Company editors and writers live from our conference in San Francisco on November 10th and 11th!
Join more than 500 executives, inventors, strategists, designers, marketers, visionaries, and creatives from the worlds of technology, business, and design on November 10th and 11th for a conversation on the power of innovation and disruption in business.
With talented speakers ranging from Biz Stone to Ed Catmull, Padmasree Warrior to Tristan Walker, Innovation Uncensored brings the best of Fast Company’s magazine and websites to life.
You can check out the full event agenda here.
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That’s a wrap!
Thanks for tuning in to our Innovation Uncensored San Francisco live blog. We hope you enjoyed the last two days as much as we did. Here are some highlights from Tuesday’s panels:
—10-year-old Vivienne Harr told us how she launched one lemonade stand into a global movement to combat child slavery. "You can't put a kid in slavery--you just can't." If you're looking for a powerful, moving, and inspiring reminder of the unprecedented ability of the web to help people do good, this was it.
—During her interview with Fast Company’s Danielle Sacks, Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario announced that Patagonia has made an investment in Yerdle, an app that lets people give away items and get redeemable credits in exchange, through the company's $20 Million & Change internal venture fund.
—After being featured in Fast Company’s December/January issue, Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Company Brands, sat down with Fast Company’s J.J. McCorvey for a conversation about racial diversity in Silicon Valley. As Walker & Co. CEO, he’s aimed to make it a company whose employees look like America. “I’m not an idiot,” he said. “This diversity actually helps the bottom line.” See more notes from the conversation here.
—In conversation with Fast Company executive editor Noah Robischon, Lyft president John Zimmer revealed that his company, which has expanded from 15 to almost 65 cities in 12 months, has seen five-fold growth in both revenue and riders since the beginning of 2014.
"The space is massive, it's way bigger than people thought when we started," said Zimmer. "This year we've 5x'd our rides as well as revenue, and that's before some of our busiest periods like Thanksgiving."
—What's next for Google Ventures? More bets in health care startups, said Google Ventures managing partner Bill Maris in a conversation with Fast Company's executive editor Noah Robischon.
"Now we have no doubt that we have the tools to detect diseases and treat diseases," he said. "What you'll see over the next 15 to 20 years is a complete tidal change. ... It was probably unimaginable that in 1939 when penicillin came along that you could take a pill and instead of dying, could not die." Read more here.
—In conversation with Fast Company’s Bob Safian, Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, and author of the book Creativity Inc., said that Disney and Pixar movies—including Up, Frozen, and Big Hero 6—are often in terrible shape a year before they’re due to hit theaters. It’s always alarming. But it’s also part of the process. “If it didn’t suck,” Catmull said, “it would almost be done.” And there’s only so much you learn along the way: “When we go off the fails, it’s never in the way it happened before.”
Click here for more lessons from Catmull on how to run a creative business.
—Fast Company’s Danielle Sacks talked to Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless and president of content development Kent Alterman about the cross-platform strategy to engage their 18-34 year-old audience, and the opportunities and challenges in monetizing digital success.
"Good comedy has always been very truthful and relatable," said Alterman. "Comedy serves a purpose in society that is very human and relatable when it's good—telling some truth, exposing some hypocrisy. And comedy is very sharable, so as the internet exploded, comedy took on a significance in a way that maybe music did in a previous generation." Read more here.
—Fast Company's Mark Wilson held a panel with YouTube celebrities about how to own YouTube. "Here's the thing about getting on TV," said YouTube personality Grace Helbig. "There are a whole lot of gatekeepers that keep you from getting on TV." Read more here.
—Fast Company editor-in-chief Bob Safian closed a day of awesome panels by bringing on three generations of Generation Flux to discuss the importance of being mission-led in business. "Mission and purpose are the new competitive advantage," said Casey Gerald, cofounder and CEO of MBAs Across America.
As always, follow our Twitter and Instagram for more images and content to come from the event.
From everyone at Fast Company, thank you for joining us!
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#IUSF14 is here! We're excited to kick things off w/ BTS experiences at some of SF's most innovative companies: f-st.co/b77lUGLby Fast Company via twitter 11/10/2014 5:13:28 PM -
Fueling up for @adobe visit to kick off #IUSF14. Expect lotsa tweets.
by Mark Wilson via Instagram 11/10/2014 5:31:08 PM -
We'll be live tweeting our #IUSF14 session, "Yes, you can draw: How to inspire creative thinking in your teams," with @michaelgough_ soon.by Adobe via twitter 11/10/2014 5:50:17 PM -
I'm at the Samsung design site visit that's part of our Innovation Uncensored conference. #iusf14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2GT7GgCQAAOKLE.jpg
by Harry McCracken via twitter 11/10/2014 6:04:43 PM -
It's a pretty sharp logo. #IUSF14.
by Mark Wilson via Instagram 11/10/2014 6:07:52 PM -
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Color block. #IUSF14 instagram.com/p/vOoXbDrN2Q/
by ctrlzee via twitter 11/10/2014 6:50:36 PM -
About to get started with creative drawing school at adobe. The refreshments might help. #IUSF14 instagram.com/p/vOrfZhLN6K/
by ctrlzee via twitter 11/10/2014 6:52:51 PM -
Drawing mental gymnastics in process! #IUSF14 instagram.com/p/vOsdlnm9Rg/
by CourtneyBrigham via twitter 11/10/2014 6:53:00 PM -
.@hintwater just inked a deal this wk w/ Compass Foods - largest supplier of food services to colleges, hospitals etc. #IUSF14 @FastCompanyby Sklawson via twitter 11/10/2014 6:53:11 PM -
I'm at Hint Water's Union St. HQ in San Francisco, and CEO Kara Goldin just announced a deal with Compass Foods, the world's largest food services company, which delivers to hospitals and schools.
Hint, which produces naturally-flavored unsweetened and sparkling water, was founded by Goldin 9 years ago. Hint does much of its business through ecommerce, subscription services, and internal orders from corporations. Google was an early adopter of in-office Hint Water for its staff, and Amazon approached Hint about an option for subscription services to augment Hint's successful online sales. "You don't mess with Jeff Bezos," Goldin says.
Now Hint will reach schools like Auburn University in Alabama, plus a slew of hospitals (some cancer patients apparently love Hint because, for some people, it counters the metallic taste that chemo treatments cause).
Goldin used to drink a 12-pack of Diet Coke a day. But now she writes letters to McDonald's letting them know their food products aren't right for her family. Her lifestyle change came around the time she developed her mission, at the founding of Hint, to get truly healthy without misleading customers about what's in their food and drink.
Big soda execs have tried to give Goldin advice, but she doesn't necessarily listen. When the Hint team is looking to embark on new ventures, Goldin says she goes with her gut and asks, "Is it right?" -
Over at Belcampo Meat Co’s restaurant and butcher shop, president Bronwen Hanna-Korpi discussed how the vertically-integrated company (it owns everything from the farm where its animals graze, to the slaughterhouse, to the storefronts) is weathering California’s extreme drought. One strategy is simply being prepared: much of Belcampo’s farmland is praireland, which doesn’t require water intensive tilling. Belcampo originally planned on expanding its farm property into contiguous plots of land, but is now looking at acquiring land in more climate-diverse parts of the state in order to minimize risk.
On the retail side, Belcampo encourages people to purchase less water-intensive cuts of meat through its pricing. Certain cuts of goat, lamb, and chicken are priced lower than prime cuts of cattle, for example. Since cattle is so resource-heavy, it’s critical that Belcampo sells the whole animal; less desirable cuts like the shank and chuck have dropped in price, while popular cuts like ribeye and tenderloin—which people will buy no matter what—are now more expensive. -
Getting educated on vertically-integrated supply chains at Belcampo Meat Co #iusf14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2GlNiUIAAEtYLU.jpg
by arielhs via twitter 11/10/2014 7:17:14 PM -
Head trip. Innovating eggs that scramble perfectly from plant proteins at Hampton Creek. #iusf14 @KetchumPR http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2GmPEkCAAE7Wt4.jpg
by karen strauss via twitter 11/10/2014 7:26:03 PM -
Things were drawn at Adobe. This is a squirrel with a laser beam by Chris Creel. #IUSF14
by Mark Wilson via Instagram 11/10/2014 7:44:21 PM -
What would it look like if we started over? And that's how Hampton Creek Foods began. #IUSF14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2GrMHSCEAA2FdI.jpg
by Suzanne Maloney via twitter 11/10/2014 7:45:08 PM -
Over at Hampton Creek's HQ and innovation kitchen, IUSF attendees learned about the company's unique process for finding plants that contain properties similar eggs. It involves lots of data, and consequently, lots of jars of mayo, as evidenced here:
After Chris Jones, director of culinary innovation, and Lee Chae, director of bioinformatics, gave us a rundown on the business, guests were welcomed to taste a number of Hampton's eggless products and dishes, including cookies, French toast, and various flavors of the successful Just Mayo."I like to think of it as walking on the moon," Jones told the group about his staff. "We're all racing toward the future of food."
-J.J. McCorvey -
Preview of tomorrow! Find your mission with @FastCompany at #iusf14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2G5FTFCEAAmQ_W.jpg
by kimlast via twitter 11/10/2014 8:42:48 PM -
I had fun visiting Samsung's San Francisco design office—it's actually one of two in the city—this morning on one of our Innovation Uncensored SF site visits. A full house of conference attendees got to spend time with Samsung's Dennis Miloseski and Howard Nuk and hear about the company's approach to design, especially with such devices as the Gear Fit fitness band, Gear S smartwatch, and Gear Circle (earbuds you can wear like a necklace).
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.@Ubisoft's Tony Key says the average age of gamers today is 31! #iusf14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HAwEoCMAApaOP.jpg
by AlexaJaccarino via twitter 11/10/2014 9:20:32 PM -
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Quick check to make sure I'm fashionable enough for this #IUSF14 innovation session @LEVIS design labs. ✅ http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HFo_pIQAEKF9I.jpg
by Bryan Landaburu via twitter 11/10/2014 9:41:58 PM -
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At Adobe, we were handed iPads, Ink and Slide, and bottomless mimosas to learn how to inspire creative thinking through drawing.
Drawing at Adobe.
Michael Gough, VP of Experience Design, kicked things off with a legitimately inspirational talk. We were all cheated, he explained, being told that we weren’t natural artists, and so most of us probably stopped drawing around age 12. But there are benefits to drawing beyond having a piece of art to hang on your wall. Gough sees drawing as an untapped tool for finding a creative flow, which he has been harnessing since childhood just to get through school.
“I wasn’t dumb, but I wasn’t bright,” he explained. “I found when I drew things, I could focus.”
A clever defensive plan for knocking zombies off of a cliff with a bulldozer.
We were given seven minutes to sketch out ideas under a central theme—shelters to hide ourselves from a zombie apocalypse. With no time to worry about straight lines and perfect coloring (the end of the world was drawing nigh!), we generated a host of hilarious (and pretty good looking!) ideas. From squirrels fitted with laser beams, to human-sized hamster ball shields, to water reclamation systems that squeezed liquid from crushed zombie bodies like toxic kale juice, we may not have saved the world today, but I’d like to think that, were the zombies to overthrow society as we know it, we’re a half step better prepared.Or, at least, a half step more amused. -
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Visiting Qualcomm as part of our Innovation Uncensored conference to see new technologies. #IUSF14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HMIvbIgAEW-zB.jpg
by Harry McCracken via twitter 11/10/2014 10:08:40 PM -
Innovation across teams from 10 countries on Assassin's Creed Unity. Ubisoft's @lesley_phordtoy #IUSF14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HMA3yIUAAu7qU.jpg
by Noah Robischon via twitter 11/10/2014 10:08:43 PM -
Paul Dillinger introduces us to he Levis Innovation Lab #IUSF14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HLwuaCIAAUq0f.jpg
by arielhs via twitter 11/10/2014 10:08:46 PM -
John Loose is showing #IUSF14 attendees our home theater demo room. Have you heard #DolbyAtmos for home theaters? http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HNDgxCUAAo9QK.jpg
by Dolby via twitter 11/10/2014 10:12:50 PM -
Just Dancing Now @UbisoftStudioSF #IUSF14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HPfe4CQAEa2WE.jpg
by Noah Robischon via twitter 11/10/2014 10:21:04 PM -
This space will look much different tomorrow. We're in San Francisco for our #IUSF14 Conference. We'll be posting some images from our offsite experiences shortly, but you can keep up with all the action by checking out our live blog coverage today and tomorrow in our profile link. (Photo by @laureado)
by Fast Company via Instagram 11/10/2014 10:26:50 PM -
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Rajarshi Gupta, a Qualcomm researcher, is telling us about the company's thousand-person research arm, which focuses on challenges that may be five years out. He says that it's key to think about 10x improvements—the ten percent ones will tend to happen anyway.
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It's impossible to sit while watching new Just Dance Now @Ubisoft #IUSF14 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HT1YfCcAAM_IG.jpg
by Leslie Viragh Jr via twitter 11/10/2014 10:40:35 PM -
Can @Adobe make one of these for an @FastCompany event!? Ready to draw w/ @michaelgough_ and our #IUSF14 attendees! http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HUCydCQAEkYgp.jpg
by kimlast via twitter 11/10/2014 10:40:38 PM -
At #IUSF14 in our SF office. @michaelgough_ is here to explain that 'Yes, you can draw.' We spy some Ink & Slide... http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HUVPTCAAAO_eo.jpg
by Adobe Ideas via twitter 11/10/2014 10:43:33 PM -
"The technology that can be deployed to make the ass look great is stunning"--Paul Dillinger of @LEVIS #IUSF14 f-st.co/AsFJAJ8by Fast Company via twitter 11/10/2014 10:48:24 PM
