Innovation Insights
Innovation Insights is a Startups Magazine column written by Ben Adams, R&D Claims Director at Claimer, who draws on his daily experience helping companies claim cash through the R&D tax credit scheme to explore what innovation truly means — and how startups can apply it to their businesses. The series takes a broad, curious view of innovation, tracing its history from as far back as 1548 — when the word itself was considered dangerous — through to the present day, sharing perspectives that centre on the value of curiosity, openness, and asking the questions no one else thinks to ask.
Virtually every startup thinks of itself as innovative, but are they really? Every day I help companies claim cash for innovative activities through the R&D tax credit scheme. Most of these companies are somewhat innovative, however, to be truly innovative is really tough. In this column, I want to explore what innovation means and how you might apply it to your business.
Covid has dominated our lives for the last month. Business models that have existed for years have disappeared overnight. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for startups. Covid has also created a huge opportunity for us to serve people in new and surprising ways.
At the start of 2020, my aspirations looked very different. In January 2020, I was geared up to go to the gym three times a week. The year was looking bright and I was ready to step things up. Now, I just want to get the battery on my watch fixed.
