Focus Innovation is a 5-year-old digital innovation company that operates at the intersection between Industry and Academia. Covering the product journey from Research to Commercialisation through the identification of new market opportunities and commercial partnerships. Innovating within e-learning, e-govt, music and games.
Most online products, whether websites or mobile applications, are poorly thought out and implemented. Often they are pale imitations of existing products giving the user no improvement on what already existed. Our approach is simple, we look to improve an existing product or develop a new product based on evidenced need or a cultural invention.
From our experience in Research labs, all of our product development is informed by content specialists. What do we mean? Well, rather than conceive of applications or content with technologists and designers we start with listening to specialists from a wide variety of industry sectors. Whether that is education, health, entertainment or retail, we start with identified problems and work with people from the industry into which we are pitching new products.
Once formulated, we test the idea through traditional routes – informed by focus group sessions with the target user groups. We trial various models to sense check the assumptions identified at the concept stage. The feature set is identified alongside the business models for some of the product sets.
From our experience in Research labs, all of our product development is informed by content specialists. What do we mean? Well, rather than conceive of applications or content with technologists and designers we start with listening to specialists from a wide variety of industry sectors. Whether that is education, health, entertainment or retail, we start with identified problems and work with people from the industry into which we are pitching new products.
Once a robust prototype has been trailed and re-designed we work with our Investment partners to place the product in the correct commercial vehicle. We build teams, finance and identify the appropriate channel to market for each product.
Key in much of what we do is working with the right partner at each stage. We draw upon our network of academic, research, commercial developers and investors. Our focus is on global markets and this is reflected in the partners that we attract.
The founders have over 15 years experience, previously developing a range of digital products, managing digital research programmes and technology business incubators . The team is a well balanced between ideation, design and development capable of delivering projects across a range of digital platforms.
Phil originally trained as a Fine Artist before transferring his talents to digital platforms and combining them with technical magic.
Tony started out working in Television and Print Media. He was instrumental in establishing the UK’s first digital content dedicated business start-up centre.
Simon was an entrepreneur in the music and design sectors before developing a career across Research and Development in a University media lab.
Some of the excellent people we work with
Check out the latest news from the Focus team.
Across governments, corporates and the start-up communities the talk invariably turns to the...
