Innovation is solving problems that matter :: Raj De Datta

What is Innovation?

Raj De Datta, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomreach, talks on seeker mindset and creating culture in tech-forward business industries.

More about our guest:
Raj De Datta is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomreach, the leading digital experience platform for e-commerce that powers brands representing 25% of retail e-commerce in the US and the UK. A multiple-time entrepreneur, before launching Bloomreach, he was entrepreneur-in-residence at Mohr-Davidow Ventures, served as Cisco’s director of product marketing, and was on the founding team of telecom company FirstMark Communications. He also worked in technology investment banking at Lazard Freres. Raj serves on the Council for Player Development for the US Tennis Association, as a Founder Partner at seed-stage venture capital firm Founder Collective and an individual investor in over 20 Silicon Valley start-ups. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering with a certificate in Public Policy and International affairs from Princeton University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

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Episode Guide:

2:13 - What is Innovation

3:33 - Working in labs

5:07 - Technical problem definition vs Consumer back approach

5:33 - Bloomreach

6:42 - Creating Culture from the top-down

8:09 - Consumer Side culture role-modeling

10:24 - Seeker mindset, To-do lists, and Uber

12:27 - Technology: Solving the seeker's problems

13:59 - Tech-forward business industries

15:34 - Solving for reassurance vs solving for information

16:31 - What isn't innovation

17:42 - Creating Cross-functional innovation teams

20:08 - "Product Manager" job titles

22:24 - Incorporating hobbies: Tennis

26:35 - Shaping career through innovation

28:03 - Advice to innovators

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