February 2017
There are numerous young startups in Budapest. Finding one to feature certainly wasn’t the problem; it was more an issue of which one? Thus, I put out some feelers to see what companies my own contacts would suggest, and up popped Be-novative: a platform for sharing ideas and, more importantly, getting results.
The entire concept is rather novel. Tons of people, companies, and organizations gather regularly to “brainstorm” together on an important project but often stumble when it comes time to actually taking away that one winning concept, or at least the concept they think will win. Inevitably, a decision will be made. But how much time was wasted? Does it represent the majority opinion? Did all stakeholders feel they could express themselves freely? Did the boss or team head just kind of swoop in and take over? No matter the size of a group involved, these issues are a concern.
There are numerous young startups in Budapest. Finding one to feature certainly wasn’t the problem; it was more an issue of which one? Thus, I put out some feelers to see what companies my own contacts would suggest, and up popped Be-novative: a platform for sharing ideas and, more importantly, getting results.
The entire concept is rather novel. Tons of people, companies, and organizations gather regularly to “brainstorm” together on an important project but often stumble when it comes time to actually taking away that one winning concept, or at least the concept they think will win. Inevitably, a decision will be made. But how much time was wasted? Does it represent the majority opinion? Did all stakeholders feel they could express themselves freely? Did the boss or team head just kind of swoop in and take over? No matter the size of a group involved, these issues are a concern.
“ the goal is fostering creativity and sharing ideas”
Be-novative provides a way to optimize ideas generated via three key parameters:
- Anonymity
- Brevity
- Feasibility
Priszcilla Várnagy started Be-novative six years ago and today works with clients all around the world, with a majority of users located in the US and Canada. This is a business tool focused on customer results and can be used for activities such as product/service development or entire reorgs. Anyone from a medical practitioner to a business manager or aspiring entrepreneur can benefit from Be-novative’s system for collaboration, and universities also love the platform for anonymous interaction during lectures as well. The group is also dedicated to social innovation with an in-house specialist focused specifically on the needs of companies in the developing world:
“Companies in developed countries have realized that they have to innovate to survive. Companies in developing countries want to get into the game of innovation in order to win the market.”
Várnagy is focused on innovation as the key to success, not a surprise given her own university background in psychology, where she researched ways to increase creativity, followed by a stint at an innovation consulting firm. The site states it delivers “disruptive ideas in 20 minutes via a system that “fuses gamification, crowdsourcing and design thinking.” Várnagy makes no qualms about those in leading economies who already understand the power of innovation; but she definitely believes others are behind the curve.
And Be-novative can help them streamline key decision making to do just that. The site is also mobile and is available in English, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, and Spanish. Aside from her office in Budapest, Várnagy has staff at the Nasa Research Park in Silicon Valley and was originally funded by an angel investor in SV. Most of the group’s subsequent funding has come from VC firms in Europe banking on the promise of an open, unbiased, engine for creativity. The company today boasts over 60 multinational enterprise clients it works with; collective creativity clearly works.
Várnagy is focused on innovation as the key to success, not a surprise given her own university background in psychology, where she researched ways to increase creativity, followed by a stint at an innovation consulting firm. The site states it delivers “disruptive ideas in 20 minutes via a system that “fuses gamification, crowdsourcing and design thinking.” Várnagy makes no qualms about those in leading economies who already understand the power of innovation; but she definitely believes others are behind the curve.
And Be-novative can help them streamline key decision making to do just that. The site is also mobile and is available in English, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, and Spanish. Aside from her office in Budapest, Várnagy has staff at the Nasa Research Park in Silicon Valley and was originally funded by an angel investor in SV. Most of the group’s subsequent funding has come from VC firms in Europe banking on the promise of an open, unbiased, engine for creativity. The company today boasts over 60 multinational enterprise clients it works with; collective creativity clearly works.
And Be-novative can help them streamline key decision making to do just that. The site is also mobile and is available in English, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, and Spanish. Aside from her office in Budapest, Várnagy has staff at the Nasa Research Park in Silicon Valley and was originally funded by an angel investor in SV. Most of the group’s subsequent funding has come from VC firms in Europe banking on the promise of an open, unbiased, engine for creativity. The company today boasts over 60 multinational enterprise clients it works with; collective creativity clearly works.
Be-novative has been recognized around the world. It was the winner of Singularity University Global Impact Competition in Central Eastern Europe 2012, was selected as one of three startups in Hungary to watch out for at the Morgan Stanley CTO Summit 2014, and was selected as one of the top three startups for the CEE region at the Challenge Cup Tel Aviv 2016.
For additional information or to try out the Be-novative’s Idea Challenge yourself, visit https://www.be-novative.com/
Be-novative has been recognized around the world. It was the winner of Singularity University Global Impact Competition in Central Eastern Europe 2012, was selected as one of three startups in Hungary to watch out for at the Morgan Stanley CTO Summit 2014, and was selected as one of the top three startups for the CEE region at the Challenge Cup Tel Aviv 2016.
For additional information or to try out the Be-novative’s Idea Challenge yourself, visit https://www.be-novative.com/