Innovation

WIPO’s global report on IP filings is out and records are being broken. 2024 saw the highest ever patent filings – 3.7 million worldwide. Design filings also peaked at a record 1.6 mln, while trademark filings stabilized after two years of decline. But within this rich trove of data from nearly 150 IP offices, a few deeper insights stand out. First, emerging and developing countries continue to embrace IP-driven growth and transformation, whether driven by the need to diversify engines of growth, support increasing aspirations of local innovators and entrepreneurs, create more attractive investment environments, or simply seek new sources of growth. For the sixth consecutive year, India posts double-digit growth in patent filings, with Türkiye also up some 15%. Among the top 20 countries of origin, 12 saw increases in trademark filings, led by Argentina, Brazil and Indonesia, and with strong growth in upper middle-income economies like Colombia, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam. Design filings tell a similar story, with the fastest growth in India, Morocco and Indonesia. What this means is that many emerging economies are following the path of the world’s established innovation powerhouses in using IP as a strategic lever for economic growth, diversification, development and resilience. The next challenge is commercializing more of these filings, so they become real-world products and services. Second, we’re seeing more domestic, or “resident” filings. In areas like trademarks and designs, resident filings have traditionally made up the vast majority (+70%) as local businesses often register IP to protect brands and designs serving domestic markets. Now, we’re seeing the same dynamics in patents. Resident patent filings grew almost 7% last year, the fastest rise since 2016, to 72% of the total. This growth in domestic filings suggests that innovation ecosystems are maturing (even for high-tech discoveries, inventors typically file at home first before expanding abroad). It may also reflect shifts in global trade flows, with some industries becoming more localized. Third, many of the major trends in recent years continue to accelerate. Just as AI and digital innovation dominate the headlines, computer technology remains the top field for patent activity, with its growth outpacing all others. The gender balance in innovation is also improving. The proportion of women inventors in international patent applications has increased from 11.6% in 2010 to 18% last year. Beyond the individual data points, the value of this report lies in what it reveals about the global state of innovation and the direction it’s heading. This year’s WIPI shows that people everywhere continue to believe in the power of IP to protect ideas and incentivize innovation, and it gives WIPO the energy to continue strengthening IP ecosystems everywhere to give these innovators and creators the tools to protect and commercialize their ideas. 🔗 https://ow.ly/gub150XqnE7

Smart materials in this futuristic design shift color and texture based on temperature, motion, or light — turning fashion into adaptive tech. Would you wear it? 🧬 This isn’t sci-fi. + Smart textiles are forecast to grow into a $17.6 billion industry by 2030, driven by innovations in nanomaterials, thermal sensors, and electrochromic coatings. + AeroSkin’s concept shows what happens when AI, material science, and design collide — and it raises the question: What happens when your clothes start thinking for you... 🎯 Imagine soldiers with adaptive camouflage. ⚡ Athletes wearing gear that adjusts cooling zones dynamically. 🌆 Or professionals using color-shifting jackets as expressive, data-driven fashion statements. We’ve made phones smart, homes smart, even cars autonomous… yet most of us still wear “dumb fabric.” Maybe the next frontier of computing isn’t a screen — it’s the skin you wear. #WearableTech #SmartMaterials #Innovation #FutureOfFashion #AI #ChameleonJacket #AeroSkin #TechDesign #MaterialScience #AdaptiveClothing

The Pentagon is paying OpenAI $200M for a 12-month pilot. That $200M isn’t the prize - it’s the price of admission. If the prototypes work, OpenAI could find itself attached to some very large, very long-term government contracts. Which, historically, has been a good place to be if you’re a technology vendor. Just ask Palantir. Meanwhile, Anthropic already launched “Claude Gov” earlier this month, a suite of models custom-built for U.S. national security. Meta, Google, Cohere are also vying for a seat at the defense AI table. Why the rush? ▪️ Because the U.S. government isn’t just a customer, it’s THE customer. The DoD has $1.9 trillion in FY2025 resources, with $873 billion already mapped to programs and contracts - more than the combined military budgets of the next 10 nations. Of that, $186B is for external contracts - the pot AI companies are now fighting for. Talk about a TAM that doesn’t need to be inflated for a pitch deck. ▪️ AI spending is a tiny fraction of this pie, but growing fast. And this isn’t SaaS renewals territory. This is multi-decade, mission-critical infrastructure, where contracts can balloon into billions once you’re inside. A $200M pilot for OpenAI is a tiny slice today - but these awards can scale up rapidly as pilots become programs, and programs become core infrastructure. There’s a brief window to lock in as part of the U.S. government’s AI operating system. ▪️ Historically, selling to the U.S. government involves years of meetings, pilots, budget fights, and the slow death of your enthusiasm. But AI has shattered the government’s soul-crushingly slow sales cycles. Because in this race, delay doesn’t mean inefficiency. It means danger. ▪️ China’s AI sprint has raised the stakes. NYT reports that China’s spy agencies are embedding AI across their intelligence cycle - threat analysis, targeting, ops planning. After U.S. firms cut off access, they pivoted to homegrown models like DeepSeek AI. The U.S. can’t afford to move slow. OpenAI’s $200M contract is just the audition. The real game is becoming part of the U.S. government's AI operating system - the infrastructure of modern state power.

IBM has unveiled its path to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer.   With a delivery date set for 2029, IBM Quantum Starling is expected to perform 20,000 times more operations than today’s quantum computers. To represent the computational state of Starling would require the memory of more than a quindecillion (10^48) of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.   Since 2020, the company has consistently achieved its roadmap milestones, which should instill further confidence in its commitment to bringing useful quantum computing to the world. Currently, IBM Quantum Starling is being developed at the historic facility in Poughkeepsie, New York, a site integral to IBM's computing legacy. Starling aims to operate circuits comprising up to 100 million quantum gates across 200 logical qubits, enabling the addressing of complex problems beyond the capabilities of classical systems.   Developers should prepare for fault-tolerant platforms by 2029 by exploring IBM quantum systems today, which are already poised to achieve quantum advantage by the end of 2026. https://lnkd.in/eezJHi-M

Vintage Illustration, luxury driving nostalgia. +73% of Gen Z consumers say they find comfort in content and design that reminds them of the past. Is trending hard, especially among lifestyle and fashion brands trying to win over Gen Z. But this isn’t just a vibe shift, it’s a strategic move backed by cultural data, behavioral insights, and evolving consumer expectations. Fashion and lifestyle brands are leveraging these illustration trends across packaging, social media, and product design. This appetite for nostalgia isn’t about looking backward, it’s about finding emotional grounding in an overwhelming digital world. +120% YoY increase in searches for terms like “vintage cartoon art” and “retro aesthetic outfit.” +58% of Gen Z shoppers prefer brands with a “strong aesthetic identity rooted in storytelling and nostalgia.” >>Nostalgia-Driven design is here to stay<< Reports predicts that “neo-nostalgia” will define aesthetic strategies through 2026, particularly as Gen Alpha begins to enter the consumer space and Gen Z’s influence continues to peak. Meanwhile, AI and generative design tools are making vintage-style illustration easier to scale, enabling brands to customize retro visuals for seasonal campaigns or limited drops, all while keeping production costs low. +Digital Burnout: In a screen-saturated age, tactile, analog-style graphics stand out. +Sustainability: Vintage aesthetics pair naturally with thrifting, upcycling culture. +Anti-Overdesign: After hyper-polished brand visuals, there's a desire for hand-drawn, imperfect, real art. >>Illustration styles to review<< +Rococo Fashion Plates +Toile de Jouy Designs +Chinoiserie +Scientific & Botanical Illustration +Neoclassical Engravings In Conclusion: Vintage illustration isn’t just a throwback, it’s a forward-looking strategy for brands that want to connect with Gen Z’s complex mix of irony, emotion, and aesthetic intelligence. It signals soul in a world of sameness, and smart brands are taking note. Find my curated search of luxury Illustrations, and get inspired for success. featured Brands: Bulgary Chanel Dolce & Gabbana Dior Dyptique Gucci Hermes Kohan Loewe Versace #beautybussines #beautyprofessionals #luxurybussines #luxuryprofessionals

In 2012, Google paid $12.5 billion to buy Motorola... and just two years later, INTENTIONALLY sold it for a $9.6 billion loss… But why? Because they kept what they actually wanted - Motorola’s super valuable patents. Google retained approximately 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications, while giving Lenovo just over 2,000 patents in the sale. Aap soch rahe honge, itna paisa sirf patents ke liye kyun? Google needed these patents to shield Android from lawsuits by Apple and Microsoft. In the smartphone wars, having a strong patent portfolio is like having a missile shield - critical for survival. If you remember, Motorola had a small dimple on the back of their phones. That design element stayed with Google, not with the phones they sold to Lenovo. And Google is not alone. Even Apple has acquired over 9,000 U.S. patent assets from companies like Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, HP, and more. Patent acquisition is the invisible chess game happening behind flashy product launches. Tech giants spend billions just to own an idea - even if they never plan to build it. Because in tech, intellectual property > physical assets. Sometimes, it’s worth more than the entire company itself. That’s also why startups with breakthrough patents get acquired for billions, even before turning a profit. I recently watched a reel by Sabir Bhatia, where he said “if India wants to become the global hub of tech and software, we need more original ideas and IP.” He was right because products usually get outdated when the tech evolves. But the intellect stays forever. #India #Patents #IntellectualProperty #Tech

There’s a massive untapped opportunity to build a healthy quick service restaurant (QSR) business in India. But most have failed to scale. We’ve evaluated several for investment. Here’s a breakdown of why the model hasn’t worked yet & and what it’ll take to make it work. Indians are becoming more health conscious, cities are growing, incomes are rising. Yet every “healthy” QSR has failed to scale. Why? Because health is a feature, not a category. QSRs thrive on habit, indulgence & price. Three things health food companies struggles with. 1) Healthy QSRs struggle in India because most consumers won’t pay a premium for “healthy.” Health is an aspiration, not a necessity. Why spend ₹300 on a salad when you can get a filling biryani or dosa for half the price? Value beats virtue every time. 2) Healthy food ≠ crave worthy food. QSRs win by hitting the bliss point-fat, sugar, salt. Burgers & biryanis trigger dopamine, millet bowls don’t. A cheesy pizza will always beat a quinoa salad in a taste war. Cravings drive repeat orders. Not calories. 3) Indian palates are habit-driven. Most eat the same 4–5 dishes weekly. Healthy QSRs fail when they push alien formats like quinoa bowls, lettuce wraps, hummus. They feel expensive, unfamiliar, and inconvenient. If it doesn’t fit the habit, it won’t scale 4) Operational costs and unit economics don’t scale. Quality inputs cost more, wastage is higher & margins are thin. Without high margin add-ons like sodas and fries, balancing profit is tough 5) In India, food is emotional comfort, not a guilt trip. Parathas, vada pav, jalebis bring joy. But most healthy QSRs feel like a scolding parent, not a treat. One sells discipline, the other sells happiness Subway has 900+ outlets in India with just one hero product- their sandwich. If that can scale, there’s room to build a better, healthier QSR. After speaking to founders who scaled or shut down, here are some thoughts on what it’ll take for a healthy QSR to work in India 1) Sell delicious first, healthy second. QSRs thrive on cravings, not morality. No one buys “keto wraps”, they buy a butter chicken roll that tastes amazing (and happens to be healthy). Flavor wins. Health should be invisible, not the pitch 2) Integrate into existing food habits. Forget quinoa bowls. Make millet biryanis. Forget lettuce wraps. Make chapati tacos. You must must disguise health inside familiar food formats 3) Be affordable at scale. ₹400 won’t scale. ₹99–₹199 is the sweet spot. 4) Solve for convenience, not just health. People will pay for speed & ease. If a healthy QSR takes longer than McDonald's or Zomato delivery, it won't work. 5) Start with Gen Z & millennials. They don’t cook, care about fitness & crave social validation for eating well. A healthy QSR can work in India, if it stops preaching & starts entertaining. The winner won’t be the most nutritious, but the one that makes healthy food fun, tasty & affordable that people don’t even realize they’re eating right.

The vast majority of people in large organizations are afraid of innovation and change. The cost of failure is typically so high that avoiding risk altogether is the safest option. However, for a company to succeed long term, it must continually attract new users and customers. And to get those new users and customers, you need new ideas, strategies and products. Regardless of any corporate rhetoric, creating new products, especially in a large organization, immediately puts you in a difficult "swimming upstream" position. I've watched brilliant people with ideas worth trying, ideas that could be crazy or crazy like a fox, get driven into submission when their plans are meeting'ed to death. Mediocrity ensues. The status quo survives. And long-term success becomes harder to imagine. A core tenet to innovating is understanding that nothing is going to work perfectly the first time. Blockbuster Hollywood scripts aren't turned into movies after the first draft. Developing a new idea is a maze of ideation, testing, learning, and repeating... The key to success is keeping the following points in mind during the innovation process: 1. Stop talking about It and do something. Simply talking about an idea and holding useless meetings is like sitting in a rocking chair. "It gives you something to do, but you'll never get anywhere." Do something tangible. Make a prototype. Talk to users. Hack something together to test with customers. Just do something. 2. Don't over invest in the beginning. Invest as little time, money and effort as possible to legitimately test your thesis. 3. Recognize quickly if it's a good or bad idea. Be honest and objective with yourself. If it's a bad idea, you'll know. Pivot. If it's a good idea, accelerate the velocity.

A couple reflections on the quantum computing breakthrough we just announced... Most of us grew up learning there are three main types of matter that matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Today, that changed. After a nearly 20 year pursuit, we’ve created an entirely new state of matter, unlocked by a new class of materials, topoconductors, that enable a fundamental leap in computing. It powers Majorana 1, the first quantum processing unit built on a topological core. We believe this breakthrough will allow us to create a truly meaningful quantum computer not in decades, as some have predicted, but in years. The qubits created with topoconductors are faster, more reliable, and smaller. They are 1/100th of a millimeter, meaning we now have a clear path to a million-qubit processor. Imagine a chip that can fit in the palm of your hand yet is capable of solving problems that even all the computers on Earth today combined could not! Sometimes researchers have to work on things for decades to make progress possible. It takes patience and persistence to have big impact in the world. And I am glad we get the opportunity to do just that at Microsoft. This is our focus: When productivity rises, economies grow faster, benefiting every sector and every corner of the globe. It’s not about hyping tech; it’s about building technology that truly serves the world. Read more about our discovery, and why it matters, here: https://aka.ms/AAu76rr

#Batteries have started to show their strength in California's grid, soaking up solar in the middle of the day and discharging it back during the evening peak. The chart compares the average daily generation for the month of April. In 2021 batteries were barely noticeable. By 2024 they were playing a significant role in the evening peak, displacing gas and reducing California's reliance on imports. In terms of the numbers in California: ➡️ Batteries are now discharging (and charging) at over 8 GW. ➡️ They can supply around 30% of peak load. ➡️ They are at times the largest source of supply on the grid, a role traditionally played by fossil gas. They are a perfect complement to solar generation, helping to shift supply to times when it is needed most. Western Australia is experiencing a boom in rooftop solar, which meets up to 80% of grid demand in the middle of the day. The state is also investing in energy storage and will see some significant batteries coming online this year and next, with a total capacity around 2,000 MW, which is huge compared to average grid demand of 2,800 MW. With continued improvements in battery energy density and cost, as well as new chemistries, we are going to see more and more batteries being deployed to support the grid. EVs will also start to play a role via V2X. We are just on the cusp of much more widespread adoption. Onwards and upwards! #energy #sustainability #renewables #energytransition