Proposed: US Department of Innovation
1+714.673.8578. www.mixnerstrategy.com
When you describe Orange County to folks from out of town, describing the politics as Libertarian is a good way to start. Most politicians - and business folks, for that matter - agree that less government is good government. The simpler things are for business, the more possibilities to make more profits. Profits are good.
Then comes an idea that is preposterous on the surface. Create a US Department of Innovation. More bureaucracy. More folks on the government payroll. More. More. More.
What about more patents? Would that be good? Of course.
How to reconcile bureaucracy and patents? The real question is, "How do we help more businesses survive the brutal first years so they can afford to patent their ideas - and get rich?"
The simple answer? Forget about it. A company with a good idea will succeed. Yes, we're have a momentary (from the long point of view) problem finding venture capital for start-ups. And yes, the problem seems to be even harder for round two funding. Lean and mean still works. Yes, it's harder right now, but compared to what? Some companies will fail. Their founders will go on to create new things somewhere else. Progress will continue.
Now, if we were to do one thing related to all this, what would we do? Invest in K-12 education so more folks are prepared to do the tough math that ends up patentable. But that's another story.
Reference
Revkin, Andrew C. Does Obama Need a Department of Innovation? New York Times. 10 December 2008. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/do-we-need-innovation-department/