Tilman Sauter is both innovation manager at Evonik Industries, a chemical company, and Co-Founder of Fior, one of worldwide two companies producing picture-based artificial grass. As a scientist he worked on the first thermal plastic actuators, while as a founder he aims to apply material-focused products in short time-to-market cycles. At Evonik he got the chance to investigate innovation processes and to integrate startups and the startup mindset into it. Fior is the third startup company Tilman worked on with a lot of experience on failure and successes.
Insights:
- Why Tilman stopped the toaster startup business
- Innovation definition and how it differs between corporate and startups
- Importance of analyzing other markets before implementing an innovation
- Why big companies need a good business case
- Ways of fastening a quite slow research-driven innovation
- Most important aspect in driving innovation in a company
- Form of investment Tilman used for his startup
- How to bring change to the company culture
- Importance of having an open culture in an organization
- Work-life balance and favorite books
- Advice to 18-year-old self
Key Discussion Points:
[00:07] Introduction to the episode guest
[06:01] Why Tilman stopped the toaster startup business
[12:48] What do you think about innovation, and how does it differ in startups and corporate organizations
[16:06] Importance of analyzing other markets before implementing an innovation
[23:51] Why does a big company need a good business case to make money
[26:16] Examples of past innovations at Evonik
[30:05] How do you choose the options or the paths you want to follow
[34:44] Examples of fastening quite slow research-driven innovation
[37:46] Why aim is the most important aspect in driving innovation on a company
[41:12] Form of investment Tilman used for his startup
[44:39] Ways of bringing change to the company culture
[49:22] Importance of having an open culture in an organization
[56:23] What do you think about work-life balance?
[58:29] What are your favorite books?
[1:01:01] If you could go back in time, what kind of advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Interesting Quotes:
“If you are a true scientist, you are trying to make the perfect pitch.”
“When you work in innovation in a big company, it is not always that you want to have a project that you need to realize it as quickly as possible. Like in a startup, you have an idea. You get funding, and you work as hard and as quick as possible on it.”
“A big company needs a good business case.”
“It is important to have different ways of deciding which ideas should be pursued and which ideas you should not. If you only have one innovation process, then you have one way of weighing a decision.”
“The success of the company is not related to the people who decide what I have to do today but about what we all have to do today.”
“The best companies are the ones which integrate everyone and how they like to be in there.”
