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Have you ever had a brilliant idea that never made it past the whiteboard?

Are you struggling to get from prototype to your first paying customer?

Or wondering how to fund innovation without losing control of your business?

If you have an idea on paper but no paying customer yet, this episode is for you.

In this episode, John Downes talks with serial innovator Kate Goss, Founder of The Velo Group, about how to turn research and innovation into paying customers within 12 months. Drawing on her four start-ups and four exits, Kate shares how to clarify the real problem, involve early customers, and protect your IP as you scale.

What You’ll Learn:

== How to identify and validate the real customer problem before you build

== Why an MVP mindset accelerates innovation

== How to protect your IP and data in the age of AI

== How to involve early users as collaborators, not critics

== Why speed to market often beats perfection

Highlights

00:00 Kate’s Journey from Finance to Technology

03:13 The Challenges of Commercialising Innovation

06:45 Case Study: KnowMio and AI Innovation

13:39 Navigating Funding and Commercialisation Milestones

13:53 The Impact of IP and Governance in AI

28:20 Collaborative Innovation in Research Institutions

28:58 The Importance of IP and Longevity in Innovation

30:12 Sustainability and ESG in Innovation

30:32 Data and Technology in Agriculture

33:39 Performance Metrics in Innovation

36:07 The Role of AI in Accelerating Innovation

41:32 Challenges in Commercialising Innovation

51:16 #CriticalFewActions™ for Senior Leaders

The #CriticalFewActions™ You Can Do Today:

When I work with successful business leaders, I often see great ideas stall because leaders try to make them perfect before testing them in the market. Innovation isn’t about the smartest concept; it’s about solving the right problem and validating value quickly.

Here are the three key insights I took from the conversation:

1. Clarify the real problem before building the solution.

Too many founders rush into design before validating demand.

So, what can you do?

= Start every innovation discussion with one sentence: What problem are we solving?

= Engage potential customers early to test that the problem truly matters before you build anything.

1. Build your MVP and involve early customers.

“It’s not your first idea that wins. It’s often the second or third iteration that becomes the cracker,” says Kate.

So, what can you do?

= Define your minimum viable product; what must work, not what could work.

= Get your first users involved as collaborators, not critics.

1. Pricing, IP, and protecting your innovation as you scale.

Every business, large or small, has IP worth protecting.

So, what can you do?

= Review who owns your code, content, and data before sharing them with third parties or AI platforms.

= Build governance and clear policies early to protect your intellectual property and customer trust.

If you found this conversation valuable, please Subscribe / Follow, leave a comment, and share this episode with your peer business leaders. Your support helps us reach more CEOs who want to improve organisation performance and value.

Stay in the loop with show updates and exclusive content: https://criticalfewactionspodcast.com.au/KateGossEpisodePage

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This isn’t another generic leadership course. It’s a highly focused, small-group programme where you’ll work alongside your peers, on your business, break through barriers, and implement real-world strategies—not just to solve the problems holding your business back, but to accelerate your growth faster than you thought possible.

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Final Thought

Innovation succeeds when it moves fast enough to matter. As Kate Goss reminds us, you don’t need it perfect. You just need to get to market. What could your business achieve in 12 months if you focused on turning your research into revenue?

#CriticalFewActions #CEOMasterclass

#Innovation #Commercialisation #Leadership #MVP #ResearchToRevenue #StrategicGrowth #IPProtection #BusinessTransformation #AIforBusiness #Entrepreneurship