Steve Faktor
Author, ECONOVATION, Founder IDEAFAKTORY, Digital Commerce Expert
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Steve Faktor
Biography
Steve Faktor is an innovator, futurist, and digital commerce expert with a reputation for asking 'why not?' - and daring others to do the same. As a senior innovation and strategy executive at American Express, Citi, MasterCard, and Arthur Andersen, Steve has created several $100-million-plus businesses, generated billions in sales volume, and deployed three enterprise-level innovation programs. At American Express, Steve was the Vice President of Growth and Innovation and Head of the $50M Chairman's Innovation Fund. Steve's successful launches include Zync, LoyaltyEdge, and Private Sales (joint venture with Vente Privee). He also led the development of the company's portfolio management framework for the CEO and managed numerous, high profile strategy projects for the CFO and the executive committee.Steve is the author of Econovation (Wiley, Nov. 2011), a mesmerizing, satirical tale about the future of the US economy and the innovations it will demand. Steve is a popular global keynote speaker on new growth opportunities and leads workshops, ideation and training sessions based on his proprietary 4C's of Innovation(TM) methodology.Steve is also the founder of Blue Beacon Partners, LLC (dba ideafaktory), which develops, incubates and funds a portfolio of new businesses and patents. Ideafaktory also helps client companies think big, invent better offerings, and deliver sustainable growth.
Steve Faktor
Featured Keynote Programs
AMERICA’S LAST STIMULUS
HOW TO RE-INVENT GOVERNMENT AS A GROWTH ENGINE
Recently, Europe gave the U.S. an amazing giA – the giA of greater incompetence. This glitch in -me might be ‘America’s Last S.mulus’. It may be our last chance to s-mulate growth, kick-‐start our export engine, and make sure every European gets a big box of Godiva chocolates at the airport.
This session will challenge conven-onal thinking on what the government can do to supercharge the country’s transi-on from consumerism to "producerism." Though government can’t really “create jobs”, it can create condi.ons for growth and innova-on. What should those be and how do we get there?
This session will:
• Uncover: the real root causes of our economic problems
• Define: what our growth priori-es should be and how far we are from achieving them
• Propose what government must do – and not do -‐ to promote growth and create jobs. This ranges from non-‐tradi-onal incen-ves to reinven-ng agencies to forging unusual commercial partnerships.
ECONOVATION
5 OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT DECADE
In the past 30 years, the economy has ignited and ex-nguished more opportuni-es than any other force, with the possible excep-on of Oprah. In that -me, China and India fed our zombie-‐like appe-te for iPhones, Prada, and Snuggies. As they liAed millions out of poverty, their biggest customer, the U.S., found itself in debt, undereducated, and covered with recrea-onal taYoos. Will the U.S. avoid the fate of Greece or some D-‐List celebrity? Can our legendary ingenuity save the American economy and your business?
Steve Faktor, author of Econova.on, will challenge conven-onal thinking on what the next decade will look like as the U.S. transi-ons from consumerism to "producerism."
This session will:
• Predict the next ten years of the US economy and challenges for future growth
• Define five emerging growth areas and how they will evolve • Choose who is best posi-oned to win and why
• Prepare your business to capitalize
RISE OF THE DOER
EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF “MAKERPRENEURS”
In many ways, the latest wave of digital entrepreneurs takes the easy path. It’s easy to start a web site. It’s easy to make an app. It’s easy to do anything that doesn’t require big capital investment, physical infrastructure, or a fleet of trucks driven by beefy, middle-‐aged men named Al or Tony. Things like Angry Birds, coupon sites, and social networks look like the pets of America’s great inven-ons from the past – flight, electricity, assembly lines, cars, the internet, Ike and Tina Turner.
A stunning surplus of VC cash and leisure -me has fed a feeble form of innova-on. It’s not that the entrepreneurs themselves aren’t smart or impressive. Not much has been demanded of them. That’s about to change. This session is all about helping entrepreneurs, students, and parents learn how to capitalize on the coming shift.
This session will:
• Predict where the market is going and where opportuni-es will be • Deconstruct new ways to think about preparing for it
• Prepare aYendees to capture opportuni-es related to their passions and make them into real businesses – from educa-on to finances to technology to crowdsourcing to partnership
• Inspiring gehng sa-sfac-on from work, including the physical, sensory kind
THE 4C’S OF INNOVATION
HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS FOR GROWTH
Many of the things white collar companies “produce” are odorless, unquilted, and definitely not delicious. These are beYer known as “Services”. In fact, service, brand and experience have become more important than any physical product. It’s what makes one phone a cheap commodity and another, godlike.
In a saturated, fragmented market where everyone is shou-ng, what will make you heard? Does everyone in your company fear irrelevance? Are they prepared to confront this risk with courage and crea-vity? Or will they inch forward with uncertainty? That choice is already made by you company’s DNA. Even when innova-on is not second-‐nature, it can and must harnessed, but it needs structure – and a plan.
This session, based on Steve Faktor’s 4C’s of Innova-onTM will:
• Define innova-on in unconven-onal terms and debunk common
myths and clichés
• Deconstruct the four elements most cri-cal to sustained, consistent innova-on – Context, Crea-vity, Culture and Capabili-es.
• Exemplify how American Express and other leaders apply the 4C’s of Innova-onTM to create sustained innova-on
• Force an honest dialogue of how your organiza-on can innovate in ways that stay true to your company’s DNA
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