Investments: Are Revolutionary Innovations Worth the Wait?

Source: Canadian Business on Quantum Computing

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Major investors today are reluctant to capitalize ventures further into the future than 10 years. However, with vast innovations proceeding, this cautious attitude allows for too many missed opportunities. Take D-Wave for example. This company founded in 1999 in Burnaby, BC, backed by six keen capital investors, took thirteen year for the capital to transform into a revolution of quantum computing, yet it continually advances. In early 2012, the company launched D-Wave Two, which became the first commercially available quantum computer and is believed to be able to solve some of the world’s most perplexing computational problems. In May 2013, Google, NASA, and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) were not hesitant to purchase this $15-million machine together, intended for their new Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab. Even with this gigantic advancement, founder and CTO of D-Wave, Geordie Rose acknowledges that this is just an early step toward the true potential of quantum computing. Although it may be difficult to persuade other investors to capitalize on ventures similar that will demand 10 to 30 years, the potential returns made through innovation may be worth the risk. Canadian businessman Mike Lazaridis suggests, “…invest in something that nobody understands. Because if you understand it, you’re probably too late.”

Pinterest: The Marketing Strategy of the Future

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“Pinterest is a sight for collecting and organizing the things you love,” says the Pinterest sight itself. Many users “pin” pictures to this virtual pin board as inspiration for events, fashion, recipes and more. Since the website’s launch in 2010, it has become the fastest growing sight to reach 10 million visitors and, as of July 2013, it surpassed 70 million users worldwide. For businesses, this database could be a gold mine for new marketing strategies.

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Pinterest introduced a tool called “Rich Pins,” which allows retailers to provide extra information about their pins, such as price and size of their product, the site recently introduced another business marketing enticement: promoted pins. Pinterest vows to keep promotions relevant to users’ wants: “These pins should be about stuff you’re actually interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that’s your style,” states Ben Silbermann, CEO and Co-Founder of Pinterest. Automatically corresponding pinners tastes with companies’ promoted pins will add tremendous value to both businesses and users. Pinterest could be the connection between target markets and advertisements that firms have been searching for. Now the question is: will Pinterest be the online marketing strategy of the future?