Matching Inventors and Manufacturers

By Darrin Conroy -
Here's an article that appeared in yesterday's "Small Business" section on CNNMoney's website, titled "What's Your Idea Worth?" It features a website called the USA National Innovation Marketplace, the result of a partnership between the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Planet Eureka!, the website of a consulting firm started by a private entrepreneur named Doug Hall.

There are no shortage of matchmaking sites on the web. The stated innovation of this site is its use of a proprietary business simulation system known as Merwyn. In the words of the article, it "uses algorithms and human analysts to estimate the business potential of new product designs". The site also presents descriptions of inventions in plain language, avoiding the "geekspeak" that is an occupational hazard (and hindrance) to those seeking manufacturers of their creations.

The site also enables manufacturers to seek technologies that will enable them to seek out new options for expensive equipment formerly used to manufacture outmoded technologies (for example . . . the need for compact discs isn't what it used to be).

This is a new partnership (it started in May), so the sample size needed to gauge whether it's been a success is pretty small. However, visit the site. We have no shortage of clients who are seeking partnerships with inventors of new technologies, or inventors who have little expertise in manufacturing but believe in their product.

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