Internal venture capital and skunk work projects are nothing new. Corporate behemoths — like IBM and its innovation jams, 3M's open innovation efforts and Procter &Gamble's connect + develop programs — are constantly looking for ways to cost-effectively leverage their scale while safely exploring potential innovation opportunities. Many of these initiatives enjoy some success; most do not. But one inherent challenge — flaw? — in the overwhelming majority of the innovation initiatives I've seen is how intrinsically compartmentalized, segregated and silo-ized they become. They're creative and/or innovative efforts appealing to creatives and innovators. They're not designed to appeal to the organization — let alone its ecosystem! — at large. - Tom Himpe