Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today's fascinating episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Kim Getgen, founder and CEO of Innovation Force. Kim brings with her over 25 years of robust experience in commercialization, having navigated the diverse worlds of large corporations and startups. After a pivotal realization in 2019, Kim fully embraced her entrepreneurial spirit, leading her to launch Innovation Force, an innovative AI-powered SaaS platform that democratizes innovation. With a successful history that includes co-founding a cybersecurity company acquired by McAfee, Kim's insights are invaluable. 

We'll dive deep into how Innovation Force ims to solve major inefficiencies in corporate innovation, explore their impressive client list including Portland General Electric, and discuss their strategic approach in targeting complex, regulated industries. Notably, Kim will also share how her network, including her ties with Harvard Business School, played a crucial role in their funding journey.  

Join us as we uncover the strategies behind Innovation Force’s mission to standardize and streamline the innovation process, making impactful change accessible to companies of all sizes. This episode is packed with insights on commercialization, innovation processes, and entrepreneurial journeys. You won't want to miss it! 

Show Notes:  

00:00 Measure, track, and scale global innovation impact. 

04:46 AR VR goggles in utility worker innovation. 

07:40 Deep energy industry involvement, innovation for change. 

10:34 Innovation program for 5G technology with Portland. 

14:23 Startup success, exceeded funding goals with resilience. 

17:35 Key milestones: MSA with EPRI, Linda Hill's support 

19:46 Finding customer to bootstrap, good and bad. 

23:11 Lynda solves process bottlenecks with cultural insights. 

Links: 

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/innovationforce-raises-pre-seed-funding 

Kim Getgen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimgetgen/ 

Innovation Force’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-force/ 

Innovation Force’s Website: https://www.innovationforce.io/ 

To learn more about Ben check out the links below:

Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page

SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/

Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout

Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray