The Innovation Paradox

As the co-founder of a deep-tech startup, I was recently asked what has been the most challenging aspect.

? Is it researching and innovating? No.

? Turning research into a tangible product that delivers significant value? No.

? Securing the first contracts? No.

? Finding funding? Not that either.

The hardest part is undoubtedly overcoming the Innovation Paradox.

What do I mean by that?

We hear it all the time, loud and clear: we must innovate! Innovation is one of the main drivers of growth. It’s essential, vital. For our economy and our companies. And rightly so.

As many are already aware, when considering product innovation, two primary categories emerge:

1. Incremental Innovation: This involves gradual, often small-scale improvements. It optimizes performance, quality, or efficiency without radically changing the nature of the product. It’s less risky because it relies on existing technologies and is often guided by user feedback or market changes. It has a measurable impact in the short to medium term and allows companies to stay competitive by meeting evolving customer needs without revolutionizing the product or the market.

2. Disruptive Innovation: This type of innovation disrupts an existing market or creates a new one by introducing entirely new products. It often replaces established technologies or business models, leading to major transformations. By nature, it is highly risky but carries the potential for high returns. Disruptive innovation is often initiated by startups looking to break into a market dominated by established players. Its impact is longer-term, as it redefines market rules and can render existing technologies or practices obsolete.

This is especially true for disruptive innovation based on a scientific discovery. By scientific discovery, I mean a significant breakthrough in the understanding of a phenomenon, resulting from observation, theory and experimentation. It stands out because it reveals facts, laws, phenomena, or principles previously unknown, often challenging or enriching existing knowledge.

So, why do I speak of the difficulty of overcoming the innovation paradox?

Because disruptive innovation based on a scientific discovery is rare. And because it’s rare, people often don’t believe in it at first. It’s met with doubt. Sometimes, people don’t even want to acknowledge it because it could undermine years of work or substantial investments.

This is where the paradox lies. Despite the enormous potential of this type of innovation, the initial reflex is often to resist it, or worse, stifle it, even though it’s at the heart of growth.

At APO-GEE we have developed a disruptive innovation: the Butterfly cage; which solves a major reliability issue in bearings used in space applications, a problem that had remained unresolved for over 50 years. This innovation is the result of more than 10 years of research and the scientific discovery of the mechanisms governing cage instability in ball bearings. This discovery is notably based on characterizing the kinematics of the balls using a novel method. The Butterfly cage now has practical applications beyond the space sector, such as in machine-tool spindles for example.

And we faced the innovation paradox head-on. That has been our greatest challenge. But we are making progress, and things are changing!

Thank you to those who believed, who continue to believe, and to those who are now changing their minds. Together, we are driving meaningful change in the ball bearing industry.

Sébastien Assouad

CEO