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Innovation Festival Speakers Share 12 Rules for Turning Ideas Into Impact
ReInnovation Festival Speakers Share 12 Rules for Turning Ideas Into Impact
Ahead of Fast Company's 12th annual Innovation Festival, speakers including Martha Stewart, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden, and Elizabeth Banks offered their definitions of innovation and the rules that guide their work.
What separates genuine innovation from empty corporate rhetoric? Ahead of the 12th annual Innovation Festival, Fast Company asked a dozen scheduled speakers to define innovation and share the single rule that governs their approach. Their answers, released in advance of the event, offer a practical counterpoint to the buzzword's ubiquity in boardrooms and marketing decks.
Martha Stewart, the entrepreneur and author who cofounded Hint, framed innovation as a tool for simplification rather than complication. «Innovation should make life better, not more complicated,» she said. In 2026, she argued, that means using technology to put trusted expertise at people's fingertips without replacing the human judgment and experience behind it. Sean Sherman, founder and CEO of NATIFS and the Sioux Chef, tied the concept to sustainability and Indigenous values. «Lakota values teach us to think about seven generations ahead,» he said. «If the innovation doesn't hold up for the people coming after us, it's not really innovation and possibly just a trend.»
Several speakers emphasized that innovation begins with the consumer rather than the technology. Lindsay Shumlas, CEO of Cotopaxi, said the focus should be on deeply understanding customers, challenging long-held assumptions, and turning insight into meaningful action that advances both business and purpose. Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Adidas, echoed that priority: «Innovation starts with our athletes and consumers. Understanding what they need and delivering only the best for them is what drives everything we do.»
When asked for their number-one rule, the speakers diverged in instructive ways. Jake Bullock, CEO of Cann, urged founders to «design for an N of 1,» arguing that committees produce generic products while entrepreneurs create offerings that inspire obsession. Melis Del Rey, CEO and board director at Supergoop, warned against falling in love with a solution before the problem is clear, noting that the best innovation solves a real consumer tension so intuitively that people wonder how they lived without it. Bob the Drag Queen, a comedian and entertainer at Purse First Studios, offered a blunter rule: «It's okay to fail. Don't be a perfectionist. It only hinders you.»
Brooke Ellis, chief design officer at Block, made the case for protecting what she called the path to the unexpected. «You rarely get to innovation in a straight line,» she said, pointing to the need for space for curiosity, imagination, strange connections, culture, and constraint. Technology can accelerate that path, she added, but people still have to imagine somewhere worth going, and she described the erosion of creative originality as a real risk today.
Speakers also previewed what attendees can expect from their sessions. Russell Wilson, a Super Bowl champion, CBS Sports analyst, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, said he hopes to inspire a «Why not you?» attitude, encouraging people to trust their ideas even when others do not immediately understand them. Elizabeth Banks, co-owner and chief creative officer of Archer Roose Wines, said she wants attendees to think less about the big swing and more about the small, honest moments that build a product customers return to. «You don't have to have every answer on day one,» she said. «You just have to stay curious, keep listening, and be willing to evolve.»
Dave Ritterbush, CEO of Califia Farms, stressed speed, noting that consumer trends can pivot overnight because information moves instantaneously, and that the runway to bring an idea to life and stay relevant is shorter than ever. Nadya Okamoto, cofounder and chief marketing officer of Pie, applied a similar long-term lens to creator partnerships, arguing that the best ones are relationships rather than transactions, and that brands investing beyond a single post will outperform those optimizing for reach alone.
The 12th annual Innovation Festival is scheduled for Sept. 14–17 in New York City, with the full speaker schedule and tickets available through the event.
