The continuing goal of "The Innovation Conversation" is to explore some facet of the fast-changing, technology-driven retail landscape and how it affects businesses and consumers. It is, we think, fertile territory ... and one that Tom Furphy - a former Amazon executive who led the team that developed Amazon Fresh, and currently CEO and Managing Director of Consumer Equity Partners (CEP), a venture capital and venture development firm in Seattle, WA, that works with many top retailers and manufacturers - is uniquely positioned to address.
Today, Tom Furphy and KC consider the financial headwinds that are facing every business, especially technology companies such as Amazon, and the degree to which the current situation could constrain their ability to innovate. They focus on the importance of "not turning off the innovation engine," and continuing to make calculated bets on initiatives that are customer-centric. And, they use Hell Gate - a narrow and treacherous strait where the East River, Harlem River and Long Island Sound converge - as a metaphor for what retailers need to do to survive.
If you'd rather download and listen to The Innovation Conversation as an audio podcast, click below.
