Most organizations say innovation is a priority. Very few can prove it.
Calgary-based Unbounded Thinking is targeting this gap with the launch of Kwokka by UBT, an innovation management platform built to align with ISO 56001:2024, the first international standard that treats innovation as a certifiable management system rather than a vibe.
Government procurement and global supply chains are starting to ask for proof of innovation maturity, so showing your work is becoming a competitive requirement. The BCG 2024 Global Innovation Survey found that while 83% of companies call innovation a top priority, only 3% have the readiness to deliver on it.
The other 97% are running what Unbounded Thinking CEO Shannon Phillips calls “innovation theater.”
“Innovation is a mess because most organizations focus on inputs rather than outputs. Coming up with a wall full of sticky notes is the easy part,” Phillips said in a release. “Executing on those ideas during a time that calls for rapid adaptation requires innovation to be treated as a rigorous management system.”
Kwokka walks organizations through four stages. First, a diagnostic that scores current innovation capability, followed by a 90-day strategy blueprint built from that diagnostic. Next is a learning phase that includes cognitive profiling to understand how different people solve problems, before finally an execution framework that produces board-ready financial projections.
The platform is already in use by a Middle Eastern energy company to certify senior leaders as “Innovation Architects.” A drone industry client is also using it to move from proof-of-concept to industrial deployment.
For Canadian technology leaders already building audit trails around AI governance and cybersecurity, a certifiable innovation management system fits the same logic.
If you can’t measure it, you can’t defend it.
Final Shots
- ISO 56001 means innovation programs can now be certified and procurement teams are starting to ask for proof.
- Kwokka by UBT calculates what doing nothing costs, which is often the number that finally gets a CFO’s attention.
- Early clients are in energy and industry, where many Canadian CIOs are under pressure to show results.
