by David Sutherland

At my last corporate job, I was Vice President for Innovation at Computer Sciences Corporation, a company valued at around $6.3 billion when it was sold in 2017.  My job was to find new technologies that could be developed and commercialized for the economic advantage of our corporate clients. This work took me to innovation centers around the world, including Sydney Australia, Berlin Germany, Shanghai China and Palo Alto USA.

15 years ago, I started teaching courses in Corporate Innovation Management at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business Graduate School. As a “practicing academic” I continued my innovation work in pharmaceutical, automotive and financial industries, among others. Over time I came to understand that a set of key conditions and steps exist in the framework of innovation regardless of what industry you are in.

In this framework of innovation the real power is in the creation of unique ideas; understanding the potential value of ideas; the registering and protection of those ideas; and finally, the development, sales and distribution of those ideas.

In addition to the nuts and bolts of innovation, I came to understand the various factors and conditions that impact idea generation and development, whether from the corporate perspective, the industry perspective, or the state, national or international perspective. From corporate culture to international policy, there are myriad factors and conditions that need to be considered in the management of innovation.

It starts with an interest, a need or a desire. Think of a need to improve automotive safety, a desire to improve the customer experience, or an interest in telling a story through film. Then an idea emerges. Maybe a heads up display in a car, better analytics to advise customers on financial investments, or a film about a handicapped superhero.

That idea is documented, its IP registered, and then the idea gets support with funding, involvement, and production capability, finally moving to sales and distribution.

What I’ve come to understand in my 25 years working in the innovation arena is that the state of Georgia has tremendous economic growth potential that can be derived from new ideas and innovation. With a state gross domestic product of $718 billion in 2025, 3.4 percent growth from 2024 to 2025, and Georgia setting a record in fiscal year 2025 with $26.3 billion in new overall investment commitments, the state has a strong economic climate and a positive foundation for innovation and continued growth.

Fueling much of this economic growth, the Georgia Department of Economic Development highlights six industrial centers of innovation, with over 30 corporate innovation centers in Atlanta alone.  Business startup centers and venture capital investment stabilized in Georgia reaching $4.3 Billion in 2025 in over 389 venture capital projects, with deals in information technology, fintech and healthcare leading the way. AI is also an embedded capability in nearly all the new funded ventures.

At Georgia Insider, I will delve into the current state of Georgia’s “Innovation Economy,” its potential for new economic growth and the variety of factors and conditions that influence that potential. I’ll report the findings here.

I will be looking at innovation in various industries, reporting on industry-impacting technologies such as AI and Humanoid Robotics, as well as telling the stories of Georgia’s incredible innovators, be they large multi-national corporations or small startups.

My hope is that these articles will stimulate thinking that drives action, making Georgia a national leader in the percentage of GDP coming from new ideas in all of our dynamic industries.

David Sutherland is an entrepreneur and longtime champion of the creative industries whose career spans 35 years in the tech startup world, culminating in the acquisition of his last company by Computer Sciences Corporation, where he served as Vice President of Innovation leading global teams. A trusted advisor to organizations including NASA, BMW, Siemens, Pfizer and Bank of America, he has helped companies translate innovation into measurable growth. In 2015, Sutherland became a Senior Lecturer at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, helping launch the UGA Entrepreneurship Program and the Innovation Gateway, now ranked No. 1 nationally for commercial products brought to market. He has designed and taught graduate courses in innovation management, design thinking and the creative economy, lectured internationally in Colombia, Mexico and Germany, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and lives on a farm in Athens, Georgia, with his wife Sarah, dog Norah and their horses. More can be learned at his website, https://davidsutherland.org