The Last Mile Of Innovation: Why Great Ideas Fail Before Reaching The Market | Rishi Korde | Tedxfot

Great ideas are everywhere. But how many actually survive long enough to reach the consumer?

In this insightful talk, Rishi Korde, Founder & CEO of Cod Industries, explores “The Last Mile of Innovation” and why the journey from an idea to a successful market-ready product is where many promising innovations fail.

Rishi explains why having a great concept or working prototype is only the beginning. Real innovation requires an idea to survive the realities of cost, taste, shelf life, regulations, manufacturing, scalability, packaging, and consumer behaviour.

He introduces a practical framework that takes an idea through six critical stages: idea, science, product, factory, shelf life, and consumer. The key question changes from “Can this exist?” at the prototype stage to “Can this survive?” in the real world.

Drawing from his experience working with startups and food & beverage products, Rishi highlights the often invisible work behind successful innovation, from formulation and raw materials to manufacturing, packaging, compliance, stability and consumer acceptance.

The biggest takeaway? Innovation isn't simply the invention of an idea. It is the survival of that idea in the real world.

If you're a founder, entrepreneur, innovator, student, product developer, or simply someone interested in how ideas become products people actually use, this talk offers a valuable perspective on what happens between “What if?” and *“Here it is.”


#Innovation #Entrepreneurship #ProductDevelopment #Startups #Business #ProductInnovation #RishiKorde #FoodAndBeverage #FMCG #Entrepreneurs Rishi Korde is a food innovator, entrepreneur, and Founder of Core De Industries, where he works at the intersection of food science, product development, and manufacturing.

An IIT Gold Medalist and Imperial College London alumnus, Rishi has built his work around one central challenge: turning promising ideas into products that can survive the realities of taste, cost, regulation, scale, manufacturing, and consumer acceptance.

Through Core De Industries, he works with startups, SMEs, HoReCa businesses, and emerging brands to develop and commercialize innovative food and beverage products. His experience spans functional beverages, protein products, plant-based foods, nutrition products, ready-to-eat formats, and private-label manufacturing.

Rishi is particularly interested in what he calls the “last mile of innovation”—the often-overlooked journey between having a great idea and successfully putting that idea into the hands of real consumers. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx