In a world that has moved beyond "VUCA" (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) to become BANI—Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible—the old ways of tackling global crises are broken. While world leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference to discuss traditional defence, a few blocks away, the World Food Programme (WFP) was hosting its annual Innovation Forum to tackle a different security threat: the silent conflict of global hunger.

In this episode, we dive into how the WFP is moving beyond "big hearts and good intentions" to build a high-performance innovation engine. We explore how they use a systematic approach—mapped to the ISO 56002 international standard—to transform "glimmers of ideas" from internal and external entrepreneurs into life-saving reality.

We take a closer look at:

• Innovation as a System: How the WFP Innovation Accelerator uses venture capital models, incubators, and boot camps to reach over 104 million people annually.

  
  

• High-Tech vs. Frugal Tech: From Building Blocks (a blockchain-based aid system saving millions in fees) to Clean Cooking (heat-retention bags that cut energy needs by 70%).

  
  

• The Scale Challenge: Why most "promising pilots" fail and how the WFP’s Scale Enablement Programme helps them grow.

  
  

  Based in Munich, the Accelerator has supported over 500 ventures across 90+ countries and was recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s "Most Innovative Companies".

  Amongst its success stories we look at:

  
  

• ShareTheMeal: The fundraising app that has shared over 220 million meals.

  
  

• H2Grow: Low-tech hydroponics allowing refugees to grow food in deserts using 90% less water.

  
  

• SMP PLUS: An AI tool that generates nutritious, cost-optimized school menus in minutes rather than weeks.

  
  

• SCOUT: A forecasting engine that has already saved $6 million in logistics costs.

  
  

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Have you ever used a safety pin, a fountain pen, or a sewing machine? You might know the famous brands behind them, but you likely don’t know the man who actually invented them.

Meet Walter Hunt, the "Yankee mechanical genius" who could solve almost any problem but struggled to profit from a single one. Perhaps the person who best deserves the title of 'the greatest inventor you've never heard of'

In this episode, we dive into the incredible life of a man who changed the world with a piece of wire and a few hours of "hand-wringing".

Learn about:

The $15 Debt that Changed Everything: How the modern safety pin was invented in just three hours to pay back a draughtsman.

The Sewing Machine Wars: Why Walter Hunt actually invented the lockstitch machine 12 years before Elias Howe—and why he refused to patent it until it was too late.

A Legacy of Innovation: From the repeater rifle (the precursor to the Winchester) to disposable paper collars and even "antipodean apparatus" for walking on ceilings, Hunt’s imagination knew no bounds.

Principles Over Profit: Why this "benevolent Quaker" often prioritized social concerns and the joy of problem-solving over building a Gilded Age fortune.

Walter Hunt was a man who found joy in the quest rather than the goal. Join us as we uncover the story of the prolific inventor who holds hundreds of patents for items we still use today, yet remains a hidden figure in history.

A seasonal story to inspire some New year's innovation (re) thinking...

On a cold Christmas Eve, Jimmy Weston sits in a crowded wine bar with a crushing email in his pocket: his family business’s biggest customer has just walked away. Facing the "rocks" of potential bankruptcy and the weight of three generations of legacy, Jimmy is visited by three "ghosts" who offer more than just nostalgia—they provide a blueprint for radical reinvention.

In this podcast, loosely based on Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' , we explore some of the challenges around innovation through a different lens.

Whether you’re a business leader facing a "winter" of your own, an entrepreneur looking for a spark of New Year inspiration, or just looking for a good read this story is a reminder that the "pony" is always hidden in the pile—you just have to dig!