Crossing the Valley of Death

Abstract

This article explains how difficult it could be sometimes to get a potentially good idea from the laboratory to the marketplace. A classic example of this difficulty is the humble Post-it note that was developed by engineer and inventor Art Fry. Art Fry worked for the 3M Company, which allowed him to engage part time in intrapreneurship. When Fry approached his superiors with his invention, the novel idea was not received with much enthusiasm. The market for sticky bookmarks did not seem to be very promising, and Fry’s idea seemed outlandish. However, Fry persistently pushed the idea until 3M relented and test-marketed “temporarily permanent” stick-and-remove notes, pads of which were distributed free to customers of other office products. Secretaries and other office workers found all sorts of uses for what came to be called Post-it notes, and the rest is history for the immensely successful product. However, the whole process from development to commercialization spanned about a decade.