NineSigma Evolves Global Open Innovation through Social Media Platform, NineSights

CLEVELAND, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NineSigma, Inc., of Cleveland, today announced that a year following its launch, NineSights.com is now the innovation engine for the company and a focal point for the worldwide community of innovators.

From technology developers, to chemical researchers, to climate and environmental sustainability experts, NineSights stands out for its large community of innovators in an extremely broad range of scientific and technical disciplines, all vetted by NineSigma. The community is free to join and continues to grow rapidly as new needs and opportunities are added to the site. The user base is on track to more than quadruple in 2013. 

NineSights helps NineSigma's clients centralize and manage all of their Open Innovation activities, from Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Expert Panels, to Innovation Galleries that highlight companies' needs, and Grand Challenges that galvanize experts to tackle the biggest issues affecting humankind. It is designed to accelerate global innovation by providing a platform for direct collaboration between solution seekers and providers, 24x7.

NineSigma CEO Andy Zynga said, "Some of our clients have tried different methods and networks for outreach, but have been unable to attract quality solutions and ideas that lead to further collaboration. We are now able to give our clients direct access to our vast 'global network of networks' and deliver to them actionable responses that can help them achieve their goals. Our clients have responded to the launch of NineSights by overwhelmingly demanding managed services from NineSigma which we can support through the platform."

NineSights enables productive business relationships between innovators of all sizes. It is quickly becoming the world's innovation marketplace with:

• Innovation Galleries where solution seekers and providers can showcase an unlimited number of technology needs and offers. Companies can publish discrete needs anonymously through a NineSigma RFP, or name themselves and post broader innovation needs and connect with potential new partners on an ongoing basis. Those who currently have galleries include Samsung Display, GE, Johnson Controls, Philips, Goodyear, Bioastra and Ohio Third Frontier.
• Grand Challenges including the current Climate Change and Emissions Management (CCEMC) Corporation Grand Challenge to convert carbon from a liability to an asset, the GE NFL Head Health Challenge to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury, and a new 3D Printing Production Quest from GE. These initiatives, combined with other prize-based challenges on the site, are associated with nearly $100 million in prize money.
• Specialized communities of technology and market experts in medicine and pharmaceuticals, materials sciences, energy and power, nanotechnology, food science, chemistry, and many other areas. These groups can be tapped for strategic insights on a specific technology area or leveraged for an expert ideation engagement whereby NineSigma runs an idea contest to solve a technical problem.
• Non-confidential Technology Offers, from financial analytics to desalination or water reclamation technology.

Entrepreneurs, research laboratories, and inventors are also finding NineSights a more efficient and effective way to find contacts with an immediate need for their solutions, technologies, or intellectual property. "One solution provider has even earned the majority of its company's 2013 revenues from connections made through NineSigma and NineSights. We expect to hear more stories like this in the coming months," added Mr. Zynga.

Join NineSights today at www.ninesights.com.

About NineSigma

NineSigma connects organizations with external innovation resources to accelerate innovation in private, public and social sectors. The company provides open innovation services to organizations worldwide, including Kraft Foods, Philips, Siemens, and Unilever, to solve immediate challenges, integrate new knowledge, fill product pipelines, and stay ahead of the competition. Named to the 2012 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies, NineSigma's proprietary process has produced billions of dollars in value for its clients. NineSigma has the largest open global network of solution providers and an extensive database of existing solutions spanning numerous industries and technical disciplines. NineSigma's online innovation community, NineSights®, is the world's first open innovation social media destination, connecting innovators of all sizes with resources and relationships to drive growth. Learn more at www.ninesigma.com and www.ninesights.com.  

Media Contact: 
Jackie Lucas, Warner Communications — jackie@warnerpr.com, (978) 255-1159

SOURCE NineSigma, Inc.