Kesavan Sampanthar

Brainstormer, Business leader, Change Agent, Connector, Idea generator, Inventor, Marketer, Scientist, Technologist, Web guru

I am a computer scientist that started his career researching artificial intelligence, artificial life and parallel computation. I have worked in a multitude of jobs and had a multitude of roles/titles; here are just some of them: researcher, programmer, consultant, project manager, technical architect, enterprise architect, lead architect, inventor, entrepreneur, director of innovation, innovation consultant, program manager, practice manager, product manager, media strategist, game designer, director of media strategy. I am the inventor of an innovation tool called ThinkCube; part game, part methodology and full of fun. I am a speaker with expertise in game design, internet architecture, innovation, creativity and media/brand strategy.

Everything to do with ideas, new ideas, old ideas, how they spread, how they evolve, how they connect, combine, morph, mutate etc. I am on a mission to help kids keep their creativity.

A convergence of business trends, specifically outsourcing, off-shoring and increased market competition, has created a new global economy where the demand for innovation is paramount. To succeed in this new Creative Economy, companies and individuals must make a paradigm shift. Many companies claim to nurture innovation, but few actually do it behind closed doors. Insincerity isn’t the problem, rather a misperception that innovation is an end goal achieved by occasional brainstorming sessions or a collection of PhDs and a stroke of luck. True innovation happens when it’s infused throughout an organization and adopted as a best practice. Infusion of innovation shouldn’t hinge on a company mandate. It can organically emerge from the bottom-up through changes in individual behavior. ThinkCube, a new innovation tool, gives you the tools to pioneer the innovation revolution!

Artificial Intelligence, Brand Strategy, Strategic Planning, Consumer Research, Cognitive science, Computer scientist, Game Design, Innovation and creativity techniques, Internet Technologies, Media strategy and management, Neuroscience, Social Media

My TED story is still being written. I have been a huge fan of TED for over a decade, before there was the online videos and website, I followed through the EDGE.org and other online sources. I love ideas and I have always loved the talks and speakers that TED attracts. I have followed from afar by reading the conference speaker's own books and most recently I have been hooked on the TED videos. I am hoping to attend my first TED event this year and I am also trying to organize a TEDx conference in DC.

Board Game Design - while researching ThinkCube I got into designing board and card games. To foster a creative atmosphere I based ThinkCube around a card game mechanic that I developed.