Innovation transforms economies, improves lives, and reimagines what’s possible. But what happens when innovation doesn’t include everyone?

Today, too many innovations are still being designed without women in the room. In labs, boardrooms, startups, and funding rounds, women remain underrepresented—and that absence shows in the solutions we produce.

The question is not just “Where are the women in innovation?”
It’s: How much better would our solutions be if they truly included them?

1. Women Make 80% of Financial Decisions—Yet Are Rarely Involved in Creating the Products They Buy

Women control $31.8 trillion in global consumer spending (NielsenIQ, 2024) and drive 70-80% of household purchasing decisions (World Metrics, 2024)
Despite this, they remain vastly underrepresented in the innovation pipeline:

• Only 16% of inventors listed on patents are women (WIPO, 2022)

   

• Fewer than 30% of product development roles are held by women (McKinsey, 2023)

   

• Just 2.3% of VC funding goes to all-women-founded startups (Crunchbase, 2022)

   

This isn’t a pipeline issue—it’s an access and recognition problem. Women are already innovating. But their work is undervalued, underfunded, or ignored.

2. Innovation Has Historically Come Through a Male Lens

History shows what happens when women are left out—or erased:

• Rosalind Franklin’s DNA breakthrough was overshadowed by Watson and Crick’s Nobel Prize

   

• Hedy Lamarr’s co-invention of frequency-hopping—key to Wi-Fi—went unrecognized in her lifetime

   

• Lise Meitner’s discovery of nuclear fission was credited to Otto Hahn

   

• Margaret Knight had to sue to stop a man from patenting her invention for flat-bottomed paper bags

   

These are not exceptions—they reveal a system that silences women’s contributions.

Today, women are innovating in overlooked areas—childcare, maternal health, mental health—but these fields are often dismissed as “soft” or secondary.

Many products—from phones to policies—are designed around a male default. The result? Design flaws that range from frustrating to dangerous:

• Smartphones too large for smaller hands

   

• Protective equipment that doesn’t fit women’s bodies

   

• Crash test dummies based on average men, leaving women 73% more likely to be seriously injured (NHTSA, 2022)

   

• Medical trials that excluded women, leading to misdiagnoses and incorrect treatments

   

Even space isn’t immune: NASA canceled an all-female spacewalk in 2019 due to a lack of medium-sized suits.

And in tech? Apple’s HealthKit launched without a menstrual tracker—because “no one thought of it.”

These aren’t minor oversights. They reflect a system where men’s needs are the norm—and women’s are optional.

3. Even Today, Innovation for Women Often Means “Shrink It and Pink It”

Too often, products designed “for women” are just smaller versions of male-focused designs—colored pink:

• “Bic for Her” pens: identical to regular pens, just pastel

   

• Pink tools with no ergonomic adjustments

   

• Fitness trackers that don’t fit women’s wrists or needs

   

• VR headsets that ignore different facial structures or hairstyles

   

• Voice assistants that default to female personas, reinforcing stereotypes

   

What’s missing is real problem-solving.

By contrast, when women lead innovation, we get:

• Thinx: Period underwear replacing tampons

   

• Willow: Silent, wearable breast pumps

   

• Elvie: Tech supporting pelvic floor health

   

• Hey Jane: Telemedicine abortion care

   

• Flex: Redesigned menstrual discs for comfort

   

This isn’t about adding a feminine touch. It’s about solving the right problems—with empathy, precision, and creativity.

4. This Is a Massive Untapped Opportunity—So How Do We Capture It?

The areas where women lead—caregiving, maternal health, financial inclusion—are often dismissed as “niche.” But that’s a failure of imagination, not market size. 

When you design for women, you serve households, communities, and economies.

Consider the numbers:

• Care Economy: Worth over $6 trillion globally, and growing (World Economic Forum, 2023)
• Menstrual & Maternal Health: Impacts 2+ billion people (WHO, 2024), yet receives less than 2% of VC funding (Forbes, 2024)
• Workplace Flexibility & Mental Health: Essential to retaining talent post-pandemic
• Financial Inclusion: Women control vast spending power yet remain underserved by banks and insurers

By 2025, women are projected to hold over 60% of the world’s wealth.
By 2030, $30 trillion will move into their hands via intergenerational transfer (McKinsey, 2022).

This isn’t just the future of inclusion—it’s the future of business.

5. More Women in Innovation = Better Business, Smarter Solutions

The case for inclusion isn’t just moral—it’s measurable.

• Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 33% more likely to outperform their peers on profitability (Mc Kinsey & Co, 2023)
• Inclusive teams outperform non-inclusive teams by 80% in business performance (Center for Human Capital Innovation, 2024).

   

Investing in gender-inclusive innovation isn’t charity—it’s strategy.

According to GIMI’s Innovation Potential Assessment, 64% of women score in the high innovation category—excelling in empathy, reframing, and problem sensing.

These capabilities are foundational to the Diverge → Connect → Converge → Emerge model. At the divergence stage, diverse teams identify better problems—and ultimately deliver better solutions. Homogeneous teams miss what they don’t see.

What Can We Do Monday Morning?

1. Start Early—and Sustain It

• Rewire Education: Teach innovation across all subjects, not just STEM. Highlight women innovators.
• Build Mentorship Pipelines: Connect girls to women leaders across fields.
  Train Teachers: Use tools like UNESCO’s Gender Equality Toolkit to counter classroom bias.

   

2. Fix the System—Not the Women

• Redefine Innovation: Prioritize caregiving, health, and inclusion—not just tech.
• Diversify Decision-Makers: Put more women in roles shaping strategy and funding.
  Design for Her: Support women-led startups with targeted capital and scale support.

   

3. Fund What Matters

• Invest Through a Gender Lens: Back funds like Aruwa Capital, Portfolia, The Case for Her.
• Set Procurement Targets: Allocate 10–20% of contracts to women-led innovators.
• Demand Transparency: Require gender-disaggregated VC funding data.

   

4. Make Women Visible

• Celebrate, Spotlight, Repeat: Recognize women innovators publicly.
• Teach Her-Story: Include overlooked female inventors in education and media.
• Call Out the Gaps: No women on stage? No female founders pitching? Ask who was excluded.

   

When Women Lead Innovation, Everyone Wins

Innovation drives progress—but too often, it excludes half the world. When women aren’t in the room, we miss real needs, overlook trillion-dollar markets, and reinforce outdated defaults.

Women control 70-80% of consumer spending and will hold most global wealth within this decade. Yet they receive just 2% of venture funding and remain sidelined in innovation roles.

This isn’t just a gap—it’s a missed opportunity.
More women in innovation means better ideas, stronger returns, and smarter solutions for all.

If we want innovation that truly works, we must build it with—and for—everyone.

——-

References

Center for Human Capital Innovation. (2024). Inclusive teams outperform non-inclusive teams by 80% in business performance. Retrieved from https://centerforhci.org/diversity-as-a-revenue-engine-what-16-studies-reveal/

Crunchbase. (2022). VC funding statistics. Retrieved from https://www.crunchbase.com/

Forbes. (2024). Less than 2% of VC funding goes to menstrual and maternal health. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/

McKinsey & Company. (2022). By 2030, $30 trillion will move into women’s hands via intergenerational transfer. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/

McKinsey & Company. (2023). Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 33% more likely to outperform peers on profitability. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/

NielsenIQ. (2024). Women control $31.8 trillion in global consumer spending. Retrieved from https://nielseniq.com/

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). (2022). Women 73% more likely to be seriously injured in crashes. Retrieved from https://www.nhtsa.gov/

World Economic Forum. (2023). Care Economy worth over $6 trillion globally and growing. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/

World Health Organization (WHO). (2024). Menstrual and maternal health impacts 2+ billion people. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/

World Metrics. (2024). Women drive 70-80% of household purchasing decisions. Retrieved from https://worldmetrics.com/

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). (2022). Only 16% of inventors listed on patents are women. Retrieved from https://www.wipo.int/

Abstract:

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and fierce global competition, innovation is a necessity. Organizations that prioritize innovation not only achieve greater financial success but also contribute to the overall progress of their nations. An Innovation Management Assessment (IMA) can help organizations identify gaps in their innovation capabilities and create an action plan for improvement. An IMA such as ISO 56004 is a good starting point for organizations looking to assess their innovation strengths and weaknesses. IMA is also the starting point for any organization seeking growth and sustainment. Drawing on data-driven insights and real-world examples, we demonstrate how IMAs empower organizations to cultivate a culture of innovation, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately, emerge as industry leaders.

The Innovation Management Assessment Defined
An Innovation Management Assessment evaluates an organization’s capacity to generate, develop, and implement new ideas effectively. It measures the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s innovation processes, culture, and strategy to identify areas for improvement.

How does it fit into an Innovation Management Framework

The Innovation Management Framework
An innovation management framework is a foundational set of practices and tools that helps organizations generate ideas, evaluate those ideas, and turn the best ideas into a value-added management system for business. It arranges the general steps of the innovation process into clear stages that help leaders decide whether to pivot course, pause, or continue funding the work.

At its core, an Innovation Management Framework provides 3 basic things: a set of principles, methodologies, and tools that enable business organizations to navigate the complexities of the Innovation landscape. Now, one of the underlying key components of an Innovation management Framework typically includes a set of basic processes for idea generation, evaluation, and implementation, as well as mechanisms for continuous improvement. The framework acts as a unifying structure that aligns organizational goals with creative endeavours, encouraging a culture of experimentation and adaptation.

Innovation Management Frameworks come in various forms, ranging from models that emphasize collaboration with external partners (such as open Innovation Frameworks) to methodologies like Design Thinking in business and lean startup principles, each tailored to address specific aspects of the Innovation lifecycle.

Ultimately, an Innovation Framework equips organizations with the means to stay agile in the face of rapid change, gain a competitive edge, and nurture a culture that values and embraces creative problem-solving. As businesses increasingly recognize the pivotal role of Innovation in sustaining growth, adopting robust Innovation Management Frameworks become paramount in navigating the complexities of the modern business landscape.

General Benefits of an Innovation Management Assessment
According to ISO, Innovation management assessment benefits include the following:
(a) Cost Savings & Operational Efficiency
(b) Market Share and Competitive advantage: Staying ahead of the competition
(c) Growth and expansion: Innovation drives growth and expansion
(d) Adaptation to change: Embracing innovation helps adapt to changes
(e) Improved efficiency and productivity: Innovation leads to increased efficiency
(f) Employee engagement and retention: Innovation enhances employee satisfaction

The Innovation Imperative – Why IMA

About Revenue Growth and Time to Market
Companies that prioritize innovation experience a staggering 20% increase in revenue compared to their less innovative counterparts (McKinsey & Company, 2020). Organizations with robust innovation cultures witness revenue growth rates that are 10-20% higher than their competitors (Boston Consulting Group, 2018). Innovation Management Assessments (IMAs) contribute to a remarkable 25% reduction in the time it takes to bring new products to the market (Gartner, 2020). These statistics underscore the undeniable link between innovation and financial success. But the benefits extend far beyond the bottom line.

About Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency
In today’s dynamic business landscape, efficiency is paramount. IMAs provide a structured framework for identifying and eliminating operational waste, resulting in substantial cost savings. Structured innovation assessments lead to an 18-25% reduction in operational waste (Gartner, 2021). Companies that leverage IMAs are 30% more likely to pinpoint areas for cost reduction (Gartner, 2020). Regular innovation assessments can yield a remarkable 30% savings in R&D expenditure (Gartner, 2020).

About Market Share and Competitive Advantage
In the relentless pursuit of market dominance, innovation is the ultimate differentiator. Companies that conduct periodic innovation assessments are 40% more likely to achieve sustained competitive advantage (Gartner, 2021). By conducting customer-centric assessments, businesses can identify pain points and develop tailored solutions that resonate with their target audience. Gartner’s Customer Experience and Innovation report shows that companies that incorporate customer feedback into their innovation processes are 35% more likely to capture new market share than those that don’t (Gartner, 2021). According to Gartner, companies that leverage innovation assessments to enter new markets see a 20-30% faster market share gain compared to competitors who do not systematically assess their innovation strategies (Gartner, 2020).

About Strategic Decision-Making and Digital Transformation
In an age of unprecedented change, agility and adaptability are crucial. IMAs provide organizations with the insights they need to make informed strategic decisions and navigate the complexities of digital transformation. Organizations with formalized innovation strategies experience a 30-40% surge in revenue growth (Gartner, 2020). Companies that assess their innovation maturity are 1.5 times more likely to expand their digital product offerings (Gartner, 2021).

The Global Impact of IMAs
The benefits of IMAs extend beyond individual organizations, contributing to the overall progress and competitiveness of nations. By enhancing innovation practices and R&D efficiency, IMAs boost private sector innovation rankings. Regular assessments drive education and talent development, leading to improvements in human capital scores. IDIA’s work implicitly emphasizes Innovation Management Assessment by highlighting the need for structured approaches to ensure development innovations are contextually relevant and achieve scalable impact. Effective assessments, in their view, would focus on evaluating an organization’s ability to learn, adapt, and collaborate, ensuring innovations truly address pressing global challenges. A 2022 McKinsey report highlights that companies investing in workforce innovation programs experience greater long-term growth and productivity, which ultimately contributes to national innovation rankings. Moreover, IMAs optimize innovation ecosystems, contributing to higher infrastructure development rankings.

Key Takeaways & A Call to Action

• Unlock Your Innovation Potential: Champion Regular Innovation Assessments! Let’s empower our companies to lead the world by embracing innovation assessments as a cornerstone of their strategy. By aligning with global best practices and their own ambitious goals, we’ll unlock unprecedented growth and seize the vast opportunities that lie ahead.

• Forge Unbreakable Alliances: Fuel Innovation Through Collaborative Power! We must bridge the gap between businesses, universities, and government, creating a dynamic ecosystem where knowledge flows freely. This powerful synergy will not only elevate our Knowledge and Technology Outputs but also propel our nation’s standing on the global stage and benefit all of society.

• Shape the Future: Invest Boldly in Tomorrow’s Technologies! The future belongs to those who dare to invest in emerging technologies. By prioritizing these investments, we can not only maintain our competitiveness but also, we’ll unleash a wave of transformative innovation that will redefine possibilities.

In a nutshell, IMA is a valuable tool that can help organizations to improve their innovation capabilities and achieve their business goals. In light of the overwhelming evidence, it is clear that Innovation Management Assessments are not merely a tool for organizational improvement, but a catalyst for national progress. By embracing IMAs, organizations can unlock their full potential, drive economic growth, and shape a brighter future for their nations.

Approach to how to adapt Artificial Intelligence in an organization.

The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in an organization is a challenge that must be addressed in a coordinated and strategic way. ILUNION Hotels has proposed the adoption and strategic planning of Artificial Intelligence through the Brill-IA-NT project, which is a strategic initiative that seeks to transform the company through the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the creation of a data-based organizational culture. The project establishes a roadmap for the implementation of this technology in the organization. 

The project focuses on generating economic and social value for the identified stakeholders: solving problems and needs of the different business areas with information management and content creation, raising awareness and training among the organization’s employees and improving the experience of hotel customers.

Methodology used

The methodology of the Brill-IA-NT project is based on five key phases: competitive intelligence, data exploration, awareness, strategic planning and results analysis. Each of these phases has been designed to ensure the effective adoption of AI tools and the generation of positive impact on the company and its stakeholders.

Project Phases

1. Competitive Intelligence: Understanding the environment is the first step to innovate. ILUNION Hotels identifies key trends and solutions through its Competitive Intelligence system in order to manage them. In this phase, AI is identified as a current need, to which the company must adapt and solutions are sought. Additionally, in the identification of trends and solutions, artificial intelligence is used to analyze the competitive environment and identify opportunities for improvement. 

2. Data Exploration: Data exploration is crucial to becoming an AI-powered company. The quality of organizational data, analytical capacity, and the habit of data consumption at all levels of the organization have been key factors in this phase. ILUNION Hotels began to create a Data Driven culture in 2019, which has made the adoption of AI easier in recent years, as much of the data available is structured. The pillars have been: 

• The quality of organizational data

• The analytical capacity and the habit of data consumption at all levels of the organization

• Robust and prepared technological infrastructure

• Previously established culture of change in the organization

3. Awareness-raising, training and complementary actions: Awareness-raising and training workshops on the use of AI tools have been carried out. These workshops have promoted the adoption of departmental applications such as Copilot, Chat GPT, Perplexity, and Adobe Photoshop (with its AI module).

In addition, AI Champions (people with an interest and predisposition to lead the implementation of AI projects in each area) have been identified, and they have institutionalized the holding of AI committees with different areas to align expectations and AI projects.

Alliances have been created with relevant technology providers (Google, Microsoft, Telefónica, Salesforce) to study the possible impact of their AI solutions and carry out pilots that cover the identified needs.

The contact with allies in the hotel sector, with AI solutions already implemented, has facilitated the identification and assessment of solutions already tested by them.

4. Strategic Planning: In this phase, needs have been detected in all business areas and classified according to their impact, maturity of the technology. Planning and programming solutions based on these needs has been essential for the validation and prioritization of use cases.

Use cases were identified for the areas of Human Resources, Business, Marketing, Finance, Innovation, Sustainability and Accessibility, regrouping them into 19 needs and 7 different use cases: chatbot, predictive analytics, waste management, content creation, CV management, suppliers with specific solutions and technological solutions not available (in three cases).

5. Analysis of Results: Finally, indicators have been identified to be able to measure the impact of AI through the projects. In addition, a results analysis has been carried out to evaluate the impact of AI projects on ILUNION Hotels. This analysis has made it possible to identify the economic and operational benefits generated by the automation and optimization of processes.

Identified Use Cases

The Brill-IA-NT project has identified numerous use cases in various business areas, including people, business, marketing, legal-finance, innovation, sustainability, and accessibility. Some of the most relevant use cases are:

• People: Automatic evaluation of CVs, emotional and motivational support for employees, retention and attraction of talent.

• Business: Text generation, simultaneous interpretation system, chatbot, demand forecasting and dynamic pricing.

• Marketing: Automatic generation of descriptions, evaluation of customer reviews, creation of promotional texts.

• Legal-Finance: Analysis of accounting and financial reports, assistance in investment decisions.

• Innovation: User support, change management, project planning and monitoring.

• Sustainability: Sustainability reports, waste optimization.

• Accessibility: Visual impairment and spectrum of disabilities.

Emblematic Projects

Among the flagship projects implemented in the Brill-IA-NT project are:

• Internal Chatbot: A chatbot that transforms hotel operations and support provided from central services.

• Content Creation: Automatic generation of content for various platforms.

• Waste Management: Optimization of waste management in hotels.

• Digital Receptionist: Implementation of a digital receptionist to improve the customer experience.

• CV Management: Automatic evaluation of CVs for talent attraction and retention.

• Simultaneous Translation: Simultaneous interpretation system to improve communication in hotels.

• Analytic Predictions: Use of AI to make analytical predictions and improve decision-making.

Project Results

The Brill-IA-NT project has generated a significant economic impact on ILUNION Hotels, with an estimated increase in revenue and operating savings of €320,000 in 2024 and €1,540,000 expected in 2025. In addition, process automation and optimization has improved the customer and employee experience, and training and awareness actions have impacted 1,800 employees.

Main lessons learned from the implemented model and strategy

The main learnings from the Brill-IA-NT project are:

• The importance of an organizational culture based on data management to facilitate the adoption of AI projects.

• Identifying and strategically planning use cases across various business areas is critical to defining a needs-based roadmap.

• Creating an AI culture by promoting the adoption of AI tools through awareness and training workshops, and identifying AI Ambassadors as internal transformation advocates, is critical.

• The assessment of the economic and operational impact of AI projects should demonstrate the value of applying AI solutions.

In summary, ILUNION HOTELS’ Brill-IA-NT project has been a transformative initiative that is generating a positive impact on the company and its stakeholders, through the adoption of artificial intelligence, the creation of a data-based organizational culture and the achievement of results.