Innovatrium

What Innovatrium does

Innovatrium is a privately held innovation consulting firm operating as Competing Values, LLC from Ann Arbor, Michigan, with additional offices in Whitewater, Wisconsin and planned expansion to San Antonio, plus international affiliations in Singapore and Warsaw. The firm was founded by Dr. Jeff DeGraff (the "Dean of Innovation") and his brother John DeGraff, with Staney DeGraff serving as CEO, and is built around the proprietary Innovation Genome framework—a research-based model grounded in 30+ years of University of Michigan academic work and recognized by the Financial Times as one of the 40 most important frameworks in business history. The company's core technology stack includes the Innovation Genome model, the trademarked Constructive Conflict™ methodology, AI-enabled Adaptive Innovation Systems, and the Certified Professional Innovator (CPI) program certified by the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Innovatrium also maintains a content library of books, training kits, the Innovation Genome Card Game, and a web-based Collaborative Innovation Network (CoIN) tool.

The firm serves two primary customer segments: enterprise/Fortune 500 corporations (including named clients Apple, Google, Pfizer, Pepsi Bottling Group, and Prudential Financial) and the U.S. Department of Defense (with 400+ graduates trained through the Intellectual Edge Alliance programs Project Mercury, AIM-HI, and CHILS in partnership with Air University). It generates revenue through professional services engagements (consulting, custom coaching, executive seminars) and structured training programs (CPI cohorts at $4,000/person with a 25-person minimum, Train the Trainer, Innovation Quick Sprint), plus secondary revenue from books, training kits, and card games sold via an Amazon storefront. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with high-touch, cohort-based program delivery, university-branded certification, and long-cycle government partnerships. Innovatrium appears bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding or institutional ownership.

Name

Innovatrium

Legal name

Competing Values, LLC

Website

https://innovatrium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Innovatrium is a privately held Ann Arbor-based innovation consulting firm that delivers proprietary frameworks, executive coaching, and certification programs built on its Innovation Genome model to Fortune 500 enterprises, the U.S. Department of Defense, and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Resources & Talent (EDAAAPAM), Human Resources & Talent Development (EDAGANAB), Competency/Skills Analytics & Learning Progression Mapping (EDAFAFAF), Education & Training Providers (EDABALAI)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting
• Leadership development training
• Innovation training programs
• Innovation strategy consulting
• Organizational innovation culture

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Innovation Training Programs: Revenue from structured training programs including the Certified Professional Innovator (CPI) program, Train the Trainer, and custom corporate training. Programs are offered at multiple price points depending on depth and delivery format.
2. Executive and Project Coaching: Individualized coaching services for executives and innovation project leaders, including personal coaching and in-country seminars conducted by Jeff DeGraff.
3. Innovation Consulting Services: Consulting engagements with large organizations including ecosystem growth, project jumpstart, innovation assessments, mentorship, and adaptive innovation systems development.
4. Training Materials and Resources: Sale of books, training and development kits, e-books, and Innovation Genome Card Games for organizations and individuals through Amazon storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Innovatrium is a private innovation consulting firm that sells structured training programs (including the Certified Professional Innovator program certified by the University of Michigan College of Engineering), executive and project coaching, custom innovation workshops, and proprietary Innovation Genome-based assessments and adaptive innovation systems to enterprises, government agencies, and military organizations. Its revenue is anchored in consulting engagements and the CPI/Train-the-Trainer cohort programs built around its proprietary Innovation Genome and Constructive Conflict™ frameworks.

Product overview

Innovatrium is an innovation consulting firm that offers a portfolio of training programs, methodologies, and resources centered around its core Innovation Genome framework. The offering consists of (1) consulting services including Innovation Quick Sprint, Ecosystem Growth, Project Jumpstart, Innovation Assessments + Analytics, Mentorship, and Adaptive Innovation Systems; (2) structured training programs including the Certified Professional Innovator (CPI) Program certified by the University of Michigan, Train the Trainer, AIM HI, Project DAWG, and Project Mercury; (3) the Intellectual Edge Alliance (IEA) ecosystem combining Project Mercury, AIM-HI, and CHILS programs; and (4) physical/digital training kits and resources including Innovation Genome Card Games, Workshop Kits, and the CoIN web-based tool. The services are designed to develop organizational culture, competency, and community for innovation using the Competing Values Framework and Constructive Conflict methodology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Professional Innovator (CPI) Program A 12-week certification program that develops highly practiced innovation leaders through customized online components and an action-learning curriculum, certified by the University of Michigan College of Engineering; priced at $4,000 per person with a 25-participant cohort minimum.
• Train the Trainer Program Develops elite innovation leaders who can lead diverse initiatives and become innovation champions who train the rest of the organization, creating a critical mass of innovators.
• Innovation Quick Sprint A focused, fast-track program that helps organizations rapidly tackle a key challenge or opportunity through a compressed innovation cycle in approximately 4–6 weeks using Innovation Genome-based methods.
• Project Jumpstart Assists companies from idea incubation to project acceleration to create high-quality, impactful ventures that fit clients' capabilities, including the 'jumpstart' activity repeatedly used by clients like Prudential.
• Innovation Assessments + Analytics Uses the proprietary Innovation Genome to provide companies with an assessment of their innovation practices, culture, and competency to determine strengths and weaknesses.
• Mentorship Guides and mentors innovators, executives, and sponsors to navigate change endeavors, build momentum, and push initiatives through organizational barriers.
• Ecosystem Growth Service that grows clients' innovation community and network through connections with university faculty, students, VCs, startups, corporations, and art and design communities.
• Adaptive Innovation Systems AI-enabled adaptive capability tools and applied innovation systems that help organizations strengthen leadership, teaming, culture, and change readiness by combining research-based frameworks with diagnostics, facilitated implementation, and practical tools.
• Government & Institutional Capabilities Supports government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofits, and enterprise partners through applied research, organizational assessment, AI-enabled learning tools, team-based problem solving, leadership development, and culture transformation.
• Custom In-Person Executive Coaching (Jeff DeGraff) Bespoke in-person executive coaching delivered by founder Jeff DeGraff, including in-country seminars tailored to organizational needs; priced US $20,000 to $50,000 plus regular business expenses (travel and materials).
• Project Mercury An innovation workshop program within the Intellectual Edge Alliance (IEA) designed to help warfighters develop and sustain agile and adaptive mindsets, including 3-day workshops at installations such as Maxwell AFB, Osan Air Base, and Kadena Air Base.
• AIM HI Program (Academy • Industry • Military • Hybrid • Innovations) Connects top research universities, entrepreneurial companies, the U.S. Air Force, and the National Guard to develop creativity and innovation skills, facilitate problem solving, and accelerate decision cycles.
• CHILS (Chief of Staff of the Air Force Innovation Leadership Seminar) One of three programs in the Intellectual Edge Alliance (IEA) designed to help senior military leaders develop and sustain agile and adaptive mindsets.
• Project DAWG (Developing Airmen With Games) A game design competition co-developed with Air University's innovation eXcellerator (AUiX) in which diverse college student teams develop prototypes that assess Airman fundamental competencies such as decision making, leadership, and creative thinking.
• Innovation Genome Card Game Kits Physical card-game kits (available for organizations, healthcare organizations, and individuals) sold primarily through Amazon that teach and apply the Innovation Genome framework.
• Workshop Kits Comprehensive physical workshop kits developed by Jeff DeGraff covering creativity training, shared vision and strategizing, learning from experience and experiments, and building high-performing teams, sold to organizations and individuals.
• Published Innovation Books Published innovation books by Jeff DeGraff and Staney DeGraff—including Leading Innovation, Innovation You, The Innovation Code, The Creative Mindset, and The Art of Change—sold to consumers and organizations via Amazon and other retail channels.

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and foundational.

• U.S. Department of Defense/Air ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor strategic partnership delivering innovation leadership programs through the Intellectual Edge Alliance (IEA), including Project Mercury, AIM-HI, and CHILS programs. Programs have trained over 400 military graduates. Focus on developing adaptive mindsets and cognitive flexibility for force preparedness and national security.
• Air UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Air University's innovation eXcellerator (AUiX) to deliver Project DAWG game design competition and other innovation programs connecting military, academia, and industry.
• University of Michigan Ross School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing academic partnership where Jeff DeGraff serves as Clinical Professor of Business Administration. University partnership enables CPI program certification through College of Engineering and access to faculty and student talent.
• HaworthfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly partner that funded and collaborated on creating the first Innovatrium location. Haworth designed the innovative workspace with writable tables and walls in a repurposed 1950s photo lab across from the university.
• Department of the Air ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner supporting innovation and adaptive mindset training through the Intellectual Edge Alliance programs, with recent emphasis on NATO alliance partnerships and expansion plans.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IDEO: Pioneer in design-driven innovation consulting and training; competes directly with Innovatrium for corporate innovation mandates and runs its own credentialed programs (e.g., IDEO U). Both monetize proprietary innovation frameworks applied to enterprise culture change.
• Innosight (HCL): Clayton Christensen-founded innovation strategy firm, now part of HCL; focuses on disruptive innovation and corporate capability building — highly comparable to Innovatrium's enterprise innovation offering.
• Strategos: Gary Hamel-led innovation consulting firm that, like Innovatrium, sells proprietary frameworks and executive education to large enterprises; comparable boutique scale and methodology-led GTM.
• Board of Innovation: Global innovation consultancy headquartered in Belgium with strong corporate-training and capability-building offerings; closest international peer to Innovatrium in methodology, buyer profile, and program structure.
• Jump Associates: Boutique innovation strategy firm working with Fortune 500 leadership on growth and capability programs — direct competitor for enterprise innovation consulting mandates.
• LUMA Institute: Innovation and human-centered design training provider selling practitioner certifications and corporate workshops; comparable to the CPI program in format and buyer.
• What If Innovation: London-based innovation consultancy with proprietary methodologies and a strong corporate-training practice; closest European functional peer to Innovatrium's CPI/cohort model.

Broad incumbents

• Doblin (Deloitte): Deloitte's innovation strategy practice, originating from Larry Keeley's Ten Types of Innovation framework; competes with Innovatrium for large-enterprise innovation transformations but within a much broader consulting portfolio.
• frog (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and innovation consultancy owned by Capgemini; serves the same Fortune 500 buyers as Innovatrium on innovation capability building, with stronger product/industrial design depth.
• BCG (Boston Consulting Group): Global strategy incumbent with a dedicated Innovation & Design practice; competes with Innovatrium for executive-level innovation transformation engagements, typically at larger scale and price point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Innovatrium
• Instagraminstagram.com/innovatrium
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/innovatrium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innovatrium