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There\u2019s no way to innovate if you only stay in your court\n\nXavi Cortadellas is the Head of Innovation and Design at Gatorade. He focuses on innovating in the newest spaces, like tech and services, rather than incremental innovation. Gatorade invented sports drinks 50 years ago and now has an 80% market share.\xa0With little room to expand, they actively look for new spaces to grow.\xa0Because Gatorade is a huge part of sports in America, when entering a new market, they are careful to examine what\u2019s the right things to do and to always have patience and perseverance.\xa0\xa0\n\nGatorade started their innovation journey in 2010 with the G Series. They wanted to expand their product portfolio for before and after sports occasions, such as energy drinks and recovery shakes. In 2015, they changed their approach to viewing themselves as a sports fuel company, providing solutions for the 24/7 athlete in multiple spaces and with numerous products.\xa0Some products worked, while others did not.Today, Gatorade is in the third wave of innovation and is now looking at services.\xa0Xavi believes in the future, Gatorade may be able to provide sports nutrition information through tech like wearables and heel implants or offer recovery tips and move from delivering products to providing monetized services.\n\nAs the quarterback of a small innovation team, Xavi corals different groups that touch innovation, such as a daily relationship with R and D. He also works with external design agencies, external tech agencies,\xa0and sports marketing teams, which connect him with professional sports teams.\xa0Gatorade must understand what the professional athletes want and need.\xa0However, working with them can be challenging.\xa0Products and services must work the first time, and there\u2019s no time for incubation. When moving products and services from the pros to consumers, Gatorade will make some changes, but already has received valuable input about the products or services from the pro athletes.\xa0\n\nPrioritizing new ideas at Gatorade comes down to a few things. First is money.\xa0What is the size of the prize?\xa0Second is an equity play.\xa0Is it a good niche investment for Gatorade and does it create a story that helps them tap into new spaces? Third is complexity.\xa0Do they have the right capabilities to accomplish this idea? Cross-functional teams help vet this question and typically have a reasonable consensus on prioritizing and killing ideas.\xa0Applying the proper discipline up front, helps the company stay successful.Xavi believes two pitfalls for innovation teams include the tension between the core and innovation, and the complexity of entering new territories.\n\nFor more information or to contact Xavi, go to\xa0Gatorade.com or email him at\xa0Xavi.cortadellas@pepsico.com\n\nIf you liked this podcast, you might also enjoy Jack Elkins with Orlando Magic, Santhi Ramesh with Hersheys, and Derek Mauk with Anheuser Busch. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy