IB Design Technology 5.4 Stakeholders in Invention and Innovation Questionbank

The Gramovox® bluetooth speaker design is based on gramophones from the 1920s, see Figure 13. For the prototype, stereolithography (SLA) was used to 3D print the S-curve horn.

Pavan Bapu the founder of Gramovox®, is an entrepreneur and a product champion, see Figure 14. He crowdsourced funding for manufacture through Kickstarter and promoted the concept through live online broadcasts and newspaper interviews. He was inspired to develop the Gramovox® bluetooth speaker after seeing a 1920s gramophone in a shop window.

Figure 13: Gramovox, 2013. Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone. $image online$
Available at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gramovox/gramovoxtm-bluetooth-gramophone
$Accessed 10 September 2020$.

Figure 14: Technori, 2015. Pavan Bapu Presents Gramovox. $video online$ Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mp5m8klziA
$Accessed 10 September 2020$. Source adapted.

A senior manager at a consumer electronics firm recognizes the potential of a high-risk smart-home project that has faced significant internal opposition. By leveraging their professional standing and navigating company politics, the manager ensures the project receives the necessary resources and protection to reach the manufacturing stage.

In the context of innovation, which stakeholder role is this manager primarily performing?

Following the creation of a working prototype for a portable desalination unit, the inventor seeks a partner to provide the financial investment and business expertise needed for commercialization.

Which role is the partner primarily fulfilling?