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Innovation speaker & author

Simone Ahuja

Entrepreneurship

Customer Experience

Sales

Achieve sustainable innovation by embracing the principles of fast and frugal startups with Dr. Simone Ahuja, speaker, author, and expert in intrapreneurship.

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Trusted by United HealthGroup, Procter & Gamble, MIT, University of Cambridge, Walker Art Center

Simone Ahuja

Minneapolis, United States

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Minneapolis, United States

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Simone Ahuja's biography

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At a glance

Pioneer in intrapreneurship and sustainable innovation strategies
Co-author of Jugaad Innovation on frugal innovation principles
Consultant for institutions and companies like MIT and Procter & Gamble

Dr. Simone Ahuja, an expert in "intrapreneurship," helps organizations drive sustainable innovation through fast and frugal startup principles. As the founder of Blood Orange, a global innovation firm in Minneapolis, Simone is a pioneer in the field. Simone, an accomplished author, co-wrote the bestseller Jugaad Innovation, praised for its exploration of frugal innovation. Her latest book, Disrupt-It-Yourself, provides practical tools for fostering intrapreneurship in organizations. Her expertise is valued by institutions like MIT and the University of Cambridge, and she has worked with top companies such as United HealthGroup and Procter & Gamble. Simone also contributes to the Harvard Business Review and serves on the Board of Trustees at the Walker Art Center. In addition to her professional achievements, Simone enjoys improvisational comedy, showcasing her creativity and versatility in all aspects of her life.

Topics, sessions and talks

Solve Problems Fast Using What You Have: The Fast & Frugal Intrapreneurship Guide

Thinking like an entrepreneur isn’t just for startups. Solving even the biggest problems starts with you and the resources you already have. What you need is the right mindset and a simple toolkit to get you there. — Want to create more business value with fewer resources consistently — Want to democratize innovation, so it’s the domain of all employees — Feel challenged and stressed by having to grow the business with less time and fewer resources.

Cracking the Intrapreneur's Code: Startup Mindset for Big Organizations

Innovation isn’t just for R & D and the organizational elite. Some of the most impactful innovations come from passion and purpose-driven intrapreneurs – entrepreneurs in your organization without a formal mandate to innovate. Cracking the Intrapreneur’s Code empowers and inspires your intrapreneurs to take action through memorable stories, a clear process, and a whole lot of fun. Based on research from her book Disrupt It Yourself, Simone presents a proven approach to guide your intrapreneurs from ideas to innovation impact. — Address disruption by out-innovating from within their organization — Build a culture where everyone feels empowered to innovate – and knows how to do it — Drive more innovation every day – without upending their entire organization

Accelerating Sales: Driving Customer-Centric Innovation for Easy Yes

Unlock the transformative power of customer-centric innovation to drive sales excellence with this session designed for sales teams. Revolutionize your approach and energize your team to achieve unparalleled growth. Discover vital strategies to elevate sales potential using a simple, yet profound customer-centric framework. Shift focus from assumptions to genuine understanding of customer needs and communicate in a language that resonates with them. Attendees will learn to consistently address customer needs, craft resonant messages, and apply actionable strategies immediately, making it almost effortless for customers to say ‘yes’ to their offerings.

DEI as a Catalyst: Uncover Bias & Drive Innovation for New Opportunities

Innovation is the most powerful way for organizations to stay relevant and grow in our rapidly evolving world. By increasing the diversity of their teams and creating space for diverse voices to be heard, business leaders can dramatically increase their innovation output. In this energizing and optimistic keynote, Dr. Ahuja shares engaging stories demonstrating why diverse teams create more “out of the box” ideas and drive nearly 20% higher revenue. She provides a fun and often surprising experience that uncovers your own biases in real-time and shares practical tools for building the psychological safety fundamental to successful innovation and business growth. — Want to reduce bias and build a more inclusive and curious culture — Want to build a healthy culture of psychological safety to support diverse voices and ideas — Want to harness curiosity to drive more inclusion and innovation

Revolution Is An Inside Job: How To Think And Act Like An Internal Entrepreneur

Do you have ideas about changes needed in your organization but don’t have a clear pathway to bring them to life? Is Problem-solving in your blood, but maybe not in your job description? Each Of us can be a leader and changemaker – but what happens when we question the status quo within our division or industry? — Build A consistent pipeline for innovation and innovation talent — Build a culture where everyone feels empowered to innovate — Create a more inclusive culture that catalyzes innovation

Why we recommend booking Simone

Simone brings a wealth of expertise in fostering sustainable innovation and intrapreneurship, leveraging her successful strategies from her work with leading global companies and her insights as a bestselling author. By booking Simone, your team will gain practical tools and inspiration to drive growth and innovation from within, using principles of frugality and agility. Her dynamic approach, combined with her experience in improvisational comedy, ensures an engaging and transformative experience for all attendees.

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Trusted by United HealthGroup, Procter & Gamble, MIT, University of Cambridge, Walker Art Center

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How do I book Simone Ahuja for my next event?

Email simone.ahuja@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Simone's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.

What is Simone Ahuja's speaking style like?

Simone Ahuja draws on research from her book Disrupt It Yourself to present a structured process for intrapreneurship, combining case-based storytelling with a practical framework that guides audiences from idea generation to measurable innovation impact.

What topics does Simone Ahuja specialise in?

Simone Ahuja speaks on intrapreneurship, frugal innovation, customer-centric sales, and building innovation cultures within large organisations. She is the author of Disrupt It Yourself and co-author of the bestselling Jugaad Innovation, and has worked with organisations including MIT, the University of Cambridge, and Procter & Gamble.

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