STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS
Systemic Sustainability: AI-Augmented Innovation Sprint
Moving beyond isolated products to design resilient business models for the Ecosystems Age. We leverage systems thinking and AI to bridge the gap between complex challenges and commercialised value
The Challenge
Most sustainable initiatives fail not due to a lack of intent, but due to a lack of systemic integration. Organisations often find themselves trapped in “Innovation Theatre”—launching pilot projects that look good in an ESG report but fail to scale because they don’t align with the core business model or the shifting industry value landscape.
Closing the Sustainability Complexity Gap
The real challenge is three-fold:
- The Complexity Trap: Sustainable problems are “wicked problems”—interconnected, non-linear, and resistant to simple fixes.
- Incumbent Inertia: The internal pressure to “Exploit” current high-carbon or linear revenue streams often kills “Explore” projects before they can prove their value.
- The Evidence Gap: Moving from a “green idea” to a “commercialised solution” requires rapid validation of People, Planet, Profit, and Progress—a process that usually takes months, not days.
We solve this by using AI-augmented Business Design to map the entire system and compress the validation cycle, moving you from ambiguity to evidence in just one week.
Who It’s For
This sprint is for leadership teams and intrapreneurs who recognise that sustainability is a systems-level challenge:
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Sustainability & ESG Leads: Looking to pivot from compliance-driven reporting to value-driven innovation.
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Venture Builders & Product Owners: Needing to validate the desirability and viability of a new circular business model.
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Systems-Centric Designers: Professionals moving beyond “Design Science” toward “Ecosystem-centric” thinking to avoid disruption.
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Corporate Intrapreneurs: Those tasked with building the 6 Innovator’s Mindset Traits—specifically Curiosity (understanding underlying why’s) and Creativity (combining elements to drive new thinking).
How We Use Systems Thinking & AI
We use a “Human-Led, AI-Augmented” approach to map complexity and identify the “leverage points” for change:
- Systems Mapping (Divergence): We map your organization’s role within the broader industry landscape to identify where “Industry Value” is shifting. We use AI to synthesise these maps, identifying hidden risks and opportunities for circularity.
- Problem Exploration: AI-augmented research (using tools like Synthetic Users) helps us explore “Meaningful Problems” within the system before jumping to solutions.
- Value-System Design: Using the 130+ Value Types Canvas, we map how value flows through your ecosystem across People, Planet, Profit, and Progress quadrants.
- Convergent Synthesis: We use AI to analyse the data from system maps and prototypes, helping us converge on the most viable “Innovation Initiatives.”
How It Works: 5-Day Systemic Sprint
Day 1: System Empathy & Mapping
- We move beyond the user to map the entire stakeholder ecosystem, identifying the “wicked problems” and shifting value landscapes.
Day 2: Landscape Definition
- Using AI, and primary data sources we define the “Future-To-Be” state of your system and select the specific “Innovation Tactics” needed to move there
They help to challenge thinking and imagining early-on in the process. This helps you to de-risk the road ahead before moving anywhere near solutions!
Day 3: Radical Ideation
- We leverage prompt-driven ideation to diverge widely, exploring new business models that challenge the status quo
Day 4: Systemic Prototyping
- We build low-fidelity “rough-and-dirty” prototypes to test how your solution interacts with the broader system.
Day 5: Validation & Evidence
- We gather evidence to prove the “commercialisation potential” of the idea. We conclude with a Culture Readiness Assessment to ensure your team has the mindset to implement it.
Case Example: Innovate UK Ignite Lab
The Ignite Lab was a high-impact pre-acceleration initiative designed to transition deep-tech academic research and early-stage ideas into commercially viable, systemically-aligned ventures. As an Innovation Coach and Strategist, I helped participants navigate the “Complexity Gap” between scientific discovery and market-ready business design.
Key Outcomes & Impact:
Systemic De-risking
Systemic De-risking: Guided founders through rapid problem exploration and systems mapping to identify the “Industry Value Landscape” before building prototypes.
Mindset Transformation
Embedded the 6 Innovator’s Mindset Traits, shifting researchers from a “Technical-First” approach to a “Market-First” agile validation methodology (Build-Measure-Learn).
Value Proposition Refinement
Utilized the 130+ Value Types Canvas to ensure ventures delivered impact across People, Planet, Profit, and Progress
Commercial Readiness
Successfully moved multiple cohorts from abstract concepts to validated business cases, securing follow-on funding and strategic partnerships by aligning their “Explore” projects with real-world ecosystem needs
What You’ll Achieve
Complete a full innovation cycle in 5 days, shifting from abstract goals to a validated roadmap.
- Stakeholder-Validated Assumptions: We don’t just build; we de-risk. You will leave with full validation of your underlying critical assumptions, having tested your concept against real-world stakeholder needs and systemic constraints.
- A “Build-Measure-Learn” Mindset Shift: Beyond the project outcomes, your team will adopt a rapid iterative (in)validation approach. We shift the culture from “protecting ideas” to “testing hypotheses,” embedding the core principles of evidence-based innovation.
- AI-Augmented Ways of Working: Your team will learn to leverage the latest AI tools and frameworks—such as synthetic user testing and automated data synthesis—to optimise the innovation process, ensuring you can continue to iterate at machine speed long after the sprint ends.
- Strategic Governance Blueprint: A practical plan to integrate your findings into a Dual-Mode Structure, ensuring your “Explore” project has the executive buy-in and OKR alignment needed to survive and scale within the organisation.
CLIENT EXPERIENCES
Our team has worked with the World’s largest organizations
Solve the Complexity Trap
TURN WICKED PROBLEMS INTO INNOVATION OUTCOMES
Are your sustainability goals stuck in “Innovation Theatre”? Let’s discuss your current ecosystem challenges and how we can use AI-augmented business design to find your highest leverage points.
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Collaborate Remotely
No problem. We can guide and facilitate our programs fully hybrid or in person using some great tools to get the job done. Reach out to learn more.
