Can Innovation Be Had on the Cheap?

The November edition of The Atlantic has an article by Scott Anthony entitled "Making Innovation Cheap and Easy" that argues that "the price of starting a company has never been lower, and science is unpacking the common characteristics of entrepreneurs." Really? This is only partially true.

The barriers to entry have certainly become quite low for innovators. But can the mental process of innovation be easily boxed into a model? Boiling it down to such a science is tantalizing, but I feel like a list of traits and characteristics common to innovators, such as associational thinking, are only a part of the equation. A lot of innovation seems to come from inspiration, or dumb luck – or even chance meeting a prepared mind.