GRAHAM FURLONGBOULDER,CO/MT
VENTURE BUILDER, STRATEGIC LEADER
& BUSINESS ADVISOR.
INTRODUCING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO THE NEW WORLD.
The world and its subcultures are constantly shifting. Alongside which new technologies are being formed. The art is bringing the two together to create a fusion of opportunity. The technology becomes widely accepted and human potential expands.
This is the focus of my work—introducing technological advancements to create a human advantage. I collaborate with CEOs, entrepreneurs, scientists, technologists, venture capitalists, universities, and private equity firms to incubate and introduce new technologies that drive massive value creation for both investors and humanity.
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11 BMW DESIGN WORKSPRODUCT INVENTION
INCUBATING A NEW CATEGORY OF PERSONAL VEHICLE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
A car that never leaves your neighborhood. That was the starting point.
Club Car, the world’s largest manufacturer of golf carts, and BMW Design Works had spotted an opportunity: families were using golf carts off the course to run errands, visit friends, and get around their neighborhoods. It was the perfect middle ground—easier than walking, more fun than driving, and far less hassle than using a full-sized car.
We collaborated to explore how the vehicle and user experience could be enhanced to fully capitalize on this opportunity, with the goal of increasing preference and usage for their new-to-the-world ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ (SPV).
To achieve this, we designed a two-stage invention and validation approach—generating a pipeline of new product ideas and quantitatively validating which ones would drive the greatest positive shift in customer behavior. Throughout our partnership, we developed 15 concepts, created six video prototypes, and identified three validated ideas for Club Car to take to market.
Each innovation was deeply rooted in customer needs across the entire vehicle journey—from purchase to usage and ownership. The top three concepts focused on:
- Monitoring family usage to ensure safety and efficiency.
- Discovering new trails to explore, enhancing the sense of adventure.
- Customizing the vehicle with add-ons to make it unique and personal.
This process established a lean playbook for quickly generating conviction in an idea—without incurring the heavy capital costs of development and production.