How to Stop Gambling with Innovation

The Cost of Intuition in Innovation

Greg Galle: Hey everyone—welcome to Next Moves with AI, a special series of the Make Next Happen podcast. I’m Greg Galle, co-founder of Solve Next, where we help leaders build Intelligent Innovation Systems.

Daniel Buritica: And I’m Daniel Buritica, Chief Operating Officer here at Solve Next. Today we’re diving into one of the most important conversations in innovation: how to make smarter decisions—especially when the path forward is uncertain.

Greg Galle: That’s right. Because let’s be honest—when it comes to innovation, a lot of teams are flying blind. They’re relying on gut instinct, momentum, or what worked last time… and they’re risking serious capital in the process.

Daniel Buritica: And when we say “serious capital,” we mean all of it—not just money. Human capital. Reputational capital. Social and political capital. Innovation is about building, protecting, and liberating value across every one of those dimensions.

Greg Galle: And gambling with that? Not an option. That’s why we’re all about intelligent innovation—and why today, we’re sharing two stories that show the difference. One where things unraveled fast, and another where they scaled with strength.

Daniel Buritica: Alright, let’s start with the crash and burn…

Greg Galle: Public Health England. Spring of 2020. The UK was scrambling to scale COVID testing.

Greg Galle: Big pressure.

Greg Galle: Big stakes.

Daniel Buritica: And the plan looked smart—on paper. Centralize all testing under one system. Streamline it. Control the quality. It felt logical.

Greg Galle: Yeah, but in reality? It was a slow-moving train wreck. Delays. Bottlenecks. People couldn’t get tested. Trust eroded. And within months, the entire organization was dissolved.

Daniel Buritica: It’s wild—because it wasn’t a lack of ambition. It was a lack of structure. No pilot programs. No fallback options. They bet the house on one rigid, untested model.

Greg Galle: If they’d had a Next Board—and we say this all the time—it would’ve lit up red: Stop and Pivot. Pilot a decentralized model. Involve private labs. Validate early. Create options. Don’t go all-in on something that hasn’t been stress-tested.

Daniel Buritica: So let’s break it down using the Super Seven Framework:

Daniel Buritica: Strategic Fit? Nope. It didn’t respond to the speed or scale the pandemic demanded.

Daniel Buritica: Portfolio Fit? Not even close. Testing consumed everything—leaving contact tracing and comms in the dust.

Daniel Buritica: Is it Wanted? Absolutely. The public needed tests. That box was checked.

Daniel Buritica: Doable? Not at the scale they attempted. They had no roadmap to ramp up capacity.

Daniel Buritica: Worth It? Nope. Huge losses—financial, political, reputational.

Daniel Buritica: Affordable Loss? None. There was no tolerance for failure baked in.

Daniel Buritica: Option Value? Zero. No modular design. No flex path. Just one fragile strategy.

Daniel Buritica: Seven critical questions—and only one real “yes.” That’s not a bet you make with serious capital on the line.

Daniel Buritica: It’s not that boldness is bad—it’s that boldness without validation is reckless. That’s what brought them down.

Greg Galle: Now let’s shift gears to Rwanda. Because they tackled an equally ambitious challenge—but took a completely different path.

Daniel Buritica: Oh, this one’s amazing. Rural clinics in Rwanda couldn’t get blood or vaccines fast enough. Geography, infrastructure—it was a life-or-death bottleneck.

Greg Galle: So, what did they do? They partnered with Zipline and asked the right questions up front."Is this aligned with our national healthcare goals?""Can this work in real-world conditions?""Will people actually use it?"And instead of guessing—they tested.

Daniel Buritica: They started small. Pilots. Learning loops. Iteration. Every step gave them data to adapt and scale. And their Super Seven?

Daniel Buritica: Strategic Fit? 100%. It was built to solve a core equity issue.

Daniel Buritica: Portfolio Fit? Seamlessly fit alongside their broader healthcare delivery strategy.

Daniel Buritica: Is it Wanted? Yep. Remote clinics needed it desperately.

Daniel Buritica: Doable? Proved it through phased rollouts.

Daniel Buritica: Worth It? Beyond. Huge returns in human, reputational, and social capital.

Daniel Buritica: Affordable Loss? They shared risk with Zipline, making it safe to test and learn.

Daniel Buritica: Option Value? Tons. The system adapted to deliver COVID vaccines later on.

Greg Galle: That’s a clean sweep. And their Next Board? Would’ve said: Scale Strategically.You’ve built the foundation. Now expand intentionally. Keep the feedback loop alive. Let learning lead the way.

Daniel Buritica: That’s the heart of what we teach: big wins don’t come from big bets. They come from smart bets. Disciplined, structured, and backed by real evidence.

Greg Galle: And that’s where our tool—the Super Seven Syncher—AI Assistant—comes in.

Daniel Buritica: Yeah, the Syncher is like having a strategic coach in the room. It doesn’t make the decisions for you—it helps you make better ones.

Greg Galle: It brings the Super Seven Criteria to life. It helps you clarify your thinking, validate your assumptions, and align your team around capital-smart decisions.

Daniel Buritica: And it’s not just about structure—it’s about momentum. The Syncher supports every step of the Next Cycle, helping leaders advance with confidence or pause with purpose.

Greg Galle: It’s not about slowing down. It’s about being smart enough to speed up safely—to scale what works and stop what doesn’t, before the stakes get too high.

Daniel Buritica: So if you're out there trying to decide whether to push forward, pause, or pivot—bring the Syncher into the room. It brings clarity, accountability, and strategic alignment to the table.

Greg Galle: Alright, that’s a wrap. Two stories. One blew up. One scaled up. And the difference? Discipline. Framework. Feedback. And asking the right questions early.

Daniel Buritica: Wherever you're working—in a startup, a health system, a government agency—stop gambling. Start testing. Start validating. That’s how you build what’s next.

Greg Galle: And if you don’t know where to begin, we’ve got you. The Syncher is ready. Try it. Let it challenge your thinking. Let it sharpen your focus.

Daniel Buritica: We’ll see you next time. Until then—keep those bets small, your learning big, and your future bright.

Greg Galle: Thanks for tuning in to Next Moves with AI. I’m Greg Galle from Solve Next.

Greg Galle: If today’s conversation got you thinking, we’d love to hear from you.

Greg Galle: Find us on LinkedIn or at SolveNext.com.

Greg Galle: And if you haven’t yet, give the Super Seven Syncher—AI Assistant a spin. It’s linked in the show notes.

Greg Galle: Stop guessing.

Greg Galle: Start building.

Greg Galle: Until next time.