Chicago Lean Startup Circle

Encyclopedia Britannica: Lean Innovation in the Enterprise

You may remember Encyclopedia Britannica as the rows of thick books that populated your elementary school library, but future generations will think of the company much differently. Earlier this year, Encyclopedia Britannica announced its plans to go all-digital. After 244 years, the bound copies that once ruled the world of information will be discontinued. The digital version of the encyclopedia will continue, but the main focus of the company has shifted to educational software. How did an institution with such an established history like Encyclopedia Britannica find a way to move beyond the product that once defined it?

Join us on Thursday, December 13 to hear Greg Healy, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Encyclopedia Britannica, talk about a Lean Startup approach to innovation in an enterprise environment. By implementing the Lean Startup methodology, Greg has enabled Britannica to test new products faster and more efficiently. This rapid feedback loop has led to new streams of revenue and a new direction for the company. Under pressure to adapt to the digital age, Encyclopedia Britannica has redefined itself as the worlds oldest startup.


Some of the talking points will include:
-How to identify who your customers really are and what they're looking for

-How to minimize friction between tradition and innovation in an enterprise environment
-How to create more rapid feedback loops to allow for more product testing and greater chances of success

Join or login to comment.

  • A former member
    A former member

    Lean Startup in the enterprise and education: Important topics, well addressed! Is there a Chicagoland ed-tech startup community?

    December 14

  • Mike Blaine
    Mike Blaine

    Great speaker!

    December 19

  • Jeff Snyder
    Jeff Snyder

    One of the best meetups I have been to in a while. Awesome topic well presented in an interesting venue with plenty of food, drink and networking. Cant wait for the next one!

    December 14

  • Gary Chiu
    Gary Chiu

    Learned alot from this meetup. Thank you for putting this together.

    1 · December 14

  • Tom Rebholz
    Tom Rebholz

    It was interesting to hear how a larger entity is applying the principles.

    December 14

  • NS
    NS

    Interesting and informative

    December 14

  • sam perlmutter
    sam perlmutter

    Enjoyed the networking beforehand and how Greg showed the large scale application of lean methods.

    December 13

  • A former member
    A former member

    Thanks! My only recommendation for improvement: veggie (not just plain cheese) pizza for vegetarians.

    December 13

79 attended

Your organizer's refund policy for Encyclopedia Britannica: Lean Innovation in the Enterprise

Refunds offered if:

  • the Meetup is cancelled
  • you can cancel at least 1 day(s) before the Meetup

Payments you make go to the organizer, not to Meetup. You must make refund requests to the organizer.

Close this

Our Sponsors

Pathfinder Software

Lean Innovation and Healthcare Software Development

Chicago Lean Startup Challenge

Lean Startup Competition with $75,000 in Prizes

1871

Chicago's New Home for the Entrepreneurial Community

People in this
Meetup are also in:
103,825,237 RSVPs!
hide

Log in

Not registered with us yet?

Forgot your password?

or

Sign up

Meetup members, Log in

or
By clicking the "Sign up using Facebook" or "Sign up" buttons above, you agree to Meetup's Terms of Service