Housing innovation doesn’t need more industry veterans, it needs fresh perspectives from unexpected places, according to Ian Cahoon, Director of Innovations at Ivory Innovations. This counterintuitive approach is driving new solutions in an industry struggling with affordability challenges.
“We don’t expect the students to be experts, and we almost don’t want it,” Cahoon says, describing his organization’s approach to sourcing new housing solutions. “We want fresh ideas.” This philosophy represents a dramatic departure from the traditional real estate industry’s reliance on seasoned professionals.
Cahoon advocates for what he calls the “dragonfly approach” to housing innovation. “You have all these eyes and all these perspectives that are all put together to come up with kind of a final solution,” he explains. This multi-faceted view allows for solutions that industry experts might overlook.
Rather than limiting innovation to those with decades of experience, Ivory Innovations actively seeks input from students across diverse disciplines, from architecture and urban planning to finance and civil engineering. This cross-pollination of ideas has already yielded promising results.
One notable success story is Kit Switch, a company born from a student competition that now specializes in office conversions and prefabricated interior design. “They were one of the teams that formed together to participate in Hack-A-House, ended up winning in their category, and then decided to start a company based on their Hack-A-House idea,” Cahoon notes.
The organization’s approach is gaining traction across academia, with students from over 70 universities participating in their innovation programs. This broad reach helps ensure a diverse range of perspectives and solutions.
According to Cahoon, the housing crisis requires more than conventional thinking. “Housing is not one silver bullet approach,” he says. “It’s really a buckshot of great ideas and innovators and students and organizations all working together to make meaningful impacts on housing.”
This recognition that fresh perspectives matter more than traditional expertise is reshaping how the industry approaches innovation. Through structured programs and competitions, Ivory Innovations is creating pathways for new voices to enter the housing conversation and implement real solutions.
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