Somerset Innovation Hub: Innovation Discovery Studio

Turning ideas into real products and services that customers truly want needs structure.

Whether you’re an engineer, entrepreneur, or innovator looking to bring new products and services to market, this interactive session will give you the mindset, methods, and momentum to make it happen. Expertly facilitated by Colin Dart and Guy Newsom, this event will help you:

• Build structured processes to control the ideation journey
• Identify user needs to better understand the opportunity for your ideas
• Learn how AI and accessible prototyping technology can speed up the process
• Understand how iteration saves time and money, and create better value

Join us to connect with like-minded innovators, gain practical tools to accelerate development, and see how iAero’s cutting-edge facilities can help bring your ideas to life.

Guy Newsom

Guy Newsom is a passionate and ambitious product leader, driven to delivering purposeful, user focused products that drive business growth and genuine mass adoption. With a career spanning concept through to mass production, his experience covers the full product journey, from designing cutting-edge consumer tech at Samsung to helping build XYZ Reality, one of the world’s leading Augmented Reality startups.

A multiple Red Dot Design Award winner, Guy now supports startups and scaleups on their product development, growth, and investment strategies, with a special focus on high-tech eyewear, AR systems, and AI-driven design innovation.

Colin Dart

Initially a designer and network architect by trade, Colin has now been designing, managing, and delivering technology growth support programmes for a number of years.

A keen advocate of sustainable product and service development, Colin aids impact driven founders and business leaders to plan and deliver robust technology strategies.

At Exeter Innovation, Colin is responsible for acceleration and knowledge exchange programme management, business support, and technology development support.

The Somerset Innovation Hub

Delivered by The University of Exeter, part of the world renowned SETsquared partnership, in collaboration with Somerset Council.

The Somerset Innovation Hub aims to catalyse a vibrant digital innovation ecosystem and support scalable, high-growth businesses through structured programming, events, advisory services, and sector-specific initiatives.

This project is part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.