Infonomia is an innovation services company that helps organizations identify trends, design new products and business models, and connect with a global network of experts; it was founded and is led by Alfons Cornella and claims a distributed network of roughly 25,000 professionals to support its work[1][2].
High-Level Overview
- Mission: Infonomia positions itself as a comprehensive innovation company that helps clients across sectors by connecting them with a broad network of innovators and providing trend insight and corporate innovation services[1][2].
- Investment philosophy / Key sectors / Impact on the startup ecosystem: Infonomia is not primarily an investment firm; rather, it operates as an innovation consultancy and knowledge network serving multiple sectors and helping corporates, institutions and event audiences discover and apply emerging ideas—its impact is through advisory, events and curated expert networks rather than direct financing of startups[1][2][3].
Origin Story
- Founding year and key partners: Infonomia was founded by Alfons Cornella (often styled Alfons Cornella or Alfons Solans in some profiles) after he left or spun out from earlier content and events work tied to Esade and other institutions; Cornella is the public face and founder of Infonomia[2][3].
- How the idea emerged and early traction: The company grew from Cornella’s prior activity running innovation talks and events (moving events out of Esade lecture theatres into a commercial venture) and expanded by building a large network of contributors and running conferences, consulting engagements and publications that established early credibility[3][2].
Core Differentiators
- Large curated expert network: Infonomia emphasizes a distributed pool of roughly 25,000 “pioneering” or “eager” professionals who can be tapped for projects and events, which it uses as a core resource for insight and execution[1][2].
- Event and content heritage: The firm evolved from Alc. Cornella’s long-running speaking, publishing and event activities, giving it strengths in trend curation and public programming[3][2].
- Cross-sector service model: Rather than focusing on a single vertical, Infonomia serves multiple sectors and positions itself as an integrator of ideas and practices for corporates and institutions[1][2].
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
- Riding the trend-to-service wave: Infonomia operates at the intersection of trend intelligence, corporate innovation and knowledge networks—areas that matter as incumbents seek outside perspectives to accelerate digital transformation and new business-model exploration[1][2].
- Timing and market forces: Demand for external innovation partners, curated expertise and event-driven idea exchange has grown with faster technology cycles and the need for organizations to scan for strategic opportunities, which aligns with Infonomia’s service offering[1][3].
- Influence: Its influence is primarily thought-leadership, events and facilitating connections between organizations and independent experts, rather than venture capital or operating-scale products[2][3].
Quick Take & Future Outlook
- What’s next: As corporates continue to outsource trend scanning and ideation, Infonomia can scale its model by deepening its expert network, expanding digital offerings and developing repeatable corporate innovation products[1][2].
- Trends that will shape its journey: Greater demand for distributed expert networks, virtual event formats, and outcome-focused innovation engagements will likely determine its growth trajectory[1][3].
- How influence might evolve: If Infonomia formalizes practices into platforms or subscription services, its role could shift from event-and-consulting-led to a recurring-services model, increasing impact and predictability of revenue[1][2].
Sources cited above profile Infonomia as an innovation services and events company founded and led by Alfons Cornella, with a large network of external experts and a background in trend-focused programming and consulting[2][1][3].
