How to Stop Gambling with 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.