Internal idea marketplaces are having a moment. The vision is seductive: turn every employee into both a sensor and a solver. Let needs meet capabilities. Let creativity flow laterally. Let ideas rise on their own merit.
But theory and reality rarely shake hands.
“It’s like building a stock exchange where no one shows up to trade,” said one executive, reflecting on a failed rollout.
This article distills interviews with over 20 innovation leaders across industries—ranging from consumer goods to financial services, national enterprises to multinational tech. Their message? Internal marketplaces can be powerful—but only when matched with cultural courage, structural clarity, and executive intent.
At their best, internal marketplaces replace serendipity with design. They aim to solve a common problem: someone has a need, someone else has the solution—but they’re on different floors, continents, or calendars.
As one innovation leader put it, “We don’t lack solutions. We lack ways to find them.”
A large financial institution in Europe, for example, has built repeatable systems to surface and route needs: annual “calls for ideas” target internal opportunities, while broader “calls for solutions” scout the market. A digital portal captures responses, and dedicated evangelists drive engagement. During COVID, one such call led to dozens of new working models being proposed—grassroots innovation, at scale.
At Orange, a weekly Innovation Talk brings fresh ideas into the open, but participation remains patchy. “Only 10% of managers show up,” one leader admitted. “Everyone else is too busy growing the core.”
If platforms are the bones of a marketplace, culture is the bloodstream. And that’s where most pilots stall.
“Management think they have all of the answers, so they are not interested,” said one interviewee.
Another offered a more systemic lens: “Hierarchy drives which ideas are seen. Not value. Not urgency. Just titles.”
The result? Frustrated solvers. Invisible problems. And an innovation pipeline that leaks before it fills.
Several contributors pointed out that even where marketplaces exist, employees fear participating. “There’s no incentive to take risks,” one executive shared. “You’re rewarded for doing your job—not for venturing outside it.”
Still, change is possible. One Head of Innovation recalled spending years reshaping culture inside a legacy financial institution. Through training, bootcamps, and internal evangelist programs, they created safe zones where employees could explore without fear. “Resilience,” she said, “is more important than any platform.”
In organizations where idea marketplaces thrive, we found three consistent patterns:
A large financial institution uses a matrix to map internal needs by strategic value and impact, then tailors the idea sourcing approach—internal, external, or technological reuse. “We don’t launch open calls blindly,” said one leader. “We segment first. Then we activate.”
“Give them a problem, give them permission, and get out of the way,” advised a CPG innovation executive. High-performing companies often authorize mini innovation pods—cross-functional teams with the air cover to break norms and move fast.
“Setting up small pods with permission to solve problems,” said one participant, “has been the most effective thing we’ve done.”
Ideas flow to where attention goes. Leaders who sponsor, respond, and show up transform idea marketplaces from theater to system. “If senior execs don’t use the platform, no one else will,” said one interviewee bluntly.
AI was mentioned often—sometimes as a dream, sometimes as a liability. From surfacing duplicates to recommending matches, it’s becoming a key enabler.
But there were warnings.
“AI hallucinations and spurious generalizations can mislead us,” one data science leader warned.
Another raised a cultural red flag: “If people think the system is listening to their Slack, they’ll go silent.”
The consensus? AI is useful—but it cannot replace trust. Or sponsorship. Or shared purpose.
The future of marketplaces may not be decided by technology, but by intent. Companies that treat these platforms as infrastructure—not experiments—will see the return.
“We’ve spent years building better stages,” said one interviewee. “What we need now are better players and clearer scripts.”
This is not a tool problem. It’s an ownership problem. A clarity problem. A leadership problem.
Internal idea marketplaces can unlock speed, surface talent, and solve real problems—but only if they are given more than budget. They need champions. Rules. Culture. Time.
When designed thoughtfully and led with intent, they do more than capture ideas—they rewire how companies learn and respond.
Or as one participant said best: “An idea marketplace isn’t about innovation. It’s about attention. And attention is the rarest resource we have.”
