#eVAForum2013 Blue Ocean Brain: Blazing a new (vendor category) trail?

While we are all familiar with the expression “originality is your ability to conceal your source,” what happens when you are the “originator” and therefore have no point of reference from which to begin.

As a vendor looking to do business with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Blue Ocean Brain believes that they fall into this category.

Blue Ocean Brain – think Luminosity on steroids – was one of the many vendors who attended the Virginia Forum 2013 Vendor Expo.  A lively and highly engaging venue through which the Commonwealth’s buyers could meet and talk with the many companies either already doing or, looking to do business with Virginia.

When I dropped by the Blue Ocean Brain booth the company’s founders Laura Howard and Gemma (pronounced Jemm-ah) Brooks, offered an interesting view into why brain exercise programs are gaining significant traction. Once again, refer to the Luminosity commercials.

The Blue Ocean Brain video (which you have to see) talks about providing employees with “10 minutes a day of expert content that puts them on the path to becoming productive thinkers.”

Based on their success in the private sector, Gemma indicated that they saw the Vendor Expo as an ideal way to introduce their services to those in attendance.  The only concern was whether or not there was a current procurement classification under which their uniquely compelling services could be acquired.  Specifically, both Laura and Gemma wondered if their present category designation was sufficient in terms of truly describing the “uniqueness” of their offering to potential buyers.

I am more than confident that the people who oversee the eVA program will be able to answer this question.

In the meantime, and with the significant effort on the part of all government’s to drive both the economy as well as innovation, I am going to follow Blue Ocean Brain over the next 12 months to see how they progress in their efforts to do business with the Commonwealth.

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