IdeaScale is software that allows companies to gather ideas from the crowd. The rest of the crowd votes on the ideas, comments on them, and organizations refine those ideas into proposals, pitches, and realities. As an example of how this works: The World Cerebral Palsy Alliance launched a worldwide challenge asking people for ideas that would change the lives of those who live with cerebral palsy. A man living in Turkey suggested a solar-powered wheelchair since he didn't always have access to reliable energy and it was a top-voted idea. A team of students in Virginia volunteered to research and build that solar-powered wheelchair as a prototype and it was one of the first of its kind. Other examples include ideas to save taxpayers money, ways to improve school attendance in Pakistan, and methods of reducing maternal mortality in Indonesia.
IdeaScale aims to be the most accessible platform (with multiple social integrations, mobile responsiveness, Section 508 compliance, etc.). It also aims to offer ease of use for both the end user and the admin; according to the vendor, every behavior in IdeaScale is configurable. The software is also intended to be IT friendly with a robust API, embeddable widgets and security certifications.
High profile clients include the White House, NASA, Princess Cruises, and Marriott Vacations Worldwide.