Hello and thank you for visiting my blog.  My name is Tim Sweeney and I am based in Austin.  I have a degree in Industrial Design however my career has led me to the customer experience realm and more broadly on a journey to find my own Purpose.

In 2007 I created a not for profit organization called LibbieCares.  In 2008 I co-founded Upstream Thinking with my business partner Jeff Mulhausen.

I will post tidbits from both of my organizations on this blog if they are relevant to its’ Purpose.

Below you will find my bio and information on both organizations:

Upstream Thinking is a conscious innovation firm.  We help organizations connect with people through their unique Purpose.  We offer insight, cocreated new experience models and the innovative products, services and market communications to realize them.  the result is growth through Purpose.   www.upstreamthinking.com is under construction.

LibbieCares is a not for profit organization with 2 missions:  1. To educated families about the very real risks and benefits associated with cerclage procedures through an experiential first-hand perspective, and 2. Animal advocacy.  www.libbiecares.com is under construction.

Bio

Tim has been recognized for shaping the modern practice of design and innovation in the field of product development for over a dozen years. He holds multiple IDEA Business Week awards, an Appliance Manufacturers Excellence in Design award and is named on over 15 design patents. The results of his work have helped organizations penetrate markets, create new markets, inform business plans, concepts and models; develop new products, product categories and pipelines; drive roadmap development as well as create and communicate vision.

Inspired to make positive change in the world through design, Tim co-founded Upstream, an innovation firme dedicated to addressing human centered issues.  His unique combination of Fortune 100, agency and start-up experience allows him to impact a wide range of issues, organizations and markets.

Prior to to forming Upstream, Tim directed enterprise design strategy at Motorola.  His visionary work helped to secure nearly $500M in new business while pulling the courier industry out of the paper age.  In doing so he built and managed innovation teams in the U.S. and Asia.  Tim personally led human-centered research initiatives and the development of impact strategies throughout the enterprise business.  His impact drove development efforts spanning from the Q platform to rugged mobile laptop computers and a range of handhelds in between. 

Tim also held senior positions at both Design Edge and M3 consulting agencies. In these roles he lead key programs for 3M, HP, Dell, Nortel, NEC and Polycom in addition to a host of start-ups. He guest lectures at the University of Houston, University of Louisiana Lafayette, The Ohio State University and has held numerous committee and organizational positions with the Industrial Designers Society of America.  Tim currently serves on the 2009 IDSA National Conference planning committie.