Most companies have assets, ideas and opportunities to consider a new growth platform but lack the priority, bandwidth or entrepreneurial initiative to take on the risk of the unknown and compete effectively with the priorities of an annual operating plan.

“Strategic innovators are rare and hard to find.” *

An XTM delivers the business acumen and entrepreneurial drive to get the initiative up and running.

*(“Finding and Grooming Breakthrough Innovators” - HBR, Dec 2008)

Time is money. Market potential has a limited window of opportunity. It only adds value if it can be realized within a meaningful time frame. Strategic innovation is vulnerable to both internal and external threats, The runway for a launch can get really short really fast.

“Innovation is not process driven, it is people driven.” **

An XTM prioritizes results driven learning over fixed plans and process to drive the initiative forward.

**(“How to Fire Up Innovation” - HBR, Mar 2015)

Companies plan for what they know because they’re good at it. However, standard operating plans often contain unconfirmed expectations, assumptions and metrics which can compromise or derail a new initiative. The plan might then be used to document sunk cost with the ability to sink your strategic innovation before its potential can be realized.

“Time is money.”

Our way-of-working is designed to schedule the most efficient use of capital. The risk is addressed up front in the initial phases of an investment by placing critical priority on the unknowns. Mitigation efforts are reviewed and ranked to build confidence when and where it’s needed the most.

As an objective and critical external resource, we are devoid of any NIH or political influences and maintain the ability to recommend termination without prejudice if too many original assumptions are proven to be wrong. Either way, the ROI stands to be improved.

The challenges of strategic innovation are best served by an optimal way-of-working with a high degree of diversity, adaptability and tolerance for risk. Active learning is featured in a flexible framework to generate insights and provide course correction as needed. Creative problem solving is a key success factor in addressing unforeseen roadblocks and to negotiate the inevitable tradeoffs in a timely manner to keep the program on track.

“There is no process for the unknown.”

An XTM is adept at navigating unknown territory with flexibility, focus and drive.

Innovation takes place in all markets and industries.

Our experience is based on technology driven products and services.

PROFILE : A small to mid size company ($50 - $500M) with a market position based on a single product line, technology or core competency. Future viability requires developing new applications, technologies and markets or vertical growth requiring a business transformation to create added value.

NEED : Existing markets are plateauing or shrinking, creating a sense of urgency to find new business. Existing resources are limited in scope, bandwidth and the requisite domain experience to pursue new growth platforms in the desired time frame.

FIT : An XTM serves as a highly effective team with the necessary experience and diversity to evaluate and catalyze the development of a new growth platform. Additional resources are added as needed to drive market engagement for validation and prototyping.

VALUE : Addressing the risk of a new growth platform without core team constraints. Accelerated development and effective use of working capital by using a lean XTM as the lead resource until the market direction and product definition are proven.

PROFILE : Smaller companies are often acquired for a technology, market presence or level of product integration to establish a foothold in a new market and act as a seed for a new growth platform.

The very differences that made the company attractive can become detrimental obstacles at key operational levels and compromise the entire value of the acquisition.

NEED : M+A initiatives fail to meet expectations more often than not. The acquired company is often pressured to deliver on short term growth targets while being subjected to the disruption of integrating operational practices. Internal competitive forces can become a factor and derail the objective cooperation needed to ensure success.

FIT : An XTM can act as a buffer and champion for the acquisition by allowing them to stay focused on their operational goals while a sustainable fit is found with the core business. The team members are selected for a compatible perspective with greater flexibility to explore potential synergies.

VALUE : An XTM can help preserve and accelerate the expected value of a new growth platform catalyzed by the acquisition of an existing enterprise.

PROFILE : $MM in funding with a focused technology platform and repeatable demonstration of proof of principal. Core team in place but weighted more towards technology, academic backgrounds than operational experience.

NEED : Addressing a number of challenging market development and product commercialization issues with ongoing budget pressure. Bandwidth at a premium with a limited range of supporting expertise.

FIT : An XTM embodies an entrepreneurial mindset and culture to fill in as a compatible resource on demand and expand the potential solution set to the many challenges of bringing a novel innovation to market. Industry veteran experts minimize the management overhead.

VALUE : A capital efficient resource to address specific challenges with increased bandwidth, expertise and diversity on demand. Quick ramp up with low overhead to address any gaps in the core team while minimizing the burn rate for working capital.

PROFILE : A large well established company ( $B+) with significant investments in R+D and core competencies. They typically have a competitve market presence but are under pressure to demonstrate meaningful growth in volatile markets.

NEED : The core team is well aligned with current operational plans, but may not have the bandwidth, priority, incentive, risk tolerance or specific skill set to take on the challenges of an unproven opportunity.

FIT : An XTM is deployed as an entrepreneurial resource to supplement the domain expertise and insights of the core team and catalyze the new growth platform. A framework is used to capture key contributions with the flexibility to enlist external resources independent of existing organizational silos.

VALUE : The odds of successful innovation are improved by adding entrepreneurial expertise to the insights and domain expertise of the core team. Operational effectiveness is improved for an early stage New Growth Platform without compromising quarterly operating numbers or career ambitions of key employees.